Chapter 23 Chapter 23 A new house is being built!

Shen Laoqi's family is building a new house!

In fact, many people in the village have heard about it recently. Shen Laoqi's family is gathering materials for the house, and even some stones and wood are gradually being piled up on the wasteland behind his house.

But it is not so easy for rural people to build a house.

The labor is easy, relatives and friends, and people with good relationships in the team can help. If there are more people, a house can be completed in ten days, and if there are fewer people, it can be completed in twenty days.

The difficult part is gathering materials, stones, wood, tiles, straw, yellow mud, sand... all kinds of things, in bits and pieces. If you want to build a better house, you have to gather bricks and buy cement. In the end, it is impossible to gather all the materials without spending a year or two. Some families would spend seven or eight years just to collect materials to build a house.

Of course, this was not only because the family was poor these days and most families could not save much money throughout the year, but also because materials were scarce and even if they had money, they could not necessarily buy materials.

So everyone thought that it was amazing that Shen Laoqi could build a house in three years.

Who would have thought that it would only be a short time before his family actually started building a house!

On the first day of construction, not only was the ground that Shen's family had already marked out full of people who came to help with the work, but even the village road outside was full of people who came to watch the excitement.

Many people sighed and lamented that it was really hard to predict the fate of a person. It was only a short time ago that Shen Laoqi and his daughter were still worried about not having enough food at home. In a short period of time, Shen Laoqi entered the kiln factory as a worker and even had to build a new house.

This feeling was even deeper after seeing the tractor of the kiln factory pulling in truckloads of bricks. The

fact that Shen Laoqi's family was able to build a house so quickly was certainly because they were bullied so badly that they suddenly changed their temper and asked the first and second wives for money. But even if they had money, they were able to get enough bricks so quickly, which must be because Shen Laoqi entered the kiln factory, otherwise it would take who knows how long it would take to queue up to buy bricks.

As the old saying goes, things change over time, but things have changed for the seventh Shen family in just a short time.

Because when they signed the agreement with the first and second wives, it was clearly stated that the 300 yuan was only for buying the house. If Shen Shaoyuan's family wants to build a house later, the first and second wives will have to make up for the man-days needed for the construction, so the first and second sons are here today.

In fact, man-days can also be converted into money, but how much money can rural people save in a year? Who would be willing to pay money to pay for man-days?

These cousins ​​of Shen Moer in name all looked very unhappy and worked very reluctantly. They could not help but secretly blame their parents for not allowing them to save working time when signing the contract. They had to work for Uncle Qi for nothing and be laughed at by the villagers. They did not think about it.

Logically, they were the legitimate nephews of Shen Laoqi. They should have come to help when Shen Laoqi's family built a new house.

No one else from the first and second houses came. They were too embarrassed to come.

Cao Mei, however, was standing on the village road with her two grandchildren to watch the excitement. Someone teased Cao Mei, "Hey, Cao Mei, Lao Qi's family is building a new house, why didn't your Jianhui come to help? And, as his sister-in-law, you should help with the preparation of meals, right?"

Cao Mei was very shameless. How could she not be thick-skinned if she could run to someone else to steal food? She stood with her hands on her hips and glared at the direction of Shen Lao Qi's house, spat, and said, "He didn't even bring anything to invite me. I'm free, my Jianhui is free, and I'm helping him with work?"

Others: "..." She

was speechless.

She really didn't hear that others were mocking her! She

even blamed Shen Lao Qi for not bringing anything to ask her for help. Shen Lao Qi was considered to have a good temper when he didn't come to her house and smash her windows.

As expected, this person is both bad and stupid.

Everyone couldn't help but step back silently. No one wants to be associated with this kind of person.

In fact, a series of events that have happened recently have given the villagers a new understanding of the first, second and third branches of the Shen family.

Originally, I only thought that the eldest Shen was smart, the second Shen was kind, and the third Shen was straightforward... Now it seems that the smart ones are a little too smart, the kind ones may be pretending, and the straightforward ones are really stupid and bad.

People can't become bad all of a sudden. These three families have probably always been like this.

Many people thought back and felt that it was no wonder that the seventh Shen family had only two people, but they had always lived in poverty. It can be seen that they must have been ripped off by these families before.

Shen Moer didn't know all this. She was busy in the stove with Aunt Chen.

Because there were many people eating, Shen Shaoyuan asked someone to temporarily build a simple stove at the door of the stove room, and borrowed an iron pot from Aunt Chen's family, so that he would not be worried about not being able to cook with only one pot.

Aunt Chen processed the rabbit skillfully, smiling from ear to ear, and said, "I'm really getting a great deal. I'm lending you a pot and bringing your whole family along to enjoy such a delicious meal. Mo'er, you're really losing out on this business."

