"With so many bricks, Xiao Ning, could you plan out where and how to build the courtyard wall? I'll go dig the foundation now," Uncle Li asked as he came out of the house after hearing the commotion outside.
"My brother and I will dig the foundation in a bit. Uncle Li, you handle the technical work and teach them how to mix the cement. We'll take care of the heavy lifting."
"Alright, Dazhuang, let's go get some sand and sift it. I went to check this morning; there's a small river not far from here, and the fine sand there will be usable."
"Okay, Uncle Li, I'm coming right now," Dazhuang replied from inside the house. He ran out in less than two minutes, Cao Xue following them. She was happier than anyone else to have work to do.
Jian Ning didn't intend to take on every single task herself. It was good that everyone was involved in the infrastructure construction; it made them feel more at home. She tossed a wheelbarrow and two shovels out of the space.
This is perfect for hauling sand for them.
After Uncle Li led Cao Xue and Da Zhuang away, Jian Ning took a wooden stick and roughly drew the location of the courtyard wall. Then she walked around and used several Earth Shattering spells.
At the spot she drew, a pit two meters deep and one meter wide appeared, as if it had been dug out with a ruler. It was more than enough as a foundation.
To make it easier to get in and out, a sturdy solid wood door panel was placed on top of the pit.
When Uncle Li and the others returned with their wheelbarrows more than twenty minutes later, they were all stunned. That was incredible speed! Even with machines, they couldn't have finished in that time.
Jian Ning's amazing abilities always surprised and delighted them.
Quickly gather sand and cement, and start building the wall.
Aunt Wang also brought Tian Tian out to help. Despite her young age, Tian Tian can carry two bricks each time.
She no longer has to stay indoors every day; she can run and play freely all over the yard with Ba Wang and Huang Fugui. The child has become much more energetic.
It took seven people more than two hours to finish the foundation. Aunt Li also prepared lunch and came out to call them in to eat.
For lunch today, I made chicken stew with mushrooms and vermicelli, winter melon and meatball soup, and a big pot of steamed buns. They were made on a makeshift stove set up in the yard, and they tasted especially delicious.
Cao Xue ate three large steamed buns all by herself, and felt a little embarrassed to finish them. Usually, when she wasn't doing any work, she could control her food intake, but after putting in the effort today, she always felt like she couldn't get enough to eat.
"Xiaoxue, don't be shy, eat more. You'll have more energy to do more work this afternoon."
Aunt Li, sitting next to her, noticed her thoughts and stuffed another large steamed bun into her hand. They had enough rice and flour at home, and they could also grow crops here. They weren't lacking in food.
Cao Xue was moved to tears. It felt so good to be able to eat her fill. She would be willing to sell her life here right now.
After eating and resting for about half an hour, everyone continued working.
Uncle Li was the main bricklayer, and Dazhuang was even smarter than Jian Anping; he learned very quickly and was able to work independently in no time. The rest of the workers assisted the two of them.
They worked until it was completely dark and they couldn't see anything anymore before finishing by hand. In just one afternoon, they built a wall more than a meter high. Because the area was large, it would take two or three days to complete.
In the evening, Aunt Li cooked a big pot of pork ribs stewed with green beans, along with rice, and also stir-fried some peanuts and fried dried fish as appetizers for Uncle Li.
After he had eaten and drunk his fill, he went back to his room to rest. He was over fifty years old and working like a young person was indeed tiring.
Cao Xue put in extra effort today, developing several blisters on her hands. She popped them herself. Jian Ning disinfected them with iodine and gave her a pair of work gloves.
"It's best not to get it wet. You understand why. Medicines aren't readily available right now, so you don't want to get infected."
"Thank you. I'm fine."
Cao Xue sniffed. She hadn't felt any pain when the blisters were being removed, but as soon as Jian Ning came over to apply the medicine, her eyes suddenly started to sting, and she felt like crying.
Jian Ning understood her emotions but didn't know how to comfort her. After all, saying that everything would be alright was just empty talk, because she knew that the days ahead would only be more difficult.
Of course, she and Xiao Lingfeng are an exception, because their abilities are almost invincible in this apocalypse.
Even if the entire world is destroyed, she will still live well, after all, the Immortal Abode is an independent space, unaffected by the rules of this world.
He gently patted Cao Xue's shoulder, then got up and went back to his room on the third floor. Looking at the bright moon outside the window, he sighed, wondering what Xiao Lingfeng was like now.
From the depths of the distant mountains and forests, a sudden surge of extremely rich spiritual energy shot straight into the sky.
The surrounding air vibrated due to this surge of spiritual energy, though ordinary people couldn't perceive it. They simply felt the air suddenly become fresher and breathing became much more comfortable.
Jian Ning was slightly taken aback. It seemed that a treasure had been discovered. Could there be some unknown secret deep in the mountains?
He summoned the Ruoshui Sword, cast an invisibility spell on himself, and with a whoosh, flew through the wall without alerting the soldiers on duty in the base.
Following the direction from which the spiritual energy was coming, we headed straight for the mountaintop.
When we arrived at the location, we found that there was a deep cliff below, shrouded in mist and miasma, making it impossible to see what was below.
And that spiritual energy slowly contracted back.
I reckon there's something alive down there. It was just absorbing the essence of the moonlight. It accidentally made a bit of a commotion, which is why it attracted Jian Ning here.
Jian Ning wasn't in a hurry. The treasure wasn't going anywhere; she could just finish building the courtyard wall and check it out during the day. It would be best to bring Huang Fugui along; it was a treasure hunter. Having readily available labor meant it couldn't be idle.
After waiting a while longer, seeing that the spiritual energy had completely retreated to the bottom of the cliff, and the moon in the sky was also obscured by clouds, Jian Ning finally flew back to the villa on her sword.
After breakfast, Jian Ning and Jian Anping drove out to haul bricks. They had to make a show of it, otherwise, with such a high wall, where would the bricks come from? They couldn't let anyone suspect anything.
When they arrived at the location, the owner of the brick kiln was nowhere to be found.
They didn't stand on ceremony and filled the truck to the brim. Jian Ning even added some extra bricks and hauled them back. After making two more trips, they finally parked the pickup truck in the yard.
I also put the flour and oil I promised the boss under the driver's seat, thinking he'd see the car and come looking for it when he got there. I put the car keys on the table inside.
"Let's go to the mall and see if they have any screen doors and windows. It's a bit hot at night if we don't open the windows, and there's no air conditioning in this room." Jian Anping was full of energy; she had slept outside the night before and hadn't slept well at all because the room was stuffy.
“Okay, I said it yesterday, but I forgot again. I really need to take notes next time, so I don’t forget.” Jian Ning said, and she and Jian Anping drove along the road to the wholesale market.
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