Although Xu Xingxue hadn’t given a definitive answer, everyone knew that what remained was just a matter of price. Getting the land was basically a sure thing.
So the conversation shifted from buying land back to renovations.
“The exterior wall insulation and seismic protection panels will be installed tomorrow. They already have those in stock, if they send a couple more workers, it should be finished in a day.
The security doors and windows need to be custom-made, so the construction period will be a bit longer. But since we ordered for two houses, they agreed to rush it and promised it would definitely be done within ten days.
The solar panels are settled too. I have to say, the company Xiao Kai found really is good. What they use aren’t ordinary panels, but solar roof tiles, they’re just like regular tiles.
They’re not only heat- and cold-resistant, but supposedly also extremely impact-resistant. Even egg-sized hail wouldn’t be a problem. I figure they shouldn’t be afraid of earthquakes either.”
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Shen Jianyi rambled on about the construction progress, then asked, “Brother Gu, how are you planning to build the backyard? Leave it empty for future farming, or build something on it?
If you’re going to build houses, you’d better start soon. That’s a pretty big area, it’s not something that can be finished in just a day or two.”
Gu Zhengchu thought for a moment, then said, “The houses aren’t urgent. I was thinking, if it doesn’t work out otherwise, how about we dig two basement rooms?”
“Basements?”
“Yeah. I’ve been thinking, Congcong’s storage space is still a bit small. Even though we’re trying to find ways to expand it, none of us knows how large it can ultimately become. So we still need to plan ahead for places to stockpile supplies.
Although Xiao Kai rented a warehouse to store those fuels, that’s only temporary. Once things really get chaotic, whether that market can even continue to exist is an open question.
Even if it does, we wouldn’t dare leave large quantities of supplies there, right?
So farming and all that can wait until later. The key thing is to make use of that space to store supplies.
If large amounts of goods are left outside and someone sees them… you can never be too careful!”
Her father-in-law’s words struck right at Shen Cong’s concerns.
This was exactly what had been worrying her most these past few days.
Stockpiling wasn’t just about buying, buying, buying, the key was having somewhere to put everything.
They hadn’t even bought the grain yet, and they still needed to prepare nearly two years’ worth of drinking water for the whole family, all of which would take up a huge amount of space.
Not to mention the tools and equipment for farming, and even the family vehicles would need somewhere to be stored during an earthquake.
Building a basement really was a good idea!
“You can build structures on top of the basement too. I remember that after disaster relief and reconstruction, the type most people used was steel-frame prefabricated housing.
Those houses are easy to install and extremely durable.
Anyway, we’ll mainly be using them for storage and possibly farming indoors later, so comfort isn’t a priority. If we use this kind, we can have them custom-made in advance and install them directly once the basement is finished, it’ll be fast and discreet.”
As she spoke, Shen Cong took out her phone, searched for “prefabricated housing” on a shopping site, and showed the information to the three elders.
After looking through it, everyone felt the suggestion was a good one. Shen Cong immediately chose a manufacturer with a strong reputation and located not too far from Beining, and gave them a call.
The other party was very enthusiastic. After adding each other as contacts, they sent over many photos and videos of their construction sites.
Not only that, they also requested a live video call, saying they needed to take a look at the site first so they could draft a design plan.
Once the call connected, Shen Cong and the others realized that the person was currently at a construction site, installing a concealed door for an underground wine cellar for a client.
“You can build wine cellars too?” Shen Cong asked curiously.
“Of course. We don’t just have a factory, we also have our own dedicated construction teams, and they’re fully licensed.
Don’t underestimate basements. There’s a lot of technical know-how involved! Waterproofing, moisture control, and ventilation all have very high requirements. Non-professional teams wouldn’t dare build one casually.”
The man clearly wanted to show off his company’s capabilities. As he spoke, he walked closer and deliberately filmed the site for them to see.
Shen Cong exchanged looks with the elders at home and made the decision on the spot. “Do you have crews available right now? If so, come to Beining and help us build two basement rooms as well. This is urgent, we require that construction begin immediately after measurements are taken.”
