In 1992, a small village owner became the richest man in the village by owning a car.

Chapter 151 Paying Wages and Fanfan's Repair Shop

After preparing the quilts and clothes in the small brick house and putting away the tools, Yu Dawei led the two of them to set up the stove pipe again, since it was still early.

This stove and chimney were specially left for Yu Dawei by Duan Dahai when he moved to a new house, just in case he would have to buy a new stove in the winter.

His own new courtyard also has its own stove, and the stove there is much larger than the one in Yu Dawei's small courtyard.

The house was relatively small, so the three sections of the stove pipe were inserted together and connected directly to the chimney. The small stove was placed on the bricks, and then the stove cover was put on with a stove hook, and that was it.

The floor of the small house was also paved with bricks, making sweeping easy. After a quick clean, the three of them went to the Sha Da Pan Restaurant in town.

This restaurant is quite famous in town, and the decor is nice. It's where Yu Dawei first met his second uncle after his rebirth.

The three of them ordered eight dishes, including fish, chicken, and meat. Yu Dawei didn't invite Boss Liang or Brother Duan, since it was just a gathering of his small team, and that was fine.

Manzi and Yao Jinfu enjoyed their meal. The construction site canteen occasionally served meat, but this was a restaurant, so the food was bound to be much more delicious.

Huang Man is from the south and initially found it difficult to get used to northern cuisine, finding it too salty. Especially when she first arrived, after having a bowl of salty tofu pudding for breakfast, her whole body twitched after the first bite.

Fortunately, Northeastern cuisine is very inclusive, and Huang Man loves sweet dishes like Guo Bao Rou (sweet and sour pork) and Sweet and Sour Pork Ribs. He can't stop eating them at the dinner table.

He even boasted to Yao Jinfu about the pork vermicelli he had eaten in Yujiatun last time, a delicious taste he could never forget after just one bite.

The three of them drank and chatted, and Yu Dawei settled their wages and bonuses. There was no money in the account, but a savings book, a small notebook, and an old fountain pen that Han Jingfan no longer used.

Now, both Yao Jinfu and Huang Man have a savings account in the town, which Yu Dawei helped them with, so that they can easily receive their salaries and pay later.

At the dinner table, he began to tell his brothers about the specific details of everyone's work over the past year, such as when Hitachi had broken down, and whether Yao Jinfu had fixed it or Yu Da had been the main mechanic.

What proud achievements did Huang Man make during the village-to-village road construction project, and what did he do that impressed those around him?

In the small private room meant for six, there were only three people, but as they talked about their growth and experiences over the past year, the joyful atmosphere was like fireworks in winter, and everyone's face was beaming. When they got to the happiest parts, the three of them would clink glasses and laugh heartily.

As for salaries, Axe was the main contributor this year, handling the most cases. Even though he was driving an old Hitachi from the 1960s or 70s, he still managed to make a perfect exit.

It's safe to say that he's a professionally trained engineer; he operates machinery with ease. If there were an employee of the year award, Yao Jinfu would definitely be the one.

Yu Dawei also paid him the maximum salary, two thousand yuan a month, which amounted to fourteen thousand yuan by mid-November.

In the last fifteen days of November, Yu Dawei included his salary in his bonus, totaling four thousand yuan, and transferred it all to the other party's bank account.

Axe wasn't the type to spend money recklessly; he barely touched the money in his savings account. In other words, he earned a total of 18,000 yuan driving in a year, which completely exceeded his expectations.

When Yao Jinfu learned that he still had a bonus of four thousand yuan, he refused to accept it no matter what. Back when he was working in Hohhot mining illegal mines, he only earned that much in a year.

But Yu Dawei insisted and didn't give Yao Jinfu any chance to refute. After all, this brother was not only an extremely capable driver, but also a brother who had followed him wholeheartedly since childhood, and was absolutely trustworthy and reliable.

Yu Dawei gave Huang Man a bonus of 2,000 yuan. During the village road construction project, he and Yu Dawei had earned money through various means, and most of it, besides their own living expenses, was sent back to their mothers.

Yu Dawei had heard from a high-ranking leader that Huang Man's family was quite well-off. He guessed that the reason Huang Man sent money home might be due to the boy's vanity, since, according to Huang Man, he was very happy to be able to earn money on his own for the first time.

He even regretted staying at home for so many years; coming out was the right thing to do.

Huang Man is straightforward and agrees with whatever Dawei says. He accepts money as soon as he's offered it. Now his little savings account is full again, and he's thinking of withdrawing it during the New Year to take home and show it off to his mother.

While drinking, Yu Dawei also took the opportunity to assess his current assets.

I now own about two and a half cars.

After all, that abandoned road roller isn't exactly a complete machine yet.

It was an old Hitachi. At the dinner table, Axe said that it had been in good condition. At the beginning of the month, because the project was not yet finished, they changed the engine oil and filled it with diesel before towing it away.

Upon hearing this, Yu Dawei immediately gave his good brother a thumbs up, saying, "You really know how to live life well."

Yu Dawei estimated that the other wheeled excavator needed a thorough overhaul. Many domestically produced parts needed to be replaced in time, especially the hydraulic oil pipes. Even that old Hitachi excavator, which was prone to oil leaks, was better than this wheeled excavator.

