Those families without spare money would have their houses built with public funds and effort. Those who wanted to buy houses but couldn't afford the cash upfront could register their chosen houses and then contribute to the city's construction. Their wages would then be used to offset the cost of the houses.
Su Muqing charged very little for the houses, covering only materials and labor, and even selling the materials at cost. A complete set of cement brick houses cost less than ten taels of silver.
Families that arrived early, had more members, and were diligent could have multiple strong laborers contribute. With a daily wage of twenty wen for each laborer, this amounted to six hundred wen a month. If each family sent more than one person, they could earn twelve hundred wen a month. Working for four to five months would be enough to earn the money to buy a house.
Most importantly, all family members were provided with food and lodging. While the strong laborers earned money, it didn't stop other family members from undertaking reclamation work.
Of course, the provision of food and lodging wasn't permanent. Upon entering Huaxia City, everyone underwent a comprehensive assessment. Those families with wealth and provisions, while not receiving the complimentary meals, were also exempt from labor.
The time saved allowed them to find suitable livelihoods, such as opening a general store to sell small items or securing city shopfronts in advance to open restaurants or teahouses before others.
Su Muqing and Lu Yuzhi toured the resettlement area. Apart from the strong laborers who were called to move supplies, the houses were occupied only by the elderly, weak, women, and children. Everyone else was either at work or toiling in the village, striving to move into their new homes as soon as possible.
Lu Yuzhi blew his whistle to summon the eagle, intending to inspect the progress of the military camp's construction. The sudden appearance of the eagle startled everyone on the field, who then marveled at it.
Such a large eagle, it must be a divine eagle. Their city lord was truly remarkable for being able to subdue such a fierce bird. Leng Ba and Le Kuang were also immensely curious, and upon hearing about a black bear in the city, they became even more excited.
The city lord had already declared that today was a holiday. They would seize the opportunity to finalize all matters and then accompany them back to the city.
Once everyone had expressed their wonder, Lu Yuzhi prepared to depart. Su Muqing initially intended to wait on the side, but upon turning, she realized Su Tang, who had been beside her, was gone. She looked around for a while and found him excitedly circling the eagle.
Su Tang's behavior surprised Su Muqing, especially considering his post-traumatic stress disorder and moderate autism. Instead of showing fear towards the eagle, he displayed a keen interest.
Perhaps this would be an opportunity to open his heart?
With this thought, Su Muqing asked Lu Yuzhi to wait. She then turned, retrieved a thick coat from the car, draped it over Su Tang, and knelt down to ask him, "Would you like to try riding on it? To fly in the sky like a little bird..."
Su Tang didn't respond to her words, but the light in his right eye conveyed his answer silently to Su Muqing.
"Brother Lu, can we go for a stroll with you? And bring Su Tang along!" Su Muqing called out to Lu Yuzhi, then stood in the square, turning back to look at Su Tang with a radiant smile.
The warm sun enveloped her, as if she herself was emitting light. At least, in little Su Tang's eyes at that moment, she truly glowed.
Lu Yuzhi jumped down from the eagle's back, walked over, scooped up Su Tang with one arm, and with the other around Su Muqing's waist, the three of them leaped onto the eagle's back.
The eagle's wings flapped forcefully a few times, kicking up a cloud of dust on the square. The onlookers quickly raised their hands to shield their eyes. When they opened them again, the three of them had already flown into the air.
Su Tang sat between the two of them, his hands nervously gripping Su Muqing's clothes. However, his remaining eye, unblinking, stared into the wind, fixated on every passing cloud. The corners of his mouth slowly curved upwards. Perhaps it was the strong wind, but tears gradually welled up in his right eye.
Su Muqing watched his small face, observing every subtle expression that appeared. There was happiness, sadness, longing, and hope. Such complex and shifting emotions appearing on the face of a child of just a few years was truly heart-wrenching.
However, this was for the best. Having thoughts and feelings was better than living numbly as before. One needed hope, dreams, and the belief that as long as one worked hard, they were within reach.
