Chapter 11 Adding Furniture "How do you know my sister definitely won't win the argument?..."
Old Man Yang's face was all wrinkled, and he stomped his feet in anger at Shen Miao: "You want beech wood again, and you want it carved and painted? My wife, go ask around the whole of Bianjing City, where can you find it for such a cheap price! That's good wood!"
Shen Miao bowed slightly: "Old man, you are a kind man. As you can see, my family just suffered a disaster, and I still have two children to feed and care for. Every little bit saved counts! I will come back to you in a few days to have doors and windows made! This is a long-term business relationship between us! You see, I just ordered some woodwork from you yesterday, and I immediately came back to you to have a cart made. It's not only because I value your craftsmanship, but also because I value your character!"
Old Man Yang's dark face flushed slightly from the words, and his chin rose slightly. He glanced at the collapsed wall behind Madam Chen and the charred house with only the beams and frames remaining, and sighed, "Alright, alright, being kind to others is being kind to yourself! Let's give you two hundred coins. You're a young woman with a child; it's really not easy for you."
Shen Miao was overjoyed, never expecting to save another thirty coins! He hurriedly bowed to Old Man Yang with his hands clasped, saying, "Thank you so much, sir! I keep my word and will definitely come back to you to fix the doors and windows!"
Old Man Yang laughed and said, "It's a deal, you can't go back on your word."
Shen Miao had no reason to object and even said with a smile, "From now on, when you come to eat pancakes, I'll give you a 50% discount!"
Yesterday, Shen Miao had already told Old Man Yang what kind of stall cart he wanted. Old Man Yang, being a seasoned carpenter, was a skilled drawer; Shen Miao had only described it once, and he had already drawn it out meticulously. So Shen Miao then worked with him to refine the design.
Two rear wheels are needed, with anti-slip hemp rope wrapped around them. The front of the cart has I-shaped support legs and curved handles. Four wooden sticks are needed to support a bamboo shed around the cart platform, and a wooden sign is added to the top of the shed, with the four characters "Chen Ji Pancake Shop" carved on it and painted in a striking red. A noodle bowl is also carved between Shen Ji and the soup pancake.
The sides of the cart are extended and mortise and tenon joints are added, so that multiple shelves can be placed when the cart is set up, and it can be folded up for storage when not in use. A circular groove is carved out in advance on the center of gravity of the cart so that when the cart is set up, the bowls containing food can be placed in the groove, making it less likely to tip over when pushing the cart.
Two wooden hooks are left at the bottom of the cart for hanging rattan baskets, which can then be used to store bowls, chopsticks, and other condiments.
Incidentally, Old Man Yang had the entire car painted with waterproof tung oil paint to prevent it from getting moldy when it rained.
After listening to what was said yesterday, Old Man Yang stared at Shen Miao for a long time without saying a word. His eyes held a mixture of resentment and uncertainty about Shen Miao's stinginess: "Wife, this carriage is quite unusual. It's very complicated to make... Do you have any plans, wife? How many copper coins are you prepared to spend on it?"
Shen Miao chuckled, his eyes darting around, and then painted a rosy picture for Old Man Yang: "Oh, old man, don't feel like I'm taking advantage of you. Just do your job well, and all you have to do is carve the words 'Old Man Yang's Woodware' on the cartwheel. I'll put it up on Jinliang Bridge, and if anyone asks, I'll just send them to you. You won't have to worry about not having customers. It's a win-win situation for both of us, isn't it?"
Old Yang remained silent, puffing away on his pipe. After hesitating for a long time, he finally said, "Let me think about it. I'll talk to you about it after I deliver the goods tomorrow."
Shen Miao told him to think it over and then took her leave. She was confident that Old Man Yang would agree, after all, when she said these words, all of Old Man Yang's apprentices nodded repeatedly, clearly very interested.
Sure enough, the deal was reached early this morning.
Old Man Yang said that even with his three apprentices working day and night, it would take half a month to deliver the goods. Shen Miao agreed and paid a deposit of one hundred coins. This was natural; her order was considered high-end custom-made, and there was no guarantee that it would be ready to ship. Not having a car for the next few days didn't matter, so she would do other, easier things to sell.
After Old Man Yang left, Shen Miao picked up a few bamboo poles. It was a beautiful sunny day with warm spring sunshine. The Shen family's backyard was well-lit, with the sun shining brightly throughout. Shen Miao stood on the steps under the eaves, squinted at the sun, and thought that this yard would be perfect for growing flowers and vegetables. When she had some free time, she would cultivate two plots of land in the backyard and buy some chicks and vegetable seeds on market day. Wouldn't that be great?
While mentally calculating the days for the market day, she propped a bamboo pole against the collapsed wall and took the opportunity to take down and wash the bedding that Aunt Gu had lent to Ji Ge'er, then spread the cotton quilt core on the bamboo pole to dry.
She boiled another bucket of water and took Ji Ge'er and Xiang Jie'er to a secluded spot at the back of the house to wash themselves. She also washed their outer clothes.
Halfway through washing, the cotton quilt deliveryman arrived. The cotton quilt deliveryman was also shocked that such a house could be lived in. Moreover, he seemed to recognize Shen Miao's father. When he delivered the quilt to Shen Miao's house, he sighed to Shen Miao, "Your parents really suffered a terrible misfortune. Alas, then the fire broke out... What a miserable life!"
