As dawn broke, a drop of water was still falling from the roof. One drop after another, it landed right on the lower left corner of the construction drawing, wetting a small area.
Nana stood in front of the control panel and tapped the screen. The announcement came over the loudspeaker: "Six o'clock sharp, prepare to begin work."
Chen Hao was dozing against the wall when he heard the sound and jolted, his shoes scraping against the ground. He opened his eyes, wiped his face, and muttered, "It's starting already? I just finished moving three baskets of stones in my dream."
Susan was already carrying her tool bag and walking out, saying without turning her head, "No matter how much you move in your dreams, reality still starts with the first shovel."
Carl squatted down to inspect the welding torch, turned the switch twice, and a flame shot out. He stared at the flame for two seconds, then whispered, "We have to get the main beam up today, or everything else will be delayed."
Chen Hao stood up and dusted off his pants. He walked to the pile of materials, bent down to lift the stone basket. The basket was incredibly heavy; he gritted his teeth and lifted it, but his foot slipped, and he almost knelt down.
"Hold on!" Susan reached out to support him.
"It's alright." Chen Hao breathed a sigh of relief. "If this basket of stones collapsed, the foundation of half the house would be crooked."
After he finished speaking, he moved forward step by step. His steps were slow, but he didn't stop. Upon reaching the construction area, he put down the basket, clapped his hands, and exclaimed, "First trip, done!"
Nana's voice came from behind: "The foundation excavation task has been marked as started, and the classification of building materials is proceeding simultaneously."
Holding a tablet, she stood on the makeshift construction boundary line. A line swept across the ground, and the system automatically marked the area to be dug. A red light flashed, and a notification sounded: "Depth 80 centimeters, tolerance ±5."
"I'll dig it." Chen Hao picked up a shovel, aimed it at the red dot, and shoveled it hard into the soil.
The clods of earth were turned over, carrying the damp, earthy smell. He dug shovel after shovel, his pace quickening. Sweat streamed down his forehead, dripping onto his shoulders, quickly soaking his clothes.
Susan was counting the timber, examining each piece one by one. She picked up a crossbeam, touched its surface, and frowned.
“This wood is too damp,” she said. “It will warp if used directly.”
Carl walked over and knocked twice; the sound was muffled. "It does have a high water content; it needs to be dealt with."
“I have a solution.” Susan turned around and took out a roll of fiber tape from her bag. “Mix it with cement, make a quick-drying one, and it will set in two hours.”
She demonstrated on the spot, wrapping the fibers around the wood and then brushing on the mortar. Her movements were crisp and efficient, one circle after another, without any unnecessary actions.
Nana brought up the model interface and entered the new parameters. A few seconds later, the load-bearing calculation results were updated on the screen.
"The safety level meets the requirements," she said. "We can continue."
Carl glanced at it and nodded: "Then let's proceed according to this procedure."
The sun was high overhead, and the temperature was rising higher and higher. The air felt like it had been baked, and it was scalding hot when you breathed it in.
Chen Hao was still digging the hole, but his movements had noticeably slowed. He raised his hand to wipe the sweat from his brow, and his arm trembled slightly. Suddenly, everything went black for a moment. He shook his head and continued shoveling.
"You don't look well." Nana approached and reached out to check his forehead temperature.
"It's nothing, it's just a bit hot." Chen Hao grinned. "Fatty is always afraid of the sun."
Before he could finish speaking, his legs gave way and he fell to the side.
"Chen Hao!" Susan called out.
Nana immediately pulled out a cooling patch she carried with her and placed it on the back of his neck. As she opened the medical monitoring interface, she said, "His temperature is 39.2 degrees Celsius. He has heatstroke."
Carl put down his welding torch and came over: "Stop for now, let him rest."
"I don't need to lie down." Chen Hao struggled to sit up. "Just rest for a minute."
"This is not a discussion." Nana pressed down on his shoulder. "The hydration program has been activated. You are not allowed to engage in high-intensity work within ten minutes."
Chen Hao opened his mouth, but ultimately said nothing. He leaned against the wall, took the water bottle Susan handed him, and drank most of it in one gulp.
Carl glanced at the pit, then turned and picked up a shovel: "I'll keep digging."
Susan sped up the assembly of the wall frame. She pieced together the prefabricated fiber cement boards one by one, hammering nails quickly and accurately. After each board was in place, she would press it down with her hand to make sure it was secure.
