Chapter 96: We all have to work hard to survive
1959, the back garden of the Gege Mansion.
Old Xu rubbed his hands and followed Lin Kucan, Jin Caifeng, Lin Sanqi and his family with his waist bent.
Lin Kucan looked at the broken gate in front of him and nodded:
"Well, not bad, not bad. Is this door really that broken? It looks like it will fall down after a few pushes. And the walls are all original colors, no lime used. Great!"
Old man Xu thought that this family was really strange. When other people built houses, they wanted the newer the better, but when it came to the Lin family, they wanted the older, more dilapidated and worn out houses to be the best.
However, the Lin family paid promptly and provided large white steamed buns every day. Old Xu and his fellow workers ensured the quality and quantity, and completed the project meticulously with the same meticulous attitude as embroidery.
"Doctor Lin, don't be fooled by the tattered appearance of this door. It's actually made of teak, which is strong and resistant to decay. It was originally used in the Jingshan Imperial Gardens. I only got it from a friend."
Lin Sanqi thought, this door was probably thrown away as garbage, right?
Lin Kucan laughed and said, "Okay, Master Xu is still the one who helps people in this world. Let's go and take a look at the house."
After pushing open the gate, Lin Sanqi tried it out and found it was indeed very thick and solid. It seemed that Old Xu was not bragging.
The gate has been exposed to wind and rain for hundreds of years, and the paint on the surface has peeled off, so it looks like it was picked up from a garbage dump. If it were painted vermilion, it would definitely be magnificent.
After entering the yard, Lin Sanqi found that the yard, which was originally overgrown with weeds, had been cleaned up, leaving a stone road in the middle. The stone road was carefully separated from the garden soil with blue bricks, and it looked very clean and tidy.
Old Xu took credit for it:
"Doctor Lin, this yard was cleaned by a few of us old friends on our own initiative. To be honest, food is scarce this year, but working for you, we get to eat big steamed buns every day. This treatment is absolutely unique in the city, so we will naturally do our best."
You get what you pay for, and this is even more obvious in engineering.
The more money you pay, the more stable the work.
If you pay less, people will only do the superficial work for you, but who knows what kind of shoddy work there is in the other places where you can't see it.
Jin Caifeng was delighted when she saw the two small flower beds on the left and right:
"This is great, this is great. There's a well in the corner of the yard..."
Old Xu quickly replied, "We've cleaned the well, too. Although the water level is low due to the drought, there's still some water."
"That's right. We have land and a well here. Qizi, we can grow some vegetables here in the future. It will be enough for our family to eat. That's great."
Lin Sanqi was a little unsure: "Mom, will there be any policy issues with growing vegetables at home?"
These days, private individuals are not allowed to do business, and of course they are not allowed to farm privately. All actions must be under command. Lin Sanqi does not want to be arrested for these vegetables.
Old Xu chuckled:
"Doctor Xiaolin, you're worrying too much. We have private plots in the countryside, but each household can't have more than one mu. You can raise chickens, but no more than two. So you can grow some vegetables in your yard. As long as you don't sell them, you won't make any mistakes."
Oh, I see.
Lin Sanqi also learned about a local policy at that time. It turned out that there was still some wiggle room. It was actually possible to raise chickens?
In fact, Lin Sanqi never thought that people are not able to eat enough now, so who has food to feed chickens?
Some people say that they can be raised freely and let out to eat insects on their own.
Are you sure your chickens will be back home by the evening if you let them out in the morning? When people are hungry, their eyes turn green like a wolf's. When they are extremely hungry, they will do anything.
While a few people were still talking about the yard, Lin Kucan had already put his hands behind his back and was walking around the waterside pavilion to observe the facade of the house.
Old Xu came over again and introduced:
"Doctor Lin, according to your instructions, we haven't touched the outer walls and roof. They remain in their original, dilapidated state. To prevent people from seeing the inner layer of blue bricks, we've deliberately nailed a few broken wooden boards in these places. It looks like the house has been patched up."
Lin Kucan joked, "Just looking at the outside, it's so shabby it's heartbreaking and makes anyone cry. Let's go and take a look inside."
Once you walk into the house, it’s like two completely different worlds.
Lin Sanqi found that the indoor area was a little smaller than before, but it was still more than 20 square meters in total, which was enough for one person to live in.
Lin Kucan patted the inner wall and asked, "Is the wall thickness 37 centimeters?"
Old Xu nodded quickly. "Yes, yes, it's definitely a 37 wall. Not to mention its insulation function, as long as we guard the gate, the Japanese guns and artillery can't penetrate it."
Jin Caifeng was more careful:
"Wow, this screen is great! It's made of wire mesh. It's strange, but this is the first time I've seen it. The tiny holes definitely keep mosquitoes out. I fumigate it with mugwort before bed, and I sleep soundly all night."
Lin Sanqi thought: What's so beautiful about it? There's not even an air conditioner. This water pavilion is very hot and stuffy under the sun all day.
Lin's father and mother checked around the house and couldn't stop smiling, obviously very satisfied.
"Well done, Master Xu, great job, thank you."
Old Xu bowed repeatedly, his rural shrewdness allowing him to maintain a humble attitude:
"As long as Doctor Lin is satisfied, that's good enough. Haha, I can also report this to you. I'll buy some furniture for this room later. Doctor Lin, don't be too comfortable living alone. Who would have thought that there is such a delicate little house in this shabby yard."
Lin Kucan nodded and looked at Lin Sanqi again: "Have you paid enough for the labor and materials? You can't delay it."
"Yes, they gave it all in advance. Doctor Kobayashi even gave me some extra."
Lin Sanqi also smiled and said, "Don't worry, Dad. I'm not a black-hearted capitalist. Forcing people to work without paying is like being a beast. It's not something a human would do."
Lin Sanqi took out another oil-paper bag from his backpack:
"Here, Master Xu, we're very satisfied with the renovation of this house. Here's a pound of pork as an extra thank you gift."
When Jin Caifeng heard that her son had taken out another pound of pork to give away, she felt very distressed.
Lin Kucan just laughed and continued to inspect the house indifferently.
Old Xu held the meat. It was not good to return it, but it was not good not to return it either. Tears came to his eyes at once.
"Doctor Kobayashi, I, I feel so unworthy of this. Thank you so much. I worked for you for a few days, and my family finally had a few full meals. With this meat, our family is happier than during the Chinese New Year."
Lin Sanqi also patted Old Xu on the shoulder:
"Don't worry, difficulties are temporary, and the country will eventually get better. As long as there are green mountains, there will be no shortage of firewood. We must all work hard to survive."
Old Xu left with many thanks, and before leaving, he said a lot of words of gratitude, which made Jin Caifeng sad:
"Alas, even our family is going hungry. How are these farmers going to survive? Please don't let anyone starve to death. That would be a terrible sin."
Lin Kucan also sighed: "It's time, it's fate."
(End of this chapter)
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