The Delicate Darling with Her Rough Man-Chapter 38: This Era

Leng Yuan was very smart and capable, but he was ultimately a man of his era. While he was far more knowledgeable than most, his perspective was still limited.

Gu Jiaojiao was different. With her broader knowledge and modern way of thinking, things she considered mundane were like a whole new world to the people of this era.

Take a simple corn sheller, for example.

Gu Jiaojiao had seen large, electric, and even more efficient machines. Now, as she described a manual one, she couldn’t help but feel it was incredibly primitive.

But for Leng Yuan, it instantly sparked a wave of inspiration.

He followed Gu Jiaojiao’s description, retrieved a pen and paper from the room, and began to sketch what she was explaining. He frequently asked for her opinion, and after a few corrections and changes, a simple blueprint began to take shape.

Gu Jiaojiao stared at Leng Yuan as if he were some kind of god.

’His ability to grasp concepts is just too incredible,’ she thought. ’I just described it, and he was able to draw it. Not only that, he even improved upon the initial design.’

He even extrapolated from her ideas, telling Gu Jiaojiao that if they replaced a certain part with something else, it would be faster, or if they made another part a different shape, it would be sturdier.

Her admiration for this man knew no bounds.

Leng Yuan felt a surge of excitement as well. A light shone in his deep eyes, and without waiting for Gu Jiaojiao to urge him on, he retrieved a sheet of iron from the woodshed and got to work.

Halfway through the project, he realized he didn’t have enough nails and went straight to Chen JianShe’s house to borrow some.

Tools were scarce and rudimentary in those days. Owning a single good iron tool was considered a remarkable asset for a family.

Fortunately, by scrounging up parts from here and there, the device Gu Jiaojiao wanted was finally built. It was even better than she had imagined—about the size of a water bucket. You could drop an ear of corn in from the top, turn the handle, and the kernels would come right off in a few seconds.

The entire frame was made of wood. An iron one would have been sturdier, but they didn’t have enough materials for that.

To build it, Leng Yuan had dismantled two of the stools in the house. Gu Jiaojiao’s heart ached watching him. "As long as it works, it’s fine," she said.

Seeing Gu Jiaojiao’s pained expression, Leng Yuan was a little amused. "After the Qiushou, I’ll go up the mountain, chop some wood, and just make new ones."

In those days, people’s self-sufficiency skills were remarkable. Most simple household furniture was handmade from wood they chopped down themselves in the mountains.

For example, the table, stools, and wardrobe in Leng Yuan’s house were all made by him.

Gu Jiaojiao could only feel a deep sense of admiration for this.

’Compared to Leng Yuan,’ she thought suddenly, ’I feel like a useless person. I don’t know how to do anything, and I can’t make anything.’

"Leng Yuan, how can you be so capable? Is there anything you can’t do?"

Leng Yuan thought about it very seriously for a moment before replying, "I can’t give birth."

Gu Jiaojiao let out a dry laugh. "Ha, ha. Very funny."

’The ultimate humblebrag.’

’You can’t give birth because you don’t have a uterus! It’s a matter of anatomy, not ability, okay?’

「The next day.」

Gu Jiaojiao woke up bright and early.

She thought she was up quite early, but Leng Yuan was up even earlier.

Leng Yuan had made breakfast again. Gu Jiaojiao stared at the cornmeal flatbreads on the table, feeling utterly dejected.

Leng Yuan glanced thoughtfully at the breakfast, then said, "They’ll be distributing the grain in a few days. We’ll be able to get some refined grains then."

Even though they had been eating cornmeal flatbreads for the past few days, Leng Yuan had managed to figure out Gu Jiaojiao’s preferences.

Gu Jiaojiao liked refined grains. The first time she had rice, she ate it very quickly. Whenever she had to eat coarse grains, she would eat them, but she never looked happy about it.

Especially when she ate steamed cornbread, she had to crane her neck just to swallow. Leng Yuan couldn’t understand it. ’How could there be such a delicate person these days,’ he wondered, ’someone who can’t even stomach coarse grains?’