Chapter 95 - A Combined Look at the House-Building Date and Preparations...
After chopping, Lin Chuntao scooped some water into the mixture and soaked it.
While waiting for the rice to be steamed, Lin Chuntao quickly cleaned the pig's trotters, changed the water, put them in the pot, chopped scallions and ginger, poured in a small amount of wine, and waited for the foam to boil.
After boiling it once, I took it out and rinsed it again before putting it back in the pot to stir-fry.
Lin Chuntao stir-fried dried ginger slices, dried chili peppers, Sichuan peppercorns, and star anise together until they released a rich aroma. Then, she poured water into the iron pot and brought it to a boil over high heat. After that, she went to get an earthenware pot and poured all the pig's trotters and broth from the iron pot into the earthenware pot, continuing to simmer it slowly.
Everyone in the village was getting ready for lunch, but Lin Chunxing and the others hadn't returned yet.
Aunt Guizhi and Grandma put away the winnowing basket and beans, and then went home for dinner.
The main thing is to measure each fixed time. Otherwise, Lin Chuntao thinks it's better to set a time for them to leave work, go home when it's time, eat dinner and rest, and then come back to work when it's almost time to start again.
About 45 minutes after they left, Lin Chunxing and Pei Yingcai returned, accompanied by Yu Meixi and Sun Hu.
When the group arrived home, the braised pig's trotters were almost ready.
As soon as I stepped into the courtyard, I smelled the fragrance wafting through the air.
Lin Chunxing saw Yu Meixi and the others and hurriedly invited them to sit down. After putting her things down, Lin Chunxing asked anxiously, "Sister, what delicious food did you make?"
Lin Chuntao smiled and said, "I didn't cook the pig's trotters from yesterday, so I just stewed them. They're cooked now, and we can eat them after stir-frying a couple of other dishes."
As Lin Chuntao spoke, Lin Chunxing peeked over the stove. There wasn't much soup left, but it still looked quite thick, and the pig's trotters had taken on a nice color. It looked very appetizing. She swallowed hard and quickly ran to wash her hands.
Lin Chuntao brewed tea for Yu Meixi and Sun Hu and brought it over.
"Sister-in-law, please sit down for a while, I'll cook a dish."
Yu Meixi smiled and said, "Little sister, you go ahead with your work, don't worry about us."
Lin Chuntao said, "We were originally going to the county town, but we were busy with that this morning because we were dividing the trees."
I heard yesterday that they had cedar trees, and after hearing about the tree division, Yu Meixi took over the conversation.
"Have you divided them up?"
Lin Chuntao: Not yet. Our trees belong to a large family. We measured them this morning and will divide them up after lunch.
"Are we going into the woods again later?"
Lin Chuntao nodded, and Yu Meixi said, "Then we'll go with you to take a look later."
Lin Chuntao smiled and said, "Okay, it's not too far, we'll just go over this side of the mountain."
While chatting, Lin Chuntao brought the earthenware pot down. Yu Meixi and Sun Hu were also there today, so there would be two more people eating. Just then, Lin Chunxing and the others bought some pork belly, so Lin Chuntao cut out a piece and prepared to make twice-cooked pork.
Twice-cooked pork is easy to make and the process is not complicated. While the pork was cooking, Lin Chuntao asked Lin Chunhe to run to the field and bring back two cabbages.
She went there carrying a vegetable basket, and when she came back, there were still quite a few pea shoots in the basket.
Before Lin Chuntao could ask, Lin Chunhe said, "Sister, Auntie gave them the pea shoots."
“I don’t want to pinch them. She said she’s already picked them all, and the pea shoots are growing very well this year.”
Lin Chuntao nodded and smiled, "I feel embarrassed to eat her pea shoots so often."
Lin Chunhe: "Sister, the peas you planted before have sprouted. They should be ready to eat in a while. When Auntie's peas are finished, ours will be ready to take over. We can have Auntie come and pick them from our field."
"Um."
In the village, many people have good neighborly relations. Whenever vegetables are grown in the fields, whoever's vegetables are ripe first will eat them. When another family's vegetables are ready, they will invite everyone to take some.
