Chapter 67: Hidden Arrows Are Hard to Guard Against
At daybreak, the small cave was bustling with activity. Wu Shoutian and his three sons wielded stone axes and chiseled grooves into the flat stone slab chosen by Ye Jingchen. This was the base of the fireplace, and it had to fit perfectly to prevent smoke from leaking out. Ye Jingchen squatted on the ground and, following Wu Yuetang's pattern, used charcoal to mark the direction of the bamboo on the ground, drawing circles every three feet. "Dig half a foot deep here. After burying the bamboo, tamp it down with soil, otherwise it will loosen."
Wu Yuetang was also busy. She mixed the fine sand and clay she had exchanged from the space according to the correct ratio, made a paste, and handed it to Li: "Mother, eldest sister-in-law, second sister-in-law, use this to seal the joints of the bamboo joints tightly to prevent the heat from escaping." Third brother Wu Zhiyun was too short to participate in the construction of the fireplace. He could only help shovel the soil with a small shovel. Wu Yuetang smiled and called him to watch the fire: "Third brother, you better keep an eye on the fire and prevent sparks from flying."
The men's efforts paid off. By noon, a network of shallow trenches had been dug. Bamboo roots, each as thick as a bowl, were embedded in the trenches. The joints were sealed tightly with clay, and then covered with a thin layer of soil. At first glance, it looked like natural ground. Ye Jingchen walked back and forth on the soil twice, confirming that it was stable, and then nodded, "We can build the fireplace."
Wu Shoutian and his sons immediately brought stones and stacked them according to the dimensions adjusted by Ye Jingchen. Wu Yuetang passed stones and spread clay on the side, occasionally measuring with his hand: "Dad, move this side in half an inch, otherwise it will take up too much space." Ye Jingchen chose a crevice in the top of the cave, swung the machete and started chiseling. Sparks splashed on his black robe, but it did not affect his steady movements at all.
Inside the cavernous cavern, however, a completely different scene unfolded. Aunt Sun, wrapped in a patched old jacket, huddled in a corner near the cave entrance, rubbing her hands in the cold. She glanced sideways at the nearby plot of land occupied by Old Lady Wu's family. Seeing Old Man Wu squatting on the ground smoking his pipe, she hurried over and whispered, "Uncle, have you seen that? Those boys from the Wu family have been carrying wood and bamboo up the mountain every day these past few days. I wonder what they're up to?"
Old Mrs. Wu was sewing the soles of her shoes. She didn't even raise her eyelids when she heard this: "Who cares what they are doing? They have a spacious cave to live in, but they insist on hiding in that remote little cave. They deserve to freeze to death." Although she said so, a hint of jealousy flashed in her eyes - everyone knew that the Wu family had a capable helper like Ye Jingchen, unlike her own son who could do nothing but drink.
"That's right," Aunt Sun spat on the ground and began to talk nonsense. "I got up in the middle of the night last night and saw Ye Lao Er carrying Wu Yuetang up the mountain. They were so close..." She paused deliberately, and when she saw that Mrs. Wu and Mr. Wu were both listening attentively, she continued, "That girl is also a restless person. She has a good life but insists on getting so close to a stranger. I'm afraid it won't be good if it gets out."
Old Man Wu tapped his pipe hard. "Hmph, I've always disliked her! A little girl, making such a fuss all the time, does she really think she's a rich lady?" Old Mrs. Wu also put down her needlework, a sinister glint in her eyes. "Isn't she trying to climb up the social ladder? Let's help her."
Aunt Sun's heart skipped a beat, knowing the real culprit had arrived, and she hurried closer: "Aunt, do you have an idea?"
"Come closer to me." Old Mrs. Wu pulled her arm and whispered in her ear for a long time. Aunt Sun nodded repeatedly, and the wrinkles on her face were all smiling: "Aunt, you are really amazing! Once this trick is used, I guarantee that she will not be able to raise her head in the whole village!"
It turned out that they were planning to ask Wang Xiaobin to come forward - that boy was a famous scholar in the village. A few years ago, Wu Yuetang had been clamoring to ask someone to go to the Wang family to ask him to come to the Wu family to propose marriage, but Wang Xiaobin refused at the time on the grounds that "studying is more important." Now, seeing Wu Yuetang's ability, the Wang family regretted not agreeing to the marriage at the time and is now worried. Aunt Sun and Old Lady Wu planned to have Wang Xiaobin's mother make a scene, saying that Wu Yuetang had been engaged to Wang Xiaobin a long time ago, but now she was secretly hooking up with Ye Jingchen, and that she was a complete "flirting with the old and loving the new, ruining the family reputation."
"Great!" Aunt Sun clapped her thigh and quickly covered her mouth. "Then we'll add fuel to the fire and say we saw them hugging each other in the cave..." She became more and more excited as she spoke, as if she had already seen Wu Yuetang being pointed at by everyone. A sneer appeared on the corner of her mouth, "Let her dare to act so pretentiously in front of me!"
Old Man Wu was smoking his pipe at the side and said slowly, "Make a big noise, but don't really fight. What we want is reputation, not lives."
"I know, I know!" Aunt Sun smiled so much that her eyes narrowed into slits. When she turned around, she deliberately bumped into Wang Xiaobin who was passing by, and winked at him, "Xiaobin, good things are waiting for you in a few days." Wang Xiaobin was an educated man after all, and he staggered after being bumped by her. He looked at her walking away in confusion, scratched his head and didn't take it seriously - he had no idea that he had been used as a pawn to ruin someone's reputation.
At this moment, no one in the small cave was aware of the conspiracy brewing against Wu Yuetang in the larger cavern. The fireplace had been built to half a man's height, and Ye Jingchen was chiseling a slanted chimney in the cave ceiling. Wu Yuetang held up a torch to illuminate him. Seeing the stone chips falling, she couldn't help but remind him, "Chisel slowly, don't hurt your hands."
"It's okay." Ye Jingchen didn't even turn his head, but slowed down the speed of the machete in his hand. "It can be finished before sunset, and we can try to light a fire tonight."
The three brothers were working together to raise the thick piece of pine wood to make a wooden door. Wu Yongqiao took a chisel and, following the mortise and tenon method taught by Ye Jingchen, carved delicate grooves into the wood. "Look, sister, this job isn't difficult!" Wu Yuetang leaned over to take a look and couldn't help but praise, "Second brother's craftsmanship is quite good, much better than Dad when he was young!" This made Wu Shoutian laugh and scold, "You little girl, you only know how to tease your dad!"
Mrs. Li and her two sisters-in-law had already planted the vegetable seeds and were using the remaining clay to fill the cracks in the cave entrance to prevent the cold wind from coming in. Seeing the men working furiously, Mrs. Li smiled and called out, "Take a break first, drink some hot porridge, and then continue working! I saved two roasted sweet potatoes for you!"
Wu Yuetang took the sweet potato, broke it open, and took a bite. The sweet, sticky heat flowed down her throat, warming her heart. She looked at her busy family, at Ye Jingchen's focused profile in the firelight, and at the radish seeds quietly sprouting in the corner. Suddenly, she felt that no matter how strong the wind and snow outside, as long as the family was together, there was no hurdle they couldn't overcome.
She hadn't noticed that the snow outside the cave had died down. A waning moon crept up the treetops, casting a long shadow over the cave. Aunt Sun was standing at the cave entrance, gazing toward the small cave on the mountain, a cold smile playing on her lips, as if she had already witnessed Wu Yuetang's downfall.
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