“If we’re talking about good fortune, Sister Zhao, you’re the one who’s truly blessed. Brother Qian is so capable and treats you so well. Unlike me, my husband died so young. Look at your two sons, aren’t they both hardworking and filial? And your grandsons are both lively and lovable. Anyway, let’s not talk about that. Sister Zhao, do you know anyone who can build houses? It’s not right for our family to live in this dilapidated temple. I’m thinking of using the money from selling the wild boar to build a house. My Jinfu and Jinlu are of marriageable age.”
The two of them complimented each other for a long time.
Yan Xia then got to the point.
"Building a house? Isn't that a perfect coincidence? Your Brother Qian knows how to do it. Leave it to me! I guarantee you'll build a great house that saves you money."
Zhao Xinrong patted her chest and said.
He has a very imposing appearance.
Finally, the two agreed that the house would be built by Qian Guangyi.
Half brick, half soil.
The price includes one main room, two side rooms, and the cost of hiring temporary workers.
A total of 17 taels of silver.
As for the day laborers, they were all Qian Guangyi's good brothers, some from his own village and some from neighboring villages.
Yan Xia handed all the money to Zhao Xinrong, and this trusting manner raised Zhao Xinrong's favorability rating to 80.
It was a wonderful surprise.
After finishing her business, Yan Xia left the Qian family with her two sons.
"See? I told you Xia is kind-hearted. Look at these pastries, they're from a famous bakery in town. I heard a bag of these pastries costs half a tael of silver. Xia is so grateful. Tomorrow you must help her build a house, you hear me? She's really pitiful. Her family didn't care for her when she was young, and her husband's family tormented her. She finally managed to get out of that Chen family. We have to help them."
Zhao Xinrong said to Qian Guangyi.
"Yes, yes, you have the best eye for people. You don't even need to tell me, I'll help her build the house properly. Don't you know me?"
The couple smiled at each other.
They got together because they were compatible.
Zhao Xinrong put the pastries she was holding on the table, then went into the courtyard and started shouting loudly at the Chen family's wall.
"Look at this Xia girl, how generous she is! I only borrowed some farm tools and pots and pans from her, and after selling the wild boar, she actually sent me a top-quality pastry. Oh my, look how beautiful this pastry is! It looks just like real flowers, and it looks delicious. I've never eaten a top-quality pastry in my life. I heard that the county magistrate's wife likes this the most, so I must have a good taste."
Zhao Xinrong smacked her lips deliberately, but actually didn't eat anything.
"Mmm, it's delicious! So they say good deeds bring good rewards. Look, she left that den of wolves, and good luck came all at once. But those who tormented Xia Xia before didn't get any good fortune. Husband, you'd better help Xia Xia build a good house. It's only been a short time since the divorce, and her life is getting better and better. I'm so happy for her, hahaha!"
Zhao Xinrong's hearty laughter echoed through the surrounding houses.
"Look at her arrogant attitude, husband, tell me, was that wild boar blind? How could it run right into Yan Xia? Is this little slut born with such a seductive charm that even a wild boar wouldn't be spared?"
Chen Li, who was eavesdropping in the corner, was so angry she wanted to grind her teeth to powder.
That was a top-quality pastry; she had never tasted it in her entire life.
This little prostitute would rather be given to a stranger than be given to her.
What an ingrate!
"Alright, she's no longer a part of our lives. Why bring her up? Haven't we embarrassed our family enough already? Stop eavesdropping and go to your room to sleep!"
With the head of the household speaking, everyone in the courtyard returned to their rooms.
"Honey, tell me, how much silver did Xia sell the wild boar she caught for? Why don't you go ask her for some? Our grandson should be starting his formal education at school. The tuition at Qianhe Academy in town is four taels of silver, but I insist I don't have the money and want our precious grandson to go to the next village to study with that lousy scholar. I even say it's cheaper there, only eighty copper coins a month. Listen to that! Isn't that infuriating? How could I not have the money? I think I'm just unwilling to spend it—"
Zhu Xiaohua started to make plans.
"You go if you want, I'm not going. Aren't you ashamed? She's already divorced from Shouguo, what does she have to do with you? How did you treat her before, and now you want to borrow money? If I were her, I wouldn't lend you any money either."
Although Chen Shoujia hated Yan Xia, he was self-aware.
He refused to discuss the topic with Zhu Xiaohua any further, took off his shoes, and lay down on the bed pretending to be asleep.
Meanwhile, Yan Xia was completely unaware of Zhao Xinrong's scheming.
By the time she got home, it was already very late.
The family quickly washed their faces and feet and went to bed.
I woke up the next day and everything was fine.
Yan Xia came to the Qian family to discuss building a house.
The land in Baihua Village needs to be purchased, but the land at the foot of the mountain is free.
In order to find a wife for her son, Yan Xia decided to build the house there.
There was no other way; she only had three taels of silver left, so she had to save money.
The houses were located next to the wasteland, very close by.
You can do farm work as soon as you step outside.
That's convenient.
Because less money was spent, the house was not very large. In addition to a main room and the inner room where Yan Xia slept, there was a small woodshed on the left and a kitchen on the right.
The two side rooms were built separately, one on each side.
Each side room is planned as two bedrooms with two doors. The sons sleep in the left side room and the daughters sleep in the right side room, one room for each person, which is very fair.
As for the outhouse, the budget was simply insufficient, so Yan Xia decided to temporarily build a small wooden hut to make do.
We'll put a wooden spittoon in each room so people won't have to go out to use the toilet at night. After all, we're at the foot of the mountain, and it wouldn't be safe if some animal wandered in at night.
Qian Guangyi's personality is very similar to Zhao Xinrong's.
The task force was in a great hurry, and by the third day, all the materials for the temporary workers had been arranged and construction could begin.
Yan Xia sighed, no wonder the two were husband and wife.
When the villagers saw that Yan Xia was about to build a house, they all believed what Aunt Da Zui had said. They all praised Yan Xia for her good luck, saying that she could find wild boars even when she went out. They also implied that the Chen family was ungrateful and wanted to drive away such a good daughter-in-law.
Otherwise, the thirty taels from selling the wild boar would have gone to the Chen family.
When the Chen family found out about this, they were so jealous they almost flew to the sky. Apart from doing farm work, they didn't even want to leave the house, for fear of being laughed at.
Day 6.
Yan Xia, along with her children and borrowed farm tools, headed to the wasteland.
The compost they made a couple of days ago has already irrigated the entire field, and today they need to plant the corn.
Upon arriving at the wasteland, they found that work had already begun at the new house.
"Brother Qian, you've come to build the house so early. Thank you for your hard work. Once the house is finished, I'll definitely treat your family to a meal on my housewarming day."
Yan Xia said to Qian Guangyi with a radiant smile.
"Of course, haha, then I won't stand on ceremony with you, sister. Your older sister keeps urging me to finish building it quickly, saying that living in the dilapidated temple is not comfortable. So, I brought people here as soon as it was dawn. Don't worry, the house will definitely be finished in seven days, but it will still need to be left to air out for three days. Your older sister has checked the auspicious dates for you and said that ten days is a good time to move in."
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
