Chapter 3: Renovating the House
As soon as Zhao Yeqing mentioned that he wanted to lay the floor, Feng Lixuan immediately understood.
"Okay, Auntie. I'll contact someone right away. Please wait for a moment and I'll call you back."
Before Zhao Yeqing could say anything, the person on the other end had already hung up the phone. Just as he was wondering why this person's attitude changed so quickly, the phone rang again within two minutes.
"Aunt, you have to go to the county town to check out the floor tiles. There are more floor tiles there. I have contacted a plasterer here who will do the work and materials. It costs 30 per square meter to lay the tiles. You have to check the ground conditions on site for polishing. He won't give you a rip-off. He is an old acquaintance."
Hearing that it was an old acquaintance, Zhao Yeqing agreed. Their small place is different from the city. If an acquaintance cheats someone, the whole town will know about it within two days and no one will hire you to work again.
"Then make it settled. You have to tell people clearly that it's on Meishan Mountain, or they won't want to go when it's too far away."
"I've told you, you can trust me to do the job."
Zhao Yeqing found it funny that he kept saying "your" and said, "Speak properly."
"Hehe, grandma said that you must have been wronged when you came back this time, so she told me to listen to you and make up for all the filial piety I owed you over the years. I'll do whatever you ask me to do."
What Feng Lixuan didn't say was that the old lady repeatedly told him that although this aunt grew up in the mountains, she had hardly ever touched mud, so he should help with everything and it would be best if she could take over everything.
Zhao Yeqing was raised by her grandparents since she was a child. Since they were close to her grandparents and she was a girl, her grandparents almost raised her up. They never let her go up or down the mountain by herself before she was eight years old. It was only when she was ten years old that they took her to patrol the forest at her strong request.
Zhao Yeqing smiled and replied: "Okay, then I'll go and select the tiles and tell you. You tell the master to start the construction as soon as possible."
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I arrived at the county town, selected the tiles, paid the travel expenses and asked them to deliver the goods over this afternoon. When I left the store, I always felt like someone was watching me. I looked around but didn't see anyone, so I didn't think about it anymore and went to the county town station to catch the minibus back to town.
It was almost noon when I returned to the town. I sent a message to Feng Lixuan and got on the supermarket delivery truck. When we reached the foot of the mountain and unloaded the goods, Feng Lixuan also arrived.
He rode a small truck for carrying goods, the same kind that you see selling fruits on the street in the city. The only difference is that many of the ones in the city are powered by batteries, while this one is powered by gas and has plenty of horsepower.
Feng Lixuan looked at the things on the ground and said, "No problem, you get in the car first and I'll move them."
When they reached the small road on the mountain, they had to rely on manpower. Feng Lixuan put all the small items in the car in the large basin bought by Zhao Yeqing and handed it to her.
"This one is light, you take this." After saying that, he staggered while carrying the fertilizer and holding the metal tools, and almost fell unable to stand.
Zhao Yeqing took the tools from his hands, slung the large basin over his left hand, held the tools in his right hand, and walked to the front to clear the way.
Feng Lixuan was not embarrassed at all: "Amazing, aunt, you are so strong."
Zhao Yeqing didn't say anything. He arrived at the door, opened it, went in to put down his things, took off his coat and tied it around his waist, rolled up the sleeves of his long-sleeved undershirt, and stretched his thin white arms in front of Feng Lixuan, then exerted force.
The arm that was slender just now suddenly bulged out a muscle.
Feng Lixuan was stunned. "This time I believe you came back after beating someone up."
After they finished moving the things, Feng Lixuan said, "You've been working on the construction these two days, and all the people who came were strangers. It's really not safe for a girl like you. I'll stay here with you during the construction these two days. I happen to have a small tricycle that can just pass your path. I'll drive it over to you so that it will be more convenient for you to move your things."
Zhao Yeqing agreed without hesitation.
Before the deliveryman came, Feng Lixuan helped weed outside, and Zhao Yeqing cleaned the kitchen stove. Their rural kitchen had two stoves, one gas and one wood-burning. The gas stove had long been unused, and Zhao Yeqing had no plans to buy another one. She did not resell the small appliances such as the induction cooker and kettle that she used when she worked in the city, but packed them up and sent them by express, which would arrive in town in the evening.
The cleanup was almost done and the workers who delivered the doors and windows had arrived. Feng Lixuan ran to the small intersection to pick them up. He checked the doors and windows to make sure there were no problems and then asked the workers to install them.
The doors and windows were installed very quickly, taking less than an hour and a half. Except for the security door which needed some adjustments, everything else was fine.
The doors and windows here are almost finished, and the tiles and wall materials have also arrived. Since they can't be brought up along the small road, they can only be unloaded at the small entrance.
