It was at this moment that the spirit he had lost returned, and each statue had its own soul. However, he had no desire to become famous, nor did he want to use these statues to prove himself. He only wanted to spend his life with the wood carvings.
It seemed that fate did not want him to spend the rest of his life in peace, and brought him bad news—the entire street was to be demolished.
In the past, he could have used his fame and connections to resolve the matter, but now, no one would pay attention to a washed-up old man, especially since his old rival was interfering.
Most of the businesses and residents have moved away. Although the contractor sent people to negotiate prices with him and offered him extremely high prices to entice him, he gave them all up because this old shop had become his refuge.
Jin Pengkang sat on a small chair, watching the once bustling street become deserted. Tears welled up in his eyes, but then disappeared. He stared blankly as the setting sun slowly descended in the distance, its orange glow bathing him before fading away, as if bidding him farewell.
"Boss, can you do wood carving here?"
A deep voice interrupted Jin Pengkang's thoughts. He looked up and saw a man in black robes standing beside him, examining the wood carvings in the shop.
Jin Pengkang's lips curled up slightly. This was his first customer in a long time. He smiled and said, "Sure, what kind of wood carving do you want to order? My prices aren't cheap, and I don't bargain."
This is Jin Pengkang's principle, a tradition passed down from his grandfather: a wood carving has its own value, neither too high nor too low. You must feel it with your heart, listen to it, and let it set its own price.
The man in the black robe did not react at all. The black robe covered his entire body, so his appearance could not be seen. Only his voice sounded like that of a man.
"Boss, don't worry about me defaulting on the bill. Just make me a wood carving, and I'll use that to pay."
As he spoke, the man in black robes took out a golden ball of light from his robes and placed it on the counter, asking, "Boss, are you satisfied with paying with this?"
"This...this..."
The moment Jin Pengkang saw the ball of light, a longing welled up in his heart. He desperately wanted to obtain it, but this strange phenomenon also frightened him, and he didn't know what to say.
"Don't worry, boss, this is your payment. No matter how well you carve it, I'll pay you." The man in black robes joked, then turned and walked out of the shop.
Jin Pengkang panicked and hurriedly chased after the man in black robes, shouting at his departing figure, "You haven't told me what kind of wood carving you're making!"
"Sculpt whatever you envision, and I'll come and collect it when the time comes!"
"What's on my mind..."
Jin Pengkang murmured, then froze on the spot, his eyes glazed over.
He then stepped into the shop, closed the doors and windows, and found a piece of small-leaf sandalwood left by his grandfather in the material warehouse. It was about two meters tall and emitted a faint fragrance.
Jin Pengkang held the golden ball of light in his hand and played with it for a while. He could only vaguely see a golden mouse playing in the center of the ball of light. After seeing his gaze, the mouse revealed a human-like look, as if it was sizing him up.
It's about sizing things up!
Jin Pengkang noticed that the little mouse seemed quite satisfied with him, nodded, and continued to run around in the ball of light.
Must I be seeing things?
Jin Pengkang thought to himself that he didn't know why he wanted this ball of light so much. It was as if he was bewitched, but he couldn't bring himself to give it up.
He put the ball of light into his arms, and the faint golden light diffused into his body, making him feel much younger.
Although Jin Pengkang felt strange, as he got older, he became more and more convinced of fate and reincarnation, believing that it was ordained by heaven. He didn't delve into it, since he had already taken a step into the gates of hell, and these supernatural things couldn't frighten him. Instead, they added a bit of fun to his monotonous life.
Jin Pengkang cleared his mind of distractions, lit a stick of sandalwood incense, and the faint fragrance calmed his mind.
Jin Pengkang's mind was filled with countless thoughts. Finally, he settled on a design. After careful consideration, he made up his mind, picked up a carving knife and a small wooden chisel, and carefully began to carve on the wood that had passed down the memories of three generations.
Ding ding ding!
The shop echoed with crisp tapping sounds and the hissing of carving knives against wood. Wood shavings danced in the air and slowly drifted to the ground. In this way, a statue gradually took shape in Jin Pengkang's hands.
