When Chen Xiaomi saw Lu Lin return, she asked, "The village head didn't agree, did he?"

Lu Lin nodded and said, "Yes." Lu Lin had anticipated this situation and was not angry. "Let's hire people from other villages. We'll also need to buy some bricks. We don't have the land for our house yet! It's all dirt. It would be best to pave it with bricks."

Chen Xiaomi frowned and said, "As long as it's a place to stay, why bother with all that trouble?"

Lu Lin smiled and said, "We need to build another house anyway, so isn't this a good idea?"

Chen Xiaomi thought to herself: "Young Master is just like a young master, he likes to be particular." Although Chen Xiaomi thought Lu Lin was too demanding, she did not object.

The news of Lu Lin's visit to the village headman spread throughout the village, and the villagers also learned that Chen Xiaomi's family was going to build a house.

The villagers were once again stunned by Chen Xiaomi's extravagance. He had just bought a donkey and was already building a house. Just how rich was he? Some were envious, thinking, "So what if Chen Xiaomi is rich? He still can't find anyone to help him out."

Lu Lin and Chen Xiaomi made some preparations, and two days later they went to the town again.

Many villages have poor people. There is a place in the town where people are specifically looking for work. If a family needs help, they can go there directly to find someone.

Lu Lin and Chen Xiaomi picked out five people. These five people were from a small team that often built houses for people and had a good reputation.

The leader of the group was a man in his late thirties, along with a pair of brothers who looked alike, and two apprentices.

Liu Guiyong's family owns little land, so he usually does odd jobs. However, at this time of year, with the weather cold, there aren't many people in need, and many often come to town only to find themselves empty-handed. Liu Guiyong and his colleagues haven't been able to work for several days.

Chen Xiaomi and Liu Guiyong discussed the price.

Liu Guiyong said with some surprise, "You really give 40 coins a day?"

“You’re the only one who pays 40 coins a day; the others pay less,” Chen Xiaomi said.

Liu Guiyong nodded and said, "I know that."

Two sons, 35 coins a day, and two half-grown apprentices, 20 coins a day, plus one meal, which is already a very high price.

The price was set by Liu Guiyong, and it was usually negotiable. Liu Guiyong thought it would be acceptable for Chen Xiaomi to lower the price by 5 coins if she wanted to. He was a little surprised that Chen Xiaomi didn't bargain much.

Liu Guiyong's prices weren't high. He was an experienced and skilled worker, but unfortunately, he got into a fight a couple of years ago and got a cut on his face. It wasn't easy for him to find work again, and when people wanted to hire him, they always tried to lower his price.

Being disfigured is quite serious in this place. If you want to become an official, you can't be disfigured. Once you are disfigured, you will be removed from your post and replaced by someone else.

Liu Guiyong was somewhat surprised that Chen Xiaomi didn't haggle, and was even more confused as to why Chen Xiaomi, being from Dashi Village, didn't just find someone in the village.

At this time, everyone is free. If you find someone in the village, it should be cheaper. If they live nearby, you won't waste time on the road. However, Chen Xiaomi didn't say anything, and Liu Guiyong didn't ask either. In any case, it's always good to have work to do.

Now that we've finally opened, there's no reason to turn away such a great opportunity.

...

The news that Chen Xiaomi had hired people from other villages to do the work quickly spread throughout the village.

Chen Xiaomi bought a lot of blue bricks and piled them up next to the house, which many people saw.

Some villagers who were initially gloating over Chen Xiaomi's inability to find workers became suspicious when they saw people from other villages coming in. After inquiring, they learned that Chen Xiaomi had specifically hired them to build the house.

Liu Guiyong and the others were surprised when they saw the kang (heated brick bed) in Chen Xiaomi's house, but they didn't ask any questions.

The wages were agreed to be paid daily, so Liu Guiyong wasn't worried about Chen Xiaomi defaulting on the payment. Having witnessed his employer's financial strength, Liu Guiyong was quite confident in his ability to work.

For lunch, we had rice porridge with pickled vegetables. The rice was coarse rice bought in town, and we added yam and a little minced meat.

The dishes were pickled vegetables and pickled radishes that Lu Lin bought from Granny Shen. Granny Shen was very good at cooking, and the pickled vegetables and pickled radishes were extremely appetizing.

Although it was a very simple meal, it was very popular with Lao Liu and the others.

At this time of year, food is still very precious. Even when some families provide meals, it's usually just a bowl of plain porridge.

Lu Lin's place has plenty of yam porridge, and it even has meat in it, although it's just a little bit of minced meat, but it's still meat.

The two young laborers ate with shining eyes. Although Lu Lin had cooked a lot of porridge, the group still finished it all.

Several people working odd jobs there saw that Lu Lin made porridge with a clay stick. After seeing this, they kept it to themselves and didn't say anything.

Lu Lin originally relied on yams to get through the winter, so he kept quiet about it. Now that he has money, he doesn't care much about them anymore.

After eating and drinking their fill, the group worked very hard.

As evening approached, Lu Lin, worried about an accident on the road, sent a few people back, while he gave a few others a ride in a mule cart.