60s: I have a store

Chapter 616 Master Gu

Zhou Yimin only breathed a sigh of relief when the truck convoy completely disappeared at the end of the road.

Finally finished with work, can rest for a bit. When I get back, I need to sleep until I naturally wake up.

From research and development to production and transportation, we've been working non-stop for the past two weeks, and our nerves have been constantly on edge. Now we can finally relax a little.

The setting sun cast long shadows of the two people, and suddenly the factory's loudspeaker rang, signaling the end of the workday.

Zhou Yimin rubbed his aching temples and turned to look at Li Chongguang beside him. The latter was gazing absently at the sunset, his dark circles even more pronounced than Zhou's: "Section Chief Li,"

"I've been so busy lately, but I still have some cured meat that I made a few days ago. If you don't mind, why don't you come over to my place for a simple meal?"

Li Chongguang turned around, a hint of surprise flashing in his eyes, then smiled: "Then I won't stand on ceremony, it'll be a good opportunity to rest my feet."

He was trying to get closer to Zhou Yimin, hoping that one day he could give the research lab an idea and help them develop a good product.

Zhou Yimin drove the motorcycle, and Li Chongguang rode the bicycle behind him. In order to take care of Li Chongguang, Zhou Yimin did not drive very fast, so Li Chongguang was still able to keep up.

However, Li Chongguang was thinking about when he could get a motorcycle to drive.

Realizing that he didn't have that ability, even after joining the steel mill, he only received a bicycle ticket as a reward for being an outstanding individual, and then he never saw it again.

Soon the two arrived at a courtyard house, and Zhou Yimin stopped the car.

Zhou Yimin's home is in a courtyard house. Pushing open the mottled wooden door, a faint fragrance of locust blossoms wafts out.

Li Chongguang followed them inside, but suddenly stopped, the scene in the courtyard surprised him.

It wasn't as old and messy as I had imagined. The ground paved with blue bricks was swept clean, and a small flower bed was enclosed by broken bricks in the corner, where roses and henna were planted.

You should know that these courtyard houses are definitely not inhabited by just one family. Some people will put things around the perimeter for convenience.

Therefore, many courtyard houses are obviously very dirty and messy when you enter them, and some large tenement houses are even dirtier and more messy.

"This yard is really well tidied up." Li Chongguang couldn't help but admire it. He had visited many of his colleagues' homes, and most of them were cluttered with miscellaneous items. It was rare to see one as clean and tidy as this.

Zhou Yimin chuckled and scratched his head: "The people in the compound are quite clean, it has little to do with me."

Li Chongguang followed him into the house, where there was no one else inside.

"I didn't expect you to keep your house so tidy, even though you live alone," Li Chongguang said sincerely, looking around at the furnishings.

Moreover, the style of the decoration is exactly what he likes.

His house was renovated a long time ago, and now the paint keeps falling off the walls. He's thinking about whether to renovate it again, and he can ask him about it later.

Zhou Yimin walked towards the kitchen: "It was just a waste of time. You sit down first, I'll go get something to eat, it'll be ready soon."

The sounds of rinsing rice and chopping vegetables came from the kitchen. Li Chongguang sat on a bench, watching Zhou Yimin busy in the kitchen.

Li Chongguang suddenly needed to use the restroom, and when he came in, he saw that there was a restroom next door.

Just as he was about to push open the door and go out, Zhou Yimin saw him and asked, "Section Chief Li, where are you going?"

Li Chongguang was a little embarrassed, but he still said it: "I want to go to the toilet!"

After saying that, he prepared to leave.

However, Zhou Yimin added, "Section Chief Li, you don't need to go out; you can do it right here."

After saying that, he pointed to the door next to him.

Li Chongguang was shocked; he hadn't expected there to be a toilet in the room.

I really couldn't hold it in any longer, so I opened the door and went straight in to take care of it.

I came out in less than two minutes and immediately liked the toilet. I didn't have to brave the cold wind to use it, and I didn't have to endure the smell in the summer. It was truly indescribable.

A short while later, Zhou Yimin came out with two dishes: one of stir-fried cured pork with green peppers, and the other of stir-fried green vegetables, along with two bowls of steaming white rice.

"Just something simple to eat, something to fill your stomach." He handed over the chopsticks.

"The cured pork was brought from my hometown, and it tastes alright."

Li Chongguang picked up a piece of cured meat with his chopsticks and put it in his mouth. The rich but not greasy meat aroma spread on his tongue, and he chewed it a couple of times.

He put down his chopsticks, wiped the grease from the corner of his mouth with his sleeve, and looked at Zhou Yimin: "Yimin, who did you hire to renovate this house?"

