Chapter 91: Foundation Excavation, Cement Piles Like Mountains, Whole Village Watches!

Begin!

Lu Qingshan stood on the newly leveled clearing and shouted with robust vigor.

The morning light had not yet fully dispelled the thin mountain mist, but the wasteland at the west edge of Shanwan Village was already bustling with voices.

Dozens of strong laborers responded and moved; brand‑new iron spades and hoes, driven by a gust of force, plunged together into the firm soil.

May's sunshine gradually climbed the hill, spilling over the bustling site, heating backs and making foreheads sweat.

Zhao Tiezhu, broad‑shouldered and round‑waisted, swung the iron spade with fierce vigor, sending clods of earth flying.

Zhao Tiezhu wiped the sweat from the face, then asked in a deep, resonant voice, "Brother Qing Shan, how deep should we dig the foundation?"

A few young, strong lads nearby also stopped, perking up their ears to listen.

"At least 1.2 meters; the deeper the better!"

Lu Qingshan walked to the edge of a freshly dug pit, measured it with the bamboo rod he'd brought, then stepped on the loose soil at the rim and said, "This is a proper brick‑tiled house; the foundation is the root. If the root isn't firm, the house will never feel secure when wind and rain come, and trouble will abound!"

"Got it!"

Zhao Tiezhu, having received the go‑ahead, hefted the iron spade, spat droplets that flew sideways, and shouted to the crowd, "Brothers, did you hear what Brother Qing Shan said? Let's work hard! This is a big tiled house for Shanwan Village! When word gets out, we'll be the ones who built the biggest tiled house!"

"Alright!" the crowd roared in agreement, their vigor increasing.

For a moment, hoes rose and fell, iron spades flailed, interspersed with the rough shouts of the youths and the crisp clatter of tools, forming a vivid tableau of labor.

Even the air was thick with the fresh‑dug earth's sweet‑sour scent and the steaming sweat of the men.

Lin Yue'e led Xiao Xue, cradling several large thermoses filled with cool tea, and stood far away beneath the shade of a tree at the edge of the site.

She watched her husband calmly direct the crowd, occasionally taking up the work himself, and couldn't help but smile.

Lu Qingshan caught a glimpse of the mother‑daughter pair, set aside his task, and walked over, a fine layer of sweat beading on his forehead.

"Yue E, you've worked hard; it's hot, don't get sunburned." He took a thermos, twisted off the lid, gulped a big mouthful, then handed it to a panting youngster beside him.

"Daddy, Daddy!"

Xiao Xue wriggled free of Lin Yue'e's grasp, darted like a tiny cannonball to cling to Lu Qingshan's leg, looking up with a sweat‑slicked face and bright eyes, "Is our new house really, really big?"

Lu Qingshan laughed, bent down, lifted his daughter, and kissed her milk‑scented cheek, "Yes, very big. From now on Xiao Xue will have her own room, never fearing leaks in rain or cold drafts in winter."

Lin Yue'e watched her husband and daughter, her eyes brimming with unhidden tenderness and hope, and whispered, "Yes, Daddy is building a big house for us; soon Xiao Xue can play in a bright room."

Village chief Zhao Yongnian, hands behind his back, strolled to the site's edge to watch, followed by a few elderly men each holding a Smoke Pipe Bowl.

"Qing Shan, your courtyard layout isn't bad! Look at this setup—how spacious can it be?"

"A 160 square‑meter courtyard: three main rooms, two side rooms on each side, and space left at the back for a pigpen or chicken coop when we're more prosperous."

Lu Qingshan pulled a simple sketch from his pocket, spread it on the ground, and showed it to Zhao Yongnian.

The drawing was simple, yet the layout was clear and the dimensions precisely marked.

Zhao Yongnian leaned in, squinting to examine, then looked up at the already‑marked foundation area and exclaimed, "Truly impressive! Three main rooms with side rooms—this is the first of its kind in our mountains! You've done well, kid; the work you've put in these months might be sturdier than the wealth our whole village saved over ten years."

