Spring Breeze Twenty Years

Chapter 137 Repair

"Sir, should we put the single-story house in the front or the back?"

"Put it in the back, or people can stand it in the front? Do you even need to ask? What's in your head?"

"Sir, there's no threshold at the entrance, and the old floor pipes are broken. What should we do?"

"Add plates on both sides of the door. The pipe comes down directly above the door and splits into two groups on both sides. The pipe cannot be skipped, otherwise the furnace pressure may not be enough. Secure the pipe firmly and prevent it from shaking."

"Master, if you divide it like this, one end might not be warm enough, since the lengths and curvatures on both sides are different."

"Then let's dig a trench inside the gate, then wrap the pipe with it, cover it with a steel plate, and do we bring insulation? Okay, let's get started. Make it as deep as possible, and it's fine if the cover is wide. This shouldn't be big enough for a car to get in."

Xiao Wei said from the side, "This part inside will basically be locked from now on."

Master Chang laughed and said, "This thing has four sides. You're only working on one end? You have to work on both sides."

About forty minutes later, the new boiler was brought over. It was slightly larger than the old one and had a bluish sheen in the sunlight.

Welding hooks, attaching steel cables, and the crane steadily lifts the boiler, suspending it directly above the boiler room. This is where the skills of driver Sun and Lao Chang are put to the test; it all depends on their teamwork.

After two adjustments, the boiler finally moved into its new home. Everyone pitched in to check the level, weld the shims, and add bolts. The boiler body was deviated by less than ten centimeters compared to expectations, but that's not a big deal, since it's a replacement and there's nothing that can be done about it.

In less than twenty minutes, the crane arm was lowered to the bottom and the steel cable was removed, completing the biggest task. Two people were left to continue reinforcement, while the rest went to the roof to do their jobs, some installing pipes and others to install them.

The original wooden frame of the roof was completely dismantled and piled to one side. The tiles were loaded onto a truck and hauled away. Angle steel was used to rebuild the roof, and welding was done directly on top. Three or four people climbed back and forth and finished in no time. A crane lifted a section of the 30-centimeter iron pipe used as a chimney, which was more than two meters long, and inserted it vertically into the boiler's flue gas outlet. It was then welded and reinforced. Then another section was lifted up and welded and reinforced again. The chimney, which was more than five meters high, was erected.

Install asbestos tiles, secure them, and add a ring of rain cover around the chimney with an iron plate, welding it directly to the chimney pipe. This ensures no leaks without even needing to do waterproofing.

After the boiler was fixed, Master Chang had nothing else to do. He took off his gloves, lit a cigarette, and looked around the yard. He said to Xiao Wei, "This yard is really nice. There aren't many of the old houses left by the army anymore. The army has a lot of people and equipment, so they need to be spacious and sturdy. Look at this level ground. If it were built now, it definitely wouldn't be as sturdy. This building can last another twenty or thirty years without any problems. What are you planning to do with these bungalows? These are good houses. The walls are 48cm high, and they're all solid."

Xiao Wei said, "I'm planning to live here by myself. What do you think? The back door here is usually locked, and the other side is separated from the boiler room. This yard is for parking and my own living."

Master Chang looked it over, nodded, and asked, "It's fine. So how do you use this building? You still have to go through this courtyard, right? It's separated by a partition, isn't it?"

Xiao Wei pointed to the second floor and said, "There's another yard over there, not as big as this one, but it's enough. However, it's connected to the back of this building, so it has to be separated from the boiler room area. It's conveniently located behind this place where coal is stored."

Master Chang looked behind the bungalows, nodded, and said, "That's great, really great. This big courtyard must be comfortable to live in. Are all these houses occupied?"

Xiao Wei looked at the house and said, "It's about the same. We have two families. I'm planning to bring my parents over too. We'll use this room at the end as the living room, where people can sit when they come over. We'll put the kitchen in the room next to the boiler, and then we'll eat in that room. All of these rooms will be for living."

Old Chang, with a cigarette dangling from his lips, looked up at the roof and said, "Okay, I'll help you replace these tiles. The factory still has these square tiles; they're not used much anymore. The only difference is the color. Yours are gray, but the factory's are red. Will that work?"

Xiao Wei said, "Okay, as long as it works and doesn't leak, that's fine. Thank you for your help, Master Chang."

