In years of famine and drought, their village even rejected fatty meat.

Chapter 394 Warmth

Jin Yin and Xu San nodded secretly. They had inquired about these things together with Jiang Xiaobai. They naturally knew what Jiang Xiaobai knew, and they were only revealing it now to let Cao Shui know some of the situation.

Soon, the four of them entered the shop called Qiaoshou Furniture Shop. At that time, there were only a few elderly people in the shop selecting furniture.

In recent days, as life in Chenjia Village has improved, matchmakers have been visiting more frequently, facilitating many marriages between men from Chenjia Village and women from other villages. This has led to a booming business for Liu Qiaoshou's furniture shop, with many elderly people coming to the shop almost every day to select and reserve furniture.

As for why it was the elderly who made the selections instead of the young people coming in person, it's because the young people were all at work and didn't have time to come.

"Gentlemen, are you looking to buy furniture?"

Upon seeing the four enter, the shopkeeper, Wang Ling, hurriedly stepped forward to greet them warmly.

Jiang Xiaobai and the other three exchanged glances, and Jiang Xiaobai spoke up: "Manager Wang, we're not here to buy furniture, nor can we afford it! We want to become apprentices under Master Liu."

"So you came here to be an apprentice."

Hearing Jiang Xiaobai say that he couldn't afford Wang Ling, he didn't show the slightest disdain. Instead, he said as enthusiastically as ever, "Being an apprentice is no problem. Qiaoshou is also willing to teach more apprentices. However... there is no wage for apprentices, only three meals a day. You all know that, right?"

"know."

Jiang Xiaobai nodded subconsciously, but then quickly noticed something was wrong: "Manager Wang, wasn't it only two meals a day? How come it's become three meals?"

Upon hearing this, Wang Ling laughed: "Two meals a day is outdated. To give the apprentices the energy to study and work, Qiaoshou now provides them with three meals a day."

Upon hearing this, Jiang Xiaobai's expression brightened, and he quickly said, "Manager Wang, we are willing to become apprentices."

"to make!"

Wang Ling beckoned to one of the shop assistants and said, "Xiao Li, take them to Master Liu's place!"

"Yes, Manager Wang!"

Soon after, a guy named Xiao Li led Jiang Xiaobai and his three companions to the front yard of Liu Qiaoshou's house.

Liu Qiaoshou was not at home at the time, but there were many people in the front yard. Young men were busy working on pieces of wood. Jiang Xiaobai guessed that they must be Liu Qiaoshou's apprentices.

"Master Lu."

The waiter led Jiang Xiaobai and his companions to a kind-looking man and introduced them, saying, "These are Jiang Xiaobai, Jin Yin, Xu San, and Jin Yin, who want to learn the craft from Master Liu. They're in your care now!"

"Thank you for your hard work, Xiao Li!"

The man called Master Lu exchanged pleasantries with Xiao Li, and after seeing Xiao Li off, he turned to Jiang Xiaobai and the other three and said with a smile, "I am Lu Meng, Master Liu's eldest disciple. You can call me Senior Brother Lu, or you can call me Master Lu, whatever you like!"

"Senior Brother Lu."

Jiang Xiaobai and the other three bowed in unison.

Rumon smiled kindly and said, "Since we're here, we're all family. There's no need for all this formality."

After saying that, Rumon added, "Master is currently working, so you can stay here for now and wait for him to return before he makes arrangements for you!"

"Row."

Jiang Xiaobai and his three companions found an open space and craned their necks to watch the apprentices who were busy doing carpentry, hoping to learn as much as possible.

Meanwhile, Rumeng himself also became busy.

Lu Meng was the first apprentice to learn some of Liu Qiaoshou's skills; his main responsibility now is to teach other apprentices and...

To manufacture pre-ordered furniture for furniture stores.

Yes, most of the goods in the Qiaoshou Furniture Shop today are not made by Liu Qiaoshou herself, but by her eldest disciple, Lu Meng. After all, Liu Qiaoshou still needs to work on construction sites and simply doesn't have much time to make furniture.

Under these circumstances, the task of making the furniture naturally fell to Lu Meng, his eldest disciple.

Of course, Liu Qiaoshou was not one of those stingy businessmen. He could get a share of the profits from every piece of furniture Lu Meng made, so he was very enthusiastic and never complained.

Soon, as the sun was high in the sky, Liu Qiaoshou and Wang Ling's wife moved two large food buckets to the front yard and began distributing food to the apprentices.

Smelling the enticing aroma of steamed buns in the air, Jiang Xiaobai and his companions rubbed their bellies, feeling a bit hungry.

Jiang Xiaobai and the other two were all teenagers, the age when young boys can eat their fathers' food. The two steamed buns they ate that morning had long been gone, and they were now feeling very hungry.

However, they were too embarrassed to go forward and receive the food, since strictly speaking, they were not yet apprentices here.

"Brother Jiang."

Cao Shui noticed the strange behavior of the three people and was about to take out a large pancake from his pocket.

But at that moment, Liu Qiaoshou's wife noticed them first.

Looking at the three teenagers, Liu Qiaoshou's wife asked doubtfully, "These children aren't from around here, are they?"

“Master’s wife, they are new apprentices. Since Master hasn’t returned yet, I can’t make arrangements for them,” Lu Meng explained.

"Since they're here to be apprentices, let's invite them to eat together!"

Qi Hua had experienced hunger herself, and she knew how painful it was to watch others eat when you were starving, so she didn't want to see these teenagers standing there starving.

"okay!"

Lu Meng strode towards Jiang Xiaobai and the other three, saying, "Let's go! Your master's wife is calling you to come over for dinner."

Jiang Xiaobai and his companions were taken aback for a moment, but did not refuse. They quickly took a few steamed buns from Qi Hua's hands, but they did not rush to eat them. Instead, they repeatedly thanked Qi Hua, saying, "Thank you, Master's wife. Thank you, Master's wife."

"You're welcome."

Qi Hua waved her hand and said gently, "Since you're here, then learn some skills so you can make a living and have enough to eat in the future."

Jiang Xiaobai and his three companions nodded solemnly. They had long ago made up their minds to learn skills and become craftsmen with expertise. Otherwise, they would not have given up their jobs that paid four hundred coins to come here as apprentices.

Returning to the same open space, Cao Shui ate a steamed bun while his mind wandered.

Cao Shui never imagined that one day he would leave his hometown so far away and make up his mind to stay in a place hundreds of miles away from home.

In fact, Cao Shui had been feeling extremely uneasy since morning.

After all, his understanding of Chenjia Village was limited to what he learned from Jiang Xiaobai, and he didn't know if his choice was correct.

Good thing...

Cao Shui savored the sweet aroma of the steamed bun in his mouth and felt as if he had made the right choice.

If he returns to the county town, he may not be able to get enough to eat, and he will also have to face the cold stares of others.

Staying in Chenjia Village, not only did no one treat him coldly, but he also met a kind master's wife who was willing to feed him even though he had not made any contribution to the furniture shop.

For some reason, Cao Shui seemed to see his mother in Qi Hua, simply because...

Apart from his own mother, no woman had ever been willing to help him without expecting anything in return, not even... a full meal!

The warm smile on his teacher's wife's rough face, just like his own mother's, brought him peace of mind.