Chapter 98: Chapter 98: Preparing to Build a House
Li Xuemei sneered, remembering herself only when it came to cooking.
For good things, they never thought of her, but when it came to hardship, they did.
Really calculative.
She got up and left.
"Our household, the eldest has the final say."
She pushed everything to Gu Ruhai.
Gu Ruhai glanced back at Jiang Xiulan. There was no sharpness in his eyes, but they seemed to hold a lot, "Sister-in-law, this is your big sister-in-law. Even if she doesn’t cook and just sits and waits to be served, it makes sense. Our whole family is waiting for her to return and cook."
Then he walked away.
Li Xuemei left with Gu Xiaoying, Gu Xiaoqing, and Gu Xiaojie.
Jiang Xiulan was so furious her eyes were about to pop out.
Gu Ruhai had started to act like the boss.
Just wait, in a few months, you’ll have grievances you can’t voice.
The New Year quickly passed by.
Life began to return to the usual routine.
However, after March, the Gu Family welcomed the biggest happy event—they were going to build a house.
In the two months after the New Year, the couple managed to save another two thousand yuan, tallying up to over five thousand yuan, which was more than enough for the kind of house Gu Xiaoqing had described.
So the couple was motivated and began to prepare.
First, they found a special contracting team in the town. The people were professionals, and according to Gu Xiaoqing’s concept, they really managed to sketch out a blueprint. The team leader was from a neighboring village of Gu Family Village and had some familial ties.
He was a serious person, sincerely helping Gu Ruhai plan. This two-story courtyard house, built with bricks, tiles, timber, and stone, would altogether cost four thousand yuan.
This was a thousand less than Gu Ruhai’s original expectation, which gave Li Xuemei and Gu Ruhai a sigh of relief.
Because the family had just about that much money, and for building a house, besides the cost of materials, the homeowners had to take care of the meals for the construction team, which required another sum.
Moreover, building a house isn’t a joke. During construction, any shortages have to be immediately addressed; the house doesn’t wait.
They feared the money they had might not be enough.
Li Xuemei had thought ahead, deciding to borrow some from her older brother or second brother if necessary, figuring that as long as the business continues, repaying the money wouldn’t be difficult.
Unexpectedly, after tallying, they had a surplus.
Gu Xiaoqing never expected that after just half a year of her rebirth, her family could already build a new house, which was a big deal in the countryside.
It’s almost a once-in-a-lifetime event for rural folks.
The materials were purchased from the brick and timber yard in the town and quickly hauled back to the village.
The entire Gu Ruhai family packed up their belongings and temporarily moved into a dilapidated cave dwelling in the village.
This was something Gu Ruhai had arranged with Gu Changhai, the team leader, a couple of days prior. In this village, who doesn’t occasionally face some problems? So, Gu Changhai was easy to talk to and agreed readily.
Furthermore, Gu Changhai really cared about Gu Ruhai, the well-known good-natured but poor man in the village, managing to build a house just after the New Year.
Looking at the children of Gu Ruhai, the eldest, Gu Xiaoying, who wasn’t very outstanding before, now looked radiant and beautiful, like an eighteen-year-old maiden due to a better diet and education. With their business at home, she was a key player, and she was quite articulate.
Many families had started considering her as a marriage prospect. Gu Xiaoqing, said to be a top student at Sishui Middle School, consistently achieved top grades and was even more beautiful than Gu Xiaoying.
Many people said that although Li Xuemei and Gu Ruhai weren’t much to look at, their kids were all very pretty.
Gu Xiaojie, still a boy and young, had grown taller and added some weight over the past year, looking like a smart kid.
This time, building the house, the Gu Ruhai family had really turned their fortunes around in the village.
Gu Changhai had wanted to draw closer to Gu Ruhai and was mindful of helping him, but unfortunately, Gu Ruhai didn’t want to impose on others and refused adamantly.
So Gu Changhai had to relent.
After all, Gu Changhai thought the Gu Ruhai family might achieve something big in the future.
It’s better to maintain a good relationship anyway, as it won’t cost any effort.
Gu Ruhai’s move really shocked the people of Gu Family Village.
Over meals and chats, the topic was all about Gu Ruhai’s house construction.
This was considered a big deal.
Who was Gu Ruhai?
The entire Gu Family Village, including neighboring villages, knew him as the famously good-natured, silly filial, foolish guy who couldn’t even support his own wife and kids, besides laboring for the Gu Family.
Everyone knew how poor his family was.
The three kids were skinny as a rail, and before the autumn harvest every year, the family would run out of food. If it weren’t for assistance from his in-law’s family, Gu Ruhai’s kids could have starved to death.
This wasn’t known to just one person; anyone who had lived in the area for decades knew it well.
Speaking of Gu Ruhai, everyone had a face full of disdain and disagreement, but it was considered their family affairs that no one could meddle in.
Now, Gu Ruhai was building a house.
Many people were amazed, as if they were watching a mysterious spectacle.
Gu Ruhai building a house — perhaps they misheard.
Possibly, Gu Ruhai was just repairing his house, which seemed plausible.
Think about it, his mud-brick house, over a decade old, was long overdue for repairs, as it leaked in summer rains and let in drafts during winter.
Many people also knew that Gu Ruhai and his wife ran a small business, and speculated they must have earned some money, though no one could pinpoint exactly how much.
Most believed it couldn’t be much; if business were that easy, the people in the town would’ve already flocked to it. No one would leave money unearned unless they were foolish.
So everyone believed the money wasn’t significant.
But in just a few months, calculating to six or seven months, Gu Ruhai planning to build a house seemed like a fairy tale.
Many people in the village came to watch the spectacle.
However, all speculation was confirmed when Gu Ruhai’s yard was filled with neatly arranged red bricks, shiny stone and timber, sand, and cement, putting an end to rumors about the house-building.
Indeed, Gu Ruhai had made a fortune.
From the look of the bricks and tiles in the yard, it was clear they were building more than just the usual mud-brick house. It was a brick house.