Shen Mo'er was quickly chopping green onions on the chopping board, smiling, "Aren't all your family members helping me? Besides, if I borrow your pot, you won't be able to cook. I can't let you starve, and there's no wind at this time of year." Aunt

Chen laughed and said, "You meanie! It's okay. I'm a thick-skinned old woman and I'm happy to get a good deal."

The two of them worked while chatting and laughing. At this time, Chen's family, who was washing rice and cooking outside, Sister Xinmei, the daughter-in-law, came in, holding an enamel pot of freshly washed rice. She hesitated for a moment, and said with difficulty: "Moer, do you want to put some potato chips or sweet potato fries on the rice? The sweet potato fries I have are quite sweet, and they are delicious when steamed with rice."

Shen Moer asked curiously: "Sister Xinmei, do you think there is not enough rice? I counted the number of people. Is there an extra amount of rice based on the number of people? If it is not enough, I will measure some more rice. For the first meal, I want everyone to eat more happily, so I won’t put anything else."

Sister Xinmei glanced at her mother-in-law, hesitated and said nothing. Aunt Chen understood what she meant. She thought Shen Moer had no intention of letting the children in their family go in.

Chen Dama and Shen Moer have been together for such a long time, and she knows Shen Moer's temper. Since she said that all the family members should come to eat, it is impossible for her to make such calculations that are not decent.

So she said: "Why are you hesitating? Moer is very generous. Maybe you didn't count the number of people correctly before. You can count it again. If it's not enough, let Moer measure the rice again."

Sister Xinmei breathed a sigh of relief when she heard her mother-in-law say this. She responded and was about to go out and count the number of people carefully again as her mother-in-law said. Shen Moer suddenly chopped the kitchen knife and said, "Ah, I know what's going on."

She smiled and explained: "Sister Xinmei, you can count the number of people again, but don't count the cousins ​​from my eldest uncle and second uncle's families. They come here to work to offset the working hours they owe to my family. It doesn't make sense for them to provide meals."

Sister Xinmei exclaimed in surprise. Aunt Chen paused as she was packing the rabbits, then smiled and said, "What Moer said makes sense. Since it's paid as working time, you don't have to pay for meals."

The host family was polite and also provided meals, but Aunt Chen thought about what the old Shen family had done and felt that Shen Shaoyuan and Shen Moer were angry and didn't want to pay for meals, but it was actually nothing.

Seeing that her mother-in-law also said so, although Sister Xinmei felt that not paying for meals in this situation seemed a bit heartless, it was someone else's business after all, and she was not the kind of person who would meddle in other people's business, so she said, "No need to order. If you don't count them, this much rice is enough."

Even if everyone let go of their stomachs, it should be enough.

For a moment, Sister Xinmei didn't know whether to say Shen Moer was stingy or generous.

She prepared such delicious meals for the helpers, and even included meals for her little ones just because she borrowed a pot.

But she was unwilling to give a single bite of rice to her cousins.

It was estimated that those people in the old Shen family had gone too far before, and hurt the feelings of Shen Laoqi and his daughter.

Sister Xinmei sighed secretly and went to work.

After her daughter-in-law went out, Aunt Chen asked Shen Moer, "With so many people eating every day, is there enough food at home? If not, can we distribute it more evenly?"

Shen Moer smiled and thanked her, and said, "It's enough. Didn't your family bring some sweet potato chips, corn and so on? Later, we won't all eat rice. It should be about the same if we mix it with coarse grains. If it's really not enough, I will... I will definitely ask you for help and will not be polite to you."

There were indeed many people working, not counting the people from the first and second wives of the old Shen family, several strong laborers from the wives of the eldest ladies who had a good relationship with Shen Moer recently also came, the team leader Zhou Mancang also helped to arrange some manpower, and several relatives of the same clan with the surname Shen also took the initiative to come, yes, and Fu Mingze and Zheng Jiamin.

However, they also prepared a lot of food in advance. Shen Shaoyuan borrowed some food from the team, and also borrowed some food coupons from the kiln factory, and then took a plain gold ring from the treasure house to exchange some food with Qiaojie.

To be honest, the most difficult part of these things was not borrowing or exchanging food, but finding such an inconspicuous plain ring among countless rare treasures in such a huge treasure house.

Shen Moer sorted the treasure house for three days before finding it.

Fortunately, she found a bunch of them, and she could find a way to exchange them when she was short of money in the future.