The eagle carried the three of them in a circle above the newly constructed military camp, then flew in another direction, circling over the newly built village before returning to the resettlement area.
It was already six in the evening, and the sky was gradually darkening. Le Kuang and Leng Ba also accompanied Lu Yuzhi and the others back to Huaxia City by car.
Everyone had worked diligently today, ensuring all resettlement points were notified and supplies distributed. Tomorrow, fish and meat would be sent to Mu Cang County, and the tasks before the Lunar New Year would be completed.
After entering the city, Su Tang had been following closely behind Su Muqing, like a little shadow wherever she went.
Su Muqing helped with cooking. Fearing he might get burned if he lingered, she knelt down and asked him, "Tangtang, if you stay here, I'm worried others might bump into you. Why don't you go play with Uncle Leng and the others? In the backyard, there's an eagle, dogs, and a very big black bear. They're all lots of fun. Uncle Huo and Uncle Leng are there too. Shall I take you over?"
Su Tang looked at her intently, pursing his lips, neither nodding nor making a sound. Su Muqing patiently waited for his response.
After a while, Su Tang still showed no reaction, not even a change in expression. Su Muqing tentatively took his hand and led him to the doorway. Fortunately, he didn't resist.
When they reached the backyard, a group of people were playfully interacting with the black bear, the eagle, and Fei La. Lu Yuzhi, holding the baby, watched from the side.
"Didn't you say you were going with Aunt Zhou and the others? Why are you here now?" Lu Yuzhi asked, walking up to Su Muqing with the baby in his arms.
Su Muqing held up Su Tang's hand, which was holding hers, and said, "He's been following me all along. The kitchen is busy with people coming and going, and I'm afraid he might get bumped accidentally. So, I brought him here to play with the black bear and the others."
"Alright, I'll watch him then!" Lu Yuzhi said. The baby in his arms squirmed, trying to break free from his embrace and get down.
"Sis... sis..." the baby called out, reaching towards Su Muqing.
Su Muqing took the baby and comforted him for a while. Then, holding him, she knelt down and introduced the two children to each other. "Sister needs to go get busy soon. Will you play with Brother Tangtang for a while? This is brother, and this is younger brother."
"Dede, dede..."
The baby opened his little mouth, revealing a few white baby teeth. He babbled incoherently, reaching out to tug at Su Tang's hand.
Su Tang looked at the child in front of him, who was even younger than himself, reaching out. He neither responded nor refused. After their hands clasped, the baby took short steps, eagerly pulling Su Tang towards the black bear and the others. Lu Yuzhi playfully flicked Su Muqing's nose and quickly followed behind the two children.
Seeing them playing happily, Su Muqing felt relieved. She watched for a while longer before turning to leave the backyard and return to the kitchen to help.
Everyone gathered tonight, and a delicious hot pot meal was inevitable. As everyone was busy cooking, Le Xiong and Le Yan'er from the San Sheng Palace also returned that night.
During dinner, due to the large number of people, they sat crowded together. After the hardship of fleeing, they no longer adhered to conventions like men and women dining separately. Over thirty people filled two large tables, enjoying hot pot with drinks and beer.
Su Tang was very tired from playing today, but Su Muqing felt it had been very effective. As the saying goes, children are closer to children. Ever since the baby had taken his hand, he had stayed close to Su Muxuan.
Around ten in the evening, while everyone was still eating, the two children finished their meal and sat beside Fei La, their heads nodding like little chicks pecking rice.
Seeing them getting along well, Su Muqing briefly washed the two children and, with Lu Yuzhi, carried them to the bed to sleep together.
After settling them down, the two returned to the dining table to continue eating. Fei La slept on the large platform prepared for it beside the bed, also keeping an eye on the two children.
The atmosphere was great with so many people eating. The meal lasted for several hours, until past eleven o'clock when everyone finally left the table. After a brief tidying of the dining hall, everyone gradually retired to their rooms to rest.
