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He pointed to the neatly stacked timber opposite him, gesturing for Xiaoyue to sit there. Uncle Gao leaned against the wood-planing table. Xiaoyue smiled at Uncle Gao but didn't sit down. After thinking for a moment, she said she would frankly explain her purpose.
Xiaoyue looked at the pile of timber in front of her, examining it carefully several times. Her eyes gleamed with the light of finding something good. She gently stroked the planed wood with her hand; it was so smooth that there wasn't a single burr. She placed her hand on the wood and turned to Uncle Gao, exclaiming, "Uncle, the craftsmanship of these timbers is simply superb. The dimensions of the pieces are all perfectly square, and the surface is treated so flawlessly that there isn't a single burr. Should I use this for my new doors and windows?"
Uncle Gao laughed heartily, his deep voice exuding a man's unique confidence: "Everyone in the surrounding villages praises the houses I build."
Seeing an opportunity, Xiaoyue seized it, propped her elbows on the timber, and looked up at Uncle Ge with a smile: "Uncle Gao, can you tell me about my house?"
Gao Lei also looked at Xiao Yue with new respect. After all, he had only met Xiao Yue a handful of times, and he probably felt sorry for a girl like her from the very first time he met her.
It wasn't until today that Gao Lei realized that Xiao Yue didn't need his sympathy at all. So what was the story behind his complicated entanglement with her? Gao Lei was lost in thought when he realized that Xiao Yue didn't need his sympathy at all.
His father, holding an ink line to check the ink lines, said leisurely to Xiaoyue, "Xiaoyue, if it's done the way you said, it can't be cheap. Besides, although your brother Yang and I have seen other families do it, we've never installed a whole row of doorways before."
Xiaoyue walked to the other table of Uncle Gao's, unconsciously touching the black line stretched out by the ink line, and looked up at Uncle Gao, saying:
“The kang (heated brick bed) in my house is built on the north side, so it will definitely be very cold in winter. That’s why I installed a vestibule on the north wall and put the stove in the kitchen outside. In winter, it’s also convenient to put some firewood in the vestibule, so I don’t have to go outside to get firewood when it’s snowing heavily.”
"Moreover, the house I want to build has four large windows in the front and back, so that when the sun comes out, the house will be very bright. There are also two doors in the front and back, which adds another layer of cold in winter."
"If we add a vestibule, it will be different. The fire will be lit on the kang (heated brick bed) on the north side, and it won't get cold." Xiaoyue saw Uncle Gao put down the inkstone, rub it up and down with his hands, and dust off the ash. Then she looked at Gao Lei, who was standing to the side.
Gao Lei glanced at his father. Every time he was deep in thought, he would rub his hands together and dust them off. In fact, those who knew him knew that his father was thinking about something. Gao Lei waved to Xiaoyue, signaling her to keep quiet.
"Then the price for repairing the house will be much higher. Can you afford it?" Uncle Gao finally touched his lower lip and asked.
Before Xiaoyue could answer, Gao Lei became anxious and hurriedly argued with Uncle Gao, "Dad, Xiaoyue is still young, and what money does she have? You should give her less if you can!"
Uncle Gao glared at Gao Lei. He didn't know when his son had changed, that he would talk back to him and even side with outsiders. He sighed. Who said girls should stay at home when they grow up? It seems boys have their own worldview now. Uncle Gao didn't think much of it.
Turning to Xiaoyue, he said, "As you know, from the day you arrived in Niukou Village, the whole village has been watching you. And you broke away from the Ge family..."
In my opinion, it's not advisable for a woman to live alone. I have no right to say anything like that. Let's get back to the point. Business is business. Even if I give you a discount, it won't be by much.
"Besides, I haven't even counted the laborers I've hired. Gao Yu is at home, plus Gao Lei, and if we find a semi-skilled worker like Yang Dacheng, they can manage. It's not convenient for us to eat at your house, so why don't we all come to my house for meals? Your Aunt Gao will have to cook for us."
Xiaoyue knew that what Uncle Gao said made sense, so she smiled knowingly. She looked at Gao Lei, put her index finger to her lips to signal him to shut up, and then smiled shyly at Uncle Gao: "Uncle Gao, just tell me how much silver is enough."
Uncle Gao frowned slightly, his face darkening. He calculated for a moment and said, "I'll get three taels and nine qian. The four windows will cost eight hundred wen, the two small windows in the middle will cost four hundred wen, the four small windows in the front and back will cost six hundred wen, the four doors will cost six hundred wen, building the wall will cost four hundred wen, building the stove and pit will cost two hundred wen, and building the annex will cost three wen. The rest is for three days' wages."
Xiaoyue sighed. Living on her own really cost money. She poured all the money from the money bag given to her by Manager Tong onto the table where the wood was placed, and counted out one tael and five mace of silver as a deposit. She would pay the remaining one tael and four mace of silver after the house was built.
He handed the money to Uncle Gao, saying with a pained expression, "Uncle Gao, please count the copper coins and see if it's enough?"
Uncle Gao was impressed that Xiaoyue could actually produce so much silver. He couldn't help but look at her with new respect. That morning, Ge Erping and his sister-in-law, Xiao Sunshi, had been gossiping about her.
He said Xiaoyue was poor and disreputable. His own mother-in-law, who was his neighbor, also heard this and told him to try not to get involved in this mess.
Uncle Gao had deliberately asked for a high price, and Xiaoyue actually brought it out.
Uncle Gao glanced at Gao Lei, pointed at him and said rudely, "Come here and check, see if you can count?" Gao Lei glanced at Xiaoyue, saw that she wasn't so unhappy, and happily started counting the copper coins.
Xiaoyue watched Gao Lei check the copper coins. After confirming that he had checked them, Gao Lei put away the copper coins, turned around to leave, but then seemed to remember something.
He turned back to Uncle Gao with a smile and said, "I've already cleaned up the foundation behind the house. You and Brother Yang can go now without delaying your work. I still need to go up the mountain to chop some firewood, as we don't have enough at home."
Gao Lei finished packing the money, looked at his father and then at Xiaoyue, and interjected, "Xiaoyue has already cleaned up the foundation. I went to see it yesterday, and it's very flat, very flat. Dad, when are you going?"
Uncle Gao glared at Gao Lei and scolded him, "Go and give the money to your mother, and tell her to go find Yang Dahua."
Xiaoyue came out with Gao Lei.
They ran into Aunt Gao, who was on her way to find Yang Dahua. Aunt Gao greeted them with a smile, took Xiaoyue's hands, and said with a smile, "I went to the kitchen to make you some tea. The tea is ready, but I didn't see anyone inside."
Xiaoyue looked a little embarrassed. Aunt Gao had specifically left it in the hall for her, but she decided not to think about it anymore. Anyway, the matter was resolved, and at most, she would just stop contacting the Gao family in the future. Thinking of this, Xiaoyue smiled and said, "I'm going to the backyard to discuss building a house with Uncle Gao."
The two walked out together. After walking for a while, Xiaoyue returned to her own home, while Aunt Gao went to Yang Dahua's house.
Xiaoyue found a basket, put on a sickle, and found a bundle of rope. She was calculating in her mind that she needed to chop firewood and go to check on the three smaller Ganoderma lucidum mushrooms to see how they were growing.
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