ABPUBALC - Chapter 7
Chapter 7: Pushing the Cart
For breakfast, they had baozi[Baozi: type of Chinese steamed bun that is typically filled with meat or vegetables. e/n: I've been eating frozen ones recently, covering with a wet paper towel before microwaving really does make it softer... I want real ones now QaQ]. Lin Xing had rendered quite a bit of lard yesterday, and the leftover bits were just perfect for filling the buns.
Since the lard had already been rendered, it was fragrant without being greasy. Lin Xing steamed a full pot, unafraid of making too much, as Gu Qiming had a large appetite and could finish it within a day or two.
After eating, Gu Qiming took out the drawings he had prepared last night.
"This is a cart I drew yesterday. It's used to carry things. Take a look and see if you can make it."
Lin Xing took the drawing and was amazed[e/n: ah, an ancient chinese world with no carts? I hope it's actually innovative. Also since when were you an engineer, Qiming!?]. The drawing was full of details, and it showed very clearly how each part should be made. He had never seen anything like it before.
The cart that Gu Qiming designed was very different from the carts that were commonly used at the time. The carts that they used now were all flatbed carts with two large wheels underneath, and they were very cumbersome. The wheels on this cart were much smaller, and there were two in the front and two in the back.[e/n: the wheels are smaller, and there are four... at least tell me they're all independently turning like a shopping cart or something, ah! stop thinking, stop thinking!]
At the top, Lin Xing guessed there should be a handrail, with a squarely built wooden frame in the middle, surrounded by wooden planks which could conveniently be used for placing items. Each wheel was also fitted with two wooden bars, the purpose of which Lin Xing couldn't ascertain. This contraption seemed intricate, and Lin Xing wondered how Gu Ge ever came up with such an idea.
"It should be feasible," Lin Xing responded. "Though it appears complicated, it shouldn't be difficult to execute. It will definitely require some effort, though."
Gu Qiming understood and said, "Then you go ahead, I'll go up the mountain to chop some wood."
The firewood left at home was running low. That day, when Lin Xing went up the mountain to gather more, he encountered an unexpected situation. As a result, he wouldn't have time to go back to the mountain in the next few days, so he took the initiative to take on the task himself.
Gu Qiming realized that these days he had been spending all his time heading up the mountain. Initially, it was to hunt, but now, he found himself going there to chop wood.
In these mountains, there are many withered branches and fallen leaves. The Lin family's village is surrounded by mountains on three sides, with the largest mountain sitting to the east. It's common for the villagers to come here to gather firewood.
Just like that, Gu Qiming had only been gathering for a short while when he saw Er Niu chopping wood on the mountain as well, his wife by his side picking up some dry branches, the two of them chatting and laughing together.
His wife, named Liu Cuicui, hailed from the neighboring Liu family village. She had only married into the family less than a year ago, and the couple was still very much in the honeymoon phase.
Er Niu, though younger than him, was already considered to have married 'late' by the villagers. In the village, if you were not married by the age of twenty, people would start wagging their tongues.
Gu Qiming walked over and greeted with a nod.
As soon as Er Niu caught sight of Gu Qiming, he called out "Brother Gu" and set down the axe in his hands to greet him.
"Brother Gu, you've come to chop wood in the mountains too? Why isn't Lin Xing with you today?"
"He's busy at home; we've run out of firewood. I'm here to gather some to take back."
Upon hearing this, Er Niu frowned and said, "If you were running out of firewood at home, you should have mentioned it earlier. My brother and I will find time to go up the mountain and chop some wood. The wood lying on the ground is all rotten and burns poorly. We'll send you some good quality wood later; it will be perfect for burning and cooking!"
"No need, it's just that our axe at home is broken. In a couple of days, I'll go to the store and get a new one. Look at these muscles of your Brother Gu, there's no wood I can't chop." Saying so, he even rolled up his sleeve to flaunt his muscles.
Lin Er Niu gave a simple and honest smile, thinking to himself that what his mother said was indeed true, Brother Gu was really good-natured and easy to get along with.
After chatting for a while, Er Niu and his wife insisted on giving Gu Qiming the firewood they had chopped. Unable to refuse, Gu Qiming had no choice but to accept. He said he would invite them over for a meal in return, and then he descended the mountain alone.
