The maid's road to success

Da Niu has now changed his name to An Ze and is kept at home every day to learn literature and calligraphy. The weather is getting colder and colder, and Wen Niang is the one who is most afraid of cold. When she was in Fu Shou Tang, the ancestors were kind and did not lack charcoal and cotton clothes for the maids.

Naturally, he had never suffered from the cold. Later, when he fled to Lin County, An Gu and his sons always prepared enough firewood for the family. When he followed Chen Luoxi to the provincial capital to study, they had a kang, which was also very warm.

But Yuzhou was a rather cold place, and there were no heated beds or fire walls, so Wen Niang couldn't adapt to it.

After discussing for a while, they decided to find a craftsman to build a kang for everyone.

It just so happened that Anya and her room only had bunk beds, two small bunk beds put together. It looked spacious enough now, but it would be a bit crowded when they grew up.

This time, we just happened to have a big kang for everyone.

Fortunately, there were craftsmen from the north in Yuzhou. They had originally followed the local masters in Yuzhou to build houses. When they heard that they were looking for someone who could make a kang, they agreed.

"Master Zhang is not from Yuzhou, right?"

An Ning looked at the craftsman's skillful movements and exquisite craftsmanship and couldn't help but start chatting with him.

"Sir, you have a good eye. I came from the north. I used to help build the kangs in our village. My skills are still there."

An Ning nodded. She could see that although the craftsman only brought one assistant, he was working in a very organized manner.

"It's best to have a stove nearby when you are heating a kang. Country people always have a stove in front of the kang, but yours is a sophisticated one, and a stove plate wouldn't look good at home."

The carpenter looked around and pointed to the back of the house.

"It's just right to build a stove in the back, but it would be better to build a small tent so that it's convenient to add firewood and it won't be affected by rain or snow."

An Ning was very satisfied with his arrangements. He had carefully considered the layout and environment of the house and was indeed a good craftsman.

"I'll follow your instructions. How long will it take to finish the kang?"

The craftsman thought about it and stretched out his hand.

"Five days. Young masters, please help a little. The kang is easy to make, but it takes time to dry it. It also needs to be burned thoroughly."

An Ning didn't feel that the time was long. After all, it was still autumn, and the kang didn't have to be used soon. Wen Niang was cold, so she could just add two more hot water bottles.

"Okay, we have a shop in front and we want to make it warmer in the winter. Does the master have any ideas?"

The craftsman washed his hands, asked his assistant to do the work first, and went to the shop in front to take a look.

"The shop is not big, so we can't build a fire wall. But we can build a stove on the back wall of the shop and dig the pipes out of the back wall. It won't blacken the room and it can be used for heating, but it won't be as good as building a fire wall."

That's enough. People are buying snacks all day long, two hours a day. They never really wait until the time is up. They always sell out early and close.

Besides, it’s good to have a stove. When customers come to the shop, they will always be given a cup of tea. With a stove, it’s also convenient to refill tea and boil water in winter.

"In that case, thank you for troubling us, Master. After we finish these, we plan to build three more small houses of the same size in the backyard. Please help us build them when the time comes."

The craftsman who made the kang obviously did not realize that he was just an apprentice who followed his master to learn how to build houses. It was only because he had to travel back and forth from the north to make the kang that the master let him take on this job and also promised to give him 30% of the money, which he could send back home and send his son to school.

Now I have to build the house myself. If the craftsman knew about this, he would probably be very happy and would even give me a little extra pay.

"I'm not yet proficient in building a house. Can I ask my master to do it for me?"

An Ning nodded and agreed.

The craftsman was very happy, and to show his sincerity, he worked even more carefully.

After knowing this, his master happily lit a cigarette and asked his son to buy a batch of new bedding for Zhang Er.

"Dad, are you planning to teach Zhang Er a lesson?"

Zhang Er's master nodded and looked at his son.

"Zhang Er is honest and capable. I am very satisfied with him after watching him for a while. We just undertake some small jobs of building houses for the country folks and repairing kitchens for the county folks. This time, because he was clever, he took on the job of making a kang. We have built five houses in the countryside, and now he has taken on the job of building houses."

"That's great. We did a good job this time. Yuzhou City can be considered to have done business. You can come to Yuzhou to work in the future. And you should treat Zhang Er well and learn how to make a kang. If it can really keep you warm in winter, it will be a good business. Then you can go out to work in winter, and our family will become richer and richer."

Zhang Er didn't know that his performance this time made him the master's most valued disciple, he just worked hard.

An Ze knew that firewood would be needed to build the kang, so he took An Nan to chop firewood while everyone was busy. By the time everyone knew about it, they had already returned with two bamboo baskets of firewood, which were piled in the woodshed. It was enough to last for several days.

"You are disobedient again, kid. I told you not to do this kind of thing again. The most important thing now is for you to learn skills well."

An Ze lowered his head somewhat embarrassedly.

"We have moved in and have our own room and our own name. Our brothers and sisters have been raising us wholeheartedly. We also want to do something for our family. Building a kang requires a lot of firewood, so I want to prepare more firewood for the family."

Bihe let out a long sigh and took out a handkerchief to wipe Anze's hands clean.

"I said you didn't study hard. In winter, we need charcoal to heat the kang. Firewood doesn't last long and will burn out in a short time. We can't keep getting up in the middle of the night to add firewood."

Anya said immediately beside her.

"I'll add more firewood. I'm young and not afraid of the cold. I'll add more firewood for everyone at night."

