Although the village chief's family wasn't the richest in the village, they had many houses, so they could squeeze in. Jinghe, Jingyue, and the two old women stayed at the village chief's house.
The village chief was happy to help the Lu family. Just then, Wang Lan came over and asked about building the house. "Who will build your house? There are quite a few houses to build on three acres of land. Now that spring plowing is over, there's a lot of work to do in the fields, like weeding and fertilizing. There aren't any strong men to do the heavy work. I was thinking of finding a few hardworking people in the village to help you build the house. What do you think?"
There's work to do and money to be made; why give such a good opportunity to people from other villages?
Wang Lan doesn't ask about the details of things at home anymore. She only knows that the foundation will be laid tomorrow. "Da Yun found Chen Xingwang. He gave him the money and then contracted it out. Da Yun said to just wait to move in. I don't know anything else."
Chen Xingwang is from Chenjia Village and is a skilled house builder. In recent years, all the new houses in the nearby villages that are brick and tile houses have been built by Chen Xingwang. The brick and tile houses are spacious and neat, and very comfortable to live in.
The village chief was also someone I knew. “Chenjia Village, huh? There aren’t as many able-bodied men there as in our village. After spring plowing there, the able-bodied men go to the dock to carry heavy loads. Da Yun is in a hurry to build a house, so he might need more manpower. I’ll go to your house tomorrow morning and ask him.”
The next morning, the Lu family home was bustling with activity. They started grinding soybeans to make tofu early in the morning, with the two old women and Jing and Jingyue all coming to help. Some were making tofu, while others were making glutinous rice cakes. The small kitchen was a hive of activity. Lu Yan was also busy running around, looking at the tofu, she said, "Grandma, I want to eat a piece of tofu."
The freshly made tofu was still hot. Wang Lan cut her a small piece and said, "Take your brother and go play somewhere else. We only steam rice at home. To cook and eat, we have to go to the village square. There are a lot of people there today, so don't take your brother and wander off."
Today, as we're starting construction, we're treating everyone who's come to work to a meal, including relatives. The Lu family's old house is too small to accommodate so many people, so we'll have lunch at the threshing ground today.
The threshing ground in Wangjia Village is located north of the village, where the fields meet. There are five thatched huts there, along with tables, chairs, bowls, and chopsticks. It is used by the village for weddings and funerals. Each use costs thirty coins and is managed by the village head. If there are not enough bowls and chopsticks or if there are any repairs, this money is used to make up for the shortfall.
Qin Xiaozhou and Lu Yan cleaned the fish in the bucket at home, scaling, gutting, and chopping them into pieces with practiced ease. Li Fengxian came over carrying a few vegetables. "Sister-in-law, is there anything you need me to do?"
Breaking ground is a joyous occasion, and relatives should all come to help. Li Fengxian and the Lu family had a falling out a month ago and had settled things, but Li Fengxian still came despite her shamelessness. If she didn't come, people would criticize her, especially since the Lu family was really going to become rich, and she wouldn't be able to climb up to them in the future.
Everyone in the village is now trying to curry favor with the Lu family, and besides, she is related to the Lu family. The Lu family is the only close relative in Wangjia Village. She is closer to them than others, so why let others take that position?
Li Fengxian also brought her three sons and four grandsons with her, and she directed, "Go quickly and help with the foundation."
The seven men rushed off. Wang Gui stood outside the Lu family's fence for a while, holding his pipe, watching his sons and grandsons go to help. Li Fengxian also went into the kitchen to start a fire. No argument occurred before he went to the foundation to the north.
As soon as the village chief arrived, he pulled Lu Yunfeng aside and talked about recruiting workers in the village. "Your family needs a lot of manpower to build your house, and you'll be paying wages anyway. Why give this money-making opportunity to people from other villages? Talk to Chen Xingwang and ask him to recruit people from our village."
