Courtyard houses: Those who are capable are rewarded, and many children bring many blessings.

"Just you wait and see how Chen the Great Millstone acts all cocky tomorrow."

"You can't envy that. Are you as young as her? Or are you as big as her? The key point is, her husband has died."

"You never know, maybe Niu Dajiang will suddenly come back one day?"

"If they wanted to come back, they would have come back long ago. It's been so many years since liberation; they'd probably be dead out there by now. Alright, stop being envious and get back to work!"

No one in the village made as much of a commotion as Niu Dazhuang and Chen Xia. Chen Xia was somewhat restrained at first, but in the latter half, she completely let loose... singing folk songs beautifully and loudly.

There was a price to pay: there was no movement until late at night, and even after resting for a whole morning the next day, I still couldn't get out of bed to work.

Niu Dazhuang ignored all that and got up early to find the squad leader, saying that there was grass for the cows.

As soon as he entered, Niu Dazhuang started flattering him: "Uncle Cao, you're still the toughest one. If it weren't for you stubbornly refusing to pay more grain tax, our village would be just like Qinjiawa, everyone starving."

Niu Youcao dug up a bag of tobacco, and Niu Dazhuang quickly lit it for him.

"Come on, you stayed at the village entrance last night?"

"Um!"

"The Ooe family has finally made it through. What are you planning to do now?"

"What can we do? Just do it the same as usual!"

"Not planning to leave any offspring?"

"I don't come back often. If Chen Xia has a child, wouldn't that just be creating a burden for her?"

"Short-sighted. What about ten years from now? What about twenty years from now? You're a troublemaker. As long as you can send the money back, she and her daughter won't suffer."

"Well... alright then, I just don't know if Chen Xia will agree!"

"She's not stupid, of course she'd agree. With a child, there's hope for the future. Come on, let's go see your old family house."

"Is it finished already?"

"What are you thinking about? The timber for the roof beams will only be ready for you this winter when the commune members have nothing else to do. I just wanted you to take a look at the current structure of this courtyard and see if it suits your taste. It's not too late to make changes now."

Niujiazhuang is situated between two mountains and a valley, and most of the villagers' houses are now located at the foot of the northern mountain.

Niu Dazhuang's old house is located on a hillside, and you can overlook the entire village from the courtyard of the old house.

The location of this old house has another special feature: there is a naturally formed cave on the side and back of the house, and there is a spring in the cave. Even during this once-in-a-century drought, when the spring water has decreased, it has not stopped flowing.

After bypassing this cave, there is a small path leading directly into the depths of the mountains behind.

This is also why Niu Dazhuang's ancestors established a security camp here; it's easy to defend and difficult to attack, and if it can't be defended, it's easy to escape.

The reason Niu Dazhuang built his house here is because the place is big. He built five rooms in the north, three side rooms on the east and west sides, and the courtyard is also quite large.

Those of us from mountainous areas know that there aren't many places this big in the mountains, except for those with large machinery later on.

"Uncle, let's fix this road too, pave it with stone slabs. If you don't have enough money, I'll give you more."

"Money doesn't matter right now. Can you get some more grain? Even though we didn't pay the grain tax as instructed last year..."

But this year our village didn't have much summer grain harvest either. If it weren't for your more than 1,000 jin of cornmeal, our village wouldn't be much better off than Qinjiawa."

"Weren't there any organized trips into the mountains last winter?"

"We've made it in, and we've hunted more game than ever before, but the people have no surplus grain. Our furs and cured meat can't be exchanged for much grain. We've eaten most of it ourselves."

Niu Dazhuang looked troubled. "Alright, I'll give it a try. I'll write to you when I get news, and you can have Deshui take the donkey cart to the county town to pick it up."

"Very good."

The mountains of Daqingshan are full of stone; whether it's the outer walls or the walls of the houses, they are all made of stone.

The advantage of this type of house is that it is warm in winter and cool in summer, and the foundation is solid. The adhesive used in the middle is the most common mixture of quicklime, river sand, and loess.

It was inappropriate to use glutinous rice for filling at this time, and it was also due to Niu Dazhuang's lack of foresight. Otherwise, he would have insisted on building a stone house that would stand for a thousand years.

"The wall is still too short; it should be at least six feet high. Otherwise, it won't be safe in winter."

"Okay, whatever you say, we'll do it."

Niu Dazhuang was quite satisfied with the house. He took a walk around the yard and then went to check on the water source.

"Let's dig a pool here, but not too deep."

A rich nephew speaks with more authority than a poor uncle.

Having looked at the house, Niu Dazhuang returned to the village and invited Dachuan and Erhe to his home.

He tossed a pack of Daqianmen cigarettes to one of them, saying, "You two've been waiting impatiently."

"There's no rush. I have money anyway, and I can't spend it now."

"Why not exchange all the money for food?"

"Hehe, it would be best to exchange it for some grain and keep some money," Da Chuan said with a sly grin.

"These days, having enough food at home makes it easier to find a wife!" Erhe added.

"Alright, in a couple of days..." Niu Dazhuang thought for a moment and then said, "How about September 15th? I'll wait for you two at the east gate of Changping County at noon. Refined grains or coarse grains?"

"You can still choose?"

"I didn't ask you. Here's three hundred, one hundred and fifty for each of you brothers, that's enough to get you married, isn't it?"

"Hehe... No need. These days, a dowry of three or five yuan is enough. We're marrying his daughter, which is easing the burden on his family. How dare they ask for more!"

"Erhe, it's fine if you think that way, but Dachuan, you can't do it. You have a reputation for being lazy. If you want to marry a good wife, you'll have to put in more effort."

"I know, I'm not the kind of person who's stingy."

"Alright, that's all. Tonight, go to the east end of the village. You two brothers will have another drink with me!"

Speaking of Chen Xia, Da Chuan gave her a thumbs up: "Big Wild Donkey, Big Wild Donkey, that nickname wasn't given to you for nothing. You've really dealt with that little widow, she hasn't shown her face for two days."

"Da Chuan, you have a sharp tongue. She used to be a young widow, but now she has Da Zhuang! It's not appropriate to call her a young widow anymore."

"What else should we call her if not 'Little Widow'? Should we call her 'Big Millstone' like those young women? I think that nickname is quite fitting."

Niu Dazhuang punched him in the chest: "You know she's my woman, and you're still so irresponsible, looking for a cuckold!"

"Hehe, I was being cheeky. From now on, you can call me Sister-in-law Chen Xia, okay?"

"She's cooking tonight. I'll relay exactly what you said about her: 'Be careful when you're drinking tonight; just check your bowl for rat poison!'"

"Hey, donkey, tell me, was the millstone soft last night?" Da Chuan continued the conversation, seemingly unfazed.

"Get lost! I'm warning you, don't you dare lay a finger on Chen Xia again. If I hear even a whisper of it, I'm done for!"

"Dazhuang, I can vouch for you. After all the men in our village found out she was your woman, none of them dared to lay a hand on Sister-in-law Chen Xia. They've all become much more well-behaved when they talk to her. It's definitely those women who gossip behind her back!"