Chapter 109 - 110: Building a House
Ding Er merely gave Ancient Wen Heng a surprised glance before silently returning to his inspection of the foundation.
Gu Kaishan was stunned for a moment but quickly recovered. "You’re a good kid. When it comes to filial piety in our clan, you’re number one."
Seeing Gu Kaishan give him a thumbs-up, Ancient Wen Heng felt a rare twinge of embarrassment. ’I have to help Mom make this money back later,’ he thought. ’I can’t just let myself take credit for this good reputation for free.’
Gu Dashishi looked at Li Cuicui in surprise. "Your son told you?"
Li Cuicui huffed. "This is my son’s devotion to me. He can’t bear to see me toiling away all by myself."
Gu Dashishi said, "Then why did you have me do this and that before? Wasn’t that a total waste...?"
The other Gu Family Brothers: ’...That Seventh Brother of theirs is getting more and more annoying.’
The Gu family’s sisters-in-law: ’...Is this Jin Qianqian an idiot?’
As for the other villagers, their eyes were filled with envy. How much money must one have to dare to build two houses at once?
"Dad, should we contract our house out too?" Many people were tempted by the idea, including Gu Shulin. His family was small, and he wasn’t good at odd jobs. Plus, with yesterday’s unexpected windfall, a clear path now lay before him. Why make things harder for himself?
Gu Sanbu watched Ancient Wen Heng with a complicated expression. In the past, his family had been the most well-off in the entire village. He never imagined that after everything, he would end up being surpassed by a young upstart.
"Go talk to that foreman. If the price is right, we’ll bite the bullet and get it all done in one go."
Hearing his father agree, Gu Shulin wasted no more time and hurried over to Ancient Wen Heng.
Suddenly a hot commodity, Ding Er was instantly surrounded. Everyone started talking at once, all wanting the same thing: to get their own houses built as quickly as possible.
Jin Qianqian and Ancient Wen Heng had never expected such a reversal. Just moments before, everyone had been reluctant to spend on food or other necessities, and now they were suddenly making grand plans to build houses. Were these the same refugees they knew?
And this place they had moved into—what kind of village had it been before?
After finally seeing off wave after wave of villagers, Ding Er turned to Ancient Wen Heng with a beaming smile and thanked him repeatedly. "Brother Gu, I won’t waste words on gratitude. I’ll just have to put extra care into this house.
But for now, I can only leave these masters here to work. I have to make a trip to the county seat to find more men and laborers. Is there anything you need? I can grab it for you on my way back."
Ancient Wen Heng quickly shook his head. "You’re already very busy. We won’t trouble you."
Although the offer was sincere, Ancient Wen Heng had no intention of taking advantage of it.
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As construction on the houses began, Ancient Wen Heng and the others’ household registrations were also finalized.
Li Yong arrived with a thick stack of red contracts, handing out the land deeds that had been demarcated over the past few days to each person.
"Chief Li, thank you for your hard work!" Ancient Wen Heng said with a broad smile as he accepted his household registration and deeds, which also included the red contract for their courtyard house in the county seat.
"When I entered the village, I saw your place was bustling with activity. As expected of a scholar, you’ve got a quick mind. At this rate, it won’t be long before you’re moving into your new home." Li Yong had also seen a few familiar faces from the county seat there, which made him even more determined to get on good terms with Ancient Wen Heng.
Ancient Wen Heng replied, "It is thanks to the Holy Emperor’s immense grace that we refugees have been given a chance to live.
It’s also due to the hard work of you and the other officers, Chief Li, that we’ve been able to get back on track so quickly."
Li Yong was pleased to hear this. "You all are quite fortunate. There are still many refugees queuing up and waiting to be resettled.
As for some of those who caused trouble before, forget about getting preferential treatment—many of them have been thrown in jail, awaiting sentencing from the higher-ups.
As for those villagers from your group who went missing, if there’s still no news, you should prepare for the worst."
Ancient Wen Heng’s mind went blank. "Is there a list of names?"
Li Yong replied, "There will be an official notice eventually, but it hasn’t been issued yet. You can go to the county seat after some time to inquire about it."
Ancient Wen Heng continued, "There is one more thing I’d like to ask. Do you know what the former villagers here did for a living? Our village is also looking for a way to sustain ourselves."
Li Yong said, "There are no records of that. They were likely just ordinary farming folk. Many people say this area is inauspicious, so few people ever came this way."
At this, Li Yong clapped him on the shoulder. "But that’s all just baseless rumor. I used to bring my men here once a year to patrol, and there was never anything amiss."
’As for the bodies recently discovered in the village, they were missed only because they were hidden in a cellar. This time around, didn’t my men clean them up just the same? For government officials like us, dealing with skeletal remains is commonplace. Burying them in the mountains and offering three sticks of incense is considered a meritorious deed.’
Ancient Wen Heng asked about a few more matters concerning the county seat before finally seeing Li Yong off.
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With the arrival of batch after batch of craftsmen, the village’s construction progressed rapidly. In less than a month, rows of blue-brick-and-tile-roof houses stood tall.
The constant coming and going of people brought life to the once dilapidated and gloomy little village. No one could have imagined that the place everyone had once avoided like the plague would be so utterly transformed in an instant.
The workers had just departed when Li Yong arrived, leading County Magistrate Tian and a retinue of local gentry into the village with great fanfare.
Tian Xiuwen nodded as he looked around. Although not all the houses were made of blue brick and tile, it was still an impressive sight. At least every household now had a roof over their heads to shield them from the wind and rain. This could be considered a major political achievement for him.
Adding to that the fields that now resembled a proper farm again, he felt even more satisfied. ’If these fertile fields are well-tended, they’ll become another source of tax revenue in a couple of years,’ he thought.
He offered a few words of encouragement to the villagers, then left with his entourage, just as grandly as he had arrived.
However, the heads of other villages, who had rushed over upon hearing the news, all crowded around Gu Shulin. They were all refugees from the same region; how had Gaoling Village suddenly become so wealthy?
Gu Shulin: "..." ’Heh. Heh.’
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Ancient Wen Heng and Jin Qianqian had hired laborers early on to help them clear their land. Following the example of others, they planted some cold-resistant vegetables.
What pleased them most was the small spring they had discovered across from their main gate. Ancient Wen Heng made a special trip to the county seat and bought the plot of land opposite them for an extremely low price.
He had Ding Shan find people to dig it into a small fishpond. Now, with several hundred fry swimming inside, their life had truly begun to take shape.
"Tired? Why don’t you rest for a bit?" Ancient Wen Heng said, taking the water Jin Qianqian handed him. "Next time I go, I’m definitely buying a vehicle. This constant back and forth, always relying on our own two feet, is no way to live."
Jin Qianqian asked, "Do you know how to drive a cart?"
Ancient Wen Heng: "..."
Jin Qianqian burst out laughing. "To think that even though we both have driver’s licenses, they’re useless here."
Ancient Wen Heng winked. "My dearest wife, have faith in your husband’s brilliant mind. Even without a license, I’ll have you flying high in less than half a day."