Rebooting 60, let's go on a rampage with the orange cat!

The autumn and winter seasons were originally dry, with no rain for several months. However, several heavy rains fell in late December and January. Although the rains alleviated the drought, many houses in the city started leaking.

In the past, there were many single-story houses in the city, and they were generally built with small blue tiles. Over time, dust, dead branches and leaves, and weeds growing inside the tiles have clogged the gutters. Rainwater would seep into the gaps between the tiles, or the tiles would break, causing the roof to leak. The roof would need to be repaired or replaced, otherwise it would be uninhabitable.

After the weather clears up for a few days and the water stains on the tiles dry, families with serious leaks will hire a tile repairman to fix the leaks.

Roof tile setters typically work in groups of three to five, with a detailed division of labor and everyone vying to be the first, often resulting in surprisingly fast progress. They must complete all their work before nightfall. Two people work on the roof removing tiles, while one stands at the eaves to catch them and arranges them neatly below. The third person goes to the brick kiln to buy tiles as needed. Once all the roof beams are exposed, they sweep away any debris before starting to lay new tiles.

After the roof is built, some roof tiles and eaves need to be redone. The bricklayers use lime and chopped hemp fibers as an adhesive to treat the joints of the eaves and gutters, which is quite strong and usually dries overnight.

Back then, when hiring a tile setter, the homeowner would typically provide tea, cigarettes, and two meals (lunch and dinner) free of charge before settling the payment. The wages were generally calculated based on the house's area and the number of new tiles installed, a clear and transparent system. However, in cases of financial hardship, families might use rice or other goods to offset the wages if they couldn't afford it.

For families with minor leaks, the men would climb ladders to the roof to repair it once the weather cleared up. The Shi family's roof in Huai'an had a slight leak, which was fine during light rain, but after the recent rains, the cracks in the roof became deeper. Huai'an had to use basins to catch the leaking rainwater, otherwise the floor would be flooded.

Taking advantage of the holiday and the good weather, both the Shi and Yu families bought some new blue tiles to renovate their roofs themselves.

Zhong Hanzhe met Taozi first, and these past few days he's been getting familiar with the yard. Seeing the clear weather, he pulled up a chair and started reading in the yard. Seeing Zhang Ting struggling to finish her old drawing, she muttered to herself, "Why is the teacher assigning a bulletin board? What am I supposed to do with my naturally clumsy hands?"

Taozi, who was helping his father hand over a tile, leaned over to take a look and said with a grin, "What are you drawing? Is it some kind of scribbling?"

Zhang Ting slammed her homework down and shooed him away, saying, "Go away, go away, I don't need you to tell me what to do."

Seeing that the Yu family's roof was leaking, Zhong Hanzhe walked over to Taozi, glanced at Zhang Ting's homework, and said, "What do you want to draw? I'll help you."

Zhang Ting stretched and said casually, "Do you even know how? Don't waste my paper. I'll have Shi Huai'an take a look at it for me later."

The name Shi Huai'an came out of Zhang Ting's mouth so casually that Zhong Hanzhe was taken aback. Then, his eyes darted around and he said calmly, "Shi Huai'an is my classmate. Is she coming here today? But I'm definitely better at drawing than her. What do you want to draw? I'll draw one for you to see."

Zhong Hanzhe isn't usually one to strike up conversations with girls, but he took the initiative to fit in at the courtyard. In his past life, as an architectural apprentice, he learned to sketch. In some rural areas of southern China, houses needed lotus flowers and auspicious patterns painted on the sides of their roofs; even now, some people might use ceramic tiles...

Taozi and Zhang Ting both laughed, pointing in the direction of Huai'an's house and saying, "She lives right here..."

When Chung Han-che turned around, he was startled to see Shih Jen-mei had borrowed a long wooden ladder from outside and placed it by the side of the house. It turned out that they lived here.

Of course, Chung Han-che recognized his father-in-law from his previous life. He had recently wandered around the old house in Huai'an, but he had never seen her again. He heard that her family had moved away, which surprised and disappointed him. In his previous life, Shi Renmei had lived in that old house all the time and never moved until she passed away in 1987.

Zhong Hanzhe thought to himself that it was fortunate that Shi Huai'an was still his classmate and he could still see him when school started. Otherwise, it would not be easy to find him after he moved away. However, he remembered Shi Renmei's workplace and even her hometown address, so he was not afraid of losing contact with her.

Unexpectedly, after all these twists and turns, they ended up living in the same courtyard. This fate is truly wonderful; no one would believe it unless it was destiny. Overjoyed, he rushed forward to help Shi Renmei hold the ladder, saying, "Uncle Shi, let me help you go up and take a look."

Shi Renmei turned around and looked at the unfamiliar yet attentive young man, somewhat puzzled, and said, "Do you know me? Is there something you need?"

