Siheyuan: Breaking up with Shazhu at the beginning

7

As long as people are not happy to see his face, he can stay at home for half a month without moving. Do you think it is a headache?"

"There is such a thing?" Yang Jun couldn't believe it.

“The subdistrict office doesn’t care?”

"Manage?" Lao Wu got angry when he heard this question. He raised his voice, as if the man was his mortal enemy. He complained dissatisfiedly, "Oh my God, he wishes someone would take care of it, so that he wouldn't have to worry about food and clothing every day. Those women in the street office have long been hiding away and dare not approach."

Lao Wu's face was filled with righteous indignation, as if he had been blackmailed many times by this debtor.

There is a rumor in the world that normal people are afraid of fools, fools are afraid of young people, and young people are not afraid of taking risks.

Some people rely on having nothing and are not afraid of wearing shoes even if they are barefoot. They have nothing anyway, so what can they lose even if they make mistakes?

At first I thought it was just a plot by the people in the yard, but I didn't expect that other places were similar.

Yang Jun patted Lao Wu's shoulder gently, sighed and said:

“It’s all due to life’s pressure.”

...

When I opened the door, a damp and musty smell hit me in the face.

Yang Jun covered his nose and quickly walked forward to open a few windows. The house had been uninhabited for a long time, and the air was not circulating, emitting a slightly pungent smell. There were also slightly moldy hairs in the corners.

The house is so empty that even a mouse would probably get lost if it went in.

When Uncle Da Geng and his family moved out, they couldn't take their furniture with them, so they gave all of their belongings to their neighbors. Plus, Jia Zhang had occupied the house for several years, so what could be left?

"Master, do you think this house can withstand major changes?"

"Hey, young man, don't call me Master all the time. Lao Wu sounds nice and is quite friendly.

"Lao Wu walked around the house a few times, tapping on the wall from time to time, and said nonchalantly to Yang Jun's words.

"You are really something. No matter your name, you are always of higher seniority wherever you go.

"

The fifth brother pouted and said, "Hey, you only think about your seniority. What if a shrew calls you an old man and adds the word 'old' at the end? Then my sons and grandsons will also benefit from it."

The two laughed.

Jokingly, Lao Wu roughly browsed through the two rooms, then went to the yard to inspect it again. He looked at it intently for a while, and finally said to Yang Jun:

"This foundation is pretty good. They are all 'golden brick houses' outside the south gate. They can be lived in for three hundred years or so.

"

“Can it be significantly transformed?”

“Absolutely, no problem.

"Old Five nodded in response with a look of certainty on his face.

After receiving the affirmative response from Lao Wu, Yang Jun immediately became excited. He no longer worried about the century-old house being able to withstand a major renovation and could freely carry out the renovation according to his own ideas.

When it comes to "gold bricks", the name does not refer to bricks made of gold, but rather high-quality bricks used exclusively in royal palaces and gardens during the Ming and Qing dynasties.

When Zhu Di built the imperial palace, he opened several kilns outside the South Gate and gathered the country's top craftsmen to burn various royal bricks - including those for building walls and floors, and even for making porcelain.

Although the name of gold brick contains "gold", the soil used, the process of making bricks, firing, transportation, polishing and laying all require huge wealth support. Therefore, the price is as expensive as gold, hence the name "gold brick".

--------------------

Chapter 13: Preparations before renovation

Yang Jun learned from the TV series that the deaf old lady was the "ancestor" of this courtyard, and everyone in the courtyard took good care of her.

At first, Yang Jun didn't understand why they were so respectful to her, but after checking the information, he found out the reason.

This "Taizu" was not given this name because of her age, but because she took the initiative to donate this courtyard to the country. The people in the courtyard were grateful for her kindness and naturally respected her.

This deaf old woman was a descendant of the royal family and was born into an aristocratic family like the Hesheli family. It was not surprising that she owned a courtyard house built with gold bricks.

Page 24

Twenty three hundred yuan?

That's it? You still dare to say it's expensive?

"two thousand."

Yang Jun made a tentative bargain.

