Martha Liew hadn't even finished being surprised that Clara—a grown woman—didn't know how to sew clothes, when she heard her talking about wanting to rebuild the house.
Her mind began calculating: just yesterday Clara had bought all that stuff and even paid off Lester's debt, and now she still had money left to renovate the house? That must require a lot of silver!
During those six days up the mountain, Clara must've bagged something big—something they wouldn't even dare dream of!
Martha was so stunned she didn't know what to say, and ended up just hollering toward the back of the house,"Old man! Come quick—Lester's wife is looking for you!"
From the west room, Doreen and Kate heard the commotion and stepped out, putting down their work.
Clara immediately walked over with the cotton and cloth in her arms. "Sisters-in-law, could I trouble you both to help make some clothes?"
"I've got three bolts of cloth here—enough for winter jackets for me and the four kids, one set each. Also, some inner garments for all of us. Then the red bolt—use that to make festive outfits for the four children to wear for the New Year."
She spoke so quickly that Doreen and Kate didn't even get a chance to interrupt before she finished listing everything.
Handing out tasks like that, straight off the bat—even if they had just eaten the meat she bought yesterday—anyone would feel a little disgruntled.
Plus, they were busy weaving cloth. Helping Clara make clothes would take up a lot of time.
But Clara quickly added, "When I bought the fabric, the shopkeeper helped me calculate. After making what I asked for, there'll still be a good amount left over. If you two don't mind, just keep the leftovers as a little something for your trouble."
At that, Doreen and Kate finally looked properly at the cloth she brought.
All cotton—good quality at that—and the cotton fluff was top-grade, fluffy and warm-looking.
But most eye-catching was the red cloth. Colored fabric was always pricier. And if Clara only wanted to make outfits for the four children, based on their tailoring skills, there'd definitely be enough left for an adult-sized set.
Their own kids—Ryder and Rosie—could each get a new outfit too.
The other two bolts would also have leftovers—enough to make short coats for their husbands and even their in-laws.
The two sisters-in-law exchanged a glance and smiled. "You're too kind, Clara," they said, and reached for the materials.
Doreen quickly took the bag of cotton and sewing supplies Clara had brought and carried them inside. "Sister, you're too thoughtful—you even brought the needles and thread!"
Clara just smiled. "Thank you both. I really appreciate the help."
"Oh come now, don't be so formal. We're all family. If we talk like that, it's like we're strangers," Kate said warmly. She had a gentle disposition and always spoke slowly in a soft, pleasant voice.
Her older sister-in-law Doreen was the complete opposite—fiery and loud.
Just then, Old Man Liew arrived, the hem of his robe stained and emitting a faint odor as he walked in.
Martha quietly moved to the side to continue sorting her seed packets, but kept her ears perked.
Old Walter Liew sat down at the square table in the main room, gulped down a bowl of water in one go, then set the bowl down and asked,"Clara, what's going on?"
Clara sat down on the long bench across from him and explained that she wanted to build a wall and renovate the house. She asked if he had any tips on saving money during construction.
Old Walter thought it was a good idea, but he first had to ask: how much silver did she have?
"If it's just the wall, we can gather stones from the river to build the foundation and pack dirt from South Hill on top. Won't cost much—just labor."
"But if you want to renovate the house, especially with roof tiles, that'll cost real money."
Clara nodded. "I understand. To be honest, I did pretty well during this trip to the mountains. Paid off the debt, and I've still got about seven or eight taels left. I figured, might as well fix up the house so we're not freezing and scared every night come winter."
In reality, she still had twenty-five taels—she was holding back a bit.
Martha paused while picking her seeds. In the west room, Doreen and Kate also stopped threading their needles.
Everyone began calculating how much Clara must've earned from that trip to the mountains.
Just the three bolts of cloth and the cotton would be close to ten taels. The fine rice and other supplies from yesterday? Easily five taels.
Add today's claim of seven or eight, plus the thirty-eight taels paid off for Lester's debt—that was already over sixty taels!
The sisters-in-law exchanged another glance, both sucking in a cold breath.
Old Walter Liew was equally shocked and couldn't help asking, "Clara, what exactly did you hunt in the mountains this time?"
Clara calmly replied, "A black bear."
Nothing to hide—if they didn't ask, she wouldn't volunteer the info. But if they asked? She'd answer plainly.
For a moment, the entire old household froze. Only the chickens clucked and pecked in the yard.
Clara gave a light cough, snapping everyone out of their daze. They all jumped to their feet and gathered around her, asking how she managed it.
Clara kept it brief: "Well, this happened, then that, and that was that."
Everyone: ...Okay, you've mastered the art of saying nothing.
Still, it was clear she had no intention of explaining further. Disappointed, they gave up on asking, though now they looked at Clara with a newfound awe.
Clara ignored their stares and continued discussing the house project with Old Walter—who to hire, how to arrange the work, where to buy materials, how long it would take, and so on.
Old Walter was in a great mood. The fact that Clara came to ask for his input meant she respected him as her father-in-law.
Building a house, as far as he was concerned, wasn't complicated—as long as you had the money.
The next two months were slack season for farming—villagers were mostly tending to nearby fields and minor chores, so there were plenty of able-bodied workers around.
The Liews had shared ancestors going back four generations, and the clan was tight-knit. With his seniority, Old Walter could easily call up a bunch of strong young men to help.
In the countryside, building a house wasn't some technical job. Even if you'd never done it, you'd at least watched others do it.
So manpower wasn't a problem.
As for supervision, Old Walter recommended "Uncle Joss" who lived at the village entrance. He was experienced and respected—young folks wouldn't dare disobey him. With him overseeing the work, you wouldn't end up with a house that looked like a patchwork mess.
When he heard Clara wanted to add two more rooms, plus a kitchen and a "bathing room" (whatever that was), he assumed it was just another room.
But if everything used brick and tile, the cost would shoot up. He suggested using earthen walls with wooden beams and tiled roofs—cheaper and solid.
Further south in Willowridge County, some people built full wooden houses, which were warm in winter and cool in summer—much nicer to live in than mud homes.
Old Walter had thought of recommending that style, but the cost was high and the timber had to be prepared a year or two in advance. You couldn't just go out and buy it.
"The tiles can be bought from Riverbend Village," he said. "The earth from South Hill will work for the walls—I'll talk to the village head and clan elder. Everyone uses it."
He drank another bowl of water and frowned slightly. "What we're short on now is timber. Lester already split off from the family and sold his share of the forest long ago. You'll have to buy from other villagers."
Tiles are heavy—you need good beams to hold them up. And good beams aren't cheap.
Clara asked, "How much silver are we talking?"
Old Walter replied, "About four taels, give or take."
Clara: Yet another day I want to punch Lester Liew in the face.
(End of Chapter)