In his previous life, Qin Chuan was the owner of a large chain furniture store. No one understood woodworking and furniture better than him. Doing this now was absolutely a piece of cake.
"Old Qin, you... is what your son said true?"
Both Xiong Lianshan and his son were intimidated by Qin Chuan and looked at each other with surprise. Finally, they turned their gaze to Qin Shuren and Jiang Cuihua.
Qin Chuan winked at his parents. After a moment's hesitation, Qin Shuren and Jiang Cuihua quickly nodded.
"Yes, our third child is indeed very skilled in woodworking. It's just that before, we didn't let him show it off too much! So many people didn't know!" Qin Shuren explained.
Regardless of why his youngest son dared to take on such a difficult task, as a father, he absolutely could not undermine his son. He hadn't realized that his youngest son could already help the family share the burden. Even if the result was failure in the end, as parents, they were very gratified.
Qin Yang and Qin Gang, standing by, looked at their younger brother strangely. Was Qin Chuan's woodworking skill so exquisite? Why hadn't they noticed it before?
"Young Qin, are you sure you can complete this task perfectly?" Hearing Qin Shuren's affirmation, Xiong Lianshan and his son were somewhat relieved but still a little uncertain.
"Let's be clear from the start. This is your last chance. If you can't finish it, don't blame me for completely falling out with your family!" Xiong Lianshan said with a serious expression.
"Uncle, please rest assured. I guarantee that this task will be completed perfectly!" Qin Chuan patted his chest and promised.
Xiong Lianshan and his son exchanged glances.
"Alright, then the renovation of furniture will still be your family's job from now on!" Xiong Lianshan made the final decision. As he was leaving, he suddenly remembered something.
"By the way, the price will remain the same. My family will not add a single cent more. All the losses from the previous fire will be your family's responsibility..."
"That's a given, Uncle. You've already been so good to our family, how could we do something that would make people point fingers at our backs!" Qin Chuan smiled brightly and then added, "Uncle, please wait for me. We'll go together!"
"Where are you going?" Xiong Dongmao asked in surprise.
"Of course, to your new house. Since I'm taking over, I must first go and see the specific situation," Qin Chuan said. After speaking, he immediately ran home and came out shortly after, holding a notebook and a pencil.
Seeing Qin Chuan leave with the Xiong family, everyone in the old Qin family in the courtyard looked at each other, seeing astonishment and confusion in each other's eyes. Most of them thought that Qin Chuan's words were just to stall for time, but unexpectedly, the other party seemed to be serious.
"Dad, Mom, I'm going to follow and take a look!" Qin Gang was the first to react. He dropped a sentence and chased after them.
"Me too!!" Qin Yang also ran quickly. In the blink of an eye, all three brothers were gone, leaving the old couple standing dumbfounded in the courtyard.
"Oh dear, the three brothers haven't had breakfast yet!" After a while, Jiang Cuihua exclaimed, but it was impossible to call back the three who had already gone far away.
Meanwhile, after Qin Gang and Qin Yang caught up, they looked at their third brother chatting and laughing with Xiong Lianshan and his son. The two of them exchanged glances, both shocked again. When did their third brother become so eloquent? He called them "Uncle" and "Brother Dong" with every sentence, making the Xiong father and son beam with joy. If one didn't know the inside story, they would never have believed that the two families had almost come to blows just moments ago.
Xiong Dongmao's new house was not far away, just a few minutes' walk. It was a detached two-room house made of stone and mud, with walls the color of the earth. In rural areas during this era, few people would whitewash their walls. To them, white was too easily soiled and far less practical and durable than the color of the mud.
Qin Chuan looked and shook his head. In the entire village, and even within a ten-mile radius, there was probably not a single house with even the simplest brick-concrete structure, meaning brick and tile houses. These were rare even in the towns, only seen in the county seat. It was unavoidable that in many rural areas in the northern region, life was very backward during this period.
Pushing open one of the rooms, Qin Chuan finally saw the scene after the fire. The small room was filled with burned semi-finished furniture and wood on the ground. A large portion of the walls was blackened by smoke, and the smell of firewood still lingered in the air. The newly repaired doors and windows were also scorched in places, clearly unusable. It was evident that the fire had been quite serious. If it hadn't been for the timely rescue, it might have been completely destroyed!
"Xiao Chuan, this is the situation after the fire!" Xiong Lianshan sighed, shaking his head. "The loss from this fire is at least around two thousand yuan!"
"You know, we used good quality timber, which is expensive..." In the year 1998, two thousand yuan was definitely not a small sum. It was equivalent to a family's total income, and many families did not reach this figure in a year.
Qin Chuan saw that his eldest and second brothers looked very grim. Given the current financial situation of the old Qin family, two thousand yuan was an astronomical sum. Their father's hospitalization and treatment for his burns had already cost several thousand yuan, and he would still need regular dressing changes and treatment, incurring continuous expenses, like a bottomless pit. Now, the family's coffers were empty, with little left. They simply couldn't afford to compensate this amount. A fire was truly enough to change a family's fate!
"Eldest brother, second brother, since you've followed along, let's get to work!" Qin Chuan instructed. "First, find the tools and cut down all the usable timber in this room!"
The eldest brother, Qin Yang, who was honest and simple, immediately took action. The second brother, Qin Gang, however, looked at Qin Chuan curiously. "We're working, what are you doing?"
"Of course, I'm the chief engineer. I'll calculate the dimensions of each piece of furniture and the amount of timber needed. Also, I'll design the style, the final placement, and so on. Can you handle all these tasks, second brother?" Qin Gang immediately shook his head like a rattle. Although he knew a little woodworking, he really couldn't do all of this.
Soon, under the watchful eyes of the Xiong family, the three Qin brothers clearly divided their tasks and started working, their movements all very agile. Qin Chuan brought out a ruler, measured various places, and then repeatedly drew in his notebook with a pencil. The curious Xiong father and son came closer to watch Qin Chuan, and their eyes widened instantly.
In the small notebook, Qin Chuan had drawn a three-dimensional house, almost identical to their own. More importantly, Qin Chuan was now adding furniture inside the house. The ordinary pencil in Qin Chuan's hand seemed like a legendary magical brush, possessing divine powers. With a few strokes, he drew various types of furniture, and even their placement was very aesthetically pleasing.
"My heavens, when did this Qin family's youngest son gain such skills!" Xiong Lianshan and his son were so shocked they were speechless. This scene had shattered their understanding. Then they discovered something very important. It seemed that many of the furniture pieces in the patterns Qin Chuan drew had changed drastically, completely unlike what they needed.