Early the next morning, the atmosphere in the Li household was heavy, so heavy it felt like a storm was brewing beneath the surface. 

After breakfast, the family headed to Li Xiandong’s plot, only to find nine strong men already at work, wielding tools and digging steadily. 

Li Xiaohan beamed with a radiant smile. Her second great-uncle, Li Shengyi, had come. 

The previous afternoon, she had run to his house to let him know that her father had separated from the family and was planning to build a house. She had hoped her second great-uncle could come help. 

If she hadn’t gone, her father—too honest and unsure of how to ask—wouldn’t have done it himself. But her second great-uncle wouldn’t hold it against a little girl. 

As her grandfather’s second elder brother, Li Shengyi held high seniority in the clan. His household was large and had plenty of laborers. The blood ties were close enough that if he brought people to help, even if her father felt embarrassed, at least it wouldn’t be in front of outsiders. 

As for the favor they now owed, it could be repaid later. Li Xiaohan had already made up her mind about that. 

Unfortunately, all the adults in her second great-uncle’s house had been out working when she arrived, so she had asked a younger female cousin to pass on the message. Judging by the scene in front of her, the message had clearly been delivered. 

Looking more closely, she recognized the workers. Among them were Li Shengyi’s sons, Li Guiqian and Li Guihou, and his grandsons—Li Jiajin, Li Jiayin, Li Jiacai, and Li Jiabao. That was already a full team. 

But then she noticed something else. Why were the clan leader’s son, Li Xinhe, and their third granduncle’s grandson, Li Deyou, here as well? Had her second great-uncle invited them too? Li Xiaohan couldn’t help but wonder. 

Upon seeing Li Xiandong and the others arrive, Li Shengyi—the second elder brother of Li Shengli—immediately scolded him: “Xiandong, I heard you’re digging a foundation to build a house. Why didn’t you inform your elders or fellow clansmen about such an important matter?” 

His tone was stern, but as an elder, he had every right to rebuke him. Besides, being scolded by a family elder didn’t wound her father’s dignity. 

On the contrary, it gave him an opportunity to explain himself and save face. 

Sure enough, Li Xiandong, who had been looking like a dull, gray lump of wood, suddenly stood up straighter. “Second Uncle, it’s my fault. I didn’t think it through.” 

“You’ve just separated from the main family. It’s understandable if you weren’t sure of the customs, but be more careful next time.” 

“Yes, Second Uncle.” The once-dull wood had suddenly caught fire. 

That opened the door for the others to speak up as well. 

“Uncle Xiandong, how could you start building a house without telling me? Do you think my father’s too busy, or that I’m no good at physical work?” said Li Xinhe, the clan leader’s son from the younger generation. “Today, I’m going to show you what I’m made of!” 

“Haha, Xinhe, no offense, but you’ve got nothing on your Uncle Xiandong. Back when he helped build my house, he was something else.” 

His older cousin, Li Guiqian, came over and gave Xiandong a playful punch on the arm. “Xiandong, remind these young ones that the real work belongs to us old-timers.” 

“Haha, Uncle Guiqian, just watch us young folks in action. Right, Jiajin? Jiayin?” 

… 

In a short while, the atmosphere had livened up. Li Xiaohan let out a quiet breath of relief—finally, the issue was resolved. 

It wasn’t just about digging the foundation. She was also worried her father might get isolated. With a reclusive personality like his, being excluded in a clan-based society could make life very difficult. 

“Come on then, Xiandong. Tell us what kind of house you want to build so we can dig the foundation,” said Li Shengyi, steering the conversation back to the matter at hand now that everyone was in high spirits. 

Li Xiandong pointed at the plot, explaining the layout: the main house in front, the vegetable garden in the back, four rooms in the main house, and two side rooms each on the east and west. If there was enough money, they could build it all at once. If not, they could start with two rooms and expand later. Most homes in Pingshan Village were built like that. 

His plan was to first set up the framework. When the time came to construct the actual rooms, he’d get the carpenter to finish the job. If his father asked where the money came from, he could explain it then—after all, by then the house would already be up. 

With the plan laid out, it was easy to get started. Everyone began cutting grass and digging ditches together. 

There were more than ten people, all skilled workers, so naturally, once they got to work, everything went quickly and smoothly. 

But just as the work was in full swing, Li Xiaohan quietly pulled her parents aside. “Father, Mother, now that Second Great-Uncle has brought people over to help, shouldn’t we prepare lunch for them?” 

Li Xiandong and Madam Wang seemed to be jolted awake by a hammer. They quickly responded, “Yes, yes, of course—we need to treat them to a meal.” 

However, Madam Wang quickly became flustered. “How… how are we supposed to cook? We don’t have vegetables or meat. What… what should we do?” 

The kitchen chores were usually handled by Madam Chen. Madam Wang had only ever cooked pig food, so suddenly being asked to prepare food for so many people left her completely at a loss. 

Hearing this, Li Xiandong also panicked—he was a man, and usually paid no attention to kitchen matters. 

“Don’t worry. Leave it to me. When I asked Second Great-Uncle to come over, I had already thought of this. Just follow my lead, Mother.” In truth, she hadn’t thought that far ahead—but cooking a meal wasn’t anything difficult. It wasn’t like they were hosting a formal banquet—it just needed to fill everyone’s stomachs. 

After the Sanqi incident, Li Xiaohan had already established her capability in front of her parents. Especially now, since it was Li Xiaohan who had invited Li Shengyi over, the two trusted her without hesitation. 

“Alright, alright, I’ll listen to you,” Madam Wang said, finally feeling like she had someone to rely on. 

Li Xiaohan straightened up, smiled sweetly, and walked over to Li Shengli. “Grandfather, Second Great-Uncle brought people to help us, so we can’t be rude. My mother and I will head home first to pick vegetables and cook lunch.” 

To host guests, they needed both dishes and rice. Li Xiandong had just received half a year’s worth of the family grain share, and as for vegetables, they could only be picked from the old house plot. But that didn’t matter—Li Shengli cared about face, and at a time like this, he wouldn’t object. 

“Alright. You two go ahead. Make it nice,” Li Shengli said, as expected, seeing no issue and even telling them to prepare it well. 

“Yes, Grandfather,” Li Xiaohan replied with a respectful and cheerful smile.