It was still early, and Liu Ying arrived with her workers and tools.
She was efficient and didn't waste any time.
Today was the first day, mainly for measuring the area for the house and checking the levelness of the ground. They were also marking the land.
Next, they would dig the foundation pit.
Then they would start building the foundation, as people commonly say, "laying the foundation."
As soon as Liu Ying and her team arrived at the entrance, Lorrie knew. With the noise they were making, anyone could tell they were here to build a house.
Lorrie casually tossed the broom aside and ran inside.
Before he could reach Julie's door, she had already noticed.
She sighed inwardly, got up, and opened the door.
"Liu Ying and her team are here?"
Lorrie's eyes showed a bit of surprise—how did she know without me saying anything?
Julie just understood, stepped aside, and walked outside.
Lorrie was so frustrated he almost rushed to argue with her, but since he was a male, he didn't want to be seen. So, he angrily ran back to his room.
When Haven and Bailee saw this, they knew he had lost again.
They didn't understand what their younger brother was thinking—always arguing with his wife. What good was it for him?
They had advised him, but he wouldn't listen.
So, the two brothers just sighed and got to work.
Haven and Bailee sat down to sew rough clothes for their wife. She was still wearing the same old clothes.
Even though their family was no longer poor, their wife always wore simple clothes.
They wore rough fabric too but would still buy silk for her. Such a wife was hard to find.
As husbands, they should help with washing clothes and cooking. With such a good wife, they just wanted to do more for her.
They couldn't help with other things, but they could at least take care of her food and clothes.
Whether she wore them or not, it was their way of showing care.
When Liu Ying saw Julie come out, she smiled, "So, you're the village head here. Sorry, I didn't know. I brought my team here to start working. Can we begin now?"
It was surprising that someone so young could hold such a position. Even though being a village head was a small role, it still came with a salary and position.
A monthly salary of two taels of silver wasn't much, but in this era, two taels could support a whole family.
The local school teacher only earned about twelve hundred wen a month.
"Okay, I'll show you the way," Julie said as she led the way.
Liu Ying knew their employer didn't talk much, but when she did, it was always to the point. People like Liu Ying, who worked outdoors all the time, appreciated such employers.
After all, who would want a boss who just stood there giving orders without understanding the work?
It was frustrating enough to do hard, repetitive labor without having to listen to an employer's constant chatter.
When they arrived at the site, Liu Ying and her workers divided the tasks.
Four people started measuring while one person wrote the measurements down.
The others started digging the ground to the required depth for the foundation.
Liu Ying had chosen efficient workers. In just a few hours, they had already dug the pit.
They didn't slack off or cut corners. They only stopped for a quick lunch break when it was noon.
Since it had been agreed from the beginning that meals wouldn't be provided, everyone, including Liu Ying, had brought their own food. This was typical when working outside.
Lunch was mostly food like corn cakes or vegetable flatbreads that their husbands had prepared early in the morning.
Once lunch was finished, they went back to work—no time for idling.
Julie came to check on them twice, hiding and observing from a distance.
She was pleased.
After all, no employer would want to see the people they hired slacking off or doing poor work.
From what she could see, Liu Ying and her workers were doing a great job.
At the end of the afternoon, Liu Ying greeted Julie and left with her workers.
They would be back tomorrow morning to continue the work.