Chapter 10 Brick House
"Yes, this is just the floor plan. The floor plan is the best way to reflect the function of a building. Let's start with the basics. Is there any problem with drawing as we go?"
For a one-story earthen brick house with gable purlins and wooden roof frames and tiles, is it necessary to draw elevations and sections? If we build the house ourselves, do we need labor costs? How much does it cost to adapt building materials to local conditions?
We are just ordinary young people, but because of the absence of the Infrastructure Department, we are forced to build our own houses. As the head of the Infrastructure Department, how dare you stand here and give orders? Aren't you ashamed? ”
Tao Nanfeng said so many words in one breath, he was very emotional, with anger flashing in his eyes. When it comes to the architectural profession, she will never allow herself to be looked down upon.
Qiao Yadong and Xiao Aiyun protected Tao Nanfeng on the left and right. They were infected by her emotions and angrily rebuked Huang Xingwu.
"It was you who said that the Infrastructure Department didn't care and forced us to find a way to build the house ourselves. Now you come here to be sarcastic and verbally attack us. What's the meaning of that?"
"Houses are used to protect against wind, rain and cold, but you just wanted to keep things simple and save trouble, and built a thatched house that would collapse when the wind and rain blew. Now we design and build it ourselves, and no matter how bad it is, it's still better than yours!"
Huang Xingwu was so angry that he gritted his teeth and pointed his finger.
"If you don't have the skills, don't take on the job. You, a little girl, just pretending to be good with a blueprint, think you can lead us to build a house? What a boast! If a high school graduate can draw a blueprint to build a house, you can be the head of the infrastructure department."
Huang Xingwu was a worker-peasant-soldier student who earned a college degree in industrial and civil construction. He considered himself a professional, so how could he allow Tao Nanfeng to steal his limelight with just a building plan?
When Wei Min heard this, he immediately laughed out loud: "Okay, if we can really build a house, then let Tao Nanfeng be the head of the infrastructure department!"
When the educated youth nearby heard this, they all started to make a commotion.
"Good idea, let's have a competition."
"If our No. 6 Youth League Site can build new houses by itself, then you, the Chief of the Infrastructure Section, will have to give up your position!"
"Let's make a bet! Tao Nanfeng, let's go together--"
Huang Xingwu and Tao Nanfeng looked at each other across the surging crowd. For some reason, her calmness aroused his inner anxiety, and he raised his voice and shouted.
"Tao Nanfeng, don't think that just because you can draw is a big deal. Let's make a bet. If you can lead this group of educated youth to build a decent house within ten days, I will let you be the head of the infrastructure department. But..."
He paused and sneered, "If you can't build it, you will never be allowed to draw plans or do infrastructure again!"
The more he spoke, the louder his voice became, as if he was venting all the anger in his heart.
When he was studying in a junior college in the provincial capital, he pursued a beautiful girl in his class, but she didn't like him at all and tore up the love letter he sent her and threw it into the trash can. This incident stimulated him so much that he would hate girls like her whenever he saw them.
Tao Nanfeng is beautiful and a good painter. She looks a bit like the girl he once pursued, which makes Huang Xingwu want to trample her into the mud forever.
Huang Xingwu was short, thin and dark-skinned. His face was distorted and his nostrils were flaring due to anger, making him look somewhat scary.
The educated youth had been clamoring for a bet before, but now the bet he proposed was that if they lost they would not be allowed to draw pictures or do infrastructure construction. Everyone felt nervous and they all shut up.
Tao Nanfeng looked up at the green mountains in the distance. The Xiufeng Mountain range was continuous, with rich vegetation, and rocks and soil could be found everywhere. With such abundant building materials, how can we not build a house that can shelter us from wind and rain?
Having read so many books and helped his father draw so many pictures, Tao Nanfeng was confident that he could just build a brick house. But ten days is definitely not enough.
Huang Xingwu stared at Tao Nanfeng and asked, "How about it? Do you dare to bet with me?"
Tao Nanfeng said: "Ten days is not enough."
She took the bait! Huang Xingwu became excited: "If ten days is not enough, then let's do twenty days, so that you won't be accused of bullying me."
