Chapter 43: Making doors
Bai Yi Yang didn't let the presence of other people in their house to disrupt her plans. At the first place, why did she rush to cut tree yesterday, isn't it because she wanted to finish making the doors for their house as soon as possible?
Bai Yi Yang enters her workshop after breakfast, she told her siblings that they can just attend to their guess as they see fit. She didn't forget to remind Bai Yi Ling to ask Aunt Li and Grandma Bo if they wanted to do the laundry this morning or later.
Bai Yi Yang took one of the chair from the living room as her seat in the workshop, and start sketching. This so called carpentry notebook of her is actually Bai Yi Ling spare notebook, she did look for one in her bag but all of them are used for different subjects, she can't just draw on those.
Bai Yi Yang start sketching the main gate, she planned to make a double door for the main gate, and her objective were simple design but it must be durable. She make a sketch and transfer the measurements that she has taken before. All of the measurements that she needed has all been written out in advance, she do it all at once before while taking the measurement for the windows.
Bai Yi Yang has bought big hinges especially for the main gate, then bought a big bolt lock for the gate on the outer side. This is so that they can lock their gate from outside when they went out. This bolt lock is highly recommended by the hardware boss, instead of using screws to install it, there are specific big nails that people cannot open no matter what. Bai Yi Yang was very satisfied so she bought it. On the inside, she is going to build the traditional wooden bolt, that was her plan for the main gate.
Bai Yi Yang finished sketching and she went outside to choose the wood. With her early planning, the thick board is almost at a perfect length with each other, she will only need to cut out few extra length from each ends.
Each side of the door requires 5 thick boards arranged vertically, the vertical board pattern will be the pattern seen from outside and she need another layer inside which is in horizontal pattern. So, the gate door will have two layers of thick board stacked together. Using this type of woods, the gate will be quite heavy, but she is not worry because the hinges she bought for the gate can carry heavy duty and it can withstand heavy doors.
Bai Yi Yang made the cuttings precisely and start assembling one door. Even one door is already time consuming because Bai Yi Yang make sure to nail it properly and neatly. By the time she finished one side of the door, she is already sweating even when it is raining. The last step she can do for now is installing the door hinges on the side, she is using three door hinges for each side, so a total of 6 hinges for the gate alone.
When Bai Yi Yang lift up the finished door to be put aside, it was really quite heavy, maybe it was also because of the damp wood and it was really a big and thick door. Bai Yi Yang grinned happily, this has always been her objective when doing some woodworking, strong, stable and durable. She set it aside because she simply cannot proceed with anything now, she need to let it dry then smoothen the surface before proceeding further.
Bai Yi Yang repeat the same process for the second door. Measuring, marking, cutting, then assembling. Lastly she make sure that she didn't install the hinges on the wrong side or position.
She finished making the double door gate after less than 1 hour and a half. But she can feel that her hand saw is getting blunt, she need to change her saw to the new one after this.
Bai Yi Yang lifted one door out of the workshop to be left outside, it will be too crowded to leave it inside the workshop. After finding a suitable place that won't obstruct the path and also out of the rain, Bai Yi Yang went to take the other one and leave it at the same place. Only after that did she enter the workshop again.
Now she is sketching the West House main door that lead to the kitchen, laundry area and bathroom.
The mechanism for this door is sliding type. To be exact a sliding barn door design. At the hardware store, she bought a sliding barn door hardware kit for the West house. Why? Because she notice that the entrance is bigger than the rest of the single door and unlike Main house entrance which is suitable for double doors that open outside, it will look awkward on the West House door, so she ends up buying the kit.
It was actually a good idea to use this system in all the door, but the price was a bit expensive and the locking system will be a hassle. She plan to install a drop bolt for the sliding door but unless they are going away for a long time, they won't need to lock it, she has big trust on their main gate, what more she is going to install cctv in the future too. This is all for safety.
Bai Yi Yang choose a layer of board with normal thickness as the base. But the exterior design is a bit different, she is attempting a modern door design this time. Since she choose sliding door mechanism, then she should go modern all the way bah.
After assembling the base, she took some board that she purposely cut with bigger width but thinner, make some random geometrical shapes and start cutting them.
She cut enough to cover two side of the West house door.
'I regret my decision to make this. This is too much works just for the aesthetics purpose' Bai Yi Yang complain to the system.
'Host be strong. Remember, the harder the work is, the bigger the points.' The system remind her.
'If I don't get 3 points for making this two difficult doors, I am going to turn the table.' Bai Yi Yang said as she is panting while sawing the edges.
'Meow' The system made a sound. This makes Bai Yi Yang eyes widened before she almost fall to the ground in laughter.
"Are you practicing!?" Bai Yi Yang blurted out as she laugh aloud.
'…' The system who got caught is speechless, it wanted to make an eye roll at its host, what an embarrassment. It was caught by the host.
"I will buy you the skin soon…soon alright.." Bai Yi Yang comfort the system as she still have some residual laughter.
But before the system can say anything, Bai Yi Chen suddenly appear in front of the workshop. Bai Yi Yang cover her mouth, quickly pretend to take her phone as if in the middle of a phone call.
"I will call you again later.." She said and quickly do as if she is ending a phone call.
"Ge..why?" She said.