Yes, yes. Shen Miao sighed along with him for a while. The cotton maker said kindly, "When you eat soup noodles at your father's, he always gives you a discount. Poor people who come to eat there will have extra soup added for free. He's a good man! From now on, if your quilt gets too stiff, just bring it over. I'll fluff the cotton for you and I won't charge you a single copper coin!"
That's great! Shen Miao offered the person a bowl of water and then saw them out.
When she returned, Ji-ge'er had already laid out the bedding, and the room was filled with the warm smell of new cotton. Xiang-jie'er, wearing only her undergarments, happily took off her shoes and rolled around on the quilt.
The door panels of the Shen family's front shop were only blackened by burning, and Shen Miao knocked on them one by one, but they were still sturdy. So she simply added a piece of rotten wood as a wedge to the door bolt, so that the bolt could not be moved at all, and the shop could not be opened.
In this way, the shop was completely transformed into a room for the three siblings to live in daily.
Turning around, she saw Xiangjie placing the windmill with the painted pony design by the bedside and smiled knowingly.
Although it was simple, this place finally looked decent.
Shen Miao then took out the cloth she had bought the night before, and had Ji Ge'er and Xiang Jie'er stand up. She held up the cloth to measure their sizes, sewed two stitches to mark the marks, and then sat down on the edge of the bed to start sewing.
She didn't plan to embroider; she would simply cut and sew the clothes they had worn before. At first, Chen Miao was a little clumsy with the needle and thread, but after a few stitches, her body seemed to regain its former feel, and she worked faster and faster. The children's clothes required less material, so they were much faster to sew than the adults'.
She was busy. After taking his medicine, Ji Ge practiced calligraphy with a wooden stick in the yard. Perhaps it was because Shen Miao had returned, but the burden on his shoulders and the sorrow in his heart suddenly felt lighter, and he recovered very quickly. He hadn't had a fever yesterday or today, and only had a slight cough.
Xiangjie also thoughtfully helped her separate the threads and stretched the fabric. She sewed until noon, binding the edges and sewing the buttonholes. She finished sewing Xiangjie's outer garment first, and the child finally didn't have to run around in her undergarments anymore.
When Xiangjie tried on her new clothes, the pale yellow color made her face look rosy and fair, like a chubby little peanut. She hadn't worn new clothes in a long time, and she was so happy that her face turned red. She spun around several times like a little magpie and happily hugged Chenmiao's neck.
"Let go quickly, your older sister can't breathe. Stand further away so your older sister can take a good look and see if you look good." Shen Miao smiled as she pulled Xiang Jie off her body, tugged at her sleeve, and nodded.
It was her first time making one, so the stitches were a bit rough, but it fit fairly well.
At noon, Shen Miao wanted to make a bowl of noodles to tide her over, but she didn't light a fire. So Aunt Gu came to return the earthenware jar, which was still filled with millet porridge. She also brought them a few flatbreads.
Shen Miao tried to refuse for a long time but failed, so she had no choice but to accept. Sigh, she really had to keep owing more and more favors!
Before leaving, Aunt Gu couldn't hold back her tears, took her hand and cried, "...My poor child!"
It seems that Aunt Gu also knows that she was divorced and sent back. Shen Miao herself does not feel ashamed, nor does she feel that she is unlucky. The truly unlucky Sister Shen has already died with endless regret.
At noon, Ji Ge'er and Xiang Jie'er both fell asleep in their warm, soft new quilts. Shen Miao, who didn't like taking naps, sat in the warm afternoon sun and continued to finish making Ji Ge'er's outer garment.
When the two of them woke up, the pottery shop assistant arrived with a shoulder pole to deliver the goods, along with a few earthenware plates. Shen Miao thanked him and asked which shop had the best deals on charcoal and ironware. The assistant blushed when he saw Shen Miao and stammered as he spoke.
After everything was ready, Shen Miao had Ji Ge'er and Xiang Jie'er dress up in their new clothes for the day. She also called Xiang Jie'er over and had her sit on a round stool. She carefully styled the little girl's hair into two round buns and put a pair of butterfly silk flowers from her trunk into her hair.
As Shen Ji watched, he suddenly asked sharply, "Is Sister taking us out?"
Shen Miao pulled Xiang Jie up and looked her up and down. The seven-year-old little bean sprout looked extremely cute no matter how she dressed up. She nodded in satisfaction: "Yes, I think you're almost fully recovered. There's no time like the present, so let's go to your uncle's house today and demand an explanation."
Shen Ji's mood immediately soured: "Auntie is so sharp-tongued, I'm afraid my sister will suffer."
Shen Miao turned around in surprise. This child was actually worried about her?
Shen Ji felt a little embarrassed by her gaze. He looked down at his toes, and after a while, he suddenly raised his head with a firm look and said, "The master once said that a gentleman should be self-disciplined with propriety and should not utter foul language, which would be unbecoming of a gentleman. But if Auntie insults my sister, I... I will definitely help my sister to scold back!"
Shen Miao burst out laughing.
This child may have become a little silly from studying, but he's not completely stupid.
She felt a warmth in her heart, as if ever since leaving the Rong family, everyone she had met in this unfamiliar world had been kind. Shen Miao habitually ruffled Ji Ge'er's hair, and this time he didn't dodge it.
“Don’t worry, we’re not going to fight. Even if they hadn’t mistreated you and Xiang’er, I haven’t been back to my parents’ home for three years. Now that I’m back, it’s only proper and respectful to pay my respects to my uncle. Besides…”
Shen Miao bent down and gently pinched Ji Ge'er's nose, raising an eyebrow as she said:
How do you know that your older sister definitely won't win the argument?
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