Chapter 57: The Ugly Ger’s Farming Story

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Li Changfeng took the bowl and saw that Xu Qing was still craving more. He felt delighted because Xu Qing hadn’t been eating much these days. “Wait here, I’ll add some salt and pour you another bowl.”

Xu Qing nodded, and as Li Changfeng brought another bowl, Xu Qing finally felt satisfied after finishing it.

After the meal, Xu Qing didn’t feel like moving at all and stayed where he was while Li Changfeng finished his meal and tidied up. Then, Xu Qing followed Li Changfeng to the courtyard. The ebony wood from last time hadn’t been completely used up, and Li Changfeng was using the remaining wood to make some wooden dolls.

The wooden dolls that Xu Qing and Li Changfeng gave to Xie Yu as a wedding gift were highly cherished by the couple. They placed it on the cabinet in their room, and even when they went to sleep at night, they could still smell the faint fragrance.

Li Changfeng continued making the wooden dolls while speaking to Xu Qing. “Before the autumn harvest comes, I plan to use the money from selling these wooden dolls to build our house. That way, you and the child will have a more comfortable place to live.” Summer is great, but sometimes there’s too much rain, and the house leaks in some areas!

Xu Qing had long wanted to rebuild their home. Currently, they had a total of forty-five taels of silver, which was considered a substantial amount among rural folks.

“You want to sell the wooden dolls now?” Xu Qing did have the intention to sell the wooden dolls, but they hadn’t thought about how to sell them, where to sell them, at what price, or what kind of sales pitch would make people accept and buy these items.

Li Changfeng quickly finished making a pair of small dolls. He had become quite skilled at making dolls during this period. “I’ll use the dolls made from pine wood to test the market and see how it goes. Then I’ll use these dolls made from fragrant ebony wood to sell them to well-to-do families in town.”

Xu Qing looked at the dolls Li Changfeng had made. One appeared in its natural wood color, with a sincere and lovable expression, while the other was made from ebony wood and had a slightly darker hue, giving it an elegant appearance. Comparing the two, it was evident that anyone with some knowledge and money would be willing to buy the wooden dolls made from ebony wood.

“Did you make these, my dear?”

Translated on ho lo lo novels dot com.

Xu Qing looked at the wooden doll in Li Changfeng’s hand, which was almost finished and resembled an old man leaning on a cane. He couldn’t help but feel that Li Changfeng’s hands were magically skilled!

“Recently, there are many newlyweds in town, and I’ve already made enough dolls for couples. I thought of making some dolls that resemble old people and children. Even if it’s not the peak season for weddings, I can still generate some income,” Li Changfeng explained. As he spoke, the wooden doll of an old man in his hand was completed. Xu Qing took it over, and the more he looked at it, the more familiar it seemed. “It really looks like Old Doctor Lin!”

Li Changfeng twisted his stiff neck and said, “I just wanted to see if I could create wooden dolls based on the people from my memory. It seems like it worked.”

Xu Qing looked at the palm-sized “Old Doctor Lin” and remembered the modern photos. It was like a vintage version of the photographs!

“Young man, I’m impressed! If you have the time, make one for me too. When I grow old, I can show off to my descendants about how we looked in our youth.”

Li Changfeng placed the newlywed dolls made of pine wood and ebony wood in their respective positions. “Definitely! Let’s sell these first, build our reputation, and once the results are good, we can reveal our ability to create personalized dolls without worrying about others learning this skill.”

Xu Qing stood up and stretched, nodding as he heard this. “You’re fast indeed. But the ebony wood is scarce, so we can raise the price a bit. We can also go to the mountains sometime to see if there are other suitable woods to work with.” The first time he went to the mountains, he noticed a lot of Chinese fir, which would make good material.

In the end, the two discussed and set the prices: ebony newlywed dolls at eight taels per pair, old man dolls at six taels each, and child dolls at four taels each. In total, they had eight pairs of newlywed dolls, two old man dolls, and six child dolls. If they sold everything, it would amount to one hundred taels!

As for the pine wood newlywed dolls, they would be priced at one tael per pair, old man dolls at sixty-six wen each, and child dolls at forty-six wen each. Originally, they could have been priced at forty-four wen, but Xu Qing felt it was not proactive enough, so he changed it to forty-six wen.

“I’ll go to town to sell them tomorrow. Today afternoon, I’ll go to the mountains, so you stay home,” Li Changfeng said, thinking about Xu Qing’s playful nature. It might be challenging to keep him at home obediently, so he reluctantly added, “If you really feel bored, you can go chat with Xie Ama.”

Translated on ho lo lo novels dot com.

Xu Qing also obediently agreed. It was his first pregnancy, and he didn’t know much about many things, so he had to be cautious. “Alright, I’ll tell you about a type of wood. Take a careful look. If you find it, just bring it back. No need to search for others.”

The wood Xu Qing told Li Changfeng about was nanmu. Nanmu has a hard and durable texture, excellent resistance to decay, and a unique fragrance that can repel insects. For making wooden dolls that can be preserved for a long time without being easily damaged by pests, nanmu is an excellent choice.

Initially, Xu Qing thought it would be good enough if Li Changfeng could find nanmu. After all, it was quite challenging for others to comprehend it based on his few descriptions and rough sketches on the ground. However, Li Changfeng surprised him once again.

