Chapter 54 - Let's try combining two chapters? (Sorry, I forgot...)
Hearing his voice, Lin Chuntao knew he had taken his words seriously, and she stopped joking.
"What do you mean?" Lin Chuntao asked back.
Pei Ying: "Give it a try."
Lin Chuntao felt this was a good opportunity to discuss the relevant matters, but she didn't know where to begin. She fell silent for a moment.
Seeing her like this, Pei Ying thought she was unhappy, but since things had come to this point, she might as well make things clear.
"We've known each other for a while now. Although I don't know everything about you, I do know a part of you. What do you think of me?"
Before Lin Chuntao could reply, he continued, "I love you and want to spend the rest of my life with you."
Faced with this sudden confession, Lin Chuntao tried to change her position, but Pei Ying held her tightly, not allowing her to retreat.
Lin Chuntao pondered for a moment and said, "Actually, I also have something to say to you, but I don't know how to start."
"What are your concerns?" Pei Ying asked.
Lin Chuntao pursed her lips and said frankly, "I don't want to get pregnant or have children for the time being. This has nothing to do with you; it's my own decision."
Pei Ying said softly, "I know that. The doctor said your health is not good, and even if you are pregnant, you are prone to miscarriage. I will never put you in that situation."
Lin Chuntao shook her head slightly, "Even if the doctor didn't mention my physical condition, I don't want to get pregnant and have a child now. Can you understand?"
Pei Ying nodded slightly, "Mm."
Lin Chuntao stared at him intently. After all, they were from different eras, and she felt it was somewhat unreal that Pei Ying had agreed to this.
"Anything else?" Pei Ying asked.
Lin Chuntao glanced around the room and said in a low voice, "I don't want to be here."
Pei Ying pursed her lips upon hearing this, then replied, "That's no problem, once we move into our new house. Besides this, is there anything else?"
"there is none left."
Pei Ying raised an eyebrow slightly, "Really none?"
Just as Lin Chuntao was about to nod, Pei Ying asked, "I love you, what about you?"
Meeting his intense gaze, Lin Chuntao slowly leaned down. Pei Ying held his breath as Lin Chuntao whispered in his ear, her cheek close to his, "I'm not telling you."
After saying that, she tried to run away, but Pei Ying pressed her back down with both hands, then rolled over and pinned her down.
Lin Chuntao's heart was pounding, and Pei Ying's was just as fast; his breathing became heavier. He stared at Lin Chuntao's lips and slowly leaned down, but Lin Chuntao did not flinch.
The moon slowly hid behind the drifting clouds, letting the soft clouds carry it forward. No one knew that behind the obscured clouds, the moon rolled several times until the clouds were almost blown away by the wind, and then the moon emerged on its own, hanging high in the night sky.
Pei Ying held Lin Chuntao tightly, feeling as if all the blood in his body was rushing and converging to one point.
But he had just promised her that he would wait until they moved to the new house.
He felt a pang of regret. He had never longed for anyone so much, wanting to give her his whole self and to make her belong to him.
It was just a kiss, and Lin Chuntao was already out of breath; perhaps her body was too weak.
She suddenly realized that telling Pei Ying about moving to the new house was a very wise decision; she felt that this person was like an old house on fire.
Pei Ying looked at Lin Chuntao in his arms. She was quite tall, but nestled in his arms, he felt that there was a real difference in their body sizes. His hand was on her waist, but he couldn't touch any flesh.
"You're too thin. Eat more and gain some weight."
Lin Chuntao smiled and said, "Once the doctor has taken care of my health, I should gain some weight and become healthier."
She said, then burrowed deeper into the covers. "Let's go to sleep. We have to get up early tomorrow."
Pei Ying responded and lay down as well. He took her hand and slowly placed it on his chest. It was the first time Lin Chuntao had so openly touched this man's pectoral muscles. She closed her eyes and unconsciously touched his abdomen. As if she had a premonition, she hurriedly tried to pull her hand back, but Pei Ying grabbed it and said in a hoarse voice, "Touch it."
Lin Chuntao knew this man was pushing his luck, and since she couldn't come, she refused to do it. She reached out and pinched his waist, and he released her in pain.
"My wife is so heartless."
Lin Chuntao snorted and interrupted him: "Hurry up and go to sleep."
