The farm men surrounding him were not idle either. Although they don't have the grace and splendor of those in the capital or the wealthy towns.
But when it comes to work, it’s really hard work. There is an old saying in the countryside: Don't be afraid of how much people eat, it depends on how much people see.
Like building a new house or having a grand wedding or funeral. As long as you say a word, as long as you are not a notorious person in the village, someone will come to help you.
The host’s family will also arrange good meals to entertain the guests. Both parties benefit from each other and maintain the friendship between the land and water.
The stout carpenter Li came to the selected tree, looked around, tapped important parts with his hands, and even rested his head on the bark of the tree to identify the echo.
He has been doing carpentry work all year round, and the calluses on his hands almost cover the entire palm. Even though he is well-known in several nearby villages, he has never asked for high prices, and has not increased by a copper plate since ten years ago.
The more honest he is and willing to suffer small losses, the more people will come to him. Many people even have to wait in line for half a year to get a piece of furniture made by him.
But despite this, his business is still coming in continuously.
So when everyone saw that these two newcomers could actually invite Carpenter Li to help make beams, everyone's envy was clearly visible on their faces.
After careful investigation, Carpenter Li nodded and said in a low voice, "This tree is fine. You all should stay away. Be careful if the tree falls and hits you."
When everyone heard about it, they spread out far around the tree, and then formed a larger circle outside.
In addition to the villagers from this village, there are actually young men from other places. Carpenter Li never accepts apprentices. According to his words, "All skills are learned secretly. How much you can learn depends entirely on your own ability."
Therefore, whenever Carpenter Li goes out to work, there are always young people from all over the country who want to learn this craft. They either stand in the front row of the crowd or climb to high places, not daring to miss a single step.
Carpenter Li took out the saw and ink line from the box, and then took out the ruler.
I measured around the tree several times and measured it vertically several times to make sure there were no mistakes before I started.
He first drew a line two feet close to the root of the tree, and then slowly cut it with a saw.
It was slow at first, but became easier as the saw went deeper.
This is Carpenter Li's skill. When people cut down trees, they get harder and harder the further they go. But he is not. Some people say that his saw is good, while others say that his technique is mysterious.
After all these years, I still can’t say for sure.
When the tree section was nearly halfway cut, Carpenter Li took out a wooden wedge from his waist and inserted it into the cut he had just made.
This wedge can ensure that the direction of the tree's fall is controllable, and safety is greatly improved.
Mu Wan'er couldn't help but cheer in her heart. She had seen it on the Discovery Channel before. Although machines were used for large-scale logging in the modern Amazon jungle, the method of using wedges to fix the fall had already been invented in this era.
With the constant grinding sound of the saw blade, the thick trees that already don’t have many leaves in autumn and winter. First there was a slow clicking sound.
Then the sound became louder and louder, like a moderate thunder in the sky, followed by a crash, leaves and branches scraping against other trees.
There was a roar, the trees fell, and the dust settled.
The men who were watching the fun didn't need to be greeted by Carpenter Li. They all crowded forward, lifting and pushing.
Put the straight tree on the shelf that Carpenter Li had placed before.
This shelf was also built by Carpenter Li himself. No matter what kind of wood it is, as long as it is placed on it, no matter how uneven the material is, it can always find a good position and be firmly fixed by rolling it a few times.
Then let’s look at Carpenter Li’s craftsmanship, not to mention the complete set of tools. There were planes, knives, saws, chisels, and many other items that Mu Wan'er couldn't even name.
It turned out that she still didn't understand why some boys could watch an excavator digging for a long time, but now she finally had some understanding.
Although Li Carpenter is usually stern, he is really vigorous and resolute in his work. I saw him using a saw to quickly trim off the excess branches, then stepping on the wood and using a plane to remove the bark.
The originally rough and ugly appearance, under the hands of the carpenter, became like a peeled apple in about half an hour, no matter how you look at it, it looks sharp.
It was noon at this time. After watching for a while, Mu Wan'er quietly went back to the hut to prepare meals for everyone.
Because there are so many people, it is impossible to choose carefully, but there is no problem with three dishes and one soup.
"Everyone has a rest first, come and eat, and then get busy after eating."
Mu Wan'er began to invite everyone to eat.
She first served Granny Chen a bowl of rice with soup and vegetables. This was the most comfortable meal for the elderly. Just like drinking soup, you can swallow it as soon as you sip it.
Then she brought food to Carpenter Li and Sister Xu.
Seeing that the elders of the house and the invited craftsmen all ate it, the people next to them were naturally not polite.
People gathered around, those taking steamed buns, those serving cauliflower soup, or those picking up vegetables.
After serving their own portions, they all found a place out of the way and squatted down to eat.
It is etiquette for the host to treat you to a meal, and those who help should also understand the rules when eating.
These rural people don't know any big principles, they only understand the rules passed down from generation to generation.
As much as you do things for people, you eat as much as you want.
For example, those women who did not take action would have gone home long ago if they had not been strongly invited by Mu Wan'er and Shen Zui.
While everyone was eating, they chatted about interesting things in the village or strange stories they heard somewhere.
There were also many children holding meat in their mouths and fighting back and forth, which made some men anxious to take off their cloth shoes and start beating them.
It was noisy, but full of life. Compared to the Immortal Gate where he was before, Shenzui always felt that this was what he was living for.
After the meal, some embarrassed village women clamored to help Granny Chen and Mu Wan'er clean up the dishes.
Don't tell me, they work every day, and their hands are really energetic. Several times during the pushing and pulling, Mu Wan'er, who is slim and thin, feels that she is a poor piece of clothes in the washing machine, and can only passively do this. Rolling back and forth in etiquette.
There is strength in numbers, no matter what you do. Many of these bowls and chopsticks were borrowed by Granny Chen from her neighbors. After cleaning, the jade is returned intact.
Although the weather was still a bit cold at this time, Carpenter Li, who had just finished his meal and was ready to exert his strength, took off his outer robe and tied the sleeves and waist of the short robe tightly.
He spat into the palm of his hand, rubbed it a few times, and then picked up the plane and began to dig hard at the wood.
The horizontal beam that seemed perfect to outsiders still had many flaws in his eyes.
If the owner doesn't say anything, he won't pretend he didn't see it.
In Carpenter Li's eyes, there was no sand in his eyes.
