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When it came to payment, Huang Zhihao didn’t dare follow Ye Xin’s lead and say, “No need to count.” He carefully tallied the amounts twice, confirming there were no mistakes before finally accepting the money. Looking up at her, he said, “Well then, we’re off.”
Ye Xin replied, “Why not take a break before heading back? It’s been a long day, especially since my house is up on a slope. We really appreciate your help.”
Her words were sincere. She had initially thought that a brick factory would have at least a truck for deliveries. To her surprise, she had overestimated the capabilities of that era; they were using hand-pulled carts, navigating rugged terrain. She could only imagine how much effort it took.
However, considering they were in the mountains where roads were unpaved, even trucks wouldn’t have made it through.
Still, the five yuan for their trouble seemed a bit low, especially split among eight men, which amounted to only a few dimes each. But since it had been agreed upon in advance, she couldn’t afford to give more without appearing foolish or wealthy.
Huang Zhihao, slightly embarrassed, replied, “We have to report back, so we can’t take a break. An empty cart isn’t as tiring to push. Thank you for the water!”
As he spoke, the other men began to pack up the ropes and swiftly pushed the carts out of the yard.
As they reached the gate, Huang Zhihao couldn’t resist glancing back. He saw the girl smiling and waving at him, and she looked truly lovely…
Once they had left, Ye Xin turned to close the gate and noticed a group of children peering curiously into the yard. It was unusual to see kids in their secluded area.
Thinking for a moment, she realized, “Did you lead them here?”
The children, shy from the unfamiliar interaction, quickly scattered when she approached them, except for one small boy, around five or six, who continued to suck on his fingers. He replied, “Yes, they asked where Shen Zhuo’s house was, and I told them it was up the slope. Then they asked where the slope was, so I brought them here. The others followed but ran away now.”
Ye Xin noticed the boy was dirty but spoke clearly. She smiled and asked, “What’s your name?”
The little boy blinked up at her and replied, “I’m Li Guangming.”
Now knowing he was a local child, she nodded, “Okay, Li Guangming, wait here for me and don’t go anywhere. I’ll be right back.”
She turned back to the kitchen, grabbed a handful of sweet potato slices, and returned to find him still waiting outside the door. She grinned as she handed him the snack. “Thank you for helping me. You’re a good kid. Here, have this to eat. Can you do me one more favor? Please go tell Uncle Jian Gong to come to my house to build the wall this afternoon.”
Li Guangming stopped sucking his fingers and nodded eagerly as he took the sweet potato. “Okay!”
Worried he might forget or not take it seriously, Ye Xin added, “After you tell Uncle Jian Gong, come back and let me know. I’ll have something else for you then, okay?”
Li Guangming agreed, clutching the sweet potato as he headed down the slope, munching happily.
After closing the gate, Ye Xin returned to the kitchen, collected the seven or eight bowls, and placed a chicken egg in the pot to boil. She then went outside to tidy up the scattered bricks a bit.
About half an hour later, she heard a soft knock at the door.
Pulling the boiled egg from the pot, she opened the door to find the little boy back again.
Li Guangming spoke in a series of excited sentences, “Uncle Jian Gong said he knows and will come after lunch. He told you to water the bricks and soak them thoroughly.”
Ye Xin was puzzled. “Why do we need to water the bricks?”
Li Guangming couldn’t answer that. His eyes were fixed on the egg in her hand, and he started drooling.
Sensing he wasn’t just babbling, she handed him the egg and smiled, “Thank you for your big help! Here’s an egg for you. Now go home.”
Li Guangming gleefully accepted the egg and bounced away, happy as a lark.
Ye Xin watched him skip down the slope before shutting the door once more.
The little boy had indeed been a huge help. A lively group of men delivering bricks had certainly drawn attention in the village, and curious gazes were inevitable. However, since most people were busy at work at this time, only the children had come to investigate. If she ventured out now, she might find herself cornered with a barrage of questions.
