Spring Breeze Twenty Years

Chapter 168 Arrangements (jasonn+2)

The labor bureau and police station had already left, and the tables had been cleared away. Sister Zhang, Sister Shang, Brother Zhai, Li Bing, Xie Na, and the boiler operator were all sitting in the lobby on the first floor, talking by the heater. Liu Hongliang and Li Gengsheng had gone to the market.

As soon as everyone came in, Sister Zhang stood up and asked, "What's going on? What happened to those two?"

This question made the two people, who had just been holding back their laughter, burst into laughter again.

Everyone found a place to sit down. The two girls had almost finished laughing. Xiao Hong hid behind Xiao Wei, feeling embarrassed. Li Wen said, "We were just looking at the house in the back. They said they'd open a billiards and dance hall there, and there's a small courtyard in the back. They said they'd put a boiler there, and then the boss asked if we needed to find someone to run the boiler. Hahaha, that's it, hahaha, that's it, hahahaha." Xiao Hong also leaned against Xiao Wei and laughed.

Li Wen, barely suppressing her laughter, mimicked everyone's earlier reactions: "Looking for it? Should we look for it? Should we look for it? Should we look for it? Hahaha, I'm totally confused."

Sister Zhang patted Li Wen on the back and said, "Is there anything so funny? Look at you laughing like that, my goodness."

Li Wen clutched her stomach and said, "Sister Zhang, I... I'm not getting into this. You didn't see their expressions back then, haha."

Xiao Wei said, "Alright, alright, you'll go crazy if you keep laughing like this. Let's get it started first. We need to ask Master Chang about this. We don't know how much coal this stove needs to burn a day. If it burns a hundred or eighty catties a day, who will we be looking for?"

The stoker sitting next to Master Zhai flicked his cigarette ash and asked, "Boss, how big is the stove?"

Xiao Wei gestured and said, "Several rooms, all with heated walls, and then we'll use this one fireplace. I don't really know how big it will have to be."

The stoker pondered for a moment and said to Master Zhai, "It didn't use much coal, did it? That thing only has one straight fire channel; it gets hot as soon as it's lit, and it cools down just as quickly."

Master Zhai said, "That depends on how many flues are left. If they all use one flue, it will save money. But if each has its own flue, the smoke will be strong, and a whole batch of coal will be gone in no time."

The stoker's surname was Hao, and his name was Hao Xiaodong. He was thirty-six or thirty-seven years old, a little younger than Master Zhai.

After thinking for a moment, he said, "Why don't we just take him and burn the offerings? It's not worth finding someone else. Let's burn the offerings for a few days and see. If he can keep up, great. If not, we'll deal with it later. It's only a few steps away anyway, so we can just take a stroll back and forth."

Xiao Wei thought about it and agreed, saying, "Okay, let's burn some cigarettes for a couple of days after it's done. If it works, we'll ask them to give you a little extra money for cigarettes each month." Hao Xiaodong smiled and said, "That's great, thank you so much, boss."

Xia Maosheng said, "Then I'll call Master Chang and ask him how to set up the stove. I still don't understand what a ground stove is." He went to the gatekeeper to make the call.

Chen Hui stood up, straightened his clothes, and walked to the back, saying, "I'm going back to pick up Uncle Zhang, Uncle Wang, and Aunt Wang." He then went out through the back door.

Sister Zhang checked the time and said, "We can still relax a little longer. We've already booked a table for tonight, so we'll make it in time."

Xiao Wei asked, "Where did you order it from?"

Sister Zhang said, "It's the electricity company, but the Bureau of Commerce is the one paying, I think. Whatever, as long as they come and pay, that's fine."

Liu Hongliang and Li Gengsheng walked out from behind, wiping their hands. Liu Hongliang said, "Boss, I think this job is a bit of a waste of my talents. What do you think? Besides, Li Zi and I have to come to work at six or seven in the morning, we don't even have time for breakfast. And look at this, we run to the market several times a day, and we have to stay with everyone until we leave work. Isn't this a bit of a rip-off?"

Xiao Wei said, "You two don't need to stay with me tonight. You can leave work at five. Buy breakfast in the morning, and I'll pay for it. The security guard's room is empty during the day, so you two can squeeze in and sleep for a while."

Liu Hongliang turned to Li Gengsheng and said, "See what I told you? The squeaky wheel gets the grease, right?" Everyone laughed.

Xiao Wei laughed and said, "Okay, then from now on, if Li Gengsheng takes Sundays off, you won't have to take Sundays off either."

Liu Hongliang was taken aback and asked, "Why?"

Xiao Wei said to Sister Zhang, "Sister Zhang, could you also arrange a work schedule so that everyone can take turns resting for a day? Otherwise, nobody can stand working all year round. Everyone has their own things to do."

Sister Shang asked, "Can I save up my leave and take it all at once after a week?"

Xiao Wei said, "We'll see, okay? If it's during a busy period, it definitely won't work. A week is too long. How about we set it for three days, and take three days off together? Is that okay?"

Sister Shang said, "Then let's have four days. There are four weeks in a month, so four days off a month is just right."

Xiao Wei thought for a moment and agreed, saying, "Okay, but you and Sister Zhang have to be on separate days off. You two can't take the same day off. Also, Li Bing and Xie Na have to be on separate days off."

Liu Hongliang, his eyes shining, said, "If I could save up all my vacation days for a year, this one break would be amazing! Hahaha, just thinking about it is so exciting!"

Li Gengsheng said, "Of course, with the Lunar New Year included, it's about fifty days, almost two months. Why don't you just take a break?"

Liu Hongliang glanced at him sideways: "Whose decision is it?"

Li Gengsheng said with a smile, "Once you've rested, you won't need to come anymore. It'll save you so much trouble."

Sister Shang said, "I'd go crazy if I stayed home for two months."

Li Bing said, "Me too, what's wrong with me? Why am I just sleeping when there's nothing to do? Everyone else is at work, and there's no one to talk to or play with."

Xia Maosheng came out from behind the gate, a cigarette dangling from his lips, and said, "Master Chang will come tomorrow. He said there's no ready-made part; we'll have to weld it on-site based on the terrain. Chen Hui hasn't returned yet?"

Xiao Wei glanced at his watch and said, "A few more minutes, what's up?"

Xia Maosheng said, "That coal can be hauled now. We need to make arrangements over there. It still needs to be unloaded; trucks can't get into that area."

Xiao Wei paused for a moment and said, "Damn, I forgot while I was busy. Let's go together when Chen Hui comes back. There's a bit of a problem over there. The snow is piled up in the back, and we don't know what's under the snow, so we can't get anything out."

Xia Maosheng asked, "Does the boiler room have a back door?"

Xiao Wei said, "Yes, it's not open yet. I don't know what it's like in the back."

Xia Maosheng thought for a moment and said, "How about we just leave it like this for this year, pile it up in the yard, and do it after we tidy up the back in the spring? We'll have to build a wall in the back then, won't we?"

Xiao Wei gestured with his hands and said, "What I mean is to fence off that corner completely, build a tall shed to store the coal, and let people walk through this side. Completely block off the other side."

Xia Maosheng said, "Anyway, it's going to happen next year anyway, so just pile them up in the yard, in that corner of the garage over there."

Xiao Wei thought for a moment and said, "Okay, we'll just have to pile them up there for now. How many are you planning to bring over?"

Xia Maosheng said, "Isn't it 0.3 tons per hour? A little over seven tons a day, let's haul a week's worth first, and have them deliver once a week."

Xiao Wei licked his lips and said, "Wow, that's a huge pile! The yard won't be covered in coal dust!"

(End of this chapter)