Midnight.
Mysterious Island.
“You have obtained the Qing Nang Shu(*Green Salve Anthology).
Do you wish to study it?” “Study it!” Leon looked excited.
Finally, it was here.
Even if he knew nothing else, he still knew that the Qing Nang Shu(*Green Salve Anthology) was a work by Hua Tuo—and a lost one at that.
(Note: Hua Tuo (华佗, c.
140–208 AD) was a legendary Chinese physician and surgeon who lived during the late Eastern Han dynasty and Three Kingdoms era.
He is revered as the ancestor of Chinese surgery and one of the most famous medical minds in world history.) Countless pieces of knowledge about traditional Chinese medicine flooded into his mind.
This time, he finally felt confident.
“Second cast…” “You have obtained one hundred jin of vegetables.” “Unlucky.” Leon cursed and threw the fishing rod back into the sea.
After a while.
“You have obtained the Luban Book.
Do you wish to study it?” “Study it.” A vast amount of carpentry knowledge flooded into his mind, filling him with immense joy.
This was practically a gift from heaven.
He had been thinking about finding a reliable carpenter to make his furniture, but now that he had obtained the Luban Book, he could do it himself.
Otherwise, he would have had to explain what he wanted to the carpenter for ages.
(Note: Lu Ban (鲁班, c.
507–440 BC) was a legendary Chinese master carpenter, structural engineer, and architect who lived during the Spring and Autumn period of the Zhou Dynasty.
He is revered as the patron deity and ancestor of Chinese carpenters, builders, and woodworkers.) “Sleep, sleep.” Leon returned to bed, fully satisfied.
The next day.
The courtyard was once again buzzing with excitement.
Dali directed the workers as they carried logs toward the west wing of the backyard.
The bark had already been stripped from the logs, revealing patterns that amazed many people.
It happened to be the weekend, so everyone in the courtyard came out to see what was going on.
“Where did this kid get so much money?” Yi Zhonghai said through gritted teeth.
“Exactly.
How long has he even been working?” Liu Haizhong said sourly.
“This must cost over a hundred yuan, right?” Yan Bugui began calculating.
“Over a hundred?
More like over a thousand.” The deaf old lady, who rarely came out for a stroll, said something that shocked everyone.
“Grandma, how much did you say?” Yan Bugui swallowed.
“Young man, do you even know what kind of wood this is?” the deaf old lady sneered.
“This… I don’t know.” Yan Bugui shook his head.
“Ancestor, what kind of wood is this?” Yi Zhonghai asked urgently.
Thousands of yuan?
Once he got to the bottom of this, he would definitely report Leon!
He had worked diligently for decades and had only managed to save less than three thousand yuan.
Leon, a young man, actually had over a thousand?
Even if he had not stolen or robbed, it must have come from speculation and profiteering.
“This is Phoebe zhennan wood(*Golden Silk Nanmu).
In the past, emperors used this kind of wood for their coffins,” the deaf old lady said enviously.
She was practically halfway into the grave herself.
If she could get a coffin made of Phoebe zhennan wood, she would be able to die in peace.
Hiss!
Everyone gasped in shock.
Golden Phoebe wood—even though they all lived in Beijing, this kind of thing only existed in legends.
“Go report this little beast!” Jia Zhangshi shouted.
“Yes, report him,” Liu Haizhong agreed.
Yan Bugui did not speak, but it was clear that he was interested.
“If we report him, will the timber be confiscated?” Sha Zhu asked curiously.
Do not be fooled by the fact that he had cooked a meal for Leon and that the two of them had drunk and chatted happily.
He had always stood on the old man’s side, because the old man’s authority was sacred and inviolable.
“Who told you to report it now?” Yi Zhonghai said mysteriously.
“Wait until he turns the timber into furniture.
Once he goes to jail… whoever gets the house approved will own everything inside.” “That makes sense!” Sha Zhu slapped his forehead.
As expected, experience mattered.
“We can’t let him turn all of it into furniture,” the deaf old lady said.
Yi Zhonghai immediately understood.
“Don’t worry, Ancestor.” He knew what the deaf old lady was thinking.
She simply wanted to save some wood to make a coffin.
“Ahem, there’s a small problem,” Liu Haizhong began.
