Chapter 46

Chapter 46

Sitting in the mule cart, the two held hands tightly, neither wanting to let go.

"How have you been these past two days without me?"

"Pretty good, just missed you terribly."

Wang Ying was amused by his bluntness and gave his head a playful flick. "You've learned to be quite the smooth talker, haven't you?"

Chen Qingyan blinked. "No, I'm just telling the truth."

They looked at each other and couldn't help but laugh, their hearts brimming with joy, feeling like they couldn't get close enough.

"How's everything at home? Is my mother doing well?"

"She's fine, just worried about you. I told her we’d have them over for a visit once the house on the estate is built."

Wang Ying paused before continuing, "I’ve also arranged all the building materials. They’ll be delivered to the estate in a few days. After lunch, let’s ask Manor Head Chen to discuss the construction."

"Alright, I’ll follow your lead."

When they arrived home, a little puppy came running up, tail wagging, excitedly circling around their feet. Wang Ying picked it up carefully, afraid of stepping on it.

This pup was a gift from Chen Xi’s grandson. Their family dog had given birth to a litter, and this one, the prettiest of the bunch, was specially given to the manor owner as a guard dog.

"You’re in luck today, little guy. We’ll cook up some bones for you tonight."

The puppy seemed to understand, letting out a couple of happy barks.

Uncle Chen and Dun Zi unloaded the wagon. This time, Li Shi and Chen Rong had packed plenty of food. If not for concerns about spoilage, they might have even bought a whole pig to bring to the estate.

At noon, a big pot of pork ribs was prepared. Wang Ying asked Dun Zi to bring a bowl over to Chen Xi’s family. "Tell Manor Head to come over after lunch. I’d like him to join me to check out the construction site."

"Sure thing!" Dun Zi replied cheerfully.

The food had just been delivered when Chen Xi came back with Dun Zi.

"Manor Head, have you eaten? Come join us for a meal."

Chen Xi waved his hand. "I’ve already eaten. In spring, when there’s less work, we usually have two meals a day."

"Then sit down and eat with us. We’ve made so much food—it’ll go to waste if we don’t finish it."

Unable to resist Wang Ying’s insistence, Chen Xi pulled up a stool and sat down. "I heard Young Master is planning to build a house. Have you chosen a location yet?"

Wang Ying nodded. "Yes, near the warm spring north of the hill."

Chen Xi looked puzzled. "The warm spring isn’t in the village. Isn’t it too remote to build there?"

Wang Ying waved his hand. "It’s not too far. I prefer the peace and quiet."

After the meal, the group headed to the warm spring near the northern hill. From a distance, they could already hear the sound of flowing water.

The spring was larger than Wang Ying had imagined, with three pools in total. The largest pool had water nearly fifty degrees Celsius, steaming like something from a fairy tale. The two smaller pools were slightly cooler, between thirty and forty degrees.

Since the water contained sulfur, it kept snakes and insects away in the summer, which was one reason Wang Ying had chosen this spot for the house.

"Over the next few days, spread the word around the estate. Anyone with free time can come help with the construction. I’ll pay ten copper coins a day. It’d be best to finish before the wheat harvest."

"There’s no need to pay! Just say the word, and everyone will come help!"

"I can’t let everyone work for free. Make sure they take the job seriously. If anyone slacks off, don’t hesitate to send them away."

"Don’t worry, I’ll keep a close eye on things for you, Master!"

On their way back, they passed by the wheat fields. Wang Ying remembered the plot he had planted in the fall. "How are the crops doing?"

Chen Xi looked concerned. "There hasn’t been much rain this year—no rain or snow since the Lunar New Year. The wheat is growing alright for now, but if it stays dry as the weather warms up, it might affect when the wheat heads form..."

Wang Ying said, "If it comes to it, we’ll have to irrigate."

"We did that last year too, but when it’s dry, the river tends to run low. Fields farther from the riverbank might not get enough water."

It seemed drought was a recurring issue here. Wang Ying wondered if the Changfeng 3 variety he had cultivated could withstand the dry conditions. If the yield turned out well, he could promote its use across the entire estate next year.

It had to be said, Chen Xi was very efficient. As soon as he returned home, he had his son round up the village men to discuss helping with the construction.

Ten coins a day was good money, especially during the off-season. Everyone was eager to earn a little extra for their families.

Naturally, Chen Xi couldn’t take everyone. Some of the older men could barely lift a pickaxe—what use would they be?

In the end, he selected thirty strong men and a few experienced carpenters and masons. They started digging the foundation the very next day.

Since Wang Ying had chosen a relatively remote spot, a ways from the village with only a narrow path used for farming, the group decided to build a proper road first.

With many hands, the work went quickly. In less than two days, they had laid a two-meter-wide gravel path.

Then came digging the foundation. Wang Ying had originally planned to build a two-story house, but he didn't know much about construction and could only provide a rough sketch for reference.

An old mason examined the drawing and said, "Master, these windows are too large. The house will be freezing in winter."

Wang Ying replied, "Then let’s make them smaller."

"For a two-story building, we’ll need more support beams in between, preferably all made of cypress. Otherwise, it might collapse over time."

Without reinforced concrete, building a two-story house was indeed challenging and would cost more than twice as much. After some thought, Wang Ying decided to opt for a one-story house instead.

This was much simpler: five main rooms, two opposite-facing rooms, a kitchen, and side rooms for servants, all arranged around a spacious courtyard. It would look really impressive once built.

A separate garden was planned for the back hill, with a pavilion where they could enjoy flowers and tea in their leisure time.

The warm spring water could be piped directly into a bathing room at home, making future baths much more convenient.

