Chapter 109

Summer and Logan hitched their donkey cart and headed straight to the lumber mill.

The master builder had calculated the amount of wood they needed for the construction. Besides the beams and window frames, they needed to make two beds and two simple tables. They didn't need to make a dining table and benches since they planned to bring a table and two benches from their old place at the commune to the new kitchen.

Most of the belongings at the commune were considered communal property, except for personal items brought from home. The twelve of them had shared usage rights, so taking some items wasn't an issue.

Due to limited supplies, there wasn't much to choose from in these times, no matter what you were buying.

Upon arrival at the lumber mill, Summer and Logan followed the list provided by the master builder, collected the necessary wood, paid for it, and loaded it onto the cart. 

Summer, being less strong, couldn't help much with the larger pieces of wood. Fortunately, one of the mill workers assisted Logan in loading the cart. Afterward, the worker smiled and said, "I thought you both looked familiar when you arrived. Now I remember, aren't you from Brookfield? You always set up a stall selling fried noodles at the market."

Logan chuckled, "You have a good memory. Yes, that's us."

The worker, tying the wood onto the cart with Logan, continued with a smile, "It's a shame. I was hoping to get a bowl of those noodles today, but I guess I'll have to wait."

Logan tightened the rope and secured the knot, "We're building a dormitory, so we're quite busy today. But we'll be at the market next Sunday, same spot."

The worker, securing his end of the rope, replied, "Alright, I'll find you next Sunday. Those noodles are really good. Everyone at our mill who's tried them always talks about them."

After a few more pleasantries, Logan and Summer set off with their loaded cart.

Since the cart was full of wood, there was no place to sit, so they walked alongside the donkey to lighten its load. Logan led the donkey while Summer walked beside him.

Once they were alone, Summer said, "If private businesses were allowed, I'm sure I could make something big out of my cooking skills."

Logan turned to her, a hint of surprise in his eyes, "You're quite candid with me."

Private enterprise was considered capitalist thinking.

Summer quickly added with a smile, "I'm just speaking my mind. Forget I said anything."

Logan sighed, "…"

Before Logan could respond, Summer noticed a tall chimney in the distance, emitting white smoke that drifted into the blue sky. She quickly asked, "What's that over there?"

Logan looked in the direction she pointed. Seeing the chimney and smoke, he replied, "That should be the kiln. We'll likely go there when we buy tiles in a few days."

Summer nodded slowly, "Oh…"

They then talked about the house construction for the rest of the walk.

***

They arrived back at the village with the wood.

After lunch, Summer and Logan didn't rest much. They went to find the village carpenter to start working on the wood immediately.

After a busy day, they returned to the commune for dinner and sleep. That night, the commune was unusually quiet, as if no one lived there. 

Everyone was too exhausted from the day's work to talk or make noise. They ate, washed, and went straight to bed. 

Working tirelessly under Ken's strict supervision left them drained. They had no energy for anything else, just a desperate need for food and sleep.

Ken kept them on a tight schedule. Besides eating, sleeping, and going to the bathroom, there was little time for anything else. After a few more days of this, they became like walking corpses, their eyes dull and lifeless.

Every morning, they were jolted awake by the alarm before dawn, rushing to get ready and head to the construction site, working under Ken's watchful eye. They worked until noon, ate a quick meal, foraged for wild greens during their break, and then returned to work.

When food supplies ran low, they had no choice but to forage. Their small vegetable plot had been stripped bare by Lily and Mike, who took whatever they could in secret. 

Sophia, slower to react, found nothing left when she went to check the garden. She wanted to confront them but had no energy. Arguing would yield nothing, and it was unclear who had taken what. She hadn't contributed much to planting or tending the garden anyway.

However, she had more grain and managed better than the others.

That night, after a long day, they returned to the commune. Exhausted, they only focused on cooking and eating. 

Sophia, unable to compete for the stove, waited until everyone else had finished before starting her fire and cooking.

She sat alone in the kitchen, eating and thinking about everything—the hardships of the era, the coldness of human nature. Most of her sweet memories were tied to Henry, who had brought warmth into her life. Since he left, she missed him terribly, wishing for his return every day.