Chapter 161: So This Was What She Was Busy With

Inside Stonemason Kuang's house, Xu Mo and Qin Woodhead accepted the towels handed over by the stonemason's son, wiping the rainwater from their heads and bodies.

Stonemason Kuang instructed his wife to boil some water for tea, then brought over two chairs, inviting the two to sit in a well-ventilated spot so their clothes could dry as much as possible.

The courtyard was piled with numerous stones of various sizes and shapes, alongside some unfinished carvings. Xu Mo gazed at them for a long while without being able to figure out what was being carved.

After a short while, Stonemason Kuang brought over two cups of hot tea.

"Just humble country fare, nothing fancy. Please bear with it, gentlemen," Stonemason Kuang said.

Xu Mo exchanged a few polite words, took his teacup, and asked, "Stonemason Kuang, it looks like you don't have much work in your yard right now. Why did you say you were busy before I even mentioned what I wanted to hire you for?"

Beside him, Qin Woodhead slowly blew on his teacup while listening quietly.

Stonemason Kuang first asked for Xu Mo's surname, then explained, "You might not know this, Young Master Xu, but last month a gentleman from the neighboring village asked me to carve a pair of stone lions for his new residence. I'm quite familiar with this kind of work, so I took the job on the spot, and we agreed that I would deliver them by the end of this month..."

It turned out that Stonemason Kuang had already selected the large boulder needed for carving the stone lions up on the mountain. Unfortunately, a heavy downpour had struck suddenly some days prior, triggering a mudslide.

While the mudslide hadn't caused any damage to the village, it had completely blocked the path up the mountain with massive boulders, trees, and mud. Among the debris was a particularly huge rock, about twice the height of a person and as wide as three men with their arms spread out.

Consequently, everyone had to take a detour using another route to go up the mountain now.

Unluckily, the large boulder Stonemason Kuang had selected could not possibly be transported down via that alternative path; it could only be brought down smoothly through the blocked route.

Because of this, Stonemason Kuang had gone to see the village head, Yang Jinbao, hoping he could muster some villagers to help clear the path.

Yang Jinbao hadn't refused outright, considering that the mountain path concerned the convenience of all the villagers.

Thus, Yang Jinbao quickly summoned a group of villagers to clear the mountain path, but upon seeing the colossal boulder, they all lost their nerve.

Even so, the villagers stubbornly made a couple of attempts, but the giant rock seemed rooted in place. No matter how much they dug or pushed, it wouldn't budge an inch.

Since people were already reluctant to do this kind of labor, encountering such a major obstacle meant that when Yang Jinbao asked the villagers to go up the mountain again, no one was willing to go.

After all, people could still reach the mountain using the other path, which didn't cause them much inconvenience.

Only Stonemason Kuang needed to transport the giant boulder down, which was why he was so anxious to clear the mountain path.

People were inherently selfish; when something didn't affect their own interests, naturally they wouldn't be very proactive.

Yet Stonemason Kuang was a man of his word. Having promised someone a delivery date, he wanted to fulfill it without a single day's delay.

Therefore, Stonemason Kuang took his son up the mountain every day to chisel away at the giant boulder, hoping to clear the road a bit sooner.

Hearing this, Xu Mo couldn't help thinking to himself that this was essentially a real-life, low-budget version of the fable about the old man moving mountains.

Xu Mo couldn't help asking, "Stonemason Kuang, how is your chiseling going? Roughly how long will it take to clear it?"

Stonemason Kuang shook his head in distress and said, "It'll be a long while! That stone is exceptionally hard and very difficult to chisel. I estimate it will take at least another two months..."

Xu Mo said, "Didn't you say the delivery is at the end of the month? That completely misses the delivery deadline."

Stonemason Kuang said helplessly, "Even if we miss it, we still have to chisel! We can't just leave this path blocked forever, can we? Unless I decide never to use the stones from the mountain again."

Qin Woodhead couldn't help asking, "Stonemason Kuang, can't you use other stones? It's not like that's the only mountain with stone."

