Chapter 174 Promoting the Earthen Bed

The entrance to the ancestral hall was unusually lively.

Forty or fifty women came to deliver tuition fees, all of which were insufficient amounts given previously and were now being reimbursed.

White rice, millet, wheat flour, eggs... and fabric for making clothes, all sorts of things, piled up on the bluestone slab like a small mountain.

The village woman, fearing Cheng Zhao wouldn't accept it, left her things behind and walked away.

Cheng Zhao's feelings were somewhat complicated. He spoke slowly, "Dashan, please help us take all the things back."

Shen Zheng and Afu also helped carry the things, and the group of seven transported a large amount of stuff back to Cheng Wanwan's yard.

Seeing the commotion over there, Cheng Wanwan naturally knew that the villagers were going to pay their tuition fees.

She did a quick inventory and found that there were 60 catties of white rice, 120 catties of millet, more than 20 eggs, a piece of pork, and seven or eight pieces of fine linen cloth. All of these items together were worth nearly one tael of silver.

This is what Cheng Zhao deserves.

She said, "Zhao'er, sell me these rice and millet, and I'll give you the market price. Keep the money for your travel expenses."

Cheng Zhao shook his head: "I have a way to cover the travel expenses for the exam. Give this money to the village head so he can use it to repair the school."

He copied books every day, each book costing one hundred coins. If he was diligent, he could copy three or four books a month, which would cover his travel expenses.

Dahe Village needs this money more than he does; without a school, the children will never be able to receive a proper education.

Cheng Wanwan looked at him with approval. She really hadn't misjudged him. Her nephew was too outstanding, so outstanding that she really didn't know what to say.

She patted his shoulder and said, "The village head has decided to gather the villagers to build an adobe school. We don't need this money. Keep it safe. Don't think that saving three or five taels of silver will allow you to go to Huzhou to take the imperial examination. There will be many other expenses then."

She had the children move all their belongings inside and put them away, then went to the wasteland to check on the construction progress.

With the combined efforts of forty or fifty people, the foundation was dug and the town's blue bricks were delivered. The foundation was built with blue bricks, and seven or eight experienced men were responsible for building the foundation, while the others built adobe bricks on the foundation. This was not a technical job, and all the men in the village could do it. With more than twenty people working together, the walls slowly rose up in just three or four days.

After the basic shape of the walls was completed, the villagers realized how big Cheng Wanwan's yard was.

A wall surrounds the courtyard, which contains more than a dozen rooms, each of which is quite spacious.

“These rooms aren’t for living; they’re the kitchen, outhouse, and bathroom,” Cheng Wanwan explained with a smile. “These are the only rooms we actually live in. Our sons are all grown up now and will be getting married soon. If we don’t build a bigger house, what will we do if we don’t have enough room? We can’t just borrow a place from someone else to live.”

"Old Lady Dashan is really rich and powerful. It's just a latrine for taking a dump, why build such a big one? She must have too much money to burn." Granny Zhang mingled in the crowd, her voice full of sourness. "She even built a special room for taking a bath. I wonder if the Wang family is so particular."

Cheng Wanwan curled her lips and said, "Speaking of which, it's Zhang's family that's particular. Otherwise, why would our young master Zheng not stay at the village head's house but insist on staying at Zhang's house?"

When this was mentioned, the onlookers looked at Granny Zhang with eyes full of gossip.

It's been four or five days since what happened with Young Master Zheng, and no one from the Zheng family has come to clean up the mess. I wonder how the Li family will deal with this defiled young lady.

Granny Zhang's face was dark and gloomy. It would have been better if this matter hadn't been mentioned, because it only made her furious.

That day, Young Master Zheng stayed at her house. He clearly had his eye on Xiuhong, which is why she suggested that Xiuhong seduce him. Unexpectedly, things escalated to the point where they were already having sex. Fearing that Young Master Zheng would deny it, she kicked open the door after they had consummated their relationship. She intended to force Young Master Zheng to promise to marry her on the spot, but unexpectedly, Young Master Zheng called his servant in, put on his clothes, and ran away.

