Early in the morning two days later, someone knocked at the courtyard gate. At the same time, Master Zheng's booming voice rang out, calling for them.
Rong Zheng opened the gate and saw a sizable construction crew of more than twenty men, each carrying tools, followed by several large carts loaded with blue bricks, roof tiles, and timber.
"Brother Rong, take us to see the plot where you want the house built. We'll start work today."
Rong Zheng opened the gate and greeted them warmly. "Good morning, everyone. Please follow me." Before leaving, he called back, "A-Yun, boil some water. I'll come back to carry it over in a bit." Then he led them out to the large vacant plot a short distance ahead.
"All right. I'll set it aside to cool when it's ready." The weather was hot, so letting it cool would make it convenient to drink whenever they needed it.
Rong Zheng had already told Ye Yun two days earlier that construction would begin today, so he had lit the fire to boil water first thing that morning. With so many men on the crew, he would need to boil several large pots.
Ye Chen finished practicing his basics, his face covered in sweat. He was excited. They really were building a house. Their current home was already much better than where they had lived before, and they would be able to live in an even bigger house in the future. Brother Rong had described roughly what the new house would look like. It would be even grander than the village chief's home, and the boy grew excited just thinking about it.
Master Zheng first had the others rest and prepare while he took a few capable assistants around the plot several times. After some discussion, he had a general plan.
He was experienced and a highly capable organizer. With a loud call, he gathered his men and laid out detailed arrangements for the construction in one go, directing everyone to begin work.
Among the twenty-odd men, some surveyed the site, some broke ground, some laid the foundations, some cleared away debris, and some moved materials...
Watching their professional methods, Rong Zheng was quite satisfied. Leaving the entire project to the construction crew really did save him trouble. Not only did they move quickly, but they also worked in an orderly manner. It seemed there was a reason for their high fee.
After watching for a while, he hurried home to carry over the hot water. The weather was hot, and the work left everyone tired and thirsty, so they needed to replenish their fluids promptly.
As soon as he entered the gate, he saw that Ye Yun had already cooled the water and divided it between two buckets, and was about to shoulder them. Rong Zheng walked over and took them from him. "Let me do it. Would you rather stay home or come over with me for a look?"
"I'll come with you for a look."
"All right." He called to Ye Chen, who had just come out of the house, "Xiao Chen, watch the house. We'll be back soon."
Watching Rong Zheng walk away with the buckets on his shoulder, Ye Yun felt a sweetness in his heart. Whenever Rong Zheng was home, he never let him do heavy work, always taking it from him with a natural ease. His affection showed in all the little details.
"Everyone, if you're thirsty, come ladle yourselves some water here," Rong Zheng called to the men, pointing at the buckets.
They all responded, "All right, thank you."
Master Zheng came over to discuss the general construction plans with Rong Zheng. Seeing Ye Yun beside him and how close the two were, he roughly guessed that they were husbands. "Brother Rong, is this your husband?"
"Yes. A-Yun, this is Master Zheng, the man in charge of building our house."
Ye Yun greeted him openly and said, "Master Zheng, we keep the stove hot at home. You can come over to heat up your meals at noon."
Master Zheng laughed heartily. "Well done, Brother Rong, marrying such a thoughtful, capable husband."
"It's my good fortune to have married him," Rong Zheng replied proudly.
Beside him, Ye Yun was pleased, but shot Rong Zheng a reproachful look.
Watching their interaction, Master Zheng thought that the two husbands had a good relationship.
After confirming a few more details about the site with Master Zheng, Rong Zheng took Ye Yun home. They met quite a few villagers along the way, all looking curiously toward the building site. Some asked, "Rong Zheng, did you specifically hire a construction crew from town to build your house?"
The arrival of several dozen construction workers in the village today had caused quite a stir and thoroughly astonished the villagers. These people had come over one after another out of curiosity to join the bustle.
Usually, when they built houses, they simply asked people they knew in the village to help. Who had the money to hire such a large construction crew?
Rong Zheng said, "Yes. We don't have any elders at home, and we don't know much about building houses, so I thought I'd hire the craftsmen from town to handle everything."
