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The village head came out and saw that they were still there. He waved his hand and said, “Why are you still standing here? If there’s nothing else, go home quickly.”
The crowd smiled, but no one left.
During the winter, there wasn’t much work in the fields. With the arrival of new residents in the village, everyone naturally wanted to witness the excitement.
The Shen family, along with their ox cart, followed behind the village head and walked towards the village.
As they walked, the number of houses gradually decreased, and finally, they stopped outside a large brick and tile house.
On the way, Shen Yu’an had already informed the Shen family that this was the place they would temporarily stay.
The village head took out a key and opened the door. The courtyard was overgrown with weeds, and the house had accumulated quite a bit of dust.
However, the interior of the house was tidy, and with a bit of cleaning, it would be suitable for living.
There were five or six rooms in the courtyard, including a kitchen and an outhouse, all well-equipped.
The onlookers outside were shocked to see the Shen family following the village head into this house.
They were all from the same village, so they naturally knew whose house it was.
However, the important thing was that this house required a rent of one hundred wen per day. Could these refugees afford to move in like this?
Shen Yu’an and the village head had agreed that the rent would be paid every five days, and the village head would then pass the money to the homeowners.
In front of everyone, Shen Yu’an handed five hundred wen to the village head, completing the payment.
The villagers outside fell silent, feeling a twinge of bitterness in their hearts.
It seemed that those people were not the ones fleeing the famine; it was actually them.
But ultimately, it was the homeowners’ money, and they had no right to say anything. They could only watch with a tinge of bitterness in their eyes.
After handing over the money, Grandma Shen and the others stayed behind to clean up the courtyard and the house.
The rest of the people followed Zhu Li Zheng to inspect the two plots of land.
Zhu Li Zheng led them from one end of the village to the other, showing them the designated plot of lands, allowing them to choose their own location.
Grandpa Zhang Mancang, Grandpa Shen, and Shen Rong, along with Shen Yu’an, gathered together to discuss for a while. In the end, they all decided to take the plot of land on the vacant land behind the village.
The land in front of the village, where no one had built houses, was being used by the villagers for cultivation.
If they chose to build their houses there, it would mean uprooting the villagers’ crops.
Although the villagers were not currently opposed to the settlement of these newcomers in the village, it was uncertain whether they would accept taking over the plots that were already planted.
Besides, Shen Yu’an felt that living in the middle of the village would not be convenient.
Although they had only been here for a short while, everyone could see that the villagers were struggling to make ends meet.
At the moment, they were not lacking money, and it would be quite conspicuous if they started indulging in meat dishes every few days!
Furthermore, there were no two adjacent lands available in the front or middle of the village, either because the space was insufficient or the houses were already occupied.
So they decided to choose a location behind the village, close to the mountain. It was a little further back compared to the rented courtyard they currently occupied.
After their discussion, they followed Zhu Li Zheng and finalized their choice of land.
The local government had originally allocated two plots of land, with one being claimed by the Zhang family. In addition to that house, the Shen family purchased two adjacent plots of land and merged them into one large estate.
The Shen family only needed to accompany Zhu Li Zheng to the county government to complete the paperwork and obtain the land deed.
The onlookers were already numb. Spending dozens of taels of silver was nothing to them, and their bitterness was futile.
However, someone couldn’t help but sarcastically remark, “Hmph, if they’re so wealthy, why don’t they just buy a house in town and move there? What’s the point of showing off here?”
The speaker was a woman. Apart from Shen Yu’an, who was accompanied by Zhu Li Zheng to choose a house, the rest were men, and it wouldn’t be appropriate to engage in a verbal argument. They pretended not to hear.
Just when everyone thought that on their first day there, they would have a quarrel with the villagers…
Shen Yu’an glanced at the woman and suddenly spoke up, “Some people just like to worry about things that have nothing to do with them.”
The woman’s eyes widened, and she looked at Shen Yu’an, saying, “You, you… What do you mean?”
Shen Yu’an glanced at her and said, “I mean, mind your own business.”
The woman was annoyed and was about to curse when Shen Yu’an interrupted her and said, “Uncles and elders, now that we have chosen the houses, we need to start building them. We will need your help. If anyone is willing to participate in the construction, please come to us tomorrow to sign up. The daily wage will be twenty wen, excluding lunch.”
The crowd looked at Shen Yu’an in surprise and then turned to Grandpa Shen and the others.
They hadn’t discussed this matter yet, but Grandpa Shen quickly responded.
He smiled and said, “What my granddaughter said is true. If anyone is willing to come and help with building the houses, you can sign up tomorrow.”
Smiles appeared on everyone’s faces, as they had already forgotten about the unpleasant incident earlier. They began to ask repeatedly about the authenticity of this opportunity.
After all, since winter, they had been idle at home with little to do. They were practically growing moss from idleness.
If they could earn some money by participating in house construction before the New Year, their lives would be slightly better.
As for the words that were stuck in the woman’s throat, she couldn’t say them anymore. It could also be said that she didn’t dare to say them.
She had men in her family, and she also wanted her family members to earn some money by helping out.
So, with a genuine intention, the woman closed her mouth and planned to let her husband and children sign up tomorrow as well.