Lian?
Hearing this word, Xu Wen immediately had some associations in his heart.
The original owner of the Qu He Road old house, his great-grandfather whom he had never met, had this surname.
Jing Chenghe's old residence had become very strange. He had even been sent here for no reason. This great-grandfather named Lian Mo had also cast a mysterious veil on his heart.
However, this thought was dispelled in a flash.
His blood relationship with Lian Mo was notarized. The notarization clearly stated that Lian Mo was born in the Republic of China.
Now the place was truly "ancient," or at least Ming, hundreds of years before his great-grandfather was born.
Even this surname wasn't common, but it wasn't that rare.
Senior Brother Xu led him over and exhorted him," Don't move here. Master will tell you to go over."
"Yes." Xu Wen replied.
Senior Brother Xu quickly walked over and helped Master along with the other brothers.
Master Lian had white hair and was about fifty or sixty years old. He wore a large leather apron and his face was full of wrinkles.
He narrowed his eyes and judged a pile of wood.
Closer to see, Xu Wen found that this work is a little more difficult than imagined.
These were all old wood. Needless to say, they were broken, and their surfaces were covered with all kinds of foreign matter.
Some are paint, some are old decorations, and some are just dirt and dirt.
But even so, even the master could immediately name the wood inside.
Most of the wood he only had to pick up and weigh, some he had to knock, and only a few he had to remove part of the shell to see inside.
This skill was really not simple. How many years would it take to master it…
This small old wood yard had a feeling of hidden dragons and crouching tigers.
Even if the master recognized quickly, the disciples 'work was not easy. They need to transport different pieces of wood to different places for storage.
Small pieces are fine, some are door-like wood, need two people to carry over together, back and forth a few times is sweating.
Xu Wen stood at the side and was not in a hurry to help. Instead, he calmly observed the surrounding situation.
"Master Lian, do you have any yellow pears here? Three feet long, one foot wide, and seven minutes thick."
A moment later a man came through the door and asked aloud.
"Two." Master Lian narrowed his eyes and recognized him. He turned around and instructed his disciple," Go and take a look at the warehouse."
Senior Brother Xu turned around and went to the room inside. Master Lian called for Ergen to sit down. Ergen shook his head politely, but there was still some contempt that could not be suppressed.
Master Lian smiled and continued to do his work. The other disciples beside him looked numb, as if they were used to it.
Senior Brother Xu searched the storeroom for more than ten minutes before he came out. He carried the things and placed them in front of Ergen.
"There are two pieces."
Both planks were dirty and unrecognizable. The two looked at each other with disdain and asked,"Are you sure it's Huanghuali?"
"My master has never made a mistake." Senior Brother Xu said with some dissatisfaction.
"I made a mistake last time!" The two raised their voices.
" Ah Jiang took it by mistake…" Senior Brother Xu glared back, and one of his disciples shrank his neck.
Ergen complained a few more words, found a piece of oilpaper beside him, wrapped up two wooden boards and left.
Xu Wen was stunned. Senior Brother Xu happened to pass by him. He asked softly," Don't you need a receipt?"
"We're all family. What's there to fight about?" Senior Brother Xu looked at him strangely.
" Hmm…" Xu Wen didn't say anything else.
On this day, Xu Wendu just stood by and watched.
Even his master didn't ask him to do any work, and the other disciples didn't greet him either. He just watched and didn't have the intention to take the initiative at all.
When the sun set, Senior Brother Zhou sent someone to call him, and the five teenagers gathered together again.
"What have you learned today?" Senior Brother Zhou asked.
For a moment, no one spoke, not even Lu Cheng.
"He Ping." Senior Brother Zhou could only call out names.
"I…I didn't learn anything." He Ping looked a little aggrieved.
He Ping went to the cypress yard, cypress is a common wood, the place is large, there are many materials, there are many people. He went over like Xu Wen and was left hanging. No one paid attention to him. He mustered his courage to ask his senior brother, but he was impatiently scolded to the side.
Liu Ada was similar to Chen Tie. Only Lu Cheng smiled shyly and said,"Master Hu taught me how to distinguish several common types of redwood, how to look at cracks on redwood, and how to maintain old redwood."
"You've learned a lot." Senior Brother Zhou glanced at him.
"Just fur. However, Master Hu praised me for my talent and asked me to continue learning from him tomorrow." Lu Cheng said sheepishly.
"Yes. Xu Wen." Senior Brother Zhou didn't seem to mind and called Xu Wen's name.
"Master Lian is very experienced. No matter what kind of wood he is, he can recognize it immediately. I still have a lot to learn from him." Xu Wen spoke very seriously. Senior Brother Zhou was expressionless, and it was impossible to tell what he was thinking.
After they finished asking, Senior Brother Zhou told them to go back and rest. Tomorrow, just like today, they would finish their work first and then go to their assigned woodyards to help Master.
The daily work was not easy, and this was equivalent to adding another job. However, none of the teenagers slackened off. Everyone looked excited.
They had long been warned by their parents and knew that they had come here to learn a craft that could last them a lifetime.
Now that Senior Brother Zhou had called them out, it was obvious that he was giving them a chance to learn in advance. They were too happy to have any objections.
