Poisonous Peasant 'Concubine' Ch 74 Part 2 - Hyacinth in Bloom

Apr 09, 2026

Chapter 74 Part 2 — Hiring People to Build his Big House

“Hearing you talk, this sounds like quite a large project,” Shopkeeper Zhang laughed. “But that’s good. A house is meant to last a lifetime. Spending more money to build it bigger and better is only natural.”

Originally he had thought Ling Jingxuan intended to build only a few brick houses with tiled roofs. Clearly he had underestimated him.

He had not misjudged this young man—his ambitions were far greater.

Ling Jingxuan smiled faintly.

“Well, I bought over two hundred mu of homestead land today, so I thought I might as well build an entire estate. Houses in the front, fish ponds and workshops in the back, orchards as well. When the time comes, producing and selling everything ourselves will be much more convenient.”

As he spoke, he exchanged a glance with Yan Shengrui.

The detailed plan would naturally be explained once the construction teams arrived.

“You rascal…”

Shopkeeper Zhang laughed, about to say more when—

Knock, knock

The sound of knocking interrupted him.

The smiles on everyone’s faces faded slightly. After Shopkeeper Zhang gave permission, the tightly closed door opened from outside.

Five sturdy men of varying heights walked in with friendly smiles. Shopkeeper Zhang quickly invited them to sit down and gestured toward Ling Jingxuan.

“This is Ling Jingxuan-gongzi from Lingjia Village. He’s the one planning to build the house. As for the specific requirements, I’ll let him explain them to you personally.”

“Ling-gongzi.”

The five men immediately cupped their fists in greeting.

Anyone whom Shopkeeper Zhang treated with such courtesy was certainly not someone they could afford to offend.

Ling Jingxuan smiled and nodded to them one by one. Then he took out a folded blueprint from his robe and spread it across the table.

“Brother Zhang has probably already told you the basics. Everyone’s time is valuable, so I won’t waste words.”

He pointed to the drawing.

“This is the plan I drew myself. Besides the traditional main residence, inverted houses, side rooms, servants’ quarters, and livestock sheds, I also want to build two houses of this design in the rear courtyard. And finally—there will be a newly dug pond, and in the middle of it I want a covered corridor for strolling and enjoying the shade. Take a look and see if it can be built.”

On the blueprint lay a residence that combined the layout of a traditional three-courtyard estate with architectural features that only Ling Jingxuan—coming from a modern world—fully understood.

Every section was clearly labeled with the materials required.

On both sides of the front courtyard, the plan marked where the garden would be, where the roads should run, and where additional structures should stand.

The rear courtyard was even larger.

Beyond the planned orchard, two enormous empty areas remained—one labeled pond, the other workshop.

The two structures were positioned symmetrically on either side.

The corridor Ling Jingxuan mentioned would run straight through the center of the pond, connecting front and back. Unlike the usual picturesque bridges over flowing water, this corridor was simply a long walkway, with only an octagonal pavilion placed at its midpoint.

After studying the blueprint, the five men could not help feeling confused.

If one called it luxurious, the courtyard design seemed strangely simple.

But if one called it plain, the main residence—both in shape and materials—was clearly innovative and extravagant.

Some parts of the design were so unusual that even experienced builders like them could not fully understand what they were looking at.

“May I ask, Ling-gonzi, what is this?”

After examining the blueprint over and over, one of the men finally pointed at the gap between the walls of the main house and asked in confusion. He had spent his entire life building houses, yet he had never seen a structure with double-layered walls like this.

Ling Jingxuan lowered his gaze and swept a calm glance over it. “It’s a heating system I designed myself. The walls will all be built as hollow double layers. They’ll connect to the kitchen and the heated brick bed. When those are in use, the heat will travel through the hollow spaces between the walls and spread to each room. At the inlet of every kitchen there will be a movable board installed. In summer, you simply lower the board to block the heat from passing through.”

There was no central heating in this era. Relying solely on the kang (heated brick bed) wasn’t enough to keep an entire house warm. They couldn’t very well spend the whole winter curled up in bed, unable to get up, could they?

