The village chief's house.
Li Wencai looked at the silver on the table, and his heart skipped a beat. Good heavens, people usually asked the price first, then decided how much land they wanted, and only then paid.
But he was different. He came here without a word and directly threw money at him.
He boldly declared he wanted to buy three mu of barren land to build a house, and it was on the eastern side of the village, even more remote than where they lived now.
Li Wencai pushed the two silver ingots back to him. "Nephew, that place is far from the village. If anything happens, the villagers won't be able to get there immediately. Think about it again!"
It was a broken-down place that even dogs wouldn't touch. Yet, he insisted on going there.
It would be scorching hot in summer and freezing in winter. With the biting wind in the depths of winter, wouldn't he freeze to death!
Fan Zehao pushed the silver back to the village chief again. It wasn't that he found the silver hot to handle, but he was genuinely afraid of losing the money.
"Uncle Village Chief, I've thought it through. When we build the house, we'll build the walls high with stone and keep some wolfhounds at home. Safety won't be a big problem."
Seeing this, Li Wencai sighed inwardly. Fan Zehao hadn't understood his intention at all. He wasn't afraid of anything else, just that his young wife might be coveted by others.
However, speaking of wolfhounds, when he visited their house last time, didn't the two in the yard look like a mix of wolves and dogs?
He frowned, then thought that since the man was a hunter, he would definitely know the difference between a wolf and a dog. He wouldn't keep a wolf at home and put his wife in danger.
Clearly, he was overthinking. Those in the yard were not fake dogs, but real wolves.
As the village chief thought this, his brows relaxed. He pushed the silver back to him again. "Take this silver back. You won't need this much to build a house on barren land. Barren land is one tael of silver per mu, so three mu is only three taels. Let's measure it first, then pay the silver!"
The village chief took a measuring tape and tucked a small yellow booklet into his chest pocket, then walked out of his house with his hands behind his back.
Fan Zehao, following behind him, realized for the first time that there were people who disliked silver. He had tried twice and failed to give it away!
Three mu of barren land, measured eastward from the thatched cottage, was a large, square area. It was more than enough to build a two-courtyard house, or even a three-courtyard house.
Because he bought a large plot of land, the village chief generously gave them the thatched cottage as well. kuAiδugg
When the villagers learned of this, not many objected. The few families who disagreed didn't cause any major trouble in the end.
After all, the thatched cottage was left by Fan Zehao's master. Who else could it be given to?
At the end of September, through the village chief's introduction, they found a villager named Cheng Yongchao, who specialized in building houses. He was from outside the village.
Outside the thatched cottage.
Li Wencai smiled and introduced, "Nephew, niece, this is Cheng Yongchao. He's an experienced builder. People from our village and neighboring villages all hire him to build houses. You can call him Uncle Cheng."
Zhao Jiaqi and Fan Zehao said in unison, "Uncle Cheng."
Cheng Yongchao had dark skin and looked around forty years old. He was strong and not talkative, getting straight to the point without any fuss.
"What kind of house do you want to build? A thatched cottage, adobe house, tile-roofed house, brick house, or a house with blue bricks and large tiles?"
Fan Zehao replied, "A house with blue bricks and large tiles. I want to build three rooms facing east, west, north, and south, with the main entrance in the southeast corner. The front yard will be paved with pebbles, and the back yard will have two blue brick rooms. I'll raise chickens, ducks, geese, and rabbits there. Then, I'll build a shed for livestock, for cows and horses. The remaining area, I want to use for planting vegetables and fruit trees!"
*Clang!* The village chief fell off his small stool.
This wasn't building a house; it was building a small palace.
Good heavens, raising cows and horses, and chickens, ducks, geese, and rabbits too. Even the livestock would live in blue brick rooms, when many families in the village still lived in mud houses.
How could the villagers bear this!
"Well, nephew, building all these things will probably cost a hundred taels or more. You need to think carefully before you speak. My heart can't take it."
Not just his heart, but his head was also spinning!
Fan Zehao looked at the village chief, uncomprehending, and nodded firmly. "I'm very serious. If I build a house once, I must build it well, to avoid the waste of time, effort, and money from rebuilding. It's better to do it once and for all!"
Fan Zehao's coherent and logical explanation truly surprised Li Wencai.
When did this simpleton learn to speak so eloquently, with such clarity, and with determination and courage in his eyes? His confident demeanor was dazzling.
"Alright... we'll do as you say." The village chief suppressed his shock and completely let go of his worries about Fan Zehao.
Cheng Yongchao and Fan Zehao haggled back and forth, finally reducing the cost to ninety-five taels for the entire house, including labor and materials, but not food.
When he saw Fan Zehao take out fifty taels as a deposit, the village chief realized his worries were unnecessary. Both parties signed a contract, and the matter of building the house was concluded.
Cheng Yongchao left to buy materials and gather workers. The village chief was asked to stay by Fan Zehao.
At lunch, Zhao Jiaqi made several of her signature dishes, covering sour, sweet, salty, and spicy flavors. She also brought out a small jar of homemade fruit wine.
"Thank you, Uncle Li, for taking care of us for so long. I won't say much more than thank you; it's all in this wine." Zhao Jiaqi downed the cup.
Li Wencai laughed heartily and exclaimed, "Good capacity!"
As soon as he finished speaking, a cup of pale pink, sweet wine was downed.
It had a slight sweetness and a hint of wine aroma, very delicious.
Just as he was about to pick up his chopsticks to grab some food, the sound of two people laughing came from the yard. Those at the table turned their heads and saw Xie Kun and Song Mingliang arriving together.
Zhao Jiaqi looked at them suspiciously. How did these two end up together?
Fan Zehao went to greet them. The village chief's expression changed. He quietly asked her at the table, "Niece-in-law, that's Xie Kun, a notorious rascal from town. How did you get involved with him?"
"Don't worry, Uncle Li. We have business dealings with him. He looks fierce, but he's been good to my husband!" Zhao Jiaqi automatically omitted the incident of Xie Kun being beaten.
As for their cooperation, she and Fan Zehao hadn't mentioned it, and Wang Zhaodi hadn't gossiped about it either. She and Fan Guangping were so busy they were practically pulling their hair out.
With Zhao Jiaqi's explanation, the village chief discovered another secret: their family actually had business dealings with such a figure from town.
Looking again, Xie Kun and Fan Zehao were still calling each other brothers, which made Li Wencai gasp.
At this point, the village chief remembered to ask, "Niece-in-law, aren't you selling cold noodles at a stall in town? Are you doing business with him?"
"Yes, we provide the skills, and he sells them. Otherwise, our family couldn't afford to buy land and build a house!"