[Nanqin] Chapter 3 - Burnishing Scissor, Sharpening cleaver

        Changping county, Still Bamboo Province, North County.

The summer sun shines brightly. The streets of Changping County are crowded with people and carriages. In the noisy street, every now and then comes a yell, "Burnishing scissor, sharpening cleaver......." 

The yell was not very loud but clear. The young man who was yelling hold two knife sharpening stones in his hands. He spun the stones in his hands and hit them with each other after every yell. The stones made crisp sound under hit, and the sound traveled over the streets and far away.

The young man was no one else but Zhang Nanqin.

Zhang Nanqin was standing by a butcher's stall. The butcher was a middle-aged fat man with a bare head. Next to the stall was a palm-sized Buddha statue.

　　The middle-aged fat man lifted the cleaver and chop it into the bones on the board viciously. When he tried to lift the cleaver again, he found that the cleaver was stuck in the bone.

　　Zhang Nanqin's voice rang out again, “Burnishing scissor, sharpening cleaver.......” After saying that, the two sharpening stones in his hand gently collided, and the sound of soft chanting rang out again, echoing in the butcher’s ears.

　　The butcher looked up at Zhang Nanqin and opened his mouth in desperation, "Come on, young man! You've been shouting at my stall all morning. Is that so interesting?"

　　Zhang Nanqin smiled and walked up: "This red-pig pork is way better than ordinary pork, but its bones are also notoriously hard. Your cleaver has been chopping all morning. Now it needs sharpening."

　　Upon hearing this, the butcher laughed and tried again to pull the cleaver stuck inside the bone out, ''Open your eyes widely! It is not because the pork is hard. It is because I have been chopping all morning, and my hands are too sore. You have wasted your entire morning. You should have tried those taverns, where you might find your business."

The butcher grit his teeth and hold his breath, trying hard to pull out the cleaver. But he just could not pull it out.

"The fact that you are setting up a stall here means that your business is not good, otherwise the stall would have been set up on the market. You cannot afford to rent a stall there.” Zhang Nanqin looked at the middle-aged fat man who was still working hard, “You put a Buddha here with expectation that those who believe in Buddhism would buy some, but you don’t realize that putting Buddha besides meat stall is sacrilege. Sir, you may be in trouble at any moment."

Finishing his words, Zhang Nanqin reached out his right hand, clamped the cleaver with forefinger and middle finger, then pulled out the stuck cleaver gently.

The middle-aged man held his breath for a while. He looked at Zhang Nanqin, then looked at the Buddha statue.

“Really?” The butcher asked hesitantly.

“Oh, absolutely!” Confirmed by Zhang Nanqin.

The butcher quickly hid the Buddha statue and then checked around carefully. When his gaze fell on the cleaver, he noticed surprisingly that the blade really rolled: "All right. It seems the cleaver does need sharpening. Do your work now."

　　Zhang Nanqin smiled and sat down at the back of the stall. With one sharpening stone in each hand, he hold the cleaver between his legs and started to rub its blade back and forth.

　　The middle-aged man looked at Zhang Nan with a puzzled expression, "I never saw anyone did it in that way before. Are you serious?"

　　Zhang Nanqin smiled politely, while the movements in his hands continued with a rhythmic pace.

　　The butcher was somewhat nervous: "The cleaver was made by refined steel. It cost me ten silver coins. You must compensate me if you ruin it."

　　Zhang Nanqin put down the sharpening stones in his hand, picked up the cleaver and gently knocked it with his forefinger: "This knife is not a full refined steel casting. It was mixed with ordinary iron, and that’s the reason it's a bit hard for you to use. After sharpening this time, I can guarantee that you will be fine for the whole next year."

　　The butcher did not believe it, "How could that be possible? I use it every day. You must be bragging."

　　Just then a shout came from a distance: "Get out of the way! A horse has been startled!"

　　Zhang Nanqin and the butcher turned their heads for a quick look, then Zhang Nanqin handed the cleaver to the butcher, "One silver coin."

Before the butcher could response, Zhang Nanqin directly took a silver coin from the butcher's money box. The butcher threw the cleaver on the chopping board and was about to chase Zhang Nanqin, then he saw the cleaver fell on the board, cut the bone into two pieces, and stoon firmly on the board.  

The butcher’s eyes were almost fell out, "This is...amazing!"

The middle-aged man picked up the cleaver and looked around. He tried to find Zhang Nanqin, who had already disappeared in the crowd.