CHAPTER 261: CHAPTER 254: THIS IS A TREMENDOUSLY PROUD PERSON

When the Yu Family bought the land in Taohua Village, it already caused a sensation. Later, when they hired people to build a house, it evoked even more envy among the villagers because the house was simply too large.

With three courtyards, each filled with large brick houses with tiled roofs, even the courtyard walls were made of bricks.

Initially, Yu Changhe wanted to build the walls very high, but it was Qi Lizheng from Taohua Village who reminded him that the walls couldn’t be too high.

Courtyard walls that are too high or too low are inappropriate. Typically, household walls are about half a zhang high.

Walls that are too low cannot block external evil spirits from entering the home, while walls that are too high block sunlight and ventilation, creating negative effects.

Half a zhang is about 1.6 meters today. Yu Xiaolian felt it was too low because it was easy for someone to climb over, so she added a wire net on top.

Unfortunately, the wire net she painstakingly ordered from the blacksmith shop has now been confiscated by the government, citing the same reason— the nation lacks iron.

Damn it. That wire net she custom-made was all with inferior iron. You think you can forge a sharp sword from it once you take it back?

Yu Xiaolian dared to guarantee that even if the iron were reclaimed, it wouldn’t be of much use in the southern war.

These are just those low-level government officers finding new ways to exploit the common people.

Today, the Yu Family was moving, and quite a crowd gathered outside, men and women, old and young alike, to watch.

When building the house, Yu Changhe hired laborers from Taohua Village, so every household in the village got a piece of the pie, earning quite a bit of money.

Though it was hard-earned money, given how tough it was to find work these days, earning forty wen a day by staying home and working was something the people of Taohua Village were very grateful to Yu Changhe for.

After several months of interaction, Yu Changhe became quite familiar with most of the villagers, and once everything was settled, he proposed inviting the villagers for a celebration.

Logically, a housewarming deserves a celebration, but given the current food shortage, inviting the entire village to a celebration might use up half a cart of their grain; the Sun family disagreed.

The Sun family suggested just having a meal with the family to celebrate.

Yu Xiaolian agreed with the Sun family. These are special times, not the time to flaunt wealth.

With both his wife and daughter disagreeing, Yu Changhe had to give up, but the next day, he still brought a generous gift to Qi Lizheng’s home to thank him for all his help since their arrival.

Yu Xiaolian decided to give one of their two cows to her uncle.

When Sun Fengshou joyously led the cow home, he was seen by the wife of Sun Dalin next door.

Sun Dalin’s wife felt a pang of envy. The Yu family had six cows and horses in total. Why couldn’t they give her family one like they gave Sun Fengshou?

In the past, Sun Dalin’s wife would shamelessly go to the Yu family to ask for it, but after being criticized by her father-in-law for having porridge last night, she now acted cautiously, fearing she might say something wrong and provoke his anger again.

Out of the eight rooms, Sun Fourth Master and his five sons occupied them, leaving two rooms, which Sun Fourth Master gave to Sun Manying and Sun Mantao. This made Sun Dalin’s wife dissatisfied, since her third son had also started a family, how could he not have his own house?

Sun Dalin’s wife believed Sun Wulin wouldn’t return, so Sun Wulin’s wife shouldn’t occupy a room in vain and should vacate it for her third son, Sun Manbo, to live in. This earned her a harsh scolding from Sun Fourth Master.

Sun Fourth Master doted on Sun Wulin the most, hoping he would return alive. If someone cursed his youngest son to die outside, how could he not be angry?

Even if, worst case, his youngest son had died, he still left behind four children. Why couldn’t Wulin’s wife, along with their four children, occupy one room?

As for Manbo not having a room, Sun Fourth Master decided that the Manbo family should temporarily squeeze in with Sun Dalin. Sun Dalin’s room, besides him and his wife, plus a daughter, totaled only three people. Three people in one room were quite spacious.

Sun Manyu wasn’t happy—not happy at all. Sharing a room with the parents was bad enough, but now the third brother’s family was also coming in. Would there even be space to turn around?

Besides, this place was different from the north; it didn’t even have a heated kang. Without a kang was one thing, but there wasn’t even a decent bed. They slept on a large wooden platform bed.

Sun Manyu didn’t want to squeeze with so many people on one large platform bed and quietly pulled her mother over, "Mom, I see Uncle Fengshou has many empty rooms next door—six large brick houses, just him and his old mother living there. Can we borrow one of their rooms to live in?"