Lu Zhengan hastily wiped his face, wiped the handkerchief in Song Huaishu's hand, and saw that the sun was shining in the sky above his head. Lu Zhengan was afraid of exposing Song Huaishu, so he took his hand and led him under the eaves.

Song Huaishu was confused by Lu Zheng'an, and when he saw that he looked mysterious again, he became interested for a while. followed Lu Zhengan to the eaves, and before he could open his mouth to continue asking, he saw Lu Zhengan take out a piece of paper from his chest.

Watching Lu Zhengan slowly unfold the paper, when he saw the painting on the picture for the first time, he was stunned for a long time and didn't understand what was drawn on the picture.

Song Huaishu looked at Lu Zhengan with a confused expression, only to see the other party holding the drawings, scratching his cheek and slapping his head suddenly, and said with a smile: "I said I don't understand it, it turns out that I took it upside down." ”

As he spoke, Lu Zhengan turned the paper in a different direction with a smile. Then he turned his head sideways and asked Song Huaishu happily: "Do you think it's okay for our yard to be transformed like this?" ”

Hearing this, Song Huaishu looked at the drawings again along Lu Zhengan's hand.

This time, Song Huaishu understood, but the four squares on the picture represented the house with some circles and forks in front of it, and he really didn't understand what it meant.

At this moment, Song Huaishu was finally convinced that this person really had no talent for reading. Otherwise, after being nurtured for so long by the old man Lu who is full of peach and plums, how can he still draw drawings that are not even comparable to children's graffiti......

Song Huaishu sighed silently in his heart, stretched out his hand to take the drawings from Lu Zhengan's hand, pointed to a few grids on the drawings with white fingers, and asked: "These grids represent the house, I roughly understand." But what does it mean to have a circle next to it and a fork? ”

Seeing that Song Huaishu didn't understand, Lu Zhengan glanced at the paper again, then laughed and said, "I was in a hurry to draw just now, and I forgot to mark it on the side." ”

After that, Lu Zheng'an's slender fingers pointed to the place where the circle was drawn and explained: "Here, I want to put two cylinders." Inside, you can raise water lilies and put a few small fish. A row of forks next to it represents the courtyard wall, and a few bamboos are transplanted next to it, and the moon season in the yard is still there. That is, the roses may have to be cut down first and replanted next spring. After a year or two, the bamboo grows and the roses can almost cover the entire wall. When we were fine, we sat in the yard, drinking tea and chatting, which was cool and the scenery was beautiful. ”

Song Huaishu fantasized about the picture he said along Lu Zheng'an's train of thought, and couldn't help but nod. "But people are willing to plant a few fruit trees in their yards, why don't we plant some?"

Hearing Song Huaishu's words, Lu Zhengan raised his hand and knocked on his head.

"Forget that we have an orchard right in front of us? If you want to eat, we can just plant a few trees on the edge of the site. Forget it in the yard, not only attract insects and birds, but in autumn you will wait to see the sky sweeping the leaves. ”

Song Huaishu had already reacted when he said this. Before he could explain, Lu Zhengan's fingers knocked down.

Just as he was about to raise his hand to touch the door of his head, Lu Zhengan immediately held his hand, held his face with both hands and looked at it, and asked with some concern: "Shall I see if the knock is red?" ”

After Lu Zhengan took a closer look, he was relieved to find that there was no redness and swelling. "I'm really sorry, my hands are stronger, but fortunately there is no redness or swelling, but my uncle and aunt will probably beat me with a big stick when they come back."

Lu Zhengan held Song Huaishu's face, lowered his head and kissed the place he had just knocked. "Alright."

Song Huaishu was taken aback by Lu Zhengan's actions, and subconsciously went to look at the room behind the house. It was only when I remembered that both of my parents were helping the neighbors next door, and I was relieved.

"You, don't do this in the future, if people see it, it's not good."

Seeing that Song Huaishu was a little red-faced, red-eared, and even his eyes were a little red, Lu Zhengan coaxed repeatedly: "Okay, okay, I won't do this next time, don't be angry." ”

Listening to Lu Zhengan's apologies, Song Huaishu couldn't help but feel a little apprehensive in his heart. Raising his eyes to look at Lu Zhengan's expression, he explained in a low voice: "I'm not angry, it's just that I'm afraid that my father and mother will suddenly come back and bump into it." I didn't like ......."

Song Huaishu's last sentence was said in a very small voice, but Lu Zhengan still listened to it word for word. Reaching out and squeezing Song Huaishu's hand, Lu Zhengan said: "I understand, I know that my uncle and aunt dare to steal incense when they are not at home, if they are at home, where would I dare." ”

Hearing Lu Zhengan's pitiful words, Song Huaishu couldn't help laughing again for a while.

