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

The day the construction team arrived, the threshold of the courtyard house was almost flattened by the footsteps of the workers.

They weren't there to watch the spectacle; they were stunned by the truckloads of materials being brought in.

Red bricks, cement, and sand—that's standard procedure. But when several thick cast iron pipes, bundles of enameled wire, and a truckload of high-quality planks exuding the fresh scent of pine were unloaded into the central courtyard, the air in the entire courtyard seemed to freeze.

"My goodness..."

Yan Bugui adjusted his glasses, his eyes practically glued to the pile of wooden planks. "This is red pine? No, this is... ash? How much would this piece cost?"

He was a shrewd man who had been calculating his entire life, and he could see the value of these things at a glance.

These days, ordinary families have to save up timber coupons for half a year to make furniture, but Su Zheng just brought a whole truckload to pave the floor.

"Make way! Make way! Don't break it!"

Zhao Ming, along with several strong apprentices, stood guard beside the pile of materials like bodyguards.

He is now Su Zheng's "chief steward of internal affairs," standing ramrod straight, holding a thick list in his hand, and watching every neighbor who tries to approach him warily.

"Zhao Ming, I am your third uncle."

Yan Bugui rubbed his hands together and leaned closer, pointing to a few pieces of wood that had fallen from the truck on the ground. "These pieces look cracked. I doubt Su Zheng will need them. How about I clean them up for you? My stove is short of kindling."

That's a perfectly plausible reason.

In the past, or if it were someone with a thinner skin, they would have just gone along with it.

But Zhao Ming was personally trained by Su Zheng, and he had long since learned his master's approach of "only following the rules and not showing personal feelings".

"Uncle, please don't put me in a difficult position."

Zhao Ming waved the list over his shoulder. "The master set the rules: every nail and every piece of sawdust that comes in must be recorded. Even though these wood scraps are cracked, they're still useful as fillers for making wood wax oil. If even one piece is missing, I'll get scolded."

Yan Bugui's face stiffened: "This... even rotten wood is being included in the tent? Su Zheng is going too far... too much!"

"This is what we call scientific management."

Zhao Ming retorted firmly, "Uncle, please step back beyond the yellow line. The foreman said this is a construction site, and unauthorized personnel are not allowed. We can't afford to pay for any damages if you get hurt."

Yan Bugui looked at the warning line drawn with lime on the ground, his beard trembling with anger, but he was helpless and could only retreat dejectedly.

Inside the room, Su Zhengzheng was holding the blueprints and explaining the details to the construction team leader, an eighth-grade bricklayer named Lao Zhang.

"Master Zhang, be careful when demolishing this wall. There are load-bearing beams on it, so you must first install temporary supports."

Su Zheng pointed to the wall connecting to the side room, "Also, the waterproofing layer on the floor needs to be applied three times. I don't want a single drop of water to seep into the foundation in the future."

Old Zhang had been a bricklayer his whole life, and he was initially a little unconvinced by the young man's "blind directions," but after seeing the structural diagram drawn by Su Zheng, he was completely convinced.

Those blueprints were drawn to a higher standard than those from the design institute!

Every dimension, every elevation, and even the slope of the water pipes is calculated clearly.

"Don't worry, Mr. Su! If I mess this up, I'll eat this trowel!" Old Zhang patted his chest and assured him.

"There's something else."

Su Zheng lowered his voice, "The soundproofing layer must be done exactly as I say. Fill it with rock wool, then add a layer of plasterboard. The effect I want is that even if I'm banging a sledgehammer in the house, the neighbors won't be able to hear me."

Old Zhang paused for a moment, then a knowing look appeared on his face: "I understand! Scientific research is noisy, you know. Don't worry, I'll make it to studio standard for you!"

Su Zheng nodded.

He genuinely wants to do scientific research, and he also genuinely doesn't want to listen to those beasts arguing. More importantly, he might need to use some "high-tech" equipment from the system space in the future, and poor soundproofing could easily lead to leaks.

Construction has begun.

"Clang! Clang!"

The sound of the wall being smashed shook the entire courtyard.

