Wei Chuan rubbed his nose awkwardly and handed the things he bought to Meng Tang: "I bought a fruit box, tea leaves, and a durian."
Meng Tang glanced at the sign. The fruit box was exquisite and the tea was Pu'er. According to Wei Chuan's spending power, nothing would be cheap.
"It's a waste." Meng Tang reached out to take it.
Halfway through, Wei Chuan suddenly carried it back: "Let me hold it for you, it's very heavy."
Xie Lingyin and Xu Heqing looked at each other, unable to hide the curvature of the corners of their mouths.
Xu Heqing coughed: "I'll carry one for you."
Wei Chuan handed the durian over.
When Meng Tang came out, the door was half open, and four people entered one after another. She and Wei Chuan walked side by side.
She wanted to talk to Xu Heqing, but it was obvious that she was not familiar with him and could not find a starting topic.
Xie Lingyin is much more familiar with Xu Heqing.
In the past, thanks to Lingyin, she could always watch Xu Heqing up close at the event.
They will always host events together.
After entering the door of the middle courtyard, Sister Fang greeted her warmly.
Wei Chuan and Xu Heqing greeted the old man. The old man nodded pretending to be profound, but in fact he was looking at them quietly.
There was a wooden table in the courtyard. Several people sat around it and helped Sister Fang choose the dishes. Sister Fang was so frightened that they all went to the kitchen to work alone.
She observed for a long time that no one had done any work.
Mengtang had no choice but to cut up the fruits that Wei Chuan brought and gave a portion to the old man and Sister Fang also gave a portion.
Wei Chuan looked around curiously and exclaimed the same as Xie Lingyin: "Your home is really big."
Is it as big as yours?" Meng Tang asked back, "I heard there is a basketball court at home."
She also heard Shi Lan's gossip.
Wei Chuan: "...More or less, I've never lived in a house like this, and I think it's strange."
"If it's strange, just look at it more." After Xu Heqing finished speaking, he asked Meng Tang, "Should we visit it?"
Meng Tang nodded: "Of course."
"Xiaotang." Meng Yuchun looked at it for a while, then got up from the recliner, "There's still lunch, come to the backyard with me. If your classmate is interested, you can come and have a look together."
Wei Chuan subconsciously followed. He stood up and asked Meng Tang in a low voice: "What are you going to do?"
Meng Tang looked back: "Test your homework."
Wei Chuan and others followed and stepped into the north courtyard. They saw wood everywhere.
After entering the main workshop, the old man handed Meng Tang a long piece of cloth: "Cover it."
Wei Chuan raised his eyebrows curiously, what is this for?
Xie Lingyin listened to Meng Tang’s words and spontaneously explained to them in a low voice: "It should be about blindly identifying wood, and you must accurately tell the age, temperament and usage of the wood."
"So difficult?" Wei Chuan's eyes widened and he looked at Meng Tang worriedly.
Meng Tang laughed when he heard Wei Chuan's sudden increase in volume: "It's actually not difficult. The feel, smell, and weight of the wood... all have mysteries."
The old man knocked on the table and asked Meng Tang to guess the first piece of wood.
Practice."
"The sound is dull and crisp, with no cavity, suitable for shallow carving."
Meng Tang then smelled it, scraped off the sawdust, rubbed it and smelled it.
"Grandpa, when I first smelled it, there was a fishy smell of earth and a strong smell of grass. After a closer inspection, there was a smell of rotten leaves. It's a tree on a shady slope."
Finally, she opened her mouth and crushed the sawdust with the tip of her tongue, and said: "It is slightly sweet but bitter, and the resin has not been alcoholized. It is a material from Taizhou."
Immediately afterwards, Meng Tang made no mistakes.
She stood in front of the desk, with a whole shelf of wood behind her. She exuded a calm and confident attitude that made people dare not climb high.
"The last thing."
Meng Tang took it, and the sourness of loquat leaves rushed into the bottom of his nose.
"Grandpa, are you fake?"
Meng Yuchun chuckled: "See it for yourself, don't ask me."
Suddenly, Meng Tang paused, and his nails got stuck in a horizontal spider web-like pattern.
She uncovered the long cloth, and found deep in the cracks in the wood, there were natural thin lines parallel to the wood grain.
"The skin is fake, but the bones are real." Meng Yuchun said, "This material was eaten by insects and hollowed out. I wrapped it in scrap skin. Xiaotang, you didn't see that the wood is completely dead."
Meng Tang: "...I still can't learn well."
Meng Yuchun: "Don't be in a hurry, take your time, how old are you."
Meng Tang pursed his lips, not happy.
Meng Yuchun turned his head happily and asked, "What do you think of my granddaughter?"
Wei Chuan gave a thumbs up: "Awesome."
Meng Tang: "..."
The old man smiled heartily and left with his hands behind his back.
Meng Tang looked at Xu Heqing's back and was very discouraged. Seeing Wei Chuan blocking him in front of him, he asked, "Why don't you go?" Look, this place is pretty good too."
"It's all wood, what's there to see? Let's go."
Wei Chuan said "Oh" and turned to follow.
When he came to the middle courtyard, he saw the begonias in the yard and asked sideways, "Is your name related to that tree?"
Meng Tang followed his gaze and nodded: "When I was born, the begonias bloomed overnight, and Tang belongs to wood, so my grandpa decided on this name."
Wei Chuan: "That's quite fate."
Sister Fang came out of the restaurant and asked them to eat. Wei Chuan was so sweet that he coaxed Sister Fang into confusion.
The old man glanced secretly, thinking that this boy was just talking sweet words.
In the afternoon, Meng Tang decided to take them around the neighborhood and told Sister Fang that they would eat out in the evening.
As soon as he stepped out of the old house, Xie Lingyin's cell phone rang.
Seeing that her face was getting more and more ugly, she said "I'll go back right away" and hung up the phone.
"Sorry, Meng Tang, I might have to go back first." Xie Lingyin looked apologetic, "My brother bumped into someone when he returned home, and he was in the hospital. I have to go back and take a look to prevent my parents from doing stupid things."
Meng Tang looked at Wei Chuan: "Then you send ——"
"I'll see her off." Xu Heqing said, "I'll take a taxi now."
Meng Tang asked blankly: "Why do I feel like something is wrong?"
Wei Chuan comforted her: "Maybe Xu Heqing is not familiar with you, so it would be awkward to leave him rashly. Moreover, he and Xie Lingyin live in the same place, and the two of them have collaborated on many activities. Don't be sad."
"I'm not sad." Meng Tang looked back at him, "Lingyin has something to do, so naturally someone has to take her away. If Xu Heqing really stays, I don't know what to do."
Wei Chuan said "Oh": "Then... can I still stay?"
Meng Tang couldn't chase him away, so he asked him: "Are you going out?"