Chapter 37: Setting the Tone for the Toilet

The eldest uncle thought for a while.

I need to discuss this matter with your Second Uncle and Third Uncle.

To gather what the toilet needs, I'm afraid we'll have to call in some big connections.

This isn't something a single household can manage.

After we work it out, we'll see how much we can raise ourselves; if it's not enough, we'll then ask the neighborhood office for help.

Yang Qing then came up with another idea.

If we can't get ceramic panels, we'll gather some broken shards, lay them over the floor—clean, hygienic, easy to sweep, and nice-looking.

(In Islamic regions, this kind of tile‑shard inlay technique exists; they deliberately use broken shards, which look quite attractive, an alternative mosaic.)

We can also use this method for the sewage pipe: apply cement directly, then tile the inner wall with shards.

Yang Qing, this is getting bigger and bigger.

Even the eldest uncle felt a bit nervous.

But if we pull this off, their courtyard will become famous.

Jia Zhangshi's negative influence will also dissipate.

The young men in the courtyard are also at marrying age, so finding wives will naturally become easier.

Most importantly, this method is highly feasible; ceramic panels are hard to buy, but broken shards pile up at the tile factory.

Especially the over‑fired ones—they're stacked in mountains.

He just needs to pull some strings, or get the neighborhood office to lend a hand, to make a connection.

It's highly feasible.

Alright, I'll take care of this; you go on with your house.

Yang Qing left the eldest uncle's room and let out a breath.

The first step of winning over the courtyard is done.

With this toilet, everyone will remember his kindness.

Moreover, his three rooms have undergone major repairs, almost completely redone.

And the demolished areas have been cleared out, then extensively dug and rebuilt, installing a toilet.

The suspicion that the property remained with the Yang family can practically be said to be cleared.

This will let many people put their minds at ease.

Without suspicion, fewer people will keep an eye on him.

Especially the people in the courtyard, there will be far fewer who come looking for trouble.

Secure the inside before repelling the outside; with no major internal problems, external matters become much easier.

The next day.

Lei Shifu's budget has been worked out.

To fully renovate and add necessary furnishings, it will probably take around 320 to 360.

You give 200 first, and after the rest passes inspection you pay the remainder—what do you think?

Yang Qing immediately nodded in agreement.

Feasible, Master Lei—please start work as soon as you can.

The sooner work starts, the better; it feels awful to be watched.

After Yang Qing finished speaking, Chen Hong swiftly produced 200 and handed it to Lei Shifu.

Upon receiving the money, Lei Shifu was still a bit dazed.

So urgent?

Yang Qing nodded.

This dilapidated house is livable enough; first build the southern shed, move in once it's done, then start repairing the house.

Also, I have some ideas for the stove.

I'd like to make it as much as possible a multi‑function smokeless stove, letting the smoke undergo secondary combustion to turn as much as possible into heat; here we add an oven, here a small pot, or a water‑boiling stove, making good use of the residual fire.

Yang Qing's idea seemed very novel to Lei Shifu; by introducing him to the concept of secondary combustion, Yang Qing gave him a feeling of opening a door to a new world.

(A smokeless wood‑fire stove works precisely by secondary combustion: reigniting the smoke makes burning thorough; smoke is actually the product of incomplete combustion.)

Your idea is excellent; doing this makes the stove even more practical.

Yang Qing thought to himself, I haven't even told you about using steam to promote combustion.

(In the Northeast, many stoves are done this way.)

Lei Shifu noted everything down, then after calculating gave Yang Qing a clear schedule.

I'll prepare the materials as soon as possible—in two days—and enter the site on the third; what do you think?

Yang Qing nodded to show agreement.

On the third day, the eldest uncle had already discussed things with the two other uncles.

The Second Uncle gave the go‑ahead right away.

My son Guangqi is about to get married, and the bride's family keeps nagging about this and that.

Once our toilet is ready, she'll be sure to hurry over to marry him.

The Third Uncle pointed out his problem.

Is your house big enough to live in?

That's the real problem.

Worst case, we convert the house into an attic and split one room into two.

People can even die from holding their urine.

Er Da Ye also started teasing San Da Ye.

"You don't want Yang Qing's house anymore?"

San Da Ye let out a sigh.

"One monk has water to drink, two monks carry water to drink, three monks have no water to drink."

"Our courtyard is being watched by too many people; no one can get this house."

"Instead of always watching Yang Qing, we might as well think of other ways."

Er Da Ye snorted disdainfully.

"Tch, what solution could you have?"

"You know how hard it is to find a job nowadays, and I'm still a seventh-level worker."

"It's not that I look down on you; your eldest brother's job is tough."

San Da Ye got anxious.

"I just don't believe it—I'm a teacher, yet I can't find a job for my family's Jiecheng."

The eldest elder interjected.

"Old Yan, instead of worrying about Jiecheng, you'd better worry about Jie Fang and Jie Kuang."

"Let them study hard, get a vocational diploma, and they'll be assigned a job."

"Someone like Jiecheng, who dropped out early and does odd jobs every day, when will they ever get a job assigned by the street office?"

"Without a job, even finding a wife is hard."

Yan Fu Gui was left speechless by the two of them.

"Alright, let's stop talking about this and discuss the toilet matter instead."

"Old Liu agrees, Old Yi you also agree—my disagreement won't matter."

"However, since you said you wanted to make a flush toilet, you guys need to figure out the water pipes and tanks."

"As for me, I can think about the broken porcelain pieces."

"As for the rest, I'm powerless."

Yi Zhonghai raised his hand to stop him.

"The porcelain shards might not be useful to you; we're planning to get some broken pieces from the ceramic factory, thick-glazed and durable ones."

"As for the water pipes and tanks, the steel mill can get them, but this requires connections."

"Put bluntly, we need money to grease the wheels."

"All that's left is the cement bricks."

"As for the bricks, we can look through that pile of trash to see if we can find any usable ones."

"If it's not enough, we'll have to mobilize the people in the courtyard to gather supplies from everywhere."

"Finally, for the cement, we need approval from the street office to collect it from the lime house."

"But we think that quota might not be enough either."

"So we still need everyone to think of ways to scrape together more."

"(The lime house, the shop selling mud for stoves, as well as cement, lime, etc.)"

San Da Ye.

"Since it's decided, let's arrange it as soon as possible."

"The earlier we prepare, the higher our chances of success."

"Also, we must prevent the news from leaking; otherwise we won't be able to finish."

"For this toilet, the entire courtyard has to pitch in; if others also want to build one, they won't be able to gather enough materials."

"Their worry is unnecessary; which other courtyard would give up a room for you to build a toilet?"

"With public toilets available, who would want to build one in their own courtyard?"

"The current toilets are dry pits, and the smell is incredibly foul."

"Only after flush toilets were promoted in 1965 did someone bring toilets into the big communal courtyard."

"Even so, the smell is still not small."