Chapter 5 HSBC Logistics Park
5. HSBC Logistics Park
The next day, Jiang Rong drove to the logistics park in City D.
I remember reading post-apocalyptic novels where the protagonist, after being reborn, would embark on a path of rampage and destruction. They possessed superpowers or the power of money, had personal storage spaces, and inexhaustible strength. They could hoard goods simply by touching a shelf, storing the entire shelf and its contents into their storage space.
At this moment, Jiang Rong also wished she had such a superpower.
Unfortunately, he wasn't a superhuman; he didn't have a spatial ability or superhuman strength. As an ordinary person, he could only hoard necessary supplies like an ant before a major crisis arrived. For example, right now, he had to head to the logistics park in the north of D City to rent a warehouse where he could store supplies.
As a city at the same latitude as City C, City D's economy, while not as developed as City C's, is still a well-known prefecture-level city. In particular, City D's transportation system is among the best in the country. Several highways and high-speed railways traverse City D, with the highway in the north being especially busy due to its connections to many important cities across the country.
Jiang Rong was heading to the HSBC Logistics Park, which was not far from the highway exit on the west side of D City.
The warehouse was chosen here for several reasons. First, it's easily accessible, facilitating the transport of goods from all directions. Second, the logistics park has a comprehensive logistics and security system. When transporting goods, simply informing the logistics park staff will ensure they provide vehicles and personnel for assistance. Furthermore, the logistics park will compensate for any lost goods. Third, the goods are inconspicuous in a logistics park, making them less likely to attract attention.
Of course, there's another important reason for choosing this location for the warehouse: the largest comprehensive wholesale market in the country is right next to the HSBC Logistics Park. He can store the goods he's stockpiling here directly, saving a lot of time and effort.
The logistics park was bustling with large trucks coming and going, and workers loading and unloading goods could be seen everywhere. After surveying his surroundings, Jiang Rong walked straight to the logistics park's main building, and soon he met the manager in charge of renting warehouses.
After explaining their purpose, the manager, with his hands tucked in his sleeves, led Jiang Rong towards the logistics park's warehouse. As they walked, he explained, "The logistics park's warehouses start at 100 square meters. How many square meters would you like to rent?"
The logistics park's warehouses are standardized, with each warehouse occupying at least 10,000 square meters. Jiang Rong originally planned to rent 800 square meters, laid out like the two basement levels of his house, but after seeing the shelving in the logistics park, he changed his mind: "I'd like to rent 300 square meters first. Are there any warehouses with shelving available for rent?"
The logistics park has two types of warehouses: one without shelving for storing containers, and the other with shelving provided by the logistics park where cargo owners can store their goods. A 300-square-meter warehouse with six-story shelving can hold a considerable amount of goods if used properly. Furthermore, he doesn't plan to wait until the warehouse is full before moving his goods; he will transport some of the goods as soon as the building is completed.
After walking around the logistics park, Jiang Rong chose a relatively quiet warehouse and reserved 300 square meters of it. To attract customers, the logistics park offered discounts to new tenants. Originally, renting a warehouse with shelving cost 20 yuan per square meter, but after the discount, Jiang Rong rented it for three months at 18 yuan per square meter.
After renting the warehouse, it was only 2:30 PM, enough time to take a walk around the wholesale market. The main purpose today wasn't to buy anything, but to familiarize myself with the market and figure out where the things I needed were located.
Before Jiang Rong could even leave the logistics park, his stomach started growling. He then realized that he had forgotten to eat lunch.
Outside the logistics park, there are many small restaurants that cater specifically to truck drivers. Because the drivers' work hours are irregular, most of these restaurants are open 24 hours a day. Jiang Rong glanced around and spotted a mutton restaurant.
Outside the mutton restaurant stood a large iron pot, bubbling with milky white mutton soup. Large pieces of mutton bones were faintly visible at the bottom of the broth, and the owner was scooping out stewed mutton from the pot. The savory aroma of mutton filled his nostrils and his lungs. By the time Jiang Rong realized what was happening, he was already sitting at a small table in the mutton soup shop: "Boss, a large bowl of mutton soup, please."
The owner drawled out, "Alright! Large mutton soup!"
The weather in March hadn't warmed up yet, and a bowl of mutton soup was just the perfect way to warm up. As Jiang Rong looked up at the price list on the wall, two customers came in to drink mutton soup. The two customers had dark skin and were obviously truck drivers who spent most of their time on the road.
The two ordered two bowls of mutton soup and a few sesame cakes as usual. After sitting down, the shorter one sighed, "Damn it, the temperature will rise by more than ten degrees tomorrow. The highest temperature in March is already over thirty degrees. I don't know how hot this summer will be."
The taller one chimed in, "The weather has been getting increasingly abnormal these past few years. Last year, it didn't rain for several months in my hometown, and the crops died from the heat. I wonder what it will be like this year."
Jiang Rong sighed silently upon hearing this. In fact, since a few years ago, the climate across the country has become extremely abnormal. Even during the plum rain season, not a single drop of rain falls. In desert areas, torrential downpours occur. With these abnormalities becoming more frequent, people are helpless except for a few more complaints.
