CH 20

“Make wood”

Upon hearing these words, Cheng Yun was momentarily stunned. On one hand, Yang Hongjin hadn’t asked him a question during his nightly soliloquies for a long time, and on the other hand, he hadn’t really thought about this question before.

‘Do you still want to go back?’ If he had been asked this question half a month ago, Cheng Yun’s answer would have been a definite yes.

After all, his way of life for over twenty years had undergone a 360-degree transformation overnight. In a world without the internet, everything was inconvenient, and at that time, he was burdened with heavy responsibilities and his family was struggling to make ends meet. He also had to take care of a big idiot, and every morning, the first thing he did was check if everything around him was a dream, and if he had been transported back in time.

But now that he had been here for almost a month, he had gradually become accustomed to the daily chores and had found a way to make money. His pockets were starting to fill up, and everything was slowly getting better, without the initial chaos and embarrassment.

Moreover, he now had a significant other. Although their relationship was more like that of a mother and son, it was undeniable that Yang Hongjin was the person closest to him, more than anyone else in the world, even surpassing his biological parents who had ignored him in the past.

Although Yang Hongjin seemed to be clueless about everything, he knew better than anyone else who was good to him. Cheng Yun thought it would be difficult to find a partner in modern times, let alone with his sexual orientation, which was extremely difficult to navigate in modern society.

If he exchanged this idiot for the bustling and colorful modern society, Cheng Yun seriously thought about it…

He really wouldn’t want to.

At the thought of leaving and Yang Hongjin becoming the pitiful little boy with no mother or father, Cheng Yun’s heart ached.

He turned around and faced Yang Hongjin in the darkness, reaching for his head, he softly said, “I won’t leave, I’ll stay and take care of you, okay?”

Yang Hongjin’s eyes shone like obsidian in the dim night, looking intently at Cheng Yun. He swept away his earlier grievance and replied loudly, “Okay!”

It had been almost a month since Cheng Yun first used the speech spirit. He wasn’t in a hurry to plant new crops in large quantities, but the land in the backyard was still vacant, so he planted some fast-growing vegetable seeds on his own.

Aunt Wang had previously taught him how to soak and sprout mung bean sprouts, and Cheng Yun bought two pounds of green beans from town to try it out. In just a few days, the green beans sprouted and grew small bean sprouts. Cheng Yun lit up the illustartion and in addition, could add another dish to the dinner table.

Liu Wen has completed the initial stage of the work, and Cheng Yun doesn’t need to go to town during this time. He spends his time at home, planting vegetables in the backyard and researching new dishes. When he has nothing to do, he sits next to Yang Hongjin and watches him do carpentry work, enjoying his relaxed life.

To help Yang Hongjin with carpentry work, the two of them occasionally go to the mountains to chop wood.

There is a family in the village, surnamed Lin, who earns a living by doing carpentry work. Occasionally, they help the villagers repair furniture. At first, when they saw Cheng Yun and Yang Hongjin come to the mountains, picking out larger trees and chopping them down on the spot to take them away, the man named Lin Yimu’s face looked a bit unhappy.

He has lived in the village for more than thirty years and naturally knows this unusual couple. Recently, he heard from his wife that they always went to town. He originally thought that the two of them had nothing to do with him. However, now that they have appeared here, Lin Yimu panicked for a moment.

He has a cooperative relationship with a furniture store in town and helps make furniture to earn money every month. Although there are other people in the village who know carpentry, only Lin Yimu specializes in it. There have never been any competitors in the past. Unexpectedly, these two rumored people appeared here.

Cheng Yun knows nothing about this. Recently, he suddenly discovered that the tables and chairs at home were damaged by termites. Aunt Wang told him that it’s easy to attract termites during this season. Fortunately, they found out early. Except for the tables and chairs in the main hall, which were slightly damaged, the others were not heavily corroded. He asked Aunt Wang for some medicine to sprinkle around the house, but the ones that have been damaged have to be replaced.

Yang Hongjin only knows how to focus on his ‘carpentry work’thud, thud, thud’ and Cheng Yun also knows nothing about wood. It was rare to encounter someone chopping wood in the back mountains, so Cheng Yun was very happy and quickly greeted the woodcutter while leading Yang Hongjin forward. But before he could explain his intentions, Lin Yimu looked at them and turned to do his own work without giving them a proper face.

