bullyxtreme Chapter 117 Tom's Simple Modifications to Paradise Valley!
Chapter 117 Tom's Simple Modifications to Paradise Valley!
Chapter 117 Tom's Simple Modifications to Paradise Valley!
Paradise Pass Camp.
The campfire crackled, illuminating the faces of James and his family.
Instead of taking a break, James gathered everyone together and threw out a bombshell: "They're going to build our houses next, what are your thoughts?"
"Build a house?" Tom's eyes lit up, and before anyone else could react, he said, "Wait! We have to ask Peter about this!"
'
He quickly shouted, "Peter! Come here!"
Peter was huddled in the corner, his mind racing with ideas on how to escape.
Hearing Tom's shout out of the blue, my heart skipped a beat and almost jumped out of my chest!
"Wh...what is it?" He shuffled forward, each step feeling like walking on cotton.
Tom didn't care about anything else and dragged him to the center of the campfire. "Quick, tell everyone, where's the nearest quarry?"
Peter was pulled so hard he stumbled, then quickly replied, "Livingstone Quarry is nearby! Livingstone County! Famous for its transportation hub, train station, and quarry! It's right at the north exit of Paradise Valley!"
How far is the quarry from here?
"Less than ten miles!"
As soon as Peter said this, everyone immediately understood Tom's intention.
"You want to build a house with stones?" Elsa's big eyes widened, her face screaming "Are you crazy?"
Her exaggerated expression silently told a fact: stone houses, how much money would they cost to burn down!
"Just build one room! 120 square meters!"
"Wow!" Elsa's mouth gaped open in an "O" shape.
"Four bedrooms!"
"Wow—!" The Type O is even bigger now.
With each parameter Tom announced, Elsa's gasp rose a notch.
"The price should be around 1,200 US dollars!" Tom finally quoted the figure.
"No!" Margaret said firmly, her voice drowning out the crackling of the campfire.
One thousand two hundred dollars?
These numbers were burning her heart!
too expensive!
"Not expensive!" Tom counted on his fingers as he explained the costs to his mother. "Stone accounts for half the total cost of the house! Labor makes up another half of that! The last small portion is for miscellaneous items like wood, doors, and windows!"
Seeing that his mother remained unmoved with a stern face, Tom played his trump card, his voice suddenly turning cold: "What if we encounter weather even colder than Postman? What will we do then? Do you really want our whole family to freeze to death in this wasteland?"
The words "That Winter in Postman" pierced the relaxed atmosphere like an icicle.
Not only did Margaret's face turn pale, but the expressions of the others also dimmed, and the warmth of the campfire seemed to dissipate somewhat.
Margaret pursed her lips, trying to argue: "Then...stone for the foundation and the lower half of the wall, and wood for the top! Is that alright? How much will that cost?"
She had hoped to use a compromise to shut her son up.
To everyone's surprise, Tom answered almost instantly: "Nine hundred dollars!"
hiss--!
Margaret gasped; the price still stung!
"It's just an extra three hundred yuan, but that three hundred yuan could buy several lives!"
Tom's words struck everyone like a thunderbolt, carrying an undeniable weight.
If Margaret hadn't experienced the near-fatal cold of Postman's time, she would never have agreed to spend over a thousand dollars to build a stone house.
But at this moment, she fell silent; the chilling memory ultimately overwhelmed her concerns about the price.
"Agreed!" Elsa's cheers instantly broke the heavy atmosphere. The cheers were both a longing for the stone house and an exclamation of amazement at the "delightful" price.
"Is this all you've been thinking about these past few days?" James asked casually, looking at his son, a hint of approval in his voice.
"That's not all!" Tom exclaimed, clearly well-prepared. "I also inquired about the price of a pure wood house! Four hundred dollars! The bulk of the cost is labor; the materials are only a little over a hundred!"
James's lips curled into a knowing smile: "So, you mean...?"
Tom's clear voice: "What material should we use for the livestock shed? What material should we use for the cowboy barn? What material should we use for the other outbuildings? You need to have a plan for this!"
James was speechless for a moment; he hadn't thought about it yet.
Seeing this, Tom immediately pressed his advantage: "How about this! Tomorrow I'll have that expert come over directly so he can talk to you in person, what do you think?"
Seeing Tom's confident and self-assured expression, James's heart skipped a beat. This kid was definitely hiding something from him!
When the head of the Livingston engineering team of the Pacific Railroad arrived in a flustered state, James instantly understood what Tom was planning!
Tom led the group to a high point on the north bank of Paradise Valley in the middle reaches of the Yellowstone River, not far from the main house he had planned for his family.
Tom pointed to the open ground beneath his feet: "Here! Build me a watchtower made entirely of stone!"
He gestured with his arm, pointing to the opposite bank of the rushing river: "High ground on the west bank, in a symmetrical position, let's build another one!"
This location offers a commanding view with an excellent vista, encompassing the entire valley.
Immediately afterwards, the group rode their horses to the north entrance of Paradise Valley.
Tom pointed to the narrow valley entrance with his whip: "Build me a gate here! Stone base, wood facade, make it as sturdy and impressive as possible! You design it!"
He abruptly changed the subject, pointing to the steaming hot spring area near the valley entrance, his eyes burning: "But this hot spring, fence it off and build a row of private rooms! All made of wood! How you partition the hot spring pools into individual rooms is your business, I only care about the results!"
The construction team leader's face tightened as he stared intently at Tom, waiting to see what other tricks he might pull.
"And this hot spring, surround it with stones, divide it into three smaller hot springs, and separate them with wood. You handle it; I want results!"
We should make use of Tom's family's hot spring!
Without delay, Tom led his men to the south entrance.
The terrain here is relatively flat. He pointed to a spot near the valley entrance: "Build a small hut here, just big enough for one person! The window must face the entrance passage!"
He paused, then added, "For the entrance passage, try to get me a sturdy railing that can open and close!"
The person in charge nodded silently, sweat already beading on his forehead.
Finally, Tom led everyone back to the original mid-high ground and stood at the planned lookout tower location.
His gaze fell upon the rushing river below, and he traced an arc with his finger: "Build me a suspension bridge between these two towers, connecting the east and west banks!"
Then, he slammed his fingertip into the rushing river beneath his feet and uttered a startling statement: "Build me a dam right below the suspension bridge, at the narrowest point of the river! It needs to be able to store water and regulate the water level! Can you do that?"
What is a "big job"?
This is the real challenge!
The construction team leader's head buzzed, and he felt his scalp tingling!
He stared at Tom in disbelief, his mind screaming: Is this guy insane?!
Who are you picking on?
Why build a dam in this desolate mountain valley?
"able!"
The person in charge practically clenched his teeth as he squeezed out the word, his back instantly soaked in cold sweat!