As Xu Ran returned home, he handed Liu Tong the paper money and told him he was going to construct a new house. With money lent, Liu Tong was a little uneasy "You've taken out a lot of loans, Ran. When do you think we'll be able to return it? Why don't you just return the money? We can still live in our current home."
With a shake of his head, Xu Ran insisted, "No, it's still extremely cold inside our home. Our children are also fed up with it. In the summer, the house is fine, but in the winter, it is a disaster. My palms, you see, are still raw from chilblains." Xu Ran then extended his hands to show to Liu Tong.
Without heating or a down-filled hat, it was too cold in the winter. Soon after the first snowfall, Xu Ran developed chilblains in his hands. His hands were raw with chilblains as time went by, and both of them swelled up like radishes. The chilblains on his hands did not begin to heal slowly until after the first month.
Xu Ran's hands were examined by Liu Tong. He discovered that the chilblains had not healed. He was moved by his pity for him. Xu Ran seldom revealed his hands to him. He kept his hands hidden even though he was asleep. As a result, Liu Tong had no idea what was going on in Xu Ran's hands. He simply tried not to allow him to work.
Now that Xu Ran had used himself as an example to persuade him, Liu Tong didn't think it was fair to deny. He believed that, despite the fact that 500 taels of silver was a large amount of money, their family could pay off the debt if they continued to sell chili paste. "Ran, just follow your arrangement," Liu Tong said, nodding.
"Great!" Seeing Liu Tong agree with it, Xu Ran smirked, "Let's find someone to see when it's appropriate to start building, and where to build the house. Finally, we'll discuss who to build it." In fact, Xu Ran had considered about building a house for a long time, so he had a clear mind at the moment.
Someone in the village did also specialize in geomantic omens and had some simple fortune-telling abilities. Even though Xu Ran didn't believe it, he decided to seek the help of the geomantic master in order to put Liu Tong at ease. Xu Ran had some wine at home, so he poured it out and tied it in a bamboo knot. And because of such a gift, the geomantic master naturally took his work seriously.
Xu Ran first asked him to choose the most recent and best time to begin construction, and he replied that the 25th of the first lunar month was the most recent and best time. The time was too short, as it was already the 19th of the first month and only a few days remained. As a result, Xu Ran requested that he change the time.
Another day, the 15th of the second lunar month, was shown to him by the old master. Xu Ran considered it and decided that this was a good time. The early stage planning would be perfect if they could work efficiently. As a result, they both thanked the master and hurriedly returned home, eager to get back to work on other matters.
It was also necessary to find someone to choose a good place, but Xu Ran wanted to choose something he liked most. Thus he planned to go and see it himself first. He believed the new house should not be too far from the current house, and their industries were around there.
Wu Mei's house was visited by Liu Tong. Xu An was nowhere to be found. He worked in the town on a regular basis. Xu Ran advised Liu Tong to inquire as to whether the town had any successful house-building groups. It was much more comfortable to hire a construction crew to cover up the house construction than to try to do everything on their own.
At the moment, in Wu Mei's family, Wu Mei felt surprised to hear the news from Liu Tong.
"Yes? Your family wants to build a new house? Haven't you just built this current house? " asked Wu Mei.
Liu Tong felt a little helpless, "Ran is the one who wants to build it. He said that the bamboo house was cold. We are unable to maintain a comfortable temperature, and our children are still young. I agree with him, and we currently have some cash on hand. It's possible that we'll build it first. We can gain money back if it is spent, but as human beings, we must eat well and live well."
Hearing Liu Tong's words, Wu Mei was still a little unhappy, "As for your husband, he is really too delicate. You are a Ge'er and you haven't complained about anything yet. He just feels cold. You are spoiling him!"
In the end, Wu Mei also felt funny. He knew well that it was not a day or two for Liu Tong to pamper Xu Ran. As their friend, he should have got used to it.
