Transmigrated as My Aunt in the 70s
Chapter 72 - 071 Build a house

Chapter 72: 071 Build a house

Tian Manjin and Granny Zhao were quite welcoming of He Xuewen moving in, as they had a good impression of him, mainly because He Xuewen was very good at socializing. Like this time buying gifts, he bought something for both Granny Zhao and Zhu Aiqing. Granny Zhao got a piece of green Dacron fabric, while Zhu Aiqing received a piece of light blue Dacron fabric. As for Tian Manjin, of course, he got a packet of Xin’anjiang Cigarettes. As for the children from Donghua Weiguo, it was simple: a packet of biscuits and a packet of fruit candies was enough. Jianguo, to this day, is still wary of He Xuewen, seeing his two joyous younger brothers, he felt frustrated, deeming them too naive.

He also bought presents for Bajin’s house, though not as many as for Sisi’s house; a packet of brown sugar, a piece of Dacron fabric, a packet of Xin’anjiang Cigarettes, and a packet of biscuits, but even these were quite generous. Therefore, the Tians were very fond of He Xuewen, who was handsome and generous. Tian Manjin, of course, welcomed him, especially pleased with the red leather shoes He Xuewen bought for his daughter, believing that anyone who loves his daughter couldn’t be bad.

After eating, He Xuewen took the same gifts he gave to Bajin’s house and went to Zhong Boqiang’s house, accompanied by Tian Manjin. The visit went smoothly, with the Tians advocating for him and his second son Zhong Fugao constantly praising him. Most importantly, the lavish gifts made it impossible for Zhong Boqiang to refuse. He declared that as long as Bajin agreed, He Xuewen could pick any spot at the foot of Moon Spring Mountain to build his house.

At Bajin’s, there was no need for further discussion. As soon as Tian Manjin mentioned that the Old Man had agreed, Bajin agreed without a second thought. In his view, as long as his elder brother agreed, he just needed to support it, and he couldn’t go wrong. He had followed his elder brother’s lead all his life.

The matter was resolved to everyone’s satisfaction, and all the Tians were happy, except for Tian Xinhua, who was sulking. He didn’t like his Ah Nan getting close to that guy Chengsi, feeling as if something of his was being shared, which was upsetting, yet he couldn’t pinpoint why. Ah Nan was extremely affectionate with Chengsi, which infuriated him. He thought this guy would just stay for a few days and then go back home, but unexpectedly, he ended up staying longer and was even living in a house behind Ah Nan’s, which was outrageous!

However, no matter how unhappy Tian Xinhua was, he couldn’t stop the groundbreaking of He Xuewen’s new home. The next day, Zhong Boqiang and Tian Bajin accompanied He Xuewen to inspect the land at the foot of Moon Spring Mountain. He Xuewen had already spotted a relatively flat piece of land of about three to four hundred square meters, backed by Moon Spring Mountain, with a bamboo grove in front and a serene environment. Most importantly, there was a naturally formed spring pool with very clear water, sweet enough to drink directly, saving He Xuewen the trouble of digging a well.

There are many such spring pools on Moon Spring Mountain, so Zhong Boqiang and Tian Bajin didn’t mind He Xuewen picking this land with the spring pool. In their eyes, since the land wasn’t in the middle of the road or occupied by trees, in the rural view, it was a useless land without much value, now able to be sold to earn some money, which the villagers would certainly be happy about.

As expected, when the villagers were gathered under the old camphor tree, they were very pleased to hear that He Xuewen was willing to spend two hundred yuan to buy that piece of wasteland at the foot of Moon Spring Mountain. Two hundred yuan per household could mean one or two yuan each — not an insignificant amount, enough to buy two or three kilograms of meat!

However, they hadn’t expected this distant relative of the Tians to be so wealthy. To avoid trouble, the Old Man let He Xuewen claim that he was a distant relative of the Tians. In rural life, without local relatives and friends to look after you, it could be difficult to get by, as the villagers might find ways to ostracize you. While not fearful, it could be quite bothersome dealing with the sometimes crude villagers.

