The brigade headquarters will build it; you just need to pay the rent.
"If they're all built together, how big will the rooms be, and what's the plan?" Chen Enpeng asked.
"There's no big plan. It's about 20 square meters, 5 meters long and 4 meters wide. I'll divide it into a small room inside, with a kang (heated brick bed) inside and a stove outside, so I can cook, put some earthenware pots or something, and boil some water."
"Uncle Captain, where is the private plot?" he asked quickly. If it was right next to the room, he could fence it off and make it a small courtyard.
"They're all in front of the yard," the brigade leader said.
"Can we choose the rooms? Are there rows for women and rows for men?" Chen Junjie asked.
"Originally, we planned to build two rows of houses, but after our brigade cadres walked around the village today, they found that including the private plots, we can only build one row of houses, about 21 rooms. The last house is a bit narrow, but we can increase its length so that it can be used as a canteen and a woodshed."
"Uncle Captain, could we fence off our private plot and make it our own yard?" I asked.
"Sure, but you'll have to discuss the mud bricks for the courtyard wall with the commune members yourselves."
"When will construction begin?" I asked again.
"Start tomorrow"
"Uncle Captain, how much is the rent?" Chen Enpeng asked.
"Two yuan a month"
"Can"
"I can too."
“Okay, we’ll start construction tomorrow. Every household in the village has prepared mud bricks, and the wood is readily available. We’ll build for the three of you first, and the rest will be finished before next winter.”
"Then, Captain, we'll do the same as Comrade Li and build a wall around the courtyard."
"Can"
So, what I originally planned as a kitchen, a bedroom in the middle, and a storage room on the side was reduced to half its original size. Sigh, but it certainly saved me some trouble.
Back inside, I pondered how to best arrange the 20-square-meter room. After thinking for a long time, I still couldn't figure it out, so I gave up and decided to take another look when I went to help out after finishing my work tomorrow.
The next day, after finishing my work, I rushed over to help build the house. Seeing that the house and yard together were about 180 square meters, I thought it was quite large. I had already told the carpenter that I wanted a small room, 3 meters long and 1.5 meters wide, to be built on the southwest side of the main entrance, divided in the middle; the outside would be for bathing, and the inside for the toilet. As for the rest, I just wanted a woodshed, and the main door didn't need to be a double door, just a single one. The room itself was 5 meters long and 4 meters wide, which was easy enough; the inner room near the west wall would have a kang (heated brick bed), and the outer room would have a stove. Then I went to find the carpenter and had him make two frames according to the room dimensions, as well as the largest kang cabinets I could find. I also wanted a kang table, a dining table, two stools, two buckets, a bathtub, etc.—basically, I wanted one or two of everything I could use for the house.
Chen Enpeng and Chen Junjie, after looking around, also picked and chose some items. They weren't in a hurry, as they were currently staying with a fellow villager and paying rent for a month's stay. So, this first house they were building was for themselves. It was built quickly, though, as everyone came to help after work. The mud bricks were readily available; only the cement was freshly applied for, but it was still fast, taking about a week to complete. A small courtyard of 180 square meters was thus finished. Seeing it, they were filled with emotion. Barring unforeseen circumstances, they would be living here for the next few years.
Uncle Gu, the carpenter, already had some furniture, but he was missing a few shelves. That wasn't difficult. First, he placed the furniture and shelves where they were supposed to be. Then, while everyone was resting in the evening, Uncle Gu's family helped move the luggage over. There was just too much luggage, and Grandpa and Grandma Gu were worried that the villagers would gossip, so they moved it at night.
A couple of days ago, I took some time to ask Grandpa Huang to help me order a few large water tanks. I also asked Chen Enpeng and his friend if they wanted some; if so, it would be cheaper. They even asked me why I wanted to buy water tanks.
"The water vat can not only hold water, but also grain. We should cover it with a wooden board and weigh it down with stones so that even rats can't dig their holes in."
“Okay, we’ll have some too. Mianmian, how many water tanks do you want?” Chen Enpeng said.
"First, we need five large water vats. Two will be used to store grain, one will be used to store grain, and the other will be used to pickle sauerkraut in the winter. I heard that there are no vegetables to eat in this place in winter, and people can't live without vegetables, or they'll easily get mouth ulcers and the like. We'll put the last one in the toilet and bury it in a pit later."
"Okay, we each need five water vats, what else?"
"I'm planning to get some small pickling jars, earthenware pots, and the like."
“Okay, Mianmian, whatever you want, get a set for both of us. But we don’t have any pots right now. We’ll buy a couple after the house is finished in a few days,” Chen Enpeng said.
"Mianmian, tell me, what else do we need to buy? You don't realize how essential things are until you're in charge of the household; we're lacking everything!" Chen Junjie said.
"How old are you two? You're lacking in everything."
"Not much, maybe two years older than you," Chen Enpeng said.
"Alright, I'll make a list for you later. You can choose what to buy. But you can check with the carpenter in the village or anyone else first. If they don't have any, you can try the nearby market. If you still can't find anything, you can try the supply and marketing cooperative. But you'll need coupons. If you don't have coupons and aren't in a hurry, you can borrow some from me. After all, I moved my whole family here, and I haven't even thrown away a single old rag."
"Fine, then I won't be with you anymore."
"Okay, what's up?"
"We're all alone in a foreign land, so we should lend a hand if needed."
"You mean..." Chen Enpeng said.
How's work been for you two lately?
"It's alright, but I'm a little overwhelmed," Chen Junjie said.
"Definitely," I said.
"You're not going to be unable to handle it either, are you? That can't be right," Chen Junjie asked in surprise.
"No, not at all. I'm working with you now, earning six work points a day. I don't feel tired at all. But you two should get used to it as soon as possible. Otherwise, after the autumn harvest, it will be winter here, and spring won't come until March or April. If you don't work for half a year, you won't have anything to eat. How will you two survive?"
"Don't worry about that, we know what we're doing, otherwise we wouldn't have persisted for so long."
"Okay, good to know. You guys should get used to it quickly and stop dawdling like the other members every day. After we finish our work ahead of schedule, we'll go into the mountains to find some wild vegetables, mushrooms, fruits, and the like to mix together. We have to get through the winter, right?"
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