Chapter 91 Ordering Bricks and Tiles [VIP]
According to the officer guarding the quarry.
Since the beginning of summer, Zheng Fu has often been away, and they don't know where he has gone. They only know that every time Zheng Fu comes back drunk, he smells strongly of powder.
Upon hearing this, Xue Tu and the other man looked at each other and knew that Zheng Fu must have gone to some brothel to seek pleasure.
After searching for the person to no avail, they had no choice but to return and make other plans, but Zheng Fu's incident also sounded a wake-up call to the two of them.
A dandy boy like Zheng Fu only knows how to enjoy himself and cannot achieve anything great. It is obvious that he is unreliable to monitor Yang Jizong's every move.
Not to mention that there were no spies sent by him in the village.
Look, such a big thing happened in the village today, but Zheng Fu didn’t even know about it and had to rely on them to write a letter.
At the same time, Shen Qingshan went to Wanhe Township to pay wages, and then organized Chen Youfu and three others to push a cart to deliver cassava flour to Zhiweilou.
One is to let them recognize the person, and the other is that Chen Youfu and Manager Ren will be in charge of the cassava flour matters in the future.
Shen Qingshan has been really busy these days. After finishing his work on the rabbit house and the silkworm room, he has to listen to his wife nagging about building a house when he gets home.
Just as he came back from the city, his wife pulled him into the main house.
"Xingniang, it's not dark yet, why are you in such a hurry?" After Shen Qingshan entered the house, he saw his wife closing the door.
Huang Xing patted her husband on the back, stopping him. "What are you thinking about? Let me ask you, how is the bricklayer I asked you to go to the city to find and the bricks and tiles you bought going?"
Shen Qingshan bent down to take off his heavy cloth shoes, changed into breathable straw sandals, and gulped down two cups of cooling herbal tea before speaking: "Tomorrow, if I'm free tomorrow, I'll go to the city to handle it. This afternoon, I'm taking Brother Fu to hand over the cassava flour to Manager Ren, so I'm busy."
Huang Xing was furious when she saw her husband didn't seem to care: "It has to be done tomorrow. If you can't do it, don't come back."
There was a bang and Huang Xing slammed the door and left.
Shen Qingshan was startled and wiped the sweat off his body with a towel in the room with a guilty conscience.
After dinner, the family ate melons in the yard to cool off.
Shen Qingshan found opportunities to talk to his wife several times and continued to show his courtesy to her.
Huang Xing deliberately ignored him until Shen Qingshan asked Yang Jizong to go into the city with him tomorrow to find a bricklayer.
Huang Xingcai gave him a good look.
Chen Yao had wanted to build a new house for a long time. The weather was hot, and the thatched hut was cramped and short like a steamer. If it weren't for the drafts in the walls, she suspected that she and Wenying would be steamed to death after sleeping for a night.
"Dad, I'll go to the city with you guys, and we'll go to the furniture store and buy some more furniture."
"Ayao, I'm going too. Let's buy some porcelain and bowls for drinking tea, and we also need to buy mosquito nets." Yang Wenying hasn't taken any embroidery work recently. When she is free at home, she will go to the rabbit house to find Xu and discuss embroidery techniques with her.
She earned ten taels of silver from the screen. Although she hasn't received it yet, she also wants to buy something for her new home.
Shen Qingshan wanted to say, "Don't we have tea cups and bowls at home? Why buy celadon?" But just as he opened his mouth, his wife sitting next to him stuffed a melon into his mouth.
"Go, all of you go to the city and have a good look. Buy whatever you like. Mom will get you some money." Huang Xing got up and went to the main house to get the purse.
Chen Yao stretched out her hand to take it, and saw the purse in her mother's hand fly directly past her and into Yang Jizong's hand.
"Mom!" Chen Yao was shocked and couldn't believe who her biological child was.
"Wife!" Shen Qingshan was also shocked. How could the money be given to outsiders?
Huang Xing took a piece of melon and sat down to eat while looking at the father and daughter with disdain: "Why are you yelling? Zi'an is not a stranger. Besides, this money also includes the money Zi'an paid for copying books."
Chen Yao took a big bite of the melon in her hand and glanced at Yang Jizong. Yang Jizong immediately handed the purse to Chen Yao.
Chen Yao quickly became happy.
