Traveling through time as a peasant girl to turn things around

It was another brand new day. Sun Quan drove an ox cart to bring in bricks and unloaded them outside the gate, outside the south courtyard wall. Chai Zhen helped carry them. Sun Quan said, "Second Grandpa, I can move them quickly, you take a rest." Chai Zhen said, "Quan, you underestimate your grandfather. I can do it too." "How many rooms are you going to build?" "I don't know. I just do whatever my father tells me to do. I don't want to think about anything else." "Well, worrying is tiring. It's better to just sleep when I stop worrying." "Second Grandpa, we don't have any of the vegetables you eat. Do you have any seeds? If so, let me plant some!" "Well, your aunt Ping'an is saving them. You won't be short of them next year." "Jia Le travels around, sees more places, and sees more. If you buy good things when you find them, you'll have a good life." "Young man, while you're young, go out more and see the world!" "My father doesn't tell me these things. You can't blame Jia Yu for knowing more than me." "I don't know what the point of my father passing the imperial examination is." After unloading the bricks, Sun Quan went to carry more. Li Guang came out, and Chai Zhen said, "Nephew, where are you going to build your house? Have you chosen a location?" "I'll tell you a place, is it okay?" "Look, facing east won't work for us, as we need to expand. Facing north won't work either, but south is fine, and west is also acceptable. I'm thinking, if you go west, you'll be closer to the beach, where our house will be lined up, so we can occupy a lot of land. If we build right next to our road, it'll also be fine. But the west side is limited. It's up to you." Li Guang thought, right next to the road, right next to ours, would be a good option. Our farmland is small, so expanding north... "Uncle, can we expand north if we're right next to the road?" "Yes?" "I'll ask the village chief for you." "Here's fine too." They walked home to eat.

After breakfast, Chai Zhen called the fourth son into the house. "Jia Yu, a tall tree attracts the wind. Do you understand this principle?" "It's okay if you don't. Dig the soil now, heading due west. When you reach a certain depth, stop. Then we'll dig our own tunnels, leaving a retreat for our family. But you can't let anyone else know. Grandpa only told you this. Remember what Grandpa said, and go." The fourth son drove the oxcart away, pulling the soil. Jia He wasn't sawing today, so he joined Li Dong in pulling hemp stalks. The women were harvesting cabbages, carrying them back in baskets. They were all placed against the north wall. Chai Zhen went to see the cilantro planted in the field. It was growing well, lush green, and some of the leaves were turning red in the cold weather. They were growing thicker and larger. The radishes were red and alive. Some were buried in the soil for planting next year. The chives were also growing. He fanned out the grass to dry. The weather was good.

He was thinking of building his own house eastward. His family would dig the underground house. He would build the upper part first, and then dig the underground house behind his son's house.

It was almost noon, and the women had all returned. The cabbages were almost ready. They were ready to make lunch. Old Lady Li and Runiang made the broth and ate noodles. The daughter-in-law went to the west room to roll the noodles. Three women rolled them: Wang Min, Baohua, and Li Ru, with Chai Zhen holding the child. There were many people eating. Soon, Wang Hong, Ma Mei, Zhang Qian, and Liu Erni arrived with their children. All four women started rolling the noodles. Wang Wang and Mumu had gone to play with Huanhuan. The weather was warm, and the children were running around in the yard. Old Man Chai got up and came to the west room.

Chai Zhen said to his son, "Get up early tomorrow and go back to the ancestral home to burn incense. The day after tomorrow, we'll start building the house. I think the day after tomorrow will be good. In the afternoon, we'll harvest hemp. It's time to harvest." "Baohua, you women will tear up hemp this afternoon. Jiaxing will go soak yesterday's hemp. Old Lady Li has harvested a lot of hemp at home these days. She remembers all the names. They only earn their wages." Chai Zhen thought that he would have to make hemp ropes when he returned from the ancestral home tomorrow. Three splits of rope would make thirty meters long. "Tired."

Old Lady Li prepared a large pot of stewed meat, added the stir-fried meat, and garnished it with chopped scallions, cilantro, ginger, and sesame oil. She left a small pot of stir-fried meat and mushrooms for Ru, the children, and Chai Zhen.

