The Country Maiden: Fields and Leisure
Chapter 533 - 560

Chapter 533: 560

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With the liquor that Wang Yongzhu bought from the town, two catties were delivered to the worksite every day to warm the men’s bodies; the adobe bricks were rapidly increasing in number day by day, neatly stacked in rows, just waiting for the wind to blow them dry, and then they could be used.

Shopkeeper Wu certainly did not lie, this liquor was indeed better than the last batch they’d bought; after drinking it, the men all said it was potent. A swig and a ball of fire travelled down the throat, warming the entire body.

Everyone was full of energy.

After the foundation was laid, they began to build walls.

The first batch of adobe bricks had already been dried and were moved to the site of the new house; Master Chiang, leading his group of brothers, began the wall construction.

After the exterior walls were built, they were thickly plastered inside and out with mud mixed with reeds, making the walls impervious to rain.

Once the wall construction began, the house changed every day.

The needed stones and lumber were continuously transported to the new house.

The tiles required for the roof were already half fired and had been brought over.

Every day, there was a bustling scene of hectic activity near the new house, filled with the sounds of people.

In the Wang Family Courtyard, thanks to Wang Yongzhu’s insistence, the level of meal provision was constantly maintained.

Wang Yongzhu relayed several cooking techniques he had learned from the restaurant’s head chef to Lady Jiang and the other matrons responsible for cooking.

The food was varied every day, including dishes like pork stew with glass noodles and cabbage, meat stew with potatoes, cabbage stew with tofu, and braised bighead carp with tofu accompanied by pan-fried cakes...

After more than ten days, you’d expect that working tirelessly every day would make everyone lose weight.

Yet under the Wang Family’s rich provision of food, not only did nobody lose weight, but those doing lighter tasks even saw their waists thicken.

Not to mention the women who helped with the cooking—they all became rounder-faced with each passing day, their chins doubled, and their complexions improved.

The villagers who saw this envied them.

The Wang Family was so generous, and the helpers all knew it. Originally, the house that was supposed to take a month to complete, surprisingly, most of it was finished in just twenty days, only needing the beam to be placed and the tiles to be laid finally.

Placing the beam is the most important step in building a house.

A good day had already been chosen, and on that auspicious day, those who clashed with the date had to avoid visiting the site.

Before placing the beam, a ceremony to worship the gods and offer prayers with the incense burning had to be performed.

Then, two master beam-setters, one born in the year of the Dragon and the other in the year of the Tiger, were chosen, both of whom had to have red cloth wrapped around their waists.

The most important central beam was meticulously selected by the master beam-setters: the central beam had to be cedar, straight and tall, with dense branches and leaves, surrounded by as many small cedar trees as possible, symbolizing the prosperity and endless continuity of descendants.

Choosing a tree that stood alone was absolutely forbidden.

There were also requirements for cutting the tree: it should not knock down the small cedar trees around it, and it had to fall towards the south.

Before making the central beam, the master had to light incense, set off firecrackers, and only then could the work begin.

Both ends of the beam were adorned with safety coppers coins tied with red silk threads, symbolizing peace and smooth progress.

When the auspicious time arrived, the two master beam-setters had to lift the central beam, singing the beam-lifting song while the people below shouted, "Up, auspicious and propitious! Steadily lift it into place."

After the central beam was set in place, the master beam-setters would scatter a variety of peanuts and dried fruits prepared by the head of the household from above.

All the onlookers, men and women, young and old, could scramble to grab them. The more people who grabbed, the livelier the affair, and the better the omen.

This was called "throwing the beam".

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After the beam was thrown, everyone had to exit the new house and let the sun bake the central beam, an act known as "basking the beam."

For this day, the Wang Family had prepared firecrackers, red paper, red cloth strips, and offerings for worshiping the heavens, including incense and ritual items, well in advance.

They also bought a lot of peanuts and dried fruits, ready for the beam-throwing ceremony.

Right on the auspicious hour, the master carpenter circled his waist with red cloth strips and steadily placed the beam in position.

There was no shortage of people who came to watch the excitement. First, they all wanted to see the grand Wang Family Courtyard, and second, thanks to the help and promotion from those who came to assist, who didn’t know that the Wang Family was generous? It was certain that they wouldn’t skimp on today’s beam-throwing.

Indeed, the beam-throwing carpenter climbed up with a basket, tossing large amounts of peanuts and dried fruits, with occasionally a few Copper Coins falling down.

Not to mention the children, even the adults couldn’t resist joining in, creating a very lively scene for a while.

All that left Wang Laozhu and Old Granny Zhang beaming with joy and laughter.

As the beam-throwing carpenter tossed items, he chanted rhythmically, "Throwing beams towards the east, where the rising sun bathes the hall in red; tossing beams towards the west, where the qilin brings twins in a pair of happiness; heaving beams towards the south, may generations become Top Scholars; hurling beams towards the north, may barns brim with rice year by year."

Only after everyone scrambled for the peanuts and dried fruits did the crowd disperse.

Then everyone exited the new house, leaving it to bask in the sun for a day, so that the next day other horizontal beams and purlins could be installed.

With this step done, the house was largely completed, just needing the final touch of placing the roof tiles.

These tasks were the responsibility of Master Chiang’s team that he had brought with him.

Therefore, after the beam was placed, the Wang Family had to host a meal for all the workers, known as remuneration, to express gratitude for their help.

On this day, the few women who came to help out exerted all their skills and prepared five tables of banquet dishes. The courtyard couldn’t accommodate everyone so the tables were set up outside.

Atop each table was a large pot of braised pork with potatoes, a fish, a bowl of braised chicken with mushrooms and glass noodles, along with a dish of fried peanuts, a plate of pig’s head meat, and three side dishes, surpassing some households’ celebratory banquets.

What delighted people the most was the jug of wine on every table, roughly two catties each.

Farmers loved a tipple, and helping at the Wang house meant they could sneak a drink every day; when they saw the jugs of wine, their cravings instantly kicked in.

They didn’t wait for the host to prompt them, filling their bowls and drinking eagerly.

The revelry carried on until late afternoon before they, full with food and flushed with alcohol, staggered home supporting each other.

After the banquet ended and the wait had passed, the nimble women quickly cleared the tables, washed pots, pans, ladles, and spoons, swept the floors, and settled the wages before happily going home.

The people from the Wang family couldn’t rest yet, as they had to return the borrowed tables and dishes.

And they couldn’t return these items empty-handed; they had to include a few Eggs, or a handful of peanuts, and the like.

The errand running was entrusted to a few children.

Master Chiang and his crew had drunk a bit too much and went back to their rooms to lie down, soon snoring loudly.

The Wang family men were also slightly tipsy, except for Song Chongjin, who remained sober. Most were light-headed and went back to lying down as well.

Only Old Granny Zhang, Lady Lin, and Lady Jiang remained, quietly discussing the dinner arrangements for the evening and the cooking plans for the following days.

After today, the additional workers would no longer be needed, as Lady Jiang and Lady Lin could manage the cooking for Master Chiang’s team by themselves.

Wang Yongzhu was tallying up the total expenses to this day.

Apart from Master Chiang’s wages, the cost of all the materials and the wages for the helping hands were paid and settled.

On the side, Lady Lin was picking vegetables, muttering to herself, "I feel like we’ve forgotten something today..."