Burning charcoal for warmth was another option, of course. But no matter what kind of charcoal it was, smoke was unavoidable, and breathing it in for long periods wasn’t good for the body. After thinking it over again and again, he had come up with this solution.

It was somewhat similar to the heating systems used in northern Huaxia in the twenty-first century—though far simpler. The conditions here were far too limited, after all.

“This one should be the privy, right? But what is this thing?”

Another man pointed at a strange object on the blueprint that he couldn’t make sense of.

Ling Jingxuan, surprisingly patient for once, explained, “A toilet. That part will require a specialized stonemason to carve it. What you need to do is help me set up this drainage system.”

As he spoke, Ling Jingxuan tapped the carefully marked diagram of the toilet’s drainage channel.

Ancient buildings had no such concept as sewers. Night soil was usually emptied by designated workers. In winter it was tolerable, but once summer arrived, the smell became unbearable.

After careful thought—and drawing on knowledge from his previous life—he had devised a simple drainage plan.

Very simple, in fact.

Each toilet would include both a squat pit and a seated toilet. Beneath them, the ground would be angled into a slope leading outward to a manure pit. Inside, a small water reservoir would also be constructed. After using the toilet, one could simply pour water to flush everything down.

It wasn’t exactly an ingenious invention, but at least they wouldn’t have to empty chamber pots every single day.

“It’s quite a novel and convenient idea. If Ling-gonzi trusts me, I, Sun Peng, would like to give it a try.”

The man who had spoken earlier clasped his fists in salute and was the first to volunteer for the job. The other four exchanged glances with one another before quickly voicing their agreement as well.

Judging from the blueprint alone, Ling Jingxuan’s requirements for the main house were numerous and extremely meticulous. Still, they were eager to try something new. Besides, such a large project would bring in a considerable amount of money.

“Gentlemen, there’s no need to rush. Let me finish first.”

Raising a hand to stop them, Ling Jingxuan’s gaze swept slowly across the group as he laid out his plan.

“I’m in a hurry to move in. If I hired only one of you, the project wouldn’t be finished in two or three months at the very least. So I’d like you to cooperate instead. Each of you can take charge of one section to shorten the construction time as much as possible.”

“The main house is rather complicated, so two teams can start work from the left and right sides simultaneously. The livestock sheds, servants’ quarters, road paving, and the corridor workshops in the back courtyard can each be handled by separate teams. Finally, another team will be responsible for building the perimeter walls.”

“The land is two hundred and thirty mu in total. From end to end, the entire property must be enclosed by walls two meters high. The tops should be lined with broken roof tiles to prevent thieves from climbing over. That makes exactly five teams in total. What do you think?”

As he finished speaking, his gaze moved across them one by one.

The house itself would occupy no more than about a thousand square meters. Everything else he had already planned out: workshops, orchards, and ponds.

The ponds he intended to have dug by the laborers who would begin clearing the land tomorrow. The orchards would remain empty for the time being—he would gradually plant them later.

The workshops, however, had to be built first. In the future, they would mainly be used for making fruit jam.

For now, the most important thing was establishing the basic framework. With five teams working at once, it should be finished in less than a month.

“Walls around more than two hundred mu of land?”

Hearing this, the group stared at him in stunned disbelief.

They had assumed the property covered perhaps a dozen mu at most. Who could have imagined…?

Just who exactly was this man?

When had Datong Town gained such a wealthy household?

“Yes. Can you take the job or not?”

Clearly unwilling to explain further, Ling Jingxuan pressed them for an answer in a steady voice. The result was all he cared about.

“No problem. However, we’ll need to conduct an on-site survey first. When would it be convenient for you, Ling-gonzi?”

The men exchanged glances before Sun Peng—who had introduced himself earlier—spoke on their behalf.

Only after inspecting the site in person could they formulate a proper construction plan and estimate how long the project would take to complete.

