The Overachieving Little Husband of the Top Scholar’s Household - Chapter 38: Building a House

Qiu Huanian finished cooking and waited for a while before Chunsheng and Meng Wudong returned from the back mountain. Meng Wudong was carrying a large bundle of firewood, while Chunsheng held a plump gray rabbit in his hand, his face flushed with excitement.

“Hua-gege! Look! This is the rabbit that Meng-Erge helped me catch!”

Meng Wudong laughed and said, “We went to the back mountain to chop firewood and saw a rabbit hole. I set up a snare to give it a try, and hey! We actually caught one.”

Chunsheng enthusiastically added, “Meng-Erge placed the snare at the hole’s entrance and waited nearby for a while. Then, all of a sudden, he pulled on it, and the rabbit just got caught and hung itself up!”

Hearing this, Jiujiu came over to take a look and touched the rabbit, which was still warm. “If we skin this properly, the fur is big enough to sew into a warm hat.”

Upon hearing this, Chunsheng quickly hid the rabbit behind his back. “This was a gift from Meng-Erge to me!”

Meng Wudong thought they were just playfully bickering and patted Chunsheng on the back. “Giving it to you is the same as giving it to your sister! A man shouldn’t be so stingy!”

Qiu Huanian smiled and wordlessly extended his hand toward Chunsheng. Chunsheng hesitated for a moment but then reluctantly handed over the rabbit.

Qiu Huanian placed the gray rabbit in the storage room to deal with later, then called everyone over to eat.

At the dining table, Chunsheng ate while animatedly describing how amazing Meng Wudong was. He even mentioned that Meng Wudong had promised to teach him how to play with a slingshot. Jiujiu had to subtly remind him several times to mind his manners before he finally toned it down a little.

“My Chunsheng has troubled Meng-Erge.”

“Bringing kids along to play—how is that any trouble? We all grew up this way,” Meng Wudong laughed. “This little one is quite clever. If I have a son in the future, I hope he’s like this.”

Qiu Huanian glanced over and saw Chunsheng making a funny face at Jiujiu. Jiujiu took a deep breath and focused on eating silently, while Du Yunse was already frowning in disapproval.

Since there were guests present, Qiu Huanian didn’t immediately correct Chunsheng’s behavior, but he made a mental note to discuss child discipline with Du Yunse later.

After the meal, Du Yunse took the initiative to collect the dishes and wash them, leaving the Meng brothers staring in disbelief.

Forget about someone as accomplished as Du Yunse, even their father, who merely worked as a tofu grinder, had never done kitchen chores at home!

“Hua-ge’er, how are you this capable?” Meng Yuanling nudged Qiu Huanian and whispered in a hushed tone.

Qiu Huanian chuckled naturally. “I cook, so he washes the dishes. Isn’t that just common sense?”

“…” Meng Yuanling didn’t know how to respond and felt a bit envious.

Taking advantage of the situation, Meng Yuanling lingered around a little longer under Qiu Huanian’s cover and successfully managed to wait for Yun Cheng.

When Yun Cheng entered the courtyard and saw the Meng siblings, he paused briefly before approaching with a proper greeting.

Since there were many people in the courtyard, Meng Yuanling didn’t dare to speak too much with Yun Cheng, afraid that their interaction would draw unwanted attention. After exchanging only a couple of disjointed sentences, he quickly stepped aside, leaving Qiu Huanian shaking his head repeatedly as he observed.

He lowered his voice and told Meng Yuanling, “You finally got a chance to see him. You should talk a little more.”

Meng Yuanling hurriedly refused. “Just seeing him is enough for me. I don’t want to disturb their discussions on scholarly matters. My brother and I will be leaving now.”

He grabbed the clueless Meng Wudong and hastily left. Qiu Huanian could only walk them to the door, tapping Meng Yuanling’s forehead in frustration.

Meng Yuanling pouted. “Hua-ge’er, I know you’re anxious for me, but there’s nothing that can be done about this.”

“Maybe in a few years… there won’t be anything to think about anymore…”

Watching the Meng brothers leave, Qiu Huanian sighed and shook his head. He really didn’t have any good solutions. Ancient times were not like the modern era—people’s thoughts were generally conservative, and there were strict societal norms. Qiu Huanian couldn’t just encourage Meng Yuanling to boldly pursue love. Even if Meng Yuanling were willing, the consequences of failure were too severe for anyone to bear.

However, he could at least discreetly gather some information. If Yun Cheng had even the slightest interest, facilitating a mutually affectionate marriage would be a good deed.

…

Qiu Huanian’s home had a rather small plot of land, so he had already planned to purchase the neighboring garden from his neighbor and level it to build a house.

