Chapter 35: Su Tao’s Ideal Home
“We’ve arrived, Mr. Mei.”
Mei Hongyi was helped down, looking up at the tall walls and electric fences:
“I haven’t been out in a long time. When did such a large piece of land appear here? Are these walls sturdy?”
Su Tao said, “Very sturdy, and equipped with an alarm system. If any zombies or unauthorized people try to enter, they’ll be electrocuted, and I’ll be notified immediately. There’s no problem with safety.”
Mei Hongyi was surprised: “That’s even better than Dongyang, which has had twenty years to perfect its defenses. And it hasn’t been seized? There must be quite a few people eyeing it.”
Su Tao smiled lightly: “For now, no one dares to try.”
The old man dropped the topic immediately. He understood—connections and backing. Even those with ill intentions would be wary.
He shifted his attention to the crowded houses inside and the vacant land around them:
“Why are the houses all crammed together? Can some of those rooms even get sunlight?”
Su Tao felt a bit embarrassed: “When I built them, I didn’t think that far ahead. There are indeed some rooms without windows…”
Even so, most tenants didn’t mind at all—just having a place to live was already a blessing.
But her original intention wasn’t just survival—it was to live well!
Mei Hongyi said, “Come on, push me around for a tour.”
Su Tao and Zhuang Wan took turns pushing him for a full circle around Taoyang.
Mei Hongyi seemed quite pleased: “Peach girl, this is a good place. The land is flat, solid, and faces south overall. The only downside is the size—it’s a bit small. You can’t build a large community, but a small, refined residential area is definitely feasible.”
Su Tao nodded: “Feel free to share any ideas you have.”
“Do you have a budget? Have you secured sources for building materials? What about workers and engineers? Once it’s built, you’ll need people for maintenance…”
Su Tao patiently waited for him to finish:
“Mr. Mei, you don’t need to worry about any of that. Just focus on the planning. I only have three requests:
- Plan a residential area for around 500 people.
- Include public facilities like a cafeteria, office building, and a park.
- Reserve two open spaces.”
She intended to use these spaces for a school or possibly a hospital.
Even in the apocalypse, children shouldn’t lose access to knowledge.
But it wasn’t enough—Taoyang was still too small. She’d have to take it one step at a time.
Mei Hongyi hesitated: “Not considering any limitations? Then I’ll design it to the standards of premium residential communities from before the apocalypse. If you can’t build it, don’t blame me.”
Su Tao flashed a bright smile: “Of course. Also, you can start with the residential area. The rest can be designed gradually. Now, let me show you the interior layouts.”
“Taoyang currently has only about 30 rooms. The smaller ones are single rooms, the double rooms have a 4-square-meter balcony and a private bathroom, and there’s a larger layout with one bedroom, one living room, and a bathroom with a 6-square-meter balcony. This one is prepared for you.”
Mei Hongyi adjusted his glasses and hunched his back, looking at the clean and tidy, fully furnished independent unit. His old eyes grew misty.
“Oh dear, I’m just an old man with one foot in the grave. Living in such a nice place is such a waste. Peach girl, you could just give me a small single room or a storage space. If I were to die in this nice house, wouldn’t it be bad luck?”
Zhuang Wan’s nose tingled, her eyes brimming with tears as she looked at Su Tao.
It reminded her of her late father.
Su Tao worried she might start sobbing, so she quickly said firmly:
“You’re staying here, whether you like it or not. There are no extra single rooms. If you insist on making trouble, I’ll have to kick someone else out just to free up a single room for you.”
Mei Hongyi was speechless.
This little girl was quite assertive.
Zhuang Wan burst into laughter, pushing the old man inside while speaking kindly:
“Mr. Mei, our Boss Su isn’t short of a room or two. You being comfortable and happy is the only way we’ll get a beautifully designed home out of you. Besides, it wouldn’t make sense for everyone else to live well while our hero, who’s contributing so much to Taoyang, lives in a storage room, right?”
“Please don’t make it hard for her. Stay here, and later on, we’ll find a caregiver to help with your daily needs…”
Behind them, Guan Zining pouted and whispered:
“Zhuang Wan used to be so honest and shy. Now she’s become so smooth-talking under your influence, tsk.”
Su Tao playfully threatened to kick her.
Guan Zining twisted away with a humph and slipped away.
…
Mei Hongyi’s enthusiasm for work was high. On the third day, he handed Su Tao a preliminary draft of the residential area design.
“Peach girl, 3,000 square meters is still too small. Before the apocalypse, even a small neighborhood would cover 100,000 square meters. Your 3,000 square meters would barely be enough for a medium-sized supermarket.”
“To keep the residential area from feeling crowded, we’ll have to cut back on public facilities. The park you wanted? Forget it for now. If you want to take a walk, just stroll through the greenery downstairs.”
Su Tao and Zhuang Wan both showed disappointment.
They used to think 3,000 square meters was already big. But by pre-apocalypse standards, it could only fit a supermarket.
As for 100,000 square meters for just a small community, Su Tao couldn’t even imagine it.
“I’ve only outlined the residential area so far. Let me give you a rough idea.”
“The three types of rooms will require separate apartment buildings. The single rooms can be built in a row, with a central corridor on each floor, and rooms opening on either side. This way, every room can have a window. Each floor should ideally have a laundry room and a shared balcony for convenience.”
“The double rooms are similar to the singles. We can eliminate the shared balcony on each floor and only keep the laundry room.”
“An independent unit, three households per floor, ensuring that at least two rooms in each apartment face south.”
“Every apartment building must be oriented north-to-south, with appropriate spacing between buildings. Otherwise, there’s no way to guarantee proper lighting. The remaining space can be used for greenery or other small public facilities. Additionally, to meet the required population, you’ll need to build higher floors. That’s a challenge you’ll have to handle yourself.”
…
Mei Hongyi finally finished speaking and looked at Su Tao: “Did you understand everything?”
Su Tao slumped: “Yes, but the workload is a bit overwhelming.”
She’d have to pull several all-nighters to rearrange and reconfigure the existing rooms.
Mei Hongyi thought she was worried about finding engineers and construction crews: “The workload is indeed substantial, requiring a lot of manpower and resources. You need to be mentally prepared.”
But it only cost her personal effort.
Mei Hongyi then took out a stack of hand-drawn renderings: “Although our space is too small for large public facilities, we can still attempt something small and refined. Between the buildings, we could add cobblestone or stone pathways. If you’re willing to invest heavily, you could even create solid wood paths with an artificial stream running underneath…”
As night fell.
Su Tao finally finished the “lesson.” She held a stack of drawings and went back to her room, too tired to eat before falling asleep.
Though exhausted, she felt incredibly fulfilled and happy. She even dreamed that the Taoyang community was completed—neat, orderly, with a large park. The children, Chen Xi and Chen Yang, played around a fountain, surrounded by vibrant greenery and blooming flowers.
There were no zombies, no dirty and crowded streets, no dilapidated buildings with patched-up clothes hanging everywhere.
It was a scene of peace, just like Old Mei’s drawings.
Zhuang Wan leaned against the door to listen, then turned and whispered to everyone: “She’s fallen asleep from exhaustion. No sound at all.”
Shi Ziyue felt a pang of sympathy: “She’s worked so hard, she didn’t even get to eat. I was planning to bring her food while she ate.”
Everyone gestured to keep quiet: “Shh, let her sleep. It’s not too late to bring it to her when she wakes up tomorrow.”
As they spoke, a soft whimpering sound came from the gift box not far away.
