Chapter 280: Delusion – Daily Melon Eating in the Courtyard of the Sickly Young Lady

Chapter 280 Fantasies – The Daily Gossip Life of the Frail Young Aunt in the Compound

Auntie Li’s recommendation was indeed reliable. After receiving the down payment, Old Man Xu immediately took his two sons to gather the materials.

Seeing that Cen Xi still had things to attend to, Auntie Li went back first.

Taking advantage of their absence, Cen Xi straightened up the kitchen again. The original stove was located on either side of the corner, and the new *kang* could later be directly connected to the inner stove.

This would save a lot of trouble, so he had to move the cabinet originally placed in the middle of the room to the other side of the wall, making room for the Xu men to work.

After the Xu family left, Lin Qing came to the kitchen. "Do you need any help?"

"No, no, it's nothing. I just need to move this cabinet to the side."

"How can you move it alone? Let me help!" Lin Qing rolled her eyes at him. How could one person move such a tall cabinet?

Cen Xi glanced at the cabinet, which was as tall as his wife, and paused for a second. It did seem a bit impossible.

"I’ll ask them to help me move it when they come back. This cabinet is too heavy—you wouldn’t be able to move it either."

"I really can," Lin Qing insisted.

"No, don’t even think about it. When they come back, I’ll ask them to help me move it to the side. It’s not a big deal—they’ll definitely be willing to help."

Seeing his firm refusal, Lin Qing gave up.

"Alright, Qing Qing, go rest next door. There’s nothing else to do here!" Cen Xi didn’t want to see the Xu men gawking again.

Unable to argue with him, Lin Qing had to return to her room.

The Xu men soon returned with the materials.

Auntie Zhou was watching at the door again. By now, she already knew what these people were here for—she had asked Auntie Li directly. Auntie Li hadn’t hidden it either, since everyone would eventually find out about Lin Qing’s parents moving in anyway, so there was no point in keeping it a secret.

After getting her answer, Auntie Zhou was burning with envy.

Why did Lin Qing get to meet such a good man? Why couldn’t her own daughter?

If only her daughter could have a son-in-law who would invite his in-laws to live with them! Unfortunately, her son-in-law’s family was struggling, and the promises they’d made had come to nothing. This made her seethe with jealousy.

If she had known about such a man earlier, she should have brought her daughter over to get to him first. She believed that while her daughter might not have Lin Qing’s vixen-like looks, she was still pretty and more respectable-looking. Side by side, anyone would surely choose her daughter.

No one knew Auntie Zhou was nursing such fantasies in her heart.

As expected, the Xu men didn’t refuse to help with moving the cabinet. All three of them worked swiftly—one carried cement and sand, another moved bricks, and the third took measurements. Soon, they began building.

Cen Xi watched from the side, and the Xu family didn’t mind. It was clear Cen Xi wasn’t the type to steal their techniques, so they let him observe freely.

Building the *kang* didn’t take long, especially since the Xu men were experienced. They were done in half an hour.

"Alright, it’s done. But you can’t use it yet—it needs to dry first. Then we’ll check for smoke leaks."

"Understood. In this weather, it should dry in a day or two, right? Should I ask you to come back then, or can I check it myself?" Cen Xi asked.

"You can check it yourselves. Just burn some firewood in the vent and see if the *kang* surface cracks or if smoke escapes."

(Note: A *kang* is a traditional Chinese bed-stove system used for heating and cooking.)

"Alright!" Cen Xi listened closely, seeing it was pretty straightforward—just follow the steps for heating the kang afterward.

"Here, this is the balance." Once he understood, Cen Xi handed over the remaining payment.

The Xu father and sons were genuinely impressed—this client was truly easygoing. Usually, when they repaired kangs for others, there would be lengthy haggling over the price. This was the first time they'd encountered such a prompt and agreeable employer!

After receiving the balance, the Xu family didn’t stick around. "Cen Gong, there’s an extra half-bag of cement. You can keep it for future use if needed."

"Alright!" Cen Xi didn’t refuse.

The job went smoothly, and it was wrapped up by lunchtime.

Lin Qing looked at Cen Xi as he entered and asked, "Is it done?"

"Yes, it’s built. Once it dries, we can try firing it up. If there are no cracks or smoke seeping through, it’ll be ready to use."

"Great!" Lin Qing popped up excitedly and went to the kitchen to take a look. After inspecting it, she returned buzzing with excitement.

"Wow! That was really fast!"

"Yeah, the people Mother Li recommended are old hands at this."

"Uh-huh."

"Come on, let’s get going to Mom and Dad's!"

"Okay!" Lin Qing wanted to share the good news with her parents as soon as possible.

...

The moment Lin Qing and Cen Xi stepped through the door, Lin’s mother rushed over. "Why are you back so late?" She gave Lin Qing the side-eye. "Did you sleep in again, Nuan'nuan?"

Lin Qing draped herself over her mom's arm, fake-whining, "Aw! Now that I’m married, I’m not Mother’s favorite baby anymore!"

"Oh, whoever heard of a baby your size?" Lin’s mother laughed.

"Why not? I’m one, aren’t I?" Lin Qing deadpanned.

Cen Xi looked on grinning as his wife joked around with her mother, then took the groceries they’d brought into the kitchen.

"Let me see just how thick your face is!" Lin’s mother squished her daughter's cheeks, turning them left and right.

Finally, Lin Qing caved first.

"Quit messing with me," she said, escaping to her father’s side.

"There’s a reason we’re back so late," Lin Qing said seriously.

"What reason?" Her parents, perking up—were they hearing right?

"Our kitchen over there was just an empty space, right? So we built a kang inside."

Lin’s father and mother's eyes sparkled—was it what they thought?

"You built a kang?" They both looked at Cen Xi.

Cen Xi nodded. "Yes, we hired workers this morning. In a few days, once it’s confirmed to be working fine, you can move in."

"Really?" Their faces lit up.

"Of course it’s true! It’s already done—why would we joke about this? This way, Father won’t have to sleep on wooden planks anymore."

Knowing his attitude was crucial, Cen Xi beamed. "Father, Mother, in a couple of days, you can bring your clothes and bedding over. You can also take the fan I brought last time—it’ll help beat the heat at night."

"Wonderful!" Lin’s parents didn’t refuse.

Since the kids were being so insistent, refusing would be downright rude.