Pea shoots are served with cabbage, but Lin Chuntao still prefers pea shoots. Whether it's cooked with rice noodles or simply boiled, she prefers pea shoots.
Yesterday, Lin Chuntao fried some pork skin and planned to use it to make a pea shoot soup.
"Chunhe, wash the pea shoots."
Lin Chunhe asked, "Aren't you going to wash the cabbage?"
"Wash, washing just one is enough."
Lin Chunhe responded and ran to fetch water from the earthenware basin to wash the vegetables.
The pork belly in the pot was almost cooked, so Lin Chuntao took it out and rinsed it with water. Then she cleaned the pot and put it back on the stove.
"Chunxing, take the pot down when the water has evaporated."
After giving her some instructions, she went to cut the meat. If the twice-cooked pork is cut too thick, it will be greasy when stir-fried. If it is cut a little thinner, it can be stir-fried into a dry and fragrant dish, or it can be stir-fried like regular twice-cooked pork.
Lin Chuntao is fast at chopping things, and in no time she had finished chopping and putting them in a bowl. She then washed two garlic sprouts, a piece of fresh ginger, and two dried chilies, and chopped them all up for later use.
Lin Chunhe had already washed the vegetables; the pea shoots and cabbage were each placed in a bamboo sieve to drain.
"Chunhe, peel a few more potatoes, and wash some coriander and scallions."
As she spoke, Lin Chunhe took the bamboo basket that held the cabbage, cut the cabbage into sections, and set it aside for later use.
After everything was ready, Lin Chuntao took two bowls and scooped out half a bowl of pork cracklings and another bowl of pork skin. For lunch, she would make stir-fried pork cracklings with bok choy, boiled pork skin with pea shoots, stir-fried twice-cooked pork, and a potato, plus stewed pig's trotters, making five dishes in total, which would be enough to eat.
With the ingredients prepared, Lin Chuntao was ready to start cooking.
Heat oil in a wok, add garlic stalks, ginger, and dried chili peppers, and sauté until fragrant. Then add the meat. While the meat is cooking, Lin Chuntao ladles out some sauce. After the meat is cooked, Lin Chuntao continues to stir-fry for a while until the surface of the meat is slightly golden. It will be a little firmer, but much more fragrant.
Once the meat was cooked, Lin Chuntao added the garlic sprouts. After the garlic sprouts were cooked, she added salt and soy sauce, stir-fried it over high heat, and the bright red twice-cooked pork was ready.
The aroma of meat and chili peppers filled the entire courtyard. Yu Meixi looked at Lin Chuntao, who was cooking, and then at Sun Hu, her pupils dilating in shock.
She sniffed and noticed that her husband also wanted to take a deep breath and smell the air. The couple looked at each other, as if they were both saying, "How can Lin Chuntao cook this meat so well?"
Yu Meixi really wanted to say how delicious it was, but she was already a little embarrassed because she couldn't leave the restaurant for lunch. If she praised the food, wouldn't that be the same as saying that she wanted to eat it?
Yu Meixi: How embarrassing, but it smells so good...
After Lin Chuntao finished cooking the meat, she had to wash the pan, but there was still oil in it. Everyone was reluctant to wash the oily pan, so they would habitually scoop two spoonfuls of rice into it, just like making rice mixed with lard.
Lin Chuntao cooked a bowl of rice, then washed the pan. Next, she stir-fried pork cracklings and bok choy, and boiled pork skin and pea shoots. While she was cooking the two dishes, Lin Chunhe had already peeled and washed the potatoes. Lin Chuntao ladled oil into the pan, then ran to cut the potatoes. She cut them into irregular pieces very quickly. By the time the lard had melted, her potatoes were also cut and stir-fried in the pan.
Stir-frying potatoes takes a little longer. Lin Chuntao brought the stir-fried dish to the table and then said to Lin Chunxing, "Chunxing, I steamed a bowl of dumplings in that steamer. Could you bring it out for a moment?"
