Watching Xiao Shan and Lin Mao drive the tractor away, Xiang Xi withdrew his gaze and asked Chen Lan, "Xiao Lanzizi, what do we do now?"
Chen Lan continued, "First, we need to level this one-point-five-meter wide road. Then, when we pave it, it won't be uneven. After that, we'll lay a layer of crushed stone on this road, followed by a layer of fine sand." Her voice trailed off.
Chen Lan suddenly realized she had forgotten to prepare crushed stone!
She quickly said to Xiang Xi, "Xiao Xigua, I forgot to prepare crushed stone. I'm going to the dark riverbank to pick up stones now."
Xiang Xi asked, puzzled, "Xiao Lanzizi, why are you going to the dark river to pick up stones?"
Chen Lan replied, "Laying a layer of crushed stone beneath the stone slabs can prevent the road surface from sinking, thus avoiding unevenness that would affect walking."
Chen Lan then instructed, "You and Xiao Shuan should first level this road. If Lin Mao and the others bring the red bricks, you should dig two trenches on these lines, ten to twelve centimeters deep, which is about half the height of a red brick. The width should be about the width of a hoe. Then, use red bricks to build the edges of the road. The red bricks should be placed at a 45-degree angle, edge to edge, and secured with cement. This angled construction will look more aesthetically pleasing." As she spoke, she gestured, and seeing Xiang Xi nod in understanding, he quickly got up and ran towards the dark river.
Having taken a detour, it took Chen Lan more than half an hour to reach the riverbank of the dark river. Indeed, the riverbank was very quiet. If it weren't for the occasional gust of wind creating ripples on the water's surface, one might think everything here was still. The riverbank was now bare except for stones, many, many small stones.
Chen Lan didn't dally. She quickly opened her system with her mind, purchased thirty large snake skin bags to hold the stones, and then took a shovel from the system's warehouse to start working with all her might. Shoveling crushed stones was not an easy task. The small stones were slippery and rolled around, making them difficult to shovel.
It took Chen Lan nearly another hour to fill all thirty snake skin bags. By then, she was exhausted. She found a place to sit and rest for a while, then used the shovel to cut several strong vines to tie the snake skin bags shut. She then stored these thirty bags of crushed stone in the system's warehouse. Without lingering, she turned and left, taking a shortcut back towards the valley.
It took Chen Lan about forty minutes to return from the dark river via the shortcut. She placed the thirty bags of crushed stone outside the goji berry grove. Chen Lan took a breath, shouldered a bag of crushed stone, and walked inside. Xiang Xi and the others had almost finished building the sides of the road with red bricks; one could already discern it was a road. Chen Lan emptied the crushed stone from the bags for Xiang Xi and the others to spread evenly. She then turned back to fetch more stones from outside the goji berry grove. Seeing this, the others followed to help. When they had moved about half the stones, Chen Lan told them to stop, saying, "Let's just use these for now to pave and see. We can get more if it's not enough, to avoid having to move excess stones later."
After the group worked together to quickly and evenly spread a layer of crushed stone on the entire road, followed by an even layer of fine sand, Chen Lan picked up a hoe and forcefully smashed it down on a pile of ginger-yellow floor tiles.
This action nearly scared Xiang Xi, Xiao Shan, and the others to death. Everyone was startled by Chen Lan's action.
Chen Lan quickly explained, "The mosaic stone slab road we're building requires us to break whole stone slabs like this. However, they shouldn't be broken too finely; they need to be large pieces. If they're too broken, construction will be too troublesome."
After speaking, she looked at Xiang Xi and Xiao Shan, seeing they still didn't understand. She began to explain and demonstrate at the same time.
"Actually, building this mosaic stone slab road is just like laying floor tiles and ceramic tiles. It's also done piece by piece. We need to remember to soak these stone slabs first, then apply cement mortar, and then lay them on the ground according to their shape and size."
Xiang Xi suddenly understood, saying, "So, this is what a mosaic stone slab road is. The name is quite fitting!"
He then said, "Brothers, we have more work to do! Let's get started!"
Chen Lan quickly stopped him. Xiang Xi looked at her, utterly perplexed. She quickly explained, "It's getting late; it's lunchtime. It's not too late to come back after lunch and continue working. This is a slow job, and rushing won't help."
Seeing that Xiang Xi still didn't want to leave, Chen Lan said, "Don't you remember? You're also responsible for delivering lunch to the construction workers. Don't tell me you've actually forgotten!"
Xiang Xi grinned sheepishly and scratched his head, saying, "How could I? Such an important task, how could I possibly forget!"
Seeing his reaction, Chen Lan knew he had indeed forgotten about delivering the food! She didn't expose him to embarrass him. She just said, "Let's hurry! Let's go back!"
Xiang Xi no longer hesitated. He called out to Xiao Shan, Lin Mao, and Xiao Shuan, who were still busy, "Brothers, put down your tools. We're going back for lunch. We'll come back after eating."
The few of them put down their tools, washed their hands, and walked together towards the exit of the valley, chatting as they went. Xiao Shan asked, "Xiao Lan, wouldn't it be better to pave the road with whole stone slabs? They look good and are easier to work with. Why did you break them? You don't know how troublesome it is to lay broken stone slabs, piece by piece, and having to find each one."
Chen Lan replied, "The main purpose of building this mosaic stone slab road is to prevent slipping. Xiao Xigua, haven't you noticed that walking on such large stone slabs can easily lead to falls? It's even more slippery in the rain. Changbai Mountain has many rainy and snowy days. We have many elderly and children, so preventing slips is crucial. Secondly, it's for aesthetics. Don't you think this way of paving makes the road look rustic, natural, and full of wild charm, perfectly suited for this quiet, natural environment?"
Upon returning to their lodging, the group quickly finished lunch. Chen Lan took some time to play with the twins, then got up with Xiang Xi and the others, carrying lunch for the builders, and headed back to the valley.
Chen Lan and Xiang Xi and the others quickly arrived at the valley. Xiao Shan and Lin Mao were responsible for delivering food to the builders, while Xiang Xi and Xiao Shuan continued the work they hadn't finished that morning. Chen Lan continued to help on the side, demonstrating and directing them on specific construction methods, keeping her very busy.
Chen Lan paused for a breath and continued, "I haven't finished speaking yet. There's one last, crucial step. Choose dry cement mortar, mix it thoroughly without water, and then pour it onto the mosaic stone slabs, spreading it evenly. Pay attention to filling the gaps between the slabs. The purpose of this is to strengthen the stone slab road and prevent the slabs from becoming loose."
As she spoke, she realized she lacked the tools to spread it evenly on the slabs and fill the gaps. After thinking for a moment, she ran back to the villa and retrieved the cleaning tools she had recently purchased: a broom and a floor scraper.
Chen Lan spoke and acted, "Look, first use the broom to sweep the dry cement mortar on the slabs towards areas where the gaps are too large. Then, use the floor scraper to level it. If it's not level, add more dry cement mortar until the dry cement mortar filling the slabs and gaps is flush with the surface."
She then added, "The work itself is simple, just a bit strenuous. Everyone needs to be patient and take their time! As the saying goes, 'Slow work yields fine results'!"