Chapter 2332: 2329: A Brief Gathering
Chapter 2332: Chapter 2329: A Brief Gathering
“Mrs. Xiao, they are indeed not ordinary craftsmen. They use ancient techniques that have been lost. Ning Wenbin, who’s a major in architecture, is seeing these for the first time. Many of these techniques were thought to be lost,” Lin Tian explained.
Mrs. Xiao smiled and said, “I see, it looks like I was uninformed.”
“Mrs. Xiao, no need to say that. As they say, specialization leads to expertise. If I hadn’t seen the blueprints in advance, I wouldn’t recognize these techniques either,” Lin Tian said honestly.
Reading ancient texts doesn’t mean one can understand everything ancient; some skills are orally passed down and haven’t been recorded in books.
“Chairman Xiao, Lin Tian, why don’t we go up and take a look?” Ning Wenbin was a bit eager, wanting to take a closer look at these nearly lost techniques.
“Let’s go.” Lin Tian did not refuse, and the four of them walked up the mountain.
The craftsmen here were also very peculiar; seeing Lin Tian and the others come up, they neither stopped them nor spoke, just earnestly continued with their work.
“I finally understand why they’re not afraid of others seeing the blueprints…” Ning Wenbin shook his head with a sigh, “It’s not just about seeing the blueprints. Even holding the blueprints and watching their construction process, there are many parts I don’t understand.”
“What you said reminds me of an anecdote…” Lin Tian smiled, “Once, during the reconstruction of a palace, when the work was almost done, a grand beam-raising ceremony needed to be held, according to the etiquette, choosing an auspicious time, offering sacrifices to heaven and earth, with the Emperor personally present.”
“However, during the beam-raising, due to insufficient carpentry skills, they couldn’t install it no matter how much they tried. Installing the beam is crucial. If it couldn’t be installed, those responsible would be sentenced to death.”
“The officials from the Ministry of Works were terrified. At this point, a craftsman volunteered and went up to install the beam. He did it easily in no time. The Emperor was very pleased and immediately appointed him as a seventh-grade official to oversee royal architectural designs.”
“This shows that while construction blueprints are important, the craftsmen executing them are equally crucial. Just understanding them doesn’t mean you can do the work,” Lin Tian narrated the anecdote smoothly.
Ning Wenbin’s eyes lit up in agreement, “You’re absolutely right. My master also said, ’It’s important to train designers, but equally important to train craftsmen–five parts design, five parts execution.’
“It’s the students’ fortune that your professor has this understanding. At least you won’t be cultivating people with eyes above their station and no practical skills,” Mrs. Xiao said with relief, as someone at the helm of the company, and since the company is the end user, she had seen too much and had the authority to speak.
The construction site wasn’t very big; it was far from the Eight Hundred Miles Langya Mountain of the Langya Pavilion, but Lin Tian was already very satisfied.
They spent more than two hours walking around, not because the place was large, but because Ning Wenbin delayed the time; he lingered at each spot, watching for a long time.
By the time they returned to the foot of the mountain, night had fallen.
“Dear Mother, why don’t you come back to school with us for a snack?” Xiao Manxuan said with a hint of reluctance, acting a bit coy towards Mrs. Xiao.
“Having a snack–you’ll get fat as a pig and no one will want you,” Mrs. Xiao glanced at Lin Tian but didn’t clearly refuse.
Lin Tian could see that Mrs. Xiao didn’t want to part hastily either. She might be too busy or maybe she was just passing by the construction site.
“Mrs. Xiao, don’t worry, Xuanxuan inherited your excellent genes. She won’t get fat no matter how much she eats,” Lin Tian praised two people with one sentence, and even Ning Wenbin secretly gave a thumbs-up.
“Alright, I’ll ask my secretary to pick me up tomorrow.” Mrs. Xiao’s heart softened.
The four of them drove back to the school. Snacks at Jinghua University are quite famous. Xiao Manxuan played the role of guide and fully lived up to her foodie reputation. Ning Wenbin slipped away upon arriving on campus, saying he wanted to go back to study the blueprints.
Actually, neither Mrs. Xiao nor Xiao Manxuan ate much–they just tried a bit of everything, walked through the school’s food circle, and when they returned, under Xiao Manxuan’s repeated coquettishness, Mrs. Xiao had no choice but to return to the dormitory with her.
“Mother, my dear chairman, I want to take a bath with you,” Xiao Manxuan called out in the room holding her clothes.
Mrs. Xiao glanced at Lin Tian outside, her face inadvertently blushing, then said, “You’re already a big girl. Aren’t you embarrassed? Bathe yourself.”
Lin Tian was sitting on the sofa changing channels with the remote, and when he heard the conversation inside the room, his hand shook, nearly dropping the remote to the ground. He had to admit, the little girl’s words painted quite a visual picture. Just thinking about it, Lin Tian almost got a nosebleed.
This time, Xiao Manxuan didn’t get her way and had to wash alone. When it was Mrs. Xiao’s turn, she was in a bit of a predicament. It wasn’t because Lin Tian was outside, but because she didn’t bring her clothes; all her stuff was at the hotel.
No choice but to make do with Xiao Manxuan’s clothes. When she finished her bath and came out, Lin Tian instinctually looked over and nearly got a nosebleed.
Mrs. Xiao and Xiao Manxuan have similar heights, but as for the chest, Mrs. Xiao’s is a size bigger, making Xiao Manxuan’s clothes seem petite.
She noticed the awkwardness too and hurriedly retreated to the room. Nevertheless, Mrs. Xiao has experienced significant events, and she always finds solutions. She draped a loose, thin coat over herself, perfectly resolving the awkwardness.
Mrs. Xiao sat on the sofa, speaking softly, “Lin Tian, Manxue has told me everything.”
Told? Told what? Lin Tian was dumbfounded. Could it be that he took advantage of Miss? Was Mrs. Xiao implying I should be responsible?
Before Lin Tian could continue guessing, Mrs. Xiao said, “You saved Xuanxuan; I don’t know how to thank you…”
“Oh, so it’s that,” Lin Tian realized the misunderstanding and said, “Mrs. Xiao, no thanks necessary. With such a good girl as Xuanxuan, how could I just stand by?”
“Lin Tian, I…” Mrs. Xiao wanted to say something but hesitated, embarrassed to continue.
Lin Tian found it strange and was about to wait for her to continue when Xiao Manxuan ran out, giggling, “I think I just heard that Xuanxuan is a good girl, right?”
With Xiao Manxuan there, Mrs. Xiao couldn’t continue her words. She just glanced at Lin Tian, leaving it there.
Lin Tian didn’t mind and stood up, “Good girl Xuanxuan, spend more time with your mother. I’m going to take a shower.”
He left the place for Xiao Manxuan. After all, she hadn’t had a chance to reunite with Mrs. Xiao for a long time.
To avoid awkwardness for Mrs. Xiao, after bathing, Lin Tian went back to his room. He had a lot to do, like studying the black iron ring, exploring the Shennong Ding, and mastering the Sword Control Technique.
After being restrained by Sword Flight several times, Lin Tian was more determined to practice well.
Meanwhile, Mrs. Xiao and Xiao Manxuan chatted until they returned to their rooms, and Lin Tian’s room door never opened. When going back to her room, Mrs. Xiao sighed softly in her heart.
The next morning, the three of them got up very early. Lin Tian was up to practice and attend classes, and naturally, Mrs. Xiao was leaving; she had more tasks to attend to.
“Mrs. Xiao, it’s still my fault to some extent. As the Xiao Family prospered, you’ve become busier, and the time for family reunions is less than before,” Lin Tian said with some guilt.