Guanjian National Park is usually a popular gathering place, but recently, with Shi Zhen here collecting and distributing sweaters, even more people have gathered here.

Moreover, the women who embroider sweaters here are willing to spend money on snacks because they have income.

The man who sold maltose came on a bicycle, sold a lot of maltose here, and left satisfied.

Shi Xingchao squinted as he ate the malt candy: "It's so sweet... There are so many delicious things outside!"

Shi Zhen advised him, "You're not short of money, just buy whatever you want to eat in the future." Considering that Shi Xingchao had just arrived, he gave Shi Xingchao a month's salary in advance, and Shi Xingchao really didn't need those few cents.

"No need, no need. Actually, it's fine if I don't eat," Shi Xingchao quickly said. "I've been eating meat every day since I came here, I've had enough! Sigh, you really spend money!"

Shi Zhen stopped talking to him about it. Since Shi Xingchao came to his side, he hadn't spent a single penny... Let him do whatever he wants!

Since the construction of Mr. Wang's house wouldn't begin for a while, Shi Zhen drew up a few more blueprints and refined the numbers and other details so that Mr. Wang could choose one later.

This house was like a show home to him, so he valued it highly.

With that in mind, Shi Zhen took a shower and went to town to sell cold drinks.

The weather has gotten a bit cooler recently, and with other people selling cold drinks, his business isn't as good as before. But he can still earn ten or twenty yuan a night, and he can sell some more in the village during the day. This income alone is equivalent to a person's salary.

The key is that selling this doesn't require much preparation, saving manpower.

With no customers, Shi Zhen sat down to rest. Just then, a slightly short and chubby young man came over and said, "Give me a glass of iced cola."

Shi Zhen looked at the man and realized that he was the man who had come to point at him because of Zhao Dongjuan.

He made him an iced cola and said, "Five cents."

Zhong Liyang took out fifty cents and gave it to Shi Zhen, then said apologetically, "I'm sorry."

"Hmm?" Shi Zhen was a little puzzled.

Zhong Liyang said, "Dongjuan... Zhao Dongjuan came to me before and asked me why I was ignoring her. I didn't know what to say, and as she kept asking me... I ended up telling her about me going to see you... I'm sorry."

Zhao Dongjuan used to be very gentle and pitiful in front of him. When he first said that they should not see each other again, Zhao Dongjuan just cried. Later, when she saw that he was determined not to date her, she started to be aggressive. He was startled and confessed to Shi Zhen.

Zhao Dongjuan will probably cause trouble for Shi Zhen.

"It's nothing," Shi Zhen said. Zhao Dongjuan was just saying a few words; she couldn't get anything out of him now.

"It's good that you're alright... cough cough." Zhong Liyang said, "She inquired about you and your cousin before, I don't know what she's up to... be careful."

"Hmm." Shi Zhen's eyes flickered.

However, considering that Guan Baiyu is now a student at No. 1 Middle School and wouldn't get involved with him, he felt relieved that he didn't need to be afraid of Zhao Dongjuan.

Zhong Liyang left, feeling somewhat embarrassed.

Shi Zhen put the matter aside for now. If he was right, Zhao Dongjuan was probably looking for her next boyfriend and wouldn't bother him.

In his past life, he was rich, which is why Zhao Dongjuan kept an eye on him and tried to take advantage of him. But in this life, it's still too early for him to bring his family out of the country. At this stage... although he has some money, it's nothing compared to the locals.

Compared to squeezing money out of him, it would definitely be more cost-effective for Zhao Dongjuan to find a local man with a house and money.

Putting everything else aside, just look at Zhong Liyang from earlier. His clothes and shoes alone cost hundreds of dollars, so his family is probably very wealthy.

Shi Zhen's life was peaceful.

Aside from being stingy, Shi Xingchao is a pretty good person in other ways. He's at least cleaner and more diligent than Shi Xinghuo.

