Liu Guiyong felt somewhat resentful when he saw people from Dashi Village trying to take over his work.
However, he wasn't originally from Dashi Village, and now that the villagers had stepped forward, it was naturally inappropriate to offend anyone on someone else's turf.
Liu Guiyong secretly blamed his son for not being able to keep secrets; when someone asked about his wages, he told the truth.
Seeing his father glaring at him, Liu Wu could only awkwardly scratch his head.
Liu Wu was a straightforward man. He repeatedly stopped people from lecturing him, saying that Chen Xiaomi was no good and that working for the Chen family would likely be unprofitable; they would end up working for free without receiving a single penny. He also said that Chen Xiaomi was heartless and had beaten many members of the Chen family; if they worked for the Chen family, they might get beaten up at any time.
Liu Wu was unhappy with this and argued with them, saying that their wages were paid daily and quite generously, so they wouldn't suffer any loss.
Liu Wu genuinely thought Chen Xiaomi and Lu Lin were good people, and couldn't stand seeing the villagers criticize them like that. He was instigated by others and said many things he shouldn't have, and it was too late to take them back.
The villagers Lu Lin selected were all relatively honest. There were already quite a few villagers who came, and among them were several who wanted to take advantage of the situation.
Lu Lin selected several people with good reputations who were from relatively poor families. After receiving the money, they worked very hard.
When people from the same village and those from other villages work together, there is a certain degree of competition. The villagers don't want to be squeezed out by the villagers, and the villagers don't want to lose their jobs.
It took another ten days or so for the house to be almost finished. Meanwhile, the donkey shed, chicken coop, and duck shed were completed earlier, so Lu Lin arranged for a few people to dig a cellar.
After the cellar was dug, Chen Xiaomi had several people lay floor tiles.
The villagers felt it was unnecessary to spend so much money, but since the host family didn't care about the few dollars, they naturally couldn't object.
Chen Xiaocai has been very busy lately. He has to help Lu Lin with his work, feed the chickens and ducks, and keep an eye on Chen Xiaomai to prevent him from running around.
After separating from the Chen family, few people paid attention to Chen Xiaocai. However, now that so many people were working at home, the villagers would chat with Chen Xiaocai.
Many villagers were interested in the source of Chen Xiaomi's money to buy donkeys and build houses, and couldn't help but ask about it indirectly.
The house is almost finished, so it's time to think about building a kang (heated brick bed).
On the day the kang was being built, several villagers from both local and neighboring villages who were helping out at the Chen family's house were present. Knowing the benefits of a kang, the villagers who were working at the Chen family's house all said they would waive their three days' wages and wanted to see how the kang was built. Chen Xiaomi agreed.
Once Chen Xiaomi's work was finished, the few people who had worked for Chen's family became highly sought after. Villagers all wanted to hire them to repair the kang (a heated brick bed), and their value increased dramatically overnight.
Many villagers regretted not having cultivated a good relationship with Chen Xiaomi before, otherwise, they could have earned some money now that they had learned how to build kang (heated brick beds).
...
Zhang Cheng was smoking inside the room, in a very bad mood.
Several people in the village have learned how to build kang (heated brick beds) and have been extremely busy lately.
Zhang Cheng inwardly resented Lu Lin for preferring to teach his craft to people from other villages rather than to people from his own. Lately, the reputation of his kang (heated brick bed) had spread to the town, and wealthy families in the town also wanted to have their kangs repaired. The villagers in the town were much wealthier than those in the countryside, and the few people in the village who knew how to repair kangs had all gone to the town.
Because the people from other villages also knew how to repair kang (heated brick beds), the two groups became competitors.
However, because there were many customers, the two groups were able to coexist peacefully despite both groups looking for work in town at the same time.
Zhang Cheng thought: If only the people in this village know this skill, then their Dashi Village will be the only ones with a monopoly.
The people in the village who know how to build a kang (a heated brick bed) are mainly a few who used to work for Lu Lin. Others who wanted to join have had their plans postponed until next year.
Those who work for Chen Xiaomi have recently become quite the envy of many.
