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Jiang Youcheng was kept busy, managing various tasks. Meanwhile, Jiang Mixia, Song Jingyun, and Liu shi were busy cooking, making tea, and preparing various odds and ends. Whenever there was heavy lifting or physical work to be done, Jiang Mixia volunteered without hesitation.
In addition to their other tasks, they needed to weave a batch of bamboo mats for the tea garden. In the evenings, the family worked by the bright moonlight, weaving the mats from bamboo strips.
Jiang Youcheng had a lot of physically demanding work during the day, and he had to continue to work tirelessly in the evenings. It was truly exhausting, but he pushed through, fearing the possibility of failing to deliver the mats on time.
Fortunately, Song Jingyun had become quite skilled and was able to take on a significant portion of the work, which lightened Jiang Youcheng’s load somewhat.
As a result of the frenzied activity, the entire family had slimmed down, but they managed to complete everything without any delays. The bamboo mats for the tea garden were delivered on time, and the house was almost finished.
The interior walls were tidied up, doors and windows were installed, and only some finishing touches remained for the courtyard wall. The remaining tasks involved allowing the house to air out, getting some soft furnishings, moving in new furniture, and finally demolishing the old house and setting up the pigsty and chicken coop.
These were all minor tasks that could be taken care of slowly. Jiang Youcheng notified the neighbors who had been helping that they need not come the following day.
To express gratitude for the assistance they had received, Jiang Youcheng went to town, purchased a large amount of pork, divided it into equal portions, and distributed it to each household in the village.
He thanked everyone who wholeheartedly helped with the house construction during this scorching summer. In the village, whenever there’s a joyous event or the groundbreaking for a new house, everyone pitches in to help, and the host family only needs to provide meals and refreshments. Afterwards, the host family visits each household to express their gratitude.
For families with tighter budgets, the meals and refreshments may be simpler, and during the gratitude visits, they may offer plain steamed buns. Conversely, families with more means provide richer meals and express their thanks with generous gifts, often including meat.
Jiang Youcheng clearly belonged to the latter category, and he distributed a substantial amount of meat. Meat was not something people got to eat every day, so those who received it were overjoyed and deeply moved.
They marveled at Jiang Youcheng’s generosity, at his family’s complete turnaround in fortunes, and at his honest and dedicated nature.
Building a house in such sweltering conditions was truly exhausting, far more challenging than during the milder seasons. Jiang Youcheng’s thoughtful and generous gifts were a clear indication of his appreciation for the effort put in by everyone.
While some people were filled with admiration, others felt envious. Zhang, clutching the piece of pork in her hands, muttered, “Look at the third household, they’ve really come into money. They even gifted pork as a token of thanks, and it’s not just any pork, it weighs at least a pound and a half!”
“If they were to sell this piece in town, it would fetch at least twenty wen. With over ten households helping out, that’s more than three hundred wen spent in one go.”
“Three hundred wen! With that money, you could buy enough flour and rice to last for quite a while. They’re just throwing it around like it’s nothing! They’re really burning money!” Zhang continued, growing more and more agitated. She felt so irritated with the piece of meat in her hand, but she couldn’t bear to return it to the third household. After all, it was given as a token of gratitude, and it was good quality meat. She reluctantly decided to salt the meat and hang it by the water jar to preserve it, planning to make it last for a couple of meals.
Jiang Youcai, while overhearing Zhang’s mutterings, furrowed his brow in concern. “Where did the third household get so much money to build such a large new house?”
“I remember clearly, after the dowry was delivered to the Song family and the wedding was held for Xia, they had to consult the doctor several times due to the collapsed wedding pavilion. The family was in dire straits and couldn’t afford anything. The main household even sent some money over. How come they suddenly have so much money?” Jiang Youcai roughly estimated that building those green brick and tile houses, along with the courtyard wall, would require at least ten taels of silver. His own household was unable to produce even five taels. How did the third household come up with so much money?
Zhang sneered, “Isn’t it because the third household is lucky? He managed to secure supplying a tea garden to the west. He’s responsible for making all the bamboo baskets, bamboo containers, bamboo mats, and bamboo hats for the tea garden. With such a large tea garden and so much work, it’s bound to make money.”
Indeed, that was true.
Jiang Youcai nodded, his face filled with indignation. “The third son used to weave baskets with wicker, and all of a sudden, he switched to weaving bamboo baskets. It’s incredible luck to encounter such a great patronage after a career change. He’s really struck gold!”
As they spoke, Jiang Chunhe returned home with a displeased expression.
“What’s wrong, Chunhe? Why do you look so upset?” Zhang, concerned for her eldest son, hurried over. “Did you get injured while hunting in the mountains?”
“No, that’s not it,” Jiang Chunhe replied impatiently. “I’ve been wandering around since morning and haven’t seen a single living creature. It’s truly frustrating. On my way back, I accidentally stepped in dog excrement. It’s just bad luck!”
“Just let it go. Sometimes you come back empty-handed while hunting. It’s not like you can catch something every day. If your shoes are soiled, have Wu clean them for you. When you’re out and about all the time, there are bound to be some rough patches. Don’t take it too personally,” Zhang consoled him.
Jiang Chunhe spent his days hunting in the mountains, a perilous endeavor pitting him against wild animals. Zhang didn’t want him to be affected by bad luck, and she was also wary of him speaking ill-fated words, so she quickly called for Wu to clean his shoes.
Jiang Youcai furrowed his brow. “I remember Chunhe hasn’t caught anything these past few days.”
Jiang Chunhe nodded with an increasingly grim expression. Indeed, he hadn’t caught anything for the past few days. Every day, he ventured into the mountains, only to return empty-handed.
The animals that were once frequently hunted, such as rabbits and wild chickens, were now almost impossible to find.
“It’s the peak of summer. Those creatures are probably being extra cautious and not coming out easily. Everyone’s likely facing the same situation…” Zhang tried to comfort him once again.
Jiang Youcai grimaced. “But yesterday, I saw a few hunters from the Sun family carrying a large basket of game to the town’s tavern to sell. They claimed they had caught it in the mountains, and the basket was brimming with game. How is it that they can catch so much while Chunhe can’t catch anything?”
Upon hearing Jiang Youcai’s words, Jiang Chunhe’s face turned crimson. He didn’t understand why.