Chapter 141 Laying the Foundation
"Yes, I just arrived."
Shen Dayou nodded repeatedly.
"They're back, they're back."
As he spoke, he put down the bundle on his shoulder, patted his trouser legs, and sat down on the stone stool in front of the door.
The wind blew through his hair, revealing a tanned but radiant face.
He looked his sister up and down and grinned.
"Wow, not bad! How did you manage to take down that old guy? Dr. Chen from the village said he might have to have that thing removed! You're really something!"
He became more and more agitated as he spoke, and finally stood up, waving his arms as he added, "I told you, whoever touches our family will suffer a great loss!"
"What?"
Shen Cuifen's hand trembled, and the knife she was using to process the dead chicken suddenly shook.
She hurriedly gripped the knife handle tightly, using her wrist to steady it, which prevented the knife from slipping completely out of her hand.
At the same time, the chicken blood in the bowl swayed slightly with her movement.
The reddish-brown liquid swirled slightly around the rim of the bowl, almost spilling out and splashing all over the floor.
She quickly used her other hand to carefully straighten the bowl.
She stared blankly at Shen Dayou standing at the door, her eyes full of confusion.
"I didn't kick him in the groin! Where did you hear that?"
She paused for a moment, her brows furrowing slightly, as if she were recalling something.
Then, as if suddenly remembering something, she softly said "Oh".
"By the way, I overheard some older women chatting at the village entrance this morning. They said that Zhou Zhonghe did it while he was sleepwalking that night."
Shen Dayou stood there, mouth slightly open, eyes wide open, stunned for several dozen seconds before he reacted.
This week, Zhonghe is just Lu Zhonghe!
It's just that his name was mispronounced by the villagers, and he was rarely home.
People had a vague impression of him, which led to the misconception that he was "Zhou Zhonghe".
He couldn't help but slap his thigh and grin.
"Wow! What a dutiful son! He managed to get things done even while sleepwalking in the middle of the night. He did a really good job! Absolutely without anyone noticing!"
He chuckled twice after saying that, his face full of teasing.
Then, as if remembering something, he turned around and glanced into the courtyard, then turned back to ask Shen Cuifen.
"By the way, Mulan, the truckload of bricks I just brought back is at the gate. Where do you think we should put it? Should we pile it up in the corner for now?"
As he spoke, he pointed outside.
A group of unfamiliar faces, men, women, and children, were standing outside the courtyard gate.
Shen Dayou scratched his head, looking puzzled, and asked again.
"Why are all those people standing outside like idiots? They're carrying packages and dragging their families along. What's going on? Are they moving or fleeing?"
Upon hearing this, Shen Cuifen threw the rooster in her hand into the wooden basin next to her with a muffled "plop".
Immediately afterwards, she picked up a ladle and scooped a large spoonful of boiling water from the pot of water that had just boiled on the stove.
It was poured into the basin with a splash, and steam rose instantly.
With a relaxed smile on her face, she looked up at Shen Dayou.
"Big brother, you don't know yet, do you? Lu Weidong is not Lu Qiming's biological son at all! Yang Juanhua herself admitted it, and she can't say for sure who his father is. There have been rumors about this for a long time, but no one dared to expose it."
As she spoke, a cold smile curled at the corner of her lips.
He then gestured with his chin toward Lu Qiming's low, old house.
"Now the old man has finally spoken up, saying that he can no longer let these shady people occupy the space in front of his house, and he kicked the whole family of three out on the spot, and they even had to pack their luggage at the last minute."
Shen Dayou was stunned, his mouth agape, unable to close it for a long time.
He stood there stunned for a while before slowly coming to his senses, muttering to himself, "My God! It only took me a little over two hours to haul bricks back and forth, and I missed something so important!"
"That old lady is really something else. She seems so honest and unassuming all the time, but I never expected her to say something like that at such a crucial moment. And the old man is ruthless too. He just dumped her without a second thought, showing no mercy whatsoever, even abandoning his son... It takes a lot of resolve to do something like that!"
After a long while, he finally let out a long sigh and looked at Shen Cuifen with an incredulous expression.
Seeing this, Shen Cuifen smiled and nodded, continuing to pour hot water over the chicken as she said, "That's right! I'll tell you the story slowly when we eat later. Anyway, now that everyone's gone, there's nothing to be ashamed of."
She paused, a hint of relief in her voice.
“From now on, it will only be our family living in our yard. We won’t have to worry about the neighbors playing tricks or doing anything sneaky anymore. It will be much more peaceful.”
As soon as she finished speaking, she suddenly looked up at the gray mud-brick wall surrounding her house.
Sunlight slanted across the top of the wall, revealing several cracks and mottled marks left by wind and rain.
She pondered for a moment, then turned to Shen Dayou and said, "Brother, I'm thinking of raising this wall a bit higher. What do you think? At least add another section and reinforce it with new bricks or stones."
"The only men in the family right now are Shen Zhongshun and Lu Qiming. One is honest and simple, and when something happens, he just keeps his head down and rubs his hands. The other is sickly and pants when he walks. If something really happens, he can't be relied on at all."
She paused, then lowered her voice.
"If someone comes up with bad intentions one night, climbs over the wall to steal things, or even hurts someone, that would be a real problem. The wall is so high now, an adult could easily jump over it with a single kick."
"For safety's sake, we still need to extend the wall a bit higher. The sooner we get started, the more peacefully we'll sleep at night."
Shen Dayou followed her gaze to the wall and nodded.
“Sure, since your wall is already made of bricks, it’s easy to add more.”
The year before last, it rained heavily for a whole month, with continuous rain.
The earthen wall, soaked and softened, finally gave way and collapsed in the dead of night.
Later, they decided to go all the way and completely demolished and rebuilt the entire structure, replacing it with sturdy and durable brick walls.
Therefore, the courtyard wall needs to be raised again.
Not only are the colors of the materials consistent, but even the dimensions of the bricks match perfectly, so they don't look out of place.
Moreover, construction is very convenient, as it does not require rebuilding the foundation or worrying about structural load-bearing issues.
"Alright! Then I'll have the bricklayer remove the bricks from the doorway. We'll get started after your second brother and the others arrive, once we've finished eating."
Shen Cuifen nodded gently after hearing this.
She knew that her own brothers and sisters were genuinely supporting and helping her.
Seeing that she had agreed, Shen Dayou turned and walked out.
As soon as I stepped outside, I saw Zhou Wenjuan rushing over from the village entrance, panting and waving and shouting at the coachman.
Before long, the village's horse-drawn carriage bumped and jolted into the alley.
The wheels rolled over the muddy ground, splashing up murky water droplets.
Several people were hurriedly carrying Lu Weidong out of the house.
His face was pale, his forehead was covered in cold sweat, and he was unconscious.
They carefully placed him on a stretcher, and it took a lot of effort to lift him onto the carriage.
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