“Alright, wait a moment, Third Brother. Let me wash my hands first!”

As soon as she entered the house, Jian Xiu immediately took out the wheelchair design blueprint from under the wooden board.

“Third Brother, take a look at this drawing. Can you understand it?”

Zhang Zifu took the blueprint and, upon seeing the drawings, immediately asked, “Is this a wheelchair for Third Brother?”

“Uh-huh! Now that the blueprint is in your hands, can you build it?”

“Hmm… This does look a bit complicated, but I think it should be doable. However, this circular part here is a bit tricky, and these little things you marked on the side—what did you call them? Screws?”

Zhang Zifu pointed at several spots on the blueprint, continuously asking Jian Xiu for clarification.

As they discussed back and forth, Zhang Zifu gradually understood.

“Oh! Now that you’ve explained it, I think I get it!” Zhang Zifu exclaimed in realization.

“That’s good. If you don’t understand, just ask. As long as you can make it, I’ll pay you one tael of silver. Would you be willing?”

Jian Xiu planned to sell this wheelchair at Yuexiang Pavilion.

If she sold it for three taels of silver, she would get 70% of the profit, which amounted to two taels and one hundred copper coins.

Even after giving Zhang Zifu one tael, she would still earn one tael and one hundred copper coins for herself.

This way, she could save time to focus on other things.

Hearing that he would be paid, Zhang Zifu quickly waved his hands, saying,

“No, no, that won’t do. How can I take your money? We eat and live under your roof, and you’re even covering Fei Mo’s expenses at the academy. If I take your money too, what kind of person would that make me?”

Besides, while the wheelchair looked complicated, it was only difficult at the beginning.

Once he got the hang of it, he could make one in just a few days.

Wouldn’t one tael of silver be too much?

If it were one or two hundred copper coins, he might feel more comfortable accepting it.

Jian Xiu had anticipated this reaction.

Shaking her head, she explained,

“Third Brother, you misunderstood. This money isn’t from me; it’s from Manager Wu of Yuexiang Pavilion. I’m selling this wheelchair to them. Besides, if you earn money, wouldn’t that help cover Fei Mo’s academy expenses?”

“From my observations these past two days, I can tell that Fei Mo is actually a very smart child. With the right guidance, he will have a bright future.”

She spoke the last sentence softly, afraid that Zhang Fei Mo, who was outside in the yard, might overhear.

“That may be true, but this money…”

“Enough, enough! I’m straightforward—if I say I’m giving it to you, just take it. If I weren’t willing, even if you asked, I wouldn’t give it!”

Jian Xiu interrupted him decisively.

Seeing this, Zhang Zifu turned to Zhang Zixuan for support.

“Third Brother, if Xiu’er is giving it to you, just accept it! Besides, this is what you deserve.”

Zhang Zixuan said calmly.

At that moment, he felt a deep gratitude toward Jian Xiu.

If it weren’t for him, she wouldn’t be taking such good care of Zhang Zifu.

“Third Brother, I’ve already cut a good amount of wood in the back. You can use it directly.” Jian Xiu pointed to the yard behind them.

She had cut the wood some time ago but had been too busy to use it.

She hadn’t expected it to sit there for so long.

“Oh! In that case, this saves me a lot of trouble.” Zhang Zifu rubbed his hands together excitedly.

“Oh, by the way, aren’t the green bricks arriving tomorrow?” Jian Xiu turned to Wang Xiuying and asked.

She had been making trips to the county these past two days, so Zhang Zifu and his wife had been handling the house construction.

“Yes, they’ll be delivered tomorrow. I actually had something to ask you about that.”

“Oh? Third Sister-in-law, go ahead.”

“You mentioned hiring someone to cook before, right? I have some free time, so you don’t need to find anyone else. I’ll handle it.”

“That works. I was just about to bring that up! But you might be too busy doing it alone. I already asked Xue Mei to help you. The two of you will have to work hard for a while.”

“Oh, that’s not a problem. Compared to living at the old house, this is already much better!”

Hearing this, Jian Xiu smiled knowingly.

Of course, she would still make sure to pay Wang Xiuying for her work.

She believed that even among family, it was important to be clear about money matters.

Then, she handed one tael of silver to Wang Xiuying and instructed,

“Third Sister-in-law, use this money to buy five catties of pork every day. For breakfast, make white porridge and steamed buns, but don’t make the porridge too watery. At lunch, cook all the pork and pick some wild vegetables from the backyard to go with white rice. I’ve already bought the rice…”

Jian Xiu gave detailed instructions.

She knew that if she didn’t explain clearly, Wang Xiuying might prepare watery porridge like in the old house or just toss in a few sweet potatoes and call it a meal.

While that might save money, Jian Xiu believed that only by eating well could people have the strength to work.

Especially since they were building a house—her future home.

If the workers ate well and saw that she was treating them generously, they would likely work harder.

She didn’t want to be penny-wise and pound-foolish.

Most importantly, everyone helping her had once lent her a hand in difficult times.

Giving them a few good meals was the least she could do.

Wang Xiuying had wanted to say something, but seeing Jian Xiu’s determined expression, she swallowed her words.

After spending these past few days together, she had come to understand Jian Xiu’s personality.

Once Jian Xiu made up her mind, it was difficult to change it.

With everything arranged, Jian Xiu felt relieved and had a deep, restful sleep that night.

For some reason, ever since leaving the old house, even though the backyard was drafty and full of gaps, she still felt safe and at ease.

What she didn’t know was that after she fell asleep, Zhang Zixuan stayed awake, quietly watching her.

He hadn’t closed his eyes the entire night.

He kept thinking about how she had managed to survive until now.

Hearing about her past struggles in her old world made his heart ache in an unfamiliar way.

He wanted to share her burdens.

He wanted to take on the hardships she had endured.

Most of all, he wanted to let her live a carefree life, free from suffering and toil.

As he thought this, Zhang Zixuan slowly reached out his right hand.

His fingers traced her features in the air.

He didn’t dare touch her, afraid he might accidentally wake her up.