Chapter 122 4 Everyone in the Courtyard is Envious

Chapter 122 4 Everyone in the Courtyard is Envious

Chapter 122: Everyone in the Siheyuan is jealous

October 6th, Sunday.

After staying in the guest house for a few days, Li Kailang was finally able to return to the courtyard today.

The wing room had been renovated a few days ago, but Li Kailang was worried that there would be a peculiar smell in the room, so he decided to wait until the smell dissipated before moving in.

After the wing rooms are decorated, the ear room also needs to be decorated.

Since he had no place to live, Li Kailang thought about it and decided that he could only stay in a hotel for a few days.

Now that the ear room has been renovated, Li Kailang will come back.

On the one hand, I move into my new home and check it again.
On the other hand, there is the wages of Jie Hangong and others.

Mainly the wing rooms, Li Kailang did not follow the old style of the courtyard house, but adopted the modernist style.

This may look a little strange, but it gives people a more fresh feeling and is not very abrupt.

The exterior wall has not been modified much and remains consistent with the style of the courtyard house.

The glass in the doors and windows of the wing rooms was all replaced, the structure of the house was reinforced, the main beams were replaced with thicker and larger ones, and the tiles on the beams were also replaced with new ones.

Cement was used in both rooms. Originally, Mr. Han only needed ten bags, but Li Kailang still had 20 bags of cement on hand, so he took out 10 more.

This way, the house is very sturdy.

Li Kailang remembered that there would be an earthquake in the future.

When we returned to the courtyard, we saw Han Gong and his six colleagues busy packing up tools and clearing garbage.

"Comrade Li, you're back!" Seeing Li Kailang, Engineer Yang was the first to greet him.

"Well, you're back, Engineer Yang. Is your hand okay?" Li Kailang asked with concern.

Engineer Yang's arm was injured when he was pushed down by Jia Zhang and was scratched. Now, after more than half a month, his arm has almost recovered.

Engineer Yang lifted up his bandaged arm and said, "It's almost healed. The wound has scabbed over. It will be fine after a while."

"That's good. You should get more rest."

"Comrade Li, the ear room has been renovated. Do you want to go and have a look?" Engineer Yang asked.

"Okay, I haven't seen it yet." Li Kailang nodded.

After saying that, Li Kailang went towards the ear room.

The moment I opened the door, a slightly pungent smell hit my nose, but it was not unbearable.

Li Kailang frowned slightly, but it was okay. He was mentally prepared, so he didn't care about the taste.

He looked around and saw that the walls had been repainted, the beams had been replaced with new materials, and the ground had been smoothed with cement.

Li Kailang reached out and touched the ground. There was no dust on his hand. It was obvious that Engineer Han and his team had cleaned it carefully.

The room was not big, and Li Kailang finished looking around quickly. There were no major changes in the layout.

Compared with the original one, the appearance seems to be more solid and cleaner, giving it a brand new feeling overall.

"Engineer Han, you did a great job. I am very satisfied and there is nothing to change." Li Kailang said frankly.

Hearing this, Han Gong and the other six smiled knowingly. This kind of evaluation was the best for them.

If you meet someone who is very stingy, you will have to find some faults to lower the price.

"Okay, I've checked out the ear room and the wing rooms. Now let's settle the wages." Li Kailang went straight to the point.

As soon as these words were spoken, the eyes of Han Gong and the other six people suddenly lit up with joy. They had been working for so long just for this salary.

"According to our previous agreement, the total cost for labor and materials is 230 yuan. I have already paid 150 yuan in advance, plus the cost of materials for installing the fireplace."

Mr. Han explained each expense to Li Kailang in detail.

"After all the calculations, the total is 300 yuan."

Hearing this, Li Kailang nodded, "Okay, that's the number."

As he said that, he took out 15 big black tens from his pocket and said, "Here."

There was an extra 70 yuan, of which 50 yuan was paid by Mr. Han for the electricity meter fee and 20 yuan was other temporary expenses.

Mr. Han took the money, licked his fingers, and began to count it.

"1, 2, 315."

After counting, he said, "This number is just right!"

"Okay, then we're even now!" Li Kailang said.

"Well! Then we'll pack up and go back. You can come to us next time you need decoration."

Li Kailang also responded politely: "Okay, I will definitely look for you next time."

After a few polite greetings, Han Gong and his companions packed their belongings and left the courtyard.

After seeing them off, Li Kailang returned to his house excitedly.

After renovation, although the wing room is only 40 to 50 square meters in size, it is fully functional.

Bedrooms, living rooms, kitchens, attics, and most importantly, bathrooms and toilets are all available.

As soon as you enter the door you will see a spacious living room.

In the center of the living room is a set of Republic of China sofas and a coffee table, on which are placed exquisite tea sets, allowing people to relax and enjoy tea in their spare time.

In the living room near the kitchen, an octagonal table and four rosewood chairs are neatly arranged.

The most eye-catching thing is the fireplace. Although it is summer now and is not used for heating, it adds to the atmosphere of the entire space and gives people a homey feeling.