Ru's mother lit the fire and fetched bowls, while Old Lady Li cooked noodles, giving them to the child first, then Ru and Dad. They brought the noodles into the west room. Ru said, "Let the child and Dad eat first. I'll wait a while." Old Lady Li was reluctant, saying, "You eat first. Guoguo still needs to nurse." You can't compete with your sister-in-law. Li Ru, unwilling to betray her mother's kindness, went to eat. Chai Zhen held the child to eat.

Everyone had returned, and Old Lady Li and Runiang went to cook noodles. A swarm of young boys swarmed in. They washed their hands and ate. Runiang pounded chili peppers and garlic, added vinegar and sesame oil, and poured a large bowl of soup into it, placing it on the courtyard table with a spoon. "Whoever wants to eat, scoop." The boys said nothing, slurping their food. Thirty people were digging in the kiln alone, and there were over fifty family members. The noodle rolls were exhausted. But seeing everyone eating happily, it didn't matter. Thank you all for your help. Someone said, "I'd be content to die." Everyone ate their fill. The three old men came back to eat, their eyes sparkling; they had never eaten such delicious food in their lives. Chai Zhen said to them, "Old guys, don't act old. Get to work, and everything will be fine." They walked out of the house to take a look outside.

After dinner, I smoked for a while and then left.

In the afternoon, Jiaxing went into the water to fish. Chai Pingan held him while the women washed and ripped the flax. Chai Zhen went to weave straw fans. Li Guang went to pull up the flax stalks again. Jiaxing fished out the flax that had been pulled back for four or five days. He put what he pulled back into the pond and pressed it. Old Lady Li prepared hot water for her son and took out dry clothes. Jiaxing was freezing cold. He took a bath and put on a big cotton-padded jacket. He ran to the west room. Little Naibao looked at his uncle with a wet head. She thought of buying him a one-piece raincoat. That way he wouldn't be cold. It was so cold, what should he do if he got sick? She had to prepare cold medicine, cough medicine, anti-inflammatory medicine, hemostatic medicine, [Yunnan Baiyao]. She realized the space and went to the pharmacy to buy a large bag of medicine. There were also Chinese patent medicines. Only then did she feel at ease.

She drew a box bed and gave the blueprint to her uncle. Li Dong understood it immediately. He planned to make it for his niece. Little Milk Bag also drew a bookcase. It was a bookshelf with doors that could be closed.

Li Dong was too busy to handle it, so he called Jia He to come and help him. He then told his grandfather, "We still need some wood." Chai Zhen put down his work and went to the village chief. He said that he needed to cut wood to make tables for the school. The wood would have to be dried for a few days. The village chief was very busy and was teaching everyone how to soak hemp. Some families would soak it themselves. After Chai Zhen said that, the village chief went to notify people that each family had to send one person to work for the village. He also found more than a dozen people to cut wood. Wood was continuously delivered to the Chai family. Someone asked what they would do with so much wood. Li Dong said, "To make tables and chairs for the school."

Today, Chai Ping'an was going to the ancestral house. He got up early, took the offerings prepared by Old Lady Li, and went with his father to the house. Chai Zhen lit incense, knelt, and said, "Our Chai family is blessed by our ancestors. Now we are motivated and living well. Our children are short of housing, so we need to break ground to build a house. I specifically told our ancestors to bless us with peace!!!" After that, he kowtowed four times, and Chai Ping'an followed his father's lead.

"Let's go." "Ping'an, tell the village chief, 'Let's close the rope today,' and ask him to come if he wants to close it." "Okay."

Chai Zhen returned first. He called Li Guang over to join the ropes. He then summoned Chai Xin and two other young men to work on the job. They had torn off a lot of hemp skins over the past few days. They started by joining three ropes, each thirty meters long. Several children also arrived. They were so warmly dressed that no one felt cold, and they couldn't stay indoors. The four brothers rushed around. Many people in the village knew about it and came to watch. Chai Zhen was happy for everyone to learn, and some even joined in to help.

Sun Quan arrived with his oxcart, and many people came to help unload the bricks, creating a bustling atmosphere. After unloading the cart, Sun Quan joined him, curious about the tools being used. He stopped pulling the bricks and joined in the work. With so many young people, the work went faster. The village chief also arrived, carrying a load on his shoulder. Seeing his son, he told him to go home and pick up two more baskets. He then joined the ropes.

