Chapter 54 Chapter 54-Try two in one? (Sorry, forgot...
Hearing his voice, Lin Chuntao knew that he took his words seriously, and she gave up her joking intention.
"What do you mean?" Lin Chuntao asked back.
Pei Ying: "Try it."
Lin Chuntao felt this was a good opportunity to discuss the matter, but she didn't know where to begin and fell silent.
Pei Ying looked at her like this and thought she was unhappy, but since it had come to this, she might as well say what needed to be said.
"We've been together for a while now. Although I don't know everything about you, I do know some of you. What do you think of me?"
Before Lin Chuntao could reply, he continued, "I love you and want to spend the rest of my life with you."
After this sudden confession, Lin Chuntao wanted to change her position, but Pei Ying held her tightly, not allowing her to retreat.
Lin Chuntao thought for a moment and said, "Actually, I have something to tell you, but I don't know how to start."
"You have concerns, what are they?" Pei Ying asked.
Lin Chuntao pursed her lips and said bluntly, "I don't want to get pregnant or have a child for the time being. This has nothing to do with you. It's my own idea."
Pei Ying said softly, "I know that. The doctor said you're not in good health. Even if you get pregnant, you'll likely have a miscarriage. I definitely won't put you in that situation."
Lin Chuntao shook her head slightly. "Even if the doctor hadn't explained my condition, I wouldn't want to get pregnant right now. Do you understand?"
Pei Ying nodded slightly, "Yeah."
Lin Chuntao looked at him steadily. After all, they were not from the same era. She felt it was a little unreal that Pei Ying agreed to this.
"What else?" Pei Ying asked.
Lin Chuntao glanced around the room and whispered, "I don't want to be here."
Pei Ying pursed her lips upon hearing this, and then responded, "That's no problem, we'll move into our new house later. Besides this, is there anything else?"
"there is none left."
Pei Ying raised his eyebrows slightly, "Really?"
Lin Chuntao was about to nod when Pei Ying asked, "I like you, what about you?"
Meeting his burning gaze, Lin Chuntao slowly leaned forward. Pei Ying held his breath as she leaned against his cheek and smiled in his ear, "I won't tell you."
After she finished speaking, she wanted to run, but Pei Ying held her back with both hands. He turned over and pressed her under him.
Lin Chuntao's heartbeat was rapid, and Pei Ying's was no less rapid. Even his breathing was heavier. He stared at Lin Chuntao's lips and slowly leaned forward. Lin Chuntao did not shy away.
The moon slowly hid in the passing clouds, letting the soft clouds carry it forward. No one knew that behind the obscured clouds, the moon rolled several times until the clouds were about to be blown away by the wind. Then the moon came out by itself and hung high in the night sky.
Pei Ying hugged Lin Chuntao tightly. He felt that all the blood in his body was rushing to one place.
But he had just promised her that he would wait until they moved into the new house.
He felt a little regretful. He had never longed for someone so much before. He wanted to give her all of himself and wanted her to belong to him.
It was just a kiss, but Lin Chuntao was breathless. I don’t know if it was because her body was too weak.
She suddenly felt that telling Pei Ying that waiting to move to the new house was a very wise decision. She felt that this person was like an old house on fire no matter how she looked at him.
Pei Ying looked at Lin Chuntao in his arms. She was quite tall, but now nestled in his arms, he felt that there seemed to be a big difference in their body shapes. His hands were on her waist, but he couldn't feel any flesh at all.
"You are really too thin. Eat more and gain some weight."
Lin Chuntao smiled and said, "Wait for the doctor to take care of my body. I should gain some weight and be healthier."
She said as she slid into bed, "Go to sleep. We have to get up early tomorrow."
Pei Ying responded and lay down as well. He grabbed her hand and slowly placed it on his chest. It was the first time that Lin Chuntao had touched a man's pectoral muscles so blatantly. She closed her eyes and unknowingly touched his abdomen. As if sensing something, she hurriedly tried to pull back, but Pei Ying grabbed her. He said hoarsely, "Touch it."
Lin Chuntao knew that this man was getting too demanding and couldn't come, so she refused to do it. She reached out and pinched his waist, and he let her go in pain.
"My wife is so cruel."