There are generally three types of nanmu: jinsi nanmu, xiangnan, and shuinan. Jinsi nanmu is the best type of nanmu, characterized by prominent golden silk patterns. When exposed to light, it sparkles and shines brilliantly. It is exceptionally exquisite and was once used exclusively by the royal family, indicating its nobility. The second type is xiangnan, which has a slight purple hue in the wood and a strong and long-lasting fragrance. It has beautiful grain patterns, although the texture is not as delicate as jinsi nanmu, it is still a very good material.

The third type is shuinan, which is the lowest quality wood among nanmu. It is somewhat similar to willow and is suitable for making small furniture like stools. However, Li Changfeng only managed to find one piece of jinsi nanmu and one piece of xiangnan, without finding any shuinan.

“You went into the back mountain?!” The chances of finding these things in the outskirts were extremely slim!

“No, it was not far from where we encountered that ‘wild mandarin chickens’ last time,” Li Changfeng replied, placing the two pieces of nanmu on the courtyard wall and turning to Xu Qing.

Xu Qing’s mouth twitched after hearing that. What a wild chicken! Couldn’t he say it was a wild mandarin duck? It would sound better. But when he thought of Luo Jiao’s gaze toward Li Changfeng, Xu Qing felt that “wild chicken” was also a good-sounding term.

(T/N: “Mandarin ducks” (鸳鸯/yuān yāng) is often used to refer to a couple who are deeply in love or have a harmonious relationship. Mandarin ducks are known for their lifelong pairing and strong bond, so the term is used metaphorically to describe a loving and compatible couple.)

“Is it abundant?”

Li Changfeng gestured with his large hand, “Look, all of this is the same. I just feel that these two things are somewhat indistinguishable. So, I brought back a piece to show you. I’ll go back and cut it down.”

Xu Qing suppressed his inner joy, making an effort to restrain himself, reminding Li Changfeng not to be careless with the chopping.

So Li Changfeng ran several times, coincidentally meeting Second Wei. He even helped carry the wood a few times. This wood, it almost occupied the entire yard, causing Little Bao to bounce up and down. Its play area was taken over!

The next day, Li Changfeng carried a basket full of wooden dolls and went to the street to sell them early in the morning. He also washed and dried the clothes Xu Qing wore from the pharmacy, and returned them.

Meanwhile, Xu Qing stayed at home and learned to make clothes with Xie Ama. “This child, if you say late, he comes out fast! If you say fast, he still has to wait for ten months! So, while you’re still agile, we should learn to make clothes properly. After this, we won’t have to keep buying clothes for the child, a little man!” Xie Ama planned to personally teach Xu Qing.

Xu Qing shook his finger, which was pricked by a needle, and nodded in pain. Learn, even if he didn’t want to, he had to learn! Whenever Xu Qing wavered, Xie Ama would immediately gaze at him, making Xu Qing nervous.

Xie Ama sighed as he saw Xu Qing clumsily handling the needle, “Don’t think that I’m asking too much of you, a country person like me. In every household, isn’t it the responsibility of the ger to make clothes and shoes for the children? And when they wear the clothes you make, not to mention their feelings, even for yourself, there’s a great sense of fulfillment!”

Xu Qing stared at Xie Ama deftly maneuvering through the fabric, “Did you make uncle’s clothes too?”

Xie Ama bit off the loose thread, spat it out, and proudly said, “Of course! Maybe I don’t have other skills, but when it comes to making clothes and shoes, in this village, I’m number one. No one dares to claim the second spot!”

Xu Qing chuckled and laughed, “If you claim to be second, then no one dares to claim the first spot!” Xie Amo waved his hand nonchalantly, “It’s all the same meaning! Anyway, what I mean is to tell you that learning to make clothes only brings benefits, no drawbacks!”

“I know, don’t worry, I will learn diligently!”

Upon hearing Xu Qing’s strong assurance, Xie Ama felt relieved and satisfied. So, whenever they had free time, Xie Ama would come punctually to give Xu Qing “lessons”!

At noon, Xie Ama had lunch at Xu Qing’s house. After finishing the meal and spending some time together, seeing Xu Qing getting a bit drowsy, Xie Ama took the initiative to bid farewell. Xu Qing was truly exhausted, perhaps due to the hot weather or the drowsiness brought on by pregnancy. As soon as they lay down on the bed, Xu Qing fell asleep.

Li Changfeng hurried home carrying a bag of rice, a large pork bone, and some snacks. Wiping off the sweat dripping from his face due to the scorching sun, he walked quickly. He was worried since Xu Qing was alone at home.

“Wife, I’m back!”

Li Changfeng opened the courtyard gate and was greeted by the excited barking of Xiaobao, but he didn’t see Xu Qing. Glancing at the blazing sun, he thought Xu Qing should be taking a nap. He carefully placed the rice and washed the pork bone, placing it in a pot nearby, adding fire to slowly simmer it. Then he fetched a bucket of cold water, took a refreshing cold shower, and finally walked towards the bedroom.

Sure enough, Xu Qing was napping. Li Changfeng sat by the bedside, leaned over, and kissed Xu Qing’s cheek. After silently watching for a moment, he quietly left, closing the bedroom door behind him.

Xu Qing slept for the entire afternoon. Strangely, instead of feeling dizzy from sleeping too long like before, Xu Qing felt full of energy. Thinking about their still-healing feet, Xu Qing blinked and entered the space that had been neglected for a long time.

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