Cheng Yun was stunned and stopped his steps. After thinking for a moment, he quickly understood what the other party meant.

He didn’t force others to accept them. There are many people in the village who look down on them, so he didn’t bother to make fun of himself. He just pulled Yang Hongjin and turned around to do his own thing.

There are many types of trees in the back mountains, but they all look the same in Cheng Yun’s eyes. He tried to ask Yang Hongjin, “Idiot, what kind of tree did you use for making furniture before?”

Yang Hongjin looked at him and blinked, then grinned, “Brother did it!”

Cheng Yun: “…” He knew it.

He had heard of something called ‘hongmu’ (red wood) and ‘suanzhi’ (rosewood) before, but only had a vague impression of these names. He couldn’t distinguish suanzhi and didn’t know whether it was a type of tree or a name for furniture. However, the name hongmu, as the name suggests, probably meant red wood.

Cheng Yun made up his mind and started looking for red wood. He and Yang Hongjin wandered around the mountains and forests, looking here and touching there. Finally, they found a tree with a yellowish-red trunk.

He asked Yang Hongjin to chop off a piece. The wood had a unique woody fragrance with a pleasant smell, similar to the scent of sandalwood used in Buddhist prayer beads. Cheng Yun didn’t know if this was considered hongmu, but he imagined the pleasant scent of this wood in his home as a kind of enjoyment.

So, he didn’t bother to look for other wood and asked Yang Hongjin to chop down the tree and save more wood to make a whole set of furniture. He imagined the appearance of the furniture and felt very satisfied.

Lin Yimu, who had been watching their movements, frowned when he saw the tree they found. He originally thought of ignoring them and letting them do whatever they wanted. Some wood materials were particularly brittle and not suitable for furniture making. However, he didn’t expect these two people to accidentally find Huanghuali wood (Chinese rosewood)!

Huanghuali wood is wear-resistant, heavy, and has a high strength. Even without painting, it is not easily decayed after being crafted. Over time, it will become deeper and more stable in color due to the air’s effect. It’s wood emits a quiet fragrance, making it one of the most precious furniture materials after zitan wood (purple sandalwood) and the favored wood for nobles in the city.

There are many Huanghuali trees in the mountainous area behind Tiejia Village, including a whole area in the forest. Several furniture stores in the Nanming City area come here to obtain materials.

However, ordinary people who are not knowledgeable about wood cannot easily identify this kind of wood. Many people tend to randomly cut down wood that looks white and clean, but they do not know that such wood is often brittle and prone to termite infestation, making it unsuitable for furniture making. In contrast, this kind of wood with a darker hue is the best choice.

Lin Yimu had also been an apprentice when he was young, and at first, he didn’t know anything about identifying wood. He slowly learned how to distinguish good wood from bad wood. However, these two people had quickly identified the high-quality wood at a glance and planned to cut down a lot of it. They must have the ability to recognize good wood.

If he had just been wary of them before, he was now starting to panic. Combined with recent rumors that they had been going to town frequently, he worried that they might be competing with him for business. If that were the case, he would lose his advantage as the only one in the village who could make furniture.

Lin Yimu regretted not responding to Cheng Yun when he greeted him earlier. He should have probed him more about his intentions. He absent-mindedly chopped the wood while occasionally glancing at Cheng Yun. Inadvertently, he cut his hand.

“Ouch!” The pain caused his hand to shake, and although the wound was not too deep, blood gushed out continuously.

Lin Yimu quickly pressed on the wound, tears welling up in his eyes from the pain. He looked at the wood stained with blood and then at his injured hand, which throbbed in agony.

He cursed inwardly, realizing that he might not be able to deliver the chairs he was supposed to this month on time. He immediately thought of Cheng Yun and Yang Hongjin, hoping they could help him. If not, he would have to compensate his clients for the delay.

However, the couple who were playing and chopping wood just now had disappeared without a trace, leaving Lin Yimu alone in the vast forest, feeling helpless and on the verge of tears.