Chapter 58

Zhao Jianguo rewound the tape in the recorder, heard Wang Defa's Toolbox snap shut with a "ka‑da" outside, didn't move, only turned the volume down one notch so that the "Our Workers Have Strength" playing ahead became a low hum in the background; the Footsteps at the Wall Base grew distant, and he only then got up, shoved the wrench on the windowsill into his toolbag and, in passing, lifted the bag of white flour in the corner.

The flour was taken from the system the day before yesterday, ten jin, and hadn't been touched at all. Yesterday, after the lathe inspection was finished, he started to think he should get down to some proper work. If this Courtyard keeps going like this, sooner or later it will tear people into scattered sand.

He put the flour bag on the stone table, gave it two pats, and flour sifted down.

"Dong Xu's rice bin is empty," he raised his voice, "If Brother Zhu is idle, there's plenty of work."

Sha Zhu was squatting by the well rim, chewing a steamed bun, when he heard this and almost choked. He swallowed the last bite, wiped his mouth: "What are you saying? When have I ever been idle? Tell me, what to fix? How many grain coupons for exchange?"

"Leaking water pipes, leaking roof, drafty windows," Zhao Jianguo took out a small blackboard from his bag, wrote with chalk: "Charge by area. Repair one square meter, half a catty of coarse corn flour; replace one tile, two taels of sorghum."

He Yushui came over to look, laughed: "You've turned this into a grocery store? Even posting prices?"

"Yushui keeps the accounts," Zhao Jianguo shoved the abacus into her hand, "Whoever does work, we record it. Save up thirty catties, and you can exchange for a new quilt."

Wang Defa hobbled past on his cane, squinting at the blackboard: "Fixing a window costs half a catty of corn flour? More expensive than the state-run repair shop!"

"Your east wing room," Zhao Jianguo looked up, "Last night the rain was heavy; I counted three tiles that fell. At this rate, that's two catties of white flour."

"You little—"

"If you think it's pricey," Zhao Jianguo laughed, "Better do it yourself. I'll pass this flour on to Aunt Li; her family's about to have a baby and they're short on grain."

Wang Defa immediately shut his mouth, tapped his cane on the ground, and left.

At dusk, the rain came again. This time it was heavy, splashing water all over the courtyard. Zhao Jianguo had just shut the window when he heard someone shouting outside: "Jianguo! Jianguo! Aunt Zhang is done for!"

He opened the door and saw He Yushui, soaked through, holding a horse lantern.

"My chest hurts, I can't catch my breath," she panted, "I called the clinic, but they said the road's blocked and they can't get through!"

Zhao Jianguo turned and went inside, felt in the cabinet for a small oil-paper packet containing two nitroglycerin tablets. He slipped it into his pocket, grabbed his raincoat, and rushed out.

"Zhu! Clear the way!" he shouted toward the well platform.

Sha Zhu was draped in a sack piece to keep off the rain; hearing this, he instantly grabbed an iron shovel: "Let's go!"

The three rushed through the rain to Aunt Zhang's house. Floodwater in the alley reached their ankles; He Yushui held the lantern ahead, Sha Zhu used his iron shovel to smash through rotting vegetable leaves and broken bricks blocking the path, while Zhao Jianguo carried Aunt Zhang behind them.

"Jianguo… don't trouble yourself for my old bones…" Aunt Zhang leaned on his back, her voice trembling.

"You forgot?" Zhao Jianguo stepped on a half-buried blue brick and hopped forward, "When I first arrived that year, starving till my vision went dark, you gave me two steamed buns. The debt must be settled."

Aunt Zhang said nothing more, just gripped his shoulders tightly.

Arriving at the clinic, the doctor took her pulse, immediately shook his head: "Ten more minutes and she'd be gone." He took the tablets Zhao Jianguo handed over, sniffed them, and said, "This medicine… where did it come from?"

"Issued by the factory," Zhao Jianguo said, unchanged expression.

The doctor eyed him suspiciously, still placed a tablet under Aunt Zhang's tongue. Soon, her breathing steadied.

"She needs to stay for observation," the doctor said.

"Fine," Zhao Jianguo produced three grain coupons from his pocket, "Will these do?"

"Too many."

"The rest can buy you a pack of cigarettes."

On the way back, the rain eased. Sha Zhu flicked his wet pant legs: "Jianguo, that medicine… surely you didn't pull it from the system, did you?"

"None of your business," Zhao Jianguo kicked aside an empty can at his feet, "Anyway, we saved her."

"So from now on, whenever anyone has trouble, can they come to you?"

"Asking me won't help," Zhao Jianguo patted his shoulder, "You need to find the 'Logistics Squad'."

Early the next morning, Aunt Li's place also had trouble—half the courtyard wall collapsed, landing right on the bamboo pole she used to hang her undergarments.

"Last night's rain soaked the foundation," Aunt Li wiped her tears.

Zhao Jianguo went over, crouched, felt the wall base, frowned: "These stones have been pried."

