Chapter 41: Renovating the Roof

Many of the roof tiles had become broken over the years due to exposure to rain and sun.

Tang Lin estimated, "Judging by the extent of the damage, after cleaning the roof, we'll need at least five thousand replacement tiles to cover it completely."

"This afternoon, let's find out where the nearest brick and tile factory is. Actually, I have corrugated steel tiles in my space, but it wouldn't be appropriate to bring them out in this era. If I had known I would travel back to a time like this, I would have climbed onto a roof to collect some of these fired tiles back then."

Back in the apocalypse, they had collected a vast amount of various materials and tools, which now made repairing the house quite convenient for them.

The layout of the house consisted of a central main hall, with two bedrooms on each side, both front and back. The mother and daughter decided to take the two south-facing rooms on the east and west sides for their own bedrooms. The two innermost rooms facing north didn't get as much sunlight as the front ones, so they decided to convert one into a kitchen and the other into a storeroom or a guest room.

Squatting on the roof to replace tiles took hours at a time. Sometimes their legs would go numb, and they had to be extremely careful when trying to stretch them out; one wrong step could lead to a nasty fall.

The mother and daughter worked efficiently, but the roof was simply too large. Hungry by noon, they ate two steamed buns bought from a state-run restaurant. They worked continuously until after four in the afternoon before they finished going over the entire roof.

Only one-third of the roof remained uncovered. They would need to go to the brick and tile factory to buy more tiles before the roof could finally be completed.

With the old tiles cleared off, many fragments and debris had fallen onto the floor inside. Since it was still early, Tang Lin and Leng Hui took out brooms and shovels to clean the interior floor.

Once the floor was clean, Tang Lin looked at the house, which no longer seemed quite so dilapidated, and felt a slight sense of relief. She said, "Tomorrow I'll go inquire about the brick and tile factory. You go to work in my stead for now. Once the tiles are bought, you can take a few days off, and we'll lay the courtyard wall and the roof tiles together."

"I've walked around the factory a few times these past few days, and the lathes are mostly fine. How about you go to work, and I'll go look for the brick and tile factory?"

Leng Hui felt that being young and strong gave her an advantage in running errands outside compared to Tang Lin.

Tang Lin's superpower had returned; using her wood-element ability to heal wounds, her body had mostly recovered. After thinking it over, she did not refuse.

She felt that since Leng Hui had a spatial dimension, she would have an advantage in certain situations.

After putting away their tools and stepping out of the house, the mother and daughter noticed someone peering in through the courtyard gate.

"Daughter, where are you two from? Why are you here?"

As Tang Lin and her daughter emerged, Qin Baiqiu smiled at them and asked softly.

Tang Lin returned a polite smile. "Auntie, I'm from the machinery factory. This courtyard was assigned to me by my unit yesterday. Are you living nearby since you're passing through?"

Qin Baiqiu pointed to a small courtyard not far away, less than ten meters from them, separated only by another house. They would be neighbors from now on.

"My surname is Qin. That is my home."

"Oh, it's very close to us. We'll be neighbors then."

"Neighbors indeed. Daughter, when the factory assigned this house to you, didn't you inquire about its condition beforehand?" Qin Baiqiu suppressed her inner worry and offered a kind reminder.

Tang Lin turned back to look at the dilapidated courtyard behind them and gave a bitter smile. "Auntie Qin, to be honest, we knew the condition of the house beforehand. But what does it matter? Housing is tight in the city right now; being allocated a house at all is considered good luck. Even if the house is dilapidated, it's still better than sleeping on the street."

"That's true. Life isn't easy for anyone. We just have to overcome the difficulties; life goes on." Qin Baiqiu nodded, glancing at the courtyard behind them. "I saw you cleaning the roof tiles this afternoon. It looks like it will take quite some effort to repair this house enough to live in."

"Yes, the house is too broken. The doors, windows, roof, and courtyard walls all need major repairs, and other parts will need patching up too. I don't know how much time and material it will take to get it fully fixed," Tang Lin said with a troubled expression, nodding in agreement.

Qin Baiqiu felt that the practical difficulties they faced could be solved; what worried her most were the things one couldn't see or touch in the shadows.

She comforted them, "Take it slow. If you run into any trouble, come find me. My three sons are all strong laborers; they can help with many things regarding house repairs. My second son works at the brick and tile factory in Longquan'ao. If the bricks and tiles are lacking, I can have him help you resolve it."

Tang Lin and Leng Hui looked delighted.

What was this called?

It was like someone bringing a pillow just when you were feeling sleepy—a true timely rain.

Tang Lin said happily, "Auntie Qin, you are truly my lucky star. We've already gone over the roof today, but we're still short five thousand tiles. We also need to build the courtyard wall. Could you ask your second son to help transport a load of bricks and tiles here?"

Having achieved her goal of checking on them, Qin Baiqiu naturally nodded in agreement. She gave them the specific location of the factory and told them they could go directly to her son tomorrow.

After watching Qin Baiqiu enter her home, Tang Lin shook her head with a smile. "The world is bustling for the sake of profit; people move about for the sake of gain. The ancients did not lie to me."

Leng Hui walked side-by-side with Tang Lin toward the end of the alley. "Even though she has her own motives, she isn't malicious, and she's indirectly helping us. This kind of neighbor is easy to get along with; it's much better than a shrewish, unreasonable one."

"It seems you've grown quite a bit," Tang Lin said, feeling gratified.

Leng Hui rolled her eyes at her. This was a society ruled by law; she wasn't a fool who would solve every problem with violence or brute force.

They returned home before dark, just as Sun Xiaojuan had finished cooking and set the table.

It was corn porridge with pickles.

Tang Lin's face darkened as she looked at the food. "Second Aunt, even though supplies are tight right now, surely we can afford a few potatoes or some green vegetables?"

After a day of physical labor, dinner was just coarse grain porridge and pickles?

After scooping porridge for the children, Sun Xiaojuan sat down. She glanced at Old Lady Leng. "Mom doesn't provide food money, so there's nothing I can do. Even a skilled cook can't make a meal without rice."

Old Lady Leng glared at Tang Lin. "Even if you had something to eat, it wouldn't shut your mouth. Now that you're divorced, we are even more worried about the house; where would we find extra money to improve the food? If you want to eat better, you can pay for it yourself and ask the second daughter-in-law to help you."

"Are you saying that since we're divorced, we shouldn't eat together, or are you just complaining that I haven't paid food money?" Tang Lin sneered.

Leng Hui scanned the Leng family with cold eyes. "Don't forget, in the past, my mother's salary was all handed over to this family, and the house you are living in belongs to my mother. Now that you want food money from her, before you demand that, shouldn't you calculate how much you owe my mother for staying in this house?"

Tang Lin nodded. "If you want to live here in peace before moving out, then behave yourselves and pay according to the previous standard every day. Don't try any tricks."

These words silenced the Leng family. Leng Yongkang had spent the entire day outside trying to use connections to find a house, but he hadn't found a single one.

It was clear that being able to live in this residential compound was something many people envied.