Chapter 108 - 109: Respective Gains
Li Cuicui, however, wouldn’t have it. She urged Ancient Wen Heng, "You two need to search more carefully. I’m going to go back and rummage around again, too. Maybe I’ll be able to turn something up.
Don’t be too naive. Whatever you find, keep it under wraps. It’s best if you search the place yourselves before the foreman and his men arrive."
She repeated her instructions several times, only leaving in a flurry after Ancient Wen Heng and Jin Qianqian nodded in agreement.
Jin Qianqian looked around the village thoughtfully. "It seems this village wasn’t poor in the past. To think there are still things that slipped through the cracks even after soldiers have already cleared it out."
Ancient Wen Heng replied, "The soldiers who came to clear it out were probably just in a hurry to finish their task. Plus, they were afraid of any lingering plague, so they didn’t search very thoroughly."
"Why did you agree with Mother? Aren’t you afraid it will cause trouble later?"
Ancient Wen Heng said, "It’s fine. Don’t be fooled just because she’s an ordinary old woman. She knows what she’s doing. Besides, this is something that benefits us, so why would we push it away?"
They had actually discussed before whether they should build a house for his parents as well. After all, it wouldn’t be right for them to live well while their parents were still in a thatched hut.
When they brought it up, the old lady had refused outright, saying that all her sons were the same to her, so what about the others?
Now that the old lady had finally changed her mind, only a fool would refuse such a beneficial offer.
With the old lady’s reminder, the two of them searched every nook and cranny even more carefully. Although they didn’t find any large sums of money, they did find some scattered Silver and copper coins, which added up to several taels of broken silver. It must have been hidden in the corners by the former mistress of the house.
When late afternoon arrived, everyone gathered to divide the land. Jin Qianqian keenly observed that many people were trying hard to control their expressions. It seemed many families had found something, but everyone was just quietly getting rich on the sly.
Of course, not everyone was the same. Liu Heizi still wore a long face. Although he had found another spot to build his house, not only did he have to lay a new foundation, but the spot also wasn’t as spacious as his original house’s plot.
Someone next to him was trying to persuade him, "Actually, that house would be usable if you just cleaned it up. Otherwise, you’ll have to put in a lot more effort. Winter is coming soon, and you still need to prepare firewood."
"Exactly. There are only three people in your family, yet you insist on making so much trouble for yourselves. How are you going to get by?"
"..."
Liu Heizi’s wife, Gu Xiaoli, couldn’t listen anymore. "Third Uncle, you’re my own flesh-and-blood uncle. Why don’t you switch places with me? Since you said it’s not a big deal."
Gu Le Gao was choked speechless. "..." ’This troublesome niece. I never should have let her marry so close to home.’
"Now that everyone’s here, let’s talk about dividing the land. According to the government decree, every person fourteen and older can receive two mu of land. Any new land you reclaim can be registered with the county government, but for any amount over the allotted portion, you will be taxed based on the land’s quality. Taxes will also be due starting next year."
Gu Shulin opened his record book. "All of these matters must be settled in the near future. Don’t just focus on building your houses. You should at least plant something in the fields so this winter won’t be so difficult.
Also, when you’re choosing your land, try to stick close to your own houses. It’ll be hard to take care of if it’s too far away..."
The gist of it was that no one was to be idle from now on. It was time to roll up their sleeves and get to work.
Night fell, but no one was willing to rest. They all lit bonfires in front of their respective houses and continued cleaning up through the night.
They set aside the reusable adobe bricks and mud blocks, piling up some of the rotten wood to use as firewood for light and cooking in the coming days.
Watching the clusters of firelight scattered throughout the village, Gu Sanbu felt as if he could see hope. He stroked his beard and nodded continuously.
"Father, I saw many people looking very happy today. It seems they all found something." Gu Shulin paused to take a drink of water. His family had found a few things as well, and it appeared others had the same luck. "Life is a bit more tiring now, but at least we can see hope."
Gu Sanbu was full of anticipation. "When our lives improve in the future, we must go back and move our ancestral graves here. Otherwise, our ancestors won’t receive our offerings."
Gu Shulin’s expression immediately turned solemn. "We will, Father. Even if my generation can’t accomplish it, we have to make sure the next generation makes the journey, no matter how hard it is."
"Then you must remember this. Is the clan genealogy book we brought with us all this way put away safely? There can be no mistakes with that. If it gets lost or damaged, it will be hard to answer to the clansmen."
Gu Shulin asked, "Father, have you thought about who will take over the position of Clan Leader?"
The old man had long been thinking about this, but after observing everyone on the journey here, he still hadn’t been able to make a decision.
’I was originally in his considerations,’ Gu Shulin thought, ’but unfortunately, I was appointed village head. If I also took on the role of Clan Leader, the families with other surnames would surely stir up trouble.’
"Sigh. Every single one of them has one flaw or another. I have my eye on Yuan Yu, but unfortunately, his ambitions don’t lie here. We’ll see for now. If it really comes to it, even if it means giving up the village head position, you will have to be the one to support our clan."
Speaking of this, Gu Sanbu was filled with regret. The harvests had been poor in recent years, and in the entire clan, the only ones who had received a basic education were his own boy and Lao Gouqi. He couldn’t possibly hand over the fate of the clan to someone illiterate.
Gu Shulin had failed the Scholar examination several times and had long since given up on that path. To him, there wasn’t much difference between being the Clan Leader or the village head.
Gu Sanbu had only mentioned it in passing. He knew that the position of village head couldn’t be given up right now. Besides the original villagers, there were also some refugees who had joined them. Even just to keep the peace, his son had to hold on to the position.
§
The day after everyone finished dividing the land, Ding Er arrived in the village with a long procession of people. This time, he not only brought all the materials but also had a full crew of craftsmen, laborers, and even a cook.
This was the first time he had ever taken on a project with both labor and materials included. Moreover, this young client had placed immense trust in him, a foreman he had only just met, and had paid for more than half of the materials and labor costs upfront.
Ding Er, who usually went door-to-door looking for small jobs, smelled a business opportunity in this. Not only could he earn a wage from the labor, but he could also make a profit on the materials. This was far more lucrative than his previous work, which was paid by the day.
The grand arrival of so many people made all the villagers, who had been busy cleaning their own houses, run over to see what was going on.
When they learned the reason for the group’s arrival, the way everyone looked at Ancient Wen Heng and Jin Qianqian changed.
"Lao Gouqi, your family must be quite well-off! Tell your uncle, all these red bricks and green tiles must have cost a lot of Silver, right?" Gu Kaishan walked over and put an arm around Ancient Wen Heng’s shoulders, his eyes shining.
"About this much," Ancient Wen Heng said, making a hand gesture. "I just want to get these miscellaneous tasks finished sooner so I can get back to my studies in the county seat. I had to find a shortcut.
Uncle Kai Shan’s family is also well-off, so you could also make things easier for yourself. But you’ll have to wait until Foreman Ding finishes building the houses for my mother and me."