Taozi then leaned closer and said, "Uncle Shi, Xiao Zhong is a new resident, and he's Huai'an's classmate."

A chubby, round orange cat strolled out of the half-open door with elegant, slow steps. Its soft orange fur shimmered with a captivating luster in the sunlight, as if draped in a golden veil.

The adorable little creature first looked around curiously with its big, crystal-clear eyes, like jewels, then spotted a ladder not far away, and with a light leap, landed steadily on the rungs. Immediately afterward, using the ladder for support, it jumped again, landing accurately on the roof tiles.

At this moment, the orange cat proudly wagged its fluffy tail, sitting there majestically like a victorious general. It narrowed its eyes slightly, looking down at the entire yard, taking in every blade of grass, every person, and every object; nothing could escape its sharp gaze.

The morning sunlight filtered through the dappled leaves into the courtyard. Huai'an emerged from the house with a toothbrush in her mouth and foam all over her lips. She was still sleepy-eyed, and her hair was a little messy, but it couldn't hide her pretty face and bright eyes.

Seeing her father, Shi Renmei, busy at work, Huai'an hurriedly said indistinctly, "Dad, let's hire a helper to do these chores. You don't need to work so hard. What if you accidentally hurt your back?" As she spoke, she gestured casually with her hand.

After saying this, Huai'an continued brushing her teeth, casually glancing at the people around her. Suddenly, a familiar figure caught her eye, causing her to freeze in place. It was Zhong Hanzhe! What was this guy doing here? Was he really haunting her? Huai'an wondered.

Shi Renmei, however, didn't seem to mind. He smiled and replied to his daughter, "Oh, my dear, how can we ask others to do everything? Dad can handle this little thing. It's just replacing a few tiles, it's not that delicate!" Before he finished speaking, Shi Renmei held onto the ladder again, preparing to climb up and continue working.

Xiuzhi came out carrying a bucket full of clothes, complaining, "Huai'an, what time did you get up to wash the clothes? I didn't know. I must have been sleeping too soundly. Sigh, didn't I tell you not to wash the clothes? It's so cold, the water is freezing. Be careful not to get frostbite on your hands." As she grumbled, she lifted the basket to the bamboo pole and began to shake out the clothes to dry.

While they were fast asleep, Shi Huai'an quickly tossed the dirty clothes into the washing machine in his spatial dimension. After washing, he quietly took them out and placed them in the living room so that Xiuzhi could take them to air them in the morning. She playfully stuck out her tongue and then scurried back to her room like a little mouse.

Zhong Hanzhe found it strange too. He got up at five o'clock every day to study, and he could definitely hear someone washing clothes by the well. His ears were very sharp; he could even tell who was who by the sound of each person's footsteps. He secretly memorized these details and decided to pay more attention in the mornings. Maybe he could even use this opportunity to spend some time alone with Huai'an, or help her fetch water from the well.

He came to his senses and smiled at Shi Renmei, "Uncle Shi, you have to believe me. I used to be an apprentice at the Housing Management Bureau. This kind of leak is a piece of cake for me."

Shi Renmei was skeptical and said, "How old are you? You've already completed your apprenticeship? Aren't you still studying?"

Zhong Hanzhe nimbly climbed the wooden ladder and said, "Don't worry, I'll definitely satisfy you."

Shi Huai'an knew that in his previous life, Zhong Hanzhe had become very popular among the educated youth sent to the countryside with his skill in flipping leaks. She couldn't care less. Humph, if you want to do it, then do it. Anyway, I'll just ignore you.

After hanging up the laundry, Xiuzhi looked up at Zhong Hanzhe, who was busy on the roof, and said, "Oh dear, this is really too much trouble for you. Have lunch at home later!"

Before Zhong Hanzhe could respond, Huai'an immediately chimed in, "He has other things to do and won't be eating at our house. You don't need to bother."

Zhong Hanzhe's face stiffened, and he could only pretend not to hear, but he wondered to himself: Why does Huai'an always seem to be rejecting me? Logically speaking, I'm not that annoying, am I? Is she still holding a grudge against Gu Jingxing for me? Didn't he fight back?

Shi Renmei laughed and scolded Huai'an, "You have no manners at all. If you really find the leak, you have to treat me to a meal to express your gratitude."

Huai'an snorted and thought: Fine, you eat yours, I'll leave, okay? She finished braiding her hair and ran out, saying, "Dad, Mom, I'm going to my master's house to learn and have lunch. I won't be home for lunch."

As Zhong Hanzhe laid the tiles, he stole glances at Huai'an's retreating figure, muttering to himself: Master? She actually has a master? How many secrets does she still have that I don't know about? The plot of this life has completely gone off track!

