novelhk Chapter 165 Preparing to Build a House
Chapter 165 Preparing to Build a House
The dogfight was a story for another time. Lin Chang'er figured she wouldn't see it anyway, so she didn't bother with it. Once Wu Qingfeng and his group left the village, she took her people home early.
Beating a drowning dog is one thing, but making money is another.
Now that she has reclaimed the original owner's family fortune and has more money to use, she needs to plan how to make money work for her.
The women who had gone to see them off returned home and went to work in the backyard, without needing Lin Chang'er to direct them.
First, the small fish and shrimp that were previously dried to a semi-dry state were separated according to their moisture content and stored in the warehouse.
Then, we sort out the fresh fish and shrimp that arrived today, clean them, and place them on bamboo mats to dry. Since there is no sunlight at night, they can only be air-dried.
Despite the large number of people, the event was not chaotic at all; every process was carried out in an orderly manner.
The women's faces remained beaming with smiles, their eyes filled with anticipation for the future, as if the horrific events of the previous night had never occurred.
Looking at the scene before her, Lin Chang'er felt deeply gratified. In fact, besides relying on nature's bounty to dry the fish and shrimp, they could also be dried with charcoal.
However, because of the incident in Xiaonan Village, she had previously suspended her plans to build a house.
To dry anchovies, you first need an oven, a storage room for charcoal, and space for the workers to operate.
Since baking requires charcoal, a storage room for storing the charcoal is also needed, as are the workers' workspace.
The space at the Gu family's place is definitely not enough.
But the amount of fish we've been getting these past few days has only increased, and we're almost out of space to spread out the bamboo mats for drying them. Building a house is now an inevitable decision.
Coincidentally, she also had plans to open a snack shop.
To produce snacks in large quantities, hygiene standards must be met first, and the current kitchen is definitely not enough. Now, these two things can be planned together.
In addition, when making snacks, the charcoal left after burning firewood can be stored in a jar and used to bake fish and shrimp at night. The remaining wood ash has many uses, such as composting and preserving potatoes and sweet potatoes, although it has space to keep them fresh.
However, a reasonable explanation is needed to the outside world.
Besides, it can also be used to make soap. Right now, she is focused on baby food and has not yet explored the beauty market, but it is always good to plan ahead.
Back in the front yard, torches were still lit. The men who weren't on night duty didn't help with stacking the seafood tonight.
Instead, they gathered together to build barricades; if they couldn't block the road into the village, they would at least set up some roadblocks.
Like the women in the backyard, the men were also full of energy.
They all make a living by farming. The men usually make farm tools to support themselves. Most of them know a little about simple woodworking, but none of them are experts, so they gather together to discuss it.
Gu Dalang also participated, while Gu Dasao and Gu Ersao set up a small table in the courtyard with teacups and bowls on it. If they were thirsty, the men would scoop water for themselves.
The children stayed home tonight and gathered by the fire to study.
These scenes gave Lin Chang'er confidence and strengthened her resolve to protect the village.
The little goldfish was the first to spot her and called out, "Mother!"
The other children greeted her with smiles, but after greeting her, they continued reading. Even Gu Xiaoman and Gu Xiaolu, who were usually the most attached to her, didn't come up to her. The youngest, Zhou Yi, sat obediently to the side, reading aloud with his older brothers and sisters.
It seemed as if the children had all grown up overnight.
Zhou Hai came in from the courtyard gate carrying something. Lin Chang'er was just about to discuss with him about getting the land approved for building a house. The two greeted each other and then sat down to talk by the sandy field.
Lin Chang'er spoke first, and Zhou Hai immediately slapped his thigh and said, "Building a house is good! Building a house is a great thing."
"I remember your family had a plot of land at the village entrance? Is that enough? If not, ask other families and exchange it for a piece of land to combine."
As soon as he spoke, the carpenters over there heard him too.
Immediately, a family from the end of the village said, "Sanlang's wife is going to build a house? There's plenty of open space at the end of our village too!"
"If you're interested in our family's private plot of land, we can trade it with you."
“Yes, if their land isn’t big enough, mine is right next to it, so we can return it to you together.”
The Gu family is now the most sought-after family in the village!
Last night, Sanlang's wife was also stationed at the end of the village, preventing those Hai Man's accomplices from entering. It can be said that the Gu family is now like a stabilizing force at the end of the village.
The Huo family lives at the village entrance, and the Zhou family lives in the village center. If the Gu family's new house is built at the village entrance, what will happen to the families at the village end?
The man from the village entrance objected, "You're making it sound like we're stingy. We're willing to change as long as Sanlang's wife is happy."
Before Lin Chang'er could say a word, the men started arguing.
Zhou Hai quickly stepped in to smooth things over, saying, "What are you all doing? This is entirely up to Chang'er herself. We won't get anywhere arguing about it. Just be quiet."
Lin Chang'er smiled and said, "Thank you all for your kindness! I do need quite a lot of land right now..."
The workshop definitely needs to be built bigger, not to mention the living quarters. Also, Grandma Bai and Bai Shaoan will be coming to help, so they need a separate courtyard. After all this, the Gu family's private land is definitely not enough.
However, once you stay in one place for a long time, you get used to it. It's best if the workshop and your home are close together. So, "I plan to set up a workshop first, which will be more convenient if it's close to home!"
This was a polite way of declining the villagers' offer of help, and the men from those households visibly became listless.
The man at the end of the village was the opposite. Zhou Hai nodded, "That makes sense. Just now, when I was sorting out the land left by the Lin family, I found the land that originally belonged to your family. It's right behind your house."
As he spoke, he unfolded the mountain forest record and pointed to a spot on it, saying, "Look, this is the place. The area next to it belongs to Lin Houde's family."
"Lord Wu said that even if they compensate you with all their land and houses, it won't be enough to pay off their debts. Do you think this piece of land is suitable? If it is, I'll invite a feng shui master to come and check if it's suitable for you tomorrow."
Lin Chang'er was a materialist, but she held that thing in awe, so she readily nodded.
The men who had been watching in the courtyard saw that the matter had been settled, and their displeasure dissipated. They just laughed and said, "When construction starts, call us and we'll go lay the foundation for you."
"Yes, yes, it's been a long time since the village has had such a joyous occasion as building a new house."
"Who says otherwise! Sanlang's wife, don't be shy about it later."
Lin Chang'er laughed and said, "Don't worry, I will definitely not stand on ceremony with everyone. Please don't find me annoying later."
The men waved their hands, saying, "How could that be!"
Once things were settled here, the men went back to making roadblocks.
That night, it was nearly noon before the Gu family finally quieted down.
Lin Chang'er slept soundly through the night and got up early the next morning as usual. Just as she was about to go to the backyard to wash up, she heard a muffled sob coming from outside...