Chapter 96 Chapter 96 - Two-in-one August 28th is a good time to start construction...
Lin Chuntao left the yard right after she finished speaking.
Choose a good day to start construction as soon as possible so that the house can be built earlier and they can move in earlier.
On their way back, Yu Meixi and Sun Hu were still talking about the fir trees in the Lin family's area. The trees were big and would be especially suitable for making doors and windows, partitions, and even tables and chairs if turned into wooden boards. It was a pity that they were not for sale.
Niu Hongxi and Lin Miaomiao happened to be passing by when they heard what they were saying. Niu Hongxi rolled his eyes and stopped them, asking, "Brother, how much do we sell the trees in our forest for?"
Sun Hu glanced at Niu Hongxi, someone he had never met before, and he gave a very conservative price.
"The largest one, I estimate it weighs a little over two taels."
Today, Lin Chuntao and her friends took away 25 trees. If the big ones are worth more than 2 taels each, then wouldn't they be able to get more than 10 or 20 taels by selling several trees?
With this idea in mind, Niu Hongxi made a plan in mind. Now they were so poor that they didn't even have enough money to buy seeds next year. If they could sell the trees for some money, this problem would be solved, and they would have more money in their hands and wouldn't have to be so frugal every day.
"Brother, do you have any trees to sell?" Sun Hu asked.
Niu Hongxi said, "We also have trees in that fir forest. Where is your home, brother? How can we find you if we want to sell trees?"
Sun Hu said, "We'll probably be back in the village in a few days. We'll be staying for quite a while. If you want to sell trees, just let me know."
Niu Hongxi nodded and went into the yard with Lin Miaomiao.
As soon as she entered the yard, Lin Miaomiao asked, "What do you mean?"
Niu Hongxi said happily, "We didn't know anyone wanted the tree before, so we didn't give it away. Now someone has asked to buy it. It's a little over two taels per tree. Selling one is equivalent to the money someone saved for eggs for several years. Let's go find Muramasa. Lin Chuntao and her family just got their tree, so we can get ours too. Let's sell a few. We have so many trees anyway, and we can't use them all."
Lin Miaomiao was silent for a moment. Ever since the family split up, Lin Jialang and his family next door were living better than her. She thought that it would be okay to sell one or two trees and make some money so that she could live a little easier.
Niu Hongxi didn't have to try hard to convince Lin Miaomiao, but she agreed.
The two decided to go find Hayashi Muramasa together.
When the two of them arrived at Muramasa's house, Lin Muramasa had just looked up the almanac for Lin Chuntao. It was already the end of August, and there were several days in September, but the best day was tomorrow, August 28th.
Lincunzhengdao: "September 6th is also good, but if possible, the day before is the best."
"Okay, thank you, Grandpa. I'll go make some arrangements first."
Lin Chuntao was about to leave when Lin Cunzheng looked at Lin Miaomiao and Niu Hongxi who had just come in and asked, "Miaomiao, what's going on?"
Lin Miaomiao said, "Grandpa, we also want to divide the tree. Can you give it to us?"
Lin Cunzheng frowned slightly and asked in confusion, "Why?"
Lin Miaomiao pursed her lips and was about to tell the truth, but Niu Hongxi beside her interrupted and said, "Grandpa, it's nothing serious. I just thought that since we've measured the trees this time, if it gets difficult to divide them up again in the future, I'll give some to Sister Chuntao while we have some for ourselves."
Lin Cunzheng looked at Niu Hongxi, then at Lin Miaomiao, and thought about how Yu Meixi and Sun Hu asked today whether they wanted to sell the tree. Perhaps they wanted to sell the tree.
He sighed and wanted to persuade her, but Lin Miaomiao was stubborn and probably wouldn't listen to him, so he could only nod.
"It's OK to divide, and it's convenient, but Miaomiao, if you divide it up, each family will have more than 20 trees. You don't need them now, but when your brother grows up, if they want to build a house or something, they will definitely need them. If you cut some down at home, you can use them. If you buy them, it will be expensive."
Lin Miaomiao nodded and said, "Grandpa, I know."
