Bianhua Ch. 06

From that day on I returned to do my martial arts training with a new determination. I had kept up on the mental training but had slacked off on the physical. I knew that I would have to be on the top of my game for when my adopted father, the master would test my skills to see just how much I remembered.

Over the next week, I became more determined to get my whole body back in shape mentally and physically. My physical workout went from an hour at the start to two by the end of the first seven days. I knew that my adopted father the master would challenge me just to see if I had become complacent and had left the discipline of keeping oneself prepared.

It brought a question to mind that I would have to discuss with Alana. With the freedom we have in America was it inviting us as a society to be more accepting of things instead of seeing the danger they come with?

********

It had been a month since I had talked to my adopted father who would be arriving with the other members of the sacred six at the end of the month. Cold weather was already settling in the area. Things were too calm I was expecting something to happen at any time.

I would meet them just after going to Olympia to meet with the Governor and the Epa. It would be a time where we discussed the progress so far and mentally looked for things that might be coming down the road.

In preparation for what was ahead, I had made a will leaving the bulk of everything to Alana or her parents if she had been killed with me leaving enough aside for Fen and Suling. I did not want my grandfather's family to have a chance of coming after my estate once my true parentage was publicly known.

The gold mine had been thoroughly examined by a team of professionals in that field. We learned from them that with the advances in technology the amount of gold extraction would be well above the levels that would be considered normal for a successful commercial operation. They had found ten major veins that they could start working.

As a preventative measure, I had sent the findings to the governor's office to make him aware of the options opening to us and informed him that we would have no problem absorbing the chemical in our recycling program going forward.

The detailed report was about twenty pages long. I left the final decision up to him saying that I did not need the extra revenue while pointing out that the taxes payable to the state would be substantial when all the taxes were added up. Besides, we needed the time to move our current location for the restoration office.

It had taken a month, but we had just received the governor's written approval to go ahead since in talking with all those concerned there had been no further worries of environmental pollution affecting the ecology of the water system. He thought the added benefits received thanks to the extra employment would be worth it.

The governor in his wisdom had been sharing our quarterly reports that clearly showed the danger had decreased considerably. He was being praised for his handling of the situation by all involved including those leading the environmental community. People were asking why what we were doing was not being done in other areas.

Legal was now beginning the process to find someone who would take the gold mine over on a partnership basis. Our goal was to get it being worked without any further cost to us because we did not want to spread ourselves too thin.

David and I were over on the east side of the valley looking at the west side of the huge mountain now being hollowed out by the mining company. They were using construction trailers as their office space.

We were trying to decide if we had the required space needed to build an office building that could be shared for now by the mining office staff and ourselves. Our thoughts were that if the mining company would be extracting the gold for the next ten years they would want our current building for themselves.

The main entrance to the mine was off to the right in front of the security gate to our area. We started at that point using Alana's and my horses to thoroughly inspect the area. The mountain itself towered over us but had a few spots in its climb into the sky that were prime for development.

We decided after taking rough measurements that we had ample space for a four to a six-floor office building and parking space if we took out a small section of rock on our side of the security gate. It would allow us to build a structure that would have windows on three sides that would have an unrestricted view of part of the valley below. The rock that would have to be removed would allow for a parking lot in the back.

Further along the side, we would have to create a road up to the first level where we could build a few houses. This could be done with concrete, rock, and steel beams for reinforcement. It would end up being wide enough to be three lanes wide. We would have to bring in fill to be able to bury sewage and water lines.

We both concluded that we could work in almost fifty homes between along road up to the first section of a flat area. All would have an unrestricted view of the valley. On the first level was the space to put in another one hundred and fifty homes before we began working up to the higher levels.

What we took out from the side of the mountain could be used in the creating of the road thus cutting down time and expenses. Neither when completed would interfere with the air vents they had drilled into the rock to supply the mine with proper ventilation.

David in his wisdom suggested that the homes on this side of the mountain should be primarily logged homes with a concrete block base because it would compliment the overall image of the valley. I readily agreed with him.

"David, why did you think log homes would be perfect for this side of the mountain," I asked?

"I'm surprised you didn't see it," David said. "The south end of the mountain the road from the highway winds though it still has snow on it until late April. Once the village has been started it would be the perfect spot to develop some ski runs on."

I guess the look on my face said it all because David started laughing as he said, "My wife Debbie and I have been exploring that area in my spare time for quite a while. I can't take credit for it because it was my wife that produced the idea."

"Best check with legal and make sure it's part of our property that we have control of," I said. "If not tell them to get on it with the governor and find a way to acquire it. It would be a big asset going forward as we build our new community."

It was during this time that I learned that David had gotten the county board of education's agreement to build a twenty-room mini school with a multipurpose gym to serve kindergarten through grade twelve. To get them to agree to it we had to offer them a two hundred year lease on the land at no cost to them and give them a donation of a hundred thousand dollars towards the cost of it.

