Seeing the precious milk that only city people could afford, Li Daniu’s wife instinctively tried to refuse.
But Chu Fuyu pushed it straight into her hands and said, “Aunt Li, don’t refuse yet—I actually have something I need your help with!”
Only then did Aunt Li accept it and asked warmly, “Sister, just say it.”
“It’s like this, Auntie. This thatched house has been lived in for years. The roof is already damaged, and there are leaks everywhere. Now it’s autumn and it’s already hard to withstand, let alone winter which is coming soon.
So I was thinking of hiring people to reinforce the house, build a courtyard wall, and also put up a donkey shed and a pen for chickens, ducks, and geese.”
Aunt Li immediately understood. She looked around the small house and saw that it was indeed quite dilapidated and unsuitable for a young woman raising three children.
She patted her chest. “Don’t worry, leave this to me. I’ll handle it properly for you. I’m good friends with Old Zhang’s wife from the east end of the village. Her husband and son are masonry workers—they specialize in this kind of work. It’ll be done in no more than three days.”
Chu Fuyu broke into a bright smile, like ice and snow melting away—stunning enough to make people unable to look away.
“That’s wonderful. I’ll have to trouble you and Aunt Zhang.”
Aunt Li thought to herself: No wonder this Sister Chu is so beautiful. A smile like that—who could resist?
Chu Fuyu added, “Please tell Aunt Zhang that payment is negotiable. I just want the house to be built properly, so please use the best materials.”
Aunt Li nodded. “Alright, I’ll go right now.”
“Thank you for your hard work!”
Chu Fuyu then took out two peaches and handed them to Aunt Li. “Take these and share them with Aunt Zhang to sweeten your day.”
Although Aunt Li had children around the same age as the three boys, she had struggled with fertility early on and only had Huzi and Xiao Ying in her thirties, so she was already nearly forty—technically of the previous generation compared to Chu Fuyu.
Because of this, she always treated Chu Fuyu like a daughter and often wanted to help her. Now that Chu Fuyu had asked for help, she naturally wanted to get things done quickly and left with the peaches.
Aunt Li moved fast. Before long, Aunt Zhang arrived with her husband, her son, and four or five other masons.
Aunt Zhang was also warm-hearted, though loud. The moment she entered, she grabbed Chu Fuyu’s hand and said straightforwardly, “Sister Chu, don’t worry. Just tell us what you want. My Old Zhang is very experienced—he’s even repaired mansions for nobles in the capital!”
Chu Fuyu quickly nodded and began discussing the renovation plans with Old Zhang.
The most important thing was repairing the damaged roof and reinforcing all four walls of the thatched house.
Then they needed to adjust the interior layout, ideally creating two separate rooms. The children were growing up, and having their own space was important.
The village land was spacious, so expanding the courtyard and house by doubling its size was no problem. That way, adding more rooms later would be easy.
Doors and windows also needed to be arranged properly. Fortunately, she had bought tables and chairs in town, and she also had furniture in her spatial storage that could be used for decoration.
Besides the house, they also needed to build sheds for the donkey and for chickens, ducks, and geese, and organize the courtyard space properly.
Luckily, Old Zhang and his team were very skilled. They handled everything thoroughly—even things Chu Fuyu hadn’t thought of.
She agreed to pay them for three days of labor, and also provide lunch every day.
There were six or seven strong men working, but with Aunt Li and Aunt Zhang helping, cooking became easier and there was less gossip.
Chu Fuyu took out a large amount of pork and ribs from her space, pretending she had bought them from the market. Aunt Zhang and Aunt Li were shocked.
“My heavens! So much meat! This could feed a family for a whole year!” Aunt Zhang exclaimed repeatedly, almost afraid to touch it.
Chu Fuyu smiled. “They’re working hard, so they should eat well to regain their strength. Besides, my three sons all love meat.”
Speaking of the three boys, Aunt Zhang couldn’t help but praise them while chopping meat skillfully. “Sister Chu, you’re really not ordinary. You’ve raised these children so well. My three-year-old grandson at home is always causing trouble—I get headaches every day! But your three boys are so obedient.”
Hearing praise for her children, Chu Fuyu couldn’t help but smile proudly. “They really are good kids.”
Just then, Huzi, Xiao Ying, and the three boys ran in.
Huzi sniffed the air. “San Mao’s nose is right! There really is meat!”
Huai Yi corrected him seriously, “Huzi-ge, I already told you—I have a proper name now. It’s Huai Yi.”
Huzi nodded absentmindedly. He was already used to calling him San Mao, and the new name was too complicated. His eyes were still fixed on the pork.
Aunt Li scolded him with a laugh, “You little rascal! You run wherever there’s food! This is for the workers. I’ll make noodles for you at home later.”
Huzi pouted, and Xiao Ying looked equally disappointed.
Seeing this, Chu Fuyu smiled. “Aunt Li, don’t send them back. Let them eat here together. Thanks to you introducing Uncle Zhang and Aunt Zhang and helping with the cooking, you don’t even have time to go home. Let the children eat here—it’s convenient.”
Aunt Li immediately felt embarrassed. “Sister, that’s not right. You have so much meat here—we can’t take advantage of you.”
Chu Fuyu shook her head with a smile. “The children get along well. When I was working before, you helped take care of mine. And earlier, when we had no food, Huai Jin even led his brothers to dig sweet potatoes at your place. Without you, our family would’ve starved. Don’t stand on ceremony with me.”
Aunt Zhang, already busy cooking, bluntly said, “We’re neighbors—helping each other is normal. Being too polite is awkward. Sister Chu, don’t worry, I’ll bring you some steamed buns tomorrow so you don’t lose out.”
Chu Fuyu laughed. “Thank you, Aunt Zhang. I like straightforward people like you.”
Aunt Li finally agreed, already planning to cook something nice to send over later.
With all that meat and good cooking skills, the workers ate heartily and worked even harder.
In less than three days, all the construction work was completed.