Those Years When I Was Forced to Top the Forbes List

Chapter 21: What is the charm of Lao Tzu?

The next day.

The sun was shining brightly; it was a rare good day in late autumn.

Two plasterers were plastering the exterior wall, while another man was doing odd jobs nearby with a piece of wood.

A group of workers gathered around to watch.

Because the guy who did odd jobs actually did a pretty good job.

"Tsk tsk, Mr. Chen's got some skills, he could be my apprentice." The foreman of the masonry team offered half-baked flattery.

At the entrance, a pickup truck arrived, kicking up a commotion of mud and sand from its tires.

Chen Xuebing then turned around and started cursing at his surroundings:
"What are you looking at me for? Can't find any work?"

Those around him chuckled, "Hey, Mr. Chen, it's time to eat. You should rest."

"If you're going to rest, then rest properly! Zhang Dajiang, take your workers to get their uniforms!"

"Eh, eh!"

Chen Xuebing gave a shout, and Zhang Dajiang ran as fast as he could.

On construction sites, people remember both the good and the bad. Zhang Dajiang got a scolding from Chen Xuebing after a meeting yesterday, but after the scolding, Chen Xuebing took the initiative to ask General Manager Yu to help their team solve the problem of a migrant worker who wanted to get an advance on his wages due to a family emergency. Now Zhang Dajiang has complete respect for Chen Xuebing.

The troublemaker was subdued, and the positive influence spread quickly. This morning, everyone did their warm-up exercises very diligently.

The managers, however, seemed somewhat reluctant to start work half an hour earlier. After finishing breakfast, they chatted for a long time with the boss's other nephew, Luo An, without even saying goodbye to Chen Xuebing, before heading to the construction site outside.

Chen Xuebing didn't care. Things that needed to be rectified would be rectified sooner or later. After the workers, it would be the administrators. However, time was limited, and he didn't have time right now.

Wang Bing from the project team said that the leaders are confirmed to come tomorrow morning.

He is now focused on improving the construction site's image, and even asked Wang Bing to apply to the project department to purchase safety helmets and work vests from their warehouse.

The general contractor isn't responsible for the cost; it can only be deducted from their labor fees. However, the next job is still with the 14th Metallurgical Construction Company, so they can still be used.

After scraping one wall, Chen Xuebing put down the wooden planks and instructed, "You guys finish scraping the rough surface, take your time, and do it carefully. I'll tell them to leave you some food and give you extra meat."

"Okay! Sure, boss, you can go!"

The two workers were all smiles, and they didn't complain at all about working overtime.

Actually, it was all outsourced. This was work done for the bricklayer boss. Chen Xuebing did it himself. There was no special significance to it; he just wanted to do it.

In my past life, I sat in the office for too long. Later, I had no work and was idle for a long time, so I couldn't even sit in the office anymore.

It's been a long time since I've personally commanded a battle on the front lines.

It feels so good to have so much work to do.

"Oh, Mr. Chen, you can do this too?"

When Wang Bing came in through the door, he saw this scene and then saw Chen Xuebing walking over. He greeted him with a smile.

"Could you please deliver this, Engineer Wang? Just have them unload the goods! Let's go eat!"

Chen Xuebing dusted off his hands, took out a pack of hard Yuxi cigarettes from his pocket, grabbed a few, and distributed them to Wang Bing and the people around him.

"Huo Xiaowen, take stock of the hats and clothes and put them into storage. You can distribute them later. Have them sign when you distribute them, and give the signed form to Engineer Tan. They will be put back into storage later... Oh, you can also get one later. The collar of that vest is high, so cover the back of your neck... A leader is coming tomorrow."

"I know, I know," Huo Xiaowen waved his hand.

Huo Xiaowen also came.

Chen Xuebing called Huo Xiaowen yesterday to tell him he would be leaving in a couple of days. Then he thought that since the guy was idle anyway, he might as well have him come and help with odd jobs. One reason was to let him see the "strength" of his family and make him feel at ease working for him, and the other was to let him do some work for a couple of days so that he could train him and let him get used to the work environment.

This might be Huo Xiaowen's first day at work.

With that huge dragon tattoo covering his entire back and down to the back of his neck, there aren't many places where he could work.

But the job of collecting mobile phones was just right for him. In Huaqiangbei, a place where all sorts of people mingle, the first thing he had to do was ensure that he wouldn't be bullied. Being too honest was definitely not an option.

"Mr. Chen, you're amazing! You managed to turn the factory area into a decent place in just one day."

Wang Bing followed Chen Xuebing toward the prefabricated houses. As they walked, they looked around and saw that the sheds were being erected, the electrical boxes were in place, the roads were clean, and the miscellaneous materials were neatly piled up. The entire construction site was tidy and orderly, and the atmosphere felt completely different. He couldn't help but admire it.

Chen Xuebing lit a cigarette and said dismissively, "It's just superficial. It's far from being a regular army. We need to train both workers and managers."

"President Chen is very easygoing," Wang Bing remarked.

Chen Xuebing chuckled: "Engineer Wang, don't you have any ambition? Maybe you could become a project manager or something."