David said the joint school would be built with the gym center in the middle, the office out front, and two separate operating schools on the sides. One side up to grade seven, the other from eight to twelve.

They felt with our public support towards the new project they would have no problem in raising the funds needed for it. With our expected village population, they could promote the fact that the costs over time would be recouped by the saving in the transportation costs to get the local students in the area to their current classes.

"US postal service has agreed to install a sub postal station which will include a few mail routes for the village. Once it is set up, we will be given a completely new zip code," David explained. "As a result, the land has been set aside for their building. Fred Myers has agreed to rent the grocery store once it is built. What sold them on it was the fact that it will be the only one within a two-hour drive."

"What about the subdivision in the main part of the village?" I asked.

"The roads are all laid out, water and sewage are now installed to the lot line," David said. "The average village lot will be a third of an acre in size with lots being back to back. We now have four hundred lots laid out ready for use."

"We will use asphalt on the village streets since the cost of oil is so cheap and have signed the contract for the whole project," David added. "For now, we have crushed rock and sandstone to drive on until construction is completed. They will start paving when the warm weather comes."

"Are we going to be building them ourselves?" I asked. "Or have you thought about it?"

"The commercial in town buildings we already are laying the foundation for," David said. " We are going with concrete block made on-site with sections of cut stone slabs attached on the outside. With the first one hundred homes, we have sent out lot sizes, lease price, county water, and sewage costs to see if there is any interest with builders in the area. If there is no interest, we will be doing it ourselves."

"It's a good thing we decided to put the main road into the village right in the center of the land we control," I said. "That gives us room to grow commercially as the village progresses."

"Dirk, we need a name to call our village," David said. "I want to start marketing it in some of the state's biggest papers. With the ability for many now to work at home a lot are looking for ways to simplify their lives. This would give many the small-town life they are looking for."

"Tain which means sky in Chinese would be perfect since we are at the highest level in the area," I said. "Everything near us is downhill from here."

"It's simple, rememberable, and ties in with the area perfectly," David said. "We could market it through the new company division called 'Hutfu' the real estate arm of our business."

"Who came up with that?" I asked.

"Legal when they gave you the lease for your home and land," David explained. "They realized that you planned to develop the area long term. They typed in the name on a computer to find the Chinese word for restorative."

"Send out to all those home building contractors that if they are interested in building here that their designs on the outside of their buildings should complement the surrounding area," I said. "If you have to use images of Alana's and my home as a sample."

"The good news is that the way things are progressing we will have completed the road around the valley by next spring," David said. "That's when we will start building the area on this site for the residential homes."

"Inform the recycling crews that I want the area closest to the small park built up as fast as possible," I said. "When you have a design for the new lots down on paper, I want first pick on one or two of the larger lots facing the valley."

"Why?" David asked before adding, "My wife and I plan to move here to once the school is built. The long two-hour drive home each night is killing me."

"I have to build two homes for my future wife's and my consorts," I said. "In the Chinese culture, it's my responsibility to make sure that all their lifelong needs are taken care of."

"What about Suling?" David asked because of our closeness he knew the quandary I was in. "My wife is South Korean and sees the situation you are in. I had to ask her father for permission to court her before she would even acknowledge or speak to me. As a result, we see the uniqueness of the situation you are all in. She feels that because of Suling's upbringing that she feels honor-bound to remain loyal to the traditions of her roots."

"I still have mixed feelings, although both Alana and Suling are all for me to have a lifelong relationship with them. Both would have no problems becoming sister wives as they call it," I said. "Both the bonds I have developed with both women are lifelong. Today if it were legal to marry both I would. Tomorrow might be a different story."

"They are smart," David said. "Using the time-honored traditions of the old world while trying to put a modern spin on by giving it a new label. If it were any other two ladies, I would question their motives. What is your basic connection to them?"

"The same conflict that causes most problems between a female and a male," I said. "I love both of them for different reasons in different ways."

"You still planning on turning the iron ore mine into the distillery for making scotch?" David asked to change the subject.

"As soon as they are done," I said. "The problem is that they are finding that the time they needed for completion was underestimated. The concentrate of iron ore is denser in some areas than they thought possible. It has added to the volume of work. Thankfully, their remains have provided a good steady supply for the rock crushing machine."

"Dirk when I first signed on to this project, I could never see your long-term goals taking shape," David said honestly. "Your vision has brought forth so much and created a lot of employment in the area. What still thrills everyone is how the dancing flames seem to keep the smell of rotting to a minimum."

"The smell from rotting is the gas that we burn off," I said. "Using plastic perforated pipe laid flat before piling on the trash, rock, and soil allows it to escape as it flows into the metal pipes that we use to burn it off with. If those flames ever went out this place would stink for quite a while until we got it burned off again."

