In rural areas, wax hooves are either eaten during the New Year, or given when the New Year is gone.

The excess is usually reluctant to eat, and the elderly in the family have birthdays, or when a distinguished guest comes, they stew and eat.

For Wang Xiuyi, Jiang Xiaobai is definitely a distinguished guest.

Naturally, the most precious wax hooves were taken out and stewed to entertain him.

Wang Xiuyi was busy in the kitchen, and Li Zhengwei and Jiang Xiaobai, father and son, continued to chat in the hall.

"Brother Haiyang, you and Xiaobai are here, what's the matter, right?"

Jiang Haiyang nodded, "I do have something to do with you." ”

Li Zhengwei said: "Brother Haiyang, if you have anything, just say it." ”

Jiang Haiyang said: "I mentioned to you during the Chinese New Year that I am going to make a monument to Xiaobai's grandparents this year. ”

"Oh!" Li Zhengwei immediately understood, and said, "Brother Haiyang, you are going to ask Li Yan for help!" ”

Jiang Haiyang said: "In the ten miles and eight villages of Qingshan Town, he is the best stonemason. ”

Li Zhengwei said: "Li Yan's craftsmanship is not to be said, but ......"

Jiang Haiyang's heart tightened, and he hurriedly said, "What, is he busy now, or has he already taken the job?" ”

In the eighties and nineties, stonemasons were still relatively popular craftsmen, and stonemasons were needed to build houses, repair reservoirs, repair roads, etc.

At that time, the stonemasons paid attention to slow work and meticulous work, and for example, there was no month that could not be beaten.

Not to mention the stonemasons who hit the stele, a token stele

Li Zhengwei waved his hand, "That's not it, it's just that Li Yan doesn't take much stone mason work now." ”

Yes?

Jiang Haiyang was stunned for a moment, and exclaimed: "He is so good at stonemasonry, why don't you do it?" ”

Li Zhengwei glanced at Jiang Xiaobai and said with a wry smile: "Speaking of which, it is still Xiaobai who is to blame." ”

Jiang Xiaobai was stunned for a moment, and exclaimed: "Uncle, I haven't seen Li Yan, why does it have anything to do with me?" ”

Li Zhengwei said: "You set up two factories in Wangjiacun and Wollongong, and vigorously developed out-of-season vegetables, whether you go to work in the factory or grow out-of-season vegetables at home, you earn more than he does stonemason work." ”

"It takes him a month to make a token tablet, and his salary is only ten yuan, and it is hard."

"But if he goes to work in the factory, he will have a salary of fifty or sixty yuan a month, and he will earn one or two hundred yuan a month when he grows out-of-season vegetables at home."

looked at Jiang Xiaobai and asked, "You say, how did you choose?" ”

"Go to work as a stonemason for a meager wage, or go to work or farm at home?"

Jiang Haiyang and Jiang Xiaobai were stunned.

Neither of them expected this.

"That's true, whether you go to work in the factory or farm at home, it's better than being a stonemason." Jiang Haiyang said.

Li Zhengwei said: "Yes, so he doesn't work as a stonemason!" ”

Jiang Xiaobai couldn't help but smile bitterly.

He also suddenly understood how the so-called five old and eighteen craftsmen disappeared in later generations.

The so-called five old and eighteen craftsmen refer to the traditional craftsmen in the shaving of the head, the foot picker, the pot mending, the washing and grinding man, the ferryman, the goldsmith, the silversmith, the coppersmith, the blacksmith, the tinsmith, the stonemason, the carpenter, the painter, the carver, the bullet maker, the dyer, the leatherman, the winemaker, the bricklayer, the potter, the presser, the miller, the hammer, a total of 23 occupations.

The Five Elders and Eighteen Craftsmen represent some of the most important craftsmen in the traditional craft industry, who were once indispensable in social life.

However, with the development of modern technology and changes in lifestyle, these traditional crafts have gradually been replaced by modern technology and equipment.

In short, the generation of substitutes and the reduction of revenues have led to the decline or even gradual disappearance of these industries.

This is a good thing, and it shows that the social productive forces are progressing.

But this is also a bad thing, the disappearance of traditional craftsmanship not only means the loss of a skill, but also may lead to the destruction of a part of the history and culture.

These traditional crafts often contain rich cultural heritage and wisdom, and they are witnesses of the development of human history.

Jiang Xiaobai suddenly had an idea.

Although modern technology and lifestyle changes are inevitable, it is indeed difficult for some traditional crafts to continue to play a role in real life. But it is also possible to try to take steps to preserve and pass on these traditional crafts.

For example, build a special museum of traditional crafts, or build a cultural and creative park, bring together the five old and eighteen craftsmen, carry out relevant education and training projects, and develop corresponding cultural and creative products, so as to achieve the inheritance of traditional crafts, promote traditional culture, and obtain investment returns.

Anyway, he had already planned to build a museum, and adding a cultural and creative park would not be a big deal.

After Jiang Xiaobai figured it out, he asked, "Uncle, is Li Yan now working in the factory, or is he farming at home?" ”

Li Zhengwei said: "He is not too young to meet the conditions for entering the factory as a regular worker, and now he is farming at home while working as a temporary worker in a mineral water factory. ”

Jiang Haiyang couldn't help but feel disappointed when he heard this.

"Then it seems that it is impossible to find Li Yan to make a monument!"

Jiang Xiaobai smiled, "Dad, you don't have to worry about this, it's up to me to find Li Yan to make a monument to my grandparents." ”

Jiang Haiyang was annoyed, and said angrily: "People don't do stonemason work anymore, how can you go to someone for help?" ”

Jiang Xiaobai said: "Dad, depending on the essence of things, the reason why Li Yan doesn't work as a stonemason is because the salary of being a stonemason is too small, and it is not as good as entering the factory as a temporary worker and growing out-of-season vegetables at home." ”

"After all, isn't it just about money?"

"I asked him to make a monument for his grandparents, as long as the salary is higher than his current income, then he will not pick up a hammer and chisel to make a monument?"

Jiang Haiyang's eyes lit up, this is the reason!

But then, his face sank again.

"Your uncle said that he has an income of one or two hundred a month from growing out-of-season vegetables at home, and if he asks him to make a monument for your grandparents, even if it is the simplest token monument, it will take two or three months to beat down the two reputations, do you want to give him a salary of six or seven hundred?"

In the past, if the two reputations were down, the salary would be twenty or thirty yuan at most.

Now it's good, it's increased by twenty or thirty times all at once!

Absolutely not.

It's not that he doesn't have the money, but he simply feels that he can't afford it.

Jiang Xiaobai said: "Dad, this is your concept problem, now it's not a matter of whether it can be done or not, but you have this demand, and you can't afford to give others the income they want, so people don't work, which is normal." ”

smiled: "Besides, our family is not short of that money." ”

Jiang Haiyang said: "Although our family is not short of those hundreds of yuan, this is unjust money!" ”

Jiang Xiaobai shook his head, alas...... Dad still feels sorry for money.

"Forget it, I'll pay for it!"

Jiang Xiaobai said helplessly.