Desperate people, accept the seed of my soul!

"That has nothing to do with me. You guys brought the steel bars, and I just tied them according to the blueprints," Song Chao said matter-of-factly, not taking it to heart at all. "I'll say whatever you tell me to say. Anyway, I haven't done anything wrong, so I'm not afraid of being investigated."

Old Zhou nodded, turned around and left.

They walked quickly, as if afraid that Song Chao would catch up and ask them something.

In reality, the Song Dynasty didn't ask anything.

It wasn't that he didn't want to ask, it was that he didn't have time. He had to rush to another job—the temporary warehouse behind the workers' shed was leaking, and the foreman said he'd get a 30 yuan subsidy for whoever fixed it, and he got it.

A few days later, the quality inspection station staff arrived as expected.

Several people in uniform walked around the construction site, spent a long time measuring the steel cage with instruments, and asked a bunch of questions.

When Song Chao was summoned to the office, he saw Zhang Jinshan sitting on the sofa with his legs crossed, his face expressionless.

The quality inspection station asked a few questions about the source of the steel bars, and Song Chao told the truth—the steel bars were delivered exactly as they were, and he tied them according to the blueprints; he never changed the materials.

"Are you sure this batch of steel bars hasn't been replaced at all, from the moment it arrived on site until it was processed?" the quality inspection station staff asked again, their tone much harsher than before.

"No, absolutely not." Song Chao patted his chest and assured them, "I've been in this business for five years, and I've never cut corners. This batch of steel bars arrived exactly as they were, and I've installed them exactly as they were; not a single one has been replaced."

Zhang Jinshan listened from the side, picked up his teacup, took a sip, and slightly curled the corners of his mouth.

That was the second time Song Chao had seen him smile.

Just like the first time, the smile was devoid of warmth, and there was even a hint of pity in his eyes.

Song Chao didn't understand why Zhang Jinshan was looking at him with that kind of gaze.

He assumed that all big bosses were like that—aloof and looking down on them, the laborers.

After the quality inspection station personnel left, the inspection was surprisingly passed smoothly.

Zhang Jinshan was very happy and treated everyone to a good meal at the construction site canteen that evening.

There were several more dishes than usual, including braised pork belly, braised pork hock, and a large bowl of sauerkraut fish.

The workers ate heartily, and Song Chao even ate two bowls of rice and drank a bowl of pork rib soup, which was quite rare for him.

He was overjoyed.

Passing the inspection means the project will not be stopped, his wages will not be delayed, and he will be paid on time next month.

Moreover, if General Manager Zhang is in a good mood, he might even give a larger share of the 500 yuan red envelope.

Old Zhou sat in the corner, watching Song Chao's happy face, slammed his wine glass on the table, got up and left.

The next time I saw Zhang Jinshan was on payday.

Old Zhou handed him the pay bag, which contained his salary for this month, and the thickness was about the same as usual.

But Lao Zhou's expression was much worse than usual, with dark circles under his eyes, as if he hadn't slept all night.

He also slipped an extra thick envelope to Song Chao.

"There's 30,000 yuan in here, a bonus from General Manager Zhang."

Song Chao was startled, and his hands trembled.

"So much? Brother Zhou, I didn't do any extra work. I can't accept this money. Please return it to me. It's too much; I don't feel comfortable keeping it."

"Just take it." Old Zhou shoved the envelope into his arms, his tone a little impatient, his eyelids twitching. "Just accept what Mr. Zhang gave you, stop asking so many questions. Aren't you renovating your house? This will come in handy."

Song Chao held the thick envelope, his hands trembling.

Thirty thousand yuan.

He had never seen so much cash in his life.

That's enough to pay for Niu Niu's art classes for a year.

That's enough to renovate the whole house.

They might even have enough money left to buy Yuan Qiao a gold ring. She didn't even get a ring when she got married, and her hand is still empty.

He suddenly felt a warmth in his heart, realizing that there are still good people in this world.

Although Mr. Zhang may seem cold and aloof at times, he's a good person at heart.

He remembered this kindness and vowed to work even harder in the future, never letting Boss Zhang down.

That afternoon, he packed his things and rushed home.

I didn't have much luggage: a few changes of clothes, a Barbie doll for Niu Niu in a plastic bag, a neatly folded wool scarf for Yuan Qiao tucked into the middle of the clothes, and two pounds of fresh strawberries—bought at a fruit shop near the station, the reddest and sweetest ones, which cost over sixty yuan.

He himself would never be willing to eat such expensive fruit, but he didn't feel bad at all when buying it for Niu Niu and Yuan Qiao.

After a four-hour bus ride, it was already getting dark when I got off.

The bus was not heated enough, and a thin layer of ice had formed on the windows. His legs were numb from the cold, and when he got off the bus, it felt like he was walking on cotton.

But he was in an extremely good mood.

It was still quite a distance from the station to his home, but he couldn't bear to take a taxi and walked for more than twenty minutes with his luggage.

The more I walked, the lighter I felt, and even my back pain subsided.

His home is in an old residential compound in the suburbs. The osmanthus tree downstairs is still in bloom, and you can smell its fragrance from afar.

Those were two osmanthus trees planted by Yuan Qiao in the first year after they moved in, so that Niu Niu could play in the fragrance of osmanthus in the autumn.

Three years have passed, and the tree has grown as tall as the second-floor window. Every autumn, it blooms, filling the entire yard with fragrance.

He had just reached the entrance of the building when he saw Niu Niu squatting downstairs playing in the mud. Her little face was covered in dirt, and her hair was disheveled. He didn't know how long she had been squatting on the ground.

"Niu Niu!"

Song Chao shouted.

Niu Niu suddenly looked up, saw it was him, immediately dropped the little shovel in her hand, and rushed over with a scream.

"Dad! Dad, you're back!"

The little girl threw herself into his arms, her little arms tightly wrapped around his neck, clinging to him tightly.

Song Chao picked her up and kissed her on the cheek, his stubble making Niu Niu giggle.

"Do you miss your dad?"

"I want to! I want to every day!" Niu Niu said in a childish voice, hugging his neck, as if she wanted the whole building to hear. "Mommy said you were coming back today, and I've been waiting for you here for so long! I've been waiting since this afternoon, even when the sun was still high in the sky!"

Song Chao's heart softened completely, and her nose tingled with emotion.

He carried his daughter upstairs, one arm around Niu Niu and the other carrying his luggage. His arm ached terribly, but he couldn't bear to put it down.

As soon as I took out my keys to open the door, Yuan Qiao came out of the kitchen to greet me. She was still wearing an apron, which was stained with the smell of cooking oil and soy sauce, and she had a smile on her face.

That smile looked a little forced.

But the Song Dynasty did not pay attention to these things.

His eyes were filled with his wife's smile, and his mind was filled with the comforting feeling of being home.

"You're back? Are you hungry? I made your favorite pork ribs. Wash your hands and eat. You must be tired after a four-hour drive?"

"Yes," Song Chao replied, putting Niu Niu down and taking out the gifts he had bought for them from his bag.