Chapter 4

Gu Kai took out paper and pen from his bag, spread them on the coffee table, and wrote something on the paper while listening.

After Chen Cong finished speaking, he pushed the paper full of words over and said, "These are what I can think of for now. Can you please add anything else?"

Chen Cong took the paper and saw the following words written on it:

Earthquake resistance → The whole house is replaced with high-strength double-layer tempered glass windows + explosion-proof film on the inner windows, and earthquake-resistant brackets are added to the top floor and rooftop; earthquake-proof film is applied to the inner walls of the whole house;

Power generation → Solar panels + diesel generator (gasoline? Small wind power?)

Purify water → water purifier + matching filter element + small package water purification materials + water storage device;

Defense → Anti-theft doors (double) + tempered sliding doors at the staircase + fine steel anti-theft windows throughout the house + rooftop storage room (greenhouse) + iron fence;

Thermal insulation → External wall thermal insulation integrated panel + indoor and outdoor waterproofing + bird and insect repellent device;

Electricity consumption → power storage equipment + power bank (normal + large capacity)

Water pumps, small farm tools, epidemic prevention drugs...

She didn't expect that Gu Kai had thought so much in such a short time, and many of the things were things she didn't even know before.

For example, the shock-proof film and the thermal insulation integrated panel.

Looking at this piece of paper, Chen Cong's anxious heart finally calmed down a little.

She pointed to the question mark in the first line and said, "Don't even think about kerosene and gasoline. They were all classified as war supplies and it's hard for ordinary people to get them.

Even if we stored it in advance, it would be inconvenient to use it when the time comes. The natural gas was not reconnected until I died.

There are some things that need to be added, such as heating facilities.

When I died, the weather had already started to change, getting colder day by day. I guess it won’t be long before the severe cold weather arrives.”

Gu Kai couldn't bear to hear Chen Cong keep calling him dead, and his brows were tightly furrowed into a knot.

He pursed his lips and added the words "keep warm" on the paper.

Seeing that he had finished writing, Chen Cong continued, "You know more about decoration than I do, you and Jiashu should work it out together, and I will go prepare other things, such as daily necessities.

Oh, by the way, try to remind Jiashu that his younger aunt is getting older, so let him prepare some of the necessary things as well."

In his previous life, Shen Cong never saw Gu Jiashu again after he came back, and he didn't know what happened to their family in the end.

If I have the chance to help in this life, I will still help. After all, they are brothers, and they have a good relationship with each other.

"There's no rush for these. The most important thing is when to tell my parents about this? Since we're renovating, we can do it both ways at the same time. This will save time."

Chen Cong thought for a moment and said, "Then let's do it tonight, not tomorrow. Before we go, we can stop by Dad's place and take him to my house."

Gu Kai raised his head and looked at Chen Cong, his expression indescribable.

"What's wrong?"

"Are you sure you can bring dad along to your house?"

Gu's father Gu Zhengchu and Shen's father Shen Jianyi have been old friends for many years, so much so that he and Shen Cong have known each other since childhood and can be considered childhood sweethearts who grew up together.

The relationship between the two families has always been good.

When Gu Kai's mother was hospitalized with advanced cancer, Shen's parents took care of her for several days.

Not to mention, at that time, Gu's mother's health was already very poor. In order to provide her with more nutrition and to make her eat something that was easy on the stomach, Shen's parents prepared three meals a day at home and sent them to the hospital.

It was the hottest time of the year. Gu Zhengchu had devoted his life to medicine and never learned how to cook. In addition to working, the young couple also had to take turns guarding the hospital.

So Shen's father and mother silently cooked meals for four people in different ways every day and delivered them to the ward on time.

It's useless for anyone to stop it.

Gu Kai's mother passed away two months later. During these two months, Shen's parents did not go to the hospital for a single day and delivered meals for a total of sixty days.

The two families are relatives in theory, but in fact they are as close as one family.

This is why even though Gu Kai didn't want Chen Cong to leave from the bottom of his heart, but she insisted on going out to school, he had to help her even if he had to sell the house and empty his savings.

Even if we can no longer be husband and wife, the feelings we have had for so many years cannot be wiped out.

But in the past six months, the relationship between the two elderly people has become a little awkward because of them.

As their quarrels became more and more serious and they were about to get divorced, the two elderly people obviously began to avoid meeting each other.

Gu Kai could not imagine that his father would agree to go with them to his parents-in-law's house.

Thinking of these things, Chencong feels a little embarrassed, but it is not something that can be avoided.

