It only took a moment from lifting people into the cart to leaving. Qi Zhenzhen, who was short, didn't even have time to say a word. It wasn't that she wanted to talk to those two, but she was thinking about Gu Sinian's promise to give her money.
The people left without a sound, and her money was gone.
She squeezed her purse. Alas, people really shouldn't be too greedy. She should have been content with the thirty taels she had received. No matter how she calculated it, it was faster than her hunting in the mountains to sell money.
Having come to her senses, Qi Zhenzhen had a faint smile on her face. She turned back into the shed, ready to get her bowl and go back.
A purse of duck-egg green silk embroidered with bamboo lay on the plank bed.
Purses were always tied tightly to belts and would never fall off casually. Moreover, they would not fall off in this position. It was left there by Gu Sinian on purpose.
The purse was bulging, and when she squeezed it, it felt hard. Qi Zhenzhen guessed it contained something like gold nuggets. When she opened it, she found three vivid stones.
Qi Zhenzhen didn't know much about stones, but that didn't stop her from appreciating their beauty. One was as red as blood, shaped like a small seal, another was heart-shaped, and the third was shaped like a blooming plum blossom. They were small and exquisite, making people happy just by looking at them.
It was a pity, though, that they were not as good as money. At least she could use money now.
However, it was Gu Sinian's good intentions, so she should keep them.
After putting the items away, Qi Zhenzhen came out of the shed to find Zhang Erniu. Now that she had enough money, it was time to discuss building the house.
Changshan did not expect things to happen so quickly. The entire Qi family's construction project was undoubtedly his. In a month, he could earn more than one tael of silver. After the house was built, he would receive a bonus. Thinking about it made him very happy.
Therefore, Changshan put all his effort into it. When Qi Zhenzhen stated her requirements, he carefully helped her fill in the details. He had built many houses, including courtyards for wealthy families, and his suggestions were very appropriate.
The house was of the common "concave" shape in the countryside, with two main rooms and two bedrooms on the east and west sides. According to Qi Zhenzhen's requirements, the main rooms and the two bedrooms were the same. Due to the large planned area, the bedrooms were divided into one bright and one dark room. The two bedrooms were also connected to side rooms, each with a stove, making it convenient to do anything at night.
A separate room for bathing was built in the backyard. Changshan volunteered to build it with a heated wall so that people wouldn't feel cold while bathing.
In addition, the privy should not be too simple. It couldn't be as crude as those in the countryside. It wasn't that Qi Zhenzhen was delicate, but someone who was used to flush toilets could not accept the most primitive outhouses. In the end, it was only after Changshan described the appearance of privies in wealthy families that Qi Zhenzhen reluctantly agreed. At least it was better than digging a pit and putting up two wooden boards to finish the job.
Qi Zhenzhen took the opportunity to mention the cellar, which Changshan also included in the backyard.
In addition, a well needed to be dug in the backyard. The privy and the bathroom were both in the backyard, and both required water. They couldn't possibly carry water from the front yard back and forth, could they?
There were three rooms on each of the east and west rows of wing rooms. The first room on the east was a bedroom, the second was a kitchen, and the third was a storage room.
The three rooms on the west side were all equipped with kang beds, as was common in most households.
After totaling everything, Qi Zhenzhen asked how much it would cost. Changshan quoted a price: twenty-five taels.
The money she had just received was gone. Qi Zhenzhen felt a little heartbroken. This way, she only had less than ten taels left, and she still needed to buy enough grain. So, she would have to go into the mountains again tomorrow.
"Shanzi has included the labor costs," Zhang Erniu explained. "Moreover, your house looks no different from ordinary houses, but it's more labor-intensive inside, and there are two more side rooms, a bathroom, and a privy..."
Qi Zhenzhen quickly nodded. "I know that Brother Zhang Er and Brother Shanzi wouldn't lie to me. I'm just lamenting that money doesn't last!"
Changshan breathed a sigh of relief. He thought his quote had scared Miss Qi.
"Once the house is built, daily expenses will be normal, and there won't be such large expenditures. We'll work diligently for you, and I guarantee it will be a one-time job, and future generations will be able to live in a good house," Changshan promised, patting his chest.
Qi Zhenzhen pursed her lips and smiled. She poured out five gold nuggets to Changshan. "I'll trouble you with everything, Brother Shanzi."
Changshan rubbed his hands and carefully took the gold nuggets. It was the first time in his life he had touched gold. When he took it home and exchanged it for silver, he wanted to keep these gold nuggets to give as a betrothal gift when his son grew up and got married. How prestigious would that be!
With the house construction discussed, Qi Zhenzhen still had to worry about another matter: where would she and her two children live after the house was demolished? They couldn't just set up a shed like Zhang Erniu and his two brothers, could they?
After thinking for a moment, Qi Zhenzhen walked towards Doctor Mo's house. She wanted to ask Aunt Mo if anyone in the village had a spare house.
Aunt Mo was, as usual, fiddling with medicinal herbs. She was happy to see Qi Zhenzhen arrive.
After learning about Qi Zhenzhen's intention, Aunt Mo said, "The village head's old house was not demolished. Although it has been vacant for a few years, it can be tidied up and used for temporary residence without any problems."
Coincidentally, they had agreed to buy grain from the village head's house earlier. Qi Zhenzhen left the Mo family and went to the village head's house.
Yu Shi, Song Mingyue's mother, was drying vegetables in the yard. Seeing Qi Zhenzhen arrive, she thought she was here to buy grain and called out to someone inside. Song Mingyue's grandmother heard the call and came out. She knew about the Qi family buying grain, and her husband had instructed her to be kind to the Qi mother and son from now on. Therefore, Song family's grandmother greeted Qi Zhenzhen with a friendly smile.
"Hello, Aunt Song. Hello, Sister-in-law Song," Qi Zhenzhen said in a sweet and soft voice, looking very well-behaved.
Elderly people liked well-behaved and polite children. Song family's grandmother responded with a smile and led Qi Zhenzhen into the house by the hand.
Yu Shi also washed her hands and followed them inside.
Inside the house, the village head was sitting on the kang, puffing on his dry tobacco pipe. Seeing Qi Zhenzhen arrive, he nodded.
Qi Zhenzhen stated her purpose: to buy grain and rent the old house of the village head's family.
The village head knew that the Qi family was building a courtyard wall. Now it seemed they were doing more than just a courtyard wall?
"That old house was already vacant. Why would you need to rent it? I'll have your sister-in-law and aunt tidy it up, and you can live there," the village head said. After hearing Qi Zhenzhen's words, he immediately agreed to let them live in the old house without any hesitation.
Qi Zhenzhen knew that the village head was showing goodwill. Seeing that the expressions of Madam Song and Sister-in-law Song were normal, she did not refuse.
For Madam Song and Sister-in-law Song, the house was of no use. It would only fall into disrepair if left vacant. Now, they were just temporarily lending it to someone, which meant no loss to them. Moreover, all household matters were decided by the old man (father-in-law), so they naturally would not disagree.
They also discussed the amount of grain. Nine hundred jin of wheat would be more than enough until the new wheat harvest next year. The village head originally wanted to charge three wen per jin, but Qi Zhenzhen insisted on not agreeing. The grain stores in town sold it for four or five wen. Finally, they compromised, with one tael of silver for three hundred jin.
The village head stroked his beard, feeling a little embarrassed. Grain merchants only bought grain at a maximum of three wen per jin. He originally wanted to take care of this girl, but in the end, he felt like he had taken advantage. The village head increasingly felt that Qi Zhenzhen had a broad vision and did not focus on petty profits.