Seeing Wu Mei laugh, Liu Tong himself also laughed, "Indeed,I've been spoiling him for years and am used to it. We should only build a new house first now that we can afford it! Kindly help me in speaking with Xu An to see if he can locate such a construction team to assist us."
"All right. You can go back first. I'll ask him about it later. If he cannot help you, you can go and find the person who came to your family last time. He lives in the town and he will definitely know about it."
Liu Tong nodded. However, he felt shy to tell him that he had borrowed money from that person.
After Liu Tong arrived home, Xu Ran got back too. Tangtang and Guoguo were still busy working behind the house burning a big pile of ash.
Xu Ran went to take the two children home. Both of the children looked like two dirty cats and their clothes were all dirty. Xu Ran patted the ashes off their clothes while telling them, "Daddy has cooked water for you. Let's take a bath first. You've really done a hard day's work."
Both children shook their heads smilingly, "Dad, we are happy. We can work well."
Obviously, they were not asking for credit. They were really happy because they felt they could do something for the family themselves.
Xu Ran patted them and nodded with a smile, "I see it. You are both Dad's good treasures, smart and capable."
While Xu Ran walked to the kitchen, the two children happily ran to take a bath. There was Liu Tong, who was boiling water. His tall figure was blocking the firelight at the time, and Xu Ran stood behind him, staring at him. This was the person he wished to spend the rest of his life with, as well as the family member he wished to care for.
Xu Ran and Liu Tong had another careful conversation about their plan late at night. As a result, the new house's building was determined. Xu Ran desired to build a two-story quadrangle dwelling building. They realized the new house would cost at least 500 taels of silver because it covered such a large area. Both of them were also pondering the financial situation. They didn't expect their two children to give them a big surprise the next day.
___
A group of children outside called Tangtang and Guoguo away as they were about to finish their breakfast in the morning. Both of them hurried outside after setting down their bowls. They were unconcerned with their dogs and just let them run behind them.
Seeing that they were running in a hurry, Xu Ran also stopped eating after taking two more mouthfuls of rice. He said to Liu Tong, "Tongtong, I'll go out and have a look. Why are many children coming?"
Liu Tong nodded, "All right. Don't let our children be bullied."
For some reason, Xu Ran always felt that their children wouldn't be bullied, but he still nodded and replied, "Don't worry, I will look after them."
As they were a large group of children, it was an easy target. Soon, Xu Ran found that the group of children had gone to the back of their house, where Tangtang and Guoguo had burned a lot of ashes yesterday. Xu Ran also followed them behind secretly.
Tangtang and Guoguo led the group of children to the big pile of ashes. Tangtang took out over a dozen of copper coins from his bosom, and then took a step backward. Guoguo took two steps forward and announced seriously, "Today I invite all of you here to give you a chance to make money. As long as anyone burns so much ash, he can take a copper coin here away from us. If you are willing to work for us, you can stay; if you don't, you can go now."
Hearing that they could make money, the children present of among 5 to 8 years old were very excited and no one left.
Dahu was also there in the crowd. He was a little older, so he touched his head and asked Guoguo, "Guoguo, how is this ash burned?"
"Yeah, yeah!"
The other children followed suit.
This scene was similar to that when Xu Ran was looking for people to help develop their wasteland then.
Guoguo put his hands on his back and tried his best to look serious, "You can either go hay-cutting or firewood-gathering in the mountains. Cutting the hay, on the other hand, is simpler and quicker. It's best if you have your own sickles. It's important to keep an eye on the fire. Nothing else can be burned. The person who produces the most ash will receive an additional copper coin as a prize."
Tangtang purposefully swayed the copper coin in his hand as Guoguo was talking about the reward. The group of children's eyes twinkled with stars as they saw the copper coin. They all stated that they had no differing viewpoints on the subject, then erupted in a rage and stormed home to get their combat tools.
Xu Ran watched all these from behind and praised his two children in his heart. He was thinking triumphantly, "They are really my sons!"
