Chapter 46: Excavation of the Tree House Basement
"Tell me, what did you do at home?" Miya Chiri was interrogating the children on the sofa, while Gojo and Getsu were taking their juniors on a tour of the house.
There was no damage to the house and the children were not injured, but Glass was extremely tired.
As the eldest child, Tsu Miki stood in front of her younger siblings, her lips moving and she began to get nervous.
Miya Chiri's gaze wandered over their faces, and Yuji and Fushiguro, who were originally looking into her eyes, gradually lowered their heads.
Nanako stood aside. After playing with them for an entire afternoon, she had developed feelings for them and was a little hesitant about whether to step forward and explain. Mimiko hadn't done anything bad that afternoon, so she just stood aside at ease, glancing around.
It's really obvious to the kids.
Gong Zhili cleared his throat and said, "Anyone who did something bad at home this afternoon, please step forward."
Yuji Itadori took a step forward in one go. Megumi Fushiguro saw him walk out and was afraid that she would be a step slower, so she hurried to follow him.
Tsu Miki looked at her brother and whispered, "They weren't causing any trouble. They just went to play by the lake and almost fell in."
That scared Sister Naoko, so after retrieving them, she gave them a good scolding. They then went back to the orchard to climb a tree, hoping to pick some fruit and apologize to Sister Naoko, but they couldn't get down. Tsu Miki had no choice but to anxiously seek help from Ieiri Naoko...
Miya Chiri listened, and overall, she felt there wasn't any intentional mischief involved. It was just that Shoko couldn't manage five unruly children on her own, especially the particularly active Itadori and the easily led Fushiguro. Finally, Shoko was clearly showing signs of nervous breakdown.
Gong Zhili watched as the two of them lowered their heads, and with a drawn-out "hmm," he said, "Since it wasn't intentional, did you apologize properly to Naoko?"
Although small, Tiger Stick was very aware of the meaning behind the adults' tone, and immediately looked up and said, "I haven't apologized yet, but I will apologize after Sister Glass has rested well!"
Fushiguro Megumi was a bit slow to react, but after an afternoon, he was already used to following Yuji's train of thought, and he immediately promised, "I'll apologize, too."
"If you know you've made a mistake, you should apologize and correct it. Then you'll understand what you should and shouldn't do. That's all that's needed," Gong Zhili said. "But mistakes come in all shapes and sizes, and some are unforgivable. From now on, before you do anything dangerous, consider your own safety and the safety of others. Do you understand?"
The two children nodded, not quite understanding.
Tsu Miki also breathed a sigh of relief and a smile appeared on her face.
Nanako saw that the crisis was over, and immediately clung to her side again, saying, "We had oden at the convenience store tonight. I like boiled radish, and Mimiko likes fish cakes."
Gong Zhili smiled and said, "I had crepes outside, they were delicious. I'll make them for you someday."
Mimiko whispered, "Are crepes sweet?"
Gong Zhili described the taste of crepes to the children and successfully coaxed the children who were a little nervous just now.
Gojo and Geto came in at this time and said, "We've found a good spot. Go out from the north and walk along the lake for a while. There's a place between two big trees that would be perfect for a tree house. I want to live in a tree house!"
Gong Zhili: "Tree house? Take me to see it."
The two large trees by the lake they were talking about weren't far from home, less than fifty meters from the north main gate. The distance between the two trees was just right, about ten meters. Gong Zhili placed his palm against the trunk of the tree on his left. A subtle tremor emanated from beneath the bark, as if the roots were stretching their muscles underground. The vines drooping from the tree on his right stretched straight, leaping through the air and extending, interweaving with the branches growing horizontally on his left, forming the framework of a suspended house.
Branches weave their own skeleton into the staircase. Gnarled roots rise from the soil, lifting the angular wooden steps into the air. Moss quickly covers the broken spots, and amber resin seeps from the edges to fill the gaps. The branches of the two trees converge simultaneously, their crowns overlapping to form an arch. The main structure of the house is made of wood, seamlessly integrated into each other.
The door is made of overlapping bark, and the moment you push it open, you can smell the faint fragrance of pine resin mixed with wood. The small living room is empty. If needed, you can put a table and chairs in there, but they won't be used tonight. Each wall is embedded with movable wooden boards. During the day, they are propped up with branches and become windows for perfect lighting.
Several bedrooms flank the main house, each with wooden partitions and doors. The beds are made of spliced wood and require soft bedding to sleep on. Tonight, they'll have to make do with clean straw and reed mats, then bring in their freshly made quilts. The innermost bathroom has a slightly sloping floor. Thin roots drill through the wood floor, forming hollow wooden pipes that drain directly into the village's underground canal. The only real problem is the bathroom's water source: the groundwater is cold, so bathing requires hot water from the house.
This tree house can only be used as a temporary resting place. Gong Zhili immediately realized that the current house was too crowded, and the plan to utilize the land in the south of the village had to be put on the agenda as soon as possible.
Ah, her basement hasn't been dug yet, but the family's population has expanded so rapidly that it's urgent to renovate the house.
She made quite a lot of noise when building the wooden house. Glass leaned on the balcony railing and watched the whole process. Then he said to her, "I want to live in the tree house too. I'll leave the second floor for the children."
Of course, the fun tree house is reserved for adults first.
Haibara and Gojo climbed up the tree house first. Although it was called a tree house, its height was the same as that of a normal house. In fact, because it was built in the air, the size of the land on the ground was not taken into consideration. Miya Chiri separated a considerable space for each bedroom.
