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Qi Chong called his mother and Yu Chunmiao to discuss the matter. After listening carefully, Yu Chunmiao pondered that with Qi Rong returning in November, the house would be too small. She suggested that they should simply build a new house. Once they handled the wedding, she and Qi Chong could focus on village affairs.
Chen Ruolan had no objections; after all, Qi Rong would soon be engaged, and they indeed needed another room. Wu Dayong slammed his hand on the table and exclaimed, "Great! Let's arrange both the housewarming and the wedding together—a double celebration!"
Qi Chong asked him, "How much do you plan to ask for the bride price?"
Wu Dayong looked around, considering that the Qi family wasn't wealthy and they still needed to build a house. He thought he would have to contribute more dowry himself, so he inquired, "What is the usual bride price in your village?"
Qi Chong rubbed his nose casually and replied, "Six taels for six, eight taels for eight—just for good luck."
"Then let's go with eight taels!" Wu Dayong decided. After all, if they could afford to build a house, they should be able to manage eight taels.
Qi Chong silently noted this down. "Alright, I'll have the matchmaker come by in a few days."
"No need!" Wu Dayong interjected. "I won't be home these days; I've brought my sister Geng Tie with me. You can just go through Yamen's official media."
He pulled out a red envelope and handed it to Qi Chong, who did not take it.
"Brother-in-law, it's not proper for you to take it," Geng Tie said.
Wu Dayong was momentarily taken aback when Chen Ruolan took the envelope instead. "Just give it to me," she said.
After discussing a few more details, Qi Yuan and Wu Shengnan returned home.
Wu Shengnan was sweating profusely, her cheeks flushed as she rushed in and downed a large bowl of water. Yu Chunmiao peeked into her basket and saw only a few scattered mushrooms—clearly, she had been out playing.
Wu Dayong had to return to report back home, so he left with his sister.
Once the family shared the news about the engagement with Qi Yuan, he blushed and grinned widely.
The villagers' meeting in the afternoon was lively. Yu Chunmiao's second way of making money was by boiling sugar. Qi Chong arranged for several villagers to set up tents at the grain drying area and build a large stove. They could temporarily borrow three big pots from home.
There were eight villagers skilled in plastering; they would earn forty wen per day and could work on two houses consecutively for over a month.
Just in time, once the houses were completed, they would be ready to harvest the late rice.
The women were assigned to boil sugar while the men were tasked with checking traps as well as chopping firewood and harvesting sweet cane.
After dividing up the work, the couple returned home.
In the bathhouse, Qi Chong poured the last bucket of hot water into the tub. Steam rose around him, and as he dipped his hand in, he quickly withdrew it. "Yu Chunmiao, are you sure you want to use such hot water?"
Yu Chunmiao wrapped her long hair in a towel. "Is it too hot? I don't think so. Just bring another bucket of hot water to the side; it's getting chilly now, and the water cools off quickly."
Women are truly strange creatures; after soaking in such hot water, their feet still feel icy at night.
In the end, there were two buckets of water beside the tub—one with hot water and one with cool water.
Qi Chong returned to the room and flipped through a book about building houses. Most of it described tall pavilions and terraces, which weren't suitable for the Qi Family, yet he found it quite engaging. He thought some of the illustrations about drainage systems and soundproof structures might be useful.
As the light dimmed, Qi Chong adjusted the wick of the lamp.
The door opened, and Yu Chunmiao entered, her body still steaming from the bath.
"What are you looking at?" she asked, shedding her outer garment to reveal a fitted top and shorts before sitting directly in his lap.
She picked up the book to read, skipping over the difficult text and focusing only on the pictures.
With one arm around her shoulders and the other kneading her soft waist, Qi Chong felt her warmth. When she set the book down and wrapped her arms around his neck, she said, "I want to build a Siheyuan."
Qi Chong's gaze fell on her neck, flushed from the hot water. Distracted, he asked, "What is a Siheyuan?"
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