The driver delivering the materials said it was too late today and the workers would come early tomorrow morning.
Feng Chunyan called at the exact time and said that the meal was ready and I should go home and eat quickly.
Zhao Yeqing didn't know whether to laugh or cry. The old lady was afraid that she wouldn't come so she didn't even give her a chance to refuse.
The materials had to be put aside for the time being. Zhao Yeqing got in Feng Lixuan's car and went home for dinner. After dinner, he went to sleep at home again.
Before eight o'clock in the morning, Zhao Yeqing's cell phone rang. It was the mason introduced by Feng Lixuan, saying that he had arrived at the foot of the mountain.
It would take some time for Zhao Yeqing to go back, so he could only ask people to wait.
After getting dressed and going downstairs, Feng Chunyan knew that she had to go back now, so she ran into the room, grabbed Feng Lixuan, who was still dreaming, and pushed him out the door to be a driver.
Zhao Yeqing looked at the sleepy face and couldn't help laughing: "You didn't make an appointment with anyone. Wake up first. I'll go buy some breakfast and bring it to the workers."
After buying meat and cabbage buns and soy milk, Feng Lixuan rode over on his tricycle in frustration.
"I asked him to hurry up, but I didn't expect him to hurry up so fast."
There was a post office next to the breakfast shop. Zhao Yeqing loaded the express onto the truck and sat in the back bed.
When they reached the foot of the mountain, Zhao Yeqing handed one breakfast to Feng Lixuan, then handed another to the mason, and hurriedly said sorry. The mason smiled and didn't mind.
On the way up the mountain, the small three-wheeled vehicle was carrying the express, a grinder for grinding the cement floor, and mud and sand for laying tiles, so it was difficult to carry other people. There was not enough power, so Feng Lixuan had to drive up first, while the mason and Zhao Yeqing walked behind.
When we arrived, Feng Lixuan had already unloaded the express and transported two loads of bricks.
The plasterer checked the tiles and found that they could be directly pasted without any release agent. Zhao Yeqing cleared the room and moved the items to the terrace to facilitate construction.
Soon the brick-laying workers arrived. The wall is 45 meters long and 2.5 meters high. The workers said it would only take about five days to complete.
Zhao Yeqing planned to stay in the town for the next few days, lock the house and come back after the construction is completed. There is a faucet outside the house for convenient washing, so there is no problem with the construction. The toilet is also separate outside.
Construction of the walls and floors has begun. Feng Lixuan was working outside while Zhao Yeqing unpacked the express parcels and sorted them out.
The floor of the first floor was polished very quickly. She bought large tiles for the second floor, and as the area was not large, they were finished by the evening. The plasterer said that she could just wait until it was completely dry before adding caulking, and suggested that she do it herself as it would save money and be an easier job.
Zhao Yeqing believed his lies. Two days later, when he saw that the floor had completely dried, he bought a caulking agent that was similar in color to the floor tiles. He squatted and worked on it all day by himself. When he stood up with stars in his eyes, he felt like his waist was no longer his own.
It turns out that the money that should be spent still needs to be spent.
The wall was half built, and the workers said there should be a lot of bricks left. Zhao Yeqing added a few dozen yuan and asked them to build a reservoir and a chicken coop in the yard, and they would take care of the remaining bricks later.
The water at home is not tap water, but mountain spring water brought in through a pipe. It is warm in winter and cool in summer. However, the water flow may become smaller for a few days occasionally in winter. It is better to build a pond to be prepared. If it is not used, we can raise fish and grow lotus.
Five days later, the wall was completed and anti-theft cages were installed on it. There were some materials left. Cement and river sand were put in the tool shed, and bricks were piled in the corner of the wall. In a few days, a small vegetable garden could be enclosed.
The smell on the second floor was almost gone, so she put everything in order, laid out beige bedding, hung up creamy white gauze curtains, used wood-grain tiles on the floor, and laid a creamy white plush carpet beside the bed. The wind blew up the gauze curtains, and the sun shone in. Outside, cicadas and birds were chirping.
Zhao Yeqing was lying on the bed, thinking that this moment was simply amazing. She took out her cell phone, took several pictures and sent them to her best friend Kong Sisi.
Kong Sisi: 'Don't irritate me, baby, I envy you so much.'
Zhao Yeqing: "Come over and play when you have a holiday."
Kong Sisi: "You didn't watch the news, did you? It seems there is a new virus. Many people have been sick recently. The city has started risk control. Fortunately, you ran fast."
Zhao Yeqing: 'No way...'
She opened the hot search and saw the headlines saying that citizens in many places have recently felt unwell and had fever symptoms. It is recommended that everyone wear masks when going out recently, avoid gathering in groups and do not panic, pay attention to protection, and do not let the virus come back.
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