Gu Qichen took the phone back from Gu Ranran.
His relationship with Qin He had recently improved significantly. While this was a good thing, as their bond deepened, Gu Qichen found his usually disciplined self becoming restless.
He wanted to enter her life, to openly become the man standing by her side.
Gu Ranran felt rather wronged.
But looking at her brother, she didn't dare to say more.
Gu Qichen hesitated for a few seconds before typing on the screen.
[Ranran was being unruly just now, sorry.]
Gu Ranran innocently took the blame.
The next day.
Qin He woke up early. After breakfast, she said goodbye to Ming Yuzhu and rushed to the West District United Department by car.
Her mind was now fully focused on learning about mortise and tenon joinery.
Qin He wasn't confident she could persuade her master and mistress to stay in Qingcheng.
While her master was still here, under his supervision, she wanted to learn as much as she could.
Qin He was incredibly enthusiastic about learning.
But a certain middle-aged man clearly lacked the same enthusiasm for work.
Qin He had been waiting in Liu Xin'an's office since early morning, until ten o'clock.
Liu Xin'an finally sauntered in, carrying a small cloth bag.
Qin He wanted to speak but hesitated.
"Master, you're actually quite early today."
Liu Xin'an chuckled and glanced at the lively scene in the outer office.
"I'm here, but there's nothing for me to do."
Then, putting on his masterly demeanor, he squinted at Qin He, "What, are you my disciple or my superior now?"
Qin He let out a small laugh; she had been a bit careless.
She walked over and placed the tea she had brewed earlier in front of Liu Xin'an.
"You are the master, you call the shots."
Qin He took the thick mortise and tenon book from the cabinet.
Liu Xin'an watched from the side, supervising her as she made various small mortise and tenon parts.
"Your hands must be steady when making these, so the parts fit perfectly. But I saw your hands were quite steady when you were working with that little piece of wood."
Qin He smiled.
As a surgeon, her hands were naturally steady.
These basic skills had already been learned in other aspects. After carving out a few small parts, Qin He attempted to assemble them. She was just starting, and she was piecing together a miniature stool.
Liu Xin'an watched with a smile.
He didn't speak up when Qin He made a mistake.
Only when Qin He's stool wouldn't fit together did he show a hint of schadenfreude.
"You drilled the hole crookedly earlier."
Qin He's eyes widened, "Then why didn't you say anything?"
"If I corrected you every time, how would you remember?" Liu Xin'an asked with a smile.
As the master and disciple chatted, the office door suddenly opened.
They both turned to see Gu Qichen standing at the door, holding a tablet.
"Young Gu is here."
Liu Xin'an smiled meaningfully, his gaze shifting from Gu Qichen to Qin He.
Being looked at by him made Qin He feel a bit uneasy, "Master, your gaze is a little unsettling."
Gu Qichen's expression was calm as he looked at Liu Xin'an, "Uncle Liu, my company has some upcoming projects that require simple mortise and tenon techniques. I've come to learn some from you."
Learn some?
Liu Xin'an raised an eyebrow slightly.
"If you want to learn from me, you'll have to formally apprentice, like Qin He, with proper rituals and tea offering."
This was not difficult for Gu Qichen.
He walked over to the tea table, took a cup of tea, and placed it before Liu Xin'an.
Liu Xin'an looked disdainfully at the teacup.
Gu Qichen's deep eyes subtly glanced at Qin He.
Liu Xin'an sighed softly.
For this arrogant Gu boy to kneel and apprentice, it would require him to be genuinely interested in mortise and tenon joinery.
But now, he understood that the young man's visit was not solely for the purpose of learning.
Fortunately, he was quite satisfied with his future disciple's husband. Liu Xin'an waved his hand dismissively.
"You said you wanted to learn some, what specifically would you like to learn?"
Gu Qichen's voice was light, "I'll take a look first."
The long table in Liu Xin'an's office was indeed long, but not very wide.
Gu Qichen sat down opposite Qin He. He picked up his tablet to review work, handling company documents.
From his position, all he had to do was lift his eyes to see Qin He, her brow furrowed, working with various shaped wooden pieces opposite him.
She paid no attention to his presence, completely absorbed in the small wooden pieces.
Gu Qichen's gaze gradually softened. Seeing Qin He so fully immersed and engrossed in another matter, he could watch her openly without fear of her discovering him.
At noon, lunch was delivered from Senyuan.
Gu Qichen had it sent directly to Liu Xin'an's office, and the three of them ate together.
Qin He was full of fighting spirit and rushed back to continue assembling after eating. By three in the afternoon, she had finally assembled a small stool, and this time it met Liu Xin'an's standards, fitting perfectly.
Gu Qichen's face was full of smiles.
Qin He, facing him, smiled radiantly, her bright eyes sparkling like a blazing little sun.
Such a smile was incredibly infectious, and the corners of his lips also turned upwards slightly.
Soon after finishing, Qin He started working on other small parts.
Liu Xin'an lazily sipped his tea, and time seemed to slow down.
Even the dust motes in the air seemed to have stopped moving.
Gu Qichen felt an unprecedented sense of peace. If time could just continue like this, it would be wonderful.
As quitting time approached, Qin He had assembled another miniature table.
She playfully held the small table, which was smaller than her palm, and looked up at Liu Xin'an.
"Master, when are you going to invite Mistress to Qingcheng?"
"I've already told her, and she agreed to move to the city. It's just that my current residence is a bit noisy, and I'm looking for a new place. Once I find one, she'll move to the city."
Qin He smiled, "What kind of house are you looking for? I can help you look too."
Liu Xin'an thought for a moment, "Your mistress loves tending to plants, so I need to find a place with a large garden."
Finding a place in the city with a garden for tending to plants in Qingcheng was indeed difficult. She owned a few villas that would fit the description.
But Qin He felt that her mistress wouldn't like such modern architecture.
To keep her master here, the most important thing was to win over her mistress.
As long as her mistress liked it here, her master wouldn't mention leaving.
Qin He had a plan.
As the sun set, Liu Xin'an's office was bathed in a layer of transparent, pale gold.
Qin He lazily got up.
"It's time to get off work. There's been less work in the West District lately."
Liu Xin'an quietly looked to the side, at Gu Qichen who was handling official business.
It wasn't that there was less work; it was that most of it had been taken over by young Gu.
It was just that this young man, for some reason, didn't say anything to ask for rewards for his efforts.
As Qin He stood up, Gu Qichen also turned off his tablet and stood up.