Chapter 980: Preparing to Repair the Small Courtyard

Hearing this, the man had no doubts left: "Brother Fu, you're not asking me to do you a favor—you're giving me work. Don't worry, I'll make sure it's done perfectly, so Sister will be satisfied."

Fu Yan Cheng gave the address of the small courtyard: "When are you free? I'll take you to see it, and we can finalize the details—you handle the arrangements."

The man stood up smiling: "Why pick a time? It's not far at all—let's go right now."

Since they were brothers, Fu Yan Cheng didn't hesitate: "Alright, tell your wife not to prepare your breakfast—we'll have breakfast together after we finish looking at the house."

The man didn't refuse: "Alright."

He hurried inside, gave a few quick instructions to his wife who was just getting up, threw on his coat, and stepped out: "Brother Fu, let's go."

Fu Yan Cheng and Zhang Meng had met through a fight—they were both young and hot-headed, and during a gang brawl, one of Fu Yan Cheng's friends was about to smash someone with a brick; if Fu Yan Cheng hadn't reacted fast and stopped him, the fight might have turned deadly.

The person he saved that day was Zhang Meng.

Later, Zhang Meng got into trouble again outside, and his grandfather chased him to beat him—Fu Yan Cheng, passing by, told a kind lie that calmed Zhang Meng's grandfather down, and from then on, their relationship slowly improved.

Zhang Meng had no steady job, so Fu Yan Cheng used his connections to get him apprenticed to a carpenter; unexpectedly, the kid might have been born for this trade, as he turned out to have a natural talent for it, and within a few years, he became somewhat well-known.

Later, through his master's introduction, he met a construction team and slipped in as a laborer; after several more years, he became half an expert.

After Labor Day last year, he formed his own construction team and registered it under the street office, starting to take on jobs.

Honestly, he might have been born for this line of work—he didn't take long to build a reputation, and now neighbors and street folks all come to him for home repairs or furniture making.

Fu Yan Cheng had already discussed renovating the small courtyard with Liu Chuxue, so the two kept talking all the way: "Here we are—this is the small courtyard."

He unlocked the door with the key: "Come in."

After walking around, Zhang Meng said: "The house is in decent condition—there isn't much that needs fixing."

Fu Yan Cheng nodded: "Mainly, we need to lay down cement flooring inside, turn the storage room into a bathroom, and have you check the roof—replace all the broken tiles."

Remembering what Liu Chuxue had said: "By the way, have you ever modified a kitchen stove? My wife wants a honeycomb coal stove."

Zhang Meng laughed: "I've done this before—don't worry, I'll make sure you and Sister are satisfied."

Fu Yan Cheng then mentioned a few more ideas: "I'll leave the key with you."

He pulled out a stack of cash from his jacket pocket: "Take this—use it to buy materials; if you need more, just tell me."

Zhang Meng wanted to refuse, but he realized if he did, Brother Fu would definitely disagree—and might just go find someone else.

Since he was in charge of the job anyway, he could always charge cost price: "Alright, I'll take it. After Wu's Day, I'll start gathering materials—do everything I can now, and wait until April warms up to do the rest."

After finalizing the plans, they locked the door and went to the state-run restaurant.

When the breakfast arrived, Fu Yan Cheng's eating speed stunned Zhang Meng: "Brother Fu, no one's racing you—slow down."