CHAPTER 27: CHAPTER 17: DISCUSSING BUILDING A HOUSE

Leaving their parents to rest at noon, Zhang Guoqing followed his brothers outside, each looking for their own wives. He wanted to find his Jiao Jiao for some comfort. Thinking about cornbread and corn porridge, no wonder his mother treated organic rice as a supplement. He couldn’t bear his Jiao Jiao and son eating those things either, so it was better to separate the family. At most, he would support his elder brother’s family more and care for them, since it’s only a few steps away.

The second brother waited for the younger brother to catch up. "Xiao Wu, we brothers should discuss the house construction, buying a larger quantity of tiles together would lower the cost, and they would deliver them directly.

I plan not to buy green stones. There are plenty at the foot of the mountain. Besides, hiring villagers to help us won’t cost much in these days. How much is a day’s work points anyway? Plus, we can collect some green stones ourselves without spending any money.

The price in the city—I found out before that building five rooms with green stones costs almost 30 yuan, which is a month’s salary for a city worker. Other villages dream of building brick and tile houses. The green stones on our land are free."

Zhang Guoqing agreed; his second brother was calculative, having planned this all along. He wasn’t concerned about dozens of yuan, but he didn’t want to attract attention. Moreover, if his second brother was collecting green stones himself, he couldn’t just watch and not help, which might affect their brotherly relationship.

"Second brother, I’ll listen to you. You make the arrangements, just get some people over to collect more for spare, so it won’t be troublesome when we want to add on later. I’ll cover the labor cost for collecting the green stones. You should know I won’t have much time since my little nephew’s after-three-day-wash and I’ll be checking the mountains," he said.

"No need, clear accounts between brothers. Whatever the cost, it will be. I’m just building five rooms plus a kitchen and a wall. We can calculate it later. I’ll start preparing in the afternoon. As for tiles and timber, we’ll get dad to decide early." The second brother didn’t agree, knowing his brother’s generosity, and didn’t mind doing him a favor.

Zhang Guoqing chuckled happily, not continuing the topic. When the house is built, he would just subsidize more in other areas; no need to say it out loud.

"Sure. I plan to build one like the current one. The main house is three rooms, the East Wing three rooms, and the West Wing three rooms, totaling nine rooms. Plus a kitchen and a warehouse. We’d fence in as much as the homestead allows. The backyard can be arranged as needed later.

Second brother, you should build like this too. You plan five rooms, adding a few more wouldn’t cost much and it would look grand. It’d be nice if the three of us brothers build the same.

When the sons grow, the East Wing is enough for marriage. In the future, if there are second and third sons, there’s still the West Wing and it can be extended. Living with your wife in the main house is great~~ A big fenced area can raise pigs, and the second sister-in-law can grow some melons, vegetables, and grains in the backyard. Green stones don’t cost much, but even if ten thousand tiles are what? Dad has prepared all the large beams for the wood."

The second brother hesitated, building like this looked nice, not as he had thought before, just a row of houses with a fence. When the children grow and marry, they’d still need to build houses. Now, the couple is still young, and there will be children in the future.

But Xiao Wu made a good point; leaving some space in the East and West Wings allows for extension in the future. "Xiao Wu, how much would that cost? You know the family is thin after the separation, we can’t not keep money for emergencies, right?"

"Second brother, I estimate that building like elder brother’s, the big stones and those small poles wouldn’t cost much. It’s the tiles that are valuable. Calculate it: tiles and timber would be 20 yuan, collecting stones 5 yuan even including the courtyard with five people 20 days, each person 10 work points per day is only a bit over 2 mao, let’s say 3 mao is under 30 yuan.

Together for such a big courtyard, just 55 yuan would be enough. Isn’t it reasonable? Are you going to build or not?" Zhang Guoqing was getting anxious. Usually quite clever, why couldn’t he understand, didn’t they have him and elder brother for support?

He envied Xiao Wu since childhood. Among the 10 grandsons and granddaughters, besides the eldest cousin, Xiao Wu was grandpa’s favorite.

Those times were chaotic; with a little noise, the whole village would run into the mountains. He was small, carried by his mother with food, his elder brother pulling him, his feet covered in blisters, his face cut by branches hurting and itching, not allowed to cry.

Looking ahead, he saw grandpa carrying Xiao Wu from afar, afraid he’d be bitten by insects, wrapped him fully.

Though only six years older than Xiao Wu, he felt both envy and hatred. Since then, he stopped liking this little fool. Seeing him smile at everyone, gaining more and more people’s affection, even their closest elder brother was all about Xiao Wu.

Grandpa secretly gave him all aunt’s things, while everyone else was starving dizzy, brothers and sisters thin, his father ventured deep into the mountains, only Xiao Wu was chubby, acting silly to make their mother happy.

He resented him. Twisting his chubby cheeks without complaints, he just foolishly smiled. Later, he learned to avoid confrontation, praised as smart by others, but in his eyes, Xiao Wu was just a fool, oblivious.

Later on, he didn’t know when someone dared bully him or elder brother, he’d charge like a calf, perhaps thanks to eating well as a child or inherently strong, beating kids from miles away, becoming a child king.

Seeing the kids imply to others he was Xiao Wu’s second brother, he, being the elder, others respected because of the younger.

Relying on this little fool, no one dared offend him. He didn’t know if it was jealousy or something else, didn’t like dealing with him even at home.

Some people are born to shine; with him there, everyone else is just twinkling stars.

Xiao Wu had it all, as grandpa said, blessed. Wasn’t it true, he charmed the famous golden baby, Zhou Jiao, since childhood with a single egg and half sent by famished mother. The fool mistook the calculation, he got only a fifth, and claimed half to lose heart?

The golden baby, talented and beautiful, gentle, with a martyr father, high official grandfather, and military mother, what a status and character, many were secretly waiting for this flower to bloom.

Only for the fool to hide her early. The fool himself didn’t know; he worried someone might ambush him in a sack.

Now seeing him still can’t like, getting a baby boy and going crazy, been ecstatic since last night. Most annoying, buttering up his mom in the kitchen.

Nevertheless, he felt relieved; thankfully no issue in his head. No matter how not likable, can’t let anyone bully his brother. Hence, he considers Xiao Wu still a fool; why seek reasons? Just like giving a big dose of laxatives in his porridge to cause chaos.

The second brother nodded seeing he didn’t express stance, Xiao Wu would bite otherwise. This fool is single-minded; for siblings, he could give his flesh.

"Alright, I’ll go with you on this. Your second brother isn’t stupid, you attend to your matters, I’ll discuss with dad." Still annoyed, he tapped his head and left.