Dong Xu also crouched, brushed away a bit: "Right, the cement seam was freshly pried, and the soil underneath is still dry."

"Who did this rotten deed!" Aunt Li slapped her thigh.

Zhao Jianguo said nothing, went back inside, fetched a bag of cement, and also took two packs of sand.

"Dong Xu, mix the mortar." He handed the iron shovel over, "Zhu, carry bricks. Yushui, go notify everyone—today we're fixing the wall collectively, work points will be recorded."

Sha Zhu lugged bricks over, laying them while shouting: "Master Yi! Does your east room leak? Three catties of coarse corn flour, and I'll refurbish it for you!"

No one answered.

As the wall was nearly finished, Qin Huairu suddenly burst out from next door, holding an iron hoe: "I saw it! Yi Zhonghai dug a pit at the wall base last night!"

Zhao Jianguo was spreading cement into the brick joints; hearing this, he looked up, casually grabbed a handful of lime powder, and tossed it into the shadow of the wall corner.

"Thanks for pointing the way."

The lime powder drifted; Yi Zhonghai stumbled out from the wall corner, his pant leg whitened, still clutching a half-length rusted iron hoe.

"This foundation," Zhao Jianguo smoothed the last cement seam, "you dug deep indeed. Saved me quite a bit of material."

Yi Zhonghai glared at him, said nothing, and turned to leave.

That afternoon, the exchange table on the blackboard got blurred by rain. He Yushui took up chalk and copied it anew.

Repair a bicycle tire = half a catty of corn flour

Patch the roof = two catties of white flour

Clear the sewer = one catty of sorghum

Yanbugui came over, pushed his glasses: "To fully repair my three rooms, I'd have to save grain coupons for half a year."

"Need it urgently?" Zhao Jianguo took out a packet of seeds from his bag, "I have high-yield corn seeds; pay one catty of grain coupons now, and I'll return double at harvest."

"This… can it be trusted?"

"If you don't believe it, forget it." Zhao Jianguo shoved the seeds into his hand, "If they fail to grow, it's on me."

Early the third morning, Zhao Jianguo fried corn pancakes on the stove. The flour was the half catty of coarse corn flour he'd earned from fixing table legs. Just out of the pan, several kids gathered around.

"Uncle Jianguo, can I have a piece?"

"Exchange with work points." He picked up a piece, placed it on the small scale beside him, "Fix a stool leg, trade for two pieces."

Then... can I help my mother mend socks?

Sure, mend a pair, exchange for a piece.

The children cheered and ran off. Soon, returning with a sewing basket, she squatted in the courtyard, stitching stitch by stitch.

Sha Zhu carried the new beam past, shouting at Yi Zhonghai's window: "Master Yi! Your chimney is crooked! Two jin of white flour—I'll straighten it for you!"

With a 'clang' from inside the window, the teacup fell.

Zhao Jianguo handed the last corn cake to the youngest child, then looked up at the sky. The clouds had cleared, sunlight fell on the newly repaired courtyard wall, the brick seams straight, the cement glowing white.

He Yushui came over with the ledger: "Zhao Jianguo, Old Master Wang has saved twenty‑eight jin of grain coupons; he needs two more jin to exchange for bedding."

"Record that for him," Zhao Jianguo wiped his hands, "I'll deliver it tomorrow."

"Qin Huairu asked me this morning if I could advance five jin to repair her stove."

"Sure," Zhao Jianguo nodded, "have her remove the old stove bricks and I'll see if they can still be used."

He was still speaking when Li Aunt emerged holding the newborn, her face breaking into a smile: "Zhao Jianguo! He Yushui! Quick, look—my son has opened his eyes!"

Everyone gathered around. The child's little face was flushed, eyes narrowed to slits, then he suddenly wailed.

"Good! Loud crying means good fortune!" Sha Zhu clapped his hands.

Zhao Jianguo looked at that little face, then pulled a small cloth bundle from his pocket and handed it to Li Aunt: "Use this to pad the child's diaper."

Li Aunt opened it to find half a chi of new cotton cloth, washed pale, yet every stitch was tight.

"Where… did this come from?"

"My mother left it for me." Zhao Jianguo turned to tidy the pancake pan, "She said it's for the eldest grandson."

Li Aunt froze, her eye sockets instantly reddening.

In the evening, Zhao Jianguo set up a small table in the courtyard, placing several bowls of hot congee. The children finished their work and lined up to receive corn cakes.

"Uncle Zhao Jianguo, I mended three pairs of socks!"

"I helped Wang Nainai haul coal ash for five days!"

"I… I swept the entire courtyard!"

Zhao Jianguo handed out the cakes one by one; finally it was the youngest's turn. The child took the cake, then looked up and asked: "Uncle Zhao Jianguo, will we be able to exchange for more things in the future?"

Zhao Jianguo was about to answer when footsteps sounded at the courtyard gate.

Yi Zhonghai leaned on his cane, standing outside the new wall, holding a broken clay jar in his hand.