He dozed off on the stool, and when he woke up, he groggily wiped the corner of his mouth, thankfully there was no drool.
Squeezing his arm, which was aching from being pressed against the armrest of the chair, Xie Yan couldn't help but miss the recliner he used to have in Xiliu Village.
With such a beautiful sun, how wonderful it would be to lie on a deck chair, basking in the sun and taking a nap!
No way, I'm going to be living here permanently from now on, how can I sunbathe without a deck chair!
Xie Yan immediately perked up, sat up, and started thinking about asking Gu Bin where he could get a recliner.
After hearing Xie Yan's idea, Gu Bin couldn't help but look him up and down, a slight smile playing on his lips as he teased, "You really know how to enjoy yourself!"
"The house isn't even ready yet, and I'm already thinking about your recliner."
Xie Yan helplessly spread his hands and pointed to the sun overhead. "With such a beautiful sun, do you really want to lie on a deck chair and sunbathe?"
Gu Bin was slightly taken aback, "..."
To be honest, he really wanted to.
The image of lying lazily on a deck chair under the warm winter sun is simply wonderful.
But he still spoke the truth: "This isn't Stream Village; getting a deckchair here isn't cheap."
Xie Yan nodded. "It's alright, just tell me where I can get it done."
A recliner isn't a disposable item. Even if we don't make it now, we'll definitely have to make it later. We might as well take advantage of the time now and get it all done.
Once we move in, we can just enjoy it.
Gu Bin was actually quite tempted himself, and when he heard the suggestion, he immediately stood up and said, "Come on, I'll take you there, and I can get one for myself too."
Gu Bin rode his bicycle, with Xie Yan sitting on the back. The two of them traveled for two hours, winding their way through the streets. On the winter streets, pedestrians hurried by, wrapped in thick cotton-padded clothes. The trees along the roadside were bare, their branches shivering in the cold wind.
They rode for another half hour before finally arriving at a relatively remote place.
When they reached the entrance of an alley, Gu Bin stopped the car, turned to Xie Yan and said, "Get out, we need to walk in from here."
Xie Yan looked at the slightly narrow alley in front of him. The walls on both sides were somewhat mottled, and a few withered yellow weeds grew out of the cracks in the walls, swaying in the wind.
Where is this?
Gu Bin pushed the cart ahead, saying, "There's a carpenter in Liu'er Hutong who's very skilled. Plus, his area is close to the mountains, so we don't need to provide the wood ourselves; we can just pay for it."
This was also the main reason he brought Xie Yan here. Although they also had carpenters in their area, their skills were not as good as Master Li's, and they also had to buy the wood themselves, which was really troublesome.
Xie Yan was very satisfied with this and followed Gu Bin into the alley.
As soon as I entered, I saw two middle-aged women and a little girl walking towards me. The little girl looked at Xie Yan with an extremely strange expression, as if she had seen something unbelievable.
Xie Yan felt a little uncomfortable under that look. He frowned slightly and turned to ask Gu Bin, "Do you know them?"
Gu Bin also looked surprised, "I thought you knew him."
Xie Yan frowned. Since they didn't know them, the way those people looked at them just now was very strange!
The little girl who had walked away was very surprised.
Why is the thank-you banquet here?!
For some reason, she turned to the middle-aged woman beside her and said, "Mom, I suddenly remembered that Xiaxia asked me to talk to her this morning. Should I go see her?"
The middle-aged woman nodded. "Go ahead, remember to come back early this afternoon, and don't forget to cook."
"Okay~" the little girl's voice came from afar.
Xie Yan and Gu Bin turned left along the alley and went straight to a slightly dilapidated courtyard house inside.
The courtyard house before me exudes the vicissitudes of time. The door latch is made of rough iron wire twisted haphazardly, swaying gently in the cold wind and making a faint sound, as if telling its own story.
Gu Bin reached out and gently pushed open the half-closed door. With a creak, the door slowly opened, revealing a chicken coop about half a person's height, with two old hens on it. One was lazily nestled in the coop, while the other was eating on the coop. Hearing the door open, the hens didn't even raise their heads.
Seeing that no one was in the yard, Gu Bin raised his voice and called out, "Uncle Li, Uncle Li, are you home?"
"Yes, I am!" came a deep and powerful reply from the main room.
Immediately afterwards, a simply dressed but vigorous old man walked out with steady steps.
He was wearing a faded, worn-out Zhongshan suit with signs of wear on the cuffs and collar, especially the cuffs, which were covered in thick patches. It was clear that this wasn't the first time the suit had been patched, and the clothes were also wrinkled.
The old man saw Gu Bin and Xie Yan in the courtyard, a hint of surprise flashing in his eyes. He narrowed his eyes slightly, scrutinizing the two of them. "Who are you?"
With a warm smile, Gu Bin quickly introduced, "Uncle Li, this is me, Binbin from the military compound!"
Upon hearing "military compound," a look of realization flashed in Master Li's eyes, and he exclaimed with delight, "Oh my, it's Binbin! I haven't seen him for so many years, Binbin has grown so much, I almost didn't recognize him!"
As he followed the words "military compound," his thoughts instantly drifted back to the past. Back then, he often did work for the military compound, and the children there were all curious about his carpentry skills, especially Binbin, who was the king of the kids.
Every day, he is accompanied by a group of children who follow him around like little tails, watching him work with unwavering eyes.
Back then, Binbin was just a tiny, innocent, and lively little boy, but now he has grown into a tall and handsome young man.
Gu Bin couldn't help but recall those carefree days, a slight smile playing on his lips, his eyes filled with nostalgia.
At that time, they were obsessed with swords and often "borrowed" wood from Master Li to make swords for them. Master Li always smiled and never got angry, always indulging them.
After exchanging pleasantries for a while, the atmosphere became increasingly harmonious before they got down to business.
When Master Li heard that the two men had come to him to have a recliner made, his eyes lit up with excitement.
He hasn't had any work for a long time.
Hearing that the two were going to make four recliners, his joy was overflowing, and his voice trembled with excitement. "I... I have some rosewood here. The grain is so beautiful, like a painting carefully drawn by nature. I will make them beautiful for you and make sure you are satisfied."
He was about to take them to get one when Xie Yan quickly stopped him, "Master Li, how much is one?"
Master Li lowered his head slightly, rubbed his hands together somewhat embarrassedly, and his rough palms made a rustling sound as he hesitated for a moment before saying, "If it were ordinary wood, fifteen yuan would be enough, but this rosewood is a good thing after all, so the price will be a bit higher."
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