Gu Kai took out paper and a pen from his bag, spread them out on the coffee table, and listened while jotting things down.
When Shen Cong finished speaking, he slid the page covered in writing over to her and said, “These are what I can think of for now. Take a look and see if there’s anything you want to add.”
Shen Cong took the paper and saw written on it:
Earthquake resistance → Replace all windows with high-strength double-layer tempered glass + inner anti-explosion window film; add seismic bracing to the top floor and rooftop; apply anti-seismic film to all interior walls;
Power generation → Solar panels + diesel generator (kerosene? gasoline? small wind turbine?);
Water purification → Water purifier + matching filter cartridges + small-packaged purification materials + water storage equipment;
Defense → Double security doors + tempered sliding door at stairwell entrance + full-house stainless-steel anti-theft windows + rooftop storage room (greenhouse) + iron fencing;
Insulation & heat retention → Exterior wall integrated insulation panels + interior and exterior waterproofing + bird- and insect-repelling devices;
Electricity use → Power storage equipment + power banks (standard + high-capacity);
Water pumps, small farming tools, epidemic-prevention medicines…
She didn’t expect that in such a short time, Gu Kai had already thought of so many things, many of which she hadn’t even known existed before.
For example, the anti-seismic wall film, and the integrated insulation panels.
Looking at the page, the constant anxiety weighing on Shen Cong’s heart finally eased a little.
She pointed at the question marks in the first section and said, “Don’t consider kerosene or gasoline. Later on, those all become strategic supplies, and ordinary people can’t get their hands on them easily.
Even if we stockpile them in advance, it won’t be convenient to take them out and use them then. As for natural gas, it never got reconnected, all the way up to when I died.
But there are some things we need to add, for example, heating and warmth.
By the time I died, the weather had already started to change. It got colder day by day. I expect it won’t be long before severe cold sets in.”
Gu Kai hated hearing Shen Cong mention dying over and over again. His brow furrowed tightly.
He pressed his lips together and added the two words “Heating/Warmth” to the list.
When he finished writing, Shen Cong continued, “You understand renovation better than I do. You and Jiashu can discuss and handle that together. I’ll go prepare the other things, daily necessities and the like.
Oh, and for Jiashu’s side, find a way to remind him as well. His aunt is getting on in years, have him prepare some things for her too.”
In her previous life, after Shen Cong returned, she never saw Gu Jiashu again and had no idea what eventually happened to his family.
In this life, if she had a chance to help, she wanted to. After all, they were brothers, and the bond between them had always been good.
“These things aren’t urgent right now. The main question is when to tell my parents. Since we’re renovating, it’s better to coordinate both sides at once, it will save time.”
Shen Cong thought for a moment. “Then let’s do it tonight, not tomorrow. Before that, we’ll swing by my dad’s place and bring him along to my house.”
Gu Kai lifted his head and looked at Shen Cong, his expression difficult to read.
“What’s wrong?” she asked.
“Are you sure you can get your dad to go with us to your house?”
Gu Kai’s father, Gu Zhengchu, and Shen Cong’s father, Shen Jianyi, had been old friends for many years. Gu Kai had known Shen Cong since childhood, they had grown up together like playmates.
The two families had always had a close relationship.
When Gu Kai’s mother was hospitalized with late-stage cancer, Shen Cong’s parents had run around helping for days.
On top of that, her mother was already very weak. To ensure she got enough nutrition and could eat food she liked, Shen Cong’s parents cooked three meals a day at home and delivered them to the hospital.
It was the hottest time of the year, and Gu Zhengchu, devoted to medicine his whole life, never cooked. The young couple had to work and take shifts at the hospital.
So Shen Cong’s parents quietly prepared meals for all four of them every day, varying the dishes, and delivered them on schedule to the hospital.
No one could stop them.
Gu Kai’s mother passed away two months later. In those two months, Shen Cong’s parents never missed a day, they delivered meals for sixty consecutive days.
The two families could be called in-laws, but in reality, they were as close as one family.
This was also why, even though Gu Kai didn’t want Shen Cong to leave, he was determined to help her go to university, even if it meant selling the apartment and emptying their savings.
Even if they could no longer be husband and wife, years of shared bonds could not simply be erased.
However, over the past six months, the relationship between the two families had grown somewhat awkward because of the couple.
As their arguments escalated and divorce seemed imminent, the elders of both families had begun avoiding each other.
Gu Kai could not imagine that his father would agree to go along with them to Shen Cong’s parents’ house.
Thinking of all this, Shen Cong felt a little embarrassed too, but it wasn’t something that could be avoided.