Are twenty days enough? Tao Nanfeng pondered in silence.
Huang Xingwu was afraid that she would not bet with him, so he raised the stakes again: "Thirty days should be enough, right?"
After estimating the construction progress, Tao Nanfeng nodded slowly.
Huang Xingwu laughed: "It's a deal then. I'll wait for you for 30 days. If your house is not built after a month, you will never be allowed to do infrastructure construction again!"
Before Tao Nanfeng could express her opinion, Xiao Aiyun anxiously stopped her: "Tao Nanfeng, you like architecture so much, how can you bet your future with Section Chief Huang?"
Ye Qin also interrupted: "Yes, it's not like he can appoint anyone as section chief. It has to be approved by the site leadership meeting. Besides, what if he doesn't keep his word?"
Qiao Yadong could see that Tao Nanfeng liked architecture and didn't want her to gamble her future: "Don't be fooled by him. We built the house ourselves and we don't need his help. Why should we bet with him?"
Different voices sounded in her ears, and Tao Nanfeng remembered what her father said to her.
——A gentleman has things he should do and things he should not do.
She glanced at the educated youth who cared about her and smiled, "It's okay, I know what's going on."
Tao Nanfeng stood firmly on the mud and turned to look at Huang Xingwu: "If we build it, you step down and let Engineer Yang be the head of the infrastructure department."
"Engineer Yang?" Huang Xingwu snorted coldly when he heard her nominate the honest Yang Xianyong from the road construction team, "You are smart enough to know that you can't shoulder this heavy responsibility!"
Their eyes met in the air and they nodded at the same time.
Bet, done.
The educated youth all looked at Tao Nanfeng intently. In the past, she was like a young seedling that had just sprouted, timidly observing the strange world, but now she had a sharpness that was unfamiliar to everyone.
It seemed that once she entered the infrastructure field, she gained confidence and courage.
Xiang Bei, Mao Peng and Yang Xianyong came over from the field office. When the educated youth saw Xiang Bei, they immediately became a backbone and started talking about the bet.
He glanced north at Tao Nanfeng. He didn't expect that this girl was so brave that she dared to make a bet with Huang Xingwu.
Mao Peng raised his hand and grabbed Huang Xingwu's arm: "Section Chief Huang, are you really willing to bet your position as section chief? If you lose..."
The road construction team members were all very strong, and Huang Xingwu struggled hard but couldn't get rid of them. He could only force a smile and said, "I admit defeat."
How could we lose? This little girl Tao Nanfeng is very self-righteous. The rocks on Xiufeng Mountain are big and hard. It would take more than ten days just to dig the trench, not to mention buying bricks to build the walls. How could they carry so many building materials up the mountain? These scholars can't memorize it even if they are given two months!
Mao Peng said: "Let us be witnesses. If Section Chief Huang dares not keep his word... hehe!"
Hearing his chuckle, Huang Xingwu felt goosebumps all over his body.
The educated youth shouted together: "Admit your defeat! If Section Chief Huang dares not keep his word, we will file a complaint!"
The voices of a dozen or so energetic young people gathered together and echoed in the valley, startling a few tits, which fluttered over the heads of the crowd.
Xiangbei was infected by this atmosphere, and the laziness in his expression gradually disappeared. He said in a deep voice: "I will be a witness."
Huang Xingwu nodded his head like pounding garlic: "Every word he spit on counts, it definitely counts!"
Mao Peng then let go of his hand. Huang Xingwu quietly turned his wrist and wanted to say a few polite words, but under Xiang Bei's gaze, he dared not say anything and left in shame.
After Huang Xingwu left, the educated youth gathered around Tao Nanfeng.
"Tao Nanfeng, you are so brave!"
“Can a brick house really be repaired in a month?”
"What should we do now? We have to act quickly and not waste time."
"We must win! Get Section Chief Huang out of here."
Tao Nanfeng smiled lightly, his voice like the breeze blowing over the hills: "Don't worry, if we all work together, we can finish it in a month."
Xiangbei looked at Tao Nanfeng with a strange look in her eyes. This girl who had worked in the road construction team for half a month was different from others.