Lin Cunzheng frowned. He had explained it so clearly, but she still wanted to separate. What did she know?
The tree has been divided up. If Niu Hongxi wants to sell it, can she do anything? Can she stop him?
Seeing the old man's expression, Lin Changzong glanced at Niu Hongxi and Lin Miaomiao calmly. He asked bluntly, "Miaomiao, do you want to sell the trees?"
Niu Hongxi wanted to interrupt again, but was glared at by Lin Changzong. Lin Miaomiao replied, "Uncle, we don't even have the money to buy seeds for next year. We were thinking of selling one or two trees so we can buy some seeds."
Lin Changzong said, "It won't cost that much to buy seeds. It's still early for spring planting. If you sell them now, the money will be spent quickly."
Lin Miaomiao fell into deep thought after hearing this. Niu Hongxi, who was standing beside her, was a little unhappy. He looked at Lin Changzong with a forced smile and said, "Uncle, we don't have the money to spend recklessly. We just ate a little. We can't pinch ourselves now and then look for money when we're almost starving to death."
He paused and continued, "If there are more than twenty trees, we can sell one or two, and the rest will be enough for my brothers to use in the future."
Lin Changzong looked at this man. There were many people who moved from outside the village, but Niu Hongxi was the one he disliked the most. This man had not done anything yet, but his face made people dislike him.
In the past, Lin Changzong thought that judging people by their appearance was all prejudice. But after hearing what he said today, he finally understood that it was not prejudice but the fact.
Lin Changzong looked at Niu Hongxi and said, "Sell two this time, two next time, and two the next time. It won't be enough for several sales."
When Lin Miaomiao heard this, her heart skipped a beat. Yes, if she sold two trees this time, what would she do if Niu Hongxi sold more next time?
Niu Hongxi said: "We are selling this time because we are really out of money and need to buy seeds. Otherwise, we would not be willing to sell it."
"Besides, Miaomiao and I are husband and wife, and I am also my brothers' brother-in-law. I treat them as my own brothers, and I would never do something like selling all these trees for food! Don't worry, uncle."
After hearing what Niu Hongxi said, Lin Miaomiao made a decision immediately and decided to divide the trees.
In this case, Lin Changzong and the others did not stop them. They called Lin Changhua, Lin Changsen and others and prepared to go to the fir forest again to divide the trees and plant stone piles.
Lin Chuntao was in a hurry to catch up with Yu Meixi and Sun Hu, so she didn't stay long at Cun Zheng's house, nor did she hear that Lin Miaomiao and the others also wanted to divide the tree.
She had a lot of things to do today. After meeting Yu Meixi and the others, she would start work tomorrow. She would definitely have to go to her uncle's house to tell him about it and take the pepper seeds and bitter vegetable seeds she had exchanged before.
Lin Chuntao took the seeds, went to Aunt Guizhi to borrow a mule cart, and hurried off to catch up with Yu Meixi and the others.
We finally caught up with the two of them halfway through the chase. It was because they were walking a little slowly, otherwise we might have had to chase them for a while longer.
Yu Meixi and Sun Hu watched her catch up, and asked with a smile: "Sister Chuntao, are you looking for a good day?"
Lin Chuntao smiled and said, "Sister-in-law, look, it's tomorrow. Is it convenient for you?"
Yu Meixi said, "That's convenient. Let's come earlier tomorrow."
This kind of work starts on a fixed date, and it will be started on that date. There is no inconvenience in it, but the time is indeed a bit tight.
Sun Hu said, "If we start work tomorrow, we'll dig the foundation first. Sister Chuntao, find some scraps of cloth tonight and sew a few bags. Put some rice and two copper coins in them, and sew four."
Lin Chuntao nodded in agreement. Sun Hu continued, "Sister, go and hire someone to dig the yellow mud today. We'll get you a mule cart to pull the mud tomorrow."
"Okay, thank you for troubling my sister-in-law and brother."
After the matter was settled, Yu Meixi and Sun Hu left, and Lin Chuntao drove a mule cart to visit her uncle's house.
