Chapter 4

The main income of Jinzhu Village comes from making crushed gold silk.

Behind the village, there is a large grove of golden bamboo, but the monthly production of crushed gold silk is limited, mainly because its production process is very complicated.

The golden bamboo is bluish-green, with golden spots on its surface. The older the bamboo, the larger the golden spots. The best bamboo for making crushed gold silk is over three years old. New bamboo has too many impurities, making it prone to breaking and less effective in various aspects compared to old bamboo.

However, even with old bamboo, the impurities in the bamboo fibers need to be removed.

Behind the village, there is a nitrate mine, which is slightly darker and finer in texture than ordinary soil blocks. The villagers use the nitrate to polish the bamboo fibers until the bluish-green color fades almost completely, turning the fibers into a light yellow.

This is not the end. The light yellow bamboo fibers need to be soaked in nitrate water for three days and three nights. At that time, the light yellow color will turn into a deeper gold, and only then is a piece of crushed gold silk truly complete.

Nitrate particles do not dissolve in water and will settle at the bottom after a while, so the nitrate water needs to be stirred continuously to ensure a thorough mixture. The processed crushed gold silk is incredibly flexible and will not break no matter how it is bent. When woven, it can resist blades, water, and fire, often used as the outer shell of mechanisms.

After fully understanding the production process of crushed gold silk, Chang Ming sighed, realizing that nothing comes easily. Despite the complex process, a single piece of crushed gold silk can only be sold for eighteen copper coins... Thinking about this, he felt that his fifty silver coins were obtained too easily. After all, one silver coin equals one thousand copper coins, so fifty silver coins are equivalent to over two thousand seven hundred pieces of finished crushed gold silk!

Although the production of crushed gold silk is complex, most of the work involves water and grinding. The real challenge is the first step—slicing the bamboo fibers from the bamboo rods.

The Lian family requires each piece of crushed gold silk to be over one meter long. Bamboo fibers shorter than one meter are considered waste and are not accepted. Additionally, the one-meter-long bamboo fibers must be of uniform thickness and as thin as paper, requiring a high level of skill. Every household in the village makes crushed gold silk, but only ten people can successfully slice qualified bamboo fibers.

Chang Ming walked to Lao Ping's house. The village chief said that Lao Ping is one of the ten people in the village who can slice bamboo fibers and is the best at it.

Lao Ping was working, sitting steadily in the courtyard with a pile of bamboo rods beside him. He was very focused, and when Chang Ming entered, he did not even look up. Chang Ming did not disturb him and quietly stood by to observe.

Lao Ping grabbed a bamboo rod with one hand and a narrow knife blade with the other, positioning it at the head of the bamboo rod. His right hand remained still while his left hand shook twice, slicing out a long bamboo fiber.

Indeed, it was of uniform thickness and as thin as paper, a perfect bamboo fiber.

Lao Ping continued without stopping until he had completely sliced the bamboo rod—by then, the surface of the bamboo rod had completely disappeared, leaving only the greenish-white inner part—before he looked up and silently acknowledged Chang Ming with a nod.

Chang Ming did not pay attention to his actions; he held a bamboo fiber, his gaze focused, deep in thought. In his mind, he replayed Lao Ping's actions, the way he held the knife, the angle at which it entered the bamboo rod, the gestures used to slice it, the frequency and timing of the left hand's movements...

All of these details appeared vividly in his mind, without a single detail missed.

When he was young, his grandfather taught him that practice is not about repeating mistakes but about making purposeful improvements after careful observation.

Repeating a mistake a hundred times is still a mistake; only by taking the right path can one reach success.

He carefully observed the entire process of Lao Ping handling a bamboo rod. From that single bamboo rod, he sliced out forty-three bamboo fibers. Sometimes there were minor flaws, causing the thickness to vary slightly. However, none of the eighty-three bamboo fibers were failures, and the entire process took about half an hour, demonstrating extremely high skill.

After slicing a bamboo rod, fine beads of sweat appeared on Lao Ping's forehead, indicating that the task was physically demanding.

After replaying the entire process ten times in his mind, Chang Ming looked up, just as a middle-aged man walked in and said, "Lao Ping, do you have any finished products? Ah, there they are, I'll take them!"

Lao Ping silently stood up and turned, handing him a long bamboo basket filled with freshly sliced bamboo fibers.

The man counted them and said, "A total of three hundred, ten copper coins each. Shall we settle in silver coins?"

Lao Ping nodded and took the silver coins from him.

After asking, Chang Ming learned that only ten people in the village could slice bamboo fibers, less than one per household. In the production process of crushed gold silk, only slicing the bamboo fibers requires skill; the rest is water and grinding work. Therefore, the village arranged for these ten people to specialize in slicing, paying them ten copper coins per fiber.