In fact, it was not that he was stingy with the thirty dollars, but that he understood the rules of business and was able to maneuver.

You can't just accept the other party's offer, as this will make Lao Wu misunderstand that he is a person who can be bullied and may cut back on materials during the construction process to make a profit.

"Two thousand and twenty-five. It really can't be any less. If it's any less, we won't be able to do this job."

Seeing Yang Jun's determination, Lao Wu felt a little angry.

He sneered in his heart: You little brat, you still want to bargain with me?

Without my business, your New Year might be more difficult.

"Two thousand two hundred, let's make some concessions."

"Deal, two thousand two hundred yuan." Lao Wu's face was full of pain, as if he had lost ten billion yuan.

"But according to industry rules, usually 80% of the advance payment must be paid before the project begins, and the remaining amount will be settled after completion and acceptance."

Although he had no knowledge of decoration matters, Yang Jun understood that the entire job generally required a half advance payment.

The fifth brother asked for an additional 30% advance payment, mostly to pay off debts.

Yang Jun did not reveal his secret. After all, everyone has times when they are stuck in financial difficulties, and it is only right to help others.

"I don't have enough cash. I'll pay you 700 first and give you the rest tomorrow."

He pulled seven black fifty-dollar bills from his pocket and handed them over.

It's not that he was unwilling to pay it all at once, but the total amount he could take out was seventy yuan at the moment, and any more might arouse suspicion from others.

After taking the money, Lao Wu repeatedly confirmed the accuracy of the amount and finally put it in his pocket.

"so be it."

After all, the amount is huge. Who would have so much pocket money lying around at home? Wouldn't it be better to deposit it in the bank and earn interest? He should be given time to raise the money.

"Can it be completed before the New Year?" Yang Jun confirmed the project schedule again.

There were less than twenty days left until the Spring Festival, and he really didn't want to sleep on the floor on a makeshift sleeping mat every day.

In fact, there was another reason why he wanted to move into the new house early, which was that he could no longer tolerate the noisy sound of running water when his younger siblings and mother went to the toilet at night.

It's so embarrassing.

"No problem. I will dispatch more workers to work overtime and try to complete the project within ten days."

Lao Wu pondered for a moment and gave a positive answer.

He himself also hopes to settle the bill as soon as possible, as this money is crucial to paying off the debt.

---

Afterwards, Lao Wu inspected the two rooms again in detail, measured their dimensions, and further confirmed the details of the design drawings with Yang Jun.

"I'll bring someone tomorrow. You can notify the neighbors in advance. When I leave, I'll also check out the location and route of the water pipes."

Lao Wu added: "Before digging the pipeline, remember to negotiate the process with the street."

"Clear."

Then, Yang Jun took the initiative to accompany Lao Wu to leave the courtyard.

When he returned, he saw Third Uncle and his family, Yan Jiecheng, standing at the door of their house. They smiled at him intentionally or unintentionally.

Faced with this scene, Yang Jun stopped slightly, nodded slightly, and left.

He was unwilling to let his guard down until he completely understood Yan Jiecheng's true purpose.

After entering the backyard, he also went to take a look near the residence of his second uncle Liu Haiyang and studied the design layout of their kitchen.

The second uncle lives in a house on the west side of the wing, where there is a corridor leading to the back of the house. In theory, this is a public space and does not belong to any household.

Theoretically, the neighboring resident Xu Damao and Liu Haiyang both had the right to use this corridor, but Liu Haiyang took advantage of his status as the second uncle of the courtyard house to occupy it and turned it into a kitchen.

This incident sparked a long-lasting dispute, and even a full house meeting was convened to resolve it.

The popular saying that has been passed down from generation to generation: "Officials protect each other" is indeed true.

Although Liu Haiyang was not a real official, as the boss of the courtyard, he joined forces with the third uncle Yan to secretly put pressure on the second uncle, and finally decided that the corridor belonged to the second uncle.

After all, if the three old men want to maintain their high status in the courtyard, it would be impossible without the assistance of the second brother.

Yang Jun was not worried about the situation in the corridor of the east wing, because all the houses on both sides belonged to their family and no one could take them away.

