God-Tier Get Rich System – CH78

Chapter 78: New House Completed

Two chickens were stewed together with potatoes and green beans, filling an entire pot with mouthwatering aroma.

Xu Huazhang used a serving ladle to scoop two spoonfuls each into his and Mu Lantu’s bowls.

“Lantu and I have to talk to the team leader soon, so we need to eat quickly.”

No one else objected—nor dared to. After all, the two wild chickens had been their contribution.

Mu Lantu had also contributed a jar of fermented bean curd, perfect as a condiment with rice. Since tonight’s dinner included good dishes, they hadn’t dared open it earlier, saving it for a plainer meal.

After finishing dinner, Mu Lantu and Xu Huazhang returned to the dormitory to grab a few things, then left with a flashlight in hand, bringing along Wang Cai, their dog.

The others knew they were going to discuss building a house, and their expressions varied.

“Comrade Miao, is Xu planning to build a house with Comrade Mu? They’re not including you?” Bai Ningning asked Miao Jiaze.

Miao Jiaze didn’t respond. He figured it was better to spend that time eating a few more pieces of meat.

By then, the sky was completely dark, and the moon hung overhead.

Mu Lantu and Xu Huazhang didn’t go directly to the team leader’s house, nor did they use the flashlight. Instead, they walked outside the village, guided only by the moonlight.

Once they reached a hidden corner, Mu Lantu had 005 monitor the area and then took out three boxes of rice, three boxes of braised pork, and three boxes of light stir-fried vegetables from his system’s space.

Each of them—two people and a dog—got one portion.

Mu Lantu’s system space was incredibly powerful. It was divided into five types: time-flowing (same as outside), time-stopped, refrigerated, frozen, and for living beings. Each space was infinitely large.

In his previous world, Mu Lantu had opened nearly a hundred Lantu Supermarkets and often traveled abroad. He’d stored an enormous quantity of supplies—easily worth hundreds of billions.

However, to avoid drawing attention, he kept ready-made food relatively limited.

The braised pork, stir-fried veggies, and hot rice were just a few of those items.

Mu Lantu and Xu Huazhang had large appetites—they didn’t feel full until they’d eaten two boxes of rice.

Wang Cai benefited too, eating until its belly was round. It happily hopped around them.

This was the most satisfying meal Xu Huazhang had had in days. He even picked Mu Lantu up and spun him around a few times.

Mu Lantu let him fool around until he was done, then asked, “What should we give the team leader? We shouldn’t leave out the accountant and party secretary either.”

Xu Huazhang set him down. “Those ration coupons are limited. Better not give those. Let’s just give supplies, but not too much—don’t want to seem like pushovers. How about one jin of brown sugar and a piece of cotton fabric for each family?”

Mu Lantu took the items out, removed the original packaging from the sugar, wrapped it in white paper, then in cotton cloth. They made three identical bundles and placed them all into an unmarked cloth bag.

When they arrived at the team leader’s house and knocked, someone quickly came to the door.

“Aunt Chunhua, sorry to bother you this late,” Xu Huazhang said, knowing Mu Lantu didn’t recognize the person and taking the lead.

Mu Lantu followed with a greeting. To avoid startling Chunhua with Wang Cai, he deliberately patted the dog and said, “Wang Cai, this is the team leader’s house. Don’t bark or run around.”

Chunhua really hadn’t noticed the dog until then. Hearing his words, she looked down and saw Wang Cai sitting quietly, tongue out, not barking or moving. She smiled warmly and took Mu Lantu’s hand affectionately.

“Come in, come in. This is the dog you brought, Comrade Mu? So well-behaved!”

The other members of the Zhang household were likely giving them privacy—only Zhang Jianxin was in the main room, smoking on the kang bed.

“You’re here. Come, have a seat,” Zhang Jianxin said casually, more relaxed than during the day, and pointed at the kang.

Mu Lantu placed the cloth bag on the table. “Uncle Zhang, from now on we’ll be members of the Dongfanghong brigade. Please take care of us. This is a small gift from us. Two of the parcels are for the accountant and the party secretary—would you mind passing them on?”

Zhang Jianxin nodded, seeing that they had prepared gifts for the others as well. He didn’t make things difficult.

“Since you’re part of our brigade now, we’ll treat you as our own. No problem at all.”

Aunt Chunhua brought over two cups of tea. “Comrade Xu, Comrade Mu, have some tea.”

They both thanked her and accepted the tea with both hands.

Mu Lantu continued, “Comrade Xu and I are old acquaintances and want to build a house together. Can we be granted a slightly larger plot?”

Zhang Jianxin laughed. “No problem. We have plenty of land for homesteads in the village. Take as much as you need. I’d actually prefer you build something bigger.”

After all, once they returned to the city, the house would remain.

Mu Lantu joked, “I’d love to, but that depends on how much money we have.”

Zhang Jianxin nodded with a smile. “How big are you planning to build? Oh, and if you’re building, do it next to the youth center. Either east or west side is fine—your choice.”

