Chapter 145: Blueprint

Surveying the cave, Shen Lian noticed it now housed dozens more bags of grain. To the left, three sets of shelves were arranged, storing both grain bags and household items. To prevent moisture, the shelves were kept a slight distance from the cave walls, which made the already small cave feel even tighter.

Observing this, Shen Lian's brows knitted slightly.

The remaining space was occupied by a stove and a wooden table. If chairs and tables were added, the cave could accommodate two beds, but this would make it cramped. Even with narrower beds placed side by side, it would hardly differ from having a single large bed.

How to manage this?

Sang Luo noticed his furrowed brows and guessed his thoughts. She turned around and handed him some papers, saying, “I’ve been thinking about how to arrange the cave and just finished these drawings today. Take a look. If you want the beds like this, do you think you can make them?”

Shen Lian took the papers and stared in surprise, "Is this... your drawing?"

He was speechless, both astonished by Sang Luo's impressive drawing skills and the drawing itself.

"Is this supposed to be a bed?"

It was vastly different from any bed he knew; it was more like half a room.

An intricately detailed room, complete with a ceiling, walls, and even a raised floor, where the bed was just one element of the whole design, unlike anything he had ever seen.

Looking up at the cave's height, Shen Lian realized that Sang Luo's design ingeniously utilized the space by dividing it into two levels, providing a solution to the problem he had been worrying about.

"Yes," Sang Luo nodded, her design inspired by the compact and multi-functional children's room concepts that emerged in response to high housing prices in modern times.

The bed was designed with two levels: the lower level placed lengthwise with a wardrobe on the left and stairs leading up to the second level on the right. The upper level bed was oriented horizontally with railings for safety, and the stairs doubled as drawers, combining aesthetics with space optimization and functionality.

The limited space of the cave, now filled with grain, necessitated clever spatial planning to ensure comfortable living conditions.

While the concept seemed straightforward on paper, actual construction would be quite complex.

This was no ordinary bunk bed – if done well, it could be seen as a fully custom-built solution for the entire space.

While drawing, Sang Luo had her doubts but ultimately chose to sketch it to the best of her vision, believing a good template wouldn't limit creativity but rather elevate the potential outcome. The final result would depend on what could be realistically achieved.

Seeing Shen Lian closely examining the drawing, she asked tentatively, “It’s quite intricate, almost like a small room. Do you think you can make it?”

Shen Lian nodded, “Yes, it will take more time and might not look as good as your drawing, but I should be able to make something close.”

Hearing it was feasible, Sang Luo’s eyes lit up with a smile, “Being able to make something close to it is impressive enough. Now, take a look at the next one.”

Shen Lian had already moved on to the following page.

The drawing for this was quite simple: a table, different from the square tables they used in the village and not as large as the round tables found in Dongfu Tower's restaurant, but a rectangular one. The distinctive feature was the seating, not the usual benches, but a couch-like seat along the wall as wide as the table?

It wasn't exactly a couch, but it had a bit of a backrest.

On the other side were two small chairs.

Sang Luo explained, "This table can be used for dining or studying. The wall-side... um, couch, can be used for resting when not busy. Having a backrest prevents leaning against the wall. The chairs on the opposite side can be pulled out for use and stored under the table when not needed, saving space."

The wall-side seat, though called a couch, was more like a simplified version of a sofa or a modern western restaurant's simple booth seating.

With so much time in a day aside from sleeping, replacing regular benches with this type of booth seating could be quite relaxing. Using locally available materials for the soft furnishing, like soft grass, bulrush, or fine hemp, they could weave a cushion and make a pillow, providing a comfortable spot to relax during the day.

Shen Lian was genuinely amazed and wanted to ask Sang Luo how she came up with such ideas. However, he just nodded seriously and managed to say that it could indeed be made.

After a pause, he added, "If we can create these two sets, they'll make the cave look really nice."

He meant to compliment Sang Luo, but his praise was somewhat understated.

Not adept at giving compliments, Sang Luo was still delighted to hear him say they could make it. She praised her own idea: "Right? I think so too. It might look complex, but with wooden walls on the front and right side, a top, and a base platform, all in natural wood color, it will brighten up the whole cave, improve lighting, and, most importantly, keep it clean."

"I'll help you with it too. I can't handle the heavy tasks, but I can manage the simpler ones. I've learned quite a bit following Uncle You Tian recently. Working together, we can finish it faster."

"Having Shen Lian always sleep on the floor, Sang Luo felt quite uneasy about it."

Shen Lian watched Sang Luo speak animatedly, a smile playing in his eyes. Recalling the drawings she handed him, he glanced behind her, noticing a short, barrel-like wooden rice container with a lid, and a woven straw mat beside it on the ground.

The cave's dimness and the container's small, unobtrusive size meant he'd initially missed it.

"Did Uncle You Tian help you with this?"

Sang Luo nodded with a smile, "Not bad, right? I planed the wood. Uncle You Tian said this kind of cedar is pest-resistant, making it perfect for a rice container. The lid doubles as a table with a straw mat on it. This is where I do my drawing."

Initially, she considered a more labor-intensive approach of carving out barrels for storing dried konjac slices. However, she hesitated, considering the wastage in turning the wood into shavings. During a trip to borrow a saw from the Chen family, she consulted Chen You Tian.