Lin Chuntao snorted and interrupted him: "Hurry up, go to bed."
As she said this, she turned over. Pei Ying lay there bored for a while, then got up and went out. She came back after a long time, feeling cold.
"You went to the river?"
Pei Ying smiled when he heard that and wanted to hug her, but then he remembered that he had just taken a cold shower and his body was cold.
"Didn't you say you were going to sleep? Are you still asleep?"
Lin Chuntao: “…”
Pei Ying said, "Go to sleep."
Lin Chuntao was indeed a little sleepy, but she was free from all distractions and fell asleep quickly.
Pei Ying, who was standing next to her, listened to her steady breathing, suppressed the distracting thoughts that arose in his mind, and forced himself to close his eyes and go to sleep.
At the hour of Yin the next day, Lin Chuntao was awakened by the chattering of the system.
"Ding ding ding ding—there are so many mushrooms ten miles away! Mushrooms, mushrooms, mushrooms! Host, get up quickly!"
Lin Chuntao heard the rooster crowing in the yard. Just as she was about to sit up, Pei Ying next to her woke up. He stretched and took her into his arms.
Thinking of the long kiss last night, Lin Chuntao's face felt a little hot.
"It's time to get up."
Pei Ying hummed in a low voice and leaned forward. Lin Chuntao pushed him, wanting to tell him to stop, but it did not move him at all.
The two of them took a long time to get up, and set off a little later than usual.
This was the first time that Lin Chuntao had picked mushrooms in so many days. The light yellow mushrooms were small, but because they were a little damp from the dew, there was mucus on their skin. If they accidentally got on your hands and then got dirt on them, the small mushrooms would be dirty. Lin Chuntao was very careful when picking them up, trying not to touch the umbrella caps. She was going to sell them, and if they looked dirty, people would not want to buy them.
It was already daybreak when she finished picking the same basket. Fortunately, the mushrooms were small and soft, so they lay close together, making it easier to carry them quickly without breaking.
The market was as lively as ever. When she arrived, there were women waiting to buy mushrooms. They were a little disappointed with the winter mushrooms. They preferred the tricholoma, the chicken mushroom, the pine mushroom, the milk mushroom, and the like. Lin Chuntao smiled and said, "We only picked up winter mushrooms today. If you don't like them, you can come back tomorrow."
The woman smiled and said, since she had been waiting for a long time, she decided to buy two pounds to try.
Hearing the women still buying, Lin Chuntao smiled and said, "Braised tofu with mushrooms tastes good. Aunts can try making it."
The woman looked at her in surprise and asked, "Can mushrooms be fried with tofu?"
Lin Chuntao nodded and explained the method.
"If my aunt has potato flour, I can add a little bit of it when the food is almost done frying, and it will taste great."
She spoke very seriously, and the woman in front of her smiled and said, "Okay, I'll try it when I get back."
The women bought two kilograms each, and there was still a lot in their baskets. Lin Chuntao took a break and sat down to shout. Many people saw that they were mushrooms and left. Few people bought. When Lin Chuntao thought that she might have to carry half a basket of mushrooms back to dry, a young woman came with a bun and a maid carrying a basket on her back.
Lin Chuntao smiled and greeted, "Madam, these fresh mushrooms can be stir-fried or made into soup. They taste great. Would you like to buy some to try?"
Qin Suyun nodded slightly and took one out to look at it. The surface of the cap was still covered with dew, which showed that it was indeed very fresh. Moreover, this small mushroom could be so clean after being picked up from the mountains, which must have taken a lot of effort.
"How much is one pound?" Qin Suyun asked.
Lin Chuntao smiled and said, "Ten cents a pound."
Qin Suyun looked calm and raised her eyes to look at her: "If I buy all of them, can you give me a discount?"
Lin Chuntao looked at the backpack and estimated its weight. It was at least sixteen or seventeen jin (16 or 17 jin). A jin (10 or 17 jin) discount meant a 10 jin (16 or 17 jin) discount. She smiled and replied, "Since this is your first time buying from me, I'll give you a 10 jin discount if you weigh it in full."
Qin Suyun nodded slightly and said, "Okay, weigh it."
The final weight was 18.5 jin, and Lin Chuntao charged her 170 wen.
