Chapter 63: Building Furniture

Chapter 63: Building Furniture

Carpentry is also a skilled trade in rural areas. While it may not be as difficult to become a carpenter as it is to become a master carpenter, there is still a certain threshold to cross. Without guidance from a master, it's possible to make simple stools on your own, but crafting bunk beds and wardrobes is much more challenging.

Even if you have a natural talent and can replicate designs by looking at existing pieces, the speed and quality of your work will likely fall short compared to that of a professional carpenter.

As a result, carpenters are highly respected and sought after in rural communities.

In Deng Shirong's village, there is a master who specializes in making large jars and another who is skilled in construction, but there is no carpenter. Therefore, when villagers need furniture made, they usually go to the neighboring Help and Correct Village to hire a carpenter.

In the past, if Deng Shirong needed furniture, the carpenter from Help and Correct Village would have been his first choice. However, now that Zhang Kangmei, the future husband of his niece Deng Changmei, is a carpenter—and Deng Shirong was the one who introduced them—it's only natural that he would hire Zhang Kangmei for the job.

However, since Deng Shirong needed a large amount of furniture, relying solely on Zhang Kangmei and his son would take too long. Therefore, Deng Shirong decided to hire a few more carpenters to help, ensuring that all the furniture could be completed as quickly as possible so his family could move into the new house.

Of course, before that, Deng Shirong needed to consult a fortune teller to choose an auspicious day for the move.

After making his plans, Deng Shirong headed to Deng Yunjin's house.

"Uncle Jiu," Deng Yunjin greeted as Deng Shirong arrived. Deng Yunjin was sitting at the door weaving a basket and called inside, "Amei, come out for a moment. Uncle Jiu is here!"

As soon as Deng Shirong sat down with his pipe, Deng Changmei came out.

After exchanging greetings, Deng Shirong began smoking his pipe skillfully.

Deng Yunjin set aside the half-woven basket and said enviously, "Uncle Jiu, your new house is so beautiful. Have you seen it? When are you planning to move in?"

"I'll go to Spirit Corner tomorrow to find Yuncheng and choose an auspicious day."

After chatting about the house for a while, Deng Shirong set his pipe aside and said, "Yunjin, now that the production team has divided up the mountains, the remaining land probably won't be divided again. There are only a few corners of the fields left. Amei's wedding should be ready to proceed, right?"

Deng Yunjin had clearly thought about this already and replied immediately, "It can be done. Uncle Jiu, please ask the groom's family to find a fortune teller and choose an auspicious day!"

Deng Shirong glanced at Deng Changmei and smiled. "Amei, my new house is finished, and I need to make a lot of furniture. I plan to ask Zhang Kangmei and his son to come and help. If you have no objections, you can register your marriage with Zhang Kangmei first. That way, you won't have to worry so much when you're together."

Deng Changmei was surprised but nodded with a blush. "Okay, Uncle Jiu, I'll listen to you."

With the matter settled, Deng Shirong stood up and said, "Alright, it's decided then. I'll go to the Zhang family now."

...

White Duckweed Brigade, Long Field Village

The arrival of matchmaker Deng Shirong was warmly welcomed by the Zhang family.

After some pleasantries, Deng Shirong said to Zhang Jiefang, "Cousin, now that the mountains in our production team have been divided, Kangmei and Amei's marriage can move forward. I've already spoken to the girl's parents, and they've agreed."

Zhang Jiefang smiled happily. "Then I'll go find a fortune teller to choose an auspicious day."

Zhang Kangmei, who was listening, also smiled. After all, there's no young man full of energy who doesn't want to get married.

Deng Shirong nodded and continued, "Cousin, I came here not only to discuss the wedding but also to talk about something else."

Zhang Jiefang asked, "Uncle Jiu, what else is there?"

Deng Shirong explained, "It's like this. My family has been building a new house recently, and now it's finished. But we still need some furniture, so I'd like to ask you to help make a batch. What kind of furniture are you and your son best at making?"

Zhang Jiefang's eyes lit up at the mention of his trade. "Uncle Jiu, my father and I have a lot of experience making common furniture like bunk beds, wardrobes, tables, stools, dressing tables, and boxes."

Deng Shirong asked, "How long does it take to make a simple bunk bed?"

Zhang Jiefang replied, "If we have ready-made wood, my father and I can make a simple bunk bed in two days."

Deng Shirong followed up, "What about a canopy bed for a wedding? How long would that take?"

Zhang Jiefang said, "Uncle Jiu, if it's the super luxurious frame wedding bed from ancient times, my father and I can't make that. We don't have the skills. But if it's the best wedding bed in our commune today, as long as we have the wood ready, my father and I can make it in about a month."

Deng Shirong nodded. "What about a large wardrobe? How long would that take?"

"For a large wardrobe, it would take about ten days."

"And a dressing table?"

"About five days."

After asking about all the furniture he needed, Deng Shirong finally said, "Abiao, how about this? You and your son help make the best wedding bed we have here, along with twelve simple bunk beds. Unfortunately, I'm pressed for time, or I'd have you make the other furniture too."

Zhang Jiefang didn't want to miss out on such a big job and quickly said, "Uncle Jiu, if you're in a hurry, I can ask my dad to help. If the three of us work together, we can speed things up by at least a third."

Deng Shirong agreed. "In that case, you can also help make three more dressing tables and a large dining table."

Zhang Jiefang nodded confidently. "No problem, Uncle Jiu. We'll make sure the job is done quickly and with quality."

After discussing the details, Deng Shirong smoked a few more cigarettes before riding back home.

By the time Deng Shirong returned home, it was already past three in the afternoon.

The bed, dressing table, and dining table were left to the three generations of the Zhang family. There were still eight large wardrobes and dozens of stools to be made, so Deng Shirong needed to hire other carpenters for those.

However, before hiring additional carpenters, Deng Shirong first hired a few workers from the village to cut down all the pine trees on his mountain. They carried the wood back to exchange with other villagers for dry pine wood suitable for making furniture. The remaining trees and weeds were brought back to be used as firewood.

Once that was done, Deng Shirong planned to prepare the orchard for next year's fruit tree planting.

(End of this chapter)