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Yun Cuihe smiled and affectionately held Chu Yue’s hand.
“This is all thanks to Yueyue. She fetched the doctor and got the medicine, far more attentive than the three boys at home combined!”
Chu Yue lowered her head shyly. “Mother, please don’t praise me like that.”
Even Lu Xingping, who usually loved to argue, found his mother’s words undeniable. Without his sister-in-law, their mother would probably still be in the same poor condition.
Wang Xuelan carefully observed Chu Yue. The young girl had delicate features and a kind appearance. She commented, “Indeed, this girl looks like she’s destined for a blessed life.”
Yun Cuihe agreed. “Exactly! Xinghe is truly lucky to have married Yueyue.”
Soon, the bricks and tiles were delivered to the foundation site. Lu Xinghe checked the quantity and led the manager over to Yun Cuihe.
“Mother, I’ve verified the number of bricks and tiles. It matches perfectly. We paid a deposit of 10 taels of silver before, and now we owe the remaining 36 taels, which can be settled with Manager Zhou here.”
Since Lu Xinghe had already verified it, Yun Cuihe trusted him and quickly handed him her purse.
“Mother doesn’t understand these things, so you go ahead and settle with Manager Zhou.”
Lu Xinghe signed a receipt with the manager and paid him the remaining 36 taels of silver.
Seeing Lu Xinghe personally pay the money to Manager Zhou from the Kaiyang Brick Factory, Wang Xuelan finally believed that the family truly had the means to build a house now.
After Manager Zhou left, she said, “Since we’re all here today, why don’t you all come over to our house for lunch? That way, you won’t have to go back and cook. I’ll have the fourth daughter-in-law make extra food.”
Yun Cuihe glanced at the children, who didn’t object, and nodded. “Thank you, Mother, and fourth sister-in-law.”
Wang Xuelan quickly waved her hand. “It’s no trouble. I’ll go back and start preparing. You can come over when you’re ready.”
Watching Wang Xuelan leave, Yun Cuihe responded, “Alright, sure thing.”
Lu Xinghe looked at the pile of bricks and tiles behind him. “Mother, you all go down to eat later. I’ll stay here and watch over the materials.”
Yun Cuihe frowned. “Your grandfather said the auspicious day for starting construction is the day after tomorrow. Are you planning to guard here for the next few days?”
Chu Yue turned to Yun Cuihe. “Guarding it is the right thing to do. Bricks are expensive, and it’s indeed better to prevent theft. I’ll bring my husband’s books here later and keep him company while he watches.”
Lu Xinghe shook his head repeatedly.
“You’re a young lady. Staying out here exposed to the elements isn’t good. I’ll handle it alone. Besides, Grandfather said he would borrow a dog from Uncle Jianqi’s family to help guard the site.”
At that time, keeping a dog was a sign of a well-off family.
“Mother, which family is Uncle Jianqi’s?”
A slight awkwardness appeared on Yun Cuihe’s face. “He’s from the village chief’s family. Our Bampo Village’s chief, Lu Jianqi, is distantly related to your grandfather and great-grandfather. Though it’s five or six generations apart, we’re still considered relatives in the village.”
Chu Yue nodded, thinking the connection was quite distant.
Not long after, Lu Tiesheng came with a large dog.
“Father, you’re here.”
Lu Tiesheng glanced at Yun Cuihe. “You’re still recovering. Why aren’t you resting at home? What are you doing in the mountains?”
Yun Cuihe smiled. “Father, I’m much better now. Just a few days ago, I even went up the mountain with Xingping and Xing’an to gather wild vegetables.”
Since the birth of Lu Xingping and Lu Xing’an, Yun Cuihe had been frail and often ill. But ever since Xinghe got married, not only had the family’s luck improved, but even her health had taken a turn for the better.
For once, a rare smile appeared on Lu Tiesheng’s usually stern face.
“Good. It’s good that your health is improving. Head down the mountain now. Your mother asked me to call you all for lunch.”
Lu Xinghe quickly took the leash from Lu Tiesheng. “Grandfather, you should go eat as well. I’ll watch over things here.”
Lu Tiesheng snatched the leash back, feigning annoyance.
“You brat, go eat! It’s not your turn to take charge yet. If you want to watch later, come back in the evening. Spend your day at home reading. Your fourth uncle is nearby. If anything happens, he can handle it.”
Unable to argue, Lu Xinghe followed Yun Cuihe down the mountain.
The door to the courtyard was opened by Lu Yufang. As soon as they entered, she pulled Chu Yue aside to show her some recently gathered medicinal herbs.
“Yueyue, come help me take a look. Did I identify these herbs correctly?”
While the two girls were engrossed in their conversation, Yun Cuihe went to the kitchen, where her fourth sister-in-law, Jiang Xiuqin, and her mother-in-law, Wang Xuelan, were busy cooking.
“Mother, fourth sister-in-law, is there anything I can help with?”
Jiang Xiuqin quickly replied, “No need, third sister-in-law. Your health isn’t great. Just sit and rest. It’s only a few dishes; it’ll be done soon.”
Wang Xuelan interrupted with a laugh. “Fourth daughter-in-law, don’t say that. The third daughter-in-law is in good health now!”
“Really?” Jiang Xiuqin looked at Yun Cuihe in surprise. “If your health has improved, that’s great news. Forgive my loose tongue earlier.”
Yun Cuihe smiled nonchalantly. “It’s no big deal, fourth sister-in-law. I actually wanted to discuss something with you.”
“Oh?” Jiang Xiuqin wiped the sweat from her forehead. “Go ahead, third sister-in-law. If it’s about selling herbs, just let us know. Yufang has gathered more recently, and I’ll trouble you to help sell them again when you go to town.”
“That’s a small matter. Yueyue and Xinghe can take them to town next time they go. But this time, it’s something else…”
“Everyone is focused on their studies now,” Yun Cuihe explained, “and Xinghe already lost many years of learning. Now that he’s finally picked up his books again, we can’t let household matters distract him anymore. That’s why I wanted to ask if the fourth brother has some free time and could help watch over the foundation of our new house.”
Jiang Xiuqin and Wang Xuelan exchanged glances. Without hesitation, Jiang Xiuqin raised her voice and called out, “Shoucheng, come here for a moment!”
Lu Shoucheng, who was chatting with the Lu Xinghe brothers, immediately responded and jogged over to the kitchen.
“What’s up? What happened?”
Jiang Xiuqin repeated Yun Cuihe’s request.
“You’re not busy these days anyway; why not lend a hand?”
Lu Shoucheng slapped his thigh with a grin. “Oh, that’s all? Didn’t we already agree I’d help? Don’t worry about the bricks and tiles, third sister-in-law. With me and Father keeping an eye on them, nothing will go missing!”
Yun Cuihe’s face lit up with relief.
“Thank you so much, fourth brother. But we’re not asking you to help for free. Xinghe and I have discussed this. When our elder brothers built their houses, our family didn’t have enough people to assist. But now that it’s our turn, we’ll make sure everyone helping gets paid fairly.”
She continued, “For the first and second brothers, since they’ll be formal laborers during the construction, we’ll pay them the standard rate of 30 wen per day. Fourth brother, since you’ll be doing smaller tasks and watching over the bricks at night, we’ll also pay you 30 wen per day starting today. Does that sound fair to you?”