The location was agreed upon beforehand, next to the existing house. Master Ji walked around it and nodded, saying:
"It's big enough, but the ground isn't flat. We'll just dig it up and compact it, no problem."
The blueprints will be ready in two days, and the bricks and tiles will arrive the day after tomorrow. Once you've chosen a date and found the workers, we can start work immediately!
After Cheng Yue nodded, Chen An followed Master Ji to take the measurements.
After Master Ji left, Zhao Xiangxiu approached and asked, "Sister Cheng Yue, are you building a house?"
Cheng Yue laughed and said, "Yes, we'll need to hire helpers later. Why don't you have Shuanzi come too?"
Zhao Xiangxiu waved her hand, "Hey! He's not coming. Zhu Zi is going to learn carpentry from Brother Chen An. He's the only one left at home, so we'll leave him here to work!"
It's inappropriate for everyone to come; secondly, there's really no one left at home—no one can do the cooking or farm work.
When Cheng Yue heard her say that, she remembered that Zhu Zi had also been selected, so she didn't insist.
Although they had agreed beforehand that the apprentices would only study for four hours a day and have free time to arrange the rest of the time, the free time was still a bit short, and they certainly couldn't help much with family matters.
After speaking with Zhao Xiangxiu, Cheng Yue and Chen An went to find the village head.
"You're building a house? And you need to hire over twenty people?"
The village head was astonished. How big of a house were they going to build? How come they had never mentioned it before? This couple was truly doing great things quietly.
Cheng Yue replied, "Uncle Village Head, we want to build a two-courtyard house and we want to finish it before the autumn harvest, so we need to hire more people."
There's no point in hiding this; everyone will see the house once it's built.
Upon hearing this, the village head stopped fanning himself. He frequented towns and county seats and knew what a two-courtyard house looked like.
This cover is so big, it's really scary!
Back then, they thought it was too expensive for Chen An's father to build three brick houses. How much silver must it have cost for this two-courtyard house?
However, he couldn't find out about this matter, so he calmed himself down and said, "I can just go and make a call. It's easy to find people."
They provide a meal and thirty coins a day; how could it be hard to recruit them?
Actually, in the village, people help each other build houses. Few people pay wages, but they usually just build a bare shell or something. If you help me, I'll help you, and we'll repay the favor.
However, it would be unreasonable not to pay Cheng Yue and the others for building such a large house over such a long period of time; it would be like taking advantage of them for nothing.
After saying that, he added, "You also need to check the date. There are many things to consider when starting construction and breaking ground. If it's not done properly, you'll feel uneasy about it later. No one in our village knows how to do this, so you'll have to go to town and ask."
Cheng Yue and Chen An nodded with smiles, "Thank you, Uncle Village Head!"
This is no different from being a biological uncle; the only problem is that they might not expect it.
The village head stood up, waved his hand, and was about to walk towards the door. "No need to thank me! You guys go ahead, I'll go find someone right now!"
Cheng Yue smiled and said, "No rush. We're going to the county town tomorrow, so we can find someone to choose an auspicious date while we're there."
I'll go see Chen Lin, Zhao Changyong, and Zhang Shaowen off, and also deliver some things to Cheng Jun and visit him.
"Then I'll go find someone first!" the village head said, and hurried off.
Madam Feng shook her head and laughed, "That old man, he's the first to run away when there's good news!"
The village head was known for his efficiency. Cheng Yue then said to Feng, "Aunt Feng, I also have something to tell you."
I've hired quite a few people, and I also have to provide them with meals. I have a lot of things to do myself, so I'm sure I won't be able to handle everything. I was thinking of asking Sister Yulan and Sister Chunmei for help!
However, the pay isn't that high, only fifteen coins a day. Could you ask the two ladies if they'd be willing?
In addition to the village laborers, there were also skilled workers brought by Master Ji. Meals were definitely provided, otherwise how would they solve their food problems?
Since the senior workers are provided with meals, it's not appropriate to make exceptions for the junior workers, so they have to be provided with meals as well.
Although the meal is only provided for one day, preparing food for nearly thirty people takes a long time and requires at least two people to cook.
Qian Yulan and Wang Chunmei went to the fields, so she could only ask Feng to pass on the message.
She originally wanted Cui Miao to come, but Liu Chunlai was also coming to build a house. His family only had four people, and if the couple came, there would only be Yang Shi, the old woman, left, which definitely wouldn't work.
After thinking it over, the village head's family is the largest, so even if a few more people are needed, they can manage.
Madam Feng slapped her thigh and said happily, "Come, come, come! Of course we'll come. Such a good thing, why even ask them? This old woman can make the decision!"
Fifteen coins for cooking a meal—where else can you find such a good job? Her two daughters-in-law would be even more excited than she was when they found out!
Cheng Yue stood up and said, "Okay, Aunt Feng, it's settled then. I'll let you know when we find a good day. We'll head back now!"
As soon as Cheng Yue left with Chen An, Madam Feng became happier and happier, and she clasped her hands together and prayed to the heavens.
Cheng Yue is such a good girl! She always thinks of her family when something good happens. Not only did she help Da Ba Shan Da Jiang, but now she's given two daughters-in-law jobs. She's truly a lucky star for her family!
Especially Shaowen, who received several hundred coins in wages as soon as she returned. If this continues, her family might one day be able to build a brick house!
In the afternoon, the village head had gathered everyone, including the Zhang brothers, Liu Chunlai, Zhao Changxi, Li Tieniu, and the two brothers from Zhou Da Niang's family, both close and distant relatives. In short, they were all people who had helped them with chores before and were on good terms with them.
In addition, Zhao Datou also came. Zhao Luoguo's injury has healed well, and he can cook and use the toilet by himself without any problems. So he insisted on bringing Zhao Datou to help.
After agreeing on the candidates, Zhao Datou spoke separately with Chen An and Cheng Yue, saying that he only wanted half the wages, and the other half would be a way of repaying them for their help.
Cheng Yue would definitely not agree, so she discussed it with Chen An and said she would give him twenty-five coins, with the other five coins as Zhao Luoguo's food expenses.
Although Zhao Luoguo has recovered well, he still injured one arm, which saves him the trouble of cooking.
Zhao Datou had no choice but to agree. He thought about it over and over and felt that something was not right, but he couldn't quite put his finger on it.
When I got home, I told Zhao Luoguo, and he scolded me. They originally wanted to help repay the favor, but in the end, they ended up having to cook an extra meal.
However, after thinking it over, the father and son realized that it was fortunate they had deducted five coins, so it wasn't like they had taken advantage of the situation; otherwise, they would have felt really bad.
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