Chapter 29: Chang Wei Finally Beats Lai Fu

Early the next morning, Chang Wei arrived at Chu Chen's doorstep with his son, Chang Laifu.

"Mr. Chang, I didn't expect you to be so punctual. Have you eaten?" Chu Chen asked with a warm smile.

It was already mid-morning, and you're asking me if I've eaten? Chang Wei thought to himself.

"Young Master Chu, I ate long ago. Bringing Laifu here today is mainly to survey the terrain. Building a house is no simple matter; one cannot be careless." Chang Wei stood with his hands behind his back, projecting the air of an expert.

Chu Chen nearly snorted with laughter. *Chang Wei, Chang Laifu—I bet your father didn't spare the rod when you were a child.*

Still, he kept a straight face and led them to the vacant lot beside his house. "Mr. Chang, I’ve set my heart on this spot. I intend to build here."

Chang Wei and Laifu circled the lot, nodding and shaking their heads intermittently. Chu Chen watched them with growing tension. Finally, the two returned to his side. "Young Master Chu, you have a unique eye. This location is exceptional, both in terms of feng shui and topography."

"However," Chang Wei added with a dramatic pause that made Chu Chen nervous, "there is one issue you must consider carefully."

"Please, Mr. Chang, speak plainly," Chu Chen urged.

"It’s not a major problem, really, but water access here is difficult. In my years of experience, this land is not suitable for digging a well."

*Is that it?* Chu Chen had already accounted for that. His personal inventory—the hardware store—was stocked with water pipes, and the stream behind the mountain was far superior to groundwater anyway.

"Mr. Chang, that is easily solved. Let me show you something." The three went behind the house to a corner stacked with pipes and various materials.

Chang Wei picked up a pipe, looking astonished. "Is this for transporting water? But this material..."

"Haha, Mr. Chang, I don't know the name of the material either, but it works wonders. I plan to use this to pipe water from the stream behind the mountain to solve our household water needs. I’ll need your expertise to help with the installation."

Over the next hour, Chang Wei and Laifu were introduced to the concepts of water pipes, elbow joints, and P-traps. They were also shown the toilets, squat pans, showerheads, and other strange contraptions Chu Chen had produced. When Chu Chen used a heat-welding tool to join two pipes, Chang Wei was amazed, feeling as though he had come here not just to survey the land, but to learn.

"Young Master Chu, my son and I have truly been enlightened today. I never imagined there could be such a clever person in this world, capable of creating such novel and practical inventions."

Chu Chen thought to himself: *It’s a pity there’s no electricity here. If you saw modern appliances, you’d probably lose your mind.* Speaking of electricity, he remembered his inventory contained solar panels and a solar water heater. He would have to install those once the house was built; burning water for baths in the dead of winter was too much of a hassle.

At noon, Chu Chen treated them to hot pot. When he invited Li Qinglian to join them at the table, it shattered their worldview. In this era, women existed to serve, not to dine with men. But Chu Chen insisted that a wife was meant to be cherished, and why shouldn't she share a meal? Li Qinglian was so moved that she looked ready to throw herself into his arms right then and there.

By the afternoon, both Chang Wei and Laifu were tipsy from Chu Chen’s potent liquor. Once they left, Chu Chen called for Huzi and gave him twenty taels of silver to make purchases at Qingniu Town. "Huzi, my new house project starts tomorrow. Bring your uncle and aunt over to help with cooking and odd jobs; I’ll pay them."

Huzi opened his mouth to speak but nodded in agreement, driving his mule cart toward town with a long blade slung across his back. He drove with such reckless speed that Chu Chen could only shake his head. *This kid is quite the spirited youth of the ancient world.*

Afterward, Chu Chen grabbed some supplies and headed to Wang Defa’s house. He had one goal: to solve the issue of salt. He had spent the previous night in his private space, scouring books until he found the refining method for rock salt. He had also gathered various vessels for experimentation.

"Uncle Wang, are you home?" Chu Chen called out.

Wang Defa opened the door, beaming. "Ah, Chu! You're safe. We went to town yesterday, but we couldn't find you, so we came back. We saw guests at your place, so we didn't want to intrude. Tell me, what happened?"

Chu Chen realized why Huzi had been hesitant earlier—they were all confused as to how he had returned unscathed. He gave a brief account of the events, omitting any mention of the salt.

"It seems you met a benefactor. We waited in town for ages, and then we saw the gambling den get sealed, so we returned." Apparently, they had been so worried they were planning to bypass the local thugs and go straight to the head constable.

"It's all over, Uncle Wang. I don't think anyone will dare bully Mashan Village again," Chu Chen said.

"That's good. Having a benefactor look after our village is a blessing for us all, and for you, Chu." Wang Defa then asked, "So, what brings you here?"

Chu Chen noticed a woman in her thirties sitting in the main hall. *So, this old fox has already replaced the 'Flower of Mashan' after driving her out. A village chief is a village chief, indeed—no fear of wearing himself out.*

"Since you're busy, Uncle Wang, I’ll be brief," Chu Chen said, presenting a gift and smiling at the woman. "First, congratulations on the new addition. Second, I need your help: where can I find rock salt in our village?"

"Rock salt? What do you want with that? You can't eat it; it'll poison you."

*So it does exist.* "Don't worry, Uncle Wang. Just tell me where it is; I have a use for it."

"On the west side of the village, that barren hill right next to your house—isn't it full of that stuff?"

"Are you sure? Uncle Wang, I want to buy that hill. How much would it cost?" Chu Chen asked, pleasantly surprised. It turned out the resource was right next door.

"You want to buy that hill? I have to warn you, Chu—nothing grows on that land. You should think it over carefully."