Lin Qingwan's past few days after Yang Tiezhu's departure were quite leisurely.
As long as she craves something, she can make it by herself. Furthermore, Yao-shi would make sure to drop by at noon for a while and help her whip up something and only return after she made sure she had adequately eaten. After a while, finding this might be too troublesome for Yao-shi, Lin Qingwan simply took some stuff from here to Yang-shi's place at noon for lunch and only ate breakfast and dinner at home. During those times, as the third branch's husband and wife would be at home, it wouldn't be much of a problem.
Subsequently, everyday villagers would find a young petite married woman languidly strolling on the trails of Luoxia village, with a big black dog at her heels.
These days Dahei had been guarding Lin Qingwan quite closely. During the nights, he would crouch under the kang, while in the daytime, he would follow wherever Lin Qingwan went. If any acquaintances, like the third branch's husband and wife or Yang-shi's family, approached her, he would be silent. But if a stranger, like Yang jia's people, approached, he would at once assume an attacking stance.
Although Lin Qingwan was fond of the two dogs formerly, too, it wasn't how it was currently, for right now, she simply adored them to death. Every day she began feeding Dahei good food; thus, after eating well for a few days, his hair became smooth and shiny.
These sort of leisurely days were fine if it was just a few days, but after a long time, Lin Qingwan began to miss the rough man and his embrace. At times he would be decent, giving an image of a strong man, but at other times he was quite silly, appearing quite adorable.
Why hasn't her family's man returned yet, ah…
Lin Qingwan was languidly slouching on the kang, downtrodden, while Yao-shi was cooking in the small cubicle. In between, when she stepped out in her free time, her second sao's listless appearance fell into her eyes, and she couldn't help but let out a chuckle.
"Second sao, are you missing second brother?"
Lin Qingwan didn't even lift her eyelids as she replied, "It's not that I am missing. I am just feeling a bit uneasy."
"Second sao, you don't have to feel too uneasy. Second brother didn't go into the mountains. He only went to sell laweixian. Perhaps he will return within two days." Yao-shi was simple and honest by nature. Since her second sao was beset with anxiety, she too became worried and spoke a few words to relieve her uneasiness.
"En." Lin Qingwan listlessly nodded as her eyes flickered around, thinking of some unknown things.
Yao-shi turned around into the kitchen to resume cooking. Once the dinner was ready, she went to the third branch's room and called Yang Tiegen and two little girls over for dinner.
Had it been any other day, Lin Qingwan would have been making jokes, but this day, she remained silent, seemingly absent-minded. She didn't even have a half bowl of rice, before she said she could not eat. Only after Yao-shi persuaded for half a day did she drink another half bowl of stew.
Taking in their second aunt's unsmiling face, the two little girls also didn't dare to speak.
After they were finished having dinner, albeit monotonously, Yang Tiegen retired back to his room and the two girls. Yao-shi, too, after tidying everything up, followed them back to the room.
Back in the third branch, In the third house, Yang Erniu asked her mother if the second bomu wasn't feeling well in a hushed voice.
Their second aunt didn't tease or play with them, making the two girls feel unaccustomed. But they didn't dare to disturb their second bomu, and could only ask their mother after returning to their room.
Every time the two little girls came down with a fever, the two would also become listless, without any energy, and also find the food unpalatable, just like second bomu. Thus the two presumed that their second bomu was also ill.
Yao-shi let out a sigh, finding it a tad bit amusing.
Caressing the little girls' head, she replied, "Your second bomu isn't sick; she is just missing your second bobo."
Have to say, this second sao of hers was sometimes quite serious with an air of respectability. At the same time, she was like a child quite a few times. It hadn't been long since the second brother before she began missing him. And the main point was that her feelings were evidently reflected on her face to the point even a 5-year-old little kid could see it. She was so downtrodden that she even found food unpalatable.
After a moment of speechlessness, slight envy bubbled up in Yao-shi's heart. Second sao and the second elder brother share such a harmonious relationship….
Knowing that her second bomu wasn't sick, Yang Erniu felt reassured and turned around and went to play with her younger sister. As for the second bomu missing second bobo, such feelings were beyond the comprehension of kids like her.
Yang Tiezhu didn't make Lin Qingwan wait for too long. After about ten days of his departure, he returned home covered in dust.
When he came back, it was already night. Not long after Lin Qingwan lay on the bed to retire for the night, she heard someone knock on the door and call her.
Upon opening the door, when Yang Tiezhu's figure fell into her sight, Lin Qingwan threw herself upon him, momentarily disregarding her pregnancy.
Frightened out of his wits, Yang Tiezhu quickly caught her. His heart was still beating thunderously even after he caught her. Terror-stricken, he wanted to spank her, but recalling her pregnancy, he could only carry her in, while reprimanding her, "You are an adult, yet you act like a baby, not even paying attention to your stomach."
Lin Qingwan also became aware of her impulsiveness a moment ago and began feeling guilty. Thus, she quickly stood on her feet and went into the kitchen to whip up something for Yang Tiezhu.
Lin Qingwan had made a chicken stew in the evening. Even after she and the third branch had the dinner, about half of the stew was still leftover. Thus, she warmed some stew and steamed buns for him. Lin Qingwan put water on the stove for it to boil before carrying the stew and buns out.
When she went back to the room, Yang Tiezhu was in the middle of undressing. While he was outside, it was inconvenient to take a bath, making him feel uncomfortable now.
Yang Tiezhu just happened to be starving. After helping his wife sit down, he dug in.
By the time he was done eating and washing his bowl, the water Lin Qingwan had put on the stove for boiling had reached the temperature just right for bathing. Thus, he went to take a bath. Meanwhile, Lin Qingwan, who had nothing to do, returned to the kang.
After washing himself up, Yang Tiezhu also got onto the kang and slowly began recounting the happenings in the past few days while he was out to Lin Qingwan…
A few days prior to his departure, Lin Qingwan had him undergo rigorous 'training'. But of course, it wasn't that exaggerated; she just taught him things like how to negotiate with people and other stuff. For instance, in the event that the other person refuses to pay heed to his words, the best course of action would be to visit him multiple times. As for the attitude, she advised him it would be best to be neither servile nor overbearing. After all, their intention was to sell their food, not to beg them.
Yang Tiezhu, himself, had dealt with a lot of people. Thus, it took only a few words from her to understand her intention.
In fact, his wife didn't have to mention such things explicitly; he, too, had an understanding of these things. Wasn't it just a matter of running around? If meeting them several times will get them to make a deal, wouldn't all that be silver then? Besides, no one would say no to money.
Certainly, there were a few restaurants that showed a bad attitude towards him. They outrightly kicked him out without even giving him a chance to introduce himself. Additionally, Lin Qingwan had also taught him how to bribe the staff. At first, he wasn't proficient in it, but after a few times, he got the hang of it.
As such, after running around for ten days, he got quite good results, and few were willing to buy Laweixian for them. This time, Yang Tiezhu had taken a lot of Laweixian with him just to ensure that if someone showed intentions of buying on the spot, he wouldn't be empty-handed. Besides, since it was food he was selling, he certainly had to give some samples for taste-testing to others. Among the neighboring few towns, the restaurants in almost every town have asked for their product.
These words delighted Lin Qingwan's heart extremely. Yang Tiezhu was also in quite a good mood. After all, this was the first time he went out to do business and was very pleased with his results.
Yang Tiezhu let her know that he would have to go again after another 3 to 4 days to see how Laweixian was selling in those restaurants.
Lin Qingwan had mentioned to him at the beginning that as long as they managed to attain a stable business from even one restaurant per town, that in and of itself would be a very good start. After all, a town was only this big, and all the restaurants would be on the lookout for the rival's new dishes. As long as one restaurant could manage to sell them well, the others would be easy to deal with. That's why at that time, she made another trip to Zui Xian Restaurant only after a few days. Selling would be even easier then.
