Clara was a woman of swift action. Without wasting a single moment, she discussed things with Old Walter Liew that very afternoon. They cut two one-catty slabs from the leftover pork and brought them as offerings to the village chief and clan head to report their plans.
In the village, all unclaimed land was considered common property. Though small day-to-day use was overlooked, larger undertakings—like building a house—warranted an official word with the village elders.
This was when being a registered member of the village showed its advantages. If you were an outsider, dreaming of using the village's mountains, forests, or farmland? Not a chance.
The village chief and clan head—both relatives of either uncle or grandfather rank—didn't give Clara a hard time. They were only mildly surprised that Lester Liew's household was planning to build anything at all, then heartily gave their approval.
Clara had already noticed that folks in Liew Clan Village were quite united. Even someone like Lester—lazy and annoying as he was—still had the protection of kinship. Villagers disliked him, sure, but if outsiders came looking for trouble, everyone will still come forward to support him.
Like the last two times Billy Lin had stormed into the village—if it weren't for the crowd of onlookers, Lester might've been beaten to death.
That's the strength of having your clan around. Even if most were just there for the spectacle, Billy and his gang didn't dare go too far. If a death occurred, the Liew clan would never let them leave in one piece.
The Kingdom of Sheng was still steeped in a feudal clan-based society. Every little village was essentially a gathering of extended kin.
Over 90% of folks in Liew Clan Village shared the Liew surname. After walking around the village with Old Walter, Clara was surprised to find that her social rank within the family was actually quite high.
Most people called her Auntie, some Sister-in-law, and only a rare few called her Brother Lester's wife.
After finishing up with the village chief and clan head, Clara and Old Walter visited his elder cousins and younger uncles to invite them to help with the house construction.
Old Walter promised a simple deal: one hot lunch, and a token payment of two copper coins per person per day.
Clara wasn't sure—was that too little?
To her surprise, everyone gladly agreed. They'd even bring their tools and spare hands first thing in the morning.
For villagers constantly dancing on the edge of starvation, one meal saved was already a win. During tough times, that one lunch—turned into thin porridge—could mean another day of survival for the whole family.
Clara had thought Lester's household was the poorest in the village. But visiting his uncles' homes, she saw scrawny women and children with sunken cheeks and bony limbs. Turns out, this was the norm.
Lacking proper tools, no one could farm efficiently. Crop yields were low, and with large families to feed, most struggled just to keep everyone alive—let alone full.
And it wasn't like they'd always had land. Only this year, after the new emperor took the throne and redistributed farmland, did they finally get their own plots.
Seeing Clara's clueless face, Old Walter sighed. "I suppose you used to live well off. This year's the first folks aren't scared of starving come winter. In years past, there'd be nothing to eat by now."
Clara was stunned. "But we just finished autumn harvest… Already out of food?"
Old Walter gave her a knew you'd say that look. "Right after harvest comes the grain tax. The township officer leads a team to every village, collecting food—not silver, not cloth—grain. With only a few mu of land to begin with, barely enough yield, and they still take an eighth of it? You tell me what's left."
She didn't need to do the math. Whatever was left was already a miracle.
They made the rounds to several households, and all were happy to help—not for the copper, but for that hot meal.
With enough hands now on board, Old Walter said he'd go speak to Uncle Joss. It was getting late, so Clara headed home to prepare.
The next morning, just before dawn, Lester Liew was still in bed, happily dreaming of who knows what, when a strange commotion startled him awake.
He shot up in a panic. "Adam? Adam!" he shouted toward the door, voice laced with fear.
Could it be a wild animal creeping into the village?
But no—he was overthinking it. The door creaked open, and in walked Adam, fully dressed and looking confused.
"Dad, do you need to pee?" the boy asked as he bent down to fetch the chamber pot.
Lester glared at him. "Why do you always ask me that first thing? How much do you think I pee in a day? No, I don't!"
He grumbled, then added, "What's all that noise outside? What are you people banging around for?"
Adam set the pot aside and replied, "We're building the house, remember? Aunt Clara's out there leading the team digging the foundation."
Lester blinked. "We're building a house?"
Adam nodded. Since Dad didn't need to pee, he turned to leave. "Okay then, I'm going. There's a ton of work to do."
He glanced back at his father—who didn't look sick anymore, frankly—and wondered if the man was going to help out today. Probably not.
With that thought, Adam jogged out and found Clara.
"Auntie Clara, I think my dad's almost better," he said.
Clara dumped a heavy load of river stones onto the ground. Others were already moving them to the foundation site.
The amount she carried—more than three grown men combined—put even the teenage boys at the riverside to shame. Chad and the others couldn't keep up with her pace at all.
She figured they'd still be busy collecting rocks for a while, so she motioned for Adam to follow her. At the water vat by the stove, she scooped up a ladle of cold well water and drank it in one gulp before asking, "Better?"
Adam nodded. "He can walk around on his own. I saw him rummaging through the house yesterday evening while you were out."
Clara arched a brow. "Looking for silver?"
"Yeah, but he didn't find any," Adam smirked. "You keep the money tied to your waist—no way he'd get it."
Clara gave the boy's head a fond pat. "Got it. Now you head back inside and rest with Ben and the others. There are plenty of adults helping out—no need for a little guy like you to work."
Adam gave a sheepish nod and turned to head inside.
The house was cluttered with stuff and had no proper place to hide valuables. He figured he could at least keep an eye out—make sure nothing went missing with so many people coming and going.
After watching him disappear into the side room, Clara pushed open the door to the main house.
Lester was back in bed, dozing away despite the ruckus outside. But somehow… the room felt colder. Eerily so. Like a snake was coiling nearby, flicking its tongue.
Suddenly, Lester jerked awake—and found himself staring into Clara's icy gaze.
"Wife?!" he gasped, clutching his chest. "You scared me to death!"
She didn't respond. Instead, she reached over and peeled the swollen-reducing herb paste off his face. The swelling had gone down; only a few bruises remained.
Adam hadn't lied. He could definitely get up now.
Even if he couldn't do hard labor, he could still start a fire or cook a meal.
"Get up," Clara ordered, yanking the quilt off him.
Lester looked horrified. Has his wicked woman discovered his unmatched good looks and, in a moment of impulse, wanted to have some fun with him?
(End of Chapter)