Chang Ming was taken aback and asked, "So, with such a complicated process, you can only earn eight copper coins per piece?"

The man laughed, "Who can blame us for not having the skill? The more you know, the more you do, the more you earn, that's normal!"

Chang Ming thoughtfully asked, "If I could also slice bamboo fibers, could I also turn in the work?"

Lao Ping glanced at him, and the man laughed even louder, "Of course, Xiao Ming, if you can slice qualified bamboo fibers, we can buy them for ten copper coins each! But this job isn't easy. Look at your delicate hands, be careful not to get cut by the bamboo fibers! Don't think it's simple; Lao Ping is the best at slicing in the village, and no one else has such a high success rate!"

Although he spoke confidently, it was clear he did not believe Chang Ming could do it.

Lao Ping remained silent. After the man left, he looked at Chang Ming and said succinctly, "Want to try?"

Chang Ming immediately nodded, "Yes!"

Lao Ping handed him the small knife and a bamboo rod. Chang Ming took a deep breath and sat down.

He did not start immediately but gently touched the bamboo rod, feeling its fine texture. Then, he picked up the knife and lightly scratched the inner part of the bamboo rod where the fibers had been sliced.

Seeing his preparations, Lao Ping's eyes lit up.

Chang Ming recalled the process in his mind twice and smiled, "Uncle Ping, I might have to waste one of your bamboo rods."

Lao Ping simply said, "No problem!"

Chang Ming took a few deep breaths, gripped the knife, and placed the blade at the end of the bamboo rod, slicing down without hesitation!

His gesture was identical to Lao Ping's, with the angle and depth of the cut perfectly matched. Then, he kept his right hand still while his left hand shook, but the coordination was not quite right, and the bamboo fiber broke after about thirty centimeters.

Chang Ming's expression did not change. He reset his position and tried again. This time, he still failed, as the coordination was not quite right.

Third try, fourth try, fifth try...

Chang Ming's expression and breathing remained unchanged. Each failure did not affect him, and he made subtle adjustments to his movements.

Lao Ping's calm eyes gradually showed surprise. He was indeed the best craftsman in Jinzhu Village, with extremely sharp eyes. He quickly identified the key.

With each adjustment, Chang Ming's movements became smoother. Gradually, he did not completely copy Lao Ping's method but added some of his own habits.

He failed fourteen times. On the fifteenth try, after two shakes, a complete bamboo fiber appeared in his hand!

Chang Ming did not stop. The sixteenth try failed, but the seventeenth was successful.

The eighteenth and nineteenth tries failed, but the twentieth was successful.

Chang Ming's success rate increased. From that single bamboo rod, he sliced thirty-four times, with the last five all successful and none breaking!

After finishing the bamboo rod, Chang Ming exhaled and put down his tools.

Lao Ping's eyes sparkled, and he said briefly, "You should become a mechanism master!"

Chang Ming picked up the bamboo fibers he had sliced and shook his head, "No, the quality is not up to standard. Look, it's thinner at the top and thicker at the bottom..."

Lao Ping did not speak but patted Chang Ming's shoulder and pointed to something.

Chang Ming followed his finger and saw four bamboo poles tied together, densely marked with cuts, each deep and visible, indicating a long history.

Lao Ping said, "This is the record of failures!"

Chang Ming was taken aback and instantly understood. Each time Lao Ping failed, he made a cut on the bamboo pole. The entire pole was covered with cuts, showing how many times he had failed!

Lao Ping pointed to the pile of new bamboo fibers in front of him, each of uniform thickness and as thin as paper... Behind these works were countless failures and countless efforts!

Chang Ming smiled gratefully at him, "Yes, Uncle Ping, I understand. I will continue to work hard until I am as good as you!"

In his mind, he thought of his grandfather and the tape recorder.

What seemed like a simple tap was actually the result of hundreds of thousands of experiences. No matter what one does, finding the right method and working hard is the key to success!

Lao Ping thought for a moment and handed him his small knife, saying, "Here, take it."

Chang Ming had already carefully examined it. It looked like a simple metal blade but was clearly well-polished. The curve and the feel of the handle were all exceptionally comfortable. Chang Ming did not refuse, took the blade, and bowed deeply to Lao Ping, saying, "Thank you!"

He was not just thanking him for the blade but for Lao Ping's silent advice.

Never be frivolous, always stay focused and composed.

To truly become a mechanism master, the road is long, but no matter how long, one must take it step by step!

Chang Ming looked up at the bamboo pole, seeing frustration, resilience, and determination in each cut. For him, staying in Jinzhu Village had another layer of meaning beyond gathering information.

Practicing his skills and slicing perfect golden bamboo fibers—

Being a mechanism master is a purely manual profession, and basic skills are absolutely essential. This was a great opportunity for Chang Ming to practice his fundamentals!

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