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As Ye Xin headed to work in the morning, she took the opportunity to inquire about Uncle Jiang Gong with the other women. After lunch, she decided to pay him a visit.
Uncle Li Jiang Gong’s house was modest, with just two small rooms. His wife was sitting on the doorstep, weaving shoe soles while balancing a child on her back. She glanced at Ye Xin a few times before calling for her husband. Moments later, Li Jiang Gong emerged. In his thirties, he had a weathered, sun-kissed face and a sturdy physique that made him look quite capable.
Ye Xin wasted no time and said, “Uncle Jiang Gong, I want to build a bathhouse in my yard, but I have many questions. I came to consult you.”
At first, Li Jiang Gong frowned upon seeing a young woman alone, but his expression quickly softened at her request. He motioned for her to sit on a stool outside. “How big do you want it to be?”
Ye Xin sat down and began discussing the details with him. She didn’t need a large space; she wanted something practical for bathing—about two to three square meters would suffice. Anything larger would take up too much room and block sunlight from the yard.
After some discussion, they settled on dimensions of two meters long and one and a half meters wide, taking up three square meters against the wall.
Once the area was determined, Li Jiang Gong asked how tall she wanted the bathhouse to be. Ye Xin figured the courtyard wall was two meters tall, so she wanted the bathhouse to be slightly taller with a sloping roof for proper drainage. They decided on a height that sloped from two and a half meters to two meters. Li Jiang Gong then inquired about the thickness of the walls, whether to include windows, and the size of those windows.
Ye Xin replied with a smile, “Just one window for light. As for the size, you’re the expert, so please give me some advice.”
Li Jiang Gong explained, “Since this is a small room, it won’t bear much weight. You can build the walls just a bit thicker than a normal wall to save on bricks. If you build it against the courtyard wall, let’s place the window opposite the courtyard wall. The wall isn’t that big; half a square meter will do, and with the sloping roof… Let me calculate…”
Ye Xin quickly reminded him, “We need to build the wall on that side too; otherwise, the mud bricks will get wet.”
Li Jiang Gong nodded, “Alright then, that’s sixteen and a half square meters. For one-and-a-half-brick walls, that’ll be sixty-four per square meter. So you’ll need about one thousand fifty-six bricks, plus some extra for waste. Let’s go with one thousand one hundred bricks.”
With concrete numbers in hand, Ye Xin mentally calculated the costs. At three cents per brick, one thousand one hundred bricks would cost thirty-three yuan.
Next, they discussed the roof tiles. It added up to five hundred forty tiles at one cent eighty each, totaling nine yuan seventy-two.
For cement and sand, the bathhouse floor also needed waterproofing. Fortunately, Li Jiang Gong had contacts for purchasing these materials, which would cost about four yuan thirty-five.
As for the delivery fee from the brick and tile factory, Shen Zhuo had already confirmed with Huang Zhihao that it would be around five yuan.
With everything clear, Ye Xin finally asked, “Since we’re already on the topic, I’ll need to ask you for help with the construction when the materials arrive. What would be a fair fee for your work?”
Li Jiang Gong’s eyes brightened at her words; opportunities to earn money in the countryside were rare. “I charge three yuan for a day’s work. This small room will only take half a day to build, so I’ll charge you one yuan fifty.”
Ye Xin calculated all the expenses, totaling fifty-three yuan fifty-seven. It seemed like a hefty sum, but she sighed in relief—she had enough money on hand. She had initially worried she might need to carry some goods to the town to make up for any shortfall.
Since she had enough, there was no need to wait—she could buy the materials right away!
At dinner, Ye Xin shared the details of her discussion with Uncle Jiang Gong, instructing Shen Zhuo, “Tomorrow, you should place the order with Huang Zhihao. Ask him to inform the brick and tile factory tonight so they can deliver the materials tomorrow morning.”
As she spoke about all the expenses, Shen Zhuo frowned, hesitating, “Do we have enough money for all this?”
Ye Xin reassured him, “Yes, we do.”
She quickly recapped her finances: after returning from the county seat, she had over twenty-five yuan left. At the last market, she earned twenty-eight yuan from selling goods at the Chen family courtyard and a couple of yuan from her stall. After spending over eight yuan and considering Shen Zhuo’s ten yuan from selling medicine, plus the twenty yuan her sister sent, she currently had over seventy-seven yuan. After accounting for the bathhouse expenses, she still had over twenty yuan left.
Knowing that year-end bonuses were coming, she felt relieved. They wouldn’t have to worry about food for the New Year!
Moreover, there was nothing stopping her from making one last trip to the town before the New Year.
The current conditions were still too basic. Keeping this money in her hands would do no good; using it to improve her life was what truly mattered.
She pulled out ten yuan and handed it to Shen Zhuo, instructing him, “Tomorrow, take this ten yuan as a deposit. Ask Huang Zhihao to let them know that the remaining balance will be settled when the materials are delivered.”
Shen Zhuo nodded, accepting the money but still looking troubled.
Ye Xin knew what was on his mind. She had been gentle and considerate with his pride once or twice, but after a while, she grew tired of coddling him.
Deciding to stir the pot, she declared, “What? Are you upset again about my spending? So what if I’m using my own money to buy myself some convenience? If you keep feeling uneasy about it, you’ll be miserable for life! Or is it that you still see me as an outsider, and that’s why you want to draw such clear lines?”
Shen Zhuo was taken aback, panic creeping into his voice. “No! That’s not it!”
He quickly explained, “I don’t see you as an outsider, and I’m not blaming you for spending too much. I just… worry that you’ll run out of money. You need to save some for yourself…”
Yet his brow furrowed deeper with each word.
