Apocalyptic Hoarding Diary

Chapter 440: Construction Begins

An older man spoke first, his voice soft and somewhat tentative: "You'll get it as soon as it's completed? And you'll even get an extra bowl of wood ear mushrooms?"

"Yes, but the cabin needs to be habitable by tomorrow at the latest. We'll probably have to stay up all night tonight. Can you accept that?"

"Besides, I cut and move the wood myself; I don't care about the intermediate steps, I only care about the result."

Another, younger man straightened up from the wall, stubbed out his cigarette on the doorframe, and his eyes brightened, as if he had already mentally calculated the cost:

"Are you sure there are two compressed biscuits?"

"Yes," Xu Xiaoyan nodded.

"Would you like another bowl of cooked wood ear mushrooms?"

"kindness".

The four of them exchanged another glance.

The older one took the first step, pulled his hand out of his pocket, patted it on his trouser leg, and stretched it out to Xu Xiaoyan. "Okay, let's do it. When do we start?"

"Now," Xu Xiaoyan reached out and shook hands with him. His palms were rough, his knuckles were thick, and his grip was strong, indicating that he was someone who worked hard all year round.

"You can handle the timber yourselves. I'll find a place near the trading point. By tomorrow at the latest, I want to see four walls and a roof."

"You'll definitely see it first thing tomorrow morning," the older man said, having already zipped up his coat.

He pulled his rain hat over his head, turned, and headed towards the hillside. "I'm going to cut down trees. Old Wang, you go find someone to borrow a saw. Old Li, you—"

He assigned tasks as he walked, his voice broken by the sound of rain, but his enthusiasm for work was not dampened by the rain at all.

The other two also moved, one bending down to pick up the axe leaning against the corner of the wall.

One of them quickly pulled a measuring tape from his backpack and tucked it behind his waist.

The four people quickly disappeared into the rain, heading towards the undisturbed mixed forest on the hillside.

Xu Xiaoyan stood there, watching the four figures become increasingly blurry in the rain, finally merging into the gray-green shadows of the trees.

The four of them built the cabin much faster than Xu Xiaoyan had expected.

Several people carried the sawn timber down the hillside one after another. Everyone was soaked, with rainwater dripping down their clothes, but their steps were unwavering.

The older man, known as "Old Wang," walked at the front, carrying a pine log as thick as a bowl on his shoulder.

Rainwater flowed down the grain of the wood, leaving a wet trail behind him.

The three people behind them were also busy. One was carrying planks, another was holding a bundle of whittled logs, and the third was carrying an axe and a saw. As they walked, they turned around and called for the people behind them to follow.

Xu Xiaoyan chose an open space not far to the east of the trading point, less than 20 meters from the main road. The land was higher than the surrounding area, so it would not accumulate water when it rained.

They put down the timber, stood in the rain, looked around, nodded to each other, and that was considered an approval of the site selection.

Blue Moon was already standing on that open space, wearing the large waterproof cloth she had just exchanged at the trading point. She was protected from the rain, but her feet were already covered in mud.

She was clutching a densely written note in her hand, a list of materials that Xu Xiaoyan had hastily prepared before leaving home.

Nails, hammers, saws, hinges, wire, bolts... item by item, the handwriting is messy but the items are clearly marked.

Lan Yue stuffed the note into her pocket, turned around and ran back to the trading point, where the same three burly men were still on duty.

When the square-faced man saw Lan Yue rush in, soaking wet, he didn't ask any questions. He just raised his chin, indicating that she should just say what she wanted to say.

Lan Yue slammed the note on the counter and rattled off a long list of things:

"Fifty two-inch nails; a hammer; a saw; two meters of wire; two sets of hinges; and a bolt."

The square-faced man glanced down at the note, then turned and began rummaging through the shelves behind him.

The trading point had a decent inventory, but it wasn't a hardware store after all. While they had many items, the quantity and specifications might not match. He put everything he could find on the counter one by one.

Lan Yue counted everything one by one and wrapped the items in waterproof cloth.

When he reached the "hinge," the square-faced man's hand stopped.

He rummaged through the upper shelves, then squatted down to rummage through the lower shelves, moved a few cardboard boxes aside to look at them, and finally stood up and shook his head.

"We don't have hinges. I've seen a few pairs of these before, but they were replaced a long time ago and we haven't been able to restock them."

Lan Yue paused for a moment, then frowned. Without hinges, the door couldn't be installed. She couldn't possibly move the entire door panel back and forth every time she went in and out, could she?

She opened her mouth, wanting to say something, but seeing the square-faced man's "no means no" expression, she swallowed her words back.

The trading point is not a supermarket; stockouts are the norm, and she was already mentally prepared for that.

"Alright then, I'll exchange whatever I have." Lan Yue packed the things, swiped her points, and ran back to the construction site with the heavy bag of materials in her arms.

Old Wang was squatting on the ground using wooden stakes to mark the four corners of the house when he saw the big bag in Lan Yue's arms. His eyes lit up. He had been waiting for a while for the work to start.

He planted the wooden stake in the ground, stood up, patted the mud off his hands, and walked towards Blue Moon.

The other three people also came over, chattering as they examined the tools and materials.

"We should have enough nails," Old Wang nodded, then rummaged through the bag of wire. "We also have enough wire." After searching for a while, he suddenly looked up, his gaze lingering on Lan Yue's face. "Where are the hinges?"

Blue Moon shrugged: "The trading point doesn't have hinges; they said they haven't been able to restock."

Old Wang was silent for a few seconds, his brows furrowed slightly, but he quickly relaxed.

He looked down at the pile of timber, then at the vacant lot that had been temporarily requisitioned, seemingly quickly going through the construction plan in his mind.

Then he raised his head, his tone carrying the kind of unwavering confidence that only an old carpenter would have: "There's always a way to overcome difficulties."

"If there are no hinges, then let's make a manual door," Old Wang squatted down and drew a simple diagram on the muddy ground with his finger.

"Drill two holes on both sides of the door frame, and drill two corresponding holes in the door panel. Find two pieces of hardwood and carve them into door hinges. Insert one end into the hole in the door frame and the other end into the hole in the door panel, one at the top and one at the bottom."

This way, the door can both turn and be lifted down at any time, making it even sturdier than a hinge.

As he spoke, he gestured with his hands, making a rotating motion with both hands, as if demonstrating an old-fashioned wooden door being pushed open.

The young man next to him leaned over for a glance, nodded, and added:

"It's the kind of old-fashioned wooden door that doesn't use hinges, it turns on a pivot. It's a bit noisy when you open and close it, but it won't break."

Lan Yue understood the gist of it, but not entirely. However, seeing that everyone else nodded in agreement, she nodded as well.

"Okay, then let's make a manual door. You guys start working on it first, and let me know if you need anything else, and I'll go and change it."