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墨書 Inktalez
After dinner, Everyone decided to send Zhou Xiaomu home together.
As they walked into his yard, Brother Cai was diligently planing wood under the orange light bulb. His expression was focused, and with each push and pull, thin, transparent shavings fell to the ground.
Zhou Xiaomu ran to his father and shouted, "I'm back!"
Zhou Youcai stopped his work and glared at Zhou Xiaomu, "I told you to deliver a message, why did you come back so late! Were you at Sister Ye's house eating again?"
Zhou Xiaomu shrugged his shoulders and quietly defended himself, "Sister Ye insisted that I stay for dinner!"
Yezhi felt it was time for her to step in, "Yes! I insisted he stay for dinner!"
Zhou Youcai turned around, "Auntie, Less, Xiao Luo... why didn't you all say anything when you arrived? Xiao Mu's Mother, come out, we have guests!"
Aunt Zhou widened her eyes like Zhou Youcai when she said, "What's wrong with having a meal at my house? I like Zhou Xiaomu; he can come over every day for dinner!"
Zhou Xiaomu was not shy about it either, "Dad, I want to go to Sister Ye's house for dinner every day; her food is delicious!" The loud sound of his saliva at the end of his sentence made Zhou Youcai feel embarrassed enough to want to hide in the crack of the door.
Standing at the doorway, Xiao Mu's Mother laughed and scolded, "You little rascal, you've embarrassed your mother!" Zhou Xiaomu looked at his mother and chuckled.
Aunt Zhou walked over to the corner of the yard where the shed was set up, "Oh~ Cai! Why hasn't this wardrobe been painted yet?"
Zhou Youcai rushed over in a panic, "It's Leaf Sister who won't let me paint it!"
"Daughter, this wooden piece needs to be covered with red paint; that would look impressive!"
"Sister Luo" also agreed, saying, "Yes! This really doesn't look good at all!"
"Elder Brother Yu" chuckled, "If we lift this half-finished product into the new house, our family might just become famous."
What "Yezhi" pursued was the natural and primitive beauty that the wood itself exuded, but "Aunt Zhou" and the others seemed unable to appreciate it. She cast a pleading glance at "Zhou Youcai," saying, "Brother Youcai, just waxing it would look beautiful, right?"
"Aunt Zhou" also glared at "Zhou Youcai," insisting, "Brother Youcai!"
The honest "Zhou Youcai" was caught in a dilemma. Finally, he slapped his thigh and said, "Sister, let's just paint it. It will look beautiful and be durable!"
"Yes, yes! This is all old locust wood; we should use it for at least twenty or thirty years." Without waiting for "Yezhi" to speak, "Aunt Zhou" made the decision, saying, "Youcai, you need to hurry up with the painting!"
Overwhelmed by the word "durable," "Yezhi" struggled to argue, saying, "Isn't it said 'Southern lacquer and Northern wax'? Southerners paint their furniture while Northerners wax it. Is it right for us to easily abandon tradition like this?"
"Sister, that's not absolute!" With three generations of carpenters in his family, "Zhou Youcai" spoke at length about "Southern lacquer and Northern wax." Initially not taking it seriously, "Yezhi" became more excited as she listened. Their handmade furniture store could create something new, explore different styles, and see how the crowd reacted. They could simply take a classical route; their ancestral skills and traditional craftsmanship were all part of their culture and selling points. It might not sell well at first, but it would stand the test of time.
She needed to quickly bring out her ancestors' designs to show to Brother Youcai for reference. "Brother Youcai, don't be stingy with the wood. I have a book with pictures of ancient armchairs and kang tables; take a look and give it a try."
"Oh! I just don't know if what I make will be right!" She and Brother Youcai were happily exchanging ideas.
However, "Aunt Zhou" interrupted with a cough, saying, "Girl, those wooden chairs with armrests are great for summer but freeze your backside in winter."
"Sister Luo" also thought that this sofa looked more like a park bench—only twice as wide—with horizontal slats turned into vertical ones that appeared sparse and shabby.
