Chapter 754: A Prosperous Start to Construction

After building the stove and preparing the cornmeal for steaming buns the next day, and having a simple dinner, everyone dispersed.

The night passed without incident, and in the blink of an eye, it was the next day.

In the morning—to be precise, at 4:30 AM, while the sky was still between dark and light—the whole family got up. By 5:00 AM, Shen Wei had arrived, leading Xiao Laijie.

Subsequently, Aunt Xu Yongfeng and her two daughters-in-law, and Second Aunt Yao Ping and her daughter-in-law, also arrived.

However, what was unexpected was that Zhao Guafu also arrived early, leading her child.

Of course, given the situation at Zhao Guafu's house at this time, coming here early to work was much better than staying at her own home.

Although Wang An's family didn't need that many people to help cook, as long as she came to work, she and her daughter could have a full meal this morning.

One must know that for people who are always hungry, the temptation of a full meal is absolutely immense; it can be said to be better than anything else.

It was just two extra mouths to feed, which for Wang An's family was a matter of no consequence.

After all, even the food for Wang An's family's dogs every day was better than what the vast majority of people in the village ate.

Although saying it this way is ironic and makes people feel particularly unbalanced, one has to admit that this is the truth!

Seeing Zhao Guafu enter the courtyard with her child looking very constrained, Liu Guilan was startled at first, but she quickly understood the crux of the matter and immediately said to Zhao Guafu:

"Cuiyun is here. Hurry, hurry, we're just short of people to knead the dough. Go wash your hands and get to kneading."

After arranging for Zhao Guafu, Liu Guilan pointed at Wang Xiaomei, Wang Xiaoli, and Xiao Laijie, and said to Zhao Guafu's son with a smile:

"Goushenzi, go take them three to play. We'll eat once the buns are steamed."

Immediately after, a large group of women comrades all got busy.

Kneading dough, tending the fire, squeezing dried cabbage, cutting meat... in short, there wasn't a single idle person.

As for Wang Dazhu and Wang An, the father and son began feeding the livestock and poultry at home.

Around 5:30 AM, the tofu shop owner drove his donkey cart over to deliver the three trays of tofu.

By this time, the group of women had already put the cut meat, dried cabbage, and dried potato slices into the pot to stew.

The communal meals of this era basically consisted of cornmeal buns or large corn cakes, followed by a large pot of stewed vegetables, and that was it. Except for the effort of washing the vegetables, cooking the food wasn't difficult at all.

As soon as the tofu shop owner entered the courtyard, he was shocked by the things in Wang An's yard: a four-wheeled vehicle, a walking tractor, a crawler tractor, and a sidecar motorcycle. These four things, which were not common at all in this era, were all present in Wang An's yard.

Therefore, the four words "Oh my god" didn't stop coming out of the tofu shop owner's mouth.

Seeing Wang An, the tofu shop owner pointed at the bricks, tiles, and agricultural vehicles in the yard, and while giving Wang An a thumbs up, he said:

"You're doing well, brother. Your family's life is too prosperous. At the very least, in our DJ County, this is top-tier."

Wang An chuckled while handing him a cigarette and said:

"Hahahaha... it's not as serious as you say, old brother. Our family is nowhere near that level yet."

The tofu shop owner took the cigarette and said with a serious face:

"Really, brother, I'm not bullshitting. I go around the streets and alleys every day. There's almost nowhere in the western townships of DJ County that I don't know about. There's definitely no one living better than your family."

Wang An pulled a ten-yuan bill from his pocket, handed it over, and laughed:

"Hehehe, is it really that crazy? Anyway, old brother, here's the money for tomorrow's tofu." It must be said, although what the tofu shop owner said might not be entirely accurate, it wasn't far from the truth.

While waiting for the women to pick up the tofu, the tofu shop owner suddenly said to Wang An mysteriously:

"Brother, is there any profitable business that needs an errand runner? I'm out and about every day; just let me tag along and make a little."

Upon hearing this, Wang An was instantly stunned. Mainly, Wang An really couldn't figure out why the tofu shop owner would suddenly say such a thing.

One must know that since Wang An was reborn, apart from supporting Qiao Xiaohu, which could be considered doing business, Wang An hadn't done any business at all.

Seeing Wang An's confusion, the tofu shop owner then said with an "I know everything" expression:

"People in the county all say 'Big Madman' has made a fortune. I've been to your village several times, and the people in your village say the same. So, I figure you must be doing some big business and associating with big shots. Otherwise, I know that even with money, you can't buy these things."

As he spoke, the tofu shop owner pointed again at the crawler tractor and the four-wheeled vehicle.

Only then did Wang An realize that he had become famous in this regard as well, which was something Wang An had truly never expected.

Seeing that the tofu had been picked up, Wang An said very casually and politely:

"There's no business. I've just been going into the mountains. Anyway, old brother, come inside and sit for a while. The food will be ready soon. Have a bite before you go back."

People fear fame just as pigs fear being fat; Wang An didn't want to drag this on any further. Besides, what business did Wang An have? It was obviously all just bullshit rumors.

Hearing that Wang An didn't even pick up the conversation, the tofu owner felt embarrassed to continue. He quickly waved his hand and said:

"That's it then, brother. I won't go in. I'll bring you tofu again tomorrow morning."

As he spoke, the tofu shop owner drove the donkey cart away.

Watching the tofu shop owner's back, Wang An couldn't help but ponder. Fortunately, he listened to advice and didn't build a two-story building. Otherwise, the rumor of his sudden wealth would have spread far beyond DJ County!

Damn, it's like this every single day.

Just as Wang An was lost in thought, the group of women had already finished cutting the tofu and put it into the pot.

Liu Guilan called out to Wang An:

"Xiao An, hurry and set off some firecrackers at the construction site to call everyone over to eat."

Actually, eating is one aspect, but this is also a ritual for starting construction, or perhaps "A Prosperous Start to Construction" is more accurate!

It's just that in this era, many superstitious things aren't allowed, so setting off firecrackers is simpler.

To put it plainly, it's to dispel bad luck, so that people can be safe and sound during construction and avoid any shitty things happening.

Mainly because building a house is never a small matter; it involves many aspects, and for every family, it is a joyous occasion of the highest order.

In a person's life, how many times can one build a house for oneself to live in?

Hearing Liu Guilan's instruction, Wang An agreed, picked up the sack containing the firecrackers, took an iron shovel, and walked toward the construction site to the west.

Soon, two strings of 1,000-count firecrackers and 16 double-kickers were set off by Wang An one after another.

After the firecrackers rang out, Wang An dug a few shovelfuls of dirt at the construction site, and the whole ritual was over!

(End of chapter) ===== CHAPTER 755 =====