Start with a blacksmith shop.

"Okay, we'll know the day after tomorrow. Let's go deliver the knives now."

After receiving this money, I will also buy some new equipment.

"After all, my blacksmith shop is still too small, and the equipment is too outdated," Li Zhenhua replied to Guo Shugui.

The three men delivered the knife to Green Real Estate's purchasing department, with Guo Shugui present.

Everything went smoothly. After Li Zhenhua delivered the goods, Green Real Estate's finance department quickly settled the payment for him.

On the way back, Li Zhenhua held the newly issued bank card in his hand.

Looking at Liu Xiaodong driving and Guo Shugui sitting next to him, although he knew,

These two people certainly aren't short of money, but it's a bit unreasonable to let them work for him for free for half a month.

"Fatty, Guoba, I know you two aren't short of money, but there's something I have to say."

You two have worked so hard during this time.

The money we made this time will be split between the two of you. I won't go into specifics, but I'll give you 20,000 each. Don't think it's too little!

After Li Zhenhua finished speaking, he used his mobile phone to transfer 20,000 yuan to each of them via WeChat.

Guo Shugui and Liu Xiaodong did not stop Li Zhenhua after hearing what he said.

As the saying goes, even close brothers should keep clear accounts. In this matter, both men agreed to this approach.

After all, they did contribute their efforts and helped Li Zhenhua a great deal.

They have no conscience taking those 20,000 yuan.

Liu Xiaodong drove Li Zhenhua back to town, and then he and Guo Shugui packed up their things at the blacksmith shop before going home.

The two of them had been working non-stop for half a month, which had definitely taken a toll on them.

So now that they have a day to rest, they are very happy.

After the two men returned home, Li Zhenhua sat alone in front of the counter on the first floor.

I turned on my computer and started searching, thinking about what kind of blade I should use to participate in the preliminary rounds of the sword-forging competition.

Photos of short knives flashed before Li Zhenhua's eyes, but he couldn't find a shape that suited his taste.

After much deliberation, Li Zhenhua set his sights on the Gurkha kukri.

This type of knife is recognized worldwide as the most mechanically sound recurve knife.

This knife is also the national knife of Nepal and a symbol of honor for Gurkha soldiers.

Some people may not know what a Gurkha knife is, but most people know what a kukri is.

It is a recurve knife with a wide belly and a blade that curves forward like a dog's leg, hence its nickname "dog-leg knife".

There is a V-shaped groove at the junction of the blade and the handle, used in actual combat to guide blood flow.

To prevent the liquid from flowing onto the handle, making it difficult for the person holding the knife to grip it securely and to avoid slipping.

Moreover, this type of knife is a war-tested design, and Gurkha mercenaries made a name for themselves around the world with this curved knife.

Now that the shape of the knife has been determined, he began to determine what length of knife would be appropriate.

After all, this is just the preliminary round; building something too big and too good would be a waste.

This time, Li Zhenhua plans to make a dagger, with a length of 25cm and a curvature of 17 degrees, so that the blade is short and easy to carry.

As for why we didn't make a machete, it's because 45cm is just too big.

Li Zhenhua used CAD to draw the blueprint of the knife on the computer.

The blade is very simple, without any unnecessary elements, which is what people often call a plain knife.

With the next steps planned out, Li Zhenhua felt much more relaxed and slept very soundly that night.

The next day, Li Zhenhua woke up very early as before, but this time he didn't get out of bed.

He had been busy for half a month and needed to rest. This was the first time he had slept in since he came back.

After a good day of rest, Li Zhenhua began a new day.

They immediately threw themselves into it, and Guo Shugui and Liu Xiaodong arrived at the blacksmith shop on that very day.

This time, Guo Shugui was carrying a large bag with a simple line drawing of a DSLR camera on it.

Li Zhenhua asked him directly, "Guoba, why are you carrying such a big bag? I didn't see you carrying one when you came here before!"

"Haha, you've come to the right place! Let me tell you, I came prepared this time."

I asked my dad to give me all the equipment, including two machine units.

One is an R6 that always evokes感动 (a sense of being moved/touched), and the other is a 1DX that always evokes感动 (a sense of being moved/touched).

I also prepared a lot of lenses, for all kinds of shooting: telephoto, prime, zoom, wide-angle, macro—you name it.

This time, I don't have to worry about the footage being blurry with that little gadget.

Li Zhenhua was speechless. Was it really necessary to be so professional just to record the process of making the competition knife?

Although that's what he thought in his heart, Li Zhenhua couldn't show it.

After all, they wanted the best results, and besides, the equipment belonged to them. He didn't tell Guo Shugui how much he would have to pay them.

Since Guo Shugui was already prepared, Li Zhenhua didn't say anything more and let him do as he pleased.

"Fatty, Guoba, the type of knife I want to forge this time is a Gurkha kukri."

The length is set at 25 centimeters, and the angle is 17 degrees.

And I've already decided that this time I'll use only the most basic ingredients, without adding anything else.

"Using only pig iron, without anything else, and forging it using the ancient method of folding and hammering, a hundred-times-forged sword is crafted."

Liu Xiaodong and Guo Shugui had been in the blacksmith shop for quite some time and they knew what a hundred-forged knife was. They both looked at Li Zhenhua at the same time.

"Seriously? Stop messing around, okay?"

You should know that any steel available on the market now...

It cannot be said that any one of them is better than the patterned steel you fold and forge.

But if out of ten models you find one that's worse than patterned steel, we'll be incredibly lucky.

This is a thankless task!

Compared to Guo Shugui, Liu Xiaodong was more knowledgeable about patterned steel and modern steel, and immediately raised questions to Li Zhenhua.

Faced with their questions, Li Zhenhua thought for a moment, organized his thoughts, and then replied to them.

"I know that modern steel and materials science achieve better results than pattern-welded steel, but a sword-forging competition isn't just about comparing the specifications of the swords, is it?"

They even included the blacksmith's basic skills in their calculations. If we want to be unique, we shouldn't be the same as everyone else.

I want to take on a challenge and see what kind of result the knife I make using the folding and forging method will have.

This preliminary round was not only about eliminating me in the sword forging competition, but also a two-way choice for me regarding whether or not to participate in the sword forging competition.

He is choosing me, and I am choosing him.

If a blacksmithing competition only considers the final result, it loses sight of the most fundamental aspects of blacksmithing. In that case, I might as well not go this time.

"Have you thought it through?" Liu Xiaodong continued to ask.

"I've made up my mind!" Li Zhenhua said, his words revealing his determination.

After hearing Li Zhenhua say he had made up his mind, Guo Shugui immediately opened his bag.

He prepared all his camera equipment and planned to use multiple lenses to record the event.