Everyone stared at Lu Qing’s blueprint. The main house alone had six rooms, plus something called a back hall and side rooms. Each side even had three East and West wing rooms. It was simply extravagant.
“Mm!” Lu Qing smiled. This was just his initial residence.
“Everyone, start building according to my blueprint,” Lu Qing instructed.
“Alright.” No one had any objections. After all, this was Lu Qing’s house. He could build it however he wanted. As long as they got one copper coin a day and two meals, no one would complain.
…
As days passed, the more people there were, the faster the work progressed. In just a month, the entire structure was built.
“Lu Qing, I don’t think there’s another house like this in all of Luliang County,” Aunt Zhang said, looking at the grand structure they had built together. It was genuinely impressive.
“If you didn’t know how to fire bricks yourself, building this house would’ve cost several hundred taels,” someone joked.
But that wasn’t an exaggeration. Lu Qing’s house truly would’ve cost several hundred taels—grand, imposing, and dignified. Even the homes of wealthy people in large cities weren’t much more luxurious.
“Thanks to all of you over the past few days,” Lu Qing expressed his gratitude again.
Looking at the finished house, Lu Qing smiled. It had indeed saved a lot of money—he had fired the bricks and tiles himself, and built the house alongside the workers.
In one month, with a hundred workers total, paying one copper coin per person each day, that was 100 coins daily—3,000 coins in a month, which was 10 guan coins, or roughly 1 tael of silver. Including food, the total cost for the whole month was under 10 taels.
Spending less than 10 taels to build something worth hundreds—Lu Qing couldn’t help but feel proud. He might even laugh out loud in the middle of the night. He truly was a genius at saving money.
Once the doors and windows were installed, the interior decorating could begin. The two center rooms would be used as a guest hall. The two rooms on the left: one would be a guest bedroom, the other a bathhouse. The right two rooms would be the master bedroom. With many wives, the master bedroom had to be spacious—otherwise, how could he unleash his full strength?
The East wing would be the kitchen and dining room. The West wing would be used as storage—to store items like his one-wheeled “Rolls-Royce Phantom.”
Han Qiuniang, Zheng Yulan, Cheng Su’e, and Dong Chunhua looked at the house in disbelief. They never imagined they’d one day live in such a grand home.
“Lu Qing, does this mean we can also live in houses like this in the future?” Zhao Tiezhu asked enviously.
“Of course. Now that Manglong Village has its own brick factory, we can produce bricks ourselves. So naturally, we can build houses too. But you’ll have to pay for the bricks,” Lu Qing said with a grin.
“Huh, we still have to pay?” Zhao Tiezhu seemed a little unhappy.
“Zhao Tiezhu, are you confused? You want it for free? Lu Qing built his own house and paid us one copper coin per day and fed us two meals. Now that he’s done, why should he pay you to build yours?” Tian Erwang shot him a glare. The source of this chapter is novelping(.)com.
“You’re right, Erwang’s got a good head on his shoulders,” Lu Qing said, giving him an approving look. He appreciated how well Tian Erwang understood the situation.
“I was just asking,” Zhao Tiezhu scratched his head.
“Lu Qing, then how do we buy the bricks?” Tieniu came forward. Seeing Lu Qing’s house, he wanted one of his own too.
“I’ll announce the price later—not now.” Lu Qing hadn’t figured that out yet, so it would wait.
While things were bustling on Lu Qing’s side…
At Mangtou Mountain—
“Damn it, another dry haul. Not even a drop of oil,” a bald man with a knife scar cursed as he looked down at two corpses on the road from Luliang County to Jinchuan County. “People are getting poorer. At this rate, I’ll be chewing bark soon.”
The bald man was none other than Qian Mang, second-in-command of Qinglong Stronghold on Mangtou Mountain.
“Second Chief, I know a way to make money. The question is—do you dare?” Sun Magan said beside him.
“Sun Magan, are you insulting me?” Qian Mang glared. Was there any place in all of Luliang County that Qian Mang wouldn’t dare go?
“Second Chief, hero that you are, listen—there’s a scholar in Manglong Village named Lu Qing. He’s loaded!”
After escaping from Liu Xicai’s home, Sun Magan had blown through all his money in Luliang County and decided to try his luck in Jinchuan. On the way, he ran into bandits and joined Qinglong Stronghold. Now staring at Qian Mang, he thought of Lu Qing. His current misery was all thanks to that man. If Qian Mang could help him kill Lu Qing, that would be perfect.
“Manglong Village? Just a poor backwater. What kind of money could a broke scholar have?” Qian Mang looked skeptical.
“You don’t understand, Second Chief. Lu Qing used to be poor—but suddenly he’s rich. I suspect he found treasure in the mountains. If we can find that treasure, we could make a fortune. Plus, his wife is famous for her beauty,” Sun Magan said with a sly grin.
Qian Mang’s eyes lit up. “Alright, then we’re going to Manglong Village!”
“Yes!” Sun Magan beamed.
…
Nothing more was said. By the time Sun Magan brought Qian Mang to Manglong Village, it was already late at night. The villagers were all asleep. After all, in ancient rural life, there was only one kind of nighttime entertainment—once that was done, everyone slept.
“What’s that?” At the village entrance, they spotted an impressive-looking house. Even in the dark, it stood out clearly among the other homes—it was grand.
“No idea,” Sun Magan frowned. Since when did Manglong Village have such a mansion? Who could’ve built it?
“Looks like he really is rich. That kind of house costs at least several hundred taels of silver,” Qian Mang smirked. So Sun Magan hadn’t lied. Read this novel at novelping dot com for the best experience.
“I wouldn’t dare deceive you, Second Chief,” Sun Magan chuckled.
“This way!” Familiar with the village, Sun Magan led Qian Mang and three other bandits straight to the house—Lu Qing’s current residence.
“Lu Qing lives here,” Sun Magan pointed at the dark house.
“Alright. When we charge in, kill the men and take the women,” Qian Mang ordered his men.
The group quietly approached the door. Qian Mang slowly slid his knife through the door crack and began lifting the latch.
“Hmm?” Lu Qing suddenly heard a noise and opened his eyes. He saw a blade slipping through the gap, lifting the door bolt.
None of them expected Lu Qing to be sleeping on a floor mat in the outer room instead of the inner rooms. The inner rooms were for Han Qiuniang, Zheng Yulan, Cheng Su’e, and Dong Chunhua.
“What’s this?” Lu Qing stood up slowly, his eyes cold.
He quietly walked to the inner room.
“Eh?”
“Who’s there?” Han Qiuniang had just opened her eyes when Lu Qing covered her mouth, signaling her not to make a sound. She nodded.
“What’s wrong, Husband?”
“Someone’s at the door.”
“What?” Han Qiuniang’s face turned pale.
“It’s alright. Go grab the rope for the trap. When I tell you to pull, just pull,” Lu Qing instructed.
“Okay,” Han Qiuniang nodded obediently.
Then Lu Qing woke up Cheng Su’e, Zheng Yulan, and Dong Chunhua.
“Husband?” Cheng Su’e looked at him.
“Something might happen soon. You three climb out the window. Su’e, go find Uncle Facai. Yulan and Chunhua, run through the village shouting for help,” Lu Qing instructed them seriously.