Chapter 21: Going All Out

Zhou Yimin originally planned to return to the city right after dinner to ask Third Granduncle to find Master Chen and make four more water pump well parts. He also wanted to bring back some better ingredients since the kitchen at home didn’t have much to work with.

However, Village Chief Wang from Shangshui Village came over, expressing his interest in hunting to exchange for grain.

In that case, Zhou Yimin decided to wait until the next day to return. No need to make another round trip later.

Besides, it was getting dark soon, and his grandmother didn’t want him taking risks. If he encountered trouble on the road, it would be a problem. In these times of food scarcity, some people were desperate enough to take risks.

The old lady had some complaints about the former village chief. Why did the village affairs always end up on her eldest grandson’s shoulders? What were the other men in the village doing? If they could handle it, they should; if not, they shouldn’t take the job.

Having a water pump well made water access much more convenient.

The water jars were already full, and Grandma was pleased, her lips curling into a satisfied smile.

Zhou Yimin took a bath. In his past life, he was from the south, so some habits were hard to change in a short time.

But the bathing setup at his grandfather’s place wasn’t ideal.

He thought about it and decided to renovate his grandparents’ place as well. Not only would it make their lives more comfortable, but he would also be coming back often in the future.

So, after his bath, he discussed it with his grandfather.

“Grandpa, how about we build two more rooms to the right of our house? And while we’re at it, let’s fix up the old house inside,” Zhou Yimin suggested.

The old man was stunned for a moment, thinking, Even if you come back to stay overnight, there’s already enough space.

There was even an empty room next door!

“Is it necessary?” he asked.

Building two extra rooms and renovating the old house would cost quite a bit.

He figured they were already old and used to living here—no need to spend the money. Wouldn’t it be better to save that for his eldest grandson’s future family?

Zhou Yimin understood his grandfather’s thoughts.

Looks like it was time to go all out again.

“Grandpa! I’ll be coming back often to stay, so let’s make it nicer!

Besides, when I get married, won’t my wife be coming back too? And when we have kids, won’t your great-grandsons and great-granddaughters need rooms? There won’t be enough space otherwise!”

Before the old man could respond, Grandma got excited.

“Yes, yes, we should build a bigger house! It might not be enough in the future.” She was already imagining her eldest grandson giving her a bunch of great-grandchildren.

“Alright, I’ll find someone tomorrow,” the old man said, now eager at the thought of future family members.

Clearly, this move worked every time. Zhou Yimin never failed with it.

—

Night fell, and with nothing else to do, Zhou Yimin browsed the “shop.”

Grandma came in, holding the only kerosene lamp in the house, and placed it in his room. There was no electricity in Zhoujia Village, so every household relied on kerosene lamps or candles.

Kerosene lamps were the most common lighting tool in rural areas.

The one Grandma brought in had a lamp head shaped like a frog’s open mouth, made of brass. The base and wind-protecting chimney were glass.

Higher-end kerosene lamps had extra prongs around the lamp head and a small gear on the side to adjust the wick’s height. The wick extended into the oil-filled base, soaking up kerosene. Lighting it was simple—just strike a match, light the wick, and cover it with the glass chimney.

There were also wind-resistant versions for outdoor use.

Nightlife in this era was plain and simple. Couples had their little routines, but most people just went to bed early to save on kerosene and candles.

That’s why, whenever a film projectionist came to the village, it caused a huge stir.

—

The next morning, Grandma steamed white flour buns and boiled eggs.

This time, she didn’t make extra cornbread buns, avoiding another scolding from Zhou Yimin. But she still saved the eggs just for him.

She was so doting she practically wanted to squeeze his toothpaste for him.

After breakfast, Zhou Yimin saw that his grandfather had already gathered the village’s builders. He joined them and pulled out a pack of cigarettes, handing one to each man.

“Whoa! Da Qianmen cigarettes! I’ve never smoked these before!” Zhou Zhiming, one of the men, said, pocketing his cigarette instead of lighting it.

He was in his forties but was considered the same generation as Zhou Yimin.

Zhou Yimin’s grandfather—his uncle-grandfather—had already told him that the idea of expanding the house was Zhou Yimin’s, so he went straight to asking about the plan.

Zhou Yimin laid out his requirements, especially about the bathroom.

Zhou Zhiming memorized the details without surprise. His cousin had grown up in the city, so of course, he cared more about living conditions.

“This will cost quite a bit,” he noted.

“No problem! Just build it the way I want. If anything is missing, let me know—I’ll figure it out. Also, hire a few more people to finish faster. Meals will be at my place.”

“No issue there!”

Everyone in the village knew the food at his place was the best. They envied it but weren’t resentful.

“By the way, do you have beams ready?”

Building a house mainly required stone, mud bricks, wood, and tiles.

Stone was used for the foundation, and mud bricks could be molded and air-dried. Wood was needed for doors, windows, and roof beams, while tiles had to be bought from a kiln.

Of all these materials, beams had the highest quality requirements. Not just any wood could be used—beams had to be made from straight, durable logs that wouldn’t warp or crack easily.

Good beams were valuable.

Seeing his grandfather shake his head, Zhou Yimin asked, “Does anyone have some to spare?”

“Dachun’s family does! They have a dozen good logs.”

“Alright, I’ll go talk to him later.”

Zhou Zhiming thought for a moment before adding, “Yimin, if possible, get some cement and lime too.”

Limestone would also work—it could be burned at high temperatures to make quicklime, which, when mixed with water, became slaked lime for plastering walls.

“Got it, I’ll handle it,” Zhou Yimin agreed.

Master Gu would surely have all the materials he needed.

“Alright, let’s get started. I’ll take the men to find stones. The village has extra mud bricks—just tell the old village chief how many you use and return them later.

We won’t need tiles right away. Once the frame is up, I’ll go pick out the best ones from the kiln.”

There was a dedicated tile kiln not far from Zhoujia Village, and the craftsmen there were known as tile kiln workers. Though the job was tough, many farmers envied it.

“Thanks for the help, Zhiming.”

Zhou Zhiming waved it off. If anything, he was grateful to be given a good meal. The food alone was better than what the village canteen provided, and the pay was way better than earning work points in the fields.

After watching Zhou Zhiming leave, Zhou Yimin also headed out—straight to Dachun’s house.

He didn’t know where it was, but that wasn’t a problem. Laifu and the others were here to lead the way.

Since he had initiated the house expansion, he couldn’t let his grandparents do all the heavy lifting.

—

(End of Chapter)