Mu Shi'an still carried a slight dampness from washing up. As he leaned in, Song Nianchu quickly held her notebook farther away.
"Don't get water droplets on it."
Mu Shi'an took the chance to glance at the notebook in Song Nianchu's hands.
"Are you drawing a house?" Mu Shi'an asked, puzzled.
"Yes," Song Nianchu nodded. "The village plans to build a small workshop specifically for making canned goods. I'm sketching out the plans."
For the past couple of days, Song Nianchu had been discussing the cannery project with Wu Zhenggui.
But after much discussion, they realized their funds were only enough to build a small workshop initially. Still, Song Nianchu felt it would be sufficient for the start.
She wanted to design it properly herself, at least to map out the different functional areas.
She also needed to reserve space for future expansion, as she was determined to grow and strengthen the Qingheyuan brand.
"Can I take a look?" Mu Shi'an inquired.
"Don't tell me you understand this too," Song Nianchu said, but handed him the notebook anyway.
"Not really," Mu Shi'an replied, carefully examining the rough sketches she had drawn.
Though crude, the annotations were clear.
"You should add another pillar here, and the dimensions need to be slightly wider. Otherwise, the load-bearing capacity might be insufficient if you add more levels later," Mu Shi'an pointed out a flaw in her drawing.
"And you said you didn't understand!" Song Nianchu exclaimed with delight.
"I don't really know much about building houses, but I understand mechanics," Mu Shi'an explained.
"Could you help me refine it then? I've only outlined the zones. I don't understand things like load-bearing structures. I was originally planning to ask a skilled craftsman for help later," Song Nianchu leaned closer, looking at him eagerly.
"Of course," Mu Shi'an nodded.
So, the two of them discussed the design draft late into the night. It wasn't until Mu Shi'an noticed Song Nianchu yawning repeatedly that he firmly put the notebook away.
"Time for bed. We can work on the rest of the calculations tomorrow."
"But I won't be able to sleep without finishing it," Song Nianchu gazed at him longingly.
"You'll sleep," Mu Shi'an stated, turning off the kerosene lamp, pulling Song Nianchu into his arms, and lying down.
"Mu..." Song Nianchu tried to say something, but her words were suddenly stopped by a soft pressure on her lips.
Song Nianchu instinctively parted her lips, and Mu Shi'an instantly deepened the kiss.
By the time the kiss ended, Song Nianchu felt her head was spinning.
"Can you sleep now?" Mu Shi'an's low voice sounded by her ear.
How could Song Nianchu dare say she couldn't? She simply snuggled into his embrace and closed her eyes.
In her drowsy state, she seemed to hear a soft chuckle from above her head.
The next day.
When Song Nianchu woke up, Mu Shi'an was no longer beside her.
But her notebook was lying on his pillow. Picking it up, she saw that all the unfinished calculations from yesterday were now complete.
Clutching the notebook, Song Nianchu threw off the covers and got out of bed.
As soon as she left the room, she saw Mu Shi'an coming in from outside, carrying breakfast.
"You're up. Go wash up, and then we can have breakfast," Mu Shi'an said, placing the steamed sweet potatoes and eggs on the table.
"How did you finish the calculations so quickly? What time did you get up this morning? I didn't notice at all," Song Nianchu stared at him with burning curiosity.
"I got up a while ago. Although I've calculated the data for you, there might still be some discrepancies during actual construction. I'll go to the site later to help keep an eye on things," Mu Shi'an offered.
"I knew you were the best!" Song Nianchu said, standing on her tiptoes to plant a kiss on Mu Shi'an's cheek.
Mu Shi'an was taken aback for a moment, then a smile spread from the corners of his mouth all the way to his eyes.
"Hurry up and go wash your face."
"Okay!" Song Nianchu replied happily, her eyes still glued to the notebook in her hands.
After breakfast, Song Nianchu immediately took the notebook to find Wu Zhenggui.
When she proudly presented the design draft Mu Shi'an had revised for her to Wu Zhenggui, expecting praise,
Wu Zhenggui instead looked at it from every angle, turning it around and around. Finally, unable to make sense of it, he looked up.
"A-Chu, is this some kind of talisman? We're not allowed to practice superstition these days," Wu Zhenggui whispered, lowering his voice.
"This isn't a talisman! It's the design plan for the small workshop our village is going to build," Song Nianchu said, looking at him with exasperation.
"A design plan? Do we need such a thing for building a house?" Wu Zhenggui examined it carefully several more times before finally giving up.
"Of course we do! It's just that village houses are usually simple—just a few walls. But our workshop is different; it needs proper design," Song Nianchu declared.
"I don't really understand these things. You handle it," Wu Zhenggui felt Song Nianchu made a good point.
The fishing gear factory in the county town was built very nicely, completely different from the houses in their village.
"Alright, the blueprint is settled. Next, we need to find a suitable plot of land, and then you'll need to apply for approval from the brigade," Song Nianchu said.
"You pick the land yourself. Any vacant plot in the village is fine. Once you've chosen, I'll go to the brigade to submit the report," Wu Zhenggui now entrusted everything to Song Nianchu.
"I think that empty plot at the end of the village is perfect. It's very flat, has a large area, and leaves room for future expansion," Song Nianchu had already made her decision.
"That plot? Isn't it a bit too far from the village center?" Wu Zhenggui asked.
"Workshops should be built a bit on the outskirts. Besides, it's only a ten-minute walk even from the village entrance. It's not far."
"Fine. Since you've decided, we'll build it there," Wu Zhenggui finalized the decision.
"Then you should go to the brigade to submit the report later. Once it's approved, we can start construction," Song Nianchu's eyes shone with excitement.
"Good, I'll go right now," Wu Zhenggui agreed with a smile.
Since what Wu Zhenggui and the others were building was just a small workshop, the brigade approved it quickly.
Upon his return, Wu Zhenggui started consulting the almanac. Coincidentally, the very next day was an auspicious date for all endeavors, so they decided to break ground then.
Early the next morning, the entire village gathered at the empty plot at the village's end.
Wu Zhenggui had set up a table on the plot, offering steamed buns and similar foods as a tribute.
He even brought out the family's only rooster, saying that building a house required some rooster blood to ensure a smooth construction process.
Wu Zhenggui conducted the ceremony with great solemnity. As the firecrackers crackled, construction officially began.
Covering her ears, Song Nianchu watched the cheering villagers and excited children. She felt that the joy of this moment was even more intense than when she had rung the bell for her company's stock market listing in her previous life.