On the eighth day of the third lunar month, the bricks and tiles ordered from town began arriving one after another. Coincidentally, the foundation was also completed, and construction of the residence officially began!

*

Back in town, ever since Lin Qiu and Cao Kun got engaged, Cao Kun had been visiting frequently.

Today, he showed up again just as the shop opened, accompanied by a few young workers from the Porter Guild. Everyone knew about their relationship and teased Lin Qiu, calling him "sister-in-law."

"Get lost, all of you! He’s shy—stop teasing him."

Lin Qiu blushed and went to sort through yesterday's leftover dishes that had sold out.

Cao Kun scratched his head and grinned foolishly, walking over to Lin Qiu and pulling a cloth bundle from his pocket.

"A few days ago, I delivered goods to Song County and met an old man who carves stone. I asked him to carve a little goat for you."

It so happened that Lin Qiu was born in the Year of the Goat. He took the carving—a thumb-sized, lifelike, and utterly adorable little goat.

"You're wasting money again."

"No, no, I helped that old man deliver a letter, and he didn’t charge me."

Lin Qiu pursed his lips in a smile and tucked the little sheep figurine into the pouch at his waist. "You shouldn’t keep coming to town so often. It takes several days to travel back and forth—don't you get tired?"

"Coming to see you isn’t tiring."

Lin Qiu gave him a mock-annoyed look, then turned and noticed Qing Yun and Lin Sui snickering. "The kids are here too—aren’t you embarrassed?"

"Why should I be embarrassed about missing my own husband?"

Flustered, Lin Qiu lightly stomped on his foot and turned to check the account books. Only then did Cao Kun stop teasing him.

"I should get going. I have to make a trip to Yangting County in a few days, and it might take almost a couple weeks to return."

Hearing this, Lin Qiu looked up, hesitating as if wanting to say something. "Uh… be careful on the road…"

"Mm." Cao Kun tossed him a purse, then turned and left with his young companions.

Lin Qiu was taken aback. Picking it up, he saw it contained over ten taels of silver and hurried out after him, but the Porter Guild members had already driven off in their mule cart.

Cao Kun sat at the back of the cart, smiling and waving at him. "Buy whatever snacks you like to eat and get yourself a couple of spring clothes."

The cart driver chuckled, "Wow, Brother Kun’s being real generous!"

Cao Kun grinned from ear to ear. "That’s my husband—gotta treat him right!"

"But you’re not even married yet. Shouldn’t you be buttering up your future mother-in-law first?"

"You’ve got a point. Turn the cart around—we’re going to the Chen family."

The companions burst into laughter, joking that it was like an old house burning down—impossible to put out.

Cao Kun couldn’t help laughing too, but his smile faded when they arrived at the Chen residence. Standing outside the gate was a man carrying a child on his back—none other than Lin Zhangbin, who he hadn’t laid eyes on in ages.

"Tell the people inside that I’m Lin Zhangbin, your uncle! Hurry up and let me in!"

The gatekeeper, Lin Zai, had already been instructed not to let this man in. "You’d better go back where you came from. Our mistress doesn’t want to see you."

"What kind of talk is that! It’s been so long since I’ve seen my two children. Even if we’re divorced, I’m still their father! I should be allowed to see Qiu Er and Sui Er!"

"Fine, wait here. I’ll tell them."

Lin Zhangbin rubbed his hands together, looking frustrated. Since his divorce, life had gotten harder and harder. Widow Yu wasn’t a responsible person—after marrying her, he realized she was extremely lazy. She didn’t wash clothes, cook meals, let alone weave cloth to earn money. Whenever they argued, she would just cry and complain that Lin Zhangbin couldn’t make enough money.

Lin Zhangbin was in a tough spot too. Because of the marriage, he had offended Fang Erlang and lost his job at the pawnshop. He was too old to find other work, and he didn’t have the capital to reopen his private school. He could only scrape by helping people write letters, earning three to five coins a day.

Eventually, life became unbearable, and Widow Yu returned to her old profession of selling herself. As a man, how could he tolerate that? He had no choice but to divorce her again. Now, at the end of his rope, he had swallowed his pride and come to plead for reconciliation.

After a while, Chen Rong came out of the house and spoke to him through the gate. "The divorce agreement was clear as day—we agreed to cut ties forever. What are you doing here now?"

"Ah Rong… Open the gate and let me in…"

"Pah! Since when do you call me 'Ah Rong'? Get lost!"

"How… how can you talk to me like that?"

Furious, Chen Rong began yelling. "What’s wrong with telling you to get lost? Now that your life is falling apart, you remember me? When we divorced, did you ever think about us? You were willing to send our son away for some cheap floozy—how dare you show your face here!"

"I was wrong… Ah Rong, come back. From now on, I’ll have Fugui come live with you and call you mother. Qiu Er should be getting married soon too—there are no good matches in this town. Come back home with me."

Chen Rong was fit to be tied. How could he have the nerve to say such things, even expecting her to help raise that illegitimate son of his?

"Get lost! Get as far away from me as you can! Raise that illegitimate child of yours yourself, and stop claiming my son!"

As the people inside walked away, Lin Zhangbin kicked the gate angrily. The child on his back was too hungry to even cry loudly.

Cao Kun watched with a grim expression for a moment, then stepped forward. "You’re Lin Zhangbin, right?"

"Yes, who are you?"

Before Lin Zhangbin could react, Cao Kun chopped him in the neck to knock him out and motioned to his men to carry him onto the cart.

"Second Boss, what are you doing?"

"We’re taking him back to the county. So he won’t disturb my husband and mother-in-law’s peaceful lives."