Chapter 654 Master Gu
Zhou Yimin didn't breathe a sigh of relief until the shadows of the truck team completely disappeared at the end of the road.
He leaned against the pillar of the factory gate, feeling that every bone in his body was screaming with fatigue.
From research and development to production and then to transportation, I have been working almost non-stop for the past half month, and my nerves have always been tense like a tight string. Now that I can finally relax for a while, the long-accumulated fatigue surges over me like a tide, and my eyelids feel heavy as if they were weighed down by lead blocks.
The setting sun stretched the shadows of the two people very long, and the factory broadcast suddenly rang the bell for the end of get off work.
Zhou Yimin rubbed his sore temples and turned to look at Li Chongguang beside him. The latter was staring at the sunset in the sky, and the bruises under his eyes were even more serious than his own.
Zhou Yimin suddenly spoke up, "I've been so busy lately, and I have some bacon I pickled a few days ago. If you don't mind, why don't you come over to my house and have a quick meal?"
Li Chongguang turned around, a hint of surprise flashed in his eyes, and then he smiled: "Then I won't be polite, it's a good opportunity to take a break."
Zhou Yimin was driving a motorcycle and Li Chongguang was riding a bicycle behind him. Since Zhou Yimin didn't drive very fast, Li Chongguang could still barely keep up.
But later on I was thinking, when will I be able to get a motorcycle to drive?
Soon the two arrived at a courtyard house and Zhou Yimin stopped the car.
Zhou Yimin's home is in a courtyard. When you push open the mottled wooden door, a faint fragrance of locust flowers hits you in the face.
Li Chongguang followed him in and suddenly stopped - the scene in the yard surprised him a little.
It was not as old and messy as I had imagined. The blue brick floor was swept clean. A small flower bed was surrounded by broken bricks in the corner, where roses and henna were planted, blooming beautifully.
You have to know that this kind of courtyard house is definitely inhabited by more than one family, and some people will place things around it for convenience.
Therefore, many courtyard houses appear very dirty and messy as soon as you enter them, and some large courtyard houses are even dirtier and messier.
"This yard is really well-kept." Li Chongguang couldn't help but admire it. He had been to many of his colleagues' homes, and most of them were cluttered with miscellaneous items. It was rare to find one as clean and tidy as this one.
Zhou Yimin smiled and scratched his head: "People in the courtyard are more concerned about cleanliness. It has nothing to do with me."
Li Chongguang followed him into the house, and there was no one else in the house.
The furnishings were simple but tidy. A blue and white checkered tablecloth covered the eight-immortals table. Several curled mechanical manuals were placed on the bookshelf against the wall. Next to it was a coarse pottery vase with two freshly picked locust flowers in it.
There is a copied landscape painting hanging on the wall. Although the brushwork is not exquisite, it reveals a sense of seriousness.
"I didn't expect that you live alone and keep the house so tidy." Li Chongguang looked around the furnishings in the house and said sincerely.
Moreover, the decoration style happened to be what he liked. His own house had been under renovation for a long time, causing the wall paint to fall off from time to time. He was thinking about whether to renovate it.
Zhou Yimin walked towards the kitchen: "It's just a mess. Please sit down first. I'll make something to eat. It will be ready soon."
The rustling sounds of washing rice and the clattering sounds of cutting vegetables came from the kitchen. Li Chongguang sat on a bench, looking at the locust leaves swaying in the wind outside the window and listening to the simple sounds in the house. He suddenly felt that this atmosphere was particularly reassuring.
After a while, Zhou Yimin came out with two dishes, one plate of fried bacon with green peppers, one plate of fried vegetables, and two bowls of steaming white rice.
"Just something simple to fill your stomach." He handed over the chopsticks.
"The bacon was brought from my hometown, and it tastes pretty good."
Li Chongguang picked up a piece of bacon with chopsticks and put it into his mouth. The aroma of the fat but not greasy meat spread on the tip of his tongue. He chewed it twice and his eyes fell on the copied landscape painting on the wall.
The picture frame is made of scraps and polished to be smooth and round, which matches the style of the wooden frame doors and windows in the house.
He put down his chopsticks, wiped the greasy spots from the corners 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 some green pepper smeared on the corner of his mouth. "Oh, you invited Master Gu."
He swallowed the food in his mouth, picked up the coarse porcelain teapot on the table and added some water to Li Chongguang. "Master Gu is a well-known craftsman in the area. He is not only good at carpentry, but also authentic bricklaying. He polished my door frames and window frames."
