Chapter 43: The Possibility of Taking an Inch and Demanding a Foot

A group of lovely coworkers still don't realize they're being used.

Yang Qing then hugged a blanket, shouldered a bamboo fishing rod, and went out the Moon Gate.

He said to the crowd still looking at the trash pile.

"I don't care how you look for the foundation money, but don't break my floor tiles—they're expensive, and I still need them."

"Master Lei will be watching; if you break our floor tiles, you must compensate at full price, or pay me for a tile."

Having said that, he paid no attention to whether the crowd heard him and walked away on his own.

Yang Qing's move left many people dumbfounded.

However, they no longer paid attention to Yang Qing; they turned their gaze to the trash heap behind the Houzhaofang, hoping to dig up treasure.

Yang Qing wasn't managing the Siheyuan; instead, he set up a shelter at Shichahai and took up fishing.

He fished both day and night.

"If I catch something, I'll give some to Master Lei; if I catch a lot, I'll sell the extra; if I catch nothing, I won't even go home."

Later, Gu Ning also picked up a fishing rod and sat not far from him, learning to fish in his style.

On Yi Zhonghai's side, he had to busy himself gathering materials and also tend to matters in Yang Qing's backyard, wearing himself out to the point of almost throwing his back out.

The people inside and outside the courtyard, after hearing they'd done several rounds, finally came to an unspoken agreement.

Work must be done during the day; those inside the courtyard are not allowed to dig secretly at night.

Though they said they were digging for foundation money, many actually knew what they were really digging for.

These days, as soon as night fell, a dark shadow would flash past the Houzhaofang.

The little cellar under Yang Qing's shelter had been dug up, but nobody touched anything inside.

Master Lei came by every day and could see that the soil in the courtyard had been turned over.

He also didn't make a fuss.

He merely sped up the "reinforcement" of the foundation.

Half a month later.

Yi Zhonghai called a general meeting of the whole courtyard.

Yang Qing was also summoned.

The central courtyard was a sea of people.

The three elders sat upright, with an Eight Immortals table before them, on which sat three enamel basins.

Even the rarely seen deaf old lady came out, showing how serious today was.

Er Da Ye spoke first.

"The reason we've gathered everyone today, I'm sure you've all guessed."

"That is, our courtyard is preparing to build a toilet."

Buzz……

Murmurs rose.

"That's right; these days, the three elders have been deciding this today, that tomorrow, and even having us apply to the subdistrict for cement to repair the houses."

"All this rigmarole is actually just to build a toilet."

"Where will it be built?"

"Where else could it be? Whoever in our courtyard is easiest to bully."

"You mean…?"

The crowd's talk naturally reached Yang Qing's ears, but he acted as if it didn't matter.

Xu Damao found his attitude strange, as if it were none of his business.

"Don't be scared about this; as long as you disagree, the subdistrict office won't even issue them that permit."

"What does Yi Zhonghai think he is? The Heavenly Emperor?"

"On this matter, buddies have your back; we won't let them get their way."

Yang Qing patted Xu Damao on the shoulder, gesturing for him to stay calm, and spoke softly.

"This idea was mine."

"What?"

Xu Damao looked at him in surprise.

"Do you know how much you'd lose by doing this?"

Yang Qing nodded.

"A whole house? No problem—I wouldn't use it anyway, and I wouldn't dare to."

"Building a toilet would actually be convenient for me."

Xu Damao gave him a look that said, "You're too young."

"You don't really think that's the end of it with just one house, do you?"

"This will only be the beginning; you're too naive."

"Think about it—once they've piped in the water, will they leave your empty lot alone?"

"First they'll plant vegetables, brighten up clothes, and so on."

"If they plant vegetables, putting up a fence shouldn't be a problem, right?"

"In the summer heat, putting up a shade canopy shouldn't be a problem, right? And once the canopy is taken down, isn't that just a little room?"

"By then, if the Jia family can't move out, Jia Zhangshi will move in and stay—what will you do then?"

"Then, when winter gets cold, I'll build a wall for insulation—won't that be fine?"

"If Jia Zhangshi can build a house, can't others do the same?"

After all, you've already contributed land for a toilet and had Jia Zhangshi build a house; what right do you have not to help others?

Finally, just wait—within a few years, your place will be full of houses.

You're too naive.

Yang Qing also broke into a cold sweat from what Xu Damao said.

Holy shit, this could actually happen.

Brother Damao won't?

Xu Damao gave him a disdainful glance.

How could it not happen? I'm already thinking of doing it—after all, why not take advantage of a good deal?

Even the street office wouldn't approve his illegal construction.

Yang Qing still wanted to struggle.

Xu Damao was actually a bit stumped by the question.

But he reacted quickly, soon thinking of future possibilities.

You say, what will happen if the population keeps growing, houses aren't enough, and the street office can't solve it?

Yang Qing finally understood.

Turning a blind eye, that's how future illegal shantytowns come about.

Basically, it's the contradiction between population growth and housing shortage.

If you can't resolve the contradiction, people will naturally find their own way.

When the contradiction reaches a certain point, even the authorities dare not be too hardline.

All we can do is let everyone solve it themselves.

But this time isn't the next few years—it's after the 1970s–80s.

Because the Up to the Mountains and Down to the Countryside campaign will soon be strongly promoted.

This delayed the housing shortage contradiction until the 1970s–80s.

Seeing Yang Qing silent, Xu Damao still thought he hadn't convinced him and continued.

Just saying, in our compound, Second Master has three kids, Third Master has four, others have anywhere from one to five or six.

Now Yan Jiecheng, Liu Guang Qi, He Yuzhu, and I—this generation—are already of marriage age.

If not for these years of famine, I believe everyone would have married by now.

In the following years, those a bit younger than us also reached marriage age one after another.

How are we going to solve the housing problem?

We can't just have the whole family keep sleeping on the same bed, can we?

Men may be willing, but the new daughter-in-law might not be.

What should we do? Build houses?

Cement, timber, steel—the country doesn't even have enough; how could we possibly build houses on a large scale?

Xu Damao spelled out the seriousness of the matter, and he himself got pleased.

They don't have houses like we did early on.

You say, can you hold onto that land?

Yang Qing's mood soured; he originally just wanted to build a toilet for his own convenience.

Then he realized building a toilet might attract envy, so he planned to bring in the elders as a shield.

But when he mentioned it to Yi Zhonghai, Yi Zhonghai wanted to do it better.

He went along with it, thinking, 'If you want it better, anyway that land's already taken—might as well expand it and bring everyone in the compound along.'

This also counts as infiltrating the enemy's interior, good for dividing and weakening them.

But he didn't expect that overestimating would lead to mistakes.

He ended up trapping himself.

Xu Damao put it well: you contributed a piece of land, and others expect you to contribute even more.

For now it's fine, but in a few years, when the housing shortage contradiction erupts, even if he doesn't want to, he won't have a choice.

Even the street office won't pay him any attention.

Thanks to the street office for not allowing illegal construction, and thanks to the Up to the Mountains and Down to the Countryside policy.

First, he used the favor of building a toilet to buy time, lasting a decade, and ten years later he also caught up with the second wave of the toilet revolution.

With sewers implemented, indoor toilets also became possible.

In the late 1970s, the situation wasn't so tense anymore, his kids had grown, so he could try building houses again, promote indoor toilets in the compound, and prepare to demolish the old toilets.

Later, after the rehabilitations began, he again promoted leveling toilets, restoring the Houzhaofang to its original appearance.

He could even remodel the Houzhaofang into a two-story building, which is also permitted in style.

On the lower level, he could open the door onto the back hutong, using that hutong to open a shop.

Perfect.