By linking my account to the check-in system, I became a leisurely traveler.

Chapter 73 Converting a Room into a Double Room

To Li Younan's surprise, Huang Xiaoyang actually brought a car and delivered some timber himself when he only asked him to help him get some.

Of course, he didn't drive; there was a special delivery truck, and he himself drove his sports car over.

Huang Xiaoyang arrived in the evening.

What Li Younan didn't expect was that this guy didn't come alone; he brought a girl with him.

The three met at the entrance of a restaurant. Li Younan said he would treat him to a meal, since the man had helped him so much.

When Li Younan saw this girl, he was genuinely taken aback.

If he remembered correctly, this guy was single just two days ago, just like him. Good grief, he'd just broken up with his girlfriend, and this guy already has one. It's infuriating!

Huang Xiaoyang maintained an indifferent expression and casually introduced, "My girlfriend, Dandan."

Dandan smiled sweetly.

After ordering the food, Huang Xiaoyang asked, "What do you need all this wood for?"

Li Younan briefly explained to him that he planned to do some woodwork and make some modifications to the car.

Huang Xiaoyang raised an eyebrow: "You can do this too?"

Li Younan said in a serious tone, "I know a lot of things. You know, people from small places like us always come into contact with some strange and unusual things from childhood to adulthood."

Huang Xiaoyang's expression was somewhat strange. He silently took a sip of tea, put down the cup, and said, "I don't believe it. I'm going to the scene tomorrow."

Li Younan stroked his chin, his expression brightening: "That's perfect, you can film a video for me later."

Huang Xiaoyang's expression was somewhat strange: "You're filming a video? What are you going to do?"

Li Younan proudly took out her phone, showed him the homepage of the short video platform, and said, "See? I've switched careers to become a live streamer."

Huang Xiaoyang paused for a moment, then silently took out his phone, found an account with a million followers, and sent it to Li Younan.

Li Younan asked, somewhat puzzled, "Who is this?"

Huang Xiaoyang said casually, "This is one of our family's livestreamers."

Li Younan's lips twitched slightly: "Your family has a really wide range of interests."

Why would someone like that go to work? What's in it for him?
Huang Xiaoyang's girlfriend didn't say much, just sat obediently, looking like she was listening attentively to the two of them.

Occasionally, when Huang Xiaoyang has a need, Dandan will prepare it in advance as if she understands perfectly, without him having to ask.

Li Younan sighed, thinking that perhaps this kind of girl was the right one for Huang Xiaoyang.

……

On a July afternoon, the heat clung to the ground.

Li Younan parked the Land Cruiser in the shade in front of the hardware store, with the trunk open.

Huang Xiaoyang arrived, looking refreshed in a white T-shirt, his hair neatly styled, his handsome face still expressionless, accompanied by his girlfriend.

Huang Xiaoyang was holding a rather professional-looking video camera, with the lens pointed at Li Younan.

“No need to take pictures now…” Li Younan chuckled, lowered his head and pulled out a tape measure to measure the dimensions of the trunk, focusing on the height difference after the seats were folded down and the irregular shape.

Huang Xiaoyang ignored Li Younan and continued filming, his expression revealing amusement, as if he was very curious about what tricks Li Younan was planning to pull.

His girlfriend watched quietly from the side.

Boss Wang also came out. Seeing Li Younan moving the boards, he strolled out and stood on the steps at the shop entrance.

"Teacher, are you already getting started?" He looked at the Land Cruiser, his eyes filled with envy. "Your family must be quite well-off, right? To be able to drive such a luxury car at such a young age!"

Li Younan smiled casually: "I bought it secondhand, it was cheap."

The boss assumed Li Younan was just being modest; the car was clearly new. Can you really buy a used car just because it's new?

"Okay, give me all the tools later." Li Younan squatted down in the trunk, gesturing between the floor and the seat back: "The second row doesn't fold flat, so we'll raise it up, put a mattress on top, and you can sleep there. We'll make a drawer underneath to store things; it won't get in the way."

"Oh? You can hide things down there?"

Boss Wang took out the prepared tool kit one by one and stared intently at Li Younan.

Li Younan drew the first line on the wooden board with chalk; this was the dimension of the bottom panel of the drawer cabinet.

Huang Xiaoyang's camera followed closely.

Li Younan didn't say much. He aligned his saw with the line and steadily sawed down. The sound was crisp, and the scent of wood wafted out.

It has to be said that the things that young master Huang Xiaoyang gave were really good. The wood he brought was top-quality teak, which is moisture-proof and insect-proof, and it is not easy to deform or crack even if it is eroded by seawater or exposed to the sun.

As Mr. Wang watched, Huang Xiaoyang's girlfriend also took a step forward.

Cut the boards to size.

The key is this drawer cabinet; it has to fit perfectly into the recess in the trunk, and the bottom has to perfectly avoid the bulge of the spare tire.

More importantly, the height of its top surface must be just enough to fill the gap between the rear of the folded-down second-row seats and the trunk floor.

Li Younan took out a pencil and a right-angle ruler and drew the positions of the mortise and tenon joints directly on the cut board.

Dovetail joints are sturdy and durable.

Mr. Wang walked closer to take a look.

