Chapter 38: Building a House

Cheng Hongying had finally figured it out—once this girl had her mind set on something, no one could stop her.

She wanted to renovate the house, and in reality, that was a good thing for Jinzi as well.

With a new, spacious house, who would worry about not finding a wife for their family?

But the thought of their daughter’s life becoming tighter financially made her uneasy. Spending all that money left her feeling uncomfortable.

Qiu Yinuo was a person of action. Once she had planned everything, she immediately went to the village head’s house.

When asking for help, one had to show their intentions clearly.

She walked to a secluded spot, pulled out a jar of pickled vegetables from her space, and headed for the village head’s house.

When she arrived, the village head’s family had just finished breakfast, and everyone was busy cleaning the table.

They were taken aback when they saw Qiu Yinuo.

It was rare to see such a plump young woman.

The village head felt that she looked familiar. “You are…?”

“I’m Qiu Yinuo, from the second family of the Qiu family. Do you remember me, Village Head?”

As soon as the village head heard her name, he immediately remembered the incident two years ago when the county chief came to Ping’an Village with a high-ranking official. He had taken all of Qiu Yinuo’s files and information without letting him inform the Qiu family.

As a small village head, the highest-ranking official he had ever seen was the county chief.

He couldn’t imagine how high-ranked the official must be if even the county chief had to bow and scrape. He had been so scared that his hands were shaking.

He didn’t dare to ask what they needed Qiu Yinuo’s file for.

A few days ago, when Cheng Hongying mentioned that her daughter had gotten married, and to a military officer no less, he immediately understood.

It seemed that Qiu Yinuo had married more than just an ordinary officer—there must be something extraordinary behind it.

“Y-You’re Yinuo!” The village head was astonished. It seemed that this girl had truly gone on to live a better life.

The village head’s attitude toward her had completely changed and became much more friendly. At least his wife thought that her husband had never been so gracious to anyone else.

“Old woman, pour Yinuo a bowl of sweet water.” He smiled warmly at her, “What can I help you with today?”

Qiu Yinuo quickly stopped the village head’s wife. “Aunt, there’s no need. I’ll leave after I finish talking. The children will start crying if I’m not around.”

“Uncle, I do have something to discuss,” she said, then got straight to the point.

When they heard that she not only wanted to renovate her family’s house but also add extra rooms, both the village head and his wife were stunned.

“Does your husband know about this?”

“No, he doesn’t.”

“Shouldn’t you discuss it with him first?”

“No need. I’m the one in charge of my house,” Qiu Yinuo said with a smile.

The village head and his wife exchanged a look, both swallowing nervously. The only thought in their minds was: What kind of family did Qiu Yinuo marry? She didn’t even need to discuss such a big thing as renovating her family’s house. They must have money!

“I’m here to ask for your help. I need some people from the village to assist. I’ll provide lunch, and in the evening, I’ll cook a large pot of food and let everyone take some home,” she continued.

In winter, everyone in the village was idle. A second meal was more of a burden than a blessing, so having an extra meal was a good deal.

Life in the village was like this: whenever anyone had something big or small to do, everyone pitched in. As long as they were provided a meal, they considered it enough. Being able to take a bowl of food home in the evening was seen as a big advantage.

“That’s no problem at all. We have the materials for the house right here in the village. When the time comes, just let the accountant keep track of what’s used, and when the house is done, you can pay for the materials. Do you have any specific requests?”

“I hope to move in before the New Year.”

“Alright, no problem.” As they were about to leave, Qiu Yinuo placed the jar of pickled vegetables on the table. “Uncle, I pickled this myself. I hope you don’t mind it.”

The village chief had tried tugging Qiu Yinuo back inside, but in the end, he only wore himself out and broke into a sweat. Eventually, he could only smile and accept her kind gesture.

That afternoon, Qiu Yinuo left the twins in Cheng Hongying’s care and took Qingqing, Jinzi, and Jinzi’s childhood friend Dongzi to town for some shopping.