"You are such a mean kid! I gave this money to Zi'an because I wanted him to draw a blueprint for our new house. I wanted him to tell me how to build it so that we can live comfortably, within the rules, and it will be bright and spacious." Huang Xing took out a handkerchief to wipe the juice from her daughter's mouth.
"Brother, I'll go get some pen, ink, paper, and inkstone. Why don't we all think about what kind of house we want to live in, draw it, and then let me put it together." Yang Wenying was more enthusiastic than anyone else as it was her first time to participate in building a house.
Chen Yao saw it clearly from the side. As soon as Wenying proposed this idea, the man frowned and urged her, "Go get it quickly."
Huang Xing put the fruits and vegetables on the table aside. Under the bright moon in the sky, everyone in the Shen family lay on the table and drew the house they wanted to live in.
Huang Xing didn't know how to draw and felt a little embarrassed holding the brush, but when she glanced at the circles and dots on the paper of her daughter and husband, she suddenly came to her senses.
The window must be large and can be opened, so it should be a square with one horizontal and one vertical line.
The door had to be high so that the husband and Zi'an didn't have to keep lowering their heads when entering and exiting. In addition to two more side rooms, there had to be an extra study, a place to raise chickens and mules, and a vegetable garden, as the daughter loved to eat fresh vegetables and also loved to take care of them.
Huang Xing finished drawing and the circle was full.
Take a look at other people's paintings and you will see the same thing.
House?"
Chen Yao blew on his masterpiece, trying to make the ink dry faster. He just couldn't hear enough, so he expanded it. The wasteland behind our house will be used in the city tomorrow.
"Ayao is still smart." Shen Qingshan also agreed with his daughter's idea.
Yang Jizong sat aside and looked at the paintings of his sister and the three members of the Shen family. He felt quite troubled. He pointed at the circles, dots and lumps of ink on their papers and asked, what do these represent?
Everyone talked about how to build the new house until late at night.
Before going to sleep, Chen Yao looked at Yang Jizong, whose head was as big as a bucket, and kindly patted his arm and said comfortingly: "Zi'an, don't be too stressed. No matter what your painting looks like, we are happy. As long as the family is together, it doesn't matter where we live."
Yang Jizong held the four dark masterpieces in his hands, and looked at Chen Yao who was about to go into the house to sleep, and he felt very moved.
The three members of the Shen family and Yang Wenying had all fallen asleep, but Yang Jizong was still working on his manuscript overnight, determined to present the most perfect home in everyone's mind.
The next day, just after dawn, Chen Yao and Yang Wenying were awakened by the heat without having to hear the rooster crowing at home.
The two little girls sighed as they touched the warm reed mats beneath them.
"Ayao, why don't we go into town and buy some ice cream today?" Yang Wenying wiped the sweat from her neck and added, "I'll pay for it."
Chen Yao now missed the air conditioners and fans of later generations very much. "Let's go to the city first to see how much ice is sold. If it's too expensive, we can just have some iced drinks."
"Okay, I'll listen to you. Let's get up quickly and go into the city before dawn when it's still cooler." Yang Wenying quickly got dressed and washed, then tied her braid into a ponytail and put it on top of her head.
Her smooth and flowing movements made her look more like a peasant girl than Chen Yao.
When everyone got up and prepared to make breakfast, Yang Jizong came out of the kitchen with a pair of dark circles under his eyes, carrying a large bowl of noodles soaked in cold water.
"Hey, Zi'an, you haven't slept all night?" Huang Xing took the basin and looked inside. It was full of boiled cold noodles. "Ayao, what are you still standing there for? Go get some dishes and chopsticks."
Chen Yao said with a sigh, and as she walked past Yang Jizong, she said with a bit of regret, "Thank you for your hard work, Zi'an."
"It's not hard. I don't feel tired no matter what I do for you." Yang Jizong's battle-worn and affectionate look made Chen Yao intoxicated.
"Mom, I'll fry two more eggs for Zi'an. Wenying, please take out the dishes and chopsticks for me first."
Yang Wenying glared at her brother. "It's just one night, is there any need to act pitiful? In the past, you and your father and grandfather worked for the emperor in the palace. They wouldn't sleep for three days and three nights, but you've never been like this."
"Brother, you are so scheming!" Yang Wenying muttered to her brother while distributing the dishes.
Yang Jizong was too lazy to pay attention to her.
