Chapter 86: Planning

Li Taohua still didn't understand why they had to build a big house in the village.

Since we're going to leave sooner or later, isn't it a waste of money to build a big house?

Qin Huiyin analyzed the time it would take for the imperial examination to Li Taohua. Even if Tang Yichen participated in this imperial examination, it would take a year or so to pass the exam. And if he went to the capital to take the imperial examination, it would be impossible for others to follow him, so they would have to stay here for another two or three years.

Since I'm going to stay here for at least two or three years, it's always a good idea to spend some money to make myself more comfortable.

Moreover, fallen leaves return to their roots. The genealogy of the Tang family is here. If they return home one day, they will return here sooner or later. Not to mention when they are old, even if they want to come back to worship their ancestors, they have to come back. By then, wouldn’t it be more convenient to have an old house where people can live?

Houses in the county town were ridiculously expensive and impractical for them. They would rather save money to buy a horse-drawn carriage and go out early and come back late every day, which was more cost-effective than buying a house.

"Then how much silver do you think is needed to build a big house?" Li Taohua asked.

"Well... more than fifty taels!" Qin Huiyin said, "I go to the city every three days, and each time I earn five taels of silver in addition to the cost, so I can earn fifty taels a month. Our family needs to spend money, and we have to buy pens, ink, paper and inkstones for my eldest brother. The big money was spent these two times, and there is not much left. So I can consider building a house after earning another month. However, the weather is getting colder, and many materials have become more expensive. It is not cost-effective to build a house in this season."

“Then we’ll build it next year.”

"Our house is too small and too shabby. It will be very hard to live in the winter. I don't want everyone to suffer this. Although it is a bit disadvantageous to build a house in this season, I would rather suffer a loss than suffer. We can build a new house with a heated kang, so we won't feel cold when we sleep at night. Yes, it's decided. I will earn another month to build a house."

Tang Luwu wore new clothes and went out carrying a wooden basin.

The wooden basin was filled with the family's dirty clothes.

She came to the river to wash clothes, and as soon as she appeared, the women who had finished washing clothes and were about to leave stopped immediately and took the initiative to move aside to make room for Tang Luwu.

Tang Luwu stood there awkwardly.

"Girl, what are you doing standing there like an idiot? Come here!" Wang greeted her enthusiastically.

Tang Luwu had not forgotten the fierceness of Wang and Li Taohua pulling hair, and seeing her smiling so attentively and fawningly, she didn't want to get closer.

She had originally thought that no one would be washing clothes at this time, so she came here, but she didn't expect that she was still a little early.

Now there were seven or eight women watching her. If she left like this, who knows what they would say. Besides, Yinyin said, don't run away when encountering problems, face them head on.

She walked over with the wooden basin in her arms, squatted down reluctantly, and took out the dirty clothes to soak.

All the family's clothes were here. But since they had just changed out of their old clothes, Tang Dafu and Tang Yixiao didn't want the clothes that were too worn, and only kept the ones that were wearable.

Several women looked at each other, pushed each other, and finally pushed out the most gossipy Mrs. Zhang.

"Luwu, your new clothes look quite new..."

"Look at what you said, new clothes can't be new but old?" the woman next to her laughed.

"I saw this pattern and it's something I've never seen before. It doesn't look like something Li Taohua has worn, nor has that girl Huiyin worn it. Wasn't the dress Lu Wu was wearing before that girl Huiyin's?"

"Maybe Li Taohua bought new clothes for Lu Wu as well. No matter what, Li Taohua is Lu Wu's stepmother. It's impossible for her daughter to wear new clothes while her stepdaughter wears someone else's."

Wang said sarcastically, "The girl Luwu is Li Taohua's mother, so it's only right to buy her new clothes. Li Taohua didn't do anything, but she got several sons and daughters for nothing."

Tang Luwu pounded her clothes, lowered her eyes and said, "Whether the clothes I wear are new or old, what does it have to do with you? I can wear new clothes, and I can wear old clothes, as long as I am happy."

"You are such a fool." Mrs. Hu said, "Your father listens to your stepmother in everything. Your stepmother takes all the money earned by the family. What do you get for all your hard work?"

"By the way, Luwu, I heard that your family is in the food business. What exactly do you sell? None of our fellow villagers have seen it before!"

"What else can a food business be? It's all about food." Tang Luwu said, "If you're curious, it's five cents per portion. If you order the same thing, you can get the whole thing for a hundred cents. If you want to know, pay the money and my sister Yinyin and I will deliver the food to your house."

"One hundred coins! Why don't you go and rob?"

"You are curious about what we sell. I'll give you an idea. If you want to know, just buy it and study it slowly. Why do you think I should snatch it?" Tang Luwu said.

"You have really been led astray by Li Taohua," Wang said sarcastically, "You used to be such an honest child, but now you are not polite to us elders at all."

"Aunt Wang, you live next door to us. If you have anything to ask, go to my mother. Why ask a junior like me? I don't know anything." Tang Luwu said, "I still have to wash clothes! Go back early to dry them after you finish washing. The riverside is not safe. Last time, Tang Mingxiu fell into the river, and we had to go into the water to rescue her. I can't swim, so I can't rescue anyone."

"You have really grown up, Luwu, and your temper has also improved. We, the elders, can't say anything to you. I think you have been fooled by your stepmother."

"If someone just throws her a set of clothes that her daughter doesn't wear, she will treat them as her own mother. If the family is short of money one day, she will be the first one to be sold, just like last time when they wanted to marry her off in exchange for a dowry."

"That's not necessarily true. I think Sister Taohua treats Luwu very well. Such nice clothes should not be cheap. It seems that they have really made a lot of money recently."

"They dig wells, buy new clothes, and eat well at home. But they didn't tell us when they got rich. They were afraid that we would come to ask for money!"

Tang Luwu's face turned red as she listened to those people saying sour words.

She has already mustered up the courage to fight back, but one has to eat slowly and change habits slowly. It has already taken her a lot of effort to fight back, and now she has to fight eight people at once, which is really difficult to cope with.

Snap! Snap! Snap!

Tang Luwu slapped her clothes hard.

The clothes were stained with soap nuts, and when the wooden stick was hit on the clothes, foam splashed, and the foam splashed all over the women nearby.

"Ouch, be careful."

Tang Luwu patted them vigorously and said, "My father's clothes are covered with too much mud. I have to use some effort to wash them clean. Aunts, please go somewhere else to chat, otherwise I can't guarantee that your clothes will not get wet."

As she spoke, she slapped it a few more times, deliberately splashing more foam.

Those people had just washed their clothes but hadn't hung them out to dry yet. If foam got into their laundry basins, they would have to wash them again, so they quickly held the laundry basins and moved away from them.