Chapter 77
Upon suddenly receiving the news that Xie Yiyi was about to give birth, without delay, after taking Liu Si and Wang Mian to the hospital, Youda and Shixing rushed to the hospital.
Upon reaching the ward and finding Xie Yiyi, he saw that she appeared perfectly normal. Just as Yoda was about to relax after his anxious journey, Xie Yiyi suddenly took a deep breath, her expression contorting.
Yoda rushed to Xie Yiyi's side: "What's wrong? Are you about to give birth?"
Xie Yiyi didn't speak. With heavy breathing, she inhaled and exhaled. A minute later, Xie Yiyi's expression softened, and she said to Yoda, "Yes, she's about to give birth. Don't rush."
Yoda was somewhat bewildered by Xie Yiyi's calm tone: "If you're going to give birth, why are you still here? Shouldn't you be in the operating room?"
Xie Yiyi confidently advised, "These are just prenatal contractions. I've already had an epidural, so I'll be able to give birth soon." As she spoke, her expression changed again, and she began to struggle once more.
Just then, loud cries of pain came from the next delivery room, frightening everyone present. Yoda said to Xie Yiyi, "Are you going to be in that much pain too?"
During a lull in the pain, Xie Yiyi told Yoda, "I'm in a lot of pain too. If you told me I could run, I would have run out right now with my stomach in my hands. But I can't. I can't run, and even if I shout, I'm still in pain. I can only keep telling myself that I'll just have to get through this."
Yoda looked at Xie Yiyi with a worried expression, unaware that Shi Xing behind him was pale-faced.
Suddenly, Xie Yiyi lost her composure and struggled to speak through gritted teeth: "Hurry, hurry, hurry! I feel like I'm about to come out."
Yoda was startled, watching as a group of people methodically escorted Xie Yiyi to the delivery room. She couldn't help but pace anxiously outside. It was the first time she'd witnessed such a scene, and she felt a constant sense of unease, unable to stop herself from pacing back and forth outside the delivery room door.
Shi Xing stood by, watching the calm faces of everyone around him, as if childbirth was always like this, his face turning deathly pale.
On the contrary, Li Mi, while checking the small blanket and cradle she was using to hold the baby, kept saying that she needed to prepare them in advance so that Xie Yiyi could eat them right away.
He was clear-headed and well-prepared, making Yoda and the other two seem like clueless greenhorns.
Li Mi reviewed everything and made sure that everything needed for both the mother and child was prepared. She turned around and saw Yoda and Shi Xing staring intently at the delivery room. She kindly suggested, "Come sit down and rest for a bit. Don't just keep walking around. Otherwise, you won't have any energy when Xie Yiyi comes out."
Don't ask Li Mi why he's so experienced. Last time, he did the same thing, pacing around until his legs gave way and he could only squat down to avoid embarrassing himself. When Xie Yiyi came out, Li Mi suddenly stood up and prostrated himself before everyone in front of him, utterly humiliated.
Finally, Xie Yiyi came out. Yoda bent down and approached Xie Yiyi, saying, "You've worked hard. I saw the baby. He's very cute, especially cute, and looks just like you."
Xie Yiyi felt full of energy and could easily have another child. Thinking she was speaking with great confidence, she said to Yoda, "Nonsense, how can you tell she looks like me now? I know newborn babies all look wrinkled."
Yoda pouted: "Anyway, I think you look just like me." Li Mi stood to the side for a long time without saying a word, hesitant to speak, wanting to go forward but too embarrassed to interrupt Yoda and Xie Yiyi's conversation.
The nurse came in and said to Shi Xing, who was pale-faced, "A family member, come here for a moment. We need to sign some papers."
Li Mi quickly pushed Shi Xing aside and hurriedly said to the nurse, "I am the family member."
The nurse glanced at Li Mi's rosy complexion, then looked at Shi Xing's absent-minded appearance beside her, and found it strange. It wasn't that she had made a mistake. "Alright, you can come here."
When Li Mi returned after signing the papers, she saw Yoda and Xie Yiyi staring intently at the baby, talking to Xie Yiyi as they looked. "Are you ever going to stop?" Li Mi pushed them aside, smiling but leaving no room for argument, and said, "You're tired, go back and rest."
Knowing that Xie Yiyi needed rest more than anyone else, Yoda nodded, got up, and left with Shi Xing.
