Li Lanzhou could see it from afar; in just a few days, two rows of houses had already been built!

Oh, strictly speaking, it's not two rows of houses, but two rows of houses and courtyards connected by a wall, forming a rudimentary structure!

This scene left Li Lanzhen somewhat dazed and extremely shocked!

I've been away for a week, not a month!

How can they be so fast?!

I quickened my pace and ran over, standing in front of the courtyard of the first row of houses.

Only then did she realize that all the walls of the houses and courtyards were made of rammed earth!

The thickness of the courtyard wall is slightly greater than the thickness of the house wall!

The courtyard wall is also very high, nearly two meters high.

At this moment, Han Zhaoxiong and several others were on the roof, installing beams and rafters for the houses of the five families in front of them.

The beams of all the houses are triangular.

Li Lanzhen saw that there were still many triangular roof beams piled up outside.

Han Shunde was using a shovel to dig out mud and straw for the children to make mud bricks in a nearby mud pit.

Seeing her coming, he washed his feet and legs in the puddle next to him, pulled down his trousers, and walked over with a smile, slipping on his shoes.

"The girl from Lanzhou is here! What do you think of the courtyard and house we built?"

Li Lanzhen said with a smile, "You guys are amazing, I admire you!"

"In just a few days, you've managed to demolish all five courtyards in this row, including the walls of the rooms. That's incredible!"

Han Shunde laughed heartily.

"We owe this to Mr. Xue, who taught us this method of building walls."

"If we use mud bricks, I don't know when we'll be able to build all the houses and courtyards."

Li Lanzhen glanced at the imposing courtyard wall and nodded.

"This is a great idea! This kind of wall should be warm in winter and cool in summer, and it's also very durable!"

Han Shunde nodded and said, "Yes, this kind of wall is convenient, durable, warm in winter and cool in summer, with many advantages!"

The walls inside the room are peeling and crumbling.

We're thinking of waiting until next spring when it gets warmer, then mixing some mud and slurry to coat all the interior walls of the house with it, smoothing it out so it'll be clean and convenient to live in.

"Are there five families in this row?" Li Lanzhen asked.

Han Shunde pointed to the first row of houses and courtyards and proudly said, "That's right! There are five families in the first row."

Four rows will be built initially, and construction will continue next year!

He glanced at Li Lanzhen and introduced her to her.

“We plan to build the school and the courtyard of the Master in the area about 100 meters away from the front of this first row. What do you think?”

The terrain there is open, making it suitable for laying foundations, and it's neither too far nor too close to the village.

Li Lanzhen glanced at the spot he was pointing to.

Indeed, that place is nice, the terrain is relatively high, and the children in the village don't have to travel far to and from school.

The school is in a secluded and quiet place.

"Okay, you guys decide. I think that spot is pretty good too."

Han Shunde said, "We built up the walls of the houses in the second row of three houses, and then we went over to build the walls of the primary school and the courtyard of the teacher's house first."

The sooner the school and the courtyard for father and son are built, the sooner the children can go in to study and learn to read.

The two of them stood there chatting.

Over there, by the mud pile, the children, each holding their own mold for making mud bricks, had already started working.

Shi Tou San Wang, Da Niu Er Niu, Gou Dan Han Yinan, these slightly older kids are quick and nimble, clearly having practiced for several days.

They rolled up their trouser legs and went barefoot.

The thatch and reeds had been soaking overnight and were now soft and rotten, so they wouldn't prick your hands or feet.

They put their five fingers together, with their thumbs touching, and squeezed down with their thumbs and index fingers to squeeze out a mud ball of grass that was just the right size for the mold.

Roll the mud ball on the ground a couple of times until it's firm, then hold it in both hands and slam it into the mold with a "thud".

Then, scoop up some water from the basin next to you, put your five fingers together, squeeze the mud ball from top to bottom, and then quickly smooth it out. A smooth mud mold is now complete.

Then, holding the top and bottom sides of the mud brick mold with both hands, lift the mold up to release it.

Then repeat the cycle one by one.

