The Life of a Son-in-Law in a Courtyard House

Seeing that Master Li was having difficulties, Yang Dalin pressed him for an answer: "What is it, Master Li? You can tell me what's wrong."

Master Li said, "It is a bit difficult. It is easy to build a bathroom, but how to heat the water is a problem. It is easier in summer, but what about in winter?"

"You can't heat up buckets of water on a stove, carry them inside, and then take a bath, can you?"

Yang Dalin knew that there were no household solar water heaters or electric water heaters available at the moment.

Since we've already considered the issue of hot water for showering, we can also solve the problem of heating the house at the same time.

Yang Dalin said, "Master Li, can we use the kind of hot water boiler that burns firewood and coal used in bathhouses?"

Then, they installed underfloor heating pipes throughout the house.

The pipes should be made of copper.

This way, we'll have hot water for heating, bathing, and washing up in winter.

Master Li was surprised by Yang Dalin's generosity; these copper pipes were worth a lot of money at the time.

Most organizations can't afford it.

Not to mention that we have to burn coal and firewood every day in winter, which costs a lot of money.

However, the higher-ups instructed that all of Yang Dalin's reasonable requests should be met.

He was also surprised that Yang Dalin had the ability to obtain these things.

Master Li said directly, "If we had these, it would be very simple."

We will lay the underfloor heating pipes, guaranteeing that there won't be any problems for decades.

"Okay, Master Li, please mention this to your superiors later. If they can't provide these materials, I'll find a way to do so."

"Okay, if you have any other requests, Dalinzi, just say so."

Yang Dalin added, "There's no rush to build the main structure of the house. Within three years, we only need to complete the central courtyard and the front yard. The rear house, the back yard, and the rear building don't need to be built for the time being."

However, make sure to reserve the space beforehand.

I'll build it again in the future.

There aren't that many people in my family right now, and we can't accommodate them all, so let's talk about it in a few years.

The garden in the west courtyard and the livestock shed in the east courtyard need to be converted into a vegetable garden and an orchard, respectively. We need your help to get them done as soon as possible.

In the spring, I will plant some vegetables there.

Oh, and I also need help drilling two hand pump wells.

We need to build a larger cellar so that we can store some vegetables and fruits there.

They also built a few chicken coops and a doghouse.

Another option is to plant some fruit trees that are suitable for northern climates in the empty spaces outside the middle and front yards.

Of course, you should reserve space for building a house in the future, so that fruit trees don't take up the space and cause trouble later.

Please help me handle these matters.

It would be best to transplant some large trees.

I can pay for these.

Is this alright with you?

"These are all fine."

"Oh, right, Mr. Li, we also need to reserve a place behind the east courtyard where we can open a back door."

"There's no need to plant too big trees there, it might be inconvenient later."

"Okay, no problem."

Yang Dalin plans to build several garages at the location of this back door so that he can easily drive his car in.

Having said that, Yang Dalin had no further questions for the time being.

He said, "Master Li, please report these requests to your superiors as soon as possible. My principle is that I can provide all these materials without any problem."

Don't bother with the above.

The higher-ups have agreed; let me know when you get back to them.

Also, please give me a list of the materials needed for these projects.

I'll try to gather some as quickly as possible. If I can't gather enough right away, I can bring some in ahead of time so you can start working."

"Okay, Dalinzi, I'll try to get back to you tomorrow."

I've received confirmation. How can I contact you?

"I'll come find you again tomorrow after get off work, Mr. Li."

There's no need for you to go.

"That's fine too."

After discussing it with Master Li, Yang Dalin left.

He returned to the freight station, borrowed a phone from Qi Desheng, and called his minister.

After telling the minister his thoughts, Minister Teng pressed him to ask if he had any problems. Yang Dalin said he had no problems and that he could solve them himself. Besides, he wasn't going to build the entire courtyard all at once; he would just build the middle and front courtyards first.

Minister Teng was also very satisfied with Yang Dalin's attitude of not liking to take advantage of the country.

He said he would explain things later.

Let him mention any further difficulties he may encounter.

Why go directly to Minister Teng? Because Yang Dalin knew that even if Master Li reported it, the news would eventually reach the State Administration of Government Offices, and the State Administration of Government Offices would still consult its own minister.

Their own minister agreed, and the State Administration of Government Offices was more than happy to agree, as their department was also extremely poor.

Yang Dalin told Minister Teng, and Minister Teng will definitely communicate well with the State Administration of Government Offices.

Master Li will definitely agree to let him supply the materials.

After Yang Dalin finished his phone call, Qi Desheng asked curiously, "When did you get another big courtyard?"

I had no idea. Judging from your tone, it's still a ruin that needs to be completely rebuilt.

Yang Dalin told Qi Desheng: "The place where I secretly rewarded Brother Sheng last time was indeed a ruin. It was a large area, but there were only a few intact houses left; most of them had collapsed."

That's why I didn't tell you.

Moreover, the construction team has too much work on their hands, so it might take them several years to finish fixing my house.

"Once it's fixed, I'll invite you and Brother Tian's family over."

"Oh, okay, I knew it. Do we need more money?"

"No need, Brother Sheng, this time it was originally supposed to be all covered by the higher-ups."

However, I didn't want to keep taking advantage of others, so I thought I would just dismantle the city wall bricks to get the main bricks I needed.

I will provide the other materials little by little, and I don't need to pay the workers' wages.

I don't need to repair the whole thing at once; I'll just repair a portion of the house.

So the cost wasn't as high as I had imagined.

I don't need to borrow money from you anymore.

I'll take my time.

If it's really not enough, I'll ask.

"Alright, it's good that you've thought it through."

"If you have any difficulties, just let me know. I can help you get some timber, cement, sand, and the like. Do you need my help?"

"It's okay, Brother Sheng, I know people who can get these."

I've already had a friend in Northeast China bring the timber over. We won't use much cement; the main goal is to restore it to its original state. I also got a lot of sand from the river through a friend, so we don't need to buy any.

"Wow, that's impressive, you even have friends in Northeast China now."

"We met when we were doing long-haul runs, Brother Sheng. I've gotten some game for him, so getting some timber from him is a piece of cake."

"Okay, you're good. You planned this a long time ago. It's good to be prepared."

"By the way, Sheng-ge, there are two more courtyards over there. I've asked someone to turn the west courtyard into a vegetable garden."

I reckon we won't be able to eat all the vegetables we plant this year.

You can ask my sister-in-law Xuemei and sister-in-law Meimei to go with my sister Yan to pick vegetables to eat.

The east courtyard has fruit trees; when they bear fruit, I'll bring some for you to try.

Upon hearing this, Qi Desheng patted Yang Dalin on the shoulder and said, "Okay, that's a good idea. You're a good kid."

Yang Dalin pretended to be hit and felt pain, then grinned and said, "By the way, Sheng-ge, keep this a secret, okay? Don't let anyone get jealous."

"Don't worry, I definitely know more about this than you do."

Okay, that's all. You can go home now.