Dressed as a farmer's widow, she brought her daughter to stock up on food and reached the top

Xiuying had thought about raising pigs, but she hadn't expected Yang's mother to act faster than her. She smiled and said to Yang Qingfeng and Yang's mother, "I've already given the blueprints for the house. I'm going to build a pigpen in the backyard. I plan to build a brick house for the pigpen, too. I'll build a large one with one side for the pigpen and the other for raising chickens, ducks, and rabbits. I'll also build a shed outside the pigpen to raise cows and donkeys."

Xiuying's family already has two cows and three donkeys, which are important assets in the countryside. She never expected that Xiuying's pigs could also live in a brick house.

Yang's mother smiled. It seemed her daughter was truly living a good life. "Well, it's getting late now. We should arrange lunch for the helpers."

Aunt Li and several aunts who helped with cooking came over.

"Xiuying, what are we going to do for lunch?"

Xiuying looked at the dozens of people busy helping to carry bricks and dig the foundation. If so many people were to cook rice, it would be too conspicuous. Now almost everyone eats black flour steamed buns, and she couldn't let the people who came to help eat too poorly.

"At noon, I'll cook a pot of corn cakes and a pot of vegetable soup with lard residue. What do you think?"

Mother Yang nodded. The meal with cornmeal was not bad at all, especially since it was served with vegetables cooked with lard.

I heard Yang Kui say before that his daughter used rice to entertain the uncles and aunts who came to help, but it was only for one day. Now they are building a brick house, which will probably take more than half a month. It is impossible to eat rice every meal for half a month.

The aunts who helped with cooking also agreed. They usually ate black flour porridge, which was thin. Xiuying made cornmeal here, which was dry, and added lard to the soup. This meal was very good even in the city.

After the discussion, Yang's mother and several aunts who helped with cooking went to knead the dough and wash the vegetables. The cornmeal in Xiuying's family was ground very finely and the color was beautiful. The vegetables were also green and big. It seemed that everything in Xiuying's family was good.

Yang's father and Xiuying's uncles who were craftsmen discussed the specific matters of building the house. There were many villagers who came to help, and most of them had experience in building houses. Several uncles led a team each, and they could work on the row houses, main house, guest rooms, and warehouses at the same time.

Xiuying asked her uncles to build a kang in every room and to heat the kang to keep warm in winter, especially since they lived in the mountains where winter was particularly cold.

There are seven rooms in the row of houses. Each maid has her own room. Including Xiuying, they alone need eight kangs. There are five guest rooms in total, one for Yang's father and mother, and one for Yang Qingfeng, so a total of thirteen kangs are needed.

Xiuying's third uncle became excited when he heard that there were thirteen kangs to be built. He had built the stove for Xiuying's family before. When he heard his niece say that the stove was well made, he was so happy.

Xiuying then told her fourth uncle, a carpenter, "In the main house, the guest rooms, and the two rooms reserved for my parents Qingfeng, each one should have a large wardrobe, and in the other rooms, small wardrobes. In the main house and the two guest rooms, each one should have a large chest, and in the other rooms, small chests.

Build a desk and a dressing table in each room of the row houses where the maids live."

When Fourth Uncle heard that desks were to be made in the maids' rooms, he asked and found out that all seven maids in Xiuying's family could read. He was so shocked that he couldn't say a word. But at the same time, he was happy for the maids. He didn't expect that the girls in Yang's family could also read.

Xiuying also asked for a large round table to be made, as she liked the whole family to sit together and eat. She also asked for a few smaller tables to be made, which would be useful for any occasion at home. Stools, chairs, and small stools were also made at the same time.

Fourth Uncle wrote down everything Xiuying told him to do, and promised to do it quickly and well.

After explaining the most important things, Xiuying went to prepare lunch with her aunts. Seeing her daughter busying around, Yang's mother said, "I and so many other people are here. You should go out and rest. You can't take care of so many things by yourself. Your father and I are here to help you with the work."

Several aunts who helped with cooking also advised

"Xiuying, go out and rest. Don't worry, we are here."

"Yes, Xiuying, there are still many days left, don't get too tired."

Xiuying quickly said, "Mom, ladies and gentlemen, I'm not tired. I'm just talking, how can I be tired?"

I was so excited when I thought about the dream villa I designed that I couldn’t sleep. I was so full of energy that I couldn’t feel tired.

The aunts looked at Xiuying with envy and admiration.

Xiuying is really capable. She lives a prosperous life with her children and now has a brick house.

I am so lucky to marry a woman like Xiuying.

"They think I'm dead! How could my Zhao family have such a daughter-in-law?

He didn't even come to see my mother-in-law when she was sick, and now he hasn't even told me about something as important as building a house. Does he really still think of me as his mother-in-law?"

Following a familiar shout, Tian Guilan appeared in front of them, supporting Zhao's mother.

Mother Zhao glanced at Mother Yang, who was making dough and washing vegetable leaves, and at the other aunts who were helping. Finally, her gaze fell heavily on Xiuying, and she began to wail, "My poor son, you left me alone like this. After you died, your wife abused me, her mother-in-law, and wanted to separate from the family. Now that she's living a good life, she's not filial to me, her mother-in-law. I wasted all those years raising these girls for her.

My poor son, how could you marry such a narrow-minded and vicious woman? She has broken up our family!

It would be better for an old woman like me to be dead than alive!"

Xiuying has become accustomed to her mother-in-law's howling, especially when she howls while flapping her arms and legs with gestures, which is very funny to see. Every time she sees her mother-in-law's performance, Xiuying has to hold back her laughter.

"Mom, you and your sister-in-law agreed to the division of the family. Why are you bringing this up now? I thought you and your uncle's family were not feeling well recently, so I didn't inform you about the house construction. I wanted you to have a good rest."

Mother Yang put down the cornmeal in her hand and walked out, her face gloomy. "My dear in-laws, what do you mean by this? My Xiuying is well-educated and respectful to her elders. How come she has become a narrow-minded and vicious woman in your Zhao family?"

"Look at what your daughter has done. Aren't these things narrow-minded? The whole village knows about the house construction, but she only hid it from me, her mother-in-law. Is she afraid that I, as her mother-in-law, will take advantage of her? It's only been three years since the second son left, and she has become like this. She doesn't respect her elders. Isn't she a vicious woman?

The second son is dead, not divorced. She is still the daughter-in-law of my Zhao family. As her mother-in-law, can I not say a few words to her?"