"Oh...no, no." Wang Bing waved his hands repeatedly: "I'm just a newbie, this is my second construction site."

"Heh, a project manager isn't a big shot. If you spend two or three years getting some experience, take the necessary exams, and seize the opportunity, you can succeed on your first try."

Chen Xuebing exhaled a puff of smoke, which danced in the air like a dream.

Wang Bing seemed to be deep in thought.

For some reason, he wanted to apply to leave the branch office as a materials clerk after this project was completed, and instead work on the next project in Chongqing.

That project next June.

……

The food at the construction site was really not very appealing.

This is where the city and the countryside are very different.

In rural construction sites, there's no need to build temporary housing. The management team simply rents two houses from farmers as offices and dormitories. Meals aren't usually provided, as rural workers prefer to go home for meals, rest, and then return. The managers eat at whichever farmer's house they're staying at, and they're given a small allowance for their meals.

So the food is actually better in the countryside. There are fewer people, mostly managers and skilled workers brought from other places, and the boss is willing to treat everyone, collecting some wild game one day and a fish the next to improve the meals.

In the city, there are many more places to eat on construction sites. The workers don't have homes nearby and basically all live on the construction site. The boss can't feed dozens or even hundreds of people, so it's just a year-round supply of meals from the same pot.

Yesterday's main dish was potato stew, and today's main dish is stir-fried potatoes. A pot of stir-fried white wood ear mushrooms and pork slices looks unappetizing.

Chen Xuebing had no intention of sharing the hardships with the people. The biggest advantage of living in the city was that it was convenient to cook for the workers. After arranging for the foreman of the bricklaying team to leave food for the workers who were working overtime, he called Lu Yiwen and the other two to go to a nearby internet cafe.

I didn't bring Huo Xiaowen with me when I went online; there were some things I didn't want him to see.

Chen Xuebing originally intended for these three to go back to class. Yesterday, he only temporarily asked them to stand in for him and assist him. Today, all the work teams have submitted, and they are no longer needed.

But they still arrived this morning with smiles on their faces.

Yesterday, all three of them witnessed that on the construction site, you need experience and ability to earn respect. Moreover, becoming a leader is not as simple as Gou Hongyi thought. Just because the boss gives you a title doesn't mean everyone will respect you. That's bullshit.

If you lack ability, construction sites and military camps are the biggest mirrors reflecting your true colors. You'll be criticized wherever you go, though one is criticized in secret and the other in openly.

They all wanted to learn some skills as soon as possible.

Seeing that they had this awareness, Chen Xuebing simply gave them the green light. He told his uncle and Engineer Tan that if they wanted to come in the future, they could come. Once they came, they would be given some odd jobs to do, starting from the basics. If there weren't enough workers, they could also be their assistants and do some physical labor, without being paid.

Chen Xuebing said this, and his uncle, who wasn't stingy and was very happy to see the changes at the construction site these past two days, immediately gave each of them a hundred yuan, saying that if they needed more money in the future, they could come to Uncle Yu for more.

One hundred, what a huge sum of money! The three of them suddenly became millionaires.

Witnessing the project owner's generosity, the three of them were overjoyed the whole way.

Lu Yiwen: "Brother, I'll treat you to internet access!"

Liang Hui: "Brother, I'll treat you to a rice bowl!"

Only Gou Hongyi, his eyebrows twitching and his face lewd, said: "Brother, shall we take this money out tonight and get a foot massage?" *Slap*

Chen Xuebing smacked him on the back of the head.

"I'll f*** you..." Chen Xuebing cursed, "Lu Yiwen and Liang Hui are only in vocational colleges, and Gou Hongyi is in a third-tier university. Don't even think about lowering the requirements! If you don't meet them, you'll have to find your own way after graduation!"

Gou Hongyi looked aggrieved: "Brother, I heard that people who work on construction sites...do that kind of thing. You're not going to stop us from doing it in the future, are you?"

"What are you going to do? Touch breasts?" Chen Xuebing couldn't stand his lewd look of wanting to seduce someone but not daring to say it, so he said directly, "When you're qualified to sit and chat with the project manager or even the client's boss, there will be plenty of those kinds of occasions where you can touch breasts until your hands are calloused."

Gou Hongyi beamed with joy.

Liang Hui chuckled to himself.

Lu Yiwen, on the other hand, was much more innocent. He didn't dare to say it directly, but expressed his inner desires through his actions:
"Brother... I'll buy a backpack later and carry my study materials with me... I want to study hard, get into a junior college, and work for you in the future."

Gou Hongyi laughed loudly: "What are you doing? Sleeping with your wife!"

Two seconds later, Gou Hongyi was knocked to the ground by Lu Yiwen.

"Brother Lu! I was wrong!"

Chen Xuebing stopped walking and slapped his forehead:

"Oh, I almost forgot! I have to go to school tonight!"

……

night.

After evening self-study, Yang Qingyue packed her schoolbag, moved the empty bench next to her, and prepared to go out.

But she didn't remember the stack of books on the bench. The bench tilted slightly, and the books fell to the ground. She hurriedly went to pick them up.