After chatting for a while, the two cuddled under the quilt. Running around these days while worrying about how to sell the Laweixian and also about home had been too taxing on Yang Tiezhu's body. Thus, he was too tired at the moment. Ever since she got pregnant, Lin Qingwan has been feeling drowsy. However, this time she felt a little reluctant to fall asleep.
As she snuggled her head against his embrace while nestling in his arms, Lin Qingwan found herself feeling cozy and relaxing.
However, as Lin Qingwan was snuggling around comfortably, her movements ignited a fire within Yang Tiezhu. Ever since they became aware of her pregnancy, they seldomly had intercourse. Only when he was unable to endure himself anymore would he pull his wife over. But even then, they would be very careful, lest they hurt the fetus in her stomach.
These past ten days, it wasn't just Lin Qingwan who had missed him. Even Yang Tiezhu missed his wife dearly.
He was a young man in the prime of his life. It was easy to get stirred even without stimulation. Not to mention now, when he was continuously provoked, thus Wanwan's situation in the subsequent moments was quite pitiful….
While Lin Qingwan was still nestled against him, she found something amiss. Why were her clothes untied, ah? She had yet to snap out of her bewilderment when even her underpants were also pulled down.
The man's voice entered her ears from behind, "Wife, don't move. I'll take it slow…"
A silence befell the night.
The next day, Yang Tiezhu woke up full of vitality early in the morning. The third branch's husband and wife had become aware of their second brother's return earlier. Thus, they weren't surprised when they saw Yang Tiezhu.
But, contrarily, Lin Qingwan was disconsolate. This barbarian tossed her around her till deep into the night. In the beginning, he said he would take it slow, but later as he got excited, he began moving fast. Although she too found it comfortable, the entire time, she felt as if her heart was in her throat, dreading that the child might get injured.
Fortunately, nothing happened. Relief washed over the two after they calmed down.
Everyone gathered around and had breakfast before going to Yang-shi's place.
The past few days, he had greatly inconvenienced the third branch's couple and his eldest gumu, making him feel a bit ashamed. Furthermore, he was also planning to wash the black mule. Yesterday, after returning, he just took it to the shed in Yang-shi's place and poured some feed into the trough. After running around all these days, the black mule had turned grey. The people in rural areas treated their livestock with utmost care and affection. Thus, Yang Tiezhu planned to tend the mule nicely and feed it with some good stuff that day.
When they reached Yang-shi's place, they too had just finished breakfast. Yang Tiezhu had a brief chat with Yang-shi before he got busy tending the black mule. While Yang-shi, her daughter-in-law Zhou-shi, and the third branch's husband and wife stepped out into the backyard to make Laweixian. Lin Qingwan moved a chair next to them and began conversing with them.
Now that the demand for Laweixian has stabilized, they have a clear idea of how much to make every day. Currently, they were making a batch every two to three days. With how the current weather was, they could only store it for a couple of days.
Though the women were idly chatting, their hands didn't stop moving. After doing it for a couple of days, they all became proficient in making it. After a while, Lin Qingwan felt uncomfortable sitting for long and stood up, intending to walk around.
When she ambled into the main room, she happened upon Xia Dacheng and Yang Tiezhu chatting. Currently, Xia Dacheng's injuries had pretty much healed, and was able to sit alright, but still wasn't able to get up from the bed.
Day in and day out, Xia Dacheng was bored and senseless from being all alone all these days. Today, seeing that his biao younger brother had come, he pulled him over to have a chat.
Lin Qingwan went and sat next to them and listened to them. After a few moments, she realized Xia Dacheng was actually telling Yang Tiezhu about his experience of how to deal with the people outside, especially when doing business.
Compared to Xia Dacheng, Lin Qingwan's tips were akin to the chicken feathers and garlic skin. Xia Dacheng's words were much more thorough, logical, and impactful. As expected of a former manager, his experience was rich.
Later in the afternoon, everyone had lunch together. Lin Qingwan knew that Yang Tiezhu had brought a lot of foodstuffs when he came back this time and had given some to Yang-shi before bringing some back home. Thus, she didn't decline Yang-shi's invitation and had lunch at their place.
Post lunch, after sitting for a while, Yang Riezhu accompanied Lin Qingwan on her short walk before returning home for her short nap.
When the two reached home, Wang-shi and He-shi were standing in the yard. Yang Tiezhu stepped into the room without paying any heed to them.
Standing behind the fence, Tian Cuilan couldn't but keep gazing out for a long time. Only when the silhouettes of the two could no longer be seen did she reluctantly retrieve her gaze.
It was truly nice; she ought to feel extremely happy…after all, Elder brother Tiezhu had been very kind to her….
Tian Cuilan herself wasn't aware why she was paying this much attention to those two. It seems as if from the time she ran into the two on the village trail, her thoughts began to drift towards them more and more.
She came to know that woman liked to go on a stroll, thus the Elder Brother Tiezhu would always accompany her. Every time, while heading back, they pass by her home. The figures of those two people could be seen through the fences of her backyard. Subsequently, for some reason, she subconsciously began to pay attention to those two.
Gradually, this action developed into a habit. She would always rush to the backyard at this time, using some or the other excuse to peep at them.
After this became a daily habit, she began to feel as if it had been three autumns, if she didn't see them even for one day. Being illiterate, Tian Cuilan failed to understand what these emotions meant. All she knew was that when she didn't see them for several days in a row, her heart couldn't help but begin to get distracted while her thoughts were in turmoil.
At some point, she even began to give birth to thoughts like 'has something happened to that woman?' 'Was her fetus unstable and had to remain in bed?'
From when did she begin to produce such thoughts in the depths of her heart and gloat over them? She wasn't sure about it either. When she consciously realized that she was having thought that she shouldn't have, embarrassed, she condemned herself. Yet, she was unable to control them.
Only when she saw those two familiar silhouettes today again did a sense of relief wash over her heart. Yet, along with the relief came faint disappointment as well.
Tain Cuilan was unfamiliar with this sort of Elder brother Yang Tiezhu before that woman. Actually, even the appearance of Yang Tiezhu in her distant memories had become quite fuzzy.
She felt that after that first encounter, the fuzzy memories which were buried deep within became distinct yet again. After peeping at them day after day, she felt her Elder Tiezhu brother was truly the best. How good he was back in their childhood was that good he was even now. No wonder she had been unwilling to withdraw the marriage agreement at that time….
Had she not withdrawn the marriage agreement that time, that position would have been hers now….—such thought bubbled within her heart.
"Cuilan, what are you gazing at ah?" Suddenly her mother's voice came from behind her.
Startled, she quicked turned around and stammered, "I wasn't looking at anything, mother."
Tian shenzi smiled helplessly, "Don't just be cooped up in the home all day long. If you are free, go out and stroll around and, if possible, meet up with the girls with whom you used to be acquainted formerly.
Tian shenzi felt sad about this younger daughter of hers. At the moment, she wished for nothing more than her getting unchained from the shackles of her past at the earliest and live her life to the fullest.
Perhaps a few idle gossips might arise among the villagers, but Tian Cuilan was acutely aware that they too might understand and feel pity for Tian Cuilan. After all, her daughter wasn't divorced because she didn't abide by the virtues of women; rather, she too was helpless and a victim of misfortune.
Tian shen had actually inquired about in which direction the winds of rumors were blowing outside. Otherwise, it would have been unlikely for her to take Tian Cuilan out. Although Luoxai village was full of people who were fond of making thoughtless remarks about the matters in others' households, however, towards a person on a weaker side, they maintained propriety while speaking. Besides, her daughter had never overstepped the bounds of what was proper.
Irrespective of whether what others felt towards her was sympathy or pity, at least they wouldn't maliciously slander her. As such, Tian Cuilan was still free to go out for a stroll or make friends.
"En." Tian Cuilan unconsciously acquiesced as a few thoughts swirled within her brain.