Many rich people in the city are wealthy, but they are all stingy. Villagers who come to the city are mostly exploited. However, very few people know how to repair a kang (a heated brick bed). The wealthy households in the city are willing to pay very high prices so that they can sleep on a kang as soon as possible. As a result, the few people who know how to repair a kang are constantly going to the city, while those in the countryside who want to have their kangs repaired can only wait.
Zhang Cheng went to find Lu Lin to scold him for teaching his kang-repairing skills to someone from another village, only to be shut down by Lu Lin's words. Lu Lin said that if Zhang Cheng hadn't said there was no one in his village, he wouldn't have needed to go to another village to look for him!
Zhang Cheng was so angry with Lu Lin that he concluded Lu Lin was just as hopeless as Chen Xiaomi.
What angered Zhang Cheng even more was that Zhang Zhuzi and others, who had learned skills from Lu Lin, went to the city to repair kang beds for others after learning the craft, without taking any help from the villagers.
Lu Lin could understand Zhang Zhuzi and the others' choice. Everyone has their own selfish desires. The wealthy households in the village wouldn't give away their surplus rice and grain so selflessly. The few people who came to help in the village before were all from relatively poor families. They finally had a way to make money, and they didn't want to recruit others so quickly. They wanted to wait until they had earned money for a while before making any moves.
...
The Chen family.
Chen Xiaomi counted the silver and complained to Lu Lin, "There are only nine taels and eight hundred coins left."
Chen Xiaomi originally planned to spend eight taels on house repairs, but she accidentally spent more than ten taels.
Lu Lin watched Chen Xiaomi holding the pottery jar and earnestly counting the silver, and he vaguely found it amusing. When Chen Xiaomi hunts, she's like a tiger; when counting money, she's like a little squirrel.
Lu Lin nodded and said, "This much silver is enough to get through the winter."
Chen Xiaomi nodded and said, "That's true."
Lu Lin was planning that in a couple of days, he could sell the last batch of wine this year, and after that, he could properly prepare for the winter.
“The room next door should be habitable after a few more days of airing out,” Lu Lin said.
Chen Xiaomi nodded and said "Oh," but her ears turned slightly red.
Lu Lin glanced at the animal hides beside him and asked, "Are you planning to sell these animal hides?"
Chen Xiaomi nodded.
Although selling alcohol is profitable, Chen Xiaomi has not neglected hunting during this time. In Chen Xiaomi's view, hunting is still his livelihood. However, it is somewhat different from before. Chen Xiaomi has become more cautious and will not provoke dangerous prey.
Lu Lin looked at the animal hides and said, "Let's not sell them. Sew the hides inside the clothes; they'll keep you warmer. I also want to ask Granny Chen to make two pairs of gloves. The hides and fur are quite good. If we process them properly, we should be able to sell them for a high price as gloves."
What are gloves?
Lu Lin stretched out his hand and said, "Gloves are something you wear on your hands to keep warm. Wearing gloves makes it less likely to get frostbite."
Chen Xiaomi tilted her head and said with some surprise, "The people there really live a refined life! They even have things like this."
Lu Lin smiled and said, "It's alright."
Chen Xiaomi looked at Lu Lin and thought to herself: The young master is indeed the young master, so fussy! For someone like him who has to work all day and never has a moment of leisure, wearing gloves is just a waste.
...
With the house built, the issue of "separation" was put on the agenda.
Lu Lin decided to find an opportunity to give Chen Xiaocai a lesson in ideology.
A few days later, Lu Lin finally got a chance.
"Little Cai! You're a big kid now. You'll be getting married and having kids soon. From now on, you'll sleep by yourself. You're a man, so don't be afraid."
Chen Xiaocai glared at Lu Lin. He was still young and didn't want to get married so early.
Lu Lin glanced at Chen Xiaocai and said, "You should know that day will come eventually. Actually, it's not so bad to live separately. You can sleep in the next room, just the two of you and Xiaomai. The bed is big, and you won't be disturbed by your brother's snoring."
