Chapter 273 Chicken Flying and Eggs Falling
Xiao Shui noticed that Zhou Dajun's face was pale, his brows were furrowed, and cold sweat was beading on his forehead. She quickly advised him, "Your brothers are right. Mother must have gone back with Sister Cuifen first. They are used to taking the back roads and can get there quickly. They might already be home by now. Don't scare yourself. Focus on driving. Safety is the most important thing."
Song Yu'an and Shen Cuifen didn't even enter the village; the two walked in silence, their steps hurried.
They didn't want to stay in the village for even a second longer, so they turned onto the small path half-hidden by weeds, bypassed the main road, and headed straight towards Victory Village.
The furniture that Zhou Nuli's master craftsman, Zhang Daqiang, made for them was completed several days ago.
It was a complete set of furniture meticulously crafted from the finest paulownia wood. The wood was thick and the edges were polished smooth and rounded. Very few nails were used; the furniture relied entirely on mortise and tenon joints.
I just applied varnish a couple of days ago, and now it's neatly drying on the bamboo rack in the center of the yard, basking in the last rays of the autumn evening sun, emitting a faint scent of wood and varnish.
"Madam, Cuifen and I have arrived."
Song Yu'an stood at the courtyard gate, his voice not loud, but with a hint of caution.
Zhang Daqiang's wife was squatting on a small stool by the door, picking green beans. She deftly pinched off the pods with both hands, without even looking up.
Upon hearing the voice, he immediately stopped what he was doing, stood up abruptly, looked out into the courtyard, and his eyes widened in surprise, causing him to drop the string beans he was holding: "Oh my! Little Song is here! This is truly a rare guest! Your master is inside, I'll go call him!"
When Zhou Nuli entered the joint venture factory, he was so charmed by Zhou Xiuli's sweet words that he didn't even hold a basic thank-you banquet for his teacher, or even say a formal goodbye. He left his master's house quietly.
Zhang Daqiang was so angry that his face turned blue. He smashed the teacup and cursed him for being "ungrateful." From then on, the master and apprentice broke off all contact and stopped visiting each other during holidays.
Now that Song Yu'an has come to visit, he is humble and calls him "Master" and "Master's Wife" affectionately.
She pleaded and apologized repeatedly, and even brought a generous gift—two bottles of Moutai, two boxes of high-end pastries, and a whole carton of Zhonghua cigarettes, all wrapped in red cloth and placed neatly on the table.
Zhang Daqiang initially kept a straight face and treated Song Yu'an coldly, but he couldn't resist Song Yu'an's sincerity and finally relented, reluctantly accepting the belated order.
When Zhang Daqiang heard Song Yu'an mention that Zhou Nuli had heartlessly abandoned Shen Cuifen for Zhou Xiuli, he was so angry that his beard trembled. He slammed his pipe on the ground twice and cursed, "You bastard! You've lost your conscience! Shen Cuifen is such a good girl, working hard and suffering for him, and he just turns around and gets involved with that Zhou Xiuli! All these years of raising him have been for nothing!"
Despite the criticism, every word he uttered was in support of Song Yu'an and Shen Cuifen, showing no favoritism whatsoever.
At this point, the relationship between the master and apprentice's families finally eased somewhat.
When Zhang Daqiang came out to greet him, the anger on his face had long since dissipated, replaced by a long-lost smile: "You're here? Perfect timing! Everything's done. It took three whole days to dry, no shortcuts taken. Come on, come in and see if it's to your liking!"
Song Yu'an grabbed Shen Cuifen's hand and rushed up to the third-floor balcony in a hurry.
Suddenly, the view opened up before me—a chest of drawers, a wardrobe, a table, chairs, and stools, a complete set of furniture neatly arranged, the wood grain clearly visible, the varnish glossy, preserving the natural texture of the wood while appearing exceptionally clean and refreshing.
A breeze carried a faint scent of lacquer, and the furniture surfaces gleamed softly in the setting sun.
"Master, this is so beautiful!"
Song Yu'an stared at the rows of furniture without blinking, his heart pounding with excitement. He murmured to himself, "The craftsmanship, the workmanship... it's simply amazing!"
She suddenly turned her head and grabbed Shen Cuifen's hand, her voice trembling slightly: "Cuifen, this set of furniture, when you get married next time, your mother will give it to you as part of your dowry! Not a penny less!"
Upon hearing this, Shen Cuifen's eyes reddened, her nose suddenly stung, and tears welled up in her eyes.
She lowered her head, forcing a smile through her teeth: "Mom, aren't we...going home? Really not going back?"
Song Yu'an waved his hand and gently patted her back. His tone was light and airy, but it carried an undeniable firmness: "Two living people, not wood. Who could have eaten them? They drive a car, which is faster than us. They'll definitely get there first. Let's walk slowly and catch our breath, get some peace and quiet."
Zhang Daqiang stood aside, his ears were sharp, and he understood about 70-80% of what he heard.
He put his hands behind his back, squinted, and asked slowly, "What's going on? Is there another fight at home? Don't rush, sit down and tell me slowly."
Song Yu'an then recounted the whole story in detail—from Zhou Nuli's betrayal to Zhou Xiuli's arrogance, to the villagers' cold indifference, and finally to his predicament of being forced to leave the village today.
Every word was spoken plainly, yet each syllable carried a heavy weight in the ear.
After listening, Zhang Daqiang sighed deeply, slowly walked up to Shen Cuifen, raised his hand and gently patted her shoulder, his voice low but warm: "Poor child, it's really not easy for you. At your age, you should be loved by your parents and pampered by your in-laws, but in the end, you suffer all kinds of grievances. Don't worry, from now on, this is your home."
Hearing this, the teacher's wife, who was picking vegetables by the door, paused in her work and interjected with a sneer, "Good children, that family doesn't want you anymore, what are you still thinking about? Zhou Nuli, that ungrateful wretch, should have been cut off long ago! As for Zhou Xiuli—humph, let that woman cause trouble! Let's see how long she can be so smug! Heaven has eyes, sooner or later she'll end up abandoned by everyone and with nothing left!"
Song Yu'an didn't reply, his expression was somewhat complicated, as if he was hesitant, or as if he was suppressing his emotions.
She quickly pulled out a neat stack of banknotes from her pocket and handed them over respectfully with both hands, her movements careful, afraid of offending the other party by being a step too slow: "I came in a hurry today and really didn't have time to prepare a decent gift, I'm so sorry. After we move and settle in, we will definitely invite Master and Mistress to our home for a meal to properly thank you for your care over the years."
Zhang Daqiang took the money, unfolded the bills one by one with his fingers, quickly counted them, and his face immediately broke into a wide smile, the wrinkles at the corners of his eyes smoothing out.
As he collected the money, he nodded, his tone very warm: "Little Song, it's good that you're not relying on Zhou anymore! You made the right move! People have to be independent and can't always expect others to give them charity! Good! Your teacher's wife and I will definitely be there for your housewarming party! It's a promise, don't complain about the food being too rough!"
Song Yu'an nodded quickly, forcing a smile, and said in a low and sincere voice, "Thank you, Master! I am extremely grateful that you came."
After saying that, she added somewhat awkwardly, "We'll have to trouble Master to send a few people to help us move the furniture back. There's a lot of stuff, and my daughter and I can't carry it all. Also... we'd like to hitch a ride on a tricycle so we don't have to spend too much time on the road."
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