I painted an aircraft carrier on the courtyard house for Dongda University.

Master Li's expression turned serious: "Master, this is incredible! In the past, that would have been the title of top scholar!" After praising him, his eyes were full of admiration.

"Master, since that's the case, I'll be frank. I'm practically a part-time craftsman of the Lei family's workshops, having apprenticed under the venerable Lei Jingyong. I have some skills, and I have a group of brothers working under me. Rest assured, I'll handle this big job for you perfectly."

Zhou Weiguo was overjoyed to learn that Master Li was a descendant of the Yangshi Lei family and repeatedly expressed his pleasure at meeting him. Master Li smiled modestly and said, "With these blueprints, things will be much easier for me. However, there are still some details I need to confirm with you, such as the materials, door and window dimensions, and wall thickness."

Zhou Weiguo slapped his forehead, led Master Li to a corner of the yard, pointed to two bricks and some pieces of wood, and said, "Master Li, could you please take a look and see if these bricks are usable? And what kind of material is this wood?"

These timbers and stones were acquired from the garden last time, and Zhou Weiguo didn't recognize them, so he asked Master Li to take a look. After all, Master Li was a disciple of the Yangshi Lei family and should be knowledgeable in the field.

Master Li first walked curiously to the stone, then his whole body trembled, and he looked at Zhou Weiguo with a look of shock, excitedly touching the two stones: "This...this is actually Linqing tribute brick and imperial gold brick? How could the boss get his hands on such treasures?"

Zhou Weiguo was bewildered by Master Li's reaction and curiously leaned closer: "Master Li, are these bricks very rare?"

Master Li swallowed hard, his voice trembling, "Master, you don't know, these Linqing tribute bricks and imperial gold bricks were specially made for the imperial palace in ancient times! They are hard and exquisitely crafted. I haven't seen these things in so long, so I'm a little surprised. Please don't take offense." After saying that, he carefully put the bricks back in their original positions, as if they were rare treasures.

After calming down, Master Li wiped the fine sweat from his forehead, picked up a few smoothly cut pieces of wood next to him, and examined them. His expression became increasingly strange and agitated.

Holding the five pieces of wood, he muttered to himself, "Golden Phoebe zhennan, Hainan rosewood, small-leaf sandalwood?"

Then, Master Li turned around excitedly and said, "Master, these are all fine timbers! Three pieces of golden nanmu, one piece of Hainan rosewood, and one piece of small-leaf sandalwood. Moreover, in my experience, these pieces of wood have all undergone special anti-corrosion and anti-insect treatments. These are top-quality materials that are extremely rare. It's just a pity that nowadays, I doubt many people would value these treasures!"

Then, Master Li lowered his voice a little: "Boss, these are all good stuff, but the quantity is too small."

Zhou Weiguo had a general idea of ​​what was going on, and asked directly, "Master Li, will there be any problems if we use these things to build a house?"

Master Li was startled and looked at Zhou Weiguo carefully: "Master, nobody values ​​these things now. They can still be used, but it's a waste. These things were originally intended for that place." As he spoke, he pointed in the direction of the Forbidden City.

Zhou Weiguo understood the general situation, but worried that Master Li would spread it, so he asked directly, "Do you have any connections to get me some old furniture?"

Master Li's eyes lit up, and he quickly nodded: "I do have a way! But when the client mentions antique furniture, does he mean just old age, or good quality materials?"

Zhou Weiguo smiled and said, "I want everything good. Look at these blueprints. This courtyard in the middle is for me. I don't know how much furniture and items I'll need, so Mr. Li, do you have any connections? Also, I plan to have the toilet, bathroom, and kitchen properly furnished, with water supply, drainage, and electrical wiring all in place. Ideally, the bedroom bathroom should have a flush toilet. In short, I have high requirements for this house; it needs to be not only beautiful and practical but also durable. The two small courtyards will be rented out, so arrange the materials as usual. I'll figure out a way to get the stone and wood for my small courtyard."

Master Li's eyes lit up, and he said excitedly, "Master, do you really have so many gold bricks and timber? You know, the roof beams of your little courtyard alone require several ten-meter-long logs."

Zhou Weiguo looked at Master Li with a half-smile: "Master Li, I never said I had that many good materials."

Master Li was a smart man. Seeing Zhou Weiguo's attitude, he understood his concerns and immediately patted his chest, assuring him, "Don't worry, boss! In our line of work, we only do the work, we don't talk! We'll keep these material matters to ourselves. Just give me the job, I guarantee I'll do a great job!"

Seeing that Zhou Weiguo remained silent, Master Li thought about how his dozen or so brothers hadn't had any work for a month, and if things continued like this, they would be eating dirt.

He gritted his teeth: "Boss, how about this, when we sign the contract, we'll sign it as a contract for the entire yard, including labor and materials? To be honest, because of my relationship with my master, my men aren't having an easy time. These days, it's really tough for us. I really want to take this job."

"Here's the deal: I'll help you find the old items. I have extensive connections in this area; I wouldn't say I know 80% of the old folks and remnants of Beijing, but I know at least half. You just need to provide the money, and I'll handle the rest. I guarantee the building materials won't be overpriced, and we'll get 20% off the labor costs. How does that sound?"

Zhou Weiguo actually thought it was a good deal as soon as he heard it was a "labor and materials included" contract, and Master Li was also a straightforward person. You see, once the contract for labor and materials is signed, the source of these bricks, stones and wood will no longer be his responsibility.

So, he decided to call it a day: "Alright! Since Master Li is so agreeable, I, Zhou Weiguo, can't be lenient either. We'll do it as you said, including both labor and materials. I'll settle the labor costs at the normal rate, and you don't need to give me a discount. But I have one request: you must ensure quality and quantity, and finish building the house as soon as possible."

Construction on the two smaller courtyards can be postponed; prioritize building mine. We'll source materials from the two gates of the east wing initially, and then seal the walls once they're nearly complete. I'll pay a partial deposit later, with subsequent payments based on construction progress. Let's sign the paperwork as soon as possible and start construction tomorrow, ideally with two or even three shifts. I'm looking forward to living in the beautiful house you built with your own hands!

Master Li was overjoyed: "Don't worry, boss, no problem! I'll arrange for the men to prepare overnight, and we'll try to get on site first thing tomorrow morning! After the documents are signed, I'll immediately go back to gather the manpower and prepare all the materials!"

Zhou Weiguo watched from the side, occasionally offering detailed requests. Master Li responded while quickly marking modifications on the blueprints, muttering, "Don't worry, boss, the door and window positions will be adjusted as you requested, and the drainage pipes will definitely be properly odor-proofed." As the two discussed, the future appearance of their new house gradually became clearer.

It wasn't until dark that the two finalized the deal and signed the paperwork. Since Zhou Weiguo provided most of the materials for their small courtyard, Mr. Li tentatively estimated the cost to be around 2000 yuan. Zhou Weiguo didn't hesitate and directly gave Mr. Li 1,000 yuan as a deposit, agreeing to refund any overpayment or make up any underpayment, before handing over the gate key to Mr. Li.