Of course, Ang Lee would not criticize Carpenter Zhao's mother. This was because Carpenter Zhao was a filial son. In front of this filial son, he could not say anything bad about his mother. Instead, he praised Carpenter Zhao's younger brothers for their potential. Not only was the old lady happy, but Carpenter Zhao was happy as well. It was quite convincing.
Seeing this, Carpenter Zhao struck while the iron was hot. "Mother, I've been the dumbest in the family since I was young. You always said that Second Brother and the others were smarter than me, and that they would be more capable than me in the future. But now, they only have a few acres of land. Moreover, they don't take care of it often. It's not that they're stupid, but that they're too lazy. It's just that you've spoiled them too much.
The old lady listened for a long time, blinking her eyes. It was unknown if she understood. "Second Brother and the others are already so young.
"Your second brother and the others are already so old. What can they do? I'm afraid they won't be able to do much in this lifetime. However, their greatest achievement is that they have given me a few great-grandchildren. The second great-grandson looks smart and smart at first glance. He will definitely have a bright future when he grows up. Also, the fourth great-grandchild's two great-grandsons love to say nice things. Their small mouths are sweeter than honey. The third great-grandson is even smarter. He can recite the Three Character Classic at the age of five. He's very likable just by looking at him."
As the old lady spoke, she changed the topic to her great-grandchildren. She seemed to be quite happy about it.
Ang Lee and Carpenter Zhao looked at each other. They were both speechless. Ang Lee could not understand at all. Was this old lady really muddle-headed? Did she just say whatever came to her mind? Or was she deliberately changing the topic? Or was she suffering from intermittent dementia?
"Dalang's father, the tea is ready."
Carpenter Zhao's wife suddenly walked out and bowed slightly to Ang Lee.
"Assistant Minister Li, come in and have a seat. Have a cup of tea!"
Ang Lee nodded and entered with Carpenter Zhao.
"Carpenter Zhao, it seems like I can't persuade your mother. I'll have to think of another way."
Ang Lee said helplessly.
Carpenter Zhao had a bitter look on his face. He said with great heartache, "What else can we do? Mother is always like this. Whenever my younger brothers complain about being poor, Mother's heart aches terribly. I'm afraid we can't build these three rooms in the main house. My poor second son! He's already nineteen years old and still doesn't have a wife. "
Ang Lee smiled and put down the teacup, saying, "There are ways. As long as Craftsman Zhao is determined to build three rooms, I can give you a reliable idea."
"I'd like to hear the details."
Ang Lee smiled and said, "You can pay in installments. First, get someone to build the house for you. Then, use your monthly salary to pay off the loan. However, you'll charge interest. Originally, it only costs 100 strings of coins to build a house. With this method, you'll need 120 strings of coins. That's 90% of your salary for a year."
This method of paying in installments was extremely common in the later generations. In the era of high housing prices, it was difficult for ordinary people to afford a house. It was already good enough if they could scrape together enough money for the down payment. After that, they would have to pay off the loan every month. The biggest advantage of this method was that it lowered the difficulty of buying a house. It allowed ordinary people to afford a house. Therefore, it was favored by the entire society.
In the Tang dynasty, there was no precedent of paying in installments to buy a house. However, as long as Ang Lee explained the rules, he believed that both buyers and investors who were willing to lend money would agree. The rich valued the endless interest, while the borrowers were willing to borrow money because they were in urgent need of money but did not have that much money.
"Paying in installments sounds good. However, if I can't even keep my monthly salary, how am I going to repay the loan?"
Carpenter Zhao voiced his worries.
Ang Lee smiled and said, "Craftsman Zhao, you're worrying too much. If you have to repay the loan after receiving your salary, the risk is too high. I don't think anyone will be willing to lend money. The way to repay the loan is naturally to deduct it from your salary. Only then will the borrowers be assured! This way, there won't be any accidents, and it's acceptable. "
The rich people of this era were not fools. If they met a deadbeat, wouldn't it be like drawing water with a bamboo basket? Therefore, when they borrowed money, they must evaluate the risk. As long as the risk was too high, they would choose to give up. Only when the risk was within a controllable range would they agree to invest.