Upon receiving the message, Lin Chunxing brought over the steamer, lifted the lid to test the temperature, and finding it wasn't too hot to handle, she took it out directly.
Lin Chuntao said, "Get the bowls and chopsticks and serve the rice. You can eat now."
After saying that, Lin Duo'er quickly went into the house and brought out the bowls and chopsticks. Lin Duo'er carried out seven bowls, and Lin Chuntao said with a smile to Yu Meixi and Sun Hu, "Sister-in-law, Brother Sun, please have some with us."
The couple waved their hands in unison.
"No, no, we've already eaten. We came after lunch."
Lin Chuntao smiled and said, "You're eating early. It's so late. Don't mind, sister-in-law, just have something to eat."
Yu Meixi thought to herself, "The food on this table is better than what we've eaten. If this is all just so-so, how can we survive?"
And this dish smells so good!
The freshly served pig's trotters were still steaming hot, and the aroma was so enticing that it made one feel dizzy.
The bright red stir-fried pork slices looked so appetizing that just thinking about them made me feel like I could eat three bowls of rice. It took a lot of courage for Yu Meixi to refuse this meal.
"No, no, girls, you guys eat quickly. Your brother and I are really full before we came, and we're not hungry now."
I wasn't hungry, but it smelled delicious.
Lin Chuntao smiled and said, "If you're not hungry, have some vegetables. Don't be so polite, sister-in-law."
Lin Chuntao was enthusiastic, and Yu Meixi could refuse once, and even twice, but refusing three times was something she couldn't do.
Just then, a gentle breeze blew by, carrying the aroma of the dishes on the table to her nose. Yu Meixi said, "Little sister, then your brother and I won't stand on ceremony."
Lin Chuntao laughed upon hearing this, "You're too polite, we don't need to be so formal."
Lin Chunhe was stir-frying the potatoes in the pot. After Yu Meixi agreed, Lin Chuntao went over. The potatoes in the pot were already cooked. Lin Chuntao quickly added salt, chili powder, cilantro and scallions, a small amount of sauce, stirred it quickly, and served it. It looked very appetizing.
She brought the potatoes to the table, and Lin Chunxing and the others had also scooped up their rice. She then sat down to eat as well.
Having already agreed to eat, Yu Meixi didn't hold back. She immediately tried the twice-cooked pork that she wanted to try the most, wrapped a mouthful of rice in it, and although it looked red, it wasn't spicy. Instead, it was very fragrant. When she chewed it, the slices of meat had a slightly crispy texture. It was simply amazing and went perfectly with rice!
After taking a bite, Yu Meixi's eyes widened as she looked at Lin Chuntao and exclaimed, "Girl, how did you make this dish? It smells amazing! It smells delicious, and it tastes even better!"
Lin Chuntao was praised, and Lin Duo'er felt a little proud. She smiled and said, "My sister makes all kinds of delicious dishes."
Lin Chuntao was both amused and exasperated, and said to Yu Meixi, "It's just a simple home-style stir-fry; the main reason it's good is this sauce."
Yu Meixi almost asked her if she bought the sauce from Chai's Sauce Shop, but then she thought of the backyard house that Lin Chuntao had planned—wasn't it just like a small sauce shop? Adding to that her braised pork soup noodles, Yu Meixi asked with a smile, "Chuntao, is this sauce the same as the one in your soup noodles?"
Lin Chuntao nodded. "Sister-in-law, it's one kind."
"Did you make all of this yourself?" Sun Hu asked.
"Yes, I made them all myself."
As soon as Lin Chuntao finished speaking, Yu Meixi said to Sun Hu, "The way you put it, it's a kind of sauce, and it must have been made by Chuntao."
Sun Hu said, "I've had rice noodle soup before. If I hadn't eaten at my sister's house, I really wouldn't have known that these two are the same sauce."
Lin Chuntao said, "There are many ways to eat this sauce. You can use it to stir-fry rice, stir-fry meat, mix it with potatoes, or cook it in noodles or soup."
Yu Meixi nodded, inwardly praising Lin Chuntao's excellent skills.