“In fact, I’ve already hired people to begin clearing and preparing the land tomorrow. So I hope that, at the latest, the team responsible for building the outer walls can start work the day after tomorrow. I’ll prepare the blue bricks and broken roof tiles needed for the walls. As for the rest of the construction, it would be best if it could begin as soon as possible. As I said earlier, I’m in a hurry to move in. You can assign more workers if necessary—wages won’t be a problem.

“I’ve set aside a total of five hundred taels of silver for the labor. If you can finish everything within one month, I’ll add another hundred taels as a bonus. As for materials, my younger brother Ling Jingpeng will be responsible for purchasing them. Whatever you need, just speak to him directly.”

This price was undoubtedly generous. Six hundred taels in a month—divided among five teams, each group would receive more than a hundred taels. After paying their workers, earning several dozen taels in pure profit would not be difficult at all.

The five men could hardly conceal their delight. One after another, they nodded in agreement.

Ling Jingxuan smiled in satisfaction. “Then I’ll trouble you to visit Lingjia Village tomorrow to survey the land. These one hundred taels are the deposit. When the construction reaches the halfway point, I’ll pay another two hundred taels. The remainder will be settled once everything is finished. Any objections?”

He pushed the one-hundred-tael banknote toward them.

Ling Jingxuan had no intention of squeezing the workers’ wages. In fact, not only had he offered generous pay, he also planned to provide the laborers with a midday meal every day once construction began. That was precisely why he had bought so much food earlier.

Only when workers had full stomachs would they have the strength to work properly, wouldn’t they? In any case, the extra expense wouldn’t amount to much.

“Deal. Ling-gonzi seems like a straightforward man, so there’s nothing more for us to say. After surveying the land tomorrow, our construction teams will begin entering the site one after another. Please rest assured.”

Taking the banknote on behalf of everyone, Sun Peng patted his chest boldly, while the others nodded in agreement.

“Then we’ll see each other tomorrow.”

“Farewell!”

After they left, Ling Jingpeng—who had been stunned for most of the conversation—finally cried out in shock.

“Big Brother, why are you building such a huge house? And when did you even draw these plans?”

Heaven knew how shocked he had been when he first saw the blueprint. It wasn’t only because the building design looked so unique and impressive—it was also because of the sheer scale of his brother’s plan.

Originally, he had thought his brother might build a modest three-courtyard residence, dig a pond, and plant fruit trees across the remaining land.

But now… just the labor cost alone was five hundred taels of silver. How much would the entire project cost once the house was finished?

No. He couldn’t think about it.

The moment he did, his heart ached as though someone were carving meat from it.

At that moment, he finally understood the feelings of his stingy little nephew. His elder brother truly had no sense of frugality. Who spends money this extravagantly the moment they start earning it?

No wonder Xiao Wen was always nagging him.

“Hehe… a big house has its advantages,” Ling Jingxuan chuckled lightly. “In the future, won’t you and Jinghan both need to marry wives? Once you’re married, won’t you have children? When the children grow up, they’ll need their own rooms. By then, we might not even have enough space.”

“Besides, other than the main residence, the rest are servants’ quarters, warehouses, workshops, and the like. They may seem useless for now, but you’ll understand next year. Those buildings will all be indispensable.”

At a glance, he could see what his younger brother was thinking. Ling Jingxuan smiled faintly and naturally accepted the teacup Yan Shengrui handed to him.

Did they think that buying half-saline land was only for planting crops?

He had plenty of plans lined up for the future.

By this time next year, they might very well be rolling in wealth—rich enough to dominate the entire region. Then he could finally experience what it felt like to live like a wealthy landlord in ancient times.

“Brother Jingpeng,” Shopkeeper Zhang said with a laugh, patting Ling Jingpeng’s shoulder, “your elder brother is no ordinary man. Just listen to him—you won’t go wrong.”

However, he soon turned his gaze toward Ling Jingxuan again.

“But Brother Ling, don’t you think building a corridor over an empty pond would be a bit… plain?”

It wasn’t that he wasn’t impressed by Ling Jingxuan’s architectural ideas. In fact, Shopkeeper Zhang had accepted them far more easily than Ling Jingpeng had.