ᘻᘿᓍᘺ
After this matter was settled, it was already close to nightfall, and Gu Kai rushed back from the city.
The property appraisal went very smoothly, and the other party promised that the loan could be released in another two days.
After calculations, the Fulin property would bring in about 3.7 million yuan, and the civil servants’ housing complex property would yield a little over 1.2 million yuan.
With these five million yuan as a foundation, the renovation and remodeling of the two houses, as well as subsequent supply purchases, could all proceed normally.
The developer of the Gu family’s old house was scheduled to come measure the property the next day. Based on the terms they had previously offered, this house should bring in 1.7 million yuan in cash.
However, there was a clause in the earlier agreement stating that, to encourage early signers, bonuses of varying percentages would be given.
Including the bonus, they would likely receive around 1.8 million yuan.
After discussing it, everyone decided to leave the money in Gu Zhengchu’s account for the time being, without pooling it for unified management.
After all, he would need to buy medicinal herbs and jade, and both of those would be significant expenses.
That night, Shen Cong slept exceptionally well, better than she ever had before.
She slept so deeply that she didn’t even know when Gu Kai left.
By the time she woke up, it was almost noon.
“Mom, why didn’t you wake me up too?”
She walked out of the room, let out a huge yawn, and complained to her mother.
“Wake you up? Why would we? Your father-in-law said you should get plenty of rest. No matter how big the problem is, right now nothing is more important than you recuperating.
Before he left, he specifically instructed that as long as you could sleep, we were to let you sleep and not let anyone disturb you. There are so many people at home handling things, you don’t need to worry about anything. After you eat, go back to your room and stay there obediently.”
At that point, Cheng Ru leaned closer to her daughter and lowered her voice. “Congcong, do you feel anything? Any movement in your belly?”
Shen Cong was speechless and couldn’t help rolling her eyes. “What do you think this is, pregnancy? The space isn’t even in my stomach, what ‘movement’ are you talking about? Mom, honestly, how could you even think of that?”
Cheng Ru couldn’t help laughing at herself after hearing that.
Laughing, she said, “I just didn’t know how to put it, okay? Why are you picking on my wording? But seriously, do you feel anything?”
“I just feel like I haven’t slept enough. Other than that, nothing in particular.”
“Then sleep! Your father-in-law said that if you still feel sleepy, it means your energy isn’t sufficient yet. Replenish your vitality first, and everything else will be easier. Hurry up and eat, your meal is ready. After you finish, go back and keep sleeping.”
Shen Cong sat down to eat. Cheng Ru sat beside her, watching her for a long time with a conflicted expression.
“Mom, if you have something to say, just say it. You’re staring at me like that, I’m afraid the food won’t digest,” Shen Cong said slowly, picking up a fried dough stick and taking a bite.
“You mentioned children just now, and I wanted to ask you about… that. You need to make sure to use contraception. Given what the world may become, having a child would mean suffering for both the parents and the child.”
As soon as she said this, Cheng Ru’s eyes immediately reddened.
What mother doesn’t want her child to settle down, have children, and live a peaceful life?
And yet now she had to discuss not having children with her daughter.
Shen Cong didn’t expect her mother to bring this up. She suddenly felt like she couldn’t even swallow the fried dough in her mouth.
After a moment of silence, she said, “You and Dad don’t need to worry about this. Gu Kai and I have already discussed it, we won’t have children.
My sister will definitely come back, and her children will be our children too. In the future, our whole family will raise Tongtong and Shanshan properly. That way, it can still be considered carrying on the family line.”
Cheng Ru nodded, and the tears she had been holding back finally fell.
“Then… what are you planning to do? Since things aren’t too busy right now, how about Mom goes with you to the hospital to have the procedure done? No matter how minor it is, it’s still surgery. Doing it early gives you time to recover.”
“No need. My father-in-law prepared medicine for Gu Kai, it’s specifically for men. He said its function is to kill sperm. It’s not toxic, very safe, and highly effective.