If she goes out, wouldn't she be able to get more about those two people?
For the first time ever since she returned to her natal house, Tian Cuilan stepped out of her house on her own accord. It wasn't for herself, but for the sake of small unknown thoughts bubbling within her….
Perhaps Tian shenzi had already attained her objective; at least, the part of her objective to have Tian Cuilan's mind shift from her past had successfully been fulfilled.
As for what sort of outcome such actions would bear was currently no one's concern.
A few days later, Yang Tiezhu set off again.
But this time, he came back rather quickly on the third day.
Soon after returning, he cheerfully hugged his wife and expressed that Laweixian was selling pretty well in all the restaurants outside. Over hundred jin of laweixian he had taken this time were all finished. Furthermore, he also received some fixed orders in advance that needed to be delivered every five days.
Soon the third branch's couple and Yang-shi also heard about this good news, energizing their spirits even more.
This time Yang Tiezhu didn't visit other restaurants to sell, for he wished to wait till the other restaurants too, to get wind of this matter before visiting them after a few days. Then it would be equivalent to achieving twice the effort with half of the effort.
Once their scope of the market expanded a bit, Yang Tiezhu eased his heart and intended to shift his attention to looking for a place to build their house.
These days, Yang-shi also has been mulling over the same for the past few days. Thus as soon as Yang Tiezhu mentioned it, she right away recommended a pretty good open space on the outskirts of the village that wasn't far away from her place.
Yang-shi's courtyard resided near the outskirts of the village. Between her house and Luoxia mountain, there were only a few households. The open space on the outskirts of the village is quite huge; they can pick how much ever area they want after discussing it with their village chief.
But of course, they won't get it for free. However, the land on the outskirts of the village was comparatively cheaper than those on the inside.
Upon hearing her recommendation, Yang Tiezhu also found it a pretty good choice. He had trekked around the village a few rounds yet didn't find any good places like this. Others already occupied the places that were slightly optimal. There are few open places in the villages, yet the area is quite small.
Back home, when he shared this proposal with Lin Qingwan, she too seconded this.
Firstly, it was in proximity to Yang-shi's place; second, entering and exiting the village was even more convenient. Others have yet to discover their family's Laweixian business only because Yang-shi's place resided close to the outskirts. From there, they can easily enter or exit without having to go through the village.
The two even then specially made a trip to inspect the location.
From a distance, a wide expanse of open area greeted their eyes in the outskirts of the village. Further ahead of this area was the old hunter's abode, followed by the majestic Luoxia mountain. Yang-shi's place was not far from and was only separated by a few houses. Besides, the main point was that the area was huge and big or small and could accommodate any size of the house. The trail situated at the side of the area led outside the village. In the future, they can easily enter and exit the village. Lin Qingwan was very much satisfied with this place. The couple went back to their house to discuss how much area to buy.
When the third branch's couple heard that the second branch was building a house, their hearts also slightly became restless. This while, they also had saved a lot, and a little over 30 silver tales should be enough for them to build a small courtyard house for the four of them.
However, the third branch's husband and wife seemed to be slightly sluggish in handling such matters and were slightly hesitant to spend money that carefreely. Understanding their trail of thoughts, Lin Qingwan encouraged them to build a house for themselves as well.
She had long been fed up with living in the same space with the people from Yang jia; not a day goes by without crossing paths with them. Not to mention such a cramped living space, even if they wanted to grow some plants or raise hens, it seemed pretty inconvenient. Every time they needed any vegetables and other stuff, they had to make a trip to the market or borrow from Yang-shi. But you can't keep borrowing every other day from others, no? Granted that even if they don't say anything, your conscience won't be able to accept things like that.
After Lin Qingwan expressed her thoughts to Yao-shi, she also shared that she would be able to have her own yard and then comfortably raise as many as hens she wanted or grow vegetables, and even raise pigs while eating whatever she wished to eat. Moreover, the kids are slowly growing up and can't possibly share the room with the adults.
Besides, Lin Qingwan was unable to understand why adults and kids would share the same kang. Wouldn't it be a bit inconvenient for the husband and wife? Perhaps, the main reason for it could be poverty and the inability to afford a big house. Or perhaps they were unwilling to burn a little more firewood in the kang.
However, now that they were able to afford a new house, they shouldn't wrong themselves further.
Upon listening to her, Yao-shi's thoughts moved slightly, yet she replied that she would once discuss it with Yang Tiegen after going back.
Actually, Lin Qingwan wasn't the only one to have such thoughts, Yao-shi too shared her thoughts. It's just that she had always been used to enduring hardships. But now suddenly, someone told her she too could have her own house. Thus she was unable to react momentarily.
But after she came to herself, the anticipation and expectations in her heart couldn't be suppressed anymore.
If you build a new house, you can stay away from them without living in the same courtyard as those in the main house.
Yao-shi's case was quite different from Lin Qingwan's. Though the latter found it annoying whenever a dispute erupted in the main room, she would occasionally take it as a good drama play and enjoy it. But such moments caused Yao-shi's heart to thump loudly.
Though currently, she was able to act tough on the outside and look cold and indifferent towards those people, she has yet to be free from the shadows of the past. Every time there was a dispute over there, she couldn't stop herself from shuddering with fear. Even the two little girls seemed to be frightened.
Only after Yao-shi separated from the main family did she find out how much of an impact all of this had on the two girls. In the past, she had always been engulfed in her own misfortune and forlorn, neglecting the two girls' feelings. Every time the commotion from there entered their ears, the two would be visibly alarmed. Normally they would be making a din while acting coquettishly, but the moment they hear the disturbances from outside, they would promptly turn mute and hold one another's little hands firmly. Erniu would pull her younger sister into an embrace, while Sanniu would put her arm around her elder sister. Looking at the panic painted upon the two young ones made one's heart twitch with pain.
This matter had caused Yao-shi to shed tears many times secretly. She felt ashamed of herself as their mother, for she had actually completely ignored them. When they were surrounded by such an environment day in, day out, how could they possibly not get scared?
What was she doing when those two kids were scared out of their wits? Busy lamenting over her life? Or perhaps she was busy doing more work with her head bowed so that her mother-in-law and eldest sao could be slightly tolerant towards her?
She was truly a foolish one!
Only at that moment did Yao-shi understand what her second sao meant when she said, 'What will you even possibly attain by being harsh on yourself and your children for others' sake? In this world, nothing is more important than you and your family's happiness and wellness! How other people see you or what they think about you isn't important at all. As long as your husband is on your side, your kids care for you, and your family is happy, everything will be fine!'
Yao-shi couldn't remember why her second sao uttered such words. For she, too, didn't know what she had done to get those remarks from the latter. One day, for some reason, as if disappointed that iron could not turn into steel, she condemned her as such.
Later, after they separated, as gradually she understood a bit, she began following her words and truly began to find that her life had become much more comfortable. It wasn't until she saw first found the two girls' frightened appearances and hugging themselves without seeking elders did she completely realize the true meaning of those words.
Yes, ah! Compared to one's family's happiness, there was nothing important!
Thus, she decided to build a new house and move from here and let the two girls completely detach from the shadow of this house. So build a new house and move out, and let the couple leave this shadowy home completely. Before Yao Shi even started to discuss with her man, she made up her mind. Before even discussing it with her husband, Yao-shi had come to a decision. After contemplating, she decided to build a small house next to the second sao's. It didn't need to be too big, as long as it could be something that they could call their own house.
After listening to Yao-shi's words, Yang Tiegen fell into a contemplation complying with her idea.
How could his wife and kids' anomaly towards the main room slip out of his notice?
It's better to leave, lest it becomes awkward. Just as his second brother said, he just had to take care of his wife and kids.. Those people would not change anymore. What sort of care and compassion can he expect from his mother anymore?!
Yang Tiegen uplifted his spirits and began to discuss with his wife about the arrangements for their new house. Hearing that they were getting a new home, the two girls broke into a peal of laughter and clapped their hands in merry.