It was noon, and the sun was shining brightly. My uncle and his family were all resting in the house, while several of my aunts were still cutting potato slices, preparing to cook and dry them.
Seeing Lin Chuntao suddenly appear, several people put down their work in surprise.
"Chun Tao, why are you here at this hour? Come in! It's hot now, don't give yourself a headache from the sun."
The eldest aunt greeted her, and Lin Chuntao smiled and said, "I borrowed a small mule cart from my aunt's house to drive here, it's okay."
As she spoke, she pulled the mule cart in.
My uncle came over, unloaded the mule cart, and tied the mule to a nearby tree trunk.
The aunt-in-law invited her into the house, made her a bowl of sugar water, and asked, "Have you eaten yet?"
Lin Chuntao said, "I have eaten it."
My aunt said, "If you haven't eaten yet, I'll boil two eggs for you. You've eaten all your lunch, so it'll take a while to cook."
Lin Chuntao waved her hand and said, "I've eaten it and I'm still full. There's no need to bother you, Auntie."
The uncle beside her seemed not to hear Lin Chuntao's words. He said, "Cook a few for her. Eggs don't take up much space in her stomach."
After she finished speaking, the aunt turned around and was about to do it, but Lin Chuntao, who had been sitting down, quickly stood up and held her back.
"Aunt, no need to cook. I really can't eat any more. If I were hungry, I would definitely tell you."
She pulled my aunt-in-law to sit next to her.
"Where are Chuntao, Chunxing and the others? Why didn't they come with you?" asked the second aunt from the side.
Lin Chuntao said, "They are still busy at home. I called the housebuilders from the county town to come over to discuss the matter. We have agreed on a date and will start work tomorrow."
"Build a house? Have you saved enough money?"
The second and third aunts asked in unison. Lin Chuntao said, "It's almost enough. The main thing is to pay for the labor. We can get the materials ourselves, such as yellow clay and straw."
The eldest aunt and the others were surprised at how quickly the sisters saved money, and at the same time asked her how she got the yellow clay. Lin Chuntao told them what Yu Meixi and the others had said.
My uncle said, "It's okay this way. Let's do it faster. Otherwise, there won't be enough soil and the craftsmen will have to wait." You have to pay for waiting for a day.
"Have you invited anyone?" asked my uncle.
Lin Chuntao shook her head. "I haven't had time to hire anyone yet. I need a lot of yellow clay for that house, and it might take several days to dig. A white man would definitely not agree to hire someone to do it. Twenty cents a day, including lunch and dinner."
Lin Chuntao's words made them a little confused. The yellow clay used by each family in the village to build houses was almost the same. Today I treat you, and tomorrow you treat me. Just provide a meal, and no one will pay.
The uncle looked at Lin Chuntao and said, "Chuntao, it's not appropriate to give money. If you can't hire enough people in your village, then I will hire you from this village. Otherwise, when people have to pay for digging soil to build houses in the future, they will talk about you behind your back."
Lin Chuntao hissed coldly and frowned: "I haven't thought about this yet."
"But it will take me many days to dig, and no one will help me without money. Uncle, please help me find a few people. Tell them to pay privately and tell them not to tell anyone. I will also go back to the village to find a few more."
"Well, how many people do you want?"
Lin Chuntao said, "Uncle, please help me find five or six, and I'll go back and find five or six more."
"Does it take more than a dozen people to dig the soil?" My uncle was very shocked. Then he asked, "How big is your house?"
Lin Chuntao said, "We've allocated nearly an acre of land for residential use. We'll build a yard, a living space, a pigpen, and a barn. I've already signed a contract with someone to make and sell soy sauce. I'll also build a house in the backyard specifically for making soy sauce. It'll take a lot of soil to build all of this."
“One acre!!!”
At this moment, everyone was shocked. They no longer said that they didn't need to pay for hiring people. It would take at least ten days or half a month to dig the yellow clay. Except for family members, it was impossible for outsiders to work for so many days.
The eldest uncle said, "Okay, I'll go get someone for you in a minute. Your second and third uncles and I can also dig for you."
