Chapter 053

Chapter 053

Today was destined to be a busy day.

Xiao Zhen and the others returned to the Tong family residence. Tong Sui and her mother had already mixed two large buckets of wheat straw mud according to his instructions. The yellow loam and crushed wheat straw were all brought from Lingshui Village by Xiao Zhen.

According to Xiao Zhen, as soon as a tree on the mountain was cut down, a layer of wheat straw mud should be immediately applied to the cut surface to prevent rapid moisture loss, which could lead to cracks in the wood core later.

Yesterday, he hadn't expected to find a Tuo Sang tree when he went up the mountain. By evening, he had already applied the wheat straw mud to the cut surface and taught the Tong family members how to mix and apply the mud.

"Mother-in-law, this task is light but cannot be neglected. Do you think any of the village aunties would be suitable for it?"

Zhou Qing straightened her back and smiled, "Why look elsewhere? I can do it. No one will be more attentive than me."

Xiao Zhen: "You need to stay at the foot of the mountain; there's something more important I need to entrust to you."

Tong Sui: "Then I'll do it. Anyway, all the fields have been planted. I'll stay here to help and go back with you after everything is done."

If she did it, they could save on labor costs.

No matter how much money the Xiao family had, it was all earned through hard work by the family. Every bit saved counted.

Xiao Zhen lowered his eyes, as if pondering something. Seeing this, Zhou Qing gave her daughter a meaningful glance and laughed, "To cut down two hundred trees, it might take many days. You two should go back together. Isn't the family taking turns cooking? How can it all fall on your sister-in-law?"

Tong Sui also noticed that Xiao Zhen didn't want her to stay. Since he wasn't worried about the money, she didn't insist.

Soon, villagers carrying axes and saws started arriving. There were uncles in their forties and fifties, as well as teenagers around fifteen or sixteen years old.

Xiao Zhen recognized Zheng Teng and his father, who had lost chickens before, and exchanged a glance with his mother-in-law.

Zhou Qing also found the Zheng family reliable and said to the sixteen-year-old Zheng Teng, "Where's your mother? Go get her; I have a job for her that pays."

Zheng Teng was taken aback and replied, "She's watching the house..."

Zhou Qing: "The refugees have dispersed; our village won't have thieves during the day. Just ask her if she wants to earn two copper coins a day. Will she do it?"

This wage was considered cheap labor in town, where employers would be scolded for being stingy. But in Taohuagou, a remote mountain village with few opportunities to earn extra money throughout the year, earning two copper coins a day was indeed a good deal.

Upon hearing this, Zheng Teng's mother instructed her neighbors to watch the house and happily rushed over.

A group of people headed up the mountain, and Tong Sui followed to watch.

The path at the foot of the mountain was relatively easy to walk on, though narrow. The advantage was that the mountain road was straight, allowing those on the mountain to slide the cut logs down, saving a lot of effort.

At the designated logging area, Xiao Zhen selected several elm and oak trees with trunks over a foot thick and main trunks taller than ten feet, instructing the villagers to cut them to these dimensions.

The villagers were strong, but cutting trees required skill. Xiao Zhen, Tong Gui, and Tong Youyu provided guidance, reminding everyone to keep a safe distance to avoid being hit by falling trees.

It took two able-bodied men working together a couple of hours to cut such a thick tree. Afterward, they needed to remove the unnecessary branches and canopy, leaving only a straight log.

At this point, Zheng Teng's mother deftly applied wheat straw mud to both ends of the log, smiling as she worked, "This job is not only easy but fun too."

Tong Gui warned her, "Don't just play around. If you don't apply it evenly, it could cause cracks inside. For every tree that cracks, we'll deduct two days' wages from you."

Zheng Teng's mother: "..."

Everyone laughed, but they remembered the importance of the task and wouldn't be careless with their responsibilities.

After gathering the first batch of five logs, Xiao Zhen asked Tong Youyu and his nephew to continue cutting trees on the mountain while he called a few able-bodied men to push the logs down the mountain road, one by one. They slid down, occasionally getting stuck on protruding rocks or bushes, but overall, it went smoothly.

The mule cart was parked at the foot of the mountain. The logs were loaded onto the cart, and the able-bodied men returned to cutting more trees. Xiao Zhen and Tong Sui drove the cart back to the Tong family residence.

Alone, Tong Sui looked at him and asked, "Are you really worried about burdening my sister-in-law with cooking alone, so you want me to go back with you?"

Xiao Zhen: "It has nothing to do with my sister-in-law."

Tong Sui: "Afraid the second aunties might gossip and spread rumors?"

Xiao Zhen: "No."

Tong Sui secretly glared at him, "Then why? We could save on labor costs."

Xiao Zhen: "If you come home with me, I'll pay you double the labor cost."

Tong Sui: "..."

However, she finally understood Xiao Zhen's intention—he didn't want them to be apart.

Ultimately, he couldn't bear to give up the joy of the night, could he?

Blushing, Tong Sui glanced back at the cart.

When they arrived at the Tong family residence, a dozen women were already gathered there.

Xiao Zhen picked up the chopping knife he had brought and taught them how to peel the bark off the logs.

"Oh, this is simple. Just make a cut from top to bottom, another one in the middle, and you can even use a spatula to pry off the bark without much effort."

"The inside of the trunk is quite white. Hmm, I like the smell."

The women discussed enthusiastically.

After peeling a circle of bark, Xiao Zhen said to the crowd, "There are many trees and many people. Please bring your own tools, Aunties. You can peel them yourselves or work with your families. Each tree peeled will be paid half a copper coin, and you can collect your wages once you reach a whole number."