Ye Xin didn’t want to deal with that at the moment; she preferred to wait until the wall was built.
But why did they need to water the red bricks?
Though Ye Xin didn’t fully understand, she trusted the child wasn’t lying. If Uncle Jian Gong insisted it was necessary, then there must be a reason behind it. So, she fetched water from the well and began soaking the pile of bricks.
After lunch, Li Jianggong indeed arrived, pushing a wheelbarrow filled with cement, sand, and tools. He nodded in approval when he saw the bricks were nicely damp.
Taking the opportunity, Ye Xin asked about her earlier question.
Li Jianggong explained, “The red bricks need to be moistened before use. If they’re too dry, they won’t bond well with the cement.”
Ye Xin nodded, pleased to learn something new.
With everything planned out in advance, including marked positions and dug-out trenches, Li Jianggong got to work, laying the bricks methodically. He worked on the lower sections first, then consulted with Ye Xin about moving a table from the main room to use as scaffolding.
Under the warm afternoon winter sun, a small red-brick house began to take shape. The bricks were laid with precision, each seam aligned perfectly to form neat “工” patterns, while the cement joints were smoothed out, making the bricks’ vibrant color pop against the backdrop.
Ye Xin watched with admiration, realizing that Li Jianggong was quite skilled.
The roof was designed with a slight slope, angling from the courtyard toward the wall. This way, when it came time to lay the tiles, everything would be in a straight line, allowing rainwater to drain smoothly outside. However, they couldn’t put on the tiles just yet. Li Jianggong stated, “The cement will set in a day, but it’s best to wait three days before laying the tiles. Are the beams ready? Let me take a look.”
Indeed, they were prepared. A few days earlier, Shen Zhuo had expanded the chicken coop, and remembering they needed to build a bathroom, he had selected some appropriately-sized planks from behind the house just yesterday morning.
The wood was collected during a medicinal herb-gathering trip last month; it served multiple purposes: storing firewood for the winter, using for the vegetable garden, and clearing paths to prevent overgrowth in the summer. After dragging some logs back each time, they were left to dry beside the garden, and she had accumulated quite a few. After more than half a month, they were nearly ready.
Li Jianggong inspected the logs, nodding in approval. “Perfect, these will do. The house is small, so about ten will be enough. I’ll saw them down first, and then I’ll come back to lay the tiles in a couple of days.”
As he finished preparing the beams, the sun began to set.
Ye Xin cheerfully handed him his payment, and after sending Li Jianggong off, she turned back to admire the brand-new, three-square-meter red house. A swell of accomplishment filled her chest.
“Soon, I’ll have a place to bathe!”
She organized the leftover bricks, which were not many—only a few dozen—and neatly stacked them beside the tiles for future use. Then she swept the ground, clearing away the mess, and before she knew it, dusk was falling.
When Shen Zhuo returned, he was astonished to find a small house already built. “So fast?”
Ye Xin straightened up, leaning on her shovel with a smile. “Fast? I thought it was slow!” If only she had a phone, she could have clarified the prices the same day, placed an order, and had the bricks delivered the next day instead of waiting several days.
Shen Zhuo responded earnestly, “It’s quite fast!”
Just a few nights ago, she had first brought it up; On the fifth day, he went to inquire with Huang Zhihao; On the sixth evening, he returned with information about the bricks; On the seventh, she had consulted the master about the materials and prices; On the eighth, he took the deposit to place the order with Huang Zhihao; And now, it was the ninth day.
As soon as the materials arrived, the bathroom was quickly built!
For Shen Zhuo, this level of efficiency was quite astonishing. Typically, when families undertook any construction, they would deliberate for ages, especially when a significant amount of money was involved. But Ye Xin was decisive and action-oriented, moving ahead without a moment’s hesitation.
Once again, Shen Zhuo felt a wave of admiration wash over him, mixed with a hint of concern and guilt. “You must be exhausted after a whole day of work. While I was away, you had to manage everything on your own.”