The Zheng family refused to admit their mistake, and Xiuhong tried to commit suicide every day. She didn't know what to do next.

The villagers laugh at her all the time. Fine, she'll go to Phoenix Town tomorrow. Anyway, if things get out of hand, it'll be the Zheng family who loses face. She has nothing to lose.

Granny Zhang flicked her sleeves and left.

The villagers kept talking about it, saying that Young Master Zheng was pitiful, then that Li Xiuhong was shameless, and finally scolding Mrs. Zhang for ruining her own niece in order to curry favor with a rich man.

After the discussion, these people continued to focus their attention on Cheng Wanwan's house.

Cheng Wanwan was discussing with Zhao Anjiang how to repair the earthen kang (heated brick bed).

She has been reading books on this subject carefully these past few days and has memorized some key points. Building a kang (heated brick bed) requires a lot of skill. The design is the most common type in modern times. The kang must be airtight to ensure that no smoke leaks out. This is the most basic requirement. A windbreak wall should be built at the place where the stove exhausts smoke, and there should also be a windward wall at the location of the chimney...

A kang (heated brick bed) was slowly built in the main house.

Some villagers couldn't understand it and curiously gathered around.

Zhao Mazi said, "Mother Dashan, your family shouldn't be so poor that you can't afford a bed. How can you sleep on a bed made of mud bricks?"

Mrs. Zhu said with a smile: "When people get older, they like to sleep on a hard bed. Otherwise, their backs will ache. You will understand when you reach my age."

“This is a kang (heated brick bed), and the passage in the middle is used for burning firewood and venting smoke…” Cheng Wanwan explained carefully. “I’m more afraid of the cold than most people. I feel like I’m half dead when winter comes, so I try to find ways to keep myself warm. If anyone is as afraid of the cold as me, they can build a kang at home.”

Southerners generally rely on enduring the winter, and this has been the case for thousands of years. When she was in the orphanage, she also relied on stomping her feet and breathing on them to get through the winter.

Later, she achieved some success. Her home had heating, and her company had central air conditioning. It would be difficult for her to get through the winter on her own integrity.

She tried her best to make herself more comfortable.

Many of the men in the village are not afraid of the cold, and besides, it is only early autumn. They don't think that far ahead, so they don't take this matter seriously.

Only some women who have given birth care about it. After giving birth, if a woman does not take good care of herself after giving birth, she will slowly start to feel cold. This is a common problem for many women. Once winter comes, the fear of cold will become more serious. Not only will the hands and feet be cold, but the lower abdomen and lower back will also be cold. Women can never forget that feeling.

Four or five women surrounded Cheng Wanwan, asking her some details. They planned to have the men in their families build a simple earthen bed once they were done with their busy schedules.

As Cheng Wanwan was explaining to everyone, Hunter Zhao hurriedly came over and said, "Auntie Dashan, I just went to Lijia Gou. The pregnant wild goat is still there. If you really want it, you can go and see it now."

Cheng Wanwan beamed with joy; she was incredibly lucky, getting exactly what she wanted.

She washed her hands and followed Zhao the hunter.

A group of women behind them couldn't help but murmur amongst themselves.

"I heard that Da Shan's mother asked Hunter Zhao to find a mother goat because she was worried that Da Shan's wife wouldn't have enough milk."

"I have to say, Aunt Dashan is such a good mother-in-law. How come I never noticed before?"

"That girl from the Wu family really married the right person. She has a kind and honest man like Dashan, and a mother-in-law like Dashan's mother who loves her daughter-in-law so much."

"It's too early to say. If Da Shan's wife gives birth to a girl, I think Da Shan's mother will regret bringing back the female goat."

"That's impossible. Dashan's mother gave birth to four sons in a row. Their family is destined to have sons."

"You can't be sure about these things."

"..."