Chapter 99: But I Won’t Have a Partner
The old master craftsman had initially been very cold towards him, but after the old master fell ill and it was the young Bai Naihan who called the village doctor and saved his life, the old master’s attitude towards him improved greatly.
Sometimes, he would teach him some carving techniques, especially seeing how diligently he learned, the old master taught him even more.
It was just a pity that these patterns were worthless now. Even when villagers made furniture, they only made the simplest and cheapest kind. Carving these patterns would add to the cost, serving no real purpose, so naturally, they weren’t willing to pay more.
Therefore, even though Bai Naihan learned very well, it was difficult to make a living as a carpenter, barely enough to feed himself.
Later, the old master’s health deteriorated, and with poor living conditions and food, he fell seriously ill and didn’t recover. Bai Naihan, because of this, refused to become a carpenter in the future, feeling there was no future in it.
So, later he would find another way and join the army, because as long as he dared to fight, joining the army would allow a poor rural kid like him to carve out a path.
But in the man’s heart, that old master was always his teacher. As long as he was in the village, he would always visit during the annual memorial ceremonies.
Yun Qinghuan listened to him say these things, seeing his gloomy expression, and for a moment didn’t know what to say.
She had heard about many things from this era in her previous life and could only say that the old master was born at the wrong time.
She offered a dry comfort, “If the old master knew you were carving so well now, he would definitely be gratified. Don’t be sad, he has gone to enjoy happiness in another world.”
Bai Naihan smiled. “If he knew I wasn’t working as a carpenter now, he’d probably be so angry he’d climb out of his coffin to curse me to death.
“Don’t worry, I’m fine. I’ve thought it through myself over the years.”
He hadn’t let down the old master. After all, people always had to live their lives. Back then, he had treated the old master as family, always thinking of saving a share of anything good to eat for him.
After looking at the desk, Yun Qinghuan thought about moving it to her room. There was already a table in the room, but it was too high and square, so she planned to move it aside to hold miscellaneous items, since the room wasn’t too small.
However, this desk was a bit big, and it was difficult for her to lift it alone. Although Bai Naihan could stand up now, he was still using crutches and definitely couldn’t do such heavy work, in case he injured his leg again.
She had to run out to find Liu Yuzhi. Fortunately, Liu Yuzhi had already washed the pots and bowls and had nothing to do now. Hearing that Bai Naihan had made a desk for his sister-in-law, she was very happy. “When did this kid become so sensible? I haven’t seen him take the initiative to make one for me?”
Usually, Liu Yuzhi would see him idle and tell him what furniture the family was missing, asking him to make it.
Otherwise, don’t expect him to think of what was missing on his own.
Yun Qinghuan smiled. “I saw that Naihan knew carpentry and asked him if he could make a desk for me.”
The desk was made of solid wood after all, so it was still a bit heavy. She and her mother-in-law moved it to the room together. After tidying up the desk, they put the books in the drawers underneath.
Then she went to the yard to fetch water, preparing to wash up.
There was no need to boil water. She just used a wooden bucket to fetch a bucket of well water in the morning and left it in the yard to bask in the sun. By noon, the water would be lukewarm, as the day was really hot.
She scooped a basin of water and was about to go into the house when she unexpectedly saw her younger brother-in-law coming out of his room, heading straight for her.
Yun Qinghuan placed the basin on a chair and looked at him with a smile. “What’s wrong? Is there something you need?”
He had seemed to want to say something earlier but hesitated.
She saw the man pursing his lips, the hand behind his back slowly reaching out, holding a delicate red box.
Yun Qinghuan was surprised. “This… is for me?”
The man nodded. “Yes, Sister-in-law. See if you like it.”
“What is it? The packaging is so pretty?”
Yun Qinghuan curiously took it. She had originally thought it was just some small jewelry that girls liked. If it wasn’t valuable, she would just accept it. But she didn’t expect that as soon as she opened it, a dazzling light flashed. Especially when the sunlight shone on it, the light was even more intense, incredibly beautiful – it was a watch inlaid with tiny diamonds!
It was particularly exquisite and beautiful, and one could tell at a glance that it was a ladies’ watch.
This watch looked very familiar to her. She had seen it in the department store a few days ago when she went to the county. At that time, she had liked this watch at first sight because it was truly beautiful, with fine workmanship and very small and delicate. She didn’t like overly bulky watches.
Who knew that when she asked about the price, it turned out to be a hundred and sixty yuan, incredibly expensive. Even if she took out all her belongings, she couldn’t afford this watch. She could only look at it regretfully and choose a clock instead.
She hadn’t expected that the man would be so thoughtful as to notice that she liked this watch. So, did he go to the department store again later to buy this watch?
Her heart felt warm, but she waved her hand in refusal. “I can’t accept this watch. It’s too valuable!”
“Return it to the department store next time you go, or else save it to give to your future partner. In any case, I can’t take it.”
Yun Qinghuan returned the watch to him.
She knew that he would receive compensation for his demobilization and had been a soldier for so many years, so he definitely wouldn’t have sent all his allowance to Liu Yuzhi every month. He must have some savings. But even if he had savings, this watch worth over a hundred yuan was definitely a big expense for him.
Yun Qinghuan couldn’t accept this watch. It was too valuable, and she was afraid she wouldn’t be able to repay him in the future.
The man had been staring at her with a light in his eyes, especially seeing the joy in her eyes the moment she saw the watch. He pursed his lips, about to smile, but before the upward curve could form, his smile froze.
Looking at the returned watch in his hand, the light in his eyes gradually dimmed. “It can’t be returned.”
“Then give it to your future partner.”
Based on the current recovery speed of his leg, he shouldn’t have a disability or limp. If it was like in the original novel, he would most likely go back to work at the steel factory. Then he would be someone with a “golden rice bowl” in the eyes of others, and finding a partner would be easy. Moreover, looking at him, he didn’t seem to be deeply in love with Xia Yuhua, so he probably wouldn’t end up alone in his old age like in the original novel.
“But I won’t have a partner.” The man pursed his lips and handed the watch back to her, saying seriously, “Sister-in-law, I won’t have another partner. This watch was bought for you, and it won’t end up in the hands of another woman.
“If you really don’t like it, just throw it away.”
He was quite forceful. After saying this, he didn’t even wait for Yun Qinghuan to react and directly turned around, using his crutches to go back into the house.
With a “bang,” he even closed the door.
Yun Qinghuan was stunned for a moment, and it took a long time for her to react. She looked down at the watch in her hand, her expression complicated.
Was Bai Naihan angry?
This was the first time he had been like this in front of her, and Yun Qinghuan was a bit unaccustomed to it.
She pursed her lips, put the watch away, and turned to pick up the basin. Who knew that as soon as she turned around, she met her mother-in-law’s eyes.
At that moment, for some reason, her heart skipped a beat, and she subconsciously wanted to hide the watch box behind her.
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