Su Yi returned to her temporarily drafty thatched hut. Looking at the dilapidated little shack before her, she could already picture its post-renovation appearance, and a silly, priceless grin spread across her face.
After running around to two different households, the blazing sun was now high in the sky. Shaking her head at how hot it was, Su Yi quickly took out an ice cream bar to eat. The moment she took a bite, a rich chocolate aroma instantly exploded between her lips and teeth. “Ah—this is the exact flavor, so fragrant!” Su Yi ate with a face full of utter satisfaction.
“It’s only noon. What should I do next? The house repairs start tomorrow, so I won’t go anywhere else today. Why don’t I just make some delicious food, and after eating, I’ll take the rest of the day off? I haven’t had a proper rest since I arrived in this world!”
After finishing her ice cream, Su Yi rolled up her sleeves and prepared to make lunch. She planned to toss a cold salad and stir-fry some pork with green peppers—two dishes would be plenty. Using her thoughts, she prepped the ingredients directly within her dimension, then brought them out to toss and stir-fry.
These two dishes were a piece of cake for Su Yi! Besides, with the ingredients already prepped, everything was completely under control. Ten minutes later, the two dishes were on the table, accompanied by a glass of iced cola and a bowl of rice.
“This meal is absolutely magnificent! Meat, veggies, and a beverage—this is truly a life happier than an immortal’s!” With that, Su Yi dug in.
“This is the life!” Su Yi lamented contentedly.
Su Yi took a bite of meat followed by a bite of veggies, occasionally taking a sip of the iced cola. She wasn’t hot at all; right beside her, a fan she had brought out from her dimension was humming away.
After lunch, Su Yi quickly tidied up and entered her dimension.
Upon entering, Su Yi looked all around to inspect her things. She hadn’t given the plants in her dimension a proper look in two days. The peach trees had grown and were starting to bear peaches; the apple, plum, and other trees she had plucked from the forest had fruited yet again; the ginseng and lingzhi looked as if they had grown for over a century; and the other medicinal herbs were bursting with vitality.
“Not bad! Not bad at all! If I sell all of these, I’ll make an absolute fortune. But I can’t sell everything, I need to keep some. These aren’t like the supermarket where stocks can be replenished at any time. It would be amazing if these medicinal herbs could automatically multiply on their own!”
“Time to plant the vegetables!” Su Yi said, immediately getting to work.
Tilling the soil, sowing the seeds, and watering them with spiritual spring water, Su Yi worked rapidly. These tasks weren’t foreign to her; she used to help out around her grandparents when she was a child.
Once she finished her chores, Su Yi completely let herself go. She stayed inside her dimension until the next morning, leaving only after she was fully rested and energized.
The moment she exited the dimension, Su Yi packed away everything that didn’t fit into this world’s setting, and hid her valuables. After all, her current persona was that of a girl who had spent all her money to buy land and build a house; she couldn’t appear too wealthy. Having just some basic items to get by was enough. She couldn’t be too eye-catching, lest people start plotting against her.
Before long, Cao Guihua arrived with the workers.
“Girl Su, you’re up! These are the men who will fix your house and lay the walls. There are eight of them in total, and this is my son, Zhou Jianglai. If there’s anything you don’t understand, you can ask him. Just tell them your requirements and they can start working!” Cao Guihua said with a face full of smiles.
“Thank you, Auntie! Here are a few apples for you to take back for the kids. I found them nearby!” As Su Yi spoke, she handed Cao Guihua a cloth bag filled with apples from that batch in the forest. The new ones in her dimension hadn’t ripened yet, and the ones from the supermarket would look too out of place.
Seeing that it wasn’t anything overly valuable, Cao Guihua accepted it.
“Girl Su, you get busy then. I’m heading out!”
After seeing Cao Guihua off, Su Yi explained her requirements to the workers: “I want to repair this thatched hut and turn it into a bedroom, build a kitchen, a main hall, and then raise the courtyard walls to two meters high!”
“Sister Su, your requests aren’t difficult, and we have plenty of hands. However, we’ll need to buy the materials, as there are none readily available here,” Zhou Jianglai said.
“How much will it cost? Can I trouble someone to go buy them?”
“Sure. I’ll have a friend go buy them for you. It’ll be quick and should arrive by noon. It will cost three liang of silver.”
“Here you go. Then I’ll trouble you, Brother Zhou,” Su Yi said, handing the money straight to him.
“I’ll be troubling everyone then. If you get thirsty, feel free to eat some fruits! I’m going to wander around the mountains!” Su Yi completely acted as a hands-off boss. She trusted Auntie Cao, and besides, most people in this era were simple, kind, and unlikely to slack off or cheat her.
