“Okay, then we’ll start cutting down the trees tomorrow, and then bring the bricks back from outside,” Lu Chuan said.
"Okay, it's decided then. Go to sleep first, and we'll start preparing to build the house tomorrow!" the Taoist priest said happily.
Just as everyone was about to go to rest, Xu Han saw Grandpa Zhao's mouth move, as if he wanted to say something but hesitated.
As if he had something to say, he asked, "Grandpa Zhao, is there anything you want to add?"
Startled by the sudden call, Grandpa Zhao quickly recovered and said, "It's alright, everyone should get some rest!"
Upon hearing this, the Taoist priest immediately became agitated and said, "I'm not trying to be mean, but if you have something to say, just say it directly. Why are you stammering like that!"
"Hey, I told you I'm fine, I'm fine! Go take a shower, you stink!" Grandpa Zhao yelled.
Hearing this, the others stopped pressing for answers. "Fine, let's wait until Grandpa Zhao wants to talk about it! Everyone's had a long day, let's get some rest!"
The next morning, when Xu Han got up, the three of them had already finished their morning exercise.
Seeing Xu Han emerge, the Taoist priest loudly asked, "Didn't you say you were going to exercise with us? Why aren't you up?! Hahahaha!"
When Xu Han heard the Taoist priest say this on purpose, she blushed for a moment, but still stubbornly said, "I was just too tired from traveling the past two days. I will definitely get up and exercise tomorrow, or the day after tomorrow."
After saying that, he ignored the louder laughter behind him and turned to go into the bathroom to wash up.
After Xu Han finished washing up, everyone started eating breakfast. After breakfast, they took their tools and went into the mountains to select suitable trees for roof beams.
The trees used as roof beams must be thick and straight enough. Of course, they can't be too thick, otherwise they will be too heavy to be installed. But they should be as straight as possible; crooked trees are completely unusable.
Furthermore, the beams must be made of wood with good hardness, otherwise they will not be sturdy.
Lu Chuan led the three of them around the mountains. After finding a suitable tree, the Taoist priest and Grandpa Zhao were responsible for sawing it down and leaving it there to dry. They would come back to pick it up when they needed it.
Lu Chuan then took Xu Han to find other trees. The selected trees were marked, and they could be cut down directly when they saw the mark.
At noon, they ate the dry rations that Xu Han had brought, along with warm water, and the four of them were full.
Lu Chuan and Xu Han didn't manage to find all the necessary trees until mid-afternoon. Then, they headed towards the Taoist priest and Grandpa Zhao.
Before Xu Han even arrived, she shouted, "Daoist Master, Grandpa Zhao, how many trees have you cut down?"
Grandpa Zhao heard the voice and shouted back, "The third tree, Xiaohan, you and Xiaochuan, don't come over yet, this tree is about to fall."
Upon hearing this, Lu Chuan quickly pulled Xu Han, who was walking forward, back a step, and replied, "Understood, Grandpa Zhao. We'll wait here for now."
Only after the tree snapped and fell did Lu Chuan lead Xu Han toward the Taoist priest and the others.
As soon as she approached Xu Han, she said, "You guys are pretty fast! You've cut down three trees in just half a day."
He had barely finished speaking when he saw the fallen tree not far away, and immediately changed his mind, saying...
"You're exaggerating too early. So you only knocked it down, but didn't actually clear it out!"
When the Taoist priest and Grandpa Zhao heard Xu Han ask this question, they laughed embarrassedly.
Left with no other choice, Lu Chuan and Xu Han took out their machetes and joined the group pruning the branches.
The entire tree needs to be pruned clean, which is much slower than cutting it down.
Fortunately, the Taoist priest and Grandpa Zhao saw this and started to work together to clear away the branches. By the time it was getting dark, the group had cleared out the two large trees.
Unfortunately, the four of them had no choice but to start heading back home; it seemed there was no time to transport bricks today.
In order to store everything in the house in her space, Xu Han deliberately placed the bricks and tiles not far from her home. Although there was no one else in the valley, Xu Han was still a little worried that someone might steal the bricks.
Xu Han finished her dinner absentmindedly, but finally couldn't help asking, "Do you think someone might steal our bricks? If they do, we won't have any bricks to build our house."
The Taoist priest rolled his eyes at Xu Han and said, "So, ever since you came back, you've been so distracted because of this! I thought something had happened!"
"Is it that obvious? You all noticed?" Xu Han asked.
Hearing this, Lu Chuan nodded to Grandpa Zhao, and then Lu Chuan said, "Don't worry! There's no one else in the deep mountains. You won't get lost."
“Haven’t the villagers from the foot of the mountain been going deeper and deeper into the mountains lately? I’m just worried about being discovered by them,” Xu Han said, unconvinced.
“They are going deeper and deeper into the mountains, but we are too far from the foot of the mountain. It would take us a whole day to walk down! Don’t worry! We haven’t come this far yet,” the Taoist priest reassured him.
"Alright then! If you put it too far away, I won't feel at ease if I can't see it," Xu Han pouted.
Grandpa Zhao, who had been silent until now, finally spoke up, saying, "Actually, if you're worried, you can bring all the bricks and tiles back first."
Everyone looked at Grandpa Zhao upon hearing this, and Grandpa Zhao paused before continuing.
"Since everyone is here today, I'll just say some things directly. I know there are some things I shouldn't know, but I see that you all have easier ways to do these things, yet you still put on an act in front of me."
I didn't think it was a big deal at first, but we're about to start building a house, and I don't want to see you all working so hard.
My gut feeling told me that this thing would make building houses easier for us. I'm not stupid either; I've guessed most of it.
From now on, just do whatever you want! No need for special cover-ups anymore!
Don't worry, no matter what happens, I'll pretend I didn't see it. I won't ask a single question about things I shouldn't, and of course, I won't tell anyone else.
After hearing these words, everyone was at a loss for words.
Finally, Xu Han thought about it and felt that rather than continuing to hide it and damaging their relationship, it would be better to tell them openly now!
During this time, the two of them had come to know Grandpa Zhao's character. Living under the same roof every day, they saw each other all the time. Although they had been very careful, the clever Grandpa Zhao must have noticed the difference long ago.
Xu Han and Lu Chuan exchanged a glance and understood what Lu Chuan meant. Finally, Xu Han spoke up and said, "Grandpa Zhao, we didn't mean to hide it from you."
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