The mere mention of building new houses sent a wave of excitement through the educated youth. They were eager to start immediately, their enthusiasm overriding all practicality.
A home is worth a fortune, they thought. A thatched cottage, though drafty and prone to leaks, offered something invaluable: space and freedom.
The office might be sturdy against the elements, but it was a workplace, after all. It was hardly suitable for living.
Seeing their fervor, Tao Nanfeng hesitated.
“If we just build another thatched cottage,” she began, her voice steady but cautious, “what will we do when it rains again? Or when winter comes?”
Her voice was distinct and melodic, like a cool breeze on a sweltering summer day. The previously jubilant youth snapped out of their excitement, their faces sobering.
“She’s right,” someone muttered. “Tao Nanfeng has a point.”
“Thatched cottages go up quickly, but they don’t stop the wind. We’ll freeze to death in the winter.”
“And what about the storms?” another added. “Will we just have to rebuild every time one falls down?”
The office erupted into a fresh wave of argument.
Luo Xuan shot Tao Nanfeng a sharp glare. “What do you know, little girl? A thatched hut is the fastest way to get a roof over our heads. Getting settled is what matters. If you’re cold in the winter, just light a fire. There’s firewood all over the mountain.”
Huang Xingwu, who had remained silent until now, let out a sharp huff. “This is the mountains. It’s not like the city with all its comforts. Hardship is the only way to temper one’s will. A pampered little miss like you needs to suffer a bit to understand the true toil of the farmers.”
The words struck a familiar, painful chord.
Tao Nanfeng’s older stepsister, Tao You, had criticized her in the same way at school, calling her a “bourgeois little miss” who couldn’t handle hardship or weariness and needed to be “re-educated” by the poor and lower-middle peasants.
Tao Nanfeng’s eyes dimmed.
But the others weren’t having it.
Li Huilan shot back, “Who’s calling Tao Nanfeng a pampered little miss? She carried all four of our bedding bundles over here by herself last night. How is a hardworking, helpful comrade like her ‘pampered’?”
Ye Qin, already seething from being forced to sleep on office tables in the middle of the night, joined in. She curled her lip in a cold sneer.
“Easy for you to say from the sidelines! Why don’t you cadre officials go temper your wills in the harsh environment? You know exactly how comfortable it is to live in a sturdy brick building, and you’re the ones who slept on the second floor because the first was too damp. Tao Nanfeng is being prudent, thinking ahead to the winter. What’s so wrong with that?”
Xiao Aiyun quietly squeezed Tao Nanfeng’s hand. The soft, warm touch sent a wave of comfort through Nanfeng’s heart.
“You’re useless at building houses, but you’re an expert at slapping labels on people,” Xiao Aiyun retorted.
“The Infrastructure Department doesn’t even bother to reflect on its failures when the buildings collapse. Instead, you expect us educated youth to fix them ourselves? Tao Nanfeng barely said five words before you started berating her. What’s the matter? Bullying the quiet ones now, are we?”
The girls rallied around their comrade, and the male educated youth quickly joined in. Even those who had just been content with any roof over their heads, regardless of warmth, now stood with Tao Nanfeng.
“She’s right! The old thatched huts are unlivable,” one shouted. “The thatch blows away with the slightest breeze, the walls are crumbling, and the beams are rotten. What are we supposed to do when the winter storms hit?”
“Why do the officials get to live in Western-style villas while we’re stuck in shacks?” another demanded.
“We deserve brick houses too!”
“Exactly! We can only focus on our work and lives if we have a decent place to stay!”
Feeling the surge of support from her companions, Tao Nanfeng’s hand trembled slightly. A fire seemed to ignite in her chest. She rose slowly, her gaze steady, her voice concise and powerful.
“Houses are meant for people to live in,” she declared. “They must be built with the long term in mind. Providing shelter from the wind and rain, and keeping warm in the winter—these are the most basic requirements! If a structure can’t even do that, how can you call it a house?”
Huang Xingwu, his face flushed with fury, snarled, “Every other Zhiqing Settlement is obedient. Only your bunch from Jiangcheng keeps causing trouble. If you want brick houses so badly, build them yourselves. The Infrastructure Department is done with you!”
With that, he turned on his heel and stormed off.
Luo Xuan threw up his hands, shaking his head in exasperation. “You’re all too young and naive. What good does it do to antagonize the Infrastructure Department? Now look what you’ve done. Chief Huang is washing his hands of this. Who’s going to build your houses now?”
The educated youth stared at one another, stunned.
Build it themselves? They were just high school graduates. Their knowledge was all from textbooks and classrooms; no one had ever taught them how to construct a building.
Yet Tao Nanfeng’s earlier words had kindled a flicker of hope in their hearts.
“Tao Nanfeng,” Xiao Aiyun asked, “you know how to build houses, don’t you?”
Qiao Yadong turned to her. “Do you have some knowledge of construction?”
Li Huilan’s eyes were wide with expectation. “If you do, could you lead us in building the houses?”
The others chimed in, “If you can, would you try? A house we build together would be better than that thatched shack that collapses in the wind and leaks in the rain.”
All eyes turned to Tao Nanfeng. She took a deep breath and spoke slowly, her voice as gentle and smooth as water flowing over river stones.
“I learned a bit about architecture from my father,” she said softly. “I’ve read some textbooks, too. But it’s all theory—no practice. I’ve never actually built a house.”
“Your dad’s in the construction business?” Qiao Yadong asked.
