Ping An woke up at around 2:00 AM, letting out a cry of "Wow!" Zhang Guoqing shuddered, looking to his left but not seeing his son. He broke into a sweat. Turning around, he saw Zhou Jiao, her eyes half-closed, feeding her son. The couple stared at each other in confusion. After a moment, Zhou Jiao regained consciousness and let him sleep. She would go back to sleep after Ping An finished eating and had his diaper changed.
Zhang Guoqing opened his eyes and watched her skillfully pick up her son and gently pat his little back to prevent him from spitting up milk after he had drunk enough. Only then did he feel relieved.
Zhang Guoqing woke up at the rooster's crow. He checked his watch and saw it was only a little after four. He hadn't planned on getting up so soon today. He lay quietly in bed, eyes closed, dozing off for a while. It wasn't until 5:30 that he woke up, then quietly got up and dressed. He looked at the mother and child in his arms, grinning widely before cautiously heading out.
After washing up and changing into his patched clothes, Zhang Guoqing took his spare clothes and his son's diapers to the well to wash them, and then hung them on the bamboo pole in the yard for drying clothes.
He went to the backyard and watched them weeding and fertilizing. He greeted them and, standing a distance from the fertilizing area, picked up a shovel to loosen the soil, breaking up the clumped mud and removing the old grass roots, discarding them to the side. After the four of them finished their work in the backyard, they returned to the main hall, where the three brothers listened to Father Zhang's general plans for the day.
After breakfast, Zhang Guoqing returned to his room and saw that Zhou Jiao had already gotten up and had breakfast. She was sitting in the living room, holding her son and humming a nursery rhyme.
"Jiaojiao, I'm going to help out at the new house next door this morning. If you have anything, ask Xizi and the others at home to call me. After lunch, I have to go to the provincial capital to return the car. By the way, I'll pass by the principal of the county town and ask about the college entrance examination. See if there is anything you need to bring, write it down on a piece of paper, and come back to me at noon." Zhang Guoqing said as he looked at the coal briquettes in the stove.
He picked up the fire tongs and went outside to pick up a coal ball. He came back and replaced the burned coal ball at the bottom of the stove, poked it at the hole, and placed white fungus on the coal ball stove.
"Remember there are two boiled eggs in the kettle. Eat them later. Also drink the Tremella soup. Don't do the work yourself. Let them call me." After Zhang Guoqing finished cleaning up, he gave another instruction with concern.
After she responded, he kissed the mother and son, then left reluctantly.
In just a few days, the two courtyards had taken shape. Numerous people gathered around, working. Between the two courtyards, a vast pile of bluestone, adobe, straw, and other materials lay piled high. Early in the morning, people continued to arrive from the foot of the mountain, carrying stones. In the main rooms and the east and west wing rooms of the two courtyards, the bricklayer's apprentices could be seen busily working, directing their helpers. From a distance, it looked like they were competing, working tirelessly without a break.
Looking at the two courtyards, Zhang Guoqing raised his eyebrows in surprise. Are they going to play in separate classes at the same time?
Zhang Guoqing smiled and greeted everyone, then quickly came to Zhang Dad. Listening to what the bricklayer and Zhang Dad were saying, he had some idea.
This morning he was making clay molds with mud. He watched Zhang Dad and the others busy mixing the clay, straw, hemp, mud, and sand with water, finally stirring it into a thin mud, the more it was, the better.
He didn't understand, so he just did what he was told. The more he mixed it, the stickier it became, and the more tired he became. He had to keep adding water. Four or five people were stirring vigorously with shovels. By the end, they didn't even want to talk anymore, just kept working with bated breath. This work required continuous work, coordinated with the master mason.
Zhang Guoqing looked at the small courtyards scattered in the distance. He suddenly understood why those in the village with few strong laborers couldn't build houses, leaving three generations of a family sleeping on one kang. It was probably because mixing mud was too tiring. Even if they had bluestone, building the adobe was still laborious and required preparation in advance.
The brothers worked on their own family and the big mud. In the past few days, his eldest brother and second brother took a few cousins to take care of these things. I guess the brothers couldn't even lift their arms, so they were holding on.
He planned to talk to his father secretly after lunch. He could find a few people whose families were struggling, so they could come early in the morning to help without delaying their work. He'd be ready just in time for the master to arrive. Or he could ask the master if he knew anyone who specialized in this and ask him for more recommendations. He wouldn't mention the money to his second brother; he'd give it to him secretly. Otherwise, continuing like this wouldn't be worth the effort.
