Chapter 240: Construction Starts After the New Year 2.0

The one who made the noise was naturally Zhang Ping'an. Having just returned from treasure hunting at the Black Market, he saw two sneaky figures and overheard their conversation, so he intentionally made some noise to scare them off.

He and Lao Jia had secretly measured these three plots of land long ago; they were all a few square meters larger, more or less, but only Lao Jia's plot was a full ten-plus square meters larger. Although he didn't know why, who would complain about having more?

Zhang Ping'an hadn't expected Lao Wu to also have the idea of measuring, and that he would happen to run into them. It was fortunate he scared them off, otherwise, there was no telling what rumors might have spread tomorrow.

Zhang Ping'an was clearly overthinking it. Since the Style Lei dared to stake it out, they naturally weren't afraid of others measuring it. Even if someone really made a fuss about it, there was still room to maneuver when laying the foundations and building the walls.

In short, it comes down to one sentence: if they want to give it to you, they'll find a way to shove it into your hands; if they don't want to give it to you, it's useless to talk until your mouth goes dry.

Life returned to its mundane pace. In early April, Zhang Ping'an's grandparents moved back to their old home in the countryside.

"Grandpa, Grandma, I'll come visit you again on my next day off."

"Good, good, good. You go on and get busy."

The little old man, who had been a bit wilted, instantly came back to life upon returning to the village. He waved his hand, urging Zhang Ping'an and the others to hurry back.

"Dadan, how come you're back again?"

"I can't get used to living in the city. Our countryside is still better; the air is exceptionally fresh."

"Pfft, you say it's fresh while standing next to a dung heap—that's certainly a fresh take. Ping'an's courtyard isn't small; isn't it enough for you to wander around in? I think you're like a wild boar that can't appreciate fine bran; you don't even know how to enjoy a good life," said Zhang Ping'an's great-grandfather.

"..."

If anyone else had said that to him, Zhang Dadan would have slapped them across the face long ago, but since it was his own older brother, he just listened.

Zhang Ping'an pedaled his tricycle on the road back to the city, enjoying the rare spring breeze. He felt much more relaxed, though the dirt road occasionally filled his mouth with dust.

Zhang Ping'an hadn't even sat down long after returning to the Rolling Mill when the phone rang. Li Huaide's voice came through the receiver.

"Ping'an, if you're not busy, come over for a moment."

"Alright, Factory Director, I'll be right there."

"Knock, knock, knock."

"Come in."

"Ping'an, come sit. You know that thirteen rooms have opened up in your Siheyuan, right?"

"Yes, I know about that. It was the Street Office..." Zhang Ping'an explained the Street Office's "replacing old with waste" policy.

"Hmm. Your two nephews are also somewhat related to me. A few years ago, I wanted to arrange housing for them, but unfortunately, there were too many workers in the factory waiting for housing, and they were all veterans."

"Li Ze and Li Cheng's seniority was too low at the time; they had only been employed for three or four years, so it was hard for me to maneuver. But now that they've worked for nearly ten years, I'm planning to allocate the Middle Courtyard's West Wing Room and the Ear Room to them—two rooms each. What do you think?"

What Li Huaide was talking about was the housing currently occupied by Lao Jia's family. Lao Jia had previously expanded the Ear Room outward by five or six square meters, making it about the same size as one of the wing rooms.

"That works. I have no objections; I'll listen to the Factory Director. But won't this put you in a difficult position?"

"That won't happen. It might have been hard to manage before, but now their length of service and job rank are sufficient, so it doesn't count as cutting in line."

Li Huaide said it didn't count as cutting in line, but it definitely was. In his past life, Zhang Ping'an had despised such behavior, but now, as a beneficiary, he felt it was actually quite nice.

Over these years, with Lao Jia's unreserved teaching, Li Ze and Li Cheng were already Level 4 Fitters. It shouldn't be a problem for them to reach Level Five Worker within three years at the latest.

After becoming a Level Five Worker, it depends heavily on talent. Lao Liu, Lao Jia, and Lao Wu were all still stuck at Level Six Worker, and currently, only Yi Zhonghai was at Level Seven.

Li Ze and Li Cheng both had two children now; Li Ze had a son and a daughter, and Li Cheng had two sons. It was enough for them to live in.

"Then I thank the Factory Director on behalf of my two nephews."

