207 The wall collapsed
When Lin Yiku returned home that evening, Lin Ting rushed up to him, showing off, "Dad, we went out to eat today!"
He then counted everyone who had gone, and finally said, "Uncle said that only you and Xiaoyu are missing, Dad. Dad, you can't fall behind."
Lin Yi nodded repeatedly, uttering a string of "okay"s.
Lin Yiku was tired, but Guan Yuehe's ears were tired from listening.
"Stop chatting, go take a shower."
As soon as she was told to take a bath, Lin Ting immediately stopped talking and ran back to her room to get her toys, which were meant to be put in the bathtub with her.
Giving Lin a bath was like having a water fight.
When Aunt Hu came back from outside, she heard the sounds coming from the bathroom and shook her head with a click of her tongue. When she got home, she complained to her husband, "That little rascal from Yuehe's family is really mischievous. He's just like Yiku when he was a kid."
"Oops! The power's out again?!"
At this time, just as everyone was preparing to eat dinner while watching TV, the power suddenly went out, and complaints echoed throughout the alley.
Guan Yuehe calmly fumbled for a flashlight on the bathroom wall, then rubbed her daughter and herself thoroughly in the dark before returning to her room, still damp from the heat.
A candle was lit in the middle of the dining table in the room, and three bowls of steaming noodles were rising. Just as Lin Ting climbed onto the chair, Lin Yiku brought out a plate of meat and vegetables, which was half a portion of stewed chicken that had been packed up from the restaurant at noon.
"Have a meal."
Lin Ting has excellent eating habits, just like her parents. When she says she's going to eat, she focuses on her food. No chatting at the dinner table is a tacit rule among the family of three.
After they finished eating, they didn't rush to get off the table. The adults, who usually sat upright, relaxed and leaned back, looking at their loved ones in the candlelight and then at their daughters in the middle who were trying to point their fingers at the candles.
In the past, when there was a power outage, Guan Yuehe would still use a flashlight or candle to continue studying. But ever since Lin Sitian told her that doing so would damage her eyes, she stopped pushing herself.
If the power went out all night, I wouldn't read; instead, I'd listen to tapes on the cassette player. Sometimes I'd slack off, and even with the tape player on, I'd actually be mostly focused on talking to Lin Yiku.
This is it right now.
She found an English cassette tape and had Lin Ting sit on the sofa and learn along with it. She and Lin Yiku sat at the dining table talking about how their childhood friends had brought them money to borrow that day.
“The three families borrowed a total of six thousand, which should be enough,” Guan Yuehe said with a smile. “The housing management bureau has drawn lines, and the empty space in the middle yard cannot be used for random construction, which saves a lot of money.”
Lin Yiku got up and took an envelope from the bag hanging on the wall. "This is what Zhong Sheng lent me."
"I ran into him at the state-run store on my way home from work. He was delivering goods and gave me 2,500 yuan."
Guan Yuehe was both touched and curious, "Does his neighborhood also have elderly people who collect gossip about our alley?"
"No, not at all. I ran into him on my way to the bank to withdraw money that day, and we chatted for a bit."
Zhong Sheng asked him if he had enough money, and he didn't hide it, saying he had borrowed some from his family. Since they met today, Zhong Sheng gave him the money and said he could lend it to him for now.
Guan Yuehe looked at the envelope on the table, thinking that it represented the friendship between Lin Yiku and his childhood friend, and finally decided to leave the money behind.
"Remember to send him an IOU when you have a day off."
"good."
With 8,500 yuan in cash suddenly appearing in the house, Guan Yuehe whispered to him, "I didn't dare to go out this afternoon."
After locking up all the money, she planned to deposit it into the bank by noon tomorrow.
—
On Sunday, the family held a one-month celebration for Chen Yu at a state-run restaurant, and his aunt's family was also invited to the banquet.
The whole family arrived early, eager to see the small courtyard that Guan Yuehe's family of three had just bought.
"Your second brother came back and said you bought a small courtyard house, and we've been wanting to come and see it for a long time..."
The sound stopped abruptly as they reached the courtyard, and everyone was dumbfounded. Even Guan Weiguo, who had come to see it earlier, was stunned. "When I went to the city a few days ago, the wall was still only three and a half sides high."
