Chapter 31 Building a House

The food consisted of sorghum rice, sorghum porridge, sorghum pancakes, sorghum steamed buns… and so on, and so on.

For a frail widow like Wen Jiuyue, even with little land, farming was extremely difficult, so every year it was a struggle to even fill their bellies.

Even with Xiang Wentian’s great strength, the amount he could carry back each trip was limited. Therefore, they had to make several trips to the county while the snow hadn’t melted, to purchase as many necessary supplies as possible.

After returning home and putting away their things, the two went to the deep valley as usual.

“Hey… what are Grandpa Xiang and the others doing?” Two familiar figures could be seen working at the foot of the mountain from afar.

“Moving stones,” Xiang Wentian replied.

“Moving stones? What for?” Leng You was puzzled.

“Building a house,” Xiang Wentian’s two-word answer made Leng You instantly understand.

“Brother, you mean you and the two grandpas are building a house for Grandma Wen? How can just the three of you manage that? And how will you transport so many stones back?” Leng You was overwhelmed with emotion.

“Xiaotian, what do you think? Our work is pretty good, isn’t it?” Seeing Xiang Wentian carrying Leng You approach, Bai Changpu wiped the sweat and snow water from his face, pointing to the mountain of stones they had piled up.

“Grandpa Xiang, Grandpa Bai…” Leng You called out to them, her voice choked with emotion.

“Little Youyou, don’t worry! As soon as the snow melts, I and your Grandpa Xiang will start building a house for you and Grandma Wen. We’ll build a sturdy and warm one for you.” Bai Changpu smiled at Leng You.

“From now on, you and Grandma Wen will live far away from the village, no one will dare to trouble you. Just live your peaceful lives.” Xiang Huaixin saw Leng You’s reddened eyes and felt a pang of sadness in his heart.

“Thank you, Grandpa Xiang, thank you, Grandpa Bai!” Leng You couldn’t fully express her gratitude, only hoping to repay them better in the future.

“To thank us, just bring back more good things with Xiaotian, hehe… so your Grandma Wen can make us more delicious food.” Speaking of food, Bai Changpu couldn’t help but swallow.

“Yes, let your Grandma Wen make more delicious food.” Xiang Huaixin also used this to comfort Leng You’s uneasy heart.

“Okay!” Leng You nodded vigorously.

By chance, she noticed a newly made sled nearby, instantly understanding the answer to her previous question.

It seemed Xiang Huaixin and the others also wanted to prepare the building stones before the snow melted, using the sled to pull them back.

After greeting Xiang Huaixin and Bai Changpu, the two went to the deep valley.

At Leng You’s insistence, Xiang Wentian tied a rope around their waists, following behind Leng You, his eyes glued to her as she skillfully slid down the valley wall.

“Okay.” Seeing Leng You looking up at him, seeking his approval, Xiang Wentian nodded.

“I think it’s great too.” Leng You pumped her small fist.

For some reason, since her rebirth, she had become extremely fond of stimulating activities and sensations.

Perhaps it was because she had lived too suffocatingly in her previous life, or perhaps because she had always lived in a repressive environment, leading her to become a rebellious personality after her rebirth.

Besides collecting herbs and hunting, the two also collected a large basket of wild eggs and quail eggs, as well as some pine cones in the valley today.

The large basket was prepared by Wen Jiuyue. With the pine cones as padding, they didn’t have to worry about the eggs breaking when climbing up the valley. Moreover, they could extract the pine nuts from the cones later, adding another delicious treat.

The two arrived at the foot of the mountain with their bounty, but Xiang Huaixin and Bai Changpu hadn’t left yet.

Xiang Wentian put down his prey and began to load stones onto the sled. Xiang Huaixin and Bai Changpu joined in.

When Leng You tried to help, Xiang Wentian lifted her and placed her aside.

Leng You: “…”

She felt she could easily carry a hundred or eighty pounds, but she seemed to have been looked down upon.

The sled was large. After filling it with stones, they tied the collected herbs and hunted prey to the back. Xiang Wentian easily pulled the sled back.

Xiang Wentian and Xiang Huaixin must have already planned this. They directly dragged the stones to a place about two hundred meters behind Wen Jiuyue’s house.

Wen Jiuyue’s old house was originally built at the northern foot of the mountain, closest to the deep valley.

After the villagers of Daheishan Village moved south several miles, her house became even more isolated, with the nearest house being four miles away.

The location chosen by Xiang Wentian and the others, while closer to the mountain base, didn’t risk rockfalls, as it was a relatively gentle slope, more accurately a large hill, with higher mountains behind it.

Curiously, there were deep ravines on both sides of the hill, created by years of erosion, serving as natural drainage ditches, eliminating any concerns about flash floods.

This showed that Wen Jiuyue’s late husband was a very wise man.

Being close to the mountain base also provided wind protection.

The area was flat. With only two wells in the entire village, Wen Jiuyue’s late husband miraculously dug a well behind the house, which was why Xiang Wentian and the others chose to build the house two hundred meters behind it.

The new house was less than twenty meters from the well, making water access convenient.

After unloading the stones, they dragged the herbs and prey back.

It wasn’t until after dinner that Xiang Huaixin and Bai Changpu told Wen Jiuyue about building a house for her and Leng You.

Such a huge surprise left Wen Jiuyue speechless for a long time.

This was something she had never dared to dream of. She had often worried about the house collapsing and where Leng You would sleep, wanting to provide a safe place for her child.

When her thoughts returned to reality, Wen Jiuyue was moved to tears.

She couldn’t refuse Xiang Huaixin’s offer, nor should she. She knew better than anyone the state of her dilapidated house.

If there were slightly more rains this summer, the house would definitely collapse.

Moreover, Xiang Huaixin’s point was very realistic. The terrifying legend of the deep valley was deeply ingrained in people’s minds; who would risk their lives to build a house for her?

More importantly, if the secret of the deep valley were discovered, her and Leng You’s safety would be threatened, as people would think they had obtained countless treasures from the valley.