Chapter 40: The Dilapidated Courtyard (Two Chapters in One)

Both courtyards had their own respective pros and cons.

Su Youqin's brother-in-law had married early last year, and his wife was due to give birth next month. The current situation for the in-laws was that their house was too small, and the whole extended family living together was far too crowded.

If Tang Lin's house could be vacated, perhaps with enough effort, the house could be allocated to the brother-in-law's family.

Driven by this personal interest, Su Youqin was most invested in Tang Lin's desire to move; she accompanied Tang Lin to view houses that very morning.

The first small courtyard was located in a narrow alley. For daily water usage, one had to fetch water from a well dozens of meters away, and the roads were dilapidated.

What Tang Lin found most unbearable were the neighbors on both sides who loved to gossip. When they went to view the property, they happened to encounter several women gathered together, whispering about someone's business.

The second location was quite far from the Machinery Plant, requiring about a forty-minute bicycle ride.

The dilapidated courtyard was very large and overgrown with weeds, and the house was a brick-and-wood structure.

The roof tiles were in a terrible state of decay, with leaks in many places.

Many of the wooden doors and windows were missing; if they wanted to move in, they would need to install new ones.

Summoning her courage, Su Youqin accompanied Tang Lin for a walk around the courtyard and asked, "Since this courtyard is in such a state of disrepair, it will certainly take a lot of effort to renovate. Between this one and the other, which do you prefer?"

Standing in the courtyard and looking at the barren mountain behind it, Tang Lin felt a sense of joy.

The total area of the front and back yards was about two hundred square meters, with five rooms. Aside from the dilapidated structure and the fact that half of the courtyard wall had been scavenged, it could be described as her dream home.

Of course, if it weren't for the fact that a violent crime had occurred in this courtyard, it wouldn't have been left for her to choose.

"If I must choose, this courtyard is definitely more to my liking. At least it's large, and there are no annoying neighbors around."

Su Youqin's mouth twitched. This was a famous crime scene in S City; who would dare linger around here? The common folk nearby wanted to stay as far away as possible.

"Then, what do you mean?"

Tang Lin turned back and asked, "Section Chief Su, if I select this house, do I have to buy it myself, or will the factory negotiate with the sub-district office?"

Su Youqin pursed her lips, confirming once more, "Do you really intend to switch to this house? Do you want to discuss it with your daughter first?"

She couldn't quite understand Tang Lin's reasoning. Why leave a perfectly good house in the city center to live in such a remote place?

The crime scene from ten years ago was still a crime scene. She hoped Tang Lin wouldn't move in only to get scared after a few days and run to the logistics department to demand help moving again.

Tang Lin nodded. "It's decided. My Huihui listens to me."

"Well, alright then. I'll go negotiate with the sub-district office. Private transactions aren't allowed right now, so don't even think about buying it yourself. However, if the unit allocates it to you, the house is effectively yours. You can renovate the courtyard however you like in the future."

Su Youqin felt a mix of joy and worry.

Tang Lin glanced at the weed-choked courtyard and said gratefully, "Then I'll have to trouble you. My intention is to do this as quickly as possible."

"Fine. Since you've decided, we'll go straight to the sub-district office now." Su Youqin was a woman of action. She wouldn't let something that could be done today drag into tomorrow.

The matter proceeded smoothly. Out of respect for the Machinery Plant, the shrewd director of the sub-district office agreed immediately and had the subordinates handle the paperwork.

"This house needs repairs before anyone moves in. The factory can give you a buffer of half a month to a month. Your health hasn't fully recovered yet, so there's no rush. If you need help, just let us know; the factory will help where it can."

"Okay, thank you."

***

In the afternoon, Leng Yongkang and Leng Yongkang rushed home. As soon as they entered, Tang Lin pulled Leng Hui into the partition of their main room.

Tang Lin pulled the housing certificate issued by the sub-district office from her pocket and said in a voice only the two of them could hear, "I settled the house-moving matter today, though this courtyard is a bit far from the city center."

After explaining the situation of the house, she finally asked, "What do you think of my decision?"

Leng Hui gave a direct thumbs-up. "I've seen corpses scattered across the wasteland in the apocalypse; this little thing won't scare me. Most importantly, the house you chose is large. It doesn't matter if it's remote; it's quiet."

"As long as you don't mind. It's just that the courtyard will likely need major renovations."

"In the apocalypse, we could build homes out of ruins. The current situation is much better than that. At worst, we'll do it ourselves."

Tang Lin deeply agreed.

"What kind of secrets are you two whispering about in there? Come out and eat!"

Leng Yongkang's voice came from outside, and only then did Tang Lin and Leng Hui emerge from the inner room.

