Chapter 4 Building a House, Bro? A Clumsy Interpretation of "Dream Home Makeover"...
Lin Yue's ambitions couldn't withstand the test of reality for more than three seconds.
For example, right now, he was deep in thought as he stared at the blueprint for the [Basic Shelter] on the system interface.
The blueprint itself is quite thoughtful, featuring a 3D structure with annotations and even a list of material requirements:
Basic Shelter (Civil and Timber Structure, Economical and Practical)
Required materials:
Structural timber – load-bearing columns and beams: at least 15 cm in diameter hardwood is required, totaling approximately 3 cubic meters.
Adobe bricks for filling walls: approximately 5 cubic meters of high-quality clay, mixed with some hay/plant fiber.
Roof covering: large pieces of bark/thick thatch/several flat stone slabs, which should be able to cover approximately 15 square meters.
Foundation stones: of varying sizes, totaling approximately 2 cubic meters.
Required tools (minimum configuration):
Logging tools: stone axe/bone axe.
Excavation tools: wooden shovel/stone shovel.
Transportation tools: by hand, or could you try taming a powerful beetle?
Measuring tools: It is recommended to use a standard length wooden stick for marking.
Estimated timeframe (per person): approximately 15-20 working days, provided you can guarantee an 8-hour workday and are not carried away by wild animals.
System evaluation: Better than the open air, worse than a cave; it can barely block wind and rain, and is somewhat effective against small wild animals, such as rabbits or relatives of that silly colorful bird. Better than nothing, recommended for beginners.
Lin Yue looked at the long list of materials and the estimated construction period, and the corner of his mouth twitched involuntarily.
"System, you call this a basic shelter? This amount of work would take at least a small construction team several days to complete back home, right? And you're saying it would take one person 15-20 working days? Do you have some kind of misunderstanding about my weakling level?"
The system interface remained completely blank, even displaying a helpful pop-up message: "[The system has detected feelings of fear and difficulty in the host. We recommend drinking more hot water and maintaining a positive attitude. Alternatively, you can choose to collaborate with the local intelligent system.]"
Lin Yue rolled his eyes and looked at Gray Stone, who was picking his teeth wildly with a small twig.
Collaboration? Sounds good. This guy looks strong and capable; he's definitely better at the job than this lazy, clueless engineer.
But the problem is... how do we communicate?
He tried using the system's barely usable translation function, along with exaggerated gestures, to convey to Graystone Brother that "we'll build a big house together, so we won't have to live in rock crevices anymore, and it will also provide shelter from the wind and rain and protect us from wild animals."
He first pointed to their current makeshift camp, shook his head, and showed a look of disgust on his face. Then he pointed to the sky, imitating the sound of wind and rain: "Whoosh whoosh—splash—", and then pretended to shiver.
Then, he gestured a large square with his hands, a look of longing and anticipation on his face. Finally, he pointed to himself, then to Gray Stone, patted his chest, and made a gesture to get started.
After completing the set of movements, Lin Yue was panting heavily, feeling that it was even more strenuous than starting the fire earlier.
Graystone watched his performance with a blank expression, his eyes filled with concern as if this guy had eaten some stupid bird and ruined his brain.
Just when Lin Yue thought the communication had failed and was about to give up, Gray Stone suddenly pointed to the crooked sketch of the shelter that Lin Yue had casually drawn on the sand when he was studying the blueprint.
Then, Graystone let out a series of low syllables from his throat.
The system translation is working diligently: [Other language (inferred meaning): This... looks like... a house? (Question)... You... built it?]
Lin Yue's eyes lit up; there was hope.
He nodded vigorously, pointing to himself and Graystone, and emphasized again: "Yes! We! Together! Build! A! Big! House!", mixing Chinese and English, with the help of gestures.
Graystone was silent for a moment, seemingly weighing the pros and cons. He looked at Lin Yue, then at the still-warm fire, and at the strange device next to it that could flow clear water.
Finally, he slowly nodded, then pointed to a relatively flat and open area not far away, and then to the woods and piles of stones next to it, meaning that the location could be chosen there, and the materials could be found there.
"It's done!" Lin Yue was overjoyed.
[System Notification: A preliminary cooperation agreement has been reached with 'Greystone'. Team collaboration efficiency increased (theoretical value +50%). Please take action as soon as possible and do not let down your partners' trust and their desire to improve their living conditions.]
Lin Yue immediately felt full of energy.
"Alright! Gray Stone, let's get started and try to move into the first phase of the Lin family's luxury villa project as soon as possible, with its own bathroom... uh, with its own latrine."
Thus, guided by the system blueprint, Lin Yue and Gray Stone Brother formed an extremely rudimentary interdimensional engineering team with a bizarre configuration, and began their great undertaking of settling down.
The division of labor was clear: Gray Stone, being physically strong and familiar with the environment, was mainly responsible for heavy physical work such as felling trees and moving stones, and also served as a part-time security guard, keeping an eye on the surroundings. Lin Yue, on the other hand, used his professional expertise to be responsible for planning, surveying, and guiding the construction.
Of course, this mainly refers to pointing and giving pointers, as well as some relatively light technical work, such as trying to make more decent digging tools, like making a simple shovel by binding stones and wood together.
