Handless ＂Craftsman＂： Refuse to ＂gnaw at the old＂ and pinch out a happy life with both arms.

　　Mr. rice and the dough figurine he pinched.

　　They all say "ingenuity", and the things made by skillful hands are always amazing. But there is such a man who has no hands, but can "pinch" a delicate dough figurine with his forearm, which is admirable and touching. When he lost his hands in his twenties, he was not pessimistic, but accepted the fact calmly. After basically adapting to life, he decided to go out and stand on his own feet instead of "gnawing at the old" at home.

　　Now, he has a happy little family, a virtuous wife and two lovely children — — A man who doesn’t bow to fate has won his happiness by hard-working "arms"!

　　Hands-free dough sculptor

　　Set up a stall to pinch dolls, no pricing, customers look at it.

　　On Huimin Street in Xi ‘an, Shaanxi Province, every evening around 6 o’clock, Mr. Mi, 37, comes to set up a stall with a plastic box. The tools in the box are very simple, only a plastic panel for kneading clay and a carving knife. Although he doesn’t have hands and palms, he can skillfully shape clay with small arms. After adding color, the ordinary clay mass becomes the doll’s body and eyes in his hands.

　　Compared with other dough figurines, Mr. Mi’s dolls are chubby and cute, although they are simple in appearance, which is actually what he has figured out himself. Mr. Mi told Zi Niu news reporter that dough modeling is a craft. The dough goes through the steps of kneading, rubbing, kneading and lifting in the hands of the master, and then it is skillfully cut, carved and scratched with a small bamboo knife to shape the doll’s body, hands, head and face. Many different tools are needed to make a particularly delicate dough sculpture. In a few minutes, the lifelike doll was formed. Previously, Mr. Mi always used dough as raw material, but in recent years, the quality of clay has been improving, which is similar to the effect of dough, but the price is relatively low, so he changed to clay.

　　Because he doesn’t have fingers, Mr. Mi can’t finish the particularly fine carving work. He first compares the photos of cartoon dolls, conceives the dough figurines in his mind, then makes dolls with different styles, then chooses the most suitable one, and practices it repeatedly at home before selling it to tourists in the street. "The dough sculptures of the stalls are all freshly squeezed, so the shape of the doll is very critical. The round shape can be squeezed quickly without fingers, and it is very cute, and it will not let the buyers wait too long." Mr. Mi said.

　　Zi Niu news reporter learned that Mr. Mi’s stall will last until 12 o’clock at night. He said that at present, it takes 5 to 7 minutes to pinch a doll, and more than 30 dolls can be made in one night. What’s more special is that the price of the doll pinched by Mr. Mi is uncertain. He said with a smile that ten years ago, the craft was clumsy and the first dough sculpture made for customers was not good-looking. At that time, he was not too embarrassed to quote, so he let people look at it and give it to him. As always, it became a habit in the next ten years. "10 pieces and 20 pieces are given more. Every day, all the materials are made into dolls and are not taken home. The rest are given to people or children who like them." Mr. Mi told Zi Niu News reporter.

　　Do not bow to fate

　　Live away from home for a week to prove yourself after amputation.

　　Mr. Mi told reporters that he has been kneading dough for ten years. It is this craft that makes you truly an independent person who doesn’t have to rely on parents to take care of you.

　　Mr. Mi is a native of Shangqiu, Henan Province. In 2003, when he was only in his twenties, he and his friends were playing on a platform on the third floor. He accidentally bumped into unprotected high-voltage wires, and his hands were hit by high-voltage electricity, facing amputation.

　　The news was unacceptable to Mr. Mi’s parents, but Mr. Mi calmly accepted the reality. His idea was "Buddhist": since the doctor said that he must amputate, he should learn to live without hands. After the operation, Mr. Mi, who was amputated, returned home. Because of his distressed heart, his parents began to pay more attention to him and take care of him. When he first learned to eat, bathe and change clothes with his remaining limbs, Mr. Mi was very uncomfortable. He always felt that he had become clumsy and needed the help of his parents, and it took several times more time than before. In addition, after amputation, the skin has a wound, which is fragile. Repeated practice can also lead to redness and bleeding, which makes the family more worried and can’t wait to help him with everything. After staying at home for two years, Mr. Mi gradually mastered all the life skills, so he proposed to his parents that he wanted to go out to make a living and didn’t want to be a burden to his family. Unexpectedly, this idea was strongly opposed by the two.

　　"My parents think that I can’t find a job outside without hands. It’s inconvenient to be alone, I can’t take care of myself, and I won’t be allowed to go anywhere. I hope I stay at home." Mr. Mi told Zi Niu news reporter that he could understand the excessive worry about his parents, but he could not agree. Young men in their twenties began to "gnaw at the old". Do they have to rely on their parents to support them all their lives? In order to prove that he can be independent, Mr. Mi "talks about conditions" with his parents: if he can leave home and live alone for a week, he can go out to work. I can’t beat my son. Mr. Mi’s parents can only agree.

