Master Gu saw that Su Jinyao seemed to understand the qíng, so he continued to explain: "You think, the beams are made of wood, no matter how big the tree is, it has a height, and too tall trees may not be able to make beams, this also depends on the wood, it must be hard but not brittle, not bad." Therefore, the size of the house is also directly related to your beams. The span of the general house is exactly the length of a beam, and then the frame is raised and tiled. If it is a large family's hall, it is generally placed on two columns, and the beams on both sides are built on the columns and then docked, so that the big house is the span of the two beams. If you don't use columns, it's another craft, it's the truss of the vault, and we can't do it. ”

With such an explanation, Su Jinyao completely understood. It turned out that when I used to visit the ancient large buildings of the Forbidden City or something, I saw that there were large red lacquered pillars in the big (diàn), and the dragons and phoenixes were painted with gold lacquer, not for the sake of good looks, but also to support the beams.

As for the kind of vault with no pillars in the middle, Su Jinyao really didn't pay attention to it. But when you think about it, you can understand that another process is needed when the beam is docked, and it may be more demanding. So it's normal that this Master Gu won't be.

Su Jinyao said: "There can be columns, it's not to stipulate how big it is, it's just to see how many adobe bricks can be left after my house is built here." I bought some more just to build a canteen. Don't have a partition wall in the middle, just a big transparent room with shelter from the wind and rain. ”

Master Gu also understood now, nodded and said, "Then you can cover it, no problem." I will know how many adobe bricks are left after a little calculation, and if I have to partition the wall, I will not use many bricks to cover only the four sides, and the time is much faster, so I will tell you how big the canteen is, and how many days can be built. ”

Su Jinyao thought for a while and said, "Can the foundation be made stronger, and this big canteen can be built with a two-story building in the future?" ”

"One more floor? Owner, you're going to make a big deal. Master Gu asked with a smile.

But this is just an exclamation, and it is not that Su Jinyao really wants him to give him any answer. And he continued; "Of course, that's okay, all two-story small buildings are not built from the first floor. Fortunately, the owner said hello in advance, and I can do a good job of the position of the floor slab to be laid in the future before the capping, and then reserve the brick joints to build the second floor. When the two-story building is really built, the roof is removed, the floor is paved solidly, and then the reserved brick joints are started, so that it is convenient and stronger. ”

Su Jinyao hurriedly said; "That's good, then it's bothersome Master Gu. If I build another two-story building, I will have to ask Master Gu for your help. Maybe you can build a few more rooms on both sides at that time, and it's a big project, so leave it to Master Gu to do. ”

Master Gu was naturally happy, because half of the craftsmanship was done this time, and of course it was safest to find him when building a house again. Unless his apprentice comes to grab the job, if someone else takes over, he may not be able to cover it so smoothly.

However, Master Gu thought for a while and said, "If that's the case, I'm afraid that the remaining adobe bricks after your family has built five rooms may not be enough." If you think about it, it's okay to build a big house, and you can increase the amount of space without dividing the wall, but you have to go up in height. Since it is a large house, it will be built with two floors in the future, and the height will definitely be higher than that of ordinary houses or halls now. ”

yes, that's a real problem. Originally, Su Jinyao planned to build as many houses as there were adobe bricks, but now that it is counted, it is really not enough.

Su Jinyao said to Master Gu: "Then let's do it, Master Gu, you also calculate how many adobe bricks it takes to build a big house." While the remaining adobe bricks in our house have not been pulled back, the next time we go, we will talk to the owner of Zhoujia Cave, and add the bricks of the two kilns. ”

"That's fine, I'll do the math now, and I'll be able to figure it out by the afternoon at most." Master Gu agreed to this matter, remembered one more thing, and said to Su Jinyao, who was about to leave: "Owner, if it is convenient, I want to go and see the location of that big house." Needless to say, the foundation or something, and the owner also understands that this also depends on luck. But the surrounding houses are all problems, and in the future, building the second floor can not block the sunlight for other people's homes, and you have to pay attention to not hurting the gables of the neighbors on the left and right when digging the foundation, which is particular. ”

Su Jinyao smiled when she heard this, and said, "Don't look at it, there is a vacant land over there, you can build whatever you want." The foundation is also easy to choose, and the open space can be left and right thirty or fifty steps up and down. ”

"That's it, that's easy, it's easy." Master Gu also breathed a sigh of relief. Because they are masons, they don't just dig foundations and build brick walls. Every time you build a house, you have to take care of the neighboring people. If you build a new house for this house and dig up the foundation of your next-door neighbor, will it be worth it?