"Elder Brother Yu" voiced his confusion, asking, "Yezhi, this looks quite different from what you drew before!"
"It will look the same once we add thick cushions later."
Aunt Zhou listened and asked, "How much cotton do we need?"
"Need...!" Without a ticket in hand, where could she find that much cotton?
Sister Luo suggested, "We can collect feathers for stuffing, like chicken feathers, duck feathers..."
Zhou Xiaomu, who was listening intently to the adults, exclaimed, "Grandpa Zhou's house has wool!"
Wolf Child pushed Niu Niu in front of Yezhi and said, "Shave it!" Yezhi shot her a sideways glance, realizing the little girl was getting revenge for Big Wolf.
Xiao Fan pointed at Black Treasure, who was tangled up with wood shavings, and said seriously, "Black Treasure has more fur than Niu Niu; shave it!" Black Treasure, not understanding what was happening, nodded in response to Xiao Fan.
Xiao Mu's Mother couldn't hold back and led everyone into laughter. Before leaving, she handed Yezhi eight goose feathers from Zhou Xiaomu's treasure box to contribute to her sofa.
She thought it would take a while to gather that many feathers but unexpectedly found a pile at home.
"I told you these chicken feathers are useful!"
Yezhi pinched her nose and leaned closer, "Auntie, you didn't throw them away!"
"Throw? You say throw everything! Gold Mountain and Silver Mountain have all been thrown away by you!"
Aunt Zhou had been very troubled lately; her daughter had her at home, along with her sister and brother-in-law pampering and helping her. But what about after marriage? Moreover, a woman who doesn't know how to manage life would still be looked down upon after getting married.
"Auntie~ your brows are furrowed enough to squash a mosquito. I promise you, I won't throw anything away in the future!"
Aunt Zhou shook her fist at her, "You~ you~! All you do is sweet-talk me. Being frugal and managing the household is what we women do for a lifetime...!"
Yezhi quickly replied, "Got it! We need to be frugal and save." She was truly afraid of Aunt Zhou's long-winded lectures. Although she had a tendency to spend a bit extravagantly, how much could she really spend in this planned economy era?
Aunt Zhou stared at her, "Do you really understand?"
"Aunt, why don't you believe I can manage my life well?"
Aunt Zhou shoved a bag filled with feathers into her arms, "Who told you to be so worrisome!"
"I say it's because you care too much!" This kind of playful complaint was very effective between the two of them.
Aunt Zhou chuckled, and Yezhi passed the test. She hugged the bag of feathers and went to find Sister Luo. The two of them spent the entire afternoon around the sewing machine and finally made the sofa cushion she wanted.
Aunt Zhou said with a beaming smile, "It's really soft and comfortable! Less, you should come sit on it too."
Yu Jianhua was pushed onto the sofa cushion by Yezhi, "How is it, brother-in-law?"
"It's good, but why does sitting on it feel so unsettling?" His words made Yezhi burst into laughter.
Aunt Zhou felt it again and said, "Hmm, Less is right!"
Yezhi exclaimed, "Aunt! Why are you so indecisive!" The indecisive Aunt Zhou not only provided her valuable opinion but also helped her gather feathers from everywhere.
Once all the sofa cushions were done, Yezhi used the remaining feathers to make various sizes of pillows. Sister Luo stuffed one behind the chair where Yezhi usually sat. Wolf Child was the worst; he even brought some to school, causing the kids to search everywhere for feathers to make pillows. The dog and One Egg's two little troublemakers even ran to Dragon Ranch trying to pluck feathers from the flying dragons.
All of Tun'er's chickens, ducks, and geese suffered as a result. Even her Big White and Two Whites were not spared despite being protected by Black Treasure; they still fell victim to their own family's antics. The kids completely treated the feather hunt as an amusing game.
"Haha!"
"Leaf Sister, what are you laughing about?"