"I stopped by yesterday and it was fine." Jiang Guiying was heartbroken. There wasn't a strong wind last night, so how could it have collapsed? Could it be that someone sabotaged it and smashed down the wall?
Now only half of the wall to the left of the entrance remains.
Guan Yuehe sighed as well. She couldn't be bothered to find out whether the dilapidated wall was blown down by the wind or smashed by someone. As long as no one was hurt, that was a good thing. It was better that it collapsed, saving her the trouble of smashing it all down.
"These bricks are still in good condition; we'll keep them to build the courtyard wall," the uncle said, as he began to lift out the good bricks and pile them under the trees in the middle.
These days, red bricks are commonly used for building houses, and each red brick costs three cents. The older generation's idea is that every cent saved is a cent saved.
“Exactly!” Jiang Guiying bent down and rummaged around for a bit, then picked up a intact brick and placed it under the tree. She patted the trunk as well. “Such a big crabapple tree standing in the middle, it’s taking up so much space. Can we move it to the corner?”
Guan Yuehe stopped them, telling them to stop busying themselves and to put on clean clothes, as they had to go to the full moon celebration later. Only then did she return to Jiang Guiying's question.
"It's possible, but we think it's better to plant the crabapple tree in the middle." Guan Yuehe showed them the white line below. Although it was mostly obscured by the collapsed bricks, they could still make out the general shape.
“The area marked with white lines is the place where you can build a house. I plan to build a square house along the white lines. No building is allowed in the middle, no matter if it's wood or sheet metal. The trees are perfect in the yard, they can also block the sun in the summer.”
This tree looks quite old; the previous owner said it was already there when he was a child.
Guan Weiguo stood with his hands on his hips, looking at the ground in the middle of the white line, and still felt it was a pity.
Back in my hometown, the area of each family's homestead is one thing, and the actual area occupied by the house is another. Everyone does it this way, and no one says it's wrong.
Land is so expensive in the city! Since they've been allowed to fence it off, why can't they build houses? And they won't even let them build two-story houses...
A large group of people stood at the gate and could see the entire courtyard at a glance. Apart from a crabapple tree in the middle of the courtyard and a Chinese toon tree in the corner of the wall near the gate on the east side, the rest were just scattered bricks, rotten wood and small stones. No one went in to explore.
Guan Yuehe explained the general layout of the courtyard to them.
The courtyard faces south and is square in shape.
"There are three main rooms. The middle one will be used as the living room, and the one on the west side will be for Lin Ting. The bathroom will be built next to her room." It's close by, so she won't have to go around to the toilet at night.
"We'll build a storage room and kitchen on the west side against the wall, and a guest room on the opposite east side."
Almost no land was wasted. If it weren't for the need to consider passageways and lighting, Guan Yuehe would have even considered placing all the houses on the east and west sides against the walls of the main house. This would have saved bricks and ensured that not a single bit of land was wasted.
The house looks cramped, but in reality, the three main rooms and the guest room are about the same size as her current bedroom. The kitchen, bathroom and storage room are not spacious, but they are perfectly adequate.
It couldn't compare to the grandeur of the Wang family's three-courtyard house, nor to the elegance of Si Tian and Chen Lizhong's courtyard house, but she felt extremely satisfied.
Guan Yuehe became happier and happier as she thought about it. She hugged her aunt's arm and said, "Once the house is built, you can come and stay for a while longer. There are enough rooms in the house."
Auntie smiled and said, "Did you ask me to come and help you pick up and drop off the kids?"
"No need, you can't control that brat."
Based on what his mother had just said, Pihoulin carefully pointed out the direction to Juanjuan and said, "Sister Juanjuan, that's my room!"
Juanjuan opened her mouth, then scratched her head and praised, "Your room is the best."
Although it's dilapidated now, the toilet is right next door, which is very convenient. My second aunt's toilet is very clean, unlike the old public toilets in my hometown, which used to be smelly.
Gu Yu joined in, earnestly suggesting, "Have your aunt make the kang (heated brick bed) in your room bigger, so we won't kick each other when we sleep together."
The adults found it amusing, and Jiang Guiying said, "With the energy you two have, even if you slept on a ten-meter-long kang, you'd still end up kicking each other."
