"We will need stones, bamboo and some other things. We can find some stones laying around the fields. I think we should start with that. Still, we'll probably have to buy some more. Oh, do you have some money? Because I only have one silver coin at home." Xing forgot that without money, they won't be able to do much. Luckily. "Don't worry about money. We can buy stones too."
"No, let's not waste money on things that you can get for free. We will buy bigger stones though." A few seconds later she nodded.
They came back to the Xing family field. And Xing took a handcart. Just like this, they started collecting every stone that they came by. Stones at the size of the fingernail. Some at the size of the fist. And even as big as the head, but they were flat. Which was great because they would use them to divide Unyielding Gingers. Unfortunately, they only had three of them. But that might be enough.
Before they came back he asked Xifeng "Are we digging a hole or are we doing raised beds?" She pondered for a while and replied. "Let's do raised beds." "Okay. So for Unyielding Ginger, we can just create it with planks. Parched Aloe Vera is good as it is. But Fiery bamboo might be a problem. We will need something non-flammable. Like metal, but that will cost a lot. I know we will dig out a hole. Place a pot or something like that in the middle, where the fire will be. And around it, we will plant bamboo. We would need soil anyway, and that solves our problem. What do you think?" Her mind had to process everything he said, but after a few seconds, she agreed. "Yeah, sure. Let's do it that way."
"Do you have some tools? Or should I take some?" "I think I have a shovel and a hammer, maybe some other stuff." "Okay, I will take a saw then." He quickly grabbed it, and they walked away.
Obviously, Xing was the one pulling the handcart. What surprised him was that Xifeng wasn't idle either. She was trying her best to help him and was pushing the cart. Even though she wasn't that strong, she helped him greatly. To tell the truth, they only arrived at her house, thanks to her. Xing wouldn't be able to do it alone.
He left the cart in the backyard. Lay on the ground, panting heavily. Only when his heart stopped beating rapidly did he stand up.
"Okay, we can continue." Xifeng looked at him and said. "No, let's go eat something." He was a little bit hungry after doing all this hard work, so he didn't disagree.
They choose a simple restaurant and order something neither cheap nor expensive. When they were done Xifeng had to pay for both of them because Xing hadn't any money with him. But she knew that beforehand, as he told her about it, and she only replied. "You are helping me, at least I should do that." And shrugged.
When they came back, they unloaded the cart and decided that their first destination would be a sawmill.
Xifeng and Xing had to go to the outskirts of the village. Fortunately, the handcart was empty, so they arrived in no time.
After they came in, they saw a young-looking man behind the counter. "Good afternoon. how can I help you?" He asked. "Hello. I was wondering whether you guys have bamboo scraps that you have to throw out. We need to make bamboo charcoal, so it doesn't matter in what condition they are."
The shopkeeper thought for a second. "Give me a second." And he left. Not even a minute later he came back. "Sure we can do that. How about half the price?" He proposed. "Sounds good."
They took five kilograms (eleven pounds) of bamboo scraps. Then bought some planks, nails, and firewood. They paid in total two silver and seventy bronze coins. They packed everything on the cart and left.
Both of them decided that they will visit a metalworking shop before coming back.
When they arrived Xing asked. "Good afternoon. By any chance do you have a pot that was damaged and it wouldn't sell?" "Why do you ask?" "To put it simply, I'm looking for something that could act as a small fireplace. That way I can just grab it and remove ashes without a problem." "I will have to check." The shopkeeper said and walked to the back of the shop. He came back with something that resembled a pot. "Is that good?" He asked. "It's perfect. How much for it?" Xing replied. "How about forty bronze coins?" "I will take it." He was satisfied.
Xifeng paid, and they left. They came back to her house and once again left everything in her backyard. They had to do it this way because stones would be too heavy for them.
Both of them decided to have a quick break.
After that, it was time to head towards masonry. They once again arrived in an industrial zone on the outskirts of the village.
Unfortunately, this time they didn't get any bargain. On the way, they discussed the size of the raised bed. Xing decided that half a meter (one feet and eight inches) in width and half a meter in length would be enough. So when they were buying it, they took that and the fact that they already had some stones into consideration. In the end they bought a few chunks of stones and paid two silver and twenty-five bronze coins.
Xifeng and Xing were exhausted. It wasn't as bad as the first batch of the stones. But that was only because they didn't have to travel such a long distance.
"Okay, let's end it for today. We will do the rest tomorrow. It's getting late anyway, so we would have to work in darkness. And that wouldn't be good." Xing commented. "I agree." "Then see you tomorrow. I'll come here after breakfast." "See you then." "Bye, good night." They bid farewell. Xing took the cart with him and left.
When he was home, he went directly to the shed and started cultivating. Unfortunately, he didn't last long. He was tired. Xing walked directly to the bed. And quickly after he fell asleep. He slept well that night.
The next morning at breakfast he told his family "I won't be able to work on the field today." They weren't happy, but what could they do? He was doing everything he wanted. But also he was working hard for the past month. Then Lihua spoke. "Are you going to that Yi girl again? What are you two doing that is so important?" Even though she asked, everyone was listening carefully. "She has her own herb garden, but she had some problems with it, so I'm helping her with that." "You and your herbs" His older sister chuckled.
When he was done he walked out of the house and went toward Xifeng's home.
It took him a little bit more than five minutes to get there. He knocked on the door and waited. A few seconds later, he heard footsteps coming from inside. Shortly after Xifeng opened the door and he greeted her. "Morning. Ready for some work?" Xing asked.
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Hello, it's me. I hope you've enjoyed this chapter, even though it's just some preparation. I would really like to know whether going through all this stuff when he is building his herb garden and getting money is interesting. Or would you like to speed things up, until he begins real cultivation and has some "awesome" adventures? I don't know how other authors do that, but I'm making some plans about the story. But somehow I always end up with something entirely different. Anyway, sorry for all my mistakes, and as always have a nice day.