Siheyuan: A Family of Loyal and Brave People

It was a hot summer day. Not long after the sun rose, the temperature on the streets of Beijing quickly rose, and even the wind became hot. The cicadas on the roadside trees kept chirping, and the dog lying under the tree stretched out its tongue and kept breathing, without any of its usual vigorous energy.

After breakfast, Cheng Hao walked briskly along the shade of the trees and soon turned into the alley at the end of the street. The weather was hot, but it was nothing to Cheng Hao. The environment on the battlefield was much worse than that in the Forty-Nine City. The most suitable time on the battlefield was not as relaxing and happy as now.

The sun didn't shine in the alley, so it was much cooler than outside. Cheng Hao walked to a door, pinched the copper ring on the door and knocked gently. There are many rules for knocking on the door in Sijiu City. Generally, you knock twice to open the door, wait for a while, and if no one comes out, knock three times to ask if anyone is home.

Cheng Hao was lucky. After knocking twice, someone came out to open the door.

The man who came was a young man about the same age as Cheng Hao. He had a bare forehead, dark skin, and bare chest, revealing his lean body. From the calluses on his hands, one could tell that he was a worker.

"Hello, I'm here to see Master Lei. Is he home?"

The young man was slightly startled when he saw the unfamiliar Cheng Hao, but then he came to his senses and said, "Yes, yes, please come in, I'll go call my dad out."

Leading Cheng Hao into the house, the young man trotted into the room, shouting as he ran, "Dad, a guest is here."

After a while, a burly man came out from the main house and looked at Cheng Hao with a smile: "What's your name, sir? Is there any masonry work you need?"

The man's name was Lei Zhong, a famous bricklayer near Xizhimen. It was said that his ancestors had built the imperial palace. He had excellent skills and his prices were famously fair.

"Master Lei, my name is Cheng Hao, and I live in No. 95, Luoguxiang. I came here today to ask you to redecorate my house."

Cheng Hao didn't waste any time and went straight to the point stating his purpose.

"No problem. My father and I are free recently. Please pick a time and we will go check out the house first before making any arrangements."

Many people come to Lei Zhong for work on weekdays. He is familiar with the job and does not delay at all.

"Why not wait for a better day? How about going now?"

Renovation is not something that can be done overnight, but the sooner you start, the sooner you can finish it. Cheng Hao doesn't want to live in a shabby room forever.

"Okay, let's go now."

Lei Zhong nodded slightly, turned around, called his son into the house, and followed Cheng Hao out to the courtyard to check the situation.

……

The two came to Cheng Hao's room. Looking at the plaque on the door frame, Lei Zhong was stunned at first, then his face looked solemn.

"This brand is..."

It's no wonder that Lei Zhong lost his composure. Most people would be shocked when they see the sign in front of Cheng Hao's door for the first time. The words "pillar of the country" carry a lot of weight.

"I spent some time on the battlefield and was lucky enough to have made a contribution, so I got this badge."

Cheng Hao's tone was calm and unperturbed.

Lei Zhong's expression suddenly changed. He looked at Cheng Hao and stammered, "What... is... yours?"

Lei Zhong thought that this plaque was earned by Cheng Hao's ancestors for their meritorious service, but he didn't expect that he actually earned it himself.

"Ah."

Cheng Hao nodded and changed the subject: "Let's go in and take a look at the house first."

"Good, good, good..."

Lei Zhong followed behind Cheng Hao and walked in carefully, looking embarrassed.

I thought that the person who came today was just an ordinary guest, but he turned out to be a remarkable person. Lei Zhong was a knowledgeable man, and he knew very well how much luck and ability it took to make great achievements and come back alive from the battlefield. This was definitely not something that ordinary people could do.

"You see, the roof is a little broken, and the floor beams are a little old..."

Cheng Hao pointed at the house and pointed out the things he was dissatisfied with one by one.

Lei Zhong listened very carefully. As soon as he entered the room, he put aside all distractions, got into work mode, and carefully observed everything in the room.

Thanks to his years of experience, Lei Zhong only did a rough investigation and came up with more than a dozen renovation plans in his mind. However, the specific implementation plans depended on Cheng Hao's needs.

"This house has a good foundation, but it is old after all. Even if it is renovated, it can only be lived in for another 20 to 30 years at most."

After reading it carefully, Lei Zhong said with a little regret.

The blue bricks have been passed down for hundreds of years. This courtyard was originally the residence of a prince of the previous dynasty. After going through many years, it has become an elderly building and it is difficult to continue to decorate it.

"You mean it needs to be rebuilt?"

"Many wooden beams are rotten. If you want to live comfortably, it's better to rebuild. Of course, if you don't want to rebuild, I will try to make this house last longer." Lei Zhong said sincerely.

After knowing that Cheng Hao was a hero who had made great contributions, Lei Zhong became much more polite. He really wanted to fix the house.

“Then tear it down and rebuild it.”

Cheng Hao thought for a moment and made a decision.

The house was in bad condition and if it continued to deteriorate it would soon become a dangerous building. Cheng Hao didn't want the house to suddenly collapse while he was sleeping that day.

"Master Lei, I trust you. You decide how to do it. I only have one request, which is to give the house an independent kitchen and bathroom.

As for the materials, just pick the best ones, and just tell me the final price.”

Lei Zhong has been in the business for many years and his reputation is guaranteed. He will not ruin his job just for the sake of a piece of business.

"Look at what you said. No matter how good the materials used in this house are, it will only cost five million at most, including the labor costs. Since you are my first customer, I will give you a discount. Three million is enough to satisfy you. How about that?"

"Haha, Master Lei, they say you get what you pay for. I think you should give me five million."

After saying this, Cheng Hao took out two million from his bag and handed it over without waiting for Lei Zhong to refute.

"This is the deposit. If you don't have enough for the materials, come back to me."

Cheng Hao was not short of money, and five million was just a drop in the bucket for him. He was not worried that Lei Zhong would run away with the money. The control outside was very strict now, and you had to have a certificate to enter and leave the city. Besides, even if he ran away from the city, where could he settle down?

"Comrade Cheng Hao, this is inappropriate, you should..."

Lei Zhong wanted to refuse, but was interrupted by Cheng Hao.

"Master Lei, there's nothing inappropriate. If you're willing, just help me finish the house as soon as possible."

Seeing Cheng Hao's firm attitude, Lei Zhong stopped refusing. He made up his mind to tidy up the house.

The reconstruction project was roughly finalized, and Cheng Hao discussed some details with Lei Zhong until noon when they went to a restaurant and separated after eating and drinking.

The work of demolishing and rebuilding the house is not small, and even with Lei Zhong's ability it will take a month to complete.

During this period, Cheng Hao, who had no place to live, had to temporarily return to the military camp.

Since Commander Wei disagreed, he could not resign from his position as regimental commander. After his vacation, he had to stay in the army for a while to deal with the aftermath.

And even if he is relieved of his post as group leader, it is still a big problem as to what specific administrative position Cheng Hao will be transferred to.

Cheng Hao was a soldier with outstanding achievements, and it was impossible to just send him to a remote mountain area. If this happened, regardless of whether Cheng Hao would agree or not, Division Commander Wei would be the first to stand up and complain.