Lin Chuntao hurriedly said, "Uncle, there will be a lot of people there, so you can help me supervise. Aunt, are you free?"
My aunt-in-law smiled and said, "As for something as big as building a new house, we're definitely all free. Just tell us what you want us to do."
Lin Chuntao laughed when she heard that.
"I have to cook for the craftsmen. I can't handle it alone, so I'll need your help when the time comes."
"Sure, sure. No problem."
Having said this, they talked about straw again. Lin Chuntao and her family didn't have any straw, so the aunt-in-law said, "We have straw at home, but I don't know if it's enough. But let's take it over first. If it's not enough, we can go find some from other families."
After talking about building the house, her aunt and the others asked her about making the sauce. Lin Chuntao remembered the two packets of seeds and hurried to get them from the mule cart.
"Aunt, are you going to plant buckwheat this year?" Lin Chuntao asked. The eldest aunt replied, "It doesn't matter whether we plant or not. Do you want to use the land?"
Lin Chuntao said, "I need a lot of chili peppers and bitter herbs. I brought the seeds. Here's a pack of chili pepper seeds and a pack of bitter herb seeds."
"In the past few days, I asked a cousin in the village to buy soybeans and chili peppers for me. There are too few dried chili peppers. Aunt, if you don't grow buckwheat, then you can grow some chili peppers and bitter herbs and sell them to me when the time comes."
The aunt thought of the young man from Shuangzi Village who had been walking around the village a few days ago buying soybeans and chili peppers. She said, "So that young man was buying soybeans for you. Now everyone hasn't harvested them yet. There will be more soybeans when the new beans are harvested."
"I've saved these seeds. I'll go sow the vegetable seeds in the next few days. I also need to plant the peppers first. I don't think we have enough land to plant them."
Lin Chuntao said, "Aunt, those of you who are close to you can come get some seedlings to plant. I'll also come get some when the time comes. Thank you for your help, Aunt."
My aunt smiled and asked, "What's the trouble with that?"
Lin Chuntao provided the seeds, and after the crops grew, she even paid to buy them back. My aunt-in-law felt that she had never encountered such a lucky thing in all her years.
After the matter was settled, Lin Chuntao still had a lot of things to do and had no time to sit and chat, so she stood up and said she wanted to go back.
Her aunt and the others hurriedly called her and went to pick up two sacks of potatoes.
"You brought the mule cart here, and you can take it back with you. Building a house also requires cooking, so this can be considered a dish."
Lin Chuntao said, "We bought some from people in the village."
"It's okay if you buy it, just take it back."
As they were talking, my uncle and his men quickly carried the potatoes onto the mule cart, and Lin Chuntao didn't hesitate any longer.
Only after her aunt and others sent her to the village entrance did Lin Chuntao leave by herself driving the mule cart.
She would have to go to the village to hire someone later. There were several places to dig yellow clay, and she had to go and see and choose where to dig.
All these things have piled up together, and the soybeans at home have not been steamed yet.
Lin Chuntao pulled the mule cart directly back home. When Aunt Guizhi and the others saw her pulling things back, they hurried over to help lift them down.
"Did you chase him to the county town?"
Lin Chuntao smiled and said, "No, I caught up with him halfway. I stopped by my uncle's house and told him about building a house. They came to help. My aunt picked up potatoes for me. The little mule worked hard to pull them back for me."
As she spoke, she touched the mule, and Aunt Guizhi smiled helplessly.
Lin Chunxing was cooking braised eggs, Lin Chunhe and the others were steaming beans, and they also lit a couple of fires in the yard.
Lin Chuntao asked, "Chunhe, are there still many beans that haven't been steamed?"
"There are quite a few more."
Lin Chuntao said, "Then you guys go ahead and do it. I'm going to go find Grandpa and the others and ask them to help us dig the yellow clay."
Sun said hurriedly, "Chuntao, take a rest before going. Your great-grandfather and the others are not at home."
Lin Chuntao: "Have you gone to the fields?"
Sun said, "Lin Miaomiao also wants to divide the trees. She just went there with her husband. Your great grandfather called your second uncle and others to divide the trees as well."