Su Yi honestly didn’t know what to do just sitting there with a bunch of grown men. It was better to explore the mountains; who knows, she might discover some good stuff!
Su Yi didn’t return until the sun began to dip below the horizon. When she saw the progress of the construction, she was genuinely shocked. The thatched hut had already been repaired, the kitchen was done, and only the main hall and courtyard walls were left. The workers were still hard at work.
“Thank you for your hard work, everyone. I found some more pears to quench your thirst. Here are today’s wages. Once you receive your pay, you can head back for the day!” Hearing this, everyone stopped their tasks, took their wages one by one, and left.
Su Yi repeatedly insisted that they take the pears, then turned to Zhou Jianglai and asked, “Brother Zhou, was the money for the materials enough?”
“It was enough, just right. It matched my estimate perfectly, so don’t worry! The workers are all doing their best; my mother explicitly instructed me to look out for you.”
“Thank you so much! Here is your wage, forty copper coins. You really did me a massive favor today, otherwise I wouldn’t even know where to buy the materials. Don’t refuse it!”
“Then thank you, Sister Su.” Seeing that Su Yi was offering it sincerely, Zhou Jianglai accepted the money.
Su Yi didn’t forget to make sure Zhou Jianglai took some pears too, ensuring everyone got four or five. These pears had been soaked in spiritual spring water, which would at least help relieve their fatigue. It wasn’t that she was unwilling to give them the dimension’s own produce, but those trees simply hadn’t fruited yet.
After sending away all the workers, Su Yi didn’t plan to rest outside. Instead, she decided to sleep inside her dimension. After all, the newly built rooms hadn’t been cleaned yet; she planned to clean everything at once after completion. Still, she had to keep up appearances. Where else could a young girl go to rest if not here? Su Yi quickly put up a believable facade and flashed into her dimension.
For two consecutive days, Su Yi did exactly this—leaving early, returning late, and sleeping inside her dimension at night.
It wasn’t until the third day that she stayed behind to keep an eye on everything. By today, the project was almost completely finished, with only a small section of the courtyard wall left to be laid. Su Yi asked them to clear the weeds inside the courtyard and around the perimeter, and also had the workers build a thatched outhouse for her in a corner.
Around three o’clock in the afternoon, it was entirely completed.
“Thank you, everyone. Here are your wages!” Su Yi handed the money to the eight workers with a bright smile.
“No need to be so polite, Sister Su. We’ll head out first!” After Zhou Jianglai spoke to Su Yi, he left the small courtyard along with the rest of the men.
Su Yi watched them leave before she began organizing her new home. She swept and scrubbed the place inside and out; only after it was spotlessly clean could she start moving things out from her dimension.
Su Yi began organizing the bedroom first. For the time being, she could only set up her large earthen bed. She didn’t dare bring out the things in her dimension that were too modern, as they would be far too conspicuous.
She planned to go to the county town in a few days to purchase a dressing table and a wardrobe. The furniture she bought last time was all currently displayed inside her dimension.
Since the bedroom was such a private space, very few people would ever enter, so using slightly better things there wouldn’t hurt. Her handicraft items just needed to be used on the surface for show.
Moving on to the kitchen, Su Yi installed one large and one small pot directly onto the stove. Next to the stove, she placed a small cupboard she had made herself, stocking it with some bowls, plates, and chopsticks.
Against the wall stood a large cabinet, inside of which she placed some rice, flour, grains, and oil.
Tables and stools for dining were an absolute must. Su Yi set up a small table and three tiny stools—one each for herself and the two little babies!
Su Yi then came to her small living room with a very clear purpose. She arranged a slightly larger table and four chairs she had handcrafted herself; if any guests ever visited, she could properly receive them here. Beside it, she placed a cabinet about a meter high to store miscellaneous items.
With that, Su Yi’s house was completely arranged.
Su Yi walked out into the courtyard. Looking at her firmly shut courtyard gate beneath the star-studded night sky, her heart filled with a profound sense of security. She felt the small courtyard was exceptionally cozy at this moment, even though it wasn’t fully landscaped or furnished yet.
“Tomorrow, I’ll clear a tiny vegetable patch in the yard and plant some common vegetables. That way, my vegetables will have a believable source. Otherwise, if people notice me constantly bringing out items out of nowhere, what if they mistake me for a fat sheep to be fleeced? After all, my current persona is an orphaned girl who spent her entire net worth to buy land and build a house! I have to maintain this persona firmly!”
“Even though the courtyard walls are two meters high now, what if some persistent thieves try to cause trouble? It’s better to plant broken glass shards along the top of the walls. It saves a lot of trouble!”
After drawing up a simple plan for the courtyard, Su Yi excitedly walked into the kitchen to prepare her very first grand feast in her new home.