Smack!
Jia Dongxu was slapped to the ground by Leon, and five finger marks immediately appeared on his face.
“Leon, why did you hit someone again!?” Yi Zhonghai ran over angrily.
“Yi Zhonghai, are you getting senile?
Didn’t you see that he was the one who rushed over to hit me first?” Leon laughed.
“You bullied my mother first!” Jia Dongxu roared.
“Yes, this little beast bullied me… First Uncle, you have to stand up for me!” Jia Zhangshi shouted.
“Leon, how could you bully an old woman?” Yi Zhonghai said righteously.
“Jia Zhangshi is still your elder.
You should apologize to her and pay Dongxu five yuan for medical expenses.
Look at the state you beat him into.” “Yes, yes, compensation!” Jia Dongxu immediately perked up at the mention of money.
His eyes were filled with greed as he looked at Leon.
It would be even better if he could get Leon’s bicycle too.
“Why should I pay compensation?” Leon tilted his head.
“Didn’t you and Third Uncle say yesterday that courtyard matters should be resolved within the courtyard, and that neighbors were only joking around?” Hearing this, Yan Bugui immediately glared at Yi Zhonghai with hostility.
That was right.
Yesterday, Jia Zhangshi had broken his flowerpots, but the matter had been dismissed with a simple “neighbors are just joking around.” It would be unreasonable to make Leon pay compensation today.
“You…” Yi Zhonghai was rendered speechless by the rebuttal.
“What nonsense.” Leon had just taken out a cigarette when he noticed Yan Bugui standing beside him at some point, so he smiled and handed him one as well.
“Leon, I’ll fight you to the death!” With red eyes, Jia Dongxu was about to rush forward, but Qin Huairu held him back.
“Dongxu, don’t go.” “Get out of the way!” Jia Dongxu pushed Qin Huairu to the ground, but then he calmed down.
Even Sha Zhu, known as the “Courtyard War God,” could not beat this kid.
If Jia Dongxu went up against him, he would be even less of a match.
“Are you still going to fight?
If not, I’m going home.” Leon yawned.
“You…” Jia Dongxu’s eyes reddened again.
“All right, stop fooling around.
Go home,” Yi Zhonghai scolded sternly.
“Tch.” Leon rolled his eyes and leisurely pushed his bicycle into his yard.
“You little beast, you’ll pay for this sooner or later!” Jia Zhangshi gritted her teeth in hatred.
Leon had originally gone to the neighborhood office to find Director Wang, but he had not seen her.
So he asked someone to pass along a message, asking Director Wang to help him find some reliable craftsmen to repair the house.
Unexpectedly, he fell asleep while waiting.
He did not know how much time had passed.
Suddenly, he heard someone shouting outside the door.
“Leon, does Leon live here!?” “Coming!” Leon immediately got up and opened the door, only to see a dark-skinned man standing in the courtyard with two others.
“And you are…” “Hello, Leon.
I’m Dali.
Director Wang recommended me,” the man said honestly.
“Oh, you’re the craftsman, right?” Leon offered cigarettes to the group.
Dali wiped his hands on his clothes several times before reaching out to take one.
The two men he had brought with him did not dare reach out at all.
This was Daqianmen, a high-end cigarette brand.
“They’re quite well-behaved,” Leon chuckled.
“Take them.” Dali blushed and shouted at them before the two men finally reached out and accepted the cigarettes.
“To make a long story short, I’ve roughly drawn up the renovation plans for the house.” After handing his drawings to Dali, Leon said leisurely, “In short, money isn’t a problem, but the work must be done well.” “You can rest assured.
If I don’t do a good job, you can go and smash my family’s signboard,” Dali said with a simple smile.
“Your ancestors were…” “Yangshi Lei,” Dali said proudly.
“Royal craftsmen!” Leon exclaimed in surprise.
In Beijing’s artisan circles, the name Yangshi Lei was extremely well-known.
The royal gardens of the Ming and Qing dynasties had almost all been built by their family.
Each project had been incredibly magnificent.
“We’re all ordinary people now,” Dali said hastily.
“All right.
Take a look and see how much it will cost to repair my house.” Leon understood his concerns and stopped joking.
Dali looked over the blueprints seriously, asked a few more questions, and calculated silently for a long time before finally saying, “Master, if you want to build the house according to your ideas, it will be a major project.
It will probably take more than half a month to complete.” “Also, if the toilet is built inside the room, the pipes will have to be relaid.
Fortunately, your house is next to the wall.
If it were in the middle courtyard, running the pipes through the entire courtyard would be a huge project, and the others might not agree to it.” “So how much will it cost to finish everything?” Leon asked.
“Four hundred.
We’ll take care of everything,” Dali quoted.
His two apprentices were shocked.
Four hundred yuan was an amount an ordinary worker would have to save for two years without eating or drinking.
“No problem.
But let me make this clear: if you don’t do a good job, don’t blame me for ruining your reputation.” Leon took out twenty ten-yuan bills and handed them to Dali.
“Here’s half for now.
When we reach the final stage, I’ll give you another hundred and fifty.
The final payment will be made after inspection.
Any problems?” “No problem, no problem.” Dali was overjoyed.
This was the first time he had encountered such a generous employer.
With other people, receiving a deposit before even starting work was already considered quite good.
“Oh, by the way, I have another question.” Leon lowered his voice.
“Brother Dali, you have a lot of connections.
Could you help me get a batch of timber for furniture?” “What kind of wood do you want?” Dali also lowered his voice.
“Can you get Phoebe zhennan(*Golden Silk Nanmu)?
If not, Huanghuali(*Yellow Flowering Pear) will do.
At the very least, rosewood.” “This…” Dali glanced at Leon, somewhat hesitant.
“Don’t worry.
Everyone knows what’s going on with this kind of thing.
If it comes from a legitimate source, that’s best.
If not… I’ll find a way to get the permit,” Leon reassured him.
This was not bragging.
Both the Ministry of Industry and the Steel Rolling Mill needed to use timber.
As for what kind of timber it was, unless the higher-ups were truly bored enough to inspect the wood used by the steel mill, it would be perfectly safe.
“There is a batch of goods.
All the paperwork is proper… but the price really isn’t cheap,” Dali said through gritted teeth.
“How expensive?” Leon asked curiously.
“If you want a complete set of furniture, it will cost this much…” Dali raised a finger.
“One hundred?” “One thousand.
Golden nanmu wood.” “Deal.” Leon nodded and said, “If you help me get the goods, I’ll give you a fifty-yuan referral fee.” “Fifty yuan!” Dali’s two apprentices swallowed hard.
This employer was far too extravagant!
“All right.
Wait for my news.” Dali readily agreed.
“When can construction begin?” Leon asked again.
“We could have started today, but since you bought that batch of timber, I’ll have them gather some other materials so we can make you an even better set,” Dali said with a smile.
“Then I’ll wait for your message.” Leon’s goodwill toward Dali immediately increased.
These days, craftsmen might not be cheap, but they truly did their best to consider their employer’s needs.