Nana stood on the perimeter, constantly adjusting the system data. Her voice steadily reported the progress: "Sixty percent of the foundation excavation is complete, seventy-five percent of the building materials sorting is complete, and the first three waterproof layers have been prefabricated."
Chen Hao sat for less than twenty minutes before standing up to head to the construction site.
"I said I can only do light work," Nana stopped him.
“I know.” Chen Hao pointed to the pile of rubble in the corner. “I’ll clear away the scraps, I won’t disturb the soil.”
Nana stared at him for two seconds and nodded: "Okay, but you must drink water every half hour."
“Okay.” Chen Hao picked up a broom and began sweeping up the scattered stone chips and broken nails.
Noon passed, and the sun began to set. The foundation pit had finally reached the standard depth. Carl jumped down to check the flatness of the bottom and measured it with a level.
"It's acceptable," he said. "You can pour the base."
Susan was already mixing the quick-drying concrete. She mixed cement, sand, and fiber together, stirring it into a smooth paste. Then she poured bucket by bucket into the pit and leveled it.
Nana started the vibrator and inserted it into the concrete. The machine hummed, and bubbles rose from the surface until the entire bottom surface became dense and smooth.
"The curing time is expected to be three hours," she said.
Carl climbed onto the ground and began assembling the main beam support. He hoisted the treated timbers one by one into place and secured them with bolts. After tightening each screw, he even shook it a few times by hand to test its stability.
“The structure is fine.” He looked up at the roof’s orientation. “Next is the truss installation.”
Chen Hao walked over carrying a bunch of connectors: "These are for you."
"Put it on the right," Carl said. "Don't mess up the order."
"I know." Chen Hao finished arranging the things and picked up a nut that had fallen on the ground. "Be careful when you're welding, don't block the joints."
“I’m not that rough.” Carl tightened the bolts and picked up the welding torch.
Sparks flew. He moved slowly along the joint, the weld clean and continuous. He paused at the very end to carefully check the penetration depth.
“That’s fine,” he said.
Susan had already started plastering the walls. She applied the remaining fiber cement mortar to the outside of the frame and smoothed the surface. Each stroke was applied evenly, leaving no gaps.
Nana walked around the construction area, recording the progress of each stage. She synchronized the data into the system, and the task items turned green one by one.
"We've achieved 82% of our target for today," she said.
Chen Hao squatted down next to the construction site blueprints and drew a frame on the ground with chalk: "When the house is finished, I want to put a table here. I can use it to eat, play cards, and write in my diary."
"Keep a diary?" Susan looked up and smiled. "You still keep that?"
“Occasionally.” Chen Hao scratched his head. “The last time I wrote was on my third day here. It said, ‘Today I ate bread that a mouse had gnawed on. It tasted a little better than I expected.’”
No one spoke, but the atmosphere became more relaxed.
Carl tightened the last fastener, then stepped back to inspect the overall structure. The main beam stood firmly, and the roof's outline began to take shape.
"The pre-embedded conduit for the electrical circuits can be installed tomorrow," he said.
Susan finished wiping the last wall and shook her aching wrists. Her sleeve was torn, and her fingers were chafed red, but she didn't care.
Nana put the tablet away: "Everyone, drink water and rest for twenty minutes."
Chen Hao plopped down on the ground, looking up at the still unfinished roof. Sunlight streamed in, shining on the newly welded steel frame and reflecting a bright light.
"Do you think our house will leak in the future?" he asked.
"No," Nana said. "The waterproof layer is designed with a double composite structure, and the seams are sealed with heat fusion."
“It’s not that I don’t trust you,” Chen Hao smiled. “I’m just afraid that one day I’ll wake up and hear the sound of dripping water again.”
Susan came over and sat down: "Then let's make it sturdy. So sturdy that even an earthquake won't bother shaking it."
Carl crouched down to check the cooling of the weld. He reached out and touched the metal surface, and his brow twitched suddenly.
He didn't say anything, but simply took the welding torch back and turned the power back on.
The sparks ignited again.
His hand moved steadily along a section of the weld.
No one else noticed.
Only Nana glanced at the system notification.
[The stress value at some solder joints is close to the threshold]
She opened her mouth, about to speak.
Carl's welding torch tip suddenly made a soft "click".
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