Carefree Farmwife: Training the Husband, Raising the Bun - Chapter 32

Liu Chuncao looked in surprise at the baskets of hawthorn berries in the courtyard and said with a bitter smile, “Why did you pick so many sour fruits? These don’t even taste good!”

Madam Li came out of the kitchen carrying dishes, smiling kindly. “Huzi said Cuihua needs these hawthorns for something useful. Since I had nothing to do at home, I took the two children to the foot of the mountain to pick some.”

Ying Su’s heart warmed. After a moment’s thought, she explained a few ways hawthorns could be turned into profitable snacks. After all, she couldn’t possibly pick the whole mountain bare. Even if Dongjun Mountain was stripped clean, there was still Xiling Mountain and Yunyu Mountain, and who knew how many hawthorns grew there?

Better to let everyone earn money together! After all, she and the little bun had limited strength.

Hearing what Ying Su said, both Liu Chuncao and Madam Li were tempted. Li Dalang didn’t react much, but with the two children plus Madam Li and Liu Chuncao constantly asking Ying Su about how to make hawthorn cakes and fruit leather, the meal was quite lively.

After dinner, Ying Su picked out several pieces of lumber from the pile at Li Dalang’s house, called for Liu Chuncao to bring some carpenter’s tools, and began to work.

Li Dalang handed her the blueprint he had been keeping, afraid she hadn’t studied it properly and wouldn’t know how to start.

Ying Su only gave the drawing a cursory glance. Her hands kept moving with the plane; wood shavings flew everywhere. Li Dalang watched intently, not knowing what he ought to do.

The two children also watched curiously, not knowing what they were making. Afraid the children would disturb Ying Su, Liu Chuncao hurriedly ushered them into the house to play.

Ying Su worked with great focus and concentration. Her slender fingers moved with skill, and soon a piece of wood took shape. Li Dalang watched her movements with excitement, occasionally handing her tools or materials, playing the role of an assistant, though one who only passed things along.

Time ticked by. As the sky grew darker, Ying Su remained absorbed in her work. Liu Chuncao placed three oil lamps around her, the flames flickering in the courtyard.

The little bun yawned and walked out of the house. Seeing his mother still busy, he was about to speak when Liu Chuncao quickly covered his mouth. She whispered, “Shh! Don’t disturb your mother. Tonight you’ll sleep with Dazhuang, all right?”

The little bun pouted, then looked at Ying Su again. In the lamplight, her focused expression as she worked with the wood looked especially soft and beautiful. He sighed, then reluctantly nodded.

After helping the two children wash up, Liu Chuncao came out again. She tugged at Li Dalang’s sleeve and whispered, “I’ll help. You should go get some rest.”

Li Dalang’s eyes were bright, without a trace of drowsiness. He replied in a low, excited voice, “I’m not tired. If you’re sleepy, you should go to sleep first.”

Since Ying Su and Li Dalang were working together, a man and a woman, Liu Chuncao naturally didn’t go to bed either. She stayed nearby, helping out from time to time.

The little courtyard stayed lit all night. As dawn broke, Ying Su stretched and looked up in surprise. “Is it getting dark already? Where’s Huzi?”

Leaning on a stool and dozing, Liu Chuncao woke at her words and chuckled. “It’s almost morning!”

Embarrassed, Ying Su rubbed her nose. She’d always had this problem, once she started on something, she forgot the time. Back then, she could disassemble and reassemble firearms for three or four days straight without eating or drinking.

“Where’s Huzi?” On the ground lay all the wheelchair parts she had made overnight. Swiftly, she picked up the polished pieces and began assembling them.

“Sleeping with Dazhuang,” Liu Chuncao answered, glancing toward the house. Then her eyes suddenly widened.

Li Dalang, too, stared in amazement as the irregular pieces of wood in Ying Su’s hands slowly came together, taking the shape of a cart! No, on closer look, it wasn’t quite the same as the cart in the blueprint!

Overcome with excitement, Li Dalang grabbed the blueprint to compare. He pointed at the two extra wheels on Ying Su’s version and asked, stammering, “Th-this… why is it different from the drawing?”

Scratching an itch on her face, Ying Su explained, “These two smaller wheels on the sides are so a person can move the chair with their own hands…” She sat down on the newly assembled chair, grabbed the smaller wheels at the sides, and demonstrated. “Like this. Even without someone pushing, they can go wherever they want!”

Li Dalang looked utterly awestruck. As Ying Su got off the wheelchair, he couldn’t resist stepping forward, caressing it like a treasure, and wanting to try it out himself. But Ying Su quickly stopped him. “It’s not reinforced yet…”

Equally thrilled, Liu Chuncao clutched his hand in disbelief. “Dalang, am I dreaming? Did we really make it?”

Li Dalang pinched her arm, and the two were overcome with joy. “Not a dream! We really did it!”

Ignoring their excitement, Ying Su kept working, reinforcing the chair. When she hammered in the last nail, she let out a breath of relief, stood up, and stretched toward the rising sun.

“We should eat,” Liu Chuncao said joyfully. “After breakfast, Cuihua, you go get some rest!”

Still stroking the wheelchair, Li Dalang quickly added, “Yes, yes! Chuncao, hurry and cook. After breakfast, you rest well, Cuihua. I’ll drive into town and share the good news with my employer!”

Ying Su frowned slightly. Li Dalang’s heart gave a thump, had he said the wrong thing?

She explained, “When you go to town, tell your employer that the skilled craftsman has agreed to help build the cart, but that he wants fifty taels. Ask if your employer is willing. If he hesitates, just say this craftsman guarantees he can make it, and if he fails, he’ll pay a forfeit of one hundred taels. If your employer isn’t willing, then don’t say anything more.”

Li Dalang was stunned. “F…fifty taels, Cuihua, isn’t that too much?”

A loud clatter came from the kitchen, the sound of a wooden basin dropping. Liu Chuncao rushed out in a panic, looking uneasy. “Cuihua, fifty taels is no small sum. Isn’t that asking too much?”

Seeing their reactions, Ying Su smiled. “This isn’t asking too much at all. Your employer cares deeply about his reputation. If the deadline comes and you can’t deliver, it won’t just be about silver, his face will be lost too. I’m offering charcoal in the snow, an umbrella in the rain. He’ll be too grateful, not displeased.”

Li Dalang and Liu Chuncao exchanged a helpless glance. After all, Ying Su had made the cart entirely by herself. They really couldn’t say more against it. In the end, Li Dalang agreed.