As she spoke, she turned over. Pei Ying lay there bored for a while before getting up and leaving. She didn't return for quite some time, bringing back a chill with her.
"You went to the river?"
Pei Ying smiled upon hearing this and wanted to hug her, but then remembered that she had taken a cold shower and was feeling cold.
"Didn't you say you were going to sleep? Aren't you asleep yet?"
Lin Chuntao: "..."
Pei Ying said, "Go to sleep."
Lin Chuntao was indeed a little sleepy. Overwhelmed by drowsiness, she had no other thoughts and quickly fell asleep.
Hearing her steady breathing, Pei Ying suppressed the rising distracting thoughts and forced herself to close her eyes and sleep.
The next day at dawn, Lin Chuntao was awakened by the system's chattering voice.
"Beep beep beep beep beep—There are lots of shiitake mushrooms ten miles away! Shiitake mushrooms, shiitake mushrooms, shiitake mushrooms! Host, wake up!"
Lin Chuntao heard the rooster crowing in the yard. Just as she was about to sit up, Pei Ying woke up next to her. He stretched and casually pulled her into his arms.
Thinking of the long kiss last night, Lin Chuntao's face felt a little hot.
"It's time to get up."
Pei Ying gave a low hum and leaned closer. Lin Chuntao pushed him away, trying to tell him to stop fooling around, but she couldn't budge him at all.
The two of them dawdled for a while before finally getting up, and they set off later than usual.
This was the first time Lin Chuntao had picked winter mushrooms in so many days. The pale yellow winter mushrooms were small and not bad, but because they were damp from the dew, their skins were sticky. If you accidentally got some on your hands and then some dirt, the little winter mushrooms would get dirty. Lin Chuntao was very careful when picking them, trying not to touch the caps. She was going to sell them, and if they looked dirty, people wouldn't want to buy them.
The same basket, by the time she finished picking them all, it was already broad daylight. Fortunately, the winter mushrooms were small and soft, so they were packed tightly together in the basket, making them less likely to break if she walked quickly.
The market was as lively as ever. When she arrived, there were still women waiting to buy mushrooms. They were a little disappointed when they saw the winter mushrooms. They preferred mushrooms like green-headed mushrooms, termite mushrooms, pine mushrooms, and milk mushrooms. Lin Chuntao smiled and said, "I only found winter mushrooms today. If you ladies don't like them, you can come back tomorrow."
The woman smiled. Since she had already waited, she decided to buy two pounds to take home and try.
Hearing that the women were still buying, Lin Chuntao smiled and said, "Braised tofu with shiitake mushrooms tastes good. Aunties, you can make it and try it."
The woman looked at her with some surprise. "You can stir-fry mushrooms with tofu?"
Lin Chuntao nodded and then explained how to do it.
"If your aunt has potato starch, add some when it's almost done stir-frying, and the taste will be much better."
She spoke very seriously, and the woman in front of her smiled and said, "Okay, I'll try it when I get back."
The women each bought two jin (1 kg), and their baskets were still full. Lin Chuntao rested for a while, sat down, and started calling out her wares. Many people looked at the mushrooms and left, and very few people bought them. Just when Lin Chuntao thought she might have to take her half-basket of mushrooms back to dry, a young woman came along. She had her hair in a bun and was accompanied by a maid carrying a basket.
Lin Chuntao greeted her with a smile, "Wife, these are fresh shiitake mushrooms. They can be stir-fried or used in soups. They taste great. Why don't you buy some and try them?"
Qin Suyun nodded slightly, took one out to look at it. The skin on the cap was still covered with dew, it was indeed very fresh. Moreover, this small winter mushroom was so clean after being picked from the mountains, it must have taken a lot of effort.
"How much per kilogram?" Qin Suyun asked.
Lin Chuntao smiled and said, "Ten coins per catty."
Qin Suyun remained calm, raising her eyes to look at her: "If I buy them all, can you give me a discount?"
Lin Chuntao glanced at the basket and estimated its weight. It was at least sixteen or seventeen catties. If she saved one coin per catty, she would save sixteen or seventeen coins. She smiled and replied, "I see this is the first time you've bought from me, madam. If you weigh it, I'll give you a discount of ten coins."
Qin Suyun nodded slightly and said, "Okay, weigh me."
The final weight was eighteen and a half catties, and Lin Chuntao charged her one hundred and seventy coins.