Recently, he has been washing Shi Zhen and Shi Xinghuo's clothes.

As for the reason... Shi Xinghuo thought that Shi Xingchao was really broke, and seeing his younger brother's pitiful state, he would occasionally buy him some snacks.

Shi Xingchao didn't ask for much; he would share a sausage with Shi Xinghuo, and then he would wash Shi Xinghuo's clothes.

Shi Xinghuo didn't know that Shi Xingchao was washing his clothes to repay the kindness of sharing snacks. He thought that Shi Xingchao was a close brother to him and that he even slept next to Shi Xingchao.

Shi Xingchao: "..." He didn't want to get too close to his brother, who snores while sleeping!

Before we knew it, it was time for another prayer.

Guan Baiyu returned by bus this time. Shi Zhen picked him up at the station on a tricycle and then took him home. Along the way, he asked him some questions about his studies.

Guan Baiyu sat in the back of the car, looking at Shi Zhen's back as he spoke slowly.

Shi Zhen didn't sense anything was wrong at first, but then he suddenly realized something: "Your voice..."

Guan Baiyu shut his mouth and stopped talking.

His voice has changed; it's much hoarse now and not nearly as pleasant as it used to be.

Shi Zhen couldn't see Guan Baiyu's expression, but he could guess it, and he smiled happily: "It's okay, all men are like this, you'll be fine soon."

Guan Baiyu was still a little depressed.

He knew that a man's voice would change as he got older, but he didn't want Shi Zhen to hear it.

He's a little worried now... Will his voice get worse and worse?

Guan Baiyu kept talking, and Shi Zhen said again, "Xiaoyu, don't worry, no matter what your voice sounds like, it's the most beautiful to me."

Guan Baiyu was taken aback.

Shi Zhen was no different from the men he encountered in his daily life.

They're not good at sweet talk, no, they never say it at all.

Compared to others, Shi Zhen was already considered good. He would chat with him and encourage him. From the beginning of their acquaintance, Shi Zhen always said that he was smart.

But this sentence doesn't sound quite like those encouraging words.

Hearing this, he felt a little embarrassed and hot-faced, but also quite pleased.

To his brother, he was the "best"?

Guan Baiyu returned home happily. After arriving home, he took out two chocolates and gave them to Shi Zhen: "Brother, these are liqueur-filled chocolates. Liang Qinxuan gave them to me. Try them."

"Have you eaten it?" Shi Zhen asked.

"I've already eaten them." Guan Baiyu smiled, though he hadn't actually eaten any. Liang Qinxuan had given them to him casually; there were only two in total, and he had taken them both home.

"Do you like it? If you do, keep it and eat it." Shi Zhen didn't take it.

These little trinkets were optional for him, but Guan Baiyu seemed to treasure these two candies.

Guan Baiyu thought for a moment, then gave Shi Zhen one: "Brother, let's each have one... Would you like to try one?"

The way Guan Baiyu said it sounded a bit like she was being coquettish; in her past life, Guan Baiyu would occasionally act coquettishly towards him.

But Guan Baiyu's voice right now...

Shi Zhen laughed again and peeled a piece of chocolate to eat.

Guan Baiyu also peeled one, licked it first, and then bit it open...

The wine inside wasn't very good, but the chocolate on the outside was delicious!

Shi Zhen ate the chocolate and then asked about Liang Qinxuan.

It's been about half a month since we last saw each other, and the saying "absence makes the heart grow fonder" is actually not true!

In short, Shi Zhen gave Guan Baiyu a sense of intimacy today. Guan Baiyu asked, "Brother, why do you always ask about others? Why are you so concerned about Liang Qinxuan?"

Shi Zhen paused for a moment before saying, "I think you should make more friends. I think he would be a good friend."

Liang Qinxuan is quite loyal and still very lively. Guan Baiyu feels at ease being friends with him.

So that's how it is. He was wondering why his brother, who was perfectly fine, was so concerned about someone he'd barely met!