After receiving the money, Lin Chuntao asked, "Is your home far away? If it's not far, I can help you deliver it there."
Qin Suyun smiled and said, "Don't bother me, my lady. Just help me put the mushrooms in the basket."
Lin Chuntao nodded and helped put the mushrooms into their backpacks.
After finishing, the girl picked up the backpack and the two left together. Lin Chuntao also packed up her things and prepared to go buy some things.
She was heading in the same direction as the two people just now, and they were close together. Lin Chuntao heard the girl complain, "Madam, will the old lady be unhappy that you bought so many mushrooms? Our shop hasn't even opened yet."
Qin Suyun said calmly, "I bought some to dry in the sun, just in preparation for opening a shop later."
The little girl nodded. Lin Chuntao arrived in front of the grocery store. She went into the store, and the master and servant slowly walked away.
Lin Chuntao needed a lot of things to make sauce. She looked around in the grocery store and asked about the price of the earthen jars. Thirty-one coins each was a reasonable price, acceptable to her. She also looked at the scales. Wooden scales were cheap, but not accurate enough. The copper scales were accurate enough and had the government's endorsement. If one was careless when adding ingredients when making sauce, the sauce might not taste right. She needed one with a precise scale, but it was a bit expensive, costing more than two hundred coins.
After hesitating for a long time, Lin Chuntao gritted her teeth and bought it. She said it would cost two cents a day to rent, and she wouldn't have to rent it after buying it.
A clay jar and a scale cost her two hundred and ninety-six coins. She also needed two pieces of gauze, so she went to the cloth shop and bought a few feet of gauze. Her family was also running low on salt. At the shop, salt cost forty coins per pound. Lin Chuntao wanted to exchange salt directly from the system, but the salt in the system was too white, even whiter than the so-called fine salt in the salt shop. After a moment's deliberation, she spent forty coins on a pound. Then, she accessed the control panel and exchanged twenty pounds of salt from the living area, taking out three pounds to mix with the remaining one.
To make this sauce, she needed dried chilies. Yesterday, she'd considered picking red chilies in the village and drying them, but then she realized it would be a waste of time if she didn't get it right. She decided to just buy some and make a jar of it. She found a vendor selling dried chilies at the market and bought 15 pounds. Luckily, she'd brought extra money, otherwise the money she'd earned from selling mushrooms today wouldn't have been enough.
After buying everything, it was not too early, so she planned to wait for Pei Ying to go back together, and then she put on her backpack and went to look for Pei Ying.
When she went there, there were not many people in front of the butcher's shop, only Pei Ying was in the shop.
She put down the backpack and asked, "Are you alone today?"
"No, Haruko went into the house." He then looked at the packed backpack and asked, "Have you bought everything you need?"
"Yes, I bought everything. I also bought a steelyard." Lin Chuntao complained about the expensive copper scale. Pei Ying smiled and said, "It's okay. A steelyard scale can be used for a long time. It will be convenient to have one at home. I don't have to rent a scale every day."
Lin Chuntao didn't have to wait long before the meat on the stall was sold out.
Zhang Dayong also came back from another stall. Lin Chuntao greeted him with a smile. Zhang Dayong smiled and asked Pei Ying, "Will your sister-in-law come with us later?"
Pei Ying hummed, and Lin Chuntao raised an eyebrow and looked at Pei Ying: "What are you going to do later?"
Pei Ying looked at her and said, "I talked to Brother Zhang this morning about building a house. He knows a carpenter and he said he has excellent skills. I want to go and see him."
Lin Chuntao didn't expect Pei Ying to be so quick. She nodded and looked at Zhang Dayong and said, "Thank you for troubling me, Brother Zhang."
Zhang Dayong waved his hand: "You're welcome, sister-in-law. This is just a small matter."
"I heard Pei Ying mention it this morning. It just so happens that the family of the person I know already has a bricklayer and a carpenter. You can go and see if they're suitable. If they are, you won't have to look for someone else all over the place."
Lin Chuntao nodded and waited for Pei Ying to finish packing her things, then Zhang Dayong took them there.
The carpenter's house was on the edge of the city. When they arrived, he was making lunch. A middle-aged man came up to him and greeted Zhang Dayong familiarly.
