RPS – Chapter 18 The New House Needs Decorating

After a few days of airing out, the new house no longer felt damp. The floor had been paved with previously prepared compacted earth, connected piece by piece like floorboards. Li Feng thought to himself that it would be even better if he had some thin stone slabs—they’d make it look just like a tiled floor.

Speaking of the floor, Li Feng had really put a lot of thought into it. When the foundation was laid, it was already raised above ground level to prevent rainwater from flooding in. First, a layer of crushed stones was laid, then sand was poured in to fill the gaps between the stones. After that came a layer of soil, which was compacted flat. Finally, another layer of compacted earth was spread and leveled—thus completing the most primitive version of a “floor.”

The house’s design incorporated every usable aspect of modern architecture that they could manage. For instance, the front entrance featured a three-step staircase because the flooring inside was quite thick. Around the house, drainage ditches were dug to allow rainwater to flow away easily. These ditches were also lined with stones—primitive society’s version of a “luxury upgrade.”

There were five rooms in total. The central room, facing the main door and used as a living room, had no windows. The rest of the rooms all had windows installed. The two rooms at the back had windows placed higher up to prevent wild animals from climbing in. These windows weren’t very large and had wooden bars. Li Feng even used vines to weave shutters that could open and close, ensuring no rain would leak through since the weaving was very tight. The two front rooms had larger windows to let in more light. The wooden bars on these were also thicker. Like the back windows, they had woven vine shutters. In winter, they could be swapped out for animal skins to keep things warm.

Once everything was ready, and the house had been fully aired and dried, Li Feng immediately had Li and the others move all usable items from the cave into the new house. The house was spacious, and since there wasn’t much in the cave, everything was moved over quite quickly.

The stone bed from the cave was placed in the back left room, which was turned into a bedroom. The room on the right was reserved for Bu and Nuo. Although Nuo hadn’t officially paired with Bu yet, Bu was still staying in his own cave for now. However, Nuo didn’t want to leave, so he stayed behind. That room had originally been promised to them by Li Feng.

The kitchen was built separately, next to the cave, using leftover wood and compacted earth—which saved a lot of effort. All the cooking tools remained in the cave. Li Feng had thought ahead: worried it would be difficult to cook in the rain, he built a simple corridor connecting the house to the cave. It wasn’t far—just a few dozen meters beside the house—so even in bad weather, they’d be fine. This was probably the earliest version of a corridor. Although it had no carved beams or painted rafters, for a primitive society, this counted as a “luxury villa.”

The house was a clay yellow color on the outside and the inside. Li Feng had wanted to find lime to paint the interior white to brighten things up, but hadn’t found any yet. He figured he’d paint it eventually once he found some. For now, the inside just needed to be pleasant and comfortable; the outside could wait.

Li Feng had always planned that once the house was finished, he’d sleep in a separate room from Li. Sharing a bed every night didn’t exactly provide a sense of security. Even though they hadn’t gone further, Li took a lot of liberties at night—touching here and there. Li Feng was a healthy man with normal senses, so of course he’d react. He was afraid that one day he might not be able to hold himself back, and if “the city gates were breached,” he’d have no place to cry. So, since he couldn’t fight back, he might as well hide. Now that the house was built, sleeping in separate rooms was just a matter of time.

Of the two rooms on the left, the back one was Li’s. The front one with the large window was reserved for Li Feng. A big window meant lots of natural light. The walls had already been smoothed down with thin stone pieces, and the fine clay made them look sleek and polished.

The old stone bed from the cave was now in Li’s room. Li Feng’s room was still empty. He figured the bed was the most essential part—he’d need to make one soon. For now, he decided to leave the room empty and squeeze in with Li for a few more days. After all, they’d been sharing for so long—what’s a few more days?

What he didn’t anticipate was whether Li would agree or not. In the end, that room might never be his. What he also didn’t expect was that the baby in his belly might end up with the room he had always wanted but never got to sleep in.

As for the front right room, Li Feng had already decided it would be the dining room. It could also double as a kitchen occasionally. He didn’t like eating in the kitchen because of the heavy smell of oil smoke. So he planned to cook in the kitchen next to the cave and carry the food over to eat here. It wasn’t far anyway.

They had already lived in the new house for several days, and waves of “guests” had visited. At first, Li Feng felt quite proud—he enjoyed the attention and was enthusiastic about receiving visitors. But after several days of constant visits, he became weary. His smiles were forced, and after entertaining for days, he gave up and let Nuo handle it. After all, they weren’t that familiar with most people. Back when they lived in the cave, barely anyone visited them! Not that he minded much—but he really didn’t have the energy. The baby was growing fast and changing every day. Taking care of the child was exhausting, and there was still so much to do around the new house!

Before the house was finished, he hadn’t realized how many things they lacked. But once it was built, he saw how empty it was—especially since it was such a large space. Pots and pans were still in the cave, but looking at the empty house, he moved them into the dining room. At last, it felt more like a home.

The table was a large, round stone—somewhat like a modern stone round table, though not perfectly round. It was actually quite neat and regular. Li Feng had no idea where Li found it. The rest of the house was still empty. The living room didn’t even have a table or chairs. What Li Feng really wanted now was a carpenter. Cabinets, beds, doors, kitchen cupboards—he needed them all! Especially the doors. Right now, the house just had fence-like gates!

The back of the house was against the mountain, and there was a large open space in front. Li Feng had fenced it in with wooden rails, making it their yard. The sweet potato seedlings he had planted earlier were now growing vigorously inside the fence—a lush patch of green. He had also planted ginger nearby. Altogether, it truly looked like a proper home now.

A large house (even if it was a bit empty inside), a “small” front yard (which was actually quite big), a rustic fence path, and a yard full of greenery—if they added a few chickens and ducks, it would be a perfect pastoral scene.

New houses always need decorating. Li Feng was now searching everywhere for things to beautify the home. He dug up a lot of wild roses from the mountain and planted them beside the fence. They were both pretty and functional—great for warding off “thieves” thanks to their thorns. He even planted some climbing vines, like wild creepers, around the house—flowering and non-flowering alike.

Li Feng also dug up and planted every edible wild vegetable he could find in the yard. The yard was big enough, and he wasn’t too concerned about whether they would survive—though chances were good they would. Nuo had stopped hunting and was now tagging along with Li Feng every day, running all over the nearby hills. He said they were going on treasure hunts…

Wherever they went, the mountains always seemed full of good things. At the very least, Li Feng had found a lot of food—like green onions, ginger, and garlic—which he dug up and brought back several times. The ones that could grow were planted; the rest were kept to eat.

Ever since Li Feng’s house was built and decorated, this rustic, fenced-in countryside home became a trend in the tribe. Everyone had the strength for it, and after Li and Bu taught them a few times, a primitive village began to take shape.

Every day, wisps of smoke curled up from the thatched huts, yards were lush with green plants, and even the hunters returning from the forest felt more energized. From afar, they could see the pale yellow rooftops and soft smoke rising—it made the desire to return home even stronger. When people have hope and loved ones, they gain the strength to keep going.