On the morning of the first day of the Lunar New Year, it was still snowing.
This year is colder than in previous years. We have had several snowfalls, and each time it takes many days for the snow to completely melt.
As the saying goes, it's not cold when it snows, but when the snow melts, it's cold. Even though it's snowing, it's okay as long as people dress warmly.
My feet stepped on the thick white snow, making a slight squeaking sound.
When people walk by, they leave a trail of footprints in the white snow.
After having a simple breakfast at home, Gao Mingcheng took his wife and children to pay New Year's greetings to his parents.
Of course, I didn't go to pay New Year's greetings empty-handed, but brought two packages of gifts, a package of two kilograms of dried longan, and a bag of apples.
Because they had to have dinner at grandma's house, Gao Mingcheng had to take grandma's portion with him as well. It was a lot to carry, and it would be inconvenient to walk there since he had to carry the child, so Gao Mingcheng prepared to drive a tractor over.
"Maozi, we don't eat lunch or dinner at home. You two brothers can cook whatever you want to eat! If you are bored, just go to Uncle Chen's house and chat." Before leaving, Gao Mingcheng reminded Maozi.
"Hey, Brother Mingcheng, don't worry." Maozi said with a smile. There were still some leftovers at home, and there were also many kinds of food.
This year's celebration was much more sumptuous than Maozi's previous years. He was fine, and his younger brother Yangyang seemed to have fallen into a blessed nest. He chewed snacks every day and ate with relish.
After saying goodbye to Maozi, Gao Mingcheng drove a tractor and took his wife and children to the old village.
After getting off the bus, many beauties held their children while he carried things. When they met people along the way, they all smiled and said, "Happy New Year."
There was red firecracker dust at the doors of every household in the old village, and there was even a faint smell of gunpowder in the air.
The children, wearing new clothes, ran around in the village corridors, and bursts of laughter could be heard from time to time.
This time Gao Mingcheng took a detour and went to his grandmother's house first to deliver the gifts, and then went to his parents' house. The families in this village all live together, so no matter whose house he wants to go to, he can go through the small road.
Many people came to my grandmother's house today to pay New Year's greetings. These people were all younger generations from the same family in the village. From the perspective of the family tree, they were closely related, but from the perspective of kinship, they were not so related. Therefore, they just came into the house to pay New Year's greetings, said a few auspicious words, sat down to drink tea, eat melon seeds and chat, but they did not leave any food for her.
Gao Mingcheng didn't stay here for long. He soon took Xuanmei and Xiao Xuxu to his parents' home.
When he went there, the house was very lively. The main room was packed with people, and the men were smoking, talking and laughing loudly.
This scene frightened many beauties so much that they dared not enter the house.
Gao Mingcheng looked around and said, "Xiuxiu should be in her own room. Take your son and go find her."
Wang Xiuxiu was pregnant with a big belly. There were many people at home today, so she didn't have to work. She could just hide in the house and rest in peace in her husband's house where she was unfamiliar with the place.
"Okay." Xuanyuemei thought this was a good idea, so she carried Xiao Xuxu to the house in Gaomingli. As soon as she entered, she saw Wang Xiuxiu in the house, but Wang Xiuxiu was not the only one in the house, there were also several people of the same age from the village.
Compared to Wang Xiuxiu, who married in from another village, Xuanyuemei was more familiar with the people from the same village. When she arrived, she naturally joined in the conversation, and everyone chatted and laughed.
Gao Mingcheng saw this from outside the window and felt relieved. He walked into the main hall with the gifts in his hand, greeted all the uncles and wished everyone a happy new year.
Gao Yuanjian was sitting there with a smile on his face. When he saw Gao Mingcheng coming, he enthusiastically called Gao Mingli to pour tea for Gao Mingcheng.
This tea was bought from a cooperative. Although it is not very expensive, it is better than the coarse tea I make myself, and it does not taste astringent.
Gao Mingcheng took a sip of tea, and someone invited him to eat some melon seeds and rice candy.
This rice candy is made by a family in the village. Their family is the best at making rice candy, so they start taking orders for it one month before the Chinese New Year every year. You can buy it with money, or exchange it with rice yourself.
In addition to rice krispie candies, there are also filled candies. The filled candies are made of maltose and are relatively sticky, so they are placed in fried rice. If you want to eat the candies, you have to pick them out of the fried rice. The fried rice also tastes fragrant and crispy, and can be eaten alone or with porridge.