As he said that, he put a piece of green pepper into Li Chongguang's bowl and said, "Why, are you going to renovate your house too?"
Li Chongguang picked up the teacup and took a sip, his brows slightly relaxed.
His family's old house was simply renovated when they got married. Several pieces of wall paint had peeled off, and the window gaps were so large that the wind leaked in during the winter. He had wanted to renovate it for a long time, but he had never found a reliable craftsman.
After hearing what Zhou Yimin said, he immediately had an idea in his mind and nodded solemnly: "Well, the house at home really needs to be cleaned up. The child is grown up, and I want him to live more comfortably."
Zhou Yimin smiled. "Master Gu is perfect. He charges a fair price and works very carefully, though he's a little slow. But slow work always pays off. When I'm not busy in a couple of days, I'll take you to see him. It's a good opportunity for him to visit your home."
"Thank you so much." Li Chongguang showed a genuine smile on his face and picked up another piece of bacon.
"This bacon tastes really good. I'll ask my husband to learn how to pickle some later."
The two talked about Master Gu's craftsmanship again, from carpentry to bricklaying, and then talked about the equipment maintenance in the factory, as if the previous conversation about decoration was just a natural episode during the meal, but it brought them closer to each other.
The dusk outside the window gradually deepened, and the fragrance of locust flowers mixed with the aroma of food lingered in the small house for a long time.
Soon after eating and drinking his fill, Li Chongguang left.
I have to go to work tomorrow. If I go home too late, I won’t have enough rest time, which will affect my work state, which is not good.
For the next two days, Zhou Yimin had no time to spare.
The purchasing department's account books are piled on the table like a small mountain - special steel, circuit components, and packaging materials purchased for small dryers. Every item must be checked carefully, and inventory must be checked with the warehouse to ensure that there are no omissions or waste.
Originally, these tasks had nothing to do with Zhou Yimin, but for the sake of quality, they found a suitable person to take charge.
In the end, Zhou Yimin was elected without a doubt. Zhou Yimin had no good reason to refuse, so he had to agree.
He calculated with an abacus, stopping from time to time to take out the original documents for comparison. The sweat on his forehead slid down his nose, and he didn't bother to wipe it off.
In between, he also has to deal with the finishing work on the dryer.
It was not until the next afternoon, when the last report was signed and filed, that he breathed a sigh of relief and rubbed his sore shoulders.
As soon as the bell rang, Zhou Yimin grabbed his coat that was draped over the back of his chair and said, "Chief Li, let's go. I'm free today. I'll take you to see Master Gu."
Li Chongguang couldn't wait any longer and immediately put down the blueprint in his hand: "Great, I thought you were too busy these past two days to spare."
Zhou Yimin took Li Chongguang on a motorcycle through two alleys and stopped in front of a courtyard gate covered with morning glories.
Zhou Yimin raised his hand and knocked on the copper ring on the wooden door. "Master Gu, are you home?"
The 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 stuck his head out, holding an adze in his hand and with sawdust on his face.
Seeing that it was Zhou Yimin, his eyes lit up: "It's Xiao Zhou! What a rare guest."
"Master Gu, are you busy?" Zhou Yimin walked in with a smile.
"I'm bringing you a friend. This is Section Chief Li from our factory. He wants you to look at a house."
Master Gu placed his adze on the stone block behind the door and warmly invited them into the house: "Come in and sit down, come in and sit down."
There were piles of wood of different lengths in the yard, and the shavings in the corner were piled up like a small mountain. The air was filled with the faint fragrance of pine wood.
After entering the house, Zhou Yimin explained his purpose in detail: "Master Gu, Section Chief Li's family wants to renovate their old house. The walls need to be scraped and repainted, and the windows need new wooden frames. You are a good craftsman, so we thought of you first."
Upon hearing this, Master Gu's wrinkles brightened with a smile. He sat down on the edge of the kang, picked up his pipe, and filled the bowl with tobacco. "What a coincidence! I just finished the work for Doctor Zhang's house in the east alley a while ago, and I was worried about having no work to do. These days, construction is so intermittent, so I'm lucky to have any work at all."
He looked at Li Chongguang and asked, "Where is Section Chief Li's house? When I'm free, I'll go take a look."
Li Chongguang quickly said, "It's just over at Xisi Hutong, not far away. Would tomorrow morning be convenient for you? I'll be waiting for you at home."
