I am Jia Dongjin in the Siheyuan (Courtyard House)

Chapter 44 Repair

In the back building of the front yard, Lao Cai, the head of the street office's renovation team, was studying his new project.

"Brother Cai, something happened the other day that took up your time. I'm so sorry, please have a smoke!" Jia Dongjin took out a Daqianmen cigarette and lit it for the other man in a friendly manner.

"Opening two windows is no problem, and building a kang (heated brick bed) and stove is also simple. The only problem is that if we want to add a toilet next to it, we need the approval of the street office. Without the permits, it won't work. And we have to dig down to the septic tank, which is a huge project." Old Cai had also heard about the house-grabbing, but it was none of his business, so he didn't make any rash comments. He focused on doing his job quietly and making a living with his skills.

Old Cai, with a professional smile on his face, exhaled a smoke ring. The smoke ring was very round, but it trembled a little. The smoke ring crookedly bumped into the opposite wall, turned into smoke, and slowly spread out.

This is his signature smoke ring blowing technique, which he has honed over many years and is very proud of. Most people simply cannot produce such round smoke rings.

"The paperwork was completed long ago. Can we install a suspended ceiling?" Jia Dongjin took out the paperwork. With Director Wang's approval, no paperwork was a problem.

"A suspended ceiling?"

The rear-facing rooms are said to be low-ceilinged, but this is only relative to the main rooms and side rooms; the ceiling height is actually sufficient. After installing a suspended ceiling, the rear-facing rooms will be elevated to a higher level. They may not be opulent, but they will be beautiful and comfortable enough.

Jia Dongjin attaches great importance to the rear-facing room, as it is the residence he intends to live in for at least ten years.

Since the Yan and Yi families have been so generous, and he now has ample funds, he should use the compensation money in full. If he can't use it all, he should use it to the fullest extent possible.

Seeing Lao Cai's confusion, Jia Dongjin explained, and the other party suddenly realized, "No problem, you're really particular, you even want to lay flooring?"

"We're short on money, so the big room will be the bedroom. We'll lay flooring in the bedroom and bricks on the other rooms, then paint a layer of cement on top. We don't need to worry about the exterior of the back room. We'll just paint the interior walls white. The small room will be used as the kitchen, and we'll build a small kang (heated brick bed) in the kitchen for guests and future children."

After roughly agreeing on the project requirements, Jia Dongjin exhaled two smoke rings in one breath. The smoke rings were extremely round and shot straight forward, only turning into smoke after hitting the opposite wall.

In his past life, he was an old electrician who was so sick of smoking cigarettes that he could easily beat Lao Cai, a country bumpkin from the 1950s and 60s.

"Brother Dongjin, you're really something!"

Only then did Lao Cai realize that he had encountered a long-time heavy smoker, and he suddenly became much more frank, saying, "180 yuan, six days to finish, the main problem is the toilet."

"160 yuan, I'll give you half right away, and lunch is included, with meat in every meal." Jia Dongjin didn't actually know anything about renovations; he was just used to haggling.

"Is there really meat at every meal?" Old Cai likes to eat and drink a little; that's how it is in his line of work, he's used to it.

"Does stir-fried salted fish with dried chili peppers count as meat? If you're afraid of spicy food, it's a bit of a problem, because salted fish without chili peppers doesn't taste as good."

"We're all from Hunan, so we're not afraid of spicy food, we're afraid of food that isn't spicy enough, and it has to include meat!"

Seeing Jia Dongjin nod in confirmation, Old Cai's eyes darted around, and he continued, "Do you want to make furniture?"

"You can make furniture?" Jia Dongjin asked skeptically, then casually replied, "I have high standards, are you sure you can handle it?"

"How can a man say he can't!"

Old Cai revealed a smug look. He always enjoyed seeing people's surprised and admiring expressions. He took out his work ID and showed it off, saying, "Level 4 carpenter, anyone?"

A Level 4 carpenter is different from a Level 4 electrician; a Level 4 carpenter is a true craftsman. Jia Dongjin became interested and quickly took out his notebook and pen to start gesturing.

"I want a bed with drawers, where people can sleep on top of the drawers, and pull out the drawers to store clothes. There will also be a wardrobe the same width as this wall, but it will be a modular unit; when separated, it's actually a series of individual cabinets, but when placed side-by-side, it forms a large wall-like wardrobe. Next to the window, there will be a desk with a bookshelf like this. The stools will also be individual small cabinets with storage space inside. The dining table should be foldable to save space..."

