Chapter 21 : Planning to Build a House

Han Zhenyu informed him of his plan to build a house nearby.

“Brother Sun, I need a lot of bricks. Can you help me buy some from the nearby village? If you have time, you could also help me make them. I’ll pay you based on market prices.”

Sun Dahan laughed, “Why buy them? I can help you make bricks. It’s just bricks, no need to talk about money. You’re being too formal.”

Sun Dahan’s wife chimed in with a smile, “This little bit of work isn’t worth much. We’ll be neighbors soon, and we’re from the same village. How can we take money for helping a neighbor?”

Han Zhenyu, however, was resolute about paying. “Brother Sun, Sister-in-law, I truly appreciate your kindness, but business is business. I have to pay you. If you refuse, I’ll have to buy the bricks elsewhere.”

Sun Dahan knew Han Zhenyu’s character well. He wasn’t the type to owe favors. If Sun refused the money, Han Zhenyu would likely not accept his help.

With a grin, Sun Dahan relented, “Alright, since you’re insisting, I’ll take it without being too polite.”

Han Zhenyu smiled and said, “Thank you, Brother Sun. I’ll head back to discuss the house plan with my wife. I’ll come over in the evening, and I’ll need your help to calculate the materials needed.”

Han Zhenyu admitted he knew little about building houses, but Sun Dahan was experienced. He trusted him to calculate the materials, which he’d then source.

“Leave it to me,” Sun Dahan assured him.

When Han Zhenyu returned home, the Han family was already out working. Su Xieqiu, his wife, was in the room dismantling a quilt. She had planned to wash it in a couple of days but could no longer tolerate the smell of sweat on it due to the hot weather and cramped living conditions.

Noticing Han Zhenyu enter, she quickly asked, “How did it go? Did you secure the homestead?”

Seeing her eagerness, Han Zhenyu smiled, “It’s approved, just as you wanted. It’s in the north, near the mountains. There’s only one family nearby, about 20 or 30 meters from our homestead.”

“That’s wonderful,” Su Xieqiu said, holding back questions about the construction start date as it was nearly time to work. She handed him leftover eggs and scallion pancakes from the previous day and told him about the Han family’s morning antics.

“When I got up, they had already eaten but didn’t leave food for us. When they left for work, they carried two large baskets, likely filled with food.”

Amused, she added, “I can’t believe they carried grain to the fields.”

Han Zhenyu’s face darkened. “Did they take all the food?”

“I don’t know yet. I haven’t checked the main hall. But the fine grains, eggs, and oil are likely gone.”

She poured him a bowl of water. “Eat quickly. Don’t you have to cut wood later?”

“I’ll check the main hall first,” Han Zhenyu replied. “If there’s no food left for us, I’ll find them in the fields.”

Su Xieqiu followed him to the main room.

The locks she smashed the previous day were still broken, leaving the door unlocked. On the table, they found half a bucket of sorghum flour. Weighing it in her hand, Su Xieqiu estimated it to be about seven or eight taels, including the gourd.

She sneered, realizing it was likely left for Han Zhenyu’s sake after the family assumed he had left earlier in the morning. They had mocked her and even asked her to work with them, only quieting when she shouted that Han Zhenyu would return soon.

Han Zhenyu looked at the sorghum flour, smirked coldly, and headed into Yang Lanhua and Han Baoguo’s room.

Han Zhenyu opened the cabinet where food was stored but found it empty.  

After searching the room, he eventually discovered half a bag of sorghum flour and half a bag of corn flour hidden in the kang hole.  

Su Xieqiu was speechless. To protect the food from being taken, they had gone so far as to hide it in such an unlikely place.  

But Han Zhenyu had an eye for these things. Despite the careful concealment, he managed to find it. Clearly, this wasn’t the first time Yang Lanhua had done this, and Han Zhenyu was well aware of her ways.  

Returning the sorghum flour to its original spot, Han Zhenyu picked up the corn flour and said, “Put this in our room. If the old woman refuses to let you eat, you can cook for yourself.”  

Su Xieqiu smiled and nodded.  

After Han Zhenyu left for work, Su Xieqiu took the quilt cover she had removed earlier to the backyard to wash.  

The clothesline was already filled with freshly washed clothes from Zhang Qianyun and Yang Lanhua’s morning trip to the river. However, Su Xieqiu noticed a faint stench still clung to them. Smiling mischievously, she thought, ‘I wonder if they’ll feel nauseous wearing them later?’  

She set down her wooden basin and noticed a gray-blue jacket and black pants in the corner.  

Recognizing them as Han Zhenyu’s clothes, she picked them up and added them to the basin. But when she spotted a pair of patched underpants, she froze in embarrassment.  

‘We’re not close enough to be washing each other’s undergarments,’ she thought. Still, since she had already taken them out, it felt wrong not to wash them.  

Sighing, she threw the underpants into the basin and got to work.  

The backyard water vat was already full, and Su Xieqiu, without caring who filled it, used the water to wash the clothes. Once she finished washing and drying them, she grabbed a basket to pick vegetables for lunch.  

Since the Han family had taken their lunch with them that morning, they wouldn’t be back. But Han Zhenyu would return for lunch.  

She planned to pick tomatoes for a cold dish but couldn’t find any ripe ones. The cucumbers had also been picked clean, leaving her with only string beans and kidney beans.  

As she was heading back to the front yard with the vegetables, the hens in the chicken coop began clucking.  

Smirking, Su Xieqiu set the basket down and approached the coop. She selected the plumpest chicken out of the four.  

‘With a head injury like mine, killing a chicken to recover isn’t unreasonable, right?’  

She boiled a pot of water, slaughtered and plucked the chicken, used half for soup, and cooked the rest with the kidney beans.  

When Han Zhenyu returned from the mountain, the aroma of chicken reached him before he even got home. Initially, he thought the neighbors were cooking. But as he approached, the smell grew stronger, and he realized it must be coming from their own yard.  

He paused, thinking of the chickens in the backyard, and pushed the door open, holding back laughter.  

Su Xieqiu was carrying dishes from the kitchen when she heard the door. Seeing him, she smiled and said, “Go wash your hands. Lunch is ready.”  

Han Zhenyu chuckled, “You killed a chicken?”  

“Yes,” she replied, smiling. “Why not? We’re going to divide the family property soon, and the old woman isn’t likely to give us anything anyway. Might as well eat it now.”  

“True,” Han Zhenyu agreed, “but eating a few chickens might stir up some trouble before the division.”  

Su Xieqiu smirked. “Let her. I don’t care. If we stir up trouble a few more times, maybe the division will happen sooner, right?”  

Dazzled by her radiant smile, Han Zhenyu coughed to mask his fluster and said, “I’ll go wash my hands.”  

Not noticing his reaction, Su Xieqiu assumed he was just hungry. “Alright,” she said cheerfully, “I’ll get the food ready.”