Those Years When I Was Forced to Top the Forbes List

Chapter 58: Make peace with what you have come
…Liberation my foot!

I've been busy for two days.

On the morning of the third day, January 4th, on the bus to Pengshui.

"You should memorize these short sentences first! I'll explain how to use them when we get there."

Ren Ying is tireless in her efforts.

Chen Xuebing waved his hands repeatedly.

"No, don't make me watch, I get carsick, I'll throw up in a bit."

Ren Ying crossed her arms, her face turning serious: "You told me to take care of you. When you left yesterday, your aunt told me to be strict with you, and that if you were disobedient, I should hit you or beat you if necessary."

"I rely on."

Chen Xuebing was numb.

Good grief, so you think I'm a teacher and that's enough to get beaten up?

"Fine, fine, I'll memorize it... English is the only subject I can pass, and you want me to memorize English?" Chen Xuebing said speechlessly.

"No." Ren Ying immediately retorted, "You can't think like that. You need to strengthen the subjects where you can get points. English is one of the three major subjects. You must get 120 before you can give up on the last three math problems."

"...Okay, okay, I'll carry it. But when we get to the construction site, you can't lecture me like that. Give me some face, let's talk about it privately, okay?"

Fortunately, Tan Maoshui wasn't with them today; he was in Fuling and said he'd wait for them in Pengshui first.

Ren Ying was already a senior in college, so of course she understood social etiquette. She looked at Chen Xuebing's clean chin with a hint of curiosity in her eyes, and then slowly nodded: "I understand."

Chen Xuebing raised his hand to check the time, looked out the window, and fell into deep thought.

……

From the city to the county, and from the county to the town, this time I didn't drive directly; I changed vehicles three times along the way.

Chen Xuebing was worried that Ren Ying wasn't used to walking such a long distance, so he asked her a few questions, but Ren Ying didn't think it was anything.

The two were bound together by a bond of trust with Teacher Guo. She had been tutoring Chen Xuebing at his house for the past two days, and knowing that Chen Xuebing's father was a policeman, she felt even less wary. She wasn't worried that Chen Xuebing would take her to some remote mountain village to sell her. She enjoyed the scenery the whole time, and regarding the remoteness of the journey, she said it wasn't as difficult as Chen Xuebing had described; she could get there by car the whole way, without even having to walk, which was better than she had imagined.

A girl who is easily satisfied.

Around noon, Chen Xuebing led Ren Ying to meet Tan Maoshui downstairs at the project office.

Although Tan Maoshui's starting distance was shorter, he still had a lot of trouble finding his way and even got on the wrong bus, arriving at almost the same time as them.

On the way, Chen Xuebing had already contacted the project manager, Ren Kaiping, by phone. Ren was in the project office upstairs. Chen briefly asked Tan Maoshui about the equipment that Tan Hailiang had helped arrange, and told Tan Maoshui to listen more and talk less before going upstairs.

In engineering, once the key conditions are agreed upon, there's no need for small talk or pleasantries between teams. Chen Xuebing and Tan Maoshui immediately got to work upon arrival, as they were both quite used to it.

When he went upstairs and met Ren Kaiping, he actually talked more.

"Mr. Ren! It's been a long time!"

Ren Kaiping, noticing Chen Xuebing's attire, was slightly more polite than last time: "General Manager Chen is here."

“This is Tan Maoshui, the construction worker at our site. This is Xiao Ren, who helps me manage the finances. He’s from the same clan as you.”

After Chen Xuebing finished his introduction, he clicked his tongue again.

"Mr. Ren, I'm so sorry. I asked someone to collect some Yibin tribute tea for me, but they said the new tea season hasn't started yet. They'll bring you some when the new tea comes out in a while!"

Yibin tribute tea is spring tea, and it won't be on the market until February or March. Whether or not I bring some with me then depends on how well I've built up my relationship with the tea plantation.

"Mr. Chen, please don't stand on ceremony, have a seat."

There weren't many people at the project site, but Ren Kaiping was very approachable. He personally poured them a glass of water and asked, "You're here now, when do you plan to start construction?"

