Civil Engineering in the Mortal World: Ten Years Without Knowing Today's Events

Old Hu arrived on Wednesday afternoon.

He walked into the office looking rather grim. A cigarette dangled from his lips, unlit, the filter worn flat from being chewed. He tossed his helmet on the table, sat down, and looked at me.

"Chen Mu, there's news from the client."

My heart skipped a beat. "What news?"

"It's almost certain that the general contractor will be replaced." Old Hu took the cigarette out of his mouth and squeezed it. "Whether we can win the bid next month is hard to say."

"So, about our project—"

"The project is still there, but the general contractor might change. After that, what will happen to us—" He didn't finish his sentence, shrugging his shoulders.

What was bound to happen has finally happened. Some time ago, Lao Wang said he had heard rumors about changing the general contractor, but at the time no one discussed it further.

The office was silent for a few seconds. The hum of the air conditioner, the computer fan, and the vibrating rod outside the window all mingled together, making my head throb.

"Mr. Hu, what should we do?"

"Wait." Old Hu stood up, walked to the window, and said, "Wait for the client to send a notice, wait for the bidding results. Until then, keep working, keep chasing progress payments, and make sure not a single document is missing."

"What if we don't win the bid?"

Old Hu didn't turn around. "If we don't win the bid, we'll leave. You'll follow me; wherever I go, you go."

He spoke very softly, as if it were a very simple matter.

But I know it's not that simple. He's a project manager, experienced and well-connected; he can handle any project.

And me? I'm a site engineer who's been working on this project for a year and a half. I'm familiar with the client, the supervisor, and the subcontractors. Switching to a different project means starting from scratch, adapting anew, and rebuilding relationships.

Now that Lao Huang isn't blocking me anymore, who knows what kind of person the next supervisor will be?

Old Hu turned around and looked at me. "Chen Mu, don't overthink it. Just focus on doing your job well. We can talk about the rest later."

"understood."

He picked up his helmet and left. The door wasn't closed, and the wind from the corridor blew in, making the documents on the table rustle.

I stood up and closed the door.

My phone vibrated. It was a voice message from Xiaohui.

I clicked on it.

"Brother Chen, it's raining today."

I glanced out the window. The sun was still out; where did the rain come from?

"Is it raining where you are? It's sunny here."

"Yeah, it's raining. Is it raining where Brother Chen is?"

"It didn't go down."

"Brother Chen is sunbathing."

I smiled.

It's "Brother Chen sunbathing" again.

She seems to think that sunbathing is very important. Perhaps in her view, sunbathing equals good weather, and good weather equals a good mood. Simple, direct, and straightforward.

I pressed the voice button and said, "Okay, go sunbathe. It's raining where you are, don't go out."

"I'm not going out. I'm staying home and watching TV."

"What are you looking at?"

"Bears in the Woods"

I laughed out loud. Xiao Liu looked up at me, then went back to drawing.

"Did Bald Qiang cut down any trees today?"

"It was cut. But it missed."

"Then let's continue cutting tomorrow."

"Okay. Brother Chen, keep sunbathing tomorrow too."

I put down my phone, a smile still on my lips.

Xiao Liu raised his head again, this time without looking down, and stared at me.

"Brother Chen, are you in a relationship?"

"no."

You smiled.

"So what if I laughed? Can't I laugh?"

"You never smile," Xiao Liu said seriously. "You're always frowning on the construction site. You have a frown when you talk to the supervisor, a frown when you talk to the workers, and a frown when you talk to me. The only time you have any expression on your face is when you're looking at your phone."

I froze for a moment.

"Am I putting on a stern face?"

"You're so stiff," Xiao Liu said. "Don't you know? You're always frowning. Sometimes I want to ask you if you have a headache."

I touched my brow; it was indeed furrowed. I'm used to it.

If you don't frown on the construction site, people will think you're easy to bully.

Smile at the workers, and they'll think you're weak.

Smile at the supervisors; they'll think you're easy to manipulate.

Smile at your boss, and he'll think you're too young.

Frowning is a form of camouflage, making you look unapproachable and difficult to talk to.

But Xiao Hui didn't know any of this. She only saw "Brother Chen," not "Engineer Chen."

"Alright, get back to your drawing," I said.

Xiao Liu chuckled twice and turned back to continue drawing.

At five o'clock in the afternoon, Lao Huang arrived. He was carrying a folder when he walked into the office. I stood up.

"Mr. Huang."

"Sit down." He placed the folder on the table and opened it.

"Mr. Chen, I'm here to go over the progress payment with you. The client has approved 80%, but there are some missing documents in the reports you submitted."

"Which places?"

He turned the folder over to show me. It contained several forms, several inspection records, and a materials inspection report. He checked off several places and wrote annotations next to them.

"These acceptance records have incorrect dates. Also, the test report number on this material inspection report doesn't match the actual sample submitted. Please check them, correct them, and then submit the report again."

I checked. The dates are indeed incorrect. One acceptance record is dated last week, but that acceptance actually took place two weeks ago. The data clerk was rushing to meet the deadline and wrote the wrong date. The test report number was also copied incorrectly; "0082" was written as "0083".

"Mr. Huang, I'll submit it after I've revised it."

"Okay." Old Huang closed the folder, stood up, and said, "Engineer Chen, I need to talk to you about something."

"Please speak."

"You've heard about the client changing general contractors, haven't you?"