Yezhi pointed at the bare-bottomed rooster and said, "Must be Zhou Xiaomu's handiwork!"
Zhou Youcai chuckled softly, "Isn't it because of that pillow of yours?"
"Ugh, I just got scolded by Village Uncle yesterday! Why is everything my fault?"
Ermao, the apprentice of Brother Youcai, chimed in cheerfully, "Who told Aunt Zhou to clear out everyone's stock before? You used that pillow to attract people." She felt wronged; it was clearly Wolf Child who attracted them.
Brother Youcai picked up a handful of dry grass and rubbed it repeatedly on the newly made chair until it turned into shreds before tossing it aside. He picked up another handful of dry grass to continue rubbing. Yezhi watched curiously and picked up a few strands. The grass was segmented and felt prickly. "What is this, Brother Youcai?"
Sanjiao answered quickly, "Segmented Grass!"
"What’s it for?"
Zhou Youcai patiently explained, "First, use this Segmented Grass to smooth the chair. After it's evened out, use Pure Cotton White Cloth to polish it vigorously. The chair legs need to be wrapped in cloth and rubbed back and forth to get satisfactory results."
Yezhi stroked her chin thoughtfully. "Using sandpaper would be much easier! How long will it take you to polish like this?" Ever since she handed the design to Brother Youcai, she had been eager to see the finished product. Once she confirmed that Brother Youcai could do it, she planned to spend big on mahogany from the south and enjoy a honeymoon with Xiaobinzi.
"This is how the craftsmanship passed down from my ancestors should be done; otherwise, it wouldn’t be the same!" Yezhi thought Brother Youcai had quite an artistic temperament. When she mentioned sandpaper, she wasn't just saying it casually. The mahogany furniture that Xiao Fang showed her was made using sandpaper. If using sandpaper was wrong, then why do modern people do it? Segmented Grass isn't hard to find.
"Brother Youcai, in furniture making, is polishing more important or the polishing tools?"
Zhou Youcai pondered Yezhi's words. "Hmm... I think both are important, but I also feel like what you said makes some sense. I can't figure it out; how about we try making another one and use sandpaper for polishing?" Yezhi greatly appreciated Brother Youcai's attitude towards work. She didn't say much more and helped sweep up wood shavings and pass things around, busying herself happily.
By early December, all her furniture was completed and moved back home. Aunt Zhou loved to test it out with cotton cloth whenever she had free time. "Yezhi, have you set a time with your Cart Master for delivering the furniture?"
Yezhi answered while washing her face, "Not yet?"
"Why haven't you set a time yet?"
"Transport Team is really busy. Last month we finished transporting Bilo, and now we're moving Rice Bran Oil into the city. I just don't have the time!"
Aunt Zhou handed Yezhi a towel, "Well, wash your face and take a nap!" Yezhi nodded; she was truly exhausted. Relying solely on herself to extract oil was no small task.
Moreover, she heard from Village Uncle that their Bilo rice was very popular. The comrades at the Acquisition Station also suggested they plant more, saying they could buy as much as they had and even come to collect it. With such good conditions and opportunities, only a fool would let them pass. The Village had decided to cultivate another three hundred acres for Bilo, and the Oil Mill needed to hire workers and implement proper management.
"Aunt, how about you work at the Oil Mill?" The Oil Mill needed someone trustworthy and not too talkative, making Aunt Zhou the top choice.
"I'm not going!" She thought Aunt Zhou would agree?
Yezhi asked, "Why not?"
Aunt Zhou looked at her, "Do you remember you're getting married?"
"Of course! What does my marriage have to do with you working at the Oil Mill?"
"I have a daughter who treats marriage like a casual affair; I'm very busy and don't have time to work at the Oil Mill." Aunt Zhou's words made Yezhi blush. She was indeed busy—busy admiring her talented brother making chair rings, busy renovating the new house with Xiao Fang, busy comforting villagers who were being underpaid for their radishes... Yet when it came to her own marriage, it seemed she had only participated verbally.
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