I previously thought she was a delicate girl, but I didn't expect that she was born strong and worked with everyone with gritted teeth, never complaining about the hardship or tiredness; I previously thought she was a timid person, but I didn't expect that she dared to lead the educated youth to build houses and bet her own future with Huang Xingwu.
Xiangbei suddenly wanted to see how far this girl could go.
The reconstruction work of the educated youth site has officially started.
Architect: Tao Nanfeng
On-site project management: Qiao Yadong
Tool Management Group Leader: Wei Min
Purchasing Team Leader: Chen Zhilu
Chen Zhilu is of medium height and looks thin, but he is a member of the school track and field team and is agile and nimble. He is the son of Jiangcheng Fertilizer Factory. His father is the head of the purchasing department and his uncle is the head of the infrastructure department.
He is a restless person and loves to walk around the streets. He is almost going crazy from being stuck in this remote farm. When he heard that he could go down the mountain to purchase construction materials, he immediately volunteered to be the leader of the purchasing team.
The weather was nice and it was sunny for several days.
Tao Nanfeng led everyone to level the site, borrowed a tape measure from the road construction team to mark the line, sprinkled lime on the ground to determine the position, straightened up and said to Wei Min: "Let's start digging."
Wei Min's family has many brothers and sisters. His mother takes care of the housework, and they rely on his father's salary to make a living. Life is difficult. He often does manual labor at home and is good at making coal briquettes, weeding and growing vegetables.
Hearing Tao Nanfeng's words, Wei Min spat into his hands, raised the hoe high, and dug down along the lime line!
“Ding-dong——”
The iron tool hit the stone, making a harsh sound.
Wei Min's hands were numb from the shock. He dug up the dirt on the surface and found a rock underneath.
The stone is grayish hemp in color, extremely hard, and the size of a millstone.
If the site was entirely covered with rocks, it would be no wonder that Huang Xingwu was so sure that he could not build a house within 30 days.
Tao Nanfeng thought for a moment and said, "Don't dig if you encounter rocks. Dig out the soil layer and let me see."
Wei Min, along with a few capable young men, dug along the white line with great effort. After half a day's work, the true appearance of the trough was revealed.
——The ratio of stone to soil is 1:1.
Half stone and half loess are mixed together. If you want to make a strip foundation under the wall, it is really difficult to dig.
However, building a wall with earthen bricks will not work without a foundation underneath.
Tao Nanfeng frowned slightly, but heard Huang Xingwu's sarcastic voice: "Scholars are full of ambition, talking about war on paper, how ridiculous!"
Wei Min glared at him angrily: "Stop making sarcastic remarks."
Several people from the Infrastructure Department were carrying a freshly cut piece of wood and walking forward. Huang Xingwu was directing them from the side. He was very happy when he saw them digging out the stones.
"We are all educated youth, why is there such a big difference? The educated youth from De County and Nan County above are not as pampered as you. They live in thatched houses very well and no one complains. Only you educated youth from Jiangcheng are so noble that you insist on building brick houses."
There are a total of six educated youth sites. The Infrastructure Department took great pains when building the five sites above. They were built in the valley sheltered from the south. The main frames were built with wooden pillars, beams, and wooden roof frames. Bamboo strips and branches were tied and nailed tightly and then covered with mud to effectively withstand wind and rain.
Although the roof is also made of thatch, it is fine and compact, and is reinforced at regular intervals. Unique thatch and wooden strips have also been invented to prevent it from disappearing when the wind blows.
Perhaps because the educated youth were honest, the infrastructure department became less and less careful during the construction. When it came to the turn of the twenty educated youth from Jiangcheng, not only did they deal with the main framework carelessly, they even chose a random site that was facing the wind outlet.
Chen Zhilu's uncle was the head of the infrastructure department. He knew a little about infrastructure. He raised his hand to wipe the sweat from his forehead and asked in a loud voice: "May I ask how much construction funds were allocated to build the educated youth site? How much was used to build houses, and how much was used for tobacco, alcohol and tea?"
This question hit Huang Xingwu right in the heart. His face changed and he said fiercely: "These are all matters that the leaders worry about. What do you educated youth know? Go and build houses quickly."