In fact, every courtyard house has a similar situation. Look at the corridors between the front yard and the middle yard. Aren’t they also occupied by people to be used as kitchens or storage rooms?

My uncle converted the east wing corridor of the lobby into a tool storage area, usually used to store bicycles and fishing gear.

This is how the problem arises, but there are inevitably some jealous people in the yard who may take the opportunity to cause trouble for their family.

Yang Jun was not too worried about this. He was a cadre in the steel rolling mill. Unless the other people in the yard were really stupid, they would not cause trouble for him for no reason. The only changing factor was the three elders.

The second and third brothers each occupied a corridor. How could a little guy like him offend others and question them?

As for if Big Brother is too stupid to understand the situation and insists on finding fault, there will always be a plan to deal with it.

A soul that traveled through time and space has the general knowledge of all versions of the TV series, and has the ability to see through people's hearts like God, so he naturally understands your secrets.

When they returned to the backyard, sister Yang Yu suddenly jumped out, pulled Yang Jun, and said stealthily:

"Brother, the house has been renovated, give me one."

"Why do you want the house?" Yang Jun asked puzzledly.

"Of course I live here." Yang Yu answered coquettishly.

Even if Yang Yu didn't ask, Yang Jun planned to let her move in.

Xingzi and Liuzi had their own little room, but she had to share a bed with her mother and brother, which was really inappropriate.

But Yang Jun felt a headache when he saw his sister behaving strangely all day long.

Seeing her pleading expression, he wanted to tease her.

"Isn't your mother taking good care of you? As the saying goes, there is only one good mother in the world, and children are like treasures. What are you complaining about?"

"Brother, please don't treat me unfairly. I don't dislike mom at all. It's just that I'm eleven years old. I'm going to junior high school after the summer vacation after the New Year. And... and that stinky egg wets the bed every night, making my clothes... soaked. I'm so embarrassed among my classmates."

"Brother, please."

Yang Yu hugged Yang Jun's neck tightly, looking flattering.

Are you Yang Liu a giraffe? What's the rhythm of hanging it around your neck like this?

If I hadn't seen you taking the opportunity to wipe your snot on my clothes, I would have almost been fooled by your acting skills.

Faced with such an illogical sister, Yang Jun had a terrible headache. The other members of the Yang family were always well-behaved, and he didn't know why the fourth child grew up like this, hanging out with a bunch of boys all day, fighting, skipping classes, climbing trees to steal bird eggs, and often coming home with torn clothes and scratches on his face.

How did my mother endure all these years? She is still alive. She is lucky enough.

"I can also arrange a room for you, but there is a condition... You can't play with those boys anymore. Girls need to be more reserved."

Yang Jun pretended to be thoughtful and put forward some conditions to Yang Liu.

"Absolutely not!" Yang Liu rejected it flatly, staring at Yang Jun and questioning:

"Am I that kind of person? Let's change the terms."

"No change, this is my only requirement, otherwise no deal." Yang Jun said firmly.

"Really not changing?" Yang Liu asked with his head tilted.

"will not!"

"Sure?"

“Definite and unwavering.”

At this moment, Yang Liu seemed to have become a different person. He suddenly loosened his arms and fell to the ground, staring at Yang Jun, and threatened him in a tone that seemed more mature than his actual age:

"Boss, if you don't give me a room, I'll tell mom that you're wasting money, not only giving pocket money to your sisters, but also... hehe, there's other things."

"How did you know?" Yang Jun asked in surprise.

If Wang Yuying knew that he was spending money recklessly, it would be a disaster.

My mother is exhausted all day long, busy making matchboxes day and night, and can only earn a pitiful eight dollars a month. If this hard-working mother knew that I spent money lavishly to give five dollars to a stranger, the family would be in an uproar. How could we live in peace in the future?

It's okay to spend money on your sister, at worst you can get it back later.

But how to deal with the thunder water? Should we go to the door and ask for it?

"My buddy Banggeng told me this." Yang Hua said this proudly.

Boss Yang Jun understood that even if she was thousands of miles away, my every move could not escape her eyes.