"But I borrowed so much money at once. If my brothers find out, they might borrow it immediately. How can I build a house then?"
Carpenter Zhao found another problem.
Ang Lee was speechless. "Isn't that simple? Just negotiate with the builders. Don't pay first, then sign an agreement. Let them collect the money from the yamen every month. As long as the interest is reasonable, some of the builders will agree."
In this era, there were many merchants who made a living by building houses near Chang 'an City. They controlled dozens to hundreds of construction workers. The most powerful merchants controlled many small merchants and thousands of construction workers. These merchants were all relatively wealthy. It was not impossible for them to collect the money in installments. As long as the interest was reasonable and the method of payment was reliable, it would be able to move their hearts and make them agree to this special method of payment.
Ang Lee even felt that this kind of situation was not unheard of in the Tang dynasty. It was just that Ang Lee's range of activities was limited. He was not clear about many things at the grassroots level. Most of the people who built houses would save up enough money before building. Very few would build on credit and pay back the money later. After all, the income of many people was not stable. The merchants were not stupid. They would not take too much risk.
Carpenter Zhao frowned and thought for a long time. Finally, he figured out all the key points. He suddenly felt enlightened. This might be the only way. When the time came, the house would be built. Most of the salary would be used to pay off the debt. Even if his brothers forced him to his death, he would not be able to take out the money even if his mother cried until she became blind.
"That's right, Craftsman Zhao. Once you've reached an agreement with the builder and signed the agreement, you can make this matter public. It's best if everyone in the village knows about it. Also, quickly find a wife for your second son. Tell the matchmaker that the house they're building will be your second son's wedding house. Which girl won't like it this way? Carpenter Zhao is not far from having a grandson. Haha! "
Ang Lee said very considerately. After all, Carpenter Zhao's brothers were too difficult to deal with. If this hole was not blocked, the brothers might come and snatch the house after it was built. In this way, Carpenter Zhao's new house would be a wedding dress for his brothers. This was something that had to be guarded against.
As long as the public opinion was enough, Carpenter Zhao's brothers would not be easy to deal with. Moreover, Carpenter Zhao's family's living conditions were indeed tight. After his second son got married, one of the two rooms would be for his mother. The other room would be empty for Carpenter Zhao's younger daughter and granddaughter. Therefore, it was still very tight. After his second son got married, there would be an extra bedroom. However, it was very improper to occupy someone else's room. Moreover, Carpenter Zhao's brothers' houses could also accommodate them. There was no need to do this.
The troublesome matter that had troubled Carpenter Zhao for years was easily resolved by Ang Lee. Carpenter Zhao's heart was filled with gratitude. He almost knelt down in front of Ang Lee.
"Assistant Minister Li's kindness is something that I cannot repay even if I die a thousand times. I will follow Assistant Minister Li for the rest of my life. If I go against my words, I will die a horrible death."
Carpenter Zhao said gratefully.
Ang Lee smiled contentedly and said, "Alright, alright. It's just a small matter. It's not worth mentioning. As long as you work hard in the future, it will be fine. Oh right, Carpenter Zhao, you have two sons. Did they not learn carpentry?"
"Replying to Assistant Minister Li, carpentry was not a good profession in the past, and it was very difficult. Mother and my wife were not willing to let Dalang and Erlang learn carpentry. Dalang entered the city to help people transport goods, while Erlang worked as a coolie in the workshop. I'm afraid it's too late for them to learn now. However, this lowly one will find time to teach them. If they have the understanding, they can change careers to carpentry. If they don't, then they won't be able to do it."
Carpenter Zhao said.
"That's really a pity. Blacksmith Li's sons also did not learn carpentry. I didn't expect your sons to be in the same situation. What a pity."
Ang Lee sighed. Then, he said, "It's getting late. I really can't waste any more time. I want to go to the next house, Mason Sun's house."
"Assistant Minister Li, Mason Sun's house is in this village. It's at the other end of the village. I will lead the way. It won't take long. Assistant Minister, please take a seat in the carriage. I can run faster."
Carpenter Zhao said sincerely.