I remember in my past life, a few months before the major crisis, not a single drop of rain fell in City C. After the crisis, temperatures in several surrounding provinces didn't drop below 40 degrees Celsius for three or four months straight; the main roads were practically melting. Many ordinary people who were lucky enough to survive didn't make it through the climate change…
Just as Jiang Rong was lost in thought, a large bowl of mutton soup, broth and all, appeared before him. The owner smiled and wiped his hands: "Freshly cooked, be careful, it's hot. By the way, my mutton soup can be eaten with flatbread, would you like it sweet or savory?"
Jiang Rong held up two fingers: "Two sweet ones."
Life was already hard enough; he wanted a little more sweetness.
The owner's mutton soup was exceptionally authentic. After finishing a large bowl, Jiang Rong even broke out in a sweat. The moment he put down the bowl, the image of the bran cakes he couldn't stomach in his past life flashed through his mind. He made up his mind: he would add various cooked dishes to his stockpile list.
The prepared meat is vacuum-packed and stored in a cold storage. When you want to eat it, just take it out and thaw it. Although the taste is not as good as freshly made, it is a delicacy that ordinary people can no longer enjoy after the crisis.
After finishing her mutton soup, Jiang Rong hailed a shared bicycle and rode towards the wholesale market. As the largest comprehensive wholesale market in the country, walking around it would take at least half a day. Even by shared bicycle, circling the wholesale market would take one or two hours.
An hour and a half later, Jiang Rong had a general understanding of the wholesale market. From north to south, the wholesale market was divided into four sections: aquatic products, grains, oils and non-staple foods, fruits, and vegetables. The goods inside were dazzling; if he couldn't think of it, he could buy it.
He had previously thought that he would have to contact local suppliers to get the canned goods he wanted, but while wandering around, he discovered several shops that specialized in canned goods.
This was an unexpected delight.
After browsing the wholesale market, Jiang Rong felt completely at ease. He had a feeling that he could fill his warehouse in less than three months, maybe even just half a month. Now, he just hoped the house would be completed soon so he could move his things in.
As he was preparing to return home, the phone rang again. This time, it wasn't Jiang Xiaoheng or Chu Qiang calling, but his colleague Jiang Jie.
Seeing Jiang Jie's name flashing on the screen, a hint of impatience flashed in Jiang Rong's eyes. Jiang Jie was a new intern, sweet and lovely in appearance. In addition, she was meticulous in her work and had a charming way of speaking, so her seniors took good care of her.
After the crisis broke out, few of the colleagues survived, and Jiang Jie was one of them. She lost contact with her family and was all alone in the big city. Jiang Rong took pity on her, seeing she was a young girl and worried about her safety alone, so she took her to the Peace Base.
Jiang Jie had a sweet tongue and charmed Jiang Rong and his son the whole way, ensuring they received all the benefits they were entitled to. Once at the base, she used her youth and beauty to quickly become the girlfriend of a high-level superhuman.
Instead of helping Jiang Rong and his son after moving into a big house and living a good life, Jiang Jie set her sights on them. Knowing full well the base's brutal and cruel methods towards mutated pets, she tricked Jiang Rong into signing a contract to rent out Lele. Later, Lele was seriously injured, and Jiang Jie was undoubtedly responsible.
Seeing Jiang Jie's name again filled Jiang Rong with disgust. He skillfully hung up the phone, but it rang incessantly again after a short while, as if it would keep ringing unless Jiang Rong answered.
Jiang Rong impatiently rolled down the car window, letting the cool breeze into the car and gradually calming his mind. After a moment of silence, Jiang Rong calmed down. Jiang Jie hadn't yet become a superhuman in this lifetime, so he still had a choice.
When the call connected, Jiang Jie's voice came through, trembling with tears: "Engineer Jiang, what should I do? The client isn't satisfied with my design and wants me to redo it, but I really can't do it..."
Jiang Rong's eyes were cold. In the past, when he heard Jiang Jie's pleas for help, he would leave his son and go to the company to help her with the design. Now, thinking about it, he realized how incredibly stupid he had been. Not only had he wasted his time and energy, but he had also raised an ungrateful child.
But people always have to pay the price for their blindness. If you were foolish in your past life, you can't be foolish again in this one. So he slowly said, "Don't cry, crying won't solve anything. Communicate more with the clients and find out their needs. I believe you have the ability to do this job well. Good luck."
He hung up the phone before Jiang Jie could continue her sobbing. He had limited power and didn't want to have any connection with the people and things that had caused him so much trouble in his past life.
Author's Note:
In the city where Lao Mao lives, there's a large wholesale market for agricultural and sideline products. At the south gate of the fruit section, there's a mutton restaurant with exceptionally delicious mutton soup—no fancy cooking or heavy lifting involved. The owner sets up an iron pot outside every day to stew two sheep. The stewed mutton is quite expensive; when I went to buy it two years ago, it was already 120 yuan per jin (500g).
The mutton soup was excellent, with plenty of meat, and served with chives as a side dish. The chili peppers in the restaurant were made with mutton fat; just a little bit was enough to make it very fragrant.
Oh no... I'm craving mutton soup.
But going to the wholesale market requires a nucleic acid test, so forget it, I'm too lazy to go out.
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