Wu Dagang had visited once after the red gooseberries and speckled watermelons ripened. Shen Xiaoyan had offered him some of both fruits and asked him to take some home.
Arriving at the Shen family's gate once more, Shen Xiaoyan felt a deep surge of emotion. She then bypassed the main gate and headed directly to Wu Dagang's house.
Wu Dagang's gate was open. Even before entering the courtyard, she saw Mrs. Pan feeding the chickens. Upon seeing Shen Xiaoyan, Mrs. Pan finished feeding the chickens, then smilingly welcomed Shen Xiaoyan inside.
"Xiaoyan, what brings you here? I still haven't thanked you for the speckled watermelons and red gooseberries you had Dagang bring back last time. I heard they sell for quite a lot in town," Mrs. Pan said, taking Shen Xiaoyan's hand and sitting her down on the kang, her voice warm and kind.
Regarding Shen Xiaoyan, she truly felt a pang of pity. She had lost her mother at such a young age, had to care for her younger brother, manage household chores, and after years of hard work, was ultimately sold by her stepmother and father.
She herself had no daughters, and Shen Xiaoyan was someone she had watched grow up, so she felt even more sorrow. Fortunately, Shen Xiaoyan was lucky. Although Zheng Wei was not handsome, he seemed to treat her well and was willing to let Shen Xiaoyan bring Shen Xiaoming along. Mrs. Pan was happy for her.
Shen Xiaoyan said, "It's nothing, it's all from our own farm. Auntie must have also heard that we've already agreed with the village head to grow speckled watermelons with the villagers next year. Auntie Wu can also plant an acre, and the returns are quite good."
Mrs. Pan nodded. She had heard about this; it had already spread throughout the village. It was commendable that this child, while earning money, didn't forget the villagers.
"What business do you have today?" After chatting for a while, Mrs. Pan finally asked Shen Xiaoyan's purpose. Since picking up Shen Xiaoming, Shen Xiaoyan hadn't been back to the village. Her coming to find her now must mean something.
"It's nothing much, we're building a new house, and the workers live far away. We need to provide them with lunch, and I can't manage it alone. So I came to the village to find some aunties to help. I'll pay wages, and they can help cook a meal," Shen Xiaoyan explained.
Mrs. Pan chuckled dismissively upon hearing this, "It's just helping with a meal, why would you pay wages? The villagers..."
Shen Xiaoyan quickly interrupted, "The house we're building this time is quite large; it won't be finished in ten days or half a month. We can't trouble everyone like this all the time."
Seeing this, Mrs. Pan didn't say any more, simply stating she would be there tomorrow at noon. They chatted a while longer, and then Shen Xiaoyan prepared to leave.
Mrs. Pan suddenly seemed to remember something and said mysteriously, "Did you know Xu Xiao'e's marriage fell through?"
Shen Xiaoyan nodded, "I vaguely heard something about it on the day of the family division, but I don't know the specifics."
Mrs. Pan quickly continued, "Mrs. Xu fancied the youngest son of the general store owner in town. Who would have thought he didn't fancy her precious daughter? At first, they used the dowry as an excuse, so Mrs. Xu then..."
At this point, Mrs. Pan quickly stopped herself, looking cautiously at Shen Xiaoyan. Shen Xiaoyan's expression remained unchanged, as if she were discussing someone else's affairs.
Seeing this, Mrs. Pan continued, "With the money, Mrs. Xu then went through a matchmaker to town. But when they arrived at that family, they learned that their son was already engaged. His fiancée was the daughter of an earlier shopkeeper in town."
Shen Xiaoyan recalled what Xu Xiao'e had said that day. She had thought she was just talking nonsense, but unexpectedly, there was some truth to it. Shen Xiaoyan felt that money was one factor, but another was that the man's family might have found out that Mrs. Xu had sold her eldest daughter to provide a dowry for her younger daughter, and therefore was unwilling to marry Xu Xiao'e. However, regardless of the truth, it had nothing to do with Shen Xiaoyan. With a light smile, Shen Xiaoyan said, "Who cares?"
After bidding farewell to Mrs. Pan, Shen Xiaoyan hurried out of the village. On the way back, she met two more aunties. They had all heard about the cooking arrangements and wanted to help. Shen Xiaoyan agreed.
Back home, Shen Xiaoyan discussed the matter with Zheng Wei. They had found people to cook, but they still needed to buy pots, bowls, rice, and oil. What Shen Xiaoyan hadn't expected was that Zheng Wei had already resolved these issues.
"You don't need to worry, I've already arranged everything. For fruits and vegetables, we have more than enough of our own. As for meat, I've asked the workers to bring it from town each day when they come. I've already spoken to Butcher Zhang who sells meat. As for the stove, tomorrow when they arrive, I'll have them first build a simple shed by the river and set up a few stoves there. It will be convenient for cooking meals and boiling water," Zheng Wei explained his arrangements in one breath.
Shen Xiaoyan listened, dumbfounded. She hadn't expected that Zheng Wei, who seemed to have difficulty communicating, was so organized when it came to arrangements. "Since you've arranged everything, we'll do as you say," Shen Xiaoyan agreed.
The next morning, two experienced craftsmen arrived with their workers. As Zheng Wei had requested, they first built a wooden shed and set up several stoves. The shed was quite large, spanning over ten meters, with square tables and benches underneath for the workers to eat.
Since the houses being built were not multi-story buildings, the foundations didn't need to be dug particularly deep. The general shape of the house was first drawn on the ground, and then the foundation was dug along the lines. There were quite a few people working this time, over thirty experienced builders. Each person had a clear division of labor, and they worked in an orderly fashion, with both quality and speed. However, the house was still quite large, so by the end of the morning, not much progress was visible.
As it neared noon, Mrs. Liang, Mrs. Pan, and several other women arrived. They were all startled to see so many people working.
Mrs. Pan pulled Shen Xiaoyan aside and asked, "Xiaoyan, why are so many people working?"
"Yes, Xiaoyan, what kind of house are you building? With so many people, this is a major project. It's only the three of you, will you be able to live in it?" Mrs. Liang also asked with evident curiosity.
Shen Xiaoyan didn't want to elaborate. She smiled and said, "Aunties, as you can see, there are over thirty people working. Let's get started quickly."
Seeing that Shen Xiaoyan didn't want to say more, the women stopped asking and walked with Shen Xiaoyan to the wooden shed by the river. They all expressed their admiration. Although it was just a simple wooden shed, it had eight large stoves, intended to cook meals as quickly as possible.
"Wow, there are so many stoves set up," Mrs. Liang remarked, looking at the cooking area.
Shen Xiaoyan smiled, "Isn't this to save time for the aunties? The sooner we finish, the sooner you can go back to rest."
Hearing this, the women felt pleased. Although they were helping out, earning ten li per day and getting a noon meal, they still had many chores at home. They were naturally happy to finish early and return. In addition to the eight large stoves, there were also two rows of chopping blocks, with four placed in pairs. Next to the chopping blocks was a multi-tiered cabinet containing large bowls, basins of various sizes, and bamboo chopsticks.