Go back to the prosperous days and become a layman

Chapter 552 551 Sharpening Scissors and Knives
When Tang Zhitong was walking back from Chunshu Hutong and reached the intersection of Huashi Street, he heard the cries of "sharpening scissors and kitchen knives".

"Master, how long will it take?" Tang Zhitong went over in the direction of the voice and saw the knife sharpener rubbing a pair of scissors back and forth on the whetstone.

You have work in your hands, but you keep shouting every few minutes. This is the difference between being able to do business and not being able to do business.

Some people are honest. They keep quiet when there is work and only open their mouths to make a fuss when there is no work. They do not know how to do business.

The master had work on hand, but he was also shouting, which was in line with the saying "If there are no dates, just hit them."

The shouting is to tell the neighbors around that you are here, and if anyone needs something, please come over with a kitchen knife or scissors. Even if they just hear it passing by, you can attract a few customers with needs. This is how you know how to do business.

Now, the business has come. Tang Zhitong needs to sharpen his knife.

"Comrade, if no one comes over soon, it will only take another ten minutes." The knife sharpener continued his work as he sharpened the knife.

"Okay, then please walk east for a moment and stop at the iron wheel so I can get out the knife." It was a cold day, and there was no one watching except the customers and a few idle children who were watching the knife sharpener.

"Okay, I'll definitely go over." The knife sharpener agreed readily. He made a living by his skills, and anyone who was willing to look for him was his bread and butter, so he responded enthusiastically.

Tang Zhitong didn't say anything else. He took a look at the knife sharpener's tools, turned around and left.

As mentioned in the previous article, sharpening scissors and kitchen knives was called "Shocking the Boudoir" in the past. There was a tool for eating, which was made of five pieces of iron strung together.

This thing still existed during the Republic of China. Ever since Tang Zhitong was a child, the noise of "Shocking the Girl" became less and less frequent, and gradually it turned into shouting.

The hawking in this industry is very magical, like a brainwashing song.

You cannot breathe when shouting "Sharpen the scissors!". When it comes to the word "Le" in the middle, you have to sing it smoothly, with an ups and downs in the nasal cavity, and it should be done in one breath, just like the Huayin Old Tune.

At this time, you can take a breath, but the temporary pause is to serve as a buffer for the subsequent "sharpening of the kitchen knife".

The three words "戗菜刀" require balanced rhythm and consistent intervals. The difficulty lies in maintaining full capacity, using the strength of the mouth, nose and chest neither too fast nor too slow, and freely and flexibly, like a general going to the battlefield with a spirit of not fearing death.

"Sharpening scissors and kitchen knives~" Tang Zhitong could hear this familiar noise three or five times a year. After the reform and opening up, Liu Huan with long hair even sang a song called "The Old Man Sharpening Knives". Although the hawking sounds in the song were not as real as those in daily life, they were very close.

When he was in college, Tang Zhitong and his classmates stayed in the dormitory to watch "Farewell My Concubine", in which there was the magical sound of a scissors sharpener. After the movie, his roommates gathered together to discuss the sound of the scissors sharpener.

Although it was already the millennium, the popularity of Mandarin was still not very strong, and my roommates all spoke with their own local accents.

Normally it's fine when we communicate in our mother tongue, as everyone can mostly understand us. But when we are in English class and the text is read in the local dialect, it feels like I am listening to a foreign language, as if my cousin from China went to the Yimeng Mountains and ate three pancakes, and his mouth and tongue are so tired that they are not flexible anymore.

We all come from different places and speak with accents, but why does the sound of the scissors sharpener sound so similar to that of my hometown? It's as if it's used in both the north and the south, shared across the country, and all taught by the same master.

After much discussion, there was still no conclusion.

It was not until later that Tang Zhitong accidentally saw a saying that this kind of hawking sound spread to all parts of the country along with "The Red Lantern".

"The Red Lantern", one of the eight major operas, had a huge influence back then, so it makes sense.

"Mom, please find our kitchen knives and scissors. I met a knife sharpener and he will be here soon." Tang Zhitong said to Zhang Guifang after he got home.

"Brother! My sister-in-law and I have finished cutting the stamps. Can you cook later?" Fengzhi was still thinking about the oil residue. Good things would be more fragrant only if processed by people with good cooking skills. She thought very clearly in her little head, and relying on the fact that she had done the work, she made a request to Tang Zhitong.

"Okay, I'll go out and watch the scissors sharpener later." Tang Zhitong agreed. The little brat was on vacation and couldn't sit still, so it was a good opportunity for her to keep an eye on him outside.

"Please wear a hat when you go out later." Zhang Guifang found a kitchen knife and scissors and told her daughter that it is very normal to order children around these days.

If a little girl from an ordinary family does nothing since childhood, it will be difficult for her to find a husband when she grows up.

