mijobooks Chapter 62 If you don't go, you'll sleep on the sofa.
Chapter 62 If you don't go, you'll sleep on the sofa.
When Xu Chunsheng and his father returned with bamboo, they saw Xu's mother and eldest sister carrying the leftover red bricks from the last time they repaired the pig farm from the thatched hut to the shed.
Seeing them return, Xu's mother put down the bricks she was holding and said:
"Those bricks are just sitting there anyway, so let's move them over here and lay them flat on the ground once the shed is up."
"So that the ground won't get wet later, and the muddy ground will be slippery and you'll fall."
The eldest sister also stopped what she was doing and nodded in agreement.
She went back into the house and brought over a wooden stool, placing it on the open ground. Later, she would put the bamboo on it, step on it with one foot, and one person could steadily and easily saw the bamboo into neat four-meter lengths, which was very convenient.
Xu Chunsheng had rested enough, so he stood up and said to his father:
"Dad, you stay home and chop bamboo, I'll go and bring the rest of the bamboo back."
Mr. Xu responded, picked up the saw, walked to the wooden stool, placed the bamboo on it, stepped on the bamboo to secure it, and began sawing.
Xu's mother and eldest sister were not idle either, and continued to move the remaining red bricks over.
Not long after, Xu Chunsheng returned with the remaining bamboo.
He put the bamboo aside, went back inside to drink some tea, and then rolled up his sleeves to start working.
The group had a clear division of labor and worked in an orderly manner:
Xu's father was in charge of splitting the spotted bamboo and chopping the thick bamboo strips, while Xu Chunsheng, his mother, and his sister were in charge of digging holes and standing up the bamboo that had just been sawed and placed aside.
Father Xu was splitting thick bamboo strips in his hands, but his eyes were fixed on the three of them:
"Put down two more big stones and tamp the soil down firmly, otherwise it will collapse in two days."
The family was weaving a bamboo fence, chatting idly, as the sun gradually began to set.
Xu Chunsheng forcefully wove the last bamboo strip onto the weave, turned the bamboo strip in his hand, wedged it into the gap, and patted the bamboo ash off his hands:
"Let's stop here for today. We'll finish the roof tomorrow."
The next morning, the eldest sister took the thin bamboo strips she had split the day before, and began weaving a bamboo mat by pressing and lifting them, crisscrossing them.
Xu's mother helped by handing her bamboo strips, straightening and arranging them so her daughter could easily pull them out and use them. As she did so, she praised her daughter:
"You're so fast, I can't even make things up as quickly as you."
Xu Chunsheng and his father were making bamboo purlins for the roof, and then binding them securely with bamboo strips one by one.
After the two finished, they joined in weaving bamboo mats. Once the bamboo mats were enough to cover the roof, they carefully lifted them onto the frame and laid them out from the eaves upwards, securing the edges with nails.
Then find a good piece of floral adhesive tape, put it on top, and straighten and fix the four corners. In order to prevent the tape from tearing quickly, you also need to put a layer of thatch on top.
After finishing these tasks, Xu's mother and eldest sister went to the pig farm to feed the pigs.
Xu Chunsheng and his father went to cut more thatch grass. After removing the withered and rotten leaves, they arranged the thatch grass neatly, clamped it with bamboo strips at the top and bottom, woven it with thin bamboo strips, and finally nailed it in place.
After the two men finished making the thatched roof, they carried it up to the roof and spread it out. This way, the thatched roof was sturdy and wouldn't fall apart. When spread out on the roof, it would provide shelter from the rain and sun, unlike a loosely laid thatched roof that would be blown away by a strong wind.
After this project, the brewing shed was finally set up. All that was left was to move in the wooden steamers for steaming grains, the earthenware jars for fermentation, and other tools, so that we could officially begin learning how to brew wine.
Afterwards, Xu's father built an earthen stove outside the shed and had several wooden steamers custom-made.
Xu Chunsheng gradually bought a series of tools, including a cooling pot, a wine guide tube, wine jars, and fermentation vats.
Looking at all this, Xu Chunsheng put his hands on his hips and said, "Now all we need are people to brew the wine!"
As he spoke, Xu Chunsheng glanced at his sister.
The older woman felt a little uncomfortable under his gaze: "Why are you looking at me?"
"Nothing."
"I just want to know if Teacher Tang can persuade his father."
Friday night, at the Tang family home.
Tang Changping brought back a bottle of wine and personally poured a glass for his father, Tang Yongnian:
"Dad, you've always liked this wine, let me pour you a glass."
Tang Yongnian asked, "Do you need something from me?"
"Let's drink first!"
"Let me peel a few more peanuts for you."
Tang's father didn't ask any more questions, and he did start drinking and eating.
After dinner, Tang Changping helped his mother clear the table and then sat down next to his father.
"Dad, I need to talk to you about something."
Mr. Tang had already finished his meal and was sitting in a chair reading the newspaper when he heard his son's words, so he diverted some of his attention to him:
"What is it?"
Tang Changping placed his hands on his knees and organized his thoughts:
"I have a friend who wants to open a winery and would like to ask you for your help and guidance."
Tang Yongnian's eyes never left the newspaper:
"No, I'm not going. I finally retired, and now I have time to grow flowers and fish. I'm very busy."
Tang Changping was getting anxious:
"Your flowers are half-dead, you'd be better off spending your time teaching your daughter-in-law how to brew wine."
Realizing what he had said, Tang Changping clenched his trousers tightly and swallowed uncomfortably.
"Snapped!"
A sound of a bowl shattering came from the kitchen.
"Hmm?" Tang Yongnian put down the newspaper, got up and took two steps to the kitchen: "I'll sweep it, don't cut your hands."
Tang's mother, Zhang Xiulan, was about to pick up the broken bowl from the ground when Tang Yongnian stopped her.
She stood up and walked to the side, watching her husband bend down to sweep up the broken pieces of the bowl on the floor, and said excitedly:
"Did our son just say 'daughter-in-law'? I didn't mishear, did I, Old Tang?"
Seeing that Tang Yongnian was still calmly putting the broken bowl into a plastic bag and tying it up, he urged:
"Say something! You're driving me crazy!"
Tang Yongnian placed the bag separately next to the trash can: "Hmm, I think he did mention it?"
Seeing that her husband was still as dull as ever, Zhang Xiulan casually wiped her hands on her apron, quickly walked out of the house, and plopped down next to Tang Changping:
"Son, who is this 'daughter-in-law' you were talking about? Are you dating someone? Don't try to fool me, I heard everything!"
Tang Changping swallowed hard before looking at his mother and speaking solemnly:
"Yes! She's a very hardworking and responsible person. I really like her, and she's a great cook too."
Zhang Xiulan became excited:
"Old Tang! Old Tang! Did you hear me?!"
"My son said he's got a girlfriend. Oh my, finally a girl doesn't find you boring anymore."
"Tell Mom how you met? How old were you?... "
A series of questions left Tang Changping at a loss for words.
Tang Changping didn't answer these questions. Instead, he looked at his father, who was still standing at the kitchen door, and then turned to his mother, trying to sow discord among himself.
"Even Dad doesn't want to help..."
Before she could finish speaking, Zhang Xiulan's expression immediately changed:
"It's just helping out for a couple of days! You teach these youngsters a lesson. If you don't go, you can start sleeping on the sofa from today!"