In this era of quick success, almost no one is focused on one thing anymore. They always want to go faster and get more.
However, there is such a legendary figure in Hong Kong, who has devoted his life to honing his life, just to do one thing well: sharpen his knife.
Who would dare to believe that a 92-year-old man has been sharpening his knife for 80 years! He is even called "the king of swords" by the local people.
It can be said that the career of "sharpening knives" has run through his entire life.
It is precisely because of this dedication that he has gained batch after batch of loyal fans. Today, he can charge thousands of yuan for sharpening a kitchen knife, but despite this, there is still an endless stream of customers, and some even travel thousands of miles for it.
So, what's the story of this old man, and why has he been able to stay on this path for so long?
Take responsibility
The old man's name is Chen Danghua, and he was born in an ordinary family in Hong Kong.
Hong Kong is under great pressure, and although Chan's parents both have jobs, it is still difficult to support a large family.
Chen Danghua was naughty and fun-loving when he was a child, and after going to school, he often skipped class and went out with his classmates, which also led to his grades often being at the bottom of the class.
His parents were too busy with work to take care of him, and Chen Danghua, who was unrestrained, was even more presumptuous, and sometimes he would not go to class for several days.
Before graduating from primary school, Chen Danghua proposed to his parents that he didn't want to go to school.
The current course is like listening to a book for Chen Danghua, since he can't learn it anymore, Chen Danghua thinks it is better to find a job outside and subsidize his family.
Hearing that their son wanted to drop out of school, Chen Danghua's parents were of course unwilling.
But Chen Danghua said: "I know that you work very hard, and I don't have any attainments in learning, so I might as well help you." ”
Chen Danghua's parents knew that their son felt sorry for them, but for a child who was just 12 years old, society was too cruel, and they couldn't bear to bear Chen Danghua's suffering.
However, Chen Danghua couldn't bear to plead, and finally Chen Danghua's parents agreed to his idea.
After dropping out of school, Chen Danghua spent all day looking for work on the streets. However, because he was too young, there was no place to dare to ask him, and for several days, Chen Danghua returned empty-handed.
Seeing their son repeatedly hit a wall, Chen Danghua's parents were distressed. That night, they called Chen Danghua to his bedroom and asked him if he would like to learn how to sharpen knives.
Chen Danghua recalls that when he was looking for work on the street, he could often see people sharpening knives on the side of the road. They only need to prepare a few tools to set up a stall, and they have the flexibility of time and place.
Chen Danghua replied, "Yes." ”
After Chen Danghua's father heard his son's answer, he found a famous knife sharpener on the street the next day, and set up a banquet for him with respect, hoping that he could accept Chen Danghua as an apprentice.
It was normal to accept apprentices at that time, especially for craftsmen, and it was hoped that there would be young people who could pass on their skills.
The knife sharpener is a cheerful person, and coupled with Chen Danghua's father's meal, he agreed to this matter.
That night, Chen Danghua's father called Chen Danghua and said to him earnestly: "Child, learning a craft is a very hard thing, and the master will be very strict with you, if you can't stand it, come back." ”
Chen Danghua knew that his father felt sorry for him, and he also understood that this road was not easy to walk, but he wanted to try it more and break through.
He said, "I know Dad, don't worry." ”
Chen Danghua officially became an apprentice of the sharpener.
He thought that this craft had no skills, but the seemingly simple sharpening of knives concealed a mystery, which was very different from what he imagined.
Decades of sharpening a sword
In Chen Danghua's impression, sharpening the knife is to put the knife on the whetstone and sharpen it back and forth, as long as the blade is thinned.
However, the master told him that sharpening the knife should be skillful.
Different knives require different techniques, and the customer's use is also one of the considerations for the selection of techniques.
In addition, not only are there a variety of techniques, but also a variety of whetstones. When Chen Danghua first came to his master's house, he was attracted by the neat whetstones he had placed.
The master told him that there were more than 20 kinds of whetstones that were commonly used, not to mention those that were rarely used and rare.
Chen Danghua's first lesson was to get to know these whetstones. Chen Danghua should not only remember the name and material of the whetstones, but also know what material they are suitable for.
Some whetstones are difficult to remember, and even many masters have difficulty remembering their names. Chen Danghua didn't allow himself to make any mistakes, he wanted to do a good job with his heart.
So, in that month, no matter the wind or rain, Chen Danghua would follow the master out of the stall and hand the master the corresponding whetstone according to the customer's knives.
There are too many types, so Chen Danghua wrote them all down on a notepad, and sometimes he didn't know which type to take, so he quickly turned down the notes he wrote.
In this regard, Chen Danghua's master bluntly said: Chen Danghua is the most serious and serious apprentice he has ever bred, craftsmen need such people, Chen Danghua will definitely be a great craftsman.
A month later, Chen Danghua no longer needed a notebook. No matter what kind of strange material the guest takes out, Chen Danghua can always find the corresponding whetstone as soon as possible.
The master saw that Chen Danghua's content had passed, and he began to teach him the next content, "sharpening the knife", which was more important than "picking stones".