Zhang Er, who was standing by, also laughed when he saw how sensible the children were.

"That won't do. This kang needs to be heated for at least an hour to keep it warm all night. It uses a lot of firewood. This amount of firewood is not enough for even a day. It's okay for cooking. To heat the kang in this room, you either have to get up at night to add firewood, or you can use charcoal, which is durable and one furnace is enough."

Bihe nodded. Although she had never heated a kang, as her ancestors used to use charcoal basins, she had heard of it.

"Well, your biggest task now is to learn to read, learn the craft, and make good pastries. We will take care of the firewood."

An Ze nodded somewhat ashamedly. He had wanted to lighten the burden a little, but he didn't expect that he didn't understand these things and caused trouble for the young man.

"But An Ze got some firewood today, so I don't have to worry about cooking and steaming snacks these days."

Seeing the children looking disappointed because they could not help their family, Wen Niang changed the subject.

"Anze, I made cotton-padded clothes and thick quilts for you at the cloth shop at the entrance of the alley. You can take your brothers and sisters to get them back."

Wen Niang stuffed a small purse into his pocket.

"This is your pocket money for this month. Anze and Anya get 100 wen each, and the rest are still young, 30 wen each. Once you spend this, there will be nothing left for this month."

An Ze felt like he had received a hot potato and didn't dare to accept it.

"Our food and lodging are now taken care of by my sister and brother, how can we get money? This is not acceptable."

Bihe said pretending to be angry.

"This is my pocket money for my brothers and sisters, unless you don't want to become a family with us and don't want to recognize me as your sister."

An Ze quickly waved his hands to indicate that he had no such idea. Seeing that Bihe seemed really angry, he took the purse tremblingly. He didn't know what to do all the way. It turned out that An Nan was smart.

"Don't worry, Brother Anze. Sister Bihe gave us the money because she treated us as her own siblings. If you think we shouldn't accept it, we should save it and not spend it. We can buy gifts, beautiful clothes and jewelry for our sisters and brothers on their birthdays in the future."

Anze stopped and looked at Annan.

"We use my sister's money to buy her a birthday gift?"

Annan was also a little embarrassed and lowered his head.

"If we rely on ourselves, I'm afraid we won't be able to buy a decent birthday gift for my sister. We're the only one, and we're all handicapped."

An Ze knew that he had made his younger brothers and sisters sad, and he didn't know how to comfort them.

"Brother, why worry about it? We are all human beings. Although we have disabilities, we can learn skills and work. We should be obedient and study hard to learn how to make cakes and make it easier for our brother and the eldest and second sisters."

It was Anya who came up with a good idea. Although she couldn't see, she could use the bamboo poles made by Wen Niang and Bihe to explore the way, so she could do more things recently.

An Ze felt that Anya was right. Instead of feeling ashamed every day, he would rather learn a skill and try to make his older brothers and sisters' lives easier. He would try to have a skill to earn money so that he can return and honor his older brothers and sisters.

"We were bullied and abandoned since we were young. It was my eldest brother and second brother who took us in and raised us. They not only fed us but also clothed us and taught us how to survive. I am the one who picked you up one by one. Let me make this clear. If anyone becomes an ungrateful person in the future and refuses to recognize his brothers and sisters, I will personally take care of him. Even if it costs me my own life, I would rather not teach any of us to be evil-hearted."

Several children nodded firmly. From the first day they were brought home, when they slept in a warm, draft-proof room, wore soft and comfortable new clothes, and ate clean and delicious meals, they decided that they would repay the kindness of their eldest brother and second sister for the rest of their lives.

Although they may not be able to repay this life-saving favor, their children and their children's children will continue to repay them.

Without brothers and sisters, they are still a group of little beggars living in a broken house. Anyone can bully them and spit at them.

All this is because of their brothers and sisters, which allow them to live like adults and know that they can also live a good life with enough food, warm clothes and love from others.

An Ze brought his younger brother and sister-in-law back with thick cotton coats and quilts, and spread them on the dry kang. An Nan lay on them and felt them, and his eyes turned red.

"Brother Ze, I have never covered myself with such a thick quilt. When I was a child, I only had firewood to cover myself with at home. I didn't have my own clothes. Whenever someone in the village had torn clothes that couldn't be worn anymore, they would throw them to me."

Anya listened to Annan's words and recalled many bad things.

Which one of them has not been bullied like this?

"Everything is fine now. There will only be good days ahead."

An Ze looked at the few people outside the door who were still preparing snack ingredients in the yard, his eyes determined.

Yu Fu Zhai is now quite famous in Yuzhou, but they have no plans to increase sales.

After all, everyone has limited energy. Now that we have a few little guys to help, everyone feels a lot more relaxed.

Wen Niang also made some time to go for a walk.

An Ze was familiar with the roads here and knew every street and alley, so Wen Niang and Bi He took An Ze out for a stroll.

"You little bitch, you ate my food and didn't even think about paying me back, and you dared to run away."

Wen Niang was walking when she was bumped by a skinny child. Behind her were two or three men, all wearing patched clothes and looking very aggressive. They didn't look like capable people.

"Hey, where are you two ladies going?"

The little beggar had disappeared long ago. The three men saw Bihe and Wen Niang with a half-grown child and had evil thoughts in their minds.

"How dare you! Do you know what my family does? If you dare to hurt me today, my brother will kill your whole family tomorrow."