"Starting construction shouldn't be a problem. I've already contacted the excavator, and I'll have someone deliver the surveying equipment in a couple of days. The purpose of this trip is to first arrange our living arrangements and also try to finalize the road arrangements. An army marches on its stomach."

"The idea is correct, but don't think the project team hasn't tried to find a solution regarding the road. The client is the county water conservancy department, and we've already contacted them. We've also been to the county government office. The deputy director there called the town, but it's really difficult to negotiate. It's a small place with deep bureaucratic silos. I advise you to be prepared to overcome this on your own."

Ren Kaiping also felt that this matter was somewhat unfair to the project section, so he offered a few more explanations.

Chen Xuebing glanced at his watch and nodded: "I know, President Ren already made it clear last time, which is why I rushed over before the New Year."

"What?" Ren Kaiping didn't understand.

Chen Xuebing laughed and said, "Repairing a road costs over 100,000 yuan, which is definitely a big deal for the town government. Whether they submit a plan for this year or next year, we should try to resolve it before the end of the year so that they have some room to maneuver."

Upon hearing this, Ren Kaiping glanced at Chen Xuebing again.

“Mr. Chen is experienced, but this isn’t about reporting the plan… How about this, once you’re settled, contact me and I’ll go with you. This is a key public infrastructure project in the city. If you go to them in the name of the project team, you can still see the leaders; otherwise… you won’t even be able to get in the door.”

Chen Xuebing thought for a moment.

"Alright, how about tomorrow?"

……

The first step in starting work is finding a place to settle down.

The town is about seven or eight kilometers away from Furong Village, where the project is located, but it's not a difficult problem to solve. There is a motorcycle taxi stand at the roundabout. Three people, two motorcycles, 10 yuan per motorcycle, agreed on a price and slowly drove around Furong Village to the bridge.

Ren Ying sat behind Chen Xuebing, pulling on his clothes. The ride was bumpy, and Chen Xuebing secretly felt the occasional large touches coming from behind him.

Actually, he had seen a decent farmhouse near the middle school last time. There were wooden houses all along the way, but that one was a brick-and-mortar house, a small two-story building, which stood out. It was also close to the construction site. However, he still asked about a few larger houses along the way.

"Auntie! Is the husband home?"

"Do you rent out your house?"

"We work on construction sites, and we're planning to rent a place!"

When the families heard that they wanted to rent a house, they were all somewhat interested and asked how much they could pay.

Chen Xuebing tested the waters in the range of two to three hundred, and one store immediately agreed to the price of two hundred.

He had a general idea of ​​the market situation and decided to check out the next company.

Get on the motorcycle and head straight towards that brick-and-mortar house.

With a clear bridge as a direction and only one road, it's easy to find.

When we arrived at that house, a woman was sitting at the doorway peeling green beans.

The house was right by the roadside, with an open space in front of it where a group of children were squatting and playing with picture cards.

The woman noticed the motorcycle had stopped in front of her house and the rider had gotten off. She frowned, looked around, and stood up. "What's wrong?"

Seeing that she wasn't very old, Chen Xuebing asked, "Madam, is the husband here?"

The woman wiped her hands on her apron in front of her, straightened her back, her dark face and slightly pouting lips suggested she was somewhat dissatisfied with Chen Xuebing's question, revealing a hint of fierceness.

"What's wrong? Tell me."

Chen Xuebing realized that this woman was probably the head of the household.

"Madam, we work on a construction site. Do you rent out your place?"

The woman immediately looked down the mountain and perked up: "That construction site down there?"

Chen Xuebing was slightly taken aback: "Yes, we're here to build your sewage treatment plant."

"Rent it!" The woman even leaned closer and asked, "How long are you renting it for?"

"Um... six months to a year! I'll pay you quarterly! How much is your house...?"

Chen Xuebing had contacted these companies, and this was the first time he had encountered such a proactive attitude. They didn't even offer a price, but instead asked a question.

The woman glanced at the motorcycle behind them, still running, then looked in the direction they had come from. Seemingly understanding something, she waved her hand and said:
"You tell me! All four rooms on the second floor of my house are available for rent, and you can decide the price."

Chen Xuebing and Tan Maoshui exchanged a glance, sensing that this proprietress seemed to be someone special.

“s…”

"cough!"

