The crowd burst into laughter at Zhao Pozi's cowardly appearance.

Before long, the deliverymen returned one after another.

Ye Caiping had already saved food for them.

Ye Erquan, Bajin, and the others all sat on the doorstep and ate their food.

Each bite was delicious and made me feel wonderful.

Ye Bajin was a little worried and whispered, "This food is... a bit too good. Erquan, can your wallet handle it?"

Ye Erquan was also surprised to eat so well today, and laughed, "Well, it's the first day, so of course we should eat well."

Just then, Madam Du walked by and said cheerfully, "Don't worry. My little sister said she'll take care of the meals. She said that in a few days, the people she hired will also need to eat, so we'll cook them together. It won't make a difference if we cook for them a couple more days."

Ye Erquan's expression changed slightly upon hearing this. He quickly finished the rice in his bowl and went inside to find Madam Wei.

However, Lady Wei was not in the room.

Ye Erquan thought for a moment, then took three hundred coins and went to find Ye Caiping.

Ye Caiping is currently in Old Madam Ye's room.

Grandma Ye was making clothes. The fabric she bought last time had already been used to make a cotton-padded coat for everyone, but except for Ye Caiping, no one could bear to wear it.

The clothes we're making now are made of coarse cloth.

"Little sister is here!" Ye Erquan walked in, looking embarrassed as he approached Ye Caiping: "Little sister, I'm sorry, this is for you."

He then placed three large strings of cash on the bedside table.

"What are you doing?" Ye Caiping asked.

"Second brother knows. You paid for today's meal. Second brother has already received so much kindness from you. You've given us money and wages, ensuring we have enough to eat and wear. How can we let you pay for our meals again?"

Ye Erquan looked flustered:

“Your second sister-in-law is too unreasonable. She wants everything. I’ll definitely have to talk to her about it later.”

After saying that, he was about to leave when Ye Caiping quickly called out to him, "What nonsense are you talking about?"

"Back then, my family was so poor we couldn't even afford to eat. My older brothers would send me food and money every quarter, even if they didn't eat themselves, they would still help me out. Now I'm just casually packing a meal, what's the big deal?"

"But……"

"Alright." Old Mrs. Ye glanced at him. "Your father and I have both agreed to this. So stop nagging and don't blame your wife later. It's not a big deal."

"Huh?" Ye Erquan scratched his head, looking at their relaxed expressions, and realized that he had really made a mountain out of a molehill.

After Ye Erquan left, Old Lady Ye said, "You girl, you're too thoughtful."

Ye Caiping replied in her own words: "It's no big deal."

Grandma Ye smiled, finally feeling that her daughter was a warm and caring daughter.

Although she didn't go to buy the bricks that day, Old Man Ye told her about it when he got home.

Wei wanted to save money by building an adobe house, but Erquan hesitated.

Old Man Ye suggested building a house made of blue bricks, and Ye Caiping, wanting the best for Ye Erquan, naturally supported Old Man Ye.

Ms. Wei was unwilling at that time.

Later, they bought floor tiles, lime, and yesterday they even bought stones to fill the foundation. Mrs. Wei was heartbroken.

Even if the food for the laborers was terrible, it would still cost more than a hundred coins a day to make ends meet.

With each expense, Wei was worried that she would become increasingly unhappy, and that she might take her frustrations out on Old Man Ye and Ye Caiping.

Now that Ye Caiping has taken care of all the meals, Mrs. Wei is not only not unhappy, but also very happy.

Grandma Ye sighed softly, "It's just... I've made you spend money again."

Ye Caiping said, "If we can feed fifteen people meat every meal, they'll only earn seven or eight taels of silver a month. Why not resolve a conflict that can be solved with a small amount of money?"

...

After resting for half an hour, everyone set off to continue working.

The news that Ye Caiping was looking for people to build houses quickly spread throughout the village, and people rushed over, hoping to be selected.

Ye Caiping asked Old Man Ye to take a look, and in the end, he selected fifteen hardworking and reliable strong laborers.

Including those who registered this morning, there are exactly thirty people.

Two days later, construction also began on Ye Caiping's homestead.

Ye Erquan's site has been dug. First, the foundation is filled with gravel, and then the formal construction can begin.

As cartloads of bricks were brought in, the villagers gasped in amazement and envy.

Ye Erquan was so happy his eyes were practically smiling, and Madam Wei was also full of anticipation, finally feeling that building a brick house was a good thing, and would make her look good.

Both houses were being built in an orderly manner.

Whether they were helpers or hired laborers, they all worked very hard.

Because the food is good!

They originally thought they would only get meat on the first day, but to their surprise, they got meat at every meal after that.

It's not pork belly; sometimes it's spare ribs, sometimes fish, and sometimes pork liver and heart.

I don't know how Cai Ping cooked it; even such an unpalatable pig liver was stir-fried into something delicious.

Having eaten so much meat from their master's house, they felt embarrassed not to work hard. They were all like they had been injected with chicken blood, and the blue brick walls rose up from the ground.

The whole village suddenly became busy, and it seemed that the wall would be completely built in just two more days.

But tomorrow, Ye Caiping gave everyone a day off because Ye Wuquan was getting married and everyone went to the wedding banquet.

Just as the Ye family finished lunch, a burst of laughter rang out from outside:

"Grandpa, Grandma, my second brother and I are back!"

When Ye Caiping and the others looked outside, they saw Ye Peng and Ye Xuan running in, followed by Zhao Jinshan.

All three were dressed in grey and white scholar's robes.

After attending school for more than half a month, Ye Xuan became increasingly refined and scholarly, resembling a typical scholar.

On the contrary, Ye Peng was hopping around, and he didn't even walk properly. Apart from his clothes being a bit whiter, he hadn't changed at all.

Grandma Ye and her husband were overjoyed, while Madam Du and Madam Wei had tears in their eyes and went over to pull the two of them into the main room.

My dear reader, there's more to this chapter! Please click the next page to continue reading—even more exciting content awaits!