Chapter 23 Chapter 23 Building a new house!
Mr. Shen’s family built a new house!
In fact, many people in the village have vaguely heard recently that Shen Laoqi's family is collecting materials for building a house, and even some stones and wood are gradually piling up on the wasteland behind his house.
But it is not so easy to build houses in rural areas.
The labor cost is easy to deal with. With the help of relatives and good friends in the team, a house can be finished in ten days with more people, or twenty days with fewer people.
The hard part is collecting materials, stones, wood, tiles, straw, mud, sand... all sorts of things, in bits and pieces. If you want to build a better house, you have to collect bricks and cement. It takes at least a year or two to collect all the materials. Some people spend seven or eight years just collecting materials to build a house.
Of course, this is not only because everyone is poor these days and most families can’t save much money throughout the year, but also because supplies are really scarce and even if you have money you may not be able to buy materials.
So even though people heard about it, everyone thought that it was amazing that Shen Laoqi could build the house within three years.
Who would have thought that, after such a short time, his family had actually started building a house!
On the first day of construction, not only was the Shen family's already marked out ground filled with people who came to help with the work, but even the village road outside was filled with people watching the fun.
Many people sighed and lamented that it is really hard to predict what happens in life. Just a short time ago, Shen Laoqi and his daughter were still worried about having no food at home. In just a short period of time, Shen Laoqi got a job as a worker in a kiln factory and even had to build a new house.
This feeling was even deeper when I saw the kiln factory's tractors pulling in truckloads of bricks.
The reason why Shen Laoqi's family was able to build the house so quickly was certainly because the father and daughter were bullied so badly that they suddenly changed their tempers and asked the first and second wives for the money back. But even if they had money, they were able to get enough bricks so quickly only because Shen Laoqi joined the kiln factory. Otherwise, it would have taken an unknown amount of time just to queue up to buy bricks.
As the old saying goes, things change over time, but for Mr. Shen's family, things have suddenly changed in just a short period of time.
Because it was written clearly when signing the agreement with the first and second wives that the three hundred yuan was only the purchase price of the house. If Shen Shaoyuan's family wants to build a house later, the first and second wives will have to make up the man-days required for construction, so the sons of the first and second wives are also here today.
In fact, working days can also be converted into money, but how much money can rural people save in a year? Who would be willing to pay money to replace working days?
These nominal cousins of Chen Moer all had very gloomy faces and worked very reluctantly. They couldn't help but secretly blame their parents in their hearts. Why didn't they let them save the working hours when they signed the contract? Not only did they have to help their seventh uncle work for nothing, but they also had to be laughed at by the villagers.
They didn't even think about it. Logically, they were Shen Laoqi's nephews. When Shen Laoqi's family built a new house, they should have gone to help.
No one else from the first or second house came because they were too embarrassed to do so.
Cao Mei, on the other hand, was standing on the village road with her two grandsons, watching the fun. Someone teased Cao Mei, "Hey, Cao Mei, the seventh family is building a new house, why didn't your Jianhui come to help? Also, as his sister-in-law, you should at least help with the preparations, right?"
Cao Mei was very shameless. How could someone who could steal food from others not be shameless? She put her hands on her hips and glared in the direction of Shen Laoqi's house. She spat and said, "He didn't even bring anything to invite me. I'm free, and my Jianhui is free. Why should I help him with work?"
Others: “…”
I am speechless.
She really didn't hear at all that others were mocking her!
She also blamed Shen Laoqi for not bringing things to her house to ask for help. It was considered that Shen Laoqi had a good temper by not coming to her house to smash her windows.
This guy is indeed bad and stupid.
Everyone couldn't help but step back silently. No one wanted to be associated with this kind of person.
In fact, a series of events that have happened recently have given the villagers a new understanding of the first, second and third branches of the Shen family.
Originally, I thought that the eldest Shen was smart, the second Shen was kind, and the third Shen was straightforward... Now it seems that the smart ones are a little too smart, the kind ones may be pretending, and the straightforward ones are really stupid.
People don't become bad all of a sudden. These three families have probably always been like this.
Many people thought back and felt that it was no wonder that although Shen Laoqi's family only had two people, they had always lived in poverty. It was obvious that they must have been exploited by these families in the past.
Shen Moer didn't know all this, she was busy in the kitchen with Aunt Chen.
Because there were so many people eating, Shen Shaoyuan asked someone to temporarily build a simple stove at the door of the kitchen, and borrowed an iron pot from Aunt Chen's family, so that he would not be worried about not being able to cook with only one pot.
Aunt Chen handled the hare skillfully, smiling from ear to ear, and said, "I'm really getting a great bargain. I'm lending you a pot and bringing your whole family along to enjoy such a good meal. Mo'er, you're making a big loss on this deal."