To the south of his home lived a widow named Madam Zhuang. Her husband had passed away years ago, and her only daughter was married off elsewhere, leaving her living alone with far more space than she needed or could manage.

Qiu Huanian approached her with the proposal to buy the garden. Madam Zhuang, eager to exchange land for money, readily agreed. They both went to the village chief to explain the situation and invited the village agreement officer and land registrar to witness the transaction. A formal deed was signed, and Qiu Huanian purchased the 150-square-meter garden’s permanent usage rights for one and a half taels of silver.

With this, Qiu Huanian now had over 300 square meters of land available for house construction.

When Meng Wudong heard about Qiu Huanian’s plan, he introduced him to a skilled bricklayer. The bricklayer came to Du Family Village to inspect the plot and then discussed the construction details with Qiu Huanian.

Qiu Huanian spread out a large sheet of bamboo paper, picked up a brush, and began drawing while explaining.

“The current courtyard remains untouched for now. After leveling the garden, the main house will be built there. The central part will have three rooms, with slightly larger side rooms on each end, making them two-room spaces.”

In ancient architecture, a “room” didn’t necessarily refer to an enclosed space but rather an area framed by four pillars. These spaces might not have walls or be fully enclosed.

Some aristocratic homes were both wide and deep, featuring multiple rows of pillars. Houses of this kind were often described in terms of width and depth, such as the Hall of Supreme Harmony in the Forbidden City of the previous timeline, which had twelve pillars across and six deep—eleven rooms wide and five rooms deep, totaling seventy-two pillars and fifty-five rooms in size, showcasing its grandeur.

Qiu Huanian’s design of a three-room central section meant the house would have eight supporting pillars, four horizontally and two vertically, forming the framework.

The Yu Dynasty decreed that commoners could build a maximum of three-room houses, with only those holding academic or official ranks being allowed to construct larger ones. However, wealthy merchants often found loopholes, such as adding warm annexes or extending covered halls.

For now, these regulations weren’t a concern for Qiu Huaniang. Firstly, he didn’t have enough money yet, and secondly, his household was small and didn’t need excessive space. By the time he saved enough for a grander home, Du Yunse would likely have earned the right to live in a house with more than three rooms.

…

With plans finalized, the construction began, attracting the attention of the entire village. Soon, rumors about the Zhao family also began circulating in hushed conversations. Many people approached Wei Liuhua to inquire, but she avoided answering.

That day, Wei Liuhua held Youbao in her arms and came to teach Jiujiu embroidery. A few people sat together under the pear tree to cool off.

Wei Liuhua gave Jiujiu a few pointers, letting her continue practicing, then complained to Qiu Huanian, “After you told me about Du Yunjing, I kept it from Yunhu for the time being. But who knew that a few days later, he heard about it from someone else?”

“What did Yunhu say?” Qiu Huanian wasn’t very familiar with Yunhu, only remembering that he was very honest and taciturn, and that he followed Wei Liuhua in most matters.

“He doesn’t trust those people and wanted to take money to the prefectural city to look for them. I scolded him, and for now, he has given up on the idea.”

Wei Liuhua was so angry that she pressed too hard with the needle. The sharp tip accidentally pricked her fingertip, sending a piercing pain through her. She quickly put her finger in her mouth, tears welling up in her eyes.

Ever since she married into this family, she had endured years of torment and cold treatment. Her child, Youge’er, had nearly died in infancy. Wei Liuhua had no affection for Zhao Shi and the others at all—she wished they would disappear from the world entirely.

“Mother! Mother!” Youge’er, who was learning to walk in the courtyard, called out to her in his soft, babyish voice.

This child was slow to learn how to walk and slow to learn how to talk. Even though his nutrition had improved now, he still did everything slowly. Wei Liuhua was worried and had taken Youge’er to town to see a doctor. The doctor said it wasn’t an illness and that he simply needed time.

Qiu Huanian loved teasing Youge’er. He would hold candy or brightly colored fruit and slowly sway it in front of Youge’er’s eyes. The child would then bite his finger and turn his head back and forth, looking like a dazed little sloth.

“Hey! Mother is here!” Wei Liuhua quickly put down her needlework and picked up Youge’er to comfort him.

Qiu Huanian handed a red fruit he had picked from the back mountain to Youge’er, then said to Wei Liuhua, “As long as Yunhu listens to you and doesn’t go, there’s still room to maneuver. Baoquan Uncle is his biological father after all. He’s been a filial son for so many years—it’s hard for him to change overnight. No matter what, for Youge’er’s sake, you have to stay strong and have a plan in mind.”

Wei Liuhua nodded while holding her child. “Lately, Fu Yue Auntie from the village chief’s family has been getting close to me all of a sudden. What does the village chief really mean by this?”

Qiu Huanian asked back, “Haven’t you thought about it yourself?”