The group of children didn't see Xu Ran and he also didn't want to disturb Tangtang and Guoguo. He just went back home with his hands behind his back.
After everyone had left, Guoguo felt relaxed right away and rushed towards Tangtang, "Elder Brother, it's really tiring to have spoken so much!"
Tangtang hugged him and stroked his head, "Well then, in the future, let me do this kind of thing and you can just be my assistant."
Guoguo nodded happily, "Great!"
There on the hillside, they two were just like two peas. Both the brothers were the same in their look, height and even wearing the same clothes. And at the moment, they were hugging together. What a beautiful scene!
Xu Ran couldn't stop praising their two children in front of Liu Tong when they returned home. Despite the fact that they were still still very young, they were behaving like generals, which was very unusual. Then Xu Ran complimented Liu Tong, saying that it was all due to his excellent education.
Even though Liu Tong was shy to be praised, he was content in his heart. After many generations of cultivation, he thought that raising such two children in such difficult times was truly a blessing. They soon heard the children's cries of joy from outside. Standing in the yard, Xu Ran watched Tangtang and Guoguo leading a team of children towards the wasteland and everything was in good order and well arranged.
Many children saw Xu Ran and greeted him with a smile, and Xu Ran responded them happily.
Every morning for the next ten days, Xu Ran could hear these children's cheering cries, laughter, and shouting. They were incredibly energized and vibrant. The construction of Xu Ran's new home was already on the agenda. They had chosen the construction site. Xu Ran and Liu Tong began running around looking for good building bricks and tiles at the moment.
____
The entire village knew that Xu Ran and his family had just purchased ten mu of farmland when he declared his intention to employ long-term workers to open up his family's barren fields. Despite the fact that those fields were poor and deserted, they were massive in size. After dinner, all of these were hot topics in the village. No one from the Xu Family came to make trouble for Xu Ran this time because they hadn't settled the problem inside their family.
Last time Zhang Yue announced in public that he would divorce Xu Cheng, and this was really what he meant.
However, to divorce sounded not good, let alone be a Ge'er, who mentioned it first.
Of course, the Xu Family will be outraged. Zhang Yue decided to return to his father and daddy's house after returning home that day. The Xu Family was angered, and Zhang Yue was confined to his home to prevent him from leaving. And his children were barred from seeing him. Xu Cheng had captured and beaten Zhang Yue on numerous times as he attempted to flee. Elder Daddy Xu's abusive words were intolerable to the ear.
Zhang Yue felt that his life was worse than death. When he was lying in bed, he began to regret his decision, but every time Xu Cheng hit him, he was more determined to leave the place.
He couldn't go out because his freedom was limited. As a result, he could only put up with everything in the family. Zhang Yue was still confident that he would leave this place. He would not die here, no matter what happened. He came to the conclusion that his greatest mistake in life was marrying Xu Cheng.
In order to prevent Zhang Yue from escaping, the Xu Family would have one of them watch him at home every day. Naturally, they were now not in the mood to make trouble for Xu Ran.
It was unnecessary to include Xu Ran's two uncles and their families. Back then, the entire village was aware that they had broken up with the Xu Family. They had no reason to come around as long as the Xu Family had no contact with them. As a result, everything went incredibly well this time.
In the end, Xu Ran got ten long-term workers at home and told them about the distribution of the 10 mu of land.
"It's like this. I plan to divide the fields because this ten mu of land needs to be cultivated quickly. One mu is assigned to each household. For each mu of land, I will pay 300 pence. You must complete all of the work on the land from beginning to end. Whoever completes the work first will receive the money. What do you think about it?"
300 pence was a great temptation, and many people agreed on the spot, but there were still a few shrewd ones,
"Xu Ran, what do you mean by doing all the work on the land from the beginning to the end?"
Xu Ran knew they would ask about it so he smiled and replied, "Actually, in the fields, I want to plant fruit trees. You're in charge of plowing the field first, then digging holes in it. You should delegate the rest of the job to your Ge'ers. Allow them to plant the seedlings and fertilize the area. Then, if we need to do some weeding or fertilizing, I'll pay you extra money. Is this something you believe is possible?"
