Chapter 45 Chapter 53

Looking at Shi Hongxing, who was frozen in place, Lin Yilan blinked. Watching his expression shift from disbelief to a probing gaze, she smiled and said, "Captain Shi, I was just joking. By the time you all head down to Shenzhen next month, I will have been in school for nearly half a month."

Shi Hongxing glanced at Lin Yilan several times. Seeing that she still wore the same curious smile as before, he suppressed the doubts lingering in his mind.

"That's right, it's not easy for you all to get into university. I really envy educated people like you. Being able to study is truly no easy feat."

"Indeed, studying is truly not easy, we must cherish it," Lin Yilan echoed with a sigh, promptly steering the conversation toward memories of her childhood schooling.

Once the topic shifted to past events, Lin Yilan distinctly felt the metaphorical radar of vigilance that Shi Hongxing had raised retracting.

When the heavy lifting was finished, Lin Yilan and Wang Qichen prepared to leave.

Before departing, Lin Yilan linked her arm through Wang Qichen's and smiled sweetly at Shi Hongxing. "Captain Shi, once you all go to Shenzhen, don't forget to let Brother Qiangjun and me know your contact information."

"When I achieve success in the future, I might just have another project that requires your construction team."

Shi Hongxing cast a glance at Wang Qichen standing beside her. "Thank you for keeping us in mind, Comrade Lin. We will definitely share our contact information with you and Brother Zhao when the time comes."

Lin Yilan nodded with satisfaction. "Then my second sister and I will be leaving first. Captain Shi, you should head back inside."

Watching the two of them push their bicycles away and disappear down the alley, Shi Hongxing finally sighed, closed the door, and walked back into the courtyard.

"Sigh—"

Lin Yilan let out a sigh, staring blankly at the wisps of hot breath escaping into the cold air.

Her second sister, walking alongside her, had been staring at her for quite some time, an expression of hesitation lingering on her face. After her mouth worked wordlessly for a moment, Lin Yilan turned her head helplessly. "Second Sister, what is it you want to say?"

Wang Qichen frowned. "You... you and that Captain Shi...? Since Captain Shi and his crew are all heading to Shenzhen, why on earth do you want to keep in touch with them?"

Seeing the lively glint in her second sister's eyes, Lin Yilan immediately knew she was letting her imagination run wild.

"Second Sister, I certainly don't have a crush on Captain Shi."

"Cough, cough, cough, cough—" Wang Qichen patted her chest, nearly choking on her own saliva.

She gave a thumbs-up. "Little Fifth, you really don't mince words at all, do you?"

Lin Yilan shrugged. "Isn't it better to make things clear? Otherwise, you guys would definitely spend all day guessing."

She thoroughly detested people who spoke in riddles, so she had no intention of becoming one herself. Constantly beating around the bush, especially when talking to people close to her, was simply too exhausting.

Probing Shi Hongxing just now had already taken a significant toll.

Thinking about the encounter moments ago, Lin Yilan let out a soft sigh and gave a stray stone on the ground a kick.

"Second Sister, the only reason I'm staying in touch with him is because I genuinely believe their team's construction skills are top-notch. If I ever take on a project in the future that needs construction, dealing with familiar faces is always better than strangers. Hiring them wouldn't be a bad idea at all."

Wang Qichen paused for a moment, then nodded earnestly. "So that's the reason."

A twinge of guilt pricked at Lin Yilan's heart. While she hadn't lied to her second sister—keeping in touch with Shi Hongxing's crew for construction purposes was a genuine consideration—she couldn't possibly speak of the deeper, unspoken reasons.

"By the way, when is Zhao Qiangjun's house going to be finished?" Seeing that Lin Yilan had fallen silent and looked a bit subdued, Wang Qichen pivoted to a new topic.

Lin Yilan rallied her spirits. "Soon. Probably in the next two weeks."

"I actually thought it would take a lot longer. After all, the winter temperatures in Beijing are so low that the ground freezes solid, and laying the water pipes should have taken ages. I honestly didn't expect them to move this fast."

Wang Qichen looked somewhat surprised as well. "That really is fast."

"When the time comes, I'll go over to Zhao Qiangjun's place and take a look, to appreciate the masterpiece designed by our family's architect." Whenever discussing Little Fifth's designs, Wang Qichen always felt an irrepressible swell of pride.

Lin Yilan offered a silly grin and tugged at her second sister's sleeve. "Second Sister!"

Wang Qichen stepped on the pedal, wrapped the collar of Lin Yilan's overcoat tighter, and adjusted her hat. "Let's go, let's ride back. It's getting late."

Lin Yilan nodded obediently.

Looking at Little Fifth's face, framed tightly by the fur of her clothes and hat, Wang Qichen couldn't resist cupping her cheeks. "Let's go, our little sister. Tonight, your older sister will treat you to roast duck to celebrate the impending completion of your house design."

Lin Yilan reached out and wrapped her arms tightly around her second sister. "Sister, it should be my treat."

Wang Qichen pinched her cheek. "Alright, stop standing on ceremony with me."

"Let's head back first. It's far too cold to chat outside."

Lin Yilan murmured an assent, lifted the kickstand, coasted the bicycle forward with a few strides, and swung her long leg over to start pedaling.

--

Time flew like a white horse passing a crevice; the departure of the Year of the Horse ultimately cared little for human will, and by the end of January, everyone ushered in the Year of the Goat.

True to form, Zhao Qiangjun's house was fully completed on the twentieth day of the Year of the Goat.

On that very day of completion, Lin Yilan paid a visit to Zhao Qiangjun's home.

