Several families moved to relatives' homes, but they didn't seem happy living there and moved back.
The clan chief spent two days having the villagers prepare the tents they had received and settle their families. He also gathered the other families who hadn't stayed in tents into one large tent. Of the three empty tents, two were used to store supplies sent by the government, and one was used as a kitchen to store cooking utensils and prepare food. They only cooked on the stove built outside.
Once construction begins on the new village, the men will be busy building it, while the women will be divided into three teams to take turns cooking for the workers.
That means that once construction officially begins, everyone will be eating together from the same pot.
The clan chief also selected wives from four villages to manage affairs, one of whom was Li Mai.
The other three are the village chief's eldest daughter-in-law, Zhou Kun's wife, and Zhou Daniu's wife.
These four wives were all literate, good at accounting, and had a good tongue. They were put in charge of the supplies in the two warehouses and were also responsible for organizing the women in the village into three groups to cook for everyone, providing one meal each in the morning, noon, and evening.
Li Mai originally wanted to refuse, but the clan chief came to Zhou Quan and said that the construction site needed Zhou Quan and his son, as well as his eldest son, to manage and direct everyone. He also said that the logistics department needed a capable person who could keep the women in check.
The clan chief said that after looking around, he found that only Zhou Quan's wife had the ability to manage all the women in the village.
Li Mai is intelligent, courageous, and eloquent.
With no other option, Li Mai took office and convened a meeting with the other three people to discuss how to proceed.
In the end, the three unanimously elected Li Mai as the general manager. They divided the forty-eight married women and young women living on the mountain into three teams to cook for the workers.
There are sixteen students in each class.
Then, among the three classes that were assigned, there were those who were very good at cooking, and those who were average or didn't know how to cook. They were assigned to help out, preparing dishes, starting fires, and gathering firewood.
Of course, the women in the three teams they organized did not include those over fifty or under fourteen.
Li Mai, as the general manager, was in charge of each team, while the other three people each managed one team and could contact her anytime if needed.
The other two large warehouses were used to store supplies. The four of them worked in pairs to guard and manage one of the warehouses.
The clan chief also had the village's three carpenters, Zhou Lin, Zhou Lai Niu, and Zhou Wang Wang, make some low tables and small stools so that everyone could easily come back for meals.
Li Mai also asked them to help make simple doors and windows for the four tents, so that even if the wind blows in a few days, they won't have to worry about dust, and the two tents used as large warehouses can be locked up.
While they were making these preparations, Zhou Quan and his team were leveling the foundation and hauling stones back.
The preparations for the village were arranged by Old Man Zhou and Zhou Shifan, while Zhou Quan and the clan chief rode in a horse-drawn carriage to find brickyards to order bricks, tiles, and lime, and to lumber mills to order timber.
When they learned that Zhoujia Village was going to rebuild and that a lot of materials would be needed, the people at the brick factory were overjoyed and quickly increased the speed of brick production.
Zhou Quan also told them that they couldn't produce inferior bricks just to speed up the process. He would inspect the quality of the bricks, and they wouldn't accept them if the quality wasn't up to standard.
The people at the brick factory knew he was a true expert, so they didn't dare to fool them and promised to deliver good bricks.
As for the timber shop, there is only one in town, and a contract has been signed. The rafters, beams, and other materials needed for building houses in Zhoujia Village are all provided by them. In addition, the wooden boards used for making doors and windows are also provided by them.
The owner of this timber shop is a savvy businessman. He even has pre-cut and dried planks of varying thicknesses available for customers to choose from, which greatly benefits many furniture makers. This time, it has also made things easier for the people of Zhoujia Village.
However, once they finalized their order for timber this time, it essentially emptied the timber store's coffers.
After receiving their deposit, the timber merchant quickly went to order more timber from forest farms in the mountains.
Meanwhile, Zhou Quan and the clan chief also finalized the purchase of materials needed for their two families to build houses at the brick factory and timber shop, saying they would deliver the required amount to both families first. They had also already arranged for bricklayers to build the houses.
Once their houses are built, the villagers will have almost finished preparing their belongings. Then, with more people to help build houses, they can work together and I guarantee that the entire village will be built within two months at most.
These were all calculated and discussed by Zhou Quan and the clan chief.
Of course, the speed at which Shi Fan and Old Man Zhou were preparing things in the village they were in charge of couldn't be slowed down either.
During this busy period, Zhou Quan was able to spend more and more time without his wheelchair. Sometimes he could go an entire morning without needing to use it. When he felt tired, he would find a place to sit and rest for a while, which would make him feel much better.
About half a month later, Zhou Quan no longer took the wheelchair with him when he went out. Li Mai simply put the wheelchair in their family tent as well. A few days later, after people gradually forgot about Zhou Quan's wheelchair, she put it back in her space.
However, she prepared a cane for Zhou Quan so that he could take it with him when he went out. Whenever he felt tired, he could use it to stand for a while, and he could also use it as a baton to direct people.
Zhou Quan was amused by his wife's words, but he accepted the cane she gave him.
On the sixth day of the eighth lunar month, construction officially began on the new houses of Zhou Quan's family and the clan chief's family. First, the foundation was laid, and then the walls were built.
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