Lu Yuzhi also accompanied Su Muqing to her room. Glancing at the two sleeping figures on the bed, he picked up the soundly sleeping Su Tang and, with Su Muqing, went into the space.
On the small bed in the operating room, Su Tang lay quietly. Su Muqing reached out, removed the mask from his left face, and then scanned him with a detector.
After the scan, detailed information about Su Tang's body appeared on the screen. Based on bone age and various physical tests, his age was estimated to be around ten years old.
Su Muqing was somewhat surprised. Su Tang, with a height of only about 1.12 meters and weighing just over forty catties, was already ten years old? This child's development was too slow.
After scanning his basic information, Su Muqing prepared to perform a 5D molding. The process went smoothly. After the molding was complete, the screen quickly began simulating the surgery and various operational procedures.
Su Muqing was initially very pleased and was about to check the required tools and materials to begin the surgery on Su Tang. However, at that moment, a line of small red text on the screen caught her attention.
It stated that the facial repair surgery was recommended to be performed after adulthood. If the surgery was done at too young an age, it could lead to facial asymmetry and severe imbalance as the person grew older, making revision more troublesome.
It made sense. The bone framework for the molding and repair was made according to his current proportions. However, Su Tang was only ten years old and would continue to grow.
If he underwent surgery now, he might develop a deformity with one side of his face being larger than the other. Correcting it then would be very difficult, and a deformed face would have to accompany him for life!
Su Muqing thought for a long time and discussed it with Lu Yuzhi outside the door. She finally decided to postpone the surgery for a few more years, until he grew older and his bone structure had largely stabilized, before proceeding with the operation.
After making the decision, Su Muqing still had a custom mask for Su Tang's left face made according to the proportions from the detector's molding.
Then, Su Muqing spent half a day browsing the futuristic mall. Just as her eyes were about to go blind, she finally found a type of prosthetic eye suitable for people like Su Tang, whose eye nerve necrosis was caused by external trauma.
What satisfied her the most was that this prosthetic eye's vision was comparable to a telescope. Moreover, once connected, it would adjust based on the user's actual physical condition, making the prosthetic eye and the user appear more natural and harmonious.
However, once the user passed away, the prosthetic eye would self-oxidize. Even if it was removed from the user's body, it could not be preserved. This was not just a prosthetic eye; its advanced functionality could also serve as a weapon.
Considering the mentally disabled children in the healing ward, Su Muqing added one hundred prosthetic eyes to her shopping cart. If their brain damage was confirmed to be irreversible, she would find other suitable prosthetic eyes for them.
With her mind made up, she plunged back into the mall and began browsing other products. As the injured areas of those people were different, Su Muqing searched for everything she could recall, such as ears, noses, upper and lower lips, and limbs.
She spent more than four hours browsing in the mall before finding a few satisfactory items. When it came time to check out, she discovered that the futuristic mall required payment in quantum coins.
Su Muqing quickly contacted Ding Mo from the futuristic post-apocalyptic world and made several transactions with him, exchanging grains and vegetables produced in her space for fifty billion quantum coins.
Since those people had not yet undergone molding, she only clicked to purchase one hundred prosthetic eyes. The items in the futuristic mall were truly expensive. Tens of millions disappeared with just a few swipes.
When she picked up a box of prosthetic eyes and opened it, she couldn't help but exclaim that advanced technology was indeed advanced, and the high price was justified. According to the functional description in the manual, this prosthetic eye not only allowed for remote observation but also had night vision capabilities.
In other words, anyone with this eye wouldn't need a flashlight to walk at night, nor would they need to look through a telescope during battles. They could clearly see the situation in the distance simply by standing at a high vantage point, with a range of over 5 kilometers.
Next to the manual, it mentioned a透视 (tòushì - x-ray vision/see-through) function. However, for some unknown reason, this function had a red cross mark next to it, with the note "closed" below, indicating that the function had been disabled.
It even had透视 (tòushì) capability! Fortunately, it was now closed, otherwise Su Muqing wouldn't know whether to give it to Su Tang.