Chapter 8: The Ancient Tower of Apricot Grove (II)

Although the quality of these materials is somewhat inferior, Xie Lang naturally has ways to compensate for their shortcomings, making them more than sufficient for crafting toys to make a living

Xie Lang cut the branches into several sections, then stripped the bark and trimmed them, finally placing them all into the cloth bag on his back

Early in the morning, Xie Lang went alone to the woods at school to collect materials. Meanwhile, the chubby boy and Jiang Shuai were still asleep, while Lin Qiang went to the playground on time to train his entire body.

"This is the item." Su Mu took out a sketch from her backpack

Could it be that there is some mystery within this wooden building? Xie Lang felt genuinely puzzled and prepared to step forward to investigate.

Xie Lang looked at the grove of trees before him, which seemed to be entirely composed of ginkgo trees. With the arrival of autumn, the leaves of the ginkgo had already begun to turn yellow

Hmm. Su Mu nodded and tentatively asked, "I would like to ask you to carve it out like this. I wonder if that would be possible? Of course, I will definitely provide you with sufficient compensation."

While Xie Lang was lost in thought, he was suddenly startled by someone, causing his body to lose balance and tumble downwards.

Of course, Xie Lang is not an ecological destroyer; he would not destroy an ancient tree for a small amount of material. In fact, he merely wishes to take a slightly larger branch from this ancient tree.

From that branch to the ground, it is at least seven or eight meters high. Falling headfirst like that would at the very least result in a concussion, if not render one an idiot.

"Did you draw this?" asked Xie Lang.

A thin mist lingers in the forest, and the morning light filters through the gaps in the trees, casting scattered spots of light on the woodland floor

Xie Lang did not hesitate at all, extending his arms and climbing up the ancient tree with a motion akin to that of a monkey, then perching on a branch.

It is evident that this building is one of the girls' dormitories. Unexpectedly, Xie Lang inadvertently discovered such a good hidden and well-angled vantage point for peeping. He instinctively stood up from the branch.

Uncertain of the reason, upon hearing Su Mu's disdainful tone towards the likes of the fat man and Jiang Shuai, Xie Lang felt a slight sense of joy in his heart. He took the note from Su Mu and nodded, saying: "Alright, but you haven't mentioned what you want me to help you with regarding - the - book yet"

I have a piece of ebony in my dormitory, but I am not sure about the material," Su Mu inquired, "I am planning to give it to my grandfather as a birthday gift. Originally, I intended to ask Professor Wang from our department for help with the carving, but after seeing your craftsmanship, I realized that you are the most suitable person for this task.

Xie Lang carefully examined each tree and then selected those suitable for use as materials. This is a task that cannot be taken lightly; if the materials are not chosen well, the final product is likely to warp or crack, resulting in a failed work.

After a brief gaze lasting a few seconds, Xie Lang withdrew his gaze, preparing to take out a small knife to cut off a branch.

At that moment, Xie Lang suddenly felt a strange sensation, as if something within the wooden building was drawing him in

After searching for a while, Xie Lang finally discovered a remarkable ginkgo tree. Judging by its age, it should be at least three to five hundred years old

After Xie Lang took a few steps forward, an ancient wooden building came into his view

It seems perilous, yet Xie Lang was already able to perform this skill at the age of five or six

A crisp and clear voice called out sweetly from beneath the tree

If there is ebony, it would certainly be an excellent material. "Xie Lang quickly said, as he was also eager to experience the feeling of working with ebony.

In the university, diligent students seem to be few, so there are not many people reading or studying in the woods in the morning. Instead, there are more birds flitting about in the trees, which paradoxically makes the forest appear even quieter

Watching Su Miao's petite figure disappear beyond the forest, Xie Lang was momentarily dazed, her smile still lingering in his mind

Just as Xie Lang was about to leave the fallen apricot grove, an ancient wooden building in a corner of the forest caught his attention. Although he could only see a corner of it through the gaps in the trees, it appeared that the wooden building was indeed situated within the forest

Thank you, I will be attending a training session shortly, so I will see you at noon. Su Mu gave Xie Lang a sweet smile and then turned to walk outside into the forest

What do you want to do?" thanked wwwhetushucom.com, and then smiled, "Actually, Jiang Chengshi and Wu Feifan from our dormitory have called your dormitory many times, but it seems that none of the calls have gone through.

