When Qi Zhenzhen went out again, Zhang Xiaoniu had already finished building the shed and was carrying a door panel into it. Seeing Qi Zhenzhen emerge, Zhang Xiaoniu grinned, revealing his teeth. His dark skin made his teeth appear exceptionally white, reminding Qi Zhenzhen of toothpaste commercials she had seen before, with protagonists whose teeth were dazzlingly white.
The door panels were to be used as beds. Zhang Xiaoniu had brought two door panels and propped them onto the erected wooden frame. Once the bedding was laid out, it would be ready for sleeping.
"I'm very capable, aren't I? I built this shed all by myself," Zhang Xiaoniu said, hands on his hips, his youthful face beaming with pride.
Qi Zhenzhen clapped her hands, "You truly are very capable."
Her single word of affirmation deepened the smile on Zhang Xiaoniu's face. "It's not just sheds I can build; I can do many other things too. I'm good at farming, I can be a peddler, and I've even worked as a temporary laborer at the docks. Anyway, I can earn money."
Qi Zhenzhen understood his implication: he was stating that he had the ability to support a wife. But was it appropriate to tell her this? She had no such intentions towards him. In her eyes, Zhang Xiaoniu was clearly just a child.
"You should go back and rest," she said.
"My second brother said he'll bring the green bricks back soon, and we'll be staying here tonight," Zhang Xiaoniu replied. "I'll go back and get the bedding first."
With that, he ran off energetically.
If they were staying overnight, did that mean she had to provide meals? Considering Zhang Erniu's size, how much food would be needed to satisfy him, let alone Zhang Xiaoniu? Their family only had the meager amount of grain she had exchanged from Doctor Mo. She sighed. It was best to discuss it with Zhang Erniu when he returned and tell him she wouldn't be providing meals.
With nothing else to do, Qi Zhenzhen picked up her hoe and began to till the ground. This yard had never been cultivated before, and if she wanted to plant anything, she would need to turn the soil over several times.
Zhang Erniu and Chang Shan returned with a team of carts, each laden with stacks of green bricks. Chang Shan directed the unloading, while Zhang Erniu called Qi Zhenzhen over to talk. "These are twenty cartloads of green bricks. Chang Shan and I calculated that nineteen cartloads should be enough, but we got an extra one just in case of any unforeseen circumstances. Twenty cartloads of green bricks cost twelve taels of silver."
Qi Zhenzhen took out the two taels of silver that Erhei's mother had compensated her with and handed it to Zhang Erniu. "As for the wages, we'll settle that once the work is completed."
Zhang Erniu accepted the money naturally and handed it to the young man who had delivered the bricks. "There, that settles it."
The young man chuckled heartily. "Brother Erniu, I trust your word."
After the green bricks were unloaded, the cart team said goodbye to Zhang Erniu and left, with Chang Shan departing with them.
Zhang Erniu walked around the shed and nodded. Xiaoniu wasn't sloppy with his work; the shed was indeed built quite well.
Qi Zhenzhen had nothing else to say to Zhang Erniu. She entered the yard and picked up her hoe, continuing to till the ground.
"Brother, how can you just stand there and watch? Are you not ashamed?" Zhang Xiaoniu, carrying the bedding, ran up to them. Seeing Qi Zhenzhen tilling the land and Zhang Erniu standing by the shed, he couldn't help but raise his voice.
Zhang Erniu watched as his younger brother tossed the bedding onto the makeshift bed and then, like a gust of wind, dashed into the Qi family's yard and snatched the hoe from Qi Zhenzhen's hand.
What was going on? Zhang Erniu was bewildered. His younger brother usually avoided manual labor, so why was he so proactive today?
Qi Zhenzhen was helpless, but Zhang Xiaoniu was stubborn and refused to let her swing the hoe.
"Xiaoniu, don't you dislike farm work the most?" Zhang Erniu asked loudly.
Zhang Xiaoniu, who was enthusiastically swinging the hoe, paused upon hearing this. He mumbled, "Second brother, you've got it wrong. I love farm work the most. Brother, you're strong, so don't just stand there; come and help."
It was indeed inappropriate for the elder brother to stand by while his younger sibling worked. However, the Qi family only had one hoe. Zhang Erniu had no choice but to go home and fetch another. Farming families placed great importance on their tools, and they wouldn't lend them out unless to someone they were particularly close to.
Qi Zhenzhen sighed inwardly. She hadn't wanted to provide dinner, but it seemed she had no choice. The two brothers were working with such fervor; she couldn't possibly tell them to go home and eat.
While working, Zhang Xiaoniu recounted the incident with Erhei's mother to Zhang Erniu, trying to impress him. "Second brother, I did the right thing, didn't I? Didn't you see how pathetic Erhei looked! The village head also protected Zhenzhen's family."
Zhang Erniu wasn't as naive as Zhang Xiaoniu. The village head protected her? Clearly, the village head was stunned by Qi Zhenzhen's display. After all, it was almost impossible for a farm girl to be so knowledgeable about the law. Although Yun Shi had settled in the mountain village with her child, her demeanor and actions were clearly not those of a country bumpkin. The village head was likely afraid that Yun Shi and her son had some unfathomable background, which was why he was protecting Qi Zhenzhen. Otherwise, why hadn't he protected her when she hadn't shown such capabilities before?
Zhang Xiaoniu pondered Zhang Erniu's analysis.
Zhang Erniu patted his shoulder. "You've experienced little, kid, and you think everyone is as straightforward as you are? Look at Miss Qi; she's about your age but far more capable than you."
Zhang Xiaoniu felt a mix of shame and defiance. "I protected her, though."
"She can even defeat second brother. Do you think Erhei is even more formidable than second brother?" Zhang Erniu rolled his eyes at Zhang Xiaoniu, this foolish brother who was still smug, thinking he had been a great hero. Alas!
"Anyway, I helped Zhenzhen, and she even thanked me," Zhang Xiaoniu insisted, unwilling to hear his brother say that he hadn't actually helped at all.
He's truly a stubborn mule, or rather, a stubborn ox. No, that's not right; Xiaoniu wasn't this stubborn before.
Watching Zhang Xiaoniu swing the hoe as if to vent his frustrations, a thought flashed through Zhang Erniu's mind. No, could it be? Looking around and seeing that Qi Zhenzhen was no longer in the yard, Zhang Erniu lowered his voice and asked, "Xiaoniu, tell me, have you taken a liking to Miss Qi?"
Confessing one's feelings and having them exposed by someone else felt different.
Zhang Xiaoniu glared at Zhang Erniu. "Second brother, what nonsense are you talking about? I, I don't have."
Such an urgent denial strongly suggested it was true. Xiaoniu would be fifteen this year, and it was indeed time to consider marriage. If the Qi girl were an ordinary country girl, he certainly wouldn't object. But someone who could exude killing intent and defeat him, a man who had been on the battlefield and possessed some fighting skills, could she be an ordinary girl? Their Zhang family, for generations, had been dirt-digging peasants. How could they possibly be worthy of Miss Qi?
Zhang Erniu sighed. "Xiaoniu, I'll ask someone to find you a long-term job in town later. Whatever your aspirations, you must first become strong yourself. Otherwise, everything will remain just empty talk. You wouldn't want your wife and children to face the same toil in the fields as you, would you?"