Yao-shi two joined her daughters in their merry and warned them not to speak about this matter outside. For if they leak this matter outside, they would not be able to build a house for themselves. Hearing this, the two girls promptly closed their lips tight, deciding not to utter a word about this later.
Even after the two kids fell asleep, Yao-shi was still in high spirits, discussing their new home with her husband, exclaiming that they must have a pig pen and chicken coops and raise a big fat pig and hens. They can sell the leftover eggs after the kids eat and also grow a vegetable garden….Listening to his wife's chatter, Yang Tiegen couldn't help but pull his lips into a smile.
What if he doesn't have a son? What if he won't have any descendants?! His family won't live any worse than others'…
Just as the couple in the third branch were busy envisioning their future home, Yang Tiezhu's husband and wife were discussing the same thing.
One after the two people shared a slew of suggestions and opinions. In the end, unable to remember all of the suggestions, Lin Qingwan ordered her man to go and get his' writing board'.
This was Lin Qingwan's first home after coming here. Thus she had a lot of things that she wanted to try.
The two had been pondering about it since the day they had thoughts of building a house. Thus they had a rough idea of how it should be. After summing up both of their suggestions, they felt they better build a bigger house.
Although currently, it was only two of them and the one in her belly, in the future, they might have a few more. Since anyhow they are building a house, they better build the best one from the get-go.
Such thoughts were normal for anyone who would be planning to build the house at the time. Thinking everything should be the best of all possible worlds also reflected normal thought patterns.
Many might be unable to fulfill this wish of theirs due to financial constraints or perhaps because of other reasons. However, Lin Qingwan and they weren't lacking in funds. With the bit of money they had, they could easily afford a house in Luoxia village.
Building a big house is all great, and the silver in their hand was also enough to accomplish it. However, Lin Qingwan inevitably felt that building such a big house would be too eye-catching.
Her worries were also not without any basis. Living in such a small village in the countryside, one cannot help but have many apprehensions. Here, villagers all reside in their hometown for over decades together. In modern times, people tend to live their life behind closed doors. Even if you are wealthy and decorate your house as you wish, apart from your relatives, no one would get to know how it was.
But this is not the case here; people casually dropping in uninvited was normal. It wasn't an exaggeration to say which family had meat or which family had a guest would all be taken in by the neighbors. And if the neighbors in the vicinity were aware, then that was equivalent to having the entire village known.
There was no privacy to speak of here. Take Yang jia, for example. Even though He-shi gets visitors very seldomly, many people are still aware of Yang jia's circumstances.
But of course, you also can't blame others for gossiping, because the culture here was so. The villages were all in this way. Apart from rolling on kang and giving birth to babies, with no other entertainment in their leisure times, they could only gather around and engage in gossiping.
Moreover, they also have a tradition in which whichever family builds a new house would invite all the villagers to show around their house and set up a banquet.
Lin Qingwan couldn't help but shudder in fear when she imagined inviting a flock of villagers to her newly built beautiful house, and then these villagers spreading around that so-and-so family built such a splendid all across the village. She couldn't bring herself to imagine what sort of ruckus the Yang jia's people would make later on if they got wind of this matter…
Subsequently, Lin Qingwan made up her mind to build a house while hiding her wealth. Here in the countryside, every household followed a common layout when building a house. Facing the main gate, they had a three-bay house, with the rooms on either side of the main room, the typical east wing and west wing of a house. But the rural people weren't so particular about the names and casually addressed them as this room and that room. In some households, these rooms were used as living space, while the others used them as barns, store rooms, or kitchens based on their convenience. As such, which house has how many rooms could be made out from a single glance.
In the event she builds a bigger house with a lot more rooms, wouldn't that be too eye-catching? After all, they were just mere common people residing in the countryside. Most of the villagers in Luoxia villages weren't well-off. If a big house suddenly appeared in such a place, wouldn't it attract attention from all sides? Not to mention, each and every person from Yang jia wasn't annoying any less….
Furthermore, she had other plans.
Lin Qingwan shared her idea with Yang Tiezhu – She wished to build a quadruple courtyard house similar to a small farmhouse. This way, only the front portion of the house would be visible to the outsiders, with the rear part of the house concealed completely. Then in future, they could use the space in the rear however they wish to, and even when more kids and grandkids arrive, they would have ample living space at their expense.
Initially, Yang Tiezhu was unable to comprehend what Lin Qingwan meant by building a courtyard house. But after Lin Qingwan described to him the details, he soon understood her intentions.
Lin Qingwan felt she had thought too far into the future where even her kids gave birth to their kids. But, Yang Tiezhu didn't think soLin Qingwan really thought too far and found this idea quite feasible and good, for according to his wife, they will even have space for their grandkids to live comfortably.
Prior to getting married, he didn't feel anything. Yet now that he was married, he couldn't help but be overwhelmed with sympathy every time he saw the third branch's husband and wife.
No wonder his third younger brother and his wife were unable to have children in the past few years. It turns out it was because the two daughters at home were slowly growing up. It turns out that there are two daughters in the family who are slowly growing up. With the four of them sharing the same kang, the couple would inevitably find it inconvenient….
Had the said couple known about his thoughts, they would have certainly clutched his neck and roared, denying that wasn't the case. The two of them were good at controlling their strengths. Thus it wouldn't get inconvenient for them….
Yang Tiezhu never wished to have his bliss in the future get buried due to kids. Thus, he truly seconded his wife's thoughts. With each person having their own room, he and Wanwan can blissfully lead their lives….
Before he was even born, the pitiful baby in Lin Qingwan's belly was thrown into one room by his old man…
Anyways, back to the topic.
The couple racked their brains, analyzed each of their ideas, integrated them, and finally drew a sketch of their future home.
The overall basic design was as follows—
Similar to the layout of a typical quadrangle courtyard house, there would be four houses on four sides with a single courtyard gate. One row of rooms would be facing the front, visible to the outsiders, while in the back, left and right-wing rooms would be built along with the main room. The design of the rooms at the front would be just like how other villagers had built theirs, with two big tile-roofed houses. This way, they wouldn't stand out much.
Since they owned a mule cart, Yang Tiezhu surmised that the front yard could not be small. The space should be enough to accommodate a shed for the mule and a separate place to park its carriage, along with a well for convenient accessibility of drinking water. Besides, how can anyone who could afford a big-tiled house can't afford to have a well, no?
Then, there must be a vegetable garden in the backyard. Yang Tiezhu decided to have a well dug in the backyard as well, considering the convenience of drawing the water for the rooms at the back.
Following such thoughts, he added a small circle within a square representing the backyard on his writing board.
That's right, Yang Tiezhu and his wife were creating a stimulating design for the house their family was planning to build. Thinking that the design might not be comprehensive enough, Lin Qingwan drew a simple floor plan on his board.
Lin Qingwan had worked as a graphic editor for a website in her former life. Thus, drawing a simple layout was a piece of cake for her. But later stuffed into Yang Tiezhu's hands because she disliked charcoal rubbing off onto her fingers. The two would first exchange and discuss the ideas before putting them on the board. At times, when Yang Tiezhu found it difficult to draw, Lin Qingwan would take it and draw it for him.
The next issue to ponder over was the lavatory.
Just mentioning it made Lin Qingwan feel vexed. The toilets in rural places had nothing but two slabs of plank over a pit in a simple thatched house. Every time she used it, she couldn't help being overwhelmed by the fear of falling into the pit. And then there was this pungent stench too. For modern people who are accustomed to toilet seats, this experience was truly unbearable. Thus, at the moment, building a toilet in her new house posed a big issue for Lin Qingwan.
After mulling over the issue for a long while, an idea appeared in her mind.
