I trade in both worlds

Xu Xu thought to himself that although fifty taels was not a small amount, considering the number of furniture and the difficulty of installation, this price was indeed not excessive.

Moreover, Xu Jianli can also ask his father Xu Qinglin to help with the installation, which should be more efficient.

So she nodded: "Okay, then I'll go ask now."

After saying that, Xu Xu stood up and walked towards the clan leader's house.

Walking into the spacious courtyard of the clan leader's house, Xu Xu immediately saw Xu Jianli who was busy.

He was bending over with his back hunched, holding a saw, carefully sawing a piece of wood. Saw chips slowly fell as the saw moved, and a faint woody fragrance filled the air.

Xu Jianli was so focused on sawing the wood in his hands that he didn't even notice Xu Xu came in.

"Brother Jianli." Xu Xu called softly, with a hint of intimacy in his voice.

When Xu Jianli heard the voice, he looked up and saw that it was Xu Xu. He put down the saw in his hand and brushed off the wood chips on his body.

Smiling, he asked, "Xu Xu, you're here? How come you have time to come to my place today?"

Xu Xu looked at the wood chips flying all over the place caused by Xu Jianli's beating and quickly took a few steps back.

After Xu Jianli cleaned up, he said, "Brother Jianli, I need your help with something."

Hearing this, Xu Jianli smiled and asked, "What's the matter? Tell me."

Xu Xu took a few steps closer and explained his purpose: "Brother Jianli, my friend's brother bought some very good wooden furniture, disassembled it and shipped it from Beijing, and now it is placed in my yard."

"He knows nothing about installation, so I came to ask you if you can help him install it. He will pay fifty taels, and ask you to help him install it as soon as possible."

Fifty taels? Xu Jianli was stunned when he heard this. You know, in this remote little village, fifty taels is not a small sum. Most families in the village can only spend less than one tael a year.

He just helped people make furniture and do some carpentry work. When did he accept such a generous commission?

"Really? Fifty taels to install a few sets of furniture?" He asked again in disbelief, with surprise flashing in his eyes.

Seeing this, Xu Xu nodded affirmatively: "Yes, Brother Jianli. However, it would be better for you to go over and see how many pieces of furniture there are."

The disassembled furniture parts were piled all over the floor, and she couldn't tell what kind of furniture they were. But Xu Jianli was different. He was a carpenter, and after going to the scene, he should be able to roughly know what was what.

Xu Jianli thought about it and nodded: "Okay, then I'll go take a look first."

As he spoke, he brushed off the sawdust on his body, washed his hands, and then followed Xu Xu to her home.

The two walked side by side on the path, and occasionally villagers passed by and greeted them enthusiastically.

Xu Jianli was wondering in his heart whether the job was worth taking for the fifty taels salary.

He is not a greedy person, but such a good opportunity is indeed rare.

Before entering the yard, Xu Jianli saw the wood piled in the yard. The texture and grain showed that it was of the best quality.

Xu Ziqing also came. The two of them were sitting under the eaves, quietly looking at the wood in the yard, talking about something. They stood up when they saw Xu Jianli and Xu Xu coming in.

"Brother Jianli, this is my good sister Xu Ziqing, her last name is also Xu, what a fate!" Xu Xu introduced: "That is Miss Xu's brother, Xu Ziqi."

Upon hearing this, Xu Jianli immediately clasped his fists and saluted: "Mr. Xu, Miss Xu."

Xu Ziqi smiled slightly and said in return: "You're welcome, my name is Xu Ziqi. I heard from Xuxu that I'm a little older than you, so I will be polite and call you Jianli. You can also call me Ziqi."

His voice is gentle and polite, which makes people feel good about him.

Xu Ziqing stood aside and watched quietly.

Xu Ziqi's eyes swept over the scattered wood and explained, "Jianli, I brought all these furniture from the capital. Take a look and see if you can restore them to their original state."

Xu Jianli looked around and found that these furniture were not only made of high-quality materials, but also exquisitely designed. They were obviously not made by ordinary craftsmen.

Fifty taels, it doesn't seem like much.

He had an idea in mind, so he asked Xu Ziqi, "Do all these need to be installed?"

Xu Ziqi nodded: "Yes, they all need to be installed. See if fifty taels is enough. If not, I'll add more."

Although Xu Ziqi is not short of money, he doesn't want to be taken advantage of. If the price is unreasonable, he would rather do it himself.

Xu Jianli shook his head when he heard this: "No, fifty taels is enough, let me take a look first."

After saying that, he began to carefully examine each piece of wood, silently planning the order and steps of installation in his mind.

Xu Xu, Xu Ziqing and Xu Ziqi watched quietly from the side.

Xu Jianli walked around the furniture and said, "I took a rough look and it seems that it can be installed. However, it will take at least ten days to install all the furniture."

After saying that, he thought for a moment and emphasized, "This is the fastest time. It doesn't mean that it can be installed in a dozen days. Some complicated ones take more time."

Xu Ziqi frowned when he heard this. It would take a long time, but there was nothing he could do. He nodded and said, "Okay, when will you start the installation?"

Xu Jianli decided to go back and prepare some tools and discuss with his father Xu Qinglin. After all, some complex structures could be done faster if two people worked together.

He replied cheerfully, "I'll go back and prepare some tools now, and come with my dad to install it this afternoon. By the way, where should we put the furniture?"

Xu Ziqi pointed to the main hall and said, "Put the packed things in Xuxu's utility room for now, and I'll arrange for someone to move them out later."

Xu Jianli nodded when he heard it, and talked to Xu Ziqi about the details before leaving to prepare the tools.

"Dad, there is work to do." Xu Jianli shouted excitedly as he entered the door.

His clothes were slightly soaked with sweat, but it couldn't hide his joy at adding income to his family.

Xu Qinglin was sitting in the yard, drinking tea leisurely. When he heard his son's voice, he raised his eyelids slightly: "Oh? What kind of work?"

"He's Xuxu's friend. He bought some furniture made of fine wood, but doesn't know how to install it, so he wants us to help. The wages are fifty taels." Xu Jianli said all in one breath, his eyes sparkling.

Hearing this, Xu Qinglin paused for a moment as the teacup in his hand flickered with a hint of surprise in his eyes.

In this small village, anyone who can afford fifty taels to hire someone to install furniture is definitely not an ordinary person.

Besides, Xuxu doesn’t interact much with the villagers on weekdays. When did she get such a generous friend?

Just as he was thinking, the clan leader sitting in the main hall asked loudly, "What friend of hers?"

Xu Jianli was stunned. He didn't expect that the clan leader would be so concerned about this matter.

He scratched his head, thinking back to the brother and sister he had seen at Xuxu's house, and said, "I just saw them at Xuxu's house. They were a brother and sister, also surnamed Xu. They were both well-dressed, and seemed to be from a wealthy family."

"Brother and sister with the surname Xu?" The clan leader stood at the door of the main hall and looked at Xu Jianli thoughtfully.

"Yes." Xu Jianli replied.

The patriarch nodded and turned back to the main room. He knew that the potato seeds were provided by that man.