Chapter 80: The Villagers’ New Houses

Chapter 80: Chapter 80: The Villagers’ New Houses

Yun Zhen knew they were shocked. "I’m not mistaken. The new houses I found for everyone are indeed made of cloth. But don’t worry about whether they can block the wind, keep us warm, or repel water. I’ve seen these houses with my own eyes. They can stand firmly against wind and snow. The outside is so smooth, like it’s been coated with oil, that water drops would probably just slide right off!

"These kinds of houses are called tents.

"One costs four hundred cents!"

Yun Xiu asked his daughter, "Books say that when soldiers go on military campaigns, they set up camp using tents made of linen. The cloth is brushed with tung oil to be waterproof, and lined with animal fur for warmth. There are also rumors that in the distant northern grasslands, nomadic tribes live in tent houses made of wool. Zhen Niang, could it be that the tent houses you brought are like the military camps or the tents used by the people of the northern grasslands?"

He still had some concerns. "But the books also say that neither military tents nor the grassland tents can withstand intense wind and snow. If the wind blows a bit harder, they’ll even be blown away!"

Yun Zhen knew that mere words wouldn’t convince him. "Dad, just set one up tomorrow and test it out. You’ll know then if the tents I brought can block the wind and keep out the cold like I said."

Yun Old Lady spoke up for her daughter, "When has Zhen Niang ever brought back anything bad? Old man, just listen to your daughter. All your concerns come from reading books. Didn’t you say yourself that books can sometimes be deceiving and shouldn’t be fully trusted?"

That was true. Yun Xiu rubbed his nose awkwardly.

Tian Ergou chimed in, "I believe the Goddess! Besides, the houses the Goddess brings from the Immortal Realm are definitely far better than mortal ones!"

After the Goddess’s explanation, even Zhou Dashan defected to her side. "What’s wrong with houses made of cloth? My mother used to tell me stories that Immortals live in houses made of paper, and even houses made of leaves. If paper and leaves can be made into houses, why can’t cloth? I believe the Goddess!"

Li Cuilan, who also enjoyed listening to her husband tell stories, agreed, "I believe the Goddess too!"

The village head also accepted it. The Goddess’s mother was right—when had the Goddess ever brought back anything bad?

He told the villagers, "The things the Goddess brings are all divine items. Take the stoves from last time, where she told everyone to dig a hole in the wall. We all knew that digging a hole in the house during freezing weather was like seeking death, so everyone hesitated for a long time. And the result? We bit the bullet and opened a bowl-sized hole in the wall, lit the stove, and the house became as warm as summer. The divine items from the Immortal Realm cannot be judged by our mortal eyes!"

Hearing this, Yun Xiu felt he hadn’t thought things through as clearly as the village head and felt deeply ashamed.

"Zhen Niang, Dad believes you too."

Seeing that everyone had pretty much accepted the idea, Yun Zhen took out a stack of blueprints and handed them to her father, the village head, and the others. "These are the blueprints for setting up the tent houses. The Shopkeeper in the Immortal Realm calls them instruction manuals.

"Dad, pass them out so everyone can take a look."

Yun Xiu and the village head distributed them to the crowd.

There were thirty copies of the blueprints, which the villagers passed around to share. Even if they couldn’t read the words, they could understand the drawn steps for setting up the tents. Those who understood them immediately exclaimed at how wondrous it all was.

The more Yun Xiu and the village head looked, the more astounded they became. They couldn’t wait for daybreak. The tents depicted on the blueprints looked so much like real houses.

The literate villagers stumbled through reading the words next to the tent diagrams aloud.

"First, find a flat piece of land. The ground needs to be dry and sheltered from the wind. It cannot be built next to puddles, nor on a steep slope.

"Clean up the ground. There shouldn’t be a single piece of gravel or a twig. Lay the matching cloth on the ground to prevent moisture. Place the ground beams, connect the four-way joints, and set up the roof frame. Arrange the three A-frames in a row from front to back.

