The whole studio seemed as if the mute button had been pressed, completely silent.
After Ethan hung up Rose's call, he still sat there quietly waiting. There was a kind of persistence and firmness in his eyes.
"Ethan, why are you still here?" Charlie Chen walked over with a puzzled and impatient look on his face.
"Mr. Charlie Chen, I want to learn nut - carving!" Ethan said firmly, his eyes fixed on those exquisite nut - carving works, full of longing for this craft in his heart.
"No way!" Charlie Chen refused without hesitation.
"If not, then I'll keep waiting." Ethan played the rogue. He knew this might be the only way he could strive for a learning opportunity.
"Humph, even if you sit here until dawn, I, an old man, won't let you learn from me!" Charlie Chen said angrily and walked outside with his hands behind his back.
"Dad, I'm at Mr. Charlie Chen's place. I may go back late today, or maybe not at all. You and Mom don't need to wait for me." Ethan called Ethan Lee.
One hour passed, and Ethan was still sitting steadily in the studio like a statue.
Two hours passed, and his posture hardly changed at all, as if everything outside had nothing to do with him.
Three hours, four hours, time passed slowly like this.
The bustling night market outside had completely closed, and the whole Sunnyville town was shrouded in the night and fell asleep.
At one o'clock in the morning, Ethan was still waiting. There was not a trace of sleepiness in his eyes, only the eagerness for nut - carving.
At two o'clock in the morning, he was still waiting. The surrounding silence seemed to be testing his patience.
At three o'clock in the morning, he was still坚守 there, as if guarding a precious dream.
At around five or six o'clock in the morning, Charlie Chen came to the studio again.
"Why are you still here? Go away quickly! Even if you sit here for a year, I, an old man, won't teach you!" Charlie Chen said stubbornly, with a hint of surprise in his eyes. This young man's persistence was beyond his imagination.
"If sitting for a year doesn't work, then I'll sit for two years! Anyway, I must learn it!" Ethan's answer was forceful, and his determination was as firm as a rock.
"You... You're hopeless!"
"Don't think that staying here will work. I tell you it's useless!" Charlie Chen said and walked out, waving his hand.
Ethan remained unmoved. Since he stepped into the door of this studio, he had been deeply attracted by the nut - carving. His mind was completely immersed in it, just like iron filings attracted by a magnet, unable to extricate himself. Now that he was suddenly told that he couldn't learn nut - carving, how could he give up easily?
At noon, the sunlight shone into the studio through the window.
"You brat, get out of here quickly! If you starve to death here, I don't care!" Charlie Chen said. Although his tone was severe, there were some more complicated emotions in his eyes.
"If you don't teach me, I really will starve to death here for you to see." Ethan said without showing any weakness.
"Hey! Are you being naughty?"
"Yes!"
Suddenly, Charlie Chen laughed. With this laugh, the impatient and disgusted look on his face disappeared completely.
"You... Do you really want to learn this craft?" Charlie Chen asked again, his voice much gentler, and there was a hint of expectation in his eyes.
"Yes! I must learn it!" Ethan answered firmly again, with a burning light in his eyes.
"No matter how difficult it is?" Charlie Chen asked as if he wanted to confirm Ethan's determination again.
"I'm never afraid of difficulties!" Ethan said seriously, his expression solemn.
"Good! Good! Good! Hahaha!" Charlie Chen was so excited that his body couldn't help trembling. He seemed to see the hope of the nut - carving technique being passed on.
At this time, Charlie Chen's wife also quickly walked in from outside. She was holding food in her hands and had a kind smile on her face.
"Old man, I told you this kid was special! You didn't believe it! You had to keep testing him until now! I think if you starve him to death, who will inherit your craft?" The wife reproached Charlie Chen.
"Ethan, don't be angry. All of this was the old man testing you. You haven't slept since last night, and he has also been watching you until now, do you know? Actually, he is more afraid of you running away than anyone else! This old guy... is just deliberately being stubborn.
When it was morning, I advised him that the test for you was enough, but this old man still wanted to test your limits again!
He just had to test you again!"
"Auntie, what are you talking about?" Ethan asked blankly. His mind was still on the nut - carving, and he didn't react for a while.