It was already afternoon when the Chai family finished the work. After three splits, they made 60 ropes. By nightfall, Sun Gui still hadn't finished. After eating, he worked again and made 28 ropes. Sun Gui was so happy that he almost jumped up. Sun Quan drove the ox cart to pull them away.

The Chai family's barn was full, so they moved it into their son's room and covered it with a straw fan. Hemp stalks filled the east wall, enough to burn matches.

The dinner at home was also very lively. After a day's work, the young men were very happy to eat and joke around. The meal cooked by Old Lady Li was delicious. The pumpkin millet porridge, leavened oil cakes, and pickled carrots were all flavorful. Everyone ate with relish! After dinner, they played around for a long time before leaving. The fourth son went back to the west room to see his daughter and wife. He was too dirty to hold the baby. Ru asked him to wash first and change into clean clothes. The second son's wife had been doing the laundry these days without a single complaint, and Li Ru was very grateful to her. Everyone in the family was busy. The fourth son could only look at his daughter and then go out.

At night, Chai Zhen was still weaving straw fans. Li Guang was weaving baskets. Old Lady Li went to check on the vegetables she was growing in the yard and covered herself with a straw fan.

Chai Pingan went to the farm tool house to see what furniture was available. He had to ask his father what he needed to build a house.

Chai Ping'an came up to his father and said, "We'll dig the foundation tomorrow. Which piece of land should we build the house on?" "Build it on the east side, plan it out." "Build it four meters wide and seven meters long. It's one room." "I'll have one, the third child will have one, and the grandchildren will have one too. Build four rooms, so the granddaughters can have one too. But when the children are older, each grandchild will have a small room for a study." "What? You want your grandchildren to imitate you?!" Uneducated, huh! Rolling his eyes at his son, Chai Zhen whispered. "Build so many!" "You didn't worry about it. Your granddaughter drew a blueprint for Li Dong a few days ago. It called for a bed and a bookcase!" "I went to see the village chief again and asked him to cut more wood." "Thicken the walls to keep them warm." Don't worry about the money. We have enough. I'll go to the county again in a few days and sell these ropes. We'll have some left over.

Chai Zhen looked at his son and said, "Let's take the ox cart to the county and buy some blue bricks and tiles. We can put blue bricks on the roof and make a gable roof. Then we won't have to worry about leaks."

The family rose early, and the village chief also arrived. They burned incense in the courtyard, offering sacrifices to heaven and earth. Chai Zhen, the village chief, and Chai Xin measured the houses and marked them. Two identical rooms, four identical rooms, four nested within each other, facing north and south. They were arranged in a neat row.

Chai Zhen stirred the soil, and then everyone dug and laid the foundation. Some went to pull stones; the bluestone foundation was water-resistant. Sun Quan's oxcart also went to pull it. Chai Zhen asked Chai Dong, "Bring the ox at home." Hitch up Uncle Ping'an's cart, the one with the iron wheels. It's well-harnessed, and it works great. It's fast because it's heavy, carrying bluestone. This time, when we go to the county, we'll catch that cart and see if the blacksmith can make iron wheels!

With the help of the village chief and the entire village, the house was built. It was time to put up the beams, which would take another day. That day, everyone expanded the south wall of their home, extending it five meters. That was also the day they went to the county. A month later, it was time to go sell rope. They made another round of three-split rope, thirty meters long: Sun Gui for thirty and the Chai family for eighty. This time, more people went, so Sun Quan and Sun Gui pulled a large cart. The Chai family sent two ox carts to haul all the ropes. Chai Zhen, Jia Yu, Jia He, Chai Xin. Everyone got up early and set off.

