Chapter 31 Commander Qin becomes a carpenter; his back, soaked with sweat, is harder than a bed board!
"Change the bed? Where are you going to change it?"
Jiang Wu looked at Qin Lie with some curiosity.
In those days of scarcity, a decent wooden bed wasn't something you could just have any day.
The supply and marketing cooperatives do sell them, but the price is outrageously high, and you need industrial coupons to buy them, so ordinary people simply can't afford them.
"I have a brilliant plan."
Qin Lie smiled mysteriously, keeping everyone in suspense.
The next day was Sunday, and the troops had a day off.
Qin Lie got up as soon as it was dawn.
Instead of going to the training ground as usual, he changed into a worn-out training uniform and wore a pair of sturdy liberation shoes.
"Where are you going so early?"
Jiang Wu was half asleep when he woke her up by his noise. She rubbed her eyes and asked.
"I'll get you a bed."
Qin Lie bent down and kissed her forehead, then strode out the door.
Jiang Wu watched his disappearing figure, her heart filled with anticipation.
Qin Lie went to the logistics department first.
He approached Old Wang in the logistics department and, through persistent pleading and cajoling, traded his saved cigarette coupons and two bottles of good wine for a batch of discarded scrap wood.
These pieces of wood are mostly table legs, chair backs, broken bed boards, and the like—useless junk in other people's eyes.
But in Qin Lie's eyes, these were treasures.
He borrowed a cart from the cookhouse and laboriously hauled the entire pile of timber home.
Hearing the commotion in the courtyard, Jiang Wu ran out to see what was happening and was immediately stunned.
In their small courtyard, there were piles of all sorts of oddly shaped broken pieces of wood.
Qin Lie was standing in the pile of wood, wiping the sweat from his forehead.
"Qin Lie, why...why did you bring back so much junk?"
Jiang Wu was both amused and exasperated.
"This isn't junk." Qin Lie patted one of the relatively intact bed legs and grinned. "These are the materials for making your new bed."
"Making beds?" Jiang Wu's mouth dropped open in surprise. "You know carpentry?"
“I learned from my dad for a few days when I was at home, but I don’t know if I’ve become rusty.”
As Qin Lie spoke, he took out a chipped axe, a rusty saw, and a measuring tape from a toolbox he had borrowed from the logistics department.
He picked out a relatively flat piece of wood, carefully measured its dimensions with a measuring tape, and then drew lines on it with charcoal.
Then he rolled up his sleeves, picked up the saw, and got to work.
"Crunch... crunch..."
The rusty saw tore at the wood, making a harsh and monotonous sound.
Qin Lie bent over, his arms steadily pushing the saw, and soon fine beads of sweat appeared on his forehead.
His training uniform was quickly soaked with sweat on the back, clinging tightly to his body and outlining the broad, muscular contours of his back.
Wood chips fell in a flurry as the saw rose and fell, landing at his feet and on his sweat-dampened hair.
Jiang Wu stood to the side, quietly watching him.
She had never seen Qin Lie like this before.
He wasn't the ruthless, iron-blooded regimental commander who issued orders on the training field.
It wasn't that domineering man who tormented her to the point of death in bed.
At this moment, he is just an ordinary husband, using his clumsy yet earnest methods to create a more comfortable home for his wife.
Sunlight filtered through the leaves of the old locust tree in the yard, dappling his body.
His focused profile, his tightly pursed lips, his bobbing Adam's apple, and his powerful back soaked in sweat...
All of this created an incredibly moving scene.
Jiang Wu's heart felt as if it had been gently bumped by something.
A strange, tingling sensation, unlike anything I'd ever felt before, spread from the depths of my heart.
She used to think that her relationship with Qin Lie was more of a physical attraction and a binding bond in life.
But at that moment, she suddenly realized that she seemed to... really like this man.
"Have some water."
Jiang Wu snapped out of her daze and quickly ran into the house, poured a large enamel mug of cooled boiled water, and added two spoonfuls of sugar to it.
She walked to Qin Lie's side, held up the jar, and brought it to his lips.
Qin Lie stopped what he was doing and, using her hand, gulped down most of the vat of liquor.
The sweet water quenched his thirst and warmed his heart.
"Take a break, you look exhausted."
Jiang Wu took out a handkerchief, stood on tiptoe, and wanted to wipe the sweat and sawdust from his face.
Qin Lie was much taller than her.
It was also very difficult for her to stand on tiptoe.