Actually, on the way back yesterday, Duan Dahai discussed with me whether we should sell the rotary excavator in the yard to him, but Yu Dawei refused very seriously.

I know better than anyone what's wrong with this wheeled excavator. It's a complete jackhammer, jackhammer, jackhammer. Whoever sells it to will be unlucky. It's only a matter of time before it breaks down.

If he weren't a master repairman, he wouldn't have bothered with repairs; he would have just broken it down and sold it for scrap metal long ago after he finished using it this year.

Boss Liang chimed in, saying that Yu Dawei dared to use this four-wheeled excavator because he was capable, but did Duan Dahai have that capability?
He should consider that Kobelco SK120. Two and a half engineering vehicles, although some are dilapidated and some are old, are Yu Dawei's biggest source of confidence right now.

In terms of funds, including the 50,000 yuan given by my second uncle and the commission in October, the total is 115,000 yuan.

After deducting their bonuses and salaries, they still have 107,000 yuan left.

The wages for section nine are still half a month's worth and won't arrive until December. After that, it should be more than 114,000 yuan.

It sounds impressive at first glance, but Yu Da knew very well that if he actually repaired that road roller, he might not have much left.

Otherwise, why would he have hesitated so much about whether to sell the scrap metal?

Of course, besides these, he also rented a small courtyard, which is now considered part of his assets.

If business is good in the future, he wouldn't mind buying the courtyard outright. After all, it belongs to Brother Duan, so if he wants to buy it, he can just go to him directly.

"Brother Dawei, when are we going to dismantle that road roller?" Huang Manmei sipped his liquor with a smug look, his chubby face flushed as he looked at Yu Dawei.

"Tomorrow." Yu Dawei glanced at the two of them and teased, "Let's make it clear first, I'll help with the dismantling, and I'll provide food and lodging. I don't have money, but I'll give you extra New Year's gifts."

"What money, bro? Isn't that bonus you gave us money? Besides, we don't know anything about demolition, we just did the demolition. If we break anything, just don't make us pay for it." Yao Jinfu's dark, thin face showed signs of drunkenness. He swayed slightly and raised his glass to clink with Yu Dawei's.

Huang Man nodded repeatedly and picked up his wine glass.

Yu Dawei reached out and clinked glasses with his two brothers, then finished his drink. He liked to say things upfront, so as not to let money cause unpleasantness.

“After the demolition is finished, I plan to personally escort Manzi home.” Yu Dawei looked at Yao Jinfu. “Fuzi, if you’re free, you can come with me to the south for a trip, broaden your horizons, and consider it a team building activity.”

"Team building?" Yao Jinfu asked, puzzled.

"It means our little team is going to wander around somewhere. I'm still a little worried about Huang Man walking too far alone." Yu Dawei's face was already flushed, and he didn't forget to take a sip of jasmine tea from the bowl next to him while drinking.

“I’m fine, let’s go together, it’ll be good to have company on the journey.” Yao Jinfu nodded in deep agreement. These days, there are not only pickpockets on trains, but also a lot of robberies.

For the past two years, there has been a lot of talk about banning guns, but there are still many places where it is difficult to control them, and the theft of train cars is a common occurrence, even though it has been repeatedly banned.

Given Huang Man's honest and straightforward nature, Yao Jinfu was worried that he might get into an argument on his way back.

Thus, the plan for the three of them to have a team-building trip to the south was initially decided.

First, dismantle the road roller, then get everything done before the opening. After the opening, Yu Dawei guessed that business would be mediocre, and then he could take a few days to send Manzi home.

The three chatted and joked, and before they knew it, the shop was closing. They helped each other and slowly left the Shadapan Restaurant, heading towards the Future Repair Shop.

"By the way, brother, since we're preparing to open, have you thought of a name for the repair shop?" Axe asked.

"Well, not yet." Yu Dawei looked at the axe. "Do you have any ideas?"

"I'm not very educated, and I can't think of any good names," Yao Jinfu said, scratching his head.

"How about we call it Dawei Repair Shop? I've seen a lot of repair shops with that name," Huang Man suggested.

Yu Dawei shook his head: "My name is worthless. If I were to use my name as the signboard for my repair shop, I might as well call it Fanfan Repair Shop."

"Fanfan? Is that your sister-in-law's name?" Axe asked.

"Yeah, even though the name doesn't sound that great, I just like it, I'm willing to, I love it!"

Perhaps it was the alcohol taking effect, but Yu Dawei looked up at the dark night sky and shouted with all his might.

His wife could have become so wonderful, so what sins did he commit in his past life to turn her into that crazy person?

Huang Man listened to Dawei's words and stopped walking. He looked up at the Big Dipper in the dark night, his eyes blank and lost in thought.

The cold wind of approaching winter blew on his burning face, and he couldn't help but think of the girl from elementary school. It was the first time in his life that he had ever been moved, and it seemed to be the last.

Yao Jinfu immediately saw through their thoughts and couldn't help but stop at the entrance of the scrap metal recycling station, following their gaze as they looked up at the starry sky.

Both of them have loved ones, but what about him? He seems to have nothing left but money.

(End of this chapter)