It seems that next time I go to Beijing, I'll need to find a reliable place to have it appraised and sold as soon as possible. Keeping it is of little use to me, especially since it's supposedly a very valuable traditional Chinese medicine. If someone needs it to save their life, selling it would be extremely useful.
The next morning at breakfast, Dad told Chen Hong that he and the village chief had already consulted someone to calculate an auspicious day. Tomorrow is September 13th, which is November 3rd in the Gregorian calendar, a perfect day to break ground. They had already arranged with the construction company that construction would begin promptly at 9:00 AM tomorrow.
Dad and the village chief have already prepared the offerings for the sacrificial ceremony to mark the start of construction, and have also ordered cigarettes, alcohol, and pork from the supermarket to deliver to the construction team. Yu Yang will officiate at the auspicious time, with Dad and the village chief presiding; Chen Hong won't need to participate. Chen Hong should just go back to fishing and making money.
Chen Hong thought to herself, "These are men's matters, it's fine if I don't need to. I'll just go to sea as usual. The vast world at sea is where I can make a difference. Let the men worry about the household chores!"
In the days that followed, Chen Hong continued to go out to sea every day as usual, and would also visit the construction site when the weather was bad. Watching all kinds of machinery rumbling and running, her father and the village chief wearing hard hats, going in and out of the construction site, Chen Hong felt that they had the air of bosses, with smiles on their faces.
Chen Hong felt relieved. It seemed that her father and the village chief were making the most of their remaining energy at the construction site. Seeing their high spirits and dedication every day, Chen Hong could only move things home to provide logistical support and improve their meals.
She was worried that the two old men would get sick from overwork after the house was finished! She told them to rest more, but they wouldn't listen. They were in such high spirits right now that no one could stop them from going to the construction site every day to supervise.
Aunt Guo was also busy following behind Chen Hong. Since Chen Hong went fishing, Aunt Guo basically lived at Chen Hong's house. She helped with cooking at Chen Hong's house at noon and in the evening. Chen Hong watched the three elderly people live a lively and energetic life, not at all like people who were almost sixty years old.
That morning, Chen Hong went to the village supermarket to buy ice and live bait and saw Yu Yang's grandfather. The old man said to Chen Hong apologetically, "Now that your father is here, I feel bad saying anything to him. I feel really bad for my in-laws. I haven't been able to go over there to help either. You're not angry, are you?"
Chen Hong smiled and comforted Grandpa Yu Yang: "You don't need to be embarrassed. I've explained everything to my dad, and he's come to terms with it. He won't make things difficult for you. You still have to go home. Uncle Village Chief and Aunt Guo are helping out at home all day. So much time has passed, so there's no need to feel awkward. My dad won't say anything."
Watching Chen Hong's retreating figure, Yu Zhaohua felt a mix of emotions. A few days ago, her son came home and told her he had bought a house in Jinan, and after the renovations were finished, they would prepare for their wedding. The woman in Jinan was already pregnant, and her belly couldn't wait any longer.
Yu Zhaohua already knew that Chen Hong was building a villa in the village with great fanfare. But thinking about everything his son had done, he was too ashamed to get close. Even though Chen Hong's father didn't say anything, Yu Zhaohua felt his own face burning with embarrassment.
My cousin told me that Chen Hong's catch in two days was equivalent to my son's annual income. It seems my father and I were really short-sighted. We were afraid of the dangers of Chen Hong going out to sea alone, and we were also afraid of being laughed at for being incompetent. What a huge mistake it was to stop her from fishing. Without my father and son interfering, Chen Hong's life was much more comfortable and carefree.
Looking at the house Chen Hong is building now, it's definitely the best in the surrounding villages. If it's built properly, it will cost at least several hundred thousand yuan, no less than the money her son would spend on a house in Fucheng. Chen Hong is truly a capable woman.
Last time her son came back, he didn't even show his face to his grandson, stayed at home for a day, and then went back to Jinan. He didn't even ask how Chen Hong and her son were doing. Well, it's good that he knows Chen Hong and her son's current situation; he'd probably be sick with envy. Perhaps this is retribution for her son abandoning his wife and child.
Yu Zhaohua carried the eggs, shaking her head as she slowly walked home. She paid no attention to the murmurs of the village women behind her; she knew what they were talking about without even listening. Sigh, it was all true. She couldn't just silence them; she had no choice but to pretend to be deaf and dumb.
Watching her house transform like a computer-generated 3D animation, changing daily, the main structure was completed in just over ten days, with only doors, windows, and tiles remaining. Taking advantage of the bad weather preventing them from going out to sea these past few days, Chen Hong and the designers are discussing future interior design plans.
The designers are working diligently to produce blueprints, aiming to begin interior decoration as soon as the entire construction project is completed. If the weather is good and all goes well, they should be able to move into the villa by the Chinese New Year.
That afternoon, Chen Hong was discussing a few unsatisfactory aspects with the interior designer when she suddenly received a call from Fang Yitong in Beijing.
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