On his way back, Gu Qiming encountered Lin Hao, who was conversing with some villagers about something. Upon seeing Gu Qiming with a bamboo basket on his back, Lin Hao smirked at him with ill intent. Gu Qiming felt his fists clench tighter, harboring the intense desire to land a heavy punch on that sleazy face, thinking to himself that sooner or later, he would give Lin Hao a good beating.
* * *
"Lin Xing! I'm back!"
Before Gu Qiming had even stepped inside the gate, he opened his mouth and called out for a certain someone. Lin Xing was in the yard working on the cart and, upon hearing his voice, quickly opened the door and greeted him.
Gu Qiming liked this feeling of someone waiting for him when he got home; it gave him a sense of belonging.
“Why are you back so soon?” He had only been gone for less than an hour. He usually spent half an hour just collecting firewood. Why did Brother Gu come back so early?
Gu Qiming took off his backpack, smiled and said to Lin Xing, "I bumped into Er Niu on the mountain, and he gave me a lot of wood."
So that's why. No wonder he came back so early.
Lin Xing rubbed his sore fingers and said, "Er Niu is really kind-hearted. Next time we see him, we must properly thank him."
"Sure, I'll do as you say. How is the cart going? If there's anything you don't understand, let me take a look for you."
"The two wheels are finally done." It was more laborious than he had thought it would be; within this short time, he had only managed to finish grinding out two wheels.
Gu Qiming picked up the wheel that Lin Xing had made. It was very well made; the wheel was polished smoothly and there was a hole in the middle where the wooden bar could be inserted before it was installed onto the rack.
Gu Qiming rolled up his sleeves to help out, but unfortunately, he wasn't very skilled in carpentry. He could only assist with odd jobs. Gu Qiming spent most of his time watching Lin Xing work. But he didn't find it boring. It is said that men are at their most handsome when they're focused. When Lin Xing worked, he seemed to glow. Gu Qiming couldn't take his eyes off of him.
Since realizing that Lin Xing is a Shuang'er, he could not help but admit that his mindset has indeed changed. Before, he treated him as a younger brother, but now he feels that he is in love with him. Although it is still only unrequited love, he would feel happy just by looking at him.
When Lin Xing finished making half of the wheelbarrow, it was already well past the mealtime. Gu Qiming saw that he was preoccupied with his work, so he didn't call him in for dinner. Instead, he picked two cucumbers in the yard and munched on them. He then went to the kitchen to cook some porridge. Originally, he wanted to fry some eggs as well, but there were no chickens at home, so naturally there were no eggs either. He couldn't even make the only dish he knew how to cook.
“Brother Gu!”
Gu Qiming emerged from the kitchen to see Lin Xing happily pushing the cart around the yard.
"Is it done?"
"No, but it can be pushed now." Lin Xing quickly made room to the side for him, "Come and try it out, see if it works well."
Lin Xing did not make the cart too high. Gu Qiming pulled it about and tried it out. "Not bad, it rolls quite smoothly." At the very least, it's not going to creak while being pushed around.
Wooden wheels certainly don't match up to their modern counterparts, but being able to make it like this is pretty good.
"That's good." Upon hearing his positive feedback, Lin Xing breathed a sigh of relief, his eyes curving up into a smile.
Gu Qiming found him adorable and couldn't help but tease him. He reached out to pinch his cheek, but Gu's palm was so large it easily covered half of Lin Xing's face. Watching Lin's neck quickly turn red, Gu reluctantly let go.
"Let's eat first, it's getting late and you must be hungry. I've made some porridge." Gu Qiming scratched the back of his head. "It may not be very good, but it will do for a meal."
Seeing that Gu ignored his reaction to the touching, Lin Xing felt a wave of irritation. Clearly, Gu Ge only saw him as a younger brother, yet why did his heart race every time he interacted with Gu Ge, just like a lovestruck young girl?
He stiffly held the bowl and drank the porridge. He thought, "How could it be bad?" The white rice porridge was mixed with mung beans and was very soft and smooth. When he was by himself, the porridge he drank was the crudest kind, not only bad in texture, but with a taste that could not be put into words. Now that he could drink white rice porridge, how could he think it was bad?
Gu Qiming didn't actually mean to offend Lin Xing. He could faintly sense that the young man's feelings towards him were somewhat different.
Lin Xing hadn't shown any aversion when they bumped into each other a few times before. Instead, he would blush embarrassingly. Lin Xing was nineteen this year, yet he had neither acquired a wife nor taken a husband. From his current attitude, Gu Qiming thought it wasn't impossible for them to be together, but he was cautious not to assume anything either. After all, this was a lifelong event that couldn't be rushed.
