Chapter 171: The House-Building Master Arrives

Yan Lao’er, true to his word, got up before dawn and went to plow the land by the river.

Aside from the time spent harnessing Sanbao to the plow, the rest of the work flew by in a flash.

He had to jog, stepping deep and shallow, just to keep up with Sanbao—and that was with Sanbao deliberately slowing down for him.

By the end of it, he was wide awake, shaking off the last traces of drowsiness.

Afterward, he drove the ox cart to a place called Luwang Village to pick someone up.

Master Lu, a man in his thirties, was warm-hearted and outgoing, and he got along well with Yan Lao’er. Because of this, he took on all the available work.

Initially, they had only discussed building a house…

Since it was too far to travel back and forth every day, Master Lu needed to stay at the site. He also knew the situation of the Yan family, so he came well-prepared and brought plenty of help. Aside from his son and two nephews, he also brought a cousin and a younger brother.

On the way, Master Lu kept talking to Yan Lao’er about the house.

People in their line of work couldn’t just bury their heads in labor; they had to talk to the homeowners, dig deep into their needs, and understand exactly what kind of house they wanted.

If a house was built well, the owners might praise it once and move on, but if it was done poorly, they would complain about it for a lifetime.

“Brother Yan, I’ve thought about what you said last time. Making the windows bigger is fine. I’ll make sure to seal the window edges tightly. If it’s still drafty, you can always hang a thick curtain to block the wind,” Master Lu said, understanding why Yan Lao’er wanted larger windows. After all, he came from the south and hadn’t experienced the cold of Guanzhou.

“Haha, great! Whether it’s winter or summer, you have to open the windows for ventilation, or it’ll feel stifling.” Yan Lao’er was thrilled to hear that the big windows were approved.

Seeing his excitement, Master Lu took the opportunity to bring up another issue. “But about that underfloor heating you mentioned… I don’t think it’s a good idea.

“I have confidence in my craftsmanship, and I’ve never had problems with kang beds, but over time, nobody can guarantee there won’t be issues. If a brick breaks inside and blocks the flue, that can be a big problem.

“If it’s a regular kang, we can tear it up and fix it. But your idea is to build a giant kang under the entire floor. The whole house would be sitting on top of it. If something goes wrong and the ground underneath collapses, wouldn’t the house come down with it? I’ve thought about it over and over, and I really don’t think it’ll work.

“Also, over the years, I’ve seen a lot of houses settle. No matter how level the ground was when they were built, over time, the floor can sink. Now think about your underfloor heating system—it’s hollow underneath. If that starts to sink, wouldn’t that be terrifying?”

Yan Lao’er understood what he meant. The ground might have hidden pits, cracks, or sand layers that could slowly sink or suddenly collapse.

That was why, in ancient times, people compacted the foundation with stone again and again before building houses.

He thought carefully and realized something.

The real obstacle to his underfloor heating plan wasn’t technique—it was the lack of reinforced concrete.

The principle behind it was similar to a kang bed, but without a sturdy support structure, he couldn’t build the large-scale heated platform he envisioned.

He had no choice but to compromise.

“Sigh, fine. We’ll go with the heated wall instead.”

“Heh, now you’re talking sense!

“By the way, the blueprint you gave me has eight rooms. But you only ordered bricks for six. Even with the stone, it’s not enough. You’ll need to order more—red bricks will do. Use gray bricks for the outer walls and red bricks for the heated walls inside. It’ll save you some money…”

After dropping them off, Yan Lao’er immediately rushed to the quarry to haul two cartloads of stone.

By the time he got back, Master Lu was already compacting the foundation.

But something puzzled him—why was his house surrounded by people?

After unloading the stone, Yan Lao’er grabbed his daughter and asked, “What’s going on here?”

Yan Yu had been back for a while. That morning, when they went to the fields, Nanny Rong had been on a rampage, nearly clearing out all the remaining weeds in just a few hours.

She had heard that the builders had arrived and had rushed back to check things out.

Lowering her voice, she whispered, “They’re here to learn.”

Yan Lao’er immediately understood.

The newcomers to Guanzhou had realized how cold it was here, so they wanted to see how the locals built their houses and what was different from their own.

They weren’t just standing around watching either—they had all jumped in to help.

Look, Qi Da and Qi Si were hammering the ground with a massive stone.

Qi Wu was watching someone snap chalk lines with a very serious expression.

Luo Da, Luo Er, and Luo San were carrying stones.

Hu Er, the most cunning of them all, had rushed to help mix the mortar.

Yan Lao’er was just wondering where Master Lu’s son and nephews had gone when a group of young men came pushing carts over.

They dumped their loads onto the ground—it was all yellow clay dug from the nearby hills.

When Master Lu saw Yan Lao’er return, he looked like he had spotted a savior.

He hurried over.

“Brother Yan, finally! Your… your village folks…”

“They’re really enthusiastic, aren’t they? That’s just how our village is—warm and hospitable. And they love work. The moment they see work, they want to do it, hahaha!” Yan Lao’er said deliberately.

Master Lu grimaced. “Brother Yan, let me be honest. The mortar recipe we use is a family secret. Even if they learn how to plaster, without the right formula, the bricks won’t hold firmly.”

Everyone knew what was going on. It wasn’t like he was some legendary master who deserved an audience. They were all just keeping up appearances.

But Master Lu was a decent man. He was worried that if these people tried to replicate the method without knowing the formula, the houses they built might not be sturdy.

Yan Lao’er reassured him, “Brother Lu, you’re overthinking it. Not many people in our village can afford brick houses. If they’re spending dozens of taels of silver, they’re definitely going to hire a skilled builder to do it right. They just want to see how houses in Guanzhou differ from ours. In the end, they’ll still be building adobe houses, so don’t worry—no one’s stealing your trade.”

Master Lu was straightforward. “Building houses is my livelihood, but things like stove-building, kang-bed construction, and roofing—they can watch. That way, if something small breaks in their own homes later, they can fix it themselves without calling for help.”

Yan Lao’er sincerely praised him, “Brother Lu, you’re generous! I’ll tell them to stop hovering and either help properly or step aside.”

As Master Lu went back to work, Yan Lao’er was about to talk to the crowd when his daughter tugged his sleeve.

She leaned in and whispered mysteriously, “Dad, I figured out their mortar recipe.”

Yan Lao’er was stunned.

Oh my, his daughter just watched and figured it out? How did she get so smart?!