Ling'er and Xiaohuzi spent another two days sorting out the foundations of the three rooms, and theoretically the next thing to do was to lay out hard objects that could bear the weight of the houses in the foundation pits.

But the stone is not born, it has to be excavated and repaired by manpower, no matter how strong Ling'er is, and then he has the ability, after all, he is not a stonemason, he can only look at the whole stone of those houses in the back mountain and sigh.

After seeing her dig the foundation pit, my father and mother walked around the courtyard every day with her hands behind her back, and sighed at the back mountain from time to time.

The old lady asked her several times, she shook her head and continued to sigh, until this day, the old father said: "Ling'er, we have been digging the foundation pit for two days, and I heard your mother say that the mud embryo on Grandpa Huzi's side is almost done, and it can be used when it is dried!" I'll ask your mother to go to the village to ask a few people to lay the foundation later, and if you're tired for a while, just rest at home for a few days! ”

Ling'er paused: "Dad, how can you get the foundation without a stone?" ”

Dad was stunned for a moment, thought for a while, and said, "Why do you use a stone?" The houses in our village, except for the king, the family has made the foundation with stones, and the rest is to ask someone to tamp it! ”

"Laying the ground? What is that? ”

Dad laughed and said, "Silly girl, are you just worrying about the foundation these days?" That stone is not something that ordinary people can afford......"

Dad explained, Ling'er suddenly realized, the original house foundation here is different from the modern one, first of all, it is still to dig out the foundation pit, and then fill the excavated soil with a thin layer, by several men work together with special tools to ram the soil in the foundation pit to death, its hardness can be compared to the rock, during which you can add a little water or sand and gravel according to the situation in order to enhance the hardness and viscosity of the foundation, so that the layer by layer rammed up, until it is level with the ground.

Dad said: "Ling'er, the next work is to be done by a few men, the money you made last time you sold timber is enough for us to build a house, and you will help your mother run errands and boil water these days, and let the adults do the rest!" ”

Ling'er was silent, originally thought that he had crossed over, naturally understood everything, did not ask for anything, and almost missed the season after pondering for a few days! In the future, you can ask your parents and elders, although the people here live a simple life and don't know much, but people in each era have their own wisdom, and they have modern civilization over time, and they should have more respect for them.

In the next half month, my father and mother invited a craftsman to build a house, tamping the foundation, building walls to make doors and windows, upper beams, and fixed partitions, all in an orderly manner.

Ling'er, who had been busy for more than half a month, suddenly stopped and was not used to it, in addition to helping his father boil medicine and helping his mother run errands, he dragged Xiaohuzi to the river to chop hard and straight bamboo and carry it back whenever he was free, which was naturally used to replace the roof partition. If you hire someone, you may have to pay an extra two or three days, so you can save nearly 100 yuan, which is enough for the family's food expenses for more than half a month!

In such a hurry, the house was finally completely built on the fifth day of the first day of November, and it was time to feast the villagers and craftsmen tomorrow. In the evening, the family gathered around to settle accounts:

Four people who rammed the foundation have a total of 100 yuan a day, made three rooms of mud embryo wall with a total of 12 taels of silver, and 400 yuan for three days on the beams, nailed partitions, and covered straw, plus food expenses and material costs, a total of 2 taels of silver.

The old lady breathed a long sigh of relief with joy: "Great, I originally thought it would cost three or four taels of silver, but now we will build it with two taels of silver!" Alas, this winter finally don't have to be afraid! ”

Dad also breathed a sigh of relief: "Yes, thanks to our family Ling'er, otherwise the foundation, beams, and partitions may still cost one or two silver!" Damn, there's still a lot of silver left in the house, right? When Ming'er finishes the banquet, you go to the village to find the big brother, borrow him an ox cart for use, and you and Ling'er go to the town to buy some things for the winter!

By the way, Ling'er is young and can't freeze, remember to buy two catties of better cotton and come back, and make a beautiful padded jacket for our Ling'er! ”

The old lady smiled: "I know, I know!" I've been thinking about this for a long time! I'll do the math, we still have three or eight hundred wen left, and we have to buy rice, noodles, oil, salt, sauce and vinegar, bacon, ......, quilts, winter clothes, and ......."

The old lady counted the accounts in pieces, and from time to time used a charcoal stick to record the accounts on the straw paper with the symbols she invented, Ling'er listened quietly, looked at the straw paper and carbon rod, and suddenly said: "Dad, mother, Ling'er wants pen, ink and paper, is it okay?" ”

The two of them paused, looked at each other, and the old lady said: "Ling'er, that's something only used by scholars, what are you going to do?" ”

"Mother, Ling'er also wants to be literate and learn to settle accounts, and others won't be able to deceive Ling'er when they go out in the future! Mother, I don't want to be good, the cheapest kind on the spot, you can use it, okay, mother? Ling'er was coquettish for a while.

The old couple hesitated for a while, and the father said: "Although the female doll is less literate, but there is only one Ling'er in our family, so let her learn more!" ”

The old lady frowned and said: "His father, only the daughters of big families can read and write, people like ours ...... Do people gossip? ”

Dad shook his head and said, "Damn, when did you care about other people's gossip?" We have been with Ling'er for so many years, do we still hear less gossip? Ling'er, I'm in charge of this matter, next time I ask your mother to go to the town to buy you a pen, ink, paper and inkstone, and I'll go to the old village chief when I have time, and ask him to help teach you to read and write, okay? ”

Ling'er was so happy that she hugged her father's arm and said happily: "It's better to be a father!" The old lady looked at the two and shook her head helplessly, but her face was full of inclusive joy.

The next day is the wedding banquet of Ling'er's housewarming new house, Hu Ziniang and several other women came early, happily said hello to their father, after giving gifts, their mothers and Huzi Niang went to the town to buy things, and several aunts stayed to help, and by the way visited the new house of Ling'er's family.

Although it was just three ordinary empty houses, the appearance was exactly the same as the village house, and there was nothing outstanding about it, the women still praised it with envy, and some women jokingly asked Ling'er how much money it cost to build the house, and where did the money come from? And how much surplus and so on?

Ling'er replied one by one according to the tone that the family had discussed in advance, and the women couldn't ask anything, and they didn't go to their hearts, and happily talked about other gossip.

Half an hour later, the old lady and Hu Ziniang came back with a lot of grain and vegetables in Uncle Rong's ox cart, and the women came forward to help.

Compared with the banquet that celebrated Ling'er's enlightenment two months ago, this time it was more lively, the people were more enthusiastic, everyone brought gifts, but no one brought old clothes that could not be worn, notched porcelain bowls, leaky iron pots and other things, and sent more grain and eggs, just like other relatives.

My father and mother were happy when they saw it, and the old face that smiled like a chrysanthemum had never been unfolded! Don't think that this gift is just a few catties of food, this at least shows that the villagers no longer regard their homes as objects of charity and mercy, but normal ordinary neighbors, members of Wangjia Village, isn't this exactly what Daddy and Mother have always expected?

They have settled in Wangjia Village for many years, but as people with foreign surnames, they have always been the object of pity and sympathy of the villagers, and they themselves feel that they are under the fence and inferior, so they can finally raise their eyebrows!