From the blueprint, the corridor was clearly more than just a passageway. The octagonal pavilion at its center was proof enough.

Yet Ling Jingxuan had already said that the fish in the pond were meant to be sold for money. It wasn’t as though he would be raising ornamental fish like koi. If that was the case, what use was a pavilion meant for enjoying the scenery?

“Hehe… I was actually hoping to ask you for a favor, Brother Zhang,” Ling Jingxuan replied calmly, as if he had expected the question.

“Around the pond, I plan to plant fruit trees. Behind it, I’ll also build duck sheds and raise several hundred ducks. As for the pond itself, aside from fish, I intend to plant lotus roots.”

“When the lotus flowers bloom, won’t that be the best kind of scenery?”

“As for fish fry and lotus seeds, I’ll have to trouble you to help me inquire about them.”

Lotus flowers could be admired, while lotus pods and lotus roots could both be eaten. If they couldn’t finish them all, they could simply sell the surplus. Either way, it would bring in some income.

After all, the pond covered a full five mu of land.

Surely the money earned from that would be enough to pay his little bun’s school tuition, right?

Hehe…

Since he had already spent so much money building this estate, no matter what, he had to find ways to earn it back from here. Otherwise, his little bun would nag him to death.

“Ha ha… I knew you had something else up your sleeve, kid. Fine, I’ll help you ask around. Lotus roots are easy enough to find, but fish fry might be a bit troublesome. You know how it is—around the inland sea basin, hardly anyone can raise fish successfully. The fry would have to be transported from very far away. The cost alone would be high, and the survival rate would probably be even lower.”

As Shopkeeper Zhang spoke, his expression gradually turned serious. He was genuinely worried for him.

Hearing this, Ling Jingxuan’s smile faded as well. After a moment of silence, he lifted his head and said, “It’s fine. Just help me inquire where you can. If it really doesn’t work out, I’ll find a way to collect fish from the nearby towns next year. By then, the pond will still be full of fish—it won’t be difficult to obtain breeding stock.”

With the Crescent Moon Spring in his possession, was he really afraid that fish wouldn’t swim into his pond on their own?

When the water was diverted, he could simply release the Crescent Spring water into the pond. Most likely, the fish would flock in by the schools.

Of course, that would only be a last resort. If possible, he didn’t want to attract suspicion. Others might not be able to see the Crescent Moon Spring itself, but they could certainly see the fish. Better safe than sorry. If he could keep things low-key, he would much rather do so.

“Mmm, that’s also a workable solution,” Shopkeeper Zhang nodded in agreement, though somewhat helplessly. “It’s just a bit more troublesome and will take more time.”

After all, he was only a shopkeeper. Within Datong Town he might have some influence, but once matters extended beyond the town, there was little he could do to help.

“Nothing worth doing is accomplished overnight,” Ling Jingxuan said with a light smile. “We’ll just take it step by step.”

“Brother Zhang, today has truly been a bother. The children are waiting at home, so we should head back first.”

With that, Ling Jingxuan exchanged glances with Yan Shengrui and Ling Jingpeng, and the three of them rose to their feet.

“Hm? Why not stay and eat something before leaving?” Shopkeeper Zhang said, standing as well and warmly urging them to remain. “I’ll have the kitchen prepare a few of our signature dishes and send them up.”

“Another time,” Ling Jingxuan replied. “To be honest, quite a few troubling things have happened at home these past few days. My parents and the children are there—I can’t help but worry.”

“Alright then. I’ll have someone pack a few boxes of pastries for you to take back. Think of it as a little treat from this uncle for the children.”

“Then I’ll thank you in advance, Brother Zhang.”

Since it was food meant for the children, Ling Jingxuan had no reason to refuse.

By the time they left the Xinyuan Restaurant, about a quarter of an hour had passed. Their carriage sped out of town, racing along the road. Inside, the three men chatted and laughed from time to time.

Thinking about the future, they seemed to have gained a little more confidence.

But none of them could have imagined that when they returned home, they would be greeted by such a scene.

Pinyin & Notes