Zhang Dayong introduced him, "Brother Sun, this is Pei Ying, the man who saved Little Gourd, whom I told you about before. This is his wife, Madam Lin."
The man surnamed Sun greeted them with a smile. Zhang Dayong said, "He wants to build a house in a few days. I'll bring him to your place to have a look."
Sun Hu smiled and said, "Come in and sit down. What kind of building would you like to build?"
Pei Ying looked towards Lin Chuntao when he heard this. Lin Chuntao smiled and asked, "Master Sun, do you have any blueprints of the previous buildings? We came in a hurry today and didn't have time to prepare them."
Sun Hu glanced at Lin Chuntao, then smiled and said, "Yes, I'll take you to see it."
As they were talking, they followed Sun Hu into the house, walked through the house and into the backyard. In a pavilion in the backyard, there were several small apartment plans.
Yes, it was the floor plan. It was made entirely of wood, and Lin Chuntao was a little shocked.
Sun Hu introduced: "This is what my brother made in his spare time. I thought it was good, so I put it here for everyone to refer to. The weather is good in our area, so we can build bamboo houses, wooden houses, brick walls or earth walls. It all depends on what you like."
Zhang Dayong laughed and said, "If you say you like it, everyone will definitely like brick and tile houses, but bricks and tiles are expensive."
Lin Chuntao didn't know the price of bricks and tiles, so Zhang Dayong happened to mention it, so she asked, "If we use bricks to build the outer walls, wood for the middle partitions, and tiles for the roof, how much would it cost to build three houses with two floors?"
Sun Hu turned around and looked at her. "We'll have to see how wide you want to build it, but for what you said, including the doors and windows, it will cost at least 40 strings of cash."
Lin Chuntao nodded slightly. This was a bit expensive. She only had four or five strings of cash available, which was still far from forty strings.
She thought about it and asked about the price of the adobe wall. Sun Hu said, "You can bring your own clay and straw, and you can also bring your own thatch. Then we will only charge the bricklayer's wages. The cost of the wood materials and the carpenter's wages will be much less. The bricks and tiles are the biggest expense."
Lin Chuntao nodded. She thought about the houses of the villagers. They were all made of adobe walls with wooden boards inside. The windows were small, like holes dug out. Lin Chuntao hoped that the windows would be bigger so that there would be more light. She had never seen how adobe houses were built. Not only was it impossible to make large windows, but she also liked small windows.
She looked up at the windows of the house. The square windows were in a criss-cross pattern, probably covered with oil paper, so the room was very bright.
“If it’s an adobe wall, can the windows and doors be made like this?”
Sun smiled and said, "Of course we can. We will do as Madam asks."
"Brother Sun, if we take our measurements, could you give us a price list?" Lin Chuntao asked. Sun was stunned for a moment. He smiled and said, "We haven't done that before. Madam, please prepare the materials. We will usually build your house in a certain number of workers and the total price will be in silver."
"Okay, then let's go back and think about it. If we've made a decision, we'll come find you."
Sun Hu said, "Lao Zhang and I have been friends for many years. You are his friends, and I will definitely give you a suitable price when the time comes."
Lin Chuntao smiled and thanked him. There were some newly finished doors and windows in their yard. Lin Chuntao went over to take a look. The door was engraved with carvings and looked quite delicate. The details were also polished very smoothly, and the mortise and tenon joints fit tightly. It was obvious that the master's craftsmanship was indeed good.
Sun Hu smiled and said, "This is for a family on the edge of the city. We are still building the house, not far from the city gate. It will be completed in about ten days. If you have time, you can go and take a look."
Zhang Dayong smiled and said, "Then we'll come over in a couple of days when we have time to go and see it with you."
Sun Hu: "You can come anytime. I'll be over there when I'm not home. You can call any of them to lead you there."
After leaving Sun Hu's house, Zhang Dayong said, "Old Sun has good craftsmanship and is a decent guy. Many people in and outside the city ask him to do work. However, his prices will definitely be higher than those of the village carpenters. Xiao Pei, you can take a look and compare."
Pei Ying nodded slightly and thanked Zhang Dayong. "I'll treat you to breakfast tomorrow."
Zhang Dayong said with a smile: "Why don't we be polite? Let's go to my house for lunch today."