Xiao Zhen's strength made the peeling seem effortless, but even for individual women, it required some effort.

As soon as he finished speaking, the remaining four trees were divided among the women, who sent their children to fetch tools.

Xiao Zhen turned to Zhou Qing and said, "Mother-in-law, please help supervise here."

Zhou Qing: "No problem, I guarantee they'll strip them clean."

Xiao Zhen: "Take your time with the work, be careful not to hurt your hands."

---

Tong Youyu and his nephew were overseeing the logging, while Zhou Qing was supervising the stripping. Xiao Zhen drove the mule cart back down to the foot of the mountain.

It was nearly noon, and Tong Sui was preparing lunch at home. Xiao Zhen pushed a wheelbarrow to the river and brought back a load of larger stones.

Tong Sui: "What are these for?"

Xiao Zhen: "After the bark is stripped, the logs need to be stacked and left to dry in the shade for about seven days. The bottom logs won't warp under the weight above, but the top layer needs an extra layer of stones to keep them stable."

As he spoke, he dumped the stones from the wheelbarrow beside him.

April was approaching, and the midday sun was bright and scorching. He was busy moving around, and beads of sweat rolled down his forehead.

Tong Sui already knew he was skilled in martial arts and farming, but she had only recently discovered that he knew far more than she had realized.

"Did your grandfather teach you all this, or did you learn it from books?"

Xiao Zhen turned his head and saw her sitting on a small stool in front of the stove, her cheeks flushed red from the firelight, her clear, dark eyes filled with curiosity and admiration as she looked at him.

Xiao Zhen thought for a moment and said, "Some things my grandfather taught me, some I learned from books, and some I picked up from Master Wang."

Tong Sui sincerely replied, "You must be very smart to remember everything and actually put it into practice."

Xiao Zhen looked at her, then glanced at the women busily stripping bark outside the fence. He paused for a moment before continuing to move the stones.

By evening, the loggers returned exhausted, and several layers of wood were stacked in the Tong family's backyard, covered with a roof and dried grass and oilcloth to protect against sun and rain.

The Song family came over for a visit and were surprised to see that the villagers had cut down more than thirty large trees in just one day, neatly processed and stacked.

Tong Gui proudly praised Xiao Zhen: "It's all thanks to Second Master's guidance. He demonstrated every step for us. If we didn't work fast, wouldn't we disgrace all of Taohuagou?"

Xiao Zhen: "Everyone has been helping me wholeheartedly; this is what I should do."

Song Zhishi touched the smooth tree trunk nearby and asked, "Why do you need so much wood?"

Xiao Zhen: "To be honest, I don't know either. I'm just following my grandfather's instructions."

Tong Gui: "The old man has his reasons. It's our honor to help him, regardless of whether we understand why."

Song Zhishi: "..."

Song Lan smiled and said, "Indeed, Zhishi talks too much. Please forgive him, Second Master."

Xiao Zhen: "Sir, you're being too modest."

Song Lan continued, "I see that space might be limited here. My courtyard is empty, so feel free to use it. It will be convenient for both families."

Tong Youyu happily responded, "We were just going to discuss this with you, Sir. We worry about disturbing your peace."

Song Lan: "We are at the school during the day and return when everyone has dispersed. It's convenient for everyone."

Zhou Qing poked her head out from the main room: "Dinner is ready. Sir and Zhishi, would you like to eat here?"

Song Lan smiled back: "In that case, I won't refuse."

---

During dinner, everyone enjoyed themselves thoroughly. After the Song family left, night had quietly fallen.

Xiao Zhen went to the vegetable patch to pour out his bathwater. When he returned to the house, he saw Tong Sui sitting on the bed, frowning as if deep in thought.

Tong Sui explained, "I'm calculating how much labor costs we'll incur for cutting down two hundred trees and making them into spears."

One tree could make four spears, accounting for drying and manual losses, they could make about six to seven hundred spears.

Xiao Zhen: "Our family isn't short of three or four taels of silver. Since Grandfather isn't worried, you shouldn't be either."

Tong Sui sighed, "It's not just about the money. When you first mentioned cutting down two hundred trees, I didn't think much of it. But now seeing so many trees piled up at home, each older than us, I can't help but wonder: if there's no more trouble later, won't these trees have been cut down for nothing?"

Xiao Zhen took off his shoes and sat next to her. "This morning, my father-in-law said something similar. So let me ask you, if I cut down a tree to make a bow, would you be happy to have a good bow, or would you feel sorry for the tree?"

Tong Sui: "..."

Xiao Zhen: "The same principle applies. Two hundred trees for the peace of mind of over a thousand villagers—worth it, right?"

Tong Sui understood and felt a bit embarrassed.

Xiao Zhen lifted her onto his lap and watched her shyly snuggle into his chest. Suddenly, he said, "If you truly feel sorry for the trees, we could indeed make one less spear."

Tong Sui was puzzled: "Why only one less?"

Xiao Zhen: "The other villagers have no grievances with me, but the neighboring Song Gongzi seems quite displeased with me. Why should I give him a spear?"

Tong Sui: "..."

Xiao Zhen pinched her earlobe: "Do you know why he's displeased with me?"

Tong Sui certainly knew, but she couldn't tell the truth, so she shook her head.

Besides, Tong Sui didn't fully understand what Song Zhishi was thinking. They never became a couple because Mr. Song had looked down on her first. Before the Xiao family proposed marriage, Song Zhishi hadn't seemed particularly anxious. Now that she had willingly married Xiao Zhen, Song Zhishi had no reason to blame him.

Xiao Zhen was silent for a moment and said, "Never mind. Mr. Song is kind-hearted. For his sake, I won't hold it against him."