Chapter 63

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Protagonist:

Li Xiulan

After obtaining Wang Zhanggen's permission, Li Xiulan began planning the matter of building a new house the very next day.

She first calculated the savings she had on hand.

There was just over ten thousand yuan in the bank passbook, plus the two thousand-plus in cash she originally had on hand, and three thousand in demolition compensation — altogether she had over fifteen thousand yuan.

Most of this money was earned from running the convenience store over these years; only a very small portion was sent back by Wang Zhanggen.

So in fact even Wang Zhanggen did not know she had this much in savings.

Li Xiulan thought that with this money, it should be enough to build a multi-story building, right?

Currently in all of Shanggou Village, only He Zhirong the pork seller has built a two-story flat-roofed building; everyone else still lives in mud-brick black-tile houses.

Li Xiulan also wanted to build a multi-story building — building one not only gives face, but is also more comfortable to live in.

However, building a multi-story building costs far more than building a mud-brick black-tile house.

She did not know the exact amount; she would have to ask someone who specializes in mud/plaster construction.

Because no one in Shanggou Village does this line of work yet, Li Xiulan planned to go to Town to look around.

She came to the convenience store run by Niu Chunsheng and Lin Xiaofang, told the young couple about this matter, and hoped Niu Chunsheng and Lin Xiaofang could introduce some construction contacts — an introduction from an acquaintance is more reliable and less likely to have problems.

Hearing that Li Xiulan wanted to build a multi-story building, Lin Xiaofang immediately said with a smile:

"Sister-in-law Xiulan, you've come to the right person! My Uncle happens to do construction, and he's a Foreman too! No one has ever said a bad word about the buildings my Uncle constructs!"

Upon hearing this, Li Xiulan was immediately overjoyed:

"Really? That's wonderful! Xiao Fang, then please help introduce him!"

Lin Xiaofang enthusiastically said:

"My Uncle is currently working at a construction site in Town; he usually comes here to buy cigarettes around this time. You wait a moment — when he arrives I'll introduce you!"

"Okay, okay!" Li Xiulan nodded in agreement.

The words had barely fallen when, right at this moment!

A middle-aged man with bronze-colored skin walked in:

"Xiao Fang, give me a pack of Hongmei!"

"Uncle, you're here!" Lin Xiaofang hurriedly took a pack of Hongmei from the cigarette cabinet, handed it to her Uncle, and then hurriedly said:

"Uncle, this is my husband's fellow villager, Sister-in-law Xiulan. She says she wants to build a house — can you help her build it?"

The middle-aged man looked at Li Xiulan and immediately introduced himself enthusiastically:

"Hello, I'm Lin Dajun. If you want to build a house, you've definitely found the right person! My current site will be finished in about half a month! What kind of house do you want to build?"

Li Xiulan hurriedly said:

"I want to build a two-story building, covering about one hundred square meters, preferably with three bedrooms and one living room."

Lin Dajun frowned slightly:

"If you do three bedrooms and one living room on one hundred square meters, the space might be a bit cramped."

Rural houses all pursue large space, so generally one hundred square meters for three bedrooms and one living room is indeed considered somewhat cramped.

Li Xiulan said:

"A bit cramped doesn't matter. We have three children; I'm thinking of letting the three children live in the three rooms upstairs, and my husband and I will live in the room downstairs."

Then she hurriedly asked:

"Roughly how much money would it take to build such a house?"

Lin Dajun said:

"Right now a Big Worker is 20 yuan a day, a Small Worker 15 yuan a day. If you let me contract it, the column body can probably be erected in about half a year. For half a year, labor costs should be over ten thousand, because we have four workers total. Material costs are estimated at over twenty thousand — after all, cement, steel bars, and red bricks have all gone up in price recently."

"This expensive?" Li Xiulan was immediately stunned.

Because the savings she had on hand were only a little over fifteen thousand.

Lin Dajun saw the shock on Li Xiulan's face and said:

"This isn't expensive — the market price is like this now. And this doesn't even include renovation! Renovation would cost even more! If you don't have enough money, you could actually just build one story, or build a smaller one."

But Li Xiulan gritted her teeth:

"No no no, two stories, at least one hundred square meters. Otherwise it's too cramped to live in — we have three children!"

