Chapter 55 Old Brick House

Zhang Jinlan's mouth is the biggest.

With trembling fingers she opened the purse.

I saw that there were indeed eighteen taels inside.

She staggered and almost fell to the ground.

Fortunately, Zhu Yingqiu was right beside her and supported her.

"Mom, please take care of yourself and sit down and rest for a while."

When Sun Pingmei heard this, she quickly brought a chair.

Zhang Yanzi squatted on the ground, helping her mother-in-law to breathe freely.

Two or three minutes passed.

Zhang Jinlan finally came back.

"Son, were you not seen by anyone when you were selling ginseng? What if a bad guy targeted our family?"

Zhang Jinlan, who suddenly became rich, was frightened.

"Well, although 18 taels is a lot, there are many wealthy families in this town. They might spend 20 taels on a meal in a restaurant. Who would come all the way to our village just for your 18 taels?"

Jiang Shoujia was the calmest one.

He finished speaking to Zhang Jinlan.

He continued, "But your mother is right to worry. You must not publicize the ginseng sales. No matter how rich the people in the town are, every family in our village is not doing well. If we are to be targeted, you all better keep your mouths shut. Do you understand?"

Jiang Shoujia is usually taciturn.

But in important occasions, his words are like imperial decrees and everyone has to listen.

"I know, Dad—"

"Grandpa, I definitely won't tell you."

"Yes, Grandpa——"

“….”

Everyone responded.

After chatting about ginseng for a quarter of an hour.

Zhang Jinlan then asked her eldest son, "Dahe, how did you see the market in town? How much is a tile selling for now?"

Although it's not raining now.

But for the sake of future development, Zhang Jinlan still wanted to use tiles as the roof.

To prevent it from raining later and rainwater flowing into the house along the straw and wooden boards.

"The price has gone up. It's 13 cents a piece. It's fine to build one room, but if we build more than one, the money will definitely not be enough."

After Jiang Dahe finished speaking, he took a sip of water to moisten his throat.

"It's indeed a bit expensive, but if we're going to build it, we have to build it well. So, mother will give you an extra three taels. You and Eryong can go there again tomorrow. After you've made the reservation, ask the shop owner to send someone to deliver it. Then go to the village to hire a few helpers. First, go to the mountain to cut some wood and store it. The beams also have to be dried in advance.

As for the mud, go to the other side of the mountain to dig it. The mud there is sticky and not soft. You can decide the rest by yourself. If you don’t understand, ask your father. Remember, make it clear when you ask for help. We don’t provide meals. We would rather give you an extra penny than not provide meals.”

Zhang Jinlan gave the instructions earnestly.

Food at home is expensive.

A lot of refined rice is mixed in it.

How can I give it to outsiders?

Zhang Jinlan, who was so generous yesterday, has returned to her original searching state.

"Mom, if that's the case, why not build an old brick house? Although it's more expensive, you don't have to store so much wood, and the wood has to be dried after it's chopped. And it will take at least three months to build a mud house. An old brick house will be faster, and it can be completed in two months at most. The house is also solid, and it will be fine for Fubao to live in until her grandson is born."

Jiang Yamato thought for a moment.

Speak slowly.

"Old brick house? I've never heard of it. Are there old bricks for sale in town? How much are they?"

See your mother and ask.

Jiang Dahe continued, "Last year, many shops opened up all over the town. They were all merchants from other places. They bought the houses, demolished them all and rebuilt them. They sold the old bricks at a low price.

This morning when I was asking about the price, I saw someone coming to buy it. An old brick only costs two cents. If you buy more, more than eight thousand, you can get one cent cheaper. Then I will ask the shopkeeper to get close to me and buy some old tiles, and I can save some money. Mom, the old bricks will be gone once they are sold out, don't miss this good opportunity."

Jiang Dahe finished speaking.

Zhang Jinlan did the math in her mind.

Five more rooms are to be built in the house.

This way, eight children can each have their own room.

According to the smallest room, there is only a bed, a cabinet and a table.

That would require at least 10,000 old bricks for five rooms.

According to my son, if the price is over 8,000, it can be discounted by one cent.

That is ten taels of silver.

This does not include other expenses.

But old bricks are not available every year. If you miss it, if you want to build a bluestone brick house in the future, it will cost you ten taels of silver for one room.

The price difference is too big.

"But, in this case, three children will have to sleep in the old house."

Zhang Jinlan's voice sounded a little worried.

You can’t just build eight rooms directly.

"Grandma, I'll just sleep in the original room. I'm the eldest brother, and my younger brothers can sleep in the new rooms." Jiang Tongjin could see his grandmother's worries.

He was the first to step forward.

"I am like the eldest brother. I am older than my younger brother. I am willing to give the new house to my younger brother."

Jiang Tonghuo also said this.

"Grandma, let my brother and sister sleep in the new room. I can sleep anywhere."

Jiang Tongji, who was eight years old, was already sensible.

"Just build eight rooms! The remaining three rooms will be empty. We just happen to have a lot of clutter at home, so we can use them to store things. If Sanhe comes back to live here, we can leave them for her and the children."

Seeing the grandchildren become sensible.

Zhang Jinlan waved her hand.

He took out two taels of silver from the warm money bag and gave the rest to his eldest son.

"The room is slightly smaller, plus the old tiles and the money for hiring helpers, eighteen taels is definitely enough. We can't be partial to one and ignore the other. As for the rest of the money, mother will save it."

Zhang Jinlan was heartbroken.

The sixteen taels in the purse plus the two taels she gave to her eldest son yesterday.

A full eighteen taels.

That's it.

Anyway, the ginseng was discovered by the granddaughter by accident.

Just think of it as picking up eight bluestone houses.

Think about it this way.

Zhang Jinlan felt much better.

"Mother has always been fair." Zhu Yingqiu praised with a smile.

"Mom, we sold ginseng for so much money. Let's ask Big Brother and Eryong to buy some meat tomorrow. We can eat more to replenish our bodies so that we can have the strength to build the house. Besides, Fubao also likes meat, right?"

Seeing the lively Jiang Fubao, he was picked up by his second aunt.

Seeing that the second aunt was very greedy.

Jiang Fubao nodded out of courtesy.

"Grandma, I want to eat some. Meat is delicious. Please buy some and bring it back. Fubao will bring back a lot of ginseng later."

Jiang Fubao started drawing big cakes again.

But her good grandmother believed it without a doubt.

"Okay, okay, if Fubao wants to eat, grandma will buy it for him. I will go to the room to get some copper plates and ask your uncle to buy a pound of meat tomorrow to celebrate that our Fubao will live in a bluestone house."

Zhang Jinlan smiled lovingly.

In the evening, the Jiang family went to bed early after dinner.

It was just dawn.

Jiang Dahe and Jiang Eryong went to the town.

Today, Jiang Fubao did not go picking wild vegetables with his grandma.

She was ready to retrieve the eggs from the hole.

The weather is getting hotter.

Eggs are not durable. It would be a waste if they were left to spoil.

Jiang Fubao being held by his second cousin.

After half an hour, we arrived at the inner area.