Chapter 87 (Part 2): The Culinary Tycoon

In the end, Grandpa Chang was persuaded by the three younger ones.

In fact, Yu Qingze also leaned towards the courtyard-style design. With this design, the main house and the east and west side rooms were separated by a certain distance. They could have Grandpa Chang stay in the main house, he and Brother Le in the east side room, and the two young boys in the west side room. This way, they wouldn’t have to worry about being overheard when they did something at night.

Yu Qingze didn’t have high expectations for the soundproofing measures of ancient houses, so the courtyard-style design clearly aligned more with his expectations.

In the end, Grandpa Chang was persuaded, so they decided to build the courtyard-style house.

Once the style was determined, Yu Qingze redrew the designs and carefully marked how each part should be constructed. Then he went to find the village chief.

He had the blueprints ready, but he didn’t know the specifics of how to implement them. He had never built a house before and didn’t know what needed to be done, so he had to seek the help of the village chief.

In the village, when people built houses, they would ask the villagers for help. The village chief knew more about these matters than Yu Qingze. Moreover, they would need to seek assistance and consult with knowledgeable people when it came to hiring workers and purchasing materials.

“Wow, you’re planning to build something this big?” The village chief was taken aback when he looked at the blueprints that Yu Qingze brought.

“Yes,” Yu Qingze nodded and proceeded to explain the functions of each room in the blueprints to the village chief.

The village chief scratched his head and pondered for a while.

Dajian and Dayong also looked at the blueprints, and their eyes lit up.

“Dad, this house design is great. We can also build something like this. Look, Big Brother can live on this side, we can live on this side, and if Little Brother gets married in the future and is willing, he can live here too. It won’t interfere with each other, and we can take care of one another. It’s perfect,” Dayong said excitedly.

Dajian also nodded, “Right, the new house can accommodate two households, and we can still live in our current house. It’s enough.”

The village chief gave them a stern look and said, “Of course, I know it’s good, but have you thought about how much money it will cost to build such a courtyard? Do we have that much money?”

Upon hearing this, Dajian and Dayong fell silent. Yeah, they needed to have enough money!

Yu Qingze smiled and said, “My situation is different from yours. When Xiao Hao and Jiabao grow up and start their own families, they probably won’t live with us anymore. I will build another house for them.”

Even the closest brothers could inevitably have conflicts after starting their own families, so it was best to live separately. Moreover, by that time, he was confident that he could build them a good house.

“Aze, are you planning to build a house with blue bricks and tiles?” the village chief asked.

Yu Qingze nodded, “Yes.”

“Regarding the materials, you can go and ask Scholar Yu. He knows the prices of the materials they bought when they built their houses,” the village chief suggested.

“Alright, I’ll make a note of that. And if I want to finish the construction within a month, how many workers should I hire for help?” Yu Qingze asked.

“So urgent?” the village chief asked in surprise.

Yu Qingze nodded and smiled, “Once the house is built, I will marry Brother Le.”

Understanding his intentions, the village chief and the others laughed.

The village chief said, “In that case, you’ll need to hire at least fifteen to twenty workers and a couple of helpers to cook. When building houses in the village, it’s common to have someone in charge of meals. The daily wage for the workers is usually sixty wen, while the cooks would receive around forty to fifty wen. You can figure out the expenses yourself.”

“Which workers in the village would be more suitable for this?” Yu Qingze inquired.

The village chief then recommended about twenty people to him, but he warned that some of them might be busy with their farming duties in the second lunar month.

Yu Qingze noted down the names and said, “By the way, Village Chief, I also need your help to make some furniture, like cabinets, wooden beds, and tables. I’ve written down the designs in this notebook. There are two designs for the cabinets and wooden beds. They need to be painted as well. We can start making them now, or else I’m afraid we won’t finish in time.”

“Oh, let me take a look.” The village chief took Yu Qingze’s notebook and flipped through the pages.

…

After discussing with the village chief, Yu Qingze went to see Scholar Yu and inquired about where they used to buy blue bricks and tiles, as well as their prices.

Afterward, Yu Qingze visited the place Scholar Yu recommended for buying blue bricks and tiles. He also went to the master who had previously built their stove to ask for recommendations and visited two familiar shops, comparing prices. Finally, he chose two that seemed more suitable.

From the Lantern Festival onwards, for the next half month, Yu Qingze would visit the shops only once every other day. He was busy with the preliminary preparations for building the house, consulting with people, hiring workers, examining materials, negotiating prices—his days were filled with constant busyness. Fortunately, by the end of the first lunar month, everything was ready.

After the first day of the lunar month, the construction of the house could begin.

There was a skilled worker in the village who was known for his expertise in house construction. Yu Qingze hired him as the foreman, and they had already discussed and assigned the tasks beforehand.

On the first day of the second lunar month, the foreman gathered all the workers and reiterated the requirements and job assignments. Everyone started working.

Translated on ho lo lo novels dot com.

With the commencement of construction, Yu Qingze had to supervise the progress every day. He was busy coordinating the work and managing the materials, leaving him with little time to visit the shop. He could only go occasionally and rely on Jiabao’s updates in the evenings. Fortunately, everything was going well at the shop. He heard that the newly opened restaurant next door was doing quite well.

While Yu Qingze was occupied with the house construction, Brother Le had an additional task every evening apart from managing the shop.

Making wedding attire!

In fact, he had been secretly working on it before the Lunar New Year, but he didn’t dare let others know.

Brother Chang and his mother were also helping him with embroidery.

The wedding attire for a rural groom was not as grand and luxurious as those in wealthy households, but it still required a lot of effort. After all, this bridal attire was not like ordinary clothes—it would be worn only once in a lifetime and needed careful preparation.

“Brother Le, what about you? Why didn’t you tell us before the New Year? Now you’re in such a rush. Can you finish it in time?” Brother Chang said.

Brother Le’s mother added, “It’s okay. Let’s work a bit harder. We should be able to finish in time. But Brother Le, how about Yu Qingze’s wedding attire?”

Brother Le gestured that he had already completed it.

Brother Chang was surprised, “You made it for him? So fast?”

Brother Le nodded gently and gestured, “The groom’s wedding attire is not as complicated. It can be made quickly.”

He had secretly worked on it during the New Year holiday when everyone else was asleep.

Brother Chang covered his mouth and chuckled, saying, “I’ve never seen a bride-to-be making wedding attire for his fiancé before.”

Brother Le blushed and reached out to hit him. Brother Chang teased him again.

Brother Chang’s mother also laughed and said, “Well, this is a special case. Yu Qingze doesn’t have anyone else in his family to prepare it for him. Maybe he hasn’t even thought about it yet.”

Brother Le nodded. Indeed, he had never heard Yu Qingze mention this matter.

In fact, Yu Qingze had thought about it, but he had oversimplified it. He thought he could just go to a ready-made clothing store and buy a suitable set. After all, they had readymade options there.

Both of them were busy with their respective tasks, and in the blink of an eye, a month had passed. Finally, on the fifth day of the third lunar month, the house was completed!

🌸🌸🌸🌸🌸

Thandar: I feel like this chapter was really rushed 🤔