Behind him, Fan Damu laughed loudly, shouting as he laughed:

"It's okay if you don't want to dig, just do what I did;"

Besides, those are all new houses. What's there to be afraid of even if there's flooding? Are you worried about the new houses being washed away?

“Building a house is supposed to make you feel comfortable, but you guys have to come out and suffer by digging ditches just for the sake of a house. I don’t think it’s worth it at all.”

A group of men clenched their fists in anger.

Li Wen, who was in charge, turned to look at Fan Damu and said in a deep voice, "No matter how much we suffer, we live in our own house. We don't have to run around looking after everyone else, nor do we have to squeeze into other people's homes."

Fan Damu's smile faded, and he remained silent, his eyelids drooping.

Upon seeing this, the men in the village immediately chimed in, "That's right! This is our own house, and besides, the hardship is only temporary!"

"Once the ditch is dug, we'll go home, take a hot bath, and drink some ginger soup. It'll be as comfortable as you can be."

"Is it convenient for your whole family to stay at someone else's house? I think it's too crowded! And you can only stay temporarily. You'll be crammed together again when the rain stops?"

Are we just going to keep crowding each other and not build houses?

Upon hearing the phrase "crowded without building houses," Fan Qian turned his head suspiciously to look at Fan Damu.

Brother Da Mu only said he wanted to stay, but didn't say how long. It will probably take several days for the thatched hut to be rebuilt after the rain stops.

How long would I have to stay with him...?

Fan Damu cursed the men for being so talkative, and assured Fan Qian, "I'll move out as soon as the rain stops! Don't listen to their nonsense!"

Li Wen and the others, eager for a good show, chimed in, "I'm afraid it's easy to invite a god but difficult to send him away."

"This rain won't stop anytime soon; I'm afraid it will last for ten days or half a month."

"Let me make this clear first: Fan Damu, don't call me when you're building your house! Even if you do, I won't come to help you!"

"Me too!"

"Me too!"

The men all echoed in agreement.

In the past, if a thatched house in the village collapsed due to rain, everyone would spontaneously go to help, and it would be rebuilt in a day or two.

Nowadays, not only does Fan Damu's family not contribute to the ditch digging in the village, but they also make sarcastic remarks behind his back!

They weren't stupid enough not to understand; since he was so heartless, they didn't need to be so concerned about their fellow villagers.

Fan Damu was completely unaware of this.

In the village, only he and Zhang Tuzi had thatched huts; the rest of the families lived in mud-brick and tile houses. On the first night, his thatched hut collapsed under the weight of the mud. When he arrived at Fan Qian's place, he was constantly looked down upon. He felt like he was burning with anger all over his body!

Upon seeing this group of people, he became even angrier.

I spoke rashly in a moment of anger, and only now do I realize that I have offended someone.

He tried to make amends, but the men kept walking out of the courtyard.

Fan Qian was now filled with deep regret!

If the villagers don't help, when will Fan Damu's family be able to finish building their thatched hut?

He turned to Fan Damu, his tone no longer polite, and asked coldly, "Where is the firewood your family stockpiled before?"

"You've seen my house; it's only enough for five or six days at most. Now that your whole family has moved in, we'll need firewood for cooking and drinking water. What about your share?"

He took them in, but that doesn’t mean he’s going to put money into their lives!

Fan Damu looked embarrassed: "Brother, didn't we both not believe it would rain heavily before?"

Who would hoard a huge pile of firewood for no reason? I did have some, but it all got soaked by the rain!

Fan Qian isn't stupid, and besides, what does it have to do with him that their firewood got wet in the rain?

"I don't care about that. You can only use your own. My family doesn't have any extras!"

Fan Damu gritted his teeth, cursing him inwardly for being stingy, but put on a smile: "Fine, I'll go get the ones that got wet earlier and roast them by the stove."