On rainy days, the air is damp and cold.
Liang Erhua didn't sleep much the entire night, and only managed a nap at dawn. When he woke up, he had a splitting headache, but after all, he wasn't at home, so he had to get up even though he felt uncomfortable.
Outside the house, Luo Zhen sat on a bench, idly staring out. Her braid was thick and long, and her eyes were small, but their curved shape was beautiful. She sat quietly, one leg dangling from side to side, looking like a carefree little mermaid.
When Erhua walked out and saw this scene, his heart still trembled slightly. Luo Zhen once again made him unable to take his eyes off her.
"Get up."
She greeted him with a smile. Tang Sannan was making breakfast in the house. A puff of smoke drifted up from the chimney, choking her and making her frown slightly.
Liang Erhua couldn't help but said to her concernedly, "Why are you sitting here? There's so much cigarettes here. Why don't you sit over there?"
Luo Zhen smiled and said, "It's okay."
Liang Erhua then remembered her lame leg, and his heart sank. He couldn't accept this.
The breakfast here is also better than at home. Tang Sannan got up early in the morning to cook porridge. He had saved a few white steamed buns for the porridge yesterday.
"Let's eat. We still have some steamed buns from yesterday, perfect to go with the porridge. Erhua, go help Luo Zhen. I'll be ready soon."
Tang Sannan lit another pan of oil and cracked two eggs into a bowl, stirring them. Once the yolk and egg liquid were combined, he poured them into the pan. With a sizzle, the egg liquid solidified and bubbles began to form. He picked up a spatula and scooped it left and right a few times before scooping it out. Finally, he poured a little soy sauce into the bowl.
The aroma of scrambled eggs could be smelled from afar. Erhua helped Luo Zhen get her crutches, and Luo Zhen was able to stand up with one hand. Erhua couldn't help her, so he just watched from the side to prevent her from falling.
The porridge is cooked relatively thinly, which is very suitable for the morning. At this time, your mouth and stomach feel sluggish and uncomfortable. Drinking some hot porridge will make you feel much more refreshed. After finishing it, you will feel a little hungry. After eating a white steamed bun, you will feel much more comfortable.
"I beat two eggs. You two can have some." Tang Sannan said to Erhua again, "I don't know what you like to eat. Luo Zhen usually likes scrambled eggs with some soy sauce. Try it."
"I love them all. We don't usually have scrambled eggs at home, so I just want to try them. Let Luo Zhen eat more."
Erhua rarely eats eggs at home, let alone eggs fried in oil with soy sauce. He couldn't help but pick up a piece. The eggs themselves are very fresh, and with the addition of soy sauce, it is really fragrant and delicious.
He picked up a piece of food with chopsticks and stopped eating, thinking that such delicious food should be left to Luo Zhen and his master.
But Tang Sannan was reluctant to eat it and kept urging Erhua to eat more. Seeing that he didn't want to eat it, he picked up another big piece for him.
Erhua couldn't help but feel a little touched and a little ashamed. He felt ashamed that he had been dazed all night yesterday and had been complaining about someone else's daughter's legs. It was obvious that Tang Sannan really liked this apprentice and would surely teach him the craft with all his heart. Erhua felt like a piece of shit.
After breakfast, Erhua rushed to help them clean up. If Qiuhua saw this, she would definitely think that this person in front of her was definitely not her brother. In fact, Erhua was not really lazy, but the second son of the Liang family was in an awkward position on weekdays. The older brother and the younger sister were both diligent and capable, so it was never his turn to do housework. Over time, he was not used to working.
Luo Zhen sat on the wooden platform and watched Erhua cleaning, and couldn't help but set up a cucumber shed with him.
"Brother, you are really hardworking. Dad invited you to come to my house as an apprentice. Then your family will lose a capable worker. Your mother will definitely be reluctant to let you go."
Erhua smiled, his tone somewhat helpless: "Hey, my family has always said that I was lazy since I was a child. Later, they said that I was not doing my job and was just hanging around all day. They hoped that I would learn a skill as soon as possible and not get in their way."
Luo Zhen laughed even more happily. She felt that Erhua was just being modest to make her happy.
"I think you are just being modest. Look at the way you work. It's not like what you said at all. I think you are very hardworking."
"Besides, I saw you fishing in the river last time. That's serious business, isn't it? Providing food for the family is a serious matter, isn't it?"
These words touched Erhua's heart. He had swept away the anger of last night and felt refreshed and sweet in his heart. Here was a beautiful little mermaid who understood him!
He swept the mud floor of the entire house carefully. The mud was still damp from the rain and the ground was sticky. The broom was made of bamboo, and he swept it with great force, making the ground smooth.
After sweeping the floor, he started to clean up the wooden table.
There were a lot of sawdust on the table from carving, so he placed a dustpan under the table and used a small dust broom to sweep the sawdust and ash into the broom bit by bit. There were also a few unfinished works on the table, which he carefully picked up one by one and swept the bottom clean.
After being busy for a while, the master asked him to sit down and rest, and poured him a cup of boiled water.
"Erhua, thank you for your hard work. You haven't stopped working all morning."
Tang Sannan looked at Liang Erhua with satisfaction.
"Master, although I've never been an apprentice before, I still understand this principle. How can an apprentice just eat and do nothing at the master's house? I'll do all these chores from now on. You and Luo Zhen can just focus on carving mahogany."
The master laughed heartily, and felt more and more that this apprentice was clever and down-to-earth, and had the potential to learn how to carve rosewood.
"I've seen quite a few people over the years who wanted to learn my craft, but I just didn't see anyone who was interested. I never thought I'd find such a good apprentice by the river. It's fate, it's destiny!"
"Yes, yes, Master, I will definitely study hard!"
Erhua was sincere in his words. A morning's work made Liang Erhua feel fulfilled. Regardless of other things, at least he could eat and sleep well here, which was much better than at home. At home, he just ate and didn't work, so he could save some food for the family.
The most important thing is that the master is such a good person, and I can learn a good craft in a down-to-earth manner. Considering the conditions of the master's family, carving rosewood is much better than working in the team. My father is right, not everyone can learn such a good craft of carving rosewood.
I must get the matter of Luo Zhen out of my mind and not think about it anymore. I believe that Master and Luo Zhen have no other intentions towards me. It is just my random imagination. I can't help but care about Luo Zhen's legs. I will just treat her as my sister.
After thinking about all this, Erhua finally understood life clearly. His haphazard life of more than 20 years was over. He planned to start over and live a decent life!
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