Upon learning that the Zhou family wanted to build seven stone houses at once, the other villagers did not object. However, the Zhou Dayuan family, which was located at a distance from the Manbao family, could not reach an agreement.
Due to a large piece of land separating the two families, this land was barren. In recent years, no one had shown interest in it, so naturally, no one would plant anything on it. As a result, weeds grew rampantly, and there were numerous stones. However, if the Zhou family were to build seven symmetrical houses, they would inevitably occupy the majority of the land, thus shortening the distance between the two families.
Zhou Dayuan's wife, Zhang, was the first to object, disagreeing with giving this piece of land to the Zhou family. Her reason was readily available: "Their family has taken up such a large piece of land." What will my family do if we want to build a house in the future?
The village chief asked, "Isn't there still empty land above your house?"
"That area has bad feng shui for our family." "If we were to build, it would be downhill."
This time, Zhou Dayuan remained silent.
The village chief frowned and said, "Your family already has a grown son. Why do you need to build another house?"
"You saying that makes me unhappy." I may only have one son, but that doesn't mean I will only have one grandson. "When the big donkey's wife has more children, won't they want to build a house when they grow up?"
The village chief knew she was being difficult and purely malicious. He turned to Lao Zhou and said, "Your family needs to pay, and the amount of land to be occupied needs to be measured according to the rules."
He then said to Zhang, "If the Zhou family is willing to pay, and if you also mark off the land now, then we will measure it, and you can pay."
Zhang immediately fell silent.
Zhou Dayuan quickly said, "The children in our family are still young; there's no rush to build a house."
The village chief snorted and looked at the villagers, asking, "Is there anyone else in the village interested in purchasing this piece of land?"
Zhou Dagou smiled and said, "Our house is not there." "Who would want to build a house there?" "If Jin Shu wants to buy, let him buy it all."
Zhou Jin was not foolish. After buying that piece of land, he would be connected to the Zhou Dayuan family. He would definitely need to set aside a piece of vacant land to avoid their family.
In Qili Village, anyone could build on an empty piece of land in the village as long as all the families in the village agreed.
Due to the abundance of unused land where no crops were cultivated, it became overrun with weeds or scattered with broken stones. As long as there was money, anyone could build.
However, there were exceptions. Because the people in the village all lived together, even though there was empty land, there were neighbors on both sides. If both your family and mine wanted to build on this vacant land, it would need to be purchased.
The money was given to the village, and in the future, it could be used for road repairs, water conservation, or to assist the vulnerable and widowed, all from the village's public account.
Of course, the money was not much. According to the area, Lao Zhou had calculated that the piece of land he marked off would cost about three hundred wen at most.
The money was insignificant compared to the cost of building seven stone houses, but for ordinary villagers, it was still very painful.
Usually, in order to avoid spending this money, they would rather choose another piece of land and not invest in it.
After all, there was plenty of empty land in the village.
Lao Zhou decided to pay, and the Zhou Dayuan family naturally would not compete with him anymore, so the matter was settled.
He simply asked the village chief to choose a suitable day and promptly informed the individuals he wished to invite to assist in constructing the house on the selected day.
The invited people all agreed.
Now that the weather was getting colder and there was no work in the fields, Lao Zhou's family decided to build a house. This endeavor would not only provide shelter but also generate income, making the invited people very happy.
When they returned home, Lao Zhou took his family to the nearby vacant land and began cutting grass, clearing stones, and removing various debris.
By the time Manbao finished her homework at the Bai family's house and ran back home, the weeds in the field had been cut, and everyone was picking up stones in bamboo baskets. On the ground, a large circle was drawn using grass and wood ash, with several square shapes inside the circle.
Manbao, carrying her small school bag, bounced over to the largest figure and asked excitedly, "Fourth brother, why are you drawing on the ground?"
"What are you drawing?" The place you are standing on right now is the courtyard. These are all drawings of the house layout.
Manbao looked around and found it hard to imagine that these were actually the floors of the rooms and the courtyard. She scratched her head and asked, "Why draw?"
"You have to draw to know how much land to buy." "See, from here to there, it will cost a total of three hundred and twenty wen."
Zhou Dalang frowned and said, "I think it's unnecessary to make it so big." "If the courtyard is big, will the rooms be big too?"
"Where is it big?" I think it's just right. "Mom and Dad both said it's good," Zhou Silang looked at the central shape and said, "See, that's my room." I've already planned it. It's such a big room. I'll divide it into two rooms later, just like Mom and Dad's room, with a bamboo screen to separate them. I'll put a bed inside and tables and chairs outside. Occasionally, I can use it to entertain guests. When I have a son, I will allow him to live independently.
Zhou Dalang thought about it and nodded, "This method is good. It's okay, make it a little bigger."
Manbao excitedly asked, "What about my room?"
Zhou Silang waved his hand and said without hesitation, "It's up to you, this room, that room, any of them…"
Lao Zhou happened to hear him bragging and slapped him directly on the head, scolding, "Today, you're the laziest. Your older brother and sister-in-law have already cut all the grass, and you haven't even picked up a basket of stones." What are you bragging about here?
Manbao immediately slipped away. She ran to Zhou Dalang and asked, "Big brother, where is my room?"
Zhou Dalang pointed to the west room of the main house and smiled, "Here, Mom said you need to study, so this room is for you." When the time comes, we'll open a window on the west side for you. Your desk will be placed under the window so that you won't strain your eyes while reading.
Manbao was happy and bounced over to look at the back. "I like it here." "It's right next to Mom and Dad's room, so I can lean on the wall and talk to them at night."
Zhou Dalang: ...I'm afraid his parents won't be happy.
Manbao, however, excitedly turned around in place, wanting to plan her room. Unfortunately, the ground was uneven, and she couldn't quite envision what it would be like as a room. After pacing back and forth and grappling with the situation, she came to the realization that she hadn't made any plans at all. She couldn't even decide where to place the bed.
Keke saw her spinning around aimlessly and reminded her, "Host, didn't your parents mention that there isn't enough money?" "I don't think they will buy you a lot of things, so why don't you consider earning more money and preparing more things for yourself?"
Manbao nodded seriously, "You're right. When Fifth Brother returns from the county, I will save the money and stop spending it recklessly."