owlsbooks Chapter 31 My wife isn't here, this won't do.
Chapter 31 My wife isn't here, this won't do.
She asked the question naturally, purely from a practical point of view.
Bai Si'an paused for a moment.
He raised his eyelids and glanced at Lin Weiwei.
She was tilting her head to look at the blueprints, stray hairs slipping from her ears, her expression serious, clearly not thinking much about it.
Bai Si'an's thoughts raced through his mind, but he tried to keep his tone casual: "Of course, my side also needs repairs."
"Huh?" Lin Weiwei turned to look at him. "Repair two? Are there enough materials? Wouldn't that be too wasteful?"
"I'll figure out the materials," Bai Si'an said, drawing a small square in his own yard with a pencil. "Otherwise, it won't be convenient for us to live here later."
He didn't say it outright, but what he was really thinking was, how could I possibly let you stay here forever?
My wife will naturally go back to live in my courtyard.
There has to be a toilet too. You can't come here every day just because my house doesn't have one.
Lin Weiwei had no idea about his complicated scheme. Hearing what he said, she thought it made sense and nodded, "That's true. It would be more convenient to build two, since they're both close by. But..."
Her eyes darted around, and she suddenly laughed. "We can divide them like this! One for the boys and one for the girls!"
"We'll open a small door on each side of the wall between the two courtyards, so Wanwan and I can use this one, and you and Commander Bai can use the other. That way, we won't have to fight for the toilet in the morning, isn't that great!"
Bai Si'an stopped writing immediately upon hearing this and looked up at her with a completely bewildered expression.
Lin Weiwei was still gloating over her brilliant idea: "How about it? Isn't it convenient? Separate men and women, no interference between them!"
Bai Si'an was silent for two seconds before speaking, his voice muffled as he asked, "Why do we have to separate?"
"Huh?" Lin Weiwei didn't understand.
"What I mean is," Bai Si'an pushed up his glasses, trying to make his tone sound normal, "why can't...a couple share one? Me and...you and I share one, and my brother and...Su Wanwan and I share one."
After he finished speaking, the tips of his ears felt a little hot, so he quickly lowered his head and pretended to continue drawing.
Lin Weiwei belatedly realized the meaning behind his words, and her face flushed red.
"Who...who wants to share with you!" she muttered softly, turning her face away. "Using separately...it's more hygienic!"
Bai Si'an's lips twitched, but he didn't argue anymore.
There's plenty of time, we'll talk about it later.
He turned his attention back to the drawings, finished the basic layout, and began to refine the structure of the toilet itself.
"The pit doesn't need to be too big, but the bottom should be sloped down for easy... um, easy cleaning."
As he spoke, he drew, "We can leave a small window for ventilation in the wall. The door needs to be sturdy, because it's windy in the Gobi Desert."
Lin Weiwei also came over to take a look, temporarily forgetting the embarrassment from before.
Looking at the gradually taking shape on the drawing, she suddenly remembered something and pointed to the squat toilet, saying, "Hey, could you make this opening... um, with a curved pipe at the bottom? Like... a water seal? That way the smell won't easily rise up!"
Bai Si'an paused, looking at her with some surprise: "Water seal? You know about that?"
These days, the dry toilets used by ordinary families are just straight pits made of earth or bricks, while those who are more particular might cover them with stone slabs.
Water-sealed squat toilets are something only found in urban apartment buildings, and not everyone understands how they work.
Lin Weiwei felt a little guilty under his gaze.
As a modern person, she certainly knows the principle of a flush toilet, and she understands the simplified water seal odor prevention system.
But this statement cannot be explained.
"I...I read it in a book before," she mumbled. "It said that you should put a water trap at the bottom to prevent odors."
Bai Si'an's eyes lit up, and he looked her over again.
He picked up a pencil and carefully drew a U-shaped curved pipe structure at the bottom of the tunnel, then nodded: "That's a good idea."
Although we don't have running water to flush, we occasionally pour water manually to create a water seal, which significantly reduces odors and flies.
Lin Weiwei was surprised that he agreed with her so much, and even seemed to admire her. Her vanity was greatly satisfied.
"And also," she gestured, "we can nail a few wooden shelves to the wall to put some toilet paper or something. It would be best to also smear cement on the floor so it's easy to clean. We can also hang a curtain behind the door..."
She chattered on and on, while Bai Si'an listened quietly, adding a few strokes to her notebook and putting her ideas onto the drawings.
The setting sun cast their shadows on the ground, very close together.
One speaks, the other draws.
An idea can be wildly imaginative yet practical; a meticulous approach can turn it into a feasible solution.
Occasionally, disagreements arose. For example, Lin Weiwei wanted a small sink for washing hands, but Bai Si'an thought it was a waste of materials and unnecessary. Lin Weiwei glared at him and said, "Wash your hands before meals and after using the toilet! Be hygienic!"
Bai Si'an remained silent for a few seconds, then quietly added a small square in the corner of the drawing, marking it as a simple handwashing station that could be made from an old tin bucket.
The wind blew through the yard, bringing with it the dry smell unique to the Gobi Desert, and also ruffled the pages of the notebook and her stray hairs.
After finishing the last stroke, Bai Si'an handed her the notebook: "It's roughly like this. The exact dimensions and materials still need to be calculated in detail."
Lin Weiwei took it and looked at the simple yet complete drawing, feeling a strange sense of accomplishment.
This toilet seems to actually appear out of paper.
"Bai Si'an," she looked up at him and said very seriously, "you are really good at drawing."
Bai Si'an was tidying up his pencils and notebooks when he heard this and paused for a moment.
He looked away, stuffed the notebook back into his bag, and said casually, "It's nothing, I'm just used to drawing."
But Lin Weiwei noticed that the lines on his profile had softened a little.
Moreover, he didn't mention anything about separating the boys' and girls' use.
In the distance, the bugle call signaling the end of the workday echoed long and deep over the camp.
Bai Si'an stood up, brushing the dust off his trousers. "I'll go back and check on my yard first, and discuss the materials with my brother. Let's try to start tomorrow... tomorrow."
Lin Weiwei stood up, dusted off her hands, and smiled with a bright smile, "Okay! Just let me know if you need any help!"
Bai Si'an left Su Wanwan's courtyard and returned to the courtyard that had been assigned to him.
Pushing open the fence gate, the house was empty, locked, and there was nothing in the yard except for a few clumps of withered camel thorns.
The sun shone obliquely, casting a long shadow over him.
He stood there for a while, then suddenly felt a sense of emptiness beside him.
Just now, Lin Weiwei was chattering around him over there, noisy but lively.
It's so quiet here now that you can hear the wind whistling over the wall.
He recalled Lin Weiwei's profile as she squatted on the ground drawing, her eyes shining as she spoke of using water seals to prevent odors.
The shadow beside my feet shifted.
Bai Si'an pushed up his glasses, turned around, and left the courtyard.
He walked a little too fast, and his limp in his right leg became more noticeable on the dirt road.
Back at the entrance of Su Wanwan's courtyard, they saw Lin Weiwei still squatting there, poking at the blueprints on the ground with a twig, muttering something to herself.
"Lin Weiwei," he called out.
Lin Weiwei looked up: "Hmm? Why are you back again? Did you leave something behind?"
Bai Si'an walked up to her, looked down at her, and said, "Come here for a moment."
"What are you doing?" Lin Weiwei stood up and patted the dirt off her hands.