There is a story about a Zisha teapot that has been passed down through generations.
On an old street in a small town, there was a blacksmith’s shop run by an elderly blacksmith. Since no one needed custom ironwork anymore, he switched to selling iron pots, axes, and chains for tying up dogs. He sat inside the door while his goods were displayed outside. He never shouted for customers, never haggled over prices, and never closed up shop in the evening. Whether business was good or bad didn’t concern him; his daily income was just enough for food and tea.
Whenever you passed by the blacksmith’s doorway, you would always see him lying happily in a bamboo chair, holding a radio in his hand, with a Zisha teapot on a small wooden table beside him.
One day, an antiques dealer passing through the old street happened to notice the teapot next to the blacksmith. Upon careful examination, the dealer identified it as a masterpiece handcrafted by a renowned artist during the Qing Dynasty.
Overwhelmed with excitement, the dealer offered 100,000 yuan to buy it. The blacksmith was initially stunned but then refused the offer. He explained that the teapot had been passed down from his grandfather, and for three generations, his family had drunk water from it while working, and their sweat had been accompanied by this same pot.
Although the teapot was not sold, the blacksmith experienced his first bout of insomnia after the dealer left. He had used the pot for nearly sixty years and had always considered it ordinary, so it was shocking to learn that someone was willing to pay such a high price for it.
In the past, he would lie in his chair with his eyes closed, placing the teapot on the small table while drinking. Now, every time he heard a sound, he would sit up to check if the teapot was still there, which made him very uncomfortable. Even worse, when the townspeople learned that he possessed an expensive antique teapot, they began flocking to his door, asking if he had other treasures. Some started asking for loans, and some even sneaked into his house to “search for treasure.” The blacksmith’s peaceful life was completely disrupted.
When the antiques dealer came a second time with 200,000 yuan in cash, the blacksmith could no longer sit still. He gathered a group of neighbors, picked up an iron hammer, and smashed the Zisha teapot into pieces in front of everyone.
Afterwards, life gradually returned to normal. The blacksmith continued to sell iron pots, axes, and dog chains. He lay on his bamboo chair every day, listening to the radio and drinking tea from an enamel cup. It is said that he has now lived to be over one hundred years old.
