Back to my 1980s

"Brother, won't a house made of cement be leak-proof?"

After unloading the cement and taking a cold shower, Zhao Hua lay on a small bed at the educated youth settlement. He turned to look at Zhao Ru, who had asked him a question, and laughed, "Yes, not only will it not leak, but there will also be far fewer scorpions and rats, because they won't be able to crawl in through the cracks in the walls."

Zhao Ru retorted defiantly, "But you've already laid the foundation, so they can just dig holes and crawl in, right?"

Zhao Hua laughed and said, "Do you think I didn't think of that? We'll just build a cement floor inside the house and make the ground cement. We'll also pound lime on the ground in the yard. Even if they can dig holes, they can only crawl into the yard. Once they come in from the yard, there's nothing we can do. We can only scatter rat poison along the walls. But it's still much better than having rats living inside the house."

"What about the roof?" Meng Qinghe, who was lying next to Zhao Ru, asked.

"Yeah! What about the roof? Rats can climb walls, and I often hear rats crawling around on our roof." With outside help, Zhao Ru instantly perked up, propping her head up and staring intently at Zhao Hua.

Zhao Hua thought about it and realized that this was indeed a difficult problem. Even if the roof was covered with tiles, it would still need to be supported by wooden planks underneath. Rats could easily gnaw through the wooden planks as they climbed up the wall. Wherever people lived, rats would definitely try to find a way to get in.

In 83, rats in the countryside were practically rampant. Unable to deal with the ground and walls, they would inevitably try to find a way to get to the roof.

After a moment, Zhao Hua laughed and said, "I use tiles for the roof, not thatch. When laying the tiles, I extend the eaves outwards and then put a ring of cement around the connection with the gable wall so that it can't get in. Even if it's powerful enough to climb up the roof from the eaves, with the tiles layered on top of each other, I don't believe it can lift the tiles."

"If your roof tiles extend outwards, what if it runs into the house first and then climbs up the wall inside?" It was Meng Qinghe's voice again.

Zhao Hua was getting a little annoyed by what she said, not at Meng Qinghe, but at the rats. He had thought of many ways to prevent rats, but after Meng Qinghe said that, it seemed like he couldn't stop those little creatures no matter what he did.

When the walls are made of red bricks, it digs holes in the ground; when the ground is paved with cement, it climbs over the walls and crawls into the roof; when the walls and gables are plastered up, it climbs out of the house again.

The key issue is that these little creatures stealing food is a minor matter; they always seek out damp and dark places, and the fleas on rats can bite humans and cause plague. The localized outbreaks of plague in 83 were not uncommon.

Grain contaminated by rats may also be covered in feces, and contact with it can cause high fever and kidney failure.

Zhao Hua couldn't let go of the fact that it could cause kidney failure. What man could stand that? Not to mention that the thing was always active at night, making a creaking noise that disturbed people's sleep.

Zhao Hua gritted his teeth and said angrily, "It dares! My father is a carpenter. I'll have him make sure all the wood is neat and tidy, leaving no gaps. Even if there are gaps, I'll fill them with cement!" Anyway, he can now haul cement from the asbestos tile factory. The amount of cement used in making asbestos tiles is so large that it's not noticeable if he brings some over.

He paused, then added, "I'll get another cat. With that two-pronged approach, I'll see what kind of rat can survive in my house!"

Zhao Ru leaned over and said, "Keeping a cat is useless. Even though we have a cat, I can still hear the mice at night. And what's the point of your cement? Mice are really good at chewing things. I don't think there's anything they can't chew."

Zhao Hua smiled and said confidently, "Is cement useful? You took the 'ma' off. It's very useful. Once the cement hardens, even if its claws are worn out, it still won't be able to dig a hole."

"Brother, can I talk to you about something?" Zhao Ru immediately got up and leaned over Zhao Hua's bedside.

Zhao Hua turned to look at her and said, "No way."

Zhao Ru didn't say anything, but Zhao Hua knew what she was thinking. What kind of good person would bring their sister-in-law along when they get married? They wouldn't even dare to make a sound at night. And what would happen when she got married? Would she marry out of his family? It would be a laughing stock if word got out.

Besides, once he moves out, Zhao Ru can move into the house he's living in now, at least then she won't have to worry about leaks anymore.

But not letting her come is one thing, wanting her is another. He doesn't have a cell phone or a wife, and now that someone has come to him, it would be so boring not to tease her.

Before Zhao Ru could speak, he continued, "I'll buy some more bricks and build a latrine in the private plot in front of the house, and put a door on it, so I won't have to worry about the wall collapsing and my buttocks being exposed when I go to the toilet."

Speaking of this, Zhao Hua couldn't help but shed a tear of bitterness. The dry toilets these days are simply unbearable to mention.

The area was surrounded by corn stalks, and a banner that looked like it had been picked up from somewhere was strung up in front of the door. There was no distinction between men's and women's restrooms. From a distance, you could even see who was squatting inside through the corn stalks, but you couldn't see them up close.

The problem is that you can't see in from the outside, and you can't see out from the inside. Going to the toilet is nerve-wracking, as you're afraid someone will suddenly barge in. If you hear footsteps from a distance, you have to shout to warn someone that someone is inside.

Who could have imagined how awkward that scene would be!

He was naked while telling others that there was someone in the outhouse.

That's not the main point. The main point is that the corn stalk outhouse has no roof, so when it rains, the jars buried in the pit will overflow!

Winter is manageable, but summer is tough. Those little white things crawl everywhere with the rain, making it impossible to even put your feet down. You also have to worry about the wind pulling the corn stalks up by the roots.

Not to mention going to the toilet at night, you have to hold a flashlight tightly, for fear that snakes and scorpions will crawl out from the dark corners and bite you and you'll lose half your life.

Some families don't even have dry toilets and just relieve themselves in the vegetable garden.

In short, Zhao Hua could write a heartbreaking history about the dry toilets in the countryside. He just couldn't believe that if he, a grown man, was in so much pain, a young girl like her wouldn't have the same problem.

Upon hearing this, Zhao Ru took a deep breath, then shook Zhao Hua's arm and said in a coquettish tone, "Brother~"

Zhao Hua pretended to shiver and said, "Hey~ let's talk this out, don't make such a fuss."

She stood up, took Zhao Hua's hand, and said ingratiatingly, "Brother~ I'd like to come and stay with you too~"

Zhao Hua chuckled and said, "Sure, you'll be staying in the outhouse; there's no room for you to sleep inside."

"Brother~"

"Alright, alright, stop shouting. I've expanded the kitchen by one room, you can stay there. It's quite nice, it's warm in winter. If not, I'll see if I can vacate the west wing for you."

"Okay!" Zhao Ru happily returned to her bed and started telling Meng Qinghe that she would visit her every day after moving in.