“We’re a family of three, one unit is enough for us,” Han Wei was the first to speak.
“My daughter and I will take one unit,” Liu Dong followed.
“The two of us old folks will live together with our son,” Mother Chen also said.
Miao Suisui’s gaze fell once more on the three siblings.
All three of them were so thin they were little more than skin and bones, their faces so dirty that their original features were unrecognizable.
“How about you stay with me? My daughter happens to like a lively atmosphere,” Liu Dong suggested after thinking for a moment.
The older sister, who had remained silent the entire time, shook her head. “We’ve already caused you enough trouble. We can’t keep relying on you to take care of us. I have crystal cores, I can take care of my younger brother and sister.”
Everyone tried to persuade her for a while, but she was unusually firm, so they could only give up.
Chen Xu’s family and Han Wei’s family moved into Units 101 and 102 of Building B, while Liu Dong and the three siblings moved into Building C.
By the time everyone finished registering for their housing, it was already noon.
Everyone had paid one month’s worth of crystal cores, and each household also bought additional toiletries and two thick cotton quilts. Miao Suisui received 2,380 first level crystal cores. If Su Qingqing’s family’s purchase of toiletries and quilts was included, the total came to 2,398 first level crystal cores.
Upgrading the town to level three required one thousand first level crystal cores. After the upgrade, there were still 1,380 crystal cores remaining. Adding the rent Su Qingqing had previously paid, Miao Suisui instantly felt as though she had escaped poverty.
“The host must not become arrogant. The next upgrade will require five thousand first level crystal cores, you still need to work hard,” the system interjected at the right moment to pour cold water on her excitement.
Miao Suisui pursed her lips, and the pride she had just felt immediately deflated.
Su Qingqing and the others returned to their room and brought their family members along to tour their new home. Su Lanlan walked back and forth through the small house several times, yet still did not grow tired of looking at it. Her thin little face was filled with an excited smile.
“From now on, you and Lanlan sleep on the bed, I’ll just make a spot on the floor in the living room,” Su Qingqing said.
Although the floor was cement, it was still clean and tidy.
“That won’t do. You and Lanlan take the bed, your father and I will sleep on the floor,” Mother Su hurriedly refused.
“Mom, sleeping on the floor here isn’t like before. It’s not only spacious, we can even lay out a quilt, it’s soft,” Su Qingqing said with a smile as she patted the thick cotton quilt she had bought from the robot.
Mother Su checked it and found that it was indeed true, the cotton inside the quilt was fluffy, soft, and warm.
“Who would have thought that before we die, we’d get to live in a place like this,” Father Su said with emotion. The usually quiet and reserved man even choked up at this moment.
“Bah, bah, bah, don’t say such unlucky things,” Mother Su shot him a glare.
Su Qingqing and Su Lanlan exchanged a glance, then secretly covered their mouths and laughed.
On the other side, Han Wei helped Yu Juan sit on the edge of the bed. The soft texture made Yu Juan let out a small exclamation.
Han Wei had originally planned to roll up his sleeves and tidy up, but in the end, he found that everything in the room was already clean and orderly, leaving him with nothing to do. He could only pace back and forth a few times, then patted the soft bed. Finally, this grown man could not help but redden his eyes.
“This is wonderful, truly wonderful… from now on, our son and our little daughter won’t have to suffer hunger and cold with us anymore,” Han Wei’s voice trembled slightly.
“How do you know it’s definitely a daughter? If it’s a son, would you throw him away? Look at you, you’re such a grown man and you’re still crying. When our son comes out after his bath, he’ll laugh at you,” Yu Juan said with a smile as she wiped the tears from the corners of her eyes. “From now on, things will only get better for us.”
Han Wei nodded heavily.
At that moment, there was a knock on the door. When Han Wei opened it, he saw Su Qingqing and Su Lanlan standing outside.
Su Qingqing was holding a bowl of golden yellow chicken soup, with several pieces of chicken inside.
“This is for Sister Yu to nourish her body. Mayor Miao sells chicken and eggs, if you need them, you can go to her.”
“This, this is too valuable, you should keep it for yourselves,” Yu Juan quickly refused.
The aroma of the chicken soup drifted into her nose, and she subconsciously swallowed. It smelled far too good.
“It’s fine. Prices here are very cheap, you’ll understand after staying a few days. Also, my mom is especially good at making chicken soup. I’ve given some to others as well. I’ll leave the bowl here, you can return it after you’re done,” Su Qingqing said. Ever since arriving at Hope Town, she had shed some of the coldness she had when they first met, and now seemed more like a girl in the prime of her youth.
Su Qingqing turned and left. Han Wei wanted to call out to her, but Yu Juan stopped him. “Forget it, didn’t you notice? This girl wants to thank us. Next time we make something, we’ll send her a portion too.”
The three siblings also received a bowl of chicken soup. The three of them gathered around it and stared at it for a long while, greedily inhaling the aroma in the air.
“You two drink it. Big sister isn’t hungry,” the eldest sister, Sun Yu, swallowed and pushed the bowl toward her younger brother and sister.
The seven or eight year old boy, Sun Yong, was already somewhat sensible. Seeing this, he also pushed the chicken soup toward their younger sister.
Their five year old sister, Sun Yue, grinned as she held the bowl and took a sip. “It’s so fragrant, I’ve never had soup this delicious.”
After saying that, she took another big gulp, then reluctantly pushed the bowl toward her brother and sister. “I’m full, I can’t drink anymore.”