Tang Zhitong returned to the room, filled a basin with warm water, and threw all the stamps that Xiao Wang had cut into it.

"Is this what you call peeling off stamps?" Student Xiao Wang was watching with great interest.

"Well, it's soaked through and will come off once you peel it off." When Tang Zhitong was in junior high school, it was the tail end of the stamp collecting craze. At that time, he wished someone would write to him every day, but that was all wishful thinking because he didn't have any friends from other places.

The envelopes that the elders in the family had accumulated over the years of correspondence became Tang Zhitong's target.

At first I tried to peel them off forcefully, but every piece was torn. Later I asked a cousin for help and found out that this thing needs to be soaked.

"You know so much." Student Xiao Wang performed the one-finger Zen, poking, poking, and poking with his fingers!

Press down the stamps floating on the water in the basin to ensure that the stamps can be fully moisturized by the warm water.

"Hehe, I learned this when I was working as a postman. During that time, I saw all kinds of strange letters. Some people drew their own paintings on stamps, and some reused used stamps. Those who were more particular would peel off the stamps like this, while those who were not would just cut them off and stick them back on." Tang Zhitong was also helping, separating the stamps piled up in the face plate.

When people are poor, they can do anything. For example, the postage stamp with only a small corner of it can be reused very easily.

"That kind of letter can be sent out?" Student Wang was quite surprised after hearing this.

"It depends on luck. There will always be people who are careless when stamping. Once it's in our hands, we will usually deliver it." For this kind of situation, many deliverymen will turn a blind eye and return it to their own people, which will only cause trouble.

At present, the law is not sound and there are no penalties for this situation. It seems that even after decades, there is still no strong punishment. After all, this amount of money is very small and not even enough to cover the labor costs.

After chatting for a while, they heard someone shouting "Sharpen the scissors and sharpen the knives" from outside.

"Would you like to go and take a look?" Tang Zhitong stood up and wiped his hands. He had told the knife sharpener that he had to go out and show his face.

"Okay." Student Wang had never seen anyone sharpen a kitchen knife. When he was in Yan'an, someone did it for him. After entering the city, the knives would usually be left in the message room.

After I went to dance school, I could only go home once every ten days or half a month, which made me much further away from these kinds of urban activities.

After getting dressed, Tang Zhitong took a kitchen knife and scissors and took Xiao Wang and Fengzhi out to watch the fun. Fengzhen firmly rejected her brother's invitation as she had an exam the next day and had to review at home today.

Since the nearby primary school was on holiday, many children, whether they were at home or playing outside, came out to watch the fun after hearing the shouting.

When the knife sharpener saw Tang Zhitong coming out, he stopped shouting, chose a place sheltered from the wind, set up his tools, and prepared to start work.

"Master, how much does it cost to sharpen a knife?" Tang Zhitong stood aside and watched. "One cent each." The knife sharpener put down his eating utensils, put his hands in front of his mouth and blew a breath, then rubbed his hands together to keep warm.

"Okay." Tang Zhitong looked at the knife sharpener's red hands that were frozen. The back of his hands and fingers were red and swollen, obviously frostbite.

In this kind of weather, it is very easy to catch a cold when working outdoors, such as sharpening scissors or kitchen knives without wearing gloves. They all make a living through hard work with their skills, and Tang Zhitong doesn't want to make things difficult for them over such trivial matters.

Tang Zhitong didn't want to argue, but that didn't mean other people didn't. A neighbor heard the noise and came out to bargain after hearing the price: "This is too expensive. Can you make it cheaper? We can bargain together."

"This..." The knife sharpener is good at doing business, which is not only reflected in knowing how to shout in advance, but also in his expression.

There was hesitation and struggle on his face. After a few seconds, he seemed to have made up his mind and said to the woman who came out to bargain, "One price, eight cents, the lowest price, no more negotiation."

"Okay." The old lady saw that she had bargained down the price, and with a smug look on her face, she taught Tang Zhitong, "Eanzi, you have to learn how to live. Two cents is still money. A pair of scissors and a knife. If you save four cents, you can buy half a pound of salt."

"You're right. If we talk about how to live a good life, you're the one." Tang Zhitong complimented. He also benefited from the other person's bargaining. It would be unreasonable to retort.

The old lady seemed to be encouraged and became interested. She chattered for a while and told Tang Zhitong and his wife some tips on how to save money.

Tang Zhitong listened in a disjointed manner, but classmate Xiao Wang was quite interested.

Maybe it was too cold, the old lady said she would go home soon. Before leaving, she said to Tang Zhitong and the knife sharpener, "My house is next, right? I'll go back and get it. Eucalyptus, you have to keep an eye on it for me, don't let anyone cut in line."

"Okay, don't worry. You rest at home for a while, I'll ask these kids to call you later." Tang Zhitong watched the aunt go away. There are many people like this in life.

