Chapter 55: If anyone says Ah Ye is stupid in the future, I will be the first to not forgive him...
Lin Shu's words made Lin Xiaopu look forward to it very much. He wished he could close his eyes and open them again tomorrow.
"By the way, Aye and I are going to the market tomorrow. Is there anything A'niang and A'mei you want to bring?" Lin Shu asked.
Lin Xiaopu glanced at He Guixiang secretly and said with a smile, "Sister, I want some candy."
Lin Shu also glanced at He Guixiang, "Mother said, we have enough money. We still have enough for a piece of candy."
He Guixiang readily replied, "Buy! I don't have much to buy here, but I bought a lot of needles and thread last time, so they'll last a long time. As for oil, salt, sauce, vinegar, etc., Ah Shu, please buy more."
Lin Xiaopu playfully replied, "Yeah, yeah. We'll have to buy more this time. Since my sister came back, we've been eating up all the oil and salt at home."
Lin Shu said without a trace of embarrassment, "Food is the most important thing for people. A good meal gives you the energy to work. Look at Dad and Ye. They've been eating and drinking well these days. Aren't they full of energy?"
Lin Xiaopu grinned and nodded quickly, saying, "My sister is right!"
Lin Shu rubbed her little head. "Wait for Ah Ye to come back soon. Xiao Pu will have to continue making Guanyin tofu. Ah Ye and I will be busy for a while longer. We plan to build a bamboo pipe to bring the mountain spring water to the courtyard. Then, whether Ah Niang is washing rice and vegetables or we are washing ourselves, we won't have to go to the kitchen vat to fetch water."
Lin Xiaopu was very curious when he heard this, and He Guixiang also asked a few more questions.
When Zhou Ye came back carrying the Guanyin firewood and a bundle of thin bamboo, the mother, daughter and three children in the courtyard all looked over at him.
Zhou Ye saw the most beautiful face among them almost at first sight.
His eyes trembled and he asked, "What's wrong?"
Lin Shu smiled and explained, "Mother and sister heard me say that we need to bring water to the courtyard, and they can't wait to see what you'll look like after you finish it."
Zhou Ye nodded, unloaded the backpack and bamboo and placed them on the ground, "Ashu, come over and see which thin bamboo is the most suitable."
Lin Xiaopu, who was about to move closer out of curiosity, suddenly noticed something and couldn't help but look subtle.
Brother Aye's calling of "Ashu" is much smoother than the "Sister Ashu" that Ajie had led him to call before, but isn't it a little too smooth?
If you don’t know, you might think it’s a man calling his wife.
She looked at Zhou Ye thoughtfully, then looked at her elder sister who was walking slowly towards the other side. Suddenly, she laughed secretly twice, pretending that she didn't notice anything, and didn't move closer.
Lin Shu had already approached and after careful selection, she chose one. "This one is long, and the thin end is just the right thickness. However, this bamboo is difficult to bend. If it passes straight through, the long bamboo tube behind the house that carries water will have to make a slight bend. Also, this thin bamboo is so long, the bamboo partitions inside may not be easy to hollow out..."
After hearing what she said, Zhou Ye rummaged through the pile of thin bamboos and found an even thinner bamboo with one end sharpened by him. "I've tested this bamboo and it's just right for poking in. I'll try it with this one."
Lin Shu couldn't help but praise him, "If anyone says Ah Ye is stupid in the future, I will be the first to not forgive him."
Lin Xiaopu on the other end of the line said with a smile, "Sister, please forgive yourself for now. You are the only one in the family who thinks Brother Aye is stupid."
Lin Shu put her hands on her hips and glared at her, "Xiao Pu, whose side are you on? Why are you always ruining my business? Stop right there! I'll pull your ears!" After saying that, she actually ran towards Lin Xiaopu.
Lin Xiaopu screamed, stood up and ran away.
Zhou Ye listened to the sisters laughing and making noises, and his hands moved much more quickly. He put the sharpened bamboo in, and when he encountered the bamboo partition, he just exerted a little force with his wrist, and the bamboo partition inside was pierced through.
Keep poking like this. When you feel it’s getting too hard to poke halfway, switch ends and start again from the other end.
Just like that, Zhou Ye had pierced through all the bamboo septa inside the long, thin bamboo. Because the thin bamboo he had chosen almost fit perfectly, the bamboo septa inside were completely pierced and hollowed out. Even if there were a few places that were not dug thoroughly, the water flowing through the bamboo septa over time would wash out the bamboo debris hanging on the bamboo joints.
Zhou Ye turned his head to look at the two sisters chasing each other, his eyes fell on Lin Shu's smiling face, and after a moment of silence, he said, "A Shu, it's done."
Lin Shu pulled Lin Xiaopu's ear and pinched her cheek before letting her go. She trotted over to Zhou Ye and said, "It's done so quickly? Ah Ye, lift the bamboo up so I can see it. Make it flatter."
Zhou Ye guessed her intention almost instantly. He lifted the thin bamboo tube that had just been pierced and held it in front of her. "Hold it well and watch carefully."
