Chapter 10: Are these people out of their minds?

How Qin Jun learned to fire lime was something he couldn’t explain. Since it was inexplicable, there was no need to try; all that mattered was firing a kiln to see the results.

Qin Jun changed the subject because he simply couldn’t clarify it. In truth, in later times, he had never fired lime before, but he had fired porcelain—and not just any kiln, but a professional wood-fired kiln.

Compared to a lime kiln, a wood-fired kiln for porcelain demanded much more precision—whether in construction, the arrangement of the wood inside, the placement of the porcelain, or temperature control.

Moreover, a lime kiln’s structure was far simpler than that of a porcelain kiln. It was fair to say that just a glance was enough for Qin Jun to skillfully fire it, likely even more expertly than those lime kiln masters.

But he just couldn’t explain any of this!

Not receiving the answers he sought, Qin Li no longer pressed. After all, they had already begun; there was no turning back now.

Besides, he had his own thoughts: if building a house truly required no money, then their family of five wouldn’t have to all cram into a single bed in the east room.

Everyone in the family was skilled labor, and all worked tirelessly, so progress was swift. Soon, over forty blocks of bluestone were piled together.

“Let’s change spots. There’s only so much here; digging more would be too troublesome and not yield much,” Qin Li said a little regretfully.

“Let’s go to Dad’s side. He’s dug several pits there, and there are stones underneath,” Qin Feng suggested.

“Why don’t the three of us split up—one pit each?”

Qin Jun didn’t want to be pestered by his two older brothers, so he kept his distance.

“Good idea, that way no one’s slacking,” Qin Li agreed immediately.

Just as Qin Jun climbed out of the pit, he was startled—he nearly bumped into someone.

“Damn, Qin Han? Big Simpleton! You nearly scared me to death!”

Looking at Qin Han, who was poking his head into the pit with a serious expression, Qin Jun couldn’t help but smile wryly.

This kid’s solemn act was perfectly maintained, even when nearly collided with.

He was a genuine simpleton. While most men in the Qin family were somewhat simple, none matched this one’s level, hence the nickname “Big Simpleton.”

“Third brother, you know how to fire lime? Why didn’t you tell me?” Big Simpleton asked earnestly.

True to his name, Big Simpleton was steadfastly single-minded. Whatever he decided, no outside influence would sway him.

No matter what was said, he would do as he pleased.

“Why tell you? You planning to build a house and get married too?” Qin Jun replied helplessly.

“I’m not old enough to marry yet, but I want to build a house.”

With that, Big Simpleton hoisted a shovel, a hoe, and a crowbar and headed straight into a pit.

This was one of the places Qin Zhihe had just confirmed had bluestone; clearly, Big Simpleton was serious.

“Don’t be afraid. I’ll help for free. Just don’t forget to fire a kiln of lime for me later, Third Brother.”

With that, Big Simpleton started digging with far more agility and speed than Qin Jun.

Qin Jun was speechless; he knew there was no stopping this guy.

But at least he was helping, so it was a good thing.

At worst, he’d owe him a kiln of lime, which wasn’t that troublesome.

Shaking his head, Qin Jun turned toward another pit.

But as he turned, he noticed a large group approaching from not far away—clearly coming toward him.

“Xiao Jun, you’ve already started?”

“Looks like you really are firing lime. In such a short time, you’ve dug up so much bluestone.”

“This bluestone will need to be transported somewhere, right?”

“Xiao Jun, where do you plan to fire the lime?”

“Yeah! Firing lime is a technical job; you need to prepare first, right?”

“Third Brother, hurry and build the lime kiln. Digging bluestone isn’t technical; we can just do that.”

“Can you talk? Third Brother doesn’t have to work; no matter what, just give instructions.”

“Exactly, that’s how it should be. Fifth Brother, you guys split up and dig bluestone. Gather enough for a kiln—should be over a cubic meter of limestone, right?”

