Chapter 0601 – Master Ge (III)

“Boss, although you are open for business, you can’t be too dark, right?”

“Yeah! We buy seals, this seal engraving should be considered a service! Still charging?”

Various skepticisms came out from the drumming crowd, of course, all caused by that charging rate of Zhuang Rui.

Generally, people’s names are two or three characters, plus the seal or identification character, it is necessary to carve three or four characters, that is to say, not counting the money for the seal, the seal carving alone needs to spend one or two thousand, it is no wonder that these people have a problem with it.

Not to mention them, is Zhao Hanxuan and Ge master, now also by Zhuang Rui this idea to the frozen, full of computerized engraving of the street, their own side of the opposite way and its line, can be done?

Ge master afraid Zhuang Rui can not stand, from behind pulled a Zhuang Rui, said in a low voice: “Xiao Zhuang, this …… engraving is my work, do not charge another right!”

Zhuang Rui shook his head and said, “To charge, the price will go up later, Master Ge, this is something you don’t care about.”

“Gentlemen, everyone be quiet for a moment, listen to me say a few words ……”

Zhuang Rui walked to the front of the crowd, and waited until it was quiet, then opened his mouth and said, “We all know that now the streets are full of computerized seal engraving, and private use of the seal is less and less, what is the reason for this? That one say ……”

“What’s so strange about this, who still uses private seals now!”

“Yes! In addition to the official seal financial seal, private seal used less and less.”

“Young people, this and carve a chapter to money have to do with it? Say something real.”

After hearing Zhuang Rui’s question, the crowd gave a variety of answers, but none of them got to the point because none of them had thought about it.

“Oh, everyone still hasn’t answered why the private seal is getting less and less, in my opinion, this is a kind of cultural loss, modern people are choosing more convenient signatures and handprints, but put the ancient seal which is the most capable of proving the identity to the back of their mind.”

Zhuang Rui’s words drew the crowd’s faces to gradually become grave.

“And the craft of seal engraving has existed since ancient times, most of the calligraphers and painters, are also masters of seal engraving, not to mention the ancient times, even in the Qing Dynasty, the seal engraving seals of those jinshi masters were hard to find for thousands of dollars. But in modern times, gentlemen, can you still find a hand-carved seal booth on the street?”

Speaking here, Zhuang Rui’s tone of voice violently raised up, said loudly: “Tell you, there is no or very little, in the future, the words and paintings you write, is to use the machine processed seal to cover the Inscription, that is still our culture? Is that still our culture? Is that still something inherited from our old ancestors?”

Hearing this, many people’s faces, became thoughtful, Zhuang Rui is right, calligraphy and painting is about a mood, if the use of mechanical processing out of the things on that, is indeed insulting the art of calligraphy and painting.

“Modern machinery gives us a lot of convenience, this is undeniable, but we also have a lot of excellent handmade crafts, and therefore lost, is not everyone distressed? Look at the street full of computerized seal engraving, 1 minute can produce a seal, but that is a dead thing, can be compared with Mr. Ge this handicraft? Hand-engraved seals can also be made according to your requirements, some difficult to imitate the anti-counterfeiting mark, which is the computer engraved seals can not be compared, I hope you can seriously think about it. Another point is, Mr. Ge’s craftsmanship, we all witnessed, he carved seal engraving out of the seal, not only practical, but also has a collection value, 500 yuan a word, in my humble opinion, not expensive! Perhaps one day in the future, Xuan Rui Zhai seal, will become 5000 yuan a word, for the inheritance of traditional culture, I feel the same is not expensive!”

Zhuang Rui sound words finished, Xuan Rui Zhai became silent, people are digesting the words he just said.

After a few full minutes, a sound of applause rang out, and slowly, the applause became louder as everyone applauded.

“This young man is right, modern people, are too utilitarian and impatient, for the cultural heritage of the past, that’s not that valued anymore.”

An old man in the crowd in his fifties or sixties stood out and was the first to agree with Zhuang Rui’s point of view, and then added: “I want to order a chicken bloodstone seal with 4 characters, 2000 dollars deposit, I’ll pay it first today.”

This everything has to be someone to take the lead, with that old man’s this move, originally still in the heart to measure the value of the people, also have joined the ranks of ordering chicken bloodstone seals.

In fact, one or two thousand dollars, for people who prefer antiques and paintings, is not much, not to mention that a seal can accompany them for a lifetime, and is not an item of wear and tear, after figuring out this link, the crowd is still willing to spend this amount of money.

“Monkey, go help Old Zhao register ah! A little bit of eye price are not ……”

Zhuang Rui saw Zhao Hanxuan a little too busy, and quickly kicked the monkey, the monkey only woke up as if in a dream, promised to run over to help.

