Apocalyptic Hoarding Diary

Chapter 149 The Stainless Steel Shed

The seller wanted 1 point per ton, and the buyer wanted 1.5 points per ton, so she decided to take a price that was slightly above the middle: 1 point for 1.45 tons. With that in mind, she immediately posted a new thread in the forum's buying section.

[Looking to Buy] We are buying coal, long-term offer!

1 point can be redeemed for 1.45 tons. Honest transaction required. Delivery must be made to a designated location outside the city (please contact me privately after the transaction).

After doing all that, drowsiness washed over her. Xu Xiaoyan snuggled into the warm quilt and fell into a deep sleep almost as soon as her head hit the pillow. The fatigue of the past few days made her sleep exceptionally soundly.

The next morning, she was awakened by a knock on the door. When she opened her eyes, the room was pitch black because the window was sealed with a scarf. She subconsciously touched the heated kang bed beneath her, and good heavens, it was ice cold. She had slept too soundly last night, and the bed was too warm, so she had forgotten to get up in the middle of the night to add firewood. The fire in the stove had been out for a long time.

That didn't matter; the thick quilt was enough to ward off the morning chill and keep her from getting cold. She quickly got up, neatly put the quilt and blanket back into her storage space, straightened her clothes, and then walked to the door. Instead of opening it immediately, she lowered her voice and cautiously asked, "Who is it?"

A loud male voice came from outside the door, "Hello! Are you the lady named Canghai from the forum? We're here to build a stainless steel shed!"

"So efficient!" Xu Xiaoyan thought to herself, and quickly opened the door.

Outside the door stood eight strong men wearing yellow hard hats. At their feet were various tools such as welding machines, cutting machines, and impact drills, as well as a pile of shiny stainless steel plates and profiles.

The man leading the group was a dark-skinned man in his forties. He stepped forward with a hearty smile typical of a worker. "Hello, my surname is Chen, and I'm in charge of this installation. Is it convenient for us to start surveying the yard now to determine the specific construction plan?"

Xu Xiaoyan stepped aside to let them in. "It's fine, the backyard is this way."

The workers filed in, carrying tools and materials to the backyard. Supervisor Chen didn't follow immediately. He stood inside, glanced at the low roof, and then looked at Xu Xiaoyan, asking, "Young lady, before we start, there's something I need to confirm with you. How high do you plan to build that stainless steel shed in your backyard? Is it the same height as your house, one story, or do you need it higher?"

"Height?" Xu Xiaoyan was taken aback by the question. She had only thought about isolating herself and hadn't really considered the height issue in detail. "Could it go even higher?"

Manager Chen smiled and patiently explained, "Look, your neighbors on both sides have two-story houses, while your house is only one story. If you also build a one-story shed in the backyard, it will be shorter than the houses on both sides."

What I mean is, the frame of this shed can be made much higher, even two stories high. That way, from the outside, the outline of your house will be level with the sides, and the interior space will instantly be more than doubled. It will be much more convenient if you want to store things or if you want to create a second floor to store miscellaneous items later.

Two stories high!

This proposal was completely beyond Xu Xiaoyan's initial expectations. Her first thought was not the benefits of having more space, but rather the reaction of her neighbors.

"If I build a two-story house, won't my neighbors object? Will it cause any disputes?" she quickly asked, as this was her most pressing concern.

After hearing this, Manager Chen smiled reassuringly and lowered his voice, saying, "You don't need to worry about that. We specifically inquired before we came. Although people live in these two two-story buildings on either side of you, the property rights belong to the government. They are rental properties. As long as you are not afraid to spend more points and materials, you can convert your small house and the entire backyard into a two-story building without them having the right to interfere. However, there is still one thing to be aware of."

He kindly reminded you, "You must pay your rent on time every month. Don't stop paying, otherwise, all the effort you put into renovating this house will be taken advantage of by the next tenant."

These words contained a wealth of information! Xu Xiaoyan was instantly tempted. A taller shed meant that she could not only store more coal, but also that the chimneys from her continuous coal burning would not be seen by her neighbors in the extremely cold weather.

She had this concern when there was only one floor, fearing that if her neighbors peeked out and saw the smoke constantly billowing from her roof, it would lead to unnecessary speculation. If she could build a two-story house now, she wouldn't have to worry about that, but it would also mean investing extra points, so she had to be very careful.

"Manager Chen, thank you for your suggestion. In that case, you should proceed with the original plan and drive in the foundation and piles for the steel shed in the backyard. This is a necessary step no matter how high it is built," she said. "Regarding the final height, please give me some time to consider it, and I will give you an answer as soon as possible."

Manager Chen nodded understandingly. "Okay! No problem! We'll do the basic work first. This won't affect anything. You can take your time to think it over. Call me anytime when you've decided." After saying that, he turned around and went to work in the backyard. Soon, the sound of machines operating could be heard.

Xu Xiaoyan stood there, her mind racing. A simple, enclosed shed had suddenly been upgraded to a "two-story building." She needed to calculate how much return this extra investment of points would bring.

After seeing Manager Chen off, the idea of ​​"building a two-story house" grew wildly in Xu Xiaoyan's mind. She picked up her phone and logged into the "Linchuan Trading Forum" APP again. She began to search for rental information for "central city" + "heated kang" + "single-person residence".

After completing her search, she found that single-person apartments with heated brick beds did exist in Midtown, but they were always less than ideal. Either the location was relatively remote, far from the core area and management center, or the rent was outrageously high, often costing twenty-five or thirty points per month, far exceeding her current expectations.

She exited the search interface and her gaze fell on her small bungalow. The location she had chosen was right next to the city gate of the inner city, which was one of the best "golden locations" in the outer city. The safety, transportation, and potential opportunities were all better than many remote corners of the inner city. Since the location was good, why should she squeeze into the inner city and bear the high rent?

More importantly, she keenly realized a loophole or advantage in the rules: the continuity of the lease contract. As long as she did not voluntarily terminate the lease and paid 15 points on time every month, the official system would assume that she continued to rent, and theoretically no staff would come to "inspect" whether the house was kept in its original condition.