Gasp! She's a Time Traveler Using Modern Tech to Improve Ancient Life-Chapter 224 - 223: Renovating the Seaside Residence
After the grand banquet, Lin Wanwan gathered the gifts, with Yun Shang and Hong Yan helping her register them into the inventory.
The flow of social gifts was increasing, and Lin Wanwanβs current storage was not enough. ππ£ππ²π°πππ§π π§ππ.πππΊ
So she had the back yardβs wall pushed back, expanding the courtyard by more than an acre of stone land. Now she was a Secondary Fifth Rank Village Lady, so there was no need to be restricted by the one-acre rule for courtyard bases.
The Tang Dynasty had regulations for the specifications of houses that officials of each rank could build. For example, if not a prince or duke, houses couldnβt have double eaves or caisson ceilings; for Third Rank and above, houses couldnβt exceed five rooms with nine rafters, the main and side halls shouldnβt exceed five rooms with five rafters... For ordinary people, houses couldnβt exceed three rooms with four rafters, main and side halls shouldnβt exceed one room with two rafters.
However, in practice, the farther from the Capital City, the less these regulations were taken seriously, as evidenced by the Xiao Family residences in the Great Tang.
Currently, only the second house of their family had someone working as an unranked civil servant at the County Government, yet the mansion consisted of five courtyards, far exceeding the standard!
Since ancient times, imperial power did not extend to the countryside, so Lin Wanwan could build however she liked in the rural area without anyone objecting.
Throughout the Great Tang, rural gentry and landlords had many layered courtyards in their homes, with no shortage of those exceeding seven or eight acres.
The Lin Family Manor was restricted by its location, surrounded by mountains on this coastal tract, which left little room for expansion. Otherwise, Lin Wanwan could construct just as large.
Lin Wanwan now had her wall extended to the foot of the mountain, and the clansmen who lived behind her were relocated, with brick houses built for them on other plots.
Those relocated families were very happy. Being able to live in new, spacious tile-roofed houses, with wooden window frames covered with gauze, and floors made of varnished wood, was like a dream come true.
Moreover, Lin Wanwan not only reconstructed their houses but also provided compensation of copper coins and cloth worth three gold!
Building a few tile-roofed rooms was quite simple. Professionals from the town were hired, and with the clansmen doing labor work, a new area was constructed in eight days, dried for a few more days, and then the relocated clansmen moved into their new homes.
Such a simple change was like escaping poverty and gaining wealth. Families with unmarried sons aged twenty quickly had matchmakers knocking on their doors, making others envious and red-eyed, each pestering Sun Chuyao, hoping the Lin Wanwanβs courtyard would expand in their direction.
The Clan Leader of the Lin Clan mentioned Lin Wanwanβs generous approach a few times.
Originally, Lin Wanwan wanted to give ten gold, but the Clan Leader firmly opposed it. Although Lin Wanwan had plenty of money, she couldnβt spoil the clansmen like that. Getting something without working for it would cause problems, and the Clan Leader forbade it.
In the Tang Dynasty, with Lin Wanwanβs position as a Secondary Fifth Rank Village Lady, buying a piece of rural stone wasteland to build a house was easy. If she wanted you to move, you had to comply, with no such thing as compensation; it was similar to sheep eating people.
After expanding the backyard, Lin Wanwan built a stone storeroom next to the vegetable patch in the back yard.
The storeroom looked like an artificial hill, with a cellar dug below. A pond was excavated next to it, channeling water from the mountain stream, and modern seeds were used to plant a patch of lotus roots.
Additionally, a new small building was constructed, behind which were a stable, an elephant shed, and a sheep pen. Lin Wanwanβs family didnβt keep chickens, ducks, or geese, as she found them noisy. If needed for food, they would either buy them from clansmen or from modern sources.
Once the stone storeroom in the backyard was complete, more valuable items were moved there, and a large lock from the modern era was bought, with keys divided into two. Lin Wanwan kept one, while the other was entrusted to Yun Shang for safekeeping.
Yun Shang did not find the registration and safeguarding tasks troublesome at all; on the contrary, she was very happy, seeing it as a sign of trust and recognition of her abilities.
Afterward, she served Lin Wanwan and the young Qingyu even more attentively, now considering herself as occupying the position of "nurse" to young Qingyu, hence being particularly strict with herself.
Every day, she was the last to sleep, always checking the courtyard before bed, reflecting on whether her work had any shortcomings. She was also the first to wake up in the morning, inspecting the dayβs food and clothes for the masters.
She was extremely diligent, truly a model in the housekeeper industry, and Lin Wanwan was quite satisfied with her.
During the half-month that Xiao Xianghua stayed here, while Lin Wanwan was giving lessons to the children, she would discuss embroidery with Yun Shang. When Lin Wanwan had free time, she would chat and stroll with her, conversing from poetry and song to beauty and skincare techniques.
Standing on the attic of the new small building that Lin Wanwan constructed, a 360-degree view revealed beautiful scenery, with mountains behind and the sea in front, presenting a scene of tranquility and harmony. If a poet resided here, they could compose a hundred poems a day.
Xiao Xianghua enjoyed good food and accommodation here, with no immediate elders to tend to daily, living a leisurely and carefree life akin to a celestial being, almost forgetting any desire to return home.
During this time, Lin Wanwan also received invitations from the ladies who had visited her at the prior feast.
Lin Wanwan, along with young Qingyu and Xiao Xianghua, ventured out, attending a dance party every three days, meeting many celebrities from Mao County, and mastering several Tang Dynasty dances, living a truly unrestrained life.
When sending Xiao Xianghua off, she cried like pear blossoms in the rain, unwilling to part with Lin Wanwan, her cousin. Who knew what the circumstances would be when they met again next time!
It was a pity Lin Wanwan was only a cousin, not an elder.
As an unmarried young lady, Xiao Xianghua couldnβt stay long in her cousinβs house. A half-month stay was already considered long, as the Xiao Family had already written letters indirectly urging her return.
Lin Wanwan gave Xiao Xianghua many local presents and a whole set of cosmetics, waving a handkerchief as she watched Lin Mengbo and others row a boat to send her away.
Lin Wanwan actually felt quite reluctant about this bargain cousin from the Tang Dynasty leaving.
Xiao Xianghua was deeply influenced by feudal etiquette, speaking and acting with decorum and emotional intelligence, being a young girl in the prime of her life, pure and lovely, she greatly admired Lin Wanwan, making their interactions feel like a breath of fresh air and very comfortable.
For Lin Wanwan, who never had sisters, this kind of sister-like and girlfriend-like interaction was quite marvelous.
Knowing that her friends in modern times, such as Chen Jinyu, had a friendship laced with interests, sometimes the otherβs "straightforwardness" would unintentionally sting her.
And her middle school friend Gu Jingyu had grown distant due to different timelines and life circles, without any common topics.
The trivial matters about boyfriends that the other was keen to talk about, Lin Wanwan was simply not interested in hearing.
On the other hand, her neighbor in Hangzhou, Gong Mingyu, did have some rapport, and they still kept in contact over WeChat.
But compared to Xiao Xianghua, they were very different.
Xiao Xianghuaβs upbringing destined that those she valued would feel comfortable when interacting with her.
This wasnβt like Lin Mengyunβs intentional flattery but rather a natural delight in her speech and behavior.
Even the Xiao familyβs twins and Xiao Ronghua of the second house couldnβt achieve this; the nobilityβs training for the eldest daughter was indeed impeccable.