"I've heard about it."

Old Huang glanced at me and smiled. "Don't worry. I've seen how hard you work. No matter who's the general contractor, we can't do without someone like you."

I don't know if he was being sincere or just being polite. But the fact that he said that at least shows his attitude towards me is better than before.

"Thank you, Mr. Huang."

"I'm leaving." He picked up his thermos and left.

I stood there, watching his back.

Xiao Liu leaned closer. "Brother Chen, was the supervisor praising you just now?"

"Maybe."

"He actually compliments people?"

"Maybe it's not praise. Maybe it's just building a relationship beforehand. In case we don't win the bid and he goes on to other projects, there will be opportunities to cooperate in the future."

Xiao Liu thought for a moment. "You people always speak in riddles."

"You'll start to use roundabout methods too," I said. "You'll learn after a while."

When I got back to my dorm that night, I called my mom.

"Mom, how are you feeling?"

"The same as always." Mom's voice sounded a little tired. "Xiao, when are you bringing Xiao back?"

"Mom, we've only met twice."

"Twice is enough. Your dad wants to see him."

I paused for a moment.

"Mom, let's see how things go. If we're happy, I'll bring her home."

"You keep dating, dating, dating, how long? You know your dad's health." The mother's tone became anxious. "He doesn't say it, but he's anxious. Every night he tosses and turns in bed, and when I ask him what he's thinking about, he says he's thinking about when Mumu will bring a girl home."

I didn't reply.

"Xiao, Mom isn't forcing you. Mom just thinks that Xiao Hui is a really good girl. You've met her twice, you've seen for yourself, she doesn't cause trouble, she's obedient, and she's good to you. What are you still complaining about?"

"Mom, I didn't choose."

"When are you going to bring it back?"

"Next month. Is that okay?"

There was a pause on the other end of the phone. "Okay. If you say next month, then next month it is. Don't lie to Mom."

"I'm not lying to you."

After hanging up the phone, I sat on the edge of the bed, my phone clutched in my hand.

Take it back.

What does it mean to take it back?

It means my parents approve, it means my relatives know, it means the matter is settled. Once it's settled, there's no going back.

Did I ever regret it?

No.

In my life, there has never been a chance to regret. I chose this major, so I've stuck to this profession. I joined this company, and I haven't changed jobs. Every step I've taken has been a choice I can't take back. Bringing Xiaohui home is the same.

I opened Xiaohui's chat window and looked at the photos she had sent. Strawberries, noodles, a plush bunny. And that message, "Brother Chen, you've worked hard."

I typed a few words: "Xiao Hui, I'll take you to meet my parents next month."

Send it out.

Then I put my phone next to my pillow and lay down.

Staring at the ceiling.

My phone lit up a moment later. I'll reply shortly.

One word: "Good".

I stared at the word "good" for a long time.

Then turn off your phone and close your eyes.

I have to go to work tomorrow. The foundation slab needs to be watered and cured, the walls and columns need to be inspected, and the documents need to be revised.

On Friday, Lao Hu returned from a meeting with the client, his face ashen.

When he walked into the office, he didn't even take off his helmet. He sat down in the chair, took out a cigarette from his pocket, and lit it.

"Mr. Hu, how is it?" I asked.

He didn't answer, took two puffs of his cigarette, stubbed it out on the table, and lit another one.

"The tender notice will be issued next Friday," he said, "and the bidding will begin a month later."

"Do we have a chance?"

Old Hu glanced at me. There was no answer in that glance, or rather, I already knew the answer.

"The client asked a lot of detailed questions at the meeting today," he said. "Schedule, quality, safety, staffing. They asked very detailed questions, like they were trying to get a feel for things."

Is this preliminary investigation a good thing or a bad thing?

"It's a good thing and a bad thing at the same time." Old Hu stubbed out his second cigarette. "It means they're seriously considering replacing him. If they didn't want to replace him, they wouldn't be asking so many questions. They could just renew his contract."

I didn't say anything.

"Chen Mu," Old Hu looked at me, "you've been in this business for eight years, how many projects have you seen have had their general contractor changed midway through?"

I thought about it. "Two. One project was delayed by six months after it was replaced, and the other just fell apart after it was replaced."

"Yes. Changing general contractors is no small matter. The client is also worried. So they want to assess our capabilities to see if we can handle it. If we can, they might not change us. If we can't..." He didn't finish his sentence.

"So what do we do?"

"Get the job done well." Old Hu stood up. "Starting today, we'll do a self-inspection of every process three times. Reinforcing steel, formwork, concrete, waterproofing—everything has to be perfect. Tell Old Huang to come over more often and give us his feedback. We need to show the client that we're working diligently and that we're doing a good job."

"Over there with Lao Huang—"

"Go ahead and talk to him. You two have a good relationship now, he'll listen to you."

After Lao Hu left, I sat in my office, staring at the progress schedule on the wall.

The table is densely marked with milestones: foundation slab completed, walls and columns completed, roof slab completed, main structure completed. Each milestone is followed by a line connecting to the next milestone, and then to the next, continuing until the end of the year.

If we change general contractors, all these lines will be cut. A new general contractor will come in, reorganize the personnel, rearrange the construction, and resubmit the documents. It won't be finished in less than two months. Two months, and the project will be ruined.

But these are not things I should be thinking about. What should I do if I lose my job?