“That’s right. One cubic meter of limestone can produce over three tons of quicklime. One kiln yields four or five tons of quicklime, so you need a bit more than a cubic meter of limestone.”

“Get to work then. One cubic meter isn’t hard to handle—less than three tons.”

Qin Jun stared dumbfounded at the crowd. Something felt off.

If he were twenty-four, having worked away for nearly ten years, the villagers would trust his skills without question.

But now? He was just a half-grown kid who had never left the commune, hanging around the village. Why would they trust him?

These people must be out of their minds.

“Xiao Jun, stop daydreaming! Do what needs doing.”

At that moment, Qin Shi, the eldest cousin from the elder’s family, came over smiling.

He was the village accountant and a high school graduate—he was the one who had been talking about the cubic meter of limestone weighing about three tons.

“Big brother, what’s going on here?” Qin Jun asked, puzzled.

Qin Shi laughed heartily. “What else? Your grandfather also went to the commune lime kiln before but was chased back.”

He gestured toward the dispersed crowd busily working.

“This group—all over marriage age except the old men. What do you think is going on?”

Qin Jun was speechless. He hadn’t realized there were so many marriageable young people in the village.

Thinking carefully, their lives before his rebirth must have been a total mess.

At least among them, very few married by twenty; it was usually twenty-four or twenty-five.

That period was after 1984, three years after land distribution, when every family had some savings.

At that time, lime certainly wouldn’t have been the main obstacle to building a house.

It was then Qin Jun recalled that in these past two or three years, lime kilns and brick kilns had begun to spring up everywhere in the countryside.

Where there is demand, there is drive.

Those daring enough were probably already planning to establish brick factories.

The next twenty years were bound to be the most booming period in the construction market.

He never imagined that after only seven or nine years, building materials would have such huge market potential.

Unfortunately, now wasn’t the time to do business; otherwise, even just building a few lime kilns could bring in a fortune.

This truly was the best of times—anyone with a bit of savvy could definitely get rich.

Shaking his head, he dismissed the thought.

Qin Jun approached Qin Han’s pit. “Big Simpleton, come with me to build the lime kiln.”

“Huh? Me? Help build the lime kiln?” Qin Han sounded incredulous.

“Yes, you. Just listen and learn; I’ll teach you, and you’ll pick it up quickly,” Qin Jun smiled.

“That easy to learn?” Qin Han was clearly skeptical.

“Trust me,” Qin Jun said confidently.

“My mother said, work with smart people and you won’t lose out!”

Qin Han quickly put away his tools and climbed out of the pit.

By the time the two finished preparing, even more villagers had arrived.

Had these people grasped at a lifeline? To come out and volunteer labor just on a rumor?

Qin Jun could only sigh. This was both the best and worst thing about the Qin family—their unity, or as some might say, their stubbornness.

It was flattering to call it unity, but less flattering to say they were a bit crazy, at least somewhat obsessive.

Saying they were a little off was an insult, but truly, they were somewhat unusual.

The earnest hopes of these uncles, elders, and grandfathers shook Qin Jun deeply.

He had returned from rebirth with some confusion, unsure what to do now, but his heart was now clear.

Every era has its own tasks. Just because one cannot do business now doesn’t mean to do nothing.

Thinking of the old man who left early this morning to gather manure, Qin Jun knew what he should do.

“Xiao Jun, you’re skilled—who would’ve thought you could fire lime?”

This was a grandfatherly figure, likely his grandfather’s second elder brother, probably over seventy years old. Yet here he was, wielding a pickaxe to dig stone.

“Second Grandfather, do you have a son who needs to build a house?” Qin Jun smiled wryly.

“My grandson, your cousin, is already twenty-five. If he doesn’t build now, he’ll end up a bachelor.”

With that, this seventy-something-year-old man snatched a pit from someone else and began working hard.

At this age in this era, most elders would have joined the village’s “waiting to die” club, leaning against walls to bask in the sun every day.