After lunch, they returned the oxcart and, taking advantage of the early hour, set off for home.
It has to be said that since the drought, we haven't been able to travel by boat, so coming to the county town has become really difficult!
Not only does it take a day and a half to walk there, but there's also no market in the county town anymore. With current prices, everything is expensive, so there's not much point in coming to the county town if you can't buy anything.
Fortunately, Lu Chuan and Xu Han had the foresight to buy everything they needed. This time, in the county town, they only bought some medicinal herbs in addition to building materials, and nothing else.
The three of them traveled non-stop and finally returned around 8 or 9 p.m. on the second day.
"Grandpa Zhao, open the door! We're back!" Xu Han shouted excitedly as she knocked on the door.
Grandpa Zhao, who was in the courtyard, immediately came over after hearing the noise and opened the courtyard gate.
Upon seeing this, the dogs in the yard immediately swarmed around her, and Xu Han affectionately petted them.
After the courtyard gate opened, Lu Chuan and the Taoist priest, who were pushing a cart, immediately pushed it in. Seeing this, Grandpa Zhao also helped push the cart, which was full of bricks.
That's right, it was a cart full of bricks. The three of them had already discussed it on their way back, and they would use the cart to transport bricks home several times a day as a cover.
Xu Han and Lu Chuan still thought it best not to let Grandpa Zhao know that Xu Han had a spatial ability, since such things are hard to explain and they were afraid of scaring the old man.
So when Xu Han brought it up, the Taoist priest immediately agreed.
Recently, the Taoist priest had actually figured out what Lu Chuan and Xu Han meant, and of course he agreed with Xu Han's suggestion.
The Taoist priest had seen through Xu Han's intentions ever since she insisted on buying a cart along with the bricks.
So, not far from home, Xu Han simply took out the cart and put bricks on it.
Because Lu Chuan had specially placed an oilcloth on the cart when loading it, it was very convenient to put it away; he could simply touch the oilcloth to put it into the space.
Seeing this, Grandpa Zhao didn't ask any questions, but simply helped the Taoist priest and Lu Chuan unload the bricks from the cart.
Exhausted, Xu Han sat down to rest in the courtyard. The trip to the county town was really tiring, and there wasn't much to sell there.
It's estimated that Xu Han will take a boat next time she goes to the county town; at least for the time being, she doesn't want to go again.
I really don't want to walk there at all, it's too rushed. Taking the boat was so much more convenient before!
After Xu Han recovered, Lu Chuan and the others had also unloaded the bricks and were sitting in the courtyard taking a short rest.
In the evening, Xu Han simply made noodles, a simple and convenient dish. Actually, Grandpa Zhao mainly cooked dinner tonight; Xu Han only cooked noodles.
Grandpa Zhao did all of this himself: kneading the dough, starting the fire, and washing the vegetables.
After a simple dinner, everyone sat in the courtyard chatting and discussing how to build the house.
"We bought a lot of bricks and tiles this time. Lu Chuan and I were planning to build several houses, some for living and some for storing miscellaneous items."
"We'll try not to build any more houses later. We'll arrange everything all at once this time, even building the children's rooms together. It'll save us the trouble of building houses later," Xu Han said.
“It seems you and Xiao Chuan have already planned it out. This is your home, so of course you have the final say. Just build it according to your ideas! Just tell us what you need us to do,” the Taoist priest said.
"Okay, then I'll tell you about the rooms we planned before." Xu Han said, then went into the room and took out a piece of paper, and started writing and drawing on it.
“We built a small courtyard directly behind it, with four rooms in a row. The east side is the bedroom, the west side is the main room, and the west side is another bedroom. Further west, we built a bathroom and a place to boil water.”
This way, you don't have to go to the front yard to take a shower, which is very convenient.
To the south are two bedrooms facing west, which increases the living space. Initially, these two rooms can be used to store miscellaneous items or as a study.
The overall layout is the same as the front yard, except that the yard is not as big as the front yard, and the southernmost room is right next to the house in the front yard.
A wall was built to connect the west side to the front yard, and a door was opened to form a separate small yard, which is relatively quiet and will not be disturbed by the front yard and the vegetable garden in the back, and can also protect personal privacy.
A toilet is being built in this corner; it'll be more convenient that way.
Xu Han kept talking and drawing on the paper as she spoke, and the Taoist priest and Grandpa Zhao listened very attentively.
"I think Xiaohan's design is quite good and reasonable. The houses are connected by corridors, so you won't get wet when it rains," Grandpa Zhao said.
“I have no objection either, so let’s do it this way!” the Taoist priest said.
Then the Taoist priest followed up with, "The design is quite good, but we don't know how to build houses! Don't we still need to hire someone to help?"
“Xiaohan and I have considered this before. I was involved in the entire process when these houses were built, so I know the basic procedures. They may not be as good as those built by professionals, but we should be able to get them built,” Lu Chuan explained.
When they first had the idea of building a house, Lu Chuan and Xu Han discussed it. Building a house is neither difficult nor easy.
To put it simply, it's like playing with building blocks; you just assemble them. Moreover, Lu Chuan himself knows some woodworking, and with Xu Han's theoretical knowledge and hands-on skills, Xu Han and Lu Chuan felt they wanted to give it a try themselves.
If they actually manage to build it, it will definitely be very rewarding. The two of them have also built a woodshed and a grill before, and they were quite successful, so there shouldn't be any major problems.
After Lu Chuan finished speaking, Xu Han took out another sheet of paper and said, "This is a detailed list of precautions and solutions that we have compiled beforehand. We have considered ways to solve all the problems that we could think of in advance."
Whether it will be feasible depends on the problems encountered during construction, and then solutions will be provided based on the actual situation.
Grandpa Zhao and the Taoist priest each took a piece of paper and looked at it. Then Grandpa Zhao said, "Since you have prepared so thoroughly, let's give it a try first."
The Taoist priest also said, "There's still plenty of time! We have time to build the house slowly, there's no rush."
“We’ve already bought the bricks, tiles, and other materials for building the house, but we still haven’t cut down the trees! We need the trunks to make the roof beams, otherwise the house won’t be sturdy,” Xu Han said.
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