Chapter 49: Building a New House [Seeking Follow-up Reading]
On the morning of the eighth day of the first lunar month, all members of the Lin family got up a little after five o'clock. The reason was simple: today was the day to break ground on the new house.
When Lin Heng and others were washing their faces, voices suddenly came from outside the door.
"Who comes so early?" Lin Heng wondered.
Father Lin walked in and opened the door, and his uncle Li Baiquan and third father Lin Xutao appeared at the door.
"Congratulations, may you make a fortune by building a new house, and may everything go well!" My uncle-in-law blessed with a smile, clasping his hands.
Third father Lin Xutao also clasped his hands together and blessed: "You are building a new house, may good fortune come to you, may the people and the land prosper and may good luck come to you!"
"Hahaha, prosperous, prosperous, everyone is prosperous, come in and sit down!" Father Lin laughed and quickly led everyone into the house.
There are rules for doing everything in the countryside. For example, today is a good day to build a house, but you must not say anything that will bring bad luck, otherwise you will be slapped in the face.
"What is this? Badger skin?"
As soon as he entered the yard, my uncle Li Baiquan saw the badger skin hanging there.
He turned around and looked at Lin Heng with a look of shock: "Did you kill the badger?"
Lin Heng chuckled and said, "I caught it the evening before yesterday. It weighs 24 kilograms. Ask my dad for the exact amount."
He was too lazy to blow.
"Lin Heng is an amazing hunter. Second brother, please tell us about him as soon as possible." Third father Lin Xutao's eyes changed when he looked at Lin Heng.
Being able to hunt rabbits and grouse is not actually that impressive, as many people in the village can do so. However, to hunt larger prey like badgers requires real skills.
Because these things are too cautious, they can often sense you from thirty or forty meters away and turn around and run away.
"Drink some water first, and I'll explain it to you slowly."
Father Lin poured a glass of water for the two of them and told them the story as if it was his own personal experience.
"Lin Heng, I was originally worried about how you and Xiulan would live together in the future.
Now, with your hunting skills, you are probably living a better life than anyone else." The third father gave Lin Heng a thumbs up.
Uncle Li Baiquan pulled Lin Heng and said, "When we have time, let's go hunting together and bring your Xiongba with us."
"No problem, no problem." Lin Heng responded one by one.
He turned around, picked up the badger skin and put it inside the house, not wanting anyone to come in and ask again.
"Come on, let's fix the base line and adjust the level first."
After washing his face, carpenter Liang Gui called everyone to go to the village base.
There are many wooden stakes nailed here at the base of the village, and the level has been set, but it just rained, so it needs to be confirmed again.
Lin Heng also used lime to sprinkle the lines again, including the lines of the fish pond he designed.
"You guys are working so fast! You've already started working!" A rough voice came from a distance.
"Quanwazi, you run so fast." This was followed by a deeper voice.
Lin Heng and others looked up and saw three middle-aged men in their forties or even fifties. They were none other than his eldest uncle, second uncle, and third uncle.
My sister is building a house, so they will definitely come.
"Big brother, second brother, third brother, you've come quite late. Come in and have your meal!" Father Lin came over with a smile and handed each of them a Daqianmen cigarette.
After the few people finished their pleasantries, Lin Heng also greeted them with a smile: "Uncle, second uncle, third uncle."
Lin Heng's uncle had a mustache and long hair, and looked very serious. He looked at Lin Heng and snorted, "Luckily you are still working, otherwise I would have to teach you a lesson today."
His uncle couldn't stand Lin Heng's idleness the most and had beaten Lin Heng before.
"Live a good life at home and don't always mess around." The second uncle also gave a stern warning. His second uncle has very fair skin and looks very young.
The third uncle was a bit shorter, about 1.5 meters, and was a very honest person, often bullied. When he saw Lin Heng, he smiled and said, "When are you coming to my place to play?"
Lin Heng answered the questions of his three uncles one by one. Among his three uncles, only his second uncle was married, while his eldest uncle and third uncle were both bachelors.
The eldest uncle liked to drink and had a habit of beating people, which was the key reason why he couldn't get married. The third uncle was too honest and a bit dull, so no woman was interested in him.
My second uncle was the most shrewd and business-minded among them. He asked his wife to open a steamed bun shop on the edge of the city, and he was considered a wealthy man in the village.
However, the three of them treated Lin Heng's family very well, sending them food and drinks and always coming to help when there was any problem.
After entering the house and drinking water, Lin's father began to defend Lin Heng, saying that he had corrected a lot and had recently been hunting for the family.
"Hunting?" Lin Heng's uncle Lu Honghai looked at Lin Heng with some disbelief. He turned his head to look at the badger skin and went to the kitchen to look at the smoked badger meat.
"Did you really shoot it?" My uncle was a little unconvinced. He actually had a hunting rifle and went hunting frequently.
"Come on, Lin Heng, let me see your aim." Second uncle Lu Hongan took a wooden block and placed it in the yard.
"All right!"
Lin Heng felt somewhat helpless, so he went to the bedroom to get out a bow and arrow. At a distance of only eight or nine meters, after a slight aim, he shot out an arrow, which hit the wooden block with a bang.
"You're really that amazing. I didn't expect you to have learned such a skill." The second uncle said in shock and gave Lin Heng a thumbs up.
"I don't know either. I was just playing around at first, but then I found out that I have a talent." Lin Heng smiled and made up a lie.
The uncle looked at Lin Heng, patted him on the shoulder and said, "If you have the ability, just stay at home. I will take you to the mountains to hunt wild boars in the fall."
Although his expression was serious, it was obvious that his attitude had changed because of Lin Heng's archery skills. People with talent are welcome wherever they go.
At this time, it was already half past six, and the other invited villagers also arrived one after another.
Mother Lin also prepared a large pot of pickled cabbage noodles and called out, "Everyone come for breakfast."
There were many people today, so the big pot with a diameter of 1.2 meters at home was able to hold most of the noodles, but they were quickly divided up by everyone.
Holding noodles and standing in the yard, a group of middle-aged men began to chat and tell all kinds of dirty jokes and make obscene jokes, with laughter coming one after another.
Lin Heng didn't care about these things. He sat in the corner and ate noodles with big mouthfuls. The sauerkraut noodles with garlic, patchouli and chili tasted really great.
Especially the taste of patchouli leaves makes this bowl of noodles special.
After breakfast, everyone took action. Today we had two tasks to do: first dig the foundation, then erect the gate.
Everyone who came brought their own tools, and after everyone came on stage, Father Lin lit a string of firecrackers.
"Congratulations!"
"Make a fortune and have great luck!"
The sound of firecrackers accompanied by everyone's blessings made the place lively all of a sudden.
Setting off firecrackers in rural areas is to drive away evil spirits and tell them that there are people living here, as well as to pray for peace and good luck, which represents good meaning.
After finishing, Father Lin began to assign today's work:
"We have a total of 18 people today. Eight of us will dig the foundation, and the other 10 will go to the back mountain to move stones. We will try to complete the foundation in the morning."
After saying that, he divided the people up and gave each of them a Daqianmen cigarette.
(End of this chapter)
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