The master was measuring things by himself at the side of the house, and finally asked Chunxiao to bring him paper and pen. Chunxiao thought this master was really something, few people in the countryside had paper and pen, how could he be so sure that she must have one? Fortunately, she had bought a piece of ink for Shuwen and the others last time, but she usually felt that ink needed to be ground and was dirty, so she usually used charcoal sticks. She put a table and chairs in the yard, put the pen and ink on it, and the master began to write and draw on it.
In the middle of the conversation, Shuwen came back from outside and leaned over the table to read. Like her, he didn't understand anything.
The master was busy for about an hour before letting her call her father.
Soon, Yan Bingfa came over with his two sons.
"I just did a rough calculation of the materials needed for your house. I'd like to ask you if you want to buy them yourself or leave it to us."
"Let us prepare the materials. We won't bother you with all the hard work of transporting and moving them. Just focus on building the house. When the time comes, please point me to a few places so we can get the materials."
The master nodded and said, "Most of the things were bought by the owner himself, so you can do it too." Then he told them several places to buy things. Chunxiao was afraid that they would forget them after a long time, so he asked the master to write them down.
After discussing the materials, he immediately moved on to manpower. "Our team is full of skilled workers, and there are only eight of us in total. I'm afraid you'll need to hire some handymen to do the work."
"How many people do I need to prepare for this odd job? We don't know how to build a house, so please tell us in more detail."
"Adding the wall to your house will take at least twenty days. Let's assume it's a month. You'll need 20 handymen to dig the foundation, build the walls, and even put up the roof."
“Okay, then I’ll hire 20 people from the village.
"Our team is paid 600 wen a day, and we'll provide two meals a day while we're working. Don't worry, if the work isn't finished in 30 days, we'll count it as 30 days. We won't delay if we can finish it early."
Chunxiao and Yan Bangfa did some calculations on the side. According to the 30 days they mentioned, the wages for the bricklaying team would be 18 taels. The village hired 20 people, and at 20 to 25 coins a day, it would cost 12 to 15 taels. The total wages would be more than 30 taels. No wonder there were not many people building brick houses in the village. The wages were really expensive.
But they couldn't save this money. Yan Bangfa originally wanted to bargain, but Chunxiao felt that the wages would definitely not be reduced, so he asked his father not to waste time and just agreed.
Seeing the owner's straightforwardness, the other party didn't try to trick them. They told them what materials they needed to prepare and told them to move in quickly. They would start work three days after everything arrived. That was the deal.
After Dashan sent the people away, Chunxiao secretly asked her father, don't other people who build houses have to choose an auspicious day to start construction? Why didn't this master mention it?
Yan Bing laughed at her childishness. "If you were building a house on a new site, you would have to be careful. Not only would you have to choose a good date, but you would also have to consult a Feng Shui master first. Now that we're tearing down the old site and rebuilding, there's no need for all that fancy stuff."
In the afternoon, Yan Bingfa called all the family members together, including the children, Yan Wangzu and Dongsheng.
"The master will be here in three days to start work. We need to finish the house, continue our business, and take care of the land. While the house is being built, I'll assign the tasks around the house. If you have any questions, please raise them today. I'm afraid we'll be busy once work starts."
Wangzu and Dongsheng had heard about the house-building plan a few days ago, and now they were listening carefully with the Yan family.
"The eldest and second daughters-in-law take turns cooking the meat. Those who don't get to help with the farm work. Dashan and Dahe take turns delivering the goods. The one whose turn it is has to stay at the end of the village that night to watch the materials. Your mother and I are the only ones who get the meat, so we're not here most of the morning. Those who are here should focus on the housework. Wangzu is in charge of the work in the wheat field, Dongsheng is in charge of the work in the cotton field, and Shuwen, Wenfeng, and the rest of you are old enough to help. As for firewood, you have to go up the mountain every few days to prepare it. We can't run out of firewood at home. Oh, and the younger ones have to take care of the cows, chickens, and pigs at home."
Chunxiao looked at her father blankly, "Dad, what about me? I'm not alive."
"That's wishful thinking." Yan Bingfa smiled. "You have to participate in everything I just said. You are the one who manages all our family affairs. If they have any problems, they have to come to you. You have to watch both sides."
Chunxiao nodded to show that she understood.
Everyone also solemnly expressed that they had remembered it. Yan Bingfa stopped Dongsheng and Wangzu and said, "We need to hire 20 helpers to build the house. Go back and ask your father if they are willing to do it. It will cost 25 cents a day without lunch, and 20 cents with lunch. By the way, ask them to help me find people." The two happily agreed.
That afternoon, Chunxiao and Zhou began packing up their belongings. Luckily, they had an oxcart, otherwise moving everything would have taken quite a while. The most important marinade ingredients were all piled up in Yan Bingfa and Zhou's room, while the pots and buckets from the utility room were moved to Yan Dahe's house. In short, everything that could fit was packed in.
Originally, she hadn't had much, but she'd been adding more and more. Chunxiao was staying at the end of the village for the next two days, so moving everything there wouldn't be enough space. So, they decided to put things like tables, chairs, benches, bathtubs, and cabinets in a nearby area, where people would be present during the day and at night, so there was no need to worry about them being stolen.
They moved the items one after another, and piled up all the items that were difficult to move in the yard. Several women took advantage of their free time to weave a lot of straw mats.
Yan Bingfa took his two sons with him and took time off to discuss the sale of materials.
Dongsheng's father and Wangzu's father helped Yan Bingfa find people in the village. When the villagers heard that Yan Bingfa's family was looking for people to build a house and that they would provide food and 20 cents a day, many people came to their door. However, they were too busy to stay at home. Those people followed the news and went to find Musheng and Shizhu. In short, they soon found all the people.
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