Reborn in a small village in the 1990s

Chapter 354

"They'll help us renovate the shop because of Aunt Zhang, but it's uncertain whether they'll help us build the house."

Yesterday, Zhao Da'e was busy, so he asked Cai Xiaofeng to visit Aunt Zhang on his behalf and chat about the workers, since Aunt Zhang had previously mentioned wanting to introduce him to some renovation workers.

Aunt Zhang has a wide network of connections, so the renovation workers she knows are reliable. Zhao Da'e doesn't know many people in the county, but Aunt Zhang happens to be one of them. With Aunt Zhang's connection, finding a reliable worker is a simple matter.

Besides wanting the other party to renovate his shop, Zhao Da'e also wanted them to build him a house in the countryside to solve the problem of hiring workers. Zhao Da'e naturally trusted the skills of the person introduced by Aunt Zhang, but this matter was not easy to arrange.

As the saying goes, people prefer to work in nearby places. It's too much trouble to hire someone from the county town to go to the countryside, and the other party is very likely to refuse. Zhao Da'e also knew that this matter would be difficult to accomplish, but how would he know if he didn't try?

"It's alright, Xiaofeng, anything is possible." She brought enough money today, so there's still hope of negotiating a settlement.

According to Aunt Zhang, this master craftsman has over ten years of renovation experience. He is meticulous and attentive, and the houses he has renovated have received high praise. He has basically never made any mistakes, so you can't go wrong by hiring him for your renovation.

Before going to the store, Zhao Da'e bought some fruit and eggs. When he arrived, he realized that the address Zhang Da Niang had given him was for a shop that was under renovation, but the shop was almost finished.

There were three workers inside doing renovations. They looked to be around forty or fifty years old, with dark skin and a very energetic appearance.

Zhao Da'e called out, "Chai Zhiyong, are you there?"

One of the workers put down his tools and shouted impatiently outside, "Can't you see I'm doing renovations? Whatever you want to say, wait until I finish what I'm doing."

The two workers nearby were already used to it and did not stop working because of the little incident.

Xiangzi, standing to the side, said unhappily, "What kind of person is he? Why is he being so fierce?"

Cai Xiaofeng grabbed Xiangzi's hand, shook her head, and advised, "Xiangzi, just say less. We're here to ask them for a favor, don't anger them."

Zhao Da'e wasn't angry at all. She understood that capable people like her all had a bit of a temper.

Zhao Da'e even said to them, "Master, you go ahead and get busy. We'll come back to talk to you when you're done."

After Zhao Da'e shouted that, Chai Zhiyong's tightly furrowed brows relaxed, and he had a pretty good impression of Zhao Da'e.

The three men were setting up a table. Working together, they placed the large table in the center. There were also some chairs that were made on the spot. Besides some wood, there were also some nails and other props on the ground.

It was clearly a restaurant that was about to be renovated. The three chefs were sweating profusely from their busy work. This kind of hard labor is very physically demanding.

After finishing the last long bench, Chai Zhiyong finally finished his work. Tired, he picked up a water bottle, poured water into his mouth, and sat down on the ground, panting heavily.

The other two workers finished their work and called out to Chai Zhiyong, "Old Chai, my wife has prepared a meal for me at home. I'm going home now."

"Me too, you should go back early when you're done too." After saying that, the two left. They had finished their task early today and could go back sooner.

On the other side, Zhao Da'e had been waiting for half an hour. Only then did Chai Zhiyong turn his gaze to the group and ask, "So, what do you little kids want from me?"

With a smile, Chai Zhiyong explained, "I don't like being disturbed while I'm working. I prefer to finish what I'm doing first. That's why I was a bit harsh with you earlier. Don't take it to heart, you kids."

Cai Xiaofeng laughed and said, "Oh, Master, we're the ones who bothered you. Please don't mind us."

"To be honest, we were introduced to you by Aunt Zhang, and we wanted you to renovate our shop."

Chai Zhiyong suddenly realized, "So it was Da Ya who introduced us. She mentioned to me a couple of days ago that she has a group of people who rented a shop from her and will come to me for renovations. The shop I'm currently renovating is almost finished, and I was just thinking about whether to contact you through Zhang Da Ya when you came to me."

