NOVEL NEXT WORLD Chapter 247: Recreation Planning
The next morning Fred met up with Liam to deliver his answer.
"Last night we held a vote and the majority are in favor of moving. We will begin to pack, I'm just not sure how we will be transported. We do have trailers to move cattle but we only have one working truck"
Now that the decision was made, Fred was unsure how they would actually make their way over.
"Don't worry, just begin packing. We will send over vehicles and help you transport them. We will most likely be back in three or four days.
Fred nodded, "Okay, then we will work hard to get everything ready for transport. Thank you again for everything".
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After getting a response from Fred, Liam packed up with the others and made their way over to the chicken farm.
The chicken farm was in rough shape but still fared better than Fred's Ranch due to the natural stream that they had nearby.
Jimmy walked out as usual, happy to see Liam.
"Boy, am I glad to see you!", he said, lowering his shotgun, "This heat has been driving us crazy".
Liam greeted Jimmy and looked around.
"How are you guys doing here? This heat has caused a few other places a lot of problems. Thankfully no deaths".
Jimmy waved his hand, "Nah, it's hotter than hell, but we're alright. The stream is still doing okay so we have water. Crops are a bit sickly, but we hope to still have a harvest. Most importantly, chickens are fine".
Liam was glad that they were holding up. He quickly set up his tables of trade items for Jimmy and the others to see.
Jimmy ended up taking the filtered water and food items, while the others took the remaining stock of sun protection, sunglasses, and clothing.
Liam received a few more live chickens as payment and set off on his way home.
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Back at the forest settlement, Rayne went over to see the progress of the barn. She estimated that Fred would agree to relocate, and even if they didn't she wanted to see if they could raise some cattle of their own.
The many power tools and chainsaws allowed them to clear another section of the forest where they were building the barn and pasture.
Although it would have been even quicker if Rayne simply stored all of the trees, they still completed the job quickly.
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The main frame of the barn was almost set up and they would be able to move on to the later stages of construction later that day.
Another good piece of news she got was that by the end of today, the rest of the solar panels should be attached to the houses.
Once the barn was built, they planned to install a solar panel on there to keep the animals comfortable.
While she was making her rounds around the settlement she decided to swing by the forest perimeter to see the irrigation system and how it was holding up.
It didn't take her long to find the small green hose that ran along the forest floor.
The areas around the hose were damp and the plants and trees looked a lot happier than they did the last time she walked through this area.
"Looks like our plan is working. Let's just hope a fire doesn't occur further out", she said to herself.
By the time she made it back home it was already close to dinner time.
Julian had been out all day helping with the solar panel installation. They decided to tough it out and work throughout the day so that they could finish up the rest of the houses.
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After his long day setting up the remaining solar panels, Julian finally had the chance to take a shower and go home.
He was covered in sweat and felt sticky and gross, but was happy that they finished setting up the solar panels on the remaining houses.
After a quick refreshing shower he made his way back home, excited to see Rayne.
As he entered the house, the smell from her cooking filled the house. He took in a deep breath with a big smile!
"Ah, it smells amazing! What are we having tonight?", he asked, walking over to the kitchen.
Rayne was chopping the final few vegetables for the salad and smiled.
"We are having grilled chicken, rice and a salad", said Rayne.
She motioned for Julian to follow her to the table. As they dug in the began discussing their days, and Rayne happily share the results of the irrigation system.
After dinner Rayne sat down on the couch and picked up the book she was reading. She loved this part of the day where she could relax and do the things she loved.
"Julian. I want to build a recreation building, or something like that. It could act as a library and people would go there to read, play board games, do art crafts and other fun activities."
She also felt that since there were young children, they would need to think of a solution for schooling. This rec center would act as a multipurpose space.
"Maybe people who are good at a craft, like Mrs. Soto with painting, could teach a course every once in a while. This way our skills will continue to spread down the line", she added.
Julian sat down beside her, "You never cease to come up with wonderful ideas. Yes, I think its a much needed thing. Right now the main thing people do for entertainment is go for walks. We could add things like outdoor sports as well".
They both continued to brainstorm ideas the would help fill everyone's recreational and creative needs.
By the end of the night they had a whole idea fleshed out and ready to pitch to Noah and the others.
Since the carpentry team was busy with building the barn they still had time to work out the details.
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"Do you think Liam will come back tomorrow? I'm curious if Fred's settlement accepted our offer", asked Rayne.
Julian thought for a moment, "Yes, based on how longs he's been gone he should be back tomorrow. As far as Fred's settlement, they most definitely accepted."
Rayne looked at him curiously, "Why are you so sure? To me it seemed that Fred was very set on living there".
"Because if they don't move, they'll most likely die", he said somberly. "When it comes down to it, they will prioritize their own survival over anything else, that's human nature."