A City Living in Harmony with Nature

"Tong Biao, enough with the act. Tong Biao, Biaozi!" Xiangbei saw Tong Biao in a trance-like state and initially thought this guy had mastered the art of invisibility. She called out several times without a response until Cheng Mo slapped him on the shoulder.

"Yes, my lord!"

"What's with the 'yes, my lord'? Whatever my lord says, you say yes? do you really know who is speaking with you? Look at me, here, I called you many times. What are you thinking about? You're acting strange." Xiangbei finally saw the straightforward Tong Biao from the Tong Family Manor.

"Oh, my lord, Miss Bei, this military garrison is really, really great," Tong Biao's eyes sparkled, his spirits lifted, and his tone became lively, "These past few months with Uncle Hai, I've heard and seen the envy of the Prince's fellow soldiers coming and going in the barracks when they talked about East Street in Zebei Town. They said it's the lord's care for the meritorious soldiers of the Cheng family's guards. If they could reunite and recuperate with their families like this one day, it would be worth even if they got injured, disabled, or died on the battlefield for their Lord."

"Well said, Tong Biao. I command you to build this coastal garrison well. I want every comrade-in-arms to want to live here."

"Yes, my lord! Tong Biao will certainly not disappoint you, my Lord. If possible, I also want to start a family here and live here forever." Tong Biao instinctively expressed the beautiful future that came to mind, his face flushed with embarrassment.

"Don't be shy! I hope every soldier who hears this news is as joyful and hopeful as you are. Biaozi, now that my lord has entrusted you with this important task, if you have any, and I mean any questions in the future, you can always come to me. We are family, and you must uphold the honor of the Tong family." Xiangbei looked at Tong Biao like this, believing that he had already let go of the youthful love for the little girl Tong Xiang Bei he grew up with. Xiangbei was sure that Tong Biao had long noticed the difference in her, and now he was supporting her with brotherly care and affection. In this unfamiliar world, all worries and anxieties were gradually soothed by the warm trust and support of the Tong brothers.

Xiangbei entrusted another very important matter: "Brother Biao, before I leave, I'll leave some water buffalo and deer in the corner of the backyard where the grass and water are abundant. Just temporarily close the manor gate to keep them from running away. After we reach the next Same City Traveler Lodge, I'll have some stewards sent over to manage them. Remember our agreement when we were on the mountain? Don't ask, don't tell."

"Miss Bei, I understand!" Tong Biao's eyes lit up as Xiangbei mentioned this. He was truly looking forward to Miss Bei's magical abilities.

As the conversation came to an end, the few of them went up to the third floor. Seeing the room layout identical to that of Fuhai Pavilion, Cheng Mo smiled. Xiangbei's somewhat fledgling attachment and embarrassment when discovered always pleased Cheng Mo to a great extent. After all, wasn't this their most intimate connection?

Because the water tower was on the roof of the third floor, the hot water room was also located there. On top of a three-core honeycomb coal stove sat a zinc-iron bucket connected to the inlet and outlet pipes, heating continuously for 24 hours, so showering and washing with hot water were both quick. By the time Cheng Mo finished bathing, it was already late at night, and the two of them rested in the master bedroom and the side hall respectively. After Xiangbei lowered the curtain, she slipped into the space.

Besides occasionally eating and sleeping, she had spent the entire night in the space drawing for five days. Now, Xiangbei could finally immerse her tired body in the hot spring. Thinking about Cheng Mo's excited expression when imagining the future of the stronghold, Xiangbei's mouth couldn't help but curl into a satisfied smile, recalling the completed drawings in her mind. The military garrison depicted on the paper was undoubtedly a model never seen before in this era.

Recalling in detail the magnified explanations of various nodes in her mind, considering mutual care and empathy, the single disabled soldiers' courtyard and the hero's family courtyard where bereaved families gathered were arranged adjacent to each other. The largest area was occupied by the soldiers' courtyard with the General's family at its center, and the third part is local staff's courtyard. These three large residential areas were grouped together, with commercial, educational, training, medical, and other public facilities distributed among them in an orderly and coordinated manner.

With the advanced technology brought by Xiangbei, the stronghold would be a town filled with modern prototypes. With crisscrossing paths and convenient water and land transportation. There are secluded paths, connecting neighborhoods and agricultural areas; pedestrian walkways, threading through shops and workshops, providing a consumer experience of eating, drinking, playing, and shopping; docks, boat routes, and circular roads for carriage freight transportation accessible in all directions;At the broad or turning points of each path, create landscape nodes with different themes, to build representative leisure areas showcasing the local characteristics of Yunmeng, allowing military dependents migrating from all over the country to gather and chat, easing their homesickness.

Fields, orchards, mulberry ponds, and animal husbandry belts, organized into ecological farming units, with farms as the basic unit, bringing living water into the stronghold, along the river channels weaving through various residential areas, like green fingers reaching into human settlements, intertwining with people's lives and production. The clear water sandy beach and shallow water pools are a paradise for children to play and swim.

Embraced by mountains and rivers, with green orchards; water streets and earthy lanes, with deep rural sentiments. This is the place she dreamed of, the desirable place she wants to build, a city living in harmony with nature.