That was what Mu Lantu had in mind too. Normally, for privacy’s sake, he and Xu Huazhang would’ve preferred to be farther from everyone. But in this era, it was better to stay close to the group for access to news and information.

“We’ll build on the west side. As for the size, I’ll need to draw up the blueprint first.”

Zhang Jianxin leaned forward, clearly intrigued.

“Comrade Mu, you can draw blueprints?”

Mu Lantu modestly replied, “I just enjoy reading books. I draw casually based on what I’ve seen—nothing professional, just enough for me to understand.”

He hadn’t expected the architectural drafting skills he’d learned in the previous world would come in handy so soon.

“We’ll also need your help later, Uncle Zhang, to calculate how much material, labor, and money we’ll need. If possible, we’d love it if you could help us find someone to oversee the project. We’ll pay fair wages and provide meals. We don’t know much about any of this, so we’ll rely on you.”

Zhang Jianxin thought of his son and daughter-in-law who could help, and didn’t mind at all.

“Sure, I’ll take care of it.”

Mu Lantu also mentioned wanting to temporarily house Wang Cai somewhere. The dog didn’t need to be fed—he and Xu would handle that—they just needed a secure place to keep him.

Aunt Chunhua chimed in, “Wang Cai seems really obedient. Since coming in, he’s just sat there quietly, like a well-behaved child. I really like him. If you don’t mind, leave him with me.”

Mu Lantu was happy with that arrangement. He didn’t trust anyone else.

To others, Wang Cai might look like a chunk of meat.

Zhang Jianxin had no objections either.

Back at the youth center, Du Xuewen and the others were still awake. They planned to go to the county to buy supplies the next day and asked if Mu Lantu wanted to join.

He didn’t need anything for now, so he didn’t go with them. But the next morning, he woke early and spent an hour drawing up the house blueprint, then brought it to the team leader.

Xu Huazhang had taken another day off. Now that he had reunited with Mu Lantu, he wanted to stay by his side constantly—afraid that if he so much as blinked, Lantu would vanish.

The blueprint was drawn by Mu Lantu after the two discussed every detail.

Each part of the house, including materials to be used, was clearly labeled.

It was still early when they arrived at the team office, and the team leader, party secretary, and accountant were all present.

The latter two had received their gifts the night before and were very warm toward the pair.

After reviewing the blueprint, the team leader nodded repeatedly, then passed it to the others.

Though the design looked refined, it didn’t come across as “luxurious”—Mu Lantu had intentionally chosen inexpensive materials like wood, straw, and stone.

The accountant and secretary saw how clever the boy was and smiled approvingly. A low-key design was ideal.

As for bricks and tiles, the brigade could issue a letter of introduction, allowing them to buy directly from the county brickyard.

If the brickyard had a backlog of orders, it might take a bit longer.

The team leader also suggested they try greasing the wheels with the brickyard leadership.

Mu Lantu got the message and brought a small gift to the manager. Within a few days, the materials were delivered.

Construction began the next day.

The team leader’s eldest son managed the entire process, the secretary’s daughter-in-law handled cooking and tea, and the accountant’s son managed the books.

Mu Lantu paid each worker 0.2 yuan per day and provided lunch.

Lunch always included one meat dish—either wild chicken, wild rabbit, or fish. Always something hearty.

The wild chickens and rabbits were caught by Mu Lantu in the mountains.

Technically, all resources belonged to the collective during this era, but the Dongfanghong brigade wasn’t too strict. Villagers who caught wild animals under 10 kilograms were allowed to keep them.

No one would go so far as to report someone—doing so would earn you round-the-clock scrutiny. And who didn’t have secrets of their own?

Mu Lantu was good with people. Every few days during the construction, he sent a small bowl of meat or meat broth to the youth center folks.

Half a month later, the new house was dried and ready to move into.

Everyone—villagers and fellow youths—came to take a look.

Mu Lantu had prepared for this, giving Aunt Chunhua a bag of hard candy and a bag of sunflower seeds. Anyone over 16 could take a small handful of seeds; those under 16 got two cheap candies each.

Everyone, young and old, left happy.

Mu Lantu and Xu Huazhang let them look around freely. Once they’d seen it, the novelty would wear off.

Inside, aside from the kang bed and some cabinets built into it, there wasn’t much to see.

The house faced south, like the youth center. Entering through the front door, the firewood shed was on the left, and the storage room on the right. Both rooms had windows facing the yard for privacy.

Along the wall shared with the youth center was a rain corridor—convenient for rainy days and for blocking prying eyes.

The roof of the corridor wasn’t tiled but made of wood, straw, and fertilizer bags, nailed tightly and connected to the porch in front of the dining room.

The dining room had a kang bed. In winter, it would be warm for meals and rest.

A small door on the north side of the dining room led to Mu Lantu’s bedroom, Xu Huazhang’s bedroom, the washing/bathing room, and the backyard. Another small door on the east side led to the kitchen.

Each room was about 10 square meters—small but efficient.