The daily life of a space tycoon raising children, doting on his husband, and farming.

Chapter 53: A Little Knowledge

Chen Guifang was unhappy. Her daughter, Er Ya, was lying on the kang (a heated brick bed), and neither her father-in-law nor mother-in-law had shown any concern. Yet, when Tie Dan went missing, they dragged their injured hands around the village searching for him. If Tie Dan hadn't pushed Er Ya out to shield her from the stones, how could her daughter have suffered like this?

But no matter how unhappy she was, she didn't dare to say it. She responded sullenly, wanting to give her husband some advice, but Lin Jianshui had already followed her back home.

Chen Guifang became even more depressed. After lazily calling out "Tiedan" twice, the thought suddenly popped into her mind that it would be better if Tiedan didn't come back.

If Tiedan is gone, Erya will be the only child in the family, so she will surely receive some attention, right?
My sister-in-law injured her body giving birth to Tiedan, and it's uncertain whether she'll be able to have children again. If Tiedan is gone, and she has another boy, wouldn't that be...?

Chen Guifang was startled by the sudden thought and looked around furtively. She breathed a sigh of relief when she saw that no one was paying attention to her.

She shook her head vigorously, telling herself she couldn't think like that. She had watched Tiedan grow up; how could she possibly want him gone?

But some thoughts, once they are born, take root in the heart like seeds, and when they find an opportunity, they will sprout and gradually grow into towering trees.

Lin Jianshan closed his front door, and the whole family gathered in the main room.

Lin Jianshui was not a patient man and urged, "Father, just say what you have to say."

Village Chief Lin's arm was really sore, and he looked at Lin Jianshan listlessly, "Boss, you tell us."

Lin Jianshan licked the dead skin off his lips and, under the watchful eyes of the others, solemnly revealed the matter of burying silver and framing someone.

The three unsuspecting people were astonished. Liu frowned and said with displeasure, "Eldest son, how could you give so much money to a child?"

Lin Jianshan glanced at Village Chief Lin. He initially disagreed with letting Tiedan bury the silver, thinking of letting his second son or Zhou Shi do it, but he couldn't persuade his father, so he had to let Tiedan do it.

Village Chief Lin thought Lin Jianshui was brainless and might accidentally blurt out the truth. As for Zhou Shi, in his eyes, women were only for cooking, giving birth, and doing housework; they couldn't accomplish anything great. Entrusting the task to Zhou Shi was not as good as entrusting it to Lin Jianshui.

Furthermore, Village Chief Lin felt that Tie Dan was too young, and even if Shang Wan was powerful, she wouldn't be so wary of a child, would she?

"It was my idea." Village Chief Lin glanced at Liu, who had no choice but to swallow her scolding words and asked worriedly, "Where did that child go with so much silver?"

Lin Jianshan said, "The red cloth has been dug out. Tie Dan's disappearance must be related to Lu Xiucai's family!"

"Then what are we waiting for?" Liu stood up and rolled up her sleeves. "Let's go to their door!"

Zhou also stood up; she had to make that man surnamed Shang hand over her son!

"Mother, sister-in-law, don't go looking for trouble." Lin Jianshui stood up and stopped the two, looking at the village chief with a puzzled expression. "Father, why does our family want to mess with Scholar Lu's family? Where did that jade pendant come from?"

"Don't ask questions you shouldn't ask." Village Chief Lin tapped the table. "Tiedan should be in that woman surnamed Shang's hands. I have a way to force her to hand him over."

……

After lunch, Shang Wan broke off a tree branch and squatted down to draw a sketch of the wooden shed.

The wooden shed is mainly for sleeping, so it doesn't need to be built in a complicated way; as long as there is enough space, that's fine.

She kept revising and making notes as she drew, clearly marking the approximate materials and quantities.

Seeing this, Yuanyuan followed suit, lying on the edge of the straw mat, holding a stone in her little hand, and drawing randomly on the mud, looking even more serious than Shang Wan.