To work on one mu of land could help them earn 300 pence in total. And it only took a few days, within which they could earn more than what they got after working for one or two months outside. Since they were long-term workers, they naturally had no objections about this offer.
After everyone agreed, Xu Ran added, "I won't cover the food here, but I'll pay another 50 pences for each family so that you can eat at home yourselves!"
"No problem."
"No problem."
"Xu Ran, you are so generous. Don't worry about the work in the field! We'll settle everything for you. " All the workers were satisfied.
Xu Ran felt pleased with the responses from the workers and answered smilingly, "Then thank you, everyone."
All of the fields had been farmed out and the ash for fertilizer had been developed up to this point. Except for the strawberry seedlings, which were in desperate need, everything was now set. Xu Ran intended to return to town to see Zhuo Yun and bring chili paste to Mr. Chen on the way.
They had made a large batch of chili paste last winter, which would last for a long time. In the field near the house, Liu Tong had also planted a lot of chili. It could help sustain their chili paste business if the chili grew well. Xu Ran found that the crops he planted were not up to the time of other people's, and he was not sure whether it would work or not.
But the seeds had been planted, and they could only know the results in the harvest time. If it would not work, they could have a change according to the season! Xu Ran consoled himself silently.
Xu Ran went to town with chili paste on his back on the twenty-fifth day of the first lunar month. He told Mr. Chen that he would be unable to send any more chili paste for the time being. Mr. Chen didn't say anything and simply asked him to come after he finished his job, recognizing that he had delivered a lot this time.
When Xu Ran arrived at the Zhuo Mansion, he was told that Zhuo Yun and Qin Shuwen had gone to the Qin Family. Xu Ran had a good idea why they went there. He didn't linger long, only long enough for the shopkeeper to greet Zhuo Yun. He happened to run into Xu An on his way back. Xu Ran didn't recognize the guy standing beside Xu An. He was probably not from the Xu Village.
Xu Ran ran a few steps forward to greet Xu An, "Xu An, are you going back from town?"
Xu An turned back to see Xu Ran and stopped to wait for him. He said when Xu Ran got nearer, "Yes. You see a few days ago, Liu Tong came to ask me to find someone specializing in building houses. I was so lucky that I bumped into this acquaintance of mine, who happened to be from a construction team. I thus brought him to talk to you. Here, this is the person beside me, surnamed Li."
Xu Ran took a glance at the foreman and then greeted, "Hello, Mr. Li. My name is Xu Ran. I'm from the same village as Bro Xu An's."
The foreman seemed to have an education of a sort. He responded to Xu Ran with a smile, "I know. Xu An has told me about you. Let's go to your house and see what kind of house you want to build."
"Okay, then let's go while talking about it."
The three of them chatted as they were walking on the way and they soon reached the Xu Village.
Xu Ran told Foreman Li that he wanted to build a two-story brick quadrangle dwelling building. Foreman Li calculated that the overall cost of the building would be at least 400 taels of silver. They would have to spend tens of thousands of taels of silver more if they wanted to add more things to the new house and improve the lives of the construction workers.
As the budget was within 500 taels of silver, Xu Ran didn't say anything further about it.
What concerned Xu Ran at the time was the fact that he had no idea where he could obtain the necessary bricks. They didn't come across something similar in the village. He and Liu Tong had looked into a few more villages in the area but had come up empty-handed. They could only find bricks in town, and they were scattered all over the place. How long does it take them to return all of the bricks?
Xu Ran told about his worries, and Foreman Li immediately vouched for it, "Don't be worried, Bro Xu! We often work in the town, and some people who don't want to go to the trouble will hire us to complete all of their projects. We know where the bricks are sold, and we can have the brick kilns bring the bricks to the customers in horse-drawn carriages. The issue is that there is a long distance to travel and the freight fee must be measured."
