Chapter 193: 193. House Planning_1 Chapter 193: 193. House Planning_1 Zhang Yanping hummed songs all the way back home.
Out of ten people, six ordered extra buns. Although it was just one or two buns each, when added together, it amounted to just over a hundred yuan… But what’s this called?
This is called a good start!
He was delighted and looked forward to lunchtime even more.
As for Song Tan, she slightly furrowed her brows, “I still sell Milk Vetch for twenty yuan a pound.”
She evidently felt that ten yuan wasn’t much of a profit.
Zhang Yanping was startled:
“Tantan, you can’t be raising prices ! Milk Vetch sells for twenty yuan a pound, but look, how many crushed leaves are there in a bun?”
“There’s more duckweed floating around in your ducks’ feeding basin!”
This comparison might lead others to think their cooking was cutting corners.
Song Tan was at a loss for words.
“I was just saying that. Isn’t the main thing to attract customers who are willing to spend big money?”
Thinking about the people who visited that day, she couldn’t help but ask, “Brother Yanping, among the guests you invited today, who do you think can be a big spender?”
“Men,” Zhang Yanping posed as if he knew it all, “as long as it suits their taste, they never quibble over money when they spend.”
“Don’t believe me? Ask my uncle. His fishing skills are terrible, but that doesn’t stop him from wanting a good fishing rod.”
“Students who perform poorly have plenty of supplies, while top students always strive for perfection. The same principle applies to both men and women.”
But he obviously didn’t quite understand, “Tantan, why are you in such a hurry?”
Song Tan sighed, “I’m out of money!”
“I had initially planned to address the house issue at the end of the year or next year.”
But now, with more and more people at the small courtyard, even brushing teeth and washing faces had become inconvenient, not to mention the activities that would follow.
And she still owed money to the village at that, with subsidies arriving little by little, unable to quench the immediate thirst.
“I’m planning to hire a designer online to properly plan my home and tidy up the courtyard while I have the time. Won’t that cost money for all the to and fro?”
If her family had money, or had a bit more farmland, they would have invited an agricultural planner right from the start, instead of having to plan things one step at a time as they do now.
Zhang Yanping, equally broke, had a blank expression on his face:
As the poverty-stricken duo dragged the heavy traps back, Song Tan turned and made a phone call to the Village Department head:
“Secretary, can I expand my homestead land?”
Zu Jun always smiled when he faced Song Tan, and this time his demeanor was just as amicable, inviting her to the Village Department’s office.
Then, he poured a glass of plain water for her while he sipped his fragrant green tea.
And he even asked, “You wouldn’t need me to offer you your own tea leaves to drink, right? They’re quite expensive.”
Song Tan didn’t mind at all, remembering that Secretary Zu Jun was a rich man who was willing to spend. So, she said cheerfully, “Secretary, use more leaves when brewing the tea! That will bring out a stronger aroma. Just using three to five leaves is not the way to do it.”
However, Zu Jun himself was on a fixed salary and wasn’t swayed by her tactic at the moment, only shifting the topic with a smile, “If you didn’t come here to ask about the homestead, I was going to ask you if you want to reorganize your house. Wouldn’t it be convenient to clean up that large open space in front of your door?”
Song Tan’s home was not in a prime location.
Of course, in this impoverished and remote area, the notion of a prime location was somewhat irrelevant. Still, her place was a little bit out of the way.
Behind the house loomed the back mountain, and in front of the door ran a narrow concrete road just wide enough for one car to pass by, winding around a bamboo grove and a pond to reach the main road that connected the village.
The only advantage of its secluded location was that, when the house was built, the allotted area was quite large: the main living space was a substantial one hundred and twenty square meters, with the courtyard spanning almost fifty square meters.
It is worth noting that self-built homes in the village didn’t have shared allocations, and facilities such as kitchens, dining rooms, and toilets were all situated outside of the main house. Just like the others in the village, her place seemed exceptionally spacious on ordinary days.
Outside the courtyard, there was a large open space which was used to bury construction debris during the housebuilding, the ground sloping gently at an angle. Wu Lan casually planted some pumpkins and winter melons near the doorway, somewhat staking a claim to the area.
What was once a plain rural farmhouse became problematic with the increase in the number of people staying there.
Firstly, there was only one toilet in the house, which was highly inconvenient.
Next, the kitchen was too small. Just like Seventh Uncle said at the beginning, it was impossible to cook properly when there were too many people.
Then there was the issue with the bedrooms.
The only spare room had been given to Teacher Xin to serve as his study, bedroom, and classroom. If even one more person were to stay at the house in the future, there would be nowhere to sleep.
Thinking about how everyone had to queue up to brush their teeth in the morning, Song Tan could hardly stand it any longer.
Yunqiao Village was truly poor, and having someone like Song Tan who seemed poised for financial success, Zu Jun worried day and night about how to help her get rich quickly, improve his performance as an official, and in turn give back to the hometown, leading to a virtuous cycle…
Thus, he took the initiative to suggest:
“Your main house can be turned into a three-story building, expand one side of the courtyard into a large kitchen and dining room, and build a few more bathrooms…”
“And include a utility room–you know, the village now requires it. Those non-compliant makeshift sheds will have to be torn down sooner or later.”
“Reserve the remaining open space, half of it can be enclosed as a courtyard. Whether it’s for drying sesame seeds or rice, it’s more reassuring to use your own land.”
After all, there were no longer any threshing grounds left in the village.
“As for the space in front of the door, that could also be leveled out with concrete. When your clients and such drive over, it will be much more convenient, won’t it?”
Those who came for fishing this morning brought four cars in total. With no suitable place to park, they all eyed the empty spaces in front of someone’s home and straightforwardly pulled in there.
Zu Jun mentioned these few things, leaving Song Tan somewhat speechless:
“Secretary,” she asked curiously, “how come you’ve considered all this so thoughtfully?”
Zu Jun sighed deeply.
After a year in the village, those who were supposed to work outside still left for work, and those who were supposed to be poor remained poor.
Of course, she understood the hardships of farmers. In these mountainous and hilly areas, it was very difficult for small and even non-existent scale farming to sustain oneself. But watching the village population dwindle, she couldn’t help but feel sentimental.
She couldn’t implement a single policy from above, and her daily routine included just overseeing the maintenance of the village, such as fixing sheds and beautifying the environment.
Having come to the countryside, who wouldn’t want to make a career for themselves!
Finding Song Tan, who was starting her first business, she, on the other hand, could see examples of excellence reported from all over the country.
She simply had to seize the opportunity!
At this moment, she took out a stack of classic rural house photos, showing two-story and three-story mansions as well as country workshops and warehouses of various types and uses.
Then she handed them over:
“Come on, take a look. What do you plan to turn your courtyard and house into?”
Actually, at first, she had only contemplated the need for a few toilets.