Chapter 7 Mountain Fortress
7. Mountain Fortress
After picking up the driver at the highway exit, Jiang Rong sped off towards their hometown. An hour later, the path leading to the mountain valley came into view.
The narrow road, which used to only allow one vehicle to pass at a time, has now been widened to twice its original width. The construction vehicles passing by have compacted the soil on both sides, making it level and allowing even heavy trucks to pass without obstruction.
At the end of the road was a gray wall, and several cars were parked outside the wall.
From the outside, this courtyard stands out starkly against its surroundings. While the mountain valley is filled with birdsong, fragrant flowers, and bright spring sunshine, this courtyard is entirely constructed of concrete. The walls are exceptionally tall compared to other courtyards, and are equipped with surveillance cameras at intervals. To make matters worse, sharp shards of glass are stuck into the top of the wall; anyone attempting to climb it will certainly be in for a surprise.
Seeing this building, people couldn't help but murmur: the owner's taste... is a bit questionable. Such a beautiful scenic area, and they built a prison-style building. Look at how tasteful and stylish other people's villas and mansions are.
But that's not something anyone needs to worry about; their job is simply to install the shelving properly. If it passes inspection soon, they can even take the opportunity to go on a company-funded trip.
The gate faces south, and because of the need to make way for jujube trees, the road to the south was only paved two meters wider than before. This road is wide enough for cars to drive into the yard, but heavy trucks can't get in. The driver got out of his truck, looking troubled. He scratched his head and said, "Boss, we can only unload the goods outside. Do you have a forklift?"
This shelving company specializes in custom-made shelving for large supermarkets. Previously, they would drive a truck into the site, allowing them to start operations immediately by opening the cargo compartment. However, the terrain at Jiang Rong's house clearly didn't allow for this. If it were small shelves, the staff could simply move them manually. But the truck was filled with custom-made alloy shelves, which were obviously too heavy to move by hand.
Jiang Rong had anticipated this, and he nodded slightly: "Wait a moment."
Everyone saw Jiang Rong walk briskly into the yard, and a moment later a bright orange forklift emerged. The driver was none other than Jiang Rong himself. Surprisingly, the handsome and refined-looking Jiang Rong was quite skilled at driving a forklift; the imposing forklift in his hands was like a toy car.
A short while later, Jiang Rong forked a pallet of shelf components and drove it into the yard, with the others following behind the forklift.
Upon entering the courtyard, everyone was immediately struck by its size. A rough estimate put the yard at over 300 square meters. For city dwellers, owning such a large yard meant they would certainly make the most of it. Even if they didn't build a rockery or pond, they'd at least have some space for flowers and plants, right?
However, the yard lacked any landscaping or design, and even the concrete underfoot was completely plain. This made the already uninspired house appear even uglier.
Of course, the yard wasn't empty; there were piles of building materials near the walls. Most of the materials were covered with plastic sheeting, so you couldn't tell what was inside.
The entire building has only one floor above ground, but sharp-eyed people noticed something flashing on the roof. Upon closer inspection, those flashing lights were actually solar panels, and judging by the number, there were quite a few on the roof.
The sounds of construction work came from the wide-open doors and windows. After a few loud thuds, the first floor fell silent again. A moment later, a dusty-looking worker emerged from one of the doors. He glanced at Jiang Rong and smiled helplessly, "Sigh... it broke again."
Jiang Rong was both amused and exasperated: "Did you forget to change the drill bit again?"
The house uses high-grade concrete. Although water and electricity pipes were pre-installed, some hammering and drilling were inevitable during the actual renovation. While a sturdy house can protect the people inside, it's not very friendly to ordinary electric drills.
A regular drill bit can easily make a hole, but the walls and floors in Jiang Rong's house can easily grind down even ordinary materials. Although Jiang Rong had warned them beforehand, the construction team didn't believe her and suffered a lot as a result.
If it were a construction team that had previously worked under Jiang Rong, they wouldn't have made this mistake. However, Jiang Rong was afraid of revealing the location of the house, so he specifically hired a construction team from out of town. Of course, the companies that built the shelving and cold storage were also chosen from other provinces. In addition, the delivery drivers were also found in the logistics park; they appeared to be in poor health or had only come to D City temporarily.
Jiang Rong has been working so hard lately to reduce the risk of her house being exposed to the elements that she's been going bald.
Jiang Rong's house is really nothing to look at; it's bulky and ugly, making you not want to look at it a second time after just one glance. But one thing is undeniable: it's very sturdy.
Jiang Rong drove the forklift straight to the southwest corner of the house. Only then did everyone notice a steel gate more than three meters wide in the southwest corner. The gate was incredibly heavy; an outsider might mistake it for a bank vault door.
To the average person, this might be the only highlight on the entire exterior wall. However, if a professional were present, they would find that this door is nothing compared to the windows next to it.
Every window on the exterior wall is much thicker than ordinary glass. The frames and hinges on the outside of the glass are a subtle color, but the material is visibly sturdy. Once the windows are closed, not a sound can be heard coming from inside the room.
Each heavy window has a raised section that conceals a curtain made of steel plates. Simply press a button from inside the room, and the iron curtain will quickly fall down to cover the window.
However, no one noticed these details. After looking around and finding nothing new, they continued to follow the forklift.
The shelving was too long, so Jiang Rong got off the truck and adjusted the forklifts to enter the main gate. Behind the gate was a spiraling downward passageway. Following the spiral downwards, the first exit led to a spacious basement level.
Unlike the unremarkable, dusty exterior, the basement walls were painted with latex paint, and bright lights hung from the ceiling. The nearly 400-square-meter space was completely open, unlike other basements that are dark, damp, and stuffy. Here, it was bright, airy, and comfortable, almost indistinguishable from being on the ground.
