Old Man Qiao knew that it was time to put building a house on the agenda.
He put down his pipe: "Lian'er, come with Grandpa."
The sky was still dark, shrouded in a hazy darkness, and the wind carried a chill.
Old Man Qiao led Qiao Lian'er along a circle: "Look carefully, the area Grandpa is walking on is our family's homestead."
Qiao Lian'er saw that the old man Qiao was standing quite a distance from the house, and the house was almost twice the size of it.
As he walked, he said, “Don’t underestimate our Qiao family because we were poor in the past. We had a large plot of land. My grandfather had secured a large plot for our family, thinking that even if we couldn’t build a big courtyard right now, what if we could build one later, or what if our descendants could build one?”
"I waited and waited, until I passed away. My grandfather did not get his wish, nor did my father. My life was almost over, and I thought there was no hope left. But then, Lian'er, you suddenly had an epiphany and brought good fortune to our family."
Old Man Qiao spoke with a touch of sadness, but a smile remained on his face.
Qiao Lian'er followed her grandfather along that circle of lines.
To the west is the road that passes by the door, and to the south are two houses, one of which is the Qi family.
Therefore, the Qiao family's homestead was a large area extending north and east.
After following Old Man Qiao around, Qiao Lian'er already had a good idea of what to expect.
Building a yard twice the size of the current yard is no problem at all, and there's no need to reapply for an expanded homestead.
The remaining space can be fenced off and planted with fruit trees, flowering trees, and the like.
Thinking of the fragrant flowers in spring and summer, and the branches laden with fruit in autumn, Qiao Lian'er was filled with anticipation.
This is the idyllic rural life she longs for.
There was a courtyard filled with the aroma of cooking, flowers, and fruit, and the fragrance of rice wafted from the paddy fields. It was so wonderful that it was indescribable.
In the world she came from, after graduating from university, she became a corporate slave, on call 24 hours a day, and was treated like a beast of burden.
She felt no regrets about coming here; on the contrary, she felt it was the beginning of a new life, working for herself instead of working for a boss.
Once they arrived in the county town and had arranged the food supplies, Qiao Lian'er began preparing to build a house.
The county town has specialized brick and tile factories, timber factories, and specialized construction teams.
Qiao Lian'er went to the brick and tile factory and the timber factory to pre-order the highest quality bricks, tiles, and timber available to ordinary people. The bricks were blue bricks, and the tiles were red tiles. Glazed tiles were truly beautiful, with flowing luster, breathtakingly gorgeous, but they were not for use in temples, royal homes, noble families, or the residences of officials of certain ranks.
Aside from Emperor Wood, which is available to ordinary people, she requested several kinds of precious woods, such as Phoebe zhennan, Rosewood, and Camphor Wood.
This morning, she and Old Lady Qiao took out one hundred taels of silver to pay a deposit. They would settle the remaining balance when the materials were ready and transportation began.
She hired three teams—all reputable, skilled, and experienced—to complete the project within a month, spending most of her available funds on it.
Regardless of whether what the old man said was true or not, it was always better for her to be prepared, and besides, the house was going to be built anyway.
If the houses are built quickly, everyone can move in sooner, and the brothers will have more opportunities to find wives.
The rainy season lasts for half a month, and it hasn't changed every year, but Qiao Lian'er still left room for maneuver, setting the earliest time to be twenty days later and the latest time to be a month in advance.
Choosing bricks, tiles, timber, and people, Qiao Lian'er drove his horse-drawn carriage around the county town. After most of the day, he was so tired that he was dizzy and his mouth was dry.
Midway through, she also had to go and replenish the ingredients for stall number eight.
After drinking a large bowl of the talisman water, I felt a little better.
However, when she returned to her stall, everyone noticed that she was covered in sweat and looked exhausted.
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