Chapter 115: Constructing a Self-Watering Planter (Part Two)

After finishing their work and returning to the village, the village chief asked Gu Xiaoyao to accompany him to find the most skilled carpenter in the village.

“Old Craftsman, are you there?”

The village chief called out from outside the house, and soon a man named Old Craftsman came out, leaning on his cane. Upon seeing the village chief, he immediately smiled and greeted him.

“Village Chief, you’re here. Is there something you need?”

Old Craftsman looked at the person standing beside the village chief for a long moment before recognizing her.

“This must be Cheng Jin’s wife—a truly fortunate woman.”

The village chief led Gu Xiaoyao into the courtyard without hesitation and got straight to the point, asking for his help.

“...Since I promised last time, I thought I’d ask for your help. Don’t worry, you won’t be helping for nothing.”

Originally, this had been a promise made by the villagers, but now Old Craftsman was the only one left to fulfill it.

Hearing the village chief’s explanation, Old Craftsman waved his hand, thinking it was no big deal.

As a member of the village himself, he had been very happy to hear of their triumphant return. After all these years, they had finally managed to keep the people of Great Valley Village underfoot and won for once. When spring hunting came around, Lotus Village would finally have a place of its own.

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“No trouble at all, no trouble. I’m part of the village too, so this is a favor I should gladly do. By the way, Cheng Jin’s wife, what exactly do you need?”

Seeing their agreement, Gu Xiaoyao immediately crouched down and used a twig to draw out what she wanted.

Old Craftsman took a small stool and sat beside her. Seeing her drawing, he nodded in understanding, thinking it was an easy thing to make.

“This is quite simple to make. See my pig trough? It’ll look just like this, only with an extra layer added at the bottom.”

“How many do you want? I don’t have much to do now, so if you only need a few, I can have them ready by tomorrow.”

“I have quite a bit of wood stored at home from last time—lots of it unused!”

This was a simple item to make and wouldn’t take much effort, Old Craftsman figured.

“I want to make ten of these troughs to start with. Time’s tight, but I’ll also be here to help. You’ll need the wood cut into planks; I’ll take care of that.”

In three days, she would have to bring fresh vegetables into the city. If she could get these fresh vegetables into the market, she would have a steady source of income—and good vegetables could even sell for more than meat.

“Ten, huh? Alright, I’ll try to finish them by tomorrow. You don’t need to worry about helping—I have three sons at home who can spare some time to assist.”

Old Craftsman smiled as he declined her offer to help. He was used to doing these kinds of tasks himself and didn’t need assistance.

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Seeing that he was sincere, Gu Xiaoyao didn’t press further. Words of thanks felt too hollow, so after expressing her gratitude, she sent her brother home to bring a piece of meat.

“Uncle, this is just a little token of my appreciation. Please accept it, and thank you for your help.”

Such a genuine gift was hard for Old Craftsman to refuse. After taking the meat, he patted his chest, promising to have the ten troughs ready by tomorrow.

With the troughs arranged, on her way home, Gu Xiaoyao ventured into the nearby forest to gather some rushes for wicks.

Busy days always flew by, and early the next morning, Gu Xiaoyao was already at Old Craftsman’s house.

Leaning against the fence outside the courtyard, she admired the ten neatly arranged troughs inside and couldn’t help but praise them silently.

“Uncle, you finished so quickly—truly skilled workmanship.”

Her ability to communicate with others was steadily improving. Indeed, once people began to connect, conversations naturally became smoother.