The statue was not finished until 3 a.m., and Jin Pengkang was overcome with sleepiness. He couldn't help but lie down on the table and slowly fall asleep.
The ball of light in his arms slowly emitted its glow after he fell asleep. The rat in the center of the ball of light had darting eyes. When it saw the completed statue, its eyes showed greed. A golden divine light shot onto the statue.
Click click click!
The sound of wood chips falling rang out, crisp but not noisy, and did not disturb Jin Pengkang, who was still fast asleep.
(What do you think the statue will be?)
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Chapter Twenty-Two: The Sound of Dripping Water? (Okay, actually I wanted to be lazy.)
The girl's first impression of the rental apartment was that it was simple. There was only a coffee table, a TV and a sofa in the living room, but it was very clean, with not a speck of dust in any corner.
What a clean guy!
The girl felt a secret delight. If Xu Le knew what she was thinking, he would be speechless. Although he also liked cleanliness, he wouldn't go to such lengths. This was all cleaned up by the Shadow Legion just now. Poor assassins, they'd become cleaners under Xu Le's hands.
Xu Le poured a glass of water from the kitchen and handed it to the girl, saying apologetically, "I'm sorry, Lu Siyun, I only have water at home. I'm sorry for not being hospitable enough. If you want any drinks, just tell me and I'll go to the nearby convenience store to buy them for you."
"No need, I love drinking water the most." Lu Siyun shook her head repeatedly. Afraid that Xu Le wouldn't believe her, she even picked up the cup and took a big gulp, but accidentally choked, her face turned red, and she kept coughing. Xu Le looked at the adorable Lu Siyun and felt a little sorry for her. She put her hand on her back and patted her gently, and for a moment, the atmosphere became somewhat romantic.
Xu Le also noticed something was wrong. Seeing Lu Siyun's face flushed red and her head almost buried in her chest, he awkwardly removed his hand. But to be honest, even touching Lu Siyun's skin through her clothes, he could feel how smooth it was. If... Xu Le immediately stopped this bad thought. Looking at Lu Siyun, who was still burying her head in the sand like an ostrich, he wanted to change the subject, so he asked, "Lu Siyun, why did you come to see me? Didn't I tell you I got home safely?"
Hearing this, Lu Siyun forgot her embarrassment and angrily questioned, "You've been so carefree, disappearing for so many days. Do you know how worried I was? Oh, don't misunderstand, I meant everyone was worried about you. Besides, you've already used up all your paid leave for the year, so you should go back to work soon." Having accidentally let slip the secret, Lu Siyun blushed even more and hurriedly tried to find an excuse to cover it up.
Xu Le looked at Lu Siyun, hesitated for a moment, and then explained to her clearly: "I'm going to resign. Go tell the company to find someone to replace me."
Upon hearing this, Lu Siyun's face turned pale, and her voice trembled slightly: "Why do you want to resign? Is the salary too low? I can help you apply to your supervisor." After saying this, she glanced timidly at Xu Le, her voice tinged with disappointment, and said, "Is it because I bother you so often...?"
"What are you thinking about all day long?"
Xu Le flicked Lu Siyun's forehead, making her rub it in pain as she looked at him with teary eyes. Xu Le organized his thoughts and said, "I made some money this time, so I don't have to worry about the rest of my life. I want to quit my job, buy a house with a yard in the suburbs, grow some vegetables, and live a simple life."
This was utter nonsense, but Lu Siyun listened with great interest, looking at Xu Le with admiration, thinking he had lofty aspirations, like an ancient scholar. Indeed, love makes a woman's IQ plummet.
"Oh, I see. If you want to buy a house, I have a few friends who work in real estate agencies. I can pass on your detailed requirements to them. After all, they are professionals, and they will be much more efficient than you looking for one yourself." Lu Siyun wisely did not ask Xu Le how he managed to get so much money all at once. In fact, she was a smart woman, otherwise she could not have become a manager at such a young age. She understood very well that everyone has their own secrets, and not knowing when to advance or retreat would only annoy people.