After receiving the money, Lin Chuntao asked, "Is your home far, madam? If not, I'll deliver it to you."
Qin Suyun smiled and said, "No need to trouble you, madam. You can just help me pour the mushrooms into the basket."
Lin Chuntao nodded and helped put the shiitake mushrooms into their baskets.
After finishing, the girl picked up her basket and the two left together. Lin Chuntao also packed her things to go buy some things.
She and the two people from before went in the same direction and were close by. Lin Chuntao heard the maid complain, "Madam, won't the old lady be unhappy if you buy so many winter mushrooms? Our shop hasn't even opened yet."
Qin Suyun said calmly, "I bought these mushrooms to dry, which is exactly what I need to prepare for opening the shop later."
The little girl nodded. Lin Chuntao arrived at the general store, went inside, and the two of them slowly walked away.
Lin Chuntao needed quite a few things to make the sauce. She looked around in the general store and asked about the price of earthenware jars. They were thirty-one coins each, which was a reasonable price for her. She then looked at the scales. Wooden scales were cheaper, but they weren't accurate enough. Copper scales had precise markings and were backed by the government. If she was careless with the ingredients when making the sauce, she might not get the right flavor. She needed a scale with precise markings, but it was really expensive, costing over two hundred coins.
After much deliberation, Lin Chuntao gritted her teeth and bought it. She knew that renting it out daily would cost two coins, but after buying it, she wouldn't need to rent it anymore.
A clay jar and a scale cost her 296 coins. She also needed two pieces of gauze, so she went to the cloth shop and had a few feet cut. Her salt was also running low; it cost 40 coins per jin (500 grams) at the shop. Lin Chuntao wanted to exchange for salt directly from the system, but the salt in the system was all too white, even whiter than the so-called refined salt in the shops. After a moment's thought, she spent 40 coins to buy a jin, then accessed the control panel, exchanged 20 jin of salt from the living area, and took out three jin to mix with the remaining jin.
Making this sauce requires dried chili peppers. Yesterday, she thought about picking red chili peppers in the village and drying them, but then she realized that if she didn't do it well, it would waste time. So she decided to just buy dried chili peppers and make a batch herself. She found a vendor selling dried chili peppers at the market and bought fifteen jin (7.5 kg). Luckily, she had brought extra money, otherwise the little she had from selling mushrooms today wouldn't have been enough.
Having bought everything, it was getting late, so she decided to wait for Pei Ying to go back together before carrying her basket to find him.
When she arrived, there were not many people left in front of the butcher shop; only Pei Ying was in the shop.
She put down her basket before asking, "Are you alone today?"
"No, Chunzi went inside." After saying that, he looked at the bulging basket and asked, "Have you bought everything you need?"
"Yes, I've bought everything. I even bought a steelyard balance." Lin Chuntao complained about how expensive the copper steelyard balance was. Pei Ying laughed and said, "It's okay. A steelyard balance can last a long time. It will be convenient for us to use it when we have one, so we won't have to rent one every day."
Lin Chuntao didn't have to wait long before the meat on her stall sold out. She packed up and left.
Zhang Dayong returned from another stall, and Lin Chuntao greeted him with a smile. Zhang Dayong then asked Pei Ying with a smile, "Will you be coming along with your sister-in-law later?"
Pei Ying hummed in agreement, and Lin Chuntao raised an eyebrow at Pei Ying: "What are you going to do later?"
Pei Ying looked at her and said, "I talked to Brother Zhang about building a house this morning. He knows a carpenter who is very skilled. I want to go and take a look."
Lin Chuntao was surprised by Pei Ying's speed. She nodded and looked at Zhang Dayong, saying, "Thank you for your help, Brother Zhang."
Zhang Dayong waved his hand: "Sister-in-law, you don't need to be so polite, it's nothing."
“I heard Pei Ying mention it this morning. It just so happens that the person I know has a bricklayer and a carpenter. You can go and see if they are suitable. If they are, it will save you the trouble of looking for people everywhere.”
Lin Chuntao nodded, and after Pei Ying finished packing, Zhang Dayong led them away.
The carpenter lived on the outskirts of town. When they arrived, the family was preparing lunch. A middle-aged man came up to greet Zhang Dayong familiarly.
Zhang Dayong introduced him, "Brother Sun, this is Pei Ying, the savior of Little Gourd that I told you about before, and this is his wife, Madam Lin."
