Carrying a Jurassic on me
Chapter 1149 - 584 Completion of the Bridge

Chapter 1149: Chapter 584 Completion of the Bridge

The crackle and pop of firecrackers erupted once again...

There was no helping it, these days such sounds heralded events big and small— from marriages, funerals, betrothals, and the birth and raising of children, to groundbreaking ceremonies, erecting beams during construction, or opening businesses with great success. And the small things—when a child passed an exam, when livestock gave birth, in moments of joy and frustration, the explosion of firecrackers meant there were no small matters to those setting them off...

This time, the firecrackers were for the completion of Boss Yan Fei’s bridge.

It was called a big bridge, although it wasn’t long, spanning a channel dug by hand which surely wasn’t very wide, and so the bridge wasn’t very long either. It was sufficiently wide though, and the bridge itself was quite plain, except for the imposing arch at its entrance.

That arch, however, wasn’t designed by Professor Shu. Initially, he and Yan Fei hadn’t thought of incorporating such an ostentatious element. The suggestion came from Ma Yongming. According to him, having the arch served two purposes: convenience—there were two bridges side by side, and without a distinguishing feature, it could be confusing for first-timers seeking the place, wasting time; and grandeur, which needed no explanation.

How to achieve this grandeur was quite simple. Before Professor Shu could open his mouth to suggest having his students create a design, Boss Ma presented several sketches he had drawn, and everyone was at a loss for words.

It was indeed majestic. Although the sketches were rough, even Yan Fei could see that the design was good. He was about to commend Uncle Ming for his hidden talent when Ma Yongming unwittingly revealed the origin of his designs—they were inspired by the many historical and cultural sites of Wancheng City, seen during outings with his wife.

Just as a calligrapher might yearn to imitate a good character, or a carver gets itchy hands upon seeing a fine piece of material, Boss Ma, a small contractor, had grand ambitions. Seeing those distinctive buildings, he would imagine what it would be like if his own crew could take on such projects. How great would that be?

Alas, the opportunity had never come his way. Most of the time, he constructed buildings, and not many were even three stories high—this was a recent change, as living conditions improved and people began building taller structures. In the past, they were typically tiled houses, or even chicken, duck, geese, and pig pens.

Don’t underestimate these rural bricoleurs. Now that Boss Ma had his chance, he rallied his construction team, and with their collective ingenuity, they managed to create an effect resembling high-quality stonework using only bricks and cement—the antique air was impeccable. If one didn’t look closely, they wouldn’t realize it was just made of large green bricks typically found in rural kilns.

No sooner had it been completed, and before even a sign was hung, Boss Ma was eager to celebrate with a big bunch of firecrackers.

Yan Fei didn’t really care. On the construction site, all matters, big or small, were decided by Professor Shu and Boss Ma.

Boss Ma’s meticulously crafted arch turned out to be impressively effective. Just looking at the crowd gathered to see the spectacle, it was clear they were all fixated on the arch, completely overshadowing the bridge that Professor Shu and the students had designed.

However, Boss Ma’s talents stopped there. The octagonal pavilion behind the bridge was undoubtedly his pride—which went a little too far. He said that apart from looking good, the pavilion could serve as a gatehouse. After all, with everything available there in the future, there had to be someone to tend the gate, right?

But it wasn’t until construction started that someone pointed out: in this weather, the pavilion was fine, but come winter, who would want to be stationed there, potentially cursing him every single day?

Ma Yongming thought about it and realized... no, not just realized, he was certain there would be curses! Sitting in the pavilion, enjoying the breeze and tea during summer could be quite pleasant. But that was on a sunny day. What about rainy days? The pavilion might provide some shelter from a light drizzle, but anything heavier would surely splash inside!

Not to mention winter—the pavilion was by the river and the road; sitting inside to guard the gate would be no different from freezing outdoors in a desolate wilderness.

Yet Boss Ma had a solution. He proposed building a few rooms on the other side. And he had plenty of reasons: as Boss Yan’s business grew and more people frequented the bridge, some might need to wait for their turn to conduct affairs; they could stay in the pavilion or the gatehouse.

Besides, there was ample space beyond the roadside area that wasn’t in immediate use. Once the foundational work was done, they could spare some time to build a small garden behind the pavilion and plant flowers, grass, bamboo, ornamental trees, which would also be quite nice.

While his considerations were far-reaching, it didn’t change the fact that the pavilion turned out to be a major blunder in his career as a builder—constructing a pavilion to serve as a gatehouse, it’s a wonder he was a contractor!

At this moment, Yan Fei was standing inside the pavilion, with Heizi, Chen Yingjun, and a few others around him, and not far off was a new technician named Liu JinXue.

In the end, Liu JinXue did come. After another harvest of mushrooms in the shed, he packed up decisively and headed to Sancha River Township to take up the position of technician.

Yet even though he arrived, something unspeakable made him uneasy; thus awkwardly, while everyone else was inside the pavilion, he insisted on standing outside.

Seeing the lively scene, the joy on people’s faces, the children running and playing around, the man, newly away from home, couldn’t help but start... to miss his family!

No wonder he felt that way. Aside from many years ago when he left his parents to go to university, this was the second time he had ventured far from home. Back then, leaving home as a young scholar full of arrogant ambition, he hadn’t known the meaning of homesickness. But now, approaching middle age and having left his wife and children, he felt homesick almost as soon as he left.