Siheyuan: Big City, Small Love

"Comrade He, there is nothing wrong with your changes. If we continue with this plan, it will probably take about a month to complete."

"Then calculate how much it will cost including the labor and materials."

"Um, Comrade He, do you provide meals here?" Master Yu asked about the issue of meals. After all, eating was a big problem in that era.

"Well, Master Yu, you know that food is in short supply. I can only provide you with some vegetables to take back from time to time, such as mushrooms, fish, etc., or I can pay you directly. How about one dollar a day?"

"Then Comrade He will have to pay for it, and we will bring our own food." Master Yu said that if one dollar was shared among several people, there would be a few cents, which was not better than giving away the food!

Then I took out a pen and paper and started estimating the renovation costs.

After a while, Master Yu quoted a price of three hundred yuan, and specifically pointed out that the radiator and the laying of water pipes would cost a lot of money.

"Master Yu, price is not a problem, but you can't cut corners."

"Boss... No... Comrade He, don't worry. The craftsmanship passed down from our ancestors will definitely not change."

Master Yu quickly assured.

"Master Yu, it suddenly occurred to me that the blue bricks on the ground could be replaced with ceramic tiles."

"That's fine. Tiles are about 8 cents each, but they require some cement and sand. Are you going to replace them all?"

"Just change the bedroom, study, and bathroom."

"About a hundred tiles will do. Add some cement and sand. Comrade He, how about you add another 20?"

"Okay, then let's go back to the street office to sign the contract."

"it is good."

The two of them went to the street office and signed the decoration contract under the witness of Secretary Sun. He Lai gave a down payment of 200 yuan.

The decoration work was completed, and He Lai was relieved. After all, craftsmen of this era were very honest and would not play tricks or do anything shady for their clients.

As for the reporting of the water supply bureau and the manure pit, Secretary Sun was asked to help. After all, with Director Wang as his supporter, Secretary Sun would always respond to He Lai's requests as long as they were not against the rules.

After He Lai reached an agreement, he went to the Red Star Steel Rolling Mill. After all, he had to start work in the afternoon.

When they arrived at the cafeteria, He Lai was pulled away by Sha Zhu.

"Xiao Laizi, I heard that you were assigned two rooms, is that right?"

"Yeah, what? Are you envious?" He Lai said with a smile.

"I'm not envious, I'm not envious, Xiao Laizi, that Zhuzi brother wants to ask you for a favor."

He Lai looked at Sha Zhu's flattering look and thought, he couldn't be planning to take my house, could it be that Qin Huairu gave him the idea?

"What's the matter? Tell me."

"Well, you live in two houses by yourself, what a waste. Rainwater can't live without you, why don't you just live with me? You'll be my wife sooner or later anyway."

As soon as He Lai heard it, he knew that Sha Zhu was planning to build a rainwater ear room, and he laughed immediately.

Chun'er and Yushui are now living in the front yard. It is inconvenient for Qin Jingru to take care of several children, so she will move back to the He family after the New Year.

"Brother Zhuzi, there's no point in telling me this. If you really want to make it happen, there are two people you need to deal with. One is Uncle He, and the other is Yu Shui."

"Xiao Laizi, please help me to talk to him. I'm afraid of being beaten. I'll make you something delicious. You wait."

After saying that, Sha Zhu ran out.

He Lai was speechless. You are afraid of being beaten, but am I not afraid of trouble? Forget it, forget it, let's talk about it after the decoration is finished.

Under Sha Zhu's arrangement, we had another delicious meal.

Back at the technical department, Zhang Zhiwen came up to me and whispered.

"Come on, are we good brothers?"

He Lai was confused by him. What the hell? He just looked at Zhang Zhiwen and wondered why everyone came to him for help.

"Well, I heard that Song Xue's dates are yours. Give me some too. I tried one and it tasted really good."

"Go out and talk, go out and talk." He Lai quickly pulled Zhang Zhiwen out of the technical department.

Damn, Song Xue can talk nonsense about such a small matter and really get herself into trouble.

"I can give you the dates, but you can't let anyone know they're mine. I don't have many left."

"Okay, okay, just give me two kilograms. I don't want more." Zhang Zhiwen said with a smile.

He Lai and his partner returned to their seats, and He Lai began to plan his own furniture.

I can finally enjoy the sofa, but I wonder if I can make a Simmons spring mattress! Whatever, I'll just draw it first.

With a foundation in painting, He Lai quickly drew the structure of a sofa and a spring mattress on straw paper.

After get off work, He Lai first went to the hospital to see Grandpa Zhou, and then took out two large bags of fish from the space. Each bag contained three large silver carp and bighead carp, weighing an estimated 50 kilograms, and asked the people from the two compounds to divide it among themselves.

