Chapter 90: The earthen kang

Lu Yuan wouldn't let Lin Fusheng see him off, but Lin Fusheng insisted on doing so.

He followed Lu Yuan all the way from the third floor to the gate of the courtyard.

This drew frequent sideways glances from the Agriculture Bureau staff, who curiously wondered who this young man was.

How could he make Director Lin value him so much?

This Director Lin is actually the deputy head of the entire Agriculture Bureau!

"Grandpa, you should head back now—it's freezing out. I'm leaving now; I'll come visit you again when I have time."

Lin Fusheng was so polite that it made Lu Yuan feel a bit embarrassed.

Though the greenhouse was said to be for Lin Fusheng, it was actually so Lu Yuan could eat different vegetables in winter.

Otherwise, who could stand eating nothing but cabbage every meal?

We need to eat more greens to stay healthy.

Just as Lin Fusheng was about to say something, he suddenly thought of another matter, pulled Lu Yuan, and headed back toward the courtyard:

"Oh, the cafeteria just finished cooking the rice—you're from our Agriculture Bureau, so you definitely have to try our cafeteria food, right?"

"Grandpa, let me tell you, our cafeteria isn't just for show—the cooks are all famous chefs, and their food is absolutely delicious!!"

Lu Yuan was taken aback, then quickly replied:

"No, Grandpa, I have to go to the Bing Jia Chang."

Lin Fusheng, pulling Lu Yuan along ahead, nodded and said:

"I know, I know—I'll pack you two boxes of dishes to take to the Bing Jia Chang for lunch, and let my daughter-in-law have a taste too, okay?"

Hearing Lin Fusheng's words, Lu Yuan couldn't help but laugh.

Alright, Director Lin is being so courteous that Lu Yuan didn't know what to say.

Upon arriving at the Agriculture Bureau cafeteria, there was hardly anyone there; it was still half an hour before shift end, and the cooks hadn't even laid out the dishes yet.

However, a fragrant aroma drifted in—it looked like some dishes were already done.

Lin Fusheng directly pulled Lu Yuan to the back kitchen.

Seeing Lin Fusheng, the back‑room cooks thought a leader had come for an inspection and quickly stood at attention.

Lin Fusheng, meanwhile, was hunting for a lunch box while waving his hand and saying:

"Hurry up and cook—I'm not here to inspect you."

Having said that, Lin Fusheng began to feel around the back kitchen.

Quite a few dishes had already been cooked, placed in big pots, steaming.

Lin Fusheng rolled up his sleeves, grabbed a big ladle in one hand and a lunch box in the other, and walked over to a pot of meat and vegetables.

As he walked, he turned back to Lu Yuan and said:

"Great grandson, you must have a serving of braised pork—I'm telling you, our braised pork is absolutely superb; no outside restaurant can match the authentic taste our cooks make!"

Having said that, Lin Fusheng plunged the big ladle straight into the pot, scooped out a huge spoonful, and filled the entire lunch box.

He wasn't done yet—after one scoop came another, and finally he pressed down hard on the lunch box lid.

Then Lin Fusheng took a fresh lunch box and served Lu Yuan some dishes.

Lu Yuan stood to the side, watching the Agriculture Bureau cafeteria, and couldn't help but blink in surprise.

Wow, it really is the Household Department, after all.

The Household Department is basically the standard 'money lord'—the richest place in the world—and the Agriculture Bureau is its beloved son.

The cafeteria's meat and vegetable dishes are dazzlingly abundant!

By comparison, the Bing Jia Chang cafeteria looks like a slop trough.

If it weren't for the fact that his home is too far from the Agriculture Bureau, Lu Yuan would want to come eat here every day.

You know, eating at the agency cafeteria is dirt cheap.

In the end, Lin Fusheng packed four boxes of rice for Lu Yuan, found a net bag to hold them, and had Lu Yuan carry it.

Lin Fusheng personally saw Lu Yuan to the gate, and only after watching him mount his horse did he say:

"Great grandson, I'll have someone take care of this right away—if it really works out, Grandpa certainly won't steal your credit; he'll definitely report it and ask for extra rewards for you."

Lin Fusheng didn't beat around the bush either, saying, "This thing definitely needs to be tested to see if it works."

We can't say it has no effect, so we should also apply for a reward for Lu Yuan, right?

