Chapter 105: Now We've Really Gotten into Trouble

"Him?" Liu Xing was taken aback by the news.

Then, he couldn't help but chuckle. He knew Zhao Gou. The man was a giant, standing well over two meters tall. He had often heard his brother-in-law claim that Zhao Gou's arms were thicker than his own thighs; he had assumed it was an exaggeration, but it turned out to be true.

Despite being a local bully, Zhao Gou wasn't a bad person; in some respects, he was actually quite decent. This assessment came from the fact that he was known to be a devoted son and a man of his word. The reason he was able to collect stall fees at the market was tied to a heavyweight figure—Xie Zhong, also known as "Xie the Lion Head," the man who would eventually become the Township Head of Zhangmu. At the moment, Xie controlled both the black market and the Laowu Village market.

However, these inner workings were not to be revealed. After collecting his thoughts, Liu Xing said, "Village Chief, changing the current situation in Laowu Village isn't something that can be done in a few words or a couple of days. So... could you please wait until I’ve settled the matters at the shoe store, and then I’ll slowly help you devise a plan?"

"Agreed!" Village Chief Zhao smiled with relief. If he couldn't trust that promise, there would have been no point in seeking out Liu Xing at all.

"But I must state beforehand, I'm no genius. If things don't work out in the end, you can't blame me," Liu Xing teased.

"Listen to you, am I that kind of person?" Seeing how late it was, the Village Chief suggested, "Let's head back. There’s plenty of time; we have days ahead of us."

"Right!" Liu Xing walked alongside the Village Chief, slowly making their way toward Liu Dongju's house. On the way, they encountered the pair of beggars, but neither side spoke; they simply exchanged a glance and continued on their way.

...

Just as dawn broke, Liu Xing was awakened by the crying of Guazi and Xiao Budian. After scrambling up and asking Zhao Dongkui, he realized that the two little ones had overeaten the night before and were both in a desperate rush to use the outhouse. Since there was only one latrine in the backyard, the two kids had started fighting over it. Before a winner could be decided, both had fallen into the pit. The crying was the result of Liu Dongju scolding them while scrubbing them clean.

Once he understood what happened, Liu Xing burst into laughter, and Zhao Dongkui couldn't help but join in. Seeing Nie Quan arrive with a toolbox, accompanied by two other carpenters, Nie Sun and Zhao Long, Zhao Dongkui hurried out to greet them with cigarettes. Liu Xing didn't stay idle; after offering a greeting, he headed to the kitchen to wash up.

By the time he came out, Village Chief Zhao had arrived with the masons Zhao Biao, Zhao Hu, and Zhao Jianzhong. Because the weather was fine, they had set up ladders and climbed onto the roof to begin stripping away the straw thatch. After Liu Xing reminded them to be careful, he asked his brother-in-law to take him to the market to buy clay tiles. Because clay tiles were made of earth, they were one of the few items in the market that didn't require ration coupons, so the trip was quick. Within an hour, Liu Xing and Zhao Dongkui returned on a tractor loaded with tiles.

However, they were stunned by what they saw. Not only had the straw roof been stripped, but the eastern mud-brick wall had also collapsed—this was completely contrary to their plans. They had intended to renovate, not rebuild the entire structure!

At the entrance, Village Chief Zhao and the masons were gathered around the collapsed wall, looking on in a daze. The Nie brothers had stopped their work, at a loss for words. After recovering his senses, Liu Xing’s first concern wasn't the wall, but rather asking the Village Chief, "Did anyone get hurt? Was anyone pinned under the wall?"

"No, nothing like that," the Village Chief replied in a low voice. The valuables inside had long been moved out, and as for the children, Liu Dongju had been watching them in the kitchen, so no one had been harmed.

But as for the wall... once the Village Chief regained his composure, he awkwardly said to Zhao Dongkui, "I will find a way to help you rebuild it. Don't worry, I caused this wall to collapse, and I will take responsibility."

"What responsibility are you talking about!" Liu Xing interrupted before Zhao Dongkui could speak, firmly dismissing the Village Chief's offer. "As long as everyone is safe, that's all that matters. You don't need to worry about the rest."

"Brother-in-law, are there bricks for sale at the market?" Liu Xing asked Zhao Dongkui.

"Yes, plenty of mud bricks!" Zhao Dongkui replied.