Building a simple, old-fashioned lavatory would do. They can dig a small water pit and build a traditional toilet seat with bricks with a water vat at the side. After use, they would flush it with water. They can connect this to a septic tank at the back. What remains unseen is deemed to be clean! Just in the current era, water pipes and sewage systems were yet to appear. With the little silver, she had in her hands, to want to make big splashes like the transmigrated female leads in novels would be highly unlikely.
A sewage tank could only be built in the backyard. Lin Qingwan asked Yang Tiezhu to draw a small circle in the backyard before sharing her idea of a lavatory in layman's terms.
With furrowed brows, pressed lips, and a solemn expression painted on his face, he replayed his wife's ideas in his mind, trying to visualize them.
It seemed hard for him to picture it. After pondering for a good while, Yang Tiezhu grinned from ear to ear, "Wife, this idea of yours is truly good." He further continued, "If we place two wooden planks on the sewage system, then the smell would be much less."
One can't blame Yang Tiezhu for being stupid. After all, for as long as he can remember, in his memories, the lavatory only had one big pit with two thin wooden slabs placed on top of it. For him to be able to picturise what Lin Qingwan had said to this extent was already quite a nimble for him.
"Alright, take a note of that."
The next discussion was about the arrangement of the rooms. The two had the same idea of having three rooms at the front and three rooms at the back along with the main room. The left and right wings will have two rooms each. While, the left and right wings at the front will have three rooms. The layout of the courtyard is similar to a small farmhouse. The only difference was they had left a lot of space at the back. Because Lin Qingwan intended to build a small workshop in the right portion of the backyard.
Yang-shi's backyard had long been densely packed with numerous rows of shelves for drying laweixian. With their flourishing business, the place has become more and more crowded. Lin Qingwan felt occupying too much of another family's backyard wouldn't be good. If this goes, soon Yang-shi's vegetable garden will also be taken over. Anyways, as they were building a new house, they might as well include a small workshop.
When Yang Tiezhu heard about her suggestion of building a new house, he also seconded it immediately. For, his eldest gu's house wasn't spacious. It was fine in the past as there was only one person living in that house. But now that Xia Dacheng's entire family has returned, the house has become even more crowded.
The two then proceeded to discuss the workshop's design.
But this also wasn't a big matter. Yang Tiezhu drew a circle with an open space in the middle for placing shelves. To guard against rain and snow, they decided to erect a canopy with a roof and no wall. Additionally, for everyone to sit and make laweixian, they decided to build another room after thinking a bit. Taking long chilly winters into the night and the necessity to wash the meat cleanly with water, they decided to include a kang in the said room.
However, by this time, Yang Tiezhu's brows were beaded with sweat, finding it too difficult and complicated to include all their ideas on the board, as the squares and circles he drew were crooked.
Amused by his appearance, Lin Qingwan pulled him closer and gave him a peck on his face. She then took the charcoal stick from him and drew the layout from the beginning simply.
An expert handles the tasks neatly and precisely. Though Lin Qingwan's layout designs can't reach that of a professional architect, it was nevertheless better than Yang Tiezhu's crooked drawings.
Lin Qingwan swiftly drew a layout based on their discussions till now. After contemplating briefly, she added the shed for the mule and its carriage at the back by the workshop. She put the workshop's entrance facing the village trail at the back and added a backdoor. In this way, it would be convenient for them to make deliveries.
The layout of the courtyard was roughly done. As for the other details, she thought of thinking about them slowly in the future, for she was too tired now, and shoved the board into her man's hands.
Taking in his wife's exhausted appearance, he quickly fetched water and cleaned both of their hands.
Seeing his wife comfortably reclining on the kang with a pleasant face, he, too, laid down beside her.
As the two endlessly chatted about their new homes, excitement and longing filled their faces gradually.
In the future, he, too, would be able to lead a simple and pleasant life with his wife and kids, truly excellent! At that moment, Yang Tiezhu's happiness meter exploded, beset with boundless joy.
After discussing and reaching an agreement, Yang Tiezhu and Lin Qingwan decided to meet with the village chief regarding the sale of the land. By then, the third branch's couple had also come to a decision to buy land and build a new home along with them.
Thereupon, the two brothers, Yang Tiezhu and Yang Tiegen headed toward the village chief's residence.
Speaking of the village chief's residence, it was regarded as the best in the entirety of the Luoxia village. Bedecked with cyan-colored bricks and ash-colored bricks, a huge tile-roofed three-bay house faced the main gate, with the three rooms abreast on either side. Additionally, the yard was also equipped with a separate kitchen room and a storehouse. Even the courtyard walls were embellished with cyan-colored bricks, exuding an imposing air.
At that instance, the thoughts of his new home were spiraling within Yang Tiezhu's mind, prompting him to closely scrutinize the village chief's house the moment it entered his field of vision. Thereafter, following a brief subliminal comparison of his future house plan with the former, a feeling of supremacy imbued within him, feeling his house wouldn't lose to the former in comparison. However, upon taking a second look at the brick wall, he also decided to use bricks as well for their courtyard wall, for it gave out a secure and sophisticated vibe.
Such thoughts filled his mind as he stepped into the village chief's house.
That afternoon, the village chief didn't go anywhere outside and was at the home. At that moment, he was sitting cross-legged on the kang while smoking tobacco.
As soon as he saw the brothers entering the yard, he beckoned them into the house.
The village chief's surname was Niu and was over fifty years old. As everyone respectfully addresses him as 'Village Chief', over time his real surname slipped from everyone's minds. The ones from the same generation addressed him as 'village chief' while younger generations called him 'village chief uncle'.
"Village Chief uncle." Stepping into the house, Yang Tiezhu greeted him.
"Come in, what business do you two have with me today?"
He was a good-natured man and never put on airs. Everyone in the village was aware of his disposition, thus Yang Tiehzu went straight to the topic regarding his intention to buy land to build a house without any superfluous words.
"Land to build a house—" Narrowing his eyes in contemplation, the village chief took a drag of his tobacco, "Which one did you like?"
Yang Tiezhu revealed his inclination to buy the land at the end of the village before adding Yang Tiegen's intention to buy a plot adjacent to his as well.
As one of the witnesses of Yang Jia's separation, he was acutely aware of the current scenario. At that time, owing to the presence of the Clan Elder Yang, he remained taciturn and didn't step in for he was but a village chief and couldn't put his foot in others' matters casually.
Nonetheless, hearing that the two young men are planning to build new houses for themselves, he felt delighted for the two.
"No problem, that area you picked is quite spacious and wide. How much area do you intend to purchase?" After taking two more drags, the village chief threw it aside and began discussing the matter.
Yang Tiezhu replied he planned to buy 4 mu of land. While the third branch lacked that much cash and their house plan was rather simple unlike Lin Qingwan's, thus they decided to go with two mu.
Two mu actually doesn't amount to much. Though the houses in the rural areas weren't quite big, they also maintained a vegetable garden, pigsty, and sheds for livestock, among a few others. Nevertheless, many would settle with two mu land. Thus, Yang Tiezhu's reply exceeded a bit of the norm in the village.
"Why do you want to buy so much land, boy? Wouldn't two mu suffice?" The village chief asked back, confused.
Yang Tiezhu scratched his head, "I merely wish to buy it in one go. In the future, when the number of kids at home will increase, the place would be spacious and would be convenient to build more rooms, if needed." Of course, it was merely an excuse, for he certainly couldn't tell the truth.
The always sincere and honest Yang Tiezhu has slowly mastered the art of trickery and artfulness under Lin Qingwan's tutelage and from doing business outside. What he said wasn't actually a lie, it was merely vague and ambiguous.
As experienced and upright as he was, the village chief could detect subtle ambiguity in his words. Besides, when the other person was willing to expend the money to buy that much land, his concern was unnecessary.
"Boy, you have become capable, have you made a fortune recently?"
Yang Tiezhu replied with a naive chuckle, "You are overpraising, village chief uncle. How much money can I even earn? The farms we have wouldn't be sufficient to support the family. I merely happened to do a small business with a few friends to overcome the family's poverty."
