"Grandma, that's not how it works. Look at us, we came here to sell the house, and we even got into a fight. We're all in pain. Logically, it's only right that you, Grandma, should give us some money for medical treatment."

But we are all kind-hearted people and we don't do things that would bully others, but we still have to sell this house.

"Look at how much money it is, sir. I've brought the contract with me; we can go into the yamen right away to complete the contract."

The man who said this was from courtyard number four.

Mrs. Huang chuckled, "Ah, so you mean I should thank you for your kindness? I dare not accept this favor."

I invited you here, but it's not like I couldn't find you, is it?

I'm in a difficult position because you all disagree with the 20 taels of silver I offered.

Every penny the old woman held was useful.

After all, a penny's worth of broken rice was enough to cook a bowl of porridge for a few children.

Finally, everyone gathered together and discussed it again, hoping that Huang could raise the price to 30 taels.

Although Huang looked down on their character, she didn't want to push them too far, lest they take their petty revenge on the children in the orphanage.

She's not afraid of anything, but she's worried about those little ones suffering again.

Finally, the price was settled at 25 taels.

Clutching the money from selling their yards, they were all still gloating, thinking to themselves, "When that old hag comes over, she'll find there's still a troublesome one there. The money we spent on buying the house today will be wasted."

These people thought this way, and after selling their houses, they all went back to the Northwest Alley for a look.

When they saw that ruffian from the Feng family wandering around the area with a knife, the people scattered immediately.

They all waited patiently for the Huang family to suffer their misfortune.

Looking at the newly printed contract, Madam Huang was very happy. She quickly consulted the clerk and learned that the best worker in the city was Master Niu from Anran Alley in the north of the city.

The reason he's called "Uncle Niu" is simply because the old man has indeed reached the age to be a grandfather, plus it's a respectful title from his colleagues.

Following the address, we quickly found Uncle Niu's house. The old man wasn't home; he said he had taken his sons to do some work.

After leaving his address, Mr. Huang left.

Early the next morning, Master Niu arrived at the inn where Madam Huang was staying.

Niu San was a lean old man with white beard and eyebrows, a slightly hunched back, and a large pipe hanging from his waist. Presumably, his dusty pouch contained tobacco leaves.

After introducing themselves, Ms. Huang explained her idea, and the officials had already marked out the vacant land that Ms. Huang had purchased the day before.

Since the Huang family also bought land from more than a dozen nearby households, when the land was being demarcated, the area previously used as a walkway for everyone was also included in the Huang family's land deeds.

After calculation, the total land newly purchased by the Huang family is estimated to be more than 6 mu (approximately 0.4 hectares).

This is already quite a large undertaking. However, the surrounding walls will take a long time to build, and the houses inside also need to be constructed sturdily.

In particular, Huang's sudden idea to build a two-story house today has made the construction even more difficult.

After calculating the costs, it was found that building a two-story house would cost more than twice as much as building a single-story house, so Huang finally compromised.

This time, however, she plans to forgo the traditional kang (heated brick bed) and opt for bunk beds instead. She also plans to install a heated wall inside the house.

During the humid season, burning firewood in the house every day can dispel the dampness. Of course, a room with a kang (heated brick bed) is also needed, which is for infants.

Old Master Niu had built houses his whole life, and this was the first time he'd ever heard of an outhouse being built inside a house, especially one with individual cubicles.

In addition, special ceramic pipes and special water tanks need to be fired.

After talking for a long time, Master Niu still didn't understand. In the end, Zhao Qinglin had no choice but to borrow paper and pen from the shopkeeper and start drawing.

The house was drawn up, showing how to divide the rooms, but as for things like building a kang (heated brick bed) and a heated wall, they didn't know how, so they had to go back to the village to find someone to do it.

As for the restrooms, we borrowed the methods from the orphanage in Qingyang County, but they are more refined.

This time I'm going to make the kind of squat toilet you see at home.

As for the water trough, it must be a long, narrow trough that runs through all the compartments. Then, a gourd ladle is placed in each compartment.

As for adding water, a designated person is responsible for drawing water from the well and pouring it into the pool every day.

As Zhao Qinglin drew the diagrams, she explained them to Niu Sanye. This time, Niu Sanye understood, but the sewer system needed for squatting toilets was a bit of a challenge for the old man.

Huang gave her the address of a porcelain workshop in Qingyang County, which put Niu Sanye at ease.

If there are blueprints, or if a workshop has made the same thing before, and the old man still can't recreate it, then it's his fault.

After all these things were settled, Uncle Niu then thought about the final discharge of the sewage from the outhouse.

The city has drainage ditches, and these ditches eventually drain directly outside the city.

The wastewater from the orphanage eventually had to be discharged outside the city.

Just so that the smell wouldn't be too strong, Huang asked Niu Sanye to make some extra thick pipes while he was making the sewer pipes, so that they could be buried underground and connected to the drainage ditch outside the city.

Since the land they bought was too close to the city wall, the Huang family decided to spend more money to also treat the drainage ditches outside the city, trying to keep the sewage as far away from the city wall as possible.

After finalizing the details, both parties went to the site again and asked Master Niu to draw up the design drawings based on the actual situation.

After agreeing on a time for their next meeting, Madam Huang took Zhao Qinglin to the prefectural government office again.

Lord Duan had grown accustomed to Huang's habit of picking on her whenever she felt like it.

"Madam, what brings you to see me?" Lord Duan was incredibly approachable.

Mrs. Huang said with a smile,

"I'm so sorry to bother you again, sir. I've come today to discuss this matter..."

Huang thought about the problem of the sewage system in the orphanage and then considered the problem of the city's sewage system.

The advantage of covering all the sewage pipes under the city is that you won't smell strange odors everywhere when you walk on the street.

Without sewage on the ground, there are fewer hiding places for flies, mosquitoes, and other pests.

The reason Huang knew these things was entirely because she spent time with Zhao Qingyan and listened to her chatter.

Zhao Qinglin has also read a lot of books for leisure, and has learned a lot about hygiene.

The grandfather and grandson took turns talking, and eventually persuaded Lord Duan.

But when he thought about the practical problems, he became a little discouraged.

"I am aware of the benefits that the old lady mentioned to Miss Zhao, but where will the money come from?"