Chapter 240: Building a House Again
Upon returning to the old family residence, the two sons and daughters-in-law were just about to return to their rooms when Old Madam Luo called them to a halt.
“Come inside, I have something to tell you.” After saying that, she and Old Man Wen walked back into their own room.
Standing in the room, Old Madam Luo could still catch the lingering scent of soybean paste. She frowned slightly and sat down on a stool.
Hearing her words, Lady Li’s face instantly lit up with joy, and she was the first to follow them inside.
“Mother, what is it?” Lady Li didn’t want to make it too obvious, but the corners of her mouth simply couldn’t help but curve upward.
Old Madam Luo cast a glance at her. “As if you don’t know what it is.”
Knowing her mother-in-law harbored no ill intentions, Lady Li grinned hehe and tugged at Wen Xiuzhu beside her to stand properly.
Wen Xiuqing and his wife, Lady Cai, were as well-behaved as ever, standing there with so little presence they were almost unnoticeable.
Wen Nong poked his head in from the doorway and asked, “Grandma, I don’t need to come in, do I?”
Old Madam Luo glanced at him and withdrew her gaze; this one was a vexing creature too.
“Beat it, beat it, beat it.”
Being scolded didn’t make Wen Nong angry at all; he ran off merrily.
With only a few people left in the room, Old Madam Luo looked at her two sons and daughters-in-law, asking, “Regarding the matter of building a house that Yao’er mentioned today, what do you all think?”
Wen Xiuqing and Lady Cai exchanged a glance, answering, “We’ll listen to Father and Mother.”
Old Madam Luo guessed it would be this line. She looked toward Lady Li and Wen Xiuzhu.
“What about you two?”
Wen Xiuzhu opened his mouth to speak but was stopped by Lady Li, who said, “Mother, I think what Yao’er said makes a lot of sense. And as you know, the children are growing up and will have to get married one after another. We can’t truly let them live on top of the soybean paste vats. But rest assured, Mother, the money to build the house definitely won’t come out from you and Father. We’ve saved up quite a bit of money following Eldest Brother, so we’ll contribute a share too.”
Old Madam Luo was open-minded; she had let them keep the money distributed from the duck shed themselves, and she hadn’t insisted that the money they earned must be handed over to the communal family fund like before. Although the family hadn’t split up, each branch was allowed to make their own decisions regarding their own affairs.
Otherwise, if worrying about the soybean paste workshop wasn’t enough and she still had to worry about the whole large household, wouldn’t she be exhausted?
It just so happened that Nanny Du carried in some water for Old Madam Luo and Old Man Wen to wash up. Seeing this posture at the doorway, she halted her steps.
“Old Mistress, may I come in?”
Seeing her holding the water basin, Old Madam Luo knew what she had come for. She stepped forward to take the water basin, placed it aside, and said, “Go rest. I can manage by myself in a bit.”
Nanny Du complied with a “yes” and respectfully withdrew.
Old Madam Luo stood at the door, watching her enter the small room next to the workshop. That was the place where Nanny Du was currently staying temporarily, and several large soybean paste vats had already been piled inside long ago. She had simply laid out a small bed for herself in a corner.
Only after watching her return to her room did Old Madam Luo sigh, go back to sit down, and speak: “We’re building.”
Old Man Wen lifted his eyelids to look at her, saying nothing but, “I’ll look for the village chief tomorrow.”
The tacit understanding between the old couple needed no further words.
Old Madam Luo nodded, then looked back at her two sons and daughters-in-law, stating, “Each of your branches will contribute fifteen taels. The rest will be covered by your father and me. If we’re going to build, let’s build it a bit larger to include rooms for all the children. Do you have any objections? If you do, raise them now; don’t come clamoring to me once the time has passed.”
Lady Li was the first to stand up. “Mother, I’ll go fetch the money for you right now.”
Old Madam Luo didn’t stop her. Lady Cai also hurriedly stood up to follow. “Mother, I’ll go too.”