When Li An heard that, he said, "That's too much of a coincidence. Since it's in our village, it's only a few steps away. Let's walk there together. We can also chat along the way. Let's go!"
He waved his hand and let the carriage go ahead. Only three to five guards followed behind.
The scenery along the way was pretty good. From time to time, they would meet familiar faces. These people would always take the initiative to greet Carpenter Zhao. It could be seen that Carpenter Zhao was quite popular in the village.
Carpenter Zhao told Ang Lee that he had already made up his mind. Once the new house was built and Erlang got married, he would change Erlang's empty house into a professional carpenter's house. He would let his two sons learn carpentry skills. In addition, he would let his daughter and granddaughter live in another bedroom in Erlang's new house. If there were guests in the house, it could be used as a guest room.
Seeing how Carpenter Zhao was looking forward to his future, Ang Lee was happy for him. Although Carpenter Zhao's standard of living couldn't be compared to Ang Lee's no matter how much effort he put in. However, to the commoners at the bottom of society, this kind of vision was still very lively. It warmed one's heart. Ang Lee also hoped that Carpenter Zhao's family could get on the right track.
Unknowingly, Ang Lee and Carpenter Zhao arrived at Mason Sun's house. When they were fifty steps away from the door, they saw Mason Sun walking quickly toward them.
In the Tang dynasty, stonemasons were originally craftsmen who carved stones. However, in Ang Lee's R&D Center, stonemasons didn't do this job. Other than carving stones, they also needed to master the knowledge of cement and concrete. They even needed to carve all kinds of patterns on concrete.
Ordinary stonemasons were very familiar with carving patterns on stones. However, the structure and hardness of cement and concrete were very different from ordinary natural stones. Carving patterns on these new materials not only required experience, but also the spirit of exploration and thinking. Only then could they carve the new materials well.
Of course, this was only the preliminary skills of the new era stonemasons of the Tang dynasty. In addition, they also needed to try to invent different cement materials with different properties according to Ang Lee's instructions. This was because different projects had different requirements for cement materials. Only by inventing a variety of cement materials could they better build the Tang Empire.
Therefore, the stonemasons of the new era of the Tang dynasty played a very important role. Without these high-level talents, how could Ang Lee have enough time to explore and experiment? A large number of tedious experiments were done by Mason Sun and the others. Ang Lee was only responsible for the overall guidance and general direction. As for the specific details, it was up to Mason Sun and the others to think about it themselves.
In Ang Lee's R&D Center, there were hundreds of excellent stonemasons. However, there were only a few top-notch talents like Mason Sun. What Ang Lee valued the most was precisely the top-notch talents. Therefore, he valued Mason Sun very much. The reason he personally came to deliver the New Year goods was to show his love and care for Mason Sun.
"This humble one greets Assistant Minister Li. Please come in, please come in. Brother Zhao, please come in too."
Mason Sun greeted Ang Lee very warmly.
Li An nodded and walked in front of Stonemason Sun. He was half a body taller than Stonemason Sun. Meanwhile, Yan Ruyu was already surrounded by Stonemason Sun's daughters.
On the way, Carpenter Zhao told Li An that Stonemason Sun had an eldest son and six younger daughters. There were a total of seven children. Among them, the eldest son had already gotten married and had given him two granddaughters. As for the six daughters, only the eldest one had married a live-in son-in-law. The rest of the daughters weren't that old yet. The sixteen and fifteen-year-old ones were already eligible for marriage. As for the thirteen-year-old and eleven-year-old ones, they still needed to wait a few more years. As for the eight and six-year-old ones, it was still too early for them to get married.
It was said that every family had their own problems. Carpenter Zhao's family's problem was that his younger brothers were too difficult to deal with. As for Stonemason Sun's family, they had too many daughters but only one son. Most importantly, his son had given him two granddaughters in a row, causing the Sun family's sinister aura to become even heavier.
For this reason, Mason Sun insisted on letting his eldest daughter take in a live-in son-in-law. In this way, if his eldest daughter's child was a boy, it would be his grandson and their Sun family would have a descendant.
However, since ancient times, those who were willing to be a live-in son-in-law were usually people of a lower status. Those who were capable and had backbone would not be willing to be a live-in son-in-law.
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