Guan Baiyu thought for a moment and then told him what Liang Qinxuan had encountered.

Shi Zhen frowned.

He knew about Chen Shaojin in his past life. When Liang Qinxuan first went against his father, he said that he was determined to make something of himself and be better than Chen Shaojin.

However, Shi Zhen had never met Chen Shaojin. It seemed that this person had always stayed outside and had never returned to Changxi City.

Liang Qinxuan's stepmother later had a pretty miserable life. After Liang Qinxuan's father went bankrupt and died, she initially had some money, but later someone swindled all of her money.

At that time, Liang Qinxuan hadn't even had a chance to do anything, and in the end, all that could be said was that evil has its retribution.

Now it seems that Chen Shaojin and her son are no pushovers. Liang Qinxuan's failure to finish high school in his previous life was probably their doing.

Liang Qinxuan being kicked out of his home must also be related to them.

With their methods, Liang Qinxuan might have been involved in a gang fight in his previous life, and his grades would have suffered due to a major change in his family... Liang Qinxuan's father would definitely have become more and more disappointed in his son.

Wait a minute, Shi Zhen suddenly remembered something.

In his previous life, Liang Qinxuan did not have any half-siblings.

But now, Liang Qinxuan's stepmother is seven or eight months pregnant.

Did something happen to that child?

Shi Zhen thought for a moment and reminded her, "Xiao Yu, tell Liang Qinxuan to be more careful. His stepmother is already in her forties, and the baby in her belly is very likely to have problems."

“I already reminded him,” Guan Baiyu said immediately.

"Xiaoyu is really smart," Shi Zhen said.

Shi Zhen hadn't seen Guan Baiyu for half a month, and he was especially excited.

He didn't know what to say... After looking at Guan Baiyu for a while, he said, "I'll go buy a duck and stew it for you tonight."

"Brother, I'll just eat whatever I want. I eat really well at school," Guan Baiyu told Shi Zhen, explaining what he usually ate.

Liang Qinxuan is a picky eater and likes to have a lot of dishes. Every time he goes to the cafeteria, he buys all the meat dishes. The meat dishes at No. 1 High School are served with vegetables underneath, so the portions are very large.

One bowl of vegetables is usually enough for a boy, but he bought several portions, which he couldn't possibly finish. He also didn't eat the vegetables underneath... which benefited Guan Baiyu.

Guan Baiyu usually eats lunch with Liang Qinxuan, but he packs up the leftovers so that he only needs to buy food for dinner.

"It wasn't made just for you. There are a lot of people in my family, so I need to cook more food anyway," Shi Zhen said.

Shi Zhen said he didn't stew it for Guan Baiyu, but after it was finished, he left the duck liver, gizzard, heart, and two duck legs for Guan Baiyu to eat slowly.

Guan Baiyu was a little embarrassed, but Shi Xingchao and the others didn't seem to notice.

Shi Xinghuo is fine as long as he has meat to eat, but Shi Xingchao... he's already extremely satisfied with his current meals.

Shi Zhen is so generous!

His younger brother is such a good person!

With Guan Baiyu at home, Shi Zhen didn't go out to drive the tractor to earn money. On the one hand, he wanted to spend some time with Guan Baiyu, and on the other hand, he didn't want Guan Baiyu to see him covered in dirt.

Guan Baiyu stayed at home for two days before returning to school.

This is the last week of September. Normally, there would be a short weekend afterward, but because it coincides with National Day, Guan Baiyu can go home.

After that, the cycle of small prayers and large prayers continued.

Before the National Day holiday even started, Mr. Wang planned to start work.

More than 20 years later, in rural areas of J City, it is extremely difficult to get approval for a homestead, but during this period, homesteads were particularly easy to obtain!

Instead of demolishing his old house, Mr. Wang acquired a plot of land in front of his old house to build a new one.

Shi Zhen talked to him again and figured out his requirements, which was that the house should be built three stories high and must be built in a very grand manner!