Therefore, some of the potential troublemakers, hearing he was a distant relative of the Tians, had no choice but to suppress their agitation, waiting to see how things would unfold. They saw the father and son duo as easy targets: one a pretty face, the other a little rascal. They knew the Tians couldn’t watch them all the time and would eventually slip up. Seeing the duo’s dress and how easily they spent two hundred yuan on land, it was clear they had money on them.

He Chengsi was well aware that even with the Tian Family’s protection, he would still be bullied if he didn’t show some assertiveness. Yet, he didn’t take it to heart. To him, these minor squabbles of the villagers didn’t amount to much, and he didn’t mind if the villagers took small advantages, as long as they didn’t go too far, he wouldn’t quibble. But if anyone tried to take it too far, he would not be afraid. Narrowing his eyes, He Xuewen gave a few unseen cold sneers at some greed-filled villagers in the crowd.

After settling the land deeds, the construction of He Xuewen’s new residence began, employing full-time workers paid 1.5 yuan per day, not including meals which would be provided by their own homes. The villagers, hearing about the 1.5 yuan wage, were thrilled, as normally other places offering meals paid only up to one yuan a day. Now with an extra 0.5 yuan, their income was almost half as much again. Given that the building would take about twenty days, they would earn about ten or so more yuan during this period. Thinking this, the villagers working were very enthusiastic, undeterred by the absence of provided meals.

Old Man suggested He Xuewen to merely build a bungalow. However, He Xuewen planned to use this place as a base for the years to come. He intended to stay here for an extended period during the next four or five years, especially since his beloved daughter (whom He Xuewen did not even consider would go back to her own home), would also live here—he naturally needed to construct a sturdier and more comfortable house.

Therefore, He Xuewen didn’t use the usual local mud bricks for construction, but opted for blue bricks instead. The building was a three-room, two-story structure with a man-high perimeter wall. He originally wanted to use glass doors and windows, but was dissuaded by Old Man. None of the other houses in the village had glass windows and doors—a foreigner like him adopting such materials would be looked down upon. Thinking it over, He Xuewen settled for windows papered like those of the locals.

While the construction of the new house was progressing fervently on this side, Tian Sisi could only continue her schooling with a hint of melancholy. However, this time they had a new companion, student He Chengsi. Once work began on the new dwelling, He Xuewen sent his adopted son to school, even though he had taught him himself. The education in schools differed from his, and most importantly, Chengsi, having traveled east and west with him over the years, hadn’t had a single playmate, making He Xuewen feel guilty towards his adopted son. Now that they had settled down, it was naturally time for Chengsi to experience collective school life like other ordinary children.

Yet young Mr. He Chengsi couldn’t fathom He Xuewen’s thoughtful consideration. Upon hearing that his adoptive father intended to send him to school, he felt his head grow three sizes larger, though he had always respected He Xuewen and would never contradict him. Even though he was reluctant to endure the hardships of school, he reluctantly agreed, his face screwed up in displeasure.

Tian Sisi found it amusing—why was it that no one around her loved reading? Of course, except for Tian Shouhua. Tian Shouhua was an anomaly in the Tian Family, extremely passionate about studying. In his past life, as soon as the national college entrance exams were reinstated, Tian Shouhua was admitted to Shanghai Jiao Tong University. Nonetheless, the major he studied was not a profitable one—how could rural people back then understand what majors were beneficial? They only thought securing a university meant a secure job for life.

Thus, Tian Shouhua followed the school’s arrangement and studied Heat Treatment. After graduation, he was assigned to the Shanghai Machine Tool Factory. Although he eventually climbed his way to become a senior leader at the Shanghai Machine Tool Factory, in Tian Sisi’s view, Tian Shouhua’s achievements should not merely confine him to be a lackluster factory leader. If he had initially studied finance, medicine, law, or other such subjects, perhaps Tian ShouhuaCould have become a top figure in those fields.

In this life, with her by his side, she would absolutely dissuade Brother Shouhua from conforming to the school’s arrangements. Back then, many students checked the box on that item, suffered pointed losses, and ended up assigned to cumbersome majors, while the desirable majors they picked were taken by those with connections. Hmph, this time with her watching over, she would definitely help Brother Shouhua choose a good major, and when the moment comes, once he makes a name for himself, she just wanted to be the dutiful little sister resting under her brothers’ shadows.

PS: Thanks for the support from Fat Girl 0915 and Youzi is so handsome!