Seeing Chen Lan's actions, Xiang Xi knew she was serious and was dumbfounded.
Chen Lan ignored him and opened the system with her mind. She took out the construction blueprints for modern sheep sheds and pigsties that she had prepared long ago. She reached out and handed them directly to Xiang Xi.
Xiang Xi was even more dumbfounded. He looked at the stack of blueprints Chen Lan handed him, then at everyone watching him, and finally at his biased father's watchful gaze. Xiang Xi didn't dare to resist and, with no other choice, could only brace himself and reach out to take the blueprints.
It was getting late, so Chen Lan didn't delay any further. She continued to instruct, "Brother Xiang Dong, Brother Er Hu, I know you've been working very hard over the past six months, traveling and roughing it out to find people. But time waits for no one. We can only rest in winter after finishing the first half of this year. For now, I can only ask you both to bear with the hardship a little longer."
Brother Xiang Dong quickly interrupted Chen Lan, saying unhappily, "Xiao Lan, what are you talking about? We are family. Doing things for our own family, what's hard about it? Besides, you're not having an easy time at home either! You've led a group of women to cultivate hundreds of acres of land. Clearing land and planting crops, isn't that more difficult than what we do?"
He then glanced at Xiang Xi, who was still looking resentful beside him, and continued, "Although Xiang Xi and Xiao Shuan came back to help later, most of the farming work was done by you women. That's over five hundred acres of land, not fifty. You are the ones who truly faced hardships."
Brother Er Hu, Uncle De, and Uncle Fu all nodded in agreement. "Yes, yes! Xiang Dong is absolutely right. Xiao Lan! You all truly had a difficult time!"
Chen Lan felt a little touched after hearing Xiang Dong and everyone else's words, but she didn't have time to be sentimental now.
So, she continued to instruct, "Starting tomorrow, we will all have to work hard. We need to build as many houses as possible before the autumn harvest, even if it means working overtime. You all know the weather in the Northeast. Once autumn harvest begins, there won't be time to build houses. By the time the harvest is over, the weather will turn cold, and the ground will freeze, and then nothing can be done."
Everyone nodded and said nothing more.
Chen Lan suggested, "Brother Xiang Dong, Brother Er Hu, regarding the house construction, it's best if you discuss it with Teacher Zhou and his four students tomorrow to figure out a reasonable plan. Should you two experienced workers cooperate and bring a few youngsters to build houses separately, or should everyone work together to build one house after another? You decide how to proceed, as the season waits for no one. I'm only interested in the final outcome."
Chen Lan's intention was not to doubt the capabilities of Xiang Dong and Er Hu, but rather to state things clearly upfront, which was her usual habit. She believed in considering all possible situations before starting, to avoid situations where no one could be held accountable and everyone was pushing blame, which would hurt relationships and hinder progress. By stating things clearly beforehand, it wouldn't cause embarrassment or discomfort, nor would it damage relationships. Instead, everyone would find it reasonable.
Chen Lan paused and looked at them. Seeing no other expression on their faces but attentive listening, she continued, "Besides, you have already built five houses, so you should have some experience! In short, we need to build as fast as possible. Our goal is to meet the deadline, and of course, the quality must also be guaranteed!"
Xiang Dong and Er Hu nodded repeatedly. Xiang Dong agreed, saying, "Xiao Lan, you're right. Building houses is urgent now, and time waits for no one! We need to discuss this properly with Teacher Zhou and the others. When working, having comparisons and competition leads to better results. Otherwise, if everyone works together, it's easy to slack off."
Mother-in-law and Uncle Fu also nodded in agreement. "That's true! Xiang Dong and Er Hu are right!"
At this point, Uncle De, who had been listening, chimed in after some thought, "Xiao Lan, you need to prepare more building materials such as sand, cement, red bricks, and steel bars in advance. Once the houses are built, roads will also need to be repaired."
Uncle Fu, hearing Uncle De's words, nodded in agreement and echoed, "Your Uncle De is right, Xiao Lan! We should prepare in advance. Plus, we planted so many acres of various crops this year, so our drying yards also need to be expanded. These things will require those materials. Also, we need to build grain storage in advance this year, so we don't end up with nowhere to put the grain we harvest, like last year."
Chen Lan nodded in strong agreement. "Uncle De, Uncle Fu, this time we will widen and lengthen the roads all the way to the farmlands. Firstly, it will be easier to drive in and out with the grain during the autumn harvest. Secondly, it will be convenient for Ming Xuan's comrades who have difficulty walking to help with some lighter tasks, so they don't feel useless."
Xiang Xi spoke up at this point. "Little Lan Lan, they have trouble walking, how can you have them help with work? Especially farm work?"
Chen Lan smiled and explained, "Little Watermelon, I know what you're worried about. You're afraid they'll feel even more inferior, aren't you? Don't worry, since I dare to do this, I'm confident they can handle these tasks."
Chen Lan paused and thought that it would be better to explain things clearly. So, she said, "Little Watermelon, I'll ask Father-in-law to help buy an electric wheelchair for each of those comrades who have difficulty walking. This thing is very convenient. As long as the ground is level, they can go anywhere. This way, they can help with some tasks within their capabilities, such as watering crops, pumping water, and delivering water and meals to those working, which are lighter tasks they can help with."
Mother-in-law immediately clapped her hands excitedly. "That's great! This will make things convenient for them. We'll smooth out the roads, and they can go wherever they want, so they won't feel cooped up at home all the time."
After speaking, Mother-in-law suddenly asked in a low voice, "Xiao Lan, are those wheelchairs you mentioned expensive?"
Chen Lan smiled and didn't say anything, not daring to answer her mother-in-law's question directly. Could she say that those things were outrageously expensive, costing over ten thousand yuan each? She dared not. If her mother-in-law knew how expensive they were, wouldn't she be heartbroken?