Chen Jia Gou and Qin Jia Cun are neighboring villages.
They are only a mile or two apart.
The mountain road is difficult to navigate, and after being covered in snow, it's easy to slip on.
Qin Si's legs were not in good shape, and the couple traveled slowly.
“People in the village are already gossiping. Our family suddenly has such good fortune, everyone is speculating,”
Chen Yue Lian, holding onto a stone, took a big step forward, crossing a muddy patch.
Qin Si used his cane for a pole vault and also crossed over.
“What did you say?”
“What else could I say? It's just like what we discussed earlier. You said you did business in the city and made some small profits.
And your parents left you an inheritance. Add that to what I saved, and that's all there is.”
Qin Si nodded.
This was a story he and Chen Yue Lian had planned out - that he had holdings in the city.
He was just riding someone else's coattails, only having the right to share profits.
This way, he would have a cover for bringing out good things in the future.
It could also stop the villagers from getting envious and asking him for help.
It could even enhance his prestige, since he was able to have holdings in the city, even if it was by riding someone else's coattails.
In the village, that's quite impressive.
“Once the foundation is dug, I have to find a reason to bring out the cement and rebar,”
Qin Si said.
He wasn't planning on building their new home in the village to be too grand. It would be a small two-story building with a high wall.
He would also add a garden where he could plant vegetables.
The main priority was to have a bathroom, a shower, and floor heating.
He could wait until the building was finished and the wall was built to do the interior decoration on his own.
With 【Building Mastery】, interior decoration wasn't a difficult task for him.
However, he needed cement and rebar for the initial rough construction.
He could use river sand, and there were plenty of rocks surrounding the mountains, so those were not an issue.
Wood was plentiful as well, since there were forests everywhere.
The only things that needed to be purchased were the rebar, cement, and some other building materials.
He had them in his interdimensional space, so he didn't need to buy them.
The problem was how to get them out convincingly.
“Then you have to hurry. There are almost one hundred people working on the construction site today, and the foundation should be done tomorrow,”
Chen Yue Lian said.
“Nevermind, I'll just go to the main road tonight, take the things out, and then have the villagers carry them in.”
“How will you explain it?”
“I'll just say I bought it beforehand and asked people to help carry it in.”
“That… will the villagers believe you?”
“What if they don't?”
Qin Si said with a smile:
“The things will be there. What can they do if they don't believe me? Believe it or not.”
Chen Yue Lian nodded. After thinking about it, she realized he was right.
The things would be right in front of them, who could not believe it?
Besides, the villagers could barely afford food, who had the time to nitpick about these things?
It's not like it's theirs.
Just helping out, why be so picky?
“Have you arranged dinner for the people at the construction site?”
Qin Si asked.
“It's already been arranged. I gave Liang Auntie the ingredients, and Auntie San and the others are helping out. There are so many people, I can't do it alone. From now on, I'll leave it to them.
I'll provide the grain.”
Chen Yue Lian replied.
“Well, well, well, look at you.”
Qin Si teased with a smile:
“You know how to get people to do things for you now. You're starting to have the air of a Clan Leader's wife.”
“Stop teasing me!”
Chen Yue Lian rolled her eyes in annoyance.
Qin Si laughed.
Chen Yue Lian was truly a good manager. She was very thrifty with everything in the house.
In front of others, she would seem generous and carefree, but she didn't skimp on the food for the construction workers.
But once she came back home, she would be so heartbroken.
She would sigh and lament, almost shedding tears.
……
Reaching the top of the mountain pass, they saw water as far as the eye could see.
Qin Si was surprised.
“Is there a lake here?”
“It's not a lake, it's a reservoir. It's very big,”
Chen Yue Lian pointed with her finger and said:
“Look, over there is Zhao Jia Cun, and coming from Zhao Jia Cun is our Qin Jia Cun. This side is Chen Jia Gou……”
Most of the surrounding villages within ten miles were centered around this reservoir.
They had mountains and water on their side.
“I never knew there was such a big reservoir here. It's amazing,”
“You like it?”
“I do.”
Qin Si chuckled:
“When I had free time, I loved to go fishing. I've been wandering around in the mountains recently, and I haven't found any good fishing spots. Who knew there was such a large reservoir right in front of me.”
“Hahaha.”
Chen Yue Lian laughed and pointed at a field by the water:
“Look, those few acres of land belong to you. I have two acres next to them, both bordering the reservoir.”
“Alright, I'll go take a look sometime, go fishing.”
……
Chen Jia Gou.
It was half the size of Qin Jia Cun, but closer to the reservoir, almost built along the water.
Before they even approached the village, they heard the sound of dogs barking.
Woof woof, non-stop.
Chen Yue Lian didn't show any fear, she walked ahead and led the way. She greeted many familiar faces along the way.
She grew up in Chen Jia Gou, and even though her parents were gone, her relatives were still here.
“Oh my, this young man is so tall,”
“He has broad shoulders and a strong build. You can tell he's strong.”
“Yue Lian is blessed. Look at the clothes he's wearing, clean and tidy, he's definitely living well.”
Chen Yue Lian smiled as she introduced her husband to everyone along the way. She smiled brightly as she listened to their compliments.
Qin Si smiled back in response.
His manners were proper.
“Look, that's my house,”
Chen Yue Lian pointed to a house that was half-collapsed and dilapidated, completely uninhabitable.
A hint of sadness appeared on her face.
Her parents were gone, and her relatives weren't close. She only had Qin Si in the world.
Qin Si held her hand, without saying anything, his comforting thoughts were conveyed.
“I'm okay, it's been a few years, the sadness is gone,”
Chen Yue Lian smiled, relieved:
“Let's go, go to Ruo Nan's house.”
They walked along the muddy village path, climbed a long flight of stairs, and arrived at Chen Ruo Nan's house.
An old wooden house.
Qin Si was a little surprised.
The door was reinforced, and the windows were boarded up. They couldn't see any hoes or axes outside.
It was too clean.
It was as if they were intentionally put away and hidden.
“Call out Shi Lin’er, listen carefully from the beginning, Black Wind Immortal, he is originally a friend of my mother… Regrettably, I should not have been greedy for the world and descended from the mountain…,”
The sound of singing opera came from the cowshed, like a mother giving her son advice, explaining it carefully.
Every word was beautiful and moving.
Qin Si and Chen Yue Lian walked over and saw Chen Ruo Nan in the cowshed.
He was wearing patched, dirty clothes, his body moving in time with the opera lyrics.
Elegant, breathtaking.
He was in a simple cowshed, but it felt like he was on a grand stage, waiting to be admired by the world.
A good play, captivating…