Chapter 51: The House is Completed

Laughter and joy filled the air as they finished lunch, and they continued building the house in the afternoon.

The foundation was completed around 2 PM, with the stone foundation raised 30 cm above the ground.

With the sound of firecrackers cracking, the two doorframes were erected.

“Great!”

“May you strike it rich!”

“May everything go smoothly!”

Everyone offered their blessings, and many admired the brand new doors.

In the village, many families, like Lin Heng’s, had houses that accommodated over ten people. Lin Heng’s family had built a new house, but for others, they didn’t know when they could afford to do the same.

“Alright, now let’s start the wall,” said the carpenter, instructing everyone to get to work.

They placed a 40 cm wide wooden frame on the stone foundation and filled it with half of the yellow clay. Several people started to hammer it down with large wooden mallets. Once compacted, they added oak tree branches, both horizontal and vertical, to serve as a framework, making the earthen walls sturdier.

The clay must not be too wet or too dry; it was best when it could be pinched and slowly spread out. This is called “mouse injury” in local dialect—referring to a slightly damp sensation.

Although it was a sunny day, the clay on the ground was still damp after the recent rain, making it unusable. Normally, dry clay mixed with glutinous rice flour would be used, but today they had to add some rice flour and lime powder brought by the tile factory owner.

Since the clay was too wet, only a 50 cm high section of the wall was completed in the afternoon.

The next day, the clay dried considerably, and with some rice flour added, they could continue. By the end of the day, the house had reached a height of 3.5 meters.

At this point, they could install the second-floor beams. These beams were long, thick wooden logs, which were charred on the surface and coated with tung oil before being placed on the walls. The standard spacing was two meters apart. Once the beams were set, they could continue laying the second-floor planks.

The beams had already been prepared, and on the morning of April 10, they were installed in just ten minutes. After that, they resumed building the walls.

By the end of the day, the wall had been raised another 3 meters, and the triangular back wall was finished.

On the morning of the 11th, another round of firecrackers marked the installation of the house’s main beam—a large elm wood beam, eight meters long, charred on both ends and coated with tung oil.

“Good luck with the beam!” they all cheered.

Lin Heng’s father handed out a large handful of candies, and the village children and women joyfully scrambled for them.

Lin Heng stood on the ground watching, while Xiu Lan, holding their daughter, also looked at the house, lost in thought.

“Let me see your hand!”

Suddenly, Lin Heng grabbed Xiu Lan’s hand, opened it, and carefully examined it. Luckily, although her palms were calloused, there were no wounds or cracks.

“What’s wrong?” Xiu Lan looked at him in confusion.

Lin Heng smiled slightly and shook his head, “It’s nothing. Your good days are coming. I’ll make sure you won’t have calluses on your hands anymore.”

This house reminded him of his past life.

In his previous life, he built a house even bigger than this, but after the family split, Xiu Lan had to do everything. He had been idle and wandered around, eventually falling into debt.

Xiu Lan worked from dawn to dusk, with cuts all over her hands and aches in her body. She hardly ate, and for months, she didn’t have a proper meal. She became so thin that she could easily be blown over by the wind.

How could such a body not fall ill? Eventually, she became seriously ill and couldn’t recover. It wasn’t until after she passed away that he realized everything.

Only after losing her did he understand the importance of cherishing her and feeling regret.

This time, he promised himself that such a thing would never happen again. Lin Heng clenched his fists silently.

Xiu Lan glanced at him, a bit puzzled, “Did something get in your eyes?”

“Yes,” Lin Heng smiled and said, “You’re doing great these days. We’ll work hard together, and our family will definitely prosper in the future.”

These past few days had been like the dream life she had always wanted.

For the past few days, the weather had been perfect—sunny days all around. After the main beam was installed, Lin Heng left three uncles and the carpenter to help with the side beams, rafters, and wood striping.

By noon, those tasks were completed. Lin Heng’s eldest uncle shouted, “You and your brother help move the tiles, and quickly put them on the roof.”

“Okay!” Lin Heng couldn’t slack off and called his brother to help move the tiles.

Mud houses are most vulnerable to water, and the yellow earth hardens as it dries. As soon as it rains, it becomes soft and damp, so the roof had to be sealed first.

Carrying the tiles was exhausting, and Lin Heng’s back and legs ached. If it weren’t for the good food he had been eating, he wouldn’t have been able to keep going.

Luckily, he had endured all the hardships in his previous life, so he could still handle the physical pain.

By the afternoon, as the sun began to set, the roof was completed. The red tiles reflected the sunlight, and now, even if it rained, the house was safe.

“In my previous life, I started to decline with the new house. This life, I’ll rise from here!” Lin Heng sat on the roof, watching the sunset and silently making a vow.

His brother had also completed the beams for the second floor, and in a couple of days, the roof construction would be finished.

After getting down, Lin Heng looked at his own house. It was a traditional mud house with a big door and six windows—three on the first floor and three on the second. This was thanks to Lin Heng’s request, as he wanted more windows. Normally, houses only have one or two windows because wooden windows can break easily, are poorly sealed, and make the house cold and unsafe.

The main structure was completed, and now the interior work would take some more time.

The house was not yet livable; the mud walls were just drying, the doors and windows hadn’t been installed, the floor wasn’t finished, and the courtyard wall wasn’t built yet.

On the morning of the 12th, Lin Heng began to tidy up his house. Even if it was a temporary home, he wanted it to match his aesthetic and habits.

“Carpenter, make the two windows in the courtyard hinged. I prefer windows that can open. The one facing west should be the old kind that cannot be opened.”

“Sure!” The carpenter nodded, smiling. He was happy to take on more difficult tasks, as they would pay more.

“Lin Heng, pass me the wood!” his eldest uncle shouted from upstairs.

“Okay!” Lin Heng quickly passed the wood up.

After the wood was installed, Lin Heng began working on the floor. The ground had already been firmly packed, so no further hammering was needed.

He moved the leftover stones from the foundation and laid them down, hammering them flat. Without cement or floor tiles, they had to use stones. A bare mud floor was too uncomfortable, and even a little water would make it impossible to walk on.

“Your idea is great, it looks much better now,” the carpenter complimented.

Most people’s homes just had bare earth floors, but Lin Heng’s made the place much more beautiful.

“Thanks,” Lin Heng smiled.

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(End of Chapter)