Pulling herself back to reality, Qin San Niang answered seriously, "I asked Qingshan a few days ago, and he said that he is also planning to build a house. After all, Azhi is a grown-up girl, and she can't still live in the same room as her father. Even if there is a partition, it is not in accordance with the rules! I will ask him to supervise the construction together."
I haven't asked about Scholar He; he's been very busy these past few days. But I asked Hongying's wife, and she also said the sooner the better!
“You’re absolutely right!” Liu replied.
He Yingyuan has been busy with school affairs lately, leaving early and returning late every day. He never expected that just setting up a school would be so complicated!
Before the first month of the lunar calendar was even over, the village headman was already tidying up the clan house, preparing to open the school as soon as possible. This was a major event concerning future generations! As the future teacher of the school, he was responsible for guiding the layout of the premises, the type of desks and chairs, and the types of books needed.
Although he was now quite wealthy, he had originally planned to spend some money to renovate the school, but then he thought that people's hearts were not what they used to be, and they might think he was being taken advantage of, so he gave up on that idea. He only thought that if there were any bright and hardworking students in the future, he could buy them writing brushes, ink, paper and inkstones to give them as gifts. Giving help in times of need is more likely to win people's hearts! If there were any exceptionally talented students who could achieve something in the imperial examinations, it would also be a boost to his career.
Luo Huan followed him around, increasingly admiring He Yingyuan's work style. It was meticulous and gave him an air of unfathomable depth. Even when he followed his father on business trips, he had never encountered such a person. He had initially thought that being bought by a poor, uneducated scholar meant he would be stuck in a remote, impoverished area for the rest of his life. Now, however, he had hope. His master was bound to take the imperial examinations; having already achieved the lowest rank (小三元), barring any major mistakes, becoming a Jinshi (进士) seemed a certainty. Even if things went wrong, passing the provincial examination (举人) would be as easy as taking candy from a baby—perhaps then he could finally avenge his family!
In Dasheng, even those who passed the imperial examinations could be recommended for official positions. In fact, those with outstanding merits could also be recommended by the county magistrate as filial and incorruptible officials and granted official posts.
After hearing her eldest daughter's words, Liu realized that building a house was indeed an urgent matter!
The next day, he called a few women to tidy up the house site!
The land was a wasteland that had been left unattended for a long time. No houses had ever been built or the land had ever been cultivated there before, and stones were scattered everywhere.
Liu and the others used hoes to carefully dig them out bit by bit. Since they were no longer of any use, they piled them up by the hillside, thinking they might come in handy if they needed to build chicken and duck pens in the backyard later.
Qin San Niang didn't want to work so hard, so she spent her nights farming in her spatial dimension and her days collecting stones on her own land. She was truly inseparable from the land. Although she was very strong now, she couldn't treat people like oxen, could she?
"Mother, let's not pick up these stones yet. We can hire someone to pick them up later!" Qin San Niang wiped away her thin layer of sweat. Luckily, it wasn't the middle of summer, otherwise she would have been drenched in sweat from exhaustion!
Liu rolled her eyes at her eldest daughter, how could they be so extravagant? "There's no need for such trouble. Besides, building a house requires a lot of money. We should save as much as we can! If you're tired, take a rest for a while, but don't stay too long. Can't you see how hard the kids are working?"
Liu gestured with her lips, indicating that she should look in the direction of the eldest child and the others.
These children, knowing they were going to build a house, were not only happy but also knew they had to help the adults with the work. This was a house for everyone, and no one could stand aside! As their mother said, they were the closest family members, and everyone in the family had to contribute to the family!
Seeing the children's flushed faces, Qin San Niang felt embarrassed to rest any longer and hurriedly told Liu Shi that she could still manage, but she was worried that they were too tired!
Although she didn't know whether her eldest daughter was telling the truth or not—this girl had been very sweet-talking lately—Liu was still overjoyed to hear such thoughtful words.
"Okay, I know! If you're tired, just take a rest. Everyone knows you're not very capable, so they certainly won't blame you!" Liu said with a smile.
Um... what can Qin San Niang say? She can only doubt whether she is really her mother's biological daughter. How could someone be so mean? How could they say something so degrading? Even if it's true, they shouldn't be so blunt!
"What is dignity? What is that thing?" Liu's serious expression left Qin San Niang speechless. For the first time, she realized the gap between her and the ancients was the word "affectation"!
However, Liu didn't need her answer, nor would she dwell on such a trivial matter. Had they only enjoyed a few good days?! Had they only been able to fill their stomachs for a few days? To have witnessed so much death and still not have a profound understanding—that was truly unacceptable!
For dinner, Liu invited everyone over, mainly to discuss the house construction.
During the day, Gu Qingshan goes hunting in the mountains, while He Xiucai is a big shot in Shiligou. They can only gather a group of people at night.
The meal was plentiful, including roast duck that was roasted to a golden brown and had a wonderful aroma. The duck's skin glistened with oil, and when you dipped it in the special meat sauce, wrapped it in a thin spring pancake, added a few scallions, and took a big bite, you couldn't say anything more—it was just so delicious! Even an old lady like Mrs. Liu, who didn't like to eat too much meat, could proudly devour a whole duck.
In addition, there are garlic sprouts with cured pork, braised pork, stewed cabbage with pork belly, pickled vegetables with scrambled eggs, and the last one is pickled vegetables, but it has plenty of oil and salt in it, so it is really good to eat with rice!
When they heard about building a house, no one was surprised!
"Madam Qin, I asked Cheng Shi before, and there are some things to consider when building a house. First, we need to have a skilled craftsman come and take a look. What kind of houses are we planning to build? Also, Old Man Wang from Wangwu Village next door is a skilled builder. He has a team that builds houses for people during the off-season. However, rural people need to hire laborers themselves. I plan to find people in Shiligou to work there, and I'll provide them with a meal. Also, do we need roof tiles? And should we use stone bricks or gravel for the ground?" Gu Qingshan thought about it and realized that was all he had for now. Just preparing for it was a huge undertaking.
"Qingshan, do we need to consult the oracle before building a house? We have a custom of choosing an auspicious day to break ground. I wonder what it's like here in Shiligou?" Liu had more experience. When they were young, she and her husband were both capable, and they built their house themselves. So she still remembered some things about building a house.
"Auntie is right. I'll ask again later. I guess it's necessary." After Liu's reminder, Gu Qingshan remembered this matter.
Qin San Niang didn't think it was a big deal. Regardless of whether Shiligou had this custom, it was always good to choose an auspicious day to break ground.
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