The house was finished on schedule. Master Zheng's construction crew was very reliable, and Rong Zheng praised them repeatedly during the inspection. "The house is very well built. Thank you all for your hard work."
"Brother Rong, you paid us to do a job, so of course we had to do it responsibly. You can rest assured about our crew's workmanship. You'll be very comfortable living here."
"I trust your workmanship." Rong Zheng looked around the new house. It really was excellent. The fireplace and heated kang beds had been built according to the plans, and Master Zheng had even filled in some details the plans had left unspecified. Gaps had been left wherever they were needed, and all the construction debris had been cleared away.
Rong Zheng settled the bill with satisfaction, and Master Zheng left with his men.
Some curious villagers gathered outside the grandest house in the village, peering around and wanting to go inside for a look.
Rong Zheng generously opened the doors wide and invited them in to look around. Ever since construction had begun, villagers had been taking detours past the place, deliberately or otherwise, to watch. They were all curious about what the big house looked like inside.
The crowd streamed inside, looking this way and that, their praise unceasing.
"This courtyard is so spacious, and there's even room set aside for growing vegetables. Getting vegetables for your meals will be so convenient."
"Is this the fireplace the village chief mentioned? It looks very impressive. The village chief showed us your plans before and explained that putting a fireplace in the main room would keep it warm in winter. Now that I've seen it, it's both attractive and practical."
"And those heated kang beds! I just looked at them, and they're very good too. Our family plans to build one in a few days. Sleeping in winter will be more comfortable."
"Goodness, this kitchen is enormous! There's enough room for ten people to work in here at once!"
"Hiring a construction crew really does make a difference. Everything's properly laid out, the work is beautifully done, and it's all been tidied up so neatly."
"When I have money someday, I'll hire a construction crew too. It'll save so much worry and effort!"
"Oh, give it up. Go to bed early tonight-you can have anything in your dreams. You can tell just by looking that this house cost a fortune!"
The more the villagers talked, the more envious they became. How comfortable it must be to live in such a big house.
Some villagers wanted to get on good terms with Rong Zheng's family so they might at least share in any benefits that came along later. Judging by how Rong Zheng was doing, they felt his future was bound to be bright.
"Rong Zheng, when are you planning to move into the new house? Do you need any help?"
"Yes, if there's anything we can do, just say the word. Don't stand on ceremony."
Rong Zheng shook his head. He did not want a big celebration. He would soon begin teaching at the school and did not have much time to spend on it. All that mattered was that his family was comfortable in their new home. He would set out three tables and invite the neighbors and elders over for a housewarming meal. "We'll just have a simple meal and move in."
"Keeping it simple is nice too. Have you picked a date?"
"Yes."
After seeing the villagers off, Rong Zheng, Ye Yun, and Ye Chen gave the new house a light cleaning.
Ye Chen excitedly carried a little bucket back and forth. The house was huge, and the courtyard was especially spacious. He could run several carefree laps around it! Yes, practicing martial arts in this courtyard would feel wonderful!
"It feels like a dream..." Ye Yun said in a low, distant voice. His gaze swept around him. The new house was so big.
He had never imagined he could live in such a fine house. The days when he and Xiao Chen had huddled in that dilapidated woodshed, living in fear and barely clinging to life, seemed like a distant memory. Yet it had only been a little over two months. There were too many ways Rong Zheng had treated him well to count.
Seeing the emotion on Ye Yun's face, Rong Zheng stopped cleaning and walked over to him. "I told you I'd give you a better life." Then he affectionately tapped the tip of Ye Yun's nose. "The villagers all say you're my little lucky star. Ever since I married you, life has been getting better and better."
Over the next three days, Rong Zheng busied himself with the move. He had Ye Yun pack their things and set them aside, while he personally carried all the heavy, bulky items.
They made trip after trip between the old house and the new one. The new furniture they had bought also arrived during this time, and Rong Zheng directed the movers to put each piece in its designated place.
The blazing sun hung overhead, its golden light spilling onto the desk in the study. Rong Zheng neatly arranged his brushes, ink, paper, and inkstone, then placed the books one by one on the custom-made wooden shelves. He finally had a study of his own. He let out a breath. From now on, he would not have to worry about disturbing his husband's rest when he got up early to read.
With most of the tidying done, his stomach began to growl. He walked toward the kitchen, unrolling his sleeves as he went.
The delicious aroma of food drifted out, making Rong Zheng even hungrier.
"The food's almost ready. Go wash your hands, and call Xiao Chen out to eat while you're at it. He's hiding in that spacious room of his and can't bear to come out," Ye Yun said as he stir-fried.
"All right."
The family of three sat around the dining table. Seeing the contentment on one another's faces, they could not help smiling. From now on, they would be living in their new house.
After dinner, Rong Zheng mentioned inviting their elders and neighbors over in two days for a simple housewarming meal. Naturally, Ye Yun had no objections.
Wang Zhang-shi arrived with her whole family, young and old, and set down her gifts: a jin of pork belly, cured pork, and eggs. As she surveyed the grand house, her eyes grew damp. Taking Rong Zheng's hand, she said, "Rong Zheng, I'm truly happy for you. You're making more and more of yourself."
Seeing that his mother had even begun to cry, Wang Ze quickly said, "Mother, today's a happy occasion. You should be smiling more."
Wang Zhang-shi said, "Oh dear, just look at me. Here, I'll go help in the kitchen."
They set out five tables in all. The village chief and the Ye clan elders had helped when Ye Yun split from his family, and they were also influential people in the village, so they had to be invited.
Looking at the big house, the village chief patted Rong Zheng on the shoulder. "Well done. This house is twice the size of mine. It's really excellent. Now that Ye Yun has married you, he has a good life to look forward to."
Rong Zheng smiled and invited the village chief to take a seat.
Ming-ge'er's family had also been invited. Ye Yun was close to Ming-ge'er, and inviting only Ming-ge'er would not have been proper. Though Ming-ge'er's family was not particularly likable, they were not utterly wicked people either. It could be considered showing Ming-ge'er some respect.
Speaking of which, ever since Ye Yun's life had begun improving, Ming-ge'er's family had discussed it before and after meals. They had heard that Rong Zheng intended to continue his studies. If he passed the examinations in the future, that would be quite something.
And so Ming-ge'er's parents told him to curry favor with Ye Yun more often. They even had him take his younger sister along when he went to spend time with Ye Yun. But Ye Yun paid the younger sister no attention at all, and eventually she gave up, finding it dull.
Seeing this, Ming-ge'er's parents knew they could only rely on Ming-ge'er to befriend Rong Zheng's family. They began treating him much better and urged him to make sure he maintained a good relationship with Ye Yun. As for the housework, they no longer made Ming-ge'er do it all, assigning some of it to their son and daughter instead.
They had also invited the two neighboring households near the new house. When Rong Zheng went out in the future, he would still have to count on them to look after Ye Yun and Ye Chen a little.
Although there were only five tables, Rong Zheng put considerable care into the meal, serving three meat dishes and three vegetable dishes.
Hosts and guests alike thoroughly enjoyed the meal, and everyone raised their cups in congratulations.