Deep down, he felt a bit puzzled. No matter how he calculated it, their earnings from selling vegetables and medicines over the past six months didn’t add up to much. Most of it had been earned and spent almost immediately—how could she possibly save money?
Realizing she needed to clarify her financial situation, Ye Xin seized the opportunity. “Actually, my family sends remittance slips with every letter. I just didn’t tell you. Trust me, after building the bathhouse, I’ll still have money left over. You don’t need to worry! Unlike you, I don’t go around without a single cent!”
Shen Zhuo’s eyes widened in understanding, and he couldn’t help but marvel, “Your family treats you well.”
“Yeah, mainly my older sister,” Ye Xin replied with a nod.
Once she finished explaining, she shot him a glance and added lightly, “You shouldn’t always think that I shouldn’t spend my money or that it’s your responsibility to support the family. What era are we in? Have you not abandoned those outdated ideas yet? I’ll tell you this: in my eyes, there’s no distinction between genders—only differences in ability. I’m just as capable as you!”
Shen Zhuo felt a jolt in his heart.
In that moment, he completely agreed with her. He realized it was his own problem—his old-fashioned thinking, narrow perspective, pettiness, and childishness made him feel ashamed. He wasn’t acting like a man; he wasn’t even acting like an adult, and here he was, a year older than her.
Embarrassed, he felt a warm flush across his face and admitted, “You’re better than me—much better.”
Ye Xin nodded in satisfaction.
Shen Zhuo couldn’t help but admire her keen perception; she always seemed to know what he was thinking.
Feeling the tension ease, he lifted his gaze to meet hers and said earnestly, “I understand now. I won’t sulk about this anymore. I’ll remember this in my heart, and when I’ve learned some skills and earned more money… I’ll make sure to spend it on you.”
A smile broke on Ye Xin’s face. “That’s the right way to think!”
“Now, let’s eat; the dishes are getting cold!”
Shen Zhuo picked up his bowl and resumed eating, feeling surprisingly cheerful. Even though it felt like he had just been lectured, he had gained a deeper understanding of her, and their relationship felt closer. It was a wonderful feeling.
The next morning, he took the deposit to place an order with Huang Zhihao.
Huang Zhihao hadn’t expected that joining a training class could bring business to the village brick and tile factory. He was excited and solemnly accepted the deposit, jotting down the details. “Don’t worry; I’ll make sure to mention it when I get home! My brother Huang Zhihao works at the factory; he can deliver the bricks and tiles personally. They’ll be at your place by tomorrow morning!”
Because of this, Huang Zhihao was in high spirits all day. After the class ended, he assured Shen Zhuo, “Tell your family to get ready. The bricks and tiles will arrive tomorrow morning!”
Li Guangyao and Meng Chunlan from the same production team overheard this and were surprised, asking, “Is Shen Zhuo’s family building a new house?”
Before long, everyone around knew.
But Shen Zhuo ignored their curiosity and headed toward the bike shed.
Every day after class, he rushed home with excitement.
Upon arriving, he saw Ye Xin and immediately began helping her with dinner while sharing the good news.
Ye Xin nodded eagerly. “Great! If the materials arrive tomorrow morning, we can have Uncle Jian Gong start building in the afternoon!”
To focus on this project, she decided to take the day off from work. After all, it was winter, a slow season, and the team didn’t strictly enforce work attendance. There was no need to formally request leave; if anyone showed up, their tasks would be recorded, and if they didn’t, it meant they had the day off.
She grabbed a broom and swept away the dust from the yard, then used some burned wood to outline the area where the bathhouse would be built. Next, she dismantled the clothesline to avoid interfering with the construction.
After that, she took a shovel and began digging a trench along the marked line. Although she lacked experience, she had passed by construction sites before and knew that building a house required digging a foundation. The small structure didn’t need a deep foundation, so she dug just enough. She also dug a drainage ditch.
Around ten o’clock, loud voices echoed from outside, and a group of strong men pushed a wooden cart loaded with bricks and tiles to her door.
Ye Xin hurried to open the door.
Seven or eight men were pushing four wide carts, piled high with red bricks and tiles. The carts looked heavy, especially going uphill, and despite the winter chill, the men were sweating profusely.
The lead man had a strong, bronze face and looked to be in his twenties—muscular, even through his winter clothes. When he saw the petite girl with fair skin behind the door, he paused for a moment. “Is this Shen Zhuo’s house?”
Ye Xin smiled warmly. “Yes, come on in!”
The man, taken aback by her beauty, felt a bit bashful as he grinned. “I’m Huang Zhihao, and I’m here to deliver the bricks and tiles… Where should we unload them?”
Ye Xin stepped back and pointed to the designated area for the materials.
The team of men pushed the heavy carts inside to unload the goods. The red bricks were sturdy and could be dumped out in heaps, but the tiles were fragile and had to be unloaded stack by stack.
The small yard quickly buzzed with activity, and dust filled the air.
Taking advantage of their busyness, Ye Xin went to the kitchen to fetch some water. She poured it out, and by the time she returned, the eight men had finished unloading the cargo.
Huang Zhihao said, “We brought the bricks and tiles in the quantities you ordered, plus a three percent bonus. Would you like to check them?”
Ye Xin chuckled, “No need to count. We’re in the same production team, and I’ve bought tiles from your factory before. You have a good reputation. Thank you, brothers, for your hard work! Please have some water and take a break while I get the balance.”
The men, parched from their journey, gratefully accepted the water and casually sat on the bricks to drink.
Ye Xin returned with the payment, recalling that Huang Zhihao was the team leader. She handed the money to him, saying, “This is the balance for the bricks and tiles, and here’s a little extra for the trouble you took to deliver them. Count it.”