Farmhouse Green Plum

Chapter 228 Blacksmith

At the beginning of the Si hour, Song Ying arrived at Dongjiekou. After meeting up with Lin Wenxuan, they went together to look for the craftsman.

The craftsman lived at the edge of North Street, which was quite far away. It took them nearly half an hour to arrive.

Looking at the shabby thatched house in front of him, Song Ying asked uncertainly: "Is this the home of the craftsman you mentioned?"

Lin Wenxuan nodded and raised his hand to knock on the shaking wooden stake, "Uncle Xu! Uncle Xu! Are you home?"

Song Ying was astonished. Couldn't a silver needle be made by a very skilled craftsman? A very skilled craftsman would have many people asking him to make utensils. How could his house be in such a shabby state?

Although there are five rooms, they are all thatched houses. The thatch on top is still white, which shows that they have been exposed to wind and sun for a long time. They are not warm in winter and not heat-insulated in summer. They may even leak when it rains.

On the far left, there is a shed with a thatched roof, inside which is a large iron block and several hammers of different sizes.

The fence outside is also in a dilapidated state, with pieces missing here and fallen down there, and the wooden boards of the door are cracked to the thickness of finger gaps. Aren't you worried that thieves will get in and take away the good things made for the guests?

Her eyes were too straightforward, and Lin Wenxuan saw through her confusion at a glance, and said in a low and quick voice: "When Xu Lei's wife was pregnant with his son, she fell and almost had a miscarriage.

The delivery was difficult, and the child was kept in the womb for too long. He was born with congenital deficiencies and fell ill every other day. Over the years, Xu Lei spent all his family wealth and used all the money he earned to buy medicine for his son. "

Speaking of the latter part, Lin Wenxuan couldn't help but sigh.

"Who is it?" A voice sounded inside the house, followed by a tall, bearded middle-aged man walking out.

"Uncle Xu, it's me. I'm here to give you two sets of silver acupuncture treatments," Lin Wenxuan said quickly, waving his hand.

"Doctor Xiao Lin?" Xu Lei recognized him and was a little surprised. "Didn't your master just get a set of silver needles last year? Did he lose it?"

"No, this time my junior sister and I came to you for acupuncture."

"Your junior sister?" Xu Lei glanced at Song Ying. "Why did your master accept a girl as his apprentice? When did it happen?"

Song Ying smiled at him and explained, "Doctor Ma is my uncle, not my master. My master is..."

"So Doctor Ma has a senior sister!" Xu Lei was greatly surprised, and then his eyes lit up. He stared at Song Ying expectantly and nervously: "Then is your master's medical skills very good? Where is your clinic?"

"My master's medical skills are naturally excellent. She is a doctor specially supported by the Shen family and does not sit in the clinic." Although Song Ying felt that with his master's personality, she would not mind treating strangers, but anyway, he still had to ask her first.

"You're not seeing patients in the clinic." The light in Xu Lei's eyes suddenly dimmed.

"Oh, look at my brain, I actually forgot about this," Lin Wenxuan patted his head in annoyance, "Let's go back today and ask her when she is free to come over and see Xiao Wei."

"That's great," Xu Lei rekindled his hope, suppressed his excitement and talked about today's business, "Did you bring the blueprints for the silver needle?"

Lin Wenxuan nodded, took out the blueprint and gave it to him, and took out the silver that he had prepared in advance, "It's still the same as before, the iron material will be used from here, and the cost will be included in the wages."

"No, no, as long as Xiao Wei can be cured, I will be willing to work like a slave for you. What's more, I will personally deliver some iron materials to you two after I have made the silver needles."

"That won't do. Let's put this into context..."

Song Ying and Lin Wenxuan took turns and finally persuaded the grateful Xu Lei to pay his wages and material fees, and then explained in detail the precautions.

By the time everything was settled, it was already late noon and Song Ying and the other man were ready to leave.

Xu Lei invited enthusiastically: "I am hungry now, why don't we go have a simple meal together? The two young doctors can't refuse anymore. Over the years, we have troubled Doctor Ma to see patients in the middle of the night for the sake of children."

I wanted to waive the money for the needles, but you refused. If you refuse to even have a meal, then my father and I will not be able to go to Huichuntang again."

Since he had said this, Song Ying and Lin Wenxuan could no longer refuse. Thinking that the meal was not very expensive, they agreed.

Xu Lei went back to the house and said something to his son Xu Wei, then he and Song Ying walked towards the city.

Soon, they passed a noodle shop, and Song Ying suggested, "Let's have a bowl of noodles. It's hot and will keep you warm after eating."

Lin Wenxuan and Xu Lei had no objection. Xu Lei even said to the store owner, "Uncle Wang, give us more sauce. I will give you more money later."

"Okay." The shopkeeper agreed.

While waiting for the noodles to cook, Song Ying couldn't help asking about the ironwork: "Uncle Xu, I just saw a big piece of iron on your iron block. What are you going to forge?"

"That's the iron pot made for Tianxianglou. It's still a rough piece and needs to be forged."

Song Ying had seen iron pots at the Shen family. How much time would it take to make such a big and thick piece of iron into a big and thin pot!

She marveled at the blacksmith's magic, and then thought of the silver needles they wanted, and couldn't help asking, "Shouldn't our silver needles be made from such a large iron billet?"

"Of course not. However, whether the iron block is big or small doesn't make a big difference. The key is what to make. Some things, such as your silver needles, need to be hammered out to remove more impurities, but some things can be hammered away casually."

Song Ying had never met a blacksmith before and didn't quite understand what he was saying, but Xu Lei started talking about it with great interest.

"Making silver needles is a delicate job. If it weren't for a doctor who taught my father little by little, our family wouldn't have this skill."

The price of making a set of silver needles is much more expensive than other things. Because of this craft, his family monopolized the silver needles of all doctors in Qingshui County and nearby villages and towns. Even some doctors in Shunqing Prefecture would come from far away to his family for treatment.

He gradually gained some fame and his family became more prosperous. If it weren't for the need to treat his son's illness, his family would be living a very prosperous life now.

Song Ying noticed that he was a little sad, so he quickly asked, "That doctor also knows how to forge iron?"

“That’s not the case. He said that my father and I were responsible for the thickness, size, and shape of the silver needles. If they didn’t meet his requirements, he would remake them. He stayed at my house for half a month until all the silver needles were made, and then he left.

My father thought that acupuncture could make money, and he was afraid of forgetting it, so he asked him to draw a blueprint, exactly the same as yours. "

Song Ying was filled with admiration. The fact that he could draw the diagram of silver needles at will showed that he was very familiar with silver needles and must be a very skilled doctor in acupuncture.