She could only bite the bullet and say, "I'll find a way. I'll go talk to Dad. Don't worry about it."

After that, she changed the subject and looked at Gu Kai: "You should go and complete the resignation procedures in the next two days. I know you are reluctant to give up this job, but your publishing house will be gone in another month, and you know what the old house looks like.

There is no point in persisting for a few days, and we don’t have much time.”

Gu Kai was silent for a moment, nodded, and said, "Okay."

"Before I resigned, I gave up the dormitory I was living in. I still have a 30,000 yuan deposit on the house. Remember to come back."

"good."

After discussing it, the two went to the civil servants' community where Chen Cong lived before.

This house was allocated by Shen Jianyi's unit.

After retirement, the old couple wanted to live a pastoral life. It happened that their hometown village was selling self-built houses. The houses were nice and the prices were very cheap, so they bought one and moved there.

So the house was left vacant.

When Chen Cong and Gu Kai were getting divorced, she moved here.

Although the old couple returned to their hometown, in fact the village is not far from the city. It is just on the edge of Bac Ninh City and only an hour's drive away.

What Shen's parents bought was a so-called villa, which to put it bluntly was a four-story building that was neither Chinese nor Western.

Fortunately, the house was built very solidly, and the materials used in self-construction were generous. The top floor is high, the rooms are large, the house is tall and bright, and there is also a large yard, so it is quite comfortable to live in.

The two elders opened a vegetable garden in the yard, planted bamboo, and built a flower bed. They planted flowers and drank tea every day, and lived a comfortable life.

Last year, this house in the city was directly transferred to Chen Cong's name, and the two had no intention of returning.

The young couple didn't stay in this house for long.

She just packed up some of Chen Cong's valuables and put them into the space, then found the gold ornaments given by both parents when they got married and the Swiss watch given by her sister Chen Xi, and prepared to pawn them all.

Chen Cong selected and picked up a pure gold necklace inlaid with ruby ​​from the jewelry box. He touched it and handed it to Gu Kai to see: "Do you want to keep this as a souvenir?"

Gu Kai was silent for a moment, then said, "Let's sell it. If my mother were still alive, she would definitely make the same decision. Making the best use of things is the most important thing."

This necklace was a gift from Gu Kai's mother to Chen Cong when they got married.

After the old woman passed away, it was the only relic of hers that Chen Cong kept.

After hearing what Gu Kai said, Shen Cong stopped talking and put the necklace into his bag.

After leaving the community, they went to a large chain pawn shop that they had found in advance.

The gold jewelry and watches were pawned for a total of 120,000 yuan, which was not even half of their original value.

But because they needed money urgently, the two had no other choice, not to mention that they would be even less valuable in a month.

Now, Chencong's original capital, in addition to the 40,000 he had spent before, totaled 560,000.

After leaving the pawn shop, the two went to the car market, preparing to buy a small electric car for transportation.

In the second year after the earthquake, people had gradually recovered from the disaster and began to rebuild their homes.

Under the government's plan, transportation will naturally be the first thing to be restored.

Many roads have been gradually repaired, and some roads that were not too damaged before can even be driven by sports cars.

However, in the future, due to the changes in topography caused by major earthquakes, many oil fields and mines will be destroyed, and some will even be directly submerged by sea water.

The damage caused is unimaginable.

Energy sources such as gasoline and diesel are so scarce that ordinary people cannot buy them at all.

So at that time, everyone's means of transportation were basically bicycles, tricycles and other vehicles that were powered by human power.

It was not until cities were able to provide regular electricity that they slowly began to transition to electric vehicles.

So Chen Cong and Gu Kai discussed and decided to sell the almost new car in their home and buy an electric car to use first.

Even if you can't use it in the early stages of a disaster, you can save it for emergencies.

Anyway, her space is enough to accommodate a car. Even if the country house can't accommodate it in the future, she can still use the space to quietly move to the top floor of the duplex.

Because time was tight and the purpose was clear, the two people made their choice quickly and after a few inquiries, they chose a pure electric car priced at 160,000 yuan.

The car is white and looks very low-key, but it has a high chassis, good shock resistance, and can be driven on mountain roads. It is economical and durable.

It can be said that the two people fell in love with each other at first sight.

The salesman didn't expect to sell a car in just half an hour, and the buyer paid the full amount directly. He was so happy.

He contacted his boss on the spot and agreed to install solar panels on their car roof for free, as long as they paid for the materials.

So the two of them left the car and decided to go to the wholesale market nearby and come back later.