Husband, Let Me Touch Your Abs - Chapter 20

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Shangjing is the capital

The Zhao family was going to build four rooms, and the foundation was twice the size of the previous house. The layout of these four rooms was identical to the Lu family’s house, consisting of two rooms on the east and west sides, with a central hall and a kitchen.

The Lu family’s house had been built by Lu Guangsheng himself, who was experienced and had clearly arranged where to place doors and windows and where to put load-bearing walls.

After a busy morning, at noon, Lu Yao cooked a large pot of corn rice, along with a basin of cabbage stew with tofu.

The tofu had been made the night before and was ready to eat today.

The others had never eaten tofu and hesitated to use their chopsticks while pointing at the white blocks in the basin, curiously asking, “What is this? Is it mushrooms from the mountain?”

Lu Guangsheng had tasted it once and proudly said, “This is called tofu, and it tastes pretty good.”

Everyone quickly picked up a piece to try, and the tofu, stewed until soft and flavorful, melted in their mouths, causing them to exclaim in surprise, “It’s really delicious! Where did this come from?”

“It’s not easy to buy; besides my family’s third son, no one else can make it.”

The carpenter couldn’t help but ask, “Big brother, what exactly is this made from? Please don’t keep us in suspense.” He had bad teeth and loved eating tofu, so if the method was simple, he wanted his wife to learn how to make it.

While adding more rice, Lu Yao explained, “Uncle, this is made from beans. The method is simple; you soak the beans for four or five hours, grind them into a fine paste with a large stone mill, boil them seven or eight times, and then press them into blocks to make tofu.”

Everyone gasped; it sounded quite troublesome. They sighed that while it tasted good, it was time-consuming and labor-intensive. Making it occasionally was fine, but doing it every day would be too much work.

“If you uncles think it’s delicious, you can also exchange beans for tofu in the future.”

The carpenter’s eyes lit up when he heard this. “How does the exchange work?”

“One pound of beans for one pound of tofu. If you don’t have beans, you can buy it for six wen per pound.” One pound of beans could produce five or six pounds of tofu, so this price was definitely profitable.

The market price for beans was sixty wen per dou, and one dou weighed about eleven pounds, making the price of one pound of beans roughly five wen.

Six wen wasn’t cheap, but every family had beans, so exchanging beans made it seem much cheaper.

“Great! When the little lad makes tofu, be sure to let us know in advance.”

Lu Yao smiled, “I’ll make sure to let my uncles know.”

The carpenter nudged Zhao Beichuan’s arm and whispered, “You’re lucky, your husband is both capable and virtuous.”

Zhao Beichuan responded vaguely and buried his head in his rice.

With so many people working on the house, the progress was quick. Everyone was diligent and wouldn’t drag their feet for an extra day’s pay.

In just three days, they had completed the foundation. Next was the lengthy process of making earth bricks.

Earth bricks were made from yellow clay and were used to construct the main structure of the house.

The earth bricks required sticky yellow clay, which was plentiful on a hillside at the back of the village, where most of the villagers sourced clay to make bricks.

Making bricks was extremely tiring and tedious. First, a flat stone slab measuring two and a half feet long and one and a half feet wide was prepared as a base, on which the brick mold would be placed.

The mold was generally made from hardwoods like elm, oak, or persimmon wood and was divided into large and small molds. The large mold had an internal length of one foot and two inches, a width of eight inches, and a thickness of three inches. The small mold was one foot long, six inches wide, and three inches thick.

The two ends of the mold were secured while one side had to be loose, and a blocking board was placed two inches apart to allow for the complete removal of the brick.

In addition, a stone pestle with a diameter of over ten centimeters and ash from burnt firewood were also needed. Before filling the mold with clay, ash was sprinkled in the corners of the mold to prevent the clay from sticking and to facilitate removal.

There’s a popular saying in the community describing the brick-making process: “Three lifts for one mold, twenty-four pestle strikes, bend down and move around, work hard to make five thousand.” This five thousand refers to the approximate number of bricks needed to build one room.

The finished bricks were square and weighed over twenty pounds each. A strong young man could make four hundred bricks in a day, while someone like Lu’s father, who was older, could make a maximum of three hundred.

Lu Lin had a disability and couldn’t do this kind of labor, so he could only sit nearby and help saw wood.

The Lu family had all the necessary tools for brick-making, and other workers brought their tools, saving time and effort since they didn’t have to make new ones.

This was Zhao Beichuan’s first time making bricks, and he found a use for his strength, managing to produce over six hundred bricks in a day, and he wasn’t even very skilled yet; if he got used to it, he could make at least seven hundred!

The finished bricks had one drawback: they were very vulnerable to rain. If they got wet, they would stick together, wasting all the effort.

So for the past few nights, Zhao Beichuan had not slept at the Tian family home but instead laid out a mat in his own yard, ready to cover the bricks with a grass curtain if the weather turned bad.

After work each evening, everyone would head home, leaving Zhao Beichuan still making bricks.

He gripped the stone pestle with both hands, striking it down repeatedly. His strong arms seemed to possess endless strength, and each impact produced a dull sound.

The setting sun’s afterglow outlined his figure with a golden hue, and sweat flew with his movements. When Lu Yao arrived, he saw this scene and slowed his pace to admire it quietly.