Chen Moer was chopping wild onions quickly on the chopping board, and said with a smile: "Aren't your family members here to help me? Besides, I borrowed your pot, and you can't cook. I can't let you starve, and there is no northwest wind at this time of year."
Aunt Chen laughed and said, "You mischievous ghost! It's okay, I'm thick-skinned and I'm happy to take advantage of you."
The two of them were talking and laughing while working. At this time, Xinmei, the daughter-in-law of the Chen family, who was washing rice and cooking outside, came in, holding an enamel pot of freshly washed rice. She hesitated for a moment and said with difficulty: "Moer, do you want to put some potato chips on the rice? The sweet potato chips I have are quite sweet, and they are delicious when steamed with rice."
Chen Moer asked curiously, "Sister Xinmei, do you think the rice is not enough? I counted the number of people, and there was a little extra rice according to the number of people, right? If it's not enough, I'll measure some more rice. For the first meal, I want everyone to eat more, so I won't put anything else."
Sister Xinmei glanced at her mother-in-law, hesitated and said nothing, and Aunt Chen understood what she meant. She thought that Shen Moer had no intention of letting the children in their family in.
Aunt Chen and Shen Moer have been together for such a long time and know Shen Moer's temper. Since she asked all the family members to come over for dinner, it is impossible for her to make such unpresentable calculations.
So he said, "Why are you hesitating? Mo'er is very generous. Maybe you didn't count the number of people correctly before. Go and count again. If it's not enough, let Mo'er measure the rice again."
When Sister Xinmei heard her mother-in-law say this, she secretly breathed a sigh of relief and responded. She was about to go out and count the heads carefully again as her mother-in-law said, when Shen Moer suddenly chopped the kitchen knife and said, "Ah, I know what's going on."
She smiled and explained, "Sister Xinmei, you can go and count the heads again, but don't count the cousins from my eldest uncle and second uncle's families. They come here to work to offset the hours they owe me, so there's no reason for them to have to pay for their meals."
Sister Xinmei exclaimed in surprise. Aunt Chen paused while packing the rabbits. Then she smiled and said, "What Moer said makes sense. Since it's paid work time, you don't have to skip meals."
If the host is polite, they will also provide meals, but Aunt Chen thought about what those people in the old Shen family did, and felt that Shen Shaoyuan and Shen Moer were angry and didn't want to provide meals, which was actually nothing.
Seeing her mother-in-law also said so, although Xinmei felt that it was a bit heartless not to care about the meal in this situation, but after all, it was someone else's business and she was not the kind of person who would meddle in other people's business, so she said, "No need to order, if you don't count them, this much rice is more than enough."
Even if everyone eats to their heart's content, it should be enough.
For a moment, Sister Xinmei didn’t know whether to say that Shen Moer was stingy or generous.
I prepared such a delicious meal for the people who helped me, and just because I borrowed a pot, I even prepared meals for the children in her family.
But he was unwilling to give even a single bite of food to his cousins.
I guess it was because those people in the old Shen family went too far before and hurt the feelings of Shen Laoqi and his daughter.
Sister Xinmei sighed secretly and went to work.
After her daughter-in-law left, Aunt Chen asked Shen Moer, "With so many people eating every day, is there enough food at home? If not, let me share some first?"
Shen Moer smiled and thanked him, saying, "It's enough. Didn't your family bring some sweet potato chips, corn, etc.? We won't all eat rice later. It should be enough if we mix it with coarse grains. If it's really not enough, I will definitely ask you and I won't be polite to you."
There were indeed a lot of people working, not counting the people from the first and second branches of the old Shen family, the strong laborers from several aunts' families who had a good relationship with Shen Moer recently also came. The team leader Zhou Mancang also helped to arrange some manpower, and several relatives of the same clan with the surname Shen also came on their own initiative, including Fu Mingze and Zheng Jiamin.
However, they had prepared a lot of food in advance. Shen Shaoyuan borrowed some food from the brigade and some food coupons from the kiln factory. He then took a plain gold ring from the treasury and exchanged it with Qiaojie for some food.
To be honest, the most difficult thing among these things is not borrowing or exchanging grain, but finding such an inconspicuous plain ring among countless rare treasures in such a huge treasure house.
Shen Moer spent three days sorting through the treasure house before she found it.
Fortunately, I found a bunch of them. If I need money in the future, I can still find a way to exchange them.
