Chapter 207 – Discussing Marriage for Yan Xiaosi
When heading down the mountain, Ms. Zhong intended to place the flour and pork filling at the bottom of the basket, but Yan Xiaosi deliberately had her put them on top, making them visible to the craftsmen. Winning over people’s hearts with a meal of dumplings was quite effective.
“Uncle Sanbao, this is the blueprint I’ve drawn. Please take a look and let me know if there’s anything inappropriate,” Yan Xiaosi said, pulling out a piece of paper and handing it to Wang Sanbao.
The blueprint was rushed out over the last couple of nights. Wang Sanbao took it, unfolded it to look, and his gaze towards Yan Xiaosi carried a hint of admiration. The blueprint depicted a courtyard house with five bedrooms, a dining hall, a storage room, and a kitchen, all well-arranged. The toilet was designed to be in the courtyard, at an equal distance from each bedroom, convenient for nighttime use.
“Little Brother Yan is so young, yet you understand how to create architectural blueprints. Truly impressive for your age.”
Yan Xiaosi wasn’t really knowledgeable; she had simply imitated what she had seen. After all, having lived two lifetimes, she would have lived in vain if she couldn’t produce such blueprints.
“Uncle Sanbao, you flatter me. I often visit Daxing Town and have seen many residential houses in this style there, so I drew this based on what I observed. If there are any inadequacies, please point them out so I can make corrections.”
Wang Sanbao examined the blueprint closely for a moment but saw no issues. “Little Brother Yan’s blueprint is very accurate. Let’s build according to this blueprint.”
“Then, please come with me to see the site first.”
Where to build the house had already been discussed with Ms. Zhong and Yan Shuqin. However, considering factors such as fengshui, sunlight, and ventilation for house construction was crucial. Since Wang Sanbao often built houses for people and was more knowledgeable about these aspects, Yan Xiaosi planned to show him around.
“Uncle Sanbao, this is the chosen site for our home. What do you think?”
Yan Xiaosi led Wang Sanbao to the site. “This land is closest to the main road at the village entrance. After the house is built, a path can be paved from the house’s front door to connect with the main road. Not far ahead is a tributary of the Yunluo River, convenient for washing clothes and vegetables. To the right, there’s an existing well. According to my blueprint, the house will be built so that the well is right in front of the door, making it very convenient for fetching water for cooking.”
Wang Sanbao, impressed by her thorough explanation, nodded in approval. “Little Brother Yan has considered everything thoroughly.”
Yan Xiaosi smiled, then added, “Uncle Sanbao, I’m young and can only think of these superficial issues. As for the feng shui of this site, I’ll have to rely on you for a closer look.”
After circling the site, Wang Sanbao said to Yan Xiaosi, “This location has a wide view, close to the village’s main road, and not far from the Yunluo River tributary. The feng shui is excellent; you can rest assured building your house here.”
Yan Xiaosi didn’t believe in superstitions, but she trusted feng shui. She felt reassured hearing Wang Sanbao’s approval. The three acres of land owned by the Tian family were indeed excellent, no wonder the Yan family was also interested.
By the time they had inspected the site, the cooking stove had been built, and Ms. Zhong was preparing to knead the dough with Ms. Gao’s assistance.
After the dough was ready, they started rolling out the dough skins and wrapping the dumplings.
With Ms. Zhong and Gao rolling the dough skins and the Yan sisters wrapping the dumplings, the work was quickly done with the many hands.
In half an hour, the dumplings were cooking in the pot.
As they watched the plump, white dumplings in the pot, Tian Sanbao and the twelve craftsmen couldn’t help but swallow their saliva. The day before, Ms. Zhong had bought a lot of pork belly and Chinese cabbage, preparing a generous amount of filling, so each dumpling was round and full.
The dumplings floated to the surface, indicating they were ready to be served.
Ms. Zhong, using a slotted spoon, stirred in the pot to make sure every dumpling had surfaced, then called out to the Yan sisters, “Qin’er, you and your sisters quickly get the bowls and chopsticks ready.”
The sisters efficiently took out bowls and chopsticks from the basket. Knowing the craftsmen had big appetites from their physical labor, Ms. Zhong had prepared large serving bowls. She filled each bowl to the brim with dumplings and handed them to the Yan sisters to distribute to the craftsmen.
Without tables and chairs on the construction site, the craftsmen sat on the field ridges, holding their bowls of plain boiled dumplings, eating with satisfaction.
“Uncle Sanbao, Auntie Sanbao, uncles, and brothers, don’t just eat plain dumplings. We also have vinegar and soy sauce here. My mother said plain dumplings might not taste good and didn’t want to neglect you all. She specifically got vinegar and soy sauce from the market yesterday,” Yan Xiaosi said, carrying a bottle of vinegar in one hand and soy sauce in the other, first approaching Wang Sanbao.
“Uncle Sanbao, would you like a bit of both vinegar and soy sauce?”
“I’m not picky. I’ll have a bit of both,” Wang Sanbao cheerfully held up his bowl to Yan Xiaosi, who carefully poured some vinegar and soy sauce into it.
Then, she did the same for Ms. Gao and the other craftsmen, adding some vinegar and soy sauce to their bowls. With the addition of the condiments, the pork-filled dumplings tasted even better, and Wang Sanbao, his wife, and the craftsmen all ate happily.
After enjoying a hearty meal of dumplings and taking a short break, Wang Sanbao led the twelve craftsmen to start working. The first day was dedicated to digging the foundation. The stability of a house depends on the quality of its foundation, making this a critical step.
Yan Xiaosi watched for a while and, seeing Wang Sanbao seriously directing the work, felt reassured and then went back to the cooking area.
Ms. Gao was washing dishes, and seeing that some pork filling and flour were left in the basket, Ms. Zhong said to her, “Big Sister Wang, there’s still some flour and pork filling left. You can prepare lunch for Brother Wang and the others with the leftovers today.”
The pork filling was wrapped in leaves from the mountains, and the flour was stored in a hemp bag. Ms. Zhong took both items out of the basket.
Ms. Gao, while washing dishes, glanced at the remaining ingredients, feeling somewhat embarrassed to take them. “There’s still so much filling and flour left, Big Sister. You might as well take it back with you. I’ve prepared lunch and dinner.”
Yan Xiaosi came over, just in time to hear the conversation between Ms. Zhong and Ms. Gao. Pointing towards the towering Four Sisters Mountain range, she smiled and said, “Auntie Gao, our family now lives up on Four Sisters Mountain. Carrying these things back up the mountain would be very tiring. Please don’t refuse. Consider it as adding dishes for Uncle Sanbao and everyone, so they have more energy to work. Our family won’t be at a loss.”
Hearing Yan Xiaosi’s words, Ms. Gao finally accepted without further refusal. She smiled, glanced at Yan Xiaosi, and suddenly said to Ms. Zhong, “Little Brother Yan is so capable at such a young age. In a few years, when he’s older, he’ll surely be even more outstanding.”
Ms. Zhong modestly smiled, “He’s just a mischievous kid. Don’t praise him too much, Big Sister Wang.”
“Big Sister, Little Brother Yan must be around fourteen or fifteen, right? Is he betrothed yet? I think Little Brother Yan is quite good. If he’s not yet betrothed, I could propose a match for him. I have a niece from my maternal side who would be perfect.”