Dongzi sneaked a glance at Qiu Yinuo and whispered to Jinzi, “Your brother-in-law must treat your sister really well.”

“How would you know?” Jinzi asked.

“I mean, just look at how much meat she must’ve eaten to get this… prosperous.”

Qiu Yinuo: “…”
It seemed that everyone who saw her figure lately felt the need to comment on how well-married she must be. She was really getting fed up with it.

Jinzi quickly covered Dongzi’s mouth. “Are you trying to die? My sister’s been very self-conscious about her size lately. Could you at least keep your voice down?”

If she didn’t need the two of them to help with shopping, Qiu Yinuo truly would’ve kicked each of them right there on the spot.

…

When they got home, Cheng Hongying was staring at the large amount of goods being carried inside, her eyes nearly popping out of their sockets. “Why did you buy so much?”

“It’s not convenient to go to town, and it takes more than an hour to get there. Since Jinzi and Dongzi were with me, I just bought some extra things.”

“Even so, you don’t need this much.”

Jinzi nodded in agreement. He suspected his sister was deliberately making him and Dongzi suffer as revenge for Dongzi calling her fat.

Dongzi thought the same, but they had no proof.

Dongzi, exhausted from carrying the heavy bags, was trembling. “Bro, I’m leaving first.”

Although Qiu Yinuo did have some revenge in mind, she wasn’t completely heartless. She invited Dongzi to stay for dinner.

“And help me set up the big pot while you’re at it,” she added.

Dongzi pouted, looking incredibly pitiful as he gazed at Jinzi. “I’m going to need three bowls of rice at your house tonight.”

Otherwise, he wouldn’t be able to make up for his lost energy.

Qiu Yinuo chuckled to herself. This kid was so easy to please.

…

The next morning, Qiu Yinuo got up early. After breakfast, she saw the village head arrive, bringing a group of strong men with him. Among them were a few familiar faces who seemed to be good at building houses.

The village head waved at her. “Yinuo, tell your Uncle Li how you want to build the house.”

Holding the simple sketch she had drawn, Qiu Yinuo explained her plans to them.

After listening to her, they immediately understood and began clearing out the materials from the storage room.

Cheng Hongying asked Qiu Yinuo to go inside and watch the kids, while she stayed outside with Qingqing to wash vegetables and cook.

With such a big commotion at the Qiu household, the neighbors quickly took notice.

With nothing better to do during the day, many came out just to watch.

Unfortunately, one of them spotted Ding’s mother lurking among the crowd. “Hey, isn’t that Zixu’s mom? Seeing how well Yinuo’s doing now must really be eating you up inside, huh?”

Ding’s mother hadn’t expected to be called out and looked visibly awkward. “Why would I be bothered? Thank goodness my son didn’t marry her. Otherwise, who knows how much she’d be sending back to her maiden family every day?”

The married women nearby all nodded in agreement.

A daughter-in-law who favored her own family over her husband’s was definitely undesirable.

“Auntie, you’re overthinking things,” Qiu Yinuo said as she stepped out, having just heard Ding’s mother’s bitter words. “Even if I married into your family, it’s not like you’d have so many good things for me to send back.”

Ding’s mother’s expression darkened. “Whoever marries you must be cursed for eight lifetimes. You’re the type to always covet your in-laws’ things. A spendthrift like you will be abandoned sooner or later.”

“My mother-in-law has no complaints. Who the hell are you to judge?” Qiu Yinuo snapped back. “It’s my money, I’ll spend it however I like. What’s it to you?”

“You! Is this how your mother raised you to speak to your elders?” Ding’s mother shrieked.

“Wow, what a huge face you have. Since when were you my elder? My family doesn’t have anyone as shameless as you. Can’t even handle your own household but want to meddle in mine? If our outhouse is full, do you want to help scoop out the dung too—since you clearly love minding other people’s business so much?”