Black went to the fireplace to warm himself, his tone slightly puzzled.
"It seems like they did say that. It must have been my oversight."
Su Wei blinked and silently counted the heads in his mind.
He remembered; it seemed that Aruk had indeed said that.
Therefore, six people from the Aruk family should come.
Including myself, Emily, and Black.
Nine people.
Su Wei's hand, which was cutting meat, stopped completely.
He looked up, his gaze somewhat vacant as he stared at a corner of the restaurant.
There stood a lone old square table, surrounded by four chairs scattered around it.
One of the legs is still wobbly; usually only Cotton Candy jumps on it to sleep.
"It seems like we... have nowhere to sit."
Su Wei swallowed hard, realizing that his original plan had a huge flaw.
I used to live alone, and basically no one would come over.
Sometimes he would even sit on the carpet and eat by the fireplace.
He completely forgot that this was a large dinner party for nine people.
Are you suggesting that guests eat hot pot while standing?
Or should we let Aruk's elderly parents sit on the ground?
The scene was too beautiful for Su Wei to imagine.
That's why I don't like parties.
Black shook his head, his eyes filled with helplessness.
"Lack of planning. You should strengthen this aspect."
"Should I go back to town to buy it now?"
Su Wei awkwardly put down the knife, wiped his hands on his apron, and tried to salvage the situation.
"Too late."
Black raised his wrist and glanced at his military watch.
"That Aruk will drive twice as fast as usual when he hears there's food. He'll be there in twenty minutes at most."
Su Wei stood frozen in place.
If you drive to town at this time, it will take at least two hours round trip, not counting the time spent shopping.
Moreover, those hastily purchased folding chairs probably couldn't even support one of Aruk's thighs.
Black sighed, seemingly resigned to the situation.
He turned and walked toward the door, his tone returning to its usual cold and hard tone.
Do you have an axe?
"Have."
Su Wei was taken aback for a moment, then realized what was happening.
"In the storeroom, there was a chopping axe, freshly sharpened. And a handsaw."
"Take it."
Black pushed open the back door, and a violent gust of cold wind rushed in again, making the fireplace flames flicker wildly.
The wind seems to be blowing harder tonight than usual.
"And that flashlight. Don't just stand there like an idiot, come with me."
Without uttering a word, and without even taking off his apron, Su Wei rushed into the storage room.
A few seconds later, he charged straight into the night, carrying the heavy orange and black split axe in his left hand and a handsaw and a powerful flashlight in his right.
"What... is this for?"
Emily stood in the kitchen doorway, holding the fox, watching blankly as the two men disappeared into the snow.
The woodland behind the house was a dense secondary forest, its dark canopy appearing somewhat menacing in the night.
The snow was still falling, and the beam of the powerful flashlight cut a bright white path through the swirling snowflakes.
Black walked ahead, his feet sinking deep into the snow.
Less than two minutes later, he stopped in front of a dead spruce tree.
The tree was about the thickness of a washbasin, and most of its bark had been peeled off, revealing the grayish-white, dry wood inside.
The treetops have broken off, pointing straight to the sky.
"This one."
Black took off his gloves and tapped the tree trunk with his knuckles, producing a crisp "bang" sound.
"This deadwood has been naturally air-dried for at least three years. It has no resin, no insect damage, and the perfect hardness. It's a hundred times better than the plywood you buy at furniture stores."
He took the folding handsaw from Su Wei's hand with practiced ease.
There was no measurement, nor any gesture.
The serrated teeth bit into the tree trunk hard.
"Sizzle... sizzle..."
Wood chips flew everywhere.
Black's method of applying force is unique. He doesn't seem to use much strength, and his shoulders don't even shake much, but every saw cut brings out a lot of wood dust.
In just two minutes, with a sickening cracking sound, the more than two-meter-long piece of dead wood crashed to the ground, kicking up a cloud of snow dust.
Remove the beginning and the end.
Black pointed to the wood on the ground and drew a few lines in the snow.
"We need five sections, each fifty centimeters long. This height is perfect for sitting, and it won't put pressure on our stomachs."
Su Wei took a deep breath, the cold air filling his lungs.
He stepped forward and gripped the long handle of the axe tightly with both hands.
The heavy axe felt surprisingly light in his hands.
He felt his muscle memory being awakened, a sensation stemming from his Basic Woodworking skills.
"Bang!"
The axe blade transformed into a black afterimage, precisely cutting into the guide groove left by the handsaw.
Splinters flew into Su Wei's face, making him feel somewhat uncomfortable.
With that one swing of the axe, half of it became embedded in the hardwood.
Black stood to the side, arms crossed, letting snowflakes fall on his eyebrows, coldly watching Su Wei swing his axe.
"Use your waist to generate power."
The old hunter's cold reminder pierced through the wind and snow.
"Don't just swing your arm with brute force, you'll be ruined in ten minutes. You need to use the weight of the axe to work, let gravity do the work for you."
Su Wei immediately adjusted his posture.
Focus your energy in your lower abdomen and spread your feet apart, gripping the ground.
The waist twists, the power travels down the spine to the fingertips, and finally converges at a single point on the axe blade.
"Whoosh! Snap!"
With a crisp snap, the piece of wood broke.
Although the cut is not as smooth as a machine cut, it is very flat.
"Good."
Black nodded.
[Received guidance from an experienced craftsman, Basic Woodworking Experience +10.]
The cold wind howled, and the only sound in the forest was the dull thud of axes chopping wood.
Less than ten minutes.
That's how you make five round blocks.
Su Wei was panting heavily, and a fine layer of sweat appeared on his forehead.
In the sub-zero night, he felt incredibly hot all over, as if his blood was boiling.
"Move it in."