The胖子 was also envious of Xie Lang's copper pipe, as his imported Swiss army knife paled in comparison to Xie Lang's copper pipe in terms of functionality and sharpness. Therefore, the胖子 even named Xie Lang's copper pipe "Chinese Pipe Knife" and earnestly requested Xie Lang to craft one for him no matter what.

After a struggle between his better nature and temptation, Xie Lang ultimately decided to give up. After all, spying is not a commendable act, and being discovered would be quite embarrassing. Moreover, even if he were to spy, he would need to involve Fatty and the others, as they would surely be very interested. The only uncertainty is whether Fatty would be able to climb this tree

Seeing Su Mu's expression soften, Xie Lang changed the subject and said: "You got up so early to read, are you preparing to go abroad?"

Hello, Su Mu. I didn't expect to run into you here. " Xie Lang smiled and made a very friendly expression. Although Xie Lang and she were not even friends, he still did not want to leave a bad impression in her mind

Fallen apricot grove

Although Su Mu looked down on Xie Lang's "style," she still recognized his ability to climb trees to some extent, revealing a hint of admiration in her gaze. After Xie Lang came down, Su Mu asked, "Alright, you said you came to trim the branches, but why did you specifically choose to trim this tree? And why is your face so red? Could it be that you feel guilty?"

Oh, this building can't be—" Xie Lang turned his gaze to the other side and was astonished to find that this building was somewhat different, as colorful clothes and various women's undergarments were hanging on the small balconies of each floor

There are many harassing phone calls in our dormitory, so we simply cut the line. Su Mu's tone seemed to reveal a sense of disdain and contempt for people like Jiang Shuai and the Fatty. She took a pen out of her pocket and wrote a series of numbers on a piece of paper, saying, "This is my mobile number; you can contact me, but please do not give it to your so-called friends from www.hetushu.com.com."

Su Mu did not have that kind of yearning for life abroad; she simply said, "My parents hope that I will go to the United States in the future. By the way, what you make is quite good; many people in our department like what you create. I originally wanted to order a few items from you, but every time I called your dormitory, you were not there."

Then I will bring it to you at noon, right at the school cafeteria. Su Mu, seeing that Xie Lang agreed, appeared somewhat pleased. I will give you one month, is that enough?

There has long been a saying in folklore: "Finding a piece of ebony is more valuable than a box of jewels." Although Xie Lang has seen ebony, he has never had the opportunity to find a piece.

"Blackwood?" Xie Lang felt a sudden shock in his heart. Blackwood, also known as "Yinchen Wood," is unique to the Sichuan region and is praised as the "Spirit of All Woods" and the "Divine Wood of the East." In ancient times, only the royal family was allowed to use products made from blackwood.

Su Mu put away her look of surprise and replaced it with a disdainful expression, coldly saying: "Yes, you didn't expect me to see this, did you? Don't think I don't know what you're up to. The direction you were just looking at is our freshman girls' dormitory. I really didn't expect that someone as honest as you would be so... shameless." I really didn't expect that someone as honest as you would be so... shameless.

The wooden building is both dilapidated and old, appearing to have at least a hundred years of history. It seems that no one has cleaned or tidied it for a long time. The roof of the wooden building is covered with ginkgo leaves, and the surroundings are dirty and chaotic. The building is divided into three levels, with a small attic on top that resembles an ancient bell and drum tower. Surrounding the wooden structure are numerous shrubs and weeds, and there is a warning sign nearby that reads: Dangerous building, please do not approach

The blade was extremely sharp. With a twist of Xie Lang's wrist, he had already severed the branch beneath him, and Xie Lang slid down the trunk.

Xie Lang felt a flush of heat on his face, but at that moment, he did not want to bear the label of "peeping Tom." Moreover, his original intention was not to spy, so he quickly explained, "No, I just came to trim the branches, really. Let me come down and I will explain to you."

Upon unfolding the sketch by Xie Lang, it revealed a drawing of a longevity deity riding a spotted deer. Both the deer and the deity exude a remarkable charm, indicating that the artist invested considerable effort into this work.