Lin Chuntao was a little surprised, "Why are they suddenly breaking up?"
Sun said, "I just heard your great-grandfather say that they want to sell two trees for some money to buy seeds for next spring's planting."
Lin Chuntao frowned slightly. Not only was it still early for next spring planting, but if they sold the trees for money, the twenty-odd trees would be sold out in no time. Moreover, if they sold them now, even if there was only the three of them, even if there was someone else, they didn't know if they could save enough money to buy seeds.
Lin Chuntao didn't say anything. Lin Miaomiao's affairs had nothing to do with her.
Aunt Guizhi and the others beside them just sighed and didn't say much.
With a personality like Lin Miaomiao's, if you talk too much she might think you have bad intentions. Fan Li'niang being scolded is a ready-made example.
So everyone just shut up.
Lin Cunzheng and his men went to divide the trees and took more than an hour to come back.
Lin Changsen and Lin Changhua didn't say anything when they were called away, and the people from other rooms didn't know where they went. Only when they came back did everyone ask what they had been doing?
Lin Changzong replied, "I'm going to distribute the trees to Miaomiao and the others."
"Huh? Why are we dividing the trees again? Miaomiao and the others want to build a house too?"
Lin Changzong didn't try to hide it when he heard it, and said directly: "Miao Miao and the others want to sell two trees to buy seeds."
"Selling trees? How much is one?"
Lin Changzong said, "I don't know how much it costs, you'll have to ask Miaomiao and the others."
In this way, the small courtyard of Lin Miaomiao and her family suddenly became very lively. Everyone came to ask them how much each tree cost. Niu Hongxi and her family told them the truth. People from other families also had concerns. After going home to discuss it, they went to find Lin Cunzheng to divide the trees.
Lin Cunzheng saw that they all wanted to sell the trees. He took a deep breath and advised, "You may be happy when you sell them, but I'm afraid you won't be happy when you need to use them in the future. Are you also in a hurry to use the money to buy seeds like Miaomiao?"
Li Honghua and the others didn't say anything, but they just wanted to divide up.
Lin Cunzheng sighed deeply. Only Lin Jialang and his friends didn't come. Lin Cunzheng said, "If everyone wants to split up, then do it. Invite Jialang and his friends along too. From now on, each family will take care of their own business."
It was almost evening, and the whole family was still dividing the trees in the fir forest.
Lin Chuntao and the others had steamed all the beans before Lin Cunzheng and the others came back after distributing them.
Her uncle helped to hire five or six people, so she also hired five or six people in the village.
There were too many things to do, so Lin Chuntao had to decide on this person first. She couldn't even wait for dinner and went to invite him.
Lin Cunzheng was in a bad mood. Lin Changzong said, "It's better to separate them. Otherwise, after Miaomiao and the others sell the money, they will blame you for not sharing it and delaying their sale."
Hayashimura Masaru said: "It will be difficult if you don't have it when you need it."
"It's not available when we need it, and they can't find our house, so whatever."
As the two were talking, Lin Chuntao glanced at the door at the gate of the courtyard. When Chen Dongniang saw her, she hurriedly invited her in. Lin Chuntao mainly asked Lin Changzong and others to do these heavy work.
Because it would take several days to complete, Lin Chuntao also shared her thoughts.
Lin Changzong said, "Your second uncle and third uncle and I can go. Do you want to invite your uncle Changsen? If you want, I'll tell you."
Lin Chuntao said, "Then I'll trouble you, uncle. Can you please invite your third and fourth uncles as well?"
Lin Changzong said, "I'll call them over."
Lin Changsen's house was just next door. He stood at the end of the yard and shouted, and Lin Changsen and his friends came over. When they learned that it was Lin Chuntao who asked them to dig yellow clay and was paying them, there was no reason for them to refuse.
After several people agreed, Lin Chuntao said, "I'd like to trouble you uncles to bring me a dustpan and a hoe. I don't have enough."
"Okay, we'll take them all there tomorrow morning."
After the matter was settled, Lin Chuntao discussed where to dig first, and only went back after the matter was settled.
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