Chapter 17: Hiring Someone to Build a House

So, Li Xuan spent a whole night laboring and managed to cultivate over three thousand Bread Grass, more than twenty thousand Large Rye Bread, finally consuming the last drop of Green Spirit Liquid.

He harvested Large Rye Bread that filled the Void Pearl.

Three cubic meters of space were packed to the brim, and the Void Pearl's capacity was already running out.

"Finally I've used up yesterday's drop of Green Spirit Liquid; the growth cycle of Bread Grass is just too short, and I've produced so many Large Rye Bread that I can't eat them all myself. Looks like I need to find a way to send these Large Rye Bread out." Li Xuan said helplessly, staring at his two dark circles. Then he found a corner in the Courtyard and prepared to sleep, since he had stayed up the whole night; drowsiness hit, and nothing could stop Li Xuan's desire to sleep.

Just as Li Xuan was about to drift into dreamland, a sound from outside the door suddenly rang out.

"Someone's here?" Li Xuan opened his eyes and hurriedly scrambled up from the ground.

"Xuan Ge'er, it's me, Bai Wen!" Bai Wen shouted from the door while knocking.

"Bai Wen Ge, what's up?" Li Xuan perked up, stepped forward, opened the main door, and welcomed Bai Wen into the Courtyard.

As soon as he entered the Courtyard, Bai Wen saw the collapsed Mao Cao Wu and froze on the spot.

"Bai Wen Ge, we accidentally knocked the house down at noon yesterday; do we have anyone here who can repair a Mao Cao Wu?" Li Xuan scratched his head and asked Bai Wen.

"I do know a few people who can fix houses, but hiring them would probably cost a lot," Bai Wen mused, then said to Li Xuan.

"That's not a problem, Bai Wen Ge; what wages do they usually require?" Li Xuan asked.

"We usually substitute labor for payment," Bai Wen said helplessly, spreading his hands.

In the Flower Sea, there is virtually no communication with the outside world, so currency has no value here; the only useful thing is doing work for others.

"If I have enough food, could that replace labor payment?" Li Xuan, recalling the Void Pearl packed with Large Rye Bread, asked Bai Wen.

"Of course that works! Food is extremely precious in the Flower Sea; the Canteen's daily rations only keep us from starving. Want to be full? It's like a dream—if you have food, I can have them all come over to work for you!" Bai Wen said excitedly to Li Xuan.

Indeed, the daily food from the Canteen is hardly enough to satisfy an adult; it only guarantees that the Flower Slaves don't die.

"Bai Wen Ge, I'll provide you with three meals a day; can you help me transport Flower Seedlings for the next two days?" Li Xuan asked.

"Sure thing! I also know someone in the Flower Sea who has a cart; I'll borrow it, and we'll be faster," Bai Wen said excitedly to Li Xuan.

"That's great, Bai Wen Ge. Go borrow the cart and tell him: one day of use for one day's food," Li Xuan said without hesitation. After all, Bai Wen is working for me now; I can't let him lose out.

"I'll go contact him right away!" Bai Wen set off immediately to borrow the cart.

"Don't rush, Bai Wen Ge; I still have something for you to do," Li Xuan stopped the hurried Bai Wen, smiling.

"What else is there, Xuan Ge'er!" Bai Wen could no longer hold back his urge to eat and drink.

"Help me get in touch with those bricklayers; I need to rebuild the house, and likewise, feed them," Li Xuan shrugged and told Bai Wen.

"Anything else?" Bai Wen asked anxiously.

"That's all, go ahead," Li Xuan said with a smile, waving.

"Alright!" Bai Wen said and sprinted out of his Courtyard.

Watching Bai Wen's retreating back, Li Xuan shook his head helplessly, ate a clean Steamed Bun, and then began today's work.

But there were still six hundred Flower Seedlings waiting for Li Xuan.

Li Xuan, now full of vigor, swiftly transferred each Flower Seedling into Flower Pots, awaiting shipment.

Not until the sun was high in the sky did Li Xuan finally stop, wiping the sweat from his face.

"Time for lunch," Li Xuan chuckled, then took a piece of meat floss bread from the Void Pearl. The Large Rye Bread is for others; the other breads are kept for Li Xuan himself.

After all, Li Xuan is still growing his body.

Soon, a piece of bread was in Li Xuan's stomach.

Bang bang bang…

Suddenly, a knock came from outside the door.

"Xuan Ge'er, I'm back." Bai Wen stood outside the Courtyard and said to Li Xuan.

"Come in." Li Xuan brushed off the bread crumbs, opened the door, and prepared to welcome Bai Wen.

But as soon as he opened the door, he saw four burly men behind Bai Wen.

"Xuan Ge'er, these are the best bricklayers in the Flower Sea; you can't go wrong hiring them to build a house," Bai Wen said, pointing at the four burly men.

The four men were nearly two meters tall, muscles bulging, stout and clearly very strong.

"I am Liu Li; these three are my younger brothers. Our whole family are bricklayers, and our craft is quite good," the oldest of the four stepped forward, bowed to Li Xuan, and said.

"Nice to meet Uncle Liu; the young master's house will still need the help of a few uncles," Li Xuan smiled and replied.

Then Li Xuan ushered the men into the Courtyard.

Liu Li looked around, seeing not only the collapsed house but also the neatly arranged Flower Pots in the Courtyard, and was briefly shocked by the scene.

But it was only a brief shock.

"Second, third, fourth, first clear the rubble of the Mao Cao Wu for the young master," Liu Li said to the three behind him.

"Uncle Liu, don't call me young master; call me Xiao Xuan, or Xuan Ge'er both work," Li Xuan said with a smile.

"Then I'll be blunt, Xuan Ge'er; I also want to ask, what kind of house do you need?" Liu Li came up to Li Xuan, grinning, and asked.

"I want to build a brick house with a basement," Li Xuan told Liu Li.

"Basement? Brick house? Xuan Ge'er, to be honest, this is the Flower Sea; a brick house would be too conspicuous. Let's stick with a Mao Cao Wu—I can compact it to make it sturdy, and more importantly, we have no bricks," Liu Li thought, then advised Li Xuan.

"As for a basement, my brothers and I can build one, but we lack the materials. A basement requires material of a certain strength, and we can't manage that," Liu Li said to Li Xuan.

"I know someone who can fire bricks; his martial soul is fire‑type, and many people have bought bricks from him," Bai Wen interjected suddenly.

"Bai Wen Ge, since you know this person exists, could you please buy a batch of bricks for me?" Li Xuan said to Bai Wen.

"Alright, don't worry, Xuan Ge'er; I'll definitely cut the price!" Bai Wen patted his chest and said seriously.

"Uncle Liu, could you calculate how many bricks we need? Then have Bai Wen Ge go purchase them," Li Xuan added, speaking to Liu Li.

"Sure, I'll do the calculations now and explain to Bai Wen later," Liu Li said, standing up and leaving.

Li Xuan smiled and shook his head, then went back to continue nurturing seedlings.

Thanks to all readers for their recommendation votes, and happy weekend to everyone.

(End of chapter)