Chapter 135 Choosing a Homestead
The village chief led everyone to an open space in the middle of the village and pointed, "Two houses can be built here, and there is another piece of land near the end of the village, which can also be used to build two or three houses. The only thing left is the entrance to the village!"
"If you want to live together, there is a large open space, but the location is not very good. It is outside the village entrance and is far away from the villagers' houses. If you build a house there, it will seem like it is being divided from the village."
“All the villagers disliked that piece of land, so no one wanted to build there. They all wanted to build in the middle of the village.”
The head of the village heard that there were only four or five households in the middle and end of the village, and the rest were only at the entrance of the village. He could only look at everyone and ask for their opinions:
"What do you think? Do you have any place you want to choose? We have already looked at the housing plots in the middle and the end of the village. If you have any place you want to choose, you can tell us."
When everyone heard what the head of the village said, they looked at each other and shook their heads.
Xu Zhiyi thought that the location outside the village entrance was not the first choice. The location mentioned by the village chief should be on the left side of the big rock outside the village entrance! There is indeed a large piece of land over there.
But if she built a house there, all the villagers would have to pass by her door in the future. She didn't like that. It would be fine if the villagers knew the limits. But if not, it would bring her trouble!
Xu Zhiyi looked around at everyone, then looked at the village chief and said, "Village chief, besides these lands, is there anything else?"
The village chief stroked his beard and nodded: "Yes, there is, but it has to be close to the foot of the mountain, that is, go straight to the end of this road. However, although the land is close to the foot of the mountain, the residential land is really not barren."
In a cup of tea, the village chief led everyone to the open space at the end of the village near the foot of the mountain.
Xu Zhiyi looked at the large residential plot in front of him. It was very wide, enough to build houses for more than a dozen households. There were only small weeds on the ground, and there were no weeds that were taller than people.
And it’s not far from the houses in the village, only about three hundred meters away from the last household!
"What do you think? I think it's OK."
When everyone heard Xu Zhiyi's words, they couldn't help but nodded.
Wang Daniu: "I think it's okay too. At least this piece of land is big enough to accommodate our families. We don't have to separate, and we can be neighbors and have company."
Seeing that everyone was satisfied, the village head immediately bowed to the village chief and said, "Village chief, we have chosen this one! However, we are new here, so please ask the villagers if there are any willing to help with the house building. We will settle the payment according to normal wages."
"As for food, we don't have enough pots, pans, and bowls, so we won't provide them. Just give us an extra four copper coins a day!"
The village chief heard this and laughed heartily: "Why would anyone not want to help? You are giving them a chance to earn money, who wouldn't want to?"
"But what kind of house are you going to build?"
Xu Zhiyi: "Hey, village chief, what other house can we build? But considering that we may not be able to rebuild it again for ten or twenty years, we might as well empty our savings and build a sturdy mud-brick house!"
Village chief: "Okay, but you have to go to the kiln to order tiles. You can dry the clay yourself. If you are in a hurry, there are ready-made ones for sale. They are much cheaper than tiles."
"Oh, as for the land, the government has always stipulated that men who fled famine and settled down could get two mu of land, and women could get one mu of land."
"These fields are not far away. They are just across the river. There is a road that goes around the foot of the mountain. After I report to the government, I will send you the deeds of the homestead and the fields later."
Li Zheng: "Then I'll trouble the village chief!"
The village chief said: "We are all from the same village now, is there any trouble? Oh, before your house is built, why don't I go to the village and ask the people with more rooms, you can stay for a while."
"There are also a few thatched houses that have not been occupied for years. They look like they are about to collapse. I'm afraid it's not safe to live in them!"
Xu Zhiyi: "Village Chief, let's not bother them. We can just tidy up and live in the thatched hut!"
Upon hearing this, the village chief did not try to persuade them further. After all, he knew well that if he suddenly moved into a villager's home, neither side would be used to it, as they would be strangers to each other.
There is still one room left in my house, but it can't accommodate so many people, so I can only follow their wishes!
Everyone followed the village chief to the thatched houses. At the end of the village, there were three thatched houses, not far from each other. The roofs seemed to be falling down, but with the support of beams, they could still hold on for a while.
After the village chief left, everyone arranged themselves like three mule carts. Xu Zhiyi and the Su family lived in one household, the head of the village led Wang Daniu's family and Doctor Li's family, and the rest of the Lin family lived in one household.
Xu Zhiyi brought his family into the house and took a look. There were four rooms that could be lived in. Except for the shabby beds, the whole house was empty. There was a kitchen on the left side.
Wang Daniu climbed up to the roof carefully, intending to tidy up the places without straw, but when he saw the big mountain opposite and the river in front, he was very happy: "Haha, our hope is finally coming! Look at these green mountains and the river over there, we are finally not short of water!"
Ye rolled his eyes at him and said, "Alright, I know you're the only one who's excited. Do you want to stand on the mountain and roar?"
Wang Daniu heard this and laughed: "Oh, wife, your idea is good. I am so excited now that I have no idea where to vent. I have to go and roar."
Ye brought some straw out of the abandoned house and held it out to Wang Daniu: "What time is it now? Hurry up and help lay the roof. We have to prepare dinner after it is laid!"
Just as everyone was busy tidying up the thatched hut, they saw seven villagers coming over, each holding a machete in their hands.
The village head looked at the seven people who came before him and asked in confusion: "What are you doing?"
"The village chief asked us to come and help. He thought that the straw you used wouldn't be strong enough, and building a house wouldn't be done in a short time. It would take at least twenty days."
"And if it rains, it gets even colder, and if the roof leaks, we can't sleep, so we cut down some trees to make new beams, and then get some straw to lay the roof over again."
Upon hearing this, the village head did not hesitate to say anything more politely, and said, "Thank you all, thank you for your trouble!"
Villager Qiao Lei: "It's no trouble. We are just doing some small things. No need to be so polite. It's not a problem."
Villager Jin Daji: "That's right, since you have settled in our village, you are also our villagers, and it is only right for us to help you."
After the villagers of Cuilin Village finished speaking, some of them went up the mountain with knives and started chopping trees, while some stayed to help remove weeds and prepare straw.
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