Sha Zhu's Rebirth in the Courtyard: Starting with Hitting Someone in the Head

Chapter 13 Buying the Courtyard

The villagers searched all night, but they couldn't find a trace of Liu Guangqi. Yan Bugui followed him for half the journey but then turned back, saying he had children at home.

Liu Haizhong eventually went to the police station. The officer on duty took notes and said he would help look for him, and told him to go home and wait for news.

Wang Caifeng cried all the way home, and her legs went weak when she got home. She sat at the door and refused to go inside, saying that she could hear Guangqi knocking on the door when he came home that night.

He Yuzhu slept soundly until dawn.

I got up, washed my face, and went out for breakfast. I was in a good mood today, so I ordered fried dough sticks, soy milk, and two steamed buns. After eating, I paid the bill and left.

He rode his bicycle toward the military control commission.

The military control commission building was still the same gray building, but the guard at the entrance had changed. He Yuzhu parked his bicycle at the entrance, went inside, and found the same office as before. The same cadre was still sitting inside, and when he heard that he wanted to buy the east wing, he paused for a moment.

"The east courtyard? That's all ruins. What do you need that for?"

"Build a house. The house I live in now belongs to my dad. I'll get married and have children eventually. My dad gave me some money. The childless man in the neighborhood sold the job my dad left behind and gave me 800 yuan in compensation. Now that I have money, I'll build the house first, so I won't spend it recklessly when I'm young. I also need to open a big gate in the wall facing the street for easy access."

The official smiled and said, "Looks like your dad gave you a lot of money, and you're quite sensible. A peaceful and prosperous life comes first; you did the right thing. Where's your sister?"

"She stayed with my dad in Baoding. I'm just a kid, I can't take good care of her."

The official nodded, opened the file, and said that the east wing was just an empty courtyard. It was over 500 square meters, and opening a main gate there was also an option.

"How much?"

The official calculated that it was over 500 square meters, and the land price in the ruins was cheap, only 800 yuan.

He Yuzhu took out eight hundred yuan and placed it on the table. The cadre counted it, issued a receipt, and wrote an approval document, granting him permission to open a gate on the wall facing the street.

He Yuzhu signed and sealed the document, putting the land deed and approval documents into his pocket. The cadre then asked him if he wanted a construction team found for him. He said he would find Yangshi Lei, and the cadre didn't ask any further questions.

After completing the formalities, He Yuzhu asked about the old deaf man.

"Where is she locked up? Can I see her?"

The cadre glanced at him and said, "Why are you looking at such an old feudal thing?"

"She caused trouble in the courtyard before, so I reported it to the police. This old feudal woman knows Officer Wang here, so I have to see for myself whether she handled it properly. This person has a very problematic work attitude."

He Yuzhu carefully explained to the cadres how Officer Wang had handled the matter that day.

The officer listened with a serious expression, summoned the young soldier from that day, questioned him, and recorded everything. He assured He Yuzhu that Officer Wang would be punished.

He Yuzhu happily shook hands in gratitude and followed the soldier to see the old deaf man.

The old deaf man was locked in a small room in the backyard of the military control committee. He Yuzhu went in and found the old woman sitting on a small stool with several newspapers and a booklet spread out in front of her. There were still marks on her face from the beating she had received a couple of days ago. The wound on the corner of her mouth hadn't fully healed; the swelling had mostly subsided, but it was still covered in bruises.

A young soldier stood beside her, his back ramrod straight, his face serious. The old deaf man was reading the newspaper, his words slurred and halting.

When the soldier heard that she had misread it, he asked her to read it again. Like a primary school student, she didn't dare to lift her head.

He Yuzhu stood at the window and watched for a while. The old deaf man was reading current affairs and policies, things like "suppressing counter-revolutionaries" and "land reform," all articles from the newspaper.

After she finished reading, the soldier made her memorize the contents of the booklet; if she couldn't memorize it, she had to copy it.

He Yuzhu felt extremely relieved. In his past life, this old deaf man used to boss people around in the yard, displaying his ancestral genealogy. Now, he's like a grandson, not daring to even breathe loudly.

"Grandma, how's it going?" He Yuzhu asked.

The old deaf man looked up and saw it was him. His expression changed, his lips trembled, and he didn't dare to say anything. The soldier glanced at He Yuzhu and wisely refrained from asking.

With a cheerful mood, He Yuzhu left the Military Control Commission and rode his bicycle to find Yangshi Lei.

The Lei family of Yangshi were descendants of the Lei family, whose ancestors had served as imperial architects for the Qing Dynasty for generations. (This was also in response to reader requests to find information about the Lei family of Yangshi.)

