After traveling through time, I led the whole village to become rich!

In the afternoon, Zhang Hulan went to Zhao Guoliang's house to discuss building a house. They had already found a location for the house, not far from Zhang's house, separated by the homes of Liu Yongquan and Liu Yonggui.

Zhao Guoliang asked, "How many rooms do you plan to build?"

Zhang Hulan thought for a moment and said, "Let's build seven rooms. How much silver will it cost?"

Zhao Guoliang said, "Building an adobe house doesn't cost much. You can go up the mountain to collect the stones for the foundation, and you can also chop the wood there. You just need to buy tiles and lime. The most you'll have to spend is money on hiring a carpenter to make doors and windows, tables and chairs, benches, and beds. You'll also have to take care of the workers' daily food. You don't have to spend money on anything else."

"Then how much is a suitable daily wage for everyone to work?"

Zhao Guoliang said, "For a carpenter, it's fifty or sixty cents a day."

"Where are the other workers?"

"What other workers? You only need to hire a carpenter?"

Zhang Hulan asked, "We need to ask the villagers for help when building a house. How much is a reasonable daily wage for them?"

Zhao Guoliang waved his hand and said, "What wages do you want? When we build houses in the village, everyone helps out. Just provide food."

"Isn't this... bad?"

Zhao Guoliang smiled and said, "What's wrong with that? It's always been like this in the village. Building a house is a big deal, and it's also a happy occasion. Everyone helps each other."

"Of course, this is all voluntary. You spread the word that you're going to build a house, and those who are willing to help will come without you having to call them. If they don't come, you don't have to call them either."

"I understand." Zhang Hulan nodded and said, "Uncle Village Head, my father is lying in bed and can't move, and I don't know anything about building a house. So I would like to ask you to help me build a house. I wonder if you..."

"No problem." Zhao Guoliang agreed readily. "When do you plan to start work? I'll let you know."

Zhang Hulan asked, "Does the groundbreaking ceremony for building a house depend on a specific date?"

"It depends on the date." Zhao Guoliang said as he walked into the house and took out an old almanac to look through it.

After a while, he pointed to the almanac and said, "Three days from now is a good day for breaking ground. Let's choose that day?"

Zhang Hulan nodded. "As you say, then this day will do."

After the date was chosen, Zhang Hulan returned. Zhao Guoliang quickly spread the news that Zhang Hulan was going to build a house. At the same time, she also spread the news that the relief food had arrived.

The villagers were all delighted. In the evening, many villagers came to the Zhang family and said they would come to help build the house. Zhang Hulan and Wang thanked each of the villagers who came.

Zhang Hulan and Zhang Hujun went to the county town to buy quicklime, and then went to a tile kiln to order tiles.

Zhao Guoliang also asked Zhang Hulan to buy incense, candles, paper money and a chicken.

That is, on the next day, someone from the government office came and asked Zhao Guoliang to take people to collect relief food.

In order to avoid congestion in the county government office, Wu Deyong ordered that the relief grain be distributed according to the inventory, and that each village should take the relief grain back to the village and then distribute it to the villagers.

Each person received a small amount of food: adults could receive 10 kilograms, while the elderly and children only received 5 kilograms. Although it wasn't much, it was enough for the common people. They were also prepared; Wu Deyong had previously stated that each person would only receive a few kilograms of food at most.

On the day Zhang Hulan started building her house, she set up the altar under Zhao Guoliang's guidance, placed an incense table and offerings on it, lit incense and candles, and burned paper money.

When the incense was one-third burned, Zhang Hulan worshipped the land dragon god; then worshipped the five wealth gods and the four directions.

After the process was completed, Zhang Hulan gave each villager who came to help a red envelope of five cents.

Over a hundred people came, from every family left in the village, many of them couples. Zhang Hulan gave out hundreds of coins in red envelopes.

The villagers all refused, but Zhang Hulan said it was for good luck.

The villagers happily accepted it and started working.

Some people were digging the foundation, some were mining stones on the mountain, and some were cutting trees on the mountain. The scene was arranged in an orderly manner by Zhao Guoliang.

Wang, Li, and several other women from the village worked together to grind flour and steam buns. Cooking was unrealistic for so many people. Zhang Hulan prepared five buns for each person at each meal.

The flour is not white flour, and wheat bran is mixed in the flour, so the steamed buns are black and yellow.

Zhang Hujun and Li were both busy helping out. Zhang Hubing also played his part, and although he complained about being tired, he still helped out.

Xiang Chunhua would occasionally help out, but she would only pick up a few stones or pass a few bricks before saying she wasn't feeling well and going home to rest. She would come to get the steamed buns at mealtime.

Zhang Hulan turned a blind eye for Zhang Xiaobing's sake.

……

Legong Village, Chen family.

Mrs. Qiao rushed back from outside and shouted to Mrs. Cao, "Mother, have you heard? Zhang Hulan has become rich."

Old Lady Cao asked, "How did she make a fortune?"

Mrs. Qiao said, "Mother, I just heard about it. Didn't Zhang Hulan come to our village a lot last time to help find food? That was a job assigned to her by the county magistrate. He gave her one tael of silver every day, and in the end he rewarded her with thirty taels of silver."

When Mrs. Cao heard this, her eyes widened. "Who told you that?"

"I just heard from the village head's daughter-in-law that Zhang Hulan is building a house in Daping Village now."

"Mom, how about asking my eldest brother to go and bring Zhang Hulan back?"

Mrs. Cao's eyes rolled around, and then she said, "Wait until your father and your eldest brother come back and ask them what they think."

Old Man Chen and Chen Dalang were both digging wells in the village. The people sent by the court were just giving orders, and the villagers had to dig the wells themselves.

Three wells have been dug in Legong Village, but the locations were not correct, so there is little water in the wells.

At noon, Old Man Chen and Chen Dalang came back for lunch, and Old Lady Cao told them that Zhang Hulan had more than thirty taels of silver.

Mrs. Cao said to Chen Dalang, "Boss, why don't you go and get Zhang Hulan back? Tell them to promise not to sell Daya anymore."

Chen Dalang asked, "Does she really have more than thirty taels of silver?"

Qiao said, "Yes, she is. She is building a house now."

Chen Dalang snorted, "Hmph... I'll go find her this afternoon."

Mrs. Cao said, "Okay, I'll go with you this afternoon."

Mrs. Qiao said, "What if she doesn't come back?"

Chen Dalang said, "How dare she not come back?"

Mrs. Cao said, "It's okay if you don't come back. At least we can get half of the money."

Qiao was delighted. "That's right, the person doesn't have to come back, but half of the money must be paid."

Old Lady Cao continued, "If she dares not give them the money, they will take Daya and the other three away."

Mrs. Qiao said, "Mother, I think we should first capture Daya and the other two, and then make Zhang Hulan hand over the silver. This is the safest way. Last time she used Dabao to threaten us, so let's use the same method to threaten her."

Old Lady Cao thought Qiao's plan was a good one. Wasn't Zhang Hulan concerned about those money-losing women? As long as they caught those three, there was no need to worry about her not handing over the money.