Chapter 237: Courtyard Planning

"Oh right, Laiwen is the husband of my sister back home, and also Zhang Ping'an's second uncle."

"Oh, oh, nice to meet you, Brother Zhang." Yang Zhiguo's eyes held an unreadable expression; this Zhang Ping'an was a formidable pillar of the logistics department.

"You are too kind, Factory Director."

"Hey, aren't you slapping me in the face? Just call me Little Brother Yang."

"Well, then I shall be bold, Little Brother Yang."

"Hahaha, that's right. We aren't in a work setting, so just call me that in private."

Xu Damao was shocked on the spot; he truly had no idea that Zhang Ping'an's second uncle was related to this high-ranking leader.

"Master," Xu Damao's apprentice poked him from the side.

"Ah? Oh, oh right, let's set up the projector quickly, don't delay the leaders' meal."

Afterwards, the master and apprentice nimbly set up the projector, selected a suitable film, and after testing it, consciously exited the room.

Meanwhile, in the kitchen, the second aunt was teaching the high-ranking leader's wife how to prepare the seasoning sauce for the Sichuan Cuisine unique to their hometown.

"Sister-in-law, this sauce is suitable for almost all the Sichuan Cuisine from our side; adding a spoonful when stir-frying will definitely give it the taste of home."

"Good, good, good, it really is flavorful enough."

As for the pig farm at the Rolling Mill, its scale was already such that while completing the tasks assigned by superiors, it could supply the Rolling Mill with four pigs every month without affecting the year-end benefits.

This year, the Rolling Mill also expanded its recruitment by over three thousand people, becoming a large factory of nearly twenty thousand; Nan Yi also had his own Third Canteen to manage, and he had passed the assessment, successfully becoming a Level 5 Cook.

Ding Qiunan also successfully passed the assessment at the Military Division Hospital, becoming an Attending Physician, and she and Liu Guangtian had also achieved a happy ending, getting married in April after the New Year, leaving only Cui Dake heartbroken at the steel mill.

With the support of his father-in-law, a Section Chief, Liu Guangqi was also allocated two rooms; the Tube Building that the Rolling Mill started construction on two years ago had now been completed, but the areas were generally not large.

Liu Guangqi's two rooms added together were no more than thirty square meters, and this was only because both Liu Guangqi and his wife were Cadres; however, people these days were fond of living in Tube Buildings—it was prestigious, even if the area was small.

The Liu Family thus had a vacant room, and the second son, Liu Guangtian, also had a place to live after getting married.

Returning this day, Zhang Ping'an saw Lao Jia with a drooping face.

"What's wrong, San Jie Fu?"

"Ping'an, I regret not listening to your words. If I had known, I would have taken the East Wing Room in the front courtyard. Now, seeing that Dongzi and Donglai are growing up, Dongxu's family is also running out of space."

Currently, Donglai and Dongzi were living in the Ear Room that had been divided in two; it was fine at first, but now they were both twelve years old, and a room of no more than ten square meters each was indeed not large.

Because Jia Dongxu's family had taken two wing rooms and converted them into three, Bang Geng and his two siblings were currently all in one room.

"Hmm~ how about this, you go to the Street Office and apply to see if you can build a single-courtyard house on the ruins of the West Cross Courtyard."

"If that really doesn't work, then trading this West Wing Room for a larger plot of land would also be fine, just like mine."

"Hmm, that's all I can do for now."

Lao Jia thought about it; this was indeed a way. The money he and his wife had saved over these years was fully enough to build another courtyard.

The next morning, Lao Jia went to the Street Office to consult on the specific matters.

"Director Wang, do you think my family's situation qualifies for a housing application?" Lao Jia didn't ask for land to build a house right away, but instead explained his family's population situation.

"Your family has nine people and four rooms, which is indeed tight, but you don't qualify. There are still many people who don't have houses to live in, and it's very difficult for me to help you."

"Director Wang, then look, would this work? The West Cross Courtyard of our courtyard is a ruin; I wonder if I could fund the construction of a few rooms on it myself."