Qin Lie chuckled softly, then bent down and brought his face close to her hand.
Warm breath sprayed onto Jiang Wu's palms, making them tickle.
Jiang Wu blushed and carefully wiped his face clean.
"I'm fine, not tired."
Qin Lie straightened up and looked into her watery eyes, his heart softening.
For her, he would be willing to go through fire and water, let alone just be a bed for her.
He rested for a moment, then regained his energy and continued to struggle with the pile of wood.
Sawing wood, planing planks, chiseling mortises...
These carpentry jobs look simple, but they are dirty, tiring, and require a lot of patience.
Qin Lie's hands quickly developed several blisters.
Once, the plane slipped from his hand and cut a long gash on his arm.
"Oh no!" Jiang Wu exclaimed and rushed over. "Are you alright? You're bleeding!"
"It's nothing, just a minor injury."
Qin Lie didn't even glance at it, casually wiped it with his sleeve, and was about to continue working.
"What minor injury!" Jiang Wu insisted, grabbing his arm and dragging him into the house without a word.
She took out iodine and gauze from her small medicine box and carefully treated his wound.
When the cotton swab soaked in iodine touched the wound, Qin Lie's muscular body tensed up instinctively.
"Does it hurt?" Jiang Wu looked up at him with concern.
"It doesn't hurt." Qin Lie shook his head, but his eyes remained fixed on her.
He watched her with her head down, focused on bandaging her wound, her long eyelashes drooping like two small fans, and a warm feeling began to well up in his heart again.
He couldn't help but reach out his other, uninjured hand and gently stroke her cheek.
"Jiang Wu," he called her name hoarsely.
"Hmm?" Jiang Wu looked up at him, puzzled.
"It's so good to have you."
Qin Lie looked into her eyes and said earnestly.
Jiang Wu's heart skipped a beat, and her cheeks instantly burned.
Why is this man suddenly saying sweet nothings?
She lowered her head, pretending to concentrate on tying the knot, and muttered under her breath, "Smooth talker."
Although she said that, she felt incredibly sweet inside.
Qin Lie spent the entire Sunday in the courtyard.
From morning to evening, he hardly stopped except for eating and drinking.
What he considered treasures, but Jiang Wu saw as worthless scrap wood, was transformed little by little under his skillful hands.
It was almost sunset.
A brand-new wooden bed, still carrying the fresh scent of raw wood, is beginning to take shape.
The bed was much more spacious and higher than their original wooden plank bed.
At the headboard, Qin Lie ingeniously used several smooth wooden strips to create a simple carved design.
Although it can't compare to the exquisite furniture sold in city stores, it seems especially thoughtful and precious in this simple mud-brick house.
Besides the bed, Qin Lie also used the remaining good materials to hammer out the basic shape of a dressing table.
A small table with drawers, and a space reserved on top for a mirror.
Jiang Wu's eyes lit up when she saw the two brand-new pieces of furniture in the yard.
She circled the large bed several times, then reached out and carefully touched the smooth, polished edge of the bed.
"Qin Lie, you're amazing!"
She turned her head and looked at the man covered in sawdust, looking exhausted but with a gleam in his eyes, and exclaimed in sincere admiration.
Qin Lie was a little embarrassed by her praise, and chuckled, revealing a set of white teeth.
Do you like it?
"I love it! I love it so much!"
Jiang Wu nodded vigorously.
This is more than just a bed and a dressing table.
This is the love nest that this man built for her with his own hands, using his sweat and heart.
She walked over, opened her arms, and took the initiative to hug Qin Lie's waist.
Her face was pressed tightly against his chest, which was soaked with sweat and as hard as iron.
She could clearly hear his steady, powerful heartbeat, one beat after another, as if striking her heart.
"Qin Lie, thank you."
Her voice was muffled, with a slight nasal tone.
Qin Lie's body stiffened, then he reached out his large, calloused hands and hugged her tightly.
He didn't say a word.
But at this moment, he felt that everything he had done was worthwhile.
In the courtyard, the afterglow of the setting sun cast long, long shadows of the two people.
The newly made bed stood there quietly, as if witnessing the growing and deepening love between the young couple.
The bed was finished, but it was still just an empty shell.
To sleep comfortably, you also need a thick and soft mattress.
Tomorrow, he's going to the supply and marketing cooperative to take out all the cloth and cotton coupons he's saved up for so long, and exchange them for the best cotton set for his wife to make the softest mattress.
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