"Auntie, are you and Rajeev the only ones living here?" Alice asked.

"Yes. I have three sons and a daughter, and the other two sons and daughter have gone to the city-state,only the youngest, Rajeev, stays with me."

"Then why didn't you and Rajeev go?"

"I didn't want to go when I was old and there were so many rules in the city-state that Rajeev stayed behind with me, he has wanted to go for the last two years, but unfortunately the new city-state hasn't been built yet."

"Why do you need a new city-state? can't we just apply? didn't they say that you can apply when you turn sixteen?" Alice asked several questions in a row.

"Alice, each City-state is limited to 10,000 people, after which new cities must be built, and the old city will move some people to the new city before the rest of the slots are distributed to new people to apply. The city-state requires an adult of 16 to bring in a minor. In addition, City-state only accepts applications from July 26 to August 26 each year, and an interview is required after the application is submitted,” Penny explained.

"Oh, so cumbersome!" Alice was a little surprised to hear that.

"Rajeev knows more about the city-state, you can ask him."

"Okay, thanks auntie, I'll go find Rajeev, Ronnie, let's go," Alice stood up as she spoke.

Penny turned and grabbed a pastry from the table and put it back in Ronnie's backpack. Alice couldn't help but be touched by the sight of her giving them something and food. She said to Ronnie, "Come on, thank Auntie!"

"Thank you Aunt Penny, the candy is delicious!" Ronnie licked the candy juice off the back of his hand and thanked her.

Penny looked at the siblings and showed a loving smile, "This will be your home from now on, come by often when you have time!"

"Okay, we will come by often."

After saying goodbye to Penny, the siblings went to find Rajeev. As they walked out the door, they saw him leading three people in that direction, two men and a woman. Introduced by Rajeev, the girl was an Asian named Michiko, she and another boy named Hasegawa were brother and sister. Michiko was petite, small-eyed and loved to smile, whenever she smiled her eyes were just slits and she had a pair of cute dimples on her face. Her brother, Hasegawa, was of medium build, wore glasses, a white shirt and black pants, and occasionally stole glances at Alice from behind his glasses when he saw her. The other boy, Paulino, looked like a tall black tower. He had a girlfriend who was also tall and strong, with a small head and a wide butt. They were known as the Twin Towers of Shire Town. Because of his different tastes, he did not think Alice was so beautiful.

Alice was happy to see that Rajeev had really found helpers and said to him, "Thank you! Rajeev."

Rajeev couldn't do a few cartwheels on the spot when the woman he loved thanked him, so he ran instead. Soon he was pulling a cart from his house, and then he called his friend to go get the materials needed to build the house. Alice wanted to go with him, but was refused. She had to take Ronnie and Michiko back to the beach. Once inside the cave, Alice and Michiko made small talk.

"Alice, are you sure you want to stay here? there's nothing here," Michiko opened her mouth first.

"What's wrong with this place? I think it's nice, I can see the ocean at a glance, and what I don't have I'm starting to figure out, it's better than wandering around outside right now," Alice replied.

"So why did you come here?"

"We want to join the city-state, and this place is closer to the city-state..."

The two of them talked more and more, and before they knew it, half an hour had passed. "Outside the cave," came Rajeev's call. Alice stepped out to see that it was Rajeev's trio pulling in a wagon with wood and other materials that would be needed to build a wooden house. They unloaded the things from the cart and carried them into the "hole". After half a day's work, the three were sweating profusely. Gratefully, Alice took out her handkerchief and wiped the sweat from each of the three boys' faces. Rajeev did not expect her to do this, so his face turned red with shame and he felt the urge to roll over again.

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Alice finished wiping the sweat from the three of them and looked at them and asked, "Which one of you knows how to build a house?"

Rajeev nudged Hasegawa beside him, "He's more experienced, let him be the conductor, Paulino and I will work with him."

Hasegawa didn't say anything, just nodded.

"Then I'll ask brother Hasegawa to take care of it," Alice also stopped being polite and said to him.

