Reborn Troops

Zhou Wanwan stood in her small and exquisite jewelry shop, her eyes passing through the window and falling on the old locust tree across the street.

The leaves swayed gently in the breeze, as if telling something.

Her mind was not on the natural scenery, but on the design inspiration that kept circling in her mind: a lion-themed bracelet.

"Wanwan, are you still thinking about the lion bracelet?" Qianqian's voice suddenly came from behind, interrupting her thoughts.

Zhou Wanwan turned around and saw her best friend Qianqian leaning against the counter, fiddling with an exquisite ring in her hand. "Yeah, I'm thinking about how to design it so that it's both unique and attractive."

Qianqian smiled and said, "I have an idea. Why not call it 'Lion Brings Fortune', which means auspiciousness and domineering."

Zhou Wanwan's eyes lit up. "Lion brings luck, this name is good! But how to design it specifically?"

Qianqian shrugged, "I can't help you with that. You'll need to find a master level person to do that."

Zhou Wanwan nodded, and she already had a candidate in mind. She decided to go to Master Zhongshan, the old gentleman who enjoyed a high reputation in the jewelry design industry.

A few days later, Zhou Wanwan came to Master Zhongshan's studio with her ideas and some shallow suggestions.

The studio is located in a quiet alley, with an antique wooden sign hanging on the door that reads "Zhongshan Jewelry Design".

Master Sun Yat-sen was a vigorous old man with silver hair and extremely sharp eyes.

After listening to Zhou Wanwan's purpose, he smiled and said, "Lion is here to make fortune, it's a good name. But when designing jewelry, it's not just about having a nice name, it also has to have soul."

Zhou Wanwan asked nervously: "Then how do you think we should design it?"

Master Zhongshan did not answer directly. Instead, he stood up, walked to the display cabinet nearby, took out several of his past designs, and showed them to Zhou Wanwan one by one.

"Look at these works. Each one has its own story and soul. Your lion bracelet must also have such a story."

Zhou Wanwan carefully observed each piece of work, trying to find inspiration from them.

She found that Master Sun Yat-sen's works all have one thing in common: they are simple yet exquisite, and have profound meanings.

"I understand," Zhou Wanwan raised her head, with a determined light in her eyes. "The lion bracelet I want to design should not only be domineering, but also have a gentle side, just like a lion is mighty, but also has the gentleness to protect its family."

Master Zhongshan nodded with satisfaction. "Very good, you already have a direction, which is how to transform this idea into a specific design."

Zhou Wanwan returned to the store and began to design. She decided to use a combination of gold and gemstones. Gold symbolizes the majesty of the lion, while gemstones represent the gentleness of the lion.

Zhou Wanwan sat in her studio, holding a pencil in her hand and a piece of white paper spread out in front of her.

Her brows were furrowed as she tried to translate the image of the lion in her mind into concrete lines and shapes.

Qianqian sat aside, holding a cup of coffee in her hand, glancing at Zhou Wanwan from time to time.

"Wanwan, you have already drawn several sketches. Is there any progress?" Qianqian asked.

Zhou Wanwan sighed, put down the pencil, and rubbed her temples. "I always feel like something is missing. Although the lion is mighty, I want it to have a gentle feeling, which is difficult to express."

Qianqian stood up, walked to Zhou Wanwan's side, and looked at the sketch on the table. "Maybe you can try starting with the lion's eyes. Eyes are the most expressive of emotions."

Zhou Wanwan nodded, picked up the pencil again, and began to modify the lion's eyes on the sketch.

She tried several different looks, from majesty to tenderness, and then to a protective firmness.

"How about this?" Zhou Wanwan handed the revised sketch to Qianqian.

Qian Qian looked at it carefully, "Well, this look is very impressive. It has both the majesty of a lion and the gentleness of a guardian."

Zhou Wanwan breathed a sigh of relief, she finally found the lion image she wanted. Next, she began to design the other parts of the bracelet, including the chain and decoration.

A few days later, Zhou Wanwan came to Master Zhongshan's studio again with her design sketches.

Master Zhongshan looked at the sketch carefully and nodded, "Not bad, you have captured the soul of the lion. Now, we need to transform this design into actual jewelry."

Master Zhongshan took Zhou Wanwan to his studio, where various jewelry-making tools and materials were placed.

He began to teach Zhou Wanwan how to choose suitable materials and how to transform design drawings into actual jewelry.

“The choice of gold is very important. It should not only reflect the majesty of the lion, but also have a certain softness to create smooth lines,” said Master Zhongshan.

Zhou Wanwan listened carefully and nodded from time to time. She began to try to make the lion's head with gold, but soon encountered a problem. Gold was too hard and difficult to bend into the shape she wanted.

"What should I do?" Zhou Wanwan was a little frustrated.

Master Zhongshan smiled and said, "Don't worry, we can use some special tools and techniques to solve this problem."

He picked up a small hammer and a die and began to demonstrate how to bend the gold into the desired shape.

Zhou Wanwan watched carefully, trying to remember every step.