Song Anxin smiled and said, "Uncle, I know. Just find someone for me. Of course, you can't help me for nothing. I will pay you wages."
Her family's business is booming, bringing in about a thousand taels of silver every month. In addition, her family has started selling their mushrooms. Since they have the only mushrooms that are out of season, they won't sell them cheaply. What gives her the most confidence is the hundred silver ingots that she was awarded by the higher authorities this time, which is worth a full ten thousand taels of silver.
It's heartbreaking to think that all the hard work I put into managing the family business is less than a single reward from above.
Seeing Song Anxin's reaction, Lin Lizheng understood. Fengnian's family business was already booming, plus they had 20% of the profits from the persimmon cake workshop. Fengnian's mother was a capable woman, and with so much gold and silver bestowed upon her by the higher authorities, she must be quite wealthy to dare to speak like that.
This is good, so the men in the village can earn some money at work, and in a good year, the wife's family can move into a big house sooner.
Thinking this way, he was no longer worried about Fengnian's family spending money, so he said, "Fengnian's mother, how could I, an old man, possibly ask you for wages? Don't worry, Da Mu's master is the best bricklayer in the surrounding counties. He must know many good people in this line of work. I'll go talk to him. This carpenter Dongzi's father is one of them, and Master Bai must know many people too. I'll go find him. I will definitely select the other workers for you carefully."
Song Anxin said, "Then thank you very much, Uncle. You are the chief foreman of our family, how could I not pay you? Please don't refuse this. When it comes to purchasing materials, you will need to take good care of Fengnian and Fengshou."
And so the construction of Song Anxin's large brick house began. The villagers had never seen anyone in the village lay such a large foundation before. On the day construction started, Song Anxin and her family burned incense and offered wine to inform heaven and earth and their ancestors. They also held a celebratory feast for the workers, and construction on her house officially began.
On that day, at least a hundred men were working on the foundation at the same time. Almost every household in the village had men helping Song Anxin's family build their house. Villagers would often come to watch the construction around the foundation. It was hard for them to believe that such a large house, built entirely of blue bricks, was actually built in their village. The villagers were astonished just thinking about it. They thought it was a house only landlords could afford. But since Aunt Lin was now a government official's wife, a seventh-rank official, the same rank as the county magistrate, she deserved to live in such a nice house.
The foreman who built Song Anxin's house was the master of Lin Damu, the village head's grandson. His surname was Chu, and he was nearly sixty years old this year. He had been a bricklayer for decades and was a very experienced master. Because of his age, he rarely went to work himself and mainly taught his apprentices and supervised the work.
He personally took charge this time because he was very interested in the house design drawings drawn by Song Anxin. The house itself was not much different from the ones he had built before, but he had never heard of the bathroom and toilet rooms in all these years. After listening to the explanation from the wise lady, he felt that it was really ingenious. The toilet room was designed in this way, which was both clean and easy to clean. However, what amazed him the most was the earthen bed.
"Fengnian's mother, can this earthen pit really generate heat in winter?"
Song Anxin patiently answered him: "Of course, but there are some things to pay attention to when making this. Otherwise, the temperature of the kang (heated brick bed) will be too high or too low, or the ventilation will be poor. Therefore, when ramming the soil, the inside should be higher than the outside to facilitate the smoke. Also, the stove opening should be divided into three or four kang passages for smoke to escape... I have written all of these down here. Master Chu, just follow these instructions. If you have any questions, feel free to ask me."
Master Chu was utterly impressed by Song Anxin. This Fengnian Niang truly lived up to her title of Consort Hui, bestowed upon her by the Emperor himself; she had come up with such ingenious ways to combat the cold. He said:
"Fengnian's wife, if this stuff were distributed, it could save countless people from the bitter cold of winter. I wonder if I could..."
He hesitated, but Song Anxin understood perfectly. She smiled and said, "Master Chu, I have already handed this over to the county magistrate. It won't be long before it is widely used throughout the Great Yin Dynasty. The people will definitely have a good winter this year. Don't worry."
Master Chu now not only admires Song Anxin but also respects her. Madam Hui is truly a person of great compassion who benefits the people. He must do his best to repair this house for Madam Hui.
The day after Song Anxin held her wedding banquet, she went to the county government office with some pastries she had made herself and a gift box of persimmon cakes. These persimmon cake gift boxes were now considered very prestigious gifts among the county's high-ranking officials and dignitaries, because the persimmon cakes in the gift box were not only of superior quality, but Song Anxin also had the village headman control the quantity, with a limited number sold each day.
Of course, there's also her Tianqing wine.
At this moment, Song Anxin and Magistrate Yan were sitting together in a flower hall in the county government office.
"Haha, Madam Hui is truly capable. Magistrate Yan's case is quite significant, and Madam Hui has once again rendered meritorious service."
Magistrate Yan, as always, appeared cheerful and straightforward.
Song Anxin humbly replied, "It is the Prefect and Lord Yan who are truly discerning. I have no merit whatsoever. It was the Prefect and Lord Yan who handled this case impartially and gave the people justice. The two officials deserve the most credit."
"And I also owe my title of seventh-rank lady to Lord Yan's help. Otherwise, how could such a title have been bestowed upon a peasant woman like me, let alone a seventh-rank one?"
Magistrate Yan looked at her and said, "Madam Hui, please don't be modest. Madam Hui is talented and courageous. You deserve all of this. It's just that there are too many old stubborn people in the court, which is why it's a bit late. Otherwise, you should have stepped down from your post long ago."
Song Anxin: "......" How was she supposed to respond to that?! Should they join in the dissing?
"However, I heard that the old emperor quite admires you. Indeed, your waterwheel could increase the harvest and grain production next year by a great deal. If he wanted to be a wise ruler, he would cherish a talent like you."
Song Anxin: "..." Suddenly, she really missed Master Yan.
She tried her best to maintain a polite smile and replied, "His Majesty is wise and cares for the people. He will naturally cherish those who are beneficial to the people and the country."
She meant what she said. Although she didn't know what kind of person the emperor was in the eyes of the magistrate of Yan County, she thought he was at least a wise ruler. Since she came here, she hadn't heard of any tyranny. Although there was war, there was no forced conscription. The farmers didn't pay heavy taxes either. It was just that everyone was a bit poor.
Magistrate Yan scoffed, "He is indeed a ruler who cares about the people's livelihood and the nation; he is a wise ruler to the common people. As for other things..."
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