Feng Jin turned her head and saw Ling Mohan's disgusted expression, and subconsciously asked.
The man coughed lightly, concealing the embarrassment on his face. He absolutely could not let Feng Jin discover anything amiss, and did his best to hide it.
"Of course not. I just can't understand why you would insist on coming to a place like this."
A barren, desolate place where birds wouldn't even go. No matter how much he racked his brain, he couldn't fathom its use.
"The mountain dweller has her own ingenious methods. Since you've shamelessly followed, you might as well lend a hand."
Feng Jin, from who knows where, produced some peculiar and never-before-seen tools and thrust them into Ling Mohan's hands.
The man lowered his eyes, looking at the unknown object in his hand that could be a hoe or a sickle, his brows furrowed tightly. He asked in confusion, "Where on earth did you get these messy, strange things?"
He found the items in his hand increasingly bizarre. No matter how he looked, he couldn't figure out what they were.
He wondered what use Feng Jin could possibly have in researching these things.
"What do you know? These are all my treasures. It took great effort to research them, and I treasure them dearly. You must be careful sometimes, don't break them?"
Feng Jin cautioned him anxiously, afraid Ling Mohan might accidentally break them.
"What is this thing for?"
Ling Mohan examined it up and down, and finally asked in confusion. He wanted to see clearly what Feng Jin was up to.
"Go find some wood and make them all into cubes of this size."
Feng Jin took out small cubes, about the size of a thumb, from her pocket and handed them to Ling Mohan, asking him to use them as samples and replicate them.
"What do you need these for?"
Playing with the small wooden block in his hand, he didn't know what Feng Jin was planning. It was just another one of her peculiar little gadgets, something he had long grown accustomed to.
After all, Feng Jin simply liked to create these small items, things he had never seen and found utterly baffling.
"Once you have the wooden blocks ready, you'll know."
It was for those two troublesome little ones that she wanted to make a magic cube for them to play with.
Suddenly remembering there were some discarded unused logs here, which were perfect for making parts of the same size, she had come here alone late at night precisely to prepare the items before morning to give Da Bao and Er Bao a little surprise.
She hadn't expected someone to eagerly offer help. If she were to disappoint Ling Mohan's good intentions, her conscience wouldn't be at peace.
As the children's father, it was only natural for Ling Mohan to contribute his efforts.
With free labor, Feng Jin became very relaxed. She moved a chair to the side and sat down, munching on seeds that had somehow appeared in her hands, enjoying them immensely. She didn't forget to instruct Ling Mohan from time to time.
Living such a leisurely life, Feng Jin's face was filled with a smile of enjoyment. It was truly wonderful to have someone working for her.
The busy Ling Mohan glanced at the leisurely Feng Jin and sighed helplessly. If he had known this would be the outcome, he would never have come with Feng Jin.
"Hurry up, don't be lazy there."
Feng Jin kept urging him. Dawn was approaching, and she had promised the children to have the surprise ready before morning.
She couldn't break her promise to the children because of Ling Mohan's slackness. She became anxious and couldn't stop urging him.
Following Feng Jin's instructions, Ling Mohan dared not be lazy at all. After working for more than an hour, he finally prepared all the items Feng Jin needed.
Ling Mohan cupped the dozen or so small wooden blocks of uniform size in his hands and presented them to Feng Jin.
"See, are these usable?"
Feng Jin reached out and picked one up, examining it carefully. While not perfect, they would suffice.
"They'll do, I suppose," Feng Jin mumbled casually. After all, it wasn't her own handiwork, so she wouldn't be picky.
Ling Mohan's lips curled slightly, a hint of dissatisfaction appearing in his eyes.
It had exhausted him to polish each of these small wooden blocks, only for Feng Jin to not utter a single word of satisfaction. He felt like a sucker, one who had grievances but nowhere to air them.
Feng Jin stood up and tidied her slightly disheveled clothes. All the necessary items were prepared, and the rest of the work would be hers alone.
"Thank you for your hard work today. You should go back and rest early. You don't need to worry about the rest."
The remaining work was all delicate, and she didn't expect Ling Mohan to do it. She would have to toil herself.
"Are you trying to use me and then discard me?" Ling Mohan's tone was filled with slight displeasure. At this moment, he felt like a handkerchief that had been used and carelessly thrown away by Feng Jin.
Feng Jin's expression froze. Thinking carefully about Ling Mohan's words, it seemed to be the case. A trace of guilt flashed through Feng Jin's heart.
"Of course not. You've helped me so much, and I am a grateful person."
Searching her entire being meticulously, she couldn't find anything useful. Finally, she simply took off the purse tied to her waist and tucked it into the man's hand.
"This purse is to thank you for your hard work."
After all, Ling Mohan had worked hard with her all night, and she had to give him some compensation, not let him toil in vain.
"Just this?" Ling Mohan looked at the purse in his hand, clearly finding it insufficient.
Not giving something practical, just this ordinary and common purse, to send him away, seemed too simple.
Feng Jin rolled her eyes. He was truly insatiable now. It was already great that she could give him something as compensation. To be ungrateful for something received for free, he was truly not satisfied.
"If you dislike it, then return the items to me!"
As soon as the words left her mouth, Feng Jin reached out to snatch it back, but before she could touch it, the man quickly put it away.
"Once something is given, there's no such thing as taking it back."
Since it had already entered his hands, he would never let her take it back.
"You didn't want it, did you? You were so disgusted just now, but you were quick to put it away..."