novelden Chapter 144 Why do you, as the older brother, have such a gossipy mouth?
Chapter 144 Why do you, as the older brother, have such a gossipy mouth?
"Wow, this is so much fun! It's just that mine doesn't look quite right!"
Li Xiaohua said embarrassedly that she had ruined a piece of wood on her tenth carving attempt.
Looking at Li Xiaohua, Dahai's father smiled and said, "Take your time, this can't be rushed."
"Xiao Hua is truly talented." Da Hai poured Li Xiangyang a cup of hot tea. "To carve something like this on your first try."
The fire in the stove was burning brightly inside. Li Xiangyang held a teacup, watching his younger sister study diligently, and felt a warmth in his heart.
Dahai sat next to him, glancing out the window every now and then, clearly preoccupied with the hunting trip the next day.
Li Xiangyang glanced out the window; the setting sun was already painting the sky red. "It's getting late; it's time to go back."
"No!" Dahai suddenly stood up. "I'll have my mother cook some dishes, you can eat before you leave."
Dahai's father also put down his work: "Yes, we've come all this way, let's eat before we leave."
"I'll come again another day," Li Xiangyang said with a smile and a shake of his head. "I really have to go back today. I have plans to go hunting in the mountains tomorrow, so I need to get ready when I get back."
"Alright, then I won't insist. But wait a minute."
Dahai's father got up and went into the inner room, and soon came out carrying an old wooden box.
The old man opened the box, took out several gleaming carving tools and a few pieces of fine oak, and handed them to Li Xiaohua, saying, "Take these."
"No, no, no!" Li Xiangyang said hurriedly, "This is too valuable."
"Hmph! What's so valuable about it?" Dahai's father glared at Li Xiangyang. "I gave it to Xiaohua, why do you, as her older brother, have such a gossipy mouth?"
"But......"
"But what?" the old man said sternly. "If you keep nagging, I'm going to get upset."
Turning to Li Xiaohua, he said kindly, "Girl, don't mind your brother. This is a gift from Grandpa, so just take it. Learning wood carving starts with recognizing wood. If you like this craft, come anytime, and I'll teach you."
"Thank you, Grandpa!" Li Xiaohua hugged the tools and wood, her eyes narrowing into slits with a smile.
After watching the brother and sister leave the yard, Dahai rushed out impatiently: "Dad, I'm going to the factory to borrow a car from Boss Ma!"
"Wait!" Dahai's father called out to his son, "It's so late, people should be eating."
"It's alright, this can't be delayed." Da Hai had already dashed off quite a distance. "We need a vehicle for hunting tomorrow!"
……
Amidst the howling wind, Li Xiangyang rode his bicycle home with his younger sister on the back.
Li Xiaohua hugged the wood and tools tightly to her chest, huddling behind Li Xiangyang to avoid the wind.
The bicycle wheels creaked and groaned as they rolled over the frozen ground.
The cold wind howled past her ears as Li Xiaohua hummed a song softly behind Li Xiangyang.
"Brother, do you think I can learn it?"
"Of course I can," Li Xiangyang laughed. "You did a great job carving just now; even the old man praised your talent."
"That's right!" Li Xiaohua shook her head proudly. "I listened carefully to Grandpa's explanation. By the way, brother, once I've learned how, I'm going to carve a kitten for Wang Ying too, just like our little princess."
"Okay," Li Xiangyang nodded, "but you have to practice properly, you can't just fool people."
"Of course!" Li Xiaohua patted her chest. "I'll definitely practice hard, just you wait and see."
As the sun gradually set, the last glimmer of red on the horizon disappeared.
Li Xiangyang increased his speed.
Meanwhile, Dahai had already run to Boss Ma's timber processing plant.
He jogged all the way, afraid that if he arrived late, Mr. Ma would have already gone home.
The factory workers were finishing up for the day, and Dahai saw Boss Ma standing at the office door smoking in the distance.
"Mr. Ma!" Dahai ran over breathlessly. "Mr. Ma, you haven't left yet?"
"I was just about to leave," Mr. Ma said, flicking his cigarette ash. "Dahai, what's up so late?"
"It's like this," Da Hai rubbed his hands together, "I wanted to borrow your car..."
"Borrow my car?" Mr. Ma frowned. "Why would I need to borrow a car so late?"
"Not now," Dahai quickly explained, "It's for tomorrow. Do you remember Li Xiangyang? He's the one who helped you solve this last time..."
"Oh!" Boss Ma's eyes lit up. "Is Xiangyang need a car?"
“Yes, yes, yes!” Dahai nodded repeatedly. “He’s going hunting tomorrow, saying he’s spotted elk tracks, but he needs a cart…”
"A banshee?" Boss Ma tossed his cigarette butt on the ground. "That's some good stuff! Here, wait a minute, I'll have Xiao Wang bring over the new Liberation jacket."
"Thank you so much!" Dahai's face lit up with joy.
"You can take the car." Boss Ma took out the keys and handed them to Dahai. "Remember to tell Xiangyang that if you hit it, don't sell it to anyone else; I'll take it."
“That’s a must!” Da Hai took the key, grinning from ear to ear.
……
When Li Xiangyang returned home with his sister, it was already completely dark.
Li's mother was looking out in the yard when she saw her son ride in on his bicycle. She quickly went to greet him, saying, "You're back so late! Are you freezing?"
"It's not cold, it's not cold. Mother, look!"
Li Xiaohua got out of the car and presented the carving tools and wood to her mother, saying, "Grandpa Wei gave these to me."
"This..." Li's mother looked at the tools, "This is far too valuable. How could you just accept it like this?"
"Mom, I refused, and Grandpa scolded me. He insisted on giving it to me, saying he sees great potential in Xiaohua."
"Yes, Mother. I think I have a talent for it too. Don't worry, I'll practice carving on other types of wood first, I definitely won't waste any..."
Li's mother stroked her daughter's hair and smiled with satisfaction: "Good job, Xiaohua, you're great."
"Mom," Li Xiangyang pushed his bicycle against the wall, "tomorrow I'm going hunting in the mountains with Wang Ergou."
"Sigh," Li's mother sighed, "You can't stay still, child. Fine, I won't nag you anymore. Remember to be careful, don't risk your life."
"Okay, Mother." Li Xiangyang nodded. "I'll go pack my things for tomorrow."
Li Xiangyang went to bed early that night.
Before dawn, there was a knock on the door in the courtyard.
"Sunshine! Sunshine!" It was Wang Ergou's voice.
Li Xiangyang had been awake for a while and got up immediately upon hearing the sound.
He put on his thick cotton-padded coat, slung his hunting rifle over his shoulder, and took his dry rations and tools.
"Here I am!" He tiptoed out of the house.
Wang Ergou stood in the yard fully armed.
“Let’s go,” Li Xiangyang said softly. “Let’s go to the village entrance first. It’s not just the two of us going this time; Wei Dahai is going too. He borrowed a cart from Ma Laosan. If we hunt an elk, we can bring it back directly.”
"Wei Dahai, who is that?"
"Hey, ever heard of Ma Laosan? He runs a timber processing plant... The other day, I almost stabbed a kid from Yangjia Village to death. That kid's aunt sent Ma Laosan to make trouble for me, and Dahai was one of them..."
"Holy crap!" Wang Ergou's eyes widened. "That Ma Laosan is no pushover. What happened next?"
"Later, they got into a fight, and Dahai and his gang came out worse off. Then, Ma Laosan's timber processing plant ran into some trouble, and he asked me for help..."