Around the corner to the right are the bathroom and washroom; the bedroom is a separate room, not placed together with the bathroom for fear of odors and dampness. Directly opposite the bedroom, across the stairwell, is a spot planned for a fireplace, with fireproof brick padding on the floor beneath it.
The living room on the first floor will feature a large brick fireplace, but he worried that the temperature on the second floor might not be sufficient, hence the inclusion of an additional fireplace for Pan'er. He was reluctant to install it inside the rooms for fear of smoke backdraft and the associated dangers.
In the left corner of the first floor, he planned to construct a heated brick bed for sleeping during the bitterly cold days of winter, with screens available for privacy. This way, the warmth from the fireplace could spread over.
With three bathrooms on the first floor and six additional rooms for accommodation, Xue Dong and Qin Jianzhong each would have a room to themselves during summer, and in the winter, if it got cold, they could sleep on the heated brick bed.
On the right side of the living room is a doorway leading to a quite spacious storage room, and beyond that lies the kitchen. A storage room is placed in between to prevent the spread of cooking fumes.
The kitchen has two doors; one leads to the storage room, making it convenient to fetch foodstuffs and the like, while the other opens to the courtyard for cooking outdoors during summer.
A table can be set in the yard, and he plans to erect a sunshade so that on summer days, meals and drinks can be enjoyed under it, whereas cooking moves indoors when it gets cold.
They will also build a bread cave in the yard, which would make baking bread and pancakes convenient.
Towards the right rear of the house, he planned to construct a few large rooms to serve as grain storage, and the future harvests would be kept there. Along with an underground storage cave, it should be sufficient.
The yard is spacious, and he plans to pave it with large green bricks. When grain is harvested, it can be dried on straw mats laid over the bricks and then directly stored in the grain silos, creating a logical workflow.
For furniture, the plan is to craft it themselves. Although their carpentry skills weren't great, the farm wasn't short of wood. They could barter for services, having someone come over to make furniture once the house dimensions were known after its completion.
Other things could be done by themselves, for instance, planing the wooden boards for the walls; this was not difficult.
Several people worked in an assembly line manner, with one in charge of mixing cement, another handling sand, and Qin Jianzhong using his Wind Power to lift up bricks and buckets of cement. People working above handled their tasks, while the Gold Element worked with the Earth Element to install pipes and lay electrical wiring, which also helped strengthen the walls.
Li Pan prepared the meal and brought it over with a shoulder pole.
"Brothers, it's time to eat."
"Coming, we can continue working after eating."
Everyone hopped down to wash their hands and eat. They were all pleasantly surprised to find meat, rice, vegetables, and steamed buns; definitely enough to stuff themselves, as the meals were quite rich.
Li Pan, worried that everyone wouldn't have enough to eat and too shy to say so, filled a pot to the brim with steamed buns and cooked a large pot of rice. There were smoked fish, chicken, pork, and a variety of vegetables, all served in the largest bowls available.
"Sis, you're way too earnest. Is this a feast for pigs? There's so much."
Gao Wenbin couldn't help laughing upon seeing all the food, and the others couldn't stop laughing either, though they were also touched. She truly was an earnest girl, worried that they wouldn't have enough to eat.
"You guys have worked hard. We have the food at home—go ahead and eat. The smoked fish and chicken didn't cost anything; we had them ready."
With a smile, Li Pan added, "One must remember the kindness of others. You came to work without asking for pay, just for a few meals. The gifts I brought were nowhere near enough to compensate your wages."
Superpower users could do the work of three people, efficiently and well, thus their wages were naturally higher. They were willing to work without pay, a favor from Xue Dong, and she couldn't be ungracious. At the very least, she should provide a hearty and satisfying meal.
"Thanks, sis, for letting us impose on you."
"We're all family here, no need for formalities. Go on, eat up. There's a bucket with Stevia and honeysuckle brewed into a sweet drink. If it runs out, I'll get you more."
"All right, fellas, let's eat! After eating, we must work well. Let's hurry and get things done before the rainy season starts and it gets troublesome."
Gao Wenbin called everyone to eat.
"Understood."
Li Pan put down the food for them and went to check on the fields, giving them a burst of her superpower. These days, the loosening of her power's bottleneck had become increasingly apparent, likely related to months of having enough to eat.
Upon inspecting the crops, she found some small insects, but luckily not too many. The occasional plant infested with bugs was promptly dealt with by the frogs she had exchanged for, preventing any troublesome spread.
Li Pan inspected the fields even more carefully now, as the grains were close to ripening, and nothing could be allowed to ruin this.
The vegetable garden was thriving, and she took a basket and a container to harvest some produce.
There were ripe strawberries, and even melons and watermelons had begun to fruit, though the watermelons were not yet ripe. However, tomatoes, small tomatoes, and cherry tomatoes were ready to be picked.
Spinach, cabbage, cauliflower, leeks, cucumbers, lettuce, and the tips of other vegetables were also ready. These days, they had been rotating their consumption, always choosing the tenderest.
She planned to pick a bit more to take back after they finished building the houses. The people at the base didn't eat very well, with a lot of big eaters struggling with coarse grain buns mixed with bran, and not enough vegetables to go around.
Even with the base's own farming and cultivation, there wasn't enough food.
There were many ripe tomatoes - the larger ones were good for frying or making into a sauce, while the smaller ones could be eaten fresh.
She clipped a bunch of yellow cherry tomatoes, wiped one clean, and tasted it. Hmm, the tangy sweetness was rich and delightful.
A variety of radishes, including red radishes, daikons, and "beauty heart" radishes, were ripe and ready to be pulled up.
Next month, even more vegetables would ripen, too many for her to eat on her own, especially the leafy greens that spoil quickly. She'd have to discuss with Xue Dong when he returned in the afternoon; they'd keep some and sell the excess to the base.
Superpower users worked quickly; they didn't return until around one in the morning, but they had already completed the walls of the building and only the finer details remained, like the roofing tiles designed for rain protection. They were now using colored metal tiles, sturdier, more durable, and better at water protection than traditional tiles, no need to worry about typhoons.
Tomorrow's focus would be on details: roofing, interior and exterior insulation, staircases, window sealing, and checks on the electrical wiring. Water and electrical systems needed finishing too.
One of the superpower users would be tasked with cutting down trees the next day, then planing the wood and applying varnish for use as interior wall decoration. The glass for the second-floor balcony also needed to be installed.
Most of the quality materials were used for the second floor where Li Pan would live, while Xue Dong and his colleagues didn't bother with high-end finishes for their own accommodations.
A simple insulation layer would suffice for the barn; no need for anything complex.
The kitchen and bathroom required tiling though, for easy cleaning, and these materials had already been purchased.
They also bought solar panels and an electric water heater—solar for the summertime, and electric for winter.
"Bro, some of the veggies in the garden are ripe, we've got a lot of radishes, cabbages, lettuces, and such. Do you think we should bring some to the base? Last time I went there, I noticed they hardly had any fresh vegetables."
"Sure, we'll keep what we need and let them take the rest to sell. They have more mouths to feed, and can never have enough food. Once I finish building the house, I'll help them catch some fish from the lake to sell; there are too many in there."
"Can we take all of them?"
"Yes, Zhou Xiao is also a Space superpower user—a Dual Ability User, and he has a high-level superpower at that, so he can carry even more than Zhao Quan."
"Is there a woodworker? Someone to make furniture for us? How much should we pay?"
"I have enough money and Contribution points to cover it; I'll handle the negotiations."
Xue Dong had already thought of all these mentally taxing matters, sparing Li Pan the worry.
"Okay then."