"That's great! Why did you come out so far today? If you need anything or feel unwell, you can have Hao'er come to me, or you can tell Fatty. I'm busy here, so I might overlook something."
Since Qin San Niang had already done a good deed, she naturally wanted to make her words sound pleasant. Of course, she wasn't lying; she had indeed been very busy lately.
"Thank you, Madam Qin. However, I'm not really sick. In fact, now that I'm feeling better, I can't stay in bed any longer. I came here today to ask if you still intend for me to make furniture?" Old Chen was a little uneasy, afraid that Madam Qin might give the job to someone else because of his poor health.
He didn't plan to take any wages for the job, but given Qin San Niang's character, she wouldn't let him work for free. At the very least, she would provide food, which would allow Hao'er to earn a living. As long as he could earn a living and raise his grandson, that would be enough.
"Don't worry, I know my own body well, I'm definitely halfway recovered. I'll take it easy when I'm working! Besides, I recently took on a new apprentice, he can help me with some of the more demanding tasks." Speaking of his apprentice, Old Chen was quite pleased, never expecting that his skills would be passed down.
His carpentry skills were not a family tradition; he learned them from a master craftsman when he worked in town in his early years.
The old master craftsman, who had no children of his own, saw that Chen was intelligent and eager to learn, and thus passed on all his skills to him. Now, Chen Laohan is making the same choice, which can be seen as a kind of redemption. He had originally planned to teach Chen Erjun, but the man couldn't endure the hardship and lacked the talent, so he gave up.
Qin San Niang hurriedly congratulated him, wondering which family's son had such good fortune. Nowadays, many skills are passed down to men but not women, and to the eldest but not the youngest, so it's no exaggeration to say that this apprentice is blessed!
"It's the kid from next door, Chen Ming."
The Chen family are good people. When I was seriously ill, they often helped the grandfather and grandson. Under normal circumstances, one could say they had ulterior motives, but at that time, I was about to die. What benefit could they possibly gain? True friendship is revealed in times of trouble, and this kindness must be repaid.
Old Chen saw that Chen Ming was studious, honest, and diligent. Although he didn't know how talented Chen Ming was, he figured if he could pass on his skills to such an honest man and let him pass them down through generations, he would eventually produce a descendant with exceptional skills. Besides, when Hao'er grew up, if he still wanted to work as a craftsman, he could pass the craft on to Hao'er's lineage!
Having narrowly escaped death, Old Chen had seen through many things, and his obsession with bloodline inheritance had faded considerably! What use is blood relation if there's no human touch?
Qin San Niang said she didn't know the name Chen Ming, but it was a good thing, and she felt gratified.
"Uncle Lao Han, congratulations on having a successor! Since that's the case, I'll hand over the furniture making to you. I wasn't planning on changing people; I was just thinking of waiting until you recovered before starting! Haha, I'm the kind of person who'd rather have nothing than something bad! I'll bring over the design drawings now!" After saying that, Qin San Niang got up to get the drawings.
Seeing the grandfather and grandson in the yard, Liu guessed that these were the Chen Laohan and his grandson her daughter had mentioned a few days ago. After thinking for a moment, she went to the kitchen and made several large steamed buns, freshly steamed that morning. Although the dough was a mixture of sorghum and dark flour, the filling was shepherd's purse and pork—this was the food for the helpers today. Of course, her family would eat it too!
After looking at Qin San Niang's drawings, he noticed that many of the styles were unlike anything he had seen before. However, he wasn't surprised; perhaps they were styles that northerners preferred.
Old Chen nodded, asked about the parts he didn't understand in detail, and then carefully put the drawings away.
"Don't worry, I will definitely make these pieces of furniture according to the blueprints. However, these pieces are quite novel, and this is the first time I've ever made them. I'm not sure if they will meet your expectations. I'll make a set for you to see when the time comes!"
Qin San Niang's drawings are quite detailed. Although they can't compare to the drawings made by carpenters, they are already very good for a layman! If Qin San Niang were a man or if she were interested in carpentry, Chen Lao Han would want to pass on his skills to her!
“Okay, Uncle Lao Han. These pieces of furniture are all my own ideas and designs. Some of them I heard about from others, and they might even be designs from overseas. I’ll try them out first. If I like them, you can make them for others in the same style.”
The furniture was exactly the style she remembered; there was nothing special about it, except that it was rare in the Dasheng Dynasty. If it could help Chen Laohan expand his business, she thought it would be a good thing. Perhaps it could even create a new type of furniture for the Dasheng Dynasty and leave a mark on history.
Old Chen shook his head. Although he admired Qin San Niang's design, he couldn't steal other people's blueprints without permission. This was the rule in the industry. Although the client agreed, she didn't know the benefits that a blueprint could bring.
“Madam Qin, I thank you for your kindness, but these blueprints are yours. If I were to make furniture and sell it without permission, it would be against the ancestral teachings of our sect.”
Hearing him say that, Qin San Niang didn't know what else to say and decided to wait and see what happened later.
Then, when they were leaving, they handed the steamed buns that Liu had prepared to Hao'er. In the basket that Hao'er carried on his back, there were also all sorts of wild vegetables! This child was precocious. Since his grandfather walked slowly, he would take advantage of the free time to dig up some wild vegetables by the roadside to earn some food.
"Uncle Lao Han, Hao'er, here are a few steamed buns for you to take home and eat! Don't feel embarrassed, from today onwards, you and that apprentice are also considered my family's helpers, and you will enjoy the same treatment as helpers. This is today's lunch. As for wages, they will be the same as theirs, twelve copper coins a day!"
"Also, please go back and see what kind of wood is suitable and how much silver it will cost. I'll cover the cost of the wood; there's no reason for you to pay for it!"
Without saying a word, Qin San Niang put the buns into Hao'er's basket. Fortunately, the buns were not heavy, and Hao'er did not feel that they were heavy. However, he could not dig for wild vegetables on the way back!
Old Chen nodded and did not reject Qin San Niang's idea. His family didn't have much wood left, and if they wanted to make so much furniture, they would indeed need to buy some new wood.
At first, Chen Laohan thought of using the wood he had stored, but he really didn't expect that Qin Sanniang wanted to make so much furniture.
You know, ordinary farmhouses don't have any decent furniture at all, at most a few stools and a table. Hers has everything, which is no less than that of a wealthy family in the city! He definitely doesn't have enough wood of his own!
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