The RV continued its journey, stopping frequently. The stones on the road became more numerous, and the path was uphill, often requiring someone to get out and move rocks to clear the way. Chen Lan and the others drove on like this, bumping and jolting for another two hours. Dusk had fallen! They couldn't drive any further; it was too dangerous to be in such a desolate area at night.
Chen Lan used the system to search for water within a 500-meter radius. A small stream was found not far ahead, flowing down from the mountains. Chen Lan instructed Xiang Xi to stop the RV 50 meters ahead.
She then told Xiang Xi, "We'll make do here tonight. We should reach our destination in about an hour tomorrow. The road is just bad. If we repair it in the future, we could cut the travel time in half."
Xiang Xi nodded and found a relatively open spot to park.
Chen Lan quickly got out of the RV. In front of the vehicle, while talking to Xiang Xi, she retrieved items from the system: a large pot, three heads of cabbage, a basket of eggs, ten bundles of noodles. Chen Lan considered the noodles might not be enough, so she took out five more bundles. She also took out a large piece of pork belly, weighing about five pounds.
Chen Lan said, "Little Watermelon, let's have noodles tonight! It'll be faster. It's getting dark, and it's not safe in the wild at night."
Xiang Xi eagerly agreed, "Okay! Okay! I'll go get them to start digging a stove and gather firewood." He then ran off.
Soon, everyone was busy. The men dug a stove and collected firewood, while the women washed vegetables and cut meat and other ingredients. All the preparations were completed in less than half an hour.
The rest was up to the head chef, Grandma. Chen Lan didn't need to worry about it anymore.
While everyone was preparing, Chen Lan had asked Xiang Xi to turn on the headlights of all the vehicles. The area within a 50-meter radius was now as bright as day. Chen Lan also used the search function to check for any large predators within a 500-meter range. She found none, which greatly eased her mind. She had brought so many people to this wild land to help them build a better life, not to lose their lives.
Soon, the aroma of meat filled the air. A steaming, hearty pot of noodles with pork slices, eggs, and cabbage was served.
Instantly, slurping sounds echoed all around as everyone ate the noodles. The large pot was quickly emptied.
Chen Lan hurried to ladle a bowl for herself. "Mmm, it's so delicious," she thought. "Savory, fragrant, perfectly seasoned. The noodles had absorbed the rich flavor of the pork, the freshness of the eggs, and the subtle sweetness of the cabbage. It was truly the most delicious noodles I've ever tasted in my nineteen years of life, past and present."
Sometimes, the saying "many hands make light work" didn't just apply to tasks, but also to meals. In no time at all, the large pot of noodles was completely finished. Chen Lan had initially worried they wouldn't be able to finish it all and how to store the leftovers.
Now, all those worries were gone. The meal was over, the pot was washed clean, and even the surrounding trash was either burned or buried.
Everyone returned to their respective vehicles. Chen Lan went back to her own and saw a heartwarming scene: Wen Rou Niang and her two younger brothers were entertaining the two babies.
Each of the brothers held a rattle, shaking it rhythmically, trying to amuse the babies. The infants stretched their limbs and kicked their legs, cooing "Ah! Ah!"
Seeing Chen Lan return, they all greeted her. Then, they resumed playing with the babies. Chen Lan suddenly felt neglected, as if no one was paying attention to her anymore.
After a moment of internal debate, Chen Lan felt a pang of jealousy.
Just then, Xiang Xi returned. He asked, "Little Basket, we'll reach our destination tomorrow. What are your plans for the future? Can you tell your brother now?"
Chen Lan quickly replied, "I was just about to tell everyone. It's late now, so I was planning to tell you tomorrow."
Chen Lan continued, "As soon as we arrive tomorrow, we'll immediately start looking for a place to build houses. Once we find a spot, we'll use the excavators to dig the foundations. I've already had my father-in-law select the building materials!"
The main structure of the houses would be made of a new building material: light steel panels. The biggest advantages of this material were its stability, durability, and long lifespan.
The walls would be filled with insulating material to ensure warmth in winter and coolness in summer.
The exterior paint would be imitation stone paint, known for its strong adhesion, frost resistance, long service life, and ease and speed of application, saving time.
Inside the houses, they would build large Korean-style heated floors, like "di long" (underfloor heating).
After the roofs were done, they would install solar panels on the exterior for electricity generation. This would provide heating for the houses, ensuring they wouldn't have to fear the harsh winters of Jilin.
After a short chat, they parted ways to wash up and rest. The two babies were already fast asleep in their cribs. Wen Rou Niang was still awake, reading a book while waiting for Chen Lan. Chen Lan saw the book in Wen Rou Niang's hand, "Encyclopedia of Cutting-Edge Fashion," and smiled happily. Despite her complaints, her mother-in-law couldn't resist her curiosity about beautiful things!
Wen Rou Niang, seeing Chen Lan finished washing up, urged, "It's late. You've been busy all day, go to sleep early. There will be a pile of things for you to decide tomorrow. We want to help, but we don't know how."
She then sighed softly, put down her book, and got into bed, ready to sleep. Chen Lan nodded, said nothing more, and quickly got into bed to sleep as well.
She slept soundly, without dreams. The next morning, Chen Lan woke to the sound of birdsong. She glanced out the car window. The sun had not fully risen, only peeking over the horizon. A thick fog hung in the air today, making the distant mountains indistinct and hazy. The trees nearby were veiled in a thin mist. Chen Lan lay in bed for another ten minutes to shake off the sleepiness, then got up to wash up.
After washing, she opened the car door and stepped outside. Chen Lan casually closed the door and headed to see what breakfast her mother-in-law and the others were preparing. They would likely be doing a lot of physical labor today, so they needed to eat well.
Chen Lan walked over to the second RV, where her mother-in-law and the others were staying. Voices could be heard from inside. Chen Lan recognized her mother-in-law's voice.
She heard her mother-in-law say to Erhu, "Erhu, get up quickly. Go wake up the young men, young ladies, and newly married couples. Before breakfast, collect more firewood. Once we start working, there won't be time. Tell them not to go too far; staying nearby is safer!"
Erhu's voice came from inside, "Okay! I'm getting up now. I'll call them after I wash up." Then, the sound of washing followed. Chen Lan waited outside the car, not going in. After about fifteen minutes, the door opened, and Erhu came out. Chen Lan called out, "Erhu!" startling him.
Erhu asked Chen Lan, "Xiao Lan, why are you up so early? Is something wrong?"
Chen Lan replied, "I came to see Grandma."
Hearing that she wasn't looking for him, Erhu nodded and said, "Then I'll be going. I'll go call them now." He then turned and left to gather the others.
Chen Lan went back into the car to find her mother-in-law. Her mother-in-law had already heard her talking to Erhu and was waiting for her.
Chen Lan discussed her ideas with her mother-in-law. Her mother-in-law said, "What you're saying makes sense. If we're doing physical labor, we need to eat food that will keep us full. How about we have steamed buns for breakfast, and then stew a pot of vegetables? A soup with vermicelli, cabbage, tofu, and pork slices. That way, we'll have both food and soup."
Chen Lan nodded, feeling that her mother-in-law's experience and meticulous planning were invaluable. She purchased one hundred old-dough steamed buns, five pounds of vermicelli, five pounds of meat, five heads of cabbage, and ten blocks of aged tofu from the system. She also bought a large cast-iron pot with a lid and a steamer basket for the buns.
Chen Lan handed the items over to her mother-in-law and then left. The rest was up to the head chef.