Chen Xingwang arrived just as dawn broke. At the age of twenty-seven or twenty-eight, he had already bought a shop in town thanks to his house-building skills. Earlier this year, he had his third son. Whenever people praised him for being hardworking, he would smile and reply that he had to earn houses for his sons, otherwise his children would never be able to find wives.
He arrived with eight burly men who would work with him. When Lu Yunfeng found him, it was agreed that apart from those who worked with Chen Xingwang every day, the rest would be temporarily hired in Wangjia Village, and a place to cook and eat would be rented in the village. They would be provided with a meal at noon while building houses in nearby villages, and after finishing work in the evening, they would go home to sleep, since the villages were not far apart.
Lu Yunfeng told the village chief about it, "This project will take a long time to complete, so all the people who come to work at my house must be hardworking and honest. I also need the village chief to help me select a few people. I'll need you to take charge of this construction and building of the house."
The village chief was very proud, beaming with joy. "Alright, alright, I'll oversee things for you. The auspicious time for breaking ground is almost here. Let's go."
When everyone arrived at the foundation, the village chief presided over a chicken sacrifice, and then they started cutting down the trees and weeds from Qingzhugou to the old house of the Lu family, leveling the area.
After everyone finished watching the sacrificial ceremony, the women went back to cook, and the men went to work. The eldest aunt and second cousin-in-law from the Zhao family came to give gifts. Today, relatives came to visit, so Zhao Fang pulled them to talk under the eaves. Lu Yan took the little fourth child and the two nephews from the Zhao family to play. The courtyard was lively. The eldest aunt was also happy to see this and held Zhao Fang's hand to talk.
“Your sons are all successful now. You’re going to work in the county town, and Dayun is going to build a house at home. Won’t you be mistreated?”
After all, Qin Xiaozhou seems like a good person, but mothers-in-law and daughters-in-law have always been natural enemies. Her son is not around, and Qin Xiaozhou is fierce and doesn't seem easy to mess with. Zhao Fang is soft-hearted and afraid of being bullied.
Zhao Fang patted her sister-in-law's hand, "Don't worry, my daughter-in-law is opinionated. She may look fierce, but she has a good heart and is very generous. She never skimps on food and drink for us. I work in the shop, but Xiao Zhou is never demanding. I work in the sun and wind, which is much better than working in the fields in the village."
She was the shopkeeper's mother-in-law, and Jinghe, Jingyue, and the two old women all respected her. They would rush to do any work, so how could she be tired? Qin Xiaozhou was in charge of managing the business, and in the evenings she could count money with her daughter-in-law and watch the whole family keep accounts together. She was happy to see this and was truly enjoying a life of luxury.
Zhao Feng's wife touched her sister-in-law's hand, and found that it was indeed much whiter and smoother. She couldn't help but touch it a few more times. "Looks like you're living a life of luxury."
Qin Xiaozhou carried peanuts and melon seeds to the table under the eaves. "Mother-in-law, aunt, and second cousin-in-law, it's almost time. We need to move the vegetables and meat to the threshing ground. Mother-in-law, please take care of your aunt and cousin-in-law. They'll be here for dinner in about an hour."
Zhao Fang nodded. The relatives in the village who were farther away went home and did whatever they could. The close relatives helped carry the meat and vegetables to the threshing ground, wash the vegetables, cook the vegetables, cut the meat, or start a fire and wash the dishes. Everyone got busy.
Once everyone was out the door, the Lu family courtyard became quiet. From afar, one could hear the men breaking ground. Zhao Feng's wife remarked, "Your wife is becoming more and more beautiful. She looks like a wealthy lady. If I saw her in the county town, I wouldn't recognize her."
Not only does the eldest sister-in-law think so, but even Zhao Fang, who sees Qin Xiaozhou every day, often feels that Qin Xiaozhou's figure and demeanor are not something a country girl could marry. The Lu family really got a great deal back then. Because Qin Xiaozhou was fat, ugly, and had a bad reputation, she was rejected by her fiancé until she was eighteen and still hadn't married. If she were as beautiful as she is now, I'm afraid the people who come to propose marriage would wear down the Qin family's threshold.
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