He also said I shouldn’t have surgery, because it would damage my vital energy. He’s worried that if something sudden happens in the near future and my body doesn’t recover well, I could suffer for the rest of my life.”
Hearing that her in-law had thought of even this in advance, and had been so considerate of her daughter, Cheng Ru felt deeply moved and didn’t know what to say.
Once again, she was profoundly grateful that her daughter hadn’t divorced Gu Kai, where else could she find such a reasonable and understanding in-law family?
After the meal, Shen Cong was chased back into her room by her mother.
Although she was still tired, she had just gotten up, there was no way she could fall asleep again right away.
She took out paper and pen and began writing down all the things she hadn’t yet had time to do, planning to sort them again by priority, cross them off one by one as she completed them, and leave as few regrets as possible.
But before she’d written more than a few lines, her phone rang. She glanced at the caller ID, fell silent for a moment, then answered.
“Ranran, I was just about to call you—”
“Sis, if you have something to say, say it later. I’ve got something important, I need to speak first!”
“Alright, go ahead.”
“Sis, you and Auntie should start stocking up on food. Prepare some necessities too. Buy more, don’t worry about taking up space.”
Shen Cong froze. The words she’d planned to say immediately changed. “Did something happen? What did Wei Yan say to you?”
The call was from Shen Cong’s cousin, Cheng Ran.
After graduating from college, Cheng Ran stayed in the capital and later married a soldier who worked at a central military headquarters, settling down there.
Because she was an only child, and after it was clear she didn’t plan to return to Beining, her parents, Uncle Cheng Feng and Aunt Chen Yi, sold their home back home and moved to the capital to join their daughter.
These past few days, Shen Cong had been agonizing over whether she should inform the relevant authorities about the impending natural disaster.
If she didn’t say anything, she felt uneasy; if she did, she feared bringing unknown danger upon herself and her family.
After much deliberation, she figured that no matter what, she had to at least warn her relatives and close friends.
Even a little bit of preparation might help them escape catastrophe.
Just as she hadn’t figured out how to bring up the matter in a way that would alert her family without making them overthink it, Cheng Ran unexpectedly called first.
“It’s nothing serious, sis, don’t overthink it. Wei Yan didn’t tell me this himself, he wouldn’t have. Anyway, just trust me: prepare a little extra, keep some food stored at home. That way, if something happens, you won’t panic!”
The more Cheng Ran tried to downplay it, the more uneasy Shen Cong felt.
She deliberately scoffed, “I knew it, if something serious had happened, Wei Yan would have called home himself. Why do you need to be the middleman? Alright, alright, stop imagining things. Stock up on what food? In this heat, if you buy too much it’ll just go bad or get infested! Stop coming up with these wild ideas!”
Hearing this, Cheng Ran became flustered. “Sis, just listen to me this once! How could Wei Yan call you? They’ve all gone on Level One combat readiness and haven’t been allowed out of the base for days!
I’ve seen the army and vehicles constantly leaving the city over the past few days, they must be going somewhere that’s been hit by disaster, it just hasn’t been announced publicly yet.
Believe it or not, it’s up to you. Decide for yourself. Ah, I’m wasting time talking, I’m going to tell Mom!” The young girl was clearly anxious, and with that, she hung up.
Sitting at the table, Shen Cong felt a wave of shock.
In her previous life, at this very time, she had just divorced Gu Kai and was in the worst state of mind.
She had buried herself in learning foreign languages every day, often letting her phone run out of battery and shut down.
Maybe that was why she had never received a single call from her cousin.
Now she realized that the country hadn’t been unaware of this coming disaster, it had been secretly preparing, just not making any public announcements.
Or maybe the calculations were off, and no one anticipated the disaster would be this severe.
Or perhaps, because nothing was certain, they didn’t want to cause panic in advance.
Whatever the reason, it was clear: this was a disaster that could not be avoided.
It seemed that the preparations would have to be carried out even more urgently.