He hadn’t understood why so many people loved Michelangelo’s David before, but now he suddenly got it; such a perfectly muscular body was simply captivating.

“You’re here,” Zhao Beichuan said, putting down the pestle and looking at him quietly.

Lu Yao was taken aback and quickly lowered his head, feeling his blood rush to his face. “The rice is ready.”

Zhao Beichuan wiped the sweat from his face, walked to the water tank, and scooped up a ladle of water to wash off the dirt from his hands.

The two of them returned to the next room, and as soon as they entered the yard, they heard Zhao Xiaonian’s shouting and Xiao Dou crying.

Lu Yao hurried inside and found Zhao Xiaonian and Tian Dazhuang tugging at each other, while Xiao Dou stood by, anxiously wiping away his tears.

“Quick, let go! Why are you fighting all of a sudden?” When he had left just a moment ago, the three kids were playing nicely; how had it turned into a fight so quickly?

“I won’t let go! I’ll kill him!” Zhao Xiaonian’s little face was flushed red, one leg straddling Tian Dazhuang while she tightly grabbed his hair with both hands.

Tian Dazhuang was also not willing to back down, gripping Zhao Xiaonian’s arm with one hand while continuously hitting her back with the other.

Lu Yao tried to pry Zhao Xiaonian’s fingers apart. “Hey, how deep is this feud? Listen to your sister, quickly let go.”

“I won’t let go! He’s spouting nonsense!”

“Dazhuang, stop hitting! Let’s talk it out; Xiaonian is a girl, how can you bully her?”

Tian Dazhuang pressed his lips together, showing no intention of letting go, and hit her back even harder.

Since Lu Yao couldn’t pull them apart, he shouted, “Zhao Beichuan! Come in here and do something!”

Hearing the shout, Zhao Beichuan rushed into the room and pulled them apart, one in each hand.

Perhaps he was a bit too rough; Tian Dazhuang was frightened and burst into tears, “You’re bullying me! I’ll tell my mom!” He ran out with a thud.

“Zhao Xiaonian, who told you to fight with Tian Dazhuang?”

“He insulted my sister-in-law!”

Lu Yao was taken aback. “What did he say about me?”

Zhao Xiaonian pouted and refused to answer.

“Xiao Dou, you tell me.”

Zhao Xiaonian glared at her younger brother, not allowing him to speak.

“I think you’re itching for a beating!” Zhao Beichuan reached out to hit her.

Lu Yao quickly stopped him, “We haven’t even clarified the situation yet; what are you hitting kids for?”

Zhao Xiaonian hugged Lu Yao’s waist in grievance, pouting, with tears streaming down her face.

Zhao Beichuan pointed at his sister and said, “We’re living in someone else’s house. If you fight, what will their parents think?”

Zhao Xiaonian wiped her tears, “He deserves a beating! He insulted my sister-in-law, so I’ll tear his mouth apart!”

Zhao Beichuan was so angry his teeth itched. He asked her, but she wouldn’t say what he had actually said. In a fit of rage, he grabbed Zhao Xiaonian and spanked her a few times on the butt.

“Big brother, don’t hit my sister…” Zhao Xiaodou cried out in fear, “Tian Dazhuang said… said sister-in-law is promiscuous… said… said he’s an unashamed brat…”

Zhao Beichuan stopped his hand. “Repeat that.”

Zhao Xiaodou sniffled and repeated what he had just said. Just then, Tian Er’s wife, along with Tian Dazhuang, entered the house, making the atmosphere extremely awkward.

Lu Yao’s expression darkened; such words could not possibly have come from a child and must have been said by an adult behind the scenes.

“Dazhuang, the child is talking nonsense; don’t take it to heart.” Tian Er’s wife turned and slapped her son, “You little brat, where did you hear these things?”

Unexpectedly, Tian Dazhuang cried loudly, “Get out of my house! You’re not allowed to stay in my house!”

“Hey! You little brat, your mother is asking you a question; why are you chasing people away?”

Zhao Xiaonian, wiping her tears, yelled back, “If you don’t want us to stay, then fine! Who cares about your house!”

Seeing the atmosphere getting increasingly tense, Zhao Beichuan spoke up, “Lu Yao, you should settle the rent for these days with Er’s wife first.”

Tian Er’s wife became anxious, reaching out to stop them, “Don’t leave! Your house isn’t finished yet; where will you stay if you go back now?”

Lu Yao counted out sixty wen from the box and handed it to her. “There’s still one room left that can be lived in; the weather isn’t cold, and it’ll be fine for now.”

Tian Er’s wife took the money, feeling that this was ridiculous!

The Zhao family didn’t have much to move, and they finished in two trips. Before leaving, Zhao Xiaonian spat at Tian Dazhuang, saying, “Next time you dare to insult my sister-in-law, I’ll rip all your hair out.”

“Brat, brat, brat!” Tian Dazhuang yelled at the top of his lungs.

“Smack!” Tian Er’s wife gave him a hard slap.

Tian Dazhuang covered his face in disbelief and said, “Mom, why are you hitting me?”

“Who did you hear that from?”

“I heard it from Song Ping…”

“From now on, you’re not allowed to say that, do you hear me? And you’re not allowed to play with Song Ping anymore. If I see you playing with him again, I’ll skin you alive!”