Chapter 29: House Repairs

After stepping outside, warm sunlight shone on them, warm and cozy.

Their thin cotton clothes no longer felt cold.

In the distance, the willow branches had sprouted new buds, swaying in the breeze.

The two stretched their waists, feeling the weather begin to warm.

Oh dear…

Comfortable.

Now that the weather had warmed, Yang Qing's major house‑repair project could begin.

He got a little over a thousand from an old man, enough for them to fix up their home properly.

Walking with cheerful steps, the couple arrived at the Jiedao office; the gatekeeper old man glanced at them and gave a slight nod.

This made Yang Qing feel flattered and startled.

Hello, old man.

The old man gave a faint hum.

Then the two entered the courtyard.

Seeing Aunt Wang again, Yang Qing dared not draw near; as the weather warmed, the smell on his body began to ferment.

Chen Hong also followed Yang Qing's example, greeting Aunt Wang from afar.

Hello, Director Wang.

Seeing them, Aunt Wang was so happy she couldn't stop smiling.

Seeing that you look much better, I feel relieved.

Come in, come in, have a seat.

Yang Qing waved his hand to refuse.

Aunt Wang, we won't go in; it's too dirty.

Aunt Wang became unhappy.

What's dirty? Who could be much better than anyone else?

Saying this, she went to pull Chen Hong.

Chen Hong nimbly dodged.

Director, we've come to see you on business.

Aunt Wang sighed, resenting their formality.

You two.

Alright, tell me what's up.

Yang Qing said that Yi Zhonghai had donated 500 for him to repair the house.

So we came mainly to ask who to contact for house repairs and whether there are any restrictions.

Restrictions?

Aunt Wang looked at Yang Qing.

Don't you have any other ideas?

Yang Qing nodded.

It's like this; you know my four rooms have turned into a ruin.

So I wondered if we could build a toilet.

That way, it would also be convenient for the elderly in the courtyard, who would no longer have to run outside.

Old Lady Wang instantly saw through Yang Qing's plan.

Aren't the elderly inconvenienced? The elderly usually use chamber pots at night, and you can't just dump them in the courtyard; they have to be emptied in the public toilet outside.

During the day, there's not much to do, and the public toilet isn't far; there's no need to go into the courtyard, so mainly Yang Qing and his wife use it.

This is a typical case of using public resources for private gain by Yang Qing.

Of course, the money is his own; he can spend it as he wishes, and others have nothing to say.

The foundations under the house's original site are all there, laid at great expense; it's not easy to dig, and digging would be wasteful.

Let's just build a toilet on the empty ground in the courtyard.

However, this requires the consent of everyone in the courtyard, and we must also clarify how it will be used.

Yang Qing nodded, with nothing more to say; the room on the east side of the courtyard would be turned into a toilet, no digging needed, with pipes leading to the septic tank.

Where would the pipes come from?

Just make them out of cement.

The septic tank would be dug on the east side of the courtyard, smoothed with cement, clean and odorless.

And it would be far from his dwelling.

Simply perfect.

Never mind, we'll talk about this later, after the house repairs are mostly done, so they don't interfere with our repairs.

Since we're building such public facilities, shouldn't the Jiedao office provide some cement?

Without cement, this toilet would be hard to build.

What I can apply for myself is also limited.

Hearing this, Aunt Wang poked him with her finger.

I knew you were waiting for me here.

Wait until everyone in the courtyard has agreed, then have Yi Zhonghai come find me, and I'll issue you a note.

But think it over: that place is yours, and once you install public facilities, it won't be easy to withdraw later.

Yang Qing shook his head.

"What's the point of keeping it? Can I even rebuild it?"

"That place is too big; rebuilding the house would be too conspicuous."

"Besides, it's been ten years, and only a few years left; whether I can leave is another matter, but building a house is just making things difficult for myself."

"So it'd be better to make it a toilet; then it could also serve as a block, and using his house as an excuse to mess with him."

"This is a two-pronged preparation; both sides need to be solid."

"The small courtyard of those three rooms is enough for the two of them."

Aunt Wang nodded, affirming Yang Qing's idea.

"For the person doing the repairs, are you looking for someone better or just average?"

Yang Qing said in surprise.

"There's still a distinction?"

"Of course, some old masters have traditional skills; they repair old to look old, with solid quality."

"Young masters just copy the gourd; it's livable, but you can't expect it to be that good."

"There's also a middle ground: they know some old techniques and are proficient in new methods."

"Renovation is fast, quality assured, but don't expect original flavor or fine detail; it's fairly standard."

Yang Qing decided right away.

"Choose the middle one: fast enough, reliable, and not conspicuous."

Aunt Wang set off, pulling Chen Hong as they walked out.

"Come on, I'll take you; they're all subordinate units of our Jiedao."

"I also think you should go for the middle option; in the new society, there's no need to make things so fancy."

Soon, the three of them arrived in front of a house.

Aunt Wang pushed the door open and called out.

"Master Lei, I'll introduce you to a big job."

As the gate opened, Yang Qing also saw the person inside.

"The inheritor of Lei's style."

"Master Lei."

"His family used to be imperial craftsmen specializing in building imperial gardens and repairing palaces."

"It's said they participated in the Yuanming Garden and the Summer Palace."

"He can be called a master-level figure in ancient architecture."

"Who would have thought he'd end up at the Jiedao office, doing civilian house repairs."

"And he's only doing medium-level work."

"Wasteful, too wasteful."

Master Lei saw Aunt Wang and hurriedly rose to greet her.

"Thanks a lot, Director; we haven't gotten a job here in over a year."

"By the way, do you provide meals?"

Aunt Wang replied unhappily.

"These days, whoever has food hires workers; if you get paid, that's good enough—no point being picky."

Master Lei let out a sigh.

"Director, you don't know; we do heavy labor, and if we're not full, we can't work."

Afterwards, Master Lei looked at Yang Qing, seeing his shabby appearance, and felt a pang of disappointment.

"Looks like we can't get any grain."

Seeing Master Lei's disappointed look, Aunt Wang narrowed her eyes.

Master Lei turned back, saw Aunt Wang's gaze, and his whole body shrank in compromise.

"No meals, then we'll have to pay extra; this needs to be settled."

"Otherwise, nobody will do it."

Only then was Aunt Wang satisfied.

"Alright, the central authorities just set the tone, reflecting on past mistakes, rejecting former practices, and starting this month to implement the new rural regulations."

"This year we'll be much better off."

"The grain stored at the bottom of the chest can now be taken out to eat."

"If we don't eat it soon, it'll get moldy."

Master Lei widened his eyes.

"Really?"

Aunt Wang nodded, affirming.

"The regulations will be implemented soon."

Master Lei nodded excitedly.

"Alright, based on this information, I'll take this job."