Li Xiulan thought, didn't Wang Zhanggen promise he would give money later?

Since that's the case, when the money is almost used up later, I'll just ask him for it!

"Master Lin, then after you finish the site you're on now, come help me build mine — okay?"

Lin Dajun laughed:

"Sure, absolutely no problem! I'll draw up a blueprint for you first; if you think it's fine we'll build according to the blueprint, and if there are issues we'll revise it in advance!"

Then he took out a piece of paper and wrote down a phone number:

"This is my phone number — you can contact me anytime!"

Lin Dajun had a brick-sized Nokia clipped at his waist; one could tell that as a Foreman he had probably made quite a lot of money.

Just at this moment, Lin Dajun's Nokia rang.

He took it out to look — surprisingly, it was Wang Zhanggen, the apprentice recently hired at the site, calling.

"Hello, what's up?"

"Dajun Shu, Zhou Hongwei keeps saying my bricklaying is no good and keeps making me redo it. I suspect he's deliberately targeting me — come back and judge for me!"

"Alright, alright, I'm going back right now!"

Lin Dajun hung up the phone, then said to Li Xiulan:

"I still have things to do at the construction site, so I won't chat for now. Turning back, once I get the blueprints sorted out, we'll chat again!"

Lin Dajun hurried back to the construction site, only to see Wang Changgen and Zhou Hongwei in a standoff, while the small worker Liu Xiaoli at the side had a face full of embarrassed speechlessness.

"What's going on here?"

As soon as Lin Dajun entered, he asked with a solemn face.

"Dajun Shu, you be the judge. The wall I laid is straighter than a dead man's coffin board, so how is it still not up to standard?"

Wang Changgen had endured Zhou Hongwei's deliberate difficulties these days; Lin Dajun had Zhou Hongwei teach Wang Changgen wall-laying technique, but Zhou Hongwei kept suppressing him, saying this wasn't good and that wasn't good!

"I say you're not up to standard, and you still dare to talk back? Am I the professional or are you the professional! Dajun Shu, this person I can't teach anymore, whoever wants to teach can teach, anyway I'm not teaching anymore!"

Zhou Hongwei was also angry, flung the brick knife in his hand, and threw in the towel, refusing to teach!

Originally he already had some resentment and resistance toward Wang Changgen joining, especially when seeing Wang Changgen and Liu Xiaoli behaving overly intimately, a nameless fire rose in his heart!

"Everyone stop arguing! We're all one team, what's there to argue about!"

Lin Dajun rebuked coldly, then carefully examined the wall Wang Changgen had laid, and said earnestly:

"Changgen, not that I'm saying this about you, but this wall of yours is indeed not good enough; compared to Hongwei's, it's simply a far cry!"

Hearing these words, Wang Changgen couldn't help but feel discouraged, gloomy and unhappy.

Zhou Hongwei immediately brightened, wearing a smug, self-satisfied expression.

However at this moment, Lin Dajun's tone shifted:

"But! Although it's a far cry, it's not to the point of being unqualified! Hongwei, when you first started learning, you studied for three months and still weren't as good as Wang Changgen is now; how can you have this attitude toward him? Have a bit more tolerance, don't be strict with others and lenient with yourself — be strict with yourself and lenient with others!"

Zhou Hongwei immediately lowered his head, displeased in his inner heart, but unable to refute anything.

Because what Lin Dajun said was the truth; he indeed had the intention of deliberately making things difficult for Wang Changgen.

Lin Dajun then said to Wang Changgen:

"Changgen, you also don't blame Hongwei too much; him being so strict with you is actually for your own good. If he weren't this strict with you, you might still not know how to lay walls at all right now! I just took on a construction site! You study hard; once this site is done, at the next site I'll promote you to big worker!"

Hearing this, Wang Changgen immediately rejoiced:

"Really? That's great! Thank you, Dajun Shu, I'll definitely study hard!"

Being promoted to big worker meant a salary increase; Wang Changgen was naturally overjoyed at this!

His wife at home wants to build a house, doesn't she? Once his salary goes up, the money he can bring home later will also be more, and then he won't have to worry about her nitpicking and finding fault!