The Lucky Farmgirl
Chapter 165 - 154: Plan (Additional - for reaching 120,000 recommendation votes on Yunqi)

Chapter 165: Chapter 154: Plan (Additional Chapter for reaching 120,000 recommendation votes on Yunqi)

After Manbao fell asleep, Ms. Qian furrowed her brow and looked at Old Zhou, "Are you serious about building seven rooms, or were you just pacifying Manbao?"

"Of course I’m serious. Would I lie to a child?" especially with something this important. Manbao is so smart; what if she picks up bad habits from that?

Old Zhou had his own considerations. He said, "Didn’t you mention a few days ago that Four’s debt was almost paid off?"

Ms. Qian softly responded, "Hmm," and said, "Not much left."

Nobody expected the ginger the children had casually planted to be so valuable.

The wasteland that Zhou Silang gradually converted wasn’t that large, about six or seven fen in size, with almost half planted with yams and the rest with ginger.

The yield from that small patch of ginger was substantial. During this period, the family was selling at least forty catties of ginger each day, resulting in a steady income.

Others might not be aware, but whenever Five and the others returned, they would settle accounts with her, hand over the public portion, and give her the money meant for Four. So, except for Manbao, Ms. Qian was the one who knew the household finances and everyone’s savings the clearest.

Even the involved parties, like Zhou Wulang and the others, probably didn’t have a clear idea themselves.

Unknowingly, the family had saved a substantial amount of money.

But to build seven brick and stone houses...

Ms. Qian, with a furrowed brow, said, "I’m afraid it’s not enough."

"It’s about there," Old Zhou said in a low voice. "The savings from last year, the money Four paid back, and what we’ve saved up this year, should come to about thirty-five taels, right?"

Ms. Qian made a sound of agreement.

Old Zhou then said, "If there’s extra money in the public funds, then certainly Eldest and the others have some too. This house we’re building will be for them to live in. Since Manbao has put in money, they naturally should contribute as well. With that added, it should be just about enough. I reckon that not only will it be enough to build the houses, but also to furnish the rooms adequately."

Old Zhou figured, "One bed for each room, we’ll have to add a better table and chairs for Manbao’s room. At most, we’ll provide them with one set of bedding each, and they can take care of the rest."

These items all cost money; upon calculation, it seemed somewhat insufficient, especially the beds, which were big-ticket items.

Old Zhou felt his tobacco cravings acting up and after some thought said, "No rush—the ginger still left in the field isn’t a small amount. Once sold, it should be about enough."

Ms. Qian glanced at him, "Have you forgotten that we still need to find Four a match?"

Old Zhou was close to worrying himself sick when he said, "Should we ask him to wait another year?"

"He will be nineteen next year."

Old Zhou sighed, "That is getting a bit old."

The couple was silent for a long time.

Old Zhou then muttered, "How about borrowing some from Xi?"

Zhou Xi’s ginger harvest was also not small, and she too had to contribute a portion to the public fund. However, because she was a married daughter, she might not have a share in the family’s assets in the future. Therefore, Ms. Qian decided to only take a third from her, letting her keep the rest for herself.

Of course, she had to share a part with Manbao and the others as well, though at a smaller ratio. In the past ten or so days, she’d carried ten or twenty catties of ginger out daily, bringing back a fair amount of money. Hence, Old Zhou figured she must have also saved a tidy sum.

Seeing that Ms. Qian had calculated everything, she said, "You go and talk to her."

Old Zhou grumbled, "If I must go, I’ll go."

But in the end, Ms. Qian didn’t let Old Zhou go. Besides in front of Manbao, in front of his other children, he never spoke softly. Asking him to borrow money would not only make him uncomfortable but also the one being borrowed from.

However, there was still some time before the construction, and Ms. Qian only mentioned the idea to Zhou Xi, without needing the money right away.

In the village, everyone would help each other build houses without charging a fee, but that was when building thatched-roof houses, which were simple, convenient, and quick.

At most they’d mix some yellow clay to coat the walls, to better insulate them against the cold. For the stone houses the Zhou Family wanted to build, not only would they have to provide two meals a day but also pay wages.

Even between neighbors, they’d have to be paid no less than eighteen coins each.

So, labor costs were one expense.

They would also have to buy stone or quarry their own, and those labor costs were separate. They wouldn’t need to buy much wood.

Since their allocated land was primarily mountainous, the trees on the mountains belonged to them. Old Zhou decided to go to the mountains the next day to check the trees. If they needed more, they’d have to arrange it with someone in advance.

The next day, before Old Zhou had gone to check the trees, Manbao had already carried her little hands to the empty plot next door, walking around it like a monarch surveying her domain.

Junior Ms. Qian, who had just finished preparing breakfast, couldn’t find her. When she stepped outside, she saw Manbao standing with hands on hips, nodding incessantly, lost in thought. Junior Ms. Qian called out, "Manbao, what are you looking at? Come back and eat your breakfast."

Manbao, looking at the vast empty space, nodded her little head and said, "I’m looking at where my future room will be. Big sister, can you help me make a red canopy, please?"

"Where would you find a red canopy? In all these years, even your big sister has only ever seen blue ones." Junior Ms. Qian dragged her back and said, "Stop dreaming; there’s no sign of any house yet."

She felt building a house was still a distant dream, so Manbao should just focus on school.

Junior Ms. Qian pushed Manbao to finish breakfast, loaded her with the Small book box, and sent her off to school.

Manbao skipped her way there and upon seeing Bai Shanbao, said, "My family is going to build a house; when I move into my new room, I’ll invite you to warm the house."

Bai Shanbao’s spirits lifted and he asked, "When will you move into the new room?"

When they had a housewarming, Manbao had brought him a basket full of candies, a gift for the occasion, and he decided he’d give her a gift when she moved into her new room.

Manbao repeatedly said, "Soon, very soon!"

After school that day, as soon as she got home, Manbao ran to find Old Zhou and asked, "Daddy, when will my room be finished?"

Old Zhou, who was drinking water, almost choked. He said, "That’s a long way off. Today, I’ve just gone to check the trees in the mountains. We still need to buy some for the construction, and we also have to quarry stone and dig the foundation... You’re still young, stay with us for now. There’s no hurry to move."

"How can that be?" Manbao protested, "I’ve already told my classmates, and they’re supposed to come and warm my room on the next day off."

Old Zhou was stunned, not expecting his daughter’s words to spread so fast. He quickly said, "How can they come the next day off? We haven’t even started building yet. Tell them it takes time to build a house, and you’ll invite them after a while, alright?"

"How long is a while?" Manbao asked. "Isn’t building a house very fast? Whisk, whisk, and it’s done. Even if you’re slow, daddy, it should be ready in six or seven days, right?"

Six or seven days... Old Zhou exclaimed, "In six or seven days, we won’t even have dug the foundation. It’ll take at least until after the New Year to move into the new house."

"Daddy, you’re so slow; I’ve already told my classmates..." Manbao said.

"Then just tell them again."

"It’s so embarrassing," Manbao protested, "All my classmates know. They said they’re getting gifts ready for when I invite them."