Mrs.

Huang watched Da Bao from the side.

Her eldest son would not be by her side for much longer; now he was going away again.

He could only return once a month, supposedly to work at the shop, and they assured him the food and lodging there would be fine, and no one would beat or scold him anymore.

But still, not being near her was a worry.

Mrs.

Huang felt a pang of reluctance and asked Lin He, "He'er, does Da Bao really have to go? He’s still so young.

Hiring a tutor to teach him at home would be wonderful too.

The younger ones could learn alongside him, and I could watch Da Bao every day." Lin He understood Mrs.

Huang’s feelings; all mothers were like this, reluctant to see their sons leave them, especially since Da Bao was indeed quite young.

But Da Bao absolutely had to go.

Lin He smiled gently and said, "Mother, older brother is going to the town to learn business.

Do you really want him to spend his whole life farming at home? Besides, the town isn't far.

You can take an ox cart to visit him when you have time, and he can come back once a month." "That’s true, but it’s still not our own home, and there’s no one there to look after him," Mrs.

Huang knew Lin He was right, but she still wanted to push a little more.

At this point, Da Bao spoke up, "Mother, I’m grown up now.

I need to support this family in the future, ensuring my younger siblings have enough to eat and wear, and that you and Father can live well.

I must go out, I must see the world.

Don't worry about me; I can take care of myself.

If anything happens, I will send word back through someone." The conviction in Da Bao’s words gave Lin He a surge of confidence, as if success was already within sight.

Lin He had never seen Da Bao so assured, and she nodded secretly.

It seemed people truly changed as their horizons broadened.

She remembered when she first arrived in this world; Da Bao’s demeanor was completely different from what it was now.

Now, Da Bao had undergone a transformation, both externally and internally.

Over these past few months, Da Bao studied with the tutor during the day, and in the evenings, when Lin He had time, she would teach him arithmetic using Arabic numerals and how to read account books.

While Da Bao wasn't the fastest learner, he was exceptionally diligent.

As the saying goes, 'diligence can make up for a lack of natural ability,' and this proved entirely true.

Through several months of study, Da Bao had learned quite a bit.

He recognized many common characters and had almost mastered addition and subtraction within one hundred.

Lin He mentioned that she would visit the town several times a month from now on, and she would bring practice materials for Da Bao to work on, and he could also use the shop’s account books to practice in his spare time.

Hearing Da Bao speak with such maturity, Mrs.

Huang was genuinely gratified.

No matter how much she wished to keep him, she could not obstruct her son’s future.

She stopped objecting, only saying, "Then you must take good care of yourself when you go, and don't make your mother worry." Da Bao nodded, a spark of determination in his eyes.

The family chatted and worked on needlepoint together, and soon it was midday.

Mrs.

Huang rose to prepare lunch.

For the meal, she made white flour steamed buns, scrambled eggs with chives, sliced potatoes stir-fried with meat, and an extra side of kimchi.

The kimchi was something Lin He had made some time ago.

When the weather turned cold, Lin He noticed the cellar was filled with cabbages, which reminded her to make kimchi.

The process for making kimchi wasn't complicated, and most of the necessary seasonings were readily available at that time—like the chives, salt, sugar, and chili powder they already possessed.

Chilies at this time were whole dried ones.

Lin He sun-dried the chilies and then ground them herself using a small mill to make chili powder.

Seeing that she had all the ingredients, Lin He tried making a small batch first.

After it was done, everyone in the family agreed it was delicious; although a bit spicy, it was very appetizing.

Seeing how much everyone enjoyed it, Lin He bought a jar to store it in so the family could eat it whenever they wished.

When Mrs.

Huang finished cooking lunch, Lin Er Niu had not yet returned, so she kept the rice and dishes warm in the pot, thinking Er Niu should be back soon to eat together.

After waiting a while, Er Niu finally rushed home.

It turned out that since he had time that morning, Er Niu had gone with the clan leader to the magistrate's office to finalize the land deeds.

Since only a little over three mu of riverside land remained, when Er Niu said he wanted to buy two mu, the clan leader offered him a better price: four liang per mu, and he could take the remainder as a full three mu parcel, just to clear the paperwork.

Otherwise, the tiny leftover bit would be awkward to manage.

Er Niu saw that for just two extra liang, he gained over one mu of land, so he bought it all, reasoning the family could use the extra land later.

With the land purchased, Er Niu planned to go to town in the afternoon to hire a mason to mark out the site for building the house.

He needed to determine whether the area needed to be excavated or filled in.

Building a house foundation was different from digging a pond, and Er Niu wasn't entirely sure about the process; he needed the masons to advise him.

Lin He shared her thoughts with Er Niu.

Although they had acquired a fair amount of land, for now, they only needed to build a small courtyard with a few rooms.

Lin He didn't intend to use the best materials for construction; slightly inferior ones would suffice, though she felt even those would be quite good for the current times.

Lin He felt those mud-brick houses wouldn't do; they weren't sturdy enough.

She suggested using red bricks—better than mud bricks but a step below blue bricks.

These were kiln-fired, but not as large as blue bricks, and their surface wasn't as smooth as blue bricks, though they were much cheaper.

However, these bricks were already quite suitable for building a house.

For the roof, they would use tiles, and the floor wouldn't need bluestone slabs; a simple layer of mud, sand, and lime plaster would do.

Er Niu initially disagreed with Lin He’s ideas.

He had planned on building just a few simple rooms for Hong Yun and his wife to stay in temporarily, keeping the cost low, as they could easily discard the structure later if needed.

However, Lin He’s vision was more long-term.

She believed that as the family gained wealth, they would acquire more land for cultivation; in this era, land was the most tangible asset that never lost value.

Once they had more land, they would certainly need to hire long-term laborers for farming, and these workers would require living quarters.

The few mu of land they bought was spacious and ideal for construction.

But Lin He couldn't share these long-term plans with Er Niu yet.

Hearing his objection, she persuaded him, "Father, we’ve invested capital into this fish pond; we plan to operate it long-term.

Having a house nearby would be very convenient.

When it's time to harvest the fish, we won't have to worry about thieves or ill-intentioned people causing trouble.

Therefore, the house we build there should be solid, able to last a long time, and comfortable for those living in it." She paused, then continued, "Red bricks are much cheaper than blue bricks.

Building a small courtyard, including the masons’ wages, food, and other expenses, will only cost about ten liang.

But since it will last indefinitely, the cost isn't that high when considered over time." Er Niu listened to Lin He’s reasoning and found it sensible, so he agreed to her proposal.