The money of the two branches was now managed by the two daughters-in-law, a point Old Madam Luo was well aware of. After all, the duck shed had always been managed by the two daughters-in-law, while the two sons were either up the mountain or down in the fields. Strictly speaking, neither of these two men did work that brought in money, but they were also indispensable to the household.
Soon, Lady Li and Lady Cai returned, each holding fifteen taels of silver, which they respectfully handed over to Old Madam Luo.
“Mother, is it enough? If it’s not enough, we can contribute a bit more,” Lady Li said. The joy on her face couldn’t be concealed—a new house, their family was going to build a new house too.
Even the usually quiet Lady Cai had a flushed face, and it was plain to see she was very happy.
Old Madam Luo accepted the silver. “No need, this much is enough.”
After putting away the silver, Old Madam Luo looked at Lady Li again, speaking up: “Yao’er is right. Wen Nong is sixteen too. As his mother, you don’t even know to worry about his marriage.”
Lady Li waved her hand. “Mother, how could I have the time? The duck shed keeps me so busy my feet barely touch the ground every day. If you ask me, the eye for picking a daughter-in-law still belongs to you. Father and I will listen to you regarding this matter. Whatever you say goes, and whichever one you say is good is the one.”
For a moment, Old Madam Luo didn’t know if this daughter-in-law was praising herself or flattering her. To say she had the final say—this person just wanted to slack off and avoid worrying.
“I see you just want to slack off. Fine, if you won’t care, then so be it. I’ll find some time to ask the matchmaker,” Old Madam Luo said. As for Wen Jun, although Old Madam Luo was also anxious, the words Wen Xiuyi had spoken before still rang in her ears; the most important thing for Wen Jun right now was to first master his medical skills. A man like him didn’t need to fear waiting.
On the other hand, it would be good for Wen Nong to marry earlier; the young couple could still support each other, and opening a small eatery at the pier would be quite nice.
Noting this matter down, Old Madam Luo shooed the few people away. With only the old couple left in the room, Old Madam Luo pulled her small treasury out from under the bed and placed it on the table.
It was a beautiful box, complete with a lock on it.
Once opened, inside were banknotes and loose silver amounting to several hundred taels, and the ruyi jade Wen Yao had given them was also safely placed inside.
Previously, Old Man Wen had taken his out to show off, almost letting someone knock it to the ground and break it. Since then, Old Madam Luo locked it away directly, not even letting Old Man Wen touch it.
She counted inside for a long time, taking out fifty taels. Together with the thirty taels brought by Lady Li and Lady Cai, it made eighty taels.
“Is it enough?” Old Madam Luo asked Old Man Wen.
Old Man Wen tapped his tobacco pipe, glancing at the money in the box; no matter how much there was, he wouldn’t be able to touch it anyway. Thus, he said, “It’s enough. Eldest Brother’s branch only spent fifty taels on that residence of theirs. Even if we want to build it slightly larger, it won’t take this much.”
Without a second thought, Old Madam Luo stated directly, “Then we’ll have all the furniture and everything made brand new. With the remaining money, we’ll refurbish the old residence here, and from now on, this place will be used as the workshop.”
Since they had earned this much money, there was no reason not to spend it; when it was time to spend, they should spend.
Once the old couple finished discussing these matters, they washed up and lay in bed. Looking at the ceiling, Old Madam Luo simply couldn’t fall asleep no matter what.
Her hand stroked the ruyi jade placed under her pillow, feeling as though the past year had been lived like a dream.
The cool touch of the ruyi jade brought Old Madam Luo a greater sense of security, and she slowly drifted off to sleep just like that.
The next morning, Old Man Wen went to find the village chief early on, speaking about his family’s intention to select a plot of land to build a house.
Before long, the news that the Wen family was going to build a new house again spread throughout the village. This time, without even needing the village chief to notify them, the villagers voluntarily ran to the Wen residence to sign up.
