frightfiction Chapter 218 Finding Foreman Chen for Self-Built House
Chapter 218 Finding Foreman Chen for Self-Built House
Li Ju'an asked Lao Zhang if he had reported the person to the police later.
Old Zhang took a deep drag on his cigarette, exhaled smoke rings, and said dejectedly, "No, that guy said it was a tractor from the forest farm, and that *** had ordered him to drive it. He even produced proof, so we security guards didn't dare say anything."
He was an ordinary staff member in the security department, quite old. The old leader used to give him the job of taking specimens. After a while, the leader took pity on him because of his age and the old man's leg pain, so he specially recruited him into the security department, just to give him a leisurely job and wait for early retirement.
He believed it was better to avoid trouble, so after looking at the certificate, he let him go.
He said, "This young man's surname is Xu, which is rare in our village. He must be from the city."
A licensed driver surnamed Xu? Li Ju'an thought of someone: "Xu Da?"
"Hey, Little Li, do you know this guy?"
Li Ju'an sneered inwardly. Did he not know Xu Da? He knew him all too well. In his previous life, Xu Da and Lin Mei went on a blind date, Xu Da presented gifts, held a banquet at Lin's house, and later Xu Da physically abused Lin Mei. Li Ju'an, upon learning this in the south, was filled with remorse.
What's wrong with the driver? Just because the driver is holding the steering wheel in the Xingan Mountains doesn't mean he's something special.
Wow, that's really impressive. He thought that once he submitted the specimens, the forest farm would issue him a driver's license, have the experienced driver sign it, and register him with the unit. He couldn't wait. In these days, the benefits of a driver's license were priceless.
When the two men heard that Li Ju'an wanted to build a house, they introduced him to Chen Xiangqian, an uncle of Chen Da Ye, a worker in the village. Years ago, when the Lu family's old house was renovated, Chen Xiangqian led a group of craftsmen to do the work. It looked quite good and was well-built, earning him a good reputation in the village.
Li Ju'an responded with a "yes".
He recalled that after the land was distributed to individual households, the land and the people remained the same. However, the initiative to manage the land independently ignited the enthusiasm of the villagers. In a very short time, the village and countryside were transformed into a landscape of lush greenery and golden fields. With increased grain production, the villagers were no longer short of money, and many thatched houses were replaced with brick and tile houses.
He wanted to build the first multi-story house in the entire village for the Li family.
He knew that in five years, the abundant labor force would strengthen the village's collective economy. At that time, numerous gypsum board factories, additive factories, eyeglass factories, chemical plants, wall panel factories, copper wire factories, and printing factories would spring up in the village and the town. After accumulating his first pot of gold, he would enter these industries, truly following the path permitted by policy, and transform Lijiatun into a prosperous village.
When Lao Qin heard that he planned to invest in these factories, he was taken aback and said, "What if we lose money? Can we even make it work?"
Li Ju'an laughed heartily and said, "It will succeed. If you enter early, you're sure to succeed."
Old Qin was still worried, saying, "What if we lose money? It'll all be for nothing. This money is what we've worked so hard to save up by hunting. It's the blood and sweat we earned by selling each pelt. If we lose it, how will we have any security in the future?"
Li Ju'an knew he was referring to Lao Qian's affair, where Lao Qian's son-in-law was swindled out of all the furs Lao Qian had acquired and had his money stolen, leaving him penniless. He stubbed out his cigarette, exhaled a smoke ring, and said, "Don't worry, work with me, and I guarantee you won't lose out."
Upon hearing this, Lao Qin generously exclaimed, "Alright! Brother, if you ever make a fortune, include me in your investment! I'll bet with you!"
There are still two days until the Lantern Festival. During these days, state-owned units such as forest farms will be closed and workers will not be working.
Li Ju'an took advantage of the time to visit the home of foreman Chen Xiangqian, which was right next to the guesthouse.
In the 80s, when people built houses, they mostly renovated the storage rooms in the courtyard and hired help from villagers, such as their own relatives, neighbors, and other villagers.
