I don't know how Yun's father persuaded his wife later, but I rarely saw her chatting with those people after that.

The two men, father-in-law and son-in-law, enjoyed the delicious food and drinks, and as they drank, they started to talk more.

"Do you know how I confronted those ignorant people at the village meeting these past two days? They were such scoundrels, not only did they not get enough of a bargain, but those few outsiders also ganged up and spouted nonsense. They said things like, 'You're strong, so everything you do is easy and effortless,' and 'Now that you're part of the village, you should take on more responsibilities.'"

At this point, Mr. Yun took another big gulp of wine. "I was so angry back then. I confronted them, saying that each of their families had more members than ours, and yet they hadn't sent anyone to repair the roads. The roads in the village are in such bad shape, and I haven't seen them pick up a single stone from the roadside."

"Back then, your second grandfather and the others all stood up, pointed their fingers at their noses, and started cursing, 'You ungrateful bastards! Don't think I don't know what you've been saying in the village all this time. Have you forgotten who provided those prefabricated houses? Who provided those tools? And who came up with the idea of ​​building houses with rammed earth? Not to mention leading everyone out twice to carry back gasoline, build wooden bridges, and rescue people. They've already done so much for you. Count for yourselves, what have you done for others?' They cursed those people so badly they couldn't even lift their heads." Yun's father imitated his second grandfather's tone perfectly, and the two little ones clapped their hands in support.

"Little darling, didn't Grandpa tell the story very well? Back in the day, I almost went to learn crosstalk."

"And then what happened?" Yun Qi quickly interrupted his father as soon as he heard him about reminiscing about the past.

"Later, most people felt embarrassed. After discussion, it was agreed that each family would take turns going out. If someone like Acheng needed to go out multiple times, it would require Acheng's consent, and the village would provide certain compensation. The village would list out the specific compensation details, and the new regulations would be implemented in the future."

"I also raised a question back then: that Acheng wouldn't be responsible for everyone's safety when he went out; he would only help if he could, while ensuring his own safety. When some people heard this, they jumped out and accused me of being too selfish. I retorted, 'Now that we need everyone to go out and scout the way, he's so great, why doesn't he go out first?' You didn't see it then; those people were speechless." At this point, Yun's father couldn't hide the smugness on his face.

"Dad is wise!" Yun Qi fawned over his father, massaging his shoulders.

"Come on, Dad, let's have a drink." Si Cheng raised his glass to toast his father-in-law.

"But I reckon they'll come looking for you in a couple of days. After all, they need to check out the surrounding mountains. They couldn't spare the time before, but now the safety of this area is also very important."

"That's only right, after all, we live here too, and I've been thinking of finding an opportunity to go up and take a look."

“My son-in-law is so magnanimous. We won’t stoop to the level of those petty people. Come on, let’s have a drink.”

The two then proceeded to flatter each other, resulting in both of them getting completely drunk.

Si Cheng was alright when he drank; after finishing, he went to his room to lie down and take a nap. Yun's father, on the other hand, was both crying and laughing, and his waist must have been bruised from Yun's mother pinching him several times.

Because the rice had been dried beforehand, the house was also thoroughly dried, and the family moved into the new house.

Two large rooms were separated by a large heated kang (a traditional heated brick bed). Yun's parents lived in the east room, while Si Cheng and his twins lived in the west room. The front room was the living room, and the back room was the kitchen. The kitchen led to a woodshed. Beyond the woodshed was the livestock shed. Si Cheng had also built a fire wall in the wall connecting to the kitchen to prevent the remaining animals from freezing to death during a cold snap.

There are two bedrooms on each side, which are reserved for the two siblings to live in later. The kang (heated brick bed) has not been installed yet, but once the heated wall is warm, the two rooms will not be too cold.

One advantage of having a fireplace in front of you is that even if guests come in winter, you don't need to take them to sit on the heated brick bed; they can simply sit at the dining table next to the fireplace and it will be warm enough.

At that time, when drying rice, it dried much faster than a regular heated kang (a traditional heated bed), and it also saved more firewood.

My second grandfather and the others all said they would also like to make some renovations next year. Even if the house layout cannot be changed, they can still make the wall thicker.

For the next two days, the whole family stayed home and tidied up their yard. They also replanted seasonal vegetables like radishes and cabbages in the greenhouse.

The cellar that was originally in the small building has also been dug out again. Because it was newly built, a lot of cement was poured into it at the time, so it is still relatively well preserved.

Si Cheng simply replaced the cellar lid with a new one and piled some bricks and other materials on top. He wasn't in a hurry to take the contents out.

After tidying up inside and outside the house, my second grandfather and the village officials came over.

"This house is so neatly tidied. You can tell it was done with care." Everyone nodded in agreement when they heard the village chief's praise.

The house was so well-organized that it was impossible to describe how neat it was; even a stone was placed peacefully where it should be.

Unlike some families, who, even after building a house, always have piles of things here and there that look messy and chaotic.

They ushered everyone into the living room, where the sofa was the same one from before the earthquake. It had been somewhat damaged, but Yun's father and Sicheng had repaired it. Yun Qi then found the sofa cushions they used at their home in Q City and put them on top. Now, no one could tell that it was originally a worn-out sofa.

After everyone was seated, they explained their purpose for coming.

“Acheng, your father-in-law must have mentioned this to you, right? The village has made new regulations. The village can't compensate you for the prefab house and tools you provided before; they can only take advantage of you now,” Grandpa said bluntly.

"Look at what you're saying. I've said before that the prefabricated houses were provided to the village free of charge, and the tools are just for everyone to use. This is all only right."

Upon hearing this, the second grandfather nodded, "We know you are righteous, but we can't keep taking advantage of you. You will have to give more in the future, so you should provide corresponding returns. As for those who gossip behind our backs, the village will issue a warning."

After the second grandfather finished speaking, the village chief also spoke up, "Now that everyone's construction is almost complete, there are only a few minor chores left, which can basically be left to the children and elderly at home. Now we would like to ask you to lead a team to the mountain to check if there are any safety hazards. You are meticulous and strong, so everyone will feel at ease having you lead the team."