pjbooks Chapter 54 Everything is Ready
Chapter 54 Everything is Ready
After washing up and returning home, Lin Chuan found his mother busy somewhere again, and even the TV couldn't hold her attention. Lin Chuan felt helpless about this.
After preparing everything needed for the evening's barbecue, Lin Chuan, carrying a plate of braised peanuts, enjoyed a simple tea party with them in the courtyard.
The two little girls chattered away, while Lin Chuan and Lin Feng sat there in a daze.
It seems like I should get a few deck chairs; with the gentle breeze, lying down is the most comfortable thing to do.
"Brother, what are you thinking about? Come play with me."
"Hmm, I'm thinking about what to make for you tonight."
Lin Chuan pulled Lin Xue into his arms. Now was the perfect time to hold the little girl; in two more years, when she was older, it would be much harder to hold her.
The little girl nestled in Lin Chuan's arms, laughing happily. Wang Yan ran over and watched from the side, so Lin Chuan simply picked her up as well.
"Click."
The chair broke.
Lin Chuan wasn't sitting normally; he was half-reclining with the back of the chair against the wall.
With two more maids added, the chair finally couldn't bear the weight anymore.
Fortunately, Lin Chuan activated his Instant Change ability in his shock, and managed to place the two girls safely without them getting hurt.
"Oh no, we broke the chair! Mom will definitely scold us when she gets back."
"We have chairs at home, let's go and bring a few over, that way Aunt Xia won't find out."
Lin Chuan looked at Wang Yan, this incredibly clever girl who was completely biased towards her, and patted her on the shoulder with amusement:
"If your dad comes home and sees the chair is gone, he'll beat you up."
"Don't worry, my dad won't beat me."
Well, no wonder they say parents are a child's source of confidence; Lin Xue isn't as bold as Wang Yan.
It's not that her mother treated her badly, it's just that Lin Chuan and Lin Feng had both gone to school, and her mother was busy with farm work, so the little girl was often left alone at home.
The thing her mother told her most often was to be good at home, and then she became very obedient and not very brave.
Fortunately, Lin Chuan now gives her confidence, and the little girl is feeling more secure, which is slowly changing her personality.
"Come on, I'll take you for a walk and we'll make some chairs."
I should go and check on the furniture I had someone make a few days ago. I might also get a few more recliners made.
Lin Chuan scooped up the two still-hesitating girls, placing one on each shoulder, while Lin Feng silently followed behind.
The carpenter Lin Chuan found was named Liu Donghe. He was also from the village and was a few years older than Lin's father. He was a decent person, but he wasn't very close to the Lin family.
Originally, he was the only carpenter in Qiaotouwan. Suddenly, Lin's father appeared and settled here. Isn't that stealing his business?
It's actually quite good that he didn't come to make a scene. Well, maybe it's also related to the fact that Lin's father and Wang Hu got along well, since there aren't many Liu families in Qiaotouwan.
"Uncle Donghe, you're busy, Brother Heng."
"Xiao Chuan and Xiao Feng are here. Please sit down. Xiao Heng, go and pour some tea."
"No, no, I'm not thirsty, I just drank some water."
"It's unacceptable to arrive without even a cup of tea. Please have a seat."
Liu Heng got up, brushed the sawdust off his hands, and casually pulled over two chairs:
"Little Flower, come back, Little Snow Swallow is here."
Liu Heng is Liu Donghe's son, several years older than Lin Chuan. He married early, and his daughter is a year older than Lin Xue.
At his shout, several children popped out from some nook and cranny.
When Lin Xue and Wang Yan saw their friends, they immediately struggled to get down, a typical case of forgetting their brother once they have friends.
Lin Chuan put the two of them down and sat down to drink tea and chat with Liu Heng, while Liu Donghe continued working without saying a word.
These days, the generation gap between generations is huge, and they basically have nothing in common to talk about.
