C11 To Build a House

"Mom, you're the best."

Mrs. Zhang was pleasantly surprised by this unexpected joy and immediately promised to talk to her sister about it once she got back.

Meanwhile, Tan Chenxi had no idea his mom had already set him up on a blind date. He had just finished eating noodles and was now lying on his bed, resting with his eyes closed. Sleeping on the mountain at night was tough; he was always on high alert and often woke up. Feeling drowsy, he lay down fully dressed, but as soon as he closed his eyes, he recalled the scene he witnessed today while passing through Gu's Village.

That young girl fooled everyone. Even from a distance, he saw her sternly threatening her grandmother.

"Quite the little fox," Tan Chenxi thought, a faint smile playing on his lips as he turned over.

...

Evening

Gu Fanjin noticed that once night fell, their house was always dark. They only had one half-burned red candle left. According to Momo, that candle was from their parents' wedding, and they rarely used it. Otherwise, it wouldn't have lasted all these years.

The three siblings usually stumbled around in the dark at night, and Junjun had even tripped a few times because of it.

"...Momo, you stay here with Junjun. I'll be right back."

"Where are you going, sis?"

Of course, she was going to her secret space, but she couldn't say that. Gu Fanjin made up a quick excuse about going to the bathroom to fool them.

In her secret space, Gu Fanjin eyed the military flashlight and the row of candles. She was tempted to take the flashlight, but that might draw too much attention. In the end, she chose the candles. She decided that once the house was renovated, she would use the solar panels from her space to make solar lamps. That way, even if the house was too bright inside, closing the door would keep it hidden, and no one would suspect a thing. Unlike now, where the house was drafty, and if anyone saw her light, it would cause quite a stir!

"Sis, where did you get these candles?"

Gu Momo looked on in surprise as her sister came in, arms full of candles. There were red ones and white ones, each as thick as her arm, even thicker than the one from their parents' wedding.

"I found them in our backyard," her sister explained.

Luckily, the two kids didn't ask too many questions. After all, with rabbits falling from the sky earlier that day, nothing seemed too strange anymore.

"Momo, where can we find some thatch around here?"

This house really needed repairs; it was barely livable otherwise.

"We have some behind our house. If you need it, I can take you there tomorrow," Momo offered.

"Great."

As night fell, Gu Fanjin watched the two little ones sleeping. Thanks to the cotton blankets and better meals over the past few days, their faces now wore smiles even in their sleep.

But plans often change. Gu Fanjin had intended to wait for their parents to return before figuring out how to rebuild the house with some money. However, her special ability predicted a snowstorm this year.

Yes, her ability had this particular advantage: it could warn her of major disasters before they happened. Unfortunately, during the apocalypse, she rarely used it since every day was a disaster.

It took two or three snowstorm warnings before she realized what was happening.

"Sis? Sis?"

A small voice broke through her thoughts. It was Junjun, looking up at her with a puzzled expression. "Sis, do we still need thatch?"

Gu Fanjin looked at the thatch on the hill, feeling a bit worried. If they waited for their parents to return before rebuilding, the house wouldn’t withstand a snowstorm. But relying solely on thatch wasn’t enough either!