Sharpening the knife is about the technique, and this technique is not as simple as it seems, and only the practitioner can figure out the doorway.
The first thing the master gave to Chen Danghua was the most basic technique.
As the saying goes, "Everything never changes." "It's the same with the way knives are sharpened, no matter how they change, their roots are still in the very beginning.
After knowing the principle, it is time to start practicing, and the success or failure of the craft is still in practice. Chen Danghua understands that there is no shortcut in the world, and only by working hard enough can there be results.
Chen Danghua used it for a week and was recognized by the master. In this week, he smoothed ten whetstones and sharpened countless knives.
After that, Chen Danghua followed the master out of the stall to help the guests sharpen their knives. The guests had a variety of knives, and it was a good time for Chen Danghua to practice.
Whenever he encounters a new request, the master will guide Chen Danghua on the side. Chen Danghua's attainments are very high, as long as the master says a few words, he understands how to change the technique.
However, in order to prevent himself from forgetting, Chen Danghua is still used to writing these down on a notepad, and when he has nothing to do, he can flip through them to deepen his memory.
Even when he got off work, Chen Danghua didn't let go. The master went to bed early, and he kept sharpening his knife against the whetstone.
It is also by virtue of this hard work that Chen Danghua's knife sharpening skills even surpass that of the master, usually a knife has to be sharpened for more than ten minutes, but Chen Danghua only needs 5 minutes, and it is more refined.
The master had nothing to teach Chen Danghua, and after admonishing him, he let Chen Danghua go on his own.
Chen Danghua originally thought that with his own skills, he would definitely not have no business, but the reality "slapped" him in the face.
Hit a wall everywhere
After Chen Danghua had his own knife sharpening stall, he found that customers were more inclined to the stalls he frequented and were deeply suspicious of the new stalls.
For several days, Chen Danghua's stall had no business, and he couldn't worry.
Chen Danghua thought: "It's not a way to go on like this, if you don't come to the customer, you will be starved to death soon, so what's the use of learning to sharpen knives by yourself?"
For this reason, he came up with a good idea, and he took the initiative to recruit customers and sharpen knives for them for free.
Chen Danghua is very confident in his craft, and he believes that as long as they try their craft, they will definitely not go anywhere else.
This trick really works, although everyone doesn't believe Chen Danghua, but they still have no resistance in the face of free things, and they went to Chen Danghua's booth one after another.
After getting the sharpened knife, they were surprised to find that this young man's craftsmanship was so good, and the sharpened knife felt completely different from that of others.
In this way, Chen Danghua earned a group of loyal customers, and relied on the crowd to spread the word by ten, hundred, and gradually opened up his fame in this area, and became a famous local "knife sharpening king".
There was an endless stream of customers who came to Chen Danghua to sharpen his knives, and he almost covered all the residents in the neighborhood. Gradually, Chen Danghua also had some savings in his hands.
Later, Chen Danghua felt that the dry sharpening knife was too promising, others didn't know you at all, as long as you created your own brand, you could firmly grasp customers in the palm of your hand.
After careful consideration, Chen Danghua decided to open his own knife sharpening shop.
This was a terrible decision at the time, because if you want to sharpen knives and do such street work, no one will open a shop for it, which is really a bit overkill.
But Chen Danghua doesn't think so, because there is too much uncertainty on the streets.
Bad weather or bad traffic will affect business, customers can easily be snatched away by other competitors, and after opening a store, customers can go straight to you knowing that you are fixed here, and they will not be robbed.
After Chen Danghua's knife sharpening shop opened, not only did he undertake the business of Hong Kong residents, but even gang members came to Chen Danghua to sharpen his knives, and his income was more than before.
After saving more, Chen Danghua did not stop learning. He knows that the times are changing, and if he doesn't want to be eliminated by the times, he must keep up with the pace of the times.
Chen Danghua constantly modified the knife sharpening technique, creating several more convenient and fast knife sharpening techniques.
Under his hands, there is no knife that cannot be sharpened, no matter how bad the knife is, as long as it is in his hand, it will immediately become smooth as new.
Year after year has passed, Chen Danghua still guards his small shop, and still meticulously treats every knife sent by customers.
Someone once asked him, "Why do you have to sharpen your knife now that you don't have to worry about eating or drinking?"
Chen Danghua replied to him: "Sharpening knives is my career, and I am willing to dedicate my life to this cause." ”
Today, Chen Danghua is 92 years old, and with 80 years of experience, he still sticks to the post of sharpening knives and still maintains his love for sharpening knives.
epilogue
80 years is an extremely distant number for many people. However, there is one person who has only insisted on one thing for 80 years, and he has dedicated his youth, middle age, and old age to seriously interpret the spirit of craftsmanship.
Excellence is their pursuit. In this day and age, we only care about moving forward, ignoring the beauty of work and life. Don't do one thing for the sake of accomplishing something, it's more important to enjoy the joy it brings you.
Sometimes, steady progress with a goal is more effective than a reckless run.
- Author: Wang Sanjin
- Edit: The sound of the night rain is annoying