The Peasant Wife: The Prime Minister's Beloved

In this small village, as new residents, Xie Tianyi's family inevitably made the villagers worry about whether they could get the compensation they deserved.

"Dear fellow villagers, please rest assured. We are willing to pay you 40 cents a day as wages. Although you need to take care of your own meals, this is already a very fair price." Chen Xi's answer was clear and sincere.

Forty cents a day is already a very generous reward for many people. You know, many people can only earn twenty or thirty cents after working hard in the fields all day.

"Mr. Tianyi, are you serious?" More than a dozen voices sounded almost at the same time, full of anticipation and excitement.

"It's absolutely true. I guarantee with the reputation of the Chen family that the wages will be paid on a daily basis and will never be delayed. The village chief is also our witness." Chen Xi reiterated, her tone firm and unquestionable.

"So when do we start?"

"Yes, we are all willing to help build the house."

Everyone couldn't wait to ask.

Xie Tianyi took over the conversation at the right time and calmed everyone down, "Everyone, please be patient. Once the bricks arrive this afternoon, we can start working in full swing tomorrow."

"Blue bricks? Tianyi, is your family going to use bricks to build the house?" someone asked in surprise, as if brick houses were still a rare thing in such a remote village.

"That's right. My wife cured the stubborn illness of the wife of Mr. Fang in this town. Mr. Fang was grateful for this and took the initiative to donate this batch of high-quality blue bricks to us. This made it possible for us to build a brick house." Xie Tianyi explained.

These words were discussed in advance by Chen Xi and Xie Tianyi, in order to avoid unnecessary jealousy and disputes caused by building a house.

"Oh, Tianyi, your wife is really capable. You should ask for more money." Someone in the crowd joked.

"Don't worry. Mr. Fang will certainly not be short of medical fees for seeking medical treatment and medicine. As for everyone's wages, we have already prepared them. Let's go home today, get enough rest, and work hard tomorrow." Xie Tianyi's words made everyone gather together even though they were dispersing, and their hearts were full of expectations.

Looking at the piles of blue bricks in front of them, and thinking of the four new houses that were about to be built, as well as the accompanying kitchens and storage rooms, Chen Xi and Xie Tianyi decided to stay and discuss the specific details of the house construction with the village chief.

"No problem, just go ahead and build it. There's plenty of open space nearby and it won't affect anyone. My strong sons will come to help, what do you think?" The village chief smiled brightly.

"That's great, uncle. More people means more help." Chen Xi responded cheerfully, his brows filled with sincerity and enthusiasm.

Upon hearing this, the village chief smiled.

The village chief thought that if his three sons could help, he could earn 120 coins a day. Compared with hard labor outside in the wind and sun, not only would he earn more, but he could also enjoy the warmth and taste of a homely meal in the midday smoke. It was really a great deal.

Everyone returned home amidst laughter and joy. When the warmth of joy gradually faded away, a question quietly emerged in their minds - has Xie Tianyi's body really recovered?

Even the usually shrewd village chief was immersed in the joy of calculating this unexpected fortune, until the figures of Chen Xi and his wife disappeared at the end of the path, and then he suddenly came to his senses.

Some people couldn't help their curiosity and wanted to confirm once again the authenticity of Xie Tianyi's vision recovery, but regretfully found that the once taciturn young man was now missing.

But the villagers were not in a hurry, because they knew that Xie Tianyi would appear in their sight again tomorrow.

The good news that Xie Tianyi had regained his sight and that a large blue brick courtyard was about to be built spread quickly in the village and naturally reached the ears of the Xie family.

Mr. Xie was not surprised by this. After all, he had already noticed the subtle changes in Xie Tianyi's eyesight.

However, Qin, her two daughters-in-law, and the two eldest sons of the Xie family, the eldest and the second, were so excited that they could hardly control themselves.

"Tianyi is in good health now and is going to build a new yard. Mom, did their family hit upon some great fortune?" Boss Xie's face was beaming with desire in his eyes.

The wrinkles on Qin's face became deeper because of her smile, but she couldn't hide her genuine joy. "In that case, let's take them back. Our old house is still solid. Why bother to build a new brick courtyard? It's better to save the money and find good wives for Youcai and Youde."

Wang took Qin's arm and interrupted with a smile, "Mother, don't forget that my family is virtuous. Don't be partial and only think about the third family."

Qin nodded repeatedly and promised, "Okay, okay, everyone in the family will have a share. I will never be partial."

From Qin's words, it seemed that she had regarded Chen Xi and his wife's wealth as the common property of the family.

"Early tomorrow morning, the eldest and second brothers will go to the ruins of the third brother's house and wait for them. Call them back as soon as possible. Don't waste time and money on things that shouldn't be spent."

Several people who had their own plans tacitly decided not to let Mr. Xie get involved in this matter.

Qin secretly made up her mind that this matter must be kept secret from the old man. She knew very well that the old man was usually more tolerant towards outsiders. Once he knew about it, there would be another verbal battle.

In the afternoon, Mr. Fang sent someone to deliver bricks. Carriages loaded with bricks slowly drove into Chen Xi's residence. Those solid bricks were neatly stacked in several relatively sturdy rooms and locked.

In this age where people's hearts are unpredictable, Chen Xi is well aware of the truth that "I'm not afraid of thieves stealing, I'm afraid of thieves thinking about it." He doesn't want these precious materials to disappear because of a momentary negligence.

In order to be on the safe side, Chen Xi even took out one or two taels of silver and entrusted the village chief to arrange for someone to pay more attention at night.

Faced with Chen Xi's generosity, the village chief was naturally happy to serve, and immediately assigned his three sons to take turns to keep watch.

As expected, someone approached stealthily on the first night, but when he saw someone on duty, he immediately ran away in fear.

From then on, no one dared to have any bad thoughts about those blue bricks.

The next morning, when the sun was just beginning to shine, it was a perfect day to break ground.

The eldest and second oldest Xie kept Qin's instructions in mind and waited outside the house before dawn.

When the strong men who came to work first saw the two of them, they thought they were fellow workers who came to help.

However, when everyone just sat down and prepared to start work, the Xie brothers suddenly changed their expressions and began to drive everyone away.

"Let's all go, let's go. We, the third brother, will not build that yard anymore."

Xie Lao Er continued, "Yes, our yard is fine, why build a new one? We, Lao San, want to move back to the old house."

When these words were spoken, all the strong men present were stunned and looked at each other, their confusion evident in their words.