With the red deed for the 300 mu of land in hand, Yue Jiuyue looked at it again and again, finally taking a step closer to her dream life, and a big step at that.
The red contract passed around among the sons and daughters-in-law. Although they were not all of them yet, it did not dampen their excitement.
"Mother! This really is three hundred acres of land! These three hills behind our house will all belong to us from now on! Oh my goodness! From now on, we'll be the landlords!"
"That's right! So much land, and there are only three men in our family. Will we have to live on the land from now on?"
"Even if we lived in the fields, we still couldn't possibly cultivate all that land!"
This is exactly what's happening on the scene; people's joys and sorrows are not shared.
"Let's put farming aside for now. Tomorrow, one of you should go to the village chief's house and tell him that we need to fence off three hilltops and need a lot of mud bricks or square stones. Ask the villagers to make as many as they have time, and we'll buy them later. Discuss the price with the village chief beforehand, and don't make it too expensive."
Although she felt that Village Chief Lin was not a good village chief who would cheat people, it did not stop her from wanting to save money.
"Okay, I'll go talk to the old man tomorrow."
Lin Chaodong took the blame and stopped worrying about what to do. He grabbed his two younger brothers and headed out.
During dinner, Yue Jiuyue learned that the three brothers had gone to fetch loess several times to prepare to make mud bricks, hoping to save money for the family.
Yue Jiuyue could only sigh again and again, the original owner really raised four good sons!
The next day, Lin Chaonan and Lin Chaobei went with the villagers to buy water. One of them helped the villagers haul water in a handcart, while the other rode a balance bike with a basket attached to carry water. Lin Chaodong went to the village chief's house to discuss the mud bricks with him.
Not long after, Lin Chaodong returned and went straight to Yue Jiuyue's room, knocking on the door repeatedly.
After Yue Jiuyue came out, he drank two bowls of water, burped, and then told Yue Jiuyue the results of his discussion with the village chief.
"The village chief said that there is a severe water shortage now, and there is not enough water in the fields. It is not suitable to make mud bricks. If the price is too low, it will not cover the cost of water. If the price is too high, our family will be taken advantage of. He suggested that the village go to the mountains to quarry stones. If Mother agrees, one stone will cost one coin."
The stone Lin Chaodong was talking about was a large stone that was more than half a meter long and about thirty centimeters wide and thick. Not to mention anything else, just getting it down from the mountain and polishing it was a lot of work.
Of course, the stone wouldn't be polished very well; its surface would be pitted and uneven, but its general shape would be acceptable.
"OK."
Stones are more affordable than mud bricks, and they are also stronger and more durable. Using stones to build a courtyard wall would definitely be Yue Jiuyue's first choice.
"Then it's settled. I'll go talk to the village chief again. Most of the villagers are just sitting around doing nothing. There aren't many short-term jobs in the town or county. If they can earn money from home, they'll definitely be willing."
Yes, of course, how could anyone not want to?
It's just a little effort. If the whole family works together, they can get ten stones a day, which is ten coins. With a little more effort, they can buy two buckets of water, which will irrigate the crops in the field by two more buckets, and maybe they can harvest two more handfuls of wheat next month.
Those with excellent physical strength went to chisel stones, while those with slightly weaker constitutions took a different approach.
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