The boys were quick and efficient, while the girls on the other side were not to be outdone.

Leading the group were Shanxing, Lihua, and Tiehua. Among the women they brought were three teenage girls who were also making mud bricks.

They were just as fast as the boys when leading the girls, and there were more girls on this side.

There were also children who would roll mud balls for them.

These rolling mud balls are just a dozen or so little kids with short legs.

They all followed the example of the older brothers and sisters, rolling up their trouser legs to above their knees, walking barefoot in the mud, and rolling up their sleeves as well.

When Li Lanzhen looked over, they were almost covered in mud.

Their feet and calves were covered in mud, as were their hands and arms, and even their faces and noses were covered in mud.

Zhihua stood to the side, her little muddy fists clenched, still shouting encouraging slogans.

"Keep up the good work, make mud bricks, roll mud balls, whoever does the most gets a chicken leg!"

He started showing off halfway through his chant.

"You know what? Uncle Silver Fox's roasted pheasant legs smell so good! I ate one and I was completely mesmerized by the aroma!"

The children kept drooling, which drew laughter from the older children.

Han Yinan saw that there were people rolling mud balls for the girls.

He then called over a few boys who had mingled with the girls.

"San Niu, Han Yisong, Han Yibo, you guys are boys, you know that?"

Come over here and roll mud balls for your brothers.

Several boys stood up, looked left and right, and thought about it. "Sigh, I'm a boy!"

She ran over, shoes in hand, and joined the boys' group.

Only Big Head was still there, his butt sticking out, huffing and puffing as he rolled around in the mud.

After rolling the mud ball, he didn't forget to call out to Pear Blossom and praise her.

"Sister Pear Blossom, look, I've rolled the mud ball for you. Aren't I great?"

Pear Blossom straightened up and gave him a big smile.

"Our Da Tou and Dou Hua are the best!"

Li Lanzhen looked around and, finding no dangerous areas, let the children go and do their work.

The older children were really working, meticulously and methodically, and the mud bricks they produced were quite impressive.

The younger children were simply playing in the mud.

When they're in the mood, they'll happily roll mud balls around with you; when they're just being playful, they'll go off and play in the mud on their own, completely forgetting about rolling mud balls.

There are many more people building earthen walls here today, so the speed is even faster!

The three guards standing on the wall, pounding the earth, kept glancing at Su Chen and Linglong.

Xiao Wu's eyes reddened as he watched.

The eldest son of the family wore trousers that reached his knees, revealing his calves.

He picked up a ball of mud bigger than his head and ran to the mold, then "plop," he threw it inside.

The little hands scooped up a basin of water from the side and sprinkled it on the mud ball. The little hands quickly squeezed it, and finally brushed it to smooth it out.

The movements were clean and efficient.

Two little hands carefully picked up the mold.

A perfect mud brick lay on the ground, as if waiting for his inspection.

He grinned, placed the mold aside, and after settling it securely, ran towards the pile of grass and mud.

He quickly rolled a ball of grass mud into a ball and repeated the action.

Su Chen seemed to sense that someone was watching him.

He turned his head and looked in the direction of the several guards.

They didn't see anything, only that they lifted the ramming blocks high and rammed them down hard to compact the earthen wall.

Su Chen shook his head in confusion and continued doing his own thing.

"Lunchtime!"

Xue Nizi drove an oxcart and a horse-drawn carriage to deliver lunch to them.

Today's lunch was also very plentiful, with braised pork belly and sweet potato chunks, and a large pot of pheasant stew with wild vegetables.

For lunch, we had bean rice.

The various beans were soaked until they were plump and swollen, then cooked until very soft. Crushed corn kernels and some rice were also added.

Rice steamed this way is very filling and tastes good.

After eating, everyone rested for a while before getting back to work.

Li Lanzhen took a few straw mats and placed them on a flat surface, wanting the children to rest for a while.

A group of children chattered and rolled around on the straw mat.

Li Lanzhen also sat on the straw mat, preparing to rest for a while.

Then she heard Linglong calling out to her in a panic.

"Grandma, Grandma~"

My brother has been stolen!