As they arrived home, the masons had already begun tearing down the old structure. Er Niu helped the elderly couple alight from the ox-cart, calling out for Huang Shi to come and greet her parents. Huang Shi emerged and offered a soft "Father, Mother." Old Man Lin managed a slight smile in reply.

Zhao Shi merely responded with a faint acknowledgment. Lin He, San Ya, and Xiao Bao followed suit, calling out "Grandfather, Grandmother." Zhao Shi bypassed Huang Shi and went directly to Lin He, San Ya, and Xiao Bao standing beside her. She stroked Lin He's head, saying, "Er Ya, you grow prettier the older you get. You don't come to visit your grandparents often?"

Then she took Xiao Bao's hand. "Xiao Bao has grown so big! Grandma hasn't seen you in ages; I’ve missed you terribly."

Lin He could see that her grandmother was amiable towards them, but her attitude toward her mother was noticeably less warm. It seemed the relationship between mother-in-law and daughter-in-law was strained.

Seeing that the demolition of the old house had commenced, Zhao Shi immediately began directing the work. "Old man, go help Er Niu move things. What is the second daughter-in-law standing there for? It’s nearly lunchtime; start preparing the midday meal. I'll stay here and supervise. You go tend to your business." Huang Shi assented.

In truth, Huang Shi had already arranged for Zhou Shi and Aunt Xu to start cooking earlier, and the meal should be ready soon. Lin He followed Huang Shi to help prepare the food. The midday meal was arranged to be quite lavish: two large white steamed buns per person, with leftover steamed corn bread for those still hungry—plenty to fill stomachs.

For dishes, there was stir-fried cabbage with sliced fatty pork, and spicy stir-fried cured meat. Additionally, they gathered some fresh wild vegetables for a vegetarian dish. Two meat dishes and two vegetable dishes—every table had a heaping basin of everything, which, for this era, constituted very good fare.

Meat dishes were a rarity in those times, and having two meat dishes plus white steamed buns for this meal surprised even Zhou Shi and Aunt Xu, who remarked that such provisions would incur significant long-term expense.

Lin He didn't share this view. She believed that treating people with sincerity would garner sincerity in return. Especially in this ancient setting, building a house was arduous labor; ensuring people were well-fed daily was the most basic requirement. Besides, even if one were frugal, the savings wouldn't be this negligible.

The people here generally skipped dinner. Lin He didn't plan on preparing a full meal; instead, she arranged for a few pieces of pastry and some melon seeds and snacks as tea refreshments for each person.

When lunchtime arrived, the workers were astonished by the bounty provided by the hosts. Never before had a family offered such excellent provisions for hired laborers; the best they usually hoped for was a dish with a few visible slices of fatty pork.

Yet, this family provided two meat dishes and two vegetable dishes, each in a full, large basin, with white steamed buns as the staple. Such food was unheard of, no matter where they worked.

Zhao Shi frowned immediately upon seeing the lavish midday spread. She pulled Huang Shi aside and said, "You wasteful daughter-in-law! These workers are paid for their labor; you don't need to make the food this extravagant. Are you burning money? Oh, my poor son, enduring sun and wind every day—how did he end up marrying such a spendthrift?"

Although Huang Shi felt displeasure internally, she refrained from arguing, remembering this was her mother-in-law. She merely replied, "Mother, the workers labor hard. Er Niu said that if the workers are fed well, they will work faster. If the house finishes sooner, the money spent on food will be saved back."

This reasoning was actually Lin He's idea, but Huang Shi knew if she attributed it to Lin He, her mother-in-law would likely blame her for believing a mere child. Thus, she deliberately claimed Er Niu had said it.

Zhao Shi’s expression softened upon hearing this. After some thought, she conceded, "Er Niu does have a point, but tomorrow's meal doesn't need to be this grand."

Huang Shi nodded without further comment and went to attend to the workers.

Since most masons were men, they sat at two tables for their meal. Women were forbidden from dining at the same table as men, so they ate in the kitchen. The dishes served in the kitchen were identical to those outside; it was only a matter of seating arrangements for women and children.

The meal proceeded with great enthusiasm. The dishes on the two outer tables were nearly finished, and all the white steamed buns were consumed, leaving only some corn bread. Huang Shi intended to save the corn bread for the family's supper if they became hungry. As soon as the workers finished eating, they returned to work.

Er Niu suggested they rest a while longer, but they all refused. They were keenly aware that given such excellent food by the hosts, it would be a disservice not to work diligently. Country folk were inherently honest.

What was originally scheduled to take two days to tear down the old house was completed in a single day through everyone's efforts. When they returned in the evening, Lin He had Huang Shi bring out a plate of pastries and some melon seeds as a snack. There weren't many pastries, enough for about three pieces per person.

Lin He observed that some people ate their share immediately, while others secretly tucked them into their pockets, hoping to take them home for their children. Those who pocketed theirs didn't take a second piece from the plate. Lin He noticed this and decided tomorrow she would give the pastries to the foreman, claiming they were tea refreshments. This would save face for those who wished to take treats home for their children.

That evening, the family subsisted on the leftover corn bread and a portion of the remaining dishes from noon. In this era, people generally didn't eat in the evenings, but Lin He insisted that after a day of labor, they would be hungry, compelling Huang Shi to prepare something simple.

That night, the family stayed in the elder uncle's house. They didn't have many rooms; Huang Shi took the younger children to share one room, Er Niu took Da Bao to another, and the last room was reserved for the elderly couple.

Before bed, Zhao Shi summoned Er Niu into her room and whispered something to him for quite some time. No one knew what was said, but it was likely nothing good.

Lin He found the situation a bit peculiar. Her mother, Huang Shi, was a good woman—hardworking, filial to the elders, and loving toward her children, not given to idle gossip. Her relationships with her sisters-in-law should have been amicable. After having several children, the grandmother seemed distinctly unfavorable towards Huang Shi. However, Lin He hesitated to ask directly, fearing it would upset Huang Shi.

Huang Shi approached Lin He nearby and said, "Er Ya, this is just the first day, so we were a bit generous with the food. I think tomorrow we shouldn't make the provisions so lavish—let's revert to what other households typically provide."

Lin He disagreed and continued, "Mother, don't mind what Grandmother said. Look how satisfied the workers were today because our food was good; they worked much faster. If you want people to work diligently for you, you have to offer some incentive, right? Tomorrow at noon, let’s stick to today’s quantity. However, we can swap the spicy cured meat for something else, perhaps another meat dish like radish stewed with pork. When workers eat well, they work faster, and the sooner the house is done, the sooner we can move into the new one."

Huang Shi considered this and felt Lin He’s words held merit. She agreed, planning to tell Lin Er Niu in the morning to keep the food provisions the same as today. Everyone had witnessed how much faster the workers labored today. If the house finished sooner, the cost of the extra provisions would be recouped, and diligent workers meant a sturdier house in the future.

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