After that incident, Zhao Bin remembered in his heart the face and prestige that Tao Xiaoxi had given him. He didn't say anything, but Tao Xiaoxi clearly felt that Zhao Bin no longer had any reservations towards her, and he naturally revealed to her the transportation channels that he had not told her before.
In fact, she was also gambling, and she was very glad that she won the bet this time.
Since returning from Bozhou, Tao Xiaoxi has noticed that whenever her husband, Li Nanshan, has a free moment, he's always scribbling in a notebook with a pencil. She doesn't know what he's drawing. When she asks him about it, he just smiles and says he'll show it to her when he's finished. He also likes to pick up rocks and scrap bricks.
One day, while Li Nanshan was in the shower, Tao Xiaoxi pulled the notebook from under her pillow to read. The drawing on the paper showed a cave dwelling with a brick lintel and a spacious courtyard planted with camellias. The gate was also very impressive, a large iron gate flanked by tall cement pillars and decorated with red couplets.
The entire drawing had simple lines, yet it felt exceptionally warm and cozy. Every stroke evoked a sense of everyday life, making one want to live there and raise a flock of puppies. Tao Xiaoxi hadn't realized this guy had such excellent drawing skills, and couldn't help but look at him with renewed admiration.
At the same time, she understood that this was the new house Li Nanshan had painted without her knowledge. He had always been upset that he hadn't given her a decent house after their marriage, but now he had no money and couldn't afford to hire someone to build it. The order from Bozhou hadn't been shipped yet, so he still hadn't received the payment.
Li Nanshan came in after taking a shower and looked for a towel to dry his hair. Tao Xiaoxi came forward with a towel and asked him to sit down.
"No need, I can do it myself. You go and give Beibei a bath." Li Nanshan said.
"Just sit down if I tell you to. I have something to tell you." Tao Xiaoxi insisted.
Li Nanshan then sat down and asked, "What's the matter?"
"Please build me a medicine shed so I can grow medicinal seedlings."
"Medicine shed?" Li Nanshan had never seen this thing before. "Tell me what it looks like."
"Just cover a piece of land with plastic film. Medicinal seedlings are delicate and cannot be kept cold or frozen. They don't need to be very big. Can it be done?" Tao Xiaoxi described.
"There shouldn't be any problem. Let me draw a blueprint for you to see if it's like that." Li Nanshan said.
"You can draw too? Recently I've seen you holding a notebook. What are you drawing?" Tao Xiaoxi said calmly.
Li Nanshan scratched his hair and said, "I just drew it casually. When I was in school, I learned from a teacher who went to the countryside to teach for a while. Later, the teacher left, and I stopped learning."
"Then draw it now. I need it urgently."
"Okay?"
Li Nanshan spread out the paper, and in a few seconds, a greenhouse appeared in front of Tao Xiaoxi. Even though Tao Xiaoxi had no professional painting training, he could see that his perspective, shadows, and auxiliary lines were used extremely accurately and professionally. The effect was very three-dimensional and easy to understand at a glance.
"This is it. Can you make it?" Tao Xiaoxi said, pointing to the drawing.
Li Nanshan thought for a moment and said, "This isn't difficult. I'll go to the mountain to cut some bamboo tomorrow, but we need to buy the film for this."
"Then buy it." Tao Xiaoxi said with a smile.
"Okay, I'll buy it then."
Neither of them mentioned the new house. After paying for Li Nanqiu's tuition, the family didn't have a penny left.
Tao Xiaoxi cannot take medicine from the space too frequently, otherwise it will easily arouse suspicion. This is why she wants to build a greenhouse, so as to avoid being seen and heard, so that the medicinal materials in the space can be taken out more legitimately. The first person to be avoided is none other than Li Nanshan. For this reason, Tao Xiaoxi is also suffering.
Fortunately, people still came to ask for medicine from time to time. Li Nanshan thoughtfully built a temporary "clinic" for his daughter-in-law next to the dilapidated cave with picked up stones and waste bricks. It could only accommodate one person and there was a medicine rack. Those who came to get medicine had to stand outside to have their pulse taken.
Although it is simple, it looks much more professional. It is much more convenient for Tao Xiaoxi to take pulses, ask questions and get medicine. Deep down, she is very satisfied with Li Nanshan's layout.
In order to set up the medicine shed as quickly as possible, Li Nanshan went up the mountain twice a day, once in the morning and once in the afternoon. Every time he came back carrying bamboo, his clothes were soaked and even his hair was dripping with water. Tao Xiaoxi felt sorry for him and asked him to do less each time.
Li Nanshan didn't complain, just smiled and said, "It's nothing. When I was digging coal in the mine before, the coal was much heavier than this."
"Then you should know this in your heart and not overwhelm your body," Tao Xiaoxi warned.
"Don't worry, I'm not a delicate person. I've been doing manual labor since I was a child. This is nothing."
But Tao Xiaoxi still felt bad for him, so she tried her best to make it up to him with food. At dinner, she served Li Nanshan extra thick porridge, while she and Beibei had a much thinner bowl.
Li Nanshan didn't notice it at first. He was really hungry. He picked up the bowl and started to eat. After two bites, he found something wrong. He judged it from the sound of Beibei drinking porridge. It was all soupy and watery. Li Nanshan took Beibei's bowl to have a look. At a glance, he understood.
He glanced at his wife, Tao Xiaoxi lowered her head and didn't look at him. Li Nanshan silently exchanged his bowl with Beibei's.
Beibei glanced at her mother.
"Eat it. Just eat it since your Uncle Nanshan gave it to you." Tao Xiaoxi said. She didn't want to let Li Nanshan down, and in fact, she didn't want to let Beibei down either. It was just that she was a little tight at the moment, but she was confident that such days would not last too long, so she didn't feel bitter.
But Li Nanshan was unsure. After dinner, he took his hatchet and sat in front of the pile of bamboo, whittling them into strips. Only when he worked could he feel better. He clearly felt that Taotao Xiaoxi's life was worse than before after marrying him. He couldn't feel at ease. He had promised her a good life, but he didn't know when that good life would come. He could only do what he could for the time being, to make sure that the mother and daughter suffered as little as possible.
In the evening, the eldest sister-in-law came here for a walk and asked Tao Xiaoxi in a roundabout way if there were any grapes, oranges or other food at home. She didn't have a full dinner and felt hungry after walking a few steps.
Tao Xiaoxi blushed and said awkwardly, "No, there's nothing to eat."
The eldest sister-in-law sighed and said, "It seems that the Li family is really dragging you down. You shouldn't have to bear Nan Qiu's tuition."
"That's okay. Nanqiu will be a promising child. I don't regret it." Tao Xiaoxi still says this now.
Li Nanshan, who was cutting bamboo nearby, felt his eyes swell and his nose sore after hearing this, and he swung the knife in his hand even more vigorously.
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