Chapter 9: Showing Off Carpentry Skills

Tu Shan went to the recycling station, intending to buy some old furniture to compensate her landlady.

She had promised to return it, and she was not someone who went back on her word.

"What are you here for?" The middle-aged woman knitting a sweater lifted her eyelids to glance at her.

Tu Shan: "I just moved out on my own, I'm lacking everything. I'm here to see if there's anything useful."

The woman scanned the tattered clothes on Tu Shan’s body. Many people came here looking for a bargain, mostly because they were poor.

"Fine, go find what you need yourself, but don't make a mess of things."

"Alright."

Unlike a dump, where items were completely unusable, the things at the recycling station were mostly half-broken. A small portion was intact but old; with some repairs, they would be perfectly functional.

The first things Tu Shan needed were tools for eating. Even though she would only be in the rental for three days, she still had to eat during those three days.

She couldn't find any usable bowls or chopsticks, and there was no point in even thinking about iron pots. Iron was a critical metal; even a broken iron pot wouldn't end up at a recycling station.

After searching for a long time, she only found a large clay pot of about six liters. It had a chip in the rim, but it was usable.

She found a wobbly shelf, a stool missing a leg, a box without a lid, and a table missing half its side.

Good enough, good enough. She would just find some wooden boards and strips, and with a little hammering back home, they would be usable.

The empty room could finally be considered to have some furnishings.

By the time she finished picking her items, the woman was almost done with her lunch.

Tu Shan... was hungry.

"Sorry to trouble you, could you help me calculate the cost?"

The woman swallowed the last mouthful of porridge and wiped her mouth.

"That's quite a lot. Your place really has nothing at all, huh? Did your family kick you out?"

Tu Shan offered an awkward but polite smile: "I'm just poor."

The woman wore an expression that said, *I see right through you, no need to hide it.*

Besides, who wasn't poor?

"Wait, let me calculate."

By the time she finished, nearly half the money in Tu Shan’s pocket was gone.

For this pile of junk, it was worth this much—no wonder they said a poor household’s clutter was worth a fortune.

Tu Shan found a handcart and spent fifty cents to transport the items home.

On the way, she stopped by the supply and marketing cooperative to buy iron nails, but she didn't have the required ration coupons, so she couldn't buy them. Forget it, she headed back.

It was nearly 2:30 PM when she arrived home. The courtyard was quiet, with only a few elderly people with poor mobility resting in their rooms for their afternoon nap.

Tu Shan asked the man pulling the cart to help unload the items by the well.

Once he left, Tu Shan rolled up her sleeves and started scrubbing and washing.

Halfway through, Auntie Wang and several other middle-aged women returned, chatting and laughing.

Seeing the pile of junk in the courtyard, the expressions of the group shifted several times, finally settling into indignant realization.

In that short time, there was no telling what they had imagined.

Auntie Wang, full of momentum, pointed at Tu Shan and questioned: "Tu Sanmei, what kind of trouble are you stirring up again? Why are you bringing this junk into the courtyard? Are you trying to reach the heavens? I shouldn't have been soft-hearted and let you stay for three more days. Now, immediately, right now, take this stuff and get out."

Tu Shan was truly annoyed. If a person’s reputation was bad, even breathing was considered an offense.

She had just brought back some broken furniture; how was that "stirring up trouble"?

If it were someone else, they would definitely be praised for being thrifty and good at managing a household.

"Auntie Wang, I know you're very angry."

Auntie Wang scoffed: "If you know, then..."

"But don't be angry just yet."

Auntie Wang...

"Let me explain myself first."

Auntie Wang??

"Well, these are the pieces of furniture I'm returning to you."

Auntie Wang was so angry she let out a laugh: "My furniture might not be made of precious wood, but at least it wasn't missing arms and legs. You're using these broken things to replace my perfectly intact ones. Tu Sanmei, I didn't realize you were so calculating?"

Tu Shan wore an expression that said, *I know you're ignorant, but I won't make fun of you.*

Seeing this made Auntie Wang’s temple throb; she rolled up her sleeves, ready to chase her out.