"Why didn't you sell this sauce, girl?" Yu Meixi thought that if she sold it, many people would like it, so she asked.
Lin Chuntao said, "There isn't much stock left, just enough for making soup noodles on weekdays. We should be able to send it to the county town to sell by the end of next month."
Yu Meixi said, "That's great, then we'll be able to buy them in the city."
Lin Chuntao smiled and said, "If you like it, I'll scoop some out for you in a bit."
Yu Meixi waved her hand: "No, no, that won't do."
Lin Chuntao: "We just use some homemade sauce. We don't sell enough, but we can still give some to our relatives and friends."
Yu Meixi wanted it, but Lin Chuntao had just said she wanted to keep it to sell soup noodles, so she was a little hesitant to ask. But Lin Chuntao brought it up herself, so she could only say, "Then I won't be polite. Sister, please scoop out two jin for me." She would give Lin Chuntao some money later.
While eating and chatting, Yu Meixi also got to try the steamed ingot-shaped dumplings. Every household fries these during the Lunar New Year, and they all taste pretty much the same.
Sun Hu had only picked up one at random, but his eyes widened as he ate it, so Yu Meixi followed suit and picked up one as well.
These weren't even freshly fried, but they were already delicious. If they were freshly fried, I don't know how fragrant they would be.
Previously, when they built houses for other people, Yu Meixi would cook.
But at this point, the couple began to waver.
If they were to take on the task of building a house for Lin Chuntao, it would take at least a month to complete. If the craftsmen ate Lin Chuntao's cooking for the entire month, they would probably have plenty of energy to keep going.
The couple exchanged a glance, words on the tip of their tongues, but since the contract hadn't been signed yet and nothing had been agreed upon, they had to wait for Lin Chuntao to review the blueprints, confirm that everything was in order, and sign the contract to allow them to build the house before they could even discuss the issue of meals.
Yu Meixi thought to herself, if Lin Chuntao is cooking, then she will work with her and eat here too.
Lin Chuntao had no idea that the couple had thought so much over just one meal. She only felt that after the meal, the two of them were even more enthusiastic about talking to her about building a house.
The braised pig's trotters were very flavorful today. There were only four trotters, so it wasn't a lot. Each person ate two or three pieces and finished them all.
The braised pig's trotters were very tender and flavorful. Lin Chuntao picked up some vegetables, and Yu Meixi and Sun Hu each ate a piece, completely satisfied.
Lin Chunxing and Lin Chunhe started making reservations for their next meal as soon as they finished eating.
Lin Chuntao said, "I'll make it, I'll buy it again in a couple of days."
The sisters chatted as they cleared away the bowls and chopsticks and wiped the table.
After the wiped tabletop had dried, Yu Meixi and the others took out the finished drawings and called Lin Chuntao to sit down and look at them.
Lin Chuntao didn't quite understand the style of the drawings, but they were very clear at a glance.
Lin Chuntao wanted a wooden boardwalk on the second floor. Sun Hu also told her that the outer walls should extend out a bit so that the roof and the outer walls on both sides could block the rain and prevent it from leaking in. The wooden boards of the boardwalk could also be used for many more years.
Because the house isn't very tall overall, and considering that Pei Ying from Lin Chuntao's family is quite tall, to avoid the second floor being too low and cramped, Sun Hu suggested slightly increasing the slope. This way, people would only see a roof from the outside, but the interior space would be larger.
Yu Meixi explained, "If the house is small, then a large slope is not good, as it will be more troublesome to repair. But your house is relatively large, so the slope is not bad."
Lin Chuntao called Pei Ying to come and take a look. This thing will definitely be put up in the future by Pei Ying. She has never done this before, so she has to ask Pei Ying.
Pei Ying glanced at the blueprints and then nodded.
The pigsty wasn't double-layered; it's single-layered, but not too low either, still relatively spacious. Lin Chuntao wanted to build a stone trough directly inside the pigsty, but the pigs would root around in the mud, and it might be destroyed in no time.
