Siheyuan: Struggle Begins in the 1950s

When Lei Wenyuan heard Wang Jianjun say that there was a courtyard house that could be renovated, his eyes immediately lit up.

As an old craftsman, he is fascinated by this type of ancient buildings.

When the old city wall of Sijiu City was demolished a few years ago, Lei Wenyuan was so angry that he almost fainted.

"Mr. Wang, where is the courtyard you mentioned? How about we go and take a look now?"

"It's near Shichahai, close to Prince Gong's Mansion."

"Oh? There is a courtyard house of the size you mentioned nearby. As far as I can remember, there is only one. The owner of that house seems to be surnamed Wang as well?"

"We just happen to have the same last name. I bought the house from Wang Gang."

Lei Wenyuan couldn't help but look at Wang Jianjun again.

The boy in front of him looked young, but he actually had enough money to buy a courtyard house, and even one with a cross courtyard.

Lei Wenyuan didn't think much about it. Experienced craftsmen all have their own ethics.

"Since it's that house, there's no need to rush to see it. Let's go to where you live today."

Lei Wenyuan said this and called his son Lei Siqi.

"You go with Mr. Wang and come up with a plan according to his requirements. Let's finish these two houses first and then work on the courtyard."

Lei Siqi responded and followed Wang Jianjun to his courtyard.

When Wang Jianjun brought Lei Siqi back, they happened to meet Yan Jiecheng sending a girl out.

Wang Jianjun took a glance.

Oh, it’s Yu Li.

Only then did he remember that the last time he heard the third uncle mention that he wanted to introduce a girl to Yan Jiecheng.

Yan Jiecheng has now entered the steel rolling mill and become a glorious fitter... an apprentice.

With a formal job and Yan Bugui being a teacher, it was easier for him to find a partner.

Wang Jianjun and Yan Jiecheng greeted each other.

Yan Jiecheng responded somewhat awkwardly.

He was a little wary of Wang Jianjun. After all, this guy was more handsome than him.

In particular, Yu Li's eyes were clearly filled with admiration when she looked at Wang Jianjun.

He still cares a lot about Li.

Although Yu Haitang is not as pretty as Qin Huairu, she is on par with Xu Damao's wife Chen Li.

Thinking that Xu Damao had snatched away Sha Zhu's marriage to Chen Li, Yan Jiecheng was afraid that Wang Jianjun would do the same.

"Who is this Jianjun?"

Yan Jiecheng asked, trying to change the subject.

"This is Master Lei Siqilei. I asked him to help me look at the house. I'm getting married next month and I'm planning to renovate the house in advance."

When Yu Li heard the news that Wang Jianjun was going to get married, she looked obviously disappointed.

As for Yan Jiecheng, he was very happy.

Wang Jianjun is going to get married, so there is no possibility for Yu Li to be with him.

He believed that with his third-most beautiful face in the whole school, it would not be difficult for him to win Yu Li's heart.

As for the one ranked first in terms of appearance, it is naturally the one in front of us, and the second is Jia Dongxu.

Wang Jianjun has no interest in Li.

After a few polite words, he took Lei Siqi back to the backyard.

"Master Lei, these are the two rooms. Please take a look."

Lei Siqi walked into the house and took a look. The house was not big. The two rooms together were only about thirty-five or thirty-six square meters.

"Does Mr. Wang have any ideas?"

Wang Jianjun pointed to the wall between the two rooms and said:

"I'm going to add a sliding door to this wall so that the space is bigger. If possible, I'd also like to build a bathroom for washing. The rest is to re-lay the floor and paint the walls.

Oh, and please help me replace my doors and windows with new ones, they are already in a state of disrepair.”

Wang Jianjun pointed at the front door of his house.

The wood used for the door was not good either. Some parts had rotted due to wind, sun and rain.

Lei Siqi took a ruler and measured in the room, then took out a piece of paper and started calculating.

Finally, he handed the paper covered with words to Wang Jianjun and explained:

"If it is according to your request, Mr. Wang, I estimate that the construction can be completed in a week. Mr. Wang, do you want to include the materials or not?"

"Just give me everything. I have to work and don't have time to sell things."

"Okay, if it includes ingredients, then it's 552 yuan, just give 550 yuan."

Lei Siqi pointed to the corner and explained:

"A lot of money is spent on drainage. Your courtyard only has one drainage pipe, and it's in the middle courtyard. So you need to reconnect a pipe to the outside. This job is not difficult, but the materials are a bit expensive."

Wang Jianjun took out three hundred yuan from his pocket and handed it to the other party, saying:

"Master Lei, don't worry about the money. Just use good materials and make sure there are no leaks. This is the deposit. I'll pay the balance after the work is done."

"Don't worry, I promise to do a good job if I accept this job. I can't destroy the reputation of our Lei family."

Lei Siqi took the money and patted his chest to assure.

After the two men agreed on the construction time, Wang Jianjun sent Lei Siqi out of the courtyard.

When he came back, Yan Bugui was already waiting for him at the door.

"Jianjun, I heard from Jie Cheng that you are getting married?"

"Yes, Uncle San, it's next month. By the way, Jie Cheng is also going on a blind date today."

When talking about Yan Jiecheng, Yan Bugui complained with some regret:

"You're already an adult. If you didn't have a formal job, I don't know how long it would have lasted. Oh, by the way, that's why I came to see you."

"What's the matter, please tell me, Uncle San."

"It's like this. I think Jie Cheng and that girl are interested in each other. If things go well, they should get married next month. I'd like you to help buy some ingredients for the wedding banquet."

When it comes to hosting a wedding banquet, Yan Bugui obviously looks a little distressed.

Getting married costs a lot of money, both inside and outside.

No, you have to remember this money and make it up to the boss later.

Seeing Yan Bugui's painful expression, Wang Jianjun couldn't help but joked:

"No problem, Third Uncle. I will also purchase ingredients for you according to the same standards as Xu Damao."

Yan Bugui was startled and quickly stopped him:

"Jianjun! Don't mess around! How can our family compare to Damao's? Let's keep the banquet simple, just keep it simple."

"Then please give me an approximate number so I can prepare it for you in advance."

"I'll prepare a pound... no! Half a pound of meat for one table. And half a chicken for another table. I'll go fishing myself so I don't need to bother you. If possible, can you help me get some cabbage, radish, potatoes, etc."

Wang Jianjun was speechless. Who could eat half a pound of pork and half a chicken on the table?

But he couldn't say this, since Yan Jiecheng was getting married anyway.

As long as both families have no objection, that's fine.

"Uncle, how many tables are you going to host?"

"Let me count. There are two tables in the courtyard, two tables for my relatives, and one table for my in-laws. Just give me five tables."

"Okay, Third Uncle. Leave this to me. I promise to get it all done for you."

Wang Jianjun even felt some sympathy for Yan Jiecheng.

The wedding that happens once in a lifetime turned out to be so shabby.

It would be understandable if he didn't have the money, but it's not like Yan Bugui couldn't come up with the money.

The most important thing is that when the time comes, I may not be able to get my money's worth out of the gifts I give.