These words were also Lin Qingwan's guidance. If a family abruptly wishes to build a home, villagers would inevitably inquire. Even if not many people were aware of it in the beginning, they would get the wind of it sooner or later. Thus it was better to say he had done a small business with friends to deal with the family's adversity. As for what sort of business he was doing, naturally shrewd ones would refrain to ask more.
The village chief was smart, thus he didn't inquire more, and gave an estimate of the price for the property.
The price of the land in the outskirts of the village was quite cheap, costing around one or two silver taels per mu. Yang Tiezhu and Yang Tiegen were making a big purchase. Estimating one tael per mu, the village chief received a total of 6 silver taels from them.
To buy land, one has to get a sale deed drafted from the feudal office. And further needs to spend money to streamline this process, which is more often than not termed as "staffing fees". Thus, Yang Tiezhu handed another 2 silver taels to the village chief to smoothly handle the affair for the two brothers, leaving any extra money to him as a token of appreciation for the work.
The village chief refused twice before accepting it. He then asked them to come back after two days to collect the deed.
After brief contemplation, at the end of the conversation, Yang Tiezhu, with an embarrassed face, requested the village chief to keep this matter about the land a secret.
Detecting the embarrassment on their faces, he recalled the presence of the shrewish He-shi in the Yang jia. Coupled with the fee he received earlier, the village chief readily complied.
After Yang Tiezhu once again expressed his gratitude, the village chief walked the two out with a look of understanding.
Back at home, when Lin Qingwan and Yao-shi got to know about the purchase, a smile blossomed on both of their faces.
Two days later, following the completion of the documentation and authorization of the title deed, Yang Tiezhu went and collected it from the village chief.
After procuring a title deed, one can commence construction of their house.
In Luoxia Village, when the villagers build their houses, they usually seek aid from their close ones in the village. In return, the owners would provide them with lunch and supper. Thus, typically everyone would assist them in building the houses without demanding wages.
Yang Tiezhu was distinctly aware that everyone in the family had their hands full at the moment. Making Laweixian demanded a significant amount of manpower, while he and his third younger brother would be busy delivering them around. Where will they even have time to still construct the house?
Just thinking about this made Yang Tiezhu's head swell with pain, wishing to have three heads and six arms.
The third branch's husband and wife were, too, plagued by the same issue. They had both land and money, yet severely lacked time to build a house. No matter what, they certainly can't stop making Laweixian, that was indisputable. Just a one-day-long hiatus would lead to a huge loss in earnings. Furthermore, building a house wasn't a matter of a day or two.
Thus, this time, without needing Lin Qingwan's advice, Yang Tiezhu promptly decided to hire a team of masons to build a house for them.
Wasn't it just a matter of wages? The production of laweixian, regardless of the situation, couldn't be stopped. All of them were acutely aware of how important it was for them to preserve their business in the current situation.
Thus, the third branch's husband and wife, too, decided to hire masons. Although it might cost them quite a bit, they were making a significant amount of profit from laweixian business. Recently, under Lin Qingwan's influence and Xia Dacheng's pieces of advice, the two gradually became aware of how to manage their finances flexibly, at the least in the current situation, they were able to make wise choices.
Once everyone unanimously came to an agreement, Yang Tiezhu put their plan into motion.
Formerly, while he stayed in the town, he got acquainted with the leader of a mason group. Surnamed Li, the leader was in his forties. His acquaintances addressed him as Uncle Lu. He was quite proficient in his trade and had quite a bit of people working under him. Usually, whenever he was hired for bigger houses, he would lead his team for the work. And when he didn't, he did trivial jobs to make a living.
Yang Tiezhu was very much familiar with him. At that time, quite a few times, Yang Tiezhu also worked under Uncle Li, whenever the latter was short of manpower.
Uncle Lu was honest by nature. To him friendship was friendship and work was work. Whenever Yang Tiezhu worked for him, he always made sure to pay him wages according to his work and industry standards. He was acutely cognisant of the fact that everyone strived hard to feed their family. Thus he never let Yang Tiezhu work for him for free.
For this reason, Yang Tiezhu has always admired Uncle Lu.
After meeting him again, Yang Tiezhu conveyed his intention to Uncle Liu. When the latter heard that Yang Tiezhu was building his own house, without demur, he readily agreed to help him. The wages were decided based on the market prices. Nevertheless, as it was a big house, and there were two houses in total, he agreed to reduce the wages by 10 percent.
Once the two of them came to an agreement, Yang Tiezhu began to discuss the outline of the house with Uncle Liu. To give him an even clearer picture, Yang Tiezhu showed him the outline drawn by Lin Qingwan on the blackboard..
As Lin Qingwan had just casually drawn the outline on that day and was quite simple. Thus things such as Uncle Liu being astonished beyond words upon examining it didn't happen. On contrary, he just felt that the person behind this sketch was just a meticulous person and has considered all the aspects. Furthermore, the drawings were even slightly crude. How detailed can one even draw on such a board?
Putting in Yang Tiezhu's explanation along with the outline, he, more or less, was able to visualize the house they wanted.
In the end, Yang Tiezhu also put forth his intention to build a brick wall around the perimeter. After a quick estimation, Uncle Liu smacked his lips and shook his head with a short and simple reply: It will be quite expensive.
How many bricks would they need to build a wall around the perimeter of the 4 mu land?
Taking in Yang Tiezhu's still clueless expression, Uncle Lu slowly elaborated on how many bricks they would need and the cost per brick to build a courtyard wall as high as two people. Taking the amount of the land into consideration, just building a courtyard wall would cost them about 50 silver taels.
Never had Yang Tiezhu expected a brick courtyard wall to cost that high. He couldn't help but wonder how much it cost for the village chief to build his courtyard wall. However on second thought, how tall was his wall, perhaps just one person tall? However, his family's land, conversely, was spread across 4 mu.
A wry smile appeared on his face, 'perhaps buying that much amount of land was a mistake?'
However, the house plan that he and Lin Qingwan initially came up with would surely consume a large amount of space. The large backyard and their workshop would certainly take up a lot of space and were essential and indispensable infrastructures.
Momentarily he was flabbergasted. He replied that he would go back and talk over with his wife.
Uncle Lu also didn't say anything before seeing him out.
Soon after going back when he shared about it with Lin Qingwan, she was shocked as well. She was aware of Yang Tiezhu's intention to build a brick wall but hadn't expected it to be expensive.
But upon mulling over it for a bit again, she too felt it made sense.
It would definitely cost that much to build a courtyard wall as high as two people around their land spread across four mu.
But to be honest, Lin Qingwan didn't find the figure to be too expensive either. Taking the number of bricks and labor into consideration, the amount was reasonable.
Yang Tiezhu had also come to a similar conclusion. But, nevertheless, he couldn't help but feel a bit distressed. Deep down in his heart, spending 50 taels of silver on a building house wasn't extravagant, but when the 50 taels were solely being spent to build a courtyard wall, it couldn't be said to be the same. Yang Tiezhu's this sort of thinking was quite subtle. It wasn't that he hated to part with the silver, rather he couldn't help but feel it wasn't worthwhile.
Lin Qingwan was cognizant of and understood his thinking process. But she thought a bit more. Could they possibly build a mud wall around an extravagant large roof-tiled house?
While there were quite a few roof-tiled houses with mud courtyard walls in the Luoxia Village, Lin Qingwen couldn't help but feel slightly repulsed by this idea. It was as if she had bought a big diamond ring, which had an authentic and genuine diamond embedded in a ring made up of iron.
After kowtowing 99 times, was there still a need to ponder over paying respect?
Subsequently, Lin Qingwan patiently began to elaborate to Yang Tiezhu about her thoughts. Firstly, the appearance of a brick wall was far better. Secondly, owing to its rigidity and compactness, it didn't require much servicing and repairs every now and then. Mud wall, contrarily, had too many disadvantages, which Lin Qingwan one by one listed to Yang Tiezhu.
