Chapter 172 - 172 Filled With Excitement
172 Filled With Excitement
Su Binglan was very detailed in her explanations, and her father was excited when he heard them. He thought about it carefully and recalled seeing the soil his daughter talked about on the back of the mountain.
The soil would harden whenever it rained, so Su Fengchen thought it was useless. However, he never expected it to be of great use one day.
The bricks Su Binglan spoke of sounded like awesome things to Su Fengmao as his imagination ran wild. He thought of the bricks his daughter described and imagined using them to build a house.
He knew the house would look even better if they used red bricks to build the structure. The house would also be sturdy, so the family would not need to worry about blizzards during winter.
Su Fengmao chuckled as he thought about these things.
After pondering, Su Binglan asked, “Father, is there such soil at the back of the mountain?” She wondered why she had never noticed it.
Su Fengmao said, “There’s a large area of soil at the foot of the mountain.” He remembered seeing the soil like it was yesterday.
After a moment of thought, Su Zhengde interjected, “You’re right, Fengmao. The soil is at the foot of the mountain. We can use that to make bricks.”
Su Fengmao added, “Binglan, you can go to the foot of the mountain to take a look if you’re curious.”
However, his brother was anxious. “What kind of father are you, Fengmao? It’s already so late, yet you’re allowing your daughter to go to the mountain?! It’s dangerous back there!”
Su Fengmao nodded. “Y-You’re right, Big Brother. I should go and check it out instead.”
He impulsively spoke because he was excited. He knew he would not be able to sleep if he did not go and take a look.
“What do you mean? I’ll go too,” Su Zhengde looked at his wife and continued, “Bring out the oil lamp. Fengmao and I will go to the mountain to take a look.”
Madam Zhou looked at her husband, who was as excited as a child. She wanted to persuade him not to go but hesitated since it was so rare for her husband to be so happy.
Ultimately, she let him go since the mountain was not too far away. She knew if she did not let Su Zhengde go, he would be restless and unable to sleep.
Su Binglan noticed how serious her uncle and father were. Moreover, the two resembled excited children. She could not help but laugh and said, “Let’s go together.”
However, Su Zhengde disagreed, “It’s already late, so you should go home and rest. It’s too cold outside.”
Su Binglan was the only girl in the Su family, and if the others found out Su Fengmao and Su Zhengde brought her to the mountain at night, they would kill them.
Su Fengmao said, “Right, you shouldn’t come with us. Why don’t you stay here for a while? Your uncle and I can go to the mountain together. I will return home later.”
Although the village was a safe place where everyone was united, it was still late at night. It would be terrifying if a wild animal appeared at the back of the mountain.
Moreover, Su Fengmao did not feel at ease letting Su Binglan walk home alone even though their house was just a few steps away.
Su Binglan insisted, “It’s okay. I’ll come with you two since I’ll know whether or not the soil you saw will be suitable for making bricks.”
Still, Su Zhengde and his brother felt that Su Binglan should not go along with them, so they said, “Then we won’t go tonight.”
Su Binglan looked at the two’s reactions and could not help but laugh aloud, “Hahaha, you two are too much. Will you be able to sleep tonight if we don’t go?”
The two brothers shook their heads awkwardly. When they thought about the bricks, they would become so excited that they could not sleep.
Su Binglan continued, “Since that’s the case, we should go and collect some soil now so we can rest earlier.”
The two brothers ultimately gave in to Su Binglan’s insistence and left the house as Su Zhengde took a small oil lamp with him.
The oil lamp had a student shade on the outside so the wind would not blow out the flame when they went out at night. The trio quickly went to the foot of the mountain. Indeed, there was a large plot of soil there.
Su Zhengde used the oil lamp to illuminate the area as he squatted down and used a shovel to dig up a piece of soil, “Is the right soil, Binglan?”
Su Binglan looked and said, “That’s correct, Uncle Zhengde. It’s suitable for making bricks.”
Su Zhengde was ecstatic. “All right, we should hurry and transport the soil home so we can make bricks.”
Su Fengmao also squatted down and dug into the soil with his hands. He said happily, “This soil is excellent stuff!”
Su Zhengde looked at the large plot of soil and said, “We can make plenty of bricks with this!”
Su Fengmao said, “There’s more on the way to town, Zhengde. We can use them all and make more bricks.”
Su Zhengde often went to town in the past, so he noticed the road condition and remembered seeing the same soil. He nodded. “That’s great!”
As the two brothers spoke about bricks, Su Binglan noticed they did not wear enough clothes to withstand the cold. She said, “Father, Uncle Zhengde, let’s go back since we’ve seen the soil. It’s so late now, so Aunt Zhao and Mother will get worried.”
“You’re right. We should go home now.”
“Yeah, we already confirmed that this is the soil we need. We can dig it up tomorrow, so let’s go home and get some much-needed sleep,” Su Zhengde said excitedly.
Su Fengmao replied, “It’s been years since I’ve seen you like this, Zhengde. You were only this happy and excited when we played together as children.”
“Yeah, we’ve grown up now, and everyone changes.”
…
Su Binglan smiled when she heard her father and uncle talking and laughing.
Soon after, the trio arrived at Su Zhengde’s house and exchanged a few words. Su Binglan was about to go home with her father when she thought of something and said, “Oh, you’re responsible for the village’s carpentry work, right, Uncle Zhengde?”
However, Su Fengmao answered, “Your uncle is an excellent carpenter, and his crafts are exquisite. The villagers also look to him when they need something.”
Su Zhengde nodded. “Your father is right. Everyone thinks I am Li Zheng’s son, and the villagers often look for me if they want me to make furniture or build a house.”
Su Binglan asked, “So, you can’t handle all that alone, right?”
Su Zhengde replied, “Indeed, I can’t. Your three brothers used to work with me, but if anyone is willing to help me with my work, please tell them to seek me out. The villagers can help too if they want.”
Su Binglan knew her three brothers had worked with her uncle as carpenters before and that they had learned the skill. After some thought, she said, “I think you can set up a construction team.”
“What is a construction team?” Su Zhengde’s eyes glinted with curiosity. He had recently discovered how helpful his niece was, so he wanted to listen to her thoughts even more. “Take a seat and tell me more, Binglan.”
Su Binglan happily explained, “You can find a few capable and reliable people to form a team with you as their leader. Everyone can go about their business as usual, and it won’t affect harvesting season, but if someone hires you to build a house, you can gather these capable and reliable people to help you.
“Your clients can entrust you with building a house for them, and you just need those capable and reliable people to help you. Your clients just need to pay you, and then you can arrange for your team to build the house.”