CHAPTER 50: CHAPTER 50: TAKING THE JOB

Huang Wenlong rattled off his requirements in one breath.

Chen Wenjun was a little tempted and asked, "How many people do you have?"

"Including me, about twenty-five. Only half came today, the rest stayed over there to watch the site. Once we finish eating, we have to go back immediately. The next project is similar, also involving twenty or thirty people."

"Well... can I go back and discuss it with my wife first, then get back to you?"

"No problem!" Huang Wenlong saw Zheng Guoxing starting to serve the dishes. He immediately stood up and laughed heartily, "The next project won’t start for another month. Your wife can take her time to consider. It’s just one meal a day, responsible for buying the ingredients, and thirty bucks a month."

Chen Wenjun nodded repeatedly.

After settling the bill with Zheng Guoxing, he bid farewell to Huang Wenlong and left.

As soon as he left, Huang Wenlong carried his meal to the back kitchen to find Zheng Guoxing, stuffing a shrimp cake into his mouth as he went, saying indistinctly, "I just asked Chen Wenjun’s wife to cook for us."

Zheng Guoxing raised an eyebrow and glanced at him, asking, "Did she agree?"

"She said she’d consider it. I think it will work out!" Huang Wenlong took a big mouthful of rice, glanced at the shrimp cake, and squinted happily, "Your cooking is still the best, so fragrant!"

With that, he took another one.

Zheng Guoxing glared at him, "Coming here to eat and take stuff, and you want to cut off my livelihood, get out!"

Huang Wenlong quickly explained with a fawning tone, "It’s just that I’ve really got no other options! I eat here every day, no problem, but they can’t afford it! And since this project is almost finished, it’s hard to hire someone just for a short while. Everyone’s just got to bear it for a bit."

In fact, for previous projects, they also hired someone to cook. To keep the benefits in-house, they even hired the wife of one of the workers.

The person didn’t dare to steal money, but she was stingy, cutting corners, and took a lot of food home every day. If it hadn’t been accidentally discovered by other workers, he would still be in the dark.

When the matter blew up, that person still argued justifiably, and his working buddy felt embarrassed and quit.

Good relations ended up sour.

With this previous lesson, he’s not daring to ask friends or acquaintances to take the job this time, but he doesn’t trust others either. At this moment, the appearance of Chen Wenjun and his wife gave him hope.

To say the least, the couple building their house is not a one-day affair. As long as they need him, they won’t offend him over such a small matter.

By the time Chen Wenjun’s house is mostly built, his project will also be almost done. Then, whether or not Chen Wenjun’s wife continues to work depends solely on his word.

Zheng Guoxing snorted coldly, "Stop playing the pity card with me. I know you! But this time you did pick the right people. Chen Wenjun’s wife definitely won’t disappoint!"

"I always have a keen eye!"

"You haven’t even seen the person and you’re bragging! Besides, if your eye was so keen, how come you broke ties with your brother?"

Huang Wenlong: "..." You sure know how to hit where it hurts, damn it!

On his way back from Guoxing Restaurant, Chen Wenjun kept mulling over the matter.

It wasn’t until he reached Nanxi that he snapped back to reality, shouting.

Chen Ping’an, who was fishing and keeping watch by the gap, heard the shout and quickly turned around, "Grandpa, my dad’s back!"

Lin Yi limped forward, hurriedly putting away the fishing rods for the two kids and taking them onto the boat to meet Chen Wenjun.

Pushing with a bamboo pole is neither too difficult nor too easy; it all requires skill. Fortunately, this area doesn’t have fast-moving water, so Lin Yi didn’t have much trouble navigating the boat.

When the fishing boat landed.

Chen Wenjun quickly loaded things onto the boat, panting as he asked, "Is Ah Qin still working in Nanyu?"

Lin Yi nodded, "All morning, the entire island was stones rolling everywhere. I was worried the kids might get hit, so I didn’t dare let them go near. We three huddled at the gap to fish, and I must say, there’s quite a few big fish with the deep water there.

These two kids still have their usual good luck, and just this morning, they caught a dozen big fish. The smallest was over a pound. All I could do was help them pull the rods, not much use otherwise."

Chen Wenjun chuckled upon hearing that, "Dad! Who said you’re useless? We can turn the deserted island into farmland for growing vegetables."

"Hehe! That’s what I’m planning too! It’s just that Ah Qin won’t let me touch the hoe, otherwise I’d have cultivated an acre and a third by now!" Lin Yi shook his head, obviously already having a plan in mind, but hindered by Lin Qin, couldn’t do anything.

As the two joked, the fishing boat approached the gap.

Chen Wenjun had already taken the opportunity to finish his lunch and, as soon as they landed, yelled, "Ah Qin, come down for a moment!"

No sooner had he spoken than two more stones rolled down, with a figure cautiously climbing down from halfway up the mountain.

Chen Wenjun quickly went up to offer a hand, and took the opportunity to explain the situation to her.

When Lin Qin learned that Huang Wenlong wanted to hire her, she was both surprised and pleased, but also a bit nervous, "Can I really do it? That’s meals for twenty or thirty people! What if it doesn’t taste good and they complain?

But if I take this job, won’t it be easier for us to buy cement from him?"

In her view, Huang Wenlong is a construction contractor. It’s unlikely he’d help them out just because of Zheng Guoxing’s face; saving thirty bucks per ton of cement means a three thousand cut for a hundred tons!

Owing such a big favor for helping them save thousands of bucks feels massive.

Chen Wenjun nodded, pondering, "I think so too. Since the man is willing to help us, it’s hard to refuse him. As for the food’s saltiness or blandness, it doesn’t matter much. After making it a couple of times, you’ll get the hang of it. Buying ingredients will be easier; we can open a plot on the island to grow veggies.

Before the vegetables in the garden come up, I’ll help collect veggies for you at the market. Granny Li’s produce has always been good, not only offering more variety but also cheaper prices, and most importantly, her produce is always picked fresh every morning.

Fish and shrimp we can provide ourselves, cheaper by a dime than the market price. Just keep accounts straight or let Boss Huang calculate it himself, a small discrepancy doesn’t matter, as we’ll save a lot on cement.

Once I finish delivering fish and shrimp, I’ll come help you out, how about that?"

Lin Qin grinned widely, "Okay! I’m going with your plan! You better give them a definite answer tomorrow!"

Seeing her wide smile, Chen Wenjun shared another good piece of news, "There’s also the Liu family’s matter. I heard Fang Meixiang and her dad were both sentenced to three years and fined quite heavily. This case involved a lot of people; even the head of the Education Bureau was implicated. It’s quite a stir in the city.

Although most people don’t know, it’s what Boss Zheng told me. Liu Yongming has already resigned from the Land Bureau and returned to school. My guess is he’s lying low from all this.

With him away from An City, you don’t need to worry either; you can go wherever you like without fear!"