Lin Shu pinched one end of the bamboo, put one eye close to it, and then saw the bright little hole at the other end at a glance.
There were so many bamboo partitions, but she could see through them all at once, proving that they were all completely penetrated. Zhou Ye's handicraft skills were truly superb.
"Is it okay?" Zhou Ye asked.
"Okay, that's great. Let's carry this thin bamboo tube over right now!"
Although Lin Xiaopu also wanted to join in the fun, after hesitating for a while, she smiled and said, "Sister, go quickly. My mother and I are waiting to use this fresh spring water!" After that, she went to deal with the Guanyin wood.
After her elder sister and brother A Ye finished their work, her Guanyin tofu was probably almost done, just enough for the two of them to eat. She would then send a portion to her father who was working in the fields, and take the remaining cucumber along as well.
The long bamboo tube behind the house that led water was still some distance away from the courtyard, so Lin Shu and Zhou Ye added two more long bamboo tubes in the middle. The long bamboo tubes turned around behind the house and then led the water to the other end of the fish pond. The thin bamboo was inserted into the nearest long bamboo tube. After marking the position, the thinner end of the bamboo was passed through the gap in the bamboo fence.
The thin bamboo pipe runs right next to the stove in the courtyard. This makes it convenient for washing vegetables, dishes, and hands. It would be even more convenient if a sink were placed under the bamboo pipe.
After hearing what Lin Shu mentioned, Zhou Ye asked what the washbasin looked like.
Lin Shu thought for a moment and explained, "A small concave pool carved out of the stone, with a leaky hole at the bottom. When using water, plug the hole. After opening the plug, drain the dirty water out through the hole. But we have this bamboo pipe, which is much more convenient than before. We don't need a pool. We can just use a wooden basin to collect water so it doesn't splash all over us."
Zhou Ye nodded and said nothing more.
When the two men were installing the bamboo pipe, in order to prevent the water from gushing out before it was installed, they blocked the thin end with a clean cloth in advance.
At this time, the position of the bamboo tube has been fixed. Zhou Ye also used straw rope to tie the thin bamboo tube together with the bamboo fence next to it to reinforce it. It looks very stable.
Lin Shu turned around and called out, "Xiao Pu, Mom, come over here and take a look! I'm about to release the water!"
Lin Xiaopu had already filtered the slurry from kneading the Guanyin wood into a wooden basin. It would sit for a while before being consumed. Hearing this, she quickly wiped her hands and ran over. He Guixiang also put down the half-twisted twine in her hand and followed to see how the bamboo pipe was diverting water.
There are many streams and rivers in their Tianshui Village, so water is convenient. Few people bring water directly home like Ah Shu. With this bamboo pipe, they are definitely the family with the most convenient access to water in Tianshui Village!
When everyone arrived, Lin Shu pulled out the cloth that was blocking the mouth.
As soon as the cloth was pulled, water immediately flowed out of the thin bamboo tube.
Although it is called a thin bamboo tube, it is actually about two fingers wide. The amount of water that comes out is not small. Even if you connect it to a full basin of water, it will only take a short while.
Lin Xiaopu reached out to catch the mountain spring water coming out of the bamboo tube, feeling very excited.
After Lin Shu confirmed that the bamboo pipe was flowing with water, she used the cloth to seal the opening and instructed the others, "Although this is spring water from the back mountain, the bamboo pipe is exposed to the sky, so it's inevitable that some small insects will fly in. So we shouldn't drink this water directly. Ping'er can use it to wash vegetables and cook."
Lin Xiaopu said, "Sister, you're too picky. People in Tianshui Village even drink stream water directly. Isn't our mountain spring water cleaner than the water in the stream outside?"
Lin Shu: "It's right to listen to my sister, otherwise you'll get a stomachache if you drink the water later. It's not that you can't drink this water, you just need to boil it in a pot before drinking it."
Lin Xiaopu thought of something and turned his eyes to look at Zhou Ye. "If I listen to my sister, then this spring water won't be much more convenient for Brother Ye. He still has to go to the mountain early every morning to get the spring water."
Lin Shu's mouth curled up immediately. "If this spring water wasn't fresh spring water he got from the spring in the mountains, I wouldn't drink it."
Zhou Ye looked at her and said, "Ashu is right. Let's listen to her. I won't be in the way. This is all work I'm used to doing."
Lin Xiaopu: Okay, that’s what my sister said, it’s a matter of two people willing to fight and be beaten.
He Guixiang didn't have so many questions. She felt that Ah Shu knew a lot and they should listen to her. "It's right for us to listen to Ah Shu. By the way, Ah Shu, what do you want to eat for dinner? Just tell Ah Niang if you want anything. If you want flatbreads with porridge, I should start making the dough now. If you want the flatbreads from yesterday, there's no rush, but the porridge will have to be cooked soon." He Guixiang asked.
The weather is getting hotter now, and no one likes to eat hot porridge. The porridge has to be cooked in advance and kept cold. However, it is best not to be too cold in hot weather. A sip of warm porridge is enough to make you feel comfortable.