Sitting at the doorway, Jia Zhangshi was sewing shoe soles, muttering curses: "They're demolishing the house! The vibrations are giving me a headache! I can't live like this anymore!"

Although she was cursing fiercely, her eyes kept glancing in that direction.

Since the last incident, the Jia family's arrogance has been completely extinguished.

Seeing Su Zhengjia make such a big fuss now, she felt more powerless than hate.

It's like... while you're still rolling around in the mud for a cornbread, someone else has already boarded a plane and taken to the sky.

"Mom, please say less." Qin Huairu walked by carrying a laundry basin, her face haggard.

"What's wrong with me saying a few words? Just because Su Zheng has money doesn't mean he's all that! He's made a mess of the place!"

Jia Zhangshi threw down her shoe sole. "Huai Ru, go and see how they dug that sewer! I heard they're going to build something like... an indoor outhouse? Isn't that filthy? What if the smell gets into our house?"

"That's the restroom!"

Qin Huairu said irritably, "That's a design from a Western-style building, a hundred times cleaner than our public toilets!"

"Clean my ass! It's just a place to poop!"

Jia Zhangshi's eyes darted around. "Go and report this to the neighborhood committee. Tell them that Su Zheng has illegally altered the sewers, affecting the neighbors' lives, and ask them to take care of it!"

Looking at her mother-in-law's nonchalant attitude, Qin Huairu felt a pang of sorrow.

"Mom, don't you understand yet?"

Qin Huairu pointed to Zhao Ming, who was standing ramrod straight, and the lime line drawn between them. "Do you think Su Zheng is someone we can afford to offend? Forget the neighborhood committee, even the factory director would have to give him face. If you keep causing trouble, believe me, one word from him and we won't even be able to stay in this courtyard anymore!"

Madam Jia opened her mouth, but ultimately dared not utter another sound.

She remembered the guy who was electrocuted and convulsing, and that always cold face.

She was really scared.

In the evening, the first phase of demolition work was completed.

The yard was piled high with construction waste.

Yan Bugui is here again.

He felt that Zhao Ming was just being unreasonable during the day, but once he got off work at night, these real scumbags would surely be left unattended, right?

Taking advantage of the fact that no one was paying attention, he quietly crept over, intending to pick up a few relatively intact blue bricks to use as lining for his flowerpots.

The hand had just been extended.

"Third Uncle".

Su Zheng's voice suddenly rang out behind him.

Yan Bugui was so frightened that the brick in his hand fell to the ground with a "thud" and hit his own foot.

"Ouch!" Yan Bugui hissed in pain.

"What are you doing?" Su Zheng stood with his hands behind his back in the afterglow of the setting sun, his shadow stretching long and completely covering Yan Bugui.

"I...I just didn't see these bricks in the way, so I wanted to help you clean them up..." Yan Bugui said with an awkward smile, his toes throbbing with pain.

"No need for you to trouble yourself," Su Zheng said casually. "A truck will come and haul these bricks away tomorrow. And..."

Su Zheng pointed to the broken piece on the brick.

"Although this brick is old, it's an old brick from the Ming and Qing dynasties, with a special firing process. I planned to keep it, grind it into powder, and make a retro screen wall. If you drop it, it will shatter."

"Huh? This...this broken brick is still going to be kept?" Yan Bugui was dumbfounded.

"What you see as rotten bricks, I see as valuable materials." Su Zheng looked at him, his eyes devoid of mockery, only displaying a condescending detachment. "Teacher Yan, you'd better not go into this area with the yellow lines in the future. If you hurt your foot, that's a minor matter, but if you damage my 'materials,' then things will get complicated."

After saying that, Su Zheng turned and went back into the house, leaving Yan Bugui with a cold and indifferent back view.

Yan Bugui stood there, looking at the glaring lime line, his heart filled with mixed feelings.

He suddenly realized that this line was not just a construction warning line.

It is a chasm drawn by Su Zheng.

On the other side of the line lies a "Versailles" lifestyle that they can never experience in their lives.

On this side of the line are these birds who have schemed their whole lives but are still wallowing in the mud.

"This kid..."

Yan Bugui sighed and limped back, "It really is Jackie Chan."