In this way, even if it is discussed, Master Gu will no longer have any problems. Su Jinyao went home and called Xiaocheng'er, and the two went to Xiaoshuipu.

It's not too early or too late, and there are guests who have just arrived. Nowadays, the source of customers of Xiaoshuipu is very stable, and there is an endless stream of people eating and drinking. As long as the weather is good and it is convenient to hurry, all business trips and freight that pass through here will stop to rest. Therefore, Sophie is right, if Su Jinyao comes over by herself, she may not be able to be busy.

Finally, after this afternoon, the last group of customers from the small water shop also hit the road. Su Jinyao sat down with Xiao Cheng'er to rest. Su Jinyao went to the back to stew some porridge with leftover rice, fried a side dish, and had a simple bite with Xiaocheng'er.

Anyway, a big pot of rice, the guests eat it from the pot, and no one holds a rice pot to eat a bite, of course, the leftovers are also clean, and the two sisters and brothers don't dislike it.

While eating, Su Jinyao told Xiao Cheng'er about the canteen building (qíng) that she had discussed with Master Gu before, and Xiao Cheng'er widened her eyes when she heard it, and said happily: "Second sister, can we really build a big restaurant with a two-story small building here?" Okay, our family has a big deal. ”

Su Jinyao nodded and said, "Yes, this road is a financial road, so we won't have to worry about eating and drinking if we guard here." ”

It's just that when the two siblings were happily looking forward to the future, the sky darkened. It stands to reason that it shouldn't be so dark before it falls.

Xiaocheng'er grew up in the mountains from childhood to adulthood, and when he saw this (qíng) scene, he said, "It's not good, it's going to rain." Second sister, hurry up and pack your things and let's go back. We have to hurry down the mountain, otherwise the rain will get us wet. ”

Su Jinyao also looked up at the sky, and sure enough, she saw two large dark clouds floating not far away, and the dark clouds still had a tendency to gradually close into a large piece, I was afraid that it was really going to rain.

Su Jinyao hurriedly finished eating the porridge in the bowl, and the dishes and chopsticks didn't have time to be brushed, so they were placed under the stove at the back. Quickly move some things that are afraid of getting wet to the small water shop, after all, the small water shop is now a bamboo curtain on three sides, and there is a bamboo skin reinforced top on it, which will not leak rain.

After cleaning up all this, the sky will be even more (yīn) heavy. Su Jinyao and Xiaocheng'er hurriedly walked back over the mountain with bamboo tubes. I was in such a hurry, and after placing the bamboo tube by the spring, the raindrops also fell.

Fortunately, the raindrops were not big at the beginning, and it was just refreshing. Su Jinyao and Xiaocheng'er ran home quickly, during which Xiaocheng'er also broke two big leaves, one with Su Jinyao, and ran down the mountain with his head covered.

When we entered the village, the rain began to fall heavily. Su Jinyao simply threw away all the leaves in her hand, and pulled Xiaocheng'er to run away. Anyway, a leaf is not covered by the head and tail, and the cover can't run fast, and the drenching is even worse.

In such a hurry, Xiao Cheng'er and Su Jinyao were also wet when they returned home.

Sophie was looking under the eaves, and when she saw Su Jinyao and them coming back from a distance, she hurriedly held the broken umbrella to pick it up. As a result, the umbrella was also broken, and the three of them huddled under the umbrella, so that Sophie's clothes were also wet, and her shoes were also wet after stepping on them in puddles.

Su Jinyao told Sophie to stop holding the umbrella, pulled Xiaocheng'er with one hand, and ran home with Sophie with the other.

