Yang Dayong took the papers and looked at them carefully, his eyes brighter with every glance. After all, he was a professional carpenter, far more perceptive than Ye Zi’an, and he saw the key points at a glance.
"There shouldn’t be any problem with the other parts, but this round thing, is it a table?" Yang Dayong asked somewhat uncertainly.
"Of course, did you see the middle part? The outer part can revolve around the center, making it convenient for feasts." Yang Chuxia explained to Yang Dayong with the help of the drawings.
"Not bad, this is a great idea. The most troublesome thing during feasts is having to leave your seat to get your favorite dish."
"That’s why we have this. Even if the dish is placed opposite to you, you don’t have to get up; you can just turn the table to bring the dish to you." Yang Chuxia continued, "If we can make this, not only can we cooperate with restaurants, but we can also make some rental tables, renting them to people who hold banquets."
Yang Dayong excited by Yang Chuxia’s words, said, "Alright, I’ll see how to make this tomorrow."
"By the way, Uncle Dayong, there’s this small box. I want to make two kinds: one for holding clothes and the other for books. The clothing box should be bigger, and the book box smaller, with some patterns carved on the top."
Upon hearing about the need for intricate carvings, Yang Dayong felt troubled. "Xiaxia, I can make things, but I am not skilled with these refined carvings."
"That’s easy. Uncle, you just help Xiaxia with making the items. I know how to carve." Ye Zi’an suddenly spoke up.
Seeing that the conversation was almost over, Land Officer Yang said, "Alright, is everything settled? Let’s go home now, it’s late, and we should go to sleep."
Yang Chuxia initially wanted to discuss the matter of accepting apprentices with Yang Dayong, but she held back when she heard Land Officer Yang’s words. She thought that her granduncle must be tired after a day in the county; indeed, the elderly should rest early.
She quickly said, "Uncle Dayong, let’s discuss the matter in detail tomorrow when I come back from town. You can go home with Granduncle now."
"Uncle, I’ll walk you part of the way, as it is quite dark on the way back to the village." Yang Dachuan had somehow managed to light a lantern and brought it out from the house.
"Then we appreciate it."
As they walked, Yang Dayong supported his father, while Yang Dachuan helped by holding the lantern. After they left, Yang Chuxia, Ms. Wang, and the others returned to the house.
"You can carve, too?" Yang Chuxia glanced at Ye Zi’an, thinking that Brother An had many skills.
Ye Zi’an nodded and said, "Two years ago, my house leaked, and I wanted to earn some extra money to fix it. I went to the stone masons in town and learned to carve patterns on stones and windows. It should work for book boxes too."
"Brother An, you’re amazing! You even know how to do such technical tasks." Yang Chuxia praised him. If it weren’t for him, she would have had to find another master.
As a mother, Ms. Wang perceived things differently than Yang Chuxia. She said to Zi’an, "Ah, it’s a pity, at such a young age, you had to go out and earn money."
"Auntie, it’s not a pity, I’m doing well now."
"It’s okay, my good child. Auntie will dote on you from now on. You’ll be my own son..."
Seeing her mother’s maternal instincts at work again, Yang Chuxia was somewhat speechless. She wondered how many times these words had been repeated, and admired Zi’an for not getting annoyed.