The Wealthy Eldest Sister Rules Supreme

When Zhuang Qingning arrived home, the sun was setting, and a sheet of sunset clouds already floated in the sky, casting a glow that turned the whole earth red. It was brcathtakingly beautiful.

After sorting out her things, Zhuang Qingning divided the braised pig’s head meat she had bought from the town into four portions. She gave two of these portions to Zhuang Qingsui, instructing her to deliver them to Zhuang Yonghe and Mrs. Wen’s house, respectively. She saved a portion for herself to eat in the evening, and she set off with the last portion towards Zhuang Jingye’s house.

As she passed the entrance, she went to find Ye Dayong and the others.

Zhuang Qingning’s “new house” now had a clear outline.

The structure was discussed between Zhuang Jingye and Zhuang Qingning beforehand. It was a typical courtyard house with a hall facing south and rooms on the east and west, two additional eastern and western rooms, and a courtyard in the centre. To the south, a low, carved flower wall divided the courtyard into two smaller ones.

This setup made the house look layered and completely separated, feeling both clean and spacious. For the two young girls who would be living in the courtyards, it also provided them some sense of privacy.

The beams of the house were now in place and the rafters were installed, just waiting for the tiles to be fixed. The window spaces had been left open, propped up with wood, ready for frames to be fitted afterward.

Three or four layers of the courtyard wall had already taken shape. At this rate, it would likely be finished in time with the tiling.

The open space next to the house had been cordoned off, prepared to be built together with the courtyard’s enclosing walls.

Since she’d been using Mrs. Wen’s tofu shop, Zhuang Qingning had not yet decided what to do with this open space. However, having already laid the groundwork, she chose to fence it off for future use.

Considering this pace, in about ten days, the interior and exterior of the house ought to be completed.

At that moment, Ye Dayong was organizing the workers, settling wages, and providing refreshments. He was also advising them on when to start work the next day and what tools to bring.

Ever since they started digging the big pit, Zhuang Jingye was expected to oversee the construction. But he had been out of practice for some time and seemed somewhat rusty. Moreover, the construction was to be done hastily and coincided with the busiest agricultural season. Consequently, Zhuang Jingye discussed with Zhuang Qingning and decided to hand over the construction duties to Ye Dayong.

Ye Dayong was given a lump sum of wages and a rough timeline. As for how many people he would hire, that was up to him to manage.

Ye Dayong was familiar with this type of work. He quickly organized a team of skilled contractors, including many adept at masonry, without breaking a sweat.

Zhuang Qingning hadn’t been visiting the construction site frequently in the past few days. Yet, she could see that everything was neatly arranged, and this reassured her. She grew to have an increasingly positive impression of Ye Dayong.

As for Ye Dayong, he spent most of his days eating and drinking at Zhuang Jingye’s house. Every day, he’d hear praise for Zhuang Qingning, on how intelligent, nimble, diligent, and capable she was despite her young age, and he was quite impressed by her.

He noticed that Zhuang Qingning was different from other homeowners who hired them. More often than not, they’d watch the workers like hawks, tallying their materials daily, and closely observing their every move, paranoid that they were being lazy or cutting corners.

Although Ye Dayong had no intention of slacking off and was not one to take unfair advantages, being scrutinized and guarded made him uncomfortable, as if he were a prisoner.

Yet Zhuang Qingning rarely visited. After discussing the position, structure, materials, and what to focus on with him initially, she seemed to hardly pay attention. Even when Zhuang Jingye invited her to look at the blue bricks, she declined and asked Zhuang Jingye to handle it himself.

Being given the freedom to work as he pleased made Ye Dayong feel trusted. The responsibility on his shoulders felt even heavier, and he resolved to do his best to repay Zhuang Qingning’s trust in him.

Thus, Ye Dayong worked more attentively and meticulously, discussing many matters repeatedly with Zhuang Jingye before making decisions. He instructed the workers under him to be careful and thorough, aiming to deliver remarkable work.

Upon seeing Zhuang Qingning arrival, Ye Dayong hurried to greet her, “Miss Ning, are you here to take a look?”

“I bought some pig’s head meat from the town. I remembered that Village Chief Ye loves to have a few drinks, and Uncle Dayong, you’ve labored hard all day.

So, I thought I’d bring some over to your house to supplement your dinner.”

“Since I was passing by, I decided to come and see how things are.” Zhuang Qingning smiled, “Uncle Dayong, you’re meticulous in your work. The construction looks superb, and I’m guessing it won’t be long before it’s done.”

“Yes, in about ten days or so, it should be just about done,” Ye Dayong answered with a broad grin, “By then, we’ll have paved the courtyard with blue bricks, leaving some space. Young ladies like you would probably want to plant flowers or grass. It’ll be convenient for you.”

“Didn’t you mention wanting a stone table and seats in the courtyard? I’ve already found suitable ones for you. You just need to decide on the style ahead of time.”

“Speaking of this, since you’re thinking about getting a stone table, I guess it’s for enjoying the cool air in summer. Most people like to plant grapevines in their courtyards. The leaves provide shade in summer, and you’ll also get to enjoy the grapes. It’s a good idea, but it’ll take years for grapevines to grow. Instead of planting a seedling and nurturing it for several years, why not transplant a mature one? That will only take a year or two.”

“I know a family that grows grapevines. If you want some, let me know, and I can arrange a few for you. That’ll save you the trouble of searching.”

Ye Dayong offered enthusiastically.

“Thank you, Uncle Dayong,” Zhuang Qingning graciously thanked him, lifting the lotus leaf wrapping in her hand, “I’ll leave you to your work, Uncle Dayong. I need to go deliver this to Village Chief Ye.”

“Alright,” Ye Dayong responded, returning to wrap up the day’s work.

Zhuang Qingning then delivered the pig’s head meat to Zhuang Jingye’s house.

Mrs. Ye was overjoyed to receive her, and Zhuang Jingye was even more delighted. He insisted on having Zhuang Qingning stay for a chat and called for Mrs. Ye to pour her some tea and fetch some snacks.

“I have to rush back home to have dinner. Qingsui is still waiting for me at home. I’ll come back to have tea with Uncle Jingye another day,” Zhuang Qingning gracefully excused herself.

It was dinner time now. Seeing that Zhuang Qingning had to go, Zhuang Jingye didn’t insist on her staying and sent her off along with Mrs. Ye.

Before leaving, he didn’t forget to pass her a small basket of apricots..