Chai Zhiyong had heard Zhang Daya mention this group of people before, especially the little girl who was clearly 7 years old. She must be the business prodigy Zhao Da'e that Zhang Daya had mentioned. Zhang Daya had even boasted to him that this little girl had helped her family sell all their eggs and made a considerable amount of money.

Thinking of this, Chai Zhiyong couldn't help but cast a curious glance at Zhao Da'e. Was this little girl really as amazing as Zhang Yatou had said?

Noticing Chai Zhiyong's gaze, Zhao Da'e smiled at him and said, "Master, the shop we need you to renovate is the one at the intersection of Sixth Street. Of course, it doesn't have to be just you going alone; you can introduce any companions you have. We trust your skills and the people you introduce to us. Money and materials are not a problem; I can handle all of that."

Chai Zhiyong took a sip of water to calm himself down, and after listening to Zhao Dage's words, he waved his hand and said, "I've been to your shop at the intersection of No. 6 Street before. It's a large area, and it was renovated before. If it needs to be renovated again, it will take at least three people half a month to complete it if we're in a hurry. By renovating again, I mean the kind where the wiring, water pipes, ceiling, and floor all need to be renovated."

"If we don't want to go through all that trouble, just repainting the floor and not having to redo the electrical and plumbing work, those three people can finish it in a week. Our workers are paid 20 yuan a day. You need to figure out your budget first, so you don't have to drag your feet and refuse to pay when it's time to ask for your wages."

Chai Zhiyong is annoyed by people like this: they work diligently for others, but are not paid, or are kept in arrears.

Zhao Da'e smiled and said, "Master Chai, money is no problem. As long as you do a good job, the red envelopes will be generous."

As he spoke, Zhao Da'e carried over the fruit and eggs he had bought, saying, "These are some gifts we bought, consider them a small token of our greeting."

Chai Zhiyong didn't want to accept it at first, but Zhao Dage deliberately tugged at the fabric on the basket, revealing the liquor inside. Chai Zhiyong's eyes lit up immediately. He loved drinking, but unfortunately, all the money he earned was taken by his wife at home, and he didn't have any spare money to buy liquor.

The last time he secretly bought alcohol was just last week. He hasn't had any for a week, and now he's really craving it.

Without any hesitation, he picked up the basket of liquor, opened it, and drank it down in large gulps. His mouth was full of spiciness. After drinking his fill, Chai Zhiyong excitedly exclaimed, "Ah, this liquor is so refreshing!"

After accepting the offer of wine, Chai Zhiyong did not refuse and said frankly, "Don't worry, I've taken on the shop renovation. You were introduced by Zhang Yatou, so I believe you are reliable and won't delay your wages."

After saying that, Chai Zhiyong took another swig of wine. The taste of the wine was so refreshing, and he felt really comfortable drinking it!

Seeing that Chai Zhiyong liked drinking so much, Zhao Dage's eyes lit up and she had an idea. She first tentatively said, "Master, to be honest, I have a new house that needs to be built in my hometown, and I would like to ask a few of you workers to come and help. Don't worry, the wages will still be paid as usual, just use your calculation method, 20 yuan per person."

Chai Zhiyong hesitated for a moment, then asked, "Hometown? Where is your hometown? Is it far from here?"

Zhao Da'e replied, "My home is in a small village near Quanshui Town, it takes one or two hours to drive there."

Chai Zhiyong frowned. Upon hearing that it was so far away, he instinctively refused, saying, "No, it's too far. I'm thinking of going home every day to eat my wife's cooking. Besides, your place is too far. I need to live there to do my job properly." Moreover, building a house is much more difficult than decorating a shop.

Zhao Da'e was not discouraged. Instead, he said, "Master, why don't you reconsider? The house I'm building here will take at least several months to complete. I can guarantee that you will have work and money for the next three months. Each person will earn 20 yuan, which is 600 yuan a month. Your salary is comparable to that of some senior managers in factories. Are you really not going to reconsider?"