Stonemason Kuang instantly chuckled, shook his head, and replied, "Little brother, you make it sound so easy, but wouldn't transporting stones from other mountains cost me money?"

"Besides, I know the mountains around here like the back of my hand. No other mountain has stone as good as the one we have now, so I really don't have a choice."

Hearing this, Qin Woodhead nodded understandingly.

Xu Mo then asked, "So Stonemason Kuang, you have to clear the path first, carve the stone lions, and make the delivery before you can take on my job, right?"

Stonemason Kuang nodded apologetically and said, "Young Master Xu, I hope you can understand. If this road isn't cleared, I won't even be able to sleep peacefully. How could I possibly have the mind to take on other work?"

Xu Mo suddenly smiled and asked, "Stonemason Kuang, what if I can help you clear this path? Would you consider squeezing my job in?"

Upon hearing this, Qin Woodhead immediately knew that Xu Mo intended to use pot mines to blast the rock apart.

Xu Mo added, "Don't worry, Stonemason Kuang. My job is extremely simple for you; with your craftsmanship, you'll definitely be able to finish it in no time."

Assuming Xu Mo could bring people over to help clear the road, Stonemason Kuang immediately said, "Young Master Xu, if you can really help me clear the mountain path, I will definitely do your job first, and I won't charge a single copper coin!"

"Then it's a deal!" Xu Mo said.

Stonemason Kuang nodded heavily and said, "It's a deal!"

At that moment, Stonemason Kuang's wife called out to him from the kitchen, prompting him to stand up and walk away.

Qin Woodhead asked, "Boss, can a rock two human heights tall really be blown apart?"

Xu Mo answered with absolute confidence, "Forget a rock two human heights tall; even one twenty human heights tall can be blown apart as long as we have enough black powder!"

Qin Woodhead nodded immediately, imagining the shocking scene of the giant boulder being blasted apart, and couldn't help feeling a surge of anticipation.

A moment later, Stonemason Kuang walked back over...

As soon as Stonemason Kuang returned, he warmly invited Xu Mo and Qin Woodhead to stay for a meal.

Xu Mo quickly declined, saying they had already eaten and needed to head back early to prepare for clearing the mountain path.

Stonemason Kuang also considered that matter more important, so he stopped pressing them and expressed his gratitude profusely.

Soon, the rain let up, and Xu Mo bid farewell and prepared to leave.

Before leaving, Xu Mo reminded Stonemason Kuang that if it didn't rain tomorrow, he would come over.

However, if it rained tomorrow, it would have to be postponed; either way, nothing could be done in the rain.

Stonemason Kuang nodded repeatedly in understanding, saying that rainy days indeed made it difficult for people to travel from afar to work, and staying away under such conditions was only right.

Too lazy to explain much further, Xu Mo simply nodded and smiled, then left with Qin Woodhead.

The two returned to the tavern to retrieve their mule cart, then headed toward Gushan Village against the light drizzle.

About the time it takes to brew a cup of tea after leaving Yang Family Village, as they passed through a grove of trees, cries for help suddenly echoed from within...

"Help! Murder! Save me..."

The terrified and panicked screams immediately caught the attention of Xu Mo and Qin Woodhead, causing both to turn their heads in alarm.

They saw a bloodied man in the woods, clutching his shoulder with one hand while sprinting wildly toward Xu Mo and Qin Woodhead.

The next moment, Xu Mo noticed someone pursuing the injured man from behind—a woman dressed entirely in black, wielding a drawn long sword in her hand.

Looking closely at the woman in black, Xu Mo wore an expression of astonishment and hastily asked, "Woodhead, your eyes are sharper than mine. Is that woman behind the one called Shang Liuli?"

Qin Woodhead had already recognized her face and immediately nodded, saying, "Boss, it's her!"

Watching Shang Liuli give chase to the injured man, Xu Mo's mind suddenly recalled the words she had spoken when she previously departed:

"This young lady really does have matters to attend to!"

The corners of Xu Mo's mouth twitched slightly as he thought to himself: So this was the matter she had to attend to...