Dinner was already laid out on the table in the outer room, and Old Lady Leng had already started eating.

Leng Mei looked up at them and asked with a smile, "What were Auntie and Sister talking about in there? So secretive."

Leng Hui sat in her seat and scanned the Leng family members around the table with a half-smile. "Want to hear?"

Tang Lin placed some food into her and Leng Hui's bowls and took over the conversation. "It's not really a secret. Leng Yongkang and I are divorced. From now on, we are two different families."

"You really divorced?" The most agitated was Sun Xiaojuan. She turned to Leng Yongkang to confirm.

Facing everyone's gaze, Leng Yongkang, in an attempt to maintain a shred of masculine dignity, said stubbornly, "We did. You two were always fighting about it anyway; it's better to just divorce and have some peace."

Sun Xiaojuan felt a surge of anger in her chest. What did he mean "always fighting about it"? She hadn't been fighting; she had been trying to reconcile them.

"What a sin! If you divorce, won't Huihui be a child from a single-parent family?"

Leng Hui rolled her eyes inwardly. "Second Aunt, I'm past the age of needing milk. As long as they are happy, I don't mind."

"You silly child, you have no idea what a single-parent family means." Sun Xiaojuan's brow was knotted with worry.

To make matters worse, Old Lady Leng added fuel to the fire. "It's good that you divorced. A daughter-in-law with such a miserable face isn't worth keeping. In a while, I'll send a matchmaker to find a young lady with wide hips to bear my eldest son eight or ten sons to carry on the family line."

Sun Xiaojuan knew immediately that this was going to go badly.

Sure enough, Tang Lin sneered, "Eight or ten sons? If you actually had that many, I'd worry your old bones would be sucked dry. It's not that I look down on your son, but with his meager salary, he can barely support himself and you."

"Xiao Lin, don't look down on people!" Leng Yongkang was furious, unwilling to be belittled.

"Oh, you're offended?" Tang Lin looked him up and down and sneered, "We are divorced now; we are free to marry or not, and I have no right to interfere in your affairs. Whether you marry or have children is a matter for the future. For now, I suggest you tell your family early and solve your housing problem first."

"What do you mean?" Old Lady Leng's heart sank, fearing her worst suspicions were true.

Sun Xiaojuan and her husband's hearts were in their throats.

"It means..." Tang Lin noted the tense expressions of Old Lady Leng and the second branch of the family, "...the factory considered that Huihui and I couldn't live in such a large house, so they decided to switch us to a smaller one. Now, the factory is taking back this house. To avoid ending up sleeping on the streets, I advise you to find a place to live starting tomorrow."

Old Lady Leng knew exactly what was happening, but that didn't stop her from throwing a tantrum.

She slammed the table and stood up, causing the bowls and chopsticks to jump, startling everyone.

"You wicked woman! The Leng family has lived in this house for so many years; what right do you have to deal with it? You think you can threaten us just by moving out of your factory? I'm telling you, even if your factory leaders come, we won't move! Let's see what they can do to me!"

Leng Yongkang got a headache whenever Old Lady Leng threw a tantrum. He felt both stifled and helpless. "Mom, they can't do anything to you, but they will report the situation to the leaders of our factory and Yongxing's factory. What do you want us to do then?"

Leng Yongxing stood up to persuade her, "Mom, we'll go look for a house tomorrow. Don't worry about anything else; Big Brother and I are here."

Since it involved the jobs of both her sons, Old Lady Leng fell silent for a moment.

Seeing his mother calm down, Leng Yongxing turned to plead with Tang Lin, "Sister-in-law, we've been in-laws for so many years; there's some family affection between us. Can you do me a favor and let us delay the move a bit? You know that housing is incredibly scarce right now."

A mocking smile curled on Leng Hui's lips. "Second Uncle, you don't actually think my mother's claim that the factory is taking the house back is just an excuse to kick you out, do you?"

"No," Leng Yongxing denied flatly.

"If you say no, then so be it. Regardless, we have fulfilled our duty to inform you. Whether you listen or not is your business."

Tang Lin picked up her bowl and moved away from the dining table, not wanting to push them too hard. "At most, you have half a month. Hurry up and find a house."

Leng Hui also picked up her bowl and walked to Tang Lin's side, to prevent Old Lady Leng's saliva from splashing into her bowl while she was cursing.

Leng Mei frowned and said, "Auntie, half a month is too little. What if—I mean, what if we can't find a house? Won't we have to sleep on the streets?"

Leng Hui warned her, "Don't be too greedy!"

The dinner ended on a sour note.

The next day, on the weekend, Leng Yongkang left the house after breakfast with heavy dark circles under his eyes. No one asked him where he was going.

