“Mom, I’m home this year, so let’s tear down this side of the kitchen and rebuild it,” Fang Shugen said to his mother.
"Yes, okay, it will be built. The Miao people have also started building houses. But with the little money we have now, it might be a tight squeeze to build a house."
“Mom, we’re not building houses just because others are building them. I’m worried that if the kitchen leaks for a while, the wall will collapse. I do all the chores I can at home myself, which will save some money.”
Fang Shugen's family demolished the kitchen and started building a new house.
The foundation of Fang Damiao's house has been built. As soon as Fang Meixiang's father arrived at the foundation, he squatted down to check the newly laid brick joints. He comes here to check every day.
Fang Meixiang's mother often came to visit, saying, "Her dad, look, these bricks are still usable. We can use them to fill in the base of the wall later, so as not to waste them."
Fang Meixiang's father did all the work himself to save on labor costs, while Fang Meixiang's mother made use of everything available to save on materials.
"Let's build a little more out of the south-facing wall here, and leave more space at the doorway so that Meixiang can bask in the sun and stay warm in winter. We'll make a room for Dongqiang upstairs, with bigger windows so it's brighter and quieter for him to do his homework upstairs." They were all thinking about how to make Fang Meixiang's family comfortable.
To save money on hiring craftsmen, Fang Shugen did all the work himself.
As dawn broke, Fang Shugen, barefoot, stepped into the wet mud, swinging his hoe quickly and heavily. The foundation needed to be dug deep to be solid. He bent over, each stroke of the hoe digging up a large chunk of earth. Sweat streamed down his face, and Fang Shugen, with a towel around his neck, wiped it off and continued working.
Fang Dongqiang, carrying his schoolbag, would always make a detour to his family's new house, which was under construction, on his way home from school to see it, calling out, "Grandpa!"
Fang Meixiang's father was talking to the bricklayers when he said, "Dongqiang is out of school!"
A bricklayer standing nearby jokingly said, "Dongqiang, you come here every day after school to do some work."
"Okay!" Fang Dongqiang looked around, then went over and used a shovel to scoop cement powder into the bucket. The powder drifted onto his face, but he just wiped it off haphazardly with his sleeve. He gripped the bucket handle tightly with both hands and pulled with all his might. The cement was heavier than he had imagined, and he swayed slightly, but still managed to hold the bucket steadily.
"Walk slowly, don't spill it!" Fang Meixiang's father reminded her from behind.
Fang Dongqiang nodded and carefully moved towards the workers step by step. He didn't care that a few drops of cement occasionally splashed onto his trouser legs from the edge of the bucket.
"Your Dongqiang is not only good at studying, but also at work," the bricklayer praised.
Fang Dongqiang turned around and went to pick up the second bucket of ash. He felt that helping with the work for his new house was much more interesting than playing on the ridges of the fields.
"Dongqiang, go home and do your homework!" Fang Meixiang's father called out to him.
"Oh, I'll take a few more buckets and then go back to make them."
The brick wall glowed warmly in the setting sun, as if beckoning to him. He gripped his schoolbag strap tightly; he would come back after school tomorrow, and the wall would surely have grown taller.
Fang Huahua and Fang Yu often talked about her new house when they walked home from school together. "After our house was built, my dad said that once the walls were painted white, it would be bright even without the lights on."
Fang Dongqiang ran past them, shouting, "I need to go back and get the ash bucket!"
Fang Yu gripped the backpack strap tighter.
When Yu Jihong got home, she was kneading dough in front of the stove, her hands covered in flour.
Fang Yu put down her schoolbag, walked to the stove, and asked softly, "Mom, Dongqiang's family and Huahua's family are building new houses. When will ours be built?"
Yu Jihong stopped what she was doing. "Fang Yu, we don't have to compare everything with others. We have other plans for this year. How about we buy a TV first?"
"Dongqiang's family has both a television set and a new house."
"Fang Yu," Yu Jihong turned around, "Don't always focus on what other people have, what other people have better. You wear pretty clothes, don't you have any flowers?"
Fang Yu lowered her head.
"Girls shouldn't do that. Dad and Mom are already working hard. Some families earn money faster, so they buy things earlier, and some earn money slower, so they buy things later. Are we going to save money to build a house instead of buying a TV?"
"I want a television."
"Yes, Mom also wants to watch TV. We'll be able to buy one this year."
"Okay, once I buy it, I can watch TV at home. After buying the TV, I can save money to build a house."
"Don't think about anything else. What you need to think about now is studying hard. Dinner will be coming soon. Go do your homework."
Looking at Fang Yu's back, how could I not want a new house? Yu Jihong continued kneading the dough. When Fang Yu goes to junior high school, she will live at the school and go out with Fang's third brother to see the world. It's too difficult to save money by farming at home. After living expenses, it takes several years to save enough to buy a TV.
“Third brother, when Fang Yu goes to junior high school, let’s go out and see the world.” Yu Jihong suggested to Fang’s third brother during the meal.
"Several people from the village went to other places this year and then came back. It's not that easy to find work outside, is it?"
“Not everyone comes back. Some people are running their own businesses outside. We’re not going now; we’ll have to wait a few years. Maybe there will be even more things to do outside.”
"What you've thought is all good."
"Yes, we should always think positively."
As the year draws to a close, those who have gone out return, and those who remain, especially those who went out at the beginning of the year and then returned, eagerly inquire about their situation.
Those who returned were doing quite well, earning more money outside than they did farming, which made those at home eager to go out again.
After this year, we stepped from the 1980s into the 1990s.
After the Lunar New Year, more and more people, whether they were working or doing business, packed their bags and headed out to other places, leaving fewer and fewer young people in the village.
Fang Shugen's mother asked Fang Shugen if he wanted to go out this year.
"Mom, I'll stay home this year. I'll just finish the last bit of work on the house. I'll get the stove and everything ready so I can go out with peace of mind."
"Okay, the tree root, the house is built too. We'll add things inside little by little as we make money."
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