Hearing Zhao Da'e say this, Chai Zhiyong was a little excited. 600 yuan a month was equivalent to two months of his work. Originally, after finishing this job, he would rest for a week and then continue to do some work. But such a big order came in, which could be done for several months at a time. After this order was completed, he would not have to work for the next two months.

But Chai Zhiyong was still a little hesitant, after all, it was too far. Zhao Da'e saw Chai Zhiyong's hesitation and said slowly, "To show my sincerity, if you come, I can guarantee that you can drink a bottle of baijiu every day, as a benefit and subsidy for you."

Chai Zhiyong's eyes lit up, and he quickly asked, "Is what you're saying true? If I go, will I really get a bottle of wine every day?"

Zhao Da'e looked at Chai Zhiyong seriously and nodded. "Master, I mean what I say. Or do you want to give me the liquor instead of the liquor and exchange the money for small change as a subsidy?"

Chai Zhiyong quickly shook his head, "No way, I want liquor, don't give me cash as a subsidy, otherwise my wife will find out and take it away."

All the money Chai Zhiyong earned went into his wife's pocket. He had very little pocket money. His wife didn't allow him to drink alcohol, and he had to sneak around even to buy liquor. If she found out, she would beat him up. As a result, he could only drink liquor once or twice a month.

He couldn't even imagine how happy he would be if he drank baijiu (a type of Chinese liquor) every day.

There's no reason for him to disagree with a life where he can make money and drink alcohol.

“Little girl, I’ll take this job! But we have to agree beforehand that I need to drink a bottle of baijiu every day while I’m working, otherwise I won’t do it. But I can also guarantee you that I’ll work at least 8 hours a day, and the quality will absolutely not be a problem. You can ask around; I’m very trustworthy, so you can rest assured.” Chai Zhiyong patted his chest, clearly very confident.

Zhao Da'e smiled and said, "Okay, it's decided then. It's just that you might not be able to finish it by yourself, Master. I hope you can introduce a few more people to help."

Chai Zhiyong waved his hand and said casually, "Don't worry, there are many people who would fight for this kind of work outside. It's not common to earn more than a thousand yuan in one go. But I have to make it clear first, the wages can't be delayed. I introduce people to work here, so the wages can't be withheld. Otherwise, even if I build the house, I'll smash it."

Chai Zhiyong is the kind of person who doesn't like to suffer losses. He once had a client who didn't pay his wages for more than half a year. He was so angry that he smashed up the shop that had just been renovated. Later, he stayed in jail for a few days and didn't have to pay much money back. It was the other party who owed him wages.

Zhao Da'e can't guarantee anything else, but she can guarantee that she'll pay the wages.

"Don't worry, Master. I don't know if you've heard Aunt Zhang mention it, but I'm a businesswoman with several thousand yuan in income every month. It's impossible for me to owe you wages. Even if I wanted to, Aunt Zhang, as the one who introduced us, wouldn't agree."

If Zhao Da'e really owes them wages, then Aunt Zhang, who is the middleman, will be in a very awkward position. Given her personality, she might make up for the wages. But if Zhao Da'e really does that, it will ruin their relationship, which would be a loss for her and wouldn't do her any good. Zhao Da'e won't make such a mistake.

Chai Zhiyong thought about it and agreed. After all, she was someone introduced by Aunt Zhang, so her character couldn't be too bad.

“Okay, I’ll call my brothers in a few days. We need more workers to build the house, about four of us including myself. They’re all people I know and they’re very reliable. As for the specifics, let me first ask if you have the most basic permits. I don’t want the house to be demolished halfway through construction by the higher-ups.”

Building a house without permits is an illegal operation and will be forcibly demolished.

Chai Zhiyong has been in the renovation business for over 10 years and has encountered a few "clever" bosses who, in their eagerness to speed things up, would order them to build houses first. As a result, the permits were never issued, and the half-built rooms were forcibly demolished.

Zhao Da'e smiled after hearing this, thinking that Chai Zhiyong was really reliable, explaining all the precautions to him.

"Don't worry, master craftsman, I won't make such a basic mistake. The permits were issued recently, and we can start building now."