The pile of sandalwood was not transported to Lijiapo, but was sent directly to the home of the third sister in Quanshui Village.
Grandpa Qin's second son helped unload the timber into the yard, took the money, and left.
Li Xiangdong introduced Luo Yonggang and Bai Yulong to Grandma Jiang, Grandma Hong, Third Sister Li Ying, and Third Sister's husband Hong Shui.
As the saying goes, "A mother's brother is the greatest," and Li Ying treated Luo Yonggang and Bai Yulong very warmly, busily preparing dumplings for their guests.
Luo Yonggang felt a little embarrassed. He had come to his niece's house empty-handed, without bringing anything. Wasn't that embarrassing for his niece?
This feeling reached its peak, especially when the adorable Daxia timidly hid behind Li Ying's legs and called him "Grandpa Uncle".
Luo Yonggang pulled out two ten-yuan bills from his pocket and insisted that Daxia take them as a gift.
When the floodwaters refused to let him take the money, Luo Yonggang's face darkened. "Does my nephew-in-law look down on me?"
Hong Shui waved his hands repeatedly, "Uncle, there are too many, she's just a little child..."
"Brother-in-law, don't refuse. This is my uncle's heartfelt gift."
Li Xiangdong interrupted Hong Shui, telling them to stay inside and chat while eating sunflower seeds.
He helped Grandma Jiang walk into the courtyard. "Master, did you check just now? Is it small-leaf sandalwood? I wasn't fooled, was I?"
Grandma Jiang nodded. "It's small-leaf sandalwood, with fine grain and lots of gold flecks. Judging from the patina, it's purplish-black and lustrous, so it must be several hundred years old."
"A rare find."
Grandma Jiang added a sentence.
Li Xiangdong's last trace of uncertainty vanished, and he boasted, "Hehe, your apprentice's eye is pretty good, isn't it!"
"You're incredibly lucky!"
"Luck is also a part of ability!"
The master and apprentice exchanged a few jokes before walking over to examine the sandalwood piece closely.
Grandma Jiang gently stroked a wooden board with a high-relief passionflower pattern, which was two meters long and half a meter wide. "This is the back panel of the canopy bed, which is fully carved with passionflower patterns."
The upper part features a floral and bird pattern, while the lower part features a passionflower pattern.
Passionflower patterns carved on the wooden box
Li Xiangdong asked, "Could it be a product from the Republic of China era?"
Passionflower is a flower that was introduced to my country from the West. Passionflower patterns hold a prominent position in Western patterns, much like the traditional Chinese peony pattern, and symbolize wealth and splendor.
"No! The passionflower pattern was introduced to my country during Zheng He's voyages to the Western Ocean in the Ming Dynasty, and it became even more popular in the Qing Dynasty. The passionflower pattern contains the auspicious meaning of continuous wealth and prosperity, so it was widely used in furniture in both the palace and among the common people."
Li Xiangdong said admiringly, "Master, is there any field in this world that you are not good at?"
Grandma Jiang answered very seriously, "Yes, for example, cooking and sewing, I'm not good at those things!"
...
Li Xiangdong changed the subject, "Master, have you found a good spot yet? If we don't build a house soon, we won't be able to move in for the New Year."
The weather is gradually getting cooler now. After the house is built, we still need to paint the walls and add furniture.
The bricks and tiles have now been delivered, and the village head of Quanshui Village has led his men to clean up the foundation.
Grandma Jiang said, "September 22nd, you should get people to come and build the house. But there's one thing you need to do: keep an eye on that dry well in the yard and make sure no one goes in."
Hahahaha~
"Have you lost your mind? You're laughing like an idiot!"
Li Xiangdong said mysteriously in a voice only the two of them could hear, "Master, your three burrows have a leak!"
Grandma Jiang rolled her eyes at him, "Idiot!"
What's with the stupidity!
Wasn't the gold from my past life hidden in the courtyard? Turns out, that dry well was the passageway to get there!
Seeing Li Xiangdong's silly grin, Grandma Jiang couldn't help but smile as well.
...
September 22nd is an auspicious day.
Chen Shi (7-9 AM) is an auspicious time.
Construction began simultaneously on two residential land foundations in Lijiapo and Quanshui Village.
Li Chang and others were waiting for Li Xiangdong to finish setting off firecrackers at Grandma Jiang's house site in Quanshui Village before starting construction.
The floodwaters hung a string of ten thousand red firecrackers on the branches of the paulownia tree in the yard. Li Xiangdong lit a match and set off the firecrackers.
"Crackling~ Crackling~"
"Crackling~ Crackling~"
"Crackling~ Crackling~"
The red paper casing of the "Earth Red" exploded into fragments, scattering all around. After crackling and popping for more than ten minutes, the yard was filled with the smell of sulfur and shrouded in grayish-white smoke.
"Today is an auspicious day; let's break ground!"
Li Xiangdong called out in a drawn-out voice, then dug a shovelful of soil. This marked the start of the construction for the homeowner, and the workers would begin building the house.
The village head of Quanshui Village also led a group of people to help.
Grandma Jiang is a recipient of the Five Guarantees (a government-provided social welfare program for the elderly, disabled, and orphans), and she had previously done some good deeds for the villagers of Quanshui Village. Therefore, it is only right and proper that the Quanshui Village Brigade rebuilds her house.
Now that Li Xiangdong is paying out of his own pocket, they're happy they don't have to contribute any money, but they still need to do some work.
A short, thin man in his forties was holding a shovel but wasn't doing any work. He said, "Captain, when did it become the turn of kids from other villages to boss people around in Quanshui Village?"
The village head of Quanshui Village is surnamed Yan, named Guohui, and is 45 years old. He knows Li Jin.
He knew more about Li Xiangdong than anyone else in the village.
Yan Guohui glanced at the man and said, "If you don't want him to be shouting around here, then you go and build a brick house. It only costs a little over two thousand yuan. Why don't you pay for it?"
The man had so much to say stuck in his throat. After thinking for a moment, he said, "Captain, Jiang Fang is rich. He's doing very well in the provincial capital now. And his sister, I heard, married a high-ranking official in Beijing! Jiang Fang wrote to me a few months ago saying he was coming back to take care of Old Lady Jiang in her old age and see her off when she passes away."
My dear reader, there's more to this chapter! Please click the next page to continue reading—even more exciting content awaits!
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com