Xu Milu did not hide her plan to build a mountain villa from her family, and their reactions to this were varied.
Old Liu had no idea how valuable contracting forest land was; however, upon hearing that Xu Milu wanted to contract even more land, his expression became quite serious.
"Rice... With both a mountain resort and greenhouses, how can you manage all that work?"
"Grandpa, you've misunderstood. It's not the kind of mountain resort you're thinking of for entertaining guests. I can't stay in a tin shack every time I go to Xingning Village now, can I? Besides, the woodland there is spacious, so I'll have room to raise any small animals I want in the future, right?"
Xu Milu brought the plate of pickled vegetables to the table.
—There were only the three of them at home, grandfather, grandson, and granddaughter. They all wanted something light to eat today, so Xu Milu simply cooked corn porridge, along with tender ginger and plum root that Liu Hongmei had pickled beforehand, plus braised chicken legs bought from the market. That made for a light dinner.
"What? Sis, say that again?"
Xu Minian dropped the chicken leg he was holding in his mouth into his bowl, his eyes filled with shock.
"No way? Isn't a villa only for the rich? Wait, are you saying you're already that rich? Didn't you just buy a villa?"
Xu Milu picked up a small piece of pickled vegetable with her chopsticks and slowly explained:
“A villa is a villa, but our family of five lives in this old house. Grandpa has difficulty walking, and it's hard for him to go up and down the stairs. Besides, if Mom and Uncle Sun get married, they can't continue living in this old house, can they? You're all grown up now, you need a big room of your own. You can't be crammed into that little room every day.”
This house was bought when Xu Haifeng and Liu Hongmei got married. It's not a big house; it was a two-bedroom, one-living-room house that was converted into a three-bedroom house.
After Old Liu moved in, Xu Minian's room was partitioned off with a sliding door, turning his small bedroom of about ten square meters into two rooms. There was only a bed and a desk in each room, and it was difficult to put anything else in them.
"Well, I've gotten used to living here, and I feel safer in a smaller house..."
Xu Minian muttered something to himself, then, as if remembering something, said:
"What will your mom say? If she finds out, she'll definitely nag you. If you ask me, you should just not tell her yet. Do it first and ask her later. Anyway, she's traveling abroad now. By the time you sign the contract, she won't be able to do anything about it."
"Hey, you guessed wrong this time. Mom is very supportive of me."
Xu Milu held up one finger and wagged it, humming smugly:
"She's in an incredibly good mood right now. I bet she wouldn't be angry even if the sky fell down. Besides, I've already signed the contract, paid the contract fee, and even found a designer to create the blueprints. We'll start construction tomorrow morning, and it should be ready for delivery in as little as three months."
Perhaps seeing more of the outside world can really broaden one's horizons. After so many days of travel, Ms. Liu Hongmei has gone from worrying about her two children for a long time over a meal to now being able to pick out souvenirs at the scenic spot and send them home with peace of mind. She has clearly learned to enjoy life.
—Since having two children, she has only ever been a mother and has almost forgotten how to be herself.
"Wow! That fast? Are you the Flash?"
Xu Minian couldn't help but click his tongue, staring at Xu Milu from head to toe for a long time before shaking his head:
"Tsk tsk tsk, having money really makes a difference. You can buy a villa just like that, and build a resort just like that. Does that mean the restaurant will have to close?"
"I'm closing it down and turning it into a specialty ingredient store, selling new ingredients. I also plan to launch ingredient meal kits, which will include a recipe booklet with various ingredients, so that everyone can enjoy restaurant-quality food at home."
Xu Milu took a sip of the thin porridge in her bowl and crunched on the pickled radish strips.
"Mom will be back in the next day or two. She'll cook for you then, so you can focus on your studies. If you're too busy with housework, we can hire a cleaning lady. Don't worry about the money. These three months are the most important for a senior high school student. I need to keep an eye on the progress of the resort and work on the game, so I won't be staying at home during this time."
Xu Minian nodded: "Don't worry, sis! Even our teacher said I've improved really fast, and my mock exam scores were very stable! By the way, sis, I haven't asked you what you're planning to name that resort?"
Just like in the game, it's called 'Mountain and Sea Restaurant'.
Xu Milu took another sip of porridge, her expression somewhat strange: "After all... the name 'Rice Food Shop' is too corny."
...
...
"Junior Aunt, you're quick!"
Li Ning returned from Beijing in May. The construction of the resort was halfway complete, and its basic shape was already vaguely visible.
Amidst lush mountain forests, an ancient-style building rises from the waist up, its branches and leaves like a green mist, making the villa appear from a distance as if it were "growing" diagonally out of the rocky cliff.
The path, which was originally covered by weeds, was cleared away little by little. Small excavators were transported up the mountain road by trucks. Bamboo was planted on the mountainside in front of the mountain as requested by Xu Milu, and a large lake was dug out behind the mountain.
Just looking at it makes you think of how beautiful it will be when it's finished.
Xu Milu had heard that the designers of the blueprints were all industry giants, the kind that money couldn't buy.
She couldn't help but sigh again, "It's still so good to cling to the coattails of the official authorities."
She only needs to pay the money; she doesn't have to worry about anything from managing the woodland to the interior decoration, and she doesn't have to worry about any shoddy workmanship.
—After all, the authorities may genuinely intend for this building to exist for a thousand years.
"Shouldn't you be in Beijing confirming the competition procedures? Why are you back so soon?"
Xu Milu casually plucked a weed from the ground and quickly wove it into a grass rabbit. Its green "ears" could even twitch according to the person's movements, making it look adorable.
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