When building brick and tile houses here, people use stones to build the foundation. This is partly to save money, but the main reason is that the foundation is sturdy and reliable.
Another point is that the stones were moved from the hillside, and the area where they were moved can be planted with trees and plants, which is a win-win situation.
"Auntie, don't rush to sell your grain. If the harvest is bad, it will be difficult to buy it back."
I figured we'd need to hire help to build the house. Jin Niu, Yin Niu, and Tie Niu could all come and help. I'd charge them 23 coins a day.
"I'll cover lunch. Auntie knows I can't manage all this by myself. If you and Xiaocao are willing to help me, fifteen coins a day, is that alright?"
Aunt Zhang opened her mouth, so surprised she didn't know what to say.
Of course she knew what the price of grain was when the harvest was bad. Not just grain, anything edible was incredibly expensive!
She swallowed hard and stammered, "Shuiqing, well, Auntie is short of money, so let's skip the formalities. You can ask Jinniu's three children to help out, and Auntie will agree."
"It's only right that Xiaocao and I came to help. We wouldn't have come if you offered us money!"
When people in the village build houses or hold celebrations, they help each other out; there's no way they'd charge money.
Besides, Jinniu's three children can earn sixty-nine coins a day. Shuiqing's house is large, and if it is completed in half a month, it will earn more than a thousand coins.
Aunt Li smiled and said, "I'll come and help then!"
“Auntie, when you go back, you should also tell your family that anyone who wants to help out is welcome. I was originally planning to tell them all at once before the start of work, but it just so happens that we can tell them all at once today.”
When you get back, ask each other if anyone is willing to come; we're always short-handed. It would be great if it could be built quickly.
The sooner it's built, the sooner we can move in.
"They must all want to come!"
"Now that it's the off-season for farming, every household is taking a break, so who wouldn't want to come?"
Shuiqing explained the rules beforehand: "Building a house requires transporting bricks, carrying stones, moving beams... all of which are physically demanding tasks. Those under fifteen are still children, so we won't notify them."
"Of course! Not to mention those under fifteen, even those over thirty are not allowed. Don't worry, everyone in the village knows this." Aunt Li said matter-of-factly.
“Yes, yes, only able-bodied adults in the family should be hired to help out. Who would want to hire the young or the old? That would be a waste of food and money.” Aunt Zhang also thought it made perfect sense.
Bai Ziqian, who was only thirteen years old and had just returned from digging a hole:.....
Fan Jin, who was also twenty-eight years old when he finished digging the pit: ...Luckily, I'm not thirty yet.
After the two left, for dinner, Shui Qing used the half chicken left over from lunch, took the chicken meat, and made a large bowl of cold salad with shredded carrots, cilantro, peanuts, and chili oil.
The chicken carcass was used to make a big pot of chicken soup, and tender green vegetables were added to it. A big pot of noodles was also cooked.
The whole family ate a whole rough earthenware bowl with the spicy and refreshing cold shredded chicken.
Bai Ziqian now does physical labor every day, eats well, and doesn't think about anything at night, just falls asleep as soon as his head hits the pillow.
However, when he returned today, he overheard their conversation and learned that Uncle Fan's family was going to build a house. After finishing his meal, he hesitated before approaching the two men.
Shui Qing looked at the hesitant young boy in front of her and asked, "Is there something you need?"
"I... I have something I'd like to ask Aunt Shuiqing for permission to do."
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