Chapter 62: Asking the Carpenter

The two of them filled a basket with green plums and sour plums before heading home. Out of curiosity, Chu Yue took one and tried it, only to find it so sour that she didn’t dare take a second bite.

Lu Xinghe saw the little girl’s face scrunched up, her eyes squinting from the sourness, and quickly took the fruit from her hand and placed it back into the basket. “I told you these fruits were sour, but you didn’t listen. Stop eating them, or you’ll upset your stomach.”

After placing the fruit back inside the house, the two of them went to the old house.

As soon as Chu Yue arrived at the old house, she hurried to the kitchen to help Yun Cuihe boil water and cook. Meanwhile, Lu Xinghe took advantage of the time before mealtime to go help at the new house.

When he arrived, Lu Dagui was helping with transporting bricks and had no signs of his usual laziness.

He turned his attention to Lu Tiesheng, who was rubbing his waist. Lu Xinghe quickly went over to support him. “Grandfather, there’s Uncle, Second Uncle, Fourth Uncle, and my two uncles here. You should go rest for a bit, don’t strain your back.”

Lu Tiesheng grunted, brushing off his hand. “I’m not old yet, just a little tired from bending down for a while. I’ll be fine after a rest.”

Nearby, Lu Shoucheng glanced at the stubborn old man.

“Father, it’s almost mealtime. You should go back now. There are plenty of people here, and the house is going up quickly. We don’t need you here.”

Lu Tiesheng finally grumbled and got up. As he walked away, he muttered, “You ungrateful bunch, you think I’m old? I’m still strong enough to work.”

Lu Shoucheng quickly agreed, “Yes, yes, we all know you’re still fast and strong, just like when you were young. But we don’t want you to overdo it, so go back and rest. We’ll need to keep an eye on the bricks later tonight.”

At the mention of bricks, Lu Tiesheng paused.

“Right.”

He then easily made his way home.

Watching the old man leave, Lu Shoucheng shook his head helplessly. “Your grandfather is so stubborn. Even though he’s over fifty, he refuses to admit he’s aging. He still acts like a young man.”

Lu Xinghe smiled but didn’t say anything, continuing to help transport bricks.

Both uncles were hardworking, and the two hired workers were quick at their tasks. After a whole day of work, the walls of the house were already half a person’s height. With a few more days of effort, they would probably be ready to set up the beams.

At the end of the workday, Lu Dagui felt embarrassed to join everyone at the old house for dinner since he had his son waiting at home. He headed straight back.

Yun Cuihe, upon hearing this, quickly asked Lu Xingping and Lu Xing’an to bring two bowls of brown rice porridge to him.

When Lu Dagui saw his quiet home and the nearly empty rice jar, he felt a pang of guilt. But when he saw the two bowls of thick brown rice porridge in front of him, he was so moved that he wiped away a tear.

He had stolen money from them, but they not only saved his son but also brought him food. Truly good people.

Although he felt embarrassed, he still ate the food that was handed to him. After all, they had no rice left at home. He took the bowls of thick brown rice porridge from the two brothers and said, “Thank you, Xingping, Xing’an. You can go back now. After I finish eating, I’ll return the bowls.”

“Okay, we’ll go back.”

The two brothers said and quickly ran back to the old house for dinner.

…

After a busy day, everyone was tired. They ate dinner and tidied up the old house before heading home. Since there wasn’t enough space at home, the two brothers from the Yun family decided to stay in the old house for the night.

The old house had plenty of rooms, and after the eldest and second families moved out, several rooms had become vacant.

At night, Lu Xinghe lay down.

“Yueyue, don’t go into the mountains again in the future.”

Chu Yue, who had been drowsy, lazily asked when she heard Lu Xinghe’s words, “Why?”

He glanced at her slim back. “Just don’t go running off into the mountains when I’m not around.”

“I understand.”

Chu Yue yawned after answering, and before long, soft breathing sounds could be heard.

