Two days later, the three Jiang brothers returned from hunting in Nanshan, carrying baskets full of pheasants and hares.
Jiang Sanlang also carried a fat roe deer on his shoulders, which attracted many villagers to come and watch.
At this time, a thin man timidly walked up to Jiang Sanlang and asked in a low voice: "Sanlang, do you still need a furniture builder at home?"
When Jiang Sanlang saw that it was Wang Ke who was his friend, he suddenly remembered that Sun Li was taking people to his house to collect taxes and grain the day before yesterday, and subconsciously nodded: "Yes."
Wang Ke looked happy and asked cautiously: "Sanlang, look at me... I can also make carpenters. I made the doors and windows of your house. How about I make the furniture for your house?"
Jiang Sanlang pondered for a moment and nodded: "Okay."
I still need to build furniture anyway, so I have already bought the wood and piled it in the new brick house.
Wang Ke became so happy that he almost knelt down in front of Jiang Sanlang.
"Then I can start work tomorrow, is that possible?"
Jiang Sanlang patted Wang Ke on the shoulder and said with a smile: "Okay, but the wages I pay are not high."
Inviting a carpenter to make furniture at home will inevitably provide him with two meals a day, so there is no need to guess what Wang Ke is thinking, Jiang Sanlang also knows.
However, he also wanted to help this young boy, so he readily agreed.
"It's okay, it's okay." Wang Ke waved his hands repeatedly and scratched his head in embarrassment, "Just pay me as you see."
Early the next morning, Wang Ke went to Nanshan with his carpenter's box and his two sons as helpers.
The eldest son, Wang Dashan, is thirteen years old. He is as dark and thin as he is. He can measure wood and peel wood. The second son, Wang Xiaoshui, is nine years old. He can run errands and deliver things to his father, and he can also polish the wood.
Jiang Sanlang didn't hesitate and told Wang Ke what furniture he needed and what size it was.
"The kitchen needs a cupboard, a grain cabinet, a small dining table, six benches, and, um, a pair of buckets."
"The main room requires an altar table, a large square table, four chairs, and six high stools."
"In the east room, build a dressing table, two suitcases, a clothes rack, and a wooden bed."
"The west room requires a wooden bed, a desk, two chairs, two suitcases, a bookshelf, and a dressing table."
"That's all for now." Jiang Sanlang finished speaking in one breath and saw Wang Ke holding a piece of paper and drawing a picture.
I stretched my head and took a look. Oh my god, he had drawn everything he said on the paper with charcoal.
Wang Ke pointed to the flat drawings of each room on the piece of paper and said, "I've drawn all the furniture in each room. Do you think it's right?"
Jiang Sanlang wiped his chin and nodded: "That's right, that's it. You just need to decide the size."
Wang Ke chuckled and said, "Don't worry, Sanlang, I will definitely satisfy you."
These pieces of furniture were enough for him to fight from winter to spring, and to provide food rations for himself and his two sons. When spring came, Saburo would pay him another salary. No matter how much it was, his family could still survive, alas.
After that, Wang Ke took his two sons to live in a new house in Nanshan, and worked hard every day to make every piece of furniture exquisite and smooth.
Jiang Cheng and Jiang Quan now had company. In addition to cooking two meals a day, they spent the rest of the time with Wang Xiaoshui hunting birds and rabbits in Nanshan, and beating teeth for a few people as a sacrifice.
Sometimes Jiang Sanlang would go around and bring them some food and vegetables.
On this day, Yingbao rode Youyou and went to Nanshan with her father.
Nanshan Mountain seems not far away, but the path up there is winding and winding, and it takes more than two or three miles to walk.
After crossing a small creek, we finally went up the mountain.
This is not actually a mountain, just a high slope.
There are clumps of wild bamboo forests on the slopes, as well as acres of fields.
Because the soil quality of the fields was not good, wheat could not be grown, so the villagers could only plant rice grains here. By now, the rice grains had been harvested, leaving only soil covered with ice and snow.
