Speaking of Mao Huihe, everyone sighed.
Xia Mian thought of her miserable condition back then and couldn't help asking, "How is she now? Does Hao Xufeng still beat her?"
"It's been fine these past two years," Xia Chuan said. "After I got pregnant, the wealthy couple, Mr. and Mrs. Hao, took me in. After all, they still wanted a grandson."
"Last year, they had a son. Mr. and Mrs. Hao were overjoyed. They took good care of Mao Huihe to ensure she had a good milk supply."
"Anyway, after they had a child, Mr. Hao stopped allowing Hao Xufeng to beat her."
"Hao Xufeng is out playing all day now, especially off-roading, and rarely comes home. Mao Huihe's life has become much better."
Mao Huilan asked doubtfully, "Then why is she still looking for my eldest sister?"
"Who knows?" Xia Chuan said, "She must have some mental problems. She keeps talking about looking for Huimei to go back home, as if Huimei's return would bring her relief."
"The Hao family didn't seem to care when it came to this matter," Xia He said. "I think they've actually been trying to find it, after all, they were tricked."
Xia Wenyue sneered, "It's good enough that I don't look for them. If you have the guts, ask them to come." Her tone was cold.
The Mao family is disgusting, but the Hao family is truly vicious.
Xia Wenyue always felt a pang of fear when she thought of Mao Huihe's end. If Mao Huimei became like that, she would definitely die together with the Hao family.
Fortunately, she is no longer as helpless as she was back then.
No matter whether it is the Mao family or the Hao family, if they don’t come, then fine. But if they dare to come, we will settle all the old and new accounts together!
Talking about things in my hometown, they were all trivial, and inevitably Uncle Xia's family was mentioned again.
Mao Huimei asked curiously, "Does my second uncle know you're coming to Yan City?"
"How could I not know?" Xia Chuan said, "Our whole family is here, and we have to arrange the housework, so of course we all said hello."
"Of course he knows, considering his nature of always staring at other people's homes."
"Didn't you ask to come?" Mao Huimei was surprised.
Xia Mian joked, "The ticket to Yan City is not cheap, how could he be willing to spend it."
Xia Hai laughed, "That's true, but he doesn't dare to come."
Although Second Uncle Xia acts shameless all day long, he knows in his heart that Xia Wenyue really hates him to the core. If he dares to come, Xia Wenyue will make him pay for it.
Xia He said, "He actually asked us for our address, saying that his aunt was getting her daughter married and he couldn't come, so he asked Xia Li and Xia Bao to come over and take a look."
The grudges of the older generation rarely pass on to the next generation, and Xia Wenyue usually doesn't give the children a hard time, so it is said that Second Uncle Xia understands it.
But she wasn't worried, "He's not willing to spend money on gifts."
Second Uncle Xia didn't know that Xia Wenyue was making money by opening a factory in Yan City. At most, he thought that she could just set up a stall and make a living. Otherwise, he would definitely find ways to get close to her.
Uncle Xia sighed and said, "If Xia Li knew about this, it's not certain. The girl seems to have become much more sensible."
Xia Mian saw that Xia Li was still the same as four years ago, and asked curiously, "What's wrong?"
"By the way, last time I heard from Brother Xiaochuan that she and Wang Tao were also in Yan City?"
"Yeah," Xia Hai said, "They came the second year after you came to Yan City. Wang Tao seems to be doing quite well. Uncle Chengzu was really showing off during the New Year, saying he made millions last year. So after the New Year this year, he asked Xia Bao to come over to make some money."
"Xia Bao?" Xia Mian sneered, "What else can he do besides causing trouble?"
"That's right!" Xia Chuan laughed. "Uncle Cheng was bragging to us a few days ago, saying that Xia Bao didn't have to do any work. Besides his salary, he could make nearly a thousand yuan a month just by selling steel bars."
aestivation:……
"I remember Wang Tao was in the construction business, right? Where can I buy steel bars?"
Xia Chuan laughed and said, "Nowadays, anyone working on a construction project will inevitably lose some materials. The thing people around here love to steal the most is steel bars. They're expensive and heavy."
Xia Mian knew that many people would steal materials from construction sites and sell them as scrap, but the problem was that Xia Bao stole materials from his own home.
Wang Tao sold the newly bought steel bars as scrap...
But it is indeed something that Uncle Xia's family can do.
