Silly Zhu's Moving: The Old Neighbor's Nightmare

"Well, the inner room in the west wing, with drainage from the sewer, is for showering, so we'll make a bathroom," Mr. Zhang said, drawing a diagram on a piece of paper.

Sha Zhu, seeing that Zhang the Bald had almost finished drawing, continued.

"And there's water and electricity. For electricity, could you connect the basement, kitchen, and toilet in all three main rooms?"

The water supply is also connected in the bathroom, and a simple sink has been installed inside the room.

It's a place where you can wash your face and brush your teeth. Build a handwashing basin and a laundry basin in the yard between the kitchen and the west room.

The water pipes are connected to the kitchen, where a sink for washing dishes and pots will be installed.

Connecting to the toilet, installing a faucet, flushing, and mopping the floor—that's the entire plumbing and electrical work.

After drawing the blueprints on the paper according to Sha Zhu's requirements, Boss Zhang looked at them and said, "At the main gate, we should build a screen wall here."

Sha Zhu glanced at the simple drawings Zhang had made, then looked at the spot Zhang was pointing to and said...

"We won't build a screen wall anymore; we'll move this one back two meters."

Build a passageway directly from the main gate to the screen wall.

It's used to store coal briquettes, bicycles, and other items, and it also serves as a rain shelter. The passageway is also built in the style of a tiled roof.

"Anything else?" Boss Zhang asked, having finished his drawing and seeing that Sha Zhu remained silent.

"In the yard, they paved the middle passageway with some bricks to connect the kitchen and the toilet."

"You don't need to worry about the sides of the yard. I occasionally grow some vegetables for everyday meals, and I'll build a grape trellis when I have time."

"Then why don't my people just set up the grape trellis for you?"

We'll apply cement under the grape trellis, and once it dries, we'll place stone tables and chairs there.

"When we have nothing to do, we can play chess or Go under the grape trellis, or just relax and have a meal," Mr. Zhang suggested.

Sha Zhu listened to what Boss Zhang said and thought it sounded good, so he said, "Let's do as Boss Zhang says."

Sha Zhu looked at the blueprints, had nothing to add, and said, "Then, Mr. Zhang, would you like to come with me to see the address now, or..."

"Let's go. Everyone in my shop is busy right now, except for one employee who doesn't know anything. He'll come with you."

As he spoke, Mr. Zhang stood up and walked out of the shop.

Riding on Boss Zhang's bicycle, Sha Zhu led Boss Zhang to...

In front of the collapsed houses near the Military Control Commission in Nanluoguxiang.

Mr. Zhang parked his bicycle, walked around the house, and looked at the abandoned building.

He said to Sha Zhu, "Does our construction team also have to deal with these discarded bricks and other junk on the foundation?"

Sha Zhu said embarrassedly, "Boss Zhang, I shouldn't bother two people with the same matter."

From cleaning to completion and move-in ready, I entrusted everything to Mr. Zhang.

Construction crew, come on over and let's get to work.

Could you please treat them to a nice meal at a good restaurant, Mr. Zhang? I'll reimburse you.

I'm not going to care about anything anymore. I have to go to work and don't have time to come and check.

Mr. Zhang, just think of it as building your own house. You can either do it yourself or find someone to supervise the construction.

After the houses were built, I got to know a few construction workers from the military control commission.

"I'll have them check the house's sturdiness later. If there are no problems, we'll settle the remaining payment."

"Hmph, my own construction team, and you want me to supervise the work myself? You really trust me?" Boss Zhang said, looking at Sha Zhu.

"I'm not short of money, Mr. Zhang, just use the best materials."

Mr. Zhang just told your construction team that it would be best to finish building the wall and gate first.

Those good materials are being hauled into this yard. If they had been brought over earlier...

"Since no one's watching over it, if it gets lost, you can't blame me."

"Alright, since you've made it so clear."

Then let's go back. Once we're back, you can give us part of the money for building the house.

"I need to buy the materials in advance so I can arrange for someone to come and clean this place tomorrow." Mr. Zhang said, preparing to leave.

Just then, some neighbors came over and immediately recognized Sha Zhu. An old man said,

"Shazhu, I heard your dad bought this abandoned house."

Are you looking for someone to rebuild the house here? Didn't I hear your dad ran off with someone else and took the money?"

The other five or six people stared at Sha Zhu after hearing what the old man said.

"This house is the one I exchanged from my original courtyard house at No. 95."

My dad gave the compensation money from the military control commission to my mentor.

"My master didn't have time to come, so he asked me to bring the construction team to take a look at this house," Sha Zhu said righteously.

Sha Zhu didn't want his neighbors to say he bought the house directly.

If it really was bought, then those who don't know the truth would assume that the house at No. 95 courtyard also belonged to Sha Zhu's family.

Once the houses behind are built, it's hard to guarantee that some people won't be envious.

If they encounter any more houses due to national policies or government jurisdiction later on, these ordinary neighbors will definitely cause trouble.

Why is it that most of the neighbors in this area are experiencing housing shortages?

Occasionally, there are people living in detached houses or courtyards, but they are very rare.

Sha Zhu and his sister lived in a separate little courtyard.

Without adult supervision, it's no wonder they attract jealousy and envy from others.

Sha Zhu wasn't really afraid, just annoyed by some troublesome things.

I've been keeping a low profile quite a bit. If someone is too blind to listen and insists on causing trouble, someone might just disappear.

"Shazhu, are you going to rebuild this abandoned house of yours?"

"Do you still want these broken bricks? We, the neighbors, will help you clean them up," the old man said.

"Old man, didn't you always call me 'Pillar' when you saw me before?"

Does this mean that just because they heard my dad ran off with someone, they think I'm no longer responsible and that he's easy to bully?

Or I can call my mentor over; if that doesn't work, I can call Director Wang from the officers' association.

"Help me make a decision, and I'll call you 'Silly Grandpa' from now on, okay?" Sha Zhu said, glaring at the old man.

"Hey, you little brat, I'm practically your grandfather's generation, what's wrong with calling you 'Silly Zhu'?"

"Even if your father were here, and I called you 'Silly Zhu,' he wouldn't dare say anything." The old man said, puffing out his beard and glaring.

"You son of a bitch, you bastard, you son of a bitch, you curse your ancestors for eighteen generations, you old bastard, why didn't you die sooner, you stupid grandpa..."

Sha Zhu was pointing at the old man and cursing him vehemently.

Suddenly, a young man appeared from among the neighbors and kicked Sha Zhu in the chest.

With quick reflexes, Sha Zhu pulled Zhang the Bald man aside with his left hand.

He grabbed the young man's ankle with his right hand and took a step back.

The young man missed his kick and was pulled forward by Sha Zhu, landing with a "rip" sound.

It seemed his pants had a tear in the crotch; the young man landed in a split, letting out a cry of "Ouch!"

He covered his groin with both hands, the young man's face contorted in pain.

"Go to hell!" Sha Zhu shouted recklessly, kicking the young man in the shoulder.

The young man was kicked by Sha Zhu and rolled twice on the ground like a gourd.

Unable to get up, clutching his lower body, his head was covered in sweat; he must be in a lot of pain.

Sha Zhu looked at the ground where it had been. It was empty and there were no small stones or anything there. Was he trying to stage an accident?