Now that they live together, he has plenty of time to slowly make his move.
Gu Qiming was very confident in his appearance. While out with friends, many people had asked him for his contact information. So he wasn't worried about that aspect- everyone loves beauty[ 爱美之心，人皆有之 ài měi zhī xīn , rén jiē yǒu zhī (idiom) lit: The desire to look attractive, everybody has it. fig: everyone loves beauty ], right?
"When the cart is finished, how do you plan to sell it?"
Gu Qiming hasn't even thought about how this will be sold. It can't be advertised too conspicuously. No one has ever seen anything like it, so he needs to come up with a foolproof explanation.
Otherwise, if he were to attract the scorn of others, he would have no way to explain the origin of this thing, and that would be a real problem.
Lin Xing mused, "How about we send it to the carpentry workshop, and say that it was an idea that came from the scholarly brother at home? I think we can set the price a little higher. Everyone hasn't seen such a novel thing, so there certainly aren't only a few rich people willing to buy it. Also, it'll be difficult to produce without blueprints, which means that we don't have to worry about someone copying the design for a while."
“Alright, let's follow your idea.”
It is plausible to say that this was thought of by a scholar. In Gu Qiming's 'ancient times', scholars were always admired, and this world is probably the same. Unexpectedly, Lin Xing had already considered how to sell it. Gu Qiming wanted to stand up and applaud him.
He nervously twiddled his fingers and asked tentatively, "Aren't you curious how I came up with it?"
Lin Xing shook his head and sighed: "When I first saw Brother Gu, I knew that you were different from me. I've lived my whole life without leaving Shiqiao Town, and I have no idea what people from the outside world are like, but I'm sure you're not someone from the village. If you don't want to talk about it now, then I won't ask."
Lin Xing guessed that Gu Qiming might be some wealthy son in distress. Although Gu Qiming looked down and out when they first met, his temperament was different from the common folk. Lin Xing wasn't a fool; surely he wouldn't have missed something so obvious.
Gu Qiming was taken aback. He had always felt that Lin Xing was very intelligent, but he hadn't expected that he would've seen through his lie since their initial meeting, yet refrain from pointing it out either. He had previously thought that farmers were simple and easy to deceive, but it turned out that he was the one who was being presumptuous. Perhaps the reason Lin Xing hadn't called him out on it was because he simply didn't want to.
As expected, it was impossible to arbitrarily look down on others.
Lin Xing's composure left Gu Qiming feeling rather flustered. Grabbing his hand, he said earnestly, "Xingxing, I did hide a few things about this from you, but rest assured, I would never harm you or cause you any trouble. I just can't tell you everything yet. When the time is right, I will tell you anything you want to know. I promise I won't keep any more secrets from you."
As for why he had come to this world, Gu Qiming still had no clue. It was possible this was just a joke the heavens were playing on him. He was just an insignificant passerby. As of now, he had yet to figure out the rules. If he were to speak carelessly, who knew what would happen? Everything was still uncertain, so he had to be careful.
"I... know..."
Lin Xing struggled to free his hand, but Gu Qiming gave him no chance to pull back.
Gu Qiming suddenly didn't want to take it slow; this was the first person he'd ever felt moved by. Intelligent, sensible, obedient, but also opinionated - he didn't want to be Lin Xing's older brother any longer, he wanted to stand by his side as someone closer.
Lin Xing met Gu Qiming's gaze and felt like a prey caught in the gaze of a stalking beast.
His heart faintly detected something, and he suddenly panicked. He had never, ever been treated like this before. In the past, sometimes thought of marrying and having a family. But with Gege, he didn't even dare to think about it.
"I... I'll go wash the dishes first."
After he finished speaking, he didn't know where he got the strength to shrug off Gu Qiming's wrist and escape into the kitchen like a fugitive. Like an ostrich, he hid himself, knowing that while it may be shameful, avoidance was still very effective. He drew some water to wash the dishes in the kitchen, and slowly calmed down.
Gu Qiming did not intend to force him. If he pushed the young man too hard, it would only cause trouble. Since he didn’t have experience, he could only do his best to take good care of Lin Xing and work together with him to support this family.
He arrived late, but fortunately, not too late; they could still live happily together.
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Gu Qiming: What do you mean, slow? We get married tomorrow.
Thank you, like watching the relationship progress
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