She shared her idea, and Yu Meixi said, "Girl, you might as well get a stone trough. But stone troughs aren't cheap. The main thing is that you farm, so you definitely need manure. There's a lot of manure all year round. If you put a feeding trough in it, there will be a lot of things in it, and you'll have to deal with it frequently."
Lin Chuntao nodded and smiled, "That's alright. The main thing is that my family cooks things, so we have to clean up the pig manure regularly. Otherwise, there will be a lot of flies in the yard, and it won't be clean."
Hearing Lin Chuntao say this, Yu Meixi said, "Then I'll go back and ask about the stone trough for you, and try to get it cheaper. We'll also make the pigsty a little lower for you."
The pigsty was agreed upon, while the other side, where things were piled up, was turned into an open-plan second floor. Sun Hu said, "If you have a lot of stuff, you don't need to carry it up. You can get a hand crank and pull the things up directly from downstairs. It will save a lot of effort. That's why I didn't completely cover up the previous part."
Lin Chuntao was very satisfied with this design!
She had previously mentioned that she wanted to build a tower in one of the houses in the backyard, with things stored upstairs.
She looked at the internal structure and said, "We opened a door directly from the side upstairs. It can also be opened from the front or back, which is very convenient for you to bring things up."
Yu Meixi and the others put a lot of thought into planning these things for her. She didn't need to change anything about the warehouse and the sauce-making area in the backyard; she just made a slight modification to the window design.
From the outside, it looks like a hinged window, but inside, Lin Chuntao had it made into a foldable double-glazed window with an internal latch. This design was only used in rooms where a few people lived; it wasn't used in other rooms.
Yu Meixi nodded. Lin Chuntao gave each of her younger sisters their own rooms, and it was safer for her to live alone.
There are no other major problems.
The remaining amount is the amount of soil, rice straw, glutinous rice, and thatch.
Preparing these things by Lin Chuntao herself would be a huge undertaking. Sun Hu said, "It's not easy for you to get all these things, and you'll probably have to pay someone to do it. You can think about whether to buy them or have someone dig them up. It will be a little slower if you have someone dig them up. If you decide to dig them up, we can help you find someone. It'll cost 20 coins a day. There are plenty of people in the county who can do it."
"Or the girl can hire someone from the village."
Actually, there are quite a few people in the village, so hiring someone would be an option, but it would be troublesome if she had to manage it herself.
Lin Chuntao said, "Let's find someone to dig it up and then haul it away by car. If we have to carry it on our backs, I don't know when we'll be able to get it."
Yu Meixi said, "That's right, we just need to find a few people to dig yellow clay and a few trucks. There are relatively few trucks to transport this in the countryside, but I can find some for you, sister."
Lin Chuntao said, "I'll look for that person in the village. Sister-in-law, please help me find a car."
Yu Meixi agreed. Lin Chuntao then brought up the topic of thatch. Sun Hu said, "Once we start building, you should have someone cut some. By the time we finish building, we should have enough. There are people in the city who sell thatch. The price isn't too expensive. If we don't have enough, we can buy some."
It's actually not too bad. I can make some myself, and if it's not enough, I can buy some more.
Having discussed those points, the remaining issue is timber. If Lin Chuntao could cut down the fir trees herself, she could save a significant amount of money.
Yu Meixi said, "We're going to buy fir wood anyway. You can think about how many trees to cut down. But freshly cut wood is still alive, and it will shrink after drying. So we'll try to use dried wood. You can give us the trees, and we'll use the ones we have at home to make it for you. That will be better."
Lin Chuntao didn't have any objections, she just wanted to calculate the amount of timber needed.
"Sure, after we finish dividing the trees, we can go take a look over at the woods."
Sun and Aunt Guizhi returned quickly, and Meng Yun also returned with them.
Upon seeing Yu Meixi and Sun Hu, Madam Sun asked with a smile, "How did your talk go?"
Lin Chuntao laughed and said, "Grandma, let's finish chatting. We're still missing that tree, and we don't know how many trees we'll need."
Sun said, "When we arrived, your great-grandfather and the others were still calculating. They should be here soon."