Lin Fusheng doesn't have that kind of influence, though.

Lu Yuan, meanwhile, smiled and nodded, saying:

"That's only natural—I'll be off now, Grandpa."

After Lu Yuan left, Lin Fusheng hurried back to the office.

This matter left Lin Fusheng with no appetite; he immediately grabbed the design drawings and prepared to set up two experimental fields.

If things go fast, we should basically see results after the New Year.

Lu Yuan galloped all the way to the Bing Jia Chang, where he saw a crowd gathered in front of the office building, all waiting to collect their wages.

Lu Yuan tethered his horse and then ran toward the office building.

……

"Liyan, you're not collecting your wages?"

In the cafeteria, Aunt Liu and her group got off work early and went to collect their pay in advance.

After getting paid, they all went together to the cafeteria to eat.

Seeing Su Liyan sitting beside Aunt Liu, everyone curiously asked:

Just now, everyone had collected their pay.

It's just Su Liyan who didn't.

At this moment, Su Liyan stood by the cafeteria door, shaking her head and saying:

"No, I'm waiting for my man to come collect it; I only have money on me."

Everyone hearing Su Liyan's words couldn't help but feel helpless.

Beside her, Sister Liu also shook her head helplessly; this girl is so obstinate.

If you go collect it yourself, you could sneakily pocket eight mao and then claim you were two minutes late and got fined—how convenient.

Although Lu Yuan also has money now, the family's money is different from the money in your own hand, isn't it?

At this moment, Lu Yuan jogged all the way, weaving past the queue, and went straight to the accounting office to collect his wages.

The crowd watched Lu Yuan cut in line, feeling angry but not daring to speak up.

Who would dare provoke this guy now?

A twenty-one-year-old grade-five worker, a reserve cadre.

The forging bureau will open two new factories next year, and they'll likely need to transfer many cadres from various factories.

If things go badly, once those cadres are transferred away, Lu Yuan, whose health has improved, will return as workshop supervisor, everyone's leader.

No one dares to offend him.

After Lu Yuan collected his wages, he headed straight to the cafeteria.

Carrying four lunch boxes, he ran over and saw Sister Liu and her group at their usual spot.

"Everyone has already eaten, huh?"

Lu Yuan walked toward Su Liyan while smiling and saying:

The crowd turned to look at Lu Yuan, then raised their eyebrows and smiled, saying:

"I was wondering why Liyan kept staring at the cafeteria door—she must have been waiting for you. Hurry up and sit; she's only taken a couple bites."

A female worker beside Su Liyan, being considerate, made space for Lu Yuan.

Just as Lu Yuan sat down, someone nearby teased:

"Yo, big leader, why aren't you eating at the cadres' cafeteria?"

Lu Yuan, while undoing his net bag, placed the lunch boxes on the table and said:

"What, do you think I'm missing out on meat? Besides, the cadres' cafeteria doesn't have all these lovely ladies—how could I eat there?"

Everyone hearing Lu Yuan's words couldn't help but burst out laughing, saying:

"What a character~"

Su Liyan, beaming with happiness, sat obediently beside her man; seeing how popular he was, she felt pleased inside.

And when Lu Yuan opened the four lunch boxes, everyone was shocked.

"Wow, kid, where did you get this?!!"

Some female workers dove right in, grabbing a big piece of braised pork, chewing a couple bites, then their eyes lit up as they said:

"This is way too delicious!!"

"Lu Yuan, where did you get this?!!"

Lu Yuan then picked two pieces of braised pork and slipped them into Su Liyan's all-vegetable lunch box, raising an eyebrow and saying:

"Secret."

"Secret?"

"What secret?!"

Immediately, someone sharp-eyed spotted the Agriculture Bureau logo on Lu Yuan's lunch box lid.

Instantly, everyone looked bewildered and said:

"You got this food from the Agriculture Bureau??

How could you even go to the Agriculture Bureau?"

Some were clueless, while others curled their lips and said:

"I think your memory is terrible—you forgot that of his 300 yuan from yesterday, 100 yuan was a reward from the Agriculture Bureau."

Then everyone suddenly realized, ohhh, right.

But then, did Lu Yuan go to the Agriculture Bureau to collect the award?

No, wasn't the money already fully paid out yesterday?

Everyone was still puzzled.