He usually lives a simple life and is reluctant to throw anything away. He even rummages through the trash even though his pension is enough for him to spend.

They were also very frugal in food and accommodation, and in the end, some of the money they saved was donated to hospitals; some was used to subsidize their children; some was fooled by health product stores and bought a bunch of useless things; and some entered the stock market, contributed their savings, and became old investors.

It can be said that he is just mending things in life and spending money like water in the stock market...

Without the interruption of the auntie, Xiao Wang watched the knife sharpening with great interest.

Seeing that Xiao Wang was interested, Tang Zhitong did not leave but stood beside him to keep him company.

Nowadays, even the most famous chef only has one kitchen knife that he is used to.

The same is true in ordinary people's homes. Most of them only have one kitchen knife, and even several households share one kitchen knife.

The Tang family used the same kitchen knife to chop the meat, vegetables, pickles, fruits, and cabbage leaves for feeding the chickens.

Even in the 1980s and 1990s, this situation still existed, so many people remember that the taste of watermelon in their childhood was slightly salty or had a little bit of onion and garlic flavor.

That's why when cutting watermelon, adults often cut off a layer from the stem first and use it to wipe the knife, which can remove rust and odor.

The knife of the Tang family had been sharpened so many times that it was not only dull, but also had a less obvious edge. So the sharpener sharpened the knife first.

The master first used a sharpener to scrape off a layer of iron filings on the surface, then he straddled the bench, held the kitchen knife with both hands, and polished it back and forth on the rough stone until it was flat.

Finally, use a fine stone to grind the blade little by little, rubbing the blade lightly with your fingers every few minutes until you are sure it has been sharpened enough so that it feels like a new one.

After sharpening the kitchen knife, in order to keep the knife sharp, the master put the knife on the whetstone and sharpened it for a while, then prepared to sharpen the scissors.

The process of sharpening scissors is a little more complicated.

In addition to sharpening the inside of the scissors, you also need to sharpen the blade, while also taking into account the connected axis in the middle of the scissors.

If it is too tight, which is called "tight mouth" in the jargon, it will damage the blade of the scissors when used. The master will usually loosen the middle axis.

Once the middle shaft is too loose, you won’t be able to cut anything. You need to hit the shaft with a hammer to get the knife block closer.

When his own scissors were almost finished, Tang Zhitong asked the children watching to call his aunt who was hiding in the warmth at home.

"Here, one cent and sixty cents." After sharpening the scissors and the kitchen knife, the knife sharpener wiped the mud on them with a torn rag and handed the scissors and the kitchen knife to Tang Zhitong.

"Okay, thank you, Master." Tang Zhitong took the kitchen knife and scissors. Fengzhi wanted to come over to take a look at the novelty, but was pushed away by Tang Zhitong. These things were very sharp after being sharpened, so they had to be kept away from the naughty child's reach as much as possible.

The money was paid by Xiao Wang.

After paying the money, Xiao Wang took the scissors from her husband on the way home.

A while ago, Xiao Wang has been working on some handicrafts with a sewing machine, and has used scissors quite a lot. She wanted to try the difference before and after polishing.

"It's quite fast!" There were some leftover leather scraps at home, so Xiao Wang used a newly sharpened scissors to cut a piece of leather. It might be a bit exaggerated to say that it was so fast that it broke hair, but it was indeed much easier to use than before.

"Is it the right tightness?" Tang Zhitong asked as he added a handful of firewood into the stove.

"It fits well, is handy and easy to use. The master sharpened it really well." Student Xiao Wang took out a few more letters with great interest. They were the ones with photos inside, which she collected when she opened envelopes.

"That proves that the eight cents were not wasted." Tang Zhitong looked at Xiao Wang happily and thought of a poem: The bronze mirror reflects innocence, and the clear waves carry lotus.

Before glass mirrors became popular, bronze mirrors were used.

Copper is not cheap, so those who could afford copper mirrors in those days were people from well-off families, such as Hua Mulan.

In the Ballad of Mulan, it is written: "I comb my hair by the window, and put on my makeup in front of the mirror." She bought everything from the East Market and the West Market, and she did not disturb her parents, as she used her own private money.

The fact that the piggy bank has sufficient funds is a bit similar to that of classmate Xiao Wang at the beginning of last year.

"Shall I cut up these letters?" Student Wang stood beside Tang Zhitong, scissors in one hand and letters in the other, as if he would cut off the root of his troubles if Tang Zhitong made a wrong choice.

"Cut! I'll help you!" Tang Zhitong knew what was happening. He opened the furnace cover and signaled Xiao Wang to put the fruits directly into the furnace after cutting.

This kind of ferocious energy is also very Mulan! Tang Zhitong didn't dare to have any other ideas at all.

(End of this chapter)