These pieces of furniture combined together give the living room a warm feeling.

There were no major changes to the kitchen layout, but the walls were repainted spotlessly white, making it look a lot brighter.

The addition of large cabinets provides a suitable home for kitchen supplies and makes the entire space look neat and orderly.

Previously, many condiments were casually placed aside by Li Kailang. Now the condiments are placed in the cupboard, making the kitchen look a bit empty.

What Li Kailang is most satisfied with is the design of the bathroom and toilet.

Li Kailang designed them separately, separating dry and wet areas, which is both practical and beautiful.

He also installed an aluminum water tank outside the house, where the bathroom is, painted black on the outside, which uses solar energy to heat the water.

In this way, Li Kailang can take a hot bath directly after coming home from get off work.

"Now, I finally don't have to run to the bathhouse to take a bath."

Li Kailang was still not used to taking a shower naked with a group of people without any privacy at all.

The houses are all connected to electricity, equipped with electric lights and running water.

At this time, there is only one way to pay the electricity bill: count the light bulbs.
The scientific name is "Baodeng System", and the actual method is to count light bulbs.

如电费按每月每只15瓦的灯泡0.15元，25瓦的灯泡0.25元，40瓦的灯泡0.4元收费。

Most households use 15-watt light bulbs, and only on New Year's Day will they replace them with 25-watt or 40-watt bulbs.

Li Kailang directly used a 25-watt light bulb. Using a 40-watt light bulb was too exaggerated.

But even so, Li Kailang still has to pay 2 yuan for electricity every month.

Fortunately, he pays the electricity bill himself and does not have to pay it together with the courtyard house.

This room is small, but it has everything.

Looking at the layout in front of him, Li Kailang felt very familiar.

"This looks comfortable. I will eventually get used to it in the future."

"Although it's still a little inconvenient, it's the only way."

Li Kailang was about to go to the bathroom to test the toilet.

“Dong dong!!!”

"Who is it?" Li Kailang shouted and opened the door.

Yan Bugui's family and other residents stood outside Li Kailang's house, looking inside the house curiously.

"Xiao Li, has your house been renovated?" Yan Bugui couldn't help but ask.

"Yes, Third Uncle, what's the matter?" Li Kailang replied.

"Nothing, it's just that everyone is curious about your house renovation, as it took so long, and wants to come in and take a look."

"Well, since everyone is embarrassed to ask, I came to you to ask if I can take a look."

Yan Bugui didn't say anything very definite, and insisted on coming in to take a look, which made it impossible for Li Kailang to refuse directly.

Looking at everyone's eager eyes, Li Kailang knew that they were also very curious.

"Oh..." Li Kailang hesitated for a moment, but quickly made a decision, "Okay, come in and take a look!" Instead of hiding it, it is better to satisfy their curiosity so that they won't be thinking about it all the time.

After all, there is no such thing as a thief on guard against thieves.

Fortunately, the house is only filled with some furniture and is still quite spacious.

Everyone walked into the house and their eyes suddenly lit up.

The sunlight outside shines into the house through the skylight and large windows on the side, making it very bright.

Yan Bugui saw the sofa as soon as he entered the door. He touched it with his hand and felt that it was very soft.

"Is this a sofa? And it's made of real leather?" he asked curiously.

Li Kailang didn't say anything, just nodded.

"Why is this octagonal table so big?" Yan Jiecheng exclaimed.

This table is even bigger than the one they have at home.

"Wow~
"At this time, the third aunt walked into the kitchen and saw the spotless white stove and the cabinets next to it, and she cried out in surprise.
Other residents were also amazed.

Li Kailang stood aside and said nothing. His position blocked the bedroom behind him.

Everyone can look at other places as they please, but the bedroom is his private territory.

"Everyone, come and see!" an old lady shouted, attracting everyone's attention.

Everyone immediately walked over following the sound.

"Look, what is this?" the old lady asked, pointing at a strange thing on the ground.

Yan Bugui looked at everyone's confused faces and couldn't help feeling a little proud, because he knew this thing.

So he said proudly: "You are really ignorant. This is called a toilet. It is used for going to the toilet."

"Isn't the toilet for squatting? How do you use it?" Yan Jiecheng asked puzzledly.

The other ladies were also looking at Yan Bugui. Being looked at by everyone and looking at the gazes cast at him, Yan Bugui couldn't help but feel a sense of vanity in his heart.

"Hey, you don't know this. This is to sit on the toilet."

"Uncle, how do you use this toilet? Just sit on it?" an old lady asked.

This stumped Yan Bugui. He had seen it with his leader, but had never seen him use it.

"Uh, Xiao Li, do you know how to use this?" Yan Bugui could only ask Li Kailang for help.

Li Kailang looked at the confused faces of the crowd and couldn't help laughing. He walked forward and pointed at the toilet and said:

"There's nothing special about this toilet. It's just for sitting on the toilet."

"When using it, just like in a normal toilet, press this button after using the toilet, and the water will flow out automatically."

After saying that, Li Kailang pressed the button again, and the water in the toilet flowed out "splashing".