Chen Xiaocai blushed and said discontentedly, "Big Brother doesn't snore!"
Lu Lin tilted his head and said, "If your older brother doesn't snore, then you're the one who snores? That's good. You can sleep in the next room, so you won't disturb your older brother and me when you're asleep."
Chen Xiaocai looked at Lu Lin with a frustrated expression and said, "I don't snore either."
"You're asleep, how would you know if you snore or not?" Lu Lin shook his head and said.
Chen Xiaocai gritted her teeth, glared at Lu Lin, and said, "I will let Xiaomai sleep next door, and I will take good care of him."
Lu Lin nodded in satisfaction and said, "I see! That's very good."
With the matter resolved, Lu Lin felt much better. "We're out of kimchi at home. Why don't you go to Grandma Chen's and buy some?"
From the beginning of building the house, Lu Lin often went grocery shopping with Granny Chen. They bought quite a lot of groceries over time. At first, Lu Lin went all the way, but later he asked Chen Xiaocai to take Chen Xiaomai out. Lu Lin felt that children should have more contact with the outside world and play with peers. Staying cooped up at home all day could easily lead to autism.
Chen Xiaocai nodded and said, "Okay."
"Here, this is for you." Lu Lin grabbed two handfuls of roasted chestnuts and gave them to Chen Xiaocai.
In the mountains and forests where Lu Lin often frequents, there are a few chestnut trees. Lu Lin had picked some chestnuts by chance and kept them at the small shop. Recently, he roasted some more, as they are a good snack. The children here don't have many things to eat on a daily basis, so these roasted chestnuts are very popular.
Lu Lin felt that the people in this place were living in a treasure trove but didn't know it.
Chestnuts are so prickly that nobody eats them here.
Lu Lin stored some in the convenience store and would take out a handful from time to time to give to the three brothers as snacks, which was very convenient.
Lu Lin originally cooked chestnuts for Xiao Cai and Xiao Mai, but Xiao Mi saw them and brought back a lot of chestnuts from the mountains. The chestnuts were cooked and stored in the convenience store, and they were always piping hot when taken out. Sometimes when Xiao Mi was hungry, she would ask Lu Lin for some.
"If you encounter other children who you get along with well, share some with them," Lu Lin said.
Chen Xiaocai frowned and said, "Why should we share it with others?" It's winter now, and there are fewer and fewer vegetables available. In the future, we'll only be able to eat the vegetables from the cellar.
Lu Lin frowned and said, "You have to share with others before they'll want to play with you!"
Chen Xiaocai puffed out her cheeks and said, "They're all idiots, I don't want to play with them."
Chen Xiaocai was still a child. When he first left the Chen family, he wanted to play with the children in the village. However, the children in the village were all told by their parents to stay away from him. Some children even threw stones at him. After a while, Chen Xiaocai stopped playing with others.
Lu Lin frowned and said, "Alright then, if you don't have anyone willing to give it to, just keep it for yourself."
Chen Xiaocai put the chestnuts into the pocket. The pockets on these clothes were sewn on by Granny Shen at Lu Lin's request. Granny Shen thought they were quite practical after seeing them, and she also sewed pockets onto all of Chen Chi's clothes.
Chen Xiaocai thought for a moment and thought to himself: If he met Shen Chi at the Shen family, he could share some with Shen Chi.
Chen Xiaocai delivered vegetables to the Shen family a few times and got along well with Shen Chi.
Chen Xiaocai accepted the task and left with Chen Xiaomai.
Chen Xiaomai was very excited when he heard that his second brother was going to take him out to play.
At Chen Xiaomai's age, she should be very active. Originally, Chen Xiaomai was in poor health and was kept at home by Chen Xiaomi. Now that she is better, Chen Xiaomi hopes that Chen Xiaomai will go out more so as not to get bored.
Grandma Shen was very welcoming to Chen Xiaocai and Chen Xiaomai.
When the Chen family was building their house, Lu Lin bought a lot of vegetables from Granny Shen. Granny Shen earned 500 coins over time, and the relationship between the two families became much closer.
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