Zhang Xue's ears turned red. "I'm being magnanimous, overlooking your faults because you've behaved relatively well, that's why I've grudgingly forgiven you."
Chen Lishu glanced around. Other than half a steamed bun on the table, there was no other food in sight. So she said, "You're sick right now, and just eating steamed buns isn't enough. Let's go, I'll take you out to eat and help you recuperate properly."
"I knew you were the most understanding person." Zhang Xue smiled and went to put on her coat.
After they had eaten and Zhang Xue had parted ways with her, Chen Lishu went home.
In a courtyard in the east of the city, Jin Kun looked at a man being held down by his subordinates, his eyes extremely cold.
"Brother Kun, it was Gao who told me to do this. We're all just trying to make a living..."
Before the man could finish speaking, Zhao Liang kicked him to the ground. "I call you 'Coal Ball,' betraying Brother Kun by bringing people away is one thing, but now you're stealing business from us too. You ungrateful wretch, who paid for your mother's medical expenses out of their own pocket back then? If Gao told you to eat shit, would you go and do it?"
"Front bird, back bird, left fish, right shrimp. Everything has its rules," Zhao Liang said, then turned to Jin Kun. "Brother Kun, what do you think we should do about this?"
Jin Kun stepped forward and glanced at the man nicknamed 'Coal Ball.' He said, "People move up, water flows down. I won't stop anyone who wants to leave. But if they cross my line, then we need to have a talk."
'Coal Ball' flinched instinctively, knowing there would be no easy way out today. He stiffened his neck and argued, "You say you won't stop us, so what are you doing now? My brothers also need to eat. Besides, we all rely on our own skills. Since I'm doing a better job, this work rightfully belongs to me."
Jin Kun, too lazy to waste more words on him, said expressionlessly, "Chop off two of his fingers, and this matter is settled. If we meet again, there's no need to remember our past association."
Zhao Liang was displeased. "Brother Kun, this kid has cost us tens of thousands!"
Jin Kun glanced at him without a word.
Zhao Liang knew his decision wouldn't change. He gestured to the men below, and immediately someone stepped forward.
Seeing the glinting blade, 'Coal Ball' panicked completely and struggled, begging for mercy, "Brother Kun, I've taken a knife for you before. You can't forget our past relationship..."
Unfortunately, no one paid attention to his words.
"Ah!!"
'Coal Ball' clutched his bleeding fingers, glaring at Jin Kun with hatred.
The latter said calmly, "If it weren't for our past relationship, today it would be your arm that's disabled."
Seeing that the matter was concluded, the others released 'Coal Ball.'
'Coal Ball' staggered to his feet, turned around resentfully, and left. Jin Kun dared to treat him like this, and he would never let him off the hook.
After a quick bandaging at the hospital, 'Coal Ball' went to Gao Mingyuan's residence.
At this moment, Gao Mingyuan had just finished a call with someone from the capital. After partnering with the Jiang family, through their introduction, he took over a demolition project from the government for tens of thousands of yuan. He resold it, making nearly fifty to sixty thousand yuan.
It seemed this move was the right one. He also heard that the city was planning a major project and felt he needed to accelerate his pace and secure this project at all costs.
While contemplating his next move, he suddenly saw 'Coal Ball' enter. He smiled and got up, "Why are you here?"
A ruthless glint flashed in 'Coal Ball's eyes. "Jin Kun chopped off two of my fingers over the dispute about taking jobs. I cannot let this insult go unavenged."
Hearing his words, Gao Mingyuan's gaze fell on his bandaged hand, and a calculation appeared in his eyes. If he could bring Jin Kun down, 'Coal Ball' would become the sole leader, and all demolition business in the provincial capital would fall into his hands.
Therefore, Gao Mingyuan asked, "What do you plan to do?"
A hint of madness appeared on 'Coal Ball's face. "I know something. If this gets out, that guy Jin will spend the rest of his life in jail."
Just as the two were preparing to send Jin Kun to jail, Gu Xingdong also received news that the city was planning to renovate the old urban area in the west.
"Third Brother, this is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. Such a large project, they say it will take four stages to complete. If we can take it all on, we won't need to take new projects for several years," Gu Xingye said excitedly about the new information.
Gu Xingdong analyzed, "They probably won't give it all to one construction company. Although there's no concrete news yet, we can't go into battle unprepared. Given the company's current situation, we still have a gap compared to other construction companies in the city. If it's put out for tender, we might not have an advantage. To grow bigger and stronger, besides technical talent, advanced equipment is also essential."
"But the company only got some money back this year, and we still have bank loans to repay," Gu Xingye said with some worry. That was tens of thousands of yuan, a sum he had never seen in his life. As long as it wasn't repaid, he wouldn't feel at peace, it had become his obsession.
Gu Xingdