Over the next few days, bricks, stones, and tiles were delivered one after another. By the fourth day, it was finally time to begin building the house. 

Early that morning, the clan head’s son, Li Xinhe; the third granduncle’s grandson, Li Deyou; and the eldest son of Li Shengyi’s family, Li Guiqian, came over with his youngest son, Li Jiayin. Each carried a hoe and empty baskets. This time, only four people came, but that was enough. Digging the foundation had required more manpower, but when it came to building walls, it was sufficient to have someone lend a hand to the construction master. 

However, Li Xiaohan couldn’t quite figure it out. It was expected that someone from Second Uncle’s family would come—after all, they had asked Second Great-Uncle for help, and he would surely follow through. But why had Li Xinhe and Li Deyou come again? Her family wasn’t particularly close to theirs. They had already helped dig the foundation—why were they here now? 

Li Xiaohan looked at the two men with obvious confusion. 

Li Deyou scratched his head. He didn’t fully understand it himself, but he spoke honestly. “Grandfather said I should come and learn something.” 

Li Xinhe smiled and added, “Same here.” 

In truth, Li Xinhe knew the reason. His father, the clan head, had presided over a clearly unfair division of the family property, which had shortchanged Li Xiandong’s family. So now, to help Li Xiandong’s family get back on their feet quickly and to make amends for the clan’s mishandling, both he and Li Deyou—descendants of the clan head and clan elders—had been sent to assist with the house construction as a form of compensation. 

Of course, these matters couldn’t be openly talked about. 

Li Xiaohan didn’t know the inside story, but since the clan head and third granduncle had sent people to help, it was clearly to her family’s benefit. She didn’t question it any further—after all, even if she did say something, it wouldn’t change anything. There were still very few things she could say or do at her age. 

Li Xiandong, however, was deeply moved. He knew this was a sign that the clan valued him, and for a moment, he was greatly encouraged. 

As everyone helped unload the bricks and stones, Li Guiqian looked at them and said, “Brother Xiandong, these foundation stones you got aren’t bad at all.” 

Li Guiqian had two sons of his own, and he would also have to divide property in the future. Bringing his younger son, Li Jiayin, instead of his older son, Li Jiajin, made his intentions clear—he wanted his son to learn how to build a house. 

“These are top-quality foundation stones from the quarry. Build it well, and it’ll last a hundred years,” said one of the two builders who had arrived with the materials. 

These two were professional builders hired from the city. Typically, if villagers were building mud-brick houses, they did it themselves. But if the foundation used stone and bricks, then city builders had to be brought in—only they knew the proper three-part mortar recipe for masonry construction. 

Seeing how everything was progressing in an orderly fashion under the guidance of the builders, Li Xiaohan stood up and went to help her mother. 

Madam Wang was feeling anxious. 

Ever since the last dispute, her mother-in-law had, both openly and subtly, forbidden them from cooking at the old house. Her father-in-law hadn’t said anything either, which meant he agreed. 

So her daughter had suggested they buy pots, bowls, and food—meat, vegetables, eggs—and cook at the new house plot. 

Now that everything was ready, Madam Wang was still feeling uneasy. 

“Mother, what are you thinking about?” Li Xiaohan walked over and asked when she saw Madam Wang standing there looking worried. 

“Xiaohan, is it really okay to just set up an earthen stove and start cooking?” Madam Wang asked nervously. 

“Why not? Just because there’s no proper kitchen, we’re not supposed to eat?” Li Xiaohan countered. 

She remembered all those countryside vloggers in her past life—so many outdoor cooking and camping videos, with sky-high views. And her family had actual pots, meat, and vegetables. Even if the meat was only a small slab of half-lean pork and the vegetables were foraged wild greens. 

“Well… that’s still better than having nothing to eat…” 

Madam Wang didn’t hesitate for long. Though she had a timid personality, she wasn’t stupid. Building a house wasn’t a one- or two-day job. Counting on her mother-in-law was less reliable than hoping money would fall from the sky. Her hesitation was really just from a lack of confidence in herself. 

“Mother, don’t overthink it. Let’s stick to what we discussed yesterday. We’ve already bought the pot, and we have oil, salt, soy sauce, and vinegar ready. We’ll cut up the fatty pork we sold yesterday, render the fat, and stir-fry the dishes with the leftover cracklings. Once there’s oil in the food, it’ll taste good.” 

“Will that really work?” 

“Why wouldn’t it? Mother, as long as we’re full and it tastes good, that’s enough, right?” 

Madam Wang hesitated one last time. “It’s just… why are we eating wild vegetables? Shouldn’t we go back to the vegetable patch and pick some fresh ones?” 

Li Xiaohan let out a sigh. “Mother, you know what our garden is like. Ever since last time, Grandmother’s been keeping a close watch. If you want to pick vegetables, you’ll have to ask her, and it might even cause a scene. Besides, we split from the family so suddenly that the garden wasn’t prepared to provide vegetables for us to cook. Even if we manage to get some this time, it won’t be enough later. We can’t depend on the old house’s garden for everything.” 

“It’s better to just start like this. If we use wild vegetables on the first day, then whether we use wild greens or other vegetables later, things will only get better from here. Isn’t that better than starting off high and not being able to keep it up?” 

That’s just how people are. Most can accept things getting better, but not things getting worse. Since there definitely wouldn’t be vegetables later on, and since their own family couldn’t afford to buy vegetables for every meal—and they didn’t have good relations with the other villagers—they would have to rely on wild vegetables. So it was better to start with wild vegetables from the very first meal. 

After all, if expectations are low the first time, it’s easier to be satisfied afterward. 

Madam Wang was convinced by Li Xiaohan. She wasn’t someone with strong opinions anyway, so she picked up a basket and followed Li Xiaohan to gather wild vegetables. 

Although it was already September and autumn had set in, there were still plenty of wild vegetables in the fields. Now that times were better, people weren’t so keen on eating wild vegetables—especially the elderly, who had eaten so many during the famine years that they’d grown tired of them. 

Li Xiaohan specifically picked the plumpest, most tender wild vegetables. Before long, the mother and daughter had gathered a full basket, which they washed by the river and brought home. 

“Mother, I’ll teach you how to cook today. Grandmother said you should learn,” said Li Xiaohan. After all, Madam Wang couldn’t stay helpless in the kitchen forever. Using the excuse of her paternal grandmother’s instructions was the best way to teach her. 

“Oh, okay.” Madam Wang nodded nervously. 

“First, render some fat. Cut the pork fat into chunks and simmer it over low heat.” 

“Alright, once the oil is ready, scoop it out. Leave a little in the pan, and start stir-frying. Mother, add some wild onions and garlic—I like that flavor.” 

Once the wild onions and garlic hit the oil, there was a sharp sizzle, and the fragrant smell gave Madam Wang a little confidence. 

“Mother, remember those noodles you boiled earlier? You didn’t add any oil, right? That’s okay. Now that the oil is fragrant, ladle some over the noodles and mix it in—it’ll be just as good. Here, let me help you drain the water from the vegetables. That way, they’ll look oily and rich.” 

… 

The people working nearby were too far to see what was being cooked, and they felt it wasn’t appropriate to ask. They just heard the sizzling sounds growing louder and smelled the delicious aroma getting stronger. Their stomachs started growling, and they grew more and more eager.