Zhou Zhicheng watched the teenagers leave and his gaze stayed on Xu Wen's back for a long time.
The other youths, including Lu Cheng, were feeling a little happy. The special treatment they received this day gave them a sense of identity. As they walked, they whispered to each other and exchanged their experiences for the day.
Xu Wen walked alone beside them, as if he was listening to them, but also as if he was thinking about his own affairs.
This youth gave off a completely different feeling from the others, which was also why Zhou Zhicheng had openly bullied and secretly helped him from the beginning.
However…
The figures of the youths disappeared, and Zhou Zhicheng turned around and returned to the main residence of the Yao Clan Wood Shop.
"Master." Zhou Zhicheng smelled the fragrance of medicine as soon as he entered the door. He looked up and found that his master was holding a bowl and drinking with a sad face.
He hurriedly went forward to serve Master Yao. Master Yao swallowed the last mouthful of medicine with great effort and raised his hand to touch the table. Zhou Zhicheng immediately picked up the candy cake from the box and handed it to him.
" Life is so bitter…" Master Yao sighed after eating the candy cake and reached out to touch the second one.
He felt empty with one hand. Zhou Zhicheng had already taken the food box away one step ahead of time.
"The doctor said that your lungs are hot and your body is injured. It's suspected that you have diabetes. You can't eat too much sugar."
" Life is bitter…" Master Yao sighed and looked at his disciple eagerly, but Zhou Zhicheng's attitude was very firm.
"Sigh, how was today?"
"Liu Ada, Chen Tie, and He Ping are still average. Lu Cheng was quick-witted. After half a day, he had already identified Fourth Uncle Hu's pulse and asked Fourth Uncle Hu to teach him some things."
"Hu Si, that old fellow…this child has some ability."
"Xu Wen was assigned to the old lumber yard according to what we discussed yesterday. Since he got there, he hadn't said a word. He just stood there for a whole day. I really don't understand this kid. Such a good opportunity…Master, maybe you're right, he's the real Mu."
"Well…" Master Yao picked up his tea and took a sip slowly, saying,"No matter how good the opportunity is, you have to grasp it yourself." Let's see."
The next day, Xu Wen was still a rooster crowing. He quickly finished picking water and went directly to the woodshed to take a look.
As expected, Lu Cheng had also finished his work and was waiting for him to go to Yellow Square.
Along the way, Lu Cheng acted very close and kept talking. Xu Wen replied without a word. He was not cold, but he was obviously not worried.
The two of them arrived at Huang Zi Fang. As soon as they entered, Lu Cheng greeted everyone he saw very respectfully.
Xu Wen went straight to the old wood yard. As soon as he entered the door, a person bumped into him from the side and hit his back. The full wood fell to the ground.
"Sorry, sorry! I didn't look where I was going!" The other party immediately apologized. Her voice was clear and gentle. She was a girl.
Are there girls here?
Xu Wen subconsciously took a step back. He looked down and saw a head of black hair. Then, he smelled the faint fragrance of shavings oil.
The girl bent down and hurriedly picked up the wood on the ground, knocking her head with her fist."I told you to be careful where you go, you always forget, silly Lin Lin!"
With this knock, the wood she had just picked up fell down again. She cried out in frustration and started picking it up again.
The young girl's youth and vivacity made Xu Wen reveal a faint smile. He squatted down and cleaned up with her. His movements were faster than the girl's. In a short while, more than half of the wood was in his arms.
The girl straightened up gratefully and reached out to receive it. When she raised her head, her bright eyes and white teeth seemed to reflect infinite spring light in Xu Wen's eyes. For some reason, he suddenly remembered the window of the Four Hours Hall.
He was stunned for a moment before he came back to his senses." Where are you going?" he asked." I'll help you deliver it."
"No need, no need. This is my job. I'll do it." Lin Lin's attitude was very insistent. Xu Wen did not force her and returned the wood to her.
The young girl carried a large pile of wood and did not leave immediately. Instead, she looked at Xu Wen curiously." Little brother, you're unfamiliar. Is it my father's new disciple?"
"Your father?" Ask them.
"That old man over there. If you're his disciple, you have to call me Senior Sister Lin Lin!" The girl said proudly.
Xu Wen looked over there and saw that the man standing under the tree was putting on a leather apron. If it wasn't Master Lian, who was it?
"Unfortunately, I haven't had the honor of learning from you yet." Xu Wen said regretfully.
"Then you have to work hard!" said the girl briskly, running inside with the wooden blocks in her arms. After running for two steps, she suddenly stopped, slowed down, and walked steadily.
Master Lian raised his head and saw his daughter. He immediately waved to her." Girl, you came just in time. Come and see what this is."
Lin Lin walked over and placed the item at Master Lian's feet. He picked up the oddly shaped item and looked at it.
" This is a split wood. The wood core is made of sandalwood and nanmu wood. It's covered with a layer of teak and a layer of bamboo skin." She said it casually, as if it didn't take much trouble.
"Not bad." Master Lian praised him. Lin Lin's eyes curved into a smile, as if there was light in them.
Xu Wen looked over and unconsciously became a little lost in thought.