Chapter 63: Moving to a New Home
Chapter 61 of "The Great Ming in the Box" opens showing suspense: Li Daoxuan meticulously checked every part of the Hakka roundhouse. He even reached in and... Continue the adventure!
Li Daoxuan meticulously checked every part of the Hakka roundhouse. He even reached in and pulled with his hand, ensuring the structure was solid. Every wall, every piece of iron, was securely fastened, preventing any chance of collapse.People were going to live inside. If the building were unstable, collapsed, and crushed them, it would turn into a disaster movie.
Once satisfied with the stability, Li Daoxuan picked up the remote control. He nudged the control stick and set the speed to gear 1. The Hakka roundhouse began to slide across the floor at an extremely slow pace.
Gear 1 was very slow, moving only a dozen or so centimeters per second.
This speed was entirely sufficient for Li Daoxuanâs purpose.
After placing this model in the Ming Dynasty, its crawling speed of over ten centimeters per second would translate to a staggering 100 kilometers per hour, easily rivaling a tank.
After confirming everything was correct, it was time to put it into the box.
Li Daoxuan lifted the lid of the scenic box and peered inside. The villagers were going about their usual activities: some were forging armor in the blacksmithâs shop, others were weaving cloth. Some were sawing wood for furniture, one was shaping bamboo sticks into baskets, and another was molding clay into jarsâŚ
Those lacking a specific trade, relying only on their strength, had little to do these past days. They were sitting on the open ground in the middle of the village, chatting cheerfully.
Li Daoxuan spoke towards Gao Yiyeâs house, âYiye, notify all villagers, we have work to do.â
As soon as his words faded, he saw Gao Yiye jump up from beside her weaving machine through the hole in the ceiling, fumbling in a flustered attempt to hide it.
But she quickly realized â the Deity was omniscient; hiding was useless. She pitifully lowered her head. âAs you command, Deity⌠you caught me weaving cloth⌠you⌠youâre not angry, are you?â
Not angry. Quite adorable.
But of course, he didnât voice that thought. Li Daoxuan skipped the topic and got straight to the point. âGather all the villagers. Get everyone to retreat to the edge of the village, the corners. Within a radius of fifty zhang (roughly 166 meters) around the central clearing, leave not a single person.â
Gao Yiye hastily acknowledged and ran out of her house, loudly proclaiming the Deityâs command.
The villagers quickly set down their tasks and followed Gao Yiye, retreating to the villageâs corners. Pressed against the city wall, they looked puzzled at the empty ground in the village center.
Li Daoxuan sized up the central clearingâŚ
It wasnât spacious enough. The villagersâ grass houses were in the way.
Moving the structure outside the village would ruin the farmland.
Although the fields currently lay barren â nothing planted, just cracked yellow earth â come autumn, that same farmland would be a vital production tool that should never be recklessly destroyed.
Therefore, demolition of the villageâs grass houses was unavoidable.
Very well. The first âdemolition householdsâ were about to be born.
Li Daoxuan lowered his voice. âI intend to bestow upon you a fine, large dwelling. To do so, your old houses must be cleared. Each of you will receive compensation for the demolition. Any objections?â
The villagers froze slightly for a moment upon hearing this, then beamed with delight. âWhatever the Deity says!â
âGood. First, I will relocate your houses, striving not to damage your belongings.â
Having spoken, Li Daoxuan reached down and grasped. He lifted one villagerâs grass house, along with a large patch of ground beneath it.
All the villagers witnessed a house, complete with the earth it stood upon, soar into the sky. It sailed through the air and landed gently near the hillside outside the village, settling down onto the spot.
âWow!â
âThe Deityâs power⌠unmatched!â
âHuh? My house⌠my house flew up too⌠itâs flying towards the village outskirtsâŚâ
The houses inside the village flew out one by one.
Soon, the buildings in the village centerâall except the âDao Xuan Deity Caveââhad been cleared away.
As for this Dao Xuan Deity Cave⌠Naturally, it needed clearing too!
Yet since the villagers had painstakingly built this shrine, removing it outright might hurt their feelings. Li Daoxuan simply declared, âThis shrine is well-built. I shall take it up to the heavens to admire.â
Hearing the Deity was pleased and would take the shrine skyward, the little people cheered, thinking their creation delighted him.
Li Daoxuan scooped up the Dao Xuan Deity Cave, set it inside its case, and placed it on his desk. Hmm, it truly was a fine craftâfeaturing a one-centimeter statue of himself, a set of miniature tables and chairs, meditation cushions, and more. This would surely fetch a good price later.
Alright, with all central buildings cleared, it was time to lower the Hakka roundhouse.
The villagers gazed upward as immense structures slowly descended through a rift in the clouds.
From afar, it was hard to discern, but once grounded, its scale became clear: an enormous fortress stretching over 108 meters long, 128 meters wide, with walls towering 9 meters high.
Strangely, two rows of gigantic black wheels supported it, each wheel 12 meters tall. These massive wheels propped the entire fortress over 3 meters off the ground.
The villagers stared dumbstruckâa house⌠with wheels?
Li Daoxuan frowned too. Damn, adding wheels did make it awkward. With the house hovering this high, how would villagers enter? Build ladders to climb each time?
Far too inconvenient! Maybe temporarily remove the tires? Only attaching them when movement is needed?
He consideredâthen, an idea.
Bury the bottom halves of the wheels underground.
He reached into the case, scraped out two rows of trenches just wide enough for each row of wheels. Then he lowered the roundhouse, sliding its wheels perfectly into the trenchesâŚ
Now the composite material board base sat flush with the earth. Scooping loose soil, he packed it around the chassis until it was firm. A test shakeâsteady as stone.
The Hakka roundhouse was successfully installed!
Though they couldnât see his hand, the villagers saw sudden pits form, saw earth shift, and the colossal structure shift as if molded by giant palmsâstirring waves of awe.
Li Daoxuan instructed, âWith Thirty-Two absent, Yiye and the Village Chief shall manage this. Assign one house per family.â
After Gao Yiye relayed the message, joy erupted!
Especially those from other villagesâmany had sheltered under city walls until the Dao Xuan Deity Cave was built. Theyâd planned to throw up shacks before autumn, saving house-building for later.
No one expected the Deityâs grace: gifting such a grand fortress, with a room for every family!
We gave him a temple; he gave us each a home!
Cheers swelled through the crowd.
Li Daoxuan cautioned, âCelebrate later. None of these rooms have doors or windows yetâyouâll build those yourselves.â
Villagers chanted louder:
âPraise the Deity!â
âBlessings to the Deity!â
âLong life to the Deity!â
âYou fool!â one shouted, âWishing âten thousand yearsâ curses the Deity to mortal limits! Gods are infinite!â
âAgh! Forgive this humble one! Deity⌠grant us long life and great blessingsâŚâ
Amid the soaring praise, doors and windows seemed minorâeasily handled by hardworking folk. No one worried about it.