Leisurely Traveler with Check-in System

Chapter 112: Chapter 90: Your Cousin Really Is a Handsome Guy!

The lunch had just finished, and there were still some oil stains left in the bowls and dishes on the table, with a few grains of rice sticking to the sides of the bowl.

Grandma started tidying up the bowls and chopsticks, the porcelain bowls clinking and clanging together.

Grandpa was leaning back in a worn-out rattan chair by the door, squinting, and slowly picking his teeth.

When he was done, he packed a bowl of tobacco from his pouch.

Once the cigarette was lit, a thin wisp of smoke lazily escaped from his mouth and nose.

The courtyard was quiet.

A few hens were scratching at the dirt under the wall, clawing the ground with their feet, and pecking one peck at a time.

The yellow dog lay beside the door, resting its head on its front paws, eyes half-closed, ears occasionally twitching to shoo away unseen flies.

A cicada was chirping incessantly in the distant trees, its sound long and drawn out.

Grandpa and grandma didn’t have much energy to do too much now, enjoying a leisurely and quiet rest.

Li Younan, however, did not allow himself to idle; he strolled silently, observing meticulously all the scenery around his grandparents’ home.

Going out from the back door of the courtyard, there was the slope that stretched to the Baishui River. This slope was covered with scattered rocks, but it was quite large, probably around thirty to forty meters from the back door of the courtyard to the riverbank.

The flow of the Baishui River has always been stable. According to Grandpa, in the decades past, the river at its fullest only flooded two or three meters up the slope, and in the driest years, the slope extended no more than two or three meters.

This slope could be considered part of the private property of grandpa and grandma’s courtyard, entirely enclosed within the courtyard compound.

Li Younan strolled slowly on the slope, bent down to pick up a stone, and casually tossed it into the Baishui River, causing a splash.

The rocks on the slope weren’t just haphazardly scattered; they were large stones partially exposed, deeply embedded in the earth.

Li Younan touched one of them; due to his skills in carving, he was extremely familiar with the texture of these stones and had some understanding of their formation.

Underneath the barren slope was filled with such large stones, which was why vegetables couldn’t be planted.

After surveying the area, a simple plan formed in Li Younan’s mind regarding what to do with this area.

He planned to transform this place into a small waterfall by the river. At the top of the slope, he would dig to create a two-meter drop, then level the lower area using a digger, pushing all the rocks to the riverbank. This would allow, while leveling, the building of a small dam.

Water from the small waterfall would flow down from the drop, and he’d dig a shallow channel, properly solidifying it, allowing clear water to flow into the Baishui River.

The water channel at the front of Grandpa’s house often overflows, occasionally flooding the area at Grandpa’s door, providing a perfect opportunity to build a drainage channel leading from another direction to here.

Then, planting some flowers and plants along the few dozen meters of stream, and arranging stone tables and chairs would turn it into a natural leisure space.

Li Younan buried this rudimentary idea back in his mind and slowly returned to the courtyard.

At this time, grandma had moved the bowls and chopsticks into the courtyard, scooping water from a bucket to wash the dishes.

Li Younan strolled into the main room, which was blackened by smoke, with a large stove inside, unused during the summer.

Behind a cloth curtain were the earthen stove, cutting board, and cupboard... a kitchen-like area.

Li Younan silently observed everything in the room, occasionally tapping the walls lightly with his hand, his gaze following the old exposed electric wires on the walls.

Grandpa had gone for a nap by now, and grandma was nearly done washing the dishes.

Li Younan went out to help bring the bucket of water inside.

The kitchen was separated from the main room by just a cloth curtain.

The cured meat hanging on the kitchen beam was deeply flavored by the smoke, which also meant the old sofa in the main room was similarly smoked.

While he was observing, Li Younan’s phone beeped.

He picked it up and saw a message from jk Long.

It was rare for Brother Long to take such an interest, reaching out during the day, asking: ”What are you up to?”

Suddenly, Li Younan remembered about that guy’s contract... he still didn’t know if it had been sent over.

He didn’t answer jk Long’s question but asked in return: ”By the way, did you send that contract?”

jk Long replied: ”I asked you first.”

Li Younan thought to himself how stingy this guy was, and sarcastically typed in a few words: ”Just chilling in the countryside.”

jk Long asked again: ”What are you doing in the countryside? Aren’t you traveling? How long do you plan to stay home?”

Li Younan said: ”You ask too many questions.”

”Don’t sidestep, answer me.”

Then with a quick motion of his fingers, Li Younan typed a few words and sent them: ”Still have to Look at your eyes?”

This sentence probably left jk Long speechless, and he was silent for a long while before responding with irony: ”What a lousy joke.”

Laughing to himself at the screen, Li Younan then got a bit more serious and said: ”For the time being, I don’t plan to travel around randomly...”

After sending this message, jk Long replied with just an ”oh” after a while.

For some reason, Li Younan felt as though jk Long seemed a bit disappointed.

He messaged back: ”Here’s the thing, I returned to my grandparents’ place in the countryside this time; their house is a genuine old residence. Life is not very convenient for the two elderly folks here, so I’m thinking of helping them renovate the old house.”

This piqued jk Long’s interest, and he asked: ”Sounds pretty interesting. I’ve seen those videos about renovating old houses. How do you plan to do it?”