The two of them were having a lot of fun exploring in the dark. Gong Zhili thought, "We'll install the lights tomorrow. If the wires can't be connected, a windproof oil lamp inside will be enough."
When a new home is built, electrical wiring will definitely be connected.
The two more reliable people, Geto Suguru and Kento Nanami, carried the bedding to the tree house. During this process, the children also ran to the bottom of the tree house with the light of the only street lamp by the lake, with longing and envy on their faces.
"Can we go up here?" Nanako asked, "What's up there?"
Gong Zhili said, "There's no light up there. Wait until daybreak. It's just an ordinary room. Okay, the most important thing for you now is to take a shower. There are too many people in the house, and two bathrooms are not enough."
As for taking a bath, forget it. There would be no time for so many people, and she has never had the habit of taking a bath.
The double bed on the second floor was for the two boys. Tsu Miki and she slept on the upper bunk, while the twins slept on the lower bunk as usual.
The twins erupted in the most violent protest.
"I want to sleep with Lord Gong." Mimiko's eyes were full of desire. Tsumiki noticed that the atmosphere was wrong and stood aside without daring to speak.
Nanako didn't want to give up this time even though she was fighting with her sisters: "I want to sleep with Miya-sama too."
Gong Zhili: "I like to sleep alone, so tomorrow I will separate a new room on the second floor. Then Tsu Miki will have her own separate room. Don't make any noise tonight. Go to bed obediently. It's already late."
It was just one night, so wouldn't this opportunity be even more rare? But the twins knew they couldn't fight for it now, because there were two of them and Tsumiki was alone.
But in the end, Gong Zhili still slept on a folding bed for one night because she was really not used to having a child around her.
The next day, Gong Zhili went to Sato Hardware Store and bought some windproof oil lamps and lighters. She used an electric screwdriver to install the oil lamps in the tree house. The children were running around in the house. Gong Zhili installed the oil lamps and let them play inside. She went to assign tasks to the other adults.
"We have to dig out all the soil in this area today. I want to build a basement." Gong Zhili had no idea that she was exploiting the labor force. She still had to build the house from the foundation. She had only just started.
Gojo: "I'm already strong enough, can I request to be excused from this activity?"
Gong Zhili: "The application is rejected. Didn't the power go out the last time you used Six Eyes in the village?" This means he is not that strong yet.
Gojo Satoru shut up in disappointment. He actually quite liked the state where his six eyes could not be used, as it made his mind feel extra relaxed.
Holding a shovel and wearing protective clothing for work, Huiyuan was in high spirits: "It's just like the special training in the comics!"
The expression on Nanami Kento's face was much more dejected. Senior Glass was said to be not feeling well and could not participate. If she had not done some work last night and the cursed energy in her body had not undergone a qualitative change, he would have reported her for fraud and fled the village.
As usual, Ieiri Naoko followed the children. Today, they were much calmer and more obedient than yesterday, reminding her of walking the dog, where a sensible puppy wouldn't suddenly burst out and challenge its owner's heart. She also gained a little parenting experience: children really know which adults to avoid, and which adults to obey.
After the children had played enough, she took them to do some housework and dry the dried persimmons that needed to be dried. When icing had seeped out of the surface of the persimmons, they could be moved to a cool place and kept there.
Before starting to dig, Geto Xia Yu asked, "How big do you want this basement to be?"
Gong Zhili calculated the area of the boulder under his feet and said, "About thirty square meters."
Geto Xiayou: "It's quite big. Is the foundation of the house okay?"
Gong Zhili gave a thumbs up: "Trust my exploration skills!"
Gojo Satoru forcibly pressed her thumb down: "That's called cheating, not technique."
The five of them dug and transported the soil at full speed. After working like this for a whole day, Gong Zhili prepared particularly rich lunch and dinner. The stomachs of three high school boys were not just two plus one, but three times three.
After dinner, Haibara and Nanami seemed to have made an appointment and continued digging for a long time. Miya Chiri then went with them, and in the end, five people came out of the dark hole covered in mud.
When they emerged, a nearly perfect full moon was already hanging in the sky. They returned home under the moonlight. The children were already asleep. Glass was sitting in the living room watching TV and asked, "How's the digging going?"
Gong Zhili was very satisfied: "The space has basically been cleared. After the big rally tomorrow, we can start laying the foundation."
They each washed up in the house. Gong Zhili made an emergency renovation on the second floor this morning. Tsu Miki already had a small room with a door on the second floor, and Gong Zhili went back to her own bed.
On the small platform outside the tree house, Nanami Kento sat by the railing, gazing at the lake.
The night was deep, but the lake was still awake, the moon scattering handfuls of broken silver on the water. Willow trees on the shore gently caressed the water, and the swimming fish were nudged. The bright moon in the water was shattered into tiny stars, and in an instant it gathered into the shape of a jade disk.
Huiyuan came out to find his companions, sat down cross-legged, and asked, "Aren't you sleepy?"
Nanami Kento answered the question irrelevantly: "How do you feel about today's special training?"
Huiyuan Xiong was very excited: "I think it's very effective!"
Nanami Kento murmured, "Yeah, there actually is such a place."
Huiyuan Xiong said: "Nanaha, you like it here."
Nanami Kento gazed at the beautiful night scene he had never seen before for a long time without answering.
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The author has something to say: I have to go to work tomorrow. I stayed up all night last night. I will go to bed early today. Let’s eat first~
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