"Ming Cheng, just now we said that your father has done a good job in educating his children, and his sons are all promising. Your family is the best in the village!" The man said while giving a thumbs up, indicating that their family is the best in the village.
"Gao Fuqiang's family will build a house in the spring. Your house is also quite old. Isn't it time to rebuild it too? Mingcheng, your father just said he wanted to build a house, but he didn't have that much money. I said, what's there to be afraid of? He has four sons. If each of them contributes a little, the house can be built. Mingpeng is a construction site worker himself. He can find someone to buy cement and steel bars and find someone to do the work. It must be cheap and good!"
"Your grandma is old now. She has suffered all her life. It's time for her to live in a new house and enjoy her life!"
The person who was speaking was Gao Mingcheng's cousin. They didn't interact much on normal days, but during the New Year, they definitely had to visit each other.
Gao Mingcheng understood what he meant and said, "Uncle is right. It's time to build a house. Dad, do you plan to tear it down and rebuild it, or buy another piece of land? Do you plan to burn bricks or buy bricks? As for the money to build the house, it's not a big deal if each of us contributes a little."
He didn't take on too much, but his family wanted to build a house, and as a son, he had to give some money.
When talking about building a house, Gao Yuanjian's face flushed and he seemed to be a few years younger.
The older generation in the village regards building houses as a big deal.
It would be a great honor if you could build a good house and leave it to your descendants.
Gao Yuanjian said, "Let's tear it down and rebuild! This piece of land is in a good location, and I don't want to build a house somewhere else. Besides, you don't live here on weekdays, so why not tear it down and rebuild. When we build the house, we will take your grandmother and move in with your eldest brother."
"Your eldest brother will take care of the cement, sand and steel bars, so I'm relieved. As for the bricks... I think we can burn some bricks and buy some."
When Gao Mingcheng heard his father's words, he knew that his father had thought it over carefully, so he nodded in agreement.
Brick making is a physical job and requires a lot of firewood.
Trying to make bricks for a house by yourself is a huge project!
For example, Gao Fuqiang's family spent a whole year digging the kiln, cutting trees, making bricks, and burning bricks!
Last year, his family was the only one making bricks. Now that he is building a house this year, the brick kiln can be rented out to other people to make bricks.
Gao Yuanjian felt that he had limited manpower and firewood, so he planned to only burn one kiln of bricks and buy the rest with money.
The reason why we still have to burn a kiln of bricks is because we want to save as much as possible.
Because of this idea, Gao Yuanjian started saving up a pile of firewood this year.
Talking about building a house, everyone in the main room was very excited and started talking about how to build it, where to build the kitchen, how many utility rooms to build, and whether to build a one-story or a two-story one.
Gao Fanmao strongly recommended building a two-story building.
He said confidently, "Who would build a one-story building nowadays? It's not enough to live in! What's more, your family has a large population. Your son has found a wife, and your wife has given birth to a series of children. In the future, let alone two or three floors, you may not be able to live in it!"
Gao Yuanjian smiled and said, "Three floors are not necessary, two floors will do. I have never lived in a building in my life, so if we want to build one, we really need to build a two-story building! Not only me, but if you want to build a house in the future, you must also build a two-story building."
"That's right, that's right."
"I think so."
Everyone started talking and began to discuss the orientation of the house, the height and size of the rooms, as well as the styles of doors, windows and furniture.
Gao Mingcheng sat aside. He didn't say much and only said a few words when someone asked him questions.
Seeing that the elders were talking happily, Gao Mingli and Gao Mingwan found Gao Mingcheng. The two brothers gave Gao Mingcheng a look, indicating that they should go out and talk.
So the three brothers quietly left the room.
There were many people in the main room, and a brazier was lit for warmth. People sitting inside felt quite warm, but when they came out, the wind and snow blew on their bodies, and the trace of warmth that remained was completely dissipated in the wind and snow.
The three brothers walked into the yard, and Gao Mingli spoke first: "Second brother, third brother, how much will you contribute to building our house? If you contribute more, I may not be able to give as much as you!"
Gao Mingli only has a fixed salary, unlike Gao Mingcheng and Gao Mingwan who can make money. Besides, he wants to save money to buy a house in the county.
Although living in my second brother's house is nice, I can't live there forever. I still have to buy my own house.
Gao Mingcheng, who had experience in building houses, immediately did some calculations for the two of them and said, "The house at home is built on the original land, so there is no need to spend money on the land. After the old house is demolished, there will be some better bricks and tiles, which can be used to build pig pens and chicken coops."