"three hundred?"

This house was clearly much better than the previous ones, and it was also his favorite. Chen Xuebing was originally going to ask for 400, but Lao Tan coughed in time, so he immediately changed the price.

"Three hundred..." The woman gave a dry laugh. "Boss, you're a bit stingy..."

Tan Maoshui spoke up for the first time: "If it doesn't work out, then forget it. Let's look around some more."

"Tsk!"

"Who said it's not possible? Why don't you go upstairs and take a look?"

The woman grabbed Tan Maoshui and waved at the motorcycle behind them, saying, "Tell them to leave! We guarantee you'll be satisfied with our house! There's nowhere better around here!"

This sudden 180-degree change in attitude, as if they were trying to poach customers, startled Chen Xuebing, who immediately said:
"We're just taking a look. Even if we reach an agreement, the town is so far away, we still need to go and buy the bedding!"

The woman waved her hand impatiently again, pointing to a corner and saying, "What are you afraid of! We have a car! We'll take you out!"

Chen Xuebing then noticed that a farm tricycle was parked in one corner of the U-shaped house, at the connection between the first and second floors.

It has a slightly dusty look, yet it looks brand new.

There was also a motorcycle nearby, which looked rather old.

He looked out and saw the quiet mountain road, and he understood something.

Tsk tsk, no wonder this family looks the richest; they've got some brains.

This agricultural tricycle probably existed as early as when the project sign was erected at the foot of the mountain.

Chen Xuebing calmed down, paid the motorcycles by the roadside, and let them go.

Turning around, the proprietress smiled smugly, no longer holding onto Old Tan, and said casually:
"That's right! Look around here, which house can accommodate a whole construction site crew? Only our place, four rooms!"

Chen Xuebing didn't say anything, but slowly looked around with his hands behind his back.

Old Tan was a bit anxious. He pulled him aside and whispered, "The house is cheap, but be careful she doesn't try to rip you off elsewhere! If she makes any demands, don't agree to them!"

As he spoke, he glanced at the civilian tricycle.

Tan Maoshui still harbored a natural distrust of Chen Xuebing's age.

Chen Xuebing revealed a sly smile: "They bought these specifically for us, each costing several thousand yuan. If you don't use them, how can you work? You'll be stuck on the mountainside every day with your tricycle, and cars won't be able to get through. Oh well, what's done is done."

After saying that, he leisurely walked to the civilian tricycle, touched it, and was quite satisfied with his own vehicle.

Hearing this, Tan Maoshui knew that Chen Xuebing was aware of the situation and immediately felt relieved.

On second thought, Mr. Chen had thought things through more deeply than he had.

They come, the security.

Mr. Chen is truly wise.

"Boss lady! Not just the second floor, but also make room for me on the first floor! I have a girl living with us, and it's inconvenient for her!"

Before the house deal was finalized, Chen Xuebing boldly set his conditions.

The proprietress was taken aback by his carefree manner, then immediately looked around and pointed to the small hut next to the tricycle, saying, "How about that one? My daughter lives there. She's at school and lives in the dorm. I'll tidy it up for you."

Chen Xuebing walked to the door, glanced inside, and shook his head:

"No, it's too small, I want a bigger one."

Ren Ying looked inside and immediately said, "That's enough, that's enough."

Chen Xuebing waved his hand: "There's not even a table, how are you going to talk to me about... reconciliation? If not, Engineer Tan and the workers can stay here, we'll just move out."

The proprietress paused for a moment upon hearing this, looked at Engineer Tan, and then at Chen Xuebing: "Which of you is the boss?"

Tan Maoshui pointed at Chen Xuebing.

The proprietress quickly took two steps toward Chen Xuebing, stopped, put her hands on her hips, let out a long breath, and then looked toward another room.

"How about that room? It's for my youngest son!"

Chen Xuebing strolled over and found that the interior was much better decorated and larger, with a sizable study desk. He nodded in satisfaction.

"Okay, this one will do."

Before long, the smile on the face of a child playing with trading cards vanished, and a wail echoed through the courtyard.

"I don't want to! I won't stay in that room!!"

(Something came up yesterday, sorry, I'll update later)

(End of this chapter)