"This, although the government supports the reconstruction of ruins, it is on the basis of not having a house; your situation doesn't qualify either."

Director Wang was also in a difficult position; ever since the Deaf Old Lady incident, she had strictly followed the rules and regulations and never dared to have any small, willful abuses of power again.

"Director Wang, then what if I trade my West Wing Room?"

"What? You want to trade an existing house for ruins?"

"Yes, I have no choice. The children are growing up day by day; we can't keep squeezing together."

"I cannot give you a direct answer to this, as there has been no such precedent before. How about this, come back tomorrow, and I will give you an answer."

"Alright, then I'll trouble you, Director Wang."

Lao Jia thought he was taking it step by step and could settle the matter today, but he didn't expect it to be so troublesome; Director Wang couldn't make the decision and had to apply to those above.

After Lao Jia left, Director Wang frowned in thought. Logically speaking, any fool would agree to trading an existing house for ruins, but since there was no precedent, she decided to play it safe and ask for the opinion of the district leaders.

"Secretary Zhao, there is a matter I would like to report to you..."

"Hmm~ this idea of trading houses is actually not bad. You can do a pilot project, but the area must not be larger than twice the original house. Of course, this standard is also flexible; you can control the specifics yourself."

"Alright, Secretary Zhao, I understand."

"Hmm."

Director Wang immediately wore a bitter face; this task was not easy to do. If done well, there was no reward; if done poorly, one would be blamed.

If this standard were set in stone, no one would have anything to say; the key now was the issue of gauging the scale.

In the past, Director Wang enjoyed the process of gauging the scale, but now she avoided it like the plague. However, as a pilot project, she couldn't not do it.

Thinking of this, Director Wang walked to the archives room and found the file on Lao Jia.

"Hmm? Wang Zhiyong's brother-in-law? And his brother-in-law is a Deputy Division Level official at the Rolling Mill?" Seeing this, Director Wang had an idea in her mind; she would go for a field inspection later, and then she could finalize it.

In the afternoon, Director Wang took a master craftsman from the Street Office's subordinate construction unit to the Siheyuan.

"Director Wang, are you here this time to convey a policy?"

"No, we are planning the abandoned houses in the street. Your West Cross Courtyard is a very good pilot project. It's winter now, so you should notify everyone not to plant anything on this land in the coming spring, otherwise it will be a waste when it's cleared."

"This... alright, Director Wang, I will convey it properly."

"Hmm." Director Wang finished the measurements and went back.

In the evening, the Siheyuan held a full-courtyard meeting; everyone was confused, not knowing what was going on.

"Ahem, quiet down. It's freezing cold, let's finish the meeting as soon as possible so we can disperse early."

"Today, I believe many of you saw Director Wang measuring the land in our West Cross Courtyard. This piece of land has been included in the street's planning scope. Next year, everyone should not plant anything on it anymore."

"Could it be that the street knows our courtyard is full and is going to build us a new courtyard?"

"Don't say that, it's really possible. There have been many refugees entering the city in the last two years, so housing is probably tight, but I guess there won't be a share for us." Everyone was in agreement.

"Alright, that's all for today. Everyone, tidy up your vegetable patches when spring starts, otherwise it'll be a pity when they get shoveled away."

The next morning, the notice from the Street Office was posted at the entrance of the Siheyuan.

"Teacher Yan, read it quickly. See what it says on there?"

"Ahem, whereas..." It was a long-winded four or five hundred words, but it boiled down to what Lao Jia said: trading new houses for ruins, with double the area, but people from this courtyard get a discount, and the specifics must be discussed at the Street Office.

"Who's that stupid? Trading a perfectly good house for a pile of ruins."

"Exactly. Even though the area is a bit bigger, you'd still have to spend money to rebuild. If I had that spare cash, wouldn't it be better to eat two jin of Braised Pork?"

"That's right."

Most of the crowd just treated it as a joke, though a few old folks were lost in thought, but once they thought about having to trade their own houses, they felt reluctant again.