"Alright, let's take a good look at it after the house is built. It's about time, let's go straight to the state-run restaurant." Jiang Guiying called everyone to set off, and also said to her elder brother and sister-in-law, "Yaoyao's one-month celebration is also booked at the state-run restaurant on the street. When you arrive next Sunday, just come over."
Guan Yuehe ate at the same banquet twice. Both families booked the banquet together, and even ordered the same dishes.
Two banquets passed, and before we knew it, it was July.
Jiang Guiying began to get irritated.
She kept saying that this summer was exceptionally hot. As she talked, she waved her fan faster and faster. When she got tired of waving it, she started cursing about why the power grid in their area hadn't been repaired yet.
Aunt Bai chimed in, "The residential area of Zhuoyue Garment Factory was finished a long time ago, but we haven't gotten any updates here. Xiang Hong told me to go to her place during the day to enjoy the fan, but I'm too lazy to walk that far."
Second Auntie pouted—oh no, now she's the eldest auntie of Courtyard No. 2—she repeatedly corrected everyone's address, determined to make everyone call her "elder auntie."
An older woman thought to herself: This old man is showing off his good job at Xianghong's unit again.
Jiang Guiying was feeling annoyed when Gu Yu came running up carrying a big watermelon, followed by Guan Yuehua and Gu Mannian.
"Grandma, have some watermelon!"
Gu Yu grabbed a watermelon and rushed into the nearest courtyard, but her aunt's door was closed, so she had to come back out.
"Grandma, where's my aunt? Where's Lin Ting?"
“Your aunt went to the new house.” As for Lin Ting, without Jiang Guiying calling her, Lin Ting rushed out of the alley on her own, carrying a small cloth bag in her hand.
"Grandma, Grandpa Quan gave me a puppy!"
Grandpa Quan chased after them, shouting as he ran, "The puppy was only born two days ago. You won't be able to raise it if you take it home. Wait until it's a bit bigger before you come back and take it home."
Jiang Guiying was so angry that her head was buzzing.
After much coaxing, Jiang Guiying finally managed to appease Lin Ting, and the puppy she had brought out was returned to Grandpa Quan. Jiang Guiying thought for a moment and then gave her five yuan, essentially buying the puppy in advance.
"When your mother gets back, you can tell her yourself that your bottom is going to get a spanking." Jiang Guiying said angrily as she dragged her back to wash her hands and change her dirty clothes. "You're so filthy, did you crawl into a coal pile?"
When Lin Ting returned to being a clean child, the whole family sat under the eaves at their doorstep, eating watermelon and fanning themselves.
Jiang Guiying still couldn't shake off the vexation in her heart.
"This is really worrying. I wonder how well Jingjing will do on her exams this year?"
Guan Yuehua wiped Lin Ting's mouth again and said, "There's no use worrying. She's been careful enough about filling out her college application this year. The rest is up to her."
It's pointless for outsiders to worry.
The first two times Guan Jianguo and Lin Yufeng filled out their college applications, they consulted with their teachers. They didn't get in the first time, but the second time they applied to a local post and telecommunications college.
Dingxiang graduated from this school and became a technician after graduation. Not only did she earn a high salary, but her company also valued her. Guan Jianguo and Lin Yufeng were thinking of having Jingjing apply to this school as well.
It's a pity I was just a little short. If I had applied to a school in another city like my classmates, I would have been accepted.
So, fearing they might give the wrong advice again, the couple returned to Ginkgo Hutong to seek advice from the Guan sisters. They even called Chen Lizhong over for help.
With the help of the family, and taking into account Jingjing's current grades and ideas, they finally decided to enroll her in a local fashion college.
As the college entrance examination drew closer, Jiang Guiying was constantly worried. She not only secretly went to Aunt Bai's place several times to buy talismans, but also took the time to go back to her hometown to offer incense to her parents-in-law.
Guan Yuehe and the others all knew, but they all pretended not to know.
Guan Yuehua got annoyed and got up to go see how Guan Yuehe's house was being built.
It's been less than two days since construction started, it would be strange if it could even be built to a decent standard. But she didn't want to hear any sighs either.
They took the two younger children with them when they left.
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