He peered through the lifted roof tiles into the bedroom below. A desk stood by the window, with two stacks of books on it. One of them, seemingly a book on traditional Chinese medicine, was odd. Why was Huai'an reading this? Was it related to her so-called master?

The round, chubby orange cat suddenly meowed loudly at Hans Zhe Zhong. Its fur stood on end slightly, and its eyes revealed a hint of wariness and hostility, as if it were issuing a stern warning to Hans Zhe Zhong.

Zhong Hanzhe frowned. He had intended to throw a piece of broken tile at the orange cat to scare it away, but he withdrew his hand. He thought to himself: Could this orange cat be Huai'an's pet? If it is Huai'an's cat, I shouldn't hurt it, lest it escalate the conflict between her and me.

He didn't stop working; he opened up and widened the leaking area with a few more tiles, and after cleaning the cracks underneath, he went downstairs and used some clay mixed with straw to apply it several times to the leaking tiles. Then he stacked new tiles in the original direction, checked and reinforced the water-blocking strip, and finally went downstairs. He said to Shi Renmei, "Uncle Shi, your problem isn't serious; it should be fine now."

Shi Renmei hurriedly said, "Judging from your technique, you are indeed very skilled. Let me cook a few good dishes and have a simple lunch at my house. I can't let you work for nothing."

Zhong Hanzhe smiled as he went to wash his hands at the well, shaking his head repeatedly and saying, "No need, no need, it's nothing. Just call me if you need anything in the future."

Shi Renmei said sincerely, "How can that be? You've helped so much, you should at least have a meal with me. We'll be neighbors from now on, so feel free to ask if you need anything."

Just then, Lao Yu and Taozi came over. The leak in his house was quite troublesome. Lao Yu had been working on it for a long time, but the gap was only getting bigger, and no matter how many tiles he added, he couldn't cover it up. Lao Yu frowned and said, "Xiao Zhong, could you go and take a look at my house too? I can't even put the tiles back in place now."

Taozi put his arm around Zhong Hanzhe's shoulder and pushed him toward his house, then turned back to Shi Renmei with a smile and said, "Save your meal for now, he's eating at my house today."

Zhong Hanzhe was a little helpless. He originally didn't want to get involved in the Yu family's affairs, but he had shown off a little in order to please the Shi family's parents, which caused him trouble.

Zhong Hanzhe climbed the wooden ladder again to check the roof of the Yu family's house. The roof had already been turned upside down by Old Yu, and the tiles were placed in no order. He patted the mud and ash off his hands and came down, saying, "Uncle Yu, the leak in your house is not easy to fix. It's all along the edges and corners. It will be a big project to repair. You'd better hire a tile-repairing team as soon as possible. If they come quickly, it can be fixed before dark."

Old Yu was dumbfounded. Hiring a construction team not only meant providing food and drinks, buying cigarettes and alcohol, but also paying a lot of wages. Moreover, the roof had been torn off, and if he couldn't find anyone to help him, he would freeze in the dead of winter.

He grabbed Zhong Hanzhe, who was about to walk away, and said, "Little Zhong, you have to help your Uncle Yu. I can't find anyone to help right now. If I do, they'll just ask for a higher price in this situation. You've studied, right? I trust you. Please help me."

Taozi immediately brought over a glass of water and said, "Brother, you're my brother. You've been busy all day and haven't even had a sip of water yet. Have some water and rest first, then you can help my family with the rest."

Shi Renmei slapped her forehead and said, "Oh dear, I was negligent. Xiao Zhong has been helping my family all day and hasn't even had a sip of water yet. Do you smoke? I'll go get you a pack of cigarettes."

Zhong Hanzhe quickly stopped him and waved his hand, saying, "Uncle Shi, I'm still a student. I don't smoke or drink."

He turned to Old Yu and said, "Uncle Yu, it's not that I don't want to help you, but your project is much bigger than Uncle Shi's. I can't handle it all by myself. Besides, I have other things to do, and I haven't finished my homework yet."

Upon hearing this, Old Yu knew that this kid definitely knew his stuff, but was just reluctant to do it. He said, "Xiao Zhong, I definitely won't let you work for free. The current rate is 3 yuan a day for a skilled worker and 2 yuan a day for a laborer. A small construction team needs at least three to five people. How about I give you 5 yuan? Taozi and I can help you out, okay?"

Chung Han-che said awkwardly, "This isn't about money. I really can't handle this... Besides, how could I possibly take your money?"

Seeing that he was softening, Old Yu continued, "Look, it's not convenient for you to cook and eat alone. Can you help me clean up the leaks and eat at my house three times a day for the next month? Your Aunt Yu may not be good at other things, but she's a great cook. Besides, you've already helped Uncle Shi. If you don't help me, wouldn't that be disrespectful to Uncle Yu? We'll be living in the same courtyard from now on, so we should look after each other, right?"