Yang Wenying was frustrated by her brother's look and immediately shouted to the kitchen: "Ayao, I have something to tell you."
"What's the matter?" Chen Yao knocked the egg into the pot.
Yang Jizong immediately stood up and pulled his sister down, "Do you still want to see the manuscript paper I drew last night?"
The brother and sister secretly competed with each other, but in the end Yang Wenying gave in: "I want fried eggs too, please fry some for me."
"Okay, we have everything." Chen Yao brought out a plate of fried eggs and a bowl of shredded cucumber. Everyone picked a bowl of cold noodles, scooped a spoonful of臊子, added a chopstick of shredded cucumber and mixed them together. The taste was so refreshing.
Shen Qingshan was very satisfied with the breakfast and the manuscript paper, and was particularly friendly to Yang Jizong on the way into the city.
After entering the city, the four of them first went to the government office to buy some wasteland. They originally thought that they would have to pay more money as usual.
Who would have thought that when the official heard Chen Yao's name, he would directly stamp and accept the money of one tael and five hundred coins, without even sending anyone to verify the number of acres of wasteland.
"We trust Madam Shen's character."
When Chen Yao came out of the government office holding the land deed, she looked up at Yang Jizong with hope in her eyes, "Zi'an, please hurry up and become an official. This is the first time I feel that it's great to have someone in the government office."
Yang Jizong couldn't help but raise his hand and tap her forehead. "The acres of wasteland you bought are only worth this price."
Chen Yao chuckled, and the two of them met up with their father and Yang Wenying at the foot of the wall before heading to the city to look for a bricklayer.
After asking around, they still hadn't found a suitable one until noon.
"Let's go and have lunch with Dongsheng, and then we'll continue looking for him." Shen Qingshan didn't believe it. What if he really couldn't find him today?
When Huang Dongsheng learned that his cousin was looking for a bricklayer, he slapped his thigh and shouted, "Cousin, uncle, why didn't you come to me first? I know a lot of people in the city. I know a bricklayer who comes to our supply and marketing cooperative every day to buy things."
The four people who had been sunbathing all the way looked at Huang Dongsheng in unison, with some resentment.
After lunch, after being introduced by Huang Dongsheng, Shen Qingshan and Yang Jizong took out their manuscripts and talked with him again, and finally decided on it.
He is definitely the bricklayer we are looking for.
"Have you chosen an auspicious day to start work, recruited enough workers, and purchased all the bricks, tiles and wood?" the bricklayer asked one question after another.
Chen Yao immediately stepped forward and said, "Work will begin in ten days. You can come directly to Xiahe Village to find the Shen family. We will have everything ready and are waiting for you."
The bricklayer knew how much she was saying, so he took out a piece of paper and handed it to Chen Yao. "This is the kiln site outside the city that specializes in making bricks and tiles. If you want to buy some, just mention my name, Hong Lu. I can get a brick for one cent cheaper than in the city."
Upon hearing this, Chen Yao happily took the note and thanked him: "Thank you, Master Hong."
Huang Dongsheng watched the four people leave the city, and his face was full of excitement, because his uncle said that he would take him and Brother Baolai to the next town to buy mules and cattle tomorrow.
They finally no longer have to push carts to the countryside to collect food.
Yang Wenying sighed as she listened to her brother negotiating prices with the brick and tile shop owner. It really cost a lot of money to build a new house.
They hadn't even visited the furniture store or the porcelain shop before they paid a deposit of ten taels and agreed to come back three days later to pick up a thousand bricks and tiles.
"Ayao, don't worry. After I buy the mule cart, I'll go to Baihe Town to pick up some embroidery work. I'm sure you'll have some ice to cool off this summer."
"Wenying, you are so nice to me. Actually, you don't have to take embroidery work. You feel sorry for me and I feel sorry for you too. We can just make velvet flowers at home." Chen Yao decided to do velvet flower business with Manager Lu.
Seeing the two little girls about to hug each other as they walked, Yang Jizong directly stepped between them and took Chen Yao's hand: "Ayao, Lord Li asked me to teach the villagers how to grow winter wheat, and he will also give me a salary every month. You can take it all."
"Brother, what about me?"
Yang Jizong pretended not to hear and walked forward with Chen Yao in his hand.
Shen Qingshan came up behind, grinning from ear to ear: Boy, now you've tasted what it feels like to have A Yao taken away by someone!
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