Aunt Chen skinned and cooked the three rabbits. Shen Moer also prepared the condiments and side dishes. She took the rabbits and chopped two of them. She used the tongs to stuff some firewood into the stove. Soon, the fire was burning. She added oil, onion, ginger, aniseed, soy sauce and cooking wine, and pushed the full chopping board of meat into the pot. She stir-fried it with a spatula, and a rich and tempting aroma came out.
Only then did Shen Moer free up her hands to marinate the remaining rabbit with salt and seasonings, saving it for tomorrow's meal.
Aunt Chen: "Oh, your cooking skills are great. It smells so good that it makes me hungry."
Shen Moer smiled and said, "How can this pot of meat not make people hungry?"
Aunt Chen also laughed: "You are right, but most people don't cook meat as deliciously as you do. Is this what your mother taught you?"
Shen Moer's eyes flickered and she responded with a yes.
The original owner's mother's family must have been well off, as can be seen from the photos she left behind. In the photos, the whole family was dressed in Western style, and the background of the photos seemed to be a Western-style house with a garden. But the original owner's mother was not very good at cooking. Shen Moer guessed that her family probably hired a servant, and she must have grown up without any experience in cooking.
Just like Shen Moer, if it wasn't for the purpose of personally cooking a few dishes and a bowl of longevity noodles for Shen Shaoyuan on his birthday every year, how could she, a princess, cook?
The original owner could cook a little, but Shen Moer guessed that it would not taste good, because in her memory, everything she cooked was bland and looked unappetizing.
Aunt Chen: "It's a pity that when your mother was alive, she wasn't close to the villagers. If I had known she was so capable, I would have let my two daughters learn from her."
Shen Moer blinked guiltily and said nothing.
They, father and daughter, are now putting all the skills that shouldn't be in them on the original owner's mother. She taught them how to paint, write, cook, and do needlework... If this continues, this young woman will become a legend in the Yangliu Brigade.
The cooking in the kitchen was in full swing, and people were also working outside in full swing. Then, as everyone was working, they suddenly smelled a very, very strong aroma of meat, so fragrant that people almost trembled with fear.
"Seventh Brother, the lunch at your house is so delicious. They are roasting meat. It smells so good that my mouth is watering." A relative of the same clan named Shen said with a smile.
"Uncle Qi is so generous. It smells so good that I even feel hungry." said Chen Zhuangzhuang, the son of Aunt Chen.
"I asked Comrade Shen Moer when I came this morning. There is meat, vegetables and rice." Zheng Jiamin interrupted with a smile, "Brother Zhuangzhuang, give me the dustpan quickly. I have to do more work, otherwise I will be embarrassed to eat more later."
He was very outgoing and had always gotten along well with the villagers. Today, while working together, he quickly became friends with these people in the village.
The others burst into laughter, and Chen Zhuangzhuang said directly: "You are like a little chicken, no matter how you look at it, it is Uncle Qi's family that is at a disadvantage!"
Zheng Jiamin smiled and said, "It's the thought that matters."
As the host, Shen Shaoyuan was in charge of dispatching and directing the scene. He stood outside and looked at Zheng Jiamin, who was chatting with the members. He thought that this boy was quite talkative, but he looked too ordinary, and his Moer would definitely not like him.
Then he looked at Fu Mingze who was working silently, and secretly sighed. He looked okay, but his work was just average. He was not even half as strong as Chen Zhuangzhuang, and could not compare with his nephews. He was just average, quite average.
He completely ignored the fact that Chen Zhuangzhuang was recognized as the strongest and most capable worker in the team, and that his nephews were also good workers.
While the others were talking and laughing, the nephews of Old Shen's family remained silent.
However, when the aroma wafting from the kitchen became stronger and stronger, they couldn't help swallowing their saliva, secretly thinking that although they were working for nothing, it was actually worth it to be able to eat such a good meal. This meal was more than enough to cover a day's work points.
Even the few people who were still watching the fun on the village road smelled the fragrance and looked at the people working with envy, swallowing their saliva. If they had known that Mr. Shen's food was so good, they should have been shameless enough to help!
Time passed quietly amid the expectation and envy of everyone. At a certain moment, Shen Moer's crisp voice came from the direction of the kitchen: "Dad, it's time to eat——"
At the same time, everyone stopped what they were doing.
Shen Shaoyuan twitched his lips and said, "Okay, let's eat first!"
A group of people immediately threw away the tools in their hands, quickly went to the well next door to fetch water to wash their muddy hands, and then rushed to the kitchen in unison.
Chen Shaoyuan followed behind slowly, and said to his nephews in a very natural manner: "Jianping, Jianan, Jianlin, Jianye, Jianshe, it's too hot at noon, you can go home and have a meal and rest for a while before coming back. But don't come too late, after all, we are calculating working days, brothers should be clear about the accounts, and the same goes for nephews, a working day should be as long as it is, you don't want to go back and make up for it again, right?"