Seeing that Song Huaishu was happy again, Lu Zhengan breathed a sigh of relief. Shaking the drawings in his hand, he asked Song Huaishu: "If you think it's okay, then I'll go find someone to start the construction tomorrow?" If you have time later, you can also go with you to follow and see more. ”

Hearing this, Song Huaishu nodded in response. Raising his eyes and seeing that Lu Zhengan was refolding the drawing and preparing to put it up, Song Huaishu hurriedly asked, "Won't you just show this drawing to the masters who are repairing the garden?" ”

Lu Zhengan looked at Song Huaishu and nodded with a natural expression. "yes, what's wrong? Although my painting is a little ugly, it doesn't mean that I can't understand it, right? ”

Song Huaishu was embarrassed to hit Lu Zhengan's self-confidence, and when he heard him say this, he nodded his head. "Yes, it's okay, but your piece of paper is stained with ink in some places and some flowers are spent, so let's draw another one."

Lu Zhengan came to find Song Huaishu because he was in a hurry, and put it away without waiting for all the ink on the drawings to dry. In some corners, there is indeed a lot of ink.

Knowing that Song Huai's calligraphy and painting was not wrong, and hearing him say that he wanted to redraw a picture, Lu Zhengan did not hesitate, nodded and followed Song Huaishu into his bedroom.

Song Huaishu followed what Lu Zhengan said, and put it on paper one by one. In a matter of moments, the sketches that were exactly what Lu Zhengan had said were clearly and realistically presented in front of him.

Lu Zhengan glanced at the previous treasure-like straw paper, and it was rare that his face was a little hot. smashed his mouth, and took advantage of Song Huaishu's lack of attention to clump the sketch in his hand into a ball and threw it into the paper basket next to the table.

After Song Huaishu put down the brush and let the ink on the paper dry, he took it from the table and handed it to Lu Zhengan.

"Look again, where else do you need to change?"

Lu Zhengan took the drawings in Song Huaishu's hand, carefully looked at them to see if there were indeed any omissions or changes, and carefully folded the drawings and put them on his chest.

"Alright, I'll go to the village tomorrow to find a craftsman. While there is no need to weed the field, hurry up and tidy up the yard. In a few months, the flowers and plants in the yard will all grow. ”

Song Huaishu nodded with a smile, helped Lu Zhengan pull the folds on his shoulders, turned his head to look at the sunset outside the window, and persuaded: "Okay, I'll go over tomorrow when I'm free." It's almost time to make dinner, and you'll have to make it yourself when you go back, why don't I cook it a little earlier, and then go back after you've eaten? ”

"No, these days, the yellow skin in the mountains touches the chicken pen as soon as it gets dark. I'd better go back and watch this. ”

When Song Huaishu heard Lu Zhengan say this, he couldn't keep it anymore. remembered that in the morning, my father bought a small melon on the street, and hurriedly took a few for Lu Zhengan to bring.

Seeing this, Lu Zhengan was not polite to him, instructed Song Huaishu a few words, took the melon and went home.

Because he was worried about going to the craftsman who repaired the house, Lu Zhengan sat up from the bed just after dawn the next day. He cleaned up the work in the yard, hastily made some breakfast, and went down the mountain.

After setting the date for the conclusion of the contract, Lu Zhengan asked someone to inquire about the craftsman who would repair the house. I heard that there was a craftsman surnamed Cao on Lingnan Road next door, and Lu Zheng'an did not go anywhere else when he went down the mountain this time, but received Song Huaishu who had already rushed over at the bottom of the mountain, and the two went straight to Lingnan Road together.

"Wouldn't it be okay to have a hasty rest in the yard? Why do you have to go so far and ask someone to get it? I'm afraid it will cost a lot of money to do this, right? If we really can't do it, we can do it ourselves. ”

"There is a saying that there is a specialization in the art industry, so let's not toss it by ourselves, in case it doesn't look good when the time comes. It's hard work and money. It's better to ask someone to get it in one step. ”

Song Huaishu pondered this is indeed the truth, although they have time, they can do it themselves. But in the end, repairing the house is a hard work, and he is not without the strength of a chicken, but he is not very good at doing hard work in the end. A family needs two people to maintain, and Lu Zhengan cannot be expected to do everything alone. It's that if you spend some money now, they will be more relaxed and worry-free in the future.

Thinking about it this way, Song Huaishu no longer objected.