In the end, the three of them, their eyes red, each took turns drinking from the bowl until it was finished.
Leaving aside how excited those who had moved into their new homes felt, Miao Suisui settled the townspeople and then could not wait to return and check her upgrade information.
When she opened the system panel, she received a notification. The town had officially been upgraded to level three. The farm had unlocked seeds for two new vegetables, cabbage and tomatoes, and fruit trees had also been unlocked. Looking at the image of bright red apples, Miao Suisui did not hesitate to purchase ten saplings.
Poultry had unlocked ducks. Miao Suisui drooled as she bought forty and released them into the farm.
This time, the crude thatched huts did not increase in number. Instead, they had been upgraded into simple row houses.
The crude general store had also been upgraded into a simple general store.
More importantly, a crude restaurant had also been unlocked. Miao Suisui placed it next to the bakery.
In addition, since the town’s population had reached over ten people, another achievement had been unlocked. When she opened the achievement reward package, a three dimensional building appeared before her eyes, with a sign that read Hope Library.
Miao Suisui found this uniquely shaped library quite interesting. She dragged it and placed it opposite the general store.
After completing the town upgrade, Miao Suisui stepped out of her house. The previously empty space now had two colored steel fences, each with a one hour countdown.
The general store had become more spacious, and the shelves, which had once looked like they were about to fall apart, had become sturdy. There were also many more goods on them, including the instant noodles that Miao Suisui was familiar with.
Inside the bakery, an additional shelf had been added, displaying more bread in cute shapes.
The buildings surrounded by the colored steel fences were not yet completed, so Miao Suisui could only go and take a look at the upgraded row houses first. She went to Building D, which was unoccupied. The exterior of the houses had undergone a significant change, transforming from thatched huts into wooden structures, which looked much sturdier than before.
The upgraded houses were slightly larger. The bedroom, which had originally been connected to the living room, had become independent. The original bedroom area was now empty, where a curtain could be drawn to lay bedding on the floor. It was equivalent to having two bedrooms, so even families of three, four, five, or even six would not feel crowded.
Thinking of the families who had arrived today, Miao Suisui could not help but sigh. This was truly like sending charcoal in the snow.
The bathroom and living room had also become slightly larger. There was now an induction cooker for cooking, along with a pot and a spatula. Mother Su no longer needed to use a kettle to cook chicken soup. However, even when it was made in a kettle, the taste was still excellent. Miao Suisui licked her lips, her thoughts drifting off without realizing it.
This upgrade did not bring drastic changes, so the maintenance cost had increased by five first level crystal cores, making it twenty five per day, which came to seven hundred and thirty per month.
As she walked out of Building D, she saw Chen Xu standing there with a surprised expression. When Chen Xu saw Miao Suisui, he immediately ran over.
“Mayor Miao, our house suddenly… suddenly changed,” Chen Xu said, stammering slightly.
“Sorry about that, I forgot to notify you. Our town upgrades periodically. It will continue to develop in the future, and more facilities will appear. There’s no need to panic, this is normal. Once you see it more often, you’ll get used to it.”
After hearing Miao Suisui’s explanation, the town seemed even more mysterious in Chen Xu’s eyes.
However, since it did not affect anything, he did not press further. After all, there was no better base than Hope Town. He bought a bag of rice, a bag of flour, chicken, and several kinds of vegetables from Miao Suisui, then carried them home.
After that, Miao Suisui patiently explained the same matter to Han Wei, Liu Dong, and Su Qingqing as well.
As for the additional five first level crystal cores per day, they quickly accepted it.
Watching their departing figures, Miao Suisui let out a long breath.
An hour soon passed, and the colored steel fences sank into the ground.
The crude restaurant consisted of a pushcart with several tables and chairs placed in front. It looked very much like those unlicensed roadside stalls.
A robot wearing a strawberry apron and a chef’s hat stood in front of the cart. Beside it was a self service ordering machine. Miao Suisui walked over to take a look. The ordering machine clearly listed the dishes and their prices.
The menu was divided into breakfast and lunch or dinner. Breakfast included familiar items such as buns, steamed buns, and noodles. One bun cost two first level crystal cores, one steamed bun cost one first level crystal core, and a bowl of noodles cost five first level crystal cores.
Lunch was more varied. Braised chicken with potatoes cost ten first level crystal cores, chicken soup cost ten first level crystal cores, braised duck cost ten first level crystal cores, tomato scrambled eggs cost eight first level crystal cores, shredded potatoes cost five first level crystal cores, and there were also boiled corn, boiled eggs, and more.
The ingredients were all transported from the farm, so the variety of dishes was not very extensive, with only a few options repeated.
For someone like Miao Suisui, whose cooking skills were average and who was also lazy, this restaurant was perfectly suitable.
The library was a tall structure shaped like a treehouse, with one side higher and the other lower. Upon entering, it revealed a surprising interior. On the taller side, there was a spiral staircase in the middle, and from bottom to top, the walls were embedded with bookshelves filled with all kinds of books, extending all the way to the ceiling.
The lower side was the children’s reading area. The bookshelves there were much shorter, all within reach of children. There were many storybooks, picture books, and encyclopedias such as “One Hundred Thousand Whys.”
Because it was a space for children to read, the walls and floors were more brightly colored. There were even cartoon characters painted on the ground, giving the place a strong sense of childlike charm.