720 720 new houses have been built
After exiting the courtyard door and turning a corner, he had thought the road would be difficult and bumpy, but it was surprisingly smooth, obviously deliberately fixed.
He recalled that a few days ago in the evening, the second and third brothers had finished work but left the house with hoes, without saying what they were doing.
He didn't ask any further questions.
Now he understood that they had fixed the road to make it easier for his wheelchair to navigate.
A wave of emotion swelled in his chest.
Thinking of his wife who only wanted him, his heart was filled with joy but also weighed down by a heavy burden.
When he showed up at the construction site with one hand on his wheelchair and the other carrying a water bucket, several workers greeted him, particularly the second and third brothers who looked at him with affection, insisting that he didn't need to come.
Their concern warmed his heart.
From then on, Xiao Qinghe delivered water every day, and at noon, he would call them for lunch in his wheelchair.
Every evening, the three sons of the Xiao Family would seriously learn to write with Su Qingyue.
In the blink of an eye, almost two months had passed, and the house of the Xiao Family was completed.
The walls of the adobe house were coated with a layer of mud mixed with lime, so the color of the walls was not the usual yellow mud but a grayish mud color.
The roof was covered with ordinary tiles.
Gray tiles and gray walls were not the most luxurious in Wushan Village, but they were among the best.
Most of the village had yellow earthen walls, and people weren't willing to spend money on mud ash for their walls. Even the majority of the houses had thatch roofs, and those with tile roofs were few.
That evening, Xiao Yuchuan set up a table in the yard, on which he placed many scattered silver taels and a small mountain of copper coins.
Thirteen workers lined up in front of the table, and Xiao Yuchuan paid their wages.
The workers happily collected their wages and left one after another.
When it was Zhang Youlai's turn to collect his wages, he counted the amount and said, "Something's not right."
Xiao Yuchuan laughed and asked, "What's wrong?"
Zhang Youlai calculated, "You overpaid by two hundred cents."
Initially, Zhang Youlai's wages were agreed to be three hundred cents higher than the other workers because he had more experience, and he had recommended the purchase of bricks, tiles, and mud ash for the walls. Moreover, he offered guidance in areas they didn't understand during the construction, serving as a foreman, so his wages should be higher.
"My wife said that Master Zhang works hard, and the prices for the bricks and building materials he recommended were fair, even slightly lower than the market price. As such, we decided to add an extra two hundred cents on top of the promised three hundred cents." Xiao Yuchuan explained.
At one side, Su Qingyue said, "If it weren't for the fact that the Xiao family had spent all their silver taels during the construction, I would have given Master Zhang one more tael of silver."
Zhang Youlai was moved and said, "I appreciate the employer's kindness. Since you and my sister are close, it was already a great favor for me to do this job. You don't need to give more."
"Master Zhang, if you don't mind, take it as a small token of appreciation." Xiao Yishan also persuaded.
Zhang Youlai listened and stopped refusing, "Thank you."
Zhang Youlai was Aunt Zhang's younger brother and also Zhang Ping'an's uncle. Other people left after receiving their wages, but Zhang Ping'an waited at one side, deeply feeling that the Xiao family knew how to treat people well.
The two said that if there was anything they needed help with in the future, they could directly ask them.
After all the workers left, only four members of the Xiao family remained in the courtyard.
There were still ten copper coins leftover on the table, which was all the money that the Xiao family had left to their name.