　　Mr. Mi told Zi Niu news reporter that he had seen the beautiful scenery of Jiangnan area introduced on TV since he was a child, and he was particularly impressed by "Fireworks in Yangzhou in March". In 2005, Mr. Mi chose to take a train from Henan, changed trains in Nanjing and arrived in Yangzhou. He became a backpacker in the local area, traveled all over the streets of Yangzhou and returned home again. This time, the parents were also moved by their son’s determination and finally stopped objecting.

　　Shandong’s learning skills were repeatedly rejected, and he was persistent in impressing his master.

　　"I choose to knead dough for a living because I often meet such craftsmen in tourist attractions and visiting temple fairs. The seemingly ordinary dough becomes various lifelike objects under their dexterous hands, which is fascinating." Mr. Mi said.

　　Coincidentally, after a friend learned of Mr. Mi’s idea, he said that he knew a pastry chef in Heze, Shandong Province, and he could recommend him, so they went together. When I first arrived in Shandong, the master warmly received Mr. Mi, but after hearing his intention, he repeatedly waved his hand and refused. The most important thing for a dough sculptor is his hands, and Mr. Mi has no palm after amputation, so he can’t knead dough at all. Considering that Mr. Mi came from afar, the master left him to live at home and watch the process of making dough figurines. "You can play for a few days if you want, but you really can’t teach without fingers."

　　Mr. rice didn’t give up his idea.

　　Master rolled the dough into a delicate shape with the palm of his hand, and in just a few minutes, he could knead lifelike flowers, lively dolls and lovely animals, and then carved eyebrows, eyes, nose and mouth with a knife, which was simple, vivid and vivid. This technique deeply attracted Mr. Mi.

　　"The master was worn out by me, so I gave a little material for me to try first." Mr. Mi told Zi Niu news reporter that because he didn’t have a palm, the master didn’t know how to teach, so he chose some simple flower styles and demonstrated the skills of pinching, rubbing, rubbing and lifting. Finally, the finished product was used as a model for Mr. Mi to follow.

　　At the beginning of contact, Mr. Mi couldn’t knead the dough he wanted on the table with his arms. It was either long or flat, and his arms were sour all afternoon, so he could barely make a crooked flower. The master thought he would give up, but I didn’t expect Mr. Mi to be very persistent. If he couldn’t do one, he would do more until late at night. After the Flower Society, the master taught him how to make characters such as the Monkey King and Zhu Bajie. Because it is necessary to carve eyebrows and eyes with a knife and then stick them on the face of the dough figurine, Mr. Mi holds the knife in his mouth and carves out various shapes needed with the support of his arm.

　　"The master leads the door, and the practice is in the individual". After mastering the basic skills, Mr. Mi began to explore for himself. After returning to his hometown in Henan from Shandong, Mr. Mi stayed at home for half a year, faced the dough figurines instructed by his master, and found relevant pictures on the Internet. After repeated practice, he finally made a finished dough figurine in about 5 minutes.

　　Look forward to the future

　　Dream of having your own shop and never being separated from your family.

　　Since then, Mr. Mi has started to set up a stall on the street to knead dough and stand on his own feet. At first, Mr. Mi was a little embarrassed. A dough sculptor without a palm would attract many people to watch. Occasionally, someone would ask about his past experiences, and Mr. Mi did not shy away from telling in detail the pain he had suffered before. However, the short-lived confusion and hardship have gradually melted into cute dough figurines.

　　For Mr. Mi, a craftsman is a profession that can’t estimate the study time. Although dough-kneading is a traditional craft, as a cultural inheritance, it is necessary to inherit the characteristics of dough-kneading of the older generation, and to constantly develop and innovate, and become something that adults and children like in different times. Mr. Mi told Zi Niu News reporter that he often pays attention to the "cute" characters in the latest movies and cartoons, and then practices at home for a period of time against the photos on his mobile phone, and then comes out to set up stalls for tourists, such as Hu Ba in monster hunt, Dabai in big hero 6, and Nezha, who was hot before.

　　Now, Mr. Mi has been able to live independently without the care and worry of his parents, as he once expected. At present, he has a happy family. In Henan, Mr. Mi has a virtuous wife and two lovely children. But for the sake of life and family, he often has to leave home to set up stalls in other cities to make money. Now he is setting up a stall in Xi ‘an, but when winter comes, Mr. Mi is going to Guangzhou.

　　Some people say that when they see the smile on his face, they feel the special sunshine, and there is a heartfelt kindness to life. Mr. Mi smiled and said to Zi Niu News reporter: "Although I amputated my leg very early, I have never had the idea that life is very difficult, and I have never been particularly desperate. My mind is just thinking about how to live a good life and then try to solve these problems by myself, which is quite happy." Mr. Mi said that he is looking forward to his future life and hopes to have a dough figurine shop of his own in the future, so that he will not have to be separated from his family. When he is wandering outside, his thoughts are often the most painful. (Zi Niu news reporter Guo Yipeng trainee reporter Ai Luqi interviewee for the picture)