From Xu Wen onwards, Senior Brother Zhou accompanied Master Yao to check on the work of all the teenagers.
Xu Wen finally realized that the assessment had already begun from the moment he assigned the mission.
It's tougher than a job interview.
Xu Wen thought so, holding the roujiamo silently watching the whole process.
Not everyone is as lucky as he is.
The second teenager examined was assigned to sweep the floor, cleaning one of the workshops.
Xu Wen stood at the window and saw Master Yao walk in with his hands behind his back. Without looking at the spotless ground, he walked directly to a corner, bent down, and reached out to pick up a shavings.
Senior Brother Zhou followed beside him. His expression changed. He took the shavings with both hands and shouted sternly," Who's in charge here?"
The youths had all gathered and looked at one place simultaneously.
There stood a fat, dark youth. He looked bigger than the others. He stared blankly at Senior Brother Zhou and hesitated." It's me."
"Send him back." Master Yao said lightly.
Senior Brother Zhou nodded and pointed at him." Stand over there."
The black and fat youth instantly understood and shouted,"It's not me!" I was going to do it properly, but he told me to just sweep the outside. No one will be looking at the corners anyway, so there's no need to be too careful!"
At this moment, there were quite a few people around him. His gaze swept through the crowd for a while and angrily pointed at a person.
Xu Wen looked in the direction of his finger and could not help but narrow his eyes.
That pair of slender fox eyes that curved even if he did not smile, wasn't that the youth who had " instructed " him earlier?
Master Yao also looked at the youth. The youth replied innocently and did not defend himself.
A moment later, Master Yao walked to the next place. He had no intention of punishing the youth or changing his decision.
The dark and fat youth was angry and aggrieved. Just as he was about to continue shouting, Senior Brother Zhou glanced at him and said," Others only talk. In the end, you decide what to do."
At this time, Master Yao's voice came again: "Who split this firewood?"
"It's me." The fox-eyed youth immediately followed him and stood with his hands raised respectfully.
"One foot long, two inches wide. Not bad." Master Yao said lightly.
Xu Wen noticed this pile of firewood before he asked. They were neatly arranged and the surrounding ground was cleaned. What was even more rare was that each piece of firewood was split into the same size and thickness. It would not be possible to do so without spending a certain amount of time.
At that time, he even praised in his heart that the person who did this job was really serious and hard working, as if he had obsessive-compulsive disorder.
He really didn't expect that this youth would do it.
"I will obey Master's instructions." The fox-eyed youth was neither arrogant nor impatient.
"What's your name?" Master Yao asked.
"Lu City."
"Put your mind on business." Master Yao put down the firewood and walked away.
"Yes, I will follow Master's instructions." Lu Cheng stood behind him, still respectful.
The black fatty stayed there for a long time before finally regaining his senses. He was so angry that he wanted to rush up and beat him up. Senior Brother Zhou promptly ordered his men to hold him down. He glanced at Lu Cheng and shook his head.
Following that, several teenagers panicked and secretly wanted to leave. Obviously, they wanted to make up for it.
However, Master Yao was very familiar with the workshop. He inspected one place after another and did not give them such an opportunity at all.
In the end, including the black fatty, a total of five teenagers failed to pass the task.
Master Yao did not even look at them. He pointed at Senior Brother Zhou and left with his hands behind his back.
Senior Brother Zhou respectfully saw his master off. He turned around and said to the five teenagers,"Follow me."
Before the black fatty could react, he foolishly wanted to follow him. Another youth stood where he was and cried," Senior Brother, I was wrong. Don't chase me away. I will never be lazy in the future!"
The black fatty looked at him, then at Senior Brother Zhou. He finally understood. He said in shock,"You're kicking me out? No! My dad's gonna bust my ass! It's all his fault! I was going to do my job properly, but he instigated it!"
He rolled up his sleeves and looked around the crowd, but he couldn't find anyone for a long time.
Brother Zhou turned around and said seriously,"The craftsman repeated the same work for many years, and it was extremely hard." If you can't settle down and do your job well, you're not worthy of being a craftsman. The reason why I was provoked is because I have lazy thoughts in my heart. Since that's the case, I'd better leave as soon as possible."
After saying that, he didn't listen to any more explanations. He waved his hand and called a few adult disciples in. He forcibly brought the five people out.
The black fatty was still unconvinced and shouted loudly, but his voice gradually moved away from here.
Xu Wen stuffed the last bit of roujiamo into his mouth, and the hunger in his stomach finally calmed down a lot. He clapped his hands and stood up. When he turned around, he saw Lu Cheng's figure.
This youth secretly stood behind a pillar and watched Fatty and the others being taken away from afar. The corners of his mouth curled up high.
Xu Wen shook his head, turned around and left.
Master Yao and Senior Brother Zhou returned to the residence together. As soon as they entered, Master Yao coughed a few times and his expression was a little ugly.
Senior Brother Zhou quickly poured tea. Master Yao took a few sips of tea and his expression gradually relaxed.
"Zhicheng, how is it?" He sat down and asked.