Hasegawa was ordered by the beauty and immediately got to work. To show how capable he was, he walked back and forth and ordered Rajeev and Paulinoa to work in a loud voice. Alice and Michiko wanted to go up and help, but he stopped them. Together with Ronnie, the three of them could only sit on the side and make small talk, Ronnie took the pastry Aunt Penny had given him out of his backpack, broke off a piece and handed it to his sister. He glanced at Michiko and reluctantly broke off another piece and handed it to her, thinking to himself, "Don't take it, don't take it!" But Michiko didn't seem to hear his call, reached out and took it, opening her mouth to take a bite. Ronnie's heart suddenly ached. Only the pasty could take away the pain in his heart, and in a few moments he ate the whole pasty, swallowing a little, a little unsatisfied. Alice watched him finish and handed him the rest of her pasty. Ronnie didn't want to take it. He knew his sister couldn't be full either.

"Sis, you eat! you haven't even had a few bites yet!"

"Why are you still being polite to me? this isn't like you, take it!"

Ronnie couldn't resist the temptation of food and took it. He looked at his sister and slowly took a bite, as he ate and chatted with the two girls, the sky was getting darker and the construction of the house was nearing its end.

"Alice, come here for a second!" Hasegawa waved to Alice.

Alice heard the call and came over, she was very pleased to see the row of wooden fences, there was also a window and a door on the wall, and the floor was covered with a layer of fine sand.

"Thank you, Hasegawa!" she said gratefully.

Just then, Rajeev also came over. He was unhappy to hear that Alice only thanked Hasegawa. He pointed to a piece of wood and said, "Alice, look at this biggest piece of wood I installed, with deep pits driven in, it's very strong, it's fine to live here for a hundred years."

Alice rolled her eyes and nodded, then walked over, reached out and touched it, smiling slightly at him and said, "Thanks to you and Paulino too, without your help I would not have been able to have this house so quickly, and now that it is dark, how about we all celebrate the completion of our new house here tonight?"

The three men agreed. Ronnie was especially happy as it had been a long time since he had had so much fun with so many people. Immediately, the group set to work, with Paulino going to prepare firewood for the fire, and Hasegawa lighting a fire in the triangular clay oven that Ronnie had built. Rajeev went home to get food and wine. Michiko and Alice were busy packing up the leftovers from building the house, and Ronnie helped by setting up the glasses of wine that Rajeev had brought. When all was done, the six sat in a circle around the triangular clay oven.

Paulino was the first to speak, "We should have a name for your new home, I'll start, this 'cave' is on the beach, how about we call it the 'Beach House'?"

Ronnie objected as soon as he heard this, "'Beach House' sounds so cheesy, we have fire in front of us now, we should call it 'Flame Star', it sounds elegant and imposing."

"Shut up all of you or let Alice start one!" Rajeev yelled as he stood up.

Alice actually had a name in mind, she just didn't feel comfortable saying it out loud: "This mountain looks like an umbrella on the outside and the house is built inside the umbrella, how about calling it 'Umbrella House'?"

Rajeev couldn't help but clap his hands, "Guys, Alice still came up with a good name."

"I still think 'Flame Star' sounds good," Ronnie was not convinced.

"Then we'll call this place 'Umbrella House' from now on," Hasegawa concluded.

Ronnie saw that it was hard enough to change, so he had to give up, "Then let's call it 'Umbrella House,' but I have to be the one to design a flag."

At this time, Alice picked up her wine glass and stood up, "I'm very happy today, Ronnie and I are especially lucky to have met you good friends just after we arrived here, thank you for your selfless help, I'll drink to you," after saying that, she tilted her head back and drank her wine in one gulp, and the crowd picked up their glasses and finished their toasts in return.

Ronnie held an empty wine glass in his hand and couldn't help but ask, "Where's my wine? you guys are being ageist!"

"Everyone is so happy, let me give you a dance!" Michiko stood up and said.

After saying that, she took off her shoes and danced barefoot on the fine sand. Hasegawa also clapped his hands rhythmically, following her dance steps, and the atmosphere became stronger and stronger, so everyone stood up and danced to Hasegawa's beat. Only Paulino was still sitting there drinking, he was full of drunkenness. Rajeev kept circling around Alice, dancing strange steps without a beat, his movements exaggerated and funny. Alice was distracted by him a few times and had to take his hand and dance with him, Rajeev was so excited to hold hands with a woman for the first time that he almost fainted. He muttered, "Today's dream is very real!"