Chapter 142: 142. Chapter 142: Master Zheng Buys Cement

142. Chapter 142: Master Zheng Buys Cement

Seeing Zhao the Ruffian fall silent but his eyes betraying unmistakable greed, Widow Xu knew he was all desire and no courage, and she silently sneered inside.

Back then, how dare Zhao the Ruffian treat her that way? Wasn't it because she was a widow in the village, powerless and without relatives to stand up for her?

She sneered inwardly but kept her face smiling as she said, "The Jiang family is so rich they've even built a Blue Brick Tile House—whoever marries her won't just get the Snow Cake business, but all their money and property too."

Hearing Widow Xu's words, Zhao the Ruffian's longing grew fiercer; he couldn't help imagining that if he married Jiang Wei, he'd live in that spacious, bright Blue Brick Tile House, ride a Horse Carriage to Town every day, eat Big White Rice daily, and even have Jiang Wei bowing low to serve him…

The more he thought, the hotter his heart burned, and his gaze toward Widow Xu slowly turned dismissive.

Widow Xu was fairly good-looking in Yuhe Village—that's why he'd once lost control of himself—but beside Jiang Wei, she was utterly incomparable.

Jiang Wei's figure, her face—she was even prettier than Widow Xu; if he married her, it would truly be…

Widow Xu had no idea Zhao the Ruffian had already compared her to Jiang Wei; she kept urging him: "You see, women, no matter how they pretend to be chaste, once their bodies belong to a man, they'll willingly live with him… Back then, weren't you the one who forced yourself on me?"

By the end, Widow Xu's hint was unmistakable.

Zhao the Ruffian clearly took it to heart; his eyes darted back and forth.

…

Time quickly arrived at the next day.

As dawn barely broke, Master Zheng arrived at the Jiang home with his apprentices.

He didn't enter the Courtyard; instead, he rushed straight to the construction site.

The cement from yesterday's bricklaying hadn't dried yet, and its full effect hadn't shown—but after a whole night, the cement had hardened completely. Master Zheng reached out and pressed hard against it; his heart instantly surged with shock.

This stuff was exactly like the material used yesterday for the Foundation—indestructible!

Based on his decades of house-building experience, he was certain walls built with this material wouldn't break even under cannon fire or thunderbolts!

If—if… this material were used to build city walls to defend against the Foreign Enemy, there'd be no more worry about Border Pass defenses…

In his excitement, this idea filled Master Zheng's mind completely.

More than thirty workers gradually arrived at the Jiang home and began today's work.

Qiulian Niang and Zhao Dasao also started bustling in the Kitchen; all the ingredients for today's meals had already been laid out.

"Huh? When did Jiang Yi prepare this pork?" Chunmiao, who came to help, noticed the half-slab of Pork already ready and asked in surprise, "This pork looks incredibly fresh—like it was just slaughtered…"

Jiang Xiaoxiao walked in carrying a basket of eggs and replied, "My mother pre-ordered it in Town—the pork vendor slaughtered it and delivered it before dawn."

"Ah, no wonder it's so fresh—it's freshly slaughtered pork," Chunmiao nodded, rolled up her Sleeves, and got to work.

Jiang Xiaoxiao left the Kitchen and went to check on the construction site.

The sun had risen higher, golden light spilling over the land, illuminating the eager faces of everyone working.

Every worker at the Jiang home wore a smile and worked with great vigor.

Several tall walls had been built high, and the house's basic shape was already visible.

If manpower and funds remained sufficient and the weather stayed good, her family's house would be finished in no time.

Jiang Wei, watching nearby, also seemed noticeably relieved, a rare look of ease appearing on her face.

But Jiang Xiaoxiao noticed Master Zheng, who was overseeing the main progress, seemed preoccupied; he held the House Blueprint but his gaze drifted aimlessly to the side.

She walked over and said casually, "Master Zheng, is there a problem with my family's house?"

"No," Master Zheng quickly shook his head, his gaze softening toward Jiang Xiao. "You're Xiaoxiao, right? If you don't mind, call me Uncle Zheng."

Jiang Xiaoxiao smiled: "Uncle Zheng."

Look—even a stranger who'd heard her name only a few times remembered it, while the Li Family, no matter how often reminded, never remembered her name was Jiang Xiaoxiao.

"Xiaoxiao…" Master Zheng bent down, squatting before her, "What's the name of the mud you used to lay bricks? And what's that sandy material you poured for the Foundation yesterday—the one that hardens?"

"The bricklaying mud is called Cement; the Foundation material is Concrete, also made from Cement," Jiang Xiaoxiao answered smoothly.

She knew this Cement and Concrete-built house would be so sturdy and indestructible that Master Zheng would inevitably ask—and her family had no intention of hiding it.

Just as she expected him to ask more, he smiled instead: "So it's called Cement? I've never seen this before. This morning I poured water on the cemented bricks and found it's as hard as stone and not a drop seeps through—it's incredible…"

In all his years building houses, no matter how fine the materials, any structure left soaking in water eventually rotted and decayed—he'd never seen anything like Cement's properties.

Jiang Xiaoxiao smiled and explained: "Cement doesn't just harden in air—it hardens underwater too. Once hardened, it's not only strong but also resistant to freshwater erosion, so even heavy rain won't harm it. Moreover, it's highly drought-resistant and frost-resistant, and won't burn either…"

Listening to Jiang Xiaoxiao's long explanation, Master Zheng felt no annoyance; his eyes grew brighter and brighter: "This—this Cement is truly an amazing thing!"

"And Cement isn't just for building houses—it can also pave roads and construct canals!" Jiang Xiaoxiao said.

"Then—then what about building city walls?" Master Zheng suddenly asked.

"Of course it works," Jiang Xiaoxiao nodded. Structures built with Cement were solid, durable, high-strength, high-performance, and high-durability—they'd remain firm even after fifty years.

"Then—then…" Master Zheng's face grew tense, his voice hesitant and embarrassed, "Xiaoxiao, could you ask your mother… if she'd sell me some Cement?"

Hearing this, Jiang Xiaoxiao glanced at Master Zheng in surprise.

She'd thought he'd ask directly for the Cement formula. (End of Chapter)