Rebirth: I Am Super Rich in Apocalypse
Chapter 251: Laying the Thatch Cloth

Chapter 251: Chapter 251: Laying the Thatch Cloth

Everyone was scared, but their hands moved with even more force.

Jhiang Yuan was also praying that the developer wouldn’t have skimped on the construction quality; it was too terrifying to contemplate.

With many hands, the work went quickly, but the snow was falling just as fast.

They were closely followed by more snow sweeping down, in an endless cycle.

"This won’t do, we need to come up with a method."

Zhang Kaiyang frowned deeply, an unusual seriousness for him.

Fan Qing’s eyes suddenly brightened, and she said excitedly, "I’ve got it."

Everyone’s gaze turned to her, curious about what she knew.

"We could do this: bring a large tarp over and cover the area with it.

Then we can get some wooden sticks and as long as the slope is less than forty-five degrees, the snow should mostly slide off on its own."

"Exactly, that’s what I was thinking."

Zhang Kaiyang was also excited, the two were in such sync, nothing could be more exhilarating than being on the same wavelength.

The two exchanged a meaningful glance, inadvertently flaunting their bond.

"Forty-five degrees might be challenging because the area is large, and with that range, the poles would need to be very long.

And such a large tarp?"

They actually had one...

Previously, when they went out to collect supplies during a storm, the tarps they used, if pieced together, would surely suffice.

Obviously, Jhiang Yuan quickly thought of this as well.

Besides that, the issue was bracing the structure.

Song Yi led the group to collect the wood they had scavenged earlier, especially tables and chairs with legs.

They dismantled them, and the shorter pieces were bound together to elongate them; it was enough.

However, it wasn’t quite forty-five degrees.

Not even ninety degrees. It couldn’t be too high either, or it would raise suspicions as a conspicuous outlier.

The main problem was that there were no wooden poles long enough.

Connecting too many would be inconvenient.

So, they decided to brace the middle the highest and then gradually lower from there.

By the end, it perfectly joined with the surrounding perimeter walls.

In this way, even if snow piled on top, it wouldn’t matter.

They could poke the tarp from underneath, allowing the snow to be cleared off.

For the edges, they intentionally left extra material.

Normally, it would just lay on top, but if the snow didn’t flow down, they could also roll up the edges to leave space for people to pass.

Song Yi even fashioned a long rake, making sure it could reach the highest and most central spot from all around.

With this, they were fail-safe.

No need to worry anymore about the snow being too thick to shake off from the inside.

The plan was simple in theory, but the execution was dauntingly difficult.

The sheer volume of work, combined with the relentless snow, increased the difficulty.

Everyone was working vigorously, with Qin Yue’s prepared sugary water helping to stave off the cold.

A lot of wood was used. Their own supply wasn’t enough, and Zhang Kaiyang and Liang Kang’s families used what they could as well.

For the shortfall, they even scrounged a considerable amount from uninhabited rooms downstairs.

Jhiang Yuan felt like it was a hassle for everyone, so she thought of hosting a meal at home for everyone.

Moreover, it was getting late; in their busyness, it had become two in the afternoon.

She left the rooftop work to her father and went downstairs to help.

"How about we make dumplings? My dear, we still have plenty at home.

Steaming hot sour soup dumplings would be warm and comforting to eat."

Jhiang Yuan shook her head, no good, we already had dumplings this morning, and now dumplings again.

"Mom, how about we have hotpot instead!"

Qin Yue wasn’t happy at all, hotpot would require so many dishes.

"How can you not understand the way of living, child? It’s such a waste of vegetables, and we don’t have that much left."

"Mom, we have several fridges and freezers full of frozen vegetables; how can you say it’s not enough?

What if the ice and snow melt next year, and you’re still hoping to keep them?

Come on, they’ve indeed helped us out quite a bit, just this one time, go and fetch a couple of pickled cabbages quickly!"

Qin Yue was quite conflicted, during normal times, she would definitely worry about not being hospitable enough.

But now, for a bite to eat, she’s come to the point of "trading children for food", she had no choice but to be frugal.

Jhiang Yuan also had her considerations, and she’d already sorted out a batch of vegetables from the storage space.

It was just the right time to take them out and eat, not missing anything.

Qin Yue brought over the pickled cabbage, wrapped in a blanket, with plenty of ice still encased, this had to be thawed with cold water, not hot, otherwise the taste would be halved.

"Mom, go upstairs and give Dad a hand, the work he’s doing is for our home, it would be inappropriate for me to walk away halfway through."

"Right, it makes sense."

As she spoke, Qin Yue hurried to change her clothes, fearing that she might be judged.

Xiao Nuan and Jingjing were playing in the living room, it was fine, she needed to get busy quickly.

She didn’t take out too many types of greens, being able to eat at all was good enough.

First, she boiled water, using both gas stoves.

Spinach, romaine, and bok choy, she took them out separately, washed them clean, then blanched them in hot water before placing them in a basin.

After draining off the water, she put them on a perforated basket.

There was no need to differentiate too clearly, just letting each occupy its space was fine.

Even though blanched in hot water, when taken out they were still half-fresh.

Mung bean sprouts and fresh mushrooms were grown at home, these were unaffected, and could be eaten without concern.

She soaked half a basin of glass noodles and reconstituted a good amount of dried bean curd skins, wood ear mushrooms, kelp strips, and dried beancurd sticks.

The hotpot meatballs were also taken out from the fridge; for the meat, she cut up the ham Ye Mianmian had sent over before, and there was still plenty.

No one would find fault with it, it was perfect.

There were many hotpot seasonings, but today they would have a "Yin Yang" hotpot, which was quite convenient.

After everything was prepared, everyone also got back.

Seeing the hotpot, they were all surprised, it was too extravagant, but they were indeed craving it.

"Sister Yuan, you really are my sister, such nice dishes, and you’re willing to let us eat them!"

"What’s there to mind, there isn’t much at home, everyone has worked hard today, let’s have a good meal."

"Hmm, will there be more work at your home tomorrow? I might come over..."

"Hahaha..."

This jest successfully made everyone laugh.

Qin Yue called everyone to wash their hands, while Song Yi said she would go back to tidy up, and then change her clothes and such.

"That’s fine, you guys go back, and hurry back for dinner later, I won’t come to call you!"

"Auntie, don’t worry, I’ll definitely be the first one there."

"Haha, this kid..."

Jhiang Yuan watched this scene, feeling a sense of warmth as well.

Back at home, during the holidays, all the relatives would gather together, it was just as lively.

Qin Yue quickly made some handmade noodles, so they could have some staple food to eat later.

Everyone arrived, but the dining table was quite small, so they ate at the coffee table, sitting around it, standing up if they couldn’t reach.

With a bite down, accompanied by the rich flavor of sesame paste, everyone’s spirits were lifted.

It really had been too long since they had eaten such delicious food, it was a bit moving...