Ye Xin shrugged off his concern with a carefree smile. “What do I have to be tired about? The workers did all the heavy lifting; I just handle the finances. At most, I’ll bring them a bowl of water to drink.”
Shen Zhuo knew it wasn’t as easy as she made it sound. If it were that simple, she wouldn’t still be out here tidying up the yard, with dinner still left to prepare. He quickly pushed his bicycle to the side and said, “You should take a break. I’ll cook dinner, and afterward, I’ll take care of the cleanup.”
But Ye Xin insisted, “You cook first; I’m almost finished here.”
As the delicious aroma of food wafted from the kitchen, Ye Xin had just completed tidying up the yard when darkness fell. She set aside her shovel and couldn’t help but admire the small red-brick house silhouetted against the night sky. What a fulfilling day it had been!
During dinner, Shen Zhuo brought up an important matter. “On my way back, I ran into the team leader. He mentioned that the grain distribution is happening tomorrow, and I need to check if it’s in the morning or evening.”
Ye Xin perked up. “That’s right! Tomorrow is the tenth! I had heard about it but got so busy that I almost forgot!”
Shen Zhuo suggested, “Why don’t we go in the morning? It would be much easier to take the cart. After we pick up the grain, I can head to town; we should have enough time.”
Ye Xin nodded eagerly. “Let’s head out early. We can ask the team leader if we can get our share first; he should be accommodating.”
In fact, Team Leader Li Jianbang was already on the same page. Everyone knew Shen Zhuo was set to attend medical training, and it was a matter that concerned everyone’s future healthcare needs. Naturally, they wanted to ensure he was taken care of.
Word had spread quickly through the production team, and everyone was buzzing with excitement about the grain distribution. Many families had empty grain bins, and without rations, they risked facing starvation!
As dawn broke, even before the sun had fully risen, people began gathering in front of the granary, baskets in hand, eager to collect their grain. Anticipation lit up everyone’s faces, and children joyfully raced around, talking excitedly about the good meals they would enjoy once they received their rations.
After a long winter, such hustle and bustle was a rare delight. Although Ye Xin and Shen Zhuo arrived early, they weren’t the first; two or three families were already ahead of them. However, their bicycle made them stand out in the crowd.
Despite the early hour, the team had gained experience in managing these situations. The village chief and assistant chief were present, ensuring order was maintained so that no one pushed and shoved. Everyone waited patiently in line.
Li Xingguo was coordinating with the first few families. “Shen Zhuo needs to hurry to his training class, so could we let them go first?”
One family objected, “I was here first; why should he go before me?”
Most people understood the situation better. “Oh come on! He needs to leave! Let him go first! We can wait a little longer without it being a problem.”
Another voice chimed in humorously, “They’ve missed so much work this year; I doubt they’ll get much grain anyway! Let them go first; I want to see how much they’ll get!”
Laughter erupted in the line, and both Shen Zhuo and Ye Xin felt their faces flush bright red—this felt like public humiliation!
Seeing Shen Zhuo staring at the ground in embarrassment, Ye Xin forced a smile and spoke up, “It’s okay, Team Leader. We’ll stick to the queue; we’ll be fine.”
Li Xingguo nodded, directing the hesitant family to go first, placing Ye Xin and Shen Zhuo in second.
While they waited, the people who had previously been discussing how to prepare their meals suddenly turned their attention to them, peppering them with questions.
“I heard you bought bricks yesterday?”
“How many trucks of red bricks did you get? They look sturdy and durable! How much did it cost?”
“Are you building a new house? Two people living together in a small place—why the construction now?”
Ye Xin could only respond vaguely, “Yes, we bought some bricks to build a bathroom. It’s not a new house. We didn’t even have a place to bathe, and the kitchen has so many drafts; living like this is unbearable…” She added that the bricks were purchased from Huang’s village, where they had expanded to create a brick factory.
Fortunately, there was only one family ahead of them, so she didn’t have to deal with too many questions. Otherwise, she might have found it overwhelming.