Courtyard House: A Major Power's Heavy Industry, Hand-Crafted Nuclear Fusion

In the afternoon, at No. 95 Nanluoguxiang, a courtyard house.

At this time of day, the courtyard should be quiet, with the older women inside sewing shoe soles and the older men sunbathing against the wall.

But today, the Intermediate People's Court was as bustling as a market.

Director Yang's jeep was parked directly at the entrance of the alley, attracting a group of children to watch.

Given Su's great contributions in the operation to capture enemy agents, his superiors specially allocated him a room.

Director Wang from the neighborhood office, accompanied by two clerks, was pointing and gesturing around the dilapidated side room next to Su Zheng's house, holding a measuring tape and blueprints.

"Su Zheng, this side room may not be very big, only twelve square meters, but it has a high ceiling."

Director Wang enthusiastically explained, "Moreover, you share the same wall structure with this room. Just open a door in the middle wall, and it'll instantly become a large suite!"

Su Zheng stood to the side, holding a small notebook, occasionally jotting down notes: "Aunt Wang, these procedures..."

"I've taken care of all the paperwork for you!"

Director Wang pulled a red booklet from his bag and stuffed it into Su Zheng's hand. "This is a property certificate, and it's private property! Factory Director Yang specially approved it as a reward from the factory. From now on, this house is yours, and no one can say a word against it!"

"Thank you, Aunt Wang. Thank you, factory."

Su Zheng took the property certificate and felt relieved.

In this day and age, privately owned housing is a scarce resource.

With this red certificate, this room is his independent kingdom, and even if the Heavenly King himself came, he wouldn't have the right to kick him out.

"Zhao Ming," Su Zheng called out.

Zhao Ming, who had been following behind him like a lackey, immediately ran over: "Master!"

"Go find a construction team. The best ones."

Su Zheng pointed to the dilapidated side room, "The plaster on the walls has all been scraped off, and the floor tiles have been torn up. I want to lay wooden floors, install a false ceiling, and also build an ensuite bathroom."

"bathroom?"

Zhao Ming's eyes widened. "Master, this sewer system..."

"I designed it myself."

Su Zheng said calmly, "I'll finish the blueprints tonight. You just need to find people to do the work. Money is not a problem."

The commotion had already alerted the neighbors in the courtyard.

Uncle Yan Bugui, wearing a thick cotton-padded coat and carrying a tea mug, pretended to be passing by, but his ears were perked up like antennas.

"Hey, Su Zheng, is this... an expansion project?"

Yan Bugui leaned closer, his eyes fixed on the property deed. "This side room... is it yours now?"

"Yes, Teacher Yan."

Su Zheng put the property certificate into his pocket. "It was a reward from the factory."

"Tsk tsk tsk..."

Yan Bugui looked on with envy and jealousy. "This isn't cheap. If you rented it out, you could easily make two yuan a month, right? Su Zheng, isn't it a bit... wasteful for you to live in two rooms by yourself?"

"waste?"

Su Zheng glanced at him. "Teacher Yan, I'm doing this for work. I need to store blueprints and do design work at home. Besides, this will be perfect if I get married in the future."

Yan Bugui's eyes darted around: "Well... this renovation must have generated a lot of waste materials, right? Old bricks, rotten wood, and stuff like that... what are you planning to do with them?"

That old miser is at it again, calculating every penny he can get.

Su Zheng smiled: "Those things are useful to me."

"Useful? What use are you? You're just filling in the gaps, aren't you?"

Yan Bugui grew anxious, "The hole in front of my house is short of bricks, why don't you..."

"I'm going to use it to build a flower bed."

Su Zheng pointed to the empty space under the window, "Plant some flowers and plants to cultivate your mind. Teacher Yan, you're an educated person, you should understand this, right?"

Yan Bugui was speechless, only able to force a dry laugh: "I understand, I understand... Refined, refined..."

In my heart, I was cursing: "Elegant my ass! He just doesn't want to give it to me!"

at night.

The light was still on in Su Zheng's room.

He is drawing up renovation plans.

An indoor bathroom was an absolute luxury in a courtyard house in that era.

The biggest challenges are drainage and odor prevention.

Su Zheng used the "Eye of Truth" to redesign the route of the underground pipeline network.

He designed a water trap that utilizes the siphon principle, which completely solved the problem of backflow odor.

At the same time, he also plans to build a simple biogas digester in a dead corner of the backyard, which can both process excrement and produce gas for cooking.

This is an advanced, environmentally friendly, and even technologically advanced "eco-living system".

Just as he was engrossed in his painting, he heard a rustling sound outside the window.

It's very light.

It looks like someone is scratching the wall with their fingernails.

Su Zheng put down his pen, a cold smile curling at the corner of his mouth.

He didn't need to open the window; the Eye of Truth had already penetrated the wall.

Yan Bugui was seen crouching furtively against the wall of the side room, taking measurements with a measuring tape.

While measuring, he muttered, "This wall must be three meters long... This foundation is so deep... If it were expanded, what a huge advantage it would have... How come Su Zheng is so lucky..."

Yan Bugui is suffering from "red-eye disease".

He didn't want to steal anything; he wanted to estimate how much Su Zheng had earned this time by "measuring the dimensions," and then torture himself with that number. At the same time, he planned to spread rumors in the courtyard tomorrow that "Su Zheng was taking advantage of public resources."

Su Zheng did not move.

He simply reached out and pressed a switch on the table.

That was the controller for the "warning light" he had installed to prevent stick-like thorns.

But this time he didn't turn on the lights.

He connected the heating wire buried at the base of the wall to prevent moisture.

This heating wire has low power, but it produces a low-frequency humming sound when powered on and will slightly heat the ground.

"Buzz—"

While Yan Bugui was taking measurements, he suddenly felt the brick under his hand get hot, and then he heard a sound like countless bees flying around.

"Oh my god!"

Yan Bugui was so frightened that he dropped the measuring tape.

How can the ground be warm in the dead of winter?

And this strange noise... Could it be that something dirty is pressing down under this dilapidated house?

"There's a ghost!"

Yan Bugui let out a strange cry and scrambled back to the front yard, not daring to turn back to pick up his lost shoe.

Inside the room, Su Zheng turned off the light switch and shook his head.

"That's what it means to have a guilty conscience."

He picked up his pen again and added the final stroke to the drawing—a tall, thorny wall.

"Since you all enjoy watching this so much, I'll build the wall really high."

"So that you won't even be able to see it."

Su Zheng looked at the soon-to-be-formed "independent kingdom" on the blueprints, a hint of anticipation flashing in his eyes.

Now that the house has been expanded, it's time to make those "fence-sitters" who are still hesitant give up completely.

All of this will come to a close at the upcoming housewarming party.