The house of the three Jiang brothers was built in their own Yongye field. It occupies a large area and is surrounded by low-grade fields they bought.
While Yingbao was counting the fruit saplings in the cave, he sat on Youyou's back and looked around.
There are three large blue brick and tile houses built side by side, with courtyard walls as high as one person and covered with blue tiles, which are neat and beautiful.
The yard is very big, more than three times the original size, and you can actually run horses in it.
Under the front eaves of the three main rooms is a five-foot-wide verandah with wooden columns. In front of the main room are two kitchen rooms with earthen walls and tile roofs.
On the west side of the yard, a chicken shed, a deer shed, and a long bamboo shed were built, which almost occupies the entire west courtyard wall.
Jiang Quan poked his head out of the kitchen and saw his third uncle carrying a load and his little cousin riding a deer, and immediately ran out.
"Third uncle, why did you bring Ying Bao?"
Jiang Sanlang carried a load of grain and vegetables into the kitchen and said, "Bring your cousin here to see the new home."
Ying Bao glanced at her second cousin: "Let me see if you are lazy."
Jiang Quan laughed loudly, lifted his little cousin off the deer's back, and led her into the house. "It's a coincidence that you're here today. My eldest brother and I just caught a hare, and it's in the stew pot."
There were sawdust all over the hall. A thin, dark man was sitting on the ground, planing wood. Two young boys were helping to clean up the planed wood.
Ying Bao recognized this man at a glance as the man who died on the mountain in his previous life.
It seems that the father gave the man carpentry work, so he did not go to the mountains to cut firewood in the snow, nor did he die in the mountains.
Ying Bao's mood suddenly brightened and she ran around the two rooms.
The room is very spacious, and the windows are large. The carved sash windows can be pushed outwards, allowing the winter sunlight to shine directly in.
A kang was built near the window, and the remaining space was more than enough for a small bed and a table.
Jiang Sanlang also followed and looked around: "Bao'er, you will still live in the West House from now on. When your brother grows up, dad will build a new house for them to live in."
"Yeah." Ying Bao happily touched the new kang, then looked at the desk and dressing table that had been laid, and smiled.
She is about to live in a new house. At that time, she will plant various fruit trees in front and back of the house. They can be found all year round. She can pick whatever she wants to eat, and if she doesn't finish it, she can transport it to the town to sell.
She also wants to plant a lot of cotton in the surrounding fields and put light and soft cotton batting in the cotton-padded jackets of everyone in the family. The quilts should also be made of this kind of cotton, which is warm and non-irritating.
"Ying Bao, my second brother will take you to cover the birds." Jiang Quan stood outside the window, holding a bamboo plaque in one hand and a bundle of fine hemp ropes in the other.
"I want to go see the water pool." Yingbao didn't want to catch birds. She wanted to inspect the surrounding environment and plan the planting locations for her fruit trees and cotton.
"What kind of bird are you covering up? Dinner will be served soon." said the cousin, Jiang Cheng.
It's noon now, Jiang Cheng has steamed several drawers of steamed buns, and is waiting for the rabbit meat in the pot to be cooked.
"Eat, eat." When Jiang Quan heard that dinner was about to be served, he immediately dropped the bamboo plaque in his hand and ran to the kitchen to set the table.
Today Jiang Sanlang not only brought rice, but also several kohlrabi and a can of pickled cabbage for his nephews and Wang Ke and his son to eat.
There are no fresh vegetables in winter, so most farmers eat pickled vegetables.
Jiang Cheng shredded the kohlrabi and filled a bowl with it, cut some pickled cabbage, and took out a pot of boiled rabbit meat from the pot and served it to the table.
There was also a basket of steamed black-faced steamed buns, which were bigger than an adult's fist. They were divided into three or four per person.
Because Jiang Sanlang was present today, Wang Ke and his two sons were a little nervous sitting at the table, and they were too embarrassed to hold out their chopsticks to pick up the food.
Jiang Sanlang didn't say much, he just asked them to eat more and be full, and not to delay their work.
