Some men went to the mountain behind to chop wood, some went to mix clay, and some went down to the bottom of the well to clear silt... Everyone was busy all the time. It was early winter and it was so hot that some people took off their coats and wore light clothes.
The women helped each family cut hay in their yards, then went up the hills to gather branches and leaves for firewood, which they used to weave mats. Even Jiang Tao sat outside, weaving a mat with the yard grass she had cut the previous night.
Straw mats can not only temporarily patch holes in the roof, but can also be laid on the sandy kang to keep warm. They are very useful.
Yes, the bed here is a kang, but because it has been in disrepair for a long time, it can no longer be heated. You have to dig out the kang hole and the chimney before you can use it.
Looking at the kang, Jiang Huaixu knew that the winter in Chongming Prefecture was not easy to endure.
Jiang Wei, Jiang Huaixu, Liu Ye'er, and Jiang Fu were also busy. They took out the dried mugwort from the road and fumigated the cleaned house inside and out. This fumigation actually drove out a lot of rats.
The mouse was not big, but it made a loud noise. Some children chased it, and some people kept calling out "Futuan".
Fu Tuan sat on the roof with an arrogant look on his face, pretending not to hear.
Not long after Jiang Huaixu took the mugwort out of the mouse hole, several cute little mice came out. She was quick to kick them one by one, then put them into a sack with a thin wooden stick and went into the house to continue fumigating them.
After fumigating her own house, she asked Futuan which house had been cleaned and went there with her things. She didn't have a single moment to spare throughout the day.
When it got dark, the strong laborers who went to the mountains to cut wood brought back a lot of wood one after another. They were all piled in the yard of Jiang Huaixu's house, and the finished adobe bricks were also neatly arranged.
After a simple meal, Jiang Zhengmao called Shi Tao and Jiang Fugui and asked them, who were both carpenters, to take a few people to build wooden boards, intending to use them as temporary beds.
The weather is getting colder day by day, and many kangs have collapsed. I can't always sleep on the floor.
The rest of the people continued to make adobe bricks. The collapsed courtyard wall and the collapsed kang had to be rebuilt with adobe bricks. They could not afford to buy bricks, so they could only work day and night.
Fortunately, the results are very good, and the adobe bricks can be used to build many kangs.
"Maozi, Maozi!" Second Grandma called out to Jiang Zhengmao at the top of her voice.
Jiang Zhengmao hurried over to greet her: "Hey, what's wrong with Auntie?"
"Your second uncle asked me to tell you about the house. I've discussed it with your second uncle. We're going to live together in the small courtyard between Doctor Kang and Village Chief Zheng. It's right behind your house."
Jiang Zhengmao didn't expect that his second uncle and his wife had already made plans. He complained, "Aliang and I's parents both passed away long ago. We had planned to support you and your second uncle until the end of your lives. The house we both occupy is not small..."
"How could your uncle and I not know what you're thinking? If it were just the two of us, it would be fine, but don't we still have Tianya and Xiaofeng? As long as we can move, we have to raise these two children.
Guihua is a kind-hearted girl. She treated the two children like her own throughout the trip. I thought it would be hard for her to be alone, so I asked her to acknowledge us as her godparents. She agreed, and there’s nothing wrong with living together.”
Jiang Zhengmao thought about it carefully. The old couple had a homestead in Shili Village before, so they should have it in the new place as well, which would at least be a guarantee.
"That's fine. Sister Guihua is a sincere person, and Shanwa is also sensible. If there are any difficulties at home in the future, just tell us two brothers."
Second Grandma responded softly and walked forward slowly: "Why walk so far? Just to have a roof over your head..."
*
Zheng Li'niang remembered Jiang Huaixu's long-cherished wish of taking a bath. After boiling water in the evening, she asked the girls in the family to take a bath first, but she couldn't find Jiang Huaixu.
What is Jiang Huaixu doing? He blocks Jiang Zhengmao to discuss something - "Uncle, I just took a look, is there a cellar here?"
"Ah, yes, but some of them collapsed. Your brother Dafu almost fell into them during the day."
Jiang Huaixu asked, "Can we grow things in the cellar?"
Jiang Zhengmao was stunned. "What do you want to plant?"
Jiang Huaixu said calmly, "I can't tell you now. I have to try to see if I can grow it. Otherwise, if it fails, you will be so sad."
"You are such a chatterbox, girl!" Jiang Zhengmao didn't know whether to laugh or cry. After laughing, he said, "If you want to try it, try it. There are no vegetables in it anyway."
Jiang Huaixu thought about it. Although they were not short of food now, they were short of oil, salt, winter vegetables, window paper, oilcloth and so on. It was just that the villagers were frugal and had not thought of going to the county town to buy them.
She didn't expect that after robbing the bandits, she would still have to live frugally. Now there is still more than a thousand taels of silver in the account. Since it is for public use, it is better to use it completely.
"Uncle, after we build the walls and repair the house, we'll definitely need tables, chairs, and benches. The villagers won't be willing to buy new ones, so it'll all be Brother Shi and Uncle Fugui's job. They'll have to work day and night. Even if they have help, they'll be novices, and it'll still take the two of them to worry about it. Have you ever thought about giving them some benefits?"
Jiang Zhengmao choked, and the mark between his brows deepened three points. He was busy with the present matter and had not thought that far ahead.
Jiang Huaixu understood at first sight his expression, "We can't just sit there and do nothing while guarding a mountain of gold. In my opinion, we are no different from living and eating together now. It would be better if we could eat from the same pot and work together in the future, and then pay the villagers according to how much work they do.
First, we can take out a portion of the public funds as a safety net, and then use the remaining portion to pay the wages. Later, we can also pay the money earned from small businesses as wages. This way, the villagers can motivate each other and make progress together! What do you think?
Jiang Zhengmao was so confused that he couldn't make sense of it. "Why are you doing this so quickly? Do you think your uncle's head is the same as yours? Come on, I'll call your father, your eldest brother, your second brother, your first cousin, and your second cousin. You can talk to us properly."
Jiang Zhengmao pulled Jiang Huaixu into the house.
As Jiang Huaixu walked forward, he didn't forget to fight for the women in his family. "Uncle, you're discriminating. It's not just men who can work. Women can work too. Why can't they attend the meeting? They work hard all day, and you don't see it and think it's just easy work, not taking it seriously at all. No, you have to call Auntie, Auntie Zheng, and my mother over as well!"
"Okay, okay, it's all up to you, it's up to you!"
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