"Convenient, convenient!" Master Gu took a deep puff of cigarette, and the smoke slowly floated out of his nostrils.
"I'll be there early tomorrow morning and show you everything clearly. I'll give you a plan on how to scrape the wall and what material to use for the wooden frame."
Zhou Yimin added, "Master Gu, Section Chief Li has children at home, so you should choose environmentally friendly materials, not ones that are too choking."
"Don't worry about that!" Master Gu patted his chest. "The paint I use is all bought from reputable shops. It will be odorless after drying for two days. I guarantee it won't affect people living here."
The three of them chatted for a while about the details, until the sky was just beginning to turn pale, and then Li Chongguang stood up to say goodbye. Master Gu walked him to the door, still muttering, "I'll bring a ruler with me tomorrow, and I'll make sure it's spotless."
On the way back, the evening breeze was chilly, but Li Chongguang felt warm in his heart: "Thanks to you, otherwise I don't know how long it would take me to find a reliable master."
Zhou Yimin said: "What's the big deal? We are all colleagues, and it's only natural for us to help each other."
The next morning, just after dawn, 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, "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 welcomed the person into the yard.
Master Gu didn't hesitate and put down his toolbox and started looking around.
He first stood in the middle of the yard and walked around, his eyes sweeping over the mottled walls, paint-chipped doors and windows, and some collapsed steps, and he hummed "hmm" from time to time.
Then he walked to the door, tapped the wall with his fingers, and pushed the creaking wooden door, frowning slightly. "The wall needs to be scraped off and re-putty. The wooden door frame has been a little warped by moisture and needs to be replaced. The steps also need to be re-poured with cement."
As he spoke, he pulled a small notebook and pencil from his tool bag, squatted on the ground, and sketched a simple plan. "I plan to start with the exterior walls. I'll use a light gray paint, which is stain-resistant and bright. The floor inside the house will be covered with terrazzo, which is easy to maintain."
Li Chongguang looked at the sketch and thought of the elegant and comfortable appearance of Zhou Yimin's house. He hesitated for a moment and said, "Master Gu, I wonder if we can follow the decoration style of Yimin's house? I think his house is very good. It looks fresh and comfortable."
Upon hearing this, Master Gu stopped writing and looked up at Li Chongguang: "The style of Yimin's house was designed by him personally."
"From the choice of wood to the color matching, he made all the decisions, and I just helped out. If you want to follow his example, you might have to ask him for his specific ideas yourself."
Li Chongguang was stunned for a moment. He really didn't expect that Zhou Yimin even knew about house decoration. He couldn't help but sigh in his heart, "He is so talented."
He nodded: "Then I'll ask Yimin to come over?"
Master Gu smiled and waved his hand: "Go ahead, go ahead. He knows the details of his family well. Having him around can save a lot of trouble."
Li Chongguang did not delay and rode his bicycle to Zhou Yimin's house.
Zhou Yimin had just finished washing up and was about to go to the factory. After listening to Li Chongguang's explanation of his purpose, he smiled helplessly and said, "I knew you might ask this. Okay, I'll go with you and take a look."
The two quickly returned to Li Chongguang's home.
Zhou Yimin was attracted by Master Gu's sketch as soon as he entered the room. He squatted down and took a closer look. "Master Gu's plan is quite practical, but if you want to follow my style, you need to adjust the details."
He pointed to the doors and windows on the sketch and said, "There's no need to paint the wooden frames 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: "This is good."
Master Gu added: "The wood must be of good quality, otherwise it will not last long.
Also, don’t use pure white for the walls; mix in some beige paint to make them look softer and less likely to look dirty.”
Zhou Yimin continued, "The placement of the furniture in the house also needs to be planned, leaving as much room as possible for activities. After all, with children, it's safe and convenient. The bookshelf can be built-in, which doesn't take up much space and can hold a lot of things."
Li Chongguang nodded repeatedly, occasionally offering his own ideas: "Can we get a small desk in the child's room? Also, I want the kitchen stove to be lower so it's more convenient for my wife to cook."
Zhou Yimin and Master Gu looked at each other and smiled.
Master Gu picked up a pencil and made some revisions on the sketch. "No problem, all of this can be arranged. The desk will be next to the window, so the light is good."
The three of them gathered around the sketch and discussed it one after another. Li Chongguang was very happy as he saw the plan being improved. According to the current progress, the design could be completed today and the decoration could start tomorrow.
(End of this chapter)
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