"Spread the roof tarpaulin. The right side should face up, and the door should face the front. Let the four sides hang down evenly.

"Tighten the straps at the corners of the tent. The pegs must be driven in at an angle, or else the tent will collapse.

"Align the pillars with the roof frame joints, lift the roof frame, and insert the pillars into the square base frame so they hang straight down. This is the most crucial step.

"There’s one more step. The ropes need to be pulled taut and secured to the pegs. Then, even a force-eight gale won’t blow it away. A force-eight gale... what kind of wind is that?"

One of the men chimed in, "Once the tent is set up, we can move in. I suggest everyone lay a layer of thatch over the floor, otherwise the ground cloth will get dirty."

Yun Zhen had been listening to their enthusiastic discussion about setting up the tents, but when someone suggested laying thatch on the cloth, she immediately objected. "No! We’ll be using stoves inside the tents later. If sparks from the stove fall onto the ground and catch the thatch, it’ll start a fire. It’s not safe!

"Just follow the instructions on the blueprints to set up the tents," she emphasized. "Although the tents have been treated to be fireproof and waterproof, nothing is absolute. As for the floor cloth, if it gets dirty from being stepped on, so be it. Just sweep it clean regularly. We’re not going to live in tent houses for the rest of our lives. Once the snow stops and the sun comes out, we’ll still build real houses."

Reminded by the Goddess, everyone suddenly snapped to their senses. They really had to listen to her.

The face of the man who had made the suggestion instantly turned pale. He quickly apologized, "Goddess, I meant no harm. I’m just short-sighted and foolish. I didn’t think that far ahead."

Yun Zhen shook her head and comforted him, "It’s alright, I know you didn’t mean any harm. Since you can read, please continue explaining the tent setup methods to everyone."

Receiving the Goddess’s forgiveness, the man finally felt relieved. This time, he didn’t try to be clever. He followed exactly what was written on the blueprints and explained how to set up the tents to the crowd. Everyone listened in rapt attention, wishing it were already tomorrow so they could move into their new houses.

Yun Xiu suggested, "Tomorrow, let’s clear the snow from the threshing floor and set up the tents there. It’s flat, won’t have puddles, and has fewer loose stones. We’ll clean it thoroughly. When driving in the pegs, we can pour hot water on the ground to thaw it a bit so the pegs go in easily. After freezing overnight, I guarantee the pegs will be as sturdy as if they grew out of the ground."

The village head pondered for a moment before nodding. "That’s a good suggestion. I also have an idea. Let’s place the Goddess’s tent in the middle, and set up all the village tents in a circle around hers. However, we’ll still have to check the wind direction. If the wind and snow are too strong, tents facing a certain direction will be affected. In that case, we should all pitch our tents facing the same direction, with the doors and windows on one side."

Everyone agreed with this proposal.

Yun Zhen shared her own thoughts. "There’s no need to put me in the middle. Besides the residential tents I bought for everyone, I also bought three larger ones. One will be used as a kitchen, one as a storage room for miscellaneous items that won’t fit in your own tents, and the last one as a village meeting hall. Let’s arrange all the residential tents in an outer circle and place the larger tents on the inside in a triangle formation. We’ll leave a large empty space in the very center, big enough to hold the whole village. That way, when the snow stops, we can let the elders and children walk around in there without having to worry.

"Leave a wide step of distance between each tent to make it easy for everyone to get in and out, and to allow for some privacy."

After speaking, she looked at the bright-eyed villagers. "If anyone else has any ideas, feel free to speak up. As long as it’s safe, we can consider adopting them."

"Goddess, I have an idea! We should build a fence around the outside of the tents."

"A wooden fence isn’t safe enough. We should build a high stone wall and leave one or two gates for coming and going. If starving wild boars come down from the mountain and charge into the village, a stone wall will block them and keep everyone safe."

"We could smear mud between the stones to make the wall sturdier, and stick sharpened wooden spikes on top!"

Although they had yet to experience living in the tents, everyone was filled with the joy of building their new homes.