NOVPUB
Chapter 647: Chapter 637: Many Things Await Revival
That evening, they indeed feasted on an array of fish dishes, but at that time the cuisine wasn’t too complex. The farm wasn’t suitable for preparing elaborate dishes, so everyone cleaned a few types of fish and stewed them together in a large pot, savouring the delightful flavours.
The remaining fish were all taken back by Li Hongjun, as the weather wouldn’t allow the fish to be stored on the farm overnight without spoiling. Li Hongjun had a large refrigerator at home, so he could freeze the fish and they could enjoy it later whenever they wanted.
By August, Shen Yunfang required them to start planting fall vegetables such as cabbage, radishes, and kale on the newly cultivated land. Being seasoned farmers, they could do this with their eyes closed. To avoid Shen Yunfang, the boss, from teaching them scientific farming methods again, each person worked exceptionally hard, completing tasks like digging holes, planting seeds, mounding soil, and watering in one fluid motion, aiming not to give the boss any reason to complain.
At this time, Shen Yunfang was indeed busy and couldn’t spare the time to give them lessons. The dormitory buildings in the living area were almost finished and were undergoing some final touch-ups.
Tasks such as whitewashing the walls inside, smoothing the cement floors, and tiling the bathrooms, for example.
Zhang Bin had specifically asked Shen Yunfang to inspect the construction several times before it was completed, to see if there were any unsatisfactory elements that could be corrected in time to save everyone trouble.
Shen Yunfang wasn’t very knowledgeable about construction, so the inspection was carried out with the help of Li Hongjun.
It turned out Zhang Bin was a very conscientious developer. Although the materials used for the building weren’t the best, its sturdiness was guaranteed, and there was no evidence of cutting corners—definitely not a shoddy piece of work.
Shen Yunfang was very pleased with the outcome, "Okay, I’m very satisfied with the house you’ve built. Once you’ve finished whitewashing the walls and leveling the floors, we can settle the account," she said agreeably.
As long as the construction passed muster, Shen Yunfang wasn’t one to withhold a single penny. If others showed her good faith, she would reciprocate with integrity.
"Hehe, Boss Shen, this is the first time I’ve built this kind of house. I must say, I’ve learned a lot and it’s quite impressive," Zhang Bin admitted. When he first saw the blueprints, he hadn’t imagined the end result would look this good, but now that it was nearly finished, its visual impact was unfolding.
How to put it? The building just felt robust and upright.
It was a five-story building, with a staircase on each side. Each floor had a hallway about two meters wide, similar to the layout of a Tube Building but considerably more spacious.
And the biggest difference between this dormitory and a Tube Building was that each room had its own bathroom and kitchen, even the single rooms on the upper floors. If workers lived here, they could simply shut their doors and enjoy their own little world.
The second and third floors consisted of two-bedroom suites, ten per floor, while the fourth and fifth floors were designed as single rooms, with twenty rooms per floor. On the first floor, as per Shen Yunfang’s request, the two rooms at the end were converted into male and female restrooms, with the middle eighteen rooms being elongated spaces.
Shen Yunfang had specifically instructed this, as the space might be used as an office or temporary dormitory in the future. During the busy farming season when extra workers were needed, each room on the first floor could accommodate four or five bunk beds.
"That’s nothing. The one advantage I have over the city is space, so when I build, I can do it freely, and it turns out looking grand," Shen Yunfang didn’t dare take all the credit, as such buildings were common in the future; she had merely replicated one here. "By the way, Brother Zhang, once I’m done on this side, will you be available for more work?"
"What’s up, you still got something you need to build?" Zhang Bin’s spirits lifted as soon as he heard her. During this period, some folks from the city had indeed come to him for construction work, so he had pulled in a team from his hometown. These days, he had been running back and forth. Even though he was busy, having business come his way and buildings to construct meant he had money to make, and no matter how tired he was, he was happy.
"Of course, take a look at how big my farm is; it’s fair to say everything needs to be built from scratch. I see that Brother Zhang is a solid guy, and we’ve already worked together once, so I thought about continuing to work with Brother Zhang. What do you think?" Shen Yunfang surveyed her own property, which was just starting to be developed.
"I’m always happy to have work, and from working with Xiaoshen this one time, I can tell you’re someone who does big things. Whatever work you have, just say it, and if I can do it, I definitely won’t turn it down," Zhang Bin said with a big smile.
"Haha, that’s great. This Tube Building is the most complex thing I’ve built here, and the rest isn’t too difficult. Brother Zhang can definitely take it on," Shen Yunfang had of course weighed this beforehand, or else she wouldn’t have just approached someone directly like that.
"I have a few plans. First, I want to build two warehouses next to the dormitory building here for temporarily storing grain. You’ve seen how much land this farm has. Come autumn, the harvested grain definitely won’t be little, so we need a big warehouse here. Between the warehouse and the dormitory building, we’ll build a large Drying Yard," Shen Yunfang pointed to exactly where she was standing.
Zhang Bin listened and nodded along, "None of these are difficult."
Seeing that he said it could be done, Shen Yunfang continued, "Also, behind the dormitory building, I want to build a breeding farm, roughly fifteen houses for pigs, cows, and sheep, and as for chickens, ducks, and geese, that depends on how much space we have left. I want to leave some distance between the breeding farm and the dormitory building; over here, I plan to construct a biogas digester. Can you build that?"
Zhang Bin frowned and spoke frankly, "I’ve actually never done that, but I’ve seen others do it, so I could learn and give it a try."
Shen Yunfang nodded, "That’s fine, we can talk about that later. When the time comes, I can get someone to guide you guys."
"That would be the best; it would give both you and us peace of mind." Honestly, if such a thing wasn’t built properly, it could be a safety hazard, and he really didn’t want to build it carelessly.
"We’re done talking about this side; there’s also that side." Shen Yunfang pointed into the distance, "Over there, I’ve left a hundred acres of wasteland, intending to cover it all with greenhouses, the kind with one side brick wall and the other side plastic sheeting."
Zhang Bin’s face soured, "Xiaoshen, Brother Zhang really doesn’t know how to build those, and I don’t want to run my mouth off. If I end up causing delays for you, I really can’t afford that."
"I know how to build them. When the time comes, I’ll direct you guys on building one or two, and you’ll be able to do it yourselves. How about this, I’ll be teaching Brother Zhang a professional skill, so maybe you can give me a discount when you calculate the labor costs," she proposed.
As soon as Zhang Bin heard there would be technical guidance, a smile spread across his face, "Sounds good, sounds good. That’s indeed a skill. If we can really work together, I’ll definitely give Xiaoshen the lowest price."
"Haha, that’s great. This is a win-win for us," Shen Yunfang also laughed, "This year, that’s all the work we have. We’ll talk about next year’s next year. With that said, Brother Zhang, can you take on all this?"
"Yes, definitely, as long as you can find someone to teach us about the biogas digester and the greenhouses, I’ll make sure to do a nice, clean job for you."