Zhou Yimin was eating rice when he heard this. He looked up, with a bit of green pepper on his lips: "Oh, we've invited Chef Gu."

He swallowed the food in his mouth, picked up the rough porcelain teapot on the table, and added some water for Li Chongguang. "Master Gu is a well-known craftsman in the neighborhood. He is not only good at carpentry, but also at bricklaying."

As he spoke, he poured some hot water into Li Chongguang's teacup: "What, is your house also being renovated?"

Li Chongguang picked up his teacup, took a sip, and his brows relaxed slightly.

His old house was only simply renovated when he got married. Several pieces of plaster had peeled off the walls, and the window gaps were so large that they let in drafts in winter. He had wanted to redo it for a long time, but he hadn't been able to find a reliable contractor.

Upon hearing Zhou Yimin's words, he immediately had an idea and nodded solemnly: "Yes, the house really needs to be tidied up. The child is growing up, and I want him to live more comfortably."

Zhou Yimin smiled: "Master Gu is perfect. He charges fair prices and works carefully, he's just a little slow, but slow and steady wins the race. When things are a bit less busy in a couple of days, I'll take you to see him, and he can come to your house for a visit."

"Thank you so much." Li Chongguang smiled sincerely and picked up another piece of cured meat.

"This cured pork tastes really good. I'll have my husband learn how to make some too."

The twilight outside the window was gradually deepening, and it was about to become completely dark.

After quickly finishing his meal, Li Chongguang left.

I have to go to work tomorrow, and it's not safe to go home too late, so I should go home earlier.

For the next two days, Zhou Yimin was completely out of work. In his spare time, there were many production-related issues that needed to be addressed and managed.

Originally, these tasks had nothing to do with Zhou Yimin, but at the time, for the sake of quality, a suitable person was found to oversee them.

In the end, Zhou Yimin was elected without any doubt, and he had no good reason to refuse, so he could only accept.

In his spare time, he also had to finish up the work on the dryer. It wasn't until the afternoon of the next day, when the last report was signed and filed, that he finally breathed a sigh of relief and rubbed his sore shoulders.

As soon as the bell rang to signal the end of the workday, Zhou Yimin grabbed his coat draped over the back of his chair and said, "Section Chief Li, come on, I happen to be free today, I'll take you to see Master Gu."

Li Chongguang couldn't wait any longer and immediately put down the blueprints in his hand: "Great! I thought you were too busy to get away these past few days."

Zhou Yimin used his motorcycle to carry Li Chongguang through two alleys and stopped in front of a courtyard gate covered with morning glories.

Zhou Yimin raised his hand and knocked on the brass ring on the wooden door. "Master Gu, are you home?"

A sound of planing wood came from the yard, followed by a loud voice: "Who is it?"

The wooden door creaked open, and a middle-aged man in a blue cloth jacket poked his head out, clutching an adze in his hand and his face covered in sawdust.

Upon seeing that it was Zhou Yimin, his eyes lit up: "It's Little Zhou! What a rare guest!"

"Master Gu, are you busy?" Zhou Yimin asked with a smile as he walked inside.

"I've brought you a friend. This is Section Chief Li from our factory. He'd like to ask you to take a look at his house."

Master Gu placed the adze on the stone stool behind the door and warmly invited them inside: "Come in, come in."

There were piles of timber of varying lengths in the yard, and wood shavings piled up like a small mountain in the corner. A faint scent of pine wood wafted in the air.

Once inside, Zhou Yimin explained his purpose in detail: "Master Gu, Section Chief Li wants to renovate his old house. You're a skilled craftsman, so you were the first person we thought of."

Upon hearing this, Master Gu's wrinkles widened into a smile. He sat down on the edge of the kang (a heated brick bed), picked up his pipe, and started filling the bowl with tobacco: "What a coincidence! I just finished working for the previous family a couple of days ago, and you've already come over."

He looked at Li Chongguang and asked, "Where is Section Chief Li's house? When are you free? I'd like to go take a look."

Li Chongguang quickly replied, "It's just over in Xisi Hutong, not far. Would tomorrow morning be convenient for you? I'll be waiting for you at home."

"Convenient, convenient!" Master Gu took a deep drag of his cigarette, and the smoke slowly drifted out of his nostrils.

"I'll go there first thing tomorrow morning, and I'll make sure you see it clearly."

With Master Gu's assurance, Zhou Yimin and Li Chongguang felt relieved.

The three chatted for a while longer about the specific details, until the sky began to lighten, at which point Li Chongguang got up to say goodbye.

As Master Gu saw him to the door, he kept saying, "I'll bring a ruler with me tomorrow, and I guarantee I won't make a mistake."