"I heard you talking and laughing, so I went to look. Who did you talk with? What with practicing and buying skin?" Bai Yi Chen said. He came inside and look at the unique geometric pattern on the door. It is not done yet, Bai Yi Yang seems to be cutting off the excess edges now. When the end product is done, it will surely look very unique and modern. His twin is really quite talented.
"Ohh, its an online friend. I was asking if she is practicing gaming now, you know that we can also buy skin for other people, like giving gifts." Bai Yi Yang lied.
"En. Which friend is it? I never heard you talk to any online friend before." Bai Yi Chen ask again.
"There is one, I also just know her recently. Anyway, ge, have you seen the door gate I made outside?" Bai Yi Yang quickly change the topic.
"Not yet, I don't want to disturb your focus by lingering around this area." Bai Yi Chen said.
"Come! I will show you." Bai Yi Yang pull her brother outside and bring her to the door that she had made.
"You try to hold it, it is quite heavy the weight will reduced after it is dry a bit, but I tell you this is very sturdy. I purposely used big nails so it will look more traditional. From inside the pattern we see will be horizontal and from outside it is vertical. It look quite ugly now but when it dry out, we can sand it and paint it, the natural pattern will be more clear. Do you like it?" Bai Yi Yang said in high spirit.
Bai Yi Chen look carefully and it is indeed as Bai Yi Yang said. In the whole village, their house may have the most extravagant doors. Bai Yi Chen can guess that this wood Bai Yi Yang choose is very good, even the scent is good.
"You are so good at making these. You should have call me to lift this heavy things." Bai Yi Chen pat Bai Yi Yang sweaty head.
"It wasn't that heavy, I will call you if I need your help. Ge, you go inside bah, I am going into the workshop again." She said.
"What, chasing me away.." Bai Yi Chen smile softly.
"Hahaha..no, no, if you want to stay then stay." Bai Yi Yang laugh. Bai Yi Chen knows that he will only disturb her focus, he should just go.
Bai Yi Yang enters the workshop again and continue her work. When one side is done, she move to the other side and repeat the same process. The end product was really pretty, even the system give a virtual clap.
'Clap! Clap! Clap! Host is amazing'
Bai Yi Yang only got all these ideas from the internet, how can she claim the credit of original design ah. She is going to add golden colour paint to accentuate the geometric line, it will look more expensive like that.
'Luckily I didn't use thicker board, if not, then it will be too heavy. The hardware boss said that it's not good if the door is too heavy since all the weight will be supported from up.' Bai Yi Yang said to the system.
'Host don't worry, when it dry, it won't be as heavy as now, same goes to the gate door that you are proud of, it will be way lighter.' The system said in an annoying tone.
Bai Yi Yang was about to get angry, can't the system just indulge her fantasy of having a heavy and thick door gate like the city gate in historical movies? So infuriating. Bai Yi Yang ignore the system and bring the door outside, then place it with the two other door. This one door alone actually took her 1 hour to finish, but it doesn't matter she gains a lot of points from these.
'What is my current points?' She ask.
'Host, you are stopping now? Didn't you ask me to notify only when you finished your work, you said it was annoying.' The system said.
'I want to encourage myself. Faster..' Bai Yi Yang answer.
'Total points is 121. 2 points from cooking breakfast, 15 points from woodworking.' The system stated for her.
'Ahh…it's enough now..TongTong, why don't I buy you a skin now?' Bai Yi Yang is a bit excited.
'Host, who is Tong Tong? Sob, sob.' The system has feeling that it is itself that the host is calling TongTong.
'Pretend not to know. That will be your name when you become a cat, it's weird to call a cat as System.' Bai Yi Yang said.
'Then..let me use this System name for a few more days..don't disturb me, I want to mourn for an hour..sob..sob..' The system disconnected from Bai Yi Yang. Bai Yi Yang laugh at this sudden dramatic reaction from the system.
Bai Yi Yang passed through Bai Yi Ling plants that is neatly arranged at the corridor outside the West house as she head to the kitchen, she wanted to drink some water before resuming her work. From outside the window, she saw Bai Yi Ling sitting alone at the kitchen table, she is copying something from her handphone onto a book.
"Xiao Ling..why are you here?" Bai Yi Yang asked as she walk into the kitchen.
"Jie..its nothing…they are playing too loud in the living room, it's a bit noisy.." Bai Yi Ling said.
Bai Yi Chen nod and went to take a glass of water, she mix some hot water so that it will be warm, then she took a seat at an empty chair. She didn't came close to Bai Yi Ling because she is dusty and sweaty.
"Bear with it, Xiao Mo and Fang Fang is just excited since they got a new friend." Bai Yi Yang said. She understands Bai Yi Ling, she is also not a people person. Instead of playing with the children, she is here copying articles from the internet. So diligent ah, if she was properly trained from small like the Bai Yi Ling in the other wold, she will surely become the same genius she was.
"I don't mind. It's just that I wanted to concentrate more. Jie, I want to grow up intelligent and have ability like you." Bai Yi Ling said.
"En, alright. But jiejie want you to have fun too, you saw me yourself, I didn't always study. I play video games, I watch movies, I scroll through social media, I do all sort of things. Jiejie want your life to be full of colours too, understand?" Bai Yi Yang said.
"En." Bai Yi Ling nod and smile.