The next day, Su Ning'an put down his paintbrush and went to the main hall. "Mother, shall we go to the valley to plant herbs now?"
"We can plant them after the wall is built. Medicinal herbs are very expensive, and we can't let people from other villages know about it."
Su Ning'an felt a little regretful because he had to wait a little longer before going to the valley to encounter the ferocious beast.
"Mom, I understand. I'm going to the village to draw ducks and geese now."
"Go ahead."
Not long after, a fat little man in white clothes set up a painting table in the fertile field. After observing the ducks frolicking in the field for a few moments, he picked up a brush and started painting on the canvas.
The villagers couldn't help but be amazed when they saw this. Seeing how seriously he was painting, the villagers did not open their mouths to gossip as they did in the past. Instead, they approached Su Ning'an slowly and calmly.
Want to see what he's drawing?
When the villagers saw the duck on the canvas clearly, their pupils dilated instantly.
This duck is painted just like a real one.
The eldest son of the Su family is very strong and can help with housework, which saves a lot of worry.
Now that he can paint, and his paintings are so beautiful, it’s more than just a relief.
In the villagers' minds, paintings are as precious as books.
Wu Huaiyuan had beautiful handwriting, and the money he earned from copying books could be used to pay for his tuition, saving his family a lot of money.
Su Ning'an's paintings are very beautiful and can also earn a lot of money.
The villagers thought of their own troublesome children and suddenly became angry. At this time, they were a little envious of Su Xingyi.
How come he is so good at picking up children?
When Su Xingyi became blind and disabled, he should have found a way to take Su Ning'an away. The villagers immediately regretted it. If he had taken the child home and raised him at home, the money he earned from the painting could have supported a whole family.
The villagers seemed to have forgotten how they originally despised Suning'an for his gluttony and how they wanted to use up all the money he had to support their families.
As Wu Qingshan passed by, he glanced at the villagers surrounding Su Ning'an. Seeing that their expressions were different, he could roughly guess what they were thinking.
Wu Qingshan came closer and quietly sent them away.
Wu Qingshan glanced at the canvas, which was painted with villagers bending over and working in groups of three or four.
Wu Qingshan raised his head and looked at the busy villagers in the distance, with a smile on his face. The eldest son of the Su family was painted quite like the real thing.
The children raised by Mrs. Su are different. She wants to cultivate them in the arts of music, chess, and calligraphy.
Wu Qingshan did not say anything to disturb them. When he was leaving, he thought of something and knocked on the door of each villager's house in turn.
Now that the children have a complete family, laughter can always be heard in the Su family's yard. Su Xingyi once warned the villagers not to talk nonsense in front of the children about the fact that the four children of the Su family were picked up by them.
If any villager lets slip and the children find out, will they still hear the laughter?
Will Mrs. Su spare the gossipy villagers?
He had to quickly remind the villagers to keep their mouths shut. He didn't have the energy to plead for the villagers. It was too tiring!
Three days later, the sky was just beginning to brighten.
The Xu family bought one million bricks from brick kilns of all sizes around Xishui County, and led by the brothers Xingyun and Xingying, they delivered them to Guihua Village one after another.
Su Ning'an led them to unload the bricks at the bamboo forest. It took four hours to unload one million bricks.
At noon, the Xu family ate a big pot meal outside the Su family's yard before leaving Guihua Village.
"Madam Su." Wu Qingshan came over after dinner. "When will construction of the wall start tomorrow?"
Xiao Lingyu thought for a moment and said, "We'll start work at Chen at 7:00 AM tomorrow, take a half-hour break at noon, and finish at the first quarter of You. Each person will lay 800 bricks a day, and the project will be completed in ten days."
"Mom, if 100 people lay 1,000 bricks a day, it will take ten days to finish laying one million bricks." Su Ningjie reminded her, "If it's 800 bricks, there will still be 200,000 bricks left after ten days."
Wu Qingshan did some calculations in his head, "Mrs. Su, it really does cost 1,000 yuan a day to complete the work."
Xiao Lingyu thought about it and decided that someone would need to be in charge of counting. "Then we'll build 1,000 bricks a day, starting at 7:00 PM. We won't stop until we've built 1,000 bricks. Please ask the village chief to arrange for someone to help count them."
"Mother, let me do this job."
Xiao Lingyu glanced at him and said, "You are still young, so let your uncles and aunts do this." Xiao Lingyu turned to look at Wu Qingshan and said, "Please ask the village chief to find someone to keep track of the expenses. I will pay fifty coins a day and need two people."
Wu Qingshan thought that this matter required someone with meticulousness to do it, so he recommended himself and his eldest son to Xiao Lingyu.
Xiao Lingyu said, "Then I'll let you, the village chief, take care of it."
After Wu Qingshan left, Su Ningjie chased after Xiao Lingyu and asked, "Mother, if I do this, there's no need to spend money. I won't make a mistake in counting."
Su Ningjie didn't feel sorry for the fifty cents. He should contribute to the important matters of the family.
Xiao Lingyu said, "There are some things you don't need to do yourself. Your abilities are meant for big things. Hiring someone to do it will give you more time for other important things. Tomorrow you'll have to go deliver chili peppers with your eldest brother, so you'll have to spend most of your time studying and learning to read. Next year, the three of you will be taking the Tongsheng exam, so this is the most important thing for you right now."
Su Ningjie thought about it and realized that he really couldn't go to the bamboo forest to count the money early in the morning. The more important thing was to deliver the peppers and get back the money he had promised. "Mother, you're right, but I have to go over there to supervise the work when I have time."
Xiao Lingyu nodded. "After you finish your own work every day, you can allocate the rest of your time as you wish."
The next morning, Xiao Lingyu had a simple breakfast and rushed to the bamboo forest.
The villagers from Guihua Village and two or three neighboring villages, totaling 100 strong men, had already been waiting here.
"Madam Su, the headcount has been counted. We are just waiting for your order to start work."
Xiao Lingyu glanced at the strong men and appointed Yu Tieshan as the commander-in-chief.
Yu Tieshan asked, "Madam Su, how high should we build the wall?"
"Three meters high, 24 walls thick..."
Xiao Lingyu explained the situation to Yu Tieshan in detail and then mobilized 100 strong men to start building the wall.
Wu Qingshan brought his eldest son Wu Linxin and took the list to count the numbers of each strong man.
Seeing that there was no need for her to say anything, Xiao Lingyu saw that the strong men began to work in an orderly manner, digging the foundation, moving bricks, and mixing glutinous rice mortar with great skill. They were all experienced in building houses before.
Xiao Lingyu returned to the Su family's courtyard, stuffed the prepared cabbage, pork, and mixed flour into the cart, handed it to Song's wife, Yu Tieshan's wife, and the two Zhang family wives to take to the bamboo forest to make a big pot of rice.
The eldest daughter-in-law of the Zhang family was left to cook for He Jianzhang and the other two.
After finishing all these, Xiao Lingyu called Xiao Xier and Su Ningwen to the main hall to teach them how to read and write.
Su Xing thought Xiao Lingyu must be very tired after a busy morning, so he said, "Mother, wait until the eldest and second child return from the county, and then you can teach the four children to read and write together."
"Mom, you've been busy all morning, your shoulders must be tired." Xiao Xier quickly put down the book and massaged Xiao Lingyu's shoulders.
Su Ningwen walked over and pressed Xiao Lingyu's arm, "Mom, let me massage you too."
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
