Zhang Mingxi Delivers Meat

"More than two hours." Zhang Changtian repeated, shaking his head. "I've trained more than a dozen apprentices, and none of them are like you."

He looked at Qian Cheng with a mixture of emotion, surprise, and relief in his eyes.

"Looks like I misjudged you before. You're not just not doing your job properly, you just haven't found the right job yet."

Qian Cheng scratched his head, unsure of what to say.

Zhang Changtian patted him on the shoulder: "Study hard. With your talent, it would be a shame if you didn't learn carpentry."

After saying that, he walked away with his hands behind his back, muttering to himself, "Genius, he's a fucking genius..."

Qian Cheng stood there, watching his master's back, then looking at the chair he had made, and suddenly smiled.

A genius?

Maybe.

But more important is your career panel.

Those are the attribute bonuses.

Qian Cheng stopped smiling, moved the chair aside, and began to tidy up his tools.

The carpentry skill has been upgraded to level one.

Next, we'll look at other professions.

He also has the college entrance exam to take, and he needs to earn money.

The road ahead is still long.

Qian Cheng didn't rest.

He glanced at the poplar planks piled up in the corner, estimated that there were enough to make another small chair.

Now that my proficiency has improved, let's keep going.

This time he was more confident.

After advancing to level one in carpentry, my waist strength, finger strength, and dexterity have all improved. I already felt it when I made the first chair, and now I should be able to do it faster and better.

Qian Cheng first cleared the worktable and moved the finished chairs aside. Then he selected a few planks and started again.

Draw lines.

This time I drew it much faster. I had the dimensions in my head. As the pencil scribbled across the wooden board, clear lines appeared one by one. Four legs, two cross braces, and a seat were drawn in less than ten minutes.

Feeding.

Holding the saw in my hand, it felt more stable than before. Qian Cheng aligned it with the drawn line and pushed the saw steadily.

A "rustling" sound rang out, sawdust fell evenly, and the saw cut was straight, so there was no need to redo it.

Plane flat.

Qian Cheng bent down, gripped the plane handle tightly with both hands, and pushed it all the way down with his waist. Wood shavings curled out from the plane's mouth like pale yellow flowers, and the surface of the wood quickly became smooth and flat.

Qian Cheng no longer feels any back pain.

In the past, I would have had to stand up and rest after a few cuts, but now, I can cut all the material in one go and keep working.

Make mortise and tenon joints.

Holding the chisel in his hand, Qian Cheng could clearly feel the strength in his fingers. He aligned the chisel with the outline of the tenon he had drawn, and with one stroke, the wood cracked. He controlled the force and adjusted it little by little, and the shape of the tenon gradually took shape.

Open the mortise.

I'm more skilled this time.

The chisel fell vertically, making a steady "thud-thud" sound.

The mortises were chiseled squarely and to a consistent depth.

Qian Cheng could even feel the slight resistance as the chisel tip scraped against the wood grain, and then with a flick of his wrist, the wood chips were removed.

Assemble.

Align the tenon with the mortise, tap gently, and "click," it fits perfectly.

Four legs and two horizontal supports were quickly assembled into a frame.

Qian Cheng picked it up and shook it, but it didn't budge.

Upper seat board.

The seat was planed flat, the edges were chamfered, and it was nailed to the frame with eight nails, each one firmly in place.

Final check.

Qian Cheng placed the chair on the ground, pressed the seat, and shook his legs; they were all very sturdy. He then squatted down to examine the mortise and tenon joints, which fit perfectly without any gaps.

Finished.

Qian Cheng straightened up and glanced at the old-fashioned wall clock.

It has been exactly one hour since he started drawing the lines.

It was almost half again as fast as the first time.

He wiped his sweat and looked at the chair in front of him.

The workmanship is more refined than the first one, the mortise and tenon joints are tighter, and the seat is flatter.

Although still at a beginner level, the progress is obvious.

Carpentry Proficiency +1

Carpentry (Newbie) lv.1: 1/20

A notification flashed before my eyes.

Qian Cheng smiled and prepared to pack up his tools.

"Money Prospects".

A very faint sound came from behind me.

Qian Cheng turned around and saw Zhang Mingxi leaning against the door, only half of his head showing, peeking inside.

"Mingxi?" Qian Cheng put down the plane in his hand. "When did you get here?"

"I've been here for a while," Zhang Mingxi said softly, tiptoeing in. "I didn't dare call you because you were focused on your work."

She walked to the worktable, glanced at the chair Qian Cheng had just finished, and her eyes lit up: "You made this? It's so beautiful."

"It's alright, a bit better than the first one."

Zhang Mingxi glanced at the first chair in the corner and nodded: "It's much better. My dad would be even happier if he saw it."

Qian Cheng smiled and began to pack up his tools. He hung the saw back on the wall, put the plane back in the toolbox, and returned the chisels and files to their places.

Zhang Mingxi stood by and watched, without leaving.

Qian Cheng found it a bit strange and looked up at her: "Is something wrong?"

Zhang Mingxi blushed, looked around to make sure no one else was in the room, then reached into his cotton-padded coat, rummaged around for a while, and pulled out a small oil paper packet.

"Here you go." She stuffed the oil paper package into Qian Cheng's hand.

Qian Cheng was taken aback: "What is it?"

"Open it and take a look," Zhang Mingxi said softly, her eyes sparkling.

Qian Cheng opened the oil paper package.

Inside was a piece of pork belly, half fat and half lean, weighing about half a pound. The meat was very fresh, with white fat and reddish lean meat, and it looked delicious.

"This." Qian Cheng looked up at Zhang Mingxi.

"I'll give you something to nourish your body." Zhang Mingxi's face turned even redder. "You've just recovered from your illness, and you've been staying up late studying. You need to eat more good food."

"Where did this come from?" Qian Cheng asked.

These days, pork is expensive, and people in rural areas can only afford to eat it a few times a year.

"My dad bought some in town yesterday. He was planning to save it for making dumplings for Chinese New Year, but I secretly cut off a little bit. Don't tell my dad, okay?"

Qian Cheng looked at the meat in his hand and felt a warm feeling well up in his heart.

This girl is truly devoted to him.

"Thank you, but I can't accept it. You should take it back; it wouldn't be good if your dad found out."

"Just take it!" Zhang Mingxi said anxiously, shoving the meat into Qian Cheng's arms again. "It's okay if my dad finds out. I can just say I want to eat it. You better put it away quickly so no one sees it."

Qian Cheng was about to decline when he suddenly heard footsteps outside.

It was Zhang Changtian's footsteps. Qian Cheng recognized him; the old man walked with a slightly dragging gait, the soles of his shoes scraping against the ground.

Zhang Mingxi heard this too, and her expression changed: "My dad's here! You'd better put it away!"

Without saying a word, she snatched the oil paper package and stuffed it directly into Qian Cheng's cotton-padded jacket, patting it to make sure it was hidden tightly.

Then he turned and ran towards the door, but turned back at the door and made a "shh" gesture to Qian Cheng before slipping out.

Qian Cheng was both amused and exasperated. He touched the fleshy piece in his arms and could still feel its warmth.

The footsteps grew closer.

Qian Cheng quickly straightened his cotton-padded coat to make sure nothing seemed amiss, then picked up a broom and pretended to sweep the floor.

Zhang Changtian lifted the curtain and came in, seeing Qian Cheng sweeping the floor. He was taken aback for a moment: "Oh, so you know how to tidy up now?"