Chapter 85
85 New House
The next day, Zhou Jia returned with the farming tools he had made and the cattle he had bought for Li Mei’s family. He even hired more than ten laborers to help with the clearing of the wasteland.
After the workers plowed the ground, they picked up the stones and dead trees in the wasteland. Then they used the plow to rake the ground open. They picked up the small stones hidden in the ground and plowed deeper.
Li Yu and Zhou Jia brought Li Qing, Ji Xiang, and Ruyi to find a patch of bushes to dig up the withered grass on the ground. They dug up the rotten soil under the withered grass and scattered it in the grooves made by the plows. When the ground was about to be ready, Li Yu brought people to filter out the wheat, leaving behind grainy wheat seeds that were exposed to the sun a few times to prepare them for planting.
The 20 people had been busy for more than ten days before they finally plowed Li Yu’s 40 acres and Zhou Jia’s 60 acres. They scattered the seeds of winter wheat.
Li Mei hired ten long-term workers to help plow the 80 acres of land at home for a few days and scattered wheat seeds.
The wheat seeds were scattered. Li Yu brought Ji Xiang and the others to the corners of the ground. Every few acres, they dug a four-foot-wide and six-foot-deep oyster fertilizer pool. They dug a total of more than ten manure pools. Then, they dug rotten soil and withered grass from the forest and filled the fertilizer pools.
Everyone in the village emulated Li Yu and went to the forest to find rotten soil for fertilizing their land.
After the wasteland was cleared, Zhou Jia brought Zhao Cai to take care of the shop.
Xu Chun and Carpenter Chen came to the shack to look for Li Yu. Xu Chun said to Li Yu, “Miss Li, the house has basically been completed. There’s also one more thing. It’s much colder in Tongzhou than in Qingzhou. It snows once or twice a year. I think it’s better for you to set up a few milling beds in the lower rooms.”
When Li Yu heard this, she felt that it made sense. “Then let’s make a bed! The master who makes the stove has to be skillful. The color on the stove should be fresher.”
“Alright, Miss Li. I’ll tell Master.” Xu Chun smiled and agreed. Li Yu handed the blueprint of the stove to Xu Chun, who left with it.
The woodcutter also came to ask Li Yu, “Miss Li, the last round of tung oil brushing and cleaning will be completed. Do you need to do anything else?”
Li Yu felt that the woodcutter’s skills were not bad. She smiled and asked him, “Master Lin, I still have to make a few pieces of furniture. Can you make them?”
“Miss Li, draw them out for me to see. Let me see what they look like,” the woodcutter said happily when he saw that there was still work to do.
Li Yu nodded and took out the booklet. She used a charcoal pencil to draw a mahogany sofa, coffee table, wardrobe, cupboard, and a few other simple furniture styles. The forest gardener’s eyes lit up when he saw Li Yu’s drawing. “Miss Li, is this the drawing method Mr. Zhou taught you? The things you draw look like they’re standing in front of you.”
Li Yu smiled. “Mr. Zhou said that this is called a blueprint. I’m just drawing it for you to see. You still have to figure out the exact size yourself.”
The woodcutter looked at the furniture style that Li Yu had drawn and thought to himself, “Such exquisite furniture. If I have these patterns, the business in the shop will definitely be prosperous.”
“Miss Li, I have a furniture shop in Tongzhou City. The business has always been lukewarm. After I make the furniture for you, can I use these patterns to make furniture and sell them? I’ll give you a share…” The woodcutter proposed.
When Li Yu heard that, she smiled and said, “Master Lin, help me make the furniture and arrange it to see the effect before we talk about cooperation.”
The woodcutter was a little disappointed when he heard that, but he still smiled and nodded. “Alright, don’t worry. I’ll definitely make the furniture. When the time comes, I’ll talk to you about cooperation. I also have some rosewood and camphor wood at home. The camphor wood can be used to make the wardrobe and cupboard to keep off insects. The rest can be made of rosewood. Is that okay?”