You, come down quickly, or I will call someone!

As the overweight individual mentioned, the most challenging period in university is actually the military training phase; once this period is over, the days that follow can be considered enjoyable

There is no problem with the carving itself; however, it seems that you intend to give this as a gift. Therefore, I believe it would be appropriate to use some quality materials. Unfortunately, I do not currently have any suitable materials on hand

Southern University is a century-old institution, and within its thousands of acres of campus, there are numerous groves, many of which contain trees that are several hundred years old. Although they may not compare to the towering trees found in the mountains, they are more than sufficient for crafting small toys.

A book lay at Su Mu's feet; Xie Lang glanced at it and noticed it seemed to be a TOEFL vocabulary book. Just a moment ago, when Su Mu screamed, she had covered her eyes with both hands, likely unable to bear the sight of Xie Lang being smashed to a bloody pulp. However, that gesture of covering her eyes was indeed quite adorable, and Xie Lang, hanging from the branches, could see it clearly.

A refreshing breeze brushed against his face, and Xie Lang couldn't help but take a deep breath; such pleasant weather is quite rare in Chengdu

Originally, Su Mu believed that Xie Lang was an honest person and would not engage in any disgusting behavior. At this moment, after hearing Xie Lang's explanation, she basically accepted it as true. By the way, she had been sitting under the tree reading, but was positioned on the other side of the tree, which is why Xie Lang had not noticed her.

The girl under the tree was clearly startled as well; she let out a scream, her face turning pale with fright. She only intended to warn the peeper in the tree and had no intention of taking his life

Creating things with materials that possess spirituality is both a challenge and a pleasure for Xie Lang

Sitting on a branch, my gaze passes through the gaps between the trees. From this height, I can clearly see the school's football field, gymnasium, cafeteria

Due to the considerable amount of money made from selling the small items last time, Xie Lang's life has been relatively comfortable. However, during the military training period, time was too tight for him to continue producing those small items, and thus he did not continue selling the toys. Nevertheless, he surprisingly received several pre-order calls regarding *illustrated* books, all from students at Southern University. They showed great interest in the items made by Xie Lang, which made him see the potential market prospects for the future

Enough, then see you at the cafeteria at noon said Xie Lang

"Oh, why is it you?" The girl, seeing that Xie Lang had turned a crisis into safety, couldn't help but let out a sigh of relief. At this moment, although Xie Lang was upside down, she still recognized him.

Sigh, why do I think so much? I am not as handsome as Jiang Shuai, nor do I have the wealth that they and the fat guy possess..." Xie Lang thought to himself, realizing that the disparity between him and people like Su Mu was too great, and it was truly nothing more than wishful thinking.

Feeling guilty? Why should I feel guilty? I just had my head and feet switched around, and it's quite normal for my face to flush due to increased blood flow to the brain, isn't it? In fact, I came here to look for materials to make toys.

Fortunately, Xie Lang, who grew up in the mountains, in the very moment his body was about to fall, suddenly hooked his feet, and remarkably, he ended up hanging steadily from a branch.

Xie Lang's body swayed and he flipped onto the branch. He then took out a copper tube, shook it a few times, and a blade emerged from inside the tube

So far, in Southern University, the only woman that Xie Lang truly knows is Su Mu. Xie Lang did not expect to encounter Su Mu here.

Looking around, it seems that there is no one present

There was a slight warmth on his chest. Xie Lang touched the pendant with his hand. The heat did not come from the Ba Hu, but rather from the pebble, which was the size of a fingertip. Xie Lang had worn this object for over ten years, yet it was the first time he discovered it was generating heat

Moreover, these three fellows seem to be in a phase of infatuation, with their daily topics revolving around Beauty and the Beast. Tomorrow, they plan to take a stroll around the neighboring Southern Normal University to see if they can encounter some romantic luck. Initially, they also invited Xie Lang, but he has not considered romance for the time being. As the chubby one said, romance is usually built on a foundation of waste, while Xie Lang is still troubled by the need to fill his stomach, leaving him with no energy to indulge in such a high-level spiritual enjoyment as love.

Three weeks later, the military training finally came to an end, and the new students finally breathed a sigh of relief