Before long, Lin Cunzheng and Lin Changhua arrived.
There are a total of 176 trees. On average, Lin Chuntao and her group can get 25 trees. The extra one was not counted, and Lin Chuntao didn't have any objections.
There are 25 trees, 11 of which are very large, 8 are slightly smaller, and the rest are even smaller.
After the trees were divided, everyone went to plant the stone stakes together. Yu Meixi and Sun Hu also went to see the trees.
They had been buying trees for many years, but this was the first time they had discovered this cedar forest. The trees were so big... they didn't need more than five or six.
Looking at the trees, Sun Hu couldn't help but ask Lin Cunzheng, "Uncle, are you selling these trees?"
Lin Cunzheng shook his head: "I won't sell them. I'll keep them for the children in the clan."
Sun Hu nodded. Such a big tree, if used to build a small house, you could cut down more than you need, saving a lot of money. That's great.
Hearing that it wasn't for sale, Sun Hu temporarily abandoned the idea.
After planting the stone stakes, Lin Chuntao and Pei Ying walked around the area, noting the trees and their locations.
After finishing their work and returning home, Lin Chuntao and Yu Meixi began to do the accounting.
The final decision was that if they cut down the big tree, they would pay for the timber of three trees, and they would charge the carpenter ten taels of silver. The construction period would be between one month and forty-five days, and they would charge the workers eighteen taels of silver. In addition, they would also have to include the cost of everyone's meals. However, after the couple ate Lin Chuntao's meal, they hesitated.
Before they could figure it out, Lin Chuntao asked, "So, how are you all going to manage your meals, sisters-in-law?"
Yu Meixi said, "According to past practice, we always cook on the spot. I usually cook the meals."
Lin Chuntao raised an eyebrow as she sensed that Yu Meixi's words had more to say. Yu Meixi smiled and said, "Little sister, do you have time to cook for everyone? If you provide the meals, we can quote you a lower price."
Before Lin Chuntao could agree, Yu Meixi smiled and said, "Your Brother Sun just said that if the workers eat the food you cook, they might be more motivated."
Lin Chuntao chuckled and replied, "If that's the case, then that's fine too. Sister-in-law, give me the total price."
Lin Chuntao paid for the food. Yu Meixi and the others quoted Lin Chuntao a price of twenty-nine taels. Lin Chuntao estimated in her mind that since she had paid for the materials and the timber, it was roughly the same as the wages for the carpenters and masons.
She had calculated that a skilled worker and a laborer would each earn about sixteen or seventeen taels a month, and even with the carpenter's earnings, the prices they quoted weren't particularly high.
Lin Chuntao said, "Then I'll have to trouble Sister Yu and Brother Sun from now on."
She agreed with that, and Yu Meixi smiled and said, "Of course, sister. Don't worry, we'll definitely build this house for you beautifully!"
The contract was written by Sun Hu. Lin Chuntao will pay a deposit today, 20% on the day the work starts, 30% ten days after the start of work, 30% twenty-five days after the start of work, and the remaining balance upon completion of the project.
This was the first time Yu Meixi and her colleagues had ever seen a company pay in so many installments. In the past, they usually received half payment at the start of the project and the remaining half upon completion. Some people would drag their feet after finishing the project, so getting paid was a skill in itself.
Lin Chuntao divided it up, and in the end, they only had 20% left, which wasn't bad for them.
Yu Meixi agreed on the spot, and everyone signed the contract, each taking a copy. Yu Meixi symbolically took a deposit of six hundred coins.
Lin Chuntao said, "I'll check the dates in the next few days to decide when to start work, and then I'll let you know, sister-in-law."
Yu Meixi agreed. There was nothing else to do. Lin Chuntao scooped two jin of sauce for them, and the couple insisted on leaving some money for Lin Chuntao before going home.
After seeing the couple off, Mrs. Sun said with a smile, "I'll have your great-grandfather look up the almanac for you later and see which day we can start work."
Lin Chuntao was also very impatient. She smiled and said, "I'm going to find my great-grandfather right now."
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