In addition to the items that Huo Xiao had listed earlier, Zhuang Xiao also added quite a few personal items to their shopping list. She included daily necessities, and they bought a good amount of kitchen essentials like salt, oil, and spices.

With so many points on hand, it was time to improve their quality of life, even if just a little.

Before leaving, Zhuang Xiao asked Old Yu—whose face now seemed to have a smile etched into every wrinkle—about one more thing.

The price was outrageous: one refrigerator cost three pearls.

And she had just spent 2,100 points.

But Huo Xiao said that was for rebuilding their home. In the future, she’d have her own bedroom and bathroom.

Thinking about it like that, spending 2,100 points for a bedroom and a bathroom didn’t seem like a bad deal at all. Just four pearls—what was the big deal?

For larger items, Huo Xiao asked Old Yu to deliver them four days later.

The house had to be rebuilt before the rainy season hit, so once they got home, they needed to start hiring help and gathering materials. It was going to be a busy time.

They brought their remaining purchases and met up with Yan Ming and his brother at the south gate.

The two of them were waiting inside the gate, but the brothers hadn’t arrived yet.

About fifteen minutes later, the brothers finally appeared.

Yan Ming was wearing a radiation-proof poncho on his back, and both of them had bulging backpacks—clearly, they’d bought plenty of things as well.

The four of them didn’t talk much on the way back.

Once home, Yan Ming first went next door to deliver the proceeds and some nutrient solution to the two little kids.

When he returned, they got down to discussing the pearl sales.

They had sold six medium-radiation pearls for 3,000 points, which was 600 points less than what Huo Xiao had earned, mostly because the pearls they were selling were slightly smaller.

As agreed, they got 10% of the earnings—300 points.

Though selling valuable goods carried risk, it was still better than toiling away for a month.

In the Wasteland, nothing came without risk. Even scavenging for food could get you killed by mutant animals.

So earning an extra 300 points like this? The brothers were thrilled.

With the energy stone they’d gotten last time, and this windfall, this summer would be much easier to survive.

And with his older brother’s health improving, Yan Ming finally felt at ease.

But of the four of them, the happiest by far was Zhuang Xiao—she had earned another 2,700 points, and with the 1,500 she still had left, her total now stood at 4,200 points.

So… could she go back and place an order for a secondhand refrigerator from Old Yu?

Summer without air conditioning was bearable—but no cold water? That might be the breaking point.

Huo Xiao: ……

Looks like the solar panels at home might not be enough anymore.

Maybe he should go find some saltpeter?

They also told the Yan brothers about the renovation plans and asked if they could help source materials and free up three days to help build.

Of course, the brothers agreed without hesitation.

In the shantytown, homes were typically built by family members—very few people would spend points to hire outsiders.

An opportunity like this was rare.

And as Zhuang Xiao’s most loyal little fanboy, Yan Ming firmly believed: Huo-ge must be benefiting from being close to Sister Xiao.

After all, before she came along, Huo-ge’s life was even worse than theirs.

Once they left the Yan brothers’ home, Zhuang Xiao’s expression turned serious and her steps grew steady—clearly worried someone might realize she was loaded and try to rob her.

Carrying a small fortune on her person… what a wonderful feeling.

Huo Xiao followed behind her, eyes warm and bright, watching the girl nearly float down the road with excitement.

With no shortage of food at home, and with Zhuang Xiao’s agreement, they decided not to go scavenging that afternoon. Instead, they holed up at home to tidy up.

Starting tomorrow, people would start coming by.

To deliver building materials, dig the foundation…

So besides cleaning up the house, they also needed to draw up renovation plans for the workers.

Luckily, the spot Huo Xiao had picked back then was relatively secluded—so expanding in any direction was possible. If he’d bought one of those rundown homes deeper inside the shantytown, renovations would’ve been a nightmare.

When homes are crammed together, even taking an extra inch might start a war with nosy neighbors.

In the shantytown, there were no land rights or property deeds. Most homes were passed down through generations.

If someone in the family did well for themselves, they’d move into the safety zone.

If not, and the family kept growing, the new couples could only build homes on the outskirts of the shantytown.

Of course, if someone died without heirs, the house would soon be snatched up—those fights could get brutal.

That’s why there were never any vacant houses in the shantytown.

Given the low birth and survival rates of children, the area had remained about the same size for hundreds of years.

Huo Xiao used to own a house in the inner shantytown.

But after his parents died and no family was left, he sold it at a low price when he landed a job in the safety zone.

Ah, the arrogance of youth—he thought he could build a life there.

But life had other plans.

He had spent most of his savings on the current house. After leaving the safety zone, his body had been in poor condition and he had to spend a lot of points on medication.

Back then, he was genuinely jealous of Yan Hu having a younger brother.

Family meant home.

Thinking about all that, and then looking at the girl now about to explode from frustration as she worked on the blueprint, everything felt like a dream.

“Huo Xiao, come here and see if this works!” a flustered Zhuang Xiao called him over.

She had only drawn a basic floor plan, outlining a rough layout. She had no idea how to actually build a house.

And she definitely didn’t know what to do with all those panels and boards Huo Xiao had bought.

Huo Xiao picked up the sketch—it was indeed simple.

She had added a second bedroom next to the original one. Behind the two bedrooms was a backyard, which connected to a shared bathroom, and a small area labeled “planting zone.”

The front yard remained unchanged, though the stove was to be covered with radiation-proof and sun-blocking materials.

Huo Xiao picked up a pen and added a storage room and a living room between the two bedrooms.

Based on their ideas and the sketch, he drew a much more complete and practical blueprint for the house.

Once it was done, Huo Xiao mentally calculated the materials needed—this new plan would increase costs by at least a third.

But Zhuang Xiao waved it off and declared boldly, “It’s just two pearls. Safety and comfort come first.”

After all, this was her first real home in the Wasteland.

It had to be built right.

And yes—Zhuang Xiao had already accepted Huo Xiao’s story that she was his little sister.

She had always been jealous of people who had big brothers.

In this strange new world, finding a brother for free?

Not bad at all.