Chapter 26 TGBW

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Translating Chinese Historical Dramas for your enjoyment... and mine! :)

The General's Buddhist Wife

Chapter 26:

Shelter From the Sun・Coarse With Fine

When Chu Wei Leng returned home, Old Master Chu and Madam Zhao were already awake. Madam Zhao was checking on the chickens in the coop, while Old Master Chu was pulling weeds in the vegetable garden.

Seeing her son return from outside, Madam Zhao asked curiously, "When did you go out? Why didn't you rest at home?"

Chu Wei Leng didn't tell Madam Zhao where he had been, and gave another reason, "I'm used to it. In the military camp, we sleep and wake up early, and we don't rest at noon. I just went out for a walk."

After hearing this, Madam Zhao said, "Oh, as long as you're not tired. If you're tired, go rest in the house."

"I know, Mother, I'm not tired," replied Chu Wei Leng.

After speaking, Chu Wei Leng walked towards Old Master Chu and squatted beside him, joining him in pulling weeds.

Last night was really exhausting. Lou Jian Jia slept for an hour before waking up.

When she first lay down, she was still worried about Chu Wei Leng's sudden return.

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Gradually, not hearing any movement, she became extremely tired and fell asleep peacefully.

When she woke up, the three members of the Chu family were busy in the yard.

Seeing her come out, Madam Zhao greeted her warmly and called her over, "Jian Jia, you're awake. Come and take a look."

Lou Jian Jia quickly walked over and looked down at the things on the ground, not understanding what these wooden frames were for.

Madam Zhao immediately explained to her, "Leng'er said that the weather is too hot and the sun is too strong nowadays, so he wants to make a canopy for us. That way, we won't be afraid of the sun."

Lou Jian Jia raised her eyebrows slightly and glanced at Chu Wei Leng, who was squatting on the ground in a white undershirt, busy working.

In fact, she had always felt quite exposed to the sun, but she had never thought of making a canopy to shade herself.

Chu Wei Leng looked rough, but his work was like mixing coarse with fine.

She couldn't help but reflect on herself, wondering if she had become too set in her ways and not flexible enough in her actions.

Chu Wei Leng fixed two wooden sticks together and then lifted his head.

Although it was already mid-morning and not as hot as noon, the temperature was still high.

His face was slightly red, covered in beads of sweat.

Coincidentally, a drop of sweat rolled down his forehead towards his eyes, landing just above his eyelashes.

He didn't pay much attention to it and simply wiped it away with his sleeve.

In an instant, the white sleeve became dirty.

Looking at Old Master Chu and Madam Zhao beside him, their faces were also red.

"I'll go cook some mung bean soup," Lou Jian Jia said.

She didn't know how long Old Master Chu and Madam Zhao had been working in the heat, but on such a hot day, even in a shady place, it was easy to get heatstroke.

"Alright, I'll help you start the fire," Madam Zhao said.

"No need, Mom, I can handle it myself. You find a cool place to rest for a while, don't stay in the sun too long," Lou Jian Jia said.

"Okay, I got it," Madam Zhao replied with a smile.

As Lou Jian Jia walked away, Madam Zhao's attention returned to what her husband and son were doing.

Seeing the sweat streaming down her son's face, Madam Zhao said, "Leng'er, take off your undershirt. It's so hot today, and it's soaked through. Take it off, and I'll wash it for you."

Chu Wei Leng had wanted to take off his undershirt long ago.

But as soon as he considered it, he remembered what Lou Jian Jia had reminded him of in the morning.

Compared to worrying his parents, he preferred to endure the heat.

"No need, Mom, I'll just keep wearing it like this," he replied.

"What's the matter? After three years, are you still feeling shy? There's no one else at home, so take it off. It's uncomfortable wearing something all soaked," urged Madam Zhao.

"No, really, Mom, there's no need. I'm used to it. We wear this in the military camp," Wei Leng began to lie.

