An Shuyi nodded, "You can look at it as much as you like. If you don't want to see it all, you can take it home to look at." It's not that rare or unusual, why are you making such a fuss about it?
The clan chief took the imperial edict from the box in the village chief's hand, stroked it for a while, and then put it back.
“Little Wood, now that the house is built, it’s time to build the ancestral hall. We didn’t bring the ancestral tablets with us. Find some time to have someone make new ones and put them in the ancestral hall.”
They had just fled to this place and were struggling to survive. Although the An and Xia families had built houses, he hadn't mentioned it, since it wasn't their business. Now, because of the An and Xia families, everyone had money, and the ancestral hall should be built.
Village Chief Lin nodded, "Understood, Clan Chief. I will go and find the villagers of Xinglin Village tomorrow. It will be completed in a few days. However, Clan Chief, where would you like to build the ancestral hall?"
This was originally his concern, but now the clan chief has to worry about it too, which is also his fault.
The clan chief thought for a while, then discussed it with his brothers before saying, "Let's build it next to the pond. There's open space there, and a road leads there. Building it elsewhere would require building a road, which would be too much trouble."
"Alright, I'll have Wen Yu call the villagers of Xinglin Village over again tomorrow. Is there anything else the clan chief needs to tell you?" If not, then they'll have to move their things into the house.
Since no one is buying anything now, and everyone seems to be in no mood to work, we might as well move the stuff into the house first.
The clan chief glared at him. "There are no further instructions. Go ahead and get busy. We old folks will continue making furniture."
Before they could leave, An Shuyi stopped them, saying, "Clan leader, there's no need to make any more furniture. We bought a lot today, and we can buy more when we need more. Let's move our own things back to our own homes first."
"Don't use those quilts you had before. Use them as padding. I bought a lot of quilts today, all made of new cotton. We also bought some fabric. My nieces, don't move things. Help us make some things first."
"We'll be making duvet covers, sheets, and pillows. Huahua will teach you how to make them. You can choose the fabric for your duvet cover based on the color you want. Don't worry, there's plenty of fabric available."
"Now everyone go and see which house you want to live in. Although they are all the same, you may have a favorite spot. After you've chosen, you can move your furniture in."
After hearing her finish speaking, no one else made a choice. Village Chief Lin said, "Let the clan elders choose first. After my sister-in-law has made her choice, we can choose any of the houses we like."
After he finished speaking, the clan chief said directly, "We old folks only live in that last row of houses, so it's easy for us to visit each other."
After the elders finished speaking, An Shuyi took the house on the far right of the second row. However, when the clansmen chose later, they all chose other houses, and the two houses next to them were left for the eldest brother and Li Dong.
The An family chose the house behind An Shuyi's house, which was not only close to An Shuyi and her family, but also made it easy to visit the old men.
After everyone had chosen their houses, they started moving their things. An Shuyi and Xia Hua went to check out their houses. There was a large gate outside, and inside the gate was a row of rooms. There were also two moon archways on both sides, leading to the side courtyards. Then there were the left and right wing rooms, and further ahead was the main courtyard. There were also side rooms next to the main courtyard.
You can enter the backyard from the side room. The backyard also has several rooms. Go through the moon archways on the front two sides, and there is a garden in front. There is another moon archway behind, and going through it leads to the side courtyard, which also has a main house, left and right wing rooms, and side rooms.
If they lived with their sons, they could live in the main courtyard, and their sons could live in the side courtyards. The side rooms and annular rooms would also be available for them. However, since it's just the two of them now, these rooms are empty.
This is only the second courtyard. If it were the third courtyard, there would be even more courtyards, enough to accommodate many more people. Moreover, the village doesn't buy servants, so there were no servants' quarters built; the front seating area is sufficient.
An Shuyi and Xia Hua live in the main courtyard. The middle room is used for entertaining guests, the two side rooms are used for sleeping, and the left and right wing rooms are used to store their treasures. Although Xiao Qi said that she wanted to stay with her mother, she was refused because An Shuyi said that she would stay in the backyard of the house next door, which was where she would live.
This is her and Hua Hua's private space. Although she loves Xiao Qi, she can't be with them. Although she is still young now, she will grow up someday. They have too many secrets that are not suitable for others to hear.
Just as they started moving their things, Village Chief Lin, having received instructions from the clan chief, brought over the beds with his men. The clan chief and his men didn't make many beds, only four canopy beds and three four-poster beds, and gave one canopy bed to An Shuyi and Xia Hua each.
Canopy beds are more difficult to make than four-poster beds and take more time to make. The clansmen all bought their four-poster beds from Jinnan City. Although An Shuyi and Xia Hua liked canopy beds, they ended up buying four-poster beds because they were too difficult to bring back.
Unexpectedly, the clan chief sent someone to deliver the items to them, along with the furniture. However, the two did not refuse; instead, they directed the deliverymen to put the items away properly.
With the help of Village Chief Lin and the others to put things away, Xia Hua went to set up a garment workshop, teaching the girls how to make quilt covers, sheets, and pillows. Twenty sewing machines were running at breakneck speed, while the other twenty girls were responsible for cutting out the fabric.
Xia Hua chose a light red quilt cover made of ordinary fabric, but with two circles of white silk around the edges, making it look prettier than ordinary quilt covers. It had just been made, and the women outside the workshop all said they wanted the same one.
The little girls were the same, but some liked bright red, and some liked light red. The pillows they made were also better than the ones they used to have; they felt soft and fluffy. Xia Hua picked up her pillow as soon as it was made.
"Whatever color you want, let Wenlan and the others make it. But everyone should make one set first, and then let them make the rest when they have time. Otherwise, if each family makes too much, the others won't be able to finish today."
"Sister-in-law Xia, don't worry, we know."
Xia Hua nodded before carrying her things back. On her way there, she passed by her son's house and went in to check. The house was already being set up. Her eldest son was living in the main courtyard, and her two sons were living in the side courtyard. Not bad, there was no arguing.
She told them to make their own quilt covers, and to put everything away properly. If they needed anything, they could buy it themselves. She gave each of them one hundred taels of silver, telling them to buy whatever they wanted and not to waste it.
After more than a year, things are better for the sons than before. The eldest son, Li Dong, works at an ice workshop, while his wife takes care of the children. Since she is now pregnant, she is no longer allowed to work at the workshop.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