"How much will the bricks cost?" Xu Ran asked.
"This is dependent on how much you want to purchase. A brick should cost at least three pence. The price ranges from three pence for a brick to five pence for two bricks, and we can also get one for twenty pence on occasion. I'll be able to determine the exact number of bricks needed after inspecting the sizes of the bricks. " said Foreman Li.
"Alright, let's go and take a look then."
Xu Ran did not return home after arriving in the village. Instead, he guided Foreman Li and Xu An straight to the construction site. Xu Ran drew a large circle on the ground and informed Foreman Li that the entire area would be filled with bricks rather than any other materials. When Mr. Li saw such a large area and had to build a house of two floors, he felt that 400 taels of silver was not necessarily enough!
Xu Ran didn't think money was a problem. He believed money could be earned, but since he wanted to build a house, he had to build it well.
Foreman Li said to Xu Ran, "Bro Xu Ran, from the current situation, you can buy those bricks at the price of two pence for each. Let me talk to the boss of the brick kiln. His is a private kiln, so I believe we can reach an agreement on the price."
Xu Ran knew about the private brick kiln. Those who could run a kiln on their own were either rich or had a background. Their products' quality was also good, so Xu Ran nodded and thanked the foreman.
After seeing the construction site, Xu Ran took Xu An and Foreman Li to his home.
It was almost noon. Xu Ran had promised to return for lunch before he went out in the morning. Liu Tong was working in the kitchen at the moment. Tangtang and Guoguo were nowhere to be found, even behind the house. They should have gone to cut the grass, Xu Ran thought.
When there was someone at home, the door to their yard was usually half open and unlocked. Xu Ran led the guests in and called out at the kitchen, "Tongtong, we have guests here. Please get three bowls of water for us."
"Yes, coming," Liu Tong's voice came from the kitchen.
Despite the fact that it was spring, it was still bitterly cold. Xu Ran decided that sitting outside with all of them was not a good idea, so he led the guests into the guest room. In their guest quarters, a brazier was used to burn the charcoal that had been removed from the stove during cooking. In his previous life, Xu Ran had seen other people do this, so he devised this process.
However, as there was no one at home today, Liu Tong didn't light up the brazier.
After entering the guest room, Xu Ran first seated Xu An and Mr. Li well, and Liu Tong quickly came out to serve them water.
Then he turned to light up the brazier.
Each of them three drank a bowl of hot water to keep out the cold. At the moment, the brazier was burning, and they began to feel warm.
Liu Tong appeared to inform them that dinner was ready before they could begin their conversation. After that, he went in search of Tangtang and Guoguo. Xu Ran started arranging the large table. In their family, Xu An was used to this kind of behavior. Foreman Li, however, was the first time to see in such a family that a Ge'er would order his husband to do housework, while Xu Ran would not complain at all, and he managed the work very skillfully.
There was wine at home, and Xu Ran knew that as manual workers, they liked to drink wine. Thus, he got some wine ready, warmed it up and added some brown sugar inside.
There was wonderful food on the table, and there was also wine on the fire. The treatment was excellent. This was unquestionably a charitable family. Foreman Li felt that if he took over the construction work from Xu Ran, the party would be able to live comfortably for the time being.
Liu Tong returned with the two twins, who looked exactly like two peas, just as Foreman Li was dreaming there.
Seeing Liu Tong, Xu Ran introduce him to the guest, "Mr. Li, this is my spouse, Liu Tong. These two are my children called Tangtang and Guoguo. Tongtong, this is Mr. Li, the foreman. Bro Xu An helps us find Mr. Li in the town. He came over to take a look."
Foreman Li was greeted by Liu Tong, who asked the two children to refer to him as Uncle Li. The two children complied with the order respectfully, and they were then taken to wash their hands and prepare for dinner.
04.26.21
If any have noticed that I don't update on weekends cuz I can't use my laptop :)