David paused as if he were lost in thought before saying, "I never would have believed that what we do would save us money. I just saw it as a drain, but you saw the saving in everything we did."

"Recycling, in general, is not a real money maker. We were lucky because we receive a large monthly payment from the city of New York for handling their trash. It's provided a cushion for us to build on," I said. "In this case, I knew it was long term because of what I wanted to do to this area. We are further along than I thought we should be because we can use what is naturally here to aid us in the construction."

"I would not have believed that the trainloads of contaminated sheetrock we got could be used to provide us with the calcium we needed to make concrete," David said. "That alone saved us thousands in costs. The sandstone we made saved us from hauling sand long distances. I was surprised when the lab reports said that the concrete roads were more durable than what was on the state roads."

"If you factor in the man-hours, " I said, "needed to break it all down our savings was all in the time and the transporting cost to have the concrete hauled in from elsewhere."

We were putting up the horses, after removing all the equipment off of them when a thought hit me. With the problems we were facing as a society, there would many upper-class couples looking for a way to escape the problems in the cities to an area that would provide them with a greater sense of security.

"David when you have the plans for the new subdivision drawn up," I said. "Put a few feelers out to see if we can put together a deal for a major purchase from one of those prefab log home companies. It might be better if we got a bulk deal done and some of them built before we start promoting the village."

"Log homes imply wealth," David pointed out. "I see where your thinking is heading. Once the new office is built, I will make the new subdivision my top priority."

"Before doing that be sure to work with financing because we need to be able to offer a huge down payment for it to work," I said. "The style and size of log home we choose should complement the lot and space available. We will have to make sure that the landscaping on the showrooms will blend in with the area. "

David looked at me with a puzzled look, so I added, "Prefab log homes are not cheap, the average for a fifteen hundred square foot home is around four hundred thousand. Those who work in the coding industry make big money and work from home. They are the generation that wants to get out and do things. Skiing, hiking, hang gliding, and outdoor activities are a few of the things they enjoy doing."

"They will be able to step outside their doors and see our eagles flying," David said. "What a selling point."

"Be sure to promote the fact that once the village is established that we will have a heliport service to the nearest airport in Richmond," I said. "The service Alana and I have used has already expressed an interest in a setting that serves the need up."

"That way when the snow has gotten the road in plugged," David said. "There is always a way for someone to get out if an emergency arises. What we're going to need is a doctor to run a small clinic."

I started to laugh because I saw it as funny. It was as if we had come full circle. I had met my future wife Alana because of an accident. Now we were planning on establishing a regular service to get those needed to Richmond in less than thirty minutes.

********

Alana and her family were surprised when they woke up Saturday morning. Although I had driven in as quiet as I could the sound of my truck had woken them up. Alana watched me bring my big black stallion out of the trailer and stick him inside the gate to the family's biggest racetrack. She then watched as I stripped myself of most of my clothing before climbing over the fence to join him. To her, I look small against the side of my mount.

Once I walked out on the racetrack my horse came up behind placing his head over my right shoulder. The racetrack itself was a three-quarter of a mile in total circumference. I had planned to run around it four times.

My black horse whom I called Stormy, and I were on the Conner's biggest racetrack running around it side by side. We were playing a game of the tortoise and the hare. Stormy was winning but just by a hair.

It was a typical October morning with the temperature cool but not overwhelming. There was still traces of dew on the ground. I had parked my truck with the horse trailer by the gate to the track.

I was clothed in just a pair of blue jeans and we were both on our second run around the track when Alana walked over to the fence to watch us.

As we ran by her Alana yelled, "Stormy's taunting you. You are sweating your horse is not."

"That just shows you how out of shape I am," I replied as I ran by. "Stormy is pacing herself because he doesn't want me to be alone."

"Out of shape my ass, your shape looks pretty good from my point of view," Alana replied in laughter.

As we started our fourth turn around the track, I picked up speed. Witch forced Stormy to respond in kind. We both were racing towards the imaginary finish line. I kept the pace up as long as I could giving it my all. In the end, my heart was pulsating, I was short of breath and my body was drenched in sweat.

I was leaning over trying to catch my breath. Stormy walked over and placed his head over my shoulder and nuzzled my neck as if he wanted to continue playing the game with me. I knew it was his way of laughing at me.

Rubbing his nose as I straightened back up, I let him know that we would be doing this again soon once the quarter-mile racetrack was built upon the plateau. I needed to practice getting my running form back and stormy needed to work some of his energy off.

It did not take long for the cool morning breeze to dry off my body. By the time Alana walked over I was already back over the fence starting to get dressed into the rest of my clothing.

"I wish I could run as fast as you," Alana said. "It would be a real thrill to do that with Toby."

"I've slowed down," I said. "I have not done a run like that since I was in Scotland. I realized after talking to my adopted father that I need to be in top physical shape for the confrontation that's to come."