Gu Qingcheng immediately withdrew from the story in the book and happily petted Wangcai's fluffy head again.
When Gu Qingcheng was in a great mood, it was the perfect time for the system to start showering her with satisfying points.
Girls who smile often have good luck!
Gu Qingcheng's stable mood and cheerful personality won her a lifeline in the ancient world with disaster-stricken weather.
The master's family was wealthy, hired ample labor, and provided good food. They ate two meals a day, one dry and one wet, and the hired workers who ate well actually gained some weight.
With good food and generous wages, the workers did not slack off. Within five days, the newly purchased old house of the Gu family was completely renovated.
When Mr. Sun came to notify Gu Chaobei that he could come and inspect the house, Gu Chaobei's family arrived excitedly early in the morning.
Even though it was a temporary residence, it was still the first legitimate home that belonged to them after arriving here.
After a few days, the old house had undergone a huge transformation. Gu Qingcheng was reminded of videos she often saw on Douyin about city dwellers returning to their rural hometowns to renovate abandoned old houses.
She didn't know why, but she particularly enjoyed watching such videos. Douyin, through its algorithms, knew her preferences and often pushed similar videos to her.
At that time, she envied the bloggers who had transformed abandoned houses into habitable country villas. Unexpectedly, today she was also enjoying this treatment.
The old house was surrounded by tall stone slab walls, making it difficult to breach.
Furthermore, the Gu family planned to string wires along the walls and connect them to electricity once they obtained power from the photovoltaic panels. Then, even if someone dared to climb over the wall, they would be electrocuted.
Pushing open the gate, the weeds in front of the old house were completely cleared. A stone slab path was thoughtfully laid leading to the main gate of the old house.
The cypress wood main door of the old house was cleaned and repainted black, making it much more imposing.
In the courtyard, the well in the center of the courtyard had been cleaned again, and the clear water now reflected people's faces.
The dilapidated tiles on the roof had also been replaced. The weeds on the eaves had all been cleared, and the roof gutters were unblocked, allowing for smooth drainage during rain.
These details, combined, made the old house feel fresh and comfortable, despite its architecture filled with a sense of age.
The large stove in the kitchen had already been put to use for cooking in the past few days. According to the stove holes, a large iron pot for cooking, a small pot for stir-frying, and an earthenware pot for warm water were added for convenient access to hot water at any time.
They would not be staying here long, but the house had finally been renovated to their liking.
This was the Gu family's first home in this world, and all three of them were very excited.
On the day of the move, all expenses were settled separately with Boss Zhang and Mr. Sun.
Labor cost ten taels of silver, materials cost twenty-one taels of silver, supervision fees for the two bosses were one tael each, and Boss Zhang's fee for renovating the underfloor heating was ten taels. The total cost added up to forty-three taels of silver.
As for coal, it cost fifty-two taels of silver.
Boss Zhang was the happiest because he had a sustainable business. The Gu family had installed underfloor heating, which required burning coal. As long as the Gu family lived here, they would have to buy coal from him continuously.
Boss Zhang was generous enough to give a 1% discount on the coal price, and the Gu family would receive this discount for any future coal purchases.
Gu Chaobei told him to send coal to the mountain every day for the next few days, estimating about a hundred jun more.
Although Boss Zhang felt that the amount of coal dust the Gu family was using was excessive, he didn't suspect anything. Some people lacked a sense of security and liked to stockpile large quantities. Wealthy families who bought his coal also had similar situations.
If someone was buying his goods, why would he refuse the business?
Hearing that Gu Chaobei would continue to order coal, he happily agreed, smiling from ear to ear.
They did not choose a particularly auspicious date. As long as the family was together, every day was a good day. The Gu family then moved into their new home.
The Gu family hired a horse-drawn carriage from the Yuelai Inn to take them up the mountain.
When they left, they did not bring any luggage, which made the inn attendant suspicious. He wondered why the guests, who had stayed for several days, had no luggage.
However, the Gu family did not drive straight up the mountain.
Along the way, every time they passed a restaurant, they would ask the carriage driver to wait for a while. The driver, having received a hundred coins for his services, did not rush them and stopped whenever they asked.
After dawdling in the streets for a while, the Gu family finally asked the carriage driver to drive towards Yanshan.
At the foot of Yanshan, Gu Chaobei paid the hundred-coin fare, and the family began to climb the stone steps up the mountain.
Gu Qingcheng held the golden retriever named Wangcai. The carriage driver thought this family was a bit strange, not bringing any luggage but holding onto a dog.
However, it was none of his business as a commoner. He took the fare and left quickly, eager to pick up another fare.
Wangcai's life had been saved, but he was still weak and unable to walk long distances, let alone climb stairs.
Gu Qingcheng carried him, appearing very relaxed, as if carrying a small infant.
Perhaps even Wangcai himself wondered why his owner did not seem tired at all, despite him weighing fifty to sixty jin.
Upon reaching the top of Yanshan, the family of three stood at the entrance, looking around with great satisfaction.
Hu Lanfang said with some regret, "It's a pity we can't stay here long. Otherwise, I would love to plant flowers and grass here, and grow grapes, so that it would be in bloom all year round."
"Mother, bread will be available, and everything will be available."
Gu Qingcheng's small face was rosy from the cold, but she was warm underneath and did not feel the chill.
The temperature had already dropped to minus ten degrees Celsius in the past five days. The mountain road was indeed colder than the inn in town.
Seeing this, Gu Chaobei quickly opened the courtyard gate and went to the backyard to start the fire.
Boss Zhang had taught Gu Chaobei how to operate the underfloor heating in the past few days.
The feeding port for the underfloor heating was built in the backyard, which was also enclosed by a wall, so outsiders could not access it, ensuring the safety of feeding.
Otherwise, if someone secretly sprinkled poison powder into the feeding port when they weren't paying attention, they could be poisoned.
Gu Chaobei first placed some oily fine wood strips at the bottom of the feeding port, then stacked some high-quality dry firewood on top, followed by a few coal cakes, and finally piled coal dust on top and around.
He first lit the fine wood branches at the bottom. After the wood branches caught fire, they successively ignited the thicker wood and dry coal dust...
Gu Chaobei closed the furnace door of the underfloor heating. Half an hour later, warmth began to emanate from the bedroom and dining room where the underfloor heating was installed.
Gu Chaobei then realized that burning the underfloor heating all day consumed a considerable amount of coal dust. No wonder Boss Zhang was so friendly towards them. Who would be impolite to a major customer?
Gu Qingcheng insisted that it must be burned, fearing that if the temperature suddenly dropped one night, they might freeze to death in their sleep without realizing it.
With the underfloor heating, such a tragedy should not happen.