Chapter 16

The three of them talked about many things, from how Lin Nanxuan’s big event reached three meters in importance to how they raised a nest of rabbits and puppies in Zhejiang province and even gave names to the dogs.

Speaking of this, Lin Nanxuan mocked her mother for being terrible at naming things. She named the rabbits “Boss” and “Second,” and since the puppy was white, she simply called it “Big White.”

Lin’s mother, of course, refused to admit this and insisted that she was good at naming. She pointed out that while the three siblings’ names did sound nice, it was mostly because of their surname “Lin” and the generational name “Nan” that tied them together.

Otherwise, for the eldest, Lin Nanxuan, their mother had initially thought of names like “Yan” or “Fen,” but their father didn’t like those. While working away from home, he saw a flower called “Xuan Cao” (daylily) and decided to name her “Nanxuan.”

As for Lin Nanzhi, the naming process was even more casual. One night, a mouse kept squeaking loudly, and baby Nanzhi, not crying at all, worried their parents about her health. So, they called her “Lin Nan Zhi” (Zhi meaning squeak).

Their grandmother opposed it, saying “Zhi Zhi Zhi” sounded like a mouse, and suggested the name “Lin Nan Fang.” But their mother disagreed. Their father then modified it slightly to “Lin Nan Zhi,” but when they registered the name at the household office, the clerk made a mistake.

Seeing baby Nanzhi looking chubby and boyish, the clerk assumed she was a boy and not only changed “Nan Zhi” to a different character but also mistakenly registered her gender as male.

So, when Lin Nanzhi was little, her official gender was recorded as male. It wasn’t until she got sick and had to go to the hospital that the mistake was discovered. They eventually corrected her gender but kept the name.

However, “Zhi Zhi” remained her nickname.

As for Lin Nanxun, his name had an even more interesting story. At the time, human traffickers were rampant, and many children went missing. Lin’s mother was very worried and wished that all the lost children could be found. So, their father gave him the name “Xun,” meaning “to search.”

“But ‘Dabao’ isn’t such a great name either,” someone muttered, referring to the puppy.

The three ignored her and continued chatting.

“And what happened to the puppy?”

Lin Nanxuan sighed, saying that while they weren’t paying attention, the puppy ran out and got hit by a car. As for the rabbits, they eventually gave them to a neighbor. The other two felt a pang of regret.

Lin’s mother didn’t comment and started tidying up the things they had brought back.

Since there were now two extra people, Lin Nanxun was forced to move to a room to rest. Their mother and the other two slept upstairs. When their eldest brother, Lin Nanye, returned, he could share a room with Nanxun, so they needed to carry all their things upstairs. It was quite a tiring process.

After several hours, they finally got everything settled. Lin Nanzhi and Lin Nanxun prepared dinner, and just as they finished, their father returned.

He had already heard that the three had come back, so he wasn’t surprised. He completely ignored Lin’s mother and instead showed concern about how Lin Nanxuan was doing in Zhejiang.

For once, the whole family was gathered—except for Lin Nanye.

—-

They had bought over four acres of land but only applied for permits to use two. With their family’s existing land, they had a total of about three acres, over 2,000 square meters. That was quite a large space for a house, but Lin Nanzhi planned to use part of it to plant trees and decorate the yard.

Their family’s land was located behind their grandmother’s house. The front of her house was crowded with other people’s homes, making it lively, but since their land was separated by her old house and they had to avoid their third uncle’s land, they were still about a hundred meters away from the main village. That meant it wouldn’t be too noisy after building the house—it would be their own private home.

In front of the land was a small river with a weak current, followed by dry land and then mountains.

Their father had bought land that included the area beneath their foundation, as well as part of the dry land across the river.

Excavators brought in loads of soil to elevate the ground, flattening and compacting the land before laying the foundation.

It took less than half a month to complete the foundation, and the construction materials were already delivered and stacked nearby.

The house was designed by Lin Nanzhi on her computer, printed in town. It had only two floors.

The first floor included a living room, master bedroom, secondary bedroom, and guest room. Both the master and secondary bedrooms had private bathrooms, with another shared bathroom outside. There were front and back courtyards. In the front yard, there was a storage room and a laundry room. The dining room and kitchen were connected to the house, while the storage and laundry rooms were separate, placed in the corner.

The back courtyard was planned for planting flowers and trees, with a fish pond and a pavilion for enjoying the summer breeze.

The second floor had five rooms, each with its own bathroom. Some rooms had balconies, and there was also a sunroom and a small sitting area.

Instead of building a wall between the two houses, they shared a single dividing wall. Both front and back courtyards had fences, where they planned to plant rose vines.

The house was positioned in the center of the land, leaving space on all sides for walls, two large gates, and landscaping with grass, flowers, and trees to enhance its appearance.

With the design ready, Lin’s father supervised the construction. Lin Nanzhi, being just a child, didn’t involve herself too much but started planning other things instead.

She still needed to upgrade her space ability. There were no crops planted in it yet, so she discussed with their father about renting the mountain across from their house.

The mountain had no official name, but there was a beautiful lake at the top, with dense greenery covering it. The lower parts were mostly barren land, perfect for growing fruit trees. If possible, she also wanted to rent the land below for greenhouses.

Spending money on building a house while not having a job would raise suspicion. Renting the mountain and growing fruit could justify their future income.

Their father didn’t object. After all, it was her money, and he thought it was a good idea—it could even indirectly benefit the villagers.

In addition to this, Lin Nanzhi also planned to dig a mountain spring.

Their area had many natural springs. The small river in front of their house used to be supplied by one, but over the years, the water had decreased, and now, only a small trickle remained visible on the mountainside.

She discovered a mysterious app on her phone, seemingly linked to her special space ability. It had many features, most of which were locked. Only a “detection” function was available.

This detection tool could find underground water sources, determine their depth, and analyze water quality. It could also detect other things, though she wasn’t sure what yet.

Currently, every household relied on manually fetching water. Some homes had installed pipes, but they weren’t reliable and often had no water.

With the new house, they needed a proper water supply. She didn’t want to carry water all the time, so the best solution was to find a good water source and install a proper system.

However, before she could act on this plan, her eldest brother, Lin Nanye, returned home.

Lin Nanye, now twenty years old, was studying in the capital, one of only two college students in their village—and the only pride of the Lin family.

He was tall, over 1.83 meters, with sharp facial features, his mother’s peach blossom eyes, and his father’s amber-colored ones. With a high nose bridge, well-shaped lips, and neatly trimmed short hair, he exuded a cool and handsome aura.

But the moment he stepped inside and saw everyone eating, he broke into a silly grin.

Lin Nanzhi: “……”

She couldn’t bear to look.

Seriously, big brother, stop smiling. The moment you do, all that cool, aloof energy disappears, and you instantly turn into a fool.