At that moment, Su Liyan gazed at her man with a face full of happiness and said:

"Brother, is everything at home done yet?"

Su Liyan thought Lu Yuan had gone today to check on the home renovation.

After all, Su Liyan didn't know that Lu Yuan had first spent over an hour at the Qingsong Bureau copying ink traces, then another over an hour at the Agriculture Bureau drawing greenhouses.

Upon hearing Su Liyan say that, Lu Yuan slapped his thigh.

"Oh no!"

There are still a bunch of migrant workers at home waiting for him to pay their wages, and there's still food to prepare.

The next second, Lu Yuan immediately rose, looking at Su Liyan's stunned face, and said:

"I'm heading back first—there are still people renovating at home. Remember to collect the lunch boxes when you're done eating."

Having said that, Lu Yuan stood up and ran out of the cafeteria, shouting while he ran at the bewildered female workers:

"Anyone who eats my Lu family's meat counts as one of us—make sure you look after my wife well, or else I'll definitely come collect that meat from you later!"

Amidst a chorus of laughing and scolding from the female workers, and Su Liyan's smiling face, Lu Yuan ran out of the cafeteria.

However, less than two seconds later, Lu Yuan hurried back.

Under everyone's gaze, Lu Yuan fiercely kissed Su Liyan's plump, cherry-like lips.

Then, amidst the long sighs of many female workers who were both disdainful and envious, and under Su Liyan's bashful gaze, he left.

At that moment, the male workers were lining up in the cafeteria to get their meals.

"Hooligan crime!! Hooligan crime!!"

"Cuff him quickly!!"

Lu Yuan rushed home in a hurry, first went to the noodle shop outside the alley, and upon entering, he threw down two coins and said:

"Seven... eight bowls of big meat noodles, with the remaining money add more noodles, as usual, deliver to my home."

After Lu Yuan returned to the Siheyuan, he saw a group of migrant workers squatting in the courtyard resting.

As soon as they saw Lu Yuan return, those migrant workers gathered around, smiling and greeting.

"Boss, we've applied the putty for you; go inside and have a look. If there's anything unsatisfactory, tell us, we'll fix it."

Lu Yuan nodded, went inside, took a look around, and was very satisfied.

These people's craftsmanship is not bad.

After seeing Lu Yuan nod in satisfaction and sign for it, everyone then packed up their tools and were about to leave.

And as Liu Shoucai came up to Lu Yuan's face before he could speak, Lu Yuan directly raised his head and said:

"Don't rush to leave, hey, I've ordered food for you, still big meat noodles."

"You haven't gotten tired of it, right? I'll have it delivered shortly."

After Lu Yuan finished speaking, the people exchanged glances, thinking this boss is too good, they're not even working and he's still providing a meal?

"And it's big meat noodles?!"

And before the workers could say anything, Lu Yuan again pulled out money from his pocket and said:

"Also, today's wages I'm giving to you, each person gets some, same as yesterday."

Upon hearing that, the workers quickly waved their hands with moved expressions and said:

"Boss, we only applied a bit of putty today, didn't do any work, and we still get to eat big meat noodles; we can't take this wage."

Lu Yuan simply raised his eyebrows and said:

"It's fine, the boss has opened the wage fund today, there's plenty, don't be polite with me, just take it!"

There's no reason to refuse money; the workers felt grateful to Lu Yuan, while saying auspicious phrases, they came to him to collect their wages.

And after the wages were distributed, Liu Shoucai finally got a chance to speak:

"Boss, when we moved the bed in for you yesterday, twenty-six coins fell out from under the bed; we put them back for you, please keep them and don't forget."

"Twenty-six coins?"

"What twenty-six coins?"

Lu Yuan pondered, oh, I know now.

"My foolish wife."

"This is the living expenses I gave to Su Liyan."

"The uncles and aunts in this courtyard who gave living expenses all hid them carefully, afraid their husbands would take them back."

"But my wife is different; when I gave her money, Su Liyan put it the first time in the small box on the bedside."

"Although there are no thieves nowadays, Lu Yuan wouldn't steal it."

"But once the money is given out, it belongs to Su Liyan."

"Since this is Su Liyan's money, it should be hidden well, hidden in a place only I know, that's what makes it my money."