After saying that, he didn't dare to mock Tao Nanfeng anymore. He just rolled his eyes and left.
Chen Zhilu looked at his back and sneered: "Look at his appearance, does it look like a weasel running through the bamboo forest in broad daylight?"
When Wei Min heard this, he laughed so hard that he couldn't breathe: "You know what, it really looks like one! Last time we tried to catch it in the bamboo forest for a long time but failed. The weasel was skinny and small, and it ran very fast."
When the other educated youth heard this, they all laughed and said, "His last name is Huang, so let's call him Yellow Weasel from now on!"
So, Huang Xingwu got a nickname: Weasel.
Hearing the bursts of laughter coming from behind him, Huang Xingwu clenched his teeth and his face looked a little ferocious. When I confessed my love to Fan Yajun, the beauty of the Department of Construction Management and the goddess of my heart, my classmates also mocked me in this way.
He suddenly stopped, turned around and looked at Tao Nanfeng. She was looking down at the rocks that had been dug out in front of her. The back of her neck was as white as jade and her body was as slender as a bamboo.
Huang Xingwu sneered, thinking that the whole mountain was filled with huge rocks like this, and it would take at least two months to dig them out manually. When he participated in the construction of the field office building, his arms were so sore after a day of chiseling rocks that he couldn't even lift them the next day.
This time, I want to see how you build a house!
No matter how beautiful the drawing is, so what? Without understanding the actual situation on the ground, all talk is just empty talk.
After cursing in his heart, Huang Xingwu led the workers up the mountain with satisfaction.
Tao Nanfeng was not affected by Huang Xingwu's appearance. He walked straight to the tool room temporarily built with tree trunks, thatch and tarpaulin, and took out an iron pick and a hammer.
Xiao Aiyun followed closely behind her and asked curiously, "Tao Nanfeng, what are you going to do?"
Tao Nanfeng's eyes swept across the back of his left hand, where there used to be a black tooth mark, but it had now disappeared without a trace of scar left.
She was bitten by a zombie in her dream, and the tooth mark gave her a gift: great strength, sharper five senses, and a healthier body. Faced with such changes, Tao Nanfeng was very frightened at first, fearing that he would be regarded as a monster.
However, what she feared did not happen.
In the road construction team, she split rocks with one palm and said to Xiangbei: You have great strength, so you should join the road construction team. The road construction team members are already accustomed to opening mountains, chiseling rocks and cutting trees. On a rainy night, she helped her roommates move their bed sheets and carried a mountain-sized backpack on her shoulders. Everyone felt fortunate: Tao Nanfeng, we are lucky to have you.
Since everyone is not afraid of her power, what else is there to be afraid of?
Thinking of this, Tao Nanfeng looked at Xiao Aiyun and said, "Throw the stone."
Xiao Aiyun's eyes lit up, and he said to Wei Min excitedly, "Move aside, let Tao Nanfeng come."
Everyone made way for Tao Nanfeng, and he walked to the stone that Wei Min had dug out with his hoe.
Xiao Aiyun was used to cooperating with Tao Nanfeng in the road construction team. After helping her roll up her sleeves, Xiao Aiyun stepped back three steps and raised his hand to command everyone: "Disperse, disperse. Be careful of the falling stones."
Tao Nanfeng stared at the gray rock as big as a millstone in front of him with his eyes sharp.
He raised his left hand slightly, placed the iron pickaxe on the stone, raised his right hand high, raised the hammer, and smashed it down heavily. The increasingly strong heat in the body flowed out from his right hand and poured into the hammer.
"Ding!" There was a crisp sound of iron hitting each other.
The power flowed from the right hand to the hammer, then from the hammer to the axe, and from the axe to the stone.
Move the iron bar horizontally three inches and repeat the same action again.
"bite!"
"bite--"
After three hammer strikes, Tao Nanfeng stood up.
No one spoke. The educated youth were amazed at Tao Nanfeng's skillful and powerful movements.
Every time he swung the hammer, it seemed so light and without any strength, but when it fell, it brought the force of thunder.
As fast as lightning and as heavy as a thousand pounds.
The hammer was so powerful that it hit the axe with a loud noise, but the axe did not move at all. It neither fell an inch nor moved an inch, just enduring it quietly.