Lu Chengjing held the medicine bowl, drinking it while observing the two people, one big and one small, who were drawing intently. Looking at the similar expressions on their faces, he inexplicably felt that the bitterness of the medicine in the bowl had faded a bit.

Following Shang Wan's instructions, Shi Tou went to the Zhang family to borrow a saw and a plane. Worried that he wouldn't have enough tools, he also worked hard to sharpen the only two axes he had.

"Done!" Shang Wan tossed aside the branch and brushed the mud off the hem of her skirt.

Xiao Huan brought over some water and craned her neck to look. All she saw was a messy pile of drawings on the ground, and she couldn't make out what they were.

"Sister, is this the shed we're supposed to stay in?" Shang Wan drank half a bowl of water and asked, "Isn't it obvious?"

Xiao Huan looked at the complicated painting on the ground and then at Shang Wan. After hesitating for a while, she said tactfully, "Sister, why don't we go and ask Uncle Zhang for advice?"

She really didn't want to be buried by a collapsed shed while she was sleeping.

“That’s their livelihood. Wouldn’t it be making things difficult for them if we came knocking on their door?” Shang Wan waved her hand. “It’s just a simple wooden shed. I can set it up in no time.”

Stone brought over the axe, saw, and plane all at once.

Shang Wan began to assign tasks, "I'll be in charge of sawing the wood, Shi Tou, you'll use the plane to smooth out the uneven parts, and Xiao Huan, take care of Yuan Yuan and your brother-in-law."

Shi Tou and Xiao Huan had no objections, but Lu Chengjing did; he wanted to see the sketch Shang Wan had drawn.

Shang Wan carried the person over and placed them on a straw mat. She pointed to the map on the ground and gave a simple explanation, while Xiao Huan and Shi Tou listened attentively.

Yuanyuan threw down the stone in her hand, crawled over to join in the fun, and nodded her little head along with Shang Wan's explanation, as if she understood.

The more Lu Chengjing listened, the more he felt that Shang Wan's wooden shed and prison cells were similar in concept, and they were all single rooms.

Seeing that his expression was strange, Shang Wan said directly, "You can raise any objections."

Lu Chengjing probed, "You... designed it like a prison cell?"

"I referenced it a little bit," Shang Wan said truthfully. "It's temporary, just simple enough for people to live in."

Lu Chengjing pointed to the places where the different parts of the painting connected, "How do you plan to connect them?"

Shang Wan hadn't mentioned this part in her explanation, and the drawing only showed simple lines, which made him a little concerned.

"Of course, nails..." Shang Wan paused, suddenly realizing that she had no nails, no screws, and no of the usual connecting tools.

Lu Chengjing automatically assumed that Shang Wan planned to make bamboo nails herself, and said slowly, "Bamboo nails are generally used on furniture. Small items in the shed can be fixed with bamboo nails, but they are not suitable for the place where the shed roof meets the pillars. They cannot be fixed and are prone to collapse."

Shangwan: What are bamboo nails?

She looked at Lu Chengjing, her gaze slightly surprised. "You know about architecture?"

Lu Chengjing understood for a moment, and nodded, "I've read about it in books, so I know a little about it."

Shang Wan knew that most people in this world, especially scholars, were quite modest. Lu Chengjing's so-called "knowing a little" should be translated as "knowing quite a bit."

She wasn't in a hurry to start work anymore. She invited Shi Tou and Xiao Huan to sit down on the straw mat and humbly asked Lu Chengjing for advice, "Does the book teach how to fix it?"

"Yes." Lu Chengjing recalled the contents of the book slowly.

He was in poor health from a young age and rarely went out. His only pleasure during his bedridden days was reading.

He read a wide variety of books, including not only the classics and historical texts required by the county school, but also many other miscellaneous books. He didn't stick to any particular category; he read whatever was available. Over time, he gained some understanding of various schools of thought and religions.

The three adults and one child were listening attentively to Master Lu's lecture when someone had to come and spoil the fun.

The Lin family has come to take back their child.

Thank you so much for your votes, my darlings! Sending you lots of love and kisses!
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(End of this chapter)