Tu Shan felt helpless. Why was she so hot-tempered?

"Auntie Wang, I told you not to be in such a hurry. They look broken now, but don't I have hands? Lend me some tools, and I guarantee I'll make them look shiny, tall, and sturdy in minutes."

It wasn't that Tu Shan was bragging. Having lived two lifetimes, she felt she was terrifyingly capable; there was nothing she couldn't do.

Except for the first fifteen years of her first life, where she grew up as a little princess pampered by her parents and relatives.

Every day after that, she had relied on herself to get by.

Carpentry, she really knew how to do it.

As soon as Auntie Wang heard her ask for tools, she knew what she was up to. She couldn't sell the furniture, so now she was trying to sell the tools.

Without another word, she grabbed Tu Shan and dragged her toward the gate.

"Hurry and move it, help out!" The other women were exceptionally observant. Without Auntie Wang needing to say a word, they helped move Tu Shan’s pile of junk and threw it outside the gate.

Tu Shan’s mouth twitched. *You people are actually quite decent; you didn't even think about stealing it.*

Was it because they looked down on it? It cost over ten yuan, you know.

"Auntie Wang, are you really not going to give yourself a chance to witness my skills?"

Auntie Wang paused in her dragging, recalling Tu Shan’s words several times, feeling as if something was wrong with her ears.

Who was giving whom a chance?

"Tu Sanmei, have you lost your mind? What is this? Changed your strategy? Let me tell you, don't even think about it. Even if you had eight hundred schemes, don't think you'll get a single bit of advantage from me again. Get out, get out, get out..."

"Auntie Wang, just trust me this once. If I can't fix them, you can go to Ling Yang for compensation, how about that?"

Auntie Wang wore a look of disdain, as if to say, *I knew you were up to no good:* "Go to Ling Yang? Who do you think you are to go to Ling Yang? Do you think Ling Yang still cares about you? Pfft, wake up, stop daydreaming. Tu Sanmei, seriously, living your life like this is a kind of talent. You, damn it, make me admire you to the point of bowing down."

Tu Shan...

"Oh, Auntie Wang, why are you wasting your breath on her? Just move it, throw it all out."

Auntie Wang thought that made sense, so she shoved Tu Shan aside and went to help move the things.

Tu Shan was truly impressed.

Tu Sanmei really had no hope left in her life.

"Aunties, my apologies."

...

"Tu Sanmei, you god-forsaken menace, you wait! If you have the guts, don't run. I'm going to have the police come and shoot you!"

Tu Shan replied perfunctorily: "Not running, not running, don't worry."

"Tu Sanmei, when my son comes back, he'll beat you until you're crying for your parents and begging for mercy on your knees!"

Tu Shan: "Yes, yes, your son is invincible."

"Tu Sanmei, you bully the elderly, heaven won't tolerate this. Just wait for divine retribution!"

Tu Shan: "Right, right, I'll definitely be struck by lightning."

The aunties...

Damn it, the old Tu Sanmei who didn't have a mouth was more likable.

Tu Shan skillfully pulled the saw she had scavenged from Auntie Wang’s room. With a few *whoosh-whoosh* sounds, the wooden board was cut. The cut was neat and smooth; her craftsmanship was evident.

But Tu Shan wasn't very satisfied. This saw was older than Auntie Wang, and it was exhausting to use.

She set it aside, sawed a few more wooden strips, smoothed them with a plane, and used a chisel to carve out suitable holes, first repairing the stool and the table.

After a bout of hammering and tapping, the broken table and chairs were gradually restored to health.

The group of aunties, who had been huddled together and cursing incessantly, gradually fell silent.

"This menace actually seems to be good at it."

"Look at that, the table and chairs she made actually look like the real thing."

"They look sturdier than the ones we're using now."

They thought they were whispering, but Tu Shan heard every word clearly.

The corners of her mouth lifted. She would definitely be able to win back the face that Tu Sanmei had lost.

Only the box lid remained.

She joined two wooden boards together using grooves and wooden nails, placed it on the box, and it was done.

She was truly fast; from start to finish, it had taken no more than three hours.

(End of chapter)