The man surnamed Sun greeted them with a smile, and Zhang Dayong said, "He wants to build a house in a few days, so I brought him here to take a look."
Sun Hu greeted him with a smile, "Come in and sit down. What kind of building would you like, young man?"
Upon hearing this, Pei Ying looked at Lin Chuntao, who smiled and asked, "Master Sun, do you have any sample drawings of the previously completed works? We came in a hurry today and didn't have time to prepare them."
Sun Hu glanced at Lin Chuntao, then smiled and said, "Yes, I'll take you to see."
As they spoke, they followed Sun Hu into the house, passed through the house and entered the backyard. In a pavilion in the backyard, there were several small house floor plans.
Yes, it was a floor plan. And it was built entirely of wood; Lin Chuntao was quite shocked.
Sun Hu explained, "This was made by my brother in his spare time. I thought it looked good, so I put it here for everyone to refer to. The weather is good here, so you can build bamboo houses, wooden houses, brick walls or mud walls as you like, it mainly depends on what you like."
Zhang Dayong laughed from the side, "Everyone likes brick houses, but bricks are expensive."
Lin Chuntao didn't know the price of bricks and tiles, but Zhang Dayong happened to mention it, so she took the opportunity to ask, "If the exterior walls are made of bricks, the partitions in the middle are made of wood, and the roof is covered with tiles, how much would it cost for a three-room, two-story house?"
Upon hearing this, Sun Hu turned to look at her and said, "We still need to see how wide you want to build it, but for the one you mentioned, including the doors and windows, it will cost at least forty strings of cash."
Lin Chuntao nodded slightly. This was a bit expensive. She only had four or five strings of cash available, which was far from forty strings.
She thought for a moment and then asked about the price of the adobe walls. Sun Hu said, "The clay and straw are provided by the woman herself, and thatch can also be provided by her. Then we will only charge the bricklayer's wages. The cost of the wooden planks and the carpenter's wages will be much less. The bricks and tiles are the main expense."
Lin Chuntao nodded. She thought about the houses in the village, which were all made of adobe bricks with wooden planks inside. The windows were small, like holes cut out. Lin Chuntao hoped that the windows would be bigger so that there would be plenty of light. She had never seen how adobe houses were built. It wasn't just that it was impossible to make big windows, but also because she just liked small windows.
She looked up at the window of the house. It was a square window with a grid pattern, probably covered with oil paper, making the inside very bright.
"If the walls are made of adobe, can the windows and doors be made like this?"
Madam Sun smiled and said, "Of course, we will do as you ask, madam."
"Brother Sun, if we take the measurements, could you provide a price list?" Lin Chuntao asked. Sun was taken aback for a moment, then smiled and said, "We haven't done that before. Madam, once you have the materials ready, we'll tell you how many days of work it usually takes to build the house and how much the total cost will be."
"Okay, let's go back and think about it first. We'll come back to you when we've made a decision."
Sun Hu said, "I've been friends with Lao Zhang for many years, and you are his friends too, so I'll definitely give you a reasonable price."
Lin Chuntao smiled and thanked them. There were some newly made doors and windows in their yard. Lin Chuntao went over to take a look. The doors were carved with intricate patterns and looked quite exquisite. The details were polished very smoothly, and the mortise and tenon joints fit together perfectly. It was clear that the craftsman's skills were indeed excellent.
Sun Hu laughed and said, "This is for a family on the outskirts of the city. We are still building the house, which is not far from the city gate. It should be completed in about ten days. If you have time, my wife, you can go and take a look."
Zhang Dayong laughed and said, "Then we'll come find you in a couple of days when we have some free time so we can go see it together."
Sun Hu: "Come anytime. I'll be over there if I'm not home. Just call them and they'll take you there."
After leaving Sun Hu's house, Zhang Dayong said, "Old Sun is skilled and honest. Many people in and around the city hire him for work. However, hiring him will definitely cost more than hiring a carpenter in the village. Xiao Pei, you can take another look and compare prices."
Pei Ying nodded slightly and thanked Zhang Dayong, "I'll treat you to breakfast tomorrow."
Zhang Dayong laughed and said, "There's no need for us to be so polite. Why don't you come to my house for lunch today?"
"My younger sisters are waiting for me at home, so I'll go another day."