"There are a lot of good wood in the mountains where Mom, Dad, Big Brother and you live. These woods are enough to make beams, purlins and rafters. This saves money on buying wood."
"With my big brother's help, cement, steel bars and other things can be a little cheaper. This part is what I have to pay. I plan to burn a kiln of bricks and buy the rest. This kiln of bricks is only worth about 10,000 yuan at most."
"Dad is planning to build a two-story house. I estimate that there will be four rooms on the first floor, and eight rooms on the upper and lower floors. It will take more than 20,000 bricks in total. If it is built wider, it will require more. In addition, there will be a kitchen and a bathroom. I estimate that it will take more than 30,000 bricks in total. And as for tiles, it will probably take about 10,000 pieces. If you pay for them, the price of a red brick is 5 cents, and a small tile is 7 cents each."
"My eldest brother is already a skilled worker in the construction of the house. If we hire another skilled worker and a few skilled workers, and some villagers will come to help with the work for a few days, then the wages won't be much."
"I roughly calculated that it would cost about 5,000 yuan to build the house."
It is just the 1990s now, wages have not risen much, and prices are still okay. Building a house in the village can save some money, and you only need to consider the cost of building materials and labor.
After Gao Mingcheng finished settling the accounts, Gao Mingli lowered his head in thought. His brows were tightly furrowed and he glanced at his second and third brothers with uneasiness.
As if he had guessed what he was thinking, Gao Mingwan said, "Mingli, you are the youngest and have only been working for a short time. No one will say anything if you pay less."
After hearing this, Gao Mingli breathed a sigh of relief.
It seems that he only needs to pay a little money as a token of his appreciation, and the bulk of the money will be paid by the other three brothers.
Well, the most important thing is that the second and third brothers came out.
Gao Mingwan looked at Gao Mingcheng, who was also straightforward and said, "I'll give you 1,000 yuan, you guys decide how much to give. Besides, my parents must have some money, I estimate it's around 3,000 or 4,000 yuan!"
Gao Yuanjian can make a lot of money by steaming wine for others every year. In previous years, he usually made 1,600 to 2,000 yuan. He has two pigs at home, which he can earn by selling at the end of the year.
In addition, the vegetables from the fields are sometimes picked to sell at Junling Old Market, and the money earned from collecting medicinal herbs in the mountains every year also adds up to a small amount of money.
Another thing is that during festivals, the brothers would give money more or less.
If it costs 5,000 yuan to build a house, and Gao Mingcheng pays one-fifth of it, then no one can say that he did a bad job.
Gao Mingwan stared at the old house and said, "Actually... if we build six rooms in total, it will be enough for living."
Gao Mingcheng also took a look at the old house and said, "If you decide not to live here in the future, then six rooms will be enough for you."
The eldest brother Gao Mingpeng has bought another house to live in and has moved out, but Gao Mingwan and Gao Mingli have not yet separated, and Gao Shufang has not yet married, so when Gao Mingcheng was settling the bills, he calculated it as a total of eight rooms.
However, although Gao Mingwan and Gao Mingli have not separated, I am afraid they will not return to live in the village.
As for Gao Shufang, she is a girl and will get married sooner or later.
Speaking of Gao Shufang's marriage, Gao Mingcheng has started to choose a partner for her, but he hasn't found a suitable one yet.
But there is no doubt that Gao Shufang will definitely marry into the county.
"I also think six rooms are enough! Look, there are three rooms on the first floor. The middle one is the main room, and the rooms on both sides are for my parents and grandma. There are three more rooms upstairs. Shufang lives in one, and when we go home for the New Year and other holidays, my third brother and I will each live in one. That's enough!" Gao Mingli's eyes lit up and he immediately agreed.
If two fewer rooms are built, the cost will naturally be less.
But Gao Mingcheng told them that even if they built two fewer rooms, it would only cost less money for bricks and tiles. Besides, the money he calculated was only for building the houses, not including furniture.
But Gao Mingli was a little more relaxed. He said, "What's the big deal? The bed and cabinets in the room are a bit old, but they can still be used!"
He was quite open-minded. He didn't have to live in the village permanently anyway, so it was okay to make do with it. As long as it didn't cost him a lot of money, he could accept it! If there was really no bed, he could sleep on the floor!
Gao Mingwan also said that a bed and a cabinet would be enough in the room.
Gao Mingcheng couldn't help but laugh when he saw this.
He was overthinking it. He always thought that since he had built a new house, the things in it should all be new, so that it would be appropriate. (End of this chapter)
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