He picked them up while furrowing his brow.

A hand reached out from beside her and picked up a book.

Wu Fei, sitting in the back row, exclaimed, "Chen Xuebing, you're back!"

Then came a familiar voice: "Why did you put your book on my bench?"

She quickly looked up and saw that familiar smile. It wasn't particularly handsome or anything, but it was like a gentle evening breeze, making her feel comfortable and at ease.

She had seen other smiles on this face before, some roguish, some unruly, which made her look more handsome, but she liked this gentle smile the most.

While Yang Qingyue was momentarily stunned, Chen Xuebing squatted down and helped her pick up the books.

Yang Qingyue then remembered to speak: "Why are you back? Didn't you... go to see the teacher?"

"Why are you looking for a teacher? I told you, I'm out running errands."

After Chen Xuebing finished speaking, he asked again, "Why did you put the book on the bench? I wasn't here, just put it on my desk."

"It's nothing... I'm fine."

The two were talking so close together, knee to knee, that Yang Qingyue stammered and hesitated for a couple of sentences before her face turned red.

Wu Fei, who hadn't left the back row, was overjoyed to see this scene, beaming with a doting smile: "Since you left, Zhao Li keeps coming over to sit after class, and Qingyue is saving you a seat!"

Actually, there had been rumors about Chen Xuebing and Yang Qingyue dating in the class for a while. These days, high school students always enjoy talking about stories of prodigal sons turning over a new leaf for love.

"No... Oh dear!" Yang Qingyue glared at Wu Fei, blushing as she changed the subject, "When are you coming back? Teacher Guo said yesterday that you went to get tutoring, so you might not be back for a while."

Chen Xuebing understood the situation and looked at Yang Qingyue's slightly shy face with amusement, thinking that he was truly charming in this life.

"It was just a made-up excuse. My uncle didn't specify a time limit when he asked me for leave, and I came back in just a few days."

"...Just a few days is a few days, right? Senior year is precious. If you waste this much time, how are you going to get into college?"

"Didn't I tell you? It's been a week. I'm just coming back to get the books and your notes. I'll look at them on the way," Chen Xuebing explained.

Yang Qingyue then smiled again: "Alright, that's good!"

"Hehehehe...hee hee..."

A laugh that could be described as chilling.

It wasn't Yang Qingyue who was laughing.

The two of them turned their heads at the same time and looked at the source of the laughter in the back row.

Wu Fei held an open book in both hands, covering most of her face. Her eyes curved like crescent moons, flashing with a sharp light as she stared intently at them.

"Damn it." Chen Xuebing wasn't very tolerant of every girl, and he cursed, "You're laughing like my grandma! My grandma's been gone for over ten years! Your laugh made me think she'd come back!"

Wu Fei, however, wore a doting smile and gestured towards Chen Xuebing's head, saying, "Qingyue, you should have patted his head like this and said, 'Okay, you have to be good!' That's how it's always done in TV dramas!"

"Ga, ga."

Chen Xuebing and Yang Qingyue were speechless, as if they had heard a crow cawing.

"Is it funny?" Chen Xuebing asked Yang Qingyue.

Yang Qingyue shook her head.

Then they both laughed.

"Watch less TV and read more books!" Chen Xuebing grabbed a few test papers and notes, ruffled Wu Fei's hair, and walked out of the classroom.

"Watch less TV and read more books!" Yang Qingyue followed behind, mimicking the gesture, and then happily ran out.

From behind came Wu Fei's scream: "My hair! You two adulterers!"

Chen Xuebing, who had just come out of the classroom, was smiling when he bumped into Xin Mengzhen in the corridor, and his smile immediately vanished.

That feeling, how should I put it?

Coupled with Wu Fei's screams, it felt like she had been caught cheating.

"Hi." Chen Xuebing gave an awkward laugh.

Xin Mengzhen glanced at him but ignored him.

Yang Qingyue also came out and happened to see this scene. Her expression changed, and she stepped forward to take Xin Mengzhen's arm, saying to Chen Xuebing:

"By the way, you didn't go to Shenzhen yesterday. Why didn't you come with us? Mengzhen brought you milk tea. Her uncle brought it from Guangzhou. It's so delicious. You missed out."

Yang Qingyue didn't really want to mention that Xin Mengzhen had specially brought milk tea for Chen Xuebing, but she still chose to be frank.

Chen Xuebing seemed to realize something: "Oh, I was in a hurry to get to the construction site yesterday because my uncle needed to talk to me about something... Xin Mengzhen, I'm so sorry!"

"It doesn't matter anymore." Xin Mengzhen clearly heard the person next to Chen Xuebing yesterday say that he was going to an internet cafe, clearly heard that he was going to Shenzhen with "Huo Xiaowen", and clearly heard the voices coming from the classroom just now.

She didn't know which time she "heard clearly" angered her more, but Chen Xuebing was a liar and a womanizer.

After saying that, Xin Mengzhen walked ahead, and Yang Qingyue followed.

Chen Xuebing stood there, completely bewildered.

what happened again?
Are you angry?
What is the appeal of Lao Tzu?

(End of this chapter)