This was no problem for Shi Zhen at all; he had built plenty of impressive houses in his past life!

Mr. Wang has already hired a lot of workers. In order to build faster, he has hired four bricklayers alone. One of them, a master craftsman surnamed Zhang, brought two apprentices with him when he came.

Mr. Wang paid his two apprentices the wages of laborers and let them work as errand boys with their master. In addition, he also asked the neighbors to help out.

The group first met on the newly approved residential land plot by President Wang.

Mr. Wang introduced Shi Zhen to the bricklayers and said, "This house will be built according to his plan. You will all listen to him."

These bricklayers are all very experienced locals; many houses in the area were planned and built by them.

They were all a little resentful when they heard that Shi Zhen was going to make the decision about building the house.

Shi Zhen knew he was young and it wouldn't be easy to win people over, but he wasn't intimidated and started talking to them about how to build the house.

"What are you talking about! Who builds houses like this! That's not right!" Master Zhang, who brought his apprentice, frowned, very dissatisfied.

Shi Zhen asked helplessly, "What's wrong?"

"I've never seen anyone build a house like this before!"

"People in big cities build like this."

"What do you know at your age?" Master Zhang looked down on Shi Zhen.

Shi Zhen didn't mince words: "At my age, I'm more open to new things than you are. If Mr. Wang wants a house like everyone else's, he already has one, so why would he need to build a new one?"

Shi Zhen took a tough stance, which pleased General Manager Wang, who chimed in, "Yes, I just want to build a different kind of house."

"How can a house like this, with its weird shape, look good when it's built?" the foreman muttered unhappily. Noticing that Mr. Wang was a little unhappy, he quickly added, "For your sake, Mr. Wang, I won't say anything, but you should be careful, Mr. Wang, don't be fooled by him."

Mr. Wang smiled and smoothed things over, allowing the house construction to proceed smoothly.

There are several ways to build a house, but when it comes to self-built houses in the countryside, there are only two methods that people know how to use.

One method involves building houses with bricks and then using precast slabs.

Another type is called "cast-in-place". To build a cast-in-place house, a formwork with steel bars already tied inside is erected, and then concrete is poured into it on site to create the walls and floors.

As you can tell from the description, the house built using the second method is more sturdy.

However, even twenty years later, the second method will not be widely used in rural areas.

People usually only pour a few columns, foundations and floor slabs in place, and most of the walls are still built with bricks.

All in-situ casting would be too costly and unnecessary.

Of course, the wealthy are a different story. They not only build cast-in-place houses, but also install elevators in their self-built houses, and even spend millions to buy potted plants at the entrance.

Shi Zhen loves these wealthy guests the most.

In short, ordinary brick walls are sturdy enough for building two or three stories. As long as you don't demolish the walls or add anything on top after the building is completed, there won't be any problems.

After all, there's a thick brick wall there from the bottom up!

According to building standards, only high-rise buildings are required to be cast in place. In his previous life, Shi Zhen helped people build five or six-story resettlement houses, which were all cast in place.

In rural areas, the first step in building a house is to dig the foundation.

In the past, wealthy families would dig very deep foundations when building brick and tile houses. Sometimes, when praising someone else's house, people would say that their foundation was very deep.

Back in the 1980s, bricks were expensive and everyone was poor. Many people would pick up any broken bricks or stones they found while out and about and use them to build foundations.

Of course, Mr. Wang is rich, so there's no need for him to use broken bricks.

The site chosen by Mr. Wang for building the house was dry land, so the foundation shouldn't have been too deep. However, since he was rich, he deliberately had it dug a little deeper.

Before digging the foundation, all the measurements were done by Shi Zhen according to the floor plan he provided.

When digging the foundation, you don't need to be too careful. Just dig a big and deep trench. When you're finally laying the foundation, you can take measurements and make sure there are no mistakes.

And so, Mr. Wang's house was built.