After finally seeing the two people off, Li Mi approached Xie Yiyi's bedside, looking aggrieved: "I almost got all my words out. Honey, have some of the porridge I prepared. It's your favorite kind of porridge."
As Li Mi was speaking, she brought the cooled porridge to Xie Yiyi's lips, only to find that she had already fallen asleep.
Li Mi silently lamented: What a pity, I didn't get a single line, and despite my thorough preparation, I couldn't showcase it.
Compared to the chaos of the last time, he was much more experienced this time. He had put all his effort into showing Xie Yiyi what he could, but alas, he hadn't been able to do it all. But looking at Xie Yiyi's sleeping face, Li Mi felt that none of that mattered anymore. Just watching her seemed like the greatest praise he could receive.
"You're tired, go home and rest early." Leaving the hospital, Yoda realized he was exhausted too. Seeing that Shi Xing didn't look well either, he was the most tired of the whole journey.
Shi Xing looked at Yoda, not uttering the panic he had felt earlier, and forced a smile as he nodded. Watching Yoda skip and hop home after getting out of the car, the worry and anxiety he had felt at the hospital gradually subsided. The person before him was real; the life ahead was real. Thinking this, Shi Xing took a deep breath, banishing those negative thoughts, and looked up again, his heart filled with only anticipation for the future.
Liu Si's new plan has been approved by Aunt Wu. Yoda has reviewed it and found it to be very detailed, making only minor modifications to the existing smart home system. It meets Aunt Wu's needs without significantly disrupting her current lifestyle.
Based on the modifications, Yoda used custom cabinets to enclose some of the new water and electricity lines that needed to be added, without modifying the walls.
Yoda meticulously recorded the cabinets that needed to be added, as most of them were used to conceal wiring, so the dimensions varied and required very detailed measurements.
Aunt Wu hesitated for a moment, wanting to say something but feeling embarrassed to disturb Yoda who was engrossed in his work. Her gaze fell on the ring on Yoda's finger, and she smiled gently.
Yoda looked up when he heard the laughter. Aunt Wu pointed to Yoda's ring and gestured, saying, "You're getting married, aren't you? I also had a ring made when I got married, and it was even made of silver coins."
Seeing Yoda's curiosity, Aunt Wu excitedly went to a small room, opened the door, went straight to a cabinet, and took out a silver ring. The uneven surface of the ring showed signs of being handcrafted, but its clean appearance indicated that its owner cherished it very much.
Aunt Wu stroked the ring, her voice filled with nostalgia: "Back then, we had no money. He learned the craft of silversmiths and made this ring for me with the last silver coin in our family. In the blink of an eye, so many years have passed."
Even as Aunt Wu reminisced, her face was full of smiles, and just a few words were enough to convey how good her relationship with her lover used to be. However, Yoda couldn't help but ask, "And then?" Having visited so many times, Yoda was certain that Aunt Wu lived alone.
Sometimes Aunt Wu's children would come to visit, but she usually refused them.
These were all Aunt Wu's private matters, and normally even if Yoda happened to be there, he wouldn't ask too much. Perhaps it was Aunt Wu's nostalgic tone that made Yoda vaguely see his own old age, and he couldn't help but want to know more, so he spoke up.
Aunt Wu pulled herself out of her reverie, sighed at Yoda, and said calmly, "He has been gone for a long time, so long that I have often forgotten about it."
Yoda opened his mouth to say something comforting, but seeing Aunt Wu's indifferent expression, Yoda didn't know what emotion to use to respond.
Seeing Yoda's confusion, Aunt Wu smiled and said, "I spent five years recalling everything we did together and going to every place we went together. Tears, memories, and relief—I did everything I could after my lover passed away."
"But when I calmed down, I realized that I was still alive. I was alive and well, and I would even live alone like this for many years to come."
“My children have grown up and have their own lives, and I think I should also live the rest of my life well. It might be a day, it might be a year, or it might be a future that I can’t see the end of now.”
Aunt Wu looked around at the changes that were gradually taking place and sighed, "That's why I thought of renovating my old home little by little."
As she spoke, Aunt Wu looked at Yoda and said, "Sometimes, it seems that people always think that when people get old, they should keep their memories and quietly walk towards death while holding onto everything from the past. But after I actually experienced it, I thought, what if I still have many years to live? It would be such a pity if I only found out when I got old that I had wasted much more of my life waiting than I thought."
Yoda was somewhat moved and nodded slightly.
