My Home's Ancient Well Connects to the Martial Arts World

Chapter 44: Chapter 44: White Cloud Mountain Ye Mansion Renovation

The Martial Arts Continent had no electricity, and building a power plant was impossible under the current circumstances. Since LCD TVs, electric lights, refrigerators, computers, and the like all required power, Ye Xing spent 100,000 yuan to special-order a diesel generator.

He brought the diesel generator through the ancient well passageway, moving it into the mansion’s Training Room first. Then he returned to the well at his ancestral home, waiting and working on his Cultivation. Over the next hour, Ye Xing’s phone rang nonstop as the pre-ordered appliances—the refrigerator, LCD television, plumbing fixtures, and more—were all delivered one after another.

After moving everything into the Training Room, Ye Xing left, carrying two large bags of items into the courtyard.

It was morning. Golden sunlight filled the courtyard, coating the leaves on the trees in a brilliant sheen. A gentle breeze rustled through, sending fallen leaves dancing. They twirled a few times in the air before drifting to the ground. Auntie Qiao was in the courtyard with a broom, sweeping them up.

”Aunt Qiao! I don’t see Qiao’Er. Where did that girl run off to?” Ye Xing asked as he walked over.

”Patriarch! You’re finally out of seclusion. Qiao’Er went to clean your room,” Auntie Qiao quickly replied.

Qiao’Er had been sold into Ye Xing’s service as a handmaiden, and Auntie Qiao herself owed her very life to him. Now, the mother-daughter pair relied on Ye Xing for their comfortable life. Because of this, Auntie Qiao was grateful to him from the bottom of her heart and always saw herself as a servant, initially addressing him as ”Master.” But Ye Xing was very uncomfortable with this. For someone from twenty-first-century Earth, being addressed that way by an elder felt bizarre. Besides, he didn’t see Qiao’Er and Auntie Qiao as a handmaiden and a servant. He treated them like family, and the White Cloud Mountain Ye Mansion was like another home to him. Ye Xing had wanted Auntie Qiao to simply call him Axing, just as his aunts and other elders did back on Earth. However, Auntie Qiao refused no matter what. In the end, Ye Xing had to compromise and let her call him Patriarch—which was fitting, as he was, of course, the Head of the Family.

”Hey, Big Brother, you’re out!” a crisp voice called. The little girl ran over happily, carrying a rag and a basin of water.

”Mm-hmm,” Ye Xing nodded with a smile. ”Qiao’Er, are you busy? How about you help Big Brother with the stall again?”

”Okay! Of course! The stall makes lots of money!” the little girl said, taking the bags from Ye Xing with the adorable expression of a little miser.

”Aunt Qiao, why don’t you go with Qiao’Er? And while you’re there, could you see if there are any vacant storefronts in Phoenix Town for me?” Ye Xing said.

”You want to open a shop in Phoenix Town, Patriarch?” Auntie Qiao asked.

”Yes. The volume of business is too low with just a stall, and it’s inconvenient. If we have our own shop, we can establish our brand, and our customer base will keep growing. Also, the shop should be in a bustling area. It’s fine if it’s a bit more expensive,” Ye Xing instructed.

’Opening a general store in Phoenix Town was already part of my plan,’ Ye Xing thought. ’After all, a shop provides a fixed point of sale, and returning customers will know exactly where to find it. Plus, a shop can hold much more inventory than a stall. All I’ll have to do is stack the bags of goods inside, and the sales volume will be staggering. The Gold Coins I’ll earn will probably be dozens of times what I make from the stall. And as the operation expands, I plan to open a shop in Sunset City, too. But that’s a problem for another day, of course.’

Aunt Qiao and Qiao’Er then took the goods to Phoenix Town to set up their stall. Meanwhile, Ye Xing returned to the Training Room, moved out all the appliances and other items, and began the installation work. For water, he would need to pipe it in from the mountain spring, but laying the pipes wouldn’t be a quick job. Ye Xing decided to set up the electricity first. He hauled the diesel generator to a corner of the courtyard and began to assemble it and run the electrical wiring.

Now that he was a Martial Artist with a physique far beyond that of an ordinary person, Ye Xing worked with incredible speed. He ran wires to every room, connecting outlets and installing light fixtures. Next, he went to the living room and mounted the large-screen LCD television on the wall. He even lifted the refrigerator with a single hand, hoisted it onto his shoulder, and carried it to the kitchen.

By the time he finished installing the power supply and all the appliances and had dealt with the odds and ends, the better part of the day was gone. The sky began to dim as dusk fell. A set of footsteps sounded from outside the main gate; it had to be Auntie Qiao and her daughter, Qiao Qiao, returning.

”Hee hee, Big Brother, I’m back! We sold everything! And made lots and lots of money!” The little girl came running in happily, but she suddenly froze. Her wide, dark eyes curiously scanned the living room.

”What’s the matter? Don’t recognize the living room anymore?” Ye Xing chuckled.

”This place... it’s all different!” The little girl looked around, bewildered. She pointed upward. ”Big Brother, what is that?”

”That’s a chandelier. It lights up, you know!” Ye Xing said with a smile as he walked to the wall and flipped a switch.

Instantly, the chandelier on the ceiling blazed to life. Its dozen or so glass pendants caught the light, refracting it into a crystalline sparkle that flooded the entire living room, making it incredibly bright.

”Wow, it’s so bright! And so pretty!” the little girl cried in astonishment. ”Why does it light up? Are there candles inside?”

”Haha, you silly girl. How could there be candles in there? It lights up because it has electricity. Hmm, how should I put it... Just think of it as a Luminous Bead that glows at night,” Ye Xing said with a laugh. ”By the way, Qiao’Er, do you want to watch TV? From now on, whenever you’re bored, you can come to the living room and watch it yourself.”

The LCD television Ye Xing had bought was huge, nearly as tall as a person, making for an awesome viewing experience. Of course, the Martial Arts Continent had no television signals, but Ye Xing had brought a USB drive pre-loaded with hundreds of classic movies and TV shows.

”Big Brother, what’s ’television’?” the little girl asked, looking very confused.

”That is the television!” Ye Xing said, pointing to the LCD TV on the wall. He explained, ”When you turn it on, pictures of people and places appear on the screen. It’s just like watching a play, with the people on screen acting out exciting stories.”

As he spoke, he turned on the television, accessed the USB drive, and selected a TV series to play.

As the show began to play, figures flickered across the screen.

The little girl’s eyes went wide as saucers, her mouth hanging open in a perfect ”O.”

...

The electrical work was done, but the plumbing was not. For the next while, Ye Xing was incredibly busy: digging trenches, laying pipes, routing water from the mountain spring, and installing showerheads, a toilet, a water heater, and more. In the blink of an eye, two days had passed.

The afternoon sun was blazing, and Ye Xing was in the kitchen installing a faucet.

Suddenly, he heard footsteps outside. They grew closer and closer, and soon, someone walked into the kitchen.

”Patriarch, there’s a young lady at the front gate looking for you. I think she’s from Immortal Spring Manor!”