This was her first time meeting the couple, Zhao Qiangjun and Qin Qin, in nearly a month. Compared to when they first met, the two of them appeared slightly better, though the change wasn't dramatic.

Zhao Qiangjun was still terribly thin, and Qin Qin's face retained its haggard look.

Even so, one could detect a glimmer of hope for future life in their expressions, preventing their complexions from looking entirely devoid of light.

"Comrade Lin, thank you so much." Emerging from the room, Qin Qin grasped her hand with deep emotion.

Lin Yilan patted Qin Qin's arm. "Sister Qin Qin, your lives are going to get better and better."

Covering her mouth, Qin Qin nodded with reddened eyes. "Thank you, thank you—"

Hearing the sob in Qin Qin's voice, Lin Yilan stepped forward and clasped both of Qin Qin's hands, hoping to impart a measure of strength.

Meanwhile, Zhao Qiangjun suddenly appeared, standing just behind Qin Qin at an angle.

Catching sight of him, Lin Yilan immediately greeted him, "Brother Qiangjun, have you looked at the house yet? How does it feel?"

The expression on Zhao Qiangjun's face remained as stern as ever, but his sunken cheeks and sickly pallor made him appear momentarily fragile.

He looked at Lin Yilan, nodded slightly, and rasped, "Thank you for all your trouble and care."

Lin Yilan wasn't sure if they understood the purpose of the auxiliary designs she had added, such as the handrails throughout the house. To help them comprehend better, she felt it appropriate to give them a walkthrough.

"...Brother Qiangjun, Sister Qin Qin, do you have time right now? Shall I give you a tour?"

Hearing the lively commotion outside, Zhao Qiangjun said with a troubled expression, "Let's wait a bit. Otherwise, leaving Qin Qin here alone to host the guests would be far too tiring."

Qin Qin, however, insisted firmly, "Xiao Lin, please take us for a tour right now."

"We remodeled this house precisely for your convenience, not for outsiders to gawk at." Glancing back to cast a stern look at Zhao Qiangjun, she turned her gaze back to Lin Yilan with a bright smile.

Seeing this, Lin Yilan led them to start the tour from the main rooms.

The handrails, the width of the corridors, the height of the furniture, and even the placement of the light switches—every single detail had been painstakingly modified under her direction.

Furniture styles that could be casually purchased online in later generations all had to be custom-made by hand during this era, requiring detailed furniture blueprints.

For her, the greatest harvest from this project was undoubtedly the experience gained in furniture design.

With these thoughts, they arrived at the bathroom, the absolute centerpiece of the project.

"Brother Qiangjun, Sister Qin Qin, the purpose of the bathroom's design is to ensure that Brother Qiangjun can independently complete basic activities like bathing, washing his face, and using the toilet entirely on his own.

These here are the foldable handrails and the shower stool." She pulled down the retractable handrail next to the showerhead and unfolded the stool, demonstrating one by one the assistive devices specifically designed for Zhao Qiangjun in the bathroom. Then, she walked over to the other side and pointed to a braided plastic pull cord.

"I've installed a pull cord next to both the showerhead and the toilet. If someone slips and falls in the bathroom and cannot get back up, they can pull this cord, and a bell will ring outside. Furthermore, you don't need to worry about electrical hazards in the restroom; we've handled all the wiring here with special safety treatments."

With that, Lin Yilan gave the cord a tug, and an electric bell immediately sounded outside.

The electric bell was an item whose purchasing channel she had tracked down by asking around at the procurement department of her father's school, while the toilet bowl had been secured by pulling strings through the manager of a hotel that hosted foreign guests to find a legitimate import channel.

As the mistress of the house, Qin Qin naturally understood how much effort Lin Yilan had poured into this.

An electric bell of this caliber was something not even every school in Beijing possessed; many institutions still relied entirely on traditional copper hand bells.

"Thank you, Xiao Lin. Our entire family is deeply grateful to you. Mom and Dad wanted to come today as well, but they were held up by matters at their workplace and couldn't make it. They both asked me to convey their deepest thanks." Clasping Lin Yilan's hand tightly, Qin Qin repeated her words of gratitude endlessly.

Sensing the trembling in Qin Qin's hands, Lin Yilan quickly steadied her, realizing the emotions were running a bit too high.

"Comrade Zhao, is Comrade Qin here?" A voice rang out, interrupting Qin Qin.

Qin Qin hurriedly wiped her eyes with a handkerchief and turned toward the courtyard. "Political Commissar Lan, you're here!"

Standing beside them, Zhao Qiangjun fiercely gripped the hem of his jacket and turned to snap a salute to the newcomer.

Noticing the interaction, Lin Yilan exchanged a subtle glance with Qin Qin and quietly slipped away.

Crossing the courtyard, she stood outside the main structure of the house and reached out to brush her fingers against the old stone bricks, their surfaces bearing the weathered marks of time.

She wondered how many masters this courtyard had witnessed over the years, and could only hope that its current occupants would live happily within its walls.

Silently offering her hopes to the courtyard walls, Lin Yilan took her leave of Zhao Qiangjun's home.

A siheyuan featuring a functional indoor restroom not only fascinated Zhao Qiangjun's neighbors but also sparked widespread curiosity among the residents of Beijing.

Lin Yilan never expected that she would overhear gossip about Zhao Qiangjun's house while sitting at her grandparents' home, let alone that the story would make the newspaper headlines the very next day.

Wang Qichen sat holding the newspaper, surrounded by her four older brothers, younger brothers, and younger sister.