Chapter 81 Floor Planning

Undice the 1st of 4831 AS

A large tent was erected in the snowy grounds on the outskirts of the southern part of Shisayama. Under the tent's cloth, was an area sparsely populated by a large table, chairs, and few wooden crates filled with writing supplies.

With a charcoal pencil, Azi was checking the final details of his house's blueprint. For the past week, Azi had been overseeing the construction of his house with help from Manu who was the approver of the construction project.

Azi had put great time and effort into planning out the first floor which included his living room, bathroom, kitchen, storehouse, and finally a workshop. The floor plan would be similar to Kajima's abode but would be less than half the size as it did not include the extra spare rooms, a large living room, or family sized bath.

It was much like a downsized version of Kajima's house since Azi had no intentions of getting any apprentices at the moment and Manu was more willing to show that he was not giving too much preferential treatment to Azi.

Like Azi, he looked tired and ragged as he had been hounded by the other blacksmiths int he village to cease and desist his recent actions.

To compromise, he told the blacksmiths that he would restrict how large Azi's house would be which was agreed upon but caused a bit of a headache for Azi. Not only did he have to redraft his floor plan, but he had to do it while the somewhat jealous blacksmiths spied on his every move.

On the other side from the table were a group of old men who tower over Azi. They eyed the submitted drafts that Azi had previously submitted to Manu. Usually no one would question Manu's decision but due to their headstrong attitudes they argued that they needed to confirm that Manu was not going back on his words.

They critiqued Azi's drafting and mocked him for his amateurish floor plan, but he took it in stride as he ignored. According to his own memories, Azi never had any experience with floor planning or blueprint drafting so it was no skin off his back.

Ignoring the scathing comments from the old blacksmiths, Azi continued his work and began redrawing the floor plan for the 2nd level of his house. This would be where Azi would have his personal bedroom.

Unbeknownst to Azi, he did not hear the quiet mumbling and grimacing of the old blacksmiths.

They were in fact, impressed by his detailed drawings as it made their own sketches and blueprints seem like scribbles on a paper. These old men were skilled blacksmiths but that was the only thing they were.

They were not able to grow in a structured education when they were younger as they mainly had to work in the fields or join the military to gain any monetary wealth. Azi on the other hand, came from a place where structure education was commonplace which gave him greater adaptability for a variety of skills.

But these old men were also considered the lucky ones as they got the chance to apprentice under a blacksmith or had families involved in blacksmithing as a business. They had to toil through years of work to obtain their positions and established shops in the village.

Yet this frail child was getting his own workshop in only a few weeks after arriving in Shisayama.

So, to vent their frustration, they began to nitpick at Azi's drawings to hopefully get a rise out of him, but they would get nothing in return as Azi felt no need to retort as he would allow his actions to speak for him.

The old men eventually gave a final scoff and walked away with heavy steps. Azi grinned a bit to himself but recomposed himself to not allow any prideful emotions to fester in him.

"So how is the work going?"

From behind, Azi felt a pair of hands hugged around his neck and then felt a pleasant softness on the back of his head. He recognized the sensation and retorted in annoyance as the person that was likely here to tease him.

"Shizu?! I am currently working right now. Ask me after I finish."

The young woman behind him somewhat pouted but noted that Azi did not ask to be released from her grasp. Seeing the small smile he had, Shizu began to rest her head on Azi's soft and disheveled head of black hair.

His hair had grown quite long and the extra length added to the softness that Shizu could enjoy.

As she got comfortable while Azi continued his work, but the nuzzling feeling he felt atop his head made him somewhat embarrassed. Off to the side, Manu giving him a wry smile which caused Azi to blush a bit. This was only compounded by how he also saw that Ben and Bail were approaching with a similar expression as Manu's.

Azi sighed in his mind and acquiesced to his fate of being somewhat publicly embarrassed in front of his friends.

After settling, Shizu looked over at the drafts that Azi was sketching, the first floor would have a single sliding door that acted as an entrance and would lead into a hallway that would have another sliding door at the other end. This door would be locked as it led into Azi's living room and kitchen.

Going through that locked door would have you come out into a living room that could easily accommodate 4 people and it would have a fully stocked kitchen.

In the corner of the living room, you would find another sliding door which would lead into a changing room and adjoined restroom and bathing area that is separated by another door. This would be where the wooden flooring would change over to a tiled flooring made of ceramic.

The walls would be framed by wooden planks but marble and brick would be used to make it easier to cleaning. This would also allow for more structural support as Azi planned to have his storehouse built nearby.

The extra stone would help to prevent part of the house from collapsing from accidents or heavy weather. Going back to the entrance, if you instead went left, rather than straight, you would be met with a heavily locked metal door. This would lead into Azi's workshop and forge and would be made of stone and nonflammable materials to ensure that he would not set his house on fire.

The forge was large enough for two blacksmiths to work in, which the other blacksmiths argued was too large but Manu placated them as he explained that Azi would teach his techniques for creating blood steel to others.

This was an enticing offer, as these blacksmiths, while headstrong, were intrigued by the prospect of learning new techniques. So, they begrudgingly approved the redrafted blueprints of his forge.

As Shizu looked over these sketches with only a glancing look. Her sight became more focused upon the current sketch Azi was working on. It showed that if you went from the living room, you would go up a flight of stairs to enter the bedroom which would have a few drawers and closets that would hold his clothes and other belongings.

A few paces from the stairs and placed against the wall facing the western mountain, Azi's bed would be placed facing a large glass window. It was pricey for the Azi to install a large glass window, but he wanted a good view of the western mountain and the stars in that particular spot.

The mountain was where he first found himself and it held a special place in his memories.

Shizu frowned at how small the sketched bed was as it could only fit one person and she wanted to tell Azi to make it bigger, but she suddenly had an idea. Azi was a workaholic and was not spending enough time to relax. So, to have him properly "rest", she would put her plan into motion.

"Azi? You still have some funds left, so why not come with me and Rulu to buy a few things for your new house? We can order them and have them delivered after the house is ready."

Keeping his eyes forward, since Shizu's head was still nuzzling the top of his head, he stated offhandedly.

"Are you sure? Custom made furniture is pricey and I need to resupply my workshop when it's built."

"Not to worry, I'll chip in here and there. Think of it as a housewarming gift."

Azi thought for a moment and noticed that Shizu's tone of voice was much more excited for some reason, but since he was distracted by his work his logic took over and accepted the proposed idea.

"Sure! When do you want to go?"

"How about after the house is built? We can get an accurate measurement to ensure that the furniture fits the finished house. We can go in the morning, and I'll meet you at first light."

Azi nodded in agreement, but behind him, Ben and Bail smiled wryly as they knew the boy was dancing in the girl's palms, but they also knew that the two of them were actually dancing in the palm of that elderly apothecary, Elder Sung.

They knew of her mischievous antics as they had experienced it when they were much smaller lads and were more reckless. So reckless that it meant that they would be nursed by the previously youthful Elder Sung. The pair of brothers reminisced on their past briefly and silently prayed for Azi and Shizu.

The prayer was not heard by any God as it seemed trivial, so it went unnoticed. But a certain Elderly woman had sneezed at this moment and thought to go see a certain pair of blacksmiths.

While working in the back room of her shop, Elder Sung grinned as she worked away at grinding the medicinal plants into uniform paste.