Zhuang Rui where to know, the monkey just now is thinking, Zhuang brother really can fool, no wonder the young have such a large family property, dare this mouth cheat death does not compensate for life ah!

“Master Ge, you …… what is wrong with you?”

After Zhuang Rui made this speech, turned back and was about to greet Master Ge, but found that the old man who originally stood behind himself, was already in tears and could not help himself.

“Xiao Zhuang, good, well said, you can say these words, the old man I just don’t want a penny and give you a job for nothing, then I also recognize it.”

To be honest, master Ge was really moved by Zhuang Rui these words, in the seventies and eighties, hand engraved seal of the immense prosperity, although more than some units of the official seal, but with this craft, to maintain a family of old and young people’s subsistence, or not a problem.

Just to the nineties after the rise of machine engraving, almost overnight, hand-engraved stamps disappeared in the streets and alleys, for these old craftsmen, the heart of the kind of loss, it is difficult to use language to express out.

What’s more, this also broke the doorway to eat, Ge master himself three generations of ancestors, are goldstone family, which is the ancestral craft, but to his generation, the son is not willing to learn this craft, the grandchildren are making noise to leave the country, which makes the Ge master that called a tangled ah! Seeing the skills left behind by the ancestors, will be broken in their own hands.

Today, after hearing the words of Zhuang Rui, the old man is considered to meet the soulmate, as he said, that is, Zhuang Rui does not give him a salary, Ge master is also willing to do, not for anything else, is to figure a happy heart.

“Master Ge, inside talk, not pay money which can work ah!”

Zhuang Rui laughed, the old man this is a long time repressed, when not true, to really do not give money, Zhuang Rui can not pass their own this Kan, too many guests outside, Zhuang Rui with Ge master walked to the inner room.

After sitting down, Zhuang Rui said: “Master Ge, we agreed to the same base salary, or 5000, but you each seal engraving a seal, each word you charge 300 dollars, so split you see okay?”

After hearing Zhuang Rui’s words, Master Ge quickly stood up and excused himself, “What? No, no, Xiao Zhuang, 5000 dollars salary is not low, this commission even if it!”

To say that master Ge this person, in the capital city goldstone seal carving industry, is also very famous, with the family craft, once to many senior officials seal engraving private seal, and even gave some foreign friends seal engraving seal.

But then seal engraving is not much money, three or five dollars a, to later hand seal engraving was replaced by computerized seal engraving, these craftsmen, even almost can’t eat, some of the younger ones have switched to other professions, so the old man’s life, life is still relatively poor.

If it is not the grandson wants to go abroad, the family can not get money, the old man will not be so old still out to work, of course, he just said the white dry, that is also in the mood to say out, as Zhuang Rui thought, is not really.

“Master Ge, you are making money with your craft, this money is not a loss of heart, you should not excuse yourself, just do it according to what I said! We are considered a partnership. By the way, if you are free, see who is more skillful in the store, take an apprentice, and we will carry forward the handmade seal carving craft together!”

Zhuang Rui waved his hand and settled this matter, he had more things in mind than Master Ge, people who like antiques and paintings nowadays will not be short of this amount of money, when this matter spreads out, I am afraid that there will be people coming to the door to ask for words.

Zhuang Rui would like to let this wind in the circle of antiques popular, so that those who are authentic collectors, are proud to have “Xuan Rui Zhai” private chapter.

Like Fatty Jin and Mr. Sun these experts, Zhuang Rui is ready to send a private seal, and later go out to appreciate the object, experts if not take out Ge master’s private seal to, that are embarrassed to sign the identification certificate.

With this gimmick, sure to hit the “Xuan Rui Zhai” name, now these days, fame and fortune has always been tied together, with the name, it is still afraid of no money to earn it?

“Good, good, Xiao Zhuang, this love, the old man I received, you can rest assured!”

Master Ge did need money now, he didn’t push back, but in his heart, he had already taken the seal carving craft as a career, and no longer had the same mentality as he did when he was a roadside stall.

“Hey, Boss Zhuang, you’re not going to make a speech, but also too much of a loss ah! Haha ……”

After Zhuang Rui and Ge master talk, Zhao Hanxuan pushed the door, meet and Zhuang Rui joked, followed by: “A total of eleven people ordered a chicken blood stone seal, they want the texture from high-grade to low-grade are, just now the deposit alone was collected more than eight thousand …… ”

“Oh, old Zhao, this good day is still behind it, but you turn back to order a computerized seal engraving machine to go ……”

Zhuang Rui words let Zhao Hanxuan and Ge master are a little confused, this side is ready to promote traditional crafts, how to command to buy computerized seal engraving machine?