After parting ways with Zhang Dayong, the two went straight home.
On the way back, Pei Ying said, "We can chip in the money; it won't be much more."
Hearing this, Lin Chuntao knew that he was including all his money, which was indeed not much different. However, Lin Chuntao did not want it to be like this. He could contribute, but he could not contribute almost all of it. After all, that house belonged to her and her sisters.
But these words would hurt people, so she didn't say them.
After thinking for a moment, he said, "We can certainly scrape together the money, but I'm a little hesitant. Wouldn't building a brick house in the village be too conspicuous?"
Pei Ying suddenly smiled: "Brick and tile houses aren't that conspicuous. I think the two-story one you mentioned is a bit conspicuous."
Lin Chuntao said, "The houses in the village are all two-story buildings."
Pei Ying: "Their floors aren't actually two stories high. Don't you also feel cramped upstairs? That's because they're divided into two floors by a height of one and a half stories."
Lin Chuntao smiled and said, "I feel like one floor isn't enough for us."
"What if we build a small courtyard?" Pei Ying asked.
"What kind? A main house, with two rooms on the left and right sides?"
Pei Ying nodded. "Mm."
Lin Chuntao understood. The layout of the courtyard house was acceptable, but she wanted two floors, mainly because the second floor could be a balcony, so she could sit there and enjoy the scenery in her spare time.
But that would indeed be a bit eye-catching, and if someone were to take notice of it, maybe it's better to just forget about it.
"If it's as you say, building a brick house would be more expensive, right? There shouldn't be much difference if it's made of adobe."
"Bricks and tiles will definitely be more expensive."
The two chatted as they walked. This wasn't something that could be decided in a day or two, so they exchanged a few more words and then moved on to other topics.
Back home, Lin Chunxing and the others were carrying buckets out when Lin Chuntao noticed that one of the buckets wasn't theirs and asked them a question.
"It belongs to Uncle Changhua's family. I used some wood ash water to splash the ground this morning, and it's all done. I'm going to return the bucket."
Lin Chuntao was somewhat surprised, "You guys are so fast?"
Lin Chunhe said with a grin, "We went to borrow a bucket, and it turned out that Brother Jiaye and Sister Qingqing helped us get one too."
"That's great! Then invite them over for dinner later. Hurry back, I'll cook and wait for you."
Lin Chunxing nodded, and then ran off with Lin Chunhe and Lin Duo'er.
Lin Chuntao watched their retreating figures and murmured, "I didn't have time to explain last night, but I figured I'd do it myself today."
Pei Ying smiled upon hearing this, carried the things back into the house, and Lin Chuntao followed her in. She took out the jar and gauze and handed them to Pei Ying: "Wash them and let them air dry."
Pei Ying took the things, looked up and stared at her intently. Lin Chuntao coughed lightly, and then saw the man put his arm around her waist and kiss her.
Her soft lips were cool and refreshing. Lin Chuntao responded gently, but the hand on her waist tightened its grip.
If Lin Chuntao hadn't pushed him, it seems this person didn't want to separate at all.
"Hurry up, Chunxing and the others will be back soon."
Pei Ying watched her lips open and close, and after his kiss, her lips turned red. He thought to himself that she must look beautiful with lipstick on.
Lin Chuntao noticed that the man was staring intently at her mouth, and she pursed her lips uncomfortably before scolding him, "What's wrong with you? Hurry up and go wash up and start the fire."
Pei Ying looked at her and asked in a low voice, "Do you know what's wrong with me?"
Lin Chuntao stomped her foot angrily at him, "Get out of here, I don't know anything."
"Then I'll tell you." He leaned closer as he spoke, and Lin Chuntao quickly reached out to push him away, but couldn't budge him. He whispered in her ear, "I'm just thinking about you."
Lin Chuntao: "..." What a lewd man.
After Pei Ying left with the things, Lin Chuntao quickly poured the salt she had just bought into the salt jar. There were four pounds of salt in total, enough to last for a while.
He then took out the bronze scale and put it away. He carried the basket to the side of the house.
Pei Ying had just finished washing the gauze and was about to hang it to dry on the bamboo fence when their eyes met. The way Pei Ying looked at her made her feel a little uncomfortable.
Lin Chuntao was somewhat helpless. She glared at him angrily and turned to go into the house.
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