In fact, people like Lin Chuan and Liu Heng, who are a few years apart in age, usually don't have much in common. These days, most people in rural areas are not good with words and don't know what to say.
Fortunately, Lin Chuan had been influenced by the internet, and he could talk for a long time with Liu Donghe, let alone Liu Heng.
After finishing his tea, Liu Heng felt a sense of regret for not having met Lin Chuan sooner, and even Liu Donghe remarked from the side:
"Xiao Chuan, you're quite different from your dad. You're much more talkative (in a positive sense). No wonder you get good grades."
Lin Chuan had no answer to this, so he just chuckled dryly.
"Uncle Donghe, Brother Heng, I've come to ask you to help me make a few rattan chairs."
"A rattan chair? What kind? A large chair or a reclining chair?"
"Reclining chair".
"Well, that's a bit troublesome, it'll take several days, and rattan chairs are quite expensive, costing sixty each."
"There's no rush. You can do it when you have time. At this price, can you make four for me?"
"Okay, I'll go find the materials with Xiaoheng tomorrow."
"No rush."
This is how you communicate with elders: one question and one answer, and once the question is asked, there's nothing more to say.
Lin Chuan gave Lin Feng a wink, and Lin Feng immediately understood, getting up to call Lin Xue and Wang Yan.
"Hey, Uncle Donghe, are you guys making wardrobes now?"
Lin's father was a carpenter after all, and Lin Chuan had seen him make things for others before. Although the wood on the ground was scattered, he could tell a bit about it.
"Well, the wood for storing clothes in the wardrobe needs to be dry. I'll dry some of the wood first."
"Then please make some more clothes hangers, um~, forty of them."
At that time, most clothes hangers were made of wire, which were prone to rusting and had very poor load-bearing capacity.
Heavier clothes immediately deform, making them far less useful than handmade hangers.
After explaining everything, Lin Chuan lifted Lin Xue and Wang Yan onto his shoulders and walked back.
Lin Xue and Wang Yan excitedly waved to their friends from his shoulder, drawing envious glances.
Just as he got home, Wang Long and Wang Liang returned. Wang Long pulled out a wad of cash:
"Kawako, here's two hundred..."
"Stop talking nonsense. Do you think I don't trust you? Get to work. I'll cook you something delicious tonight, something you've never had before."
Lin Chuan took the money, stuffed it into his pocket, and directed them to sweep the yard.
The quilts, peanuts, and soybeans that were drying in the yard were all taken care of ahead of schedule today.
"Xiaolong, go to your house and pick some corn, ten ears, and while you're at it, tell your parents and Aunt Lan to come over for dinner tonight."
Lin Chuan's family didn't grow corn; only Wang Long's family grew it. His land was next to Wang Liang's, so there was a high probability that he would also see Zhao Chunlan there.
"Xiaofeng, you and Liangzi go pick eggplants, ten of them, and also chili peppers, cowpeas, and green beans. Pick two or three pounds of each."
"Brother, brother, what about me? What about me?"
"Me too, me, I have to work too."
"Okay, you two, light the brazier. Hey, bring out the charcoal."
Lin Chuan carried a brazier and a bag of charcoal. The charcoal was collected little by little each year when they were warming themselves by placing thoroughly burned charcoal in a jar to smolder.
Most farming families do this: when there are many guests in winter, they set up a separate table with charcoal to keep warm; when it's too cold, they also burn a pot of charcoal by the bed to keep warm.
The two little girls were overjoyed to hear that there was something to do, and immediately got to work with great enthusiasm.
Lin Chuan was not idle either. He found the leftover red bricks from building the bathroom and built a long, narrow pit in the yard.
I took out the barbecue grill that I had woven with wire in the afternoon. Everything was ready, and I was just waiting for them to come back and start grilling.
(My darlings, double monthly votes today! There's a saying that goes, "It's better to give help in times of need than to add flowers to brocade.")
(If you vote for someone else, they won't see it. But if you vote for me, I'll respectfully call you my godfather and godmother.)