"Kid, don't you understand? I'm old! I have to find someone who can really endure hardships to inherit this craft. If this person gives up halfway, I don't have the energy to choose a second one. So, I must be sure at once!
Only those with great perseverance and persistence can learn this nut - carving!
Actually, it's not difficult to find such people, but the difficulty lies in that they also need to have extremely high comprehension and talent!
But this is an extreme! People with talent are unwilling to work hard, and those who are hard - working and perseverant have no talent!" Charlie Chen said somewhat helplessly.
"What I told you before was not a lie. Even if you spend most of your time learning this nut - carving, in the end, it won't last long, and your body will start to decline, and you won't be able to maintain your glory!" Charlie Chen said to Ethan.
"It's okay. I can persevere." Ethan said, his eyes full of confidence.
"Good! Hahaha..."
"Old man, congratulations. After looking for so long, you finally found an heir." The wife said to Charlie Chen, with a gratified smile on her face.
When Charlie Chen heard this, he was also smiling. Obviously, he was very happy inside.
Then, Charlie Chen slowly walked towards Ethan.
"Are you willing to be apprenticed to our Sunnyville Spirit School? The Sunnyville Spirit School has been passed down for a thousand years! By my generation, it is already the 85th generation! We are best at nut - carving!"
"Can I just learn things without becoming an apprentice?" Ethan asked. He thought that becoming an apprentice might bring a lot of restrictions.
"Not become an apprentice?" Charlie Chen frowned, but then looked at Ethan.
"It's okay not to become an apprentice, but you must join my school and admit that you are a disciple of the Spirit School. Otherwise, you can't learn this."
"Do I need to pay money if I become apprenticed to the Northern School?"
"..." Charlie Chen found this kid very annoying but also thought he was very genuine, without those devious thoughts.
After Ethan agreed, Charlie Chen was afraid of any changes in the middle, so he didn't choose an auspicious day and directly started to take Ethan through the entry ceremony.
"Offer incense to the founder of the school! Once you offer incense, you will be considered a member of our Spirit School."
Ethan also became solemn. He knew this was a commitment, a commitment to the inheritance of the nut - carving technique.
He began to offer incense honestly, full of expectation for learning nut - carving in the future.
After all the ceremonies were completed, Ethan suddenly found that a large amount of Qi (vital energy in Chinese culture, here it can be understood as a kind of positive energy or good fortune related to the school) rushed into his body!
"This... Does it mean that once I join this school, I am closely related to it?"
When he was learning the "Record of Difficult and Miscellaneous Diseases" before, there was no such Qi! Was it because of becoming an apprentice and entering the school, or was it because the nut - carving itself was different?
Learning nut - carving is a very boring thing. It is all carved with a fine needle.
Most importantly, because it is a walnut, its shape is very irregular, which makes it very inconvenient to operate. If you are not careful, you will pierce the walnut, and it is very difficult to control the strength. One stitch is deep, and one stitch is shallow. Ethan was very helpless.
"Practice again tomorrow. Don't be lazy, you know?" Charlie Chen said to Ethan, with a hint of severity in his tone. This was a requirement for his disciple and also a responsibility for the inheritance of the nut - carving technique.
There are no textbooks for nut - carving teaching. Originally, it is a rare and precious skill, and most of it is passed down orally and by example.
The lack of textbooks made Ethan feel very frustrated, which completely shattered his original plan to become a nut - carving master all at once.
He was even hesitating whether to continue learning or not.
But when he thought of Charlie Chen's expectation for him, he couldn't bear to give up.
After the carving practice, Ethan went to the pharmacy to buy the medicine Charlie Chen needed.
This time he didn't dare to take money anymore! He was really embarrassed!
Seeing that he was about to become a master, Charlie Chen was still willing to hand over such a large school to him. It was only right to offer some medicine as a token of respect. Besides, Ethan was not short of this money now.
After returning home, Ethan carved a lot of bamboo carvings again.
Now, his bamboo carvings have become the main source of income for his family.
Each bamboo carving can be sold for two hundred yuan, and all of them can be sold out every day.
In this area, his bamboo carvings have caused quite a stir!
After finishing the carving, Ethan walked out directly.
When he stopped, he came to the entrance of the mobile phone mall.
He had promised to buy a X8 for Big Head but hadn't fulfilled it yet. Now that he had money, it was time to fulfill his original promise.