While Chen You Tian's skills in making water-tight barrels were average, resulting in slight leakage, they were still suitable for storing grains. Thus, they ended up crafting it together.

Sang Luo had been contemplating the cave's design and decided to create a rice container-like structure, which could function as a mini desk with a woven mat until the actual table was ready.

Shen Lian complimented, "It's quite good."

He discreetly observed Sang Luo's hands.

He wondered what tasks she undertook with Uncle You Tian, aware that some woodworking processes can be harsh on the hands.

Shen Lian remembered Shen An mentioning that Sang Luo got several bamboo splinters while constructing a chicken coop.

In the midst of their conversation, Shen An and Shen Ning entered with firewood and kindling.

Shen Ning expertly set up the clay pot and asked, "Big brother, what would you like to eat?"

The young girl had a knack for cooking and was preparing something to eat for her big brother, sparing her sister-in-law from kitchen duties.

"Anything is fine, just something simple."

"Okay, how about I make you a bowl of dough drop soup?"

Flour is a finer grain, but it's the quickest to cook, and Sang Luo had stocked up on several large bags of it.

Shen Lian nodded, "Sounds good."

Shen An, carrying a thin dry twig, came over to light the oil lamp. Passing by his brother and sister-in-law, he noticed the drawings in his brother's hand, "Brother, the drawings big sister-in-law made are really nice. Can you make them?"

Shen Lian smiled, recalling how Sang Luo's eyes had lit up similarly when he said he could make them.

"Yes, I can."

"Really? That's great!" Shen Ning joined in the excitement. Having watched Sang Luo draw all day, she thought the designs were even prettier than their previous home.

The siblings were so thrilled they could barely contain themselves, bouncing around joyfully. Sang Luo laughed at their enthusiasm, and Shen Lian's eyes twinkled with amusement.

Handing the papers back to Sang Luo, "You should keep these for now."

Sang Luo accepted them and placed them on the lid of the wooden barrel, then pressed a homemade charcoal pencil on top of the papers.

Shen Lian took another glance.

Catching his gaze, Sang Luo offered the pencil, "I made it from charcoal. This is what I used for the drawings."

Shen Lian took the charcoal pencil, noting its meticulously sharpened tip and vine-wrapped shaft, which kept his hands clean while holding it.

"Such clever craftsmanship."

……

Shen Ning prepared dinner, and before serving, she brought out hot water for her big brother's bath.

With slate tiles laid in the cleansing room, temporarily moving the bath tub in for a shower was no hassle. The water drained quickly through the channels, and the slate, being a type of stone, dried rapidly.

So, after preparing the bath, Shen Lian headed to the cleansing room for his shower, carrying water while Shen An assisted with the basin and towel.

Stepping out of the cave, Shen Lian paused, realizing his home had changed considerably during his absence of over ten days.

The addition of the barrel and mat was one thing, but only by the light of the fire did he notice new wooden racks under the two trees outside their door. There were about eleven or twelve racks of varying sizes and heights, with the lower ones having two layers and the higher ones four. These were neatly arranged with small wooden boxes filled with soil.

Following his gaze, Shen An explained, "Sister-in-law came up with this. Ning and I helped her. She said that vegetables that don't need much sunlight can grow in these wooden boxes. The lowest layer is high enough to keep chickens and ducks from reaching them. This way, the same area can grow more vegetables, and we can use the space on the hillside to plant sun-loving vegetables and beans, increasing our staple food supply."

Pride and admiration shone in his voice, "Sister-in-law is really smart. Now, other families are copying our method and setting up similar wooden racks to grow vegetables."

Shen Lian's lips curved in a smile, "Indeed, very smart."

At bedtime, Shen Lian prepared to sleep on the floor, but Shen An intervened, "Big brother, let's move the bed boards first."

He then realized that while he didn't have a bed yet, Sang Luo, with the help of the children, had already made his bed boards, previously hidden behind the grain storage racks.

Shen Lian chuckled; his family had thought of everything, even in his absence.

Shen An happily helped make the bed, then climbed into the sleeping spot beside his brother.

Since Sang Luo made a bed board for Shen Lian, Shen An started to make his own bed on the floor beside it, understanding more about the differences between men and women, especially since he spends his days with Wang Yunzheng and the Xu siblings, who are aware of these matters.

At night, lying in bed, Shen Lian shared stories about the outside world, including the situation with Shen Jin, who could now trap pheasants on his own. This amazed Shen An and Shen Ning, making them eager to try, but they also understood that the deep forest here was different from the village, often hearing distant roars at night.

That night, the topic of food was avoided as if it never existed. Shen An wanted to ask, but noticing his brother and sister-in-law deliberately keeping him and his sister out of such discussions, he knew it wasn’t appropriate to inquire.

The next day, Shen Lian and Sang Luo got up early, and before breakfast, people started asking if they could leave the valley to hunt or gather wild vegetables.

Everyone in the valley was eager for fresh food and aware of the situation outside, hoping to store as much as they could.

The earliest to arrive were Mr. and Mrs. Lu.

Shen Lian, with a smile and a glance at the eager Wang Chunniang, neither agreed nor declined to go hunting. He simply said, "Let’s wait. After breakfast, everyone can come back. I have something to discuss regarding future hunting and foraging."

Sang Luo, preparing breakfast, smiled at his words.

Author's note:

In ancient times, rectangles were referred to as "ju." "Circle from square, square from rectangle" – a rectangle was a "ju."