"Thirty-three taels?" Xu Chengbo gasped beside him.
They had worked so hard selling vegetables for so long, and with the reward money from Master Chen's manor and the money Liu Dao returned, they only had about twenty taels of silver in total. Now they needed so much; even if they sold themselves, they couldn't gather it!
Xu Chengbo's face immediately fell.
The hope that had just ignited seemed to be extinguished by a bucket of cold water.
Xu Fan, however, looked as usual. He picked up the teacup and slowly asked, "Shopkeeper Qian, is this the market price?"
"Hehe, Mr. Xu is a discerning man." Shopkeeper Qian rubbed his hands. "This is absolutely a fair price, honest and trustworthy."
"If you don't believe me, you can go to other shops in town and ask around. If there's one cheaper than mine, I, Old Qian, will write my name backward!"
"I believe you." Xu Fan put down his teacup. "However, I have a different method."
"Oh? Mr. Xu, please tell me."
"I want to make the Materials I need here myself. And build it myself." Xu Fan extended a finger. "I only need to pay you for the Materials and the site."
As soon as he said this, not only Xu Chengbo but even Shopkeeper Qian was stunned.
"Mr. Xu, you… what did you say?" Shopkeeper Qian poked his ear, suspecting he had misheard. "You want to fire the bricks yourself? Build the house yourself?"
Building a house was not like growing vegetables; it was a technical job.
From mixing mud, making blanks, firing kilns, to laying bricks and installing beams, if any step went wrong, the built house would not be stable to live in.
Especially firing bricks; the heat, time, and soil quality—even a slight difference would result in a pile of waste.
Shopkeeper Qian had run his shop in town for so many years and had seen too many foolish people who wanted to save money by doing it themselves, only to end up in a mess and then cry and spend more money to hire people to clean up the aftermath.
"Big Brother…" Xu Chengbo also grew anxious. He tugged hard at Xu Fan's sleeve, leaned his head closer, and whispered, "This is not a game, we don't know how to do this! Knowing how to farm doesn't mean knowing how to build a house!"
Xu Fan gave him a reassuring look and smiled at Shopkeeper Qian, "Shopkeeper Qian, since I dare to say this, I naturally have some confidence."
"I won't let you suffer a loss. The clay and coal used for making bricks, as well as the fees for borrowing your kiln and site, I will pay at market price."
"Additionally, I'll add another ten percent as a thank-you gift for occasionally guiding my Family's experienced master craftsmen. How about that?"
Shopkeeper Qian's shrewd eyes darted around, his abacus clattering in his mind.
Xu Fan's proposal was almost entirely beneficial to him, with no harm.
Firstly, selling raw Materials would make money, which was a sure thing.
Secondly, renting out the kiln and site—these were existing resources, and he could collect money just by speaking, which was pure profit.
Most importantly, he wouldn't bear any risks.
If the bricks were fired successfully, he made money; if the bricks were ruined, that was Xu Fan's problem, and Xu Fan would bear the loss.
As for technical guidance?
He had several experienced master craftsmen in his shop; they were idle anyway, so a few words of guidance would earn an extra ten percent as a thank-you gift. This deal was simply too good!
Moreover, this Mr. Xu was quite a topic of conversation in town now. Being able to connect with Master Chen's Family meant he was no ordinary person.
Doing him a favor now might prove very useful in the future.
Thinking of this, Shopkeeper Qian's smile became even more sincere: "Mr. Xu is a straightforward man! Since you've said so, if I were to hesitate, it would seem I, Old Qian, don't know how to appreciate kindness!"
"Let's do it this way! I won't charge a single copper for labor. You can take the Materials at cost price, and you can use the site and kiln as you please!"
"I'll have those master craftsmen on standby. If you have any questions, just ask anytime!"
He spoke clearly, directly waiving the ten percent thank-you gift Xu Fan had offered, making a grand gesture.
Xu Fan naturally understood his meaning and, without pointing it out, cupped his hands and smiled, "Then many thanks, Shopkeeper Qian."
The matter was thus settled.
Xu Fan immediately paid a five-tael silver deposit to purchase the first batch of clay and coal for brick making.
The two agreed that Xu Fan would bring people over early tomorrow morning.
On the way back to the village, Xu Fan used his newly earned money to buy a large piece of pork with alternating layers of fat and lean meat, and also weighed out half a catty of malt candy for his younger siblings.
Xu Chengbo followed behind, watching his elder brother spend money, feeling both happy and worried.
"Big Brother, are we really going to fire bricks ourselves? I've lived this long, and I haven't even been inside a brick kiln, let alone fired bricks."
"If they get ruined, those five taels of silver will be wasted!"
He was still very uneasy; that was five taels of silver, a huge sum their Family hadn't been able to save in several years.
"Second Brother, have you forgotten how our Family's vegetables were grown? How the well was dug?" Xu Fan looked back at him, still walking. "There's no skill one is born with; just learn it."
One sentence made Xu Chengbo instantly quiet.
Yes, Big Brother always managed to do things others thought impossible.
From hunting to growing vegetables, from digging wells to doing business, which one wasn't created from nothing?
He should trust Big Brother!
Upon returning home, when Xu Fan handed the bulging money pouch to his mother, Yan Aini, and announced that they were going to build three large houses with blue bricks and tiled roofs, the entire Xu Family erupted in commotion.
"What? Build… build a tiled house?" Father Xu Chang's eyes widened, his mouth agape enough to fit an egg.
"A large house with blue bricks and tiled roofs? Like the Landlord's manor in town?" Mother Yan Aini covered her mouth, her eyes instantly turning red.
She thought she was dreaming, so she pinched her thigh hard, yelping in pain.
The younger siblings cheered even more, jumping and dancing around Xu Fan.
"Big Brother! Are we really going to live in a big house?"
"Will the big house not leak rain? Will it not be cold in winter?"
Looking at his Family's excited yet disbelieving expressions, Xu Fan smiled and nodded, "Yes, we'll build three, large houses with blue bricks and tiled roofs. Grandpa and Grandma will have one, Father and Mother will have one, the younger sisters will have one, and Chengbo and I will stay in the original house for now, and we'll expand later."
[You are planning the Family's future, planning proficiency +5]
However, when Xu Fan announced his decision to fire bricks and build the house himself, the previously bustling courtyard instantly fell silent.
"Fan'er, this… this is not something to be reckless about!" Xu Chang was the first to object, his brows furrowed. "Building a house is a big deal; not a single brick or tile can be careless."
"We farmers, how would we know about this? If it's not built firmly and collapses, people could die!"
"Yes, Fan'er." Yan Aini also echoed with a worried expression. "Mother knows you want the Family to live a good life, but this matter is too risky."
"Let's just honestly save money and invite masters from town to build it; that's more reliable."
Seeing his parents' worried eyes, Xu Fan knew that merely talking was useless.
He didn't explain much, only saying, "Father, Mother, trust me. Tomorrow, Chengbo and I will go try it first. You just stay home and look after the younger siblings, Grandpa, and Grandma."
Seeing their son's firm attitude, Xu Chang and his wife exchanged glances and finally could only sigh helplessly.
This eldest son, ever since he fainted last time, had become increasingly opinionated and increasingly inscrutable to them.
But they also knew in their hearts that this Family had long been run by their eldest son.