In the rural areas of the Xingan Mountains, building a house is a top priority. Although the villagers are not well-off, when someone is building a new house, the villagers will gather early in the morning with hammers, tools, and old-fashioned ink lines to help. It's a lively scene, with interesting shouts and a warm, human touch.
Li Ju'an considered that he was not renovating an old house, but going to the remote corner of Changchonggou to build a new house from the foundation. Moreover, he planned to build a three-story self-built house, so he had to find an experienced foreman, Chen Xiangqian, to hire a foreman to do the work.
In this era of scarcity, building materials were hard to come by, especially through legitimate channels. For example, the Lu family renovated their old house using bricks salvaged from the original structure, bricks collected over time, and adobe bricks. He sought out Foreman Chen partly to find legitimate channels for sourcing materials. The workers looked out for each other, and there were ways to transport surplus materials.
Chen Xiangqian was at home. He took the cigarette Li Ju'an offered, but didn't smoke it. He tucked it behind his ear and said, "Do you want adobe bricks or something? What kind of bricks do you want?"
Red bricks cost four or five cents each, and if you need ten thousand bricks to build a house, that would cost four or five hundred yuan. Ordinary families can't afford it; it's equivalent to more than a year's salary for one person without eating or drinking.
Seeing that Foreman Chen was a straightforward person, Li Ju'an said, "I need the red bricks, but can you procure the timber? I'd like to ask someone for a favor."
Chen Xiangqian's distant nephew works at the bridge guard post. A truckload of adobe bricks has been made there; his nephew can arrange for them to be transported over. As for the timber for building the house, that'll have to be gathered.
The roof beams, purlins, and even the short purlins were all salvaged from old houses they used to renovate. The owners didn't want them, so they kept them for a pittance. The wood for the window and door frames also had to be sent over as old timber. Fortunately, there was a forest farm next door, and as a family settlement, they could easily buy timber through connections. Chen Xiangqian's younger brother, Uncle Chen, worked as a gatekeeper at the forest farm and could get his hands on used timber and scraps.
When Foreman Chen saw the pound of lard that Li Ju'an had brought over, he knew that Li was a hunter who frequented the mountains. He accepted the lard, took the cigarette from behind his ear, lit it with a lighter, took a deep drag, exhaled a smoke ring, and then nodded and said, "You can handle it, no problem. I'll have someone bring the timber back in a handcart later. It's just that the planks for the roof will be hard to find."
Li Ju'an offered him another cigarette and two jin of wild boar gnawing knuckle. Without saying a word, Foreman Chen stood up and said, "Later, I'll find some laborers and use the wood ration coupons to buy some firewood. We can pick out some wood strips and planks to make do. Something cobbled together is better than nothing."
He carefully discussed with Li Ju'an that the best way to make reed curtains for the roof was to go to the straw market in the city, which is a special market for selling firewood, to buy reeds themselves, and then weave them into reed curtains themselves.
Foreman Chen had considered all the materials, inside and out, very carefully.
Li Ju'an was very satisfied, thinking to himself, "This is truly an expert. This trip was worthwhile, saving me from going down so many unnecessary paths. Professional matters should be handled by professionals."
Li Ju'an paid the deposit, which was basically for materials. Foreman Chen and he agreed that the work would start at the end of the month, and he would bring three or four junior craftsmen with him.
Foreman Chen had thought things through carefully and asked Li Ju'an if he wanted a cabinet made. The craftsman also knew carpentry and did the whole thing, earning a good amount of money.
Li Ju'an looked up the prices and found that contracting seven pieces of furniture—a wardrobe, a desk, a bookcase, a sofa, a large mirror, and two wooden chairs—to Foreman Chen would be cheaper than hiring a carpenter in the county town. Seeing Li Ju'an hesitate slightly, Foreman Chen said, "You can make them yourself, but if you need beams, pillars, or a tabletop made of pebbles, I have some here; consider it a free gift."
In this day and age, many people make their own furniture at home without asking anyone for help.
Li Ju'an had watched his grandfather do carpentry when he was a child and knew a little about it, but he wasn't very good at it. So he didn't plan to take on too much work and directly subcontracted the job to Foreman Chen, who offered a reasonable price.