Zeng Ruixiang came in and said that he had thought about the house, and decided to build a wooden shed first, which wouldnt cost much. The childrens earnings could be used to build a large wall around it, so the family would have a nearly seven-acre courtyard. Using earth bricks to build the courtyard would only require some labor costs, and seven or eight silver coins would be enough. He had been thinking about this for several days, and if he built half of the house first, it wouldnt be safe for Shen Shi and the children to move in, as he was often away from home and there were no other houses nearby. Not only would they have to worry about thieves, but also animals like foxes and raccoons coming down from the mountain to eat chickens. A higher wall around the courtyard would be much safer.

  "Actually, Ive been thinking about this too. When I went back to my mothers house the other day, she also mentioned this to me. I was afraid you wouldnt agree, and I was trying to figure out how to bring it up with you. After all, were not a wealthy family, building such a big courtyard is quite conspicuous. I didnt expect that youd be thinking along the same lines, its really great! Now the stone in my heart can finally fall to the ground."

  Zi Qing was overjoyed when he heard that the yard wall would be built, as he had been worried about the safety of the watermelon patch outside and had wanted to remind Shen Shi to build a wall but didnt know how to bring it up. Now everything is fine, they can really close the door and make a fortune quietly.

  Zeng Ruixiang listened and said, "If its sunny tomorrow, Ill go find someone. Now is not the season for making earth bricks, the weather is bad for work, many families in the village have stockpiles, we can either buy or borrow, I estimate that buying them will be about the same as labor costs, anyway our family doesnt have the labor to do it ourselves, what do you think?"

  "You figure it out yourself, anyway hiring a man to do hard labor for one day costs thirty cents, our family cant even afford food, I estimate forty cents a day, how many earth bricks are needed for such a big courtyard wall, roughly how much labor cost, you go ask someone who understands."

  Zeng Ruixiang said that tomorrow he would first discuss with the old master, and then go to the village to find someone. Then he mentioned what kind of plants should be planted in such a large yard. Shen Shi said it was just right that Zi Qing had bought some watermelon seeds, planning to try them out. If they grew well, there would be a wall around the yard and others wouldnt steal them. Actually, picking one or two wasnt feared, but what was feared was that at night, when it was dark, someone might accidentally damage the vines. This remark struck a chord in Zi Qings heart.

  The night was uneventful, and the second day was already the seventh. It was still a rainy day, and it didnt clear up until the tenth day. During this time, Zeng Ruixiang kept going out to take care of various matters. He decided to buy earth bricks after all, and hired ten more people to build the courtyard wall. He also asked several of his paternal cousins to help him build a wooden house. Zeng Ruixiang said he wanted to move in after the Lantern Festival so that he could go to the county town with peace of mind.

  So on the tenth day of the Lunar New Year, as soon as the sun came out in the morning, Rui Xiang went out to have all the bricks delivered and dried under the sun for half a day. In the afternoon, they prepared to start digging the foundation of the courtyard wall.

  In the afternoon, when Zixi was sleeping, Ziqing asked Zishou to watch him. When he woke up, he went to call Shen Shi over. Then Ziqing and Zifuzilu went out together to the construction site. When they arrived at the site, Ziqing found that there were still many large stones, but didnt know if they were bought or picked up. It turned out that the earth bricks had not been fired at high temperatures, so after soaking in water for a long time, they would become soft and collapse. Therefore, the foundation must be made of stone or green brick. Ziqing saw that at this speed, the foundation could be dug in two days. The soil was very loose after the rain, and the foundation of the courtyard wall didnt need to be too deep.

  Zeng Ruixiang saw that the three siblings had all arrived, so he asked them to pick up the stones on the wasteland and pile them together. Tomorrow, they would burn the weeds. Zi Qing thought it was a pity to burn some of the thorns, and suggested using them as fences for the vegetable garden instead. Zi Qing told Zi Fu about this, but Zi Fu didnt understand at first and asked, "We already have courtyard walls, whats the point of having fences?"