Aunt Chen peeled and cooked all three rabbits. Shen Moer also prepared the seasonings and side dishes. She took the rabbits and chopped two of them. She used a fire tong to stuff a few pieces of firewood into the stove hole. Soon, the fire was burning. She added oil, green onions, ginger, aniseed, soy sauce, and cooking wine. She pushed the meat on the chopping board into the pot and stir-fried it with a spatula. The rich and tempting aroma came out. Only

then did Shen Moer take action to marinate the remaining rabbit with salt and seasonings. This one was saved for tomorrow.

Aunt Chen: "Oh, your cooking skills are good, it smells so good, it's delicious."

Shen Moer smiled and said, "How can this pot of meat not be delicious?"

Aunt Chen also smiled: "You are right, but most people don't cook meat as deliciously as you do. Is this what your mother taught you?"

Shen Moer's eyes flashed and she replied yes.

The original owner's mother's family must have been well-off. You can tell from the photos she left behind. In the photos, the whole family was dressed in a Western style, and the background of the photo seemed to be a villa with a garden. But the original owner's mother was not very good at cooking. Shen Moer guessed that her family probably hired a servant, and she must have grown up without any work.

Just like Shen Moer, if it wasn't for the fact that she personally made a few dishes and a bowl of longevity noodles for Shen Shaoyuan on his birthday every year, how could she, a princess, know how to cook?

The original owner could cook a little, but Shen Moer guessed that it would not be delicious, because in her memory, the things she cooked were all bland and unappetizing.

Aunt Chen: "It's a pity that when your mother was alive, she was not close to the villagers. Otherwise, if I had known she was so capable, I would definitely let my eldest and second daughters learn from her."

Shen Moer blinked guiltily and said nothing.

They, the father and daughter, now attribute all the skills that shouldn't be in them to the original owner's mother. She taught them how to paint, write, cook, and do needlework... If this continues, this young woman will become a legend in the Yangliu Brigade.

The cooking in the kitchen was in full swing, and the work outside was also in full swing. Then, while everyone was working, they suddenly smelled a very, very strong meaty aroma, so fragrant that people almost trembled under their feet.

"Seventh Brother, your family's lunch is so good, you are roasting meat, it smells so good, my mouth is watering." A relative of the same clan named Shen said with a smile.

"Uncle Qi is so generous. It smells so good. I feel hungry." Chen Zhuangzhuang, the son of Chen Dama, said.

"I asked Comrade Shen Moer when I came this morning. There is meat, vegetables and rice." Zheng Jiamin interrupted with a smile, "Brother Zhuangzhuang, give me the winnowing basket quickly. I have to work harder, otherwise I will be embarrassed to eat more later."

He is very outgoing and has always gotten along well with the villagers. Today, when they worked together, he quickly became friends with them.

The others burst into laughter, and Chen Zhuangzhuang said directly: "You little chicken, no matter how you look at it, it is Uncle Qi's family that suffers!"

Zheng Jiamin smiled and said: "It's the thought that matters."

As the host, Shen Shaoyuan was in charge of dispatching and commanding on the spot. He stood outside and looked at Zheng Jiamin who was chatting with the members. He thought that this boy was quite talkative, but his appearance was too ordinary. His Moer would definitely not like him.

He looked at Fu Mingze who worked silently without saying a word, and secretly sighed. His appearance was okay, but his work was just average. His strength was not even half of Chen Zhuangzhuang's, and he could not compare with his cheap nephews. He was average, very average.

Completely ignoring the fact that Chen Zhuangzhuang was recognized by the brigade as the strongest and most capable worker, and that his nephews were also good workers.

The others were talking and laughing, but the nephews of Old Shen's family remained silent.

However, when the fragrance from the stove became stronger and stronger, they couldn't help swallowing their saliva, secretly thinking that although they were working for nothing, it was not a loss to be able to eat such a good meal. This meal was more than enough to pay for a day's work points.

Even the few people who stayed on the village road to watch the excitement smelled the fragrance and looked at the workers with envy, swallowing their saliva. If they had known that the food at Shen Laoqi's house was so good, they should have been thick-skinned and taken the initiative to help!

Time passed quietly in the expectation and envy of everyone. At a certain moment, Shen Moer's crisp voice came from the direction of the stove: "Dad, it's time to eat--"

At the same time, everyone stopped what they were doing.

Shen Shaoyuan twitched his lips and said, "Okay, let's eat first!"

A group of people immediately threw away the tools in their hands, quickly went to the well next door to fetch water to wash their muddy hands, and then rushed to the stove.

Shen Shaoyuan fell behind slowly and said to his nephews in a very natural manner, "Jianping, Jianan, Jianlin, Jianye, Jianshe, it's too hot at noon, you can go home to eat and rest for a while before coming back. But don't be too late, after all, we are calculating working days, brothers should make clear accounts, and so should nephews. A working day should be as long as it should be, you don't want to go back and make up for it again, right?"

