Her Cultivation Diary
Chapter 378 - Chapter 378 378. The house is well built_1

Chapter 378: 378. The house is well built_1 Chapter 378: 378. The house is well built_1 “Aren’t there small harvesting machines now? The kind you sling over your shoulder, with the cutting wheel facing the grain. It’s pretty fast, right?”

Zhang Yanping couldn’t help asking.

“No good,” Song Sancheng waved his hand, “I’ve tried it in the town’s store. It’s especially heavy. Without some strength, you young folks can barely lift your arms after a couple of swings.”

They could, of course… but what’s the need, eh?

“Besides, those things guzzle gas, and the wear and tear on the saw blades is substantial. The machine isn’t expensive, around three to five hundred yuan, but if it gets jammed while using, it really holds things up…”

As he spoke, he couldn’t help but reminisce about the past:

“I used to be really good at harvesting rice. I could cover one and a half ‘fen’ of rice field in an hour.”

Song Youde nodded too, “Indeed, you work better than me at this. I can only manage one ‘fen’.”

Together, father and son could finish these two acres in a day. That was the main reason they didn’t want to spend money.

The two of them reminisced about the past and agreed on a plan.

Old Man Li was not to be outdone: “Don’t look down on me because of my age, I can still help harvest a couple of times. We’ll definitely finish in one day!”

Their bold declarations shocked Song Tan as she walked through the front gate!

She earned so much money just to improve her family’s life, so they wouldn’t have to work so hard, right?

Yet here were her own father and grandfather, insisting on harvesting the rice themselves–in this blistering heat, if they suffered a heat stroke and collapsed in the fields, what was the point of all her hard work?

So she waved her hand decisively: “Nobody moves.”

“I’ll hire someone. 150 a day should do, right?”

Everyone in the village, men and women, knew how to do it. Why not hire a couple of people to finish the job in one day instead of exhausting themselves?

At worst, if they couldn’t finish in a day, her own family could lend a hand–it was also a way to relive the experience of harvesting rice. After all, it had been decades since they last planted paddy.

Song Youde and Song Sancheng didn’t really want to cut rice themselves. Now hearing the price, they were quite receptive.

After all, it’s normal to hire help during the busy farming season!

With this time freed up, they could select seeds and hoe the fields to prepare seedlings!

They briskly nodded in agreement:

“Okay.”

Then they asked Old Man Li: “When the time comes, let’s drain the water in the rice field a bit, to avoid getting stuck. After harvesting, we’ll let the rice dry in the field first. I’ll clear a yard here to dry it…”

Old Man Li was also worried: “We’ll definitely drain the field, but no matter how much we drain, there’ll still be some dampness. It’ll slow the drying of the rice. And if there’s heavy rain or something, it’s hard to deal with…”

The summer sky, like a child’s face, is fickle–an unexpected downpour can come at any moment, and we have to be prepared.

Before that, they needed to select seeds and prepare seedlings again, hoping to quickly burn the straw and plow the field after the rice harvest, and then plant the next crop.

As for the drying space…

“There’s no need to clear a space specially.”

Song Tan reminded them: “You’ve forgotten, the construction crew said they were almost finished the other day.”

Of course, they still hadn’t sorted out the furniture or installed the doors and windows, but all the main construction work was done. Water and electrical pipes were all securely in place, and the latex paint and cement tiles were laid out smoothly.

The old house renovation paperwork was originally signed by Secretary Xiaozu and stamped. The application submitted was for a family farm housing renovation.

Fixing up their own place, they also paid money to combine several households’ homestead land together, getting the staff from the Land Bureau to take photos and keep records.

The whole house covers an area of 370 square meters, not even counting the large courtyard outside.

Plus, the main building has three stories, and the side house is one to two stories…

No need to say how spacious it is!

The land bureau even took photos for archiving and verification… In other words, there are no problems with the house!

If we hurry, we can move in right now.

White walls, gray tiles, upturned eaves, and long corridors. Stone paved ground, empty flower beds… Even without greenery, the house already exudes a strong Chinese-style aesthetic.

Most importantly, it’s spacious.

Not only is the yard neat and wide, but the large open space in front of the door is also perfectly leveled, just right for drying rice.

These past few days have been exceptionally hot, and the construction team has been meticulously busy, so no one noticed. But at this moment, upon hearing these words, they couldn’t help but be surprised:

“So soon?!”

Song Sancheng was overjoyed, then he couldn’t help but mutter to himself, “Indeed fast! Back in the day, we had to exert so much effort just to tamp the floor. Now, they have a tamping machine, and it’s done in a jiffy… This high technology makes a difference.”

Then he fixed his gaze on Song Tan, bringing up the most important topic, “How much did the house cost in total?”

How much did it cost? Naturally, it wasn’t cheap. The income from the past six months had basically been poured into it.

Not to mention anything else, just the foundation pit of the main building was 2.7 meters deep and one meter wide! Plus the side house and other parts…

The total package for labor and materials quoted by the construction team was 89,000 yuan.

The ground beam was 80 centimeters, reinforced with eight steel bars, plus the upper layers; covering three stories and the two side houses altogether cost over 400,000 yuan…

In recent years, material costs have been rising year by year, with the price of cement soaring and even red bricks costing 0.5 yuan each. Upon calculating the whole account, Song Tan’s heart ached.

Now was certainly not the time to say it outright.

So he deflected, focusing on the less worrisome aspects: “The electrical and latex paint in the house are all finished. Had it not been for the waterproofing and paint drying, it would have been done half a month ago. I checked it out, and there’s no smell left at all.”

After all, with a rural house, the ceiling height is much higher than commercial residences. Without doors and windows, the ventilation is excellent. The hot weather causes evaporation, and the breeze blows through; even the slightest formaldehyde can’t linger.

Still, just to be safe, after the construction team hands over the work tonight, they will bring in a dozen industrial fans to blow through the house.

“Whenever you have time, you can come and take a look, and also think about how you want to arrange your own rooms.”

The batch of furniture that Zhao Fangyuan ordered has arrived, which was included in the initial design plan, but some details can still be adjusted by ourselves.

Now, not only Song Sancheng but also Xin Jun and Zhang Yanping were filled with anticipation!

Not to mention other things, the new house’s toilet pipes are enough!

Everyone was so engrossed that they even set aside thoughts of the rice, and began happily planning, “If that’s the case, doesn’t that mean we could move in next month?”

“Ah! Then we must have a big housewarming feast!” That was Song Sancheng.

Seventh Uncle was also energized, “I have to check the kitchen! I have a whole set of cutting boards; I need to see where to put them properly!”

Qiaoqiao looked all around, “Do I have my own place to study?”

Wu Lan was mulling over silently: The design plan had left a lot of space for the side house; it could accommodate a dozen more people without a problem!

In that case, isn’t this the perfect time, with the weather being warm, to invite the children’s grandparents over?

It’s not about making the old folks work but simply offering them a chance to relax and give themselves some companionship. Also, it would give their aunt, who had looked after the grandparents for many years, a chance to enjoy some relief.

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