As soon as Guan Xiyue heard this, she immediately felt the pressure. She had to earn money so that those who followed her could also take care of their families.
The house continued to be built in full swing. For the sake of propriety, the original kitchen manager Aunt Qian was replaced by Aunt Fang. Aunt Qian also returned all the rice, flour, and meat that Lü Shi had stolen, and even refused to accept the wages Guan Xiyue offered her. She said shamefully:
“Xiyue, this was our fault. Thank you for not pursuing it further. How could I still accept payment?”
But Guan Xiyue insisted on giving her ninety wen.
“One matter is one matter. This is your wage for these days—you must take it. I have no grievances against you. It’s just that you must properly restrain your daughter-in-law Lü.”
After this incident, no one in the village dared to underestimate Guan Xiyue anymore. Though young, she had single-handedly caught thieves and stood her ground against the entire Guan family, even defeating the scholar Guan Heyi in argument.
Guan Xiaomei and Guan Ziyuan became much closer to their elder sister. Xiaomei especially, dressed in a pomegranate-red dress that Zhang Shi had stayed up late altering for her, looked like a lively New Year painting doll—festive and adorable.
She proudly showed off her beautiful dress to her friends, then carefully folded it away, afraid of staining or damaging it.
Guan Xiyue tried to change her thinking:
“Clothes are meant to be worn. If you don’t wear them now and keep them stored away, next year you may not even fit into them—it would be a waste.”
Xiaomei thought about it and agreed, finally feeling comfortable wearing it.
Seeing her daughters growing closer made Zhang Shi deeply relieved. No matter how hard life was, it felt meaningful now. When Guan Xiyue suggested that the couple leave the old Guan household, Zhang Shi even felt hope for life itself.
In the Guan family, she was the most overworked and least respected. But her natal family was even poorer—her father had needed money for medicine, so she had essentially been sold into marriage with almost no dowry. Because of this, she had never been able to stand tall.
Although she and her husband were still forced to work like oxen for the Guan family, seeing her daughter live well gave her comfort. If she could also help her younger siblings a little, she would ask for nothing more.
Guan Xiyue remained strictly professional. Regardless of personal feelings, she only looked at how things were done. Wages were paid promptly, meals were excellent, and there was always meat. The weather was good, and the house construction progressed quickly according to her plans. In just over ten days, it was time for the roof-beam raising ceremony.
The beam-raising was the most important ritual. As the saying goes: “If the upper beam is crooked, the lower beams will follow; if the middle beam is off, the whole house will collapse.” Therefore, the ceremony had to be properly ceremonial.
Guan Xiyue was also looking forward to it, as this was the first house she had built in this world and held special meaning for her.
On the day, a bright red couplet was pasted onto the beam:
“Azure Dragon supports the jade pillar, White Tiger holds the golden beam.”
The horizontal banner read: “Auspicious Beam Raising.”
An altar was set up in front of the main entrance with offerings of fruits, and Guan Xiyue generously placed three sacrificial animals: a pig leg, a chicken, and a fish. After the ceremony, they would be taken to the kitchen and cooked into dishes to reward the workers. Seeing the feast, everyone’s mouths practically watered.
But then Old Master Guan arrived again, leading a group of people in a grand procession.
Looking at the imposing two-story blue-brick house, he almost wanted to claim it immediately as his own. However, after suffering setbacks several times, he no longer dared to act rashly. Instead, he patted his eldest grandson Guan Ziyan on the shoulder and said kindly:
“Xiyue, such a big event—how can a young girl like you handle it alone? You should let your cousin go and offer incense and bow to honor the ancestors. We are family connected by blood; we must support each other in the future.”
He assumed that with such gentle words, Guan Xiyue would surely agree, especially for appearances in front of the villagers.
As for her, she was just a girl—she would eventually be married off anyway. This large and impressive house should naturally belong to the elder branch, while the second branch would move into the main old house, and the third branch into the side rooms.
Old Master Guan was already planning how to distribute the housing in his mind.
But Guan Xiyue was not having it at all.
She snorted coldly.
“Grandfather, on such a joyful day, don’t spoil my mood. This house belongs to me, Guan Xiyue—not the old Guan family. My cousin has nothing to do with it. Besides, I didn’t even let my own younger brother participate. This is to show everyone that capable men rely on themselves, not on girls.”
Guan Ziyan’s face turned red with embarrassment.
He had already been told by his grandparents that this house would eventually be his, and after enjoying good food for a couple of days, he had begun to dream of an easy future—no more hard studying or labor, just living comfortably with a beautiful wife in this house.
But now, in front of everyone, he was humiliated.
Guan Xiyue signaled to the village head.
“Uncle Yang, don’t delay the auspicious time. Let’s begin.”
The Guan family was simply ignored and pushed aside by the crowd so they would not block the ceremony.
Guan Xiyue respectfully lit incense, bowed, and the firecrackers burst loudly. Children laughed and ran around excitedly.
The old carpenter chanted:
“This timber is neither too long nor too short—perfect for the main beam. An auspicious day and proper timing open heaven and earth; today is the perfect day for raising the beam.”
The beam-lifting workers sang as they worked:
“Front carries the house of a future scholar, rear carries the mansion of a prime minister.”
They carefully set the beam in place and continued:
“Golden words match golden beams; gold and silver fill the granary.”
Only then was the ceremony complete.
Standing on the second-floor balcony with Chunliu, Guan Xiyue used baskets filled with candies and peanuts to scatter them below.
The children went wild with joy, scrambling to grab them. Even some elderly people joined in, thinking of their grandchildren.
Then she scattered copper coins—three hundred in total. The crowd became even more excited, everyone rushing forward to grab them.
The Guan family watched while also scrambling to pick them up, hearts aching:
“This girl has gone mad—she’s throwing away so much money! That’s all the Guan family’s money!”
The ceremony finally ended, but the most important part remained: the feast.
Guan Xiyue was extremely generous, preparing four tables filled with rich dishes. She personally cooked pickled fish, sour radish stir-fried with intestines, and large meat dishes. Other vegetable dishes included bits of meat, eggs, and stir-fried items prepared by helpers.
The workers’ table was even more luxurious, with pork leg, chicken, and fish.
Everyone ate until their mouths were oily, praising endlessly.
There was also unlimited rice and a basket of white steamed buns.
Even the neighbors who had helped felt both satisfied and slightly guilty, thinking they had not helped enough—and deciding that in the future, whenever Guan Xiyue needed help, they would not hesitate to step forward.