Lin He had grown up in an orphanage in her previous life. After growing up, she had gone away to study, never experiencing the Ghost Festival; thus, she was entirely unaware of the myriad rules surrounding it. Of the Ghost Festival, she only knew about burning joss paper from her past life.

But the rules this time around were numerous. Just the cooking involved many strict requirements. Certain dishes were mandatory: a bowl of stewed winter melon—the melon had to be cut into very large pieces—a bowl of stewed meat, and the fish also had to be stewed. All other vegetables were similarly stewed. She didn't know why; when she asked Madam Huang, even she claimed ignorance, simply stating that every household did the same.

When the dishes were ready by noon, Er Niu first took joss paper and incense to make offerings to the ancestors. On the table, bowls of food and wine were arranged, supposedly for the ancestors to partake. After a significant wait, the offerings were discarded, and only then did the family begin to eat. While eating, Lin He couldn't help but find it slightly amusing: the food supposedly for the ancestors ended up being consumed by them all. She didn't know the rationale behind it, but Lin He dared not voice her thoughts, as Er Niu and the others took this matter very seriously.

In the late afternoon, as dusk approached, Er Niu shouldered a load of joss paper and headed to the ancestral hall to wait for Old Man Lin and Da Jiang to arrive so they could burn the offerings together. Burning joss paper at the ancestral hall also had specific stipulations—women were forbidden to attend. At Er Niu's home, only Xiao Bao and Da Bao accompanied him. At Xiao Shan's house, Madam Zhou could not go, and the small amount of joss paper they had was taken to Er Niu’s house to be burned jointly, with Xiao Shan going along with Er Niu.

At the ancestral hall, the burning of joss paper involved the fathers and brothers of a household piling their offerings together to burn simultaneously. Only once the paper was consumed was the Ghost Festival officially over. Lin He felt the true meaning of the Ghost Festival was simply a remembrance of the ancestors. However, different families held different expectations for the day: wealthier families believed their good fortune was a blessing from their ancestors, ensuring their lives would only improve, while poorer families hoped their ancestors would bless them with a better life in the coming year or the year after—it was always steeped in a sense of hopeful anticipation.

On the evening of the Ghost Festival, Da Bao was still home. Lin He took the opportunity to discuss the matter of building a new house with him. Da Bao was wholeheartedly agreeable, stating that their current home was too cramped now that more people were living there. Da Bao also offered several of his own ideas. Lin He felt that Da Bao had matured considerably through his recent experiences; he had grown much more composed.

Lin He told Da Bao she preferred to keep the current house and find a new location for construction. Lin He had her eye on a nearby spot situated on higher ground, which was ideal for building. Lin He knew that affluent families at this time always built on elevated ground, a wise precaution in case of floods or other inundations.

Lin He knew their new home needed to be substantial. She had only heard rumors of grand estates built in multiple courtyards, but she had no clear vision of what that entailed. Her idea was to divide one large courtyard into several smaller ones. With so many family members, each brother could have a small courtyard, the parents another, and she and Chen'er would share one. Within each small courtyard, the number of rooms wouldn't need to be excessive—just a few rooms would suffice, enough space for Da Bao and Xiao Bao when they eventually married and had children.

Lin He discussed her vision with Da Bao, who thought it feasible, but worried about the immense cost of such a large house. If the furnishings were done well, he estimated it could run close to a thousand taels of silver—perhaps building something so grand was excessive for the family at present.

Lin He, however, saw it differently. In her past life, ordinary people toiled ceaselessly, often just for the sake of a house. In traditional thinking, only with a dwelling did one truly have a home. Since their family was doing quite well now, they certainly had the funds for construction. Since they were building anyway, it should be built well.

Hearing Lin He’s proposal, though somewhat novel, sounded logical to Da Bao. He conceded that if they built on this scale, it would take considerable time. "We should start immediately," he suggested. "We still need to purchase land, and it might take several months. If we can complete it before the New Year, we can move in when the next baby is born—the timing would be perfect."

Once Lin He and Da Bao had settled these broad outlines, they summoned Er Niu to discuss the finer details. Upon hearing the plan for such a large house and the corresponding high expenditure, Er Niu initially disagreed. However, persuaded by Lin He and Da Bao, he relented, promising to find the clan elder to purchase land the very next day so construction could begin.

This time, building the house would be different from the last. With more people in the household, the field laborers would have less work two months from now when the wheat planting began, leaving that period relatively relaxed. They could all help with errands and purchasing supplies. Furthermore, with Da Sheng and Da Jiang assisting, and the few maids handling the cooking, the family members wouldn't be as exhausted.

In the days that followed, Er Niu became incredibly busy. Although most of the physical labor would be handled by the hired hands, purchasing land and hiring people still fell to Er Niu. He spent several days working frantically. Only after construction officially commenced did he get a small chance to rest. Yet, building a house always required someone from the main family to remain on-site as a supervisor.

Er Niu had informed his parents about the construction ahead of time. Hong Xia was due to give birth any day now, so Madam Zhao needed to stay home to attend to her. Madam Zhao asked Dong Yu to come over to assist, though she herself did not visit the site often. Old Man Lin, however, was present watching over the site from the very first day of construction.

Regarding meal preparation within the courtyard, Lin He told the heavily pregnant Madam Huang not to worry. Every morning, Chang Geng and Old Man Qin would take one of the laborers out early to sell vegetables and then return. Upon their return, Lin He would briefly instruct Zi Qing and Zi Yu on the tasks, and they, along with the younger maids, would manage everything. The number of workers this time around was more than half again as large as the previous construction effort, meaning preparing even one midday meal was no small feat. Fortunately, the maids were capable, and Lin He rarely had to lift a finger herself.

While Lin He was exempt from kitchen duties, she had plenty of other tasks. Building a house naturally required furniture. Lin He spent time overseeing the work with Uncle Li. Now that the family environment was better, Lin He spent money commissioning several sets of precious rosewood furniture to place in the main reception hall.

Rosewood furniture was quite expensive at this time, so Lin He only commissioned one complete set for the room used to receive outside guests. The furniture in the other residential rooms would be made of ordinary, sturdy wood. As long as it was durable and comfortable for their personal use, that was what mattered most.

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