Chapter 127: Rural Absurd Past Events Chapter 127

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Protagonist:

Li Xiulan

"Hire two more Big Workers, plus me, that makes three Big Workers total. Three Big Workers should be able to finish the shell in half a year. Counting only the shell, the labor cost would be 6 times 30 times 20. No, wait — at 20 yuan a day you probably can't hire a skilled Big Worker these days. It'd be at least 30 yuan. So let's calculate at 30 yuan per Big Worker: 6 times 30 times 30 equals how much?"

Wang Changgen calculated the accounts carefully and gave the answer: "5400? Hiring a few more people actually reduces the labor cost this much?" Wang Changgen was stunned, his face full of surprise, then he continued calculating, "No, that still doesn't count the Small Workers. Small Workers are 20 a day, so that's 6 times 30 times 20, equals... 3600. 3600 plus 5400 comes to exactly 9000 yuan. That's still less labor cost than me doing it alone as a single Big Worker..."

Li Xiulan then said:

"How about we go with what I just said — quote Zhang Zhongtian 15,000 and see if he can accept it."

Wang Changgen's face fell:

"Quote such a high price? That's too unconscionable! No way. If he finds out we pocketed that much money, he'll fall out with us for sure!"

Li Xiulan was speechless. This man of hers — you say he's honest, but he used to keep another woman outside behind her back! Yet you say he's dishonest, and he can't even bring himself to quote a slightly higher labor price because of his conscience!

"Then what price do you think we should quote?"

Li Xiulan asked irritably.

Wang Changgen thought for a moment, then finally said:

"Let's quote 12,000. Total labor cost is 9,000. Quoting 12,000 means we earn 3,000 in contracting fee — that's already earning a lot. Let's not be too greedy. You eat rice one mouthful at a time; you earn money bit by bit. We won't earn that unconscionable money."

Li Xiulan then said:

"Fine, fine, fine. We'll quote 12,000 like you said. That should be acceptable, right!"

The next day, Li Xiulan went to find Zhang Zhongtian again and quoted him the price.

After hearing Li Xiulan's quote, Zhang Zhongtian was immediately greatly surprised:

"12,000!"

Li Xiulan hurriedly said:

"Uncle Zhongtian, this price is already very fair. We calculated last night — at 12,000 to completion, we're basically just earning your labor cost."

Li Xiulan thought Zhang Zhongtian thought the price was high, which was why she explained it this way.

Unexpectedly, Zhang Zhongtian chuckled and said:

"That's not what I mean. The price you quoted is actually much lower than what I had in mind!"

"Ah?" Li Xiulan was stunned, unable to speak for a moment. "Then what price did you have in mind?"

Zhang Zhongtian said: "I originally thought it would be at least 20,000 yuan!"

Li Xiulan cursed Wang Changgen inwardly, this honest man. If not for his nonsense, they wouldn't have quoted such a low price of 12,000.

But words spoken are like water spilled — they can't be taken back. She couldn't possibly raise the price now. If she really did that, it would be too shameless.

"Uncle Zhongtian, the 12,000 price is only for the shell. It doesn't include renovation."

Li Xiulan said this one sentence to Zhang Zhongtian.

Zhang Zhongtian laughed and said:

"I know. I'm talking about the shell. For renovation, I'll hire someone else later. I know you and your husband haven't done renovation before, so from the very beginning I never planned to have you do the renovation."

Li Xiulan honestly said: "We really haven't done renovation before. We don't dare take it on, afraid the quality can't be guaranteed."

Zhang Zhongtian said with a smile:

"Then let's settle it like this. 12,000 contracted to you for the shell. After next year's Lantern Festival passes, we'll officially start construction. How about that?"

Li Xiulan nodded: "Good, good. It's settled then!"

Li Xiulan returned home, depressed and unhappy, unable to help blaming Wang Changgen:

"Look at your cowardly self. You'll never make big money in your whole life!"

Wang Changgen's face was full of speechlessness: "What kind of talk is this? You come back and just scold me. How did I provoke you?"

Li Xiulan then said:

"Zhang Zhongtian originally had 20,000 in mind. We went and quoted 12,000. Isn't that earning several thousand less?"

Wang Changgen looked at Li Xiulan with disdain:

"You've just fallen into a money pit. Do you understand 'fine water flows long'? We're not profiteers. Why earn that much from others! We only earn the share we can rightfully earn. That's enough. Don't lose your conscience!"

Li Xiulan said irritably:

"If you really have a conscience, then when you went to work in the City back then, how did you end up out of contact for a good long time? Wang Changgen, I'm telling you — our house was left unfinished back then, and you bear a huge part of the responsibility!"

This was Li Xiulan picking the kettle that wasn't boiling. Wang Changgen felt very displeased inside, but couldn't refute anything. After all, back then in Dongguan he cohabited with Liu Xiaoli and deliberately went incommunicado — it really was to evade responsibility.

"Don't bring up past matters again. Back then I had unavoidable reasons too. You think I didn't want to send money home? I just didn't have any money!"

Wang Changgen said this with a stiff face.

His tone was very impatient. He was using impatience to cover his guilty conscience.

Li Xiulan also couldn't be bothered to argue with him, so she didn't pursue the questioning further.

She only said:

"From now on, I'll decide the quotes for contracted projects. If you don't dare quote, I'll do the talking! This is our first time contracting — just treat it as buying a lesson!"

Several more days passed.

Zhang Zhongtian sent over the blueprints.

After Wang Changgen looked at the blueprints, he couldn't help being surprised. This Zhang Zhongtian is really that rich!

A three-story villa like this — how much money would that cost!

Labor cost isn't high, but material cost isn't low. And the renovation afterward — that's an even more enormous expense.

Wang Changgen racked his brains but couldn't figure out where Zhang Zhongtian earned so much money from!

He didn't know that Zhang Zhongtian alone was already earning over ten thousand a month just from contracting expressway projects.

After Zhang Zhongtian contracted the expressway project for this section of Shangou Village, he tasted the sweetness and went on to contract several other expressway sections; over this year, he had long since earned a fortune.

In the blink of an eye, it was Spring Festival again.

This year was the Millennium Year, much more lively than Spring Festivals in previous years.

Red Spring Couplets and Lanterns hung on every Street and Lane, and the Speakers in every Home played Spring Festival songs.

Wang Zhanggen and Li Xiulan were busy beyond measure.

This year was the most abundant Spring Festival they had celebrated in all their years of Marriage.

In the past they were poor, so they could only scrape together New Year goods in a miserly way.

This year was different; they had done two projects before, earning over ten thousand total, so financially they were no longer so stretched, and the future was visibly developing in a good direction — Zhang Zhongtian's project had been contracted for twelve thousand, and would certainly net a few thousand Yuan.

So they no longer spent money as miserly as before.

They would buy all the New Year goods that should be bought, and have a grand feast with big fish and big meat.

Wang Zhanggen even bought Fireworks and set them off for the three children on their own rooftop.

The three children watched the Fireworks soar into the sky, all jumping with joy.

That was one of the most profound Happiness memories of their childhood.