Chapter 803: Quite a Curious Tale

As the first triangular beam was erected in the center of the house and adorned with copper coins, the second triangular beam was immediately lifted and set in place.

At this stage, two wooden boards had to be nailed crosswise between these two triangular beams; the primary purpose of these boards was to prevent the beams from tilting.

Soon, the other triangular beams were brought up one after another, and the carpenter Niu Yichen and his son Niu Dalong moved back and forth between them, nailing the connecting boards.

For a house 20 meters long, 21 triangular beams were used. This density of beams could be described as exceptionally high.

If one factored in the thickness of the beams, there was less than 70 centimeters of distance between any two beams. From a slight distance, it visually appeared as if the triangular beams were touching.

It had to be said that this house looked incredibly sturdy—rock solid—and there was absolutely no chance of the structure "sagging."

Many hands make light work, and when it comes to the task of raising the beams, the more people the better. Thus, by evening, around 5 o'clock, the triangular beams for both houses were all in place.

Tomorrow, the wattle-and-daub panels could be nailed on. The day after, the straw mats could be laid and packed with mud. After that, the tiles would be laid to seal the roof.

Of course, after the roof was sealed, there was still a mountain of work to do: making doors and windows, building partition walls, laying the underground heating flues, building the kang beds, setting up the stoves, installing ceilings, plastering walls... and so on and so on.

Naturally, these tasks fell under interior decoration and required a certain level of technical skill, so the pace would certainly not be fast.

In short, these two houses wouldn't be livable for a while.

However, once the roof was sealed, more than half of the overall project progress would be complete. The helper laborers, who had no technical skills and only raw strength, would tactfully stop coming.

This way, the consumption of grain, meat, and vegetables would no longer be so rapid.

To be honest, the amount of grain and meat consumed daily by these 90-odd people had truly pushed Wang An to his limit!

The key was that this era was not like future generations; in the future, as long as you had money, you could buy whatever you wanted, with a dazzling array of goods available.

But now, you could have money and still have nowhere the fuck to spend it. Anything even slightly in demand inevitably required coupons; not only coupons, but they were also rationed. Just think about it—isn't that frustrating?

Therefore, seeing the triangular beams of both houses fully installed, Wang An's mood was actually quite good.

In the countryside, raising the beams is a top-priority event, so the meals at Wang An's house today were exceptionally lavish.

For the staple, it was still steamed buns made with a mix of two grains, but the side dishes were impressive—it was all meat. A huge pot full of meat, without a single leaf of vegetable.

And besides the meat, there was fish.

Because just yesterday, Wang An had led Mu Xueli and Wang Li to the river to fish with nets.

With the three of them cooperating, their fishing efficiency was incredibly fierce. In less than half a day, they hauled back three bamboo baskets full of fish.

Of course, the cooperation of the three was only a small part of why they caught so many; the primary reason was that the water resources in Heilongjiang Province were simply too good!

In this era, there was no such thing as the hateful practice of electric fishing, nor the loathsome river-blocking nets. Consequently, there were truly too many fish in the river.

When it comes to fish, there is a world of difference in taste between cooking with oil and without.

Wang An had long realized that the reason he previously disliked eating fish was precisely the lack of oil.

Stewing fish in salted water—after a few meals of that, anyone would develop an aversion to it.

Most importantly, fish meat is very similar to rabbit meat; both have almost no fat. Eating them for a long time only makes a person thinner and hungrier.

Of course, while there were many species of fish in the river, it was common knowledge that some tasted better than others.

Furthermore, although Wang An and his companions caught a lot, they were mostly common varieties like grass carp, common carp, and snakehead.

Thus, the pot of stewed fish at Wang An's house consisted mostly of these three.

Fortunately, the one thing Wang An's house did not lack was oil. Stewing the fish in plenty of oil made the helper laborers genuinely happy.

It was worth mentioning that those who had been helping since the start of construction, despite the heavy daily workload, no longer had unhealthy, sallow complexions; instead, they had become ruddy.

It felt as if coming to work at Wang An's house was actually a way to nourish one's health and physique.

One had to admit, this was quite a curiosity.

When going to sleep at night, Wang An followed his routine of pressing his ear against Mu Xueqing's already quite prominent belly, listening carefully to the sounds of the little life growing inside.

Although he still couldn't hear anything, every time he did this, Wang An felt a special peace in his heart, as if his mind and body were being sublimated.

It was as if the very meaning of his existence was this little life in Mu Xueqing's womb.

After a while, while Wang An was striving to feel his own bloodline with all his heart, Mu Xueqing suddenly spoke to him as if coaxing a child

"Little An, be good and go to sleep, okay?"

Hearing this, Wang An's spiritual connection was instantly interrupted. He said crossly

"Can't you just let me listen to what my eldest daughter is doing in there? Every time I'm getting to the critical part, you interrupt me. Honestly."

Hearing this, Mu Xueqing said with a smile

"How do you know it's a daughter? What if it's a boy?"

Wang An blinked, then put on a fierce expression and said

"If it's a boy, I'll give him a beating first. Hmph, coming here without my permission—how can that be allowed?"

In truth, to Wang An, boys and girls were the same, but he noticed that Mu Xueqing cared about this.

Because Mu Xueqing would often ask him anxiously whether he preferred a boy or a girl. With his cunning eyes, Wang An naturally knew what she was worried about.

Therefore, Wang An's answer was always that he preferred a girl; he never said he preferred a boy.

And every time Wang An said he liked girls, Mu Xueqing would immediately beam with a smile, as if only then could she release all her pressure.

It had to be said that although gender equality was being promoted at this time, the ideology of favoring boys over girls still existed commonly in the hearts of the vast majority of people.

After Wang An finished speaking, Mu Xueqing gave him a playful slap with a face full of smiles and said

"You're so contrary. Everyone else wants a son, and you're the only one thinking about a daughter every day."

*** Thank you to "Big Account Empire Emperor" for the reward, thank you, thank you, [bows].

(End of Chapter)