Front yard of No. 94 Courtyard

"Uncle Qian, this is the fish I promised to give you. Just ask the others to share it. I won't be in charge of anything else."

He Lai gave the fish bag to Uncle Qian and said with a smile.

Uncle Qian picked up the bag, opened it and took another look, then said with a smile.

"He Lai, this seems to be more than 40 kilograms, how can I divide it?"

"Oh, Uncle Qian will definitely have a solution. There's not much meat in the fish head and tail, so you can share more of them. Don't make things difficult for me with the rest. I still have to go back to the next yard to share the fish."

After He finished speaking, he ran out. Uncle Qian smiled, put the fish at home, and went to discuss with the two uncles how to divide the fish.

He Lai returned to Yard 95 and came to Liu Haizhong's house.

"Uncle, the fish is given to you. Divide it among yourselves. Remember to give the fish head to Brother Zhuzi."

Fish head tofu is very delicious, and I must ask Sha Zhu to prepare it for myself.

"Okay, I get it. I, your uncle, will be your errand boy."

Liu Haizhong cursed with a smile.

"How can that be possible? Isn't this to increase your prestige? Think about it, the fish is with you, everyone has to be respectful to you.

Then you can say that I didn’t want to give you the fish originally, but I gave it to you after you convinced me. I promise to accept it obediently.”

He Lai joked with a smile.

"Okay, stop making a fuss. Just leave the fish here. I'll ask Guangfu and the others to call someone over to pick them up."

"Then I'm going to have to ask Uncle Li to get some furniture."

After He finished speaking, he went to Li Dawa's house.

"Uncle Li, please help me see if I can make these things!"

He Lai gave the design sketch to Li Dawa.

When Li Dawa saw the drawing of a sofa, he approved it immediately. After all, he had done it before. It was just that this one was a little long.

The other one was a spring mattress, which was quite unusual. After looking at it for a long time, I finally smiled.

"Uncle Li, can you do it?"

"It should be fine, but I have to go back to the factory to test it."

"Okay, Uncle Li, you can also help me get the other furniture. There is no furniture in those two rooms. You can help me get them all. Just give me a price when the time comes."

"Okay, I'll leave it to your uncle Li, but the drawings of this spring mattress will belong to our factory."

Li Dawa said with a smile.

"Okay, okay, Uncle Li, I won't care about that. Just give me the better materials and I'll leave them to you. I'm a hands-off boss."

"Don't worry, leave it to Uncle Li. I will definitely arrange it for you." Li Dawa handed the blueprint to Uncle Li and said with a smile.

……

A month passed like this, the decoration was completed, He Lai paid the balance, and all the furniture made by Uncle Li was put into the house.

He Lai's two houses immediately looked brand new, with new furniture, new sofas, and the small floor, kitchen, and bathroom all exuded a different atmosphere from the courtyard house.

As soon as the boiler started, the radiator in the room came into effect and the whole house became warm.

People from the two courtyards took turns to visit, each with envy in their eyes, but after hearing the price, they all shut their mouths.

These days, most people are still short of money. After all, the rations are not enough for food, so they have to go to the black market to buy some from time to time. How can they spend money on a house?

To put it bluntly, most people rent their houses and have never thought about decorating them.

Little did I know that in a dozen years, the house would become my own.

Yu Shui supported Wu Juan and touched here and looked there.

"Mom, you're pregnant. This place has just been renovated. You'd better not stay here for too long. It's not good for your health."

He Lai reminded.

He Lai knew that the newly renovated house had many problems, so he decided to let it ventilate for a while first.

"Okay, okay, okay, can't I just go? I don't even want to come here."

When Wu Juan heard that He Lai didn't want her to stay, she immediately left with Yu Shui, which made He Lai feel embarrassed.

"Xiao Laizi, have you told Yu Shui about that?" Sha Zhu watched Yu Shui and Wu Juan leave, and whispered in He Lai's ear.

"Wait a little longer, the house needs to be ventilated, let's talk about it after a few days." Although this decoration does not contain formaldehyde and other substances, it is better not to live in it for the sake of safety.

"Come on uncle, I want to live here." "Come on brother, I want to live here too."

Xier and Nannan spoke one after another.

"Well, okay, as long as your mother agrees." He Lai also agreed unconditionally to the two little girls.

Xier immediately ran to Qin Huairu, and Nannan also ran to Aunt Li.

Of course, they both refused. After all, this was He Lai's room, and the two little girls were still young, and they couldn't be allowed to disturb He Lai all the time.

The two little ones immediately lost their temper and lay in their mother's arms, looking unhappy.