Continuing down the spiral passageway, you reach the second basement level. The second basement level is no different from the first, except that Jiang Rong has arranged a cold storage room with a capacity of 60 to 70 cubic meters and the entire building's electrical system here, so there are three fewer specially designed large shelving units downstairs than upstairs.
Jiang Rong transported the shelving materials directly to the second basement level. After confirming the construction plan with the installers, the workers began measuring and installing the shelving. A professional construction team is truly different; their division of labor is orderly and their cooperation is seamless. As long as the materials arrive, a tall shelving unit can be assembled in no time.
These custom-made shelves are 6 meters long, 1.2 meters wide, and 5.4 meters high, with four layers from top to bottom, each layer perfectly accommodating a pallet of goods. The shelves that the workers are installing are the foundation of Jiang Rong's stockpiling operations. Without shelves, things would be scattered and disorganized, and it would be a real waste of space.
Seeing the workers busily engaged in their tasks, Jiang Rong didn't sit idle either. Like a little ant, he drove his forklift back and forth between the basement and the parking lot time and time again.
The spiraling underground passages were a little dizzying, but Jiang Rong was already used to it. Every time he brought something back from outside to the underground, he and his son could survive a little longer after the crisis.
Installing the shelves was a major project. Although Jiang Rong's basement was not as large as a supermarket, it still took the installers almost a week to install nearly forty shelves.
After the shelves were installed, the cold storage company called Jiang Rong again.
Last month, when the house was being built, he could still slack off and run around. This month, that's no longer possible; he has to be back in his hometown constantly monitoring the progress of the renovations and the installation of various equipment. This house is a bastion for him and his son to settle down after the major crisis; he'd rather put in more effort before the crisis than leave any flaws afterward.
Home renovation is an incredibly tiring process, and even though Jiang Rong is an interior designer, he still endured a lot of hardship. He had so much to do, and he had to handle every single task personally. He wished there were 48 hours in a day so he could do everything better.
As he watched the stockpiled goods in the basement slowly accumulate and the interior decoration on the first floor gradually take shape, he felt both happy and anxious. Time was running out, and there were still so many things he hadn't had time to stockpile.
A month of continuous work had made Jiang Rong lose a lot of weight, but his efforts paid off. In early May, the interior decoration of his house was finally completed, and only the final work of stocking up on goods and moving in remained.
After seeing the renovation team off, Jiang Rong returned to the house and carefully inspected every room. Apart from a few bathrooms and the kitchen, which had tiles, the rest of the 300-square-meter interior boldly used solid wood. This solid wood, mainly sandalwood and pine, was sourced from the original supplier's warehouse. Because it had been in the warehouse for a long time, most of the harmful substances inside had dissipated.
The whole house was filled with a faint scent of wood, which was pleasant and calming. For safety reasons, Jiang Rong opened every window in the house to let in some fresh air.
After the heavy window was opened, the pattering sound of rain reached Jiang Rong's ears.
The damp, earthy smell filled Jiang Rong's nostrils, making her feel somewhat dazed.
It's raining? He remembered that before the crisis in his previous life, City C hadn't seen a drop of rain for months. Looking at the rain-soaked ground in the yard, he snapped back to reality: he wasn't in City C anymore; he was back in his hometown. His hometown was mountainous, and with a nearby reservoir, the rainfall was naturally more abundant than in City C.
The past few days of running around had left Jiang Rong somewhat exhausted. Seeing the rain, a wave of weariness washed over him, and his eyelids drooped uncontrollably. Oh well, he had finished his work for the day, so he could steal a moment of rest.
The rain outside was getting heavier, and soon a layer of white mist rose in the yard. The good drainage system quickly sent the rainwater out of the yard, and there was not a single spot of standing water in the spacious yard.
Jiang Rong was asleep on the large sofa in the living room. If it weren't for Chu Qiang's call, he could have slept until evening. Still half-asleep, Jiang Rong fumbled for his phone and said, "Hello."
Chu Qiang's energetic voice rang out: "Still not done? Don't you want your son anymore? Hurry up and pick up your little rascal. If he stays in my house any longer, my own son will be kicked out of the house by his parents!"
Upon hearing the news about her son, Jiang Rong sat up abruptly from the sofa: "He's here, he's here. I'll pick him up tonight."
Chu Qiang laughed heartily: "I was just kidding. My godson is very well-behaved. If he stays any longer, I won't be able to bear giving him back to you. I reckon your project is almost finished, so I'll give him a call to ask. Since you're done, come to my house for dinner tonight. My mom made your favorite dishes. Drive carefully on the road, we'll wait for you to start eating."
Jiang Rong responded, then remembered something important: "By the way, have you replaced all the doors and windows at your old home?"
Speaking of this, Chu Qiang got excited. "Changed it! You know, you get what you pay for, it's just different from those cheaper ones." When Jiang Rong was ordering custom windows, she also ordered a batch for Chu Qiang's family. After finishing at his house, the construction team went to Chu Qiang's hometown next.
Chu Qiang initially grumbled, thinking Jiang Rong was wasting money. But when he saw the custom-made windows, he was completely won over. If it weren't for the financial constraints, he would even have considered replacing the glass in his house in City C with bulletproof glass.
To express his gratitude to Jiang Rong, Chu Qiang added, "By the way, didn't you say you wanted to find a reliable fitness coach? I've found one for you. I'll take you to train when you get back."
Jiang Rong replied, "Okay."
Although he's starting to work out a bit late, a great physique isn't something that can be achieved overnight. He firmly believes that once he learns the right methods, becoming a muscular hunk is just around the corner.
Author's Note:
Jiang Rong: I have a dream. One day, I will become a muscular hunk. [Clenches fist]
The guy from the next group: Good luck!
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