Rebirth Counterattack with Space
Chapter 127 - 123 Homestead

Chapter 127: Chapter 123 Homestead

"Haha, some people are just so amusing. We see plenty like your landlord around here. Ever since we got electric lights, countless couples have argued over the use of them, and it’s even escalated to the point of nearly causing fights. Many people always feel like they’re saving money if they turn the lights on and off for just a moment less, as if that’s taking advantage of a good deal. If someone at home forgets to do so for a second, they can nag and grumble all day long without rest."

Zhou Yi laughed and shook his head, finding it quite ridiculous.

"I actually made a special trip to ask the village electrician about it. He said one kilowatt-hour is a thousand watts, and most light bulbs are just fifteen watts. It takes over sixty hours for a light bulb to use up one kilowatt-hour of electricity. Leaving it on quietly actually doesn’t consume much, whereas turning it on and off uses more electricity. I’ve tried to mediate when villagers argue over this, and I’ve talked until I’m blue in the face. But some people just won’t believe it, and the next thing you know, there’s another ruckus over turning the lights on and off."

"Sixty plus hours for just one kilowatt-hour?"

Lu Aiguo and Shitou were first stunned, then couldn’t help but laugh and cry at the same time. They were hearing this for the first time. Thinking back on the day when the landlady, Sister Tao, was furious, they really thought that a night of use would drain a lot of electricity!

But hearing Zhou Yi say this, they were glad they had a wall separating them from the landlord. Otherwise, how could they bear someone constantly reminding them to turn off the lights?

"Stop babbling and hurry up, put the money away. Don’t talk about this nonsense. I can see right through the scheming you two are up to. If you really want to show your gratitude, don’t talk about treating me to a meal. I think it’s best if you just bring some of that local product of yours, just give me a few kilos of meat each, and we’ll call it even."

Zhou Yi looked at the two men, feeling quite proud of his own "wide knowledge and experience," and his expression softened as he continued, "Even if you didn’t ask today, I would have still inquired. Fortunately, this is not a problem. If I couldn’t do it, I would have to pay you for those local products you brought me the other day in cash."

"Zhou Yi, you’re really not taking our sincere intentions seriously. Are we that kind of people?"

Since Zhou Yi had spoken his mind, Lu Aiguo and Shitou didn’t insist further. Lu Aiguo swiftly pocketed the money and said with a smile, "We won’t thank you with words, Zhou Yi. We’ll deliver the stuff tomorrow. How about twenty kilos of wild boar meat plus a wild chicken and a wild hare per person, is that good?"

"No need to thank me, that’s too formal, isn’t it? You guys also don’t need to bring too much, twenty kilos of wild boar meat per person is enough. Bringing more is too conspicuous and not a good idea," Zhou Yi said plainly.

"Alright, we’ll do as Zhou Yi says," Lu Aiguo readily agreed.

Not long after, indeed the two quickly secured two adjacent plots of construction land.

Initially, Lu Aiguo and Shitou had approached Zhou Yi with a clear purpose, but as time went by, they became closer due to finding common ground, and eventually, they really started hanging out like good brothers.

Of course, this is a story for another time.

Once they had the construction land, Lu Aiguo and Shitou set aside everything else aside from alternating drives for Lu Yun and continuing their sweet potato chips delivery, and focused on getting their house built.

Housing plots distributed in Jingtou Village had fixed specifications: the largest was eight by nine meters, and then there were six by nine and four by nine—three types in total. The so-called "eight by nine," "six by nine," and "four by nine" referred to the fact that the length of everyone’s plot was nine meters, with the only difference being the width, which was respectively eight, six, and four meters.

The plot they received was the largest type, eight by nine. Even though the two plots combined amounted to sixteen by nine meters and were already large enough, given the location near the city center, one couldn’t simply build a house any way they wanted, let alone choose whatever direction they wished for the main entrance.

The housing plots were arranged in neat rows, each row with a fixed number of households; one plot represented one household. Every household was tightly nestled between its neighbors on either side, with only the front and back rows forming the roadways in between.

So the orientation of each house, including the direction the front and back doors opened, was actually fixed and couldn’t be changed.

Even the idea for any family wanting to have a yard was unrealistic unless they enclosed the land in front of their door with a wall—which indeed some people had done.

Strictly speaking, the location of the plots they received was at the end of one row, so it was actually possible to enclose a not-too-large yard. But since Lu Aiguo and his family were outsiders, owning the two largest plots in the village already made them seem conspicuous and presumptuous. If they dared to do such a thing, openly using the passageway would seem too arrogant. So, they couldn’t possibly consider doing that.

It was regrettable not to have a small yard, but they could have a rooftop. As long as they connected the rooftops of both houses, that would make up a full 144 square meters.

Moreover, Lu Yun knew that they wouldn’t be living there long. It was just a temporary residence. In another twenty-odd years, the area was going to be cleared for redevelopment anyway. So although the two plots were nominally two households, with separate property titles, according to the design blueprint drawn up by Lu Yun, they were actually planning to have only one main entrance, with the interiors connected as one space.

When the time came, they would build six stories in one go, and then build up the walls of the rooftop, covering it with a glass canopy dedicated to solar panels. In this way, it effectively became a seven-story building, with a usable area of over a thousand square meters. What couldn’t they conveniently do?

The first and second floors were for living purposes, with lower-noise machinery on the upper floors, where good soundproofing would be installed. After the New Year, they would have to ask their dad to find a few trustworthy people from their hometown to help out.

In a few years, when private shops and factories could be opened, they would then legitimately purchase land and build their own factory buildings. By then, they could retire successfully. At that time, they would refurbish the place, dividing it into small apartments, and hire someone to manage them. Whether it was for the factory workers to live in or to rent out, it would be very cheap.

Of course, the likelihood of using it for factory workers’ accommodation was slim—this place was too small and inconveniently located. It would more likely be used for renting out, which meant just the monthly rental income would be quite a significant sum, not to mention the future compensation from redevelopment...

When Lu Yun’s ideas were put forth, Lu Aiguo, Xia Yuan, and Shitou all thought they were excellent.

Lu Aiguo started feeling that just he and Shitou alone were too constrained to work effectively. Especially now with the construction of the house, time felt even more pressing. So he was quite receptive to Lu Yun’s suggestion to recruit help from their hometown.

After discussing with Shitou for half a day, they felt the plan was feasible. Rather than waiting until returning to their hometown after the New Year, they decided to act immediately. Lu Aiguo sent a thick letter to Uncle Lu, summarizing their situation in Haicheng and asking him to start looking out for suitable, trustworthy candidates. By the time the New Year was over, and at least two stories of their house had been built, it would be perfect for the people from back home to come over.

Since they were planning to build six or seven stories, the foundation had to be solid, which is why they put much more effort into the foundation than other families, who generally only built enough to support a three-story building.

Maybe it was because the previous period’s good news had all erupted at once. While the foundation in Jingtou Village was not yet finished, there came good news about their prior inquiries to find a house near the school.