"Last time Lu Yuan mentioned Su Liyan once, telling her to hide it well, this is her money."

"As a result, my wife just tucked it under the bed— is that hiding money?"

"Later I need to have a good talk with Su Liyan."

"However, seeing that these migrant workers didn't steal the money, their morals are actually quite good."

"Of course, if they really tried to steal it, Lu Yuan could report to the officials and get it back in no time."

"These people have been around the East City Gate for more than a day or two; a casual inquiry can find their hometown."

"But no matter how you say it, it's really not bad."

After the noodles from the noodle shop arrived, Lu Yuan also joined the people, squatting in the courtyard to eat.

"This house... is really a bit hot."

"Because they need to dry the ash and putty, they keep filling coal at the entrance."

Liu Shoucai squatted opposite Lu Yuan, eating noodles while gazing at Lu Yuan with a face full of astonishment and said:

"Boss, you're really too clever, able to think of this move."

The people around also kept nodding.

At first, everyone didn't know what the boss intended to do, thinking he might have fallen ill.

"What a great house, why dig trenches inside and build four walls?"

"As a result, when they slept inside last night, wow, it was too warm."

"In the latter half of the night, it was so hot they couldn't bear it, so everyone had to sleep with the windows open."

Lu Yuan grinned, not mentioning that, but instead looked at Liu Shoucai and his group and said:

"How many more days can you stay in the Huangcheng?"

After Liu Shoucai and his group looked at each other, they then said while eating noodles:

"We won't be able to stay much longer either; after the Little New Year we'll stay another three or four days; for those whose homes are near the Huangcheng, on New Year's Eve we'll cut some meat in the Huangcheng and buy some New Year goods to take back."

The distant ones, just move up a day.

What, master, you still have something to do?

Lu Yuan slightly nodded and said:

"There is something, but before the New Year there's nothing; after the New Year, will you still come back?"

If the manor is to change the warm pavilion, Lu Yuan needs to find time to measure the dimensions, then design; the manor's houses are really many.

Unlike the Siheyuan here, which only has two rooms, at most a hundred square meters.

For the manor side, Lu Yuan needs to handle it properly; work can't start anytime soon.

Liu Shoucai nodded and said:

"Come back, after the New Year there'll still be a while before spring opens; anyway, when there's no farm work, we usually take jobs at the East City Gate."

Lu Yuan nodded and said:

"Alright, then I'll look for you at that time."

Everyone listening to Lu Yuan's words also repeatedly nodded and said okay.

Such a boss is hard to find even with a lantern; naturally everyone is willing to help Lu Yuan work.

After everyone had eaten, they should leave.

When leaving, this bunch was actually diligent, helping Lu Yuan clean out the ashes of the big furnace.

Also, some waste in the yard were all tidied up, helped carry them out to dump.

After Lu Yuan ate lunch, he became a bit drowsy.

He got up early this morning, tossed about all morning, and it was cold outside.

Now the house is warm, indoor temperature at least over thirty.

He opened a crack in the window, Lu Yuan directly bare-chested lay on the bed and dozed off.

The people in the courtyard this afternoon were in the yard pointing and commenting on Lu Yuan's home.

They didn't know what Lu Yuan was up to.

Yesterday everyone wanted to go in and have a look, but the villagers coming from the countryside wouldn't let them in.

Mysterious.

All that could be seen was the furnace opening next to the chicken coop.

Everyone wondered, could Lu Yuan have made a kang at home?

Oh my, making a kang in a Siheyuan really can be done recklessly.

Lu Yuan's sleep went straight through to evening.

When Su Liyan hurried home all the way, she looked through the window without drawn curtains and became anxious.

Oh dear, how come her man is sleeping bare-chested on the bed, and the window is still open.

When Su Liyan rushed in anxiously, she was dazed.

This...

This is too warm, right?!!

Thanks to elder brother 'Blazing Heat Lies' for a 1666 and four 100-book-coin tips, thank you very much~

Thanks to elder brother 'Moving Life' for a 202-book-coin tip, thank you very much~

Thanks to you being a bit quicker, plus Celia, the elder brother of the Tianyi Tuan for a 100-book-coin tip, thank you very much, mua mua~

As usual, tonight over eight thousand words, tomorrow daytime will add four thousand words.

However, tomorrow there is a competition, so the update might be later.

(End of chapter)