Every morning, Tangyuan had an extra task: picking up Xiaoju, then having breakfast together, and feeding the family pets. Xiaoju followed Tangyuan like a little follower, always looking down at the ground, but she would giggle when Tangyuan teased her. Tianyu was busy digging and drying bamboo shoots; many others in the village were also digging. The weather was getting warmer, and the mountains and fields were turning lush and green. Because of building a house, Tianyu had to pull up some of the garlic she planted, leaving only half. Tianyu felt it was a pity, as it was growing very well. Adhering to the principle of not wasting food, Tianyu and the others ate garlic sprouts for three days. Of course, Tianyu prepared them in various ways: garlic sprouts stir-fried with eggs, garlic sprouts stewed with fish, garlic sprouts stir-fried with snails, garlic sprouts stir-fried with shredded pork, cold garlic sprout salad, and so on. Chen Chong, Tangyuan, and Xiaoju didn't disappoint her cooking, eating everything clean each time.
The foundation of the house has been laid with rocks, and today they will start laying bricks. Watching the house take shape little by little, Tian Yu felt like she was watching a child grow up, and she felt more and more accomplished. Tang Yuan took Xiao Ju to the river to find Gouzi and the others.
In this era, there was no reinforced concrete. Instead, bricks were laid together using a mixture of yellow clay and grass to create mortar. The walls were also plastered with this mortar; those with better resources could use tar paper or paint. The roofs were constructed using a wooden riveting technique and covered with tiles. The pillars supporting the houses were also made of wood, but stones were placed underneath them for moisture protection.
The number of workers had increased significantly. Tian Yu roughly counted about a dozen, most of them from the village. They were all older, but they were incredibly skilled and efficient at their work, even more so than the younger men. The younger ones were Chen Chong, Zhao Jinxin, and a boy from the village who was only a teenager. He was the only one left in his family, so he hadn't found a wife and had been living alone. Everyone called him Sixth Brother because he had six fingers. He was very shy and would lower his head whenever he saw Tian Yu, always standing at the back and rarely speaking. Tian Yu hadn't seen what he looked like even after several days, but he knew that the thinnest one in the crowd was him.
Zhao Jinxin divided the people into two groups. One group, with some experience in bricklaying and moving stones, earned twenty copper coins a day. The other group, with less experience, was responsible for mixing mortar and assisting others, earning fifteen copper coins a day. Because this price was high in the market, many villagers actively sought out Zhao Jinxin, even women hoping to earn some money. Zhao Jinxin also put in considerable effort to select these people. Working hours were based on the sun's position, working from sunrise to sunset. At noon, when Tian Yu was cooking, they would be sent home to rest, and work would resume after lunch. Two strong young men from out of town initially brought their own food, but later, whether persuaded by Tian Yu or attracted by the aroma of her cooking, they ate with her and the others. The two brothers were from another mountain village and had been building houses for many years, so they were experienced and strong, but also had large appetites. The elder brother was named Liu Daqiang, and the younger brother was named Liu Dazhuang; they were brothers. Seeing how much they could eat in one meal, Tian Yu and the two children stared wide-eyed, completely forgetting about their food. After finishing, the two children felt embarrassed and offered to pay for the meals next time, or even less for their work. Tian Yu said it was fine, and that she would cook more next time to make sure they were full. The two children then wiped their mouths and grinned foolishly, making Tangyuan and Xiaoju grin foolishly along with them.
Because the house was to be expanded, a lot of the bamboo grove in front of the house was cut down. Tian Yu dug up a lot of bamboo shoots, which she would stir-fry in different ways. The rest she pickled and dried to eat later.
Today, the workers were building the wall. After breakfast, Tian Yu boiled a pot of water as usual, then took Tangyuan and Xiaoju to the river to wash clothes and check on Gouzi and the others. With Chen Chong around, Tian Yu felt at ease, so she could go out and do some things without worrying about things at home.
Xiaoju is still quite introverted and reluctant to speak, only opening her mouth when she's with Tangyuan. But Tianyu believes that she will change over time and forget those unhappy things. Xiaoju doesn't have a formal name yet, so Tianyu named her Zhao Youran, meaning "picking chrysanthemums by the eastern fence, leisurely gazing at the southern mountains." She hopes that Xiaoju will always be carefree and unburdened by worldly concerns.
Gouzi and his friends are now venturing further upstream, having already explored almost everything downstream. Other villagers also fish and shrimp in the river. Today, Tian Yu led Tangyuan and Xiaoju upstream for quite some time before finally finding Gouzi and his friends. Xiaoju was overjoyed to see her sister and brother. She glanced at Tian Yu, who nodded and told her to go ahead. Then she ran towards them. Her fur had grown even larger and she ran even faster, disappearing from sight as soon as they were outside. But as soon as Tangyuan called, she would immediately run back to Tangyuan's side, circling around and wagging her tail. Her fur had also changed, alternating between gray and white, and she often ran into the woods to catch pheasants and rabbits.
Gouzi and Shuang'er both called Tian Yu "Auntie." Ever since Tian Yu took Xiaoju in, Shuang'er had become even more enthusiastic towards Tian Yu, perhaps hoping that Tian Yu could take good care of Xiaoju. Seeing that Tian Yu had come to do laundry, Shuang'er went up and took the clothes to help her wash them. Tian Yu naturally refused, and Shuang'er then winked at Xiaoju, who also wanted to help. Tian Yu naturally refused again, telling them to go help Gouzi; she would wash the clothes herself and finish in a little while.
The dog chuckled and said to Tian Yu, "Auntie, yesterday when I went to the county town to deliver goods, I ran into General Li Yong at the town gate. He made up for our pension payments and asked me if I had received the goods and why I hadn't been to the county town for so long. I told him about Auntie's house being built."
"Things? What things? I didn't receive anything."
"No? He said he asked Uncle Chen to bring it for him. Didn't Auntie receive it?"
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