bantayden Chapter 20 Two Little Kittens
Chapter 20 Two Little Kittens
The two walked and stopped frequently, and it was not easy for them to finally carry their belongings back to their family compound.
When they got back to the house, the two of them were covered in sweat.
"Let's...let's rest for a bit." Lin Weiwei put the lime bag on the ground and plopped down on the doorstep.
Su Wanwan also sat down and wiped her sweat.
After resting for a while, the two began to figure out how to do it.
"He said to soak it in water..." Lin Weiwei looked at the bag of lime. "Soak it in what?"
Su Wanwan looked around: "We need to find a bucket."
The two then ran next door to borrow a broken iron bucket and filled it halfway with water.
Then, faced with that bag of lime, he was stumped again.
"Pour it in directly?" Lin Weiwei asked.
"I guess...right?" Su Wanwan wasn't sure either.
Lin Weiwei gritted her teeth, untied the burlap sack, and poured the lime into the bucket.
When the white powder was poured into the water, it immediately made a "sizzling" sound, the water began to bubble, and steam rose.
"Wow!" The two were startled and took a few steps back.
Only when the noise subsided a bit did Lin Weiwei dare to go closer to take a look.
The water in the bucket had turned into a white paste and was still steaming slightly.
"Is...is this all right?" she asked.
Su Wanwan was also confused: "It should be... done, right?"
The two waited a while longer until the paste cooled down a bit. Then, Lin Weiwei picked up a brush, dipped it in some lime water, and brushed it onto the wall.
The white paste left a mark on the mottled wall, but it was quickly absorbed and the color became very faint.
"It seems...not very fair-skinned?" Lin Weiwei said.
"Should we watch it a few more times?" Su Wanwan asked.
Lin Weiwei brushed it a few more times, but the effect was still not good.
Moreover, her brushing was crooked and uneven, with some strokes thick and others thin, making it look even uglier.
Su Wanwan took the brush and tried it, but it didn't work either.
After struggling for a long time, the wall wasn't painted much white, and they ended up with a lot of lime splattered all over themselves.
"No, no, we have to think of something." Lin Weiwei stopped, panting.
Su Wanwan was also exhausted. She looked at the lime water in the bucket, then at the wall, and suddenly said, "Did we put too little water in? I've seen other people use quite thick paste when they paint walls."
"Shall we add some more lime?" Lin Weiwei asked.
The two added some more lime powder to the bucket.
Now look what's happened, the paste is too thick, I can't even stir it with the brush.
"Water! Add water!" Su Wanwan said quickly.
Lin Weiwei then carried the bucket to fetch water.
They kept adding water and lime, messing around with it until they finally managed to make a paste that looked about right. By then, the two of them were half covered in mud.
His face, hands, and clothes were covered in lime spots.
"Never mind, let's get started!" Lin Weiwei wiped her face, revealing another white mark.
The two picked up their brushes again and began painting the wall.
This time the paste consistency was just right, and it applied much better.
But their technique was really bad; they painted unevenly, with thick patches of paste dripping down and thin patches that couldn't cover the original stains at all.
Moreover, painting walls is physically demanding; you have to keep your arms up the whole time, and they get so sore that you can't lift them up after a short while.
The two took turns brushing, working and stopping intermittently, making progress as slow as a snail.
Two or three hours had passed by the time one wall was finished painting.
Lin Weiwei looked at the mottled "new wall" and felt like crying: "This...it's so ugly!"
Su Wanwan looked at it too, and whispered, "It seems... it would be better not to swipe?"
Just then, footsteps came from outside.
The two turned their heads and saw Bai Rongbei and Bai Si'an walking over from outside.
The two brothers looked like they had just finished work, as their military uniforms were still neatly worn.
Bai Rongbei was holding a file folder, while Bai Si'an was carrying a toolbox.
Both of them were stunned by the sight inside the room.
Lin Weiwei and Su Wanwan stood there, covered in lime spots from head to toe, their faces patchy with white and black, their hair a mess. The brushes in their hands were still dripping white paste.
The wall behind me was painted like an abstract painting.
Bai Si'an pushed up his glasses, and the corner of his mouth twitched.
Bai Rongbei's face was expressionless, but a hint of...smile flashed in his eyes?
Su Wanwan could see it; that smile was mockery!
"What are you doing?" Bai Si'an began.
"Painting the walls!" Lin Weiwei said confidently, although her words were hardly convincing.
Bai Rongbei walked in, looked at the wall, and then at the lime mortar in the bucket: "Too much water was added."
"Huh?" Lin Weiwei looked down at the bucket.
Bai Si'an also came in, took out a small shovel from his toolbox, and scraped the wall: "The base layer wasn't done properly, so if you just paint it on directly, it'll fall off in a couple of days."
Su Wanwan blushed: "We...we won't."
Bai Rongbei didn't say anything, took off his military jacket, and rolled up his sleeves.
Bai Si'an also put down his toolbox and began to organize his tools.
"You..." Lin Weiwei looked at them, "Do you want to help?"
Bai Rongbei glanced at her: "Otherwise what? Once you guys finish painting, this house will be uninhabitable."
As he spoke, he took the brush from Lin Weiwei's hand, dipped it in lime paste, and demonstrated on the wall: "Use your wrist force, keep the brush level, and brush once, don't brush back and forth."
His movements were clean and efficient, and the wall surface he painted was smooth and even.
Lin Weiwei was dumbfounded.
Bai Si'an picked up a shovel and began to work on the peeling paint on the wall: "If we don't remove this, it'll be a waste of time to paint it again."
The two brothers worked together seamlessly, one painting the wall and the other finishing the surface.
Lin Weiwei and Su Wanwan stood to the side, unsure of what to do.
"What are you standing there for?" Bai Rongbei asked without turning his head. "Go fetch some water."
"Oh! Oh!" Su Wanwan realized what was happening and quickly grabbed the bucket and went outside.
Lin Weiwei also wanted to help, so she moved closer to Bai Si'an and asked, "Is there anything I can do?"
Bai Si'an glanced at her; her face still had lime spots, making her look like a little tabby cat.
A hint of a smile flashed in his eyes, but he quickly suppressed it: "Go clean up the floor, there's too much dust."
"Okay!" Lin Weiwei picked up the broom and started sweeping the floor.