Seeing that Yoda's attention was now on her, Aunt Wu chuckled. She quickly took out her phone and handed Yoda the cabinet door panel she had already chosen: "I've got my eye on this one again, made of ebony. It would look beautiful as a cabinet. Yoda, you'll grant me this wish, won't you?"
He looked at Yoda expectantly as he spoke.
Yoda hadn't recovered from his earlier emotions when Aunt Wu's gaze forced him to agree.
However, agreeing is easy; the real challenge is how to deliver on that promise.
The cabinet doors made of ebony retain the wood's grain and texture while also having a glossy finish. They're actually quite suitable for Aunt Wu's home, which adds a modern touch to the existing Chinese-style decor.
However, Yoda contacted several woodworking companies that could make shadow wood cabinets, but they all refused.
The price of ebony is not low to begin with, and companies that can make this work all have their own designers and don't take outside orders. Moreover, Aunt Wu's house is not very large overall, but the cabinets are of different sizes, which is a typical case of small work but many problems, so it's no wonder that they refused.
Yoda couldn't help but tap his fingertip on the table, and after a few moments, he suddenly thought of someone.
"Teacher, how have you been lately?"
Designer Wang scoffed, "You seem quite busy these days, running around everywhere. How could you possibly remember me?"
Since they were already acquaintances, Yoda didn't hesitate any longer and explained her desire to customize Yingmu woodwork. She also knew that designer Wang had been in the industry for so many years and knew far more people than she did.
In any case, anyone who gets in touch with people in this industry will at least have some clues.
After hearing Yoda's explanation, Designer Wang smiled easily: "I thought it was something serious. What's so difficult about this?"
Designer Wang held the phone to his ear, bent down, reached into the bottom drawer, took out a notebook, flipped through a few pages, and said to Yoda, "I'll give you the contact information. Find this person; he used to be my assistant, and he's currently doing this kind of processing."
"Just give me my name."
Yoda was surprised. He had only wanted to give it a try, but he didn't expect it to be solved so easily: "It's all thanks to you, teacher. Thank you so much."
Designer Wang said proudly, "Otherwise, how could I become a teacher?"
After hanging up the phone, a figure quickly approached Designer Wang. Designer Wang hurriedly closed the notebook that was open in front of him, the person who arrived didn't even notice the movement in Designer Wang's hand.
Unlike their swift approach, the person hesitated somewhat after stopping.
After only a few seconds of silence, she couldn't help but say to Designer Wang, "Teacher, I heard from people in the company that the assistants you mentored all did quite well after leaving. You see, I've been here for a while now, have you noticed any potential in me to leave the company and do something else?"
Seeing the assistant who wanted to run away even though she hadn't even learned to walk yet, Designer Wang pretended not to understand: "You're leaving already after just arriving?"
The assistant quickly sat down in a chair, moved closer to Designer Wang, and whispered, "It's not about leaving now. You need to see if there are any trending industries that would suit me, the kind that would take off immediately."
To make sure the designer wasn't being honest, the speaker even flattered him: "People say that while designers have a foundation, assistants don't. The assistants you used to mentor have all become experts in the upstream and downstream of the design industry. Now, being a designer isn't easy either, and I don't want to work hard anymore. Teacher, can you help me out?"
"Oh. I understand." Designer Wang suddenly realized and nodded repeatedly.
The assistant's eyes were full of anticipation.
"Then go and measure the houses in this community." He said, handing the floor plan to his assistant.
"Oh no? Measuring rooms again? I just went there yesterday," the assistant groaned.
Designer Wang snorted heavily: "You went yesterday, but can you take a look at the measurements and see if they're usable?"
Yesterday, when my assistant was taking measurements, she forgot her notebook and just jotted down the data on her hand. It was so hot that she accidentally wiped it away while wiping away sweat. She could barely read it before, but after a night, the numbers that were once vaguely recognizable from memory are now completely unclear.
Knowing the reason for her predicament, the assistant could only pick up the floor plan and obediently set off again. As she walked, she sighed, "When will it be my turn to take off?"
Once the designer realized his assistant had left, he quickly opened his notebook and wrote: Assistant No. 11, restless and irritable, extend assistant's hours.
After finishing writing, he nodded in satisfaction. Seeing that no one was paying attention, he quietly slipped the notebook back into the innermost drawer.
After getting everything ready, I leaned back in my chair and casually shook my head: "Designers don't just rely on basics."
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