Ye Zhinan didn't bother with idle chatter. She picked up the saw beside her feet and got to work.
Even though her skills were rusty, she managed to do it in an orderly manner.
However, being just a young girl, she started gasping for breath after just a few minutes.
Li Feilong couldn't stand it anymore. He walked over to her and snatched the saw out of her hand.
"There's no way a real man would just sit back and watch a girl do all the work."
Hearing his words, everyone rolled up their sleeves and got to work.
Screw it if they couldn't understand the blueprints. They'd just start working first and figure it out later!
Thanks to the extremely accurate proportions provided by the old master and Ye Zhinan's repeated calculations.
They even used a simple model to finally determine the values.
"Let's go with this. It'll definitely work!"
She let out a long sigh of relief. Qin Yihuai masked his surprise and leaned over to look at the small house in front of him.
"Is this what it'll look like when it's finally built?"
Ye Zhinan nodded and proudly tilted her head.
The old master's craftsmanship was truly amazing. The seemingly simple blueprint actually concealed some mysteries.
She leaned over to Qin Yihuai's side and whispered.
"Did you tell the old master that the project needed to be completed as soon as possible?"
Qin Yihuai was momentarily stunned but still nodded honestly.
"Yes, but is there a problem?"
The smile on Ye Zhinan's lips grew wider. She took out the small model she had made.
She carefully placed it in front of Qin Yihuai.
"Take a good look. What does it look like?"
The house was very simple, with only one door and no windows.
Instead, there was a small skylight on the roof.
"Like a granary?"
Ye Zhinan nodded. She took the roof off, revealing the structure of a granary.
Just looking at the blueprint, it was hard to imagine the structure.
But after building the model, it gradually became clear.
"A granary has the simplest structure. Even if we don't use it in the future, it won't be a waste."
Li Feilong poked his head over and curled his lips.
"We've never lived in such a cramped house."
After he said that, everyone's gazes converged on him.
"You've never suffered the humiliation of depending on others either. Would you rather be looked down upon in the village or live in a cramped house in the new village?"
Li Feilong had nothing more to say. He called on everyone to continue working.
Ye Zhinan divided up a designated area for each family and built the houses in the sunny corners.
She knew these people weren't easy to fool, so she decided to be straightforward.
She directly told them that this was the model of a granary.
She was already prepared for them to pick a fight, but unexpectedly, everyone remained silent.
They just stared at her.
Ye Zhinan felt a twinge of fear. Were they going to skip the talking and just start fighting?
Lu Yanlai saw her worry and suddenly burst out laughing.
"We remember everything you've done for us. We won't make things difficult for you."
Everyone showed a smile, and Ye Zhinan finally felt relieved.
Ten days was more than enough time to build a simple granary.
Ye Zhinan squatted on the ground, took a sip of water, and looked up at Qin Yihuai standing beside her.
He held a teapot in his hand, his eyes downcast, waiting to refill her cup at any moment.
She smacked her lips. After much hesitation, she finally spoke.
"How do you know so many people?"
"I'm on good terms with Magistrate Shen. I used to be his aide and often did things for him. Over time, I got to know some people."
Ye Zhinan bit on the teacup and didn't say anything else. She seemed calm, but in fact, she was extremely excited inside.
He seemed to be answering her question seriously.
Instead of beating around the bush like before.
Qin Yihuai bent down and pulled the cup out of her mouth.
The seemingly intimate gesture made Ye Zhinan can't help but flinch.
"I just wanted to get the cup. Don't think too much."
"I didn't!"
Ye Zhinan suddenly stood up. Ignoring the dizziness in front of her eyes, she blushed and ran away.
Only Qin Yihuai was left standing there, chuckling to himself.
The men in the mountain stronghold worked day and night, and Qin Yihuai also started studying architecture knowledge.
After all, they couldn't live in a granary forever.
"This won't work. Haven't you learned the Pythagorean theorem?"
Ye Zhinan pointed at the support on the beam and shook her head helplessly.
The data was clearly wrong, but they still stubbornly continued to draw.
She just couldn't stand it anymore. She grabbed the pen and started correcting the mistakes.
She rambled on about a whole bunch of knowledge points. When she turned around, she saw Qin Yihuai in a daze.
Instantly, she got angry!
"Qin Yihuai!"
Her voice was originally soft, but now it suddenly got louder. It didn't sound like a plea but rather a bit of a tantrum.
From not too far away came the sound of catcalls. Both of their faces turned red.
They quickly distanced themselves from each other.
A man passed by them. He glanced at the blueprint and slowly spoke.
"You want to build a house?"
"Otherwise? Do you think we've been busy making coffins?"
Li Feilong answered first, looking at the man with a hint of hostility in his eyes.
His tone was so aggressive that someone who didn't know better would think the man had stolen Li Feilong's wife.
"Stop talking. He's the man Sister Lu brought back from the mountain. They almost had a big fight just to keep him."
Ye Yingfeng whispered an explanation beside them.
Ye Zhinan crossed her arms and sized up the man in front of her. Only then did she realize that he was indeed a bit different.
He looked like a typical pretty boy.
She stepped forward and handed him the pen.
"Come and draw it."
The man hesitated for a moment. He turned to look at Li Feilong and then took the pen reluctantly.
He wrote with his right hand while his left hand made gestures like a fortune-teller. He also mumbled something under his breath.
"Could it be some kind of sorcery?"
Ye Yingfeng suddenly shrank back and quickly left the area around the table.
Ye Zhinan rolled her eyes.
Stupidity really does make people more superstitious.
"It's not sorcery. It should be some kind of mental arithmetic formula."
Hearing her voice, the man suddenly looked up, and his hand froze.
Ye Zhinan smiled at him, signaling him not to be nervous.
But for some reason, she suddenly felt a chill down her back.
She turned around and only saw Qin Yihuai sitting behind her. His expression was calm, and there didn't seem to be anything wrong.
She rubbed her neck hard.
"I must be too tired recently."
Time slowly passed, and the man's pen kept moving.
It wasn't until the sun was about to set that he straightened his back.
The people around put down their work and gathered around to watch.
But then they all gasped.
"It's really lifelike."
Ye Zhinan was the first to praise, her eyes full of admiration.
The framework of the house on the blueprint was clear, and there were also specific numbers written on it.
Based on this blueprint, she was completely confident that she could recreate the model.
"Have you studied mathematics?"
After Ye Zhinan double-checked the calculations, she looked up at him.
The man smiled shyly, scratched his head, and blushed as he shook his head.
"My ancestors were carpenters. I learned the craft from my great-grandfather. He taught me how to calculate."
She nodded. But if there really was such a family in the northern border, why didn't Qin Yihuai know about it?
And why did Lu Yanlai pick him up in the mountains?
Thinking of this, Ye Zhinan's eyes turned cold.