nucmednet Chapter 39 Building a House
Chapter 39 Building a House
The next day, when the cockcrowed, the wooden door of the courtyard was knocked. The voice of the village head Meng Jianshan sounded outside the door. Ru Yue felt relieved that she did not get up late because of staying up late last night. She hurriedly opened the door to welcome him in.
Meng Jianshan looked at the two of them. After not seeing them for a few days, they seemed to have changed. But upon closer inspection, he couldn't see any changes. He quickly calmed down and said, "You go to town early every day, so I thought I would come early today to discuss building a house with you."
The courtyard was simple, so Ru Yue asked him to sit on a low stool in the courtyard, and she and Chu Ning'an followed.
"I've found twenty hardworking people in the village for you. They'll earn thirteen copper coins a day, no food required. I figured more people would help the work go faster, and it would be best if we could finish it before the autumn harvest. That way, you can move in earlier and it won't delay the villagers from harvesting. Is that okay with you?"
Ru Yue and Chu Ning'an were very happy when they heard this and quickly said, "Uncle, you are very thoughtful. We will listen to you."
Meng Jianshan was very happy to hear the two people complimenting him like that. "I told your uncle Dagui that you wanted to ask him to help you supervise the construction of the house. He pushed aside some things at hand and agreed. Now it depends on when you start the construction. The bricks, tiles and wood must be prepared in advance." He paused and said hurriedly, "Don't blame me for meddling in other people's business. It's not easy for us farmers to build a house. We have to choose an auspicious day to start construction. I was afraid that you young people would not believe it, so I didn't discuss it with you. I went directly to your uncle to ask for a few dates for you. You two can choose one later. On that day, I will notify the villagers to come to work." Then he handed them a piece of red paper with several dates written on it.
Ru Yue took the red paper and was ecstatic. Her uncle's years as a village official here were truly not in vain. He was decisive and efficient, always thinking ahead of herself in everything, and thoughtful of her family. "Uncle, what are you talking about? You've experienced more and know more than us, and you've always thought of us. We are grateful and there's no way we would blame you."
He turned to Chu Ning'an and said, "It would be a relief to have the house built sooner. Let's choose the nearest one?" Chu Ning'an nodded with a smile.
"Then let's have the villagers come early tomorrow morning to dig the foundation. Normally, wages for this kind of work are paid daily. I'll tell them to arrange a time to get paid. What do you think?" Ru Yue knew he wanted to set a time for payment, so she didn't hold back. "Uncle, just follow the usual rules. You don't have to run around for these things. Uncle Dagui is willing to help supervise the work, so I'll leave the money with him. He can distribute it to everyone at the end of the day."
"By the way, uncle, how much do you think we should give to Uncle Dagui?" Chu Ning'an wanted to make everything clear so as not to make people unhappy because of some trivial matters.
"Normally, someone would do this kind of work, but it's usually eighteen copper coins a day for supervision. Do you buy the materials yourself or ask him to do it for you? If you ask him to buy the materials, he'll have to pay more. You'll have to discuss this with him yourself."
Ru Yue knew that Meng Jianshan had indeed made detailed plans for them, and she felt more and more that it was wise for her to make friends with him. She was also glad that the original owner's father could make such a friend.
"Okay, then, let's do as Uncle says. We'll go to Uncle Dagui later to explain everything clearly, and then we'll start work tomorrow morning."
Seeing that everything had been explained, Meng Jianshan prepared to leave. Ru Yue hurriedly asked Anping to bring him two bamboo tubes of chili sauce. It is not good to ask someone for help without showing any appreciation, but the friendship will become deeper if there is give and take. Even if the gift is small, the sentiment is great, there will be a long way to go.
Meng Jianshan was not polite and left with his things. He also reminded them that they must be there when the work starts tomorrow morning, and the owner must dig the first shovel of soil himself.
After breakfast, Ru Yue asked her two children to practice calligraphy and memorize at home, while she and Chu Ning'an took the drawings, two bamboo tubes of chili sauce and some fruits to Meng Dagui's house.
Meng Dagui looked at the blueprints Ru Yue and the others had brought, and was surprised. How could they build such a large house with just four people? A closer look at the design left him even more amazed. It would be a good house in town, not to mention in the village. He discussed it with Chu Ning'an for a long time before finally figuring it out.
Ru Yue talked to him about wages and material purchases. She had to admit that it was much easier to find an expert than to do it herself.
Finally, it was decided to pay Uncle Dagui twenty-five cents a day as wages, and to choose the best materials, especially the wood. Before leaving, Ru Yue gave him a thousand cents as wages for the blind date who came to help, and gave him five taels of silver to order bricks, tiles and wood. If it was not enough, he could always come to her for more.
They were all easy to talk to, so they discussed things easily and were looking forward to starting construction on the house tomorrow morning.