A villager said, "Oh, that must cost quite a bit."
The villagers spoke bluntly and asked without any hesitation.
Rong Zheng faltered inwardly, but answered with a smile, "It didn't cost much."
His meaning was clear: he did not want to tell them.
Most people did not want others to do better than themselves, except for their closest relatives. That was human nature. Naturally, Rong Zheng would not tell the truth and invite envy.
But such a large project as building a new house was already very conspicuous. Ah, he had probably already aroused jealousy, but he was not afraid. He would simply rise even higher in the future.
When they returned home, Ye Chen had already come out to meet them. "Brother Rong, is the construction going smoothly?"
"Yes. The crew is very professional. In a little over a month, our family will be able to move into the new house."
Ye Yun was also very happy today. Smiling, he told Rong Zheng, "You've been busy all morning. I'll cook lunch." With that, he headed for the kitchen. He was a fairly good cook himself, having honed his skills by cooking for Eldest Uncle Ye's family for several years.
"Rong Zheng, I heard you started building your house today, and you even hired a construction crew from town?" Wang Zhang-shi had also heard about the construction crew and came over to ask. Her twelve-year-old youngest son, Wang Liang, followed behind her, joining her to see what was happening.
"Yes, work started today."
Noticing Wang Liang, Rong Zheng said, "Xiao Liang, you came too." He turned to Ye Chen. "Xiao Chen, go inside and get some candy to share with Wang Liang."
Wang Liang's eyes lit up when he heard there was something to eat. For country families, candy was quite a luxury; sometimes they went a whole month without any. The villagers felt it was better to save the money to buy meat.
Seeing her youngest son looking as though he was about to drool, Wang Zhang-shi felt rather embarrassed. She had only meant to ask about the house, and now they were getting food as well.
"Children all like sweets. We bought plenty, and eating too much will ruin Xiao Chen's teeth." Noticing Wang Zhang-shi's embarrassment, Rong Zheng changed the subject. "Auntie, what brings you over?"
"I heard everyone in the village talking about it while I was washing clothes, so I came to check and see if there was anything I could help with." Wang Tian-shi had been out when the construction crew arrived that morning, so she had not known work on Rong Zheng's house had already begun.
"Thank you, Auntie. I've left the whole project to the craftsmen. I only need to keep an eye on their progress and bring them water."
"That's good. Having them handle everything makes things easier too. Rong Zheng, ever since you pulled yourself together, it's as though you suddenly grew up. You've become so steady in how you treat people and handle things. Now you're doing even better, building a big house. Your parents can rest smiling in the underworld."
As she spoke, Wang Zhang-shi's eyes grew wet and her voice choked up. Seeing how much Rong Zheng had changed filled her with relief.
Ever since Rong Zheng's parents had died one after another three years ago, he had always shut himself at home drinking, rarely going about the village. The villagers all said he was a complete lost cause.
Back then, she had truly worried that Rong Zheng would remain despondent forever. He was the only son Rong Man and Lin Qiao had left behind. When the couple were alive, they had once generously paid to save her husband. She had always hoped their son would do well, so she often came to reason with Rong Zheng and bring him food.
"Auntie, don't worry. I'll live properly and build a good life with my husband."
Rong Zheng knew that Wang Zhang-shi was a kind person who never forgot a kindness. A good person like her deserved gratitude.
While they talked, Ye Chen took the candy and began eating it with Wang Liang. Wang Liang was an outgoing child, and soon he and Ye Chen were deep in lively conversation, though it was mostly him talking and Ye Chen listening.
They were children, after all. Once they shared some candy and started chatting, they soon became familiar with each other.
When Wang Liang left with Wang Zhang-shi, he invited Ye Chen to play the next day.
Ye Chen looked at Rong Zheng expectantly, and Rong Zheng naturally agreed. He had asked Xiao Chen to share candy with Wang Liang precisely because he wanted Xiao Chen to make friends. Wang Liang was cheerful and had no ill intentions. By spending time with him, Xiao Chen could find more playmates in the village.