Firstly, due to rain, the mud wall might undergo erosion. Yang jia also has a mud wall, thus Lin Qingwan had witnessed this beforehand. Consequently, the mud wall needs to be repaired every year without fail. The mud wall can't stand against the wind and rain. It can't withstand even tab bit of fierce snowfall and rainfall in particular and is easily prone to disintegration. Not to mention, most importantly, with their house being so big, they would need a much bigger courtyard wall. Regularly repairing such a long wall would be inconvenient and exhausting.
Keeping exhaustion aside, they would still be occupied with their expanding business in the future, where would they even have time to repair the wall on a regular basis? They might as well go ahead and build a brick wall in one go, firmly safeguarding from wind and rain. Saving time was of the essence here. With more time, they could go on more trips for their business. Of course, alternatively, one could say, hiring a mason to repair the wall was also feasible, but in that case wouldn't one have to pay them extra, which in long run might be quite uneconomical?
Yang Tiezhu felt his wife's reasoning was quite reasonable.
Spend some money now and bluntly cut off any budding future troubles.
Lin Qingwan further suggested building a courtyard wall first before starting the construction of the house. Besides, the villagers weren't inquisitive enough to come all the way there and inquire. Since they wanted to keep it low profile, they might as well do that. With the high courtyard walls in place, they could build their house as they wish. Once the house would be built, no one would be aware of the interiors of the house. If asked, they can simply say that due to their home being in proximity to the foot of the Luoxia mountain, they built a sturdier wall to ensure their safety.
Yang Tiezhu didn't have any objection to her suggestion. Besides, he too wished to keep a low profile since the beginning, without eliciting much attention.
The next day, Yang Tiezhu again made a trip to Uncle Liu and conveyed his final decision to have a brick wall to be built around the perimeter. Though Uncle Liu was quite astonished, he refrained from saying anything further. Since the other person had come to a decision, he certainly must have adequate silver in their hands. Yang Tiezhu possessed excellent hunting skills, silver shouldn't be a problem for him.
Yang Tiezhu further put forth his demand to build the courtyard wall first, implicitly expressing that he doesn't want to get too much attention from villagers. Comprehending the intention behind this, Uncle Liu readily nodded in understanding.
Young people, it's better to be low-key than ostentatious.
Once Yang Tiezhu and Uncle Lu came to an agreement, he handed over the construction of the third branch's house to the latter as well.
Nonetheless, the third branch's requirements were quite simple – just a simple, big roof-tiled house similar to many other houses in the village, and thus didn't require much deliberation.
For the next few days, Uncle Liu and Yang Tiezhu looked around to buy the bricks. As the purchase was made in large quantities, they got them quite cheaper, nevertheless, it still cost him quite a bit.
By the time Yang Tiezhu's house's courtyard wall was done, all the villagers came to know about the construction of a house there.
As it was located on the outskirts of the village, seldomly anyone passes by. Nonetheless, when the people living nearby detected the movements on this side and began gossiping, others in the village came to know that someone was building a house there.
By the time some inquisitive villagers popped up, the courtyard wall was already built and the gates were already installed.
Equipped with a pitch-black coated gate, the courtyard walls were tiled with grey-colored bricks. The gateway didn't have any extravagant and grand arch over it. Rather, the same grey-colored bricks were used to build a modest and simple gateway to protect the gates from getting wet from the rain, portraying a slight resemblance in appearance to the former. The grey courtyard walls too, devoid of extravagant roof tiles, were just like any other commonly seen brick courtyard walls.
(The grandeur and the appearance of the arch over the gateway (门楼: ménlóu) is a reflection of the house owner's status. In ancient times, they were also used as a lookout for any approaching enemies.)
(Our protagonists' house should look something similar to this, but much simpler, and without roof tiles on the courtyard wall.)
Most of the time, the gates remained closed. Nonetheless, indistinct sounds could be heard from within now and then. However, it was hard to decipher what was going on inside. Most of the villagers reckoned someone was building a house there.
All the villagers who came to spectate couldn't help but smack their lips, wondering which family was this generous in spending money to have even courtyard walls built with grey bricks. In the entirety of the Luoxia village, there were only a handful of households that could afford brick courtyard walls. This courtyard wall, in particular, was even quite high compared to others, perhaps about as tall as two people.
Nonetheless, all the villagers who came here were merely driven by curiosity. Though a few were envious, it was nothing more than that. After all, this wasn't the only house in Luoxia village with brick walls, even the village chief had such courtyard walls.
The village chief's house was the best in the Luoxia Village. Though this house had a taller courtyard wall, how good can its interiors be?
Usually, people refrain from diverging from their habitually ingrained viewpoint. For the matters that were unseen by them, they tend to comprehend the matter based on the facts they were aware of. Thus, with the elegance of the village chief's house deeply imprinted in their minds, they assumed that though the courtyard walls of this house were high, the interiors of this house would certainly pale in comparison with the former.
However, a few curious ones still ran to the village chief to inquire about it. But, the village chief was too tight-lipped as Yang Tiezhu had already mentioned to him beforehand. Anyways everyone will naturally come to know when the moment comes.
The villagers were unable to comprehend the huge amount of silver it takes just to build such a big brick courtyard wall, they merely thought it cost quite a bit. Nevertheless, the village chief knew much more than them. At that time, if it weren't for his wish to make his house appear more imposing and elegant, he wouldn't have spent such a large amount.
Back then, he had to ponder over it for one full month before coming to a decision. Recalling that period, he couldn't help but smack his lips.
Yang Tiezhu should have made a huge sum of money, or else he wouldn't have expended such a huge amount.
Thinking of this, a feeling of schadenfreude arose in the heart of this elderly man, wishing to see the reaction of the village once the house was built, particularly of those from the Yang jia.
This while, apart from running around to purchase raw materials for construction, Yang Tiezhu was also busy delivering their products to the nearby villages. Afterward, they once again expanded their market to a few more restaurants in other towns, propelling their sales even more.
Subsequently, confidence swelled in his heart while building his house.
Even when the cost of just a courtyard wall went over 50 taels, he didn't feel distressed anymore. As his wife had remarked, the construction of the brick wall will save them a lot of unnecessary trouble in the future. Most importantly, they would save a lot of time, and saving time is virtually the same as earning more money. This was called return on investment.
As for what is this investment and its returns, Yang Tiezhu wasn't familiar with these unknown words. Nonetheless, he believed that the words spoken by his wife were reasonable.
Once all the operations were streamlined, Yang Tiezhu led Yang Tiegen to the nearby towns several times and explained the delivery procedure to the latter. From then on, the two began alternating their delivery shifts. With a mule cart, their delivery had become much simpler.
In the meantime, the person who stayed back at the home would lend a hand to the womenfolk or go to the construction site to supervise the work there. In this fashion, the two men worked round the clock every day.
Lin Qingwan also wanted to help, but her belly was gradually getting bigger and bigger. Currently six months into her gestation, her belly appeared as if a huge basin had been fastened around her waist, making it extremely inconvenient for her to do anything. Recently, her legs had also begun to swell.
When Yang Tiezhu first discovered her swollen legs, he was scared out of his wits. Only when he heard from Yang-shi and Yao-shi that all pregnant women undergo this upon inquiring with them, did his heart fall back into its place.
But seeing his wife's legs remain swollen all day long, Yang Tiezhyu felt quite distressed for her in his heart. Thereupon, this tall and robust man added another task to his daily routine – giving his wife a warm foot bath. This remedy was taught to him by Yang-shi, who advised him that soaking feet in warm water would bring relief to women.
Every night, Yang Tiezhu didn't just give his wife a warm foot bath, but also massaged her feet. When he held his wife's legs in his hands he realized his wife was suffering a lot.