She could only steel herself and say, “I’ll figure out a way. I’ll talk to Dad myself, you don’t need to worry about it.”
Then she changed the subject, looking at Gu Kai. “These past two days, go ahead and take care of your resignation. I know it’s hard for you to leave this job, but your publishing house won’t last another month, and you know what that old building is like.
Hanging on these few days won’t accomplish much, and our time isn’t that long.”
Gu Kai was silent for a moment, then nodded. “Alright.”
“Before you resign, make sure to return the dormitory we live in. There’s still a 30,000-yuan deposit on that place, don’t forget to get it back.”
“Okay.”
After agreeing on that, the two of them first went to the civil servants’ complex where Shen Cong had lived before.
That apartment had been assigned to Shen Jianyi by his workplace.
After retiring, the couple wanted a peaceful rural life. At the time, their home village was selling self-built houses, the quality was good, and the price was cheap, so they bought one and moved there.
That left this city apartment vacant for a while.
When Shen Cong and Gu Kai were in the middle of their divorce, she moved into this apartment.
Technically, the elderly couple had returned to their hometown, but the village wasn’t far from the city, it was right on the edge of Beining, just about an hour’s drive.
Shen Cong’s parents bought a so-called villa, which was really just a modest four-story building, not too fancy, not too plain.
Fortunately, the house was well-built, with solid materials. The top floor had high ceilings and large rooms, and with a spacious yard, it was still very comfortable to live in.
The couple had set up a vegetable garden in the yard, planted bamboo, and built flower beds. Every day they tended the flowers, drank tea, and lived a relaxed, fulfilling life.
The city apartment had last year been transferred entirely into Shen Cong’s name, they weren’t planning to return at all.
The young couple didn’t spend much time in that apartment either.
They simply packed some of Shen Cong’s personal items into the space, then retrieved all the gold jewelry given by both sets of parents at their wedding, as well as the Swiss watch her sister Shen Xi had given her, planning to pawn them all.
Shen Cong picked through the items and took a pure gold necklace set with rubies from the jewelry box. She touched it and handed it to Gu Kai. “Should we keep this one as a memento?”
Gu Kai was silent for a moment, then said, “Sell it. If my mom were still here, she would have made the same decision. The most important thing is to make the most of what we have.”
This necklace had been a betrothal gift from Gu Kai’s mother to Shen Cong when they got married.
After the elder passed away, it was the only keepsake Shen Cong had kept from her.
Hearing Gu Kai say that, Shen Cong didn’t argue and quietly put the necklace into her bag as well.
After leaving the complex, they went to a fairly large chain pawnshop they had found in advance.
All the gold jewelry and the watch were pawned for a total of 120,000 yuan, less than half of their actual value.
But since they urgently needed cash, the two of them had no other choice. Besides, in a month, the items would be worth even less.
With this, Shen Cong’s initial funds, after spending the previous 40,000 yuan, had now reached 560,000 yuan.
After leaving the pawnshop, they went to the car market to buy a small electric car for daily use.
By the second year after the earthquake, people were slowly recovering from the disaster and beginning to rebuild their homes.
Under government planning, the first priority was naturally transportation.
Many roads had gradually started being repaired, and some that weren’t too badly damaged were already passable by car.
However, due to the geological changes caused by the massive earthquake, many oil fields and mines were completely destroyed, and some were even submerged by the sea.
The resulting losses were unimaginable.
Fuel such as gasoline and diesel was extremely scarce, ordinary civilians could not buy it at all.
So at that time, most people relied on human-powered vehicles like bicycles and tricycles for transportation.
Only when the city could provide regular electricity did electric vehicles gradually start to replace traditional vehicles.
So Shen Cong and Gu Kai decided to sell their eight-year-old small car and buy an electric vehicle for the time being.
Even if it couldn’t be used immediately during the early disaster period, it could be stored as a backup.
Her space could fit a car, and even if the rural house couldn’t accommodate one later, she could quietly move it into the duplex top-floor apartment.
Because time was tight and their goal was clear, they chose quickly. After a brief inquiry, they settled on a fully electric car priced at 160,000 yuan.
The car was white, understated in appearance, but with a high chassis, good shock resistance, and capable of handling mountain roads, practical and durable.
The two of them picked it simultaneously at first sight.
The salesperson didn’t expect to sell a car in just half an hour, and with full payment upfront. He was ecstatic.
He immediately contacted his boss, who agreed to install a solar panel on the roof of the car for free, they only had to pay for the materials.
So the couple left the car there and decided to browse the nearby wholesale market before returning to complete the purchase.