Seeing Old Man Yun, the young man chuckled, "Grandpa, are you also here to learn carpentry from Uncle Zhuang Er?"
Old Man Yun: "..."
What kind of eyesight does this young man have? Did he ever see an apprentice my age?
Little Xi Tian also giggled, the thought of her father becoming an apprentice was truly unimaginable.
"Is Zhuang Lao Er at home?" Old Man Yun asked.
The young man nodded, "He's at home. I just saw him come out to feed the chickens..."
"Then why are you standing here?" Old Man Yun glanced at him.
The young man scratched his head, "I want Master Zhuang to take me as his apprentice, but he said he's not taking any more apprentices. I don't want to leave, so, so..."
Upon hearing this, Old Man Yun sighed inwardly. For Zhuang Lao Er, that drunkard, someone actually wanted to be his disciple? How strange, how strange.
"Knock, knock, knock!" The courtyard gate was knocked.
A moment later, a man around forty opened the gate. Seeing Old Man Yun visiting, he quickly stepped aside, "Oh, Brother Yun, why are you here? Wow, Baby Tian is here too! Come in quickly, your aunt just fried some small salted fish, it's delicious..."
Zhuang Lao Er warmly welcomed the father and daughter into the courtyard, closing the gate behind them.
The young man, bumping his nose, grumbled and squatted on the ground, continuing his wait.
"You come whenever you want, why bring gifts!" Zhuang Lao Er beamed, his eyes crinkling with joy.
Especially with Little Sweet Baby visiting their home, Zhuang Lao Er felt his humble abode was illuminated, even bringing good fortune for the coming year...
Old Man Yun exchanged pleasantries with him, holding his teacup, "Uncle Er, how has your carpentry work been this year? Have you saved much money?"
"Heh, what are you saying? You know our village. If someone's table or chair breaks and they bring it to me for repair, would I dare ask for money?" Zhuang Lao Er sighed.
The carpentry work in the village was all 'kinship work.' Whoever had good food would bring some, and in return, ask the carpenter to make a door frame or a low table...
Thus, they didn't earn much money throughout the year.
After hearing this, Old Man Yun felt he had a clear understanding. "Uncle Er, I have a big job here. Do you think you can take it on before the New Year?"
Zhuang Lao Er was taken aback and asked, "What, what job?"
What big job could there be in the village?
It was nothing more than making furniture, building doors, making sleds, or crafting cosmetic boxes and storage chests...
Old Man Yun exchanged a look with Little Xi Tian and turned to Zhuang Lao Er, "To be frank, we've rented a two-story shop in the county town. It needs renovation inside and out. If you can take on this job, our family will help as laborers, carrying rafters and moving wood. We can do it all. The wages will definitely not be lacking, especially during this New Year period, the wages will be double!~"
At this point, Old Man Yun tapped his fingers, a flicker of hesitation crossing his mind, before gritting his teeth and saying, "All in all, can I give you five taels of silver?"
Five taels of silver, Zhuang Lao Er probably couldn't earn that much even if he worked for a whole year...
Zhuang Lao Er's wife's eyes lit up upon hearing this, her heart blooming with joy.
However, in Da Shui Village, they had a good relationship with the Yun family, so they didn't want to take advantage of them.
"Brother Yun, five taels of silver is too much. Three taels will suffice!~" Aunt Zhuang said.
Zhuang Lao Er glared at her, "Go away. Working for Brother Yun's family, and you still want money? Are we not able to afford to live?"
Aunt Zhuang: "..."
How noble of you.
Little Xi Tian was touched by the simplicity and kindness of the villagers. She felt that even five taels of silver was too little.
The carpenters under Foreman Li, taking on all the work, each carpenter could at least earn fifteen taels of silver...
"Ten taels of silver!~"
A crisp, childish voice suddenly rang out, startling everyone. They all turned to look at Little Xi Tian.
Had they heard correctly, ten taels of silver?
Aunt Zhuang knew that Old Yun's youngest daughter was extraordinary. Not long ago, so many wild animals had flocked to Old Yun's house. Even if they didn't say it, they knew their little daughter was behind it...
So many wild boars, roe deer, sika deer, and yellow goats, how much money would they sell for!
"Ten taels of silver, and I can pay Uncle Zhuang Er half of the deposit in advance!~" Little Xi Tian said with a smile.
Zhuang Lao Er heard this, his throat bobbed, and his mind buzzed...
Honestly, his family didn't even have money to buy New Year's goods, and there was nowhere to borrow from. Zhuang Lao Er was arguing with his wife.
Now, a stroke of luck had fallen upon him.
"Baby, Baby Tian, you're giving too much!~" Zhuang Lao Er said, his face flushed with embarrassment.
Little Xi Tian jumped off the stool and ran to Zhuang Lao Er, "Uncle Zhuang Er, ten taels of silver is not much. Hiring a carpenter in the county town costs fifteen or sixteen taels..."
As she spoke, Little Xi Tian opened her small satchel, took out a silver ingot, and handed it to Zhuang Lao Er, "Uncle Zhuang Er, please keep this. If you're willing, I'll take you to see the shop in the county town tomorrow, and we've even prepared the tools!~"
She believed that villagers living in the same village would not deceive her.
Hearing this, if Zhuang Lao Er didn't agree, it would be too unreasonable...
"Alright, I'll go to the county town with you tomorrow!~" Zhuang Lao Er said with a smile.
It seemed he had to take in the apprentice waiting outside. An apprentice was indispensable for running errands and preparing materials.
Leaving Zhuang Lao Er's house, Aunt Zhuang packed half a bag of candied chestnuts and two handfuls of roasted melon seeds for Little Xi Tian.
Little Xi Tian carried the bag, and with every step she took, it made a 'shala shala' sound...
The father and daughter toured the village and finally arrived outside Yan Dajun's house.
A large wolfhound emerged from the snow crust and ran up to Little Xi Tian, wagging its tail and making 'owu owu' sounds.
Previously, the wolfhound was the 'fierce dog' of the village, biting anyone it saw and blocking the road, scaring villagers away from Yan Dajun's house...
Later, after Xue Ling arrived in Da Shui Village, she defeated the wolfhound, causing it to become very friendly to everyone, not even barking anymore.
"Do you want chestnuts?" Little Xi Tian patted the wolfhound's head and took out two chestnuts from her bag.
The wolfhound sniffed, took one in its mouth, and crushed it with a 'crack'...
"Daughter, don't play with the dog, be careful it bites you!~" Old Man Yun pulled Little Xi Tian behind him.
The courtyard was quiet, not a soul in sight.
Little Xi Tian curiously asked, "Daddy, Uncle Yan doesn't seem to be home!"
Hiring more carpenters would speed up the work. Relying on Zhuang Er alone, how long would it take to finish...
Just then, the door inside the courtyard opened, and Yan Dajun walked out, holding a pipe and cursing.
"This damned woman, she only knows how to ask me to borrow money. How can she manage her debts? Let's just call it quits for the year!~"
Old Man Yun and Little Xi Tian outside the door: "..."