naaapseattle Chapter 30 Jointly Building
Chapter 30 Jointly Building
Having said all that, it would be tactless to continue observing and discussing it.
The family members looked at each other, their eyes still full of surprise and murmurs, but they could only awkwardly disperse.
Wang Xiuying pursed her lips, glanced at the pile of materials, and pulled Li Jianguo back to her own yard.
However, the news that the Bai brothers were going to build a high-class toilet for their new bride quickly spread throughout the entire military region.
The crowd dispersed, and the courtyard became quiet.
Looking at Bai Rongbei's well-defined profile, Su Wanwan felt a warm feeling in her heart.
She recalled how he had checked the list with the soldiers and readily admitted that it was for repairing toilets.
She bit her lip, then suddenly turned and ran back into the house.
After a while, she ran out again, clutching a small cloth bag in her hand.
She walked up to Bai Rongbei, handed him the small cloth bag, and said somewhat embarrassedly, "Commander Bai, these materials... must have been very difficult to obtain, and... must have cost money, right?"
This is what Weiwei and I scraped together; I don't know if it's enough... If it's not enough, we'll think of something else. If... if you and Si'an are too busy with work to fix it, we can also pay someone to fix it..."
Her voice grew softer and softer as she spoke, and her face turned slightly red.
The cloth bag contained the money she had brought from home, which she kept as a treasure, as well as some money that Lin Weiwei had given her.
In an era when money and tickets are scarce, this is a considerable sum.
Bai Rongbei looked at the small cloth bag in front of him, then looked up at Su Wanwan.
She tilted her head back, her eyes clear and innocent.
He frowned slightly: "Take it back."
"Huh?" Su Wanwan was taken aback.
"This toilet," Bai Rongbei said, looking at her and enunciating each word clearly, "is now fixed. Bai Si'an and I will be using it. You don't need to worry about the materials. Keep the money safe."
Su Wanwan was taken aback by his somewhat fierce tone, and her hand holding the cloth bag froze in place.
Bai Rongbei realized his tone had been too harsh, so he softened it: "I'll arrange the time and get it done as soon as possible. You don't need to worry about it."
After saying that, he carefully examined the pile of materials again, and after confirming that there were no problems, he said to Su Wanwan, "I'm going back to the regimental headquarters."
He turned and left quickly.
Su Wanwan stood there, clutching the small cloth bag she hadn't given away, her heart feeling as if something had gently bumped into her, her emotions extremely complex.
Lin Weiwei leaned closer, looking in the direction Bai Rongbei had left, draped her arm over her shoulder, and clicked her tongue: "Tsk tsk, I didn't realize your husband... he's got guts! He quietly pulled off such a big surprise for us!"
Su Wanwan carefully put away the small cloth bag, and couldn't help but smile.
"Yes," she responded softly, her eyes shining, "he...is quite good."
Lin Weiwei nudged her shoulder and winked, "Touched yet? Don't you think marrying someone like him wouldn't be so bad?"
Su Wanwan blushed and pushed her away, saying, "Don't talk nonsense!"
It wasn't until the sun was setting in the afternoon that Bai Si'an returned, carrying a military satchel and limping.
He paused for a moment when he saw the small mountain piled up outside his own courtyard gate from afar.
Cement bags, red bricks, wood... Wow, quite a sight.
He immediately understood.
Materials for repairing toilets.
Yesterday, Lin Weiwei and Su Wanwan were squatting in the yard whispering to each other. He vaguely heard things like "digging a hole" and "building a shed," but he didn't pay much attention at the time.
I didn't expect his brother to be so quick; he brought the things back without saying a word.
Bai Si'an's lips curved into a smile.
His brother, though outwardly cold and stern, said there were enough public toilets, but then turned around and got the application approved.
Bai Si'an was a little surprised; he had never realized his brother doted on anyone like this before.
He walked to the courtyard gate, where Lin Weiwei was squatting, clutching a twig in her hand, drawing lines on the ground while muttering to herself, "This is a pit... build a wall here... the door opens this way... hey, how do I build this roof so it doesn't leak..."
The setting sun cast a long shadow of her squatting figure, and the sleeves of her floral shirt were rolled up to her elbows, revealing a section of her fair forearm.
Her hair was a little messy, with a few stray strands stuck to her forehead by sweat, as she intently drew her grand plan on the ground.
Bai Si'an stood behind her for a while and watched. The lines drawn on the ground were crooked and twisted, with circles and crosses. Apart from herself, probably no one could understand them.
"What are you drawing?" he asked.
Lin Weiwei was startled. The branch shook, leaving a long scratch on the ground.
She turned around and saw it was Bai Si'an. She patted her chest and said, "Why are you walking so quietly? You scared me!"
Bai Si'an didn't respond to that question, but pointed to the pile of materials: "Did my brother bring these back?"
"Yes!" Lin Weiwei stood up, excitedly saying, "Cement! Bricks! Wood! And tar paper! Commander Bai said it's for repairing the toilets!"
Her face was a little dusty, and tiny beads of sweat glistened on the tip of her nose. Her eyes sparkled as she looked at him, like a little animal that had finally found a treasure.
Bai Si'an's heart softened for some reason, and he nodded: "I saw it."
He walked up to the pile of materials, touched the cement bag, and then weighed a brick in his hand. "Not bad."
"Right!" Lin Weiwei leaned closer and started gesturing again. "Wanwan and I were thinking about how to do it this morning. Look, I plan to dig a pit here, build a circle of bricks around the bottom, and then apply cement so it won't collapse easily."
"Build a wooden frame on top, cover it with tar paper, and then plaster it with mud. That should be about right. The door needs to be simple and can close tightly, otherwise..."
She spoke with great enthusiasm, while Bai Si listened quietly, nodding occasionally.
After she finished speaking, Bai Si'an said, "The drawing on the ground is not clear."
As he spoke, he took his satchel off his shoulder and pulled out a small notebook and a pencil.
Lin Weiwei was stunned: "You carry this with you all the time?"
"I'm used to it, technician." Bai Si'an opened his notebook, moistened the pencil tip with saliva, and rubbed it.
Lin Weiwei looked at his actions and wanted to laugh but held it back.
Bai Si'an squatted down, placed the notebook on his knees, looked up at the layout of the yard, estimated the amount of materials, and began to write and draw.
Within minutes, a simple sketch of the courtyard was completed.
The location of the house, the size of the yard, and even the location of the pile of materials were all clearly marked.
Lin Weiwei leaned closer to take a look and exclaimed, "Wow! You drew so well! It's much better than my scribbles on the ground!"
Bai Si'an didn't even look up, his pen tip pointing to a spot on the map: "Place the toilet here, some distance from the house, downwind, so the smell won't easily drift over. The drainage ditch runs from here, directly to the seepage pit outside the courtyard wall."
He drew as he spoke, his lines were clean and crisp, and his measurements and proportions were very accurate.
Lin Weiwei looked at his focused profile, his eyes behind his glasses staring at the blueprints, his eyelashes long, and his nose straight.
The fingers holding the pencil had distinct knuckles, and faint blue veins could be seen on the back of the hand.
She suddenly found the way this man worked so diligently quite charming.
"But there's a problem," Lin Weiwei said, pulling herself out of her thoughts and remembering the important matter, "This courtyard belongs to your brother, and we... well, Wanwan and I are living here now. What about your courtyard? Are you going to build a separate one, or will we share one between our two families?"