"Stop, stop, stop! Speak slowly, give me some time to process this." Old Cai also took out paper and pen. After thinking for a moment, he simply snatched the small notebook from Jia Dongjin's hand.

"Let me borrow it for a moment. You can tell me one item at a time, and we'll take it slow. I'll charge you 150 yuan for the house, and we'll talk about the furniture later. I guarantee it'll be cheap and affordable. But you can't teach it to anyone else, okay?" Old Cai rubbed his hands together, his old face full of smiles.

"This is a new design. I saw it at the leader's house. Are you sure you can make it?" Jia Dongjin was secretly delighted, but on the surface he was casual.

"I, I promise I can do it." After saying that, Lao Cai quickly added, "It might be a little slow. The first time is always the hardest, but I can definitely do it. It will take about ten days, which will be enough time for the house to air out. I guarantee it won't be delayed."

After whispering among themselves for a while, Old Cai finally finished digesting the information. He didn't know how much to charge, and fearing he might offend his customer, he simply offered a fair price: "No matter how much wood and labor is involved, I only need 150 yuan. If it's less, I'll definitely give you a discount. Is that alright?"

Actually, Lao Cai is not at a loss; these new furniture styles will definitely bring him sufficient economic benefits.

Jia Dongjin understood. He roughly calculated that buying similar ready-made furniture would cost around 120, which wasn't as cost-effective as what he wanted. Moreover, custom-made furniture would definitely be more expensive. So he nodded and said, "Please take the measurements first. If there's anything you're unsure about, I can come over tonight to take a look. Let's avoid making a mistake and having to redo it."

"Then it's a deal."

It's a deal.

After the two made their important decision, Jia Dongjin led Lao Cai to the Jia family home. "Mom, give Master Cai 150 yuan first."

Jia Zhangshi: "..."

Jia Dongjin stubbornly suppressed a laugh and generously extended his hand, saying, "Everything in the Jia family's house is yours, including the house and furniture!"

The Yan family's house is six meters east of the front yard's back building. Yang Ruihua, leaning against the window with a gloomy expression, said, "Fugui, this kid is going to start repairs."

"Fine, I'll get it fixed. I wouldn't dare mess with him again. That kid really knows how to use dirty tricks. That's 300 yuan! My 300 yuan!"

Yan Fugui closed his eyes in anguish, his heart aching so much he could hardly breathe. The 300 yuan hole was too big for him to cover for years.

Now he's not interested in anything else; all he can think about is how to get help from others and how to get his monthly salary back—that's the most important thing of all.

Similar to Yan Fugui, Yi Zhonghai has also lost his old-fashioned air and has been avoiding Jia Dongjin lately. Liu Daneng is in a similar situation, with the exception of He Yuzhu, who still looks innocent.

However, as the instigators of the incident, the Yan family appears even more somber and tragic.

"And Dad's salary was cut, Dad, can we still buy candy for Chinese New Year?" Yan Jiedi is the youngest daughter, only 6 years old this year. She has been pampered by her family since she was a child, and she gets extra candy every year for Chinese New Year, which is a unique privilege for the little girl.

She knew something had happened at home and was worried that her welfare benefits this year would be reduced or even canceled.

"There's no way we can celebrate the New Year this year!"

Yan Jiekuang is 9 years old this year, so he understands more. He knows that the sky is about to fall on his family.

"Good boy, we Yan family members must make something of ourselves. Haven't you seen your dad trying to find a way to supplement the family income by collecting scraps?"

Yang Ruihua looked at her youngest son, and suddenly her eyes lit up. She and Yan Fugui exchanged a glance and said in unison, "That's right, Jie Kuang, from now on, we'll leave the scavenging to you."

"I'm willing to go. Is there a reward?" Yan Jiekuang held out his hand.

"Your mother and I will calculate it first, and we guarantee you won't lose out." Yan Fugui's face finally brightened, and his former third aunt, Yang Ruihua, quickly handed him paper and pen.

"Learn from this carefully. Life isn't about eating or dressing poorly; it's about how you manage it."

"We'll just suffer poverty!" Yan Jiekuang and Yan Jiedi exclaimed in unison.

"Ugh!"

A sigh echoed from Old Yan's house.

"Old Yan, want to come to my place for a couple of drinks?" Yi Zhonghai invited with a smile.