Qin He spent the afternoon at the West District United Department.
She went to Liu Xin'an's place for tea, as he seemed even more idle than her these days.
An exhibition stand had been set up in the office, displaying all the small mortise and tenon boxes he had researched, along with small wooden animals.
Each piece was incredibly interesting, like a delicate little dog with eyes meticulously attached, yet not a drop of glue or a single nail was used.
Qin He picked up a small box to play with as she chatted with Liu Xin'an.
"You went to Haicheng and were gone for a whole week. After you came back, you didn't even come to see me, and then you disappeared for another five or six days!"
Liu Xin'an snorted and took a sip of tea, "With all this running around, more than half a month has passed!"
Qin He chuckled, "Uncle Liu, you're great at math. If your math teacher knew you calculated a week plus five or six days equals more than half a month, they'd be furious."
Liu Xin'an scoffed, "He's already six feet under!"
Qin He raised an eyebrow, "Then he might just come back to life to scold you."
The two bantered back and forth, with Qin He asking about Mrs. Liu's recent condition.
"Aunt Liu's health has improved a lot. We could actually bring her to Qingcheng. She's been living in the mountain villa outside the city. Although it's for health, it's not lively and could be isolating."
Liu Xin'an nodded, "Your Aunt Liu and I don't plan to settle down in Qingcheng. We'll wait a bit longer. Once your project here is finished, we'll go back to Country L. She planted quite a few pear trees on the land behind the Vincent family's castle, and she misses it dearly."
Qin He sighed, "It's a shame for a national treasure-level talent like you."
"I'm going abroad, not dying?" Liu Xin'an was happy to find fault in Qin He's words.
Seeing Qin He didn't argue this time, he hesitated for a few seconds and then snorted, "Xiao He."
"Yes?"
"Do you want to learn this craft?"
Qin He's eyes lit up, "Are you willing to teach me? Isn't this usually a family inheritance, passed down only to males and not females, with strict rules?"
Liu Xin'an scoffed, "Have you watched too many old movies? While it was true in the past, now that we're reforming and opening up, I don't follow those old ways. I teach whoever I take a liking to."
Qin He smiled sweetly, "So you like me and are willing to teach me."
Liu Xin'an frowned, feeling like he'd been tricked by this young girl.
Originally, if Qin He wanted to learn, he could have acted like a master and put her through some difficulties.
"I won't be staying in China for much longer," Liu Xin'an, unable to play the master, got up unhappily and retrieved a book from a drawer.
He tossed it disdainfully in front of Qin He, "Study this. My life's work and research insights are all in here!"
Qin He looked at the "book" in her hand, which was actually a small notebook.
It was A4 sized and as thick as a Xinhua Dictionary.
Opening it, she found pages filled with hand-drawn diagrams, each accompanied by text.
This was information that simply didn't exist on the market. Beside each diagram, it explained in detail where these mortise and tenon joints could be applied, often followed by an ellipsis.
"Mortise and tenon is a skillful craft, but it also relies more on talent and imagination."
Liu Xin'an pointed to the red pen writing below, "These are my insights. I hope you can deduce more from them. If I were to write everything down, it would probably take ten books."
Qin He looked at a spherical mortise and tenon joint, with Liu Xin'an's annotation below: Applicable to: houses, furniture, assembled crafts, and the joint covers of robots.
Qin He paused, "Uncle Liu, what are 'joint covers for robots'?"
"Knees, knee joints! This structure looks like a simple sphere, but it's actually hollow inside."
"Wood doesn't conduct electricity. If special materials are used, it's very wear-resistant and won't rust like metal. I thought, if technology develops robots in the future, using this to assemble joint covers would definitely be useful."
Qin He nodded, "You really think ahead."
Liu Xin'an chuckled, "Xiao He, this isn't the only use for this. You'll understand more as you study it."
Qin He had only looked at the first page with the small sphere, but her mind was already racing with countless applications.
She flipped through the subsequent pages casually. The further she went, the more intricate the designs became, eventually delving into palace structures built with mortise and tenon joints and load-bearing details.
Qin He's heart stirred.
This was truly a lifetime's work, the culmination of a genius's life.
Without sufficient imagination and logical thinking, or without diligent study, one could not produce such a book.
The book was substantial, but its significance and value were no less than the "Wan Fang Lun" in her home.
Qin He's heart grew heavy, her throat felt a little sore, and a warm current seemed to flow through her chest.
Even if one were fortunate enough to be accepted as an apprentice, serving tea and water for decades, some masters might not be willing to impart such knowledge.
"Why don't you publish a book?" Qin He's voice was a little choked, but she cleared her throat, "If you published it, it would absolutely be a national treasure."
Liu Xin'an was uninterested, "I don't want fame, why would I publish a book? Besides, with mortise and tenon joints, it's fine for making small things for fun. But if it were for building houses, I'm afraid people who don't understand might build them poorly! Nine out of ten developers nowadays are unscrupulous. If the technology isn't up to par, or if they cut corners, and someone gets killed, it will tarnish the reputation of this craft!"
Qin He pursed her lips, understanding Liu Xin'an's concerns.
This was a profound secret art, but if it were spread widely, there could be many hidden dangers in the short term.
She got up and walked to the nearby tea table.
Liu Xin'an frowned, "Don't touch my Azure Jade teacup! This set was a gift from that kid Gu!"
Gu Qishen's gift, it was indeed a fine item.
Qin He looked at it and smiled, "I won't break it."
The tea Liu Xin'an had brewed earlier was still there, at the perfect temperature.
Qin He meticulously went through each step, finally pouring a cup of tea.
She held the tea and approached Liu Xin'an, who was sitting at the table.
Stepping around the table, she formally knelt down.
Liu Xin'an was stunned, "You, you, this is—"
Qin He was serious, her clear face displaying an unprecedented solemnity.
With a respectful attitude, she offered the cup of tea, holding it high above her head.
"Master, please accept this disciple tea."
Liu Xin'an remained frozen for a long time, his eyes suddenly reddening.
Qin He lowered her head and saw a bright drop of water fall onto Liu Xin'an's hand.
Just as she was about to look up, he used a small wooden stick from the table to gently press down on her head.
"Watched too many TV dramas? Really want to follow the traditional apprenticeship?"
Qin He replied, "It's proper."
"Your first bow should be to the Ancestor!"
Qin He thought for a moment, "Who is our Ancestor?"
"Lu Ban!"
Qin He's mind flashed, Lu Ban was an archer, incredibly accurate.
Immediately, she felt a light tap on her shoulder from Liu Xin'an's small stick.
"Stop thinking about games!"
Qin He burst into laughter, "Master, you are truly a divine being!"