After the Republic of China was established, the family fortunes declined, but their skills remained. Prominent families in Beijing still sought them out for building houses.

He Yuzhu found the Lei family's house by following the address; it was located in an alley in the eastern part of the city.

Master Lei is in his fifties, tall and thin.

He Yuzhu explained his purpose and took out the blueprints. Master Lei took them and looked at them for a while, then frowned. After looking at them for a while longer, his brows relaxed, and he let out a soft "Eh."

"Did you draw these blueprints?"

"Um."

"Your design is quite interesting. The three south-facing rooms are separated, as are the outer and inner courtyards, effectively dividing the living and sleeping areas. And where did you learn that three-section septic tank?"

He Yuzhu said he figured it out himself.

Master Lei didn't ask any more questions. He put away the blueprints and said he needed to go to the site to take measurements before he could calculate the price. The two of them got on their bikes and rode back to the east courtyard together.

The front courtyard of No. 95 is actually two courtyards, with the rear building considered as one courtyard, and the hanging flower gate is located here. The Yan Bugui family's house was actually a two-courtyard house, but later the first and second courtyards were collectively referred to as the front courtyard.

The front courtyard is the largest and has the most residents in the entire courtyard, which shows that Yan Bugui is the most useless. If he could manage the front courtyard well, how could Yi Juehu have gotten the chance to control the entire courtyard?

To the east of the passageway connecting the front yard and the middle yard, there is a moon gate for entering and exiting the east wing.

Inside was a ruin, with weeds growing waist-high and broken bricks and tiles piled up everywhere. The wall was still there, with grass growing in the cracks between the blue bricks, and some places were cracked, but it was still generally sturdy.

Master Lei took out a tape measure from his bag and began to measure. He Yuzhu followed behind him, pointing out each item on the drawing to him.

There are three main rooms, three east and three west wing rooms, and three south-facing rooms. A wall and a moon gate were added next to the south-facing rooms to simply separate the outer and inner courtyards.

A large gate was built in the outer courtyard wall facing the street, large enough for a three-wheeled motorcycle to enter. A toilet with a separate wet and dry area was built next to the main house in the inner courtyard, along with a large bathtub. A three-section septic tank was dug in the courtyard, clearly drawn on the blueprints.

Master Lei spent over an hour measuring, stretching the tape measure again and again, and writing down dense data in his notebook. After he finished measuring, he stood there, lit a cigarette, and calculated for a long time.

"This is quite a job. There are three main rooms, three rooms each in the east and west wings, and three rooms in the south wing, making a total of twelve rooms. You also need to build a toilet, a bathtub, a septic tank, an outer gate, a wall, trees and flowers, and lay water pipes and run separate electrical wires. The total cost for materials and labor is two thousand four hundred yuan. Lunch is included; if it's not provided, you'll have to pay extra."

He Yuzhu nodded; the price was within his expectations.

"Can you help me buy Ming-style furniture? I need good quality materials, like rosewood or huanghuali. I need one set for the main room, and simpler sets for the other rooms."

Master Lei thought for a moment, "You can buy it. I know a few people who collect antique furniture, I'll keep an eye out for you. It'll probably cost around eight or nine hundred yuan."

"Okay. You can include it in the calculation."

He Yuzhu took out eight small yellow croakers from his pocket as a deposit. Each small yellow croaker could be exchanged for about one hundred yuan in cash, and the black market price was double that.

Master Lei paused for a moment when he saw the gold bar, then took it and weighed it in his hand without asking any questions. He wrote a note, and the two of them pressed their fingerprints on it.

"I've set the start date and will let you know. First, we need to open the main gate here, find someone to clear the rubble, and seal the moon gate to prevent people from entering and leaving the yard. Then we'll bring the materials over."

He Yuzhu was very satisfied with this arrangement; as expected of Yangshi Lei, his consideration was very thorough.

"Okay. You arrange it, I'll just pay."

After saying that, he offered him a cigarette, and the two of them lit it with smiles.

Master Lei carefully put away the receipt, looked at the blueprints again, and pointed to the septic tank section.

"Boss, I understand the principle behind your three-stage septic tank. Will it be suitable for building houses for other people?"

"Use it. It's yours."

Master Lei was generous, "Then I'll give you a ceramic squat toilet set; they're hard to find on the market. We're even."

The two agreed, and Master Lei rode off on his bicycle.

He Yuzhu stood on the ruins, looking at the land. In his previous life, he had lived in this courtyard for decades without even a toilet.

He turned and walked out, his mind preoccupied with the graduation banquet. Tomorrow was the big day, and the menu wasn't finalized yet; he'd have to think about it some more when he got back. His master was hosting this banquet for him, and everyone attending would be a colleague; he couldn't afford to embarrass himself.