The three of them stood under the eaves, Su Jinyao and Xiao Cheng'er Quan (shēn) were all wet, and their hair could be wrung out of water. Sophie was fine, her hair wasn't wet, but her shoes and skirt were wet. The three sisters and brothers, you look at me, I look at you, and laughed together.

After laughing, Su Jinyao reached out to pick up some of the rainwater flowing from the eaves, and sighed and said, "I originally thought that I was lucky, and the heavens were beautiful, so that it would rain after our family built a new house." It's not a day and a half a day. ”

Sophie said: "Beautiful you, how can it not rain for more than ten days in this season?" It's just rained before, how many days has it not rained? If it doesn't rain anymore, it will be dry. ”

Su Jinyao thought about it, since she crossed over, she really only encountered one rain, that is, the time when (chūn) Niu was sent home by the Li family. After that, there was a sporadic light rain at night, but in the morning, it only soaked the ground, and it did not delay the trip. But in a season like this, it really doesn't rain anymore.

It can be said that in addition to the Su family building a house looking forward to a sunny day, in fact, the people in the whole village, or the entire villages and towns around Anji City, are also looking forward to rain.

Su Jinyao nodded and said, "That's right, we can't let the people of the whole country suffer for our family." He looked at the new house again, and there was no one left, so he asked, "Master Gu, are they gone?" Said you didn't say you wouldn't come tomorrow? ”

The previous agreement was that if it really rained, Master Gu and his apprentices and helpers would not come, but the wages would still be paid. But if you want them to come over, it's okay, but at noon, you also have to take care of the food, and you can't work, in fact, it's not cost-effective. So Su Jinyao agreed that as long as it was raining heavily and couldn't work, Master Gu and they could rest at home for a day.

Sophie said: "(yīn) The day Master Gu came to say hello to my father, saying that the rain would not be small, and they would not be able to continue working, for fear that the rain would be really heavy for a while, and they would not even be able to go back home, so they called it a day." Master Gu also said that if the rain stops before it gets dark and the puddles on the ground are not deeper than the soles of their shoes, they can still come to work tomorrow. If the rain doesn't stop, needless to say, you won't be able to start work; But even if the rain stopped early, the puddles on the ground were too deep for them to work if the water didn't dry up early tomorrow morning. However, Master Gu also asked his father for a pen and paper, saying that he had left a note for you, which was the number of adobe bricks, and you should go to your father's house to see it later. ”

You can't work when the water is so deep on a rainy day, these are the doorways to build a house, Su Jinyao naturally doesn't understand, so she has to hope that the rain will stop early, and that the rain won't be too big. However, Master Gu said that the number of adobe bricks was set, which was a matter of importance.

Su Xiangui pushed open the window and said, "Don't talk here, let's go into the house and change your clothes." Boil some more water and boil a pot of ginger syrup to drive away the cold, but don't catch a cold at this time. ”

Su Jinyao and Xiao Cheng'er both agreed and went into the house to change their clothes. Sophie was not very wet, so she changed her shoes and socks, wrung out the wet skirt first, pulled it up and tied it in a knot, so that it would not affect her walking. Then he went to the kitchen to boil a pot of water, sent a basin to Su Jinyao and Xiao Cheng'er's houses, and asked them to wipe the (shēn) seeds when they changed their clothes, and then went to boil ginger soup again.

When Su Jinyao and Xiao Cheng'er wiped their (shēn) seeds and changed into dry clothes, Su Fei'er also boiled all the ginger syrup.

Su Jinyao took a bowl of ginger syrup and drank it, and her face quickly turned red. A bowl of ginger sugar is warm on the stomach.

But after glancing at the rain that was still falling outside, Su Jinyao hurriedly put down the bowl in her hand and said to Xiao Cheng'er: "Help the second sister find our family's clothes, and then help the second sister put the carriage (tào) on, and the second sister will go out." ”

"Second sister, it's raining, you're not at home, what are you doing?" Xiao Cheng'er had just drunk a bowl of ginger syrup, and his little face was flushed. No matter how sorry he felt for Su Jinyao, of course he was reluctant to let Su Jinyao go out and get drenched in the rain at this time.