"Liu Ada, Chen Tie, and He Ping are not bad. Lu Cheng is a little too scheming, but smart people usually know what they want to do. If they are properly trained, they will be good seedlings." Zhou Zhicheng thought carefully for a moment before answering.
"Where's Xu Wen?"
"Xu Wen…it's hard to say."
"To be honest." Master Yao smiled and looked at him.
"The wood is wooden, but it's its own. To be able to calm one's heart and keep one's mind alive is the most precious thing for us craftsmen." Zhou Zhicheng paused and spoke more seriously than before.
"You intentionally arranged for me to see it, didn't you?" Master Yao suddenly asked while holding the teacup.
He understood his eldest disciple very well and could see his intentions at a glance.
"Then he has to seize the opportunity himself." Zhou Zhicheng smiled.
"Sigh, if not…why would I choose someone else?" Master Yao didn't smile, but sighed deeply.
"Master, you will definitely get what you want." Zhou Zhicheng said sincerely.
"Well, we'll have to see if they can pass tomorrow's test." Master Yao said.
That night, Xu Wen slept very soundly.
The next morning, the rising and falling cries of chickens rang loudly through the white sky.
Xu Wen opened his eyes. It was the first time he was woken up by a chicken crow. He felt that it was a little novel.
He yawned and got up from his bunk.
The Yao Clan Wood Workshop had recruited a total of twenty prospective apprentices this time. Five had left yesterday, and there were still fifteen left. At night, the fifteen apprentices were all arranged to sleep on a large bunk, which was packed to the brim.
Fifteen young men slept together, more than half of them unhygienic, and the smell in the room was poisonous.
Xu Wen had a good habit. Last night, he even went to the well to take a shower. When he came back, his hair was wet. Another person came over to get close and asked him about his family's back.
In this day and age, it was not easy to bathe every day…
Xu Wen stepped over the overlapping corpses, got off the bed, and pushed the door open to go out.
Behind him, Lu Cheng opened his eyes and looked at his back meaningfully.
The cool morning air was accompanied by the fragrance of grass. Xu Wen took a deep breath and slowly exhaled. His heart suddenly felt relaxed.
He walked to the side of the tank and looked inside. The water inside was empty.
Before going to bed yesterday, Senior Brother Zhou instructed them unintentionally that the tasks they had to do the next day would remain the same.
A few teenagers were assigned to heavy work yesterday like Xu Wen. When they heard this, their faces turned bitter. Fortunately, with Fatty Hei's warning, they didn't dare to say a word.
Xu Wen didn't mind. Carrying water was tiring, but he had already experienced some fun yesterday.
He found the pole and bucket, picked them up and walked out.
The morning mountain road brought dew, wetting Xu Wen's ankles. A rural song suddenly appeared in his mind. He opened his mouth and the unfamiliar Wu sound naturally flowed out.
This is the folk song of this area. Every local child has heard it since childhood. To this body, it seemed to be a memory engraved in his bones and blood.
Xu Wen walked to the side of the spring and turned around to look at the path. Perhaps influenced by this song, he was clearly not a local, but he suddenly felt more integrated into this place.
One trip after another, Xu Wen had already filled the water tank to one-third before breakfast.
Looking at the swaying water surface in the tank, it was quite a sense of accomplishment.
He looked at the time and prepared to eat first and then finish the rest.
He bent down to put down the bucket, but before he could straighten up, he saw a pair of cloth shoes in front of him.
Xu Wen raised his head and saw Master Yao standing in front of him, staring at him with deep eyes.
"When did you wake up?" Master Yao asked.
" Uh, I don't know…When the chicken crows…" Xu Wen scratched his head.
"Why are you up so early?" Master Yao's expression was a little strange as he continued to ask.
" This water is for practical use. Shouldn't it be prepared beforehand?"
This was also a habit Xu Wen had cultivated in his previous company. No matter what the event, he would prepare all the materials in advance and check them again before the event began.
Although he couldn't control all the work here, he still retained this habit.
Master Yao didn't say anything. He only gave him a deep look before turning around and leaving.
Xu Wen didn't think much about it. He put down the bucket and ate the morning corn and brown rice porridge with the other teenagers who had just woken up. He continued to fetch water.
Perhaps he was mentally prepared. Today's work felt easier than yesterday's. Towards noon, the vat was filled to the brim.
He heaved a sigh of relief, wiped his sweat, and prepared to rest.
As soon as he sat down, Xu Wen heard his name being called. He looked up and saw Senior Brother Zhou walking over. He poked his head out to take a look at the vat.
"Is the water finished?"
"Yes."
"Not bad. Lu Cheng hasn't finished chopping firewood yet. Go and help him."
Xu Wentian got up before dawn to fetch water. He only finished it at noon. His clothes were soaked in sweat. His heartbeat and breathing were still far from calming down.
However, when he heard Senior Brother Zhou's order, he only nodded and didn't say anything more. He walked in the direction of yesterday.
Before he could take two steps, he was stopped by Senior Brother Zhou.
"Xu Wen."
"?"
"When you're done, come to Huang Zi Fang to find me."