Chapter 39: Uncle Jiu’s Generosity

Chapter 39: Uncle Jiu's Generosity

The Sixth Day of the Seventh Lunar Month, Saturday.

At four o'clock in the afternoon, Deng Shirong was preparing snacks at home. He wanted to invite Deng Yunfeng, the village architect, over for a drink.

In the realm of Double Prosperity, the term "Xiangtou" refers to the chief architect or master builder in construction projects.

Deng Shirong planned to build a new house, so naturally, he needed to consult an architect to coordinate the overall plan and estimate the cost of the house he wanted to build. This would give him a clear idea of the expenses involved.

Currently, Deng Shirong's system space contained ten pig hind legs, each weighing about ten pounds; ten slabs of braised pork belly, each weighing about fifteen pounds; ten pieces of five-spice pork, each weighing about one and a half pounds; and ten pieces of pork, each weighing about two pounds.

It could be said that he had an abundance of meat.

Today, to entertain Architect Deng Yunfeng, Deng Shirong cut two pounds of braised pork to make taro braised pork and took out another piece of pork to make yellow fried pork. He also used the bone from a pig hind leg to stew soup and paired it with fried peanuts and other seasonal vegetables. It was a sumptuous dinner.

Since Deng Yunfeng had been notified in advance, he arrived around five in the afternoon, carrying a small basket of eggs.

As soon as Deng Yunfeng entered the house, a rich aroma greeted him, lifting his spirits. He exclaimed, "Uncle Jiu, what delicious food are you cooking? It smells amazing!"

Deng Shirong smiled and said, "I'm steaming taro dumplings. They're almost done."

Deng Yunfeng's eyes lit up, and he said with a smile, "Taro dumplings? It looks like I'm in for a treat today. These are eggs laid by our old hen. Uncle Jiu, keep them for yourself."

Deng Shirong took the eggs, placed them on the table, and said, "You, I just asked you to come over for a drink. You didn't need to bring anything. Remember to take them back when you leave. My family doesn't need anything right now."

Deng Yunfeng politely replied, "How could I come empty-handed? It's just a few eggs. Uncle Jiu, don't say anything more!"

Deng Shirong didn't press further and nodded, "Alright, sit down and have a smoke first. I'll finish stir-frying a couple more dishes, and then we can start drinking."

Ten minutes later, a table full of delicious dishes was laid out.

After Deng Shirong invited him to sit down, Deng Yunfeng asked, "Uncle Jiu, isn't Yuntai coming back for dinner?"

Deng Shirong poured wine while replying, "Normally, he eats at the tile factory at noon and comes home for dinner after work. But right now, the kiln is being fired at the tile factory, and as the master in charge of controlling the temperature, he has to stay and watch over it. So, he can't come home to eat."

"Uncle Jiu, is this the first batch of goods being fired at your tile factory?"

"Yes, this is the first batch since we contracted the tile factory. I hope everything goes well so we can make more money. Otherwise, we won't be able to build the new house."

When Deng Yunfeng heard Uncle Jiu mention building a house, he followed up, "Uncle Jiu, you asked me to come over for a drink this time. Is it to discuss building a house?"

Deng Shirong smiled and nodded, then said, "Let's talk about the house later. How about trying the food I cooked first?"

Deng Yunfeng smiled and said, "Alright, then I won't be polite. Uncle Jiu, your dishes look so delicious, and they've made me hungry. I'll have to try them carefully."

Next, there was no doubt that Deng Yunfeng was completely won over by the food and wine on the table. It was the most delicious meal he had eaten in decades. Every dish was exquisite, and even the fried peanuts were crispier than any he had tasted before.

He couldn't stop eating.

Deng Yunfeng patted his stomach and said, "Uncle Jiu, your cooking skills are incredible. The dishes you made are so delicious that I got so caught up in eating that I forgot what we were here to discuss. I'm really sorry."

Deng Shirong picked up a peanut, chewed it slowly, and then lifted his wine bowl with a smile. "Why be embarrassed? Eating and drinking come first. Once we're full and satisfied, we'll have plenty of time to talk."

Deng Yunfeng clinked his wine bowl with Uncle Jiu's and said with emotion, "Uncle Jiu, you really know how to enjoy life. Are you planning to build a new house for Yuntai and find him a wife?"

Deng Shirong took a sip of wine, set down the bowl, and said, "I'm not just building a house for Yuntai alone. I plan to build houses for all five of my sons at once. This will save a lot of trouble."

Deng Yunfeng was shocked. Building houses for five sons at once? Uncle Jiu's spending was truly monumental.

However, Deng Yunfeng agreed with Uncle Jiu's reasoning. Building the houses all at once would indeed save a lot of trouble compared to doing it in stages, though the cost would be significantly higher.

"Uncle Jiu, what do you want the new house to look like?"

At this point, the three younger children—Deng Yunsong, Deng Yunhua, and Deng Yunheng—had already finished eating and gone out to play.

As for Deng Yunzhu, she had taken a bowl of rice and left, likely to share the delicious food with her childhood friends.

Only Deng Yunzhen and Deng Yunheng remained at the table, eating slowly while listening to their father chat with Deng Yunfeng, the architect.

When Deng Yunfeng asked about the house's design, the brother and sister pricked up their ears, equally curious.

Deng Shirong said, "I plan to build a large blue brick and tile house."

Deng Yunfeng was stunned. In the countryside nowadays, most people lived in mud-brick houses. In the entire Help and Correct Brigade, Uncle Jiu would be the first to build a large blue brick and tile house.

Deng Yunzhen and Deng Yunheng were equally shocked. They had never imagined their father would want to build a grand blue brick and tile house like the Double Prosperity Supply and Marketing Cooperative. While shocked, they couldn't help but feel excited.

Deng Yunfeng took a deep breath and asked, "Uncle Jiu, are you serious? Do you really want to build a blue brick and tile house?"

It was no wonder he asked. In this era, even those with better conditions would at most lay a circle of blue bricks on the foundation or at the entrance. Building an entire house with blue bricks was unheard of in the Help and Correct Brigade.

Deng Shirong smiled and said, "Of course, I'm serious. I'll tell you my plan and requirements, and you can help me estimate the cost."

Deng Yunfeng nodded seriously. "Alright, Uncle Jiu, go ahead. I'm listening."

"My plan is to build the house in the shape of an inverted '7.' The longer section in the front will consist of five large rooms, each about 90 square meters, with two bedrooms, a living room, and a bathroom. The shorter section by the river will be about 130 square meters, with three bedrooms, a living room, two bathrooms, and a kitchen..."

Deng Shirong described the layout of the house in detail, leaving Deng Yunfeng and his siblings, Deng Yunzhen and Deng Yunheng, utterly dumbfounded.

The total building area would be nearly 600 square meters. Not only had such a large house never been seen in the Help and Correct Brigade, but it was also unheard of in the entire Double Prosperity area.

(End of this chapter)