Li Long lifted the mutton he was carrying and said with a smile:
"Engineer Liu, this is from a sheep I raised at home. We slaughtered it, so I brought you some for the New Year."
"Oh, Xiao Li, you're too kind..." Engineer Liu was deeply touched. It wasn't the mutton that mattered so much as Li Long remembering to visit him from time to time. To him, Li Long had brought help when he needed it most.
If Li Long hadn't come to buy jade carvings during his hardest days, he probably would have lost heart and planned to retire early.
Although he still hadn't been able to return to the workshop at the factory, he could put his skills to use here and continue making a contribution.
The older generation had spent their entire lives keeping busy. If they suddenly had nothing to do, they really wouldn't know how to live. Forty years later, elderly people could at least scroll through their phones in their spare time. These days, there wasn't much entertainment, and television was only available in the evenings.
Having nothing to do really did leave people feeling empty.
Li Long had made Engineer Liu's life fulfilling again, and he was truly grateful to him.
"It's not about being polite. I've found plenty of good pieces here," Li Long said, handing the mutton to the young man. "Everyone at home says I have a good eye."
He glanced around and noticed that there was much less jade on the workbench where Engineer Liu had been working than on his previous visit, so he asked:
"Have things slowed down for you lately, Engineer Liu?"
"Not really. I've been teaching Xiao Ma some basic techniques lately." Engineer Liu pointed at the jade he had just been carving. "It's