Qiu Peng's operation was compromised by a woman last time, forcing him to hide out for several months. He hadn't expected business to come knocking so soon after his return. As he was short on cash, this deal was worth considering.
"It's not convenient to talk here. I know a place that's relatively safe. Shall we go there to discuss it?"
"Oh, yes, yes." Seeing that he didn't refuse, Lin Xiaohui was overjoyed and followed Qiu Peng.
...
After a morning of classes, Chen Lishu had no classes in the afternoon. She planned to go home for lunch and then head to the shop. As soon as she got home, she saw Gu Xingye arriving.
With the weather turning cold and the temperature set to drop, the construction site had been racing against time. Since the start of construction, Gu Xingye rarely visited unless there was an urgent matter. Chen Lishu suspected something had happened at the site.
"Third sister-in-law." Gu Xingye stood up and greeted her as soon as he saw her return.
"Is there a problem with the construction site?"
Gu Xingye shook his head. "Everything is going smoothly at the site. After the foundation was laid, the construction of the floors accelerated. We're already working on the second floor."
The design was for a four-story building. At this pace, they should be able to finish before the first snow. Otherwise, once the ground froze, it would be difficult to handle concrete and the workers would suffer.
"Didn't the provincial construction company promise to conduct their review by the end of the month and disburse the funds by the tenth of the following month? Even though bank transfers can be slow and might cause a slight delay, it's been half a month with no news."
During his free time, he had been checking the bank account, but there had been no changes.
"I went to their company to inquire before, but their manager insisted that the money had already been transferred and just asked me to wait." No matter how slow it was, half a month had passed. They had been working on the site for two months and hadn't received a single payment.
Chen Lishu frowned upon hearing his words. Seeing his worry, she smiled. "The provincial construction company is such a large enterprise; they shouldn't be short of this small amount of money."
Despite her words, Chen Lishu accompanied Gu Xingye to the provincial construction company.
This time, they went directly to the office of Manager Li Guojun on the third floor.
"I took Mr. Gu's visit seriously. I inquired with the finance department, and it turns out she made a clerical error and recorded it incorrectly. With so much work, mistakes are inevitable. I have already reprimanded her sternly. I apologize profusely. Please wait a few more days, and the funds should arrive soon."
Manager Li Guojun, seeing Chen Lishu, knew it was about the project funds. Before she could speak, he explained with a smile.
"Since it was an oversight, it's understandable. Since Manager Li said so, we'll go back and wait a few more days." Chen Lishu didn't want to be aggressive or demand an explanation. She readily agreed to wait.
"Thank you for your understanding. Thank you very much."
After seeing them off, Li Guojun sneered and turned to focus on arranging meals and booking restaurants for the leaders.
This time, the cultural center was planning to build an indoor roller rink. Although the project wasn't large, the price was quite high. The specifics would need to be discussed over a meal with the leaders. If the deal went through, construction could begin in the spring.
"Third sister-in-law, why does that Mr. Li's attitude seem like he's just brushing us off? How could the finance department misplace such a significant amount? Besides, I already came here once, and they didn't discover it then. Did they find it as soon as you arrived today?"
"Let's assume he's telling the truth and wait a few more days." After all, they had a cooperative relationship, and it wouldn't be good to create too much friction on the first interaction.
"But payday is in a couple of days. Should we also delay it until the money arrives?" For over ten people, the monthly wages amounted to almost a thousand yuan.
"We can't owe money to anyone, especially not the workers, as they are the ones doing the hard labor for us. You and I will go to the bank this afternoon to withdraw the money and pay their wages as soon as we get back."
When Chen Lishu used to work on construction sites, her boss often delayed salaries for three to four months due to cash flow issues. As an employee, she understood the feeling of not getting paid. Now that she was her own boss, she absolutely wouldn't let her employees feel disheartened.
...
After discussing the specific details with Qiu Peng and agreeing to a week later, when he found a buyer, Lin Xiaohui happily returned to the family residential area.
As soon as she got home, Lin Xiaohui's mother-in-law informed her that the child had a fever again. If the child remained sickly, he wouldn't fetch a good price. For the first time, Lin Xiaohui actively took Lu Yang to see a doctor.
"The child's white blood cell count is high. It's best to get a thorough check-up at the city hospital. A persistent high fever can easily lead to convulsions and even be life-threatening," the doctor said with some concern after examining the child.
"Doctor, I'm a single parent and don't have much money. I'll have to go borrow some. Could you please prescribe some medicine or give him an injection to bring down the fever for now?" As long as the child was delivered to Brother Peng in good condition, she didn't care what happened afterward.
The doctor hesitated for a moment upon hearing her words. "There is a medication that can reduce the fever, but the child is too young, and it's a corticosteroid..."
Lin Xiaohui: "It's okay, it's okay. Please give it to the child."
After the injection, they stayed at the hospital for observation for a while. Lin Xiaohui also got some extra medicine and then took the child home.
On the way, she ran into Li Weimin. Lin Xiaohui quickly adjusted her clothes and greeted him with a smile. "Brother Weimin, where are you going?"
Upon hearing her address him as "brother," Li Weimin subconsciously frowned. "Don't call me brother. Besides, I don't have a sister, so it feels strange."
After speaking, Li Weimin didn't seem to care if Lin Xiaohui felt awkward. He walked around her, taking a sharp turn a few meters away before leaving.
He had a girlfriend now and needed to maintain distance from other women, especially Wu Zheng's sister-in-law. It was already difficult enough for her to raise a child alone, and it wouldn't be good if he caused her to be misunderstood.
Li Weimin suddenly felt he was too considerate. After getting a girlfriend, he had learned to think about others.
He was completely unaware of Lin Xiaohui's increasingly displeased expression.
In the blink of an eye, it was Friday. Li Weimin was off duty that day, but he still woke up early, as if for his usual morning exercises.
"Hey, Weimin, I thought you were off today. Why are you up so early like me?" Wu Zheng asked, puzzled, as he was getting dressed.
"Brother, I have a girlfriend now, so I can't be as aimless as before."
As Li Weimin spoke, he quickly put on his clothes, grabbed his basin from under the bed, and headed to the bathroom, whistling.
Wu Zheng shook his head. He was showing off just because he had a girlfriend. He had a wife and wasn't bragging.
Li Weimin took a shower, even using soap, ensuring he had no body odor and smelled pleasant. He then emerged from the bathroom, changed into a clean military uniform, and took a car to the city.