Everyone couldn't help but marvel at this scene.

"So novel! I want to try it too!" Yan Jiecheng said excitedly.

Yan Jiecheng also tried pressing the button on the water tank, but there was no response.

"I pressed it so hard but it didn't move?"

"How can water flow out if the tank isn't even full?" Li Kailang explained.

"Oh, so that's it!" Yan Jiecheng touched his head, feeling a little embarrassed.

The third aunt also saw a small door next to it. She curiously opened the door and saw a dazzling light reflected from inside.

Li Kailang paid a lot of attention to the bathroom. He put a lot of tiles on it, and the sunlight shines in, making it very bright.

Besides, a bathtub appeared in the eyes of the three aunts.

Li Kailang spent dozens of dollars to buy it, and this bathtub can be heated and keep warm.

It just requires adding firewood outside, which will consume a lot of coal.

"Xiao Li, what is this?" the third aunt asked without confusion.

"This is a bathtub. You can take a bath in it."

"Bathtub? Bath?" Everyone was surprised. "Isn't this a big bathhouse?"

"Yes, you can say that. But this bathtub is a small bathhouse, only big enough for one person." Li Kailang explained with a smile.

"Xiao Li, now that you have this bathtub, can you take a bath at home?" an old lady asked enviously.

"Yes, that's true!" Li Kailang did not hide it.

He spent a lot of money to buy this bathtub so that he could take a bath conveniently at home.

Now that he has a bathroom, he plans to take a shower every day.

Nowadays, each person only has a few bathing tickets per month, so everyone has to calculate the day before taking a bath.

How could it be as convenient as Li Kailang who can take a shower at home?

"Xiao Li, your decoration is really convenient." Yan Bugui exclaimed enviously.

He looked at Li Kailang with a cunning light in his eyes, and it was obvious that he was planning something.

Li Kailang looked at Yan Bugui's eyes moving around and knew that he must be planning something.

He smiled faintly and said tactfully: "Everyone has seen the decoration of my house. There is no decoration in other places, so you don't need to look."

The implication was that Li Kailang was tactfully trying to drive people away.

After hearing this, everyone understood what Li Kailang meant, and they said a few polite words and left.

Yan Bugui deliberately walked at the end, and when he saw that everyone had left, he turned around and said to Li Kailang.

"Xiao Li, your toilet and bathroom are really well designed! You must have put a lot of thought into it!"

"I've felt that you were different since you were a child. Look at your taste in decoration. Who can compare with you!" Yan Bugui praised.

But his eyes were always looking around.

"Okay, Third Uncle, just tell me what you want to say. There's no need to beat around the bush." ​​Li Kailang said bluntly.

"Hehe, you are really smart, much better than my kid."

Yan Bugui paused deliberately, as if considering how to start his speech.

Li Kailang interrupted him immediately upon seeing this:
"Stop, stop, stop! Uncle, just tell me what you want to say. I won't listen if you keep doing this! Let me make it clear first. I will only help if I can."

Yan Bugui hesitated for a moment, as if trying to organize his words:
"It's nothing. You know there's no toilet in our courtyard. We have to fight for the toilet every morning."

"I'm old too. It's okay now in the summer, but if it's winter, it will be very cold to rush to the toilet early in the morning, you see," Yan Bugui said hesitantly.

Li Kailang understood: "Uncle, do you want to use my toilet?"

Yan Bugui nodded, "Yeah, it's too cold in the morning. It would be nice if I could solve it at home."

"Uncle, I remember you were young and strong, how come you couldn't even overcome this hardship?"

"How can you be a teacher? How can you set a good example for your students?" Li Kailang deliberately asked back, not answering the question directly.

"Why are you lecturing me, kid? Just tell me if you can lend it to me!" Yan Bugui felt a little embarrassed and wanted to get an answer as soon as possible.

Li Kailang did not answer, but just looked at him with a smile.

Seeing this, Yan Bugui understood what Li Kailang meant. He snorted coldly and turned away.

After seeing Yan Bugui leave, Li Kailang closed the door.

From the moment Yan Bugui started rolling his eyes, Li Kailang realized that Yan Bugui had no good intentions.

Borrowing the toilet may seem like a trivial matter on the surface, but in Li Kailang's eyes, the size of the matter depends on the person.

Yan Bugui has always liked to take advantage of others. If he feels that there is an opportunity, he will definitely go further.

Seeing that Li Kailang had borrowed so many times, everyone thought he didn't mind, so other people also came to borrow.

Li Kailang's house became a public toilet. If he met someone with dirty hands and feet, it was normal to have less things, especially in the three years that followed.

In order to avoid greater conflicts in the future, it is better to eliminate everyone's thoughts from the beginning.

Li Kailang looked at the furniture that had been pushed into disarray by the crowd and couldn't help feeling a little helpless.

"Well, I have to clean up again. There are these footprints on the ground. I just got home. I have to make a shoe cabinet when I have time."

After the renovation, Li Kailang plans to pick up some of his living habits from his previous life.

He fetched a bucket of water from the bathroom and started mopping the floor.

(End of this chapter)