With his father-in-law and two brothers-in-law helping out, the roof renovation progressed quickly.
Within a few hours, all the thatch on the roof had been replaced with newly harvested reeds.
After a simple lunch, the two brothers-in-law began slowly laying bamboo on the roof according to Zhao Yi's instructions. Zhao Yi was responsible for cutting and bringing back the bamboo, while his father-in-law sawed it into suitable lengths and split each piece in half.
Outside the courtyard, several villagers who hadn't gone to work gathered to watch and chat. When they noticed how Zhao Yi processed the bamboo he brought back, they couldn't help but nod in approval. They thought they could do the same for their own homes, saving them from having to renovate their roofs every couple of years to prevent leaks.
By the end of the day, the roofs of both thatched cottages had been completely renovated.
Only the kitchen roof remained, which Zhao Yi could finish by himself in half a day. Besides, the kitchen wasn't a pressing matter.
On his final trip down the mountain, Zhao Yi carried the day's catch in his backpack. When he returned home, he noticed that the Commune Members who had been watching and chatting had already gone home.
"We should head back now. If we don't leave soon, it'll be too dark to see," Zhang Fusheng said just as Zhao Yi entered.
"Dad, Eldest Brother, Second Brother, stay for dinner. It's not often you visit," Zhang Jing pleaded, holding onto her father to stop him from leaving.
"Let Dad and the others go. The mountain path will be difficult to navigate if it gets too late. Take this back with you to eat. Let me check if there's anything in the fish trap. If there is, I'll send a fish back with you too," Zhao Yi said cheerfully, pointing to his backpack.
Hearing this, Zhang Fusheng immediately went over to Zhao Yi and peered into the backpack—two wild rabbits and one wild pheasant.
Zhao Yi then went into the main room and tossed all the leftover pastries from the other day into the backpack.
He kept only one wild pheasant for himself. The two wild rabbits had more meat, and with his father-in-law's larger family, along with the fish soup, they could enjoy a hearty meal.
When Zhao Yi returned from the river with the fish, Zhang Fusheng was still refusing the pastries, insisting he wouldn't take them no matter what.
"Dad, just take them back for everyone to enjoy. I can always buy more for Xiao Jing next time," Zhao Yi said with a smile, handing two fish, each weighing about two pounds, to his brothers-in-law. The largest fish was reserved for Su Hong to pick up later.
"This one has been reserved by someone. Next time you visit, Dad, we'll prepare a proper meal to treat you. Right now, we don't have much at home, so please don't think poorly of these humble offerings," Zhao Yi explained warmly.
Hearing this, Zhang Fusheng stopped refusing. To decline further would imply he looked down on the gifts.
"You two really don't know how to manage a household. Fine, since you've put it that way, refusing would mean I don't appreciate having you as my son-in-law. We'll head back now. If anything comes up, just have the girl come and let us know.
We're family—no need to stand on ceremony," Zhang Fusheng said before leading Zhang Jing's two brothers toward the village entrance. Zhao Yi accompanied them all the way out of the village.
In his previous life, when Zhang Jing fell ill and needed a large sum of money, the Zhang family had been willing to sell everything they had to help. Unfortunately, living in the countryside and relying solely on farming for a living, no matter how much they scraped together, it was never enough. Yet, Zhao Yi had deeply cherished their goodwill.
If an opportunity arose in this lifetime, he was determined to bring his two brothers-in-law along with him.
By the time Zhao Yi returned home, Su Hong had just arrived at his small courtyard. The fence, which his father-in-law and brothers-in-law had helped outline with clay earlier that day, still needed to be built up higher—a task he would gradually complete in his spare time.
"How did Comrade Zhao come up with this idea? Using bamboo like this as roof tiles not only works but looks much more attractive too."
Su Hong looked at Zhao Yi with a cheerful smile as she spoke.
"Roof tiles and bamboo are quite similar in function, so I thought I'd try making my own. Haven't tested it properly yet, not sure how well it'll hold up."
Zhao Yi waved dismissively and handed Su Hong the largest remaining fish, weighing about four or five jin, though he still only charged her fifty cents.
"Thanks."
Su Hong smiled, took the fish, and hurried toward the cowshed.
Zhang Jing emerged from the room just then and entered the kitchen. She retrieved the pheasant hidden in the woodpile, tossed it into boiling water to scald, and prepared to pluck its feathers.
The plucked feathers were carefully stored in a corner of the utility room—these could be traded for goods. Sometimes peddlers would exchange them for buttons or thread.
She threw the dried mushrooms Zhao Yi had gathered from the mountains into the pot, waiting for the chicken soup to cook so they could enjoy a good meal that evening.
"Ever since marrying you, I've been eating meat every day. It's like I've fallen into a nest of blessings."
At the dinner table, Zhang Jing took a sip of chicken soup and gazed happily at Zhao Yi.
"This is just the beginning. Better days are ahead. After the autumn harvest, when the fields aren't so busy, I'll have plenty of time to go into the mountains. I'll take your brothers along—we should be able to earn at least twenty yuan a month. I'll buy you city-quality snowflake cream and rubber-soled shoes."
Zhao Yi grinned at Zhang Jing, painting a rosy picture.
As for how much they could actually earn in the mountains, that was hard to say. With bad luck, just a few yuan; with good luck, dozens in a single trip.
The black market had all sorts of game, with wild boar meat being the most popular—if you could get it.
But wild boars were cunning and not easy to come by.
"You're so good to me."
Zhang Jing blushed instantly.
Cowshed.
After delivering the fish, Su Hong told everyone about the Zhao family's new bamboo roof.
The conditions at the cowshed were much worse than at the Zhao home.
Now, at least, they had adobe bricks on all sides. When they first arrived, drafts came through everywhere, making nights too cold to sleep.
"That's a clever idea, but the village wouldn't manage bamboo like that."
Early morning.
Zhao Yi and Zhang Jing arrived at the team ready for work. Seeing only four or five people lined up waiting for farm tools, they thought they had overslept.
"What's going on? Are we late?"
When it was Zhao Yi's turn to collect tools, he asked Wu Lan, Li Dequan's wife.
"There's not much work in the fields. Most Commune Members have taken leave to go cut bamboo in the mountains, saying the bamboo tiles you made are just as good as proper ones."
Wu Lan shook her head.
Not only had ordinary Commune Members gone bamboo cutting, but even Li Dequan—after seeing Zhao Yi's house—had taken his two sons into the mountains. They'd packed dry rations and left before dawn, worried that the larger bamboo would be gone if they arrived late.
Zhang Jing and Zhao Yi exchanged glances, a faint smile tugging at their lips. Zhang Jing felt a touch of pride, while Zhao Yi was somewhat resigned.
The essential field tasks were mostly complete, and there were no side jobs like vegetable farming—all vegetables were grown for collective village distribution.
Zhao Yi and Zhang Jing were paired to weed the vegetable plots.
The work-point recorder was absent too—nobody came to check how much work anyone did all day.
Zhao Yi was working in the fields, but before long someone would come running over to ask how to assemble the bamboo pieces for the roof. As a result, by the end of the day, Zhao Yi had hardly done any work at all, spending most of his time explaining things to everyone.