Tao Nanfeng nodded. Professor Tao Shouxin was a renowned figure at the Jiangcheng University of Architecture. He had overseen the reconstruction of the Mingyue Tower’s old site, earning the mayor’s personal praise and commendation.
Her father was not just her role model; he was her mentor in life.
Ye Qin looked puzzled. “I thought your dad was a teacher? How does that relate to construction?”
“He teaches architecture at the university,” Tao Nanfeng explained.
Architecture? At the mention of the word, a wave of excitement swept through the group.
“Your dad is amazing!”
“A university professor! Tao Nanfeng, if you can teach us just a little bit, that’ll be enough.”
“This is great! We know you can do it, Tao Nanfeng!”
Tao Nanfeng looked up, a strange, bright light dancing in her clear eyes. “Alright,” she said. “I’ll give it a try.”
Her words sent a jolt of excitement through the crowd.
Even if the Infrastructure Department washes its hands of us, Tao Nanfeng can lead us in building our own house!
Qiao Yadong stared at her, his eyes wide with hope. “Tao Nanfeng, give it a try. We’ll follow your lead!”
The other girls beamed. “Do it! At least you know something about this. You’re already ahead of us.”
With the weight of their expectations now on her shoulders, Tao Nanfeng felt a surge of pressure.
“I’ll need a drafting board, a T-square, and a pair of set squares,” she said.
“I’ll design the blueprints for the new house first, and then we can all follow the plans to build it.”
A voice filled with amusement drifted from the hallway. “Well, well. Tao Nanfeng, you’re a real professional, aren’t you? You can actually draw blueprints?”
She looked up to see Yang Xianyong, an engineer from the road construction team. His eyes crinkled behind his black-rimmed glasses.
“I learned how to trace drawings from my father,” Tao Nanfeng explained. Tracing was a fundamental skill for any aspiring architect.
Mao Peng and Xiang Bei walked up to join them. “Don’t worry,” Mao Peng said. “The road construction team is part of the Infrastructure Department too. We’ll help you. Drawing tools, surveying equipment, whatever you need for building… we’ll take care of it.”
Xiang Bei gave a slight, silent nod.
At his gesture, the educated youth finally relaxed.
“Tao Nanfeng, we’re going to build the most beautiful house on Mount Xiufeng!” one of them declared. “We’ll make all the other youth drool with envy and slap the Infrastructure Department right in the face! Oh, wait—I forgot the road construction team is part of the Infrastructure Department. Dammit!”
A roar of laughter erupted as the group crowded around Tao Nanfeng, ushering her into the road construction team’s office.
Engineer Yang offered his desk, which was a professional drafting table. It featured an adjustable-tilt tabletop, a high-legged stool, and a sheet of grid paper taped securely to the board.
A T-square and a set of triangles were already laid out neatly on the surface.
Tao Nanfeng’s eyes lit up at the sight of the familiar tools. She rolled up her sleeves and took her seat.
As she hooked the T-square against the edge of the board, slid it smoothly, and drew a crisp horizontal line with her pencil, her entire demeanor transformed.
Her shoulders relaxed, her forearm lifted slightly, and her breathing steadied. Her eyes moved in perfect sync with her hand, her focus absolute.
The professional skills her father had drilled into her over all those years were finally shining.
Everyone held their breath, afraid the mere sound of their breathing would blow the blueprints away or break Tao Nanfeng’s concentration.
Seated at the drafting board, Nanfeng’s voice grew more confident as she spoke, her words flowing steadily.
“We have twenty people, so I’ll design five four-person dormitories.
“I’m extending the east and west ends by one and a half meters to create a covered porch. It will provide shade in the summer, shelter from the rain, and serve as a common area for everyone to chat.”
“The kitchen and latrines will be on the north side. The kitchen will have a built-in chimney, and the dry latrines will connect to an external septic tank.”
The news of four-person dorms sent a ripple of excitement through the educated youth, and they could no longer contain their chatter.
“We used to be crammed eight to a room!” one exclaimed. “Wei Min’s snoring was absolutely unbearable. Now we can just stick him and Old Fan in one of the snoring rooms!”
“The stoves at the Zhiqing Settlement don’t even have a tarp to keep the rain off,” another added. “I was always worried we wouldn’t be able to even light the firewood in the rain. This design is perfect—the kitchen is indoors.”
“And the latrines have to be done right, or the whole place will stink.”
Xiao Aiyun leaned in cautiously. “Tao Nanfeng, is there any way we can add a shower room?”
Tao Nanfeng didn’t look up. She added two lines to the blueprint. “Okay. I’ll add a small compartment west of the kitchen. It’ll have an external drain, making it convenient to heat water.”
Xiao Aiyun pumped her fist in the air. “Yes!” The thought of carrying a bucket of hot water inside for a proper bath was blissful.
Qiao Yadong suddenly remembered something. “Deputy Captain Mao, I heard the road down the mountain collapsed. Is that true?”
Mao Peng nodded. “The wind and rain were fierce last night. A section halfway down is blocked. We’ve already got six people digging it out. We’ll see if it’s clear in two days.”
Qiao Yadong turned to Tao Nanfeng. “What materials are you using for this building? If it’s a brick-and-tile structure like the farm headquarters’ office building, we’ll have to carry all the red bricks, tiles, and cement up the mountain by hand. That’s going to be a nightmare.”
Building materials?
Tao Nanfeng paused, her pen hovering. Her gaze fixed on the upper right corner of the blueprint as she sank into thought.