Lingnan Road is more than eight miles away from Lujia Village, and Lu Zhengan and Song Huaishu said that they would arrive in half an hour while walking.

Because he didn't know where Cao's family was, when he was at the entrance of the village, Lu Zhengan asked someone. When the man heard that the two of them had actually come to find Craftsman Cao, he looked them up and down, pouted and shook his head.

Seeing that the other party had such an expression, Lu Zhengan couldn't help but feel a little strange, and asked with a smile: "Why does uncle look at me like this, but what did I say wrong?" ”

The other party waved his hand when he heard this, "I didn't say anything wrong, but who introduced Cao Debang to my little brother?" Do ordinary people dare to use him? ”

As soon as they heard what the other party said, Song Huaishu and Lu Zhengan were stunned for a moment. "I heard from an elder in our village that Master Cao's craftsmanship is good, so I came over to ask."

Hearing Lu Zheng'an say this, the other party smiled and said, "In that case, I won't say much, you can find it yourself." Immediately, the other party pointed to the northeast direction of Lingnan Road and continued: "You follow this road all the way to the end, and the last house with the most dilapidated house is Cao Debang's family." ”

Seeing that the other party showed him the way, Lu Zhengan thanked him, nodded to Song Huaishu sideways, and the two rushed over in the direction he pointed.

The village in Lingnan Road is not very large, with a total of more than 100 households. Xu is there are few people, and the road in the village is not complicated, and following the route pointed out by the man just now, Lu Zhengan and Song Huaishu quickly found the dilapidated courtyard in each other's mouths.

It's just that when the two of them stood outside Cao Debang's courtyard and carefully looked at the entire courtyard, they couldn't help but beat drums in their hearts, secretly wondering if the other party had pointed out the wrong person to them.

According to Lu Changgen, Cao Debang's skill in repairing houses is well-known. Such a skilled craftsman, not to mention how much money he can make, would not live in such an old house. As for the courtyard wall of the small courtyard in front of him, I am afraid that Song Huaishu can tear down the wall with a single force.

"This ...... We're not looking for the wrong place, are we? ”

Song Huaishu stood outside the wall, looking at the messy courtyard, and couldn't help but start muttering in his heart.

Lu Zhengan sighed, "It should be right, there is no fork in the road here, we are going according to what the uncle said." ”

As the two were talking, they saw a man with a short figure and shabby clothes, bent over his waist and carrying a basket on his back, walking towards this side from a short distance. Seeing this, Lu Zhengan asked Song Huaishu to stand in place and wait, and he hurriedly walked over to meet the other party.

However, the other party thought that he was blocking Lu Zhengan's way, so he hurriedly moved two steps to the side with the basket on his back.

"Uncle, may I ask if Master Cao's family lives here?"

When the other party heard that Lu Zhengan asked him about Cao Debang, he couldn't help but be a little surprised. raised his head and looked at Lu Zhengan, and asked Lu Zhengan in a hoarse voice: "Yes, what are you looking for him?" ”

"My family wanted to repair the house, and when I heard that Master Cao was good at his workmanship, I wanted to ask him to come over and help."

When he heard that Lu Zhengan had actually come to ask Cao Debang to repair the house, his withered face was even more surprised. As if he was not sure, he asked Lu Zhengan again: "What did you say?" Looking for him to repair the house ? ”

Lu Zhengan also thought that the other party was a little old and a little deaf, so he replied loudly. Song Huaishu, who was not far away, thought that Lu Zhengan had an argument with the other party, and hurriedly walked over to this side.

Reaching out to grab Lu Zhengan's arm, he asked with concern, "What's wrong?" ”

Seeing Song Huaishu's anxious and worried face, Lu Zhengan hurriedly reached out and patted him on the shoulder and reassured: "It's okay, don't worry." This guy seems to be a little behind his ears, so I speak a little louder. ”

Hearing Lu Zhengan's explanation, Song Huaishu finally put his mind at ease. Turning his head to look at the uncle next to him, he saw that the other party was looking at the two of them with a surprised face, and his face couldn't help but be a little hot. smiled and bowed his head to the other party, and was about to ask Lu Zhengan to ask elsewhere.

But when he heard the old man in front of him, he said: "I am Cao Debang, if you don't dislike it, let's go to the courtyard first." ”

Hearing that the other party said that he was Cao Debang, Lu Zhengan and Song Huaishu couldn't help but be a little surprised, but when they saw that the other party had already pushed open the courtyard door with a basket on their backs and walked in, the two looked at each other and had to follow.

