"Yes, I'm sorry. I'll call you back later, around three or four. I won't delay your work, so don't worry." On the phone, Lin Bing repeatedly confirmed the time with the other party before hanging up.
Lin Bing had found a nearby real estate agent. With enough money, things get done easily. She was interested in a large warehouse located outside the Third Ring Road. Though it was technically a warehouse, it was actually a defunct private factory. The place was huge, and the factory owner was a local. The surrounding area was mostly demolished urban villages, and most people had already moved out, making it an excellent location.
Since the area had to be vacated in three months, the real estate agent had not planned to show it. However, Lin Bing's persistent inquiries and generous offer convinced them. The factory owner, who usually rented out a different, well-decorated house in the Second Ring Road, was persuaded to come to show the warehouse.
The contract was signed at two-thirty in the afternoon.
"The warehouse is empty, right?" Lin Bing, satisfied with the contract and the keys, looked up at the factory owner—a plump woman in her forties with a round face, thick eyebrows, and small eyes. She was quite stout and had a radiant smile.
"Absolutely empty," the plump woman said with a grin, clearly pleased with the transfer message on her phone. She added, "The warehouse is definitely clean; it was cleaned not long ago."
With the clean warehouse, Lin Bing was even more pleased. She also listed several of her properties near the school with this agent to see how they would handle it.
Lin Bing searched for the exact address of the warehouse online and asked the agent to print out the map. With the printed map in hand, she drove directly to the warehouse. While printing the map, she thought of a problem: in the event of a zombie outbreak, many highways might be blocked, requiring detours. She needed to print road maps of the country and detailed maps of various provinces and cities. After an apocalypse, the vegetation would become lush, with plants growing as tall as people. Polluted land would make these plants slightly toxic.
These plants would have strong life forces, and roads outside the cities would be overtaken by vegetation. Without a compass, it would be impossible to navigate. Thus, she needed several compasses as well.
She thought she should note these useful items down in a notebook.
Lin Bing decided to prepare a notebook when she got home.
By the time Lin Bing arrived at the factory, it was already three fifteen. The large iron lock on the door was rusted, but with her key, Lin Bing quickly unlocked it and drove her car inside, parking it in a convenient spot. She then called the supermarket manager to notify them that delivery could proceed and also contacted the electronics store to arrange for delivery, providing the address.
After notifying them, Lin Bing did not idle but walked around the small factory. It was an old building with red brick walls and mud floors except for the areas leading in and out and connecting the warehouses, which had concrete floors. The warehouse was huge, with two sections: one slightly newer, built a few years ago, and another made of red bricks, half-collapsed with green moss in the corners.
Half an hour later, delivery trucks from the supermarket and electronics store arrived, bringing with them nearly five trucks full of the items Lin Bing had purchased. The goods were so many that the dozen or so delivery workers were sweating heavily. Feeling somewhat apologetic, Lin Bing collected their bank details and transferred five hundred yuan to each as a labor fee, feeling a bit embarrassed in the sweltering heat.
With the extra tip, the workers were even more diligent, and soon everything was unloaded.
Satisfied with the extra five hundred yuan tip, the workers thanked Lin Bing repeatedly before leaving.
After they had gone, Lin Bing locked the factory door and started moving items into her space. Fortunately, as long as she touched the items with her palm, they would automatically appear in the space's underground warehouse. Lin Bing discovered that the items in the underground warehouse were automatically categorized; once in the warehouse, items of a certain type would appear in specific locations.
After transferring all the items, which took about twenty minutes due to the sheer volume, Lin Bing was exhausted. She sat on the ground, breathing heavily.
Checking the time, she saw it was already past four. With no time to rest, she got up. It was July, and the sun was still high in the sky, making it very hot. Sweat covered her face, and her clothes were soaked through, sticking to her body. Unable to bear it, she jumped into her car and turned on the air conditioning.
At this point, she remembered she had forgotten to call the gas station. The gasoline hadn't been delivered yet. She hurriedly called them to expedite the delivery, realizing that it was already past four and the gas station would close soon, meaning any delay would push the delivery to the next day.
The gas station truck arrived at four forty, which was fairly quick. Lin Bing heard the truck's sound and went to the factory door to open it again. The truck was smaller than the previous delivery vehicles, but the gasoline tanks were quite tall and heavy. It took several people working together until after five to unload everything into the warehouse.
Lin Bing gave a tip again.