Several nephews stopped abruptly, looked at each other, and couldn't believe what they heard.

Does this mean that they are working for nothing and not even being fed? !

Shen Jianping, the eldest son of the first wife, could not help but say: "Seventh Uncle, isn't it a bit too unkind of you to say that?"

Shen Shaoyuan looked at this adopted nephew who was a few years older than himself and asked: "Isn't it a custom to not provide meals when doing overtime?"

He paused and continued earnestly: "Jianping, you are so old and look older than Seventh Uncle, how can you say such ignorant things? There is no one in Seventh Uncle's family. What food? You have to take care of so many people's meals. If you are sensible, you will not want to stay for meals. You should bring some food to help Uncle Qi when you come here in the morning. Oh, forget it. After all, they are not my own children. I don't want to say anything. Just leave it like this. Remember to take a rest and come earlier. "

Shen Jianping, who is four years older than Shen Shaoyuan: "..."

Others: "..."

Do you want to listen to what you are saying? Not taking care of meals, but letting them bring food to help, how can this be so beautiful? Also, taking a rest and coming earlier, isn't it a bit too contradictory? At

this moment, the cheap nephews and the old ladies who listened to Wang Jinbao's nonsense a while ago sympathized.

There was so much to complain about, it was simply speechless.

After all, they were all about the same age as Shen Shaoyuan, and it was impossible for them to act like a kid and stay here for lunch. In the end, the nephews left with livid faces.

The others who worked with him stopped and listened curiously at first, but soon they were stimulated by Zheng Jiamin's shout of "Comrade Moer, I want meat", and they quickly rushed to grab the meat.

What did the old Shen family's household affairs have to do with them? Could it be as important as eating meat? Of course not!

Besides, if there were fewer people, they could eat more meat, hehe.

Everyone almost swallowed their tongues during the meal. The children of Aunt Chen were so happy that they kept shouting while eating, hoping that Sister Moer's family could continue to build houses, preferably for three years, which made all the adults laugh.

In fact, according to reason, these little kids should call Shen Moer aunt, after all, Shen Shaoyuan is young and older, but Shen Moer didn't correct it, calling her sister sounded younger, how nice.

After the meal, everyone went home to rest for a while. The weather was hot, and working in the middle of the day could easily cause heatstroke. After the hottest time of noon, everyone came back one after another, even the nephews were no exception.

There is no way. Shen Shaoyuan now is not the Shen Shaoyuan of the past. He said that he had to make up for the insufficient working hours. If it is not enough later, he will definitely make them make up for it.

Don't want to make up for it? Warning of strangulation with hemp rope.

In fact, the people from the first and second branches of the old Shen family think that Shen Shaoyuan may be crazy.

After all, the current Shen Shaoyuan is really different from the past. Besides, which normal person would talk about strangling others with hemp rope?

So they think that Shen Shaoyuan has been stimulated too much and is a little half-crazy -

he seems to be normal, but he is actually crazy.

How dare they provoke such a madman? What if he really wants to strangle them when he goes crazy? If he doesn't strangle them, what about the children in the family?

After all, since they couldn't afford to offend, they could only do their work obediently.

Shen Moer didn't cook meat for dinner, but she beat six eggs and fried a large plate of scrambled eggs with wild vegetables, and everyone was still very satisfied with the meal.

The first day of work passed peacefully.

Although there was no heavy physical work, it was still a busy day. After washing up at night, Shen Moer and Shen Shaoyuan went to bed early.

After the last time the thief broke into the house, Shen Shaoyuan got a big lock from the commune and locked the door tightly every night. Then the father and daughter no longer slept in the treasure house.

The cotton they bought has not been made into a quilt yet, but the weather is hot, so they can just cover themselves with some old quilt covers or clothes at night.

The next day, the day after... As time passed, the foundation slowly took shape, and the bottom circle of walls was also built.

That night, Shen Moer was sleeping, and she felt like she had a nightmare, and suddenly woke up.

After waking up, she lay there in a daze for a while. When her mind was a little clearer, she felt as if there was some noise by the window.

Because there was a precedent of someone prying the door open, Shen Moer's heart sank. She quickly got up and walked to the window with light steps.

Click.

Something fell to the ground.

Click.

Another click.

With the help of the moonlight, Shen Moer finally saw clearly that it was a small stone thrown in from the window.

The window of her half of the room was added later, and it might be a little higher than the average window for safety reasons. Now, the paper on the window has been torn in one corner, and the small stone was thrown in through this hole.

Shen Moer: "..."

It's really scary in the middle of the night.