Xia Hai sighed and said, "He said he was here to support Xia Li, but in reality, he was just accepting the favor that Uncle Zu had given Xia Bao by using Wang Tao's evidence against him."
Xia Mian was curious, "What leverage does Wang Tao have?"
"He's keeping a mistress outside," Xia Chuan said. "Xia Li was always worried that Wang Tao would cheat, so she followed him closely. She even followed him around the construction site with her big belly. In the end, he still kept a mistress outside."
"It's impossible to keep a man under control." Xia Wenyue sneered.
"Isn't it?" Xia Chuan said, "And Wang Tao is blatantly keeping a mistress, saying what boss doesn't have a mistress these days? It would be embarrassing for him not to keep one."
aestivation:……
A strange competition project among the nouveau riche.
"Xia Li went home to make a scene, and in the end, Xia Bao was asked to follow Wang Tao to Yan City to make money, and they said they would pay him at least 1,000 yuan a month."
"Seven or eight hundred a month for a worker is a very high salary, but someone like Xia Bao who can't do anything is actually being paid just a thousand." Xia Hai said, "Isn't it just a favor you can give Xia Bao by using this handle?"
Xia Mian frowned, "What about Xia Li?"
"That's it. She already has a son, and her father won't make the decision for her, so she can only let Wang Tao do what he wants," Xia Hai said. "As for divorce, I don't think she's willing to do it herself."
Uncle Xia sighed, "The Chengzu family...I'm afraid their future path will become increasingly narrow. Just wait and see, their troubles are yet to come."
Having said that, he looked at the well-behaved Xiao Feng at the next table with satisfaction and laughed loudly, "From now on, our Xia family will rely on you. Xiao Feng will also be a promising child in the future."
When Xiao Feng heard him being called, he turned around with a cute smile, raised his hand and said, "Grandpa, I have something to offer too."
Xia Hai said, "What kind of success? A successful carpenter?"
Everyone laughed.
They just chatted about Xia Li and Xia Bao's affairs in Yan City and had no intention of having any interaction with them.
Yan City is so big, and Xia Wenyue and Wang Tao are not in the same industry circle. It is possible that they have not met for more than ten years. However, he did not expect that Xia Li and Wang Tao would come to him.
There were only two days left before Mao Huimei's wedding. Xia Mian had just returned from Hua University with Qiangqiang and Xiaofeng, mainly to solve the problem that Qiangqiang was not willing to study hard and insisted on becoming a carpenter.
After watching Xiaofeng, Mao Huizhu, and Chenchen doing their homework and visiting Xiaofeng's studio and works, Xiahe and Xiachuan were better, after all, their two children were still young;
Xia Hai, however, felt extremely anxious about Qiangqiang's future.
However, despite the praise from his peers, Qiangqiang remained determined to follow in his father's footsteps and become a carpenter.
Xia Hai's blood pressure really soared, and he was willing to beat Qiangqiang up if he could find any reason.
Because Xiaofeng goes to learn painting every other day, Qiangqiang's golden medal of immunity from death is also available every other day. If he doesn't have it on a certain day, he will make up for it by getting it from the previous day.
So basically, every other day, the father and son would run around the yard. However, the more Qiangqiang ran around, the angrier Xia Hai became. Sometimes, the eight-foot-tall man would even cry out of anger.
When Xia Hai asked Qiangqiang to borrow a hammer to repair the wooden stool because Qiangqiang broke it again, Xia Hai became angry again.
Xia Mian smiled and said, "Brother, there's nothing wrong with Qiangqiang wanting to be a carpenter..." She was also afraid that Xia Hai would be really angry, so she winked at him while speaking.
Xia Hai's anger subsided a little when he saw this. Qiangqiang was so moved when he heard this that he immediately jumped behind Xia Mian and said, "Look, my Aunt Mian said that being a carpenter is not bad. She is a college student, so what she said makes sense."
"Besides, if there are no carpenters in the future, who will make furniture and build houses in the world?"
Xia Hai was about to glare again.
Xia Mian laughed, "Brother, Qiangqiang's words are rough but true. In fact, he does have some ideas."
She pulled Qiangqiang in front of her again and said, "Actually, top carpenters are very skilled, no worse than college students. Do you know who the best carpenter in the world is?"
"Well, let me ask you this first. What do you think the best carpenter is like?"
Qiangqiang thought for a long time and said hesitantly, "Can you make a set of carved cabinets with the Eight Immortals Crossing the Sea in just half a month?"