After the gas delivery, Lin Bing stored the gasoline in her space and looked at the four large cans of gasoline and the piles of supplies. She finally felt a bit more secure.
After storing the gasoline, Lin Bing left the factory, locking the door behind her.
She still needed to prepare mountaineering gear, hiking shoes, backpacks, flashlights, tents, and other essential items. Lin Bing went directly to a sporting goods store, selected her sizes, and placed an order for next-day delivery to her home rather than the warehouse. The small apartment she hadn't sold yet would be more than sufficient for storing the clothes.
By the time she finished all this, it was already six o'clock. Exhausted from a day of driving around without rest, Lin Bing decided to go home, shower, run twenty laps, shower again, and then have dinner.
When Lin Bing's grandfather returned from another province, Lin Bing was running laps in the park and had left her phone at home. Her family, not waiting for her, had already started dinner. The Lin family had many elders, including several uncles and aunts. If Lin's grandfather wasn't at the family home, the more distant relatives wouldn't come to the old house for a meal. They lived nearby in villas close to the old home. However, Lin's grandfather was the direct heir and considered the main branch of the family, while the others were branches of the family. Naturally, the head of the Lin family was from the direct line.
In the Lin family, succession rights were prioritized for the direct line. If there were no capable individuals left in the direct line, then outstanding members from the branches would be chosen and trained. The competition between the direct line and branches was fierce, and there were many younger members involved in the struggle. Of course, girls had no inheritance rights, whether from the direct line or branches.
Aunt Zhou had saved Lin Bing some food. When Lin Bing returned home, she saw the entire family gathered in the main hall. Her grandfather, second uncle, and fourth uncle were seated in the most prominent positions, chatting and laughing. The elderly preferred quiet, so the younger generation, including her uncles and cousins, spoke in hushed tones to avoid disturbing the elders.
Strangely, Lin Bing's father was not present. Her grandfather valued this son highly. Of course, the next head of the Lin family had long been decided: Lin Bing's eldest uncle, who was in politics. The family also had an outstanding eldest son, particularly excellent, with a steady temperament and keen insight. Being the eldest grandson, he was naturally favored by the elder generation.
Even though Lin Bing's father was very capable, he had no son to inherit the family business. Despite how much her grandfather liked him, he never considered him for the role of the next head of the family.
Lin Bing's grandfather also cared deeply for Lin Bing. When Lin Bing saw him, she was so emotional that she nearly cried. She didn't pay attention to manners and rushed to hug her grandfather and grandmother. Eventually, with her grandmother's gentle comfort, she couldn't hold back and began to cry uncontrollably.
It had been over three years since she last saw her grandparents. It was wonderful to know they were still alive.
Although Lin's grandfather had a preference for male heirs, he loved Lin Bing very much. Seeing his beloved granddaughter cry made him uncomfortable. As a man who valued his dignity, he felt awkward comforting his granddaughter publicly. Lin's grandmother, a kind-hearted person, gently patted Lin Bing's back and comforted her, eventually taking her to the small balcony on the first floor to avoid making a spectacle of her crying in front of the guests.
Lin's grandmother gently wiped Lin Bing's tears and asked Aunt Zhou to bring the food.
Aunt Zhou quickly brought out the food.
The smell of the food gradually made Lin Bing's crying subside. Her old habit kicked in: seeing food made her eyes light up, and she forgot everything else.
Lin's grandmother smiled and said, "You little glutton must be hungry. Go ahead and eat. Your mother said you're still on a diet, but I can't believe this little glutton can resist food." When Lin Bing was younger, she had a strong liking for snacks and had become quite chubby in elementary school. Her classmates had been critical of her. During that time, Lin's grandmother had taken care of her and remembered her granddaughter as a little glutton.
As Lin Bing grew older and her grandmother became more tired, Lin Bing's mother took over. Lin's mother had been trying to conceive but had been unsuccessful and eventually gave up.
As Lin's grandmother was taking Lin Bing to the balcony, Lin Bing's father came home, carrying a large jade Buddha in his arms. It was translucent and exquisitely carved, clearly a fine piece.
What was even more remarkable was the smile on Lin's father's face. He radiated joy. It seemed that the jade Buddha Lin Bing had mentioned was indeed in his possession! Lin's father was truly impressive—his efficiency and network were top-notch. Kudos to him.
Lin's grandfather was also somewhat surprised, rarely seeing his second son display such clear emotions.