Watching his father and uncle working on the adobe bricks, they were doing the same thing as them, holding their breath and working hard. Repeated, mechanical work. His mind wandered, silently pondering many things. For example, how long would he live in this house after it was built? If it weren't for the roots of his hometown, he really wouldn't have planned to build a house. But this house was different. It was given to him by his father. He would return to it during festivals and to pay respects to his ancestors. This was their root, the root for his peace and safety, and for his children, and for all his future generations.
After counting the money he had, after spending it on ginseng, furs, and other miscellaneous items, the remaining 2,800 yuan was less than 2,000 yuan. He had no plans to sell the game he hunted before the New Year. It was too late to buy now, so who would sell it? That meant he had no income.
In the end, he decided to buy a small house in the county town; it just needed to be safe and quiet. He'd also talk to Zhao Dashan about his work and inquire about nearby properties. As for Zuo Lin, he'd wait for his father-in-law to return and find another opportunity to bring up his second brother's matter.
Zhang Guoqing toiled away mechanically, his mind racing, his thoughts drifting to who knows where. Others, observing him, thought Zhang's youngest son was a good fellow. Look at him, working so hard. He's doing the work of three. He'd heard that his wife's general was here. He'd expected things to be different than usual.
Look, it's still the same as before. He calls everyone "uncle" or "brother" whenever he sees them. He's very friendly and doesn't show any disrespect. He speaks politely and doesn't slack off when working.
Even the master bricklayer, who was usually not one to praise others, secretly envied Zhang Dayou. He patted Zhang Dayou on the shoulder and said, "Brother, you have such a great son. You're so lucky. Look at your three sons. And then look at your little fifth son. He's a shrewd idiot at everything he does. Even when you're high up in the world, you still stay true to your original aspirations. I used to hear people talk about your little fifth son so often, and I thought they were exaggerating. He's a good kid."
Zhang Dayou laughed heartily, his lips curled up high, and everyone could see his pride. He said modestly, "That's just how it is. I grew up in the countryside, so I'm just a bit of a muscle, but I can't do anything well."
Within this area of several hundred miles, the Zhang family has been headed by Grandpa Zhang Guoqing, and now it has been the fifth generation of descendants. Everyone in the surrounding area praises the good reputation of this family.
After the three Zhang Dayou brothers split up, they still worked together to prevent any problems. Zhang Guoqing has about ten brothers and sisters in his generation, and none of them are lazy or unfilial. Mothers-in-law and daughters-in-law, and sisters-in-law, all get along well.
His grandfather had set a rule when he was alive that, except for the eldest son who lived with his parents, the other children would move in separately after one year of marriage. Not only did the sisters-in-law in his family have harmonious relationships, but even his mother-in-law was sensible and generous.
Just this separation alone would have made families with daughters eager to marry them. Unfortunately, the parents of the third branch of the family prioritized their children's preferences when choosing a daughter-in-law. They said they would live independently after marriage, unless the other party was truly troublesome and had a bad reputation.
Since ancient times, marriage has been a major event, decided by parents. But the Zhang family, on the other hand, leaves it to the children. Even more frustrating, each of the Zhang children is exceptionally talented, well-behaved, and never casually engages in conversation with girls. Especially after Zhang Guoqiang, the second son of the Zhang family, married the ill-matched Lin Juhua, impoverished families with daughters have become increasingly critical of the Zhang family. Sadly, even the youngest, Zhang Guoqing, has married. It will be years before the grandchildren grow up, a fact that innumerable families with daughters secretly resent.
The Zhang family was very active, building two large courtyards at once. I heard that they were as big as the old courtyard. Many people in the village were secretly wondering about Zhang Laoer's wealth. This is not just a three- or five-room adobe house. Look at the pile of large bluestones and adobe. Landlords in the past were not so wealthy. This is not a thatched house, but a grand courtyard. I heard that when the old man of the Zhang family was still alive, he went to the provincial capital to study. Why do several families at the foot of the North Mountain marry daughters from wealthy families? Just looking at this courtyard, you can tell that the family lives a good life.
Some wealthy families in the village saw that their sons were about to get married, so they thought about building a yard at the foot of the North Mountain. The younger generation who had never seen the yard built by Zhang's three brothers were secretly observing the Zhang family's yard.
Suddenly, more and more people came and went in the new yard every day, and everyone who was not working came to help.
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