  "Big brother, you forgot that we have to raise chickens. Chickens will run around everywhere and trample all the vegetables in the garden, what can we do?" Zi Qing replied.

  "Right, how come I didnt think of that. Then Ill go find a hoe to dig, you two pick up the stones." Zifou hurriedly walked away.

  Maybe it was because of a burst of energy, none of the three people complained about being tired, and they automatically took a rest when they were exhausted. The whole afternoon passed by unknowingly, and the result of their labor was quite satisfactory. This big pile of stones, Zeng Rui Xiang said that the bigger ones could be used to build the foundation, and the smaller ones could be used to pave the road. Zi Fu also piled up the thorny branches together. After hearing Zi Fus idea, Rui Xiang said it was okay to water them, they would live for a pretty long time.

  It wasnt until nightfall that everyone finished work, as there was no way to control the food, and the agreed-upon wage of 40 cents seemed to satisfy the villagers, who were also very motivated. Zeng Rui-xiang felt that they had completed the task faster than expected, and the return journey was quite pleasant.

  After dinner, back to the house, the whole family had nothing to say, went to bed early and slept until dawn.

  The next day was fine again, and the old man had said yesterday that the rain had cleared up, so it should be sunny for a few days. In the morning, after settling in, the three of them went to the construction site again, where they saw Zeng Ruiqing, Zeng Ruixiang, and several paternal uncles using the excavated soil to raise a flat area and compact it. Next to it was a pile of long wooden boards and planks. The ten people who had dug the foundation pit yesterday were now divided into different tasks: two were mixing mortar, with some crushed rice straw mixed in, and they were adding a white liquid that Zifeng said was glutinous rice paste to increase its viscosity. Four people were moving stones to prepare for building the foundation, while the remaining four continued digging the foundation pit.

  The three siblings didnt idle around, continuing to do the things they hadnt finished yesterday. After being busy for several days, the wooden house was finally completed before the Lantern Festival, and a earthen stove had been built inside, with two stove openings in a vertical "L" shape, one large and one small, with a pot at the intersection of the two, using residual heat to boil water, which Ziqing had used before in the countryside. Zeng Ruixiang lit a fire twice to test it, baking the dampness out of the mud. In the south where rain is plentiful, the wooden house was covered with tiles on top, and looking at the small wooden house in front of her, Ziqing thought that if it were a small bamboo building, it would be even better, as she had been to Guizhou and Yunnan for tourism and seen the local hanging-foot bamboo buildings, and theres also the beauty of leaning against something while living, which has a unique charm.

  The courtyard wall is almost finished, only missing a big gate. Da Tang Shu Zeng Rui Le and his father suggested that the courtyard wall should be smoothed out with mud and straw, looking neat and nice. So they worked hard for another two days, finally completing it on the 17th day, resting one day during the Lantern Festival. Zeng Rui Xiang settled the wages with everyone, expressing gratitude again to the villagers for their help. Zi Qings uncle and his family refused to accept any wages, saying something about not wanting to take advantage of such a big favor. After returning home, they discussed it with Shen Shi, who said that each household should buy something as a token of appreciation, and couldnt just receive such a big favor for free.

  After dinner, Shen began to pack up his things, saying that the old man had looked at the almanac and tomorrow was a good day for everything. Zi Fu also packed up the books and writing utensils in his room. Xiao Xiu Shui came over to find Zi Qing, saying that it would be inconvenient for them to play together from now on, and they wouldnt be able to go wash clothes together either. As she spoke, her eyes were still red.

  "Auntie, Ziqing hasnt gone far either, shes still in the village. You can come to my house and play, I have a big yard. If I go to town, Ill definitely look for you too, its very close." Ziqing promised hastily.

  "This is almost okay, you see, these days the chickens are all fed by me, Im telling you, if the chicken lays eggs, you have to send a few to me first, and when killing the chicken, you have to invite me to eat, remember?"

  "Remember, dont worry, Ill definitely call you." Zi Qing hehe laughed, childrens nature is good, come and go quickly.