Carrying a Jurassic on me
Chapter 144 - 20: Carpenter_1

Chapter 144: Chapter 20: Carpenter_1

"What are you doing carpentry works in the yard? What’s it for?" Yan Fei asked curiously.

"It’s for your Fifth Brother. He said he’s going to have a kid and needs a bigger bed. Insists on having the carpenter do it here, doesn’t mind the hassle." Fifth Sister-in-law said while yawning.

"Oh!" There’s not much to see while tending the cows, so Yan Fei just agreed and decided to watch the carpenter work instead.

As he watched, Yan Fei found the work quite useful.

He thought of his Vegetable Garden Island, where tables, chairs, and stools were made out of stone. The wooden board at the liquor window looked like it was chewed up by a dog. He realized that if he could do some carpentry himself, it would be more convenient in the future.

There are trees everywhere on the small islands. If he could do carpentry, he could build a small cottage like the ones on TV, make it more comfortable.

"What have you been up to these days, Xiao Fei? Why haven’t you been hanging out?" Fifth Sister-in-law asked, trying to make a conversation seeing his idle status.

"Just taking my little brother for a stroll! He was sent to kindergarten today, and I’m free, just out to have some fun."

"Did you hear? Zhang Laowu’s older brother, Zhang Laosan, drowned in a septic tank!" Fifth Sister-in-law hesitated, then whispered mysteriously.

"Well, no one can claim that five thousand yuan reward now, what a shame! Someone might have already been counting on it to make a fortune! Now, this money can only be used for his own funeral. It’s enough to hire quite a few bands!" Yan Fei sounded casual, but his words were somewhat gloating.

"Indeed!" Fifth Sister-in-law seemed a bit disappointed at his nonchalant response. "Aren’t you curious?"

"Curious about what?" Yan Fei turned his head, asking with a surprised look.

"Curious why he fell into the septic tank and died the very same day his younger brother did?" Fifth Sister-in-law was full of gossip fire. "Do you think that handsome master who killed his younger brother might have heard about the five-thousand-yuan reward and thrown him into the septic tank at night?"

"Hmm, I don’t know about that? I didn’t hear much, just knew he died." Yan Fei felt extremely embarrassed when he heard Fifth Sister-in-law say ’handsome guy’. Truth be told, that term wasn’t even popular at the time! Only the more ’fashionable’ people would say it like that.

"Tsk, his death was such a disgrace. He used to be a big shot, then just died like this, becoming a joke in the whole county. Dying in a septic tank, it’s disgusting just thinking about it..."

"Die early and be reborn early, what’s the point of such a person living? Everyone in the neighborhood curses him every day, anyone who sees him would react as if they’ve seen a fly or a maggot. It’s fitting for him to find companions in the septic tank."

"Huh? You sound quite dissatisfied with him. Did Zhang Laosan ever offend you?" Holding back a raging gossip desire, Fifth Sister-in-law asked, feigning calm.

"Huh? No, I don’t even know him. How could he offend me? I’m just nauseated by such scumbags." Yan Fei, having misspoken, came off as too ’clear-cut’. Almost caught by Fifth Sister-in-law’s questioning, he nearly gave himself away.

"Oh!" Fifth Sister-in-law, wearing a face of disbelief, stood there for a while, then stealthily went to whisper something to Fifth Brother.

She ended up getting scolded by Fifth Brother for some reason, then she pouted and went into the house with a huff.

Slightly oblivious, Yan Fei was watching the carpenter intently, observing how he chiseled the wood board.

Not only did he watch, he also lent a hand.

If you want to learn something, you need to contribute. Yan Fei was aware of that. After holding the plank for a while, he dared to ask, "Master, do you know about the kind of log cabins on TV that are built in forests and mountains? How do they do that? I saw they were stacked with round logs, is it sturdy?"

The master paused his hammer for a moment, thought about it, then continued to hammer away, "That’s a simple piece of work, just cut a slot on the logs and stack them one by one."

As he finished speaking, he picked up a stick and made some demonstrations in case Yan Fei didn’t understand.

No wonder they say that practicing a foreign craft is like climbing a steep hill! With the demonstration, Yan Fei got the hang of it.

It’s really simple actually. Just carve an arc-shaped groove into the round log, place another log into the groove, and carve more grooves on top. Stack them up, secure both sides with additional logs, and there you have a wall.

Once the wall is up, building a house is a cinch! All it requires is some attention to detail in the joining areas to make sure everything is solid.

Having learned from the others, Yan Fei helped out even more enthusiastically.

Who doesn’t appreciate someone who eagerly lends a hand? Unlike the old times when trade secrets meant apprentices had to work hard for the privilege of knowledge, sharing a few pointers really wasn’t a big deal. Seeing Yan Fei’s interest, the master carpenter talked through the process while actively working. The two chatted away with great enthusiasm.

After a while, Fifth Brother walked in, surprised: "Yan Fei, are you learning this too?"

"Heh heh, the more skills one has, the better. Makes it easier to do whatever I want in the future," Yan Fei chuckled.

"This isn’t as easy as it looks. You’ve got to practice; otherwise, you’ll end up with uneven planks and wobbly table legs. It’s not as simple as you think." The master house framer joined in the laughter.

"I learn fast, just wait and see." Yan Fei was full of confidence.

Sure enough, when the master handed Yan Fei a chisel, he quickly managed to carve a small square hole. But that was just a minor task. The real test of skill lay elsewhere.

Yan Fei’s powers of observation and manual dexterity were well known and, coupled with his readiness to expend effort, he learned incredibly quickly.

When he returned in the afternoon after delivering lunch to the school, he was already capable of marking and sawing timber on his own.

The master was delighted since this was equivalent to having additional help. As they worked, he praised Yan Fei, saying: "Once we finish making this bed, assuming there are leftover materials, you could continue helping me for a couple more days. We could make a few tables and chairs. Once we complete this, you’ll be skilled enough."

"Absolutely no problem there!" Yan Fei happily agreed.

Not only did he readily agree, but he also took the initiative to ask the master where he could buy such tools and remembered everything in detail. This made Fifth Brother and Fifth Sister-in-law tease him, asking if he was planning to change his profession.

Not changing his profession, just taking on some part-time work!

After asking about it and delivering dinner, he bought a saw.

At night, he went onto Cow Breeding Island to act as a lumberjack.

As Vegetable Garden Island was the base, he didn’t dare to chop down trees there. Meanwhile, Cow Breeding Island had plenty of trees, so cutting down a few was no issue.

For a strong man like him, using an ax to cut trees was speedier. He avoided the thicker ones, those several people couldn’t even embrace. Unable to move and clean them up as they had maybe been there for many years, he just chopped down those as thick as a large thigh.

Having wreaked havoc on Cow Breeding Island for so many days, he wasn’t worried about being disturbed by dinosaurs or strange creatures. The surrounding Rapator and Terrestrisuchus all knew that the bipedal creature, while lacking sharp teeth and nails, was actually brutal. It was better not to bother him without reason.

After felling a tree, he would cut it into parts with a saw and trim the branches. As the logs were too long to move, he left them on Cow Breeding Island for now. His parents’ cabin was too small to fit these long logs.

While chopping, he’d always take short breaks to listen for sounds from the outside as he had spent less time in his dimension after his first kill. Except when necessary, he generally didn’t enter. He even slept in his room these days, rather than inside the dimension. Luckily, the stuffiness didn’t bother him. If he felt too hot, he just went to the Vegetable Garden Island for a shower before returning.