"What about red bricks?" Liu Xing asked. Since the mud-brick house had collapsed, he might as well build a new one out of red bricks to prevent such an incident from happening again. If he didn't take this seriously, they might not be so lucky next time; if someone were crushed to death, all the money he made would be useless.

"Where would you find red bricks in the market? There are plenty of second-hand grey bricks, though," Zhao Hu interjected. As a mason, he was very familiar with this. Red bricks were only available in the city or in some villages on the outskirts, and very few kilns relied on the technology to produce them consistently. This made red bricks highly sought after and expensive.

"Grey bricks will do," Liu Xing nodded. Grey bricks were salvaged from old houses demolished in the city and brought to the market; they were not only cheap but also of good quality. Since there were no red bricks, grey ones would have to suffice. As for mud bricks, they were out of the question—using them would just be a waste of money.

Upon hearing this, Zhao Hu immediately said, "Then should I take you to see Boss Wang to buy the grey bricks? The house he’s renting belongs to my uncle, so he should be able to give us a discount."

"Good!" Liu Xing nodded. Zhao Hu put away his trowel and turned to head toward the market. But he hadn't walked more than two meters before being stopped by Liu Dongju: "Uncle, why go buy bricks now? Eat breakfast first, I’ve already made it."

"This..." Zhao Hu looked at Liu Xing.

"Sharpening the axe won't delay the woodcutting; listen to my sister," Liu Xing said, pulling Zhao Hu back. Zhao Hu laughed heartily and, setting aside his hesitation, walked toward the kitchen.

...

After breakfast, Liu Xing and Zhao Hu were about to head out when Zhao Liang arrived with several younger members of the Zhao family. After greeting Zhao Dongkui and Liu Dongju, they slipped into the kitchen for breakfast. When they came out, they all rolled up their sleeves and, without waiting for the Village Chief to tell them, began clearing away the straw on the ground.

"This kid, he's certainly quick when it comes to getting a free meal," Zhao Hu said with a faint smile.

"Don't mind him. At my sister's place, we might lack many things, but there’s always enough food," Liu Xing laughed, leading the way toward the market. Guazi didn't join them this time because he had to tend to the calf, and Xiao Budian was playing with Zhao Jing by the kitchen door. This had all been arranged by Liu Dongju, as she had no time to watch the children with so many craftsmen in the house.

The market was quiet since it wasn't a market day. Zhao Hu pointed to a low building on the right: "Boss Wang lives there, and his grey bricks are in the open space behind it. Look! They're stacked high, so business probably isn't very good."

"Yeah," Liu Xing noticed it too. If business were good, there wouldn't be such a large inventory of grey bricks.

As they walked and talked, they arrived at the door of the low house. Boss Wang, a lean man, was brushing his teeth. Seeing Zhao Hu arrive with someone, he quickly stood up to greet them: "Oh! Why are you here so early today, brother?"

"I'm here to buy grey bricks from you. Give us a good price," Zhao Hu said, skipping the pleasantries and getting straight to the point.

"And he is..." Boss Wang gestured toward Liu Xing.

"My nephew from the Zhao family," Zhao Hu replied. The implication was clear: there was no need for any tricks. The price should be what it was; he wasn't looking for a kickback. At least in front of Liu Xing, he had no need for that, especially since Liu Xing was doing all of this to help Zhao Dongkui. And since Zhao Dongkui was his own kin, trying to fleece him would be unthinkable.

Boss Wang, a shrewd businessman, caught the meaning immediately. He quickly led them to the open lot where the bricks were stored: "You two came at the perfect time. I really do have some top-quality grey bricks—they were just brought in from an old school that was torn down."

"Look at the quality of these bricks, aren't they great? Many of them even have the stamps of kiln masters from the Republic of China era!" Boss Wang said with a grin, his eyes darting around. It was clear he was gauging Liu Xing's reaction. If he were a layman, he intended to pull a fast one—there was no help for it, as business was tough these days, and if you didn't use a little cunning, you couldn't even afford the rent.

Zhao Hu didn't notice the boss's scheme, but Liu Xing did. He reached out and tapped the bricks nonchalantly: "You've got a loose tongue, don't you? School bricks don't have stamps. If I recall correctly, these bricks with stamps come from demolished temples and ancestral halls, don't they? Other than the transport costs, you didn't spend a single cent on them."