"My sisters are still waiting for me at home. I'll go another day."
After parting with Zhang Dayong, the two went straight home.
On the way back, Pei Ying said, "As for the money, we can just pool it together and it won't make much difference."
Hearing what he said, Lin Chuntao knew that he was going to include all of his own money, which really didn't make much difference. However, Lin Chuntao didn't want that. He could pay, but he couldn't pay almost all of it. After all, that home belonged to her and her sisters.
But it was hurtful to say this, so she didn't say it.
After thinking for a moment, he said, "As for the money, I can certainly pool my resources, but I'm a little confused. Wouldn't a brick house be too conspicuous in the village?"
Pei Ying suddenly smiled: "The brick house is not that conspicuous. I think the two-story building you mentioned is a bit conspicuous."
Lin Chuntao said: "The houses in the village are all two-story."
Pei Ying: "Theirs aren't actually two stories high. Don't you think the upstairs is cramped? It's because it's one and a half stories high, separating the two floors."
Lin Chuntao smiled and said, "I feel like one floor is not enough for us."
"What about building a small courtyard?" Pei Ying asked.
"What kind? A main room with two more rooms on either side?"
Pei Ying nodded, "Yeah."
Lin Chuntao understood that the layout of the courtyard house was fine, but she wanted a two-story house mainly because the second floor could be used as a balcony so that she could sit there and enjoy the scenery in her spare time.
But if that's the case, it would indeed be a bit eye-catching. What if someone notices it? It's better to forget it.
"If it's like you said, building a brick house would be more expensive, right? If it's adobe, the difference shouldn't be much."
“Bricks and tiles will definitely be more expensive.”
The two of them chatted as they walked. This matter was not decided in one or two days, so they chatted for a few minutes and then talked about other things.
When they returned home, Lin Chunxing and the others were carrying buckets out. Lin Chuntao saw that the bucket was not theirs and asked.
"It's from Second Uncle Changhua's house. I got some wood ash water this morning to sprinkle on the ground. It's done. I'll go return the bucket."
Lin Chuntao was a little surprised, "You guys are so fast?"
Lin Chunhe said with a smile: "We went to borrow a bucket, and Brother Jiaye and Sister Qingqing also helped us get it."
"So good? Then invite them to come home for dinner. Come back soon, I'll cook for you."
Lin Chunxing nodded, and trotted away with Lin Chunhe and Lin Duoer.
Lin Chuntao looked at their backs and murmured, "I didn't have time to explain last night, and today I just did it on my own."
Pei Ying smiled when he heard this and carried the things back into the house. Lin Chuntao followed him in and took out the jar and gauze and handed them to Pei Ying: "Wash them and hang them up to dry."
Pei Ying took the thing and looked at her steadily. Lin Chuntao coughed lightly, and then saw the man put his arm around her waist and bent down to kiss her.
The soft lips were icy cold. Lin Chuntao only responded gently, but the hand covering her waist was a little more forceful.
If Lin Chuntao hadn't pushed him, it seemed like this person didn't want to separate at all.
"Go quickly, Chun Xing and the others will be back soon."
Pei Ying watched her lips opening and closing. Her lips turned red after being kissed by him. He thought that she must look very beautiful with lip balm on.
Lin Chuntao saw the man staring at her mouth, pursed her lips uncomfortably, and then said angrily, "What's wrong with you? Go quickly, wash up and light the fire."
Pei Ying looked at her and asked in a muffled voice, "Do you know what's wrong with me?"
Lin Chuntao looked at him and stamped her feet angrily, "Hurry up and leave, I don't know."
"Then I'll tell you." He leaned closer. Lin Chuntao reached out to push him away, but failed. He whispered in her ear, "I'm just thinking about you."
Lin Chuntao: “…” Slutty man.
After Pei Ying carried the things out, Lin Chuntao quickly poured the salt she had just bought into the salt jar. There were four pounds of salt in total, enough to last for a while.
He then took out the copper scale and put it away, and carried the backpack outside the house.
Pei Ying had just washed the gauze and was about to hang it on the bamboo fence to dry when their eyes met. The look in Pei Ying's eyes made her feel a little unbearable.
Lin Chuntao felt helpless. She glared at him angrily and turned to go into the house.
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