owlsbooks Chapter 17 Building a Wooden House
Chapter 17 Building a Wooden House
When they returned to the camp, Liu Yifei had just returned as well.
She brought back two large bundles of firewood and piled them next to the tent. She also found some straight branches and vines, which seemed to be for Qin Chuan to use to build a wooden house.
Liu Yifei was taken aback when she saw Qin Chuan and Fan Yubing walking back covered in mud: "What happened to you two?"
Lin Shishi walked over and, seeing Qin Chuan's condition, quickly went to him: "Brother Chuan, how did you get hurt? Is it serious?"
"It's nothing, just a scratch."
Qin Chuan briefly recounted the incident of falling into the hole, omitting the unspeakable part in the middle.
After hearing this, Liu Yifei frowned: "There are sinkholes in the forest? We'll have to be more careful when entering the woods in the future."
Qin Chuan nodded, then steered the conversation towards business: "There's a type of tree in the forest called a plank tree, naturally flat, which can be used directly as planks. I've already collected some, but they fell into a hole earlier, and I didn't bring the planks back. I'll go back after we finish eating."
"How about I go with you?" Lin Shishi suggested.
Qin Chuan: "No need, I can manage on my own. Let's start the fire before it goes out and roast the pork for lunch."
"Okay." The three women busied themselves around the campfire.
Lin Shishi was in charge of starting the fire and grilling the meat. Although she couldn't use her arms very strongly yet, flipping a skewer of meat and setting up the fire was no problem for her. Fan Yubing helped cut the mango, while Liu Yifei went to the spring to fetch water.
Qin Chuan rested near the spring for a while, wiping his face and body.
Taking advantage of the fact that Liu Yifei and Fan Yubing were not around, Lin Shishi came over with a skewer of grilled pork and squatted down in front of him.
"Brother Chuan, you eat first."
Qin Chuan took the meat skewer, took a bite, and said, "Thank you."
Lin Shishi lowered her voice and said, "I've basically recovered now. With food, my strength recovers quickly."
......
After lunch, Qin Chuan went into the woods again, making five or six trips back and forth, finally collecting enough materials to build a small wooden house. He also cut down a few thicker logs to use as pillars.
After all the materials were moved back to the camp, Liu Yifei squatted down and used a twig to draw a simple plan on the sand.
"Two bedrooms and one living room," Liu Yifei said as she drew. "The bedrooms don't need to be too big, just big enough for a bed. The living room should be a bit more spacious, enough for four people to sit in."
Qin Chuan looked at her drawing and nodded: "You even know about house design?"
"I don't understand, but when I was little, I watched my dad build a chicken coop, and the process was pretty much the same."
Qin Chuan couldn't help but laugh: "A chicken coop?"
"The principle is the same," Liu Yifei said earnestly.
Qin Chuan stopped talking and got to work.
He first dug eight holes in the ground, erected the eight thickest wooden pillars inside, and filled and tamped them down with soil and stones. Then he tied crossbeams between the pillars and secured them with vines.
Fan Yubing and Lin Shishi helped build the yard. They used the extra planks to build a simple fence around the foundation of the wooden house, inserting them one by one into the ground. Although it couldn't keep out large wild animals, it could at least keep out some small animals and snakes.
Fan Yubing worked very hard when she was planting wooden stakes; the core strength she developed through yoga was very useful for this kind of work.
When she pressed down on the wooden stake with both hands, the muscle lines on her arms were clearly visible, her waist was straight, and her movements were crisp and clean.
Lin Shishi's arm is still injured, so she can't do heavy work. She helps hand things over and tie vines, doing some delicate work.
The four of them worked for the entire afternoon.
As the sun began to set, a small wooden house with two bedrooms and a living room was finally completed.
The cabin wasn't large, only a dozen square meters in total. But on a deserted island, it was already a luxury.
The roof and walls were pieced together from planks of wood, with the gaps filled with mud and leaves. It wasn't very airtight, but it was enough to block the wind.
Each of the two bedrooms contained a wooden plank bed. The bed planks were made of wood planks, and a frame made of thick wooden sticks was built underneath to raise the bed about forty centimeters off the ground to prevent moisture and insects.
Qin Chuan stuffed a layer of dry grass and collected soft moss into the wooden bed, and then laid out some half-dried banana leaves, and a simple double bed was ready.
Due to limited materials and time constraints, only two beds were made so far.
Two bedrooms, two beds, four people.
This allocation plan created a subtle atmosphere.
After finishing the last few details in the wooden house, Qin Chuan straightened up and felt as if all the bones in his body were about to fall apart.
Since he got up this morning, he has broken off dozens of planks of wood, carried countless pieces of timber, dug eight deep pits to erect wooden pillars, and interspersed countless vines in between.
Both palms were blistered, and my fingers were so stiff I couldn't bend them.
Qin Chuan sat on the bed in one of the bedrooms, rubbing his lower back, preparing to go out for some fresh air.
At this moment, the banana leaf curtain at the door was lifted, and Liu Yifei bent down and walked in.
She had already changed into the outfit Lin Shishi had saved for her: a loose-fitting dark gray sweatshirt paired with black sweatpants, looking clean and neat.
The sweatshirt was a size too big, hanging loosely on her body, with a low neckline that revealed a section of her fair neck and collarbone.
The sweatpants fit her well, clearly outlining her long, slender legs.
Liu Yifei's hair is long and black. It was soaked in water before and was all messy. Now she simply tied it into a ponytail with a strip of cloth, revealing her smooth forehead and a pair of bright eyes.
Her features were very refined, with a high nose bridge and thin, delicate lips.
Qin Chuan glanced at her twice and sighed inwardly.
This graduate student is so beautiful that she'd be considered a campus beauty even on Earth.
After entering, Liu Yifei looked around the room and nodded. "Hmm, it's well-organized. I can get a good night's sleep now."
She walked to the bedside and pressed down on the hay and banana leaves laid on it to feel their firmness.
"It's much better than in the tent."
Qin Chuan hummed in agreement, his gaze following Liu Yifei as she moved around the room.
Suddenly, he remembered something.
系统技能需要升级。瞳术的熟练度现在是4/10，距离LV2还差6点。今天从范玉冰身上收了1点，从林诗诗身上收了1点，刘一菲的还没有。
The problem is that, unlike Fan Yubing and Lin Shishi, Liu Yifei may not know about the "Many Children, Many Blessings System".
Fan Yubing and Lin Shishi had witnessed the "system's effects" firsthand, so they accepted it.
Liu Yifei arrived very late last night. Everyone was too busy rescuing people and eating meat to explain the system to her.
Qin Chuan quickly calculated in his mind that this deserted island was fraught with danger, and he didn't know what other dangers he might encounter next.
Therefore, becoming stronger quickly is the key.
With food scarce and the newly awakened "Eat More, Be Happy" system being quite unique, offering special ingredients to increase skill proficiency, there's currently no better option.
Explaining the system to Liu Yifei will take time; there's no time for that much groundwork now.
Then we'll have to resort to force.
First, get the special ingredients. We can explain later. At worst, I'll get slapped.