"All by hand?" he asked. "Yes, you just need to practice." Li Younan picked up the tools generously sponsored by Boss Wang and began to work. The sawdust fell off neatly, and the cuts were clean and crisp.

In deeper areas, narrower chisels were used for repair. Several mortises were made, with straight edges.

Huang Xiaoyang raised an eyebrow and held the camera more steadily.

His girlfriend gave a soft "oh".

Li Younan began making the dovetail tenons for the drawer.

More precise, the pencil line is thin and accurate, and the circular electric saw follows the line closely without deviation.

The saw blade steadily follows the wood grain, and after sawing, it is carefully trimmed with a thin-bladed chisel, ensuring that each tenon fits perfectly into the mortise.

Mr. Wang stopped fanning himself and pressed himself almost against the car, staring intently at the vehicle.

Li Younan picked up a side panel with a mortise cut in it, and then picked up a panel with a tenon cut in it. He aligned them and tapped them gently.

With a soft "click," the two boards snapped together, the tenon fully inserted, fitting perfectly and remaining perfectly still.

Mr. Wang took a breath.

Others might not understand the significance of this, but as someone who frequently deals with this kind of thing, he was completely stunned.

Li Younan pieced them together one by one.

The sounds of sawing wood, chiseling, and the light tapping of the mallet were clearly audible in the afternoon, and sweat streamed down my neck.

The frame of the drawer cabinet is slowly being erected.

The last panel clicked shut, and a square cabinet with tightly interlocking mortise and tenon joints appeared in the trunk.

Li Younan pushed it into the designated spot in the trunk. He adjusted the angle, slid it in along the floor, and pushed it all the way in.

The dimensions are exactly as described, with a one-finger-width gap evenly spaced between the left and right sides of the vehicle body, and the front is flush against the back of the second-row seats.

Li Younan pushed it with his hand; it was steady and reliable. Pulling it out and pushing it back in was smooth and silent.

"All right."

Li Younan clapped his hands, "When you put things in the drawer, this board on top is the base to level them out."

In the future, steel pulleys and guide rails can be added to make it even more labor-saving, but those will need to be custom-made by a manufacturer.

Boss Wang leaned closer to take a look, his mouth agape: "Perfectly fitted! Just like the original! Handmade? Amazing!"

"Let's see if it's flat."

As Li Younan spoke, he walked to the side of the car, grabbed the pull cord of the second-row right seat, and gently pulled. The seat, along with the middle section, smoothly folded forward. The seat back fell down, resting perfectly on the top panel of the drawer cabinet that Li Younan had just finished making, and Li Younan rubbed it back and forth a few times with his palm.

“Look, this half on the right, it’ll be flat when you lay it down.” Li Younan gestured for Huang Xiaoyang to pat the joint. “This half can be used as a bed, it’s 1.2 meters wide, enough for one person to sleep comfortably. The drawers underneath are still usable, they won’t interfere with storing things.”

Huang Xiaoyang immediately pointed the camera at the seam between the seat and the top panel of the cabinet, where the transition was very smooth.

"What if two people need to sleep in the room?" his girlfriend couldn't help but ask curiously.

Huang Xiaoyang glanced at Dandan indifferently.

"Simple."

Li Younan walked to the left and pulled another rope, folding down the left seat completely. Now the entire rear seat area, along with the trunk, formed a large flat surface.

Originally, Li Younan planned to make only one side, but after thinking about it, she decided to make both sides. Normally, she would just make the 1-meter bed, and if necessary, the 2-meter bed might also be useful.

In this regard... I still have a tiny bit of hope.

Li Younan patted the large, flat surface: "Lay the whole thing down, and it'll be a two-meter-long bed. The drawers are still underneath; they're easy to pull out and push in. Then, put on a custom-made mattress, and it'll be perfect."

Huang Xiaoyang's camera followed Li Younan's movements, panning from the right side of the small bed to the left, and then showing the entire flat, large space.

His girlfriend's eyes lit up: "Wow, so practical! It can switch between a small bed and a large bed, and there's storage underneath!"

Mr. Wang clicked his tongue and exclaimed, "Tsk tsk tsk, teacher, you've been hiding your true talent!"

Li Younan took a sip of water. The sun was setting, and the wind carried a cool scent of teak and sawdust.

Li Younan leaned against the car, looking at the perfectly fitted drawer cabinet that was securely embedded in the Land Cruiser, with a flat, foldable seat on top, and felt at ease.

Huang Xiaoyang stood up straight, looked down at the camera playback, then looked at the cabinet, and then at the flat, large space in the trunk.

His gaze finally fell on the electric drill in Li Younan's toolbox.

Huang Xiaoyang suddenly asked curiously, "Would it be comfortable to sleep in the car?"

Li Younan said with a smile, "It feels so good!"

His mind was filled with the experience he had by the lake that rained that day.

Huang Xiaoyang stared at the bed for a while, then suddenly looked at his girlfriend Dandan next to him.

Dandan paused for a moment, then lowered her head deeply.

Li Younan suddenly realized that the atmosphere was a bit strange, and then the smile on his face froze.

Ah, no, what weird scenarios are these two imagining...?

(End of this chapter)