The journey went smoothly, and they arrived at noon. They drove to the place where they had sold ropes last time. Chai Zhen asked everyone to take out some dry food to fill their stomachs, and asked Chai Xinjiahe to go to the street to ask where they could buy blue bricks and tiles. The four of them stayed to watch the car. They waited for Ma Hua, the person who paid the deposit last time. It was not until noon that Ma Hua rode up and said, "Sorry to have kept you waiting. I'm bringing people with me, so I'm slow on the road." Chai Zhen said, "You have a long way to go, and no one can guarantee when you will arrive. I'm very happy that you can come today." Chai Zhen took out a water bottle and handed it to him. "Drink some water first." He then took out some dry food. Ma Hua said, "Just drink some water, I'm not hungry." At this time, Ma Hua's carriage also arrived. A man got out of the carriage. He walked up to him and asked, "Are you the rope seller?" Chai Zhen said, "Yes." "Can you show me the rope?" "Okay."

Jia Yu and Sun Quan carried down a large basket. The steward picked up a rope and took a look. He knew it was good stuff at first glance. "Okay." "Master Ma, how do you negotiate the price?" Ma Hua said, "Twenty meters, two taels of silver per rope." A deposit of five hundred taels had already been paid. It was clear. Ma Hua looked at Chai Zhen and said, "Brother Chai, let me introduce you. This is the steward of the General's Mansion. You'll contact him for your business from now on." "Okay." Chai Zhen looked at the steward and said, "My name is Chai Zhen. I'm acquainted with the steward of the General's Mansion. Nice to meet you!" The steward said, "My name is Ma Ming. We'll be dealing with each other often. Brother Chai, just call me Ma Ming." "Okay." "Old man, I'll call you Brother Ma!" "Okay." "Let's talk about the ropes first. Count these ropes, brother." "Okay!" He poured out a basket. Chai Zhen said there were three kinds of rope: three-split ropes that were twenty meters long, three-split ropes that were thirty meters long, and six-split ropes that were thirty meters long. The prices varied. It depends on which one you want. The housekeeper said, "Bring out the six-split ropes for me to see." Jia Yu took them out and handed them to the housekeeper. Ha. The housekeeper's eyes lit up. This is the rope for tying carts. "Great." "How many are there? Take it. Brother, count all the ropes, I want them all." Everyone carried them down one basket at a time. First counted the Chai family's ropes. Then counted the Sun family's ropes. After counting, Chai Zhen said, "Totally, there are 113 three-split ropes that are 20 meters long, 198 ropes that are 30 meters long, and 18 six-split ropes that are 30 meters long. They are all in the baskets. Housekeeper Ma said, "How much silver is that?" Chai Zhen said, "Three-split ropes, 20 meters each, 30 meters each, 30 meters each, and six-split ropes each, 60 grams each. A total of 938 grams of silver." The housekeeper took out two 500-gram silver notes from his pocket and handed them to Chai Zhen. Chai Zhen said, "I received a deposit of 500 gram last time, so I only need to take 438 carts this time. "The housekeeper said, "Take it. The rest is a deposit for next time." Chai Zhen said, "Housekeeper Ma won't accept it this time. We don't have much hemp left, and I'm afraid we can't make so much." Ma Ming took out a five-hundred-liang note and handed it over. He said, "There are sixty-two liang left. That's fine, right?" Chai Zhen couldn't refuse again, so he accepted it. "You'll pay me back on this day next month." Ma Ming said, "Okay. Brother Chai is a serious man." Everyone loaded the carriage together. Ma Ming said, "Brother Chai, we also want the basket. Time is tight this time, I'll treat everyone to dinner next time." Ma Hua: "Brother Chai, we're leaving. I'll treat you when I have the chance." The housekeeper: "Brother Chai, next time we'll order as much rope as you want. We'll take it all. As I said, we can come, but we can't come to see the waist plaque!" Chai Zhen quickly said, "Okay!" "Brother Chai, we're leaving. See you later!"

Chai Zhenhe said to the village chief, "Let's find a money shop to exchange these silver notes for smaller ones." "Well, the big ones are not easy to spend. Let's exchange them for some silver and copper coins." The four of them waited for Chai Xinjiahe to come back, and the six of them drove an ox cart to the money shop to exchange them for four silver notes of one hundred taels each, and one hundred taels of silver and copper coins.

He drove his oxcart to the brick and tile factory and bought ten thousand tiles for ten taels of silver. Three oxcarts were fully loaded. Chai Zhen held the silver notes in his arms, while the village chief sat on the oxcart, clutching the silver bag. The young man walked for a while, then sat for a while. They returned home before dark.