Su Jinyao said: "This rain is not light, and it does not stop, it is good for us to stay at home, but (chūn) Niu and Siping are still outside?" There is no shelter from the rain on both sides of the mountain road, if they come back at this time, if they are lucky, they will be stopped by the rain in Xiaozhang Village, and it is okay to find a family to take shelter from the rain. But if it's raining heavily halfway through, won't they have to come back all the time? People helped our family, so we went all the way to the town to choose a house beam, we can't hide from the rain at home, regardless of the two of them. Besides, even if they take shelter from the rain in Xiaozhang Village, if the rain doesn't stop, won't they have to come back from the rain? ”

Su Xiangui also heard it in that room, and hurriedly nodded and said, "No, I almost forgot about it." Jinyao, you're right, you can't let people help and suffer. You just work hard and run again. Fei'er, you go and get the clothes, take out all the clothes that your father has newly knitted, and give Jinyao one (tào) and two (tào). Cheng'er, you go and help your second sister (tào) car. ”

After listening to Su Xiangui's instructions, Su Fei'er agreed and ran to the backyard barn to get her clothes. Before, the clothes at home were not good, so Su Xiangui took advantage of the gap between baskets to weave several more (tào) clothes, which can now come in handy.

Sophie went to Na Lingyi, and Xiaocheng'er went to the car with Su Jinyao again. When the carriage (tào) is ready, put two (tào) clothes on the carriage and keep them for the (chūn) Niu and Siping. Su Jinyao put on one, put on a hat, and drove the carriage out again.

Su Jinyao knew that no matter which town (chūn) Niu and Siping came back from, they would definitely pass by Xiaozhang Village. So rush over now, if you don't meet them on the road, you will be waiting for the two of them in Xiaozhang Village, and you will definitely be able to pick them up.

The rain now is a little lighter than when Su Jinyao and Xiaocheng'er came back before, but the dark clouds in the sky are still there, and they should not stop for a while.

Although the road is muddy, fortunately there are very few horse-drawn carriages passing on this road, so the road surface is not too deep potholes, and the horse-drawn carriages do not sink into it, and it is not too difficult to catch the car.

Su Jinyao had made two trips to Xiaozhang Village in a row this day, and she was about to catch up with the commuter carriage. While catching the car, Su Jinyao also paid attention to both sides of the mountain road, so as not to have any caves that could shelter from the rain that she hadn't noticed before, and this time (chūn) Niu and Siping were hiding from the rain inside, so they missed it.

All the way out of the mountain path, there was no place to hide from the rain, Su Jinyao came to Xiaozhang Village, and happened to see a carriage running far in front of her, which should be Uncle Wang's carriage. There were two people holding umbrellas in the car, and although it was impossible to see the specific passengers, everyone was huddled together and hid under the two umbrellas.

When the carriage approached, Su Jinyao looked at the carriage and saw that the umbrellas were still (chūn) Niu and Siping. The (chūn) girl also saw the carriage here, and for a while she didn't see that Su Jinyao was under the hat and the lily coat, but the big black horse (chūn) girl knew it, so she shouted and asked, "Is it the Su family's carriage?" ”

"(chūn) girl, it's me. Wait a minute. Su Jinyao hurriedly hurried to the carriage to meet her.

Uncle Wang also stopped the carriage, and when he saw Su Jinyao, he smiled and said, "Little girl, are you here to pick up guests?" I knew that you bought a horse with a second bolt, why did you even buy a carriage? ”

Su Jinyao handed over the clothes to Niu and Siping respectively, and said, "Yes, yes, there are horses and carts, and I will cover the road from Xiaozhang Village to Pingshan Village in the future." Uncle Wang, we're together. ”

Uncle Wang wiped a handful of water from his face, shook the clothes on (shēn), and said, "Little girl, you are really joking, Uncle Wang knows, how can you, a person who can charter a car and buy a horse back and forth, do this kind of work." ”

"Uncle Wang, if you ask that, of course I will answer that. You tease me, I know, I tease you, too. After Su Jinyao finished smiling, she pointed to Niu and Siping and said, "This is my neighbor's brother and sister-in-law, I'll pick them up." ”

After saying that, Su Jinyao also reached out to help (chūn) Niu and helped them into the carriage on her side.