Chapter 43: Grandpa’s Plan
"The weather is bound to snow soon. If these rapeseed plants are too tender, they’ll freeze to death once the heavy snow and frost hit. This current state is actually ideal. They won’t die after the snow falls, and once the snow melts, they’ll truly start to grow. By then, they’ll be tender and green, signaling the arrival of spring." As Zhu Shunyao spoke, she set down the ball basket, took out the pair of one-piece artificial leather trousers, and put them on. Only then did she turn to Zhu Yanli and say, "An’nan, An’ni, stay well on the shore. Don’t run around. An’nan, keep an eye on An’ni."
"Okay, Dad," Zhu Yanli and Zhu Yanyi replied in unison.
Zhu Shunyao smiled at the two girls before wading into the water. She began to tread on the pond floor. Lotus roots couldn’t be harvested by hand; one had to use their feet to gently guide and clear away the mud above them, then pull sharply to extract the root. Zhu Shunyao was quite experienced in this, so with a single tug, she pulled out a large lotus root. Smiling, she first washed off the outer mud. Once it was clean, she broke it into two pieces and handed them to Zhu Yanli and Zhu Yanyi, tossing the remaining section into the ball basket. "Eat while you wait."
"Mhm." Basking in the sun, Zhu Yanli and Zhu Yanyi nibbled on the lotus root, taking small bites. Occasionally, Zhu Shunyao would look up at her two daughters, finding them particularly adorable.
While the father and his two daughters were enjoying themselves, things were not quite as cheerful over at Zhu Guifu’s place.
"Xiangyao’s father, you said Xiangyao is coming back. What should we do about the house?" Gan Juhua had originally planned to bring this up during her birthday a few days ago, expecting Zhu Shunyao to foot the bill. However, since Zhu Shunyao had his own plans, it seemed impossible to get him to pay. Yet, Gan Juhua was unwilling to give up, so she asked her husband.
Zhu Guifu took a puff from his tobacco pipe and said, "We still have some money at home, enough to build a house. Besides, I’ve noticed there are quite a few discarded bricks at the brick kiln. People usually go there to take them for free whenever they need them. In a couple of days, I’ll go get some. I think they’ll be sufficient for building a house."
"There are plenty of bricks for building houses, but will those discarded ones be enough?" Gan Juhua asked. For her most beloved son, she allowed for no mistakes.
Zhu Guifu tapped his pipe against the nearby wall and replied, "It should be about right. Although there aren’t many discarded bricks each year, they’ve accumulated over the years, so there’s quite a lot."
"Can we really use them for free? What if they ask for money?" Gan Juhua worried again.
"They won’t ask for money. Those are discarded bricks, generally unsellable at a good price, and their quality isn’t particularly great. However, they’re still usable for building ordinary single-story houses. Look, just a few days ago, when the Ninth Family built their stove, didn’t they haul away a cartload? They didn’t spend a dime, and no one there cared. I’ll go haul them over in a couple of days, count them, and confirm the quantity. If there aren’t enough, we can just buy some broken bricks to make up the difference." Zhu Guifu’s plan was quite sound.
Gan Juhua nodded and took a pile of straw from the nearby cowshed, beginning to twist it into rope. "That’s good, but if we have the bricks, what about the roof tiles?"
"We’ll really have to buy the tiles. But since we’re only building two small rooms, we won’t need many, and we can afford the cost," Zhu Guifu said. "Let’s get this done right after the New Year. You’ll need to be busy; you’ll be responsible for boiling water and cooking. The eldest daughter-in-law is pregnant, so she absolutely won’t be able to come over."
"I don’t expect her to come help anyway," Gan Juhua said directly. "As long as she doesn’t come waste my food, that’s fine." She was still resentful about the incident a few days prior where Zhu Yanyi had eaten fish.