The life of Lao Liu since 1944

Hou Jie didn't even have breakfast and slipped out of the yard avoiding Chen Xueru.

He walked towards Uncle Niu's house. It had been several days, and he still hadn't seen the furniture made by Uncle Niu. He wanted to go and take a look today.

Furniture making is a delicate job and cannot be completed as quickly as Master Lei’s. He did not rush and gave Master Niu plenty of time.

Anyway, there are old furniture at home, which is not unusable, so there is no need to treat them harshly. Nowadays, furniture making is purely handmade, which is very time-consuming.

As we got closer to our destination, I had a bowl of wontons at a roadside stall. The flavor was authentic and really good.

I came to the door of Niu Ye's house and knocked. A young man in his 20s who looked like Niu Ye opened the door. It turned out that this man was Niu Ye's eldest son, Niu Jizu, who was also a carpenter and learned his father's craft. Now he is married and has moved out to live alone, leaving his father and younger brother to live here. My father took on a big job and couldn't handle it, so I'm here to help these days.

The two exchanged a few polite words, and were welcomed in after stating their identities. This was also a two-courtyard house, and the area was about the same size as his own. It seemed that Mr. Niu's family was quite wealthy, otherwise there wouldn't be two houses, and it was estimated that the place where the eldest son lived was also not small.

The wood for the furniture is placed at the base of the wall at the entrance to the courtyard. The ground is made of bluestone slabs that are much higher, probably to prevent rainwater from soaking. The finished furniture is placed in the back room. The real furniture making place is in the west wing of the second courtyard. The youngest son lives in the east wing, and Mr. Niu and his wife live in the main room. The decoration of the house is good, and it can be seen that it was made by someone with high skills. Considering Mr. Niu's own skills, it is speculated that it is his own work.

When Uncle Niu heard the noise in the house and looked outside, he saw that it was Hou Jie. He quickly stood up to greet him, smiling as he walked.

"My dear friend, welcome to my humble abode. You are so busy that you have just come after such a long time. I am still thinking about you!"

Hou Jie returned the gift, saying that he was very polite and that there was no need to be so polite. The two chatted for a while, and Niu Ye took the lead to look at the finished furniture.

Niu said that the eight-immortal table, square stool, round stool, long bench, imperial chair, official hat chair, etc. have been made. The other products are a bit complicated and will take a little longer to make. When Hou Jie came to the workshop and saw these furniture, he was surprised. They were so beautiful that he couldn't help but touch them.

Hou Jie really likes the square Chinese furniture. Whenever he sees them, he feels comforted. Maybe it has something to do with the fact that he was a poor guy in his previous life. When a poor person suddenly becomes rich, he always has the urge to buy, so he can't wait to decorate the house and build furniture to fulfill his dream. The sofas, coffee tables, etc. of later generations were all introduced by foreigners. Compared with the things of his ancestors, they are too inferior.

Niu Ye took Hou Jie to see the furniture being made. The canopy bed and chaise longue have already taken shape. Hou Jie was very satisfied and told Niu Ye that it was okay to be slow, but he must make it well. These are all treasures, and who knows how much they will be worth in the future. Of course, he would not sell them, but just put them there, showing the style of a big boss, blinding many people's titanium alloy dog ​​eyes.

A few people discussed the remaining furniture carefully for a while and made some minor changes. Hou Jie asked Niu Jizu about his craftsmanship. Niu said that his eldest son had inherited his skills and his skills were comparable to his, otherwise he would not have let him go out to live on his own and take on jobs to make a living. Of course, sometimes he still needed his father to give him some pointers, but that was unspeakable.

Hou Jie nodded in satisfaction and told Niu Ye in advance that he must leave some time for next year. He had a big job to do, so he asked him to contact his old friends in advance and form a team. After the Chinese New Year, he would build 40 third-class buildings, which would require a lot of manpower, wood and other construction materials.

Hou Jie asked Niu Ye that he was optimistic about his eldest son Niu Jizu and wanted him to help him. Niu Ye happily agreed on behalf of his son.

After finishing this batch of work, let him report to me. He has something to assign and may need his connections to get through. I hope Mr. Niu will not refuse.

Niu Jizu on the side was almost dumbfounded and couldn't react at all. Fortunately, his father had experience and agreed on his behalf.

When Niu Ye heard about this good thing, he promised to do his best to help him. No matter what he could do, he would just accept it and see how it went. He was a little nervous at the same time, but he thought that this little guy was not an ordinary person. He could easily take out thousands of dollars and get such good wood. These woods alone were worth a million dollars. It was impossible to get them without some tricks.

"My friend, how many people do you need?"

Hou Jie pondered for a moment and said, "At least 200 carpenters are needed. If not, more can be added."

"You can discuss the rest with Master Lei. I haven't informed him yet. Once my house is renovated, you can prepare it."

Niu Ye looked at Hou Jie and thought, I guess you just thought of it at the last minute, and he was a little nervous. Just when he was about to ask, he heard Hou Jie say

"After finishing the work, ask your son to go to the Yongchang Grain Store in the vegetable market and ask Zhang Dalong to withdraw 30 yuan to buy the land first. I will ask someone to cooperate with him."

He looked like he didn't take 30 yuan seriously at all, which made Niu Ye open his mouth wide. How rich must he be to be so generous.

Selling grain can make so much money now, did I choose the wrong career?

I must have heard it wrong. Uncle Niu raised his hand and slapped himself in the face. He felt a slight pain and was sure it was not a dream. This made him even more unacceptable.

Hou Jie looked at Niu Ye speechlessly as he slapped himself in the face, with a hint of confusion on his face. Did I say something wrong just now?

When Niu Ye saw Hou Jie looking at him, he couldn't help but blush.

"Sorry, there was a mosquito just now and I swatted it. I'm sorry I disturbed you."

Hou Jie looked at him strangely. There are mosquitoes in the middle of winter? That's not even a lie. Forget it, don't worry about it. Just be happy.

Niu Jizu looked at the young master with an expression of disbelief. Are you sure you are not kidding? Are you trying to play a trick on him? Dozens of buildings can be built at any time. Do you know how many people and resources are needed? The whole city will be shocked by this. Can you ensure that this can be accomplished?

I also heard that I was asked to withdraw 30 yuan to buy land, which confirmed that I was still inexperienced. It is true that you cannot judge a book by its cover.

As an old man from the old city of Sijiu, he still had some knowledge. This amount of money was indeed a lot for him, but for the real wealthy families, it was not worth mentioning.

Please note that the people who talk about this kind of thing are adults in their thirties or forties. You are just a teenager, so it's no wonder that others can't accept it.

Hou Jie chatted with Uncle Niu for a few more words before being escorted out the door by the Niu father and son. The two of them stared at each other in silence for a long time.

Finally, Niu Jizu lost his temper and asked, "Dad, what happened just now was real. I am not dreaming, right?"

Niu Ye collected his thoughts and said, "Son! Our Niu family is lucky. We have met a noble person."

"If the matter is accomplished next year, it will be enough for your father to live a carefree life until old age. This young man is very generous. This batch of furniture alone will be enough for your father to enjoy a few years of drinking."

"Son! Since others admire you, just follow them and do your best. If you do well, maybe this is just the beginning."

Niu Jizu nodded seriously, agreeing with his father's words. It was also thanks to his father's good reputation, otherwise such good things would not have come to him.

I have learned from my father that I will be a decent person, do my job properly and leave a good reputation. I may not be lucky, but I will not bring disaster upon myself.