Of course, ideals are often grand, but reality is often harsh.
Cutting down trees was the first problem. They only had one stone axe belonging to Limestone Bro, so blunt it could be used to smash cucumbers.
Gray Stone Bro was strong. He swung his stone axe and chopped away for a long time before a shallow notch appeared on the tree trunk, which was only about 20 centimeters in diameter.
Lin Yue felt sorry for him, saying, "Brother Greystone, why don't we take a break? At this rate, we probably won't have enough timber until next year."
Gray Stone glared at him, said nothing, and continued to work diligently. That stubbornness filled Lin Yue with awe.
"I need to find a way to get a good axe..." Lin Yue stroked his chin, his gaze falling on the pyrite and quartz he had discovered earlier.
On the other hand, digging the foundation and collecting adobe bricks was equally arduous. Lin Yue used his makeshift stone and wood shovel to dig, and his hands and arms ached after just a few digs, making his efficiency pitiful.
Graystone Bro is strong enough; you can dig faster with your hands. As for high-quality clay... it took a long time to find a small piece, and we had to painstakingly dig it out and mix it with hay. This stuff is everywhere, though.
Moving the stones was an even greater challenge. Some of the foundation stones weighed dozens of kilograms, and Lin Yue used all his strength to barely move them a short distance. Often, he would have to rest for half a day after moving just one stone.
Exhausted and sprawled on the ground like a dead dog, Lin Yue watched as Gray Stone Brother continued to silently move stones, his worn-out animal skin coat soaked with sweat. He couldn't help but sigh, "The working people are the most glorious, but also the most hardworking... Back when I was inspecting construction sites, how come I didn't understand the hardship of moving bricks?"
[System notification: Host has detected negative work attitude; stamina recovery speed -5%. It is recommended to take a break and replenish energy.]
Lin Yue: "..." This system is definitely a capitalist's lackey!
Fortunately, despite the hard work, the progress is still visible every day.
The foundation was gradually dug and leveled, with many stones piled up around it. More and more clay was collected and piled up, then laid out to dry in the sun, forming crooked mud bricks. Several not-too-thick trees were successfully felled, although the process was quite troublesome.
During this process, Lin Yue and Gray Stone Brother's cooperation became increasingly seamless.
Although language communication remains difficult, relying mainly on gestures and the system's half-baked translation, a glance or a gesture is often enough to understand the other person's meaning.
For example, when Lin Yue points to a certain place and makes a digging motion, Gray Stone Brother will quietly go over and start digging.
When Gray Stone Brother was carrying a heavy log and staggering, Lin Yue would quickly run over to lend a hand, even if he couldn't be of much help.
Of course, there were also times when he made a fool of himself.
Once, Lin Yue wanted Gray Stone to cut a long stick to a specific length to use as a measuring ruler. He gestured for a long time, saying "length" and "the same length," but Gray Stone thought he wanted to sharpen the stick into a weapon, and quickly whittled it into a javelin...
On another occasion, Lin Yue tried to teach Gray Stone Brother how to use the lever principle to move a large rock. He found a sturdy wooden stick to use as a lever, placed small stones underneath as a fulcrum, and then tried to pry it open.
As a result, he used too much force and failed to pry up the stone. Instead, he landed on his backside due to the reaction force, which drew a silent... mocking laugh from Gray Stone Brother. Lin Yue sensed it; Lin Yue was angry!
Despite the numerous difficulties and humorous moments, Lin Yue felt a great sense of accomplishment as he watched the prototype of his future "home" gradually emerge.
Every day after work, the two would return to their temporary camp together.
Lin Yue was in charge of starting the fire, filtering the water, and cooking—still the same old bluebird and wild vegetable stew, occasionally adding some newly discovered non-toxic mushrooms for variety. Gray Stone would patrol the neighborhood to ensure safety.
Eating hot food, drinking clean water, and having a warm fire nearby, even though my body was exhausted, I felt an unprecedented sense of satisfaction.
Lin Yue even began to feel that this kind of life, working from sunrise to sunset and striving for a clear goal, although arduous, seemed... not so bad compared to his previous life in the city, where he was upside down day and night, scheming against each other, and anxiously struggling for vague KPIs.
Of course, this thought usually only comes to mind when he's eaten and drunk his fill, sprawled on the ground, too tired to move. The moment he thinks about having to continue cutting down trees, digging dirt, and moving stones tomorrow, all he wants to do is quit his job immediately... oh wait, he doesn't have a job to quit right now.
"The revolution is not yet complete, comrades must continue to work hard!" Lin Yue clenched his fist as he looked at the construction site of the first phase of the future Lin family luxury villa project, which had just been cleared in the distance.
"Greystone, let's try to get the foundation done tomorrow, and then start mixing the mud!"
Graystone glanced at him and made a meaningless syllable from his nose, as if to say "I understand" or "You really know how to give random orders."
A note from the author:
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Lin Yue (wielding a shovel): Brother Gray Stone, this shovel is even harder to use than CAD!
Gray Stone Guy (carrying stones): Next time you carry stones, I'll draw up the blueprints?
System (finisher): I suggest learning how to move bricks first, then talk about building a villa.
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