Madam Zhao was very surprised. "Huh? On such a hot day, they still require you to wear an undershirt in the military camp? That must be very hot."

Old Master Chu, puzzled, said, "When I was young, I heard that in the military camp, men were all shirtless, everyone had their sleeves rolled up."

Wei Leng cleared his throat and said, "Dad, our region is in the south, so it's hot. But the borderlands are up north, extremely cold. Even in the hottest summer, it's not as hot as it is here."

Madam Zhao had never traveled far and was astonished by what her son was saying. "Really? There are places like that? I always thought our Great Li Kingdom was all the same, didn't realize it could be different in terms of heat."

"Yeah, not only is it not as hot, but it's also not as cold in the winter. The borderlands get so cold that it snows, and the water freezes," Wei Leng explained.

Both Madam Zhao and Old Master Chu had never traveled far from home and were very interested in the places their son had been. Soon, their attention shifted to the customs and conditions of the borderlands, and they asked many questions.

Wei Leng saw that his mother was no longer concerned about what he was wearing, so he felt much more at ease and began to talk to her about life at the borderlands.

In Wei Leng's description, the borderlands seemed like a very beautiful place.

The land was vast, the soil incredibly fertile, and the people were generally cheerful and warm-hearted.

The Chu family's yard was not very large, so Luo Jian Jia naturally heard the conversation outside.

Listening to Wei Leng's words, her thoughts drifted to the borderlands.

Today's weather was already hot, and with the fire burning in the kitchen, the heat inside was even more intense.

Just thinking about the climate of the borderlands, she suddenly felt a longing for it.

As she listened to Wei Leng talk about the things in the borderlands, she grew even more fond of the idea.

In her heart, she resolved that after parting ways with Chu Wei Leng in the future, she would definitely visit the borderlands and explore them thoroughly. That way, her journey in this world would not be in vain.

However, as she pondered over these thoughts, the sound of water boiling in the pot brought her back to reality.

In truth, aside from the summer heat, the southern regions were quite pleasant.

The mountains were lush, the waters clear, and the air humid, all suitable for human habitation.

Chu Wei Leng was a filial person, so he must have spoken only pleasant words to Old Master Chu and Madam Zhao.

Indeed, in reality, the borderlands might not be as ideal as Chu Wei Leng depicted.

~ Part 2 ~

After all, the borderlands are currently at war, and winters there are too cold.

With this thought, Lou Jian Jia felt content with her current situation.

Before long, the green bean soup was ready. Lou Jian Jia removed the firewood from underneath the pot and buried it in the ashes to extinguish the flames. Then, she opened the lid of the pot and ladled the green bean soup into a basin.

Afterward, she fetched two buckets of water from the well and poured them into a large basin. Placing the basin of green bean soup into the large basin to cool it down, Lou Jian Jia then went to take a look at the shelter they were constructing.

Honestly, she was very curious about what they were trying to achieve. After all, this was closely related to her future life, so she cared a lot about such matters.

At that moment, Chu Wei Leng and Old Master Chu were contemplating how to address the issue of stabilization.

Engrossed in their discussion, even as sweat trickled down his brow, Chu Wei Leng seemed oblivious as he blinked a few times, picked up a few wooden stakes, gestured with them, and asked Old Master Chu, "Father, do you think this arrangement will work?"

Old Master Chu had learned woodworking from an elderly carpenter in the village for two years during his youth, and over the years, he had made quite a few things himself. Although he wasn't a master, he understood some of the intricacies involved.

"It might work. I haven't built anything this large before, so I'm concerned that if it's too big, it might not be sturdy enough and could easily collapse," Old Master Chu hesitated.

"Let's give it a try, Father. If it doesn't work, we can always redo it," Chu Wei Leng said, resuming his work.

"Alright."

Standing by and observing for a while, Lou Jian Jia gradually understood what kind of shed they were trying to build after listening to their discussion. It involved several stakes driven into the ground with some horizontal beams attached, then a piece of cloth placed on top.