The hammer danced up and down, rubbing against the air to produce sparks of fire, but the iron hammer remained motionless? What a great power this is!
Xiao Aiyun walked forward happily and said to Wei Min, "Why are you still standing there? Hurry up and move the rocks."
"Ah?" Wei Min was a little confused.
Xiao Aiyun explained with a smile: "Tao Nanfeng is very strong. She is the one who cuts the stones in the road construction team, and the others are responsible for carrying them."
"Is it enough to just use three hammers?" Wei Min pointed at the stone and finally regained his sanity. He had seen workers in the quarry using hammers to smash stones, making a lot of clanging sounds and sweating profusely. How could it be so easy?
"Three hammers are enough." Tao Nanfeng bent down, put his hands on the stone, and exerted light force.
“Crack! Crack! Crack—”
The sound continued, like frying beans. A huge rock that required two people to hug suddenly cracked and broke into more than a dozen small stones of similar shape and size, with a side length of about 20 centimeters.
“Ohhhh—”
After a moment's silence, there was a huge cheer.
My God...Wei Min’s lips were trembling. What kind of astonishing force was this!
Tao Nanfeng easily swung the hammer three times and smashed more than a dozen pieces of stone. Others may not know, but Wei Min used to be a laborer in a quarry, so he knows the ins and outs of this very well.
Even a strong adult man can never do this.
I had heard from Xiao Aiyun before that Tao Nanfeng smashed Luo Xuan’s desk with a slap, and I thought it was an exaggeration, but today I saw it with my own eyes, and it turned out to be true! This is not an exaggeration at all.
This is not just ordinary strength, but amazing supernatural power!
Tao Nanfeng turned his head, his eyes like lightning. Wei Min met her eyes and his knees went weak. He kept his mouth shut and didn't say another word.
Who dares to call her Miss Jiao again?
So what if she's delicate? She is very strong.
Tao Nanfeng said calmly, "Pile the stones over there and dig a trench to make the rough stone foundation."
Wei Min came to his senses and asked his friends to drag the cart over. He followed Tao Nanfeng and carried the stones one cart at a time.
No matter whether she is a god or an immortal, having great strength is a good thing.
Tao Nanfeng was smashing the things in the front, and Wei Min was clearing the things in the back. Everyone was busy in an orderly manner.
bite! bite! bite!
The crisp sound of the blows seemed to hit everyone's heart.
Wei Min quietly asked Xiao Aiyun: "Tao Nanfeng looks delicate, how come he is so strong?"
Xiao Aiyun glanced at him: "She is naturally strong, but she is usually quite low-key."
When the educated youth heard this, their eyes widened.
"Alas, this is really the case that you can't judge a person by his appearance, and you can't measure the depth of the sea."
"Oh my god, I'm glad I didn't arm wrestle with her."
"She has thin arms, but I didn't expect her to have such strong explosive power. If she participates in the weightlifting event at the sports meet, Tao Nanfeng will definitely win the world championship!"
"If the weasel dares to make trouble again, Tao Nanfeng will slap it! Haha..."
The more they talked, the more excited they became, and everyone worked even harder.
In this way, under the leadership of Tao Nanfeng, the educated youth completed the trench digging task in just two days.
Looking at the stones piled up into a small hill, everyone's faces lit up with joy.
There is strength in numbers, and when we work together we can be very efficient.
The joy after the work made the educated youth trust Tao Nanfeng more, and they asked in unison: "Tao Nanfeng, what should we do next?"
Looking at the trenches dug according to the blueprints, the general outline of the brick and tile houses at the educated youth site began to emerge. Tao Nanfeng felt a sense of accomplishment, with a faint smile on his face, and raised his slender finger, pointing to the wetland in the east.
——Dig a hole, take soil, and make bricks.
The author has something to say:
Friends who are following the serialization, you can read my completed period novels "The Female Supporting Character of the 1970s is the Big Boss in the End of the World" and "The Female Supporting Character of the 1970s Who Travels into a Book Has a Space" in your spare time. The protagonists are all lovely, brave and kind girls, and they radiate beautiful brilliance in that hopeful era.
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