Cao Debang's yard is not large, and there are a few chickens and ducks in the yard. Chicken and duck droppings were everywhere on the ground, and as soon as the two of them entered the yard, they felt a little unable to get off their feet.

Cao Debang didn't seem to see the embarrassment of the two, so he pushed open the crumbling door of the hall and moved two wooden benches out of it.

"I've come all the way here, so let's sit down and rest." After that, Cao Debang threw the grass in the basket to the edge of the yard, and watched the chickens and ducks flutter over with their shoulders, and Cao Debang rarely showed a smile on his face.

Lu Zheng'an and Song Huaishu did not rush him when they saw him like this, and when they knew that Cao Debang had turned around and walked over, they got up from the stool and nodded to him.

"Master Cao, we were introduced by Lu Changgen of Lujia Village. You ......"

When Cao Debang heard that Lu Zhengan was introduced by Lu Changgen, a trace of strangeness flashed on his face. "It's Brother Changgen, but I haven't done it in a long time. The brothers under my hands before are also scattered, I'm afraid I won't be able to help you anymore. ”

Hearing this, Lu Zhengan smiled. "It's okay, I can help with the work, and when the time comes, I just need Master Cao's help to give me advice."

"It's not cheap for me to help people repair houses, and if you have the money to come to me, you might as well go to someone else."

When he entered the door, Lu Zheng'an was a little hesitant in his heart. However, when he saw the neatly arranged tools in the workshop in the far corner of Cao Debang's yard, he dispelled the idea of looking for someone else.

If one were really determined to get rid of the ability to eat on one's own, the tools in Cao Debang's shed would not be so neat and clean.

"If the yard can be repaired to our satisfaction, it means that Master Cao's craftsmanship is worth this money, and we are willing to pay for it."

After saying that, Lu Zhengan turned his head to look at Song Huaishu, with a smile on the corner of his mouth, and his eyes were full of tenderness.

The two affectionate young men in front of Cao Debang's meeting were stunned for a while with their brows twisted. "You, are you the Che brothers?"

Hearing this, Lu Zhengan reached out to hold Song Huaishu's hand and nodded at Cao Debang. "Yes, we are going to conclude the contract in September, so we asked Master Cao to help me renovate the house, and it looks better when we do things."

Cao Debang looked at the appearance of the two, was silent for a long time, and finally nodded. "Okay, as long as you don't dislike it, then I'll take over your job. It's just that my team has already dispersed, and you have to find the people who do the work. ”

"Master Cao doesn't have to worry about manpower. Just tell me how many people you need, and I'll just find it. ”

Because Cao Debang had never been to the Lu family's courtyard, he couldn't make a general judgment for a while. Lu Zhengan and Song Huaishu told Cao Debang their thoughts, and after discussing it, they went to the Lu family's courtyard to take a look at it the day after tomorrow, and then the two got up and said goodbye to Cao Debang.

After walking out of the courtyard of the Cao family, Song Huaishu couldn't help but look at the short figure who was still standing at the door looking at them leaving, tugged at Lu Zhengan's sleeve, and couldn't help asking: "I always think this person is a little weird, why do you have to look for him?" ”

Hearing Song Huaishu say this, Lu Zhengan reached out to hold his hand and smiled. "This man is a little strange, and I was a little hesitant at first, but after seeing his shed, I thought it might be a surprise to let him try."

After that, Lu Zhengan also looked back at the small courtyard of the Cao family behind him, "Moreover, I always feel that this person seems to have some kind of story." ”

CHAPTER XLIV

Because Master Cao was going to come to see the house on the second day, when Song Huaishu and Lu Zheng'an came back from Lingnan Road, they happened to pass by Hualong Town, and the two simply turned around and bought some drinks and meat dishes on the street. He went to the small courtyard of the Song family to say hello to the Song family and his wife, and Song Huaishu followed Lu Zhengan back to Hualong Mountain.

The cucumbers in the vegetable garden had already been dismantled, and Lu Zhengan beckoned Song Huaishu to take the basket, and after the two of them picked off the few cucumbers on the cucumber rack, they pulled out the firewood.

After eating cucumbers for a summer, Lu Zhengan no longer wants to see cucumbers. Look at the cucumber vines that have been left out of the garden, and there are nearly a basket of cucumbers on the vines. His whole face was almost green, and if he were to eat it again, he would really not be able to eat it.

"Why don't you give some away?"

Song Huaishu sat on a small bench and picked out the shaped cucumber from the basket, and when he looked up and saw Lu Zheng'an's disgusted expression, he couldn't help but want to laugh a little.