It was quite simple.

The problem was quite apparent.

If it was just a small shed with shorter stakes driven into the ground, it could be easily secured. But if it was taller, it would likely be more challenging.

After a while, Lou Jian Jia felt that the green bean soup was ready. She washed her hands, carried the small basin into the kitchen, took out a few bowls, and served one to each person.

When she came out, Chu Wei Leng had already made a rough structure.

As they had expected, it was not very stable.

Seeing her husband and son looking troubled and with flushed faces, Madam Zhao suggested, "Let's take a break, have some green bean soup, and then continue after we finish."

Lou Jian Jia brought over four bowls of green bean soup on a tray and placed them beside Chu Wei Leng.

Chu Wei Leng, feeling quite hot, sat down on the ground and began gulping down the green bean soup.

Just as Old Master Chu was about to take a sip, Lou Jian Jia intervened, saying, "Dad, Mom, let's wash our hands first to prevent illnesses."

Chu Wei Leng glanced at the grey handprint he had left on the rim of his bowl, feeling conflicted. He looked up at Lou Jian Jia, but she didn't meet his gaze, simply lifting her own bowl and slowly sipping the soup.

Madam Zhao returned after washing her hands, seeing that her son had already finished his soup. She suggested, "Let me serve you another bowl."

"No need, Mom."

After that, Chu Wei Leng continued to study how to make the shed.

After listening for a while, Lou Jian Jia couldn't help but suggest, "Dad, why not make the top like an umbrella?"

Upon hearing this, everyone turned to look at her.

"Like an umbrella?" Chu Wei Leng pondered after hearing her suggestion.

"But wouldn't the umbrella top be too tall and large? It might be difficult to make those supporting frames," Old Master Chu expressed concern.

"We can make some smaller frames, make more of them, and shape them into triangles for better stability," Lou Jian Jia proposed.

Her words were plain and simple.

Lou Jian Jia's explanation in one or two sentences couldn't quite clarify the shed she had seen before.

She set the bowl aside and picked up a wooden stick from the ground, sketching it out.

Essentially, it was like a large umbrella on top, with several pillars fixed around the bottom.

Inside the umbrella, the support structure wasn't made of long sticks but rather many small ones, intersecting each other.

"It looks somewhat similar to the shape of building a house," Madam Zhao didn't quite understand, but she got the idea.

"Yes, that's it," Lou Jian Jia nodded.

“Why use so many small sticks? Wouldn't one long stick work as well?” Chu Wei Leng questioned.

Lou Jian Jia explained, "It could, but it wouldn't be as stable. Plus, it's more convenient to fold up this way. These intersecting sticks can be folded together towards the center for storage."

Upon hearing Lou Jian Jia's explanation, Chu Wei Leng's eyes brightened, and he looked at her admiringly.

"Madam is truly ingenious."

Seeing that he understood, Lou Jian Jia put down the wooden stick, smiled, and remained silent.

Madam Zhao smiled and said, "Jian Jia has always been so clever. Marrying such a good daughter-in-law is the blessing you've accumulated over eight lifetimes. You must cherish it."

Upon hearing this, Lou Jian Jia didn't respond, trying to conceal her inner embarrassment by picking up the bowl that had just been placed aside.

Chu Wei Leng suddenly looked at her.

Lou Jian Jia thought he wanted her to agree with Madam Zhao's words, which she certainly didn't want to hear.

Pretending not to notice, she picked up the bowl, trying to avoid Chu Wei Leng's gaze.

However, Chu Wei Leng didn't stop himself because of this. Instead, he said, "Madam, you haven't washed your hands."

"..." Lou Jian Jia's hand froze, and she looked up at Chu Wei Leng.

Lou Jian Jia pursed her lips, her hands trembling slightly as she struggled to restrain herself from shattering the bowl in her hand.

•••

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Chapter 26 TGBW

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