Chapter 169 - 169 Building a Bigger House
169 Building a Bigger House
After a few days of continuous drawing and designing, Su Binglan had finally completed the blueprints for her family’s future home.
Later that afternoon, she spent two silver taels on buying a small donkey. The Su family was thrilled because they now had a cow and a small donkey.
Su Binglan said, “Father, Mother, I know you’ve been grinding soybeans daily and that it’s tiring to turn the stone mill, but things will be much easier now that we have a donkey.”
With the donkey turning the stone mill, Shen Qiuhua and Su Fengmao would feel much more relaxed. The two could focus their attention and energy doing other things or even spend more time resting.
Shen Qiuhua was touched. She said, “You’re so considerate, Binglan.”
Su Fengmao thought his daughter was the family treasure. However, he realized how small the courtyard was when he went to tie down the donkey.
After some thought, he said, “The courtyard might be too small, so we’ll have to build a shed soon.”
“Can you rest assured if we put the animals at the entrance for now? We can put them in the courtyard once I’ve cleaned it up.” Shen Qiuhua thought it was best to put the animals in the courtyard because she still had to close the doors when they slept at night.
Su Binglan said, “It’s okay. We’ll build a bigger house soon where the courtyard will be big enough to store many things. We can also build a garden in the courtyard to grow vegetables and other things.”
“Y-You want to build a house?”
The whole family looked at Su Binglan simultaneously. They had never dared think of building a big house before. At most, they would just repair whatever broke from their current house.
Building a house and starting a project was no small matter in the village.
Su Binglan said, “Do you guys remember when I saved Chen Zhuzhu at the tofu shop entrance? She gave me two hundred silver taels because of that.”
After some pondering, Shen Qiuhua remembered what had happened. She said, “Yes, you’ve mentioned saving her, but that silver is yours to keep. Are you sure you want to build a house with that money?”
She never wanted to take a cent from her daughter since it was her daughter who had worked so hard to earn it.
Su Binglan explained, “I want to build a big house so we can live together, and everyone will have their own room too. Also, if we have guests, they can live with us for the time being.
“When Su Wenxiu and Su Wenwu get married and have kids in the future, their children will also have rooms for themselves. We’ll make the house more extensive, and we can grow many things in the front and back yards.
The whole family was moved when they heard Su Binglan talk about her plans to build them a bigger house. They wanted to live in a spacious house because their current one only had three rooms.
Even though the Su family could still comfortably live in their current house, it would get crowded when Su Wenxiu and Su Wenwu returned.
It would be great if the Su family could build a bigger house so it won’t get too crowded, and there would be more room for other things. They could also grow crops and vegetables in their yard.
During winter, they would not have to worry about the roof collapsing under the heavy snow and would not need to go to the roof and repair it.
Everyone’s eyes lit up when they thought of living in a big house as they all looked forward to it. Still, building a house would cost a lot of money. At the very least, it would cost dozens of silver taels.
The Su family never thought of something like this in the past, but now that their living conditions had improved, they felt it could be possible someday.
However, it was not a small matter as the family tried to be as frugal as possible. They believed living in their current house was okay because it would still shelter them from wind and rain.
Su Fengmao was silent for a while before saying, “That’s too expensive, my dear daughter. We will earn more money and save up so we can build a house in the future. You can keep the money the little girl gave you for yourself.
Meanwhile, Shen Qiuhua thought about the money they had earned. Previously, she had let her daughter and son-in-law live in a bigger house so they could live their lives as a couple.
Shen Qiuhua was keeping the money Su Binglan had earned while her two other sons also sent money to her.
Su Wenzhe and Liu Yinyin had agreed to give Su Binglan 30% of their earnings, while Shen Qiuhua managed the rest.
Still, Su Binglan had given Shen Qiuhua a lot of money. Although Shen Qiuhua tried to refuse, Su Binglan insisted, and ultimately, Shen Qiuhua had no choice but to agree.
Shen Qiuhua counted the money in her hand, which was more than 32 silver taels. It was enough to build a house, but not enough to build a big one because they still needed to buy more land.
Her heart ached when she thought about spending all the money they had saved. After all, the family still needed money for emergencies.
Su Binglan noticed her parents’ expressions and said, “Father, Mother, I want to live in a big house so we can live and eat together during the winter. I have already drawn the blueprint for our new house.
“Didn’t you say you would let me take charge of our family matters? Since that is the case, I will use the money we saved to build a house.”
Everyone knew how stubborn Su Binglan was at times. She would always do what she insisted on doing, no matter what. Besides, since Su Binglan had already drawn the blueprints, the Su family naturally decided to listen to her.
They could not let Su Binglan’s efforts go to waste.
Su Wenzhe and Liu Yinyin could not bring themselves to weigh in on the conversation. Either way, Su Binglan was in charge of the family.
Su Binglan opened the blueprints and explained, “This is the courtyard, the main hall, and the living area is over there. Wenzhe, Wenxiu, and Wenwu will have their own space, and each will have a bedroom, kitchen, study, etcetera.
“Then we can eat in our respective courtyards alone or cook together in the central area. That way, we can have privacy or gather as a family.
“With this big courtyard here, we can use it as a vegetable garden and build a shed for our cow and donkey. That other courtyard will have higher walls and a gate so it won’t get too cold in the winter.”
…
Su Binglan pointed around the blueprints as she spoke, and her drawings were very detailed, so the family could imagine what the big house would look like.
The whole family became excited when they heard Su Binglan’s explanation. She had convinced them that having a bigger house would be beneficial because they could live in a more spacious and comfortable house.
Even if Su Wenxiu and Su Wenwu got married in the future, they could live together and have their own space, so they would not feel uncomfortable.
Shen Qiuhua said with gritted teeth, “All right, let’s build a bigger house, but I will use the money you gave us previously, not the amount Chen Zhuzhu gave you. We’ve saved more than thirty silver taels, so we’ll use those.”
Su Binglan said, “Mother, I already said I would use my money. If you insist on using yours, it will mean that you don’t think of me as your daughter.”
Shen Qiuhua said anxiously, “W-What do you mean? You’re the family treasure. Who would dare call you an outsider? You will always be my precious daughter, even if you live elsewhere.”
Su Binglan said smilingly, “Since you’ve said so, it will be okay for me to spend my money. Besides, I can always earn a lot more in the future.”
The whole family eventually agreed since Su Binglan was so insistent.
They gathered around the dining table to eat and discussed building their new home. Su Fengmao said, “Since we’re building a house, we should do it soon before winter arrives. I’ll go and talk to my eldest cousin about it tomorrow.
“He’s a builder, so I will tell him to bring some villagers over to help while your mother cooks at home.”
Shen Qiuhua said, “B-But who will grind the soybeans while I cook?”