An old man nearby clicked his tongue, "Exactly, that kid Qing Shan has real promise!"

Lu Qingshan laughed, "Uncle Village Chief, your words are thanks to everyone's support; I couldn't do it alone. Once the foundation is dug, we'll need you to come over, take a look, check the orientation, and give some guidance."

Zhao Yongnian waved his hand, "I know nothing about feng shui; you youngsters just make yourselves comfortable. Still, once this house is built, it'll certainly bring pride to the village!"

Just then, Zhao Laonian lugged a heavy toolbox, swaying as he came, his voice booming, "Qing Shan! I've brought over the stone slabs for you, all the hardest blue‑stone slabs mined from the mountain. They'll make the foundation rock‑solid; thirty years guaranteed no settlement!" He patted his chest, his face full of Confidence.

The crowd kept at it until the sun shifted westward, and the rough shape of most of the foundation had already emerged.

Lu Qingshan stood at the edge of the deep trench, gazing at the land steeped in sweat and hope, his heart a swirl of emotions.

In his previous life, he had drifted aimlessly, spending most of his years in the drafty broken tiled house at the west end of the village, eventually dying alone in the city.

Now, reborn, he could personally build a stable home for his wife and daughter—a grounded feeling he never experienced before.

Zhao Er Zhuang, drenched in sweat, carried a load of fresh bricks from the kiln and shouted, "Brother Qing Shan, take a look at these bricks. Liu the overseer from the county brick factory said they're the material supplied for public buildings—well‑fired and solid!"

Lu Qingshan picked up a brick, weighed it in his hand, then scratched the surface with his fingernail, leaving a shallow white mark, and nodded approvingly, "Hmm, good quality, proper firing—let's use this size!"

Production team leader Zhao Dazhi leaned on a staff and paced slowly to the site's edge.

A while ago, Lu Qingshan had forced him to go to the county hospital for a lung check; the doctor ordered him to quit smoking and rest, but with a task this big, he couldn't stay home.

"Qing Shan, don't worry. I've scheduled the younger members of the team to rotate in and help. I guarantee the foundation will be dug out within three days!"

"Team leader, are you feeling better? Didn't the doctor tell you to rest more?"

Lu Qingshan hurried over, helped him onto a large stone nearby to sit.

"Much better, much better."

Zhao Dazhi waved his hand, a hint of color returning to his face, "Director Wang was right; quit smoking and the cough eased instantly. You're handling things well; I'm more and more reassured. Once this new house is built, it'll become a splendid sight for Shanwan Village."

A few days later, several large trucks loaded with cement, sand and stone rumbled into Shanwan Village, the commotion drawing villagers out like spectators at a Western spectacle.

"My dear, how much cement is this!"

"In the whole history of our village, we've never seen a house built with so much good material!" The locals gathered around the unloaded cement bags, touching and sniffing them, utterly fascinated.

Lu Qingshan took charge, rolling up his sleeves, directing how to unload and stack the material, and instructed the main workers, "The cement‑to‑sand ratio must not be sloppy; stick to a strict 3‑to‑1, no shortcuts! If the foundation isn't solid, any beauty above it is useless."

Liu Fugui squatted nearby, watching the gray‑white powder, scratching his head, and asked in a faint, sore‑tongued voice, "Qing—Qing Shan brother, this cement… it's really pricey. In our countryside, don't we just stack walls with mud bricks, which is easier and cheaper?"

"How many years can a mud‑brick house last? Exposed to wind and rain, it needs to be torn down and rebuilt after a dozen years—troublesome and labor‑intensive."

Lu Qingshan lifted the iron spade, demonstrated how to stir the cement mortar, and said firmly, "A brick‑tiled house built with care can last decades, even be passed to the next generation. This is our own home; we must think long‑term, not just look for short‑term shortcuts."

Liu Fugui listened, stunned, and the nearby villagers also nodded, agreeing that Lu Qingshan made a sound point.