The lake was the only one, and since there was no other village nearby, naturally, it belonged to them.

If another village came, the ownership of the lake would inevitably become a matter of dispute, and at that time, things might get complicated.

The government officer was momentarily stunned upon hearing this.

He truly didn’t know what to say. After all, the lake belonged to the government, so logically, if another village arrived, the lake should be shared.

However, since Dahe Village had settled here first, the matter wasn’t so simple.

“This Mingyue Lake only grants you usage rights. If another village comes, they will also have the right to use it. So, it won’t be assigned to just one village. If you wish to claim it as your own, you’d have to buy it from the government.”

Though the officer doubted that Shen Qingwan or her village had the means to purchase an entire lake, he patiently explained the situation to them.

As soon as Shen Qingwan heard that the lake was for sale, she immediately asked, “How much does it cost?”

Seeing her interest, the officer laughed. “Little lady, buying Mingyue Lake won’t be cheap—it costs over a thousand taels of silver.”

Only a thousand taels of silver for such a large lake?

Shen Qingwan thought it was a great deal.

The officer, noticing her surprised expression, assumed she was simply shocked by the price.

After measuring the land and confirming the exact location of the village, the officer left.

The village head had his two sons drive a donkey cart to escort them back.

Once they returned, the villagers began planning where to build their houses.

To ensure the village looked neat and orderly, the village head personally drew a layout plan and brought it to Shen Qingwan for approval.

She examined it and found it fairly standard—not particularly good or bad.

After all, since they were building adobe houses, there wasn’t much room for elaborate planning.

“Village Head, I plan to build my house over there by the lake, and I want to build a brick house with a tiled roof.”

Shen Qingwan pointed to a spot near the lake.

The village head was shocked when he heard she wanted to build a brick house.

Old Man Lu also came over when he heard the news.

“Daughter-in-law, why are you suddenly building a brick house? We don’t even know how long we’ll stay here. What if we return in a couple of years?” Old Man Lu was displeased that she made such a big decision without consulting him.

“Father, no one knows what the future holds. If we can settle here and have a better life, why go back? Besides, I am determined to build a brick house. You are currently living with the third son’s family. If you’d like a brick house too, I’ll pay for one for you. If not, I will also give you a monthly pension.”

Old Man Lu was stunned.

He had forgotten that his eldest daughter-in-law had already separated from the family.

Whether she built a brick house or not had nothing to do with them anymore.

Perhaps the journey together had made him forget that they had already divided the family.

“Forget it, do as you wish.” The old man turned and walked away, his figure somewhat lonely. Shen Qingwan watched him, puzzled by his sudden gloominess.

She had enough money now—why would she settle for an adobe house and make herself suffer?

“He cares about his pride. For big decisions like building a house, you should have told him in advance. Even though you’ve separated, you’re still family. I can see that you are a filial child. Talk to your father and mother—they’ll understand.”

The village head, understanding Old Man Lu’s feelings, gave Shen Qingwan some advice.

She nodded. “Alright, I understand.”

After talking for a while, Shen Qingwan returned to where Old Man Lu’s family was staying.

Lu Wenguang was already making adobe bricks, assuming they would build adobe houses.

Zhou Huiniang was collecting dry grass from the forest to mix into the mud, making the bricks more durable.

Seeing the others also making bricks, Shen Qingwan glanced at the nearby forest and then stopped Lu Wenguang.

“Second brother, stop making bricks. We’re not building adobe houses. Let’s build a wooden house first, then a brick house.”

Everyone froze.

Old Madam Lu was shocked. “Daughter-in-law, are you really planning to build a brick house? That will cost a lot of silver!”

Old Man Lu sat there smoking his pipe, silent.

Shen Qingwan glanced at them and said, “We have money now, so we should build a brick house. First, it will be more comfortable to live in. Second, it’s safer. If we lived in an adobe house, we wouldn’t feel secure leaving valuables inside. I also heard that winters here in the north are especially harsh. If we have a brick house, we can install heated brick beds and floor heating. That way, winter will be more bearable. Father, I’ll draw up the design for the house later, and you can take a look.”

Hearing her address him, Old Man Lu finally looked up. “Do whatever you think is best. I’m old now—my judgment isn’t as good as you young folks.”

His tone was calm, but Shen Qingwan could hear a hint of resentment.

She didn’t say anything else and instead took a saw from the donkey cart, handing it to Lu Wenguang.

“Come on, let’s cut some wood.”

In ancient times, forests could be freely logged, so Shen Qingwan chose the faster and more convenient option of a wooden house as a temporary residence.

“Big sister-in-law, what is this? I’ve never seen one before.”

Lu Wenguang curiously examined the saw.

“That’s a saw, used for cutting wood. I bought it in town and kept it in the cart.”

In reality, it was from her space—a whole outdoor toolkit was stored there.

Lu Wenguang didn’t suspect anything and immediately tried using the saw on a tree.

“You’re not holding it correctly.” Shen Qingwan took the saw and demonstrated the proper technique.

After a few strokes, she easily cut through a tree trunk as thick as a thigh.

Lu Wenguang’s eyes widened in shock.

“Big sister-in-law, this saw is amazing!”

He took it back and tried again, finding it indeed sharp and effective.

“You keep going—I’ll go draw the plans.”

Leaving the logging to Lu Wenguang, Shen Qingwan returned to sketch out the blueprint for their new home.