“What if… I mean, what if our house applications don’t get approved?” “If the house applications don’t get approved, can’t you at least move the furniture out?” Jia Zhangshi said disdainfully.
The group exchanged glances and, as if by tacit agreement, fell silent.
He Yushui, who had been silent all along, was filled with shock, while Qin Huairu was also frightened.
Was it really all right for them to scheme against Leon so openly?
At this time, Jia Dongxu was still alive, and Qin Huairu had not yet been crushed by life.
She still had some morals.
Leon was unaware of their scheme at the time.
Even if he had known, he would not have bothered with it.
“Keep the money safe.” Leon handed the money to Dali.
He never asked who the timber had belonged to.
“Thank you, boss.” Dali happily tucked the money close to his body.
He had earned fifty yuan from this transaction.
Leon patted him on the shoulder, then pushed his bicycle out the door.
When Yi Zhonghai and the others saw Leon, they all awkwardly turned their heads away.
Leon ignored them and rode his bicycle to the supply and marketing cooperative.
When he returned, there was a set of carpenter’s tools on the bicycle.
“Leon, are you… planning to make the furniture yourself?” Yan Bugui asked in surprise.
“I’ll give it a try,” Leon said with a smile.
“No, you can’t just try something like that!
What if you ruin the timber?” Yan Bugui said anxiously.
“Yes, Leon, I know a carpenter.
I’ll introduce him to you,” Yi Zhonghai said hurriedly.
“You little beast, don’t you dare act recklessly.
If you ruin the timber, you’ll cry yourself to death,” Jia Zhangshi also chimed in.
“Even if I burn it all, it’s none of your business, right?
Are you sick in the head?” Leon rolled his eyes and was about to push his way back into the courtyard when Jia Dongxu grabbed him.
“Leon, don’t act recklessly.” “Are you out of your mind?
Why are you pulling my bicycle?” Leon said unhappily.
“I… I just think you shouldn’t waste good things,” Jia Dongxu stammered.
“What does my wasting things have to do with you?
Did I touch your wife or something?” Leon blurted out.
Swish!
Everyone’s eyes immediately turned to Qin Huairu.
“Leon, you filthy scoundrel!” Qin Huairu immediately covered her face and ran away.
“Leon, what nonsense are you spouting!?” Jia Dongxu was furious.
The words were not particularly harmful, but they were extremely insulting.
“No, don’t get worked up.
Your wife and I really have nothing going on,” Leon said, somewhat embarrassed.
“You little beast, have you been eyeing that prostitute for a long time?” Jia Zhangshi looked at Leon with ill intent.
“No, if you’re calling your daughter-in-law a prostitute, then what does that make your son…?” Leon did not finish his sentence, but everyone immediately understood what he meant.
“Haha!” Sha Zhu chuckled, and the whole courtyard burst into laughter.
Even Yi Zhonghai could not help laughing.
“You surnamed Cole!
I’ll fight you to the death!” Jia Dongxu gritted his teeth and charged forward.
Leon did not dodge.
He simply reached out, grabbed Jia Dongxu by the hair, tripped him, and pinned him to the ground.
“You little beast, how dare you hit my son!” Jia Zhangshi also launched an attack, but before she could get close to Leon— Leon was still holding Jia Dongxu down, so he could only hook his foot out.
Jia Zhangshi immediately lost her balance and fell forward.
Leon dodged at once, and Jia Zhangshi landed flat on top of Jia Dongxu, almost making him vomit blood.
“All right, I admit I misspoke.
Stop messing around.” Leon got up and dusted himself off.
“No, this matter can’t just be settled like this!” Jia Dongxu, who was still being pinned down by Jia Zhangshi, shouted loudly.
“So what do you want?” Leon lit a cigarette and offered one to the elusive Yan Bugui.
“You…” Jia Dongxu thought for a while but could not come up with a good way to punish Leon.
“You have to compensate us!” Jia Zhangshi shouted.
“Yes, compensate us… Pay five yuan.
No, ten yuan, or this won’t be over.
I’ll report you to the neighborhood committee.” Jia Dongxu threatened him.
“You’d better think this through.
If this gets out of hand, who will still want to marry you?”