Several nephews suddenly stopped and looked at each other, unable to believe what they heard.
Does this mean they are working for nothing and not even being given food?!
The eldest son of the first wife, Shen Jianping, could not help but say, "Uncle Seven, isn't that a bit too inhumane of you to say that?"
Shen Shaoyuan looked at this cheap nephew who was a few years older than him and asked, "Isn't it customary not to provide meals when you are doing extra work?"
After a pause, he continued earnestly, "Jianping, you are already so old and look older than Uncle Qi, how can you say such ignorant things? Uncle Qi's family doesn't have much food, and they have to take care of so many people's meals. If you were a little more sensible, you would not want to stay for dinner, but you should bring some food to help Uncle Qi when you come here in the morning. Oh, forget it, after all, he is not my child, and I don't want to say anything more, so just leave it at that. Remember to rest and come early."
Shen Jianping, who is four years older than Shen Shaoyuan: "..."
Others: “…”
Do you want to listen to what you are saying? Not only do they not care about the food, but they also ask them to bring food to supplement it. How can this be so idealistic? Also, isn't it a bit contradictory to take a break and come early?
At this moment, the nephews and the old ladies who had listened to Wang Jinbao's nonsense a while ago felt sympathy.
There are so many complaints that it's really speechless.
After all, they were all about the same age as Shen Shaoyuan, and it was impossible for them to act like a kid and stay here for lunch. In the end, the nephews left angrily with livid faces.
The other people who were working together stopped and listened curiously at first, but were soon stimulated by Zheng Jiamin's shout, "Comrade Moli, I want meat," and quickly rushed to grab the meat.
What does the Shen family’s household affairs have to do with them? Can they be as important as eating meat? Of course not!
Besides, if there are fewer people, they can have more meat to eat, hehe.
Everyone almost swallowed their tongues during the meal. The children in Aunt Chen's family were so happy that they kept shouting while eating, hoping that Sister Moer's family could continue building the house, preferably for three years, which made all the adults laugh.
In fact, according to reason, these little kids should call Shen Moer auntie. After all, Shen Shaoyuan is young but older than her. However, Shen Moer did not correct them. Calling her sister sounds younger, which is great.
After dinner, everyone went home to rest for a while. The weather was hot and working in the middle of the day could easily lead to heat stroke. After the hottest time of noon, everyone returned home one after another, even the nephews were no exception.
There is no way. The current Shen Shaoyuan is not the previous Shen Shaoyuan. He said that the working hours are not enough and they need to make up for it. If it is really not enough in the future, he will definitely make them make up for it.
Don't want to mend? Hemp rope strangulation warning.
In fact, people from the first and second houses of the old Shen family thought that Shen Shaoyuan might be crazy.
After all, the current Shen Shaoyuan is completely different from before, and what normal person would talk about strangling someone to death with a hemp rope?
So they thought that Shen Shaoyuan was too stimulated and was a little crazy——
He looks normal, but in fact he is insane.
How could they dare to provoke such a madman? What if he really went crazy and strangled them to death? If he didn't strangle them, what about the children at home?
Since you can't afford to offend them, you can only do your job obediently.
Shen Moer didn't cook any meat dishes for dinner, but she beat six eggs and fried a large plate of scrambled eggs with wild vegetables, and everyone was still very satisfied with the meal.
The first day of work passed peacefully.
Although they didn't do any heavy physical work, it was still a busy day. After washing up at night, Shen Moer and Shen Shaoyuan went to bed early.
After the last time the door was broken into by thieves, Shen Shaoyuan got a big lock from the commune and locked the door tightly every night. Then the father and daughter no longer slept in the treasure house.
The cotton I bought hasn’t been made into a quilt yet, but the weather is getting hot, so I can just cover myself with an old quilt cover or clothes at night.
The second day, the third day... As time passed, the foundation slowly took shape and the bottom circle of walls was also built.
That night, Shen Moer was sleeping and suddenly woke up as if she had a nightmare.
After waking up, she lay there in a daze for a while. When her mind became a little clearer, she felt as if there was some noise near the window.
Because there was a precedent of someone prying open the door, Shen Moer was startled and quickly got up and walked to the window with light steps.
Click.
Something fell to the ground.
Click.
Again.
With the help of moonlight, Shen Moer finally saw clearly that it was a small stone thrown in from the window.
The window in her half of the room was added later, and it was higher than the average window, probably for safety reasons. Now, a corner of the paper on the window has been torn, and the small stone was thrown in through this hole.
Shen Moer: “…”
It's the middle of the night, it's really scary.
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