Taking advantage of the weekend, Tang Lin and Leng Hui wanted to go check out the courtyard on Furong Street, but they ran into Chen Shumei just as they stepped out.

"Tang Lin, Huihui, are you two heading out?"

"Yes, Auntie Chen."

Chen Shumei pulled Tang Lin aside and asked, "I heard your family arguing last night. Have you and Leng Yongkang really broken up?"

There was nothing to hide, so Tang Lin nodded without hesitation. "Yes, the paperwork was processed yesterday."

Having received the accurate news, Chen Shumei's lips trembled in shock. Finally, she sighed. "You really are bold and decisive; your courage is commendable. If I were in your situation, I wouldn't have the courage to take that step."

"Everyone's circumstances are different. Sometimes I actually envy you; your family doesn't live with your in-laws, which at least reduces family conflicts by eighty or ninety percent."

Tang Lin gave a self-deprecating laugh. "I can't do that. From the day I got married, I've been entangled with the rest of the Leng family. There are constant conflicts every day; it drains my spirit too much."

She didn't know how the original owner had survived all these years, but if it were her, she truly couldn't stand it. Spending every day consumed by family arguments was a rapid way to destroy one's health. If she collapsed one day, it would be a massive loss for someone who had traveled through time.

Chen Shumei nodded with concern. "It's best that you've come to terms with it. What are your plans for the future?"

Tang Lin was very optimistic. "Continue working hard. As long as I have a job, Huihui and I will have a secure life. Then, move away from this place of sorrow as soon as possible and live well in a new environment."

Hearing that she was moving, Chen Shumei felt a pang of tightness in her heart, but after a moment's thought, she understood. "Moving to a new house is good. Since we became neighbors, our relationship has been quite good. If you have any difficulties, just say so; I'll help as much as I can."

Tang Lin pursed her lips and patted her arm firmly. "I appreciate your kindness. If I have trouble, I won't be polite with you."

After leaving the residential compound, Leng Hui smiled. "I didn't expect you to have a friend you could actually talk to in this compound."

Tang Lin just laughed it off.

The mother and daughter took a bus to the vicinity of Furong Street and then walked the rest of the way.

The dilapidated courtyard had only half of its wall remaining, and that half was made of stones; there must have been a brick wall built on top of them. However, after the courtyard fell into ruin, the bricks from the wall had been slowly scavenged by nearby residents. The salvaged gray bricks were quite practical for building kitchens or toilets.

"Half the wall is gone, and the gate has been removed by someone. This courtyard is just a frame now. It's going to take a lot of work to rebuild the wall."

Before even entering the courtyard, Leng Hui shook her head, lamenting how cunning the local residents were. Indeed, the courtyard had been picked clean; the five rooms were barely larger than the courtyard itself. The doors and windows were either rotten or removed, and the roof tiles were so sparse that one could see the sky in many places.

Leng Hui took out their old scavenging work clothes and gloves from her space. As she put them on, she asked, "Ms. Tang Lin, where do you think we should start?"

Tang Lin pointed upward. "Let's start with the roof. I just checked; three of the roof beams are rotten and need to be replaced. There are large trees on the mountain behind us; let's go cut three of them down first."

The barren mountain behind the house made it convenient for them to cut trees.

Leng Hui searched her space for tools and finally found two axes. "Mom, you chose a good house. In the future, this barren mountain will be converted into an urban forest park, and the surrounding land will sell for high prices. The nearby residents will benefit greatly—one demolition makes three generations rich."

"Then let's prepare to be the 'second generation of demolition wealth'."

"Fine, then I'll just wait to win by lying down."

The mountain was truly overgrown with weeds and thorns, but fortunately, there were plenty of trees; it was only called "barren" because no one managed it. They had done tree-cutting before when building homes in the wasteland, though they had used chainsaws then, which was much faster and easier.

Using axes for the first time, they initially struggled with the technique and lost some time. Later, after figuring out the best angle, their cutting speed became quite fast.

Once a tree was felled, they stripped the excess branches, carried the trunk back, and stored the extra wood directly into their space. They completed one round of hauling in a single trip.

Renovating a house required an initial inspection of the walls, beams, and pillars for damage. The pillars needed replacing, the tiles needed re-laying, and any damaged walls needed repair. It was tedious and hard work.

The mother and daughter climbed onto the roof, first lifting the tiles, then replacing the rotten beams before securing them and re-laying the tiles.

After working on the roof for less than an hour, nearby residents noticed the activity and ran over to see the spectacle. Upon asking and learning that Tang Lin and her daughter intended to live in this "haunted house," they all showed expressions of shock.

Some cursed them, while others admired them...

Tang Lin and Leng Hui ignored it all; the work was what mattered most.