Wei Liuhua said hesitantly, “I just don’t dare to believe it… Ah, Huage’er, do you think they really—really want to split the family?”

Qiu Huanian only smiled without answering.

Wei Liuhua clutched her chest and said, “Dear heavens, if that really happens, I can finally be at ease!”

“When Zhao Shi spent all the money in the prefectural city, she definitely wouldn’t want to give you anything during the family split. You should start making plans now,” Qiu Huanian reminded her. “Even if the village chief is on your side, he still needs a justifiable reason.”

Wei Liuhua gritted her teeth and thought for a moment. When Zhao Shi left for the prefectural city, she had taken all the family’s cash with her. Once the family split, she would definitely sell those ten or so mu of land. They wouldn’t give them any land to farm, nor would they leave them a single coin. So what else could she fight for?

“Huage’er, help me think of a way.”

Qiu Huanian turned to look south. Across the old courtyard wall that hadn’t been torn down yet, the construction site in the garden wasn’t clearly visible, but the sounds of busy building could be heard. Du Yunse was over there overseeing the progress, forbidding Qiu Huanian from going out under the scorching sun.

“Money and land are hard to argue over, but doesn’t your family still have a courtyard of brick houses?”

Wei Liuhua didn’t understand and furrowed her brows. “Once we split, those houses will definitely be taken away. How could we possibly fight for them?”

Qiu Huanian told her, “Zhao Shi and the others won’t stay in Du Family Village after they return.”

Farmland could be sold, and silver could be taken away, but village houses weren’t so easily sold. If a villager had money to buy a brick house, wouldn’t they rather build one on their ancestral land?

“They won’t stay in Du Family Village? Then where will they go?” Wei Liuhua was stunned.

“That’s their problem. In any case, after Du Yunjing was reprimanded so harshly by the education commissioner, even if they want to stay, the village chief won’t allow it for the sake of Yun Cheng and the other village scholars.”

The village chief had let Meng Fuyue spread Du Yunjing’s disgraceful deeds in the prefectural city, all to completely ruin the reputation of Zhao Shi and the others in both the town and the village. This would make it impossible for them to continue living in Du Family Village, forcing them to leave.

And Wei Liuhua’s family was a convenient excuse—a justification for intervening. This was also beneficial to them. By borrowing the village chief’s influence, Wei Liuhua could manage to split the family without suffering losses.

Wei Liuhua’s heart pounded. She had originally thought the village chief was merely dissatisfied with Zhao Shi and would support their family split. She hadn’t expected the village chief’s real intent was to drive those people out of Du Family Village entirely!

Wei Liuhua took a deep breath, suddenly feeling restless. She needed to go back and talk to Yunhu more about this, in case her husband foolishly messed things up!

…

After sending Wei Liuhua off, Qiu Huanian saw Jiujiu sitting on a small stool, deep in thought. He patted her head and asked, “How is your embroidery coming along? Show me.”

Under Wei Liuhua’s guidance, Jiujiu’s embroidery had improved significantly. Besides the common patterns in Zhang County, she also liked designing her own. Some turned out well, while others didn’t match her imagination. Qiu Huanian never minded the materials and always encouraged her to try new things.

Wei Liuhua often marveled that she had never seen a child learn embroidery like Jiujiu—not as a survival skill, but as if she were playing.

Jiujiu held up her handkerchief for Qiu Huanian to see. On the small piece of cotton fabric, she had embroidered a lively gray rabbit, very much like the one Meng Wudong had caught earlier.

The rabbit Meng Wudong had given them had become a meal, and its skin had been treated for ten wen in town—scraped, de-greased, and tanned until soft. It could be saved for winter to make a warm hat or knee guards.

Qiu Huanian lowered his voice and deliberately asked, “Who is Jiujiu making this for?”

Jiujiu pointed toward the main house, where Chunsheng was gloomily copying his primer at his desk.

Qiu Huanian was a bit worried about Chunsheng. Raising children was something he had never dealt with in his past life. While Jiujiu was exceptionally well-behaved and intelligent, most children went through various problems growing up. He had mentally prepared for this.

For now, with the house construction and cotton fields needing attention, Qiu Huanian and Du Yunse were too busy to focus on Chunsheng’s education. They could only confine him with extra studies and let him calm down.

Later that evening, Du Yunse returned. He wore patched old clothes, his skin slightly reddened from working under the sun, but his demeanor remained as refined as ever.

Qiu Huanian scooped a basin of clean water from the vat, wrung out a damp cloth, and handed it to Du Yunse to wipe his hands and face.

Du Yunse took Qiu Huanian’s hand and, before eating, asked, “How are you feeling today? Did you take the medicine as Old Master Gu prescribed?”