Chapter 165: Buying Bricks and Stones

Yan Lao’er took Qi Si to a brick-making household near Xiqiao Town.

The overseer was a spirited old man, wiry and thin, with a reddish-black hue to his face and hands—an unusual color.

“You look unfamiliar, young man. Where are you from?”

“Uncle, we just settled here. You know that forest north of town? The land at the foot of the mountain, west of the forest—that area. The authorities allocated it to us, and we plan to build houses there.”

“Oh, the wasteland west of the forest? So you’re planning to cultivate it?” The old man immediately understood their identity and was well aware of the policies for resettling refugees.

Yan Lao’er nodded. “Yes, and we plan to build brick houses. Old Li from Crouching Tiger City’s fast construction team recommended we come here to buy bricks.”

The old man glanced at him, then at Qi Si. “My eldest son is away on corvée duty, so it’s just me and my younger son working now. Did Li Ma Kuai tell you? My kiln fires bricks slowly. How much do you need?”

“Before coming, I asked around and heard you have both blue bricks and red bricks. What are the prices?”

“Blue bricks are harder to fire. At best, I can fire a kiln every half a month. Mine’s a small kiln, only producing about ten thousand bricks per batch. Red bricks are quicker—we can fire a full kiln three times a month.

Blue bricks are expensive, red bricks are cheaper.

You seem inexperienced, so let me explain a bit.

Blue bricks are sturdy and frost-resistant. They can be exposed to the elements—wind, rain, no problem.

Red bricks aren’t as durable. If you’re using them for walls, you’ll need to plaster them with mud. Otherwise, in ten or twenty years, they’ll loosen.

Some well-off families even use blue bricks for their heated brick beds, though it’s unnecessary. Red bricks work just fine and, in my opinion, make the beds even warmer.

Since you’re building brick houses, have you checked out the quarry yet?”

“Not yet. We planned to go there after this.”

“You’re doing it backward. Go to the quarry first. See how much scrap material they’ll sell you. Then come back here to order bricks. If you can get a good amount from them, you’ll save a lot on brick costs,” the old man said honestly.

Yan Lao’er grinned. “Uncle, I can’t leave empty-handed. Let’s place an order first. Just for our two families. Later, I’ll ask around—there are about a hundred households settling with us. Even if they don’t use bricks for houses, they’ll need plenty for heated beds. If we order a lot, can we get a discount?”

The old man squinted. They hadn’t even talked about the quantity, and he was already bargaining.

“Blue bricks, one wen and seven. Red bricks, one wen.”

“Uncle, how many bricks would I need to build a house?” Yan Lao’er asked.

“Depends on how many rooms. For six rooms, about forty thousand bricks. Three rooms, a little over twenty thousand. How many rooms are you building?”

“Six.”

“And him?” The old man pointed at Qi Si.

Yan Lao’er answered for him. “Three rooms for him.”

The old man could tell who had the final say.

“I’ll estimate half of what you need for now. Once you’re back from the quarry, you can give me the exact numbers.”

“Oh, by the way, Uncle, do you use coal for firing? How much does it cost?”

“Expensive—one hundred jin costs one qian and three. In winter, it’ll go up to one qian and five,” the old man sighed. “So don’t complain about my brick prices. We barely make a living.”

“Can charcoal be used instead?”

“Charcoal is even pricier—one hundred jin costs three qian, and three and a half in winter.

I don’t use it for brick-firing. It’s mainly for cooking since it produces less smoke and doesn’t choke people.”

Yan Lao’er chuckled, revealing a set of white teeth.

“I’ll order twenty thousand blue bricks and twenty thousand red bricks. Uncle, give me a discount.”

The old man said, “I already gave you the best price. But fine, blue bricks—one wen and six.”

“Uncle, we’ll need a lot more bricks in the future. Give us a better deal so we’ll keep coming back.”

The old man scoffed. “What, you plan to build houses every day?”

But he was also wary of them going to Dongqiao Town in Gufeng for bricks. The two major provinces were actually quite close.

If they didn’t mind the distance, they could even head to Changning, where there were a few brick kilns. His kiln was small and slow.

Seeing his hesitation, Yan Lao’er pushed further. “Uncle, how about twenty thousand blue bricks for thirty strings and twenty thousand red bricks for eighteen strings? Forty-eight strings in total—what do you say?”

The old man mentally calculated. That was four strings less than his asking price.

It hurt.

“Half the payment upfront.”

“Deal!” Yan Lao’er agreed cheerfully. “Didn’t bring the money today. I’ll bring it tomorrow.”

The old man nodded understandingly.

Who carries dozens of strings of cash? It’d weigh them down.

Yan Lao’er and Qi Si left the brick kiln and headed straight for the quarry.

On the way, Qi Si said, “Brother Yan, I brought silver with me.”

Yan Lao’er chuckled. “So did I. But I don’t want to pay today. I’ll pay tomorrow.”

He planned to see if the quarry also accepted copper coins. If so, he’d exchange the silver for copper first and pocket the difference.

—

The homestead foundations in the east, west, and north were already marked. Families who hadn’t been assigned land gathered at the big rock, where Village Chief Luo held a handful of grass sticks of varying lengths. He hid the ends and let people draw.

Whoever got the longest stick picked first.

Yan Yu squeezed in to watch the fun. She climbed onto the rock, standing tall, but no one minded.

The person with the longest stick cheered and rushed off with their family to claim their spot.

Once they placed something down, the land was theirs.

What caught Yan Yu’s attention was Nanny Rong.

Last night, her father secretly told her to secure the homestead closest to the mountain—as their hidden warehouse.

But Nanny Rong’s luck seemed bad. She pulled a short stick.

Yan Yu grew anxious.

Then, she realized she was worrying too much.

The closer to the village center, the more desirable the plots.

In the end, Nanny Rong easily secured a plot at the mountain’s base.

Watching her carry her bamboo basket away, Yan Yu fell into thought.

It seemed… they’d need to build a house for Nanny Rong too.

And it couldn’t be too small.

Yan Yu started calculating their savings.

Not the entire Yan family’s, just their own household’s.

She realized, to her dismay, that they had very little personal savings.

They’d have to build Nanny Rong a house with the cheapest method possible—an earthen hut.

—

By noon, Yan Lao’er and Qi Si returned.

They cheerfully pulled a half-loaded cart of stone scraps.

Immediately, villagers surrounded them.

Qi Si unloaded while Yan Lao’er explained.

“These are scrap stones, one hundred wen per cart. Their carts are small, so a full load fills about this much of ours.

No picking sizes—whatever fits, fits.”

Someone asked, “Yan Lao’er, does the quarry have more of these?”

Yan Lao’er nodded, then shook his head. “Not much of the big ones, but plenty of small pieces.”

He pulled out a thin stone slab. “The quarry overseer said these are good for building heated beds.”

What he didn’t say was—he also planned to use them to pave the floor.

Uneven shapes? No problem. That’s called artistic mosaic.