Xia Mian smiled, then said to Mao Huizhu who was standing nearby watching the fun, "Huizhu, go to the studio to find Xiaofeng and bring over his Luban stool."
Then he said to Chenchen who just ran in, "Chenchen, I remember you have a Luban box, right? Lend it to Qiangqiang to broaden his horizons."
"Qiangqiang, go to the kitchen and get nine chopsticks."
The three children scattered and Xia Mian carried the small table to the yard.
When they came back, Xia Mian's table and stools were set up, and Xiao Feng followed.
"Xiao Feng, have you finished painting?" Xia Hai asked embarrassedly, "Is it okay to disturb you?"
Xiao Feng went to learn painting yesterday. Normally he would go to the studio in the morning to finish the homework assigned by the teacher so that it would not delay his play during the day.
Xiao Feng nodded with a smile and said, "Uncle Hai, I'm done."
Xia Hai was so envious when he saw him. Qiangqiang was relieved when he saw Xiaofeng coming. At least his father would not dare to hit him no matter how angry he was.
So he walked past Xia Hai arrogantly with chopsticks in his hand.
Xia Hai clenched his fists in anger.
Xia Mian laughed, "Hurry up, do you still want to know what the most powerful carpenter can make?"
Qiangqiang ran over immediately.
The four children sat around the table consciously. Xia Mian first showed them how to build a wooden arch bridge using nine chopsticks, with Qiangqiang assisting throughout the process. As the last chopstick was inserted, Xia Mian let go.
Looking at the chopsticks standing steadily on the table, several children exclaimed in amazement. Xia Mian directly put the fruit plate with half a watermelon on it, and the chopsticks were still firmly supported on the table.
Qiangqiang watched intently.
Xia Mian fooled him, "This is also a carpenter's job. It's a wooden arch bridge. Only China has this kind of wooden arch bridge in the world. Chinese carpenters are the best."
Qiangqiang nodded and reached out to dismantle the bridge to figure out what was going on.
"Try this again when you're done," Xia Mian said, opening his hand. "This is the simplest one. A skilled carpenter can build a very long bridge with wood. When you're done, you can use twenty chopsticks and see if you can make the bridge longer."
"Now let's take a look at this Luban stool." Xia Mian placed the Luban stool on the table and deformed it at will. "Isn't this amazing?"
Seeing Qiangqiang staring intently, Xia Mian folded it and pushed it in front of him. "This is made of a whole piece of wood. Look, it's a rectangular piece of wood. Can your dad make it?"
Qiangqiang couldn't help but pick up the stool and started looking around. He really didn't find a single nail or screw. It was all made of wood.
Not to mention Qiangqiang, even the three Xia Hai brothers came over to watch carefully.
Xia Hai said, "This is amazing, who made this?"
Xia Mian smiled and said, "A carpenter."
"Don't be impatient, there are more interesting things!" Xia Mian glanced at Chenchen.
Chenchen was so amazed by the sight of a Luban stool that he immediately took out his Luban box with great pride, "This wooden box has a mechanism!"
Qiangqiang was now completely attracted by these interesting things. He took the box and fiddled with it for a long time, looking at the tightly closed box. The three Xia Hai brothers took turns trying to open it but still couldn't.
Xia Chuan was seriously skeptical, "Is this a box? It's not a scam, right?"
"Of course it's the box." Chenchen took the box, rolled it back and forth a few times, and when he straightened it again, the lid was easily pushed open, revealing the pocket money he had accumulated inside.
It seems that it is usually used as a piggy bank.
Xia Hai saw the denomination of the money and immediately hesitated to reach out. Qiangqiang had also been taught this before, so he didn't touch the box. He just looked at it anxiously and asked, "How is this made?"
If the Lu Ban stool still has some principles behind it, the Lu Ban box is a complete mystery.
Xia Mian smiled and said, "There is a wooden mechanism inside, which was also made by a carpenter."
"There is more than one kind of this kind of mechanism box. The first person to invent it was called Lu Ban..." Xia Mian told them the story of Lu Ban, also known as Gongshu Pan. Hearing that he invented so many things and could even influence wars, Qiangqiang's eyes lit up more and more.
Xia Mian asked him with a smile, "Qiangqiang, do you want to be an ordinary carpenter who makes cabinets, or do you want to be a top carpenter like Lu Ban?"
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