Old Chang smiled and said, "It's nothing, just a matter of lifting a finger. Xiao Li, Xiao Li, go up here and see how many broken tiles there are. Be careful, this house is quite old. Also, check the electrical wires while you're at it."

He turned to Xiaowei and asked, "Are you building a kang (heated brick bed) or a bed?"

Xiao Wei said, "Let's nail the bed together, quick! Building a kang (heated brick bed) is too much work, it's the same no matter what if we have a boiler."

Master Chang nodded and said, "That's true. A large wooden bed is quite nice, and it keeps out the cold."

A window on the third floor of the main building opened, and a carpenter poked his head out and called out, "Master Zhang, the bed is finished. Come up and take a look."

Xiao Wei agreed, greeted Master Chang, and went upstairs.

They also set up shared dormitories here. It's simple and can accommodate more people. They didn't build a second floor, but there are plenty of rooms, so it's enough.

Xiao Wei looked around the house, even jumping up and down to check its sturdiness. He gave Gong the carpenter a thumbs up, and Gong said, "They're all made of large, solid planks. They're absolutely sturdy. They can easily support several people sleeping in them, or even pile up tons of goods."

Xiao Wei jumped off the bed and said, "Do you have any more lumber? I need to nail together a few beds for my bungalow over there. See if you have enough. If not, I'll go ask for more."

Carpenter Gong pointed down from the window and asked, "Just those few rooms?"

Xiao Wei nodded and said, "We don't need those two over the boiler, and we don't need this one over the end either. We'll book the rest of the rooms in between."

Carpenter Gong thought for a moment and said, "It's not too complicated. Why don't you tell the workers downstairs that they can just use angle iron to support the bed under the floor? That would save them from having to haul the materials back and forth, which would take a lot of time. There are enough boards, but the dimensions are a bit off."

Xiao Wei said, "Okay, let's get it done. Just tell me how you want the angle iron frame done, and I'll have them weld it for you."

Carpenter Gong nodded and said, "That's all. We'll get it ready for you after lunch. We'll take this material downstairs first, you can get busy." The three carpenters threw down their cigarette butts and carried boards and timber downstairs. In later times, this would be unthinkable. You'd have to find your own laborers. If you don't carry it, work will stop.

Xiao Wei also went downstairs and found Master Chang to tell him about welding the machine frame. Master Chang went into the room, looked around, and said, "Okay, it won't take many. Just a few points in each room will do. You don't need to worry about it. I'll just work with the carpenter myself."

Xiao Wei glanced at his watch; it was already noon. Xia Maosheng still hadn't arrived. After thinking for a moment, he said, "Master Chang, Master Gong, let's go eat. It's noon. We can come back and get ready after we eat."

Old Chang glanced at his watch, considered for a moment, and said, "Alright, let's eat then. The boiler is being installed faster than expected; we should be almost done today. Let's go, shall we eat at your place again?"

Master Gong and his colleagues were quite happy because they didn't have to go home for meals. Master Gong said, "Xiao Zhang, you still have a restaurant?"

Xiao Wei said, "We just took over, it's not open yet. It's near the farmers' market. Let's go over there."

The group walked towards the car, and Master Gong asked Old Chang, "Master, when will the boiler be lit?"

Old Chang pointed at Xiao Wei and said, "You'll have to ask him. I'm only in charge of loading; it'll take a few days. I still have to haul coal."

Master Gong said with a smile, "I thought it would be lit up in the next couple of days, but I was so happy for nothing."

Old Chang offered a cigarette to Master Gong and asked, "What's wrong? Something's up?"

Master Gong said, "The doors and windows all need repair. They've been abandoned for years. You see, they're all ruined. I was thinking that once the boiler is turned on, it'll be warmer. It's going to be a nightmare to work in this building."

Xiao Wei said, "Why don't you do it in the main building? There are several empty rooms on the first floor. Just find one to work in, and then come over to install it. You don't have to come all the way over here."

Master Gong asked, "Isn't this an office?"

Xiao Wei shook his head and said, "I didn't plan to work before the New Year. I'll do it after the New Year. There's not enough time."

Master Gong smiled and said, "That's great. The three of us were just saying that it would be wonderful if we could work here."

Several people got into the car. Xiao Wei, Master Chang, and Master Gong squeezed into the cab, while the rest of them climbed into the cargo box. Nobody cared these days.