Yan Xiao's house is located at the foot of the mountain, far from the surrounding villagers' homes.
Everyone went back to work, leaving only the elderly, women, and children at home.
At first, no one noticed the fire, but by the time everyone saw the thick smoke billowing out, the fire was no longer something that could be extinguished simply by dousing it with water.
Before Yan Xiao arrived, the group had already taken some items from the perimeter of the fire.
After all, every little bit of loss is a good thing.
So when Yan Xiao arrived, he saw everyone gathered in front of the fire.
...
Wen Qinghe was initially called aside by Yang Guihua to rest.
Yang Guihua looked at the house, which was mostly burned down, still feeling lingering fear. Luckily, the girl managed to get out.
"Xiao Yan's family, why did your house suddenly catch fire?"
Wen Qinghe felt a little embarrassed when she thought about the stupid thing she had done.
"Um... I... I wanted to cook for Brother Yan, but... but I accidentally started a fire..."
Yang Guihua's lips twitched.
Fortunately, this daughter wasn't her biological child, otherwise she wouldn't have had a chance to eat a single bite of food before losing her family!
Although Yang Guihua didn't say anything, others couldn't resist coming over to eavesdrop out of curiosity.
The people who heard the truth were stunned.
The story of Yan Xiao's delicate wife burning down their house.
It became the subject of whispers and gossip among the crowd.
The discussion continued.
"That young Yan family member is such a spendthrift!"
"Who says otherwise! He can't lift anything on his shoulders, he can't carry anything with his hands, and he just messes around."
"You think she could just stay home and lie down if she has nothing to do? She could burn the house down by starting a fire!"
"What did you get by marrying her?"
If she hadn't come out in time, she might have ended up inside the fire.
...
The fact that such a pretty young woman had been married off to Yan Xiao, a rough and uncultured man, had caused the young men in the village to feel heartbroken, envious, and jealous.
But now, not a trace of jealousy could arise; only deep sympathy remained.
Thankfully, it wasn't their wife/daughter-in-law; otherwise, if they came home from work to find their home gone, they'd be starving...
They saw all the good stuff inside on Yan Xiao's wedding day.
At this moment, all that could be seen at the gate was the bicycle that had been salvaged and parked there, the rocking chair in the yard, a few trinkets that Yan Xiao had made for her, and a few washbasins.
The fire was too intense to remove anything from the room.
...
Yan Xiao didn't care about any of that; he was still shaken by the experience.
The thought of his wife almost being engulfed by flames made his heart ache so much he could hardly breathe.
Only by holding the little girl tightly in his arms could he calm his fear slightly.
He didn't build a brick house before because he was afraid of attracting attention.
Now he has a wife who comes from a big city.
As for spending money, there's no need to worry about being gossiped about anymore; it's just a matter of being labeled a gigolo.
After he calmed down, he went to find the captain.
...
"What? You want to build a brick house?"
Feng Dabing's eyes widened in surprise; this was unprecedented in the village.
"Your house is in such a state, all your savings must be inside, right? Where will you get the money to build a brick house? There's still a month left before the end of the year when wages are calculated!"
Yan Xiao didn't care at all and said in a low voice.
“My wife is rich! You can help me contact some bricklayers. More people means faster work. I’ll go to the county town this afternoon and bring back the red bricks.”
Feng Dabing frowned so deeply it looked like he'd crushed a fly; he'd never seen anyone talk about being a kept man so openly.
This guy, who's 1.9 meters tall, used to be so hardworking. I never expected him to be someone who just relies on his wife for a living.
However, this is their family matter, and the issue of their house can't wait. Where they'll stay tonight might be a problem.
Thinking of this, Feng Dabing pondered for a moment.
“Your house might not be finished anytime soon, so stay at my place for the next few days. The room that Tang Zhiqing used to live in is still there, so you and your husband won’t have to find another place to sleep.”
A hint of surprise flashed in Yan Xiao's eyes, but he still thanked the captain for his kindness.
"No need, we have a place to stay. We'll leave the bricklaying work to you."
...
Wen Qinghe waited on the side for Yan Xiao and the captain to finish their conversation.
She looked up at Yan Xiao with a puzzled expression.
"Brother Yan, do we really have a place to stay?"
The man smiled and said softly, "Sweetie, don't worry. I'll take you to stay in town for the next couple of days."
It's a good opportunity for Hei Zi to divide the money among himself, so he can fill his wife's savings account again.
………
Every time Yan Xiao and Hei Zi returned from selling goods on the black market, they would always collect the money and tickets and put them in a box.
All we know for now is that the box is full, so there should be a lot of money, but we haven't started counting it yet.
As soon as Yan Xiao told everyone to start calculating the accounts, Xu Xian and Hei Zi came over excitedly to count the money.
There were so many large bills and small denominations that it took them two whole hours to count them all.
…
They made a total of over 40,000 yuan this time. After deducting the principal given to Xu Xian and Hei Zi, there were also wages for the people who followed along to sell the goods.
Each person received 11,120 yuan.
This number is simply staggering.
"Holy crap, there's so much! We've struck it rich!"
Xu Xian couldn't help but exclaim in surprise!
Yan Xiao also smiled slightly, "There will be more in the future!"
This is an enormous fortune for ordinary people, and they earned it in just half a month…
Xu Xian began to subtly ask Hei Zi when they would be going to Guangzhou next time.
They seemed completely unaffected by the person from Guangzhou.
He was down for a few days, but after tidying himself up, he seemed to have cheered himself up and looked even more mature than before.
On the surface, he was still the same as before, joking with the haters without a care in the world.
Whether he has truly moved on is anyone's guess.
However, this time, seeing such a large sum of money in hand...
All worries and troubles have become a thing of the past.
...
Yan Xiao packed up the money and returned to the courtyard he had bought a few days earlier.
This courtyard is right across from the state-run restaurant, consisting of a main hall, two side rooms, and two outbuildings.
The courtyard isn't very big, but since it's in town, it's equipped with electricity, and there's a public toilet right behind the courtyard, which is quite convenient.
His original intention was that when he occasionally brought the little girl to town, she could rest and relax.
I didn't expect to use it so soon.
He had already tidied things up simply, putting only a bed and quilts in the east wing.
The other rooms haven't been cleaned yet, and the kitchen stove was left by the previous owner; it's a bit worn and hasn't been repaired.
However, since I'll only be staying for two or three days, the brick houses in the village should be finished by then.
He asked the brigade leader for leave and then brought Wen Qinghe to town for lunch.
His wife had a habit of taking a nap, so he went to find Hei Zi while Wen Qinghe was napping.
When he returned, his wife was still fast asleep in the room.
—————
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