On the way back, the evening breeze was cool, but Li Chongguang felt warm inside: "Thanks to you, otherwise I don't know how long I would have had to search for a reliable master."

Zhou Yimin said, "It's nothing. We're all colleagues, it's only right to help each other out."

The next morning, just as dawn was breaking, there was a gentle knock on the gate of Li Chongguang's house.

He quickly put on his clothes and ran to open the door. He saw Master Gu standing outside with a canvas tool bag on his back and a long wooden ruler in his hand. He looked energetic and said, "Section Chief Li, I'm a little early. I hope I didn't disturb your rest?"

"No, no, Master Gu, please come in." Li Chongguang hurriedly ushered him into the courtyard.

Master Gu didn't stand on ceremony and put down his tool bag, then began to look around.

He first stood in the center of the courtyard and walked around, his gaze sweeping over the mottled walls, the peeling paint on the doors and windows, and the somewhat collapsed steps, occasionally uttering a "hmm" under his breath.

Then he walked to the doorway, tapped the wall with his finger, and pushed the creaking wooden door, his brows furrowing slightly: "The plaster on this wall needs to be completely scraped off and re-plastered. The wooden door frame is a bit warped from the dampness and needs to be replaced with a new one. The steps also need to be re-poured with cement."

As he spoke, he pulled a small notebook and pencil from his toolbox and squatted down to draw a simple sketch: "I plan to start with the exterior walls, using light gray paint, which is dirt-resistant and makes the room brighter. The interior floors will be paved with terrazzo, which is easy to clean."

Looking at the sketch, Li Chongguang thought of the elegant and comfortable look of Zhou Yimin's house. He hesitated for a moment and then said, "Master Gu, I wonder if we can do it in the same style as Yimin's house? I think his house is quite nice, it looks refreshing and comfortable."

Master Gu stopped writing upon hearing this, looked up at Li Chongguang, and said, "Yimin's style! He designed it himself."

"He makes all the decisions, from choosing the wood to matching the colors. I just help out. If you want to do it the same way, you'll probably have to ask him for his specific ideas yourself."

Li Chongguang was stunned for a moment. He really didn't expect Zhou Yimin to know so much about home decoration. He couldn't help but sigh inwardly, "So talented!"

He nodded: "Then I'll go and invite Yimin over?"

If I had known it would be like this, I would have invited Zhou Yimin over. That way, I wouldn't have had to go through all that trouble and make two trips.

Master Gu smiled and waved his hand: "Go ahead, go ahead. He knows the details of his own home. Having him around will save a lot of trouble."

After he finished speaking, he continued measuring the size of the yard, occasionally making notes in his notebook.

Without delay, Li Chongguang hopped on his bicycle and headed straight for Zhou Yimin's house.

Zhou Yimin had just finished washing up and was about to go to the factory when Li Chongguang explained his purpose. He smiled helplessly and said, "I knew you might ask this. Okay, I'll go with you to take a look."

"However, I cannot guarantee that the design will be the style you like."

Li Chongguang didn't care about any of that: "It's nothing. I'm just glad you came to help. I wouldn't dare ask for so much."

The two quickly returned to Li Chongguang's home.

As soon as Zhou Yimin entered the room, he was attracted by Master Gu's sketch. He squatted down and took a closer look: "Master Gu's plan is quite practical, but if you want it to be more like my home's style, you need to adjust the details."

He pointed to the location of the doors and windows on the sketch: "The wooden frames don't need to be painted dark brown. Just keep the natural color of the wood and apply a layer of clear varnish. It will look more natural."

Li Chongguang nodded quickly: "That's good."

Master Gu added from the side, "Then you have to choose better quality wood, otherwise it won't last long."

"And for the walls, don't use pure white. Mix in some beige paint. It looks softer and won't show dirt as easily."

Zhou Yimin continued, "The furniture arrangement in the house also needs to be planned to leave as much space as possible for activities, since there are children, it's both safe and convenient. The bookshelf can be built-in, it doesn't take up much space and can hold a lot of things."

Li Chongguang nodded repeatedly as he listened, occasionally offering his own suggestions: "Could we put a small desk in the child's room? Also, I'd like to make the stove in the kitchen a little lower so it's easier for my wife to cook."

Zhou Yimin and Master Gu exchanged a glance and both smiled.

Master Gu picked up a pencil and made some revisions to the sketch: "No problem, all of this can be arranged. The desk will be placed next to the window, where the light will be good."

The three of them sat around the sketch, discussing it amongst themselves. Li Chongguang was very happy as he looked at the constantly improving plan. At the current pace, the design could be completed today, and the renovation could begin tomorrow.

(End of this chapter)