August in Yan City was like a huge steamer. Apart from a few cool hours around dawn, the rest of the time it felt as if the burner was on full blast, unbearably hot and stuffy.
The air conditioning made Brother Nan's room refreshingly cool, and it felt very comfortable when skin touched the mat.
The watermelons were also ice-cold.
Zhou Li had bought two large watermelons when he arrived, one weighing thirty-three pounds and the other thirty-four. Both were as large as winter melons and quite difficult to carry.
He gave one to the wood carving master and then spent half the afternoon working on wood carvings and chatting with Old Master Ma.
As they grew more acquainted, Old Master Ma had genuinely grown fond of the young man. While unreservedly teaching him the art of wood carving, he had also begun to share the secrets of a happy marital life. He was worried that if Zhou Li and Brother Nan broke up, Zhou Li, with his shy personality, would be too embarrassed to visit anymore.