Lin Shu didn’t want to eat flatbread or pancakes. She wanted to eat buns, buns with all kinds of fillings!
But they'd been eating too much noodles these past few days, so it was time to be frugal. And tomorrow, she and Zhou Ye were going to the market, so A'niang would definitely make a lot of noodles for them to take with them as dry food.
"Mother, make some simple pancakes. I ate all the eggs you saved, so today's pancakes won't have eggs in them. Make them one by one, smaller and thinner. I have some chicken mushrooms left over, so I'll make a chicken mushroom sauce later. I'll eat the thin pancakes with them, and they'll be delicious."
"Oh, okay." After hearing what was said, He Guixiang went to wash rice and cook porridge. It happened that she could use the mountain spring water brought in by the bamboo pipe, which was really convenient.
Lin Shu did what she said, rolled up her sleeves and started to process the half of the chicken mushrooms left in the morning.
Zhou Ye had torn the chicken mushrooms into strips, taking up most of the basin. Lin Shu went to He Guixiang, took a bucket of water from the bamboo pipe, and sprinkled it on the chopping board. The running water took away the debris on the chopping board that had not been cleaned. Lin Shu then scraped both sides of the kitchen knife, and the chopping board was immediately clean.
Then Lin Shu grabbed a handful of chicken mushrooms and put them on the chopping board. Holding the kitchen knife in her right hand, she began to dice them.
Lin Xiaopu was not idle either. He continued with his previous work of twisting the hemp thread, and then took a peek into the wooden basin from time to time to see how the Guanyin tofu was solidifying.
Seeing that everyone was busy with their own things, Zhou Ye wanted to ask Lin Shu how to make the bamboo bed, but after hesitating for a moment, he gave up and picked up his usual axe to go to the firewood pile to chop wood.
The chopped firewood fell to the ground with clangs, one after another. Zhou Ye's movements were clean and neat, and the sounds of He Guixiang washing rice and Lin Shu cutting mushrooms were drowned out by him.
He Guixiang looked up at him and shook her head, "Aye is really a person who can't sit still."
Lin Shu laughed at her, "Mother herself can't sit still either, why bother talking about him?"
"Ashu, be careful with the knife and don't be distracted when cutting vegetables." He Guixiang reminded her, feeling surprised that her daughter's knife skills were so good.
"Don't worry, mother. I'm taking good care of it."
Not long after, Lin Xiaopu's Guanyin tofu was ready. She hurriedly shouted to the others, "Alright, alright, my Guanyin tofu is ready! Everyone, stop and take a break. Let's finish this snack and then continue working!"
Lin Xiaopu has mastered all the steps perfectly. He used a bamboo stick to cut the whole piece of Guanyin tofu, then mixed it with seasonings and served it on two large plates.
One plate was shared by the three of them, another was given to their father, and the remaining half of the bowl was all for Brother A Ye.
Zhou Ye had been working for a long time and was already hungry, but he had eaten more breakfast today than usual, so the hunger was not as severe as before.
There was nothing better than eating some cool snacks during breaks from work. Everyone stopped what they were doing, sat around the table, and started eating with spoons or chopsticks. Lin Shu was even simpler, just poking the food with a thin bamboo stick.
"You guys transfer some more over." Zhou Ye said and was about to scoop a few more spoonfuls into the plates of the three people.
Lin Shu stretched out her hand to block it and said with a smile: "That's enough. Everyone has a gluttonous stomach like you. It's just a snack. A few pieces will satisfy your taste buds." Zhou Ye gave up and took the half bowl of Guanyin tofu without hesitation. He almost swallowed the first few bites whole, and slowed down at the end. He was very satisfied with the snack.
In the past, he was hungry every day and worked in the fields day after day. He had no hope in life and it seemed as if he could see the end of his life at a glance. But in the past few days, he actually felt a little bit of the taste of life.
Food wasn't just for filling the stomach; it could be prepared in a variety of ways, creating a variety of flavors. He wasn't limited to working in the fields or doing odd jobs like chopping wood and fetching water. He had dug the fish pond behind the house, channeled the mountain spring water, and even the bamboo tables and stools that Lin Shu had mentioned—he felt he could make them himself.
As long as Lin Shu wants, he can do more to meet her requirements.
This made Lin Shu happy and also gave him a sense of satisfaction.
After eating the Guanyin tofu, Zhou Ye consciously put away the dishes and chopsticks, and went to the yard to rinse them together with the large wooden basin he used.
After Lin Shu put Lin Dashan's portion of Guanyin tofu and the remaining cucumber into the basket, Zhou Ye walked over and took it from her. "My fields are far away, I'll go deliver it."
Lin Shu opened her mouth, but before she could say anything, Zhou Ye walked away with his long legs.
Lin Xiaopu looked at Zhou Ye's back as he carried the vegetable basket, and with a chuckle, he called out behind him, "Brother Ye, thank you for your hard work. I'll help you keep an eye on Sister and tell her to rest more. I'll make sure she doesn't get too tired!"
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