"Eh, it's all a family matter."

Zhang Ping'an wasn't in a hurry to tell the two of them the news, as it would take about three months for the construction to be finished and for them to move in.

Currently, the West Cross Courtyard had just started construction. The Style Lei had been incorporated by the Street Office, so the construction prices were now set by the Street Office, and they only received wages and a small commission.

"Eighty per room. We have nine rooms, so that's seven hundred and twenty. Plus the four Ear Rooms, that's one hundred and sixty. A total of eight hundred and eighty yuan."

"Jiecheng, you don't need to pay for that; I have enough here. But you'll have to handle the furniture and such yourself."

Yan Bugui had calculated based on Zhang Ping'an's previous standards, so he definitely didn't have enough on hand. The current minimalist plan was just right for him.

"Alright, Dad."

Their family had already divided up their respective rooms: three main rooms, one for Yan Bugui, the central hall, one for Jiecheng plus the Ear Room, and the East and West Wing Rooms for Jiecang and Jiekuang. Jiedi currently lived in the East Wing Room with Jiekuang.

In the Back Courtyard, the Wu family was similar to the Yan family; both were three-sided courtyards. The old folks all had their own considerations; they hadn't built the south rooms, but the foundations had all been laid.

The Jia Family was the same. The main rooms were also one for each of the father and son, and the wing rooms were one for each family. However, the Jia Family's homestead was large. Although it was a standard single-entry courtyard, the area of the houses was larger than the other two families, but the fees were the same.

In the blink of an eye, two months passed, and the construction of the West Cross Courtyard was nearing its end. One more week of finishing touches and it would be done.

Zhang Ping'an also told Li Cheng and Li Ze the news about the upcoming housing allocation.

"Really, Uncle?"

Li Ze and Li Cheng had been living at the Clothing Shop all these years. At the end of the day, it wasn't their own house. Now that they could have a house of their own, how could they not be excited?

"Could that be fake? Wait until you have your parents bring some wild game from the mountains back home, like wood ear mushrooms and fungi, to thank your Uncle Huaide. Otherwise, this housing allocation wouldn't have come to you."

They later learned that Li Huaide was from the same village as them and belonged to a relatively close branch of their family.

"Alright, Uncle."

"Hmm. The houses being allocated are the West Wing Room and Ear Room currently occupied by your San Jie Fu and Dongxu's family. The areas are the same size. However, don't talk about this to outsiders for now; wait until the results from the factory come out."

"Yes, okay."

A week later, all three families moved into their new homes one after another. The residents of the Siheyuan were filled with envy. The remaining land in the West Cross Courtyard was still enough for two or three more families to divide, but unfortunately, their financial resources couldn't support it.

All three families were visited by others. The Jia Family's house was clearly a bit larger than the other two, but everyone knew it and didn't find it strange. After all, it was already built, and the excess wasn't obvious; unless you were a professional, how could you tell?

Except for Lao Jia's West Wing Room being allocated, Lao Yan's and Lao Wu's were both absorbed internally by the Siheyuan. The Li Ze and Li Cheng families also successfully moved into the Siheyuan.

Since they had moved, they definitely had to have a housewarming. At this time, San Jie Fu, the Lao Jia family, and the eldest, second, and fourth sisters' families were all there.

"Ping'an, when do you think it's appropriate for us to go to Huaide's house?" The eldest and second sisters' families had also prepared only mountain goods as Zhang Ping'an had instructed.

"Hmm, go in the evening. I'll take you there. Stay at my place tonight and go back tomorrow."

"Deal."

The whole family had a lively gathering at San Jie's house. By the time it broke up, it was already past two in the afternoon.

At seven-thirty in the evening, Zhang Ping'an took the eldest brother-in-law and second brother-in-law to Li Huaide's house.

"Knock, knock, knock."

"Who is it?"

"Sister-in-law, it's me, Ping'an."

"Oh, Ping'an, come in quickly. Your Li Ge is in the study. Who are these two?"

"Sister-in-law, these are my eldest brother-in-law Li Huaijin and second brother-in-law Li Huaiyu. We brought some mushrooms from the mountains back home to thank Li Ge."

"Ping'an, Brother Huaijin, Brother Huaiyu, what are you doing? I'm already very happy that you came; why bring things?"