a week later. She didn’t stay long. She made her conclusions right away. It turns out that the ‘Socialism’ department made a sensational discovery in the world of multi-storey building con- struction: It never occurred to the collective farmers to lay underground sewers and connect them to high-rise buildings in order to eliminate the difference between the city and the aul. “That’s the problem, you know, I kept thinking, ‘How did they build everything in just five months!’ Now I know…” After listening to the commissioner, the chairman of the collective farm looked menacingly at Pashat and Sepentai. As if to say, “Well, get ready for jail, there is no other way out.” “Well, if we’re going to jail, at least we’re all going,” Pashat said plaintively, as if finding at least some consolation in these words. This exceptional event also reached the local region. Meetings, party bureaus, severe reprimands were held and made. However, reprimands won’t fix a building, they can’t build a sewer. After long meetings, the district authorities came to the unanimous opinion that it was necessary to start work on sewerage. Overnight, the best equipment in the region was brought to the ‘Socialism’ department in order to start work the next day, before news of this disaster spread all over the world. A large pit was dug a few kilometres from the village, and a trench half a meter deep was dug away from it, extending all the way to the high-rise buildings of Socialism. At this time, the population of both buildings lived like hell. Some returned to their old huts, others, subject to strict discipline, cooked food in the yard on the hearths and relieved themselves in the steppe, and only came home to spend the night. The grandson of the old man Meldesh was supposed to marry, they were only waiting for a housewarming party, and soon his wedding came up. They asked him to wait, but the grandson insisted on his own. When they were preparing for the wedding, the mother-in-law of Zhaparkhan, the old man’s neighbour, had unfortunately died. And this family met its first mourning in the new home. In this regard, the residents of the building faced a particularly shocking situation: relatives who came to the funeral began shouting: “Bauyrym*!” But some accidently entered the apartment where a great feast was flaring up to celebrate the marriage, and the