Li Yu nodded. “I know about using camphor wood to keep off insects, but I’m an amateur. Since you’re the master, I’ll do as you say!”
“Then I’ll get to work.” Seeing that Li Yu trusted him, the craftsman was also very happy. He smiled and left with the blueprint. Li Yu packed her things and went to the new house.
The Zhou family’s house was next to Li Yu’s house, and Li Mei’s house was next to Xiao An’s house. More than 20 families were built in a row, and every house was more than ten feet away.
There was a dirt road in front of the house that could accommodate two handcarts at the same time. There was also a two-acre vegetable field by the side of the road. Li Yu felt that it looked a little like the layout of some modern places and new villages.
Li Yu walked under the courtyard wall. The courtyard wall was completely made of stone and was more than six feet tall. The courtyard door was made of good rosewood. The rosewood was dark red and the wooden patterns looked a little like feathers. They looked gorgeous and noble.
Li Yu thought to herself, At that time, Zhou Jia said that he didn’t lack this bit of silver and asked the craftsmen to use rosewood for all the doors and windows. The level was indeed different. No wonder rosewood was so expensive in the modern world. Silver was still the best.
Li Yu pushed open the door and entered the courtyard. She saw that the stone slabs in the courtyard dam were very flat and clean. The well was at the corner of the courtyard wall on the left. The flowerbeds left behind to plant flowers and plants were also separated by stone strips. Flower fertilizer had already been piled up in the flowerbed.
Li Yu stood in the courtyard and saw that the part of the wooden building that was hung formed the eaves on the bottom floor. There were a total of eight pillars supporting the eaves. The eaves on the top floor of the wooden building were slanted upwards. There were also some cloud patterns and auspicious patterns carved on the pillars and eaves.
The door to the central room was a little narrower than the courtyard door. Li Yu pushed open the door and walked into the room. The room was about 30 square meters. The windows were double-patterned. After the inner layer was pulled open, there was a window lattice outside to paste the window gauze.
Downstairs, Li Yu saw that there were still carpenters applying the tung oil upstairs. She turned around and walked out of the courtyard. Ruyi and Li Qing were carrying some chrysanthemums, honeysuckle, gardenias, roses, jasmine, and orchids. They happened to walk to the entrance of the courtyard. When Li Qing saw Li Yu, he pointed happily at the flowers in the backpack. “Sister, Brother Ruyi and I went to the forest behind to look. We found so many after searching for a long time.”
“It’s already a lot.” Li Yu smiled and helped Li Qing put down the backpack. “Do you two know how to plant them?”
Ruyi scratched his head. “Uncle Zhou will take care of these. He’ll be here soon.”
“Alright, then help Uncle Zhou plant them.”
Li Qing nodded sensibly. “Sister, it’s getting harder and harder to find rotten soil now. I’ll dig up more when I’m free.”
Li Yu smiled and said, “You don’t have to look around. Pour the feces and grass ashes of the livestock into the potter’s tank. Then, cut some grass and leaves and pour them into the potter’s tank. After a while, it will be fertile.”
Li Qing nodded in praise. “Your method is still the best. I understand. I’ll go ahead!”
Li Yu came out of the house and looked at the fields in front of her. She decided to walk around the ridge and see how much land was left.
Li Yu followed the stream down. After walking for two to four hours, she saw more than ten ponds of different sizes. The ponds were filled with cattails. The leaves of the cattails had already begun to wither. The cattails on the paving stick had also fallen off, and the paving stick had become bare.
Li Yu looked at these cattails happily. These were good things. The cattails could be used as medicine and could also ward off mosquitoes when smoked. The cattails were delicious and nutritious. They could also be woven into fans, straw mats, and hats. The elders in the village were all experts in weaving. Opening a workshop would allow them to earn some pocket money. They could also buy some lotus seeds and plant them in the pond to raise some fish. Li Yu felt that the revenue would be considerable.
Li Yu walked back and decided to go to town to get Zhou Jia to go to Tongzhou City to buy all these ponds.