Lu Xinghe smiled helplessly. The carefree little girl always fell asleep quickly.

…

While the Lu family was busily building the house, the Chu family in Niutou Village wasn’t idle either. Chu Dashan first encouraged his parents to go to Lu Xinghe’s house to ask for money from Chu Yue. Zhao Chunhua said that the Moon Festival (Mid-Autumn Festival) was approaching, so they would get it eventually, and there was no need to make a special trip.

When that didn’t work, Chu Dashan began asking around about the Lu family. After hearing that they were building a house, he encouraged his parents to check it out. But none of them were eager to work. They didn’t want to walk for two hours on the mountain road only to end up with no benefit and still have to help, so they hoped Chu Yue would bring things home on her own.

Finally, the day before the Moon  Festival, the family realized that Chu Yue probably wouldn’t come.

After dinner, Zhao Chunhua, hands on her hips, scolded, “That ungrateful girl must have gotten cocky and abandoned her family! She thinks Lu Xinghe is her protector. He’s just a temporary interest. After two years, she’ll be of no use to him. Let’s see who she’ll rely on!”

Chu Dashan fanned the flames. “I told you she was bought off by Lu Xinghe. You don’t know how arrogant she was the last time she saw me.”

Because of the previous incident with the stolen pigs, Chu Youqian had been scared straight for a while but had recently started to get restless again.

If it weren’t for their lack of money, he would have already gone to the gambling house in town.

Now, hearing their conversation, he slammed the table.

“Tomorrow, I’m going to Banpo Village. What kind of daughter doesn’t bring gifts home for the festival?”

Chu Dashan quickly added, “Father, I’ll go with you.”

Xiao Tao, curled up in a corner, silently watched as they discussed how to deal with her sister, feeling disgusted by the ugliness of their words.

Luckily, her sister married far away, otherwise, she’d be harassed by them every day, and it would drive anyone crazy.

“Go, go, go. It’s better for you all to go together for support. Just return early.” Zhao Chunhua said, then shot a glare at Chu Xiaotao, who was shrinking in the corner. “You little brat, what are you standing there for? Aren’t you going to clean up the dishes on the table? Just like your sister, useless and a waste. You don’t do much work but waste food every day.”

After finishing her words, she angrily kicked a chair aside and went back to her room.

Chu Xiaotao dodged the chair Zhao Chunhua kicked, saying nothing. She simply stretched out her arm to gather the dishes from the table and, with some difficulty, carried them to the water basin to wash.

Her small figure was hunched by the basin. Though slender, there was a sense of resilience and stubbornness about her.

With her sister not at home, she knew she had to learn to protect herself. She hoped that in the future, she would be able to support her sister.

…

The Yun brothers had helped at Banpo Village for ten days. Today, the roof of the house was finished, and they were preparing to leave. The next day would be the  Moon Festival (Mid-Autumn Festival), and they needed to return to reunite with their family.

Yun Cuihe gave each of them three hundred wen as payment. At first, the brothers refused to take it, but Yun Cuihe insisted, pushing the coins into their hands and sending them out the door.

Unable to resist Yun Cuihe’s insistence, the brothers could only take the copper coins and head home.

“Xinghe, the roof of our new house is done. Next, we’ll lay the blue bricks inside, plaster the walls, build the stove and kang (heating bed), and fix the outhouse as you requested. We’ll also need to hire a carpenter to make the furniture. Who do you think we should hire?” Yun Cuihe furrowed her brows.

Without a second thought, Lu Xinghe replied, “Master Liu from Liushu Village. His carpentry skills are famous in the nearby villages, and his wages are reasonable.”

Yun Cuihe nodded. “Alright, then we’ll go with Master Liu.”

Chu Yue, who had been listening nearby, raised an eyebrow when she heard “Liushu Village.”

Isn’t Wu Yong learning carpentry in Liushu Village? If her husband hires Master Liu, Wu Yong will probably follow his master here as well.