Her feet were so swollen that she could no longer fit her feet in the shoes she used to wear.
Nevertheless, Wanwan never showed it at any time, was she worried that he would get worried?
In Yang Tiezhu's heart, Wanwan was an extremely delicate person. Whenever she suffered from the slightest pain anywhere, her eyes would at once turn red and a delicate pout would appear on her lips…If Lin Qingwan could read his thoughts she would have rolled her eyes, while mumbling she wasn't that fragile. She was pretending to be a spoiled child, alright?
Conscious of her suffering, the rim of his eyes turned red in distress as he gently wiped his wife's feet dry and tucked them into a quilt.
"Wanwan, if it is hurting, just say it aloud, don't hold in."
Eh? Relishing her man's careful massage, Lin Qingwan was enjoying the moment in extreme comfort. Thus when she suddenly heard such words, she was slightly confused.
Taking in his pained expression, suddenly a realization struck her, he was feeling distressed for her.
She merrily nudged him with her feet, "I'm fine, it doesn't hurt."
"Really?" asked Yang Tiezhu in distinct incredulity.
"Really, I feel much more comfortable when you massage me." She was truly in fact not delicate. Her coquettishness in front of him was just an act!
A silly smile appeared on Yang Tiezhu's face, "Then from hereon, I will massage your legs every night."
Gazing at the rear view of her man as he strode out to discord the used water from her foot wash, a sweet smile bloomed on Lin Qingwan's face.
Laying down on the bed, she leaned back into the man's bosom. With her current big belly, she can now only sleep on her side. To accommodate her and let her rest better, he who was used to sleeping on his back also began to sleep on his side, just so that she could have an even better posture and sleep in his arms.
So good!
From the beginning, she had never regretted her marriage to him. And at this moment, she felt even strongly that her decision at that time wasn't wrong. This kind of a man, she wouldn't exchange him even for tens and thousands of gold!
This while, the situation in Yang jia became much more chaotic. A while ago, when the work in the fields was at its peak, Yang Xuezhang still didn't go to work. Naturally, Fang-shi also didn't go.
Consequently, Wang-shi and her man, Yang Tieshuan, were exhausted to death all day long, making them agitated from pent-up stress.
In the past, it was only Wang-shi who used to make a fuss, which, to He-shi, was but a trivial affair, not worth her attention. However, this time, contrarily, even Yang Tieshuan followed her to make a scene, making it no longer a small-scale trivial affair.
With an extremely ugly facial expression, Yang Tieshuan directly pulled his wife and went on strike, declaring he would no longer go to work.
He-shi's thrashes and curses were also of no use this time. Not to mention, they also further happened to have a reasonable and valid point: When others were comfortable sitting at home and spending their days leisurely, why did their family have to work themselves to death? Even if they were partial to them, they can't be biased to this extent.
As for who that 'others' was in his tirade, it goes without saying.
Yang layezi was also rendered speechless, and thus had no other choice but let Yang Xuezhang also follow them to work.
Don't know how to? Then just learn slowly, anyway sitting idly all day at home was not an option.
Yang Xuezhang initially had plans to make a few more trips to his father-in-law's place and have him guide him in learning. But now he could only put his plans on hold. Setting his book aside, he picked up a hoe and went to work.
Putting aside the tremendous amount of hardship he had to bear, in this short while the tender skin on his hands has become tattered, shedding at least a layer of his skin.
Taking in her son's plight, He-shi's heart was beset by distress. But no matter how distressed she was, in front of her fuming eldest son and her old man's orders, she was completely helpless.
Thus her distress transformed into fury towards her second and third children with no other choice. However, now that both of them had separated from the family, she couldn't find anyone who she could vent her feelings. Thus, resigned, she could only apply ointment on her son's wounds, while feeling as if a knife were being twisted in her heart.
The first branch's husband and wife were immensely pleased by the turn of events. Furthermore, taking advantage of the situation, Wang-shi put another one of her demands in front of He-shi: Letting her go to work was fine, but then Feng-shi also had to tag along with her. In case Feng-shi doesn't go, she also won't go.
Utterly helpless, without any other option, He-shi was forced to have Feng-shi also go to work in the fields. Besides, all this while she had been shielding Feng-shi only for the sake of her son. Now that her son himself had to go and work like a cow and horse, Feng-shi certainly can't escape from the work.
Nonetheless, with such small manpower, and with Yang laoyezi being only the nimble one among them, Yang jia's work progress was worryingly slow yet each and everyone was tired to death.
Subsequently, Yang Ermei and He-shi also had to step in to help them from time to time. Consequently, this group of people was so busy and tired that they had no energy to pay attention to the movements in the second and third branches as the two scuttled in and out of the residence all day long.
Yang laoyezi, who happened to be paying attention, wanted to open his mouth and inquire, but in the end, didn't ask anything after hesitating several times. The two of them making a fuss to break off from the main family and being loggerheads against them was still fresh in his mind.
Neither Yang Tiezhu nor Yang Tiegen took the initiative to talk to him. Yang Tiezhu was disinclined to initiate a conversation with him and Yang Tiegen was too busy to pay heed to him while Yang layezi didn't want to lose his face by being the first one to talk.
Thus the relationship between father and son became even more awkward and worse than that of the strangers.
On the other side, Tian Cuilan was dying from anxiety this while.
It has already been quite a long time since she last saw them.
Unbeknownst to her, recently Yang Tiezhu was run off his feet with house construction and delivering goods. Seeing that her man was busy as a bee, Lin Qingwan also didn't unreasonably insist on accompanying her on her walk.
When he was busy, she did a short walk inside the room or in the courtyard. She just walked a few steps ahead outside the yard.
Recently, Tian Cuilan rekindled her friendship with her former good friend. She was well acquainted with this maiden before marriage. Currently, this young maiden was already a young xifu.
This young xifu was called Meifang. Before her marriage, Tian Cuilan was on friendly terms with her. Later, she got married to a family named Chen in the village. Formerly, Tian Cuilan used to have multiple good friends, however, most of them got married out in different villages. Meifang was the only one to have married into a family in the same village. She was Chen jia's third daughter-in-law. As a woman of few hobbies, the only thing that she was fond of was gossiping with a few other young xifus in the village.
True to Tian Shenzi's thoughts, the majority of the villagers sympathised with Tian Cuilan's situation. Meifang also didn't shun Tian Cuilan for being divorced and was cordial with her, just like in the past.
Once Tian Cuilan and Meifang rekindled their past friendship, she got to know a lot about Yang Tiezhu and his wife's matters from the latter.
Tian Cuilan also didn't know what had happened to her recently. In the first few days after she returned, she never found herself thinking or asking about anything or anyone. But ever since she ran into Yang Tiezhu and his wife at that time, and later again met his young xifu at the Yang jia's wedding banquet, particular feelings in her heart seemed to have been awakened.
Perceiving that she still harboured some feelings for Yang Tiezhu from her behavior at Yang jia's wedding, her mother implicitly mentioned a word or two to her. She knew that that young xifu was bought back by Yang Tiezhu as a wife and had married her quite recently. Tian Shenzi's few words of warning were flung to the back of her mind long back.
From Meifang she later heard how blessed that young xifu was. Allegedly, many people were aware of the conjugal love of the two, and the woman was held in the cusp of his hand by Yang Tiezhu. And, she was even pregnant now…
Tian Cuilan thought she was truly blessed, giving birth to envy within her.
Why can she be so blessed and happy? Tian Cuilan was acutely aware that a woman's happiness lay upon her husband's care…it was all because of Elder brother Tiezhu….
Her brother Tie Zhu was just that good…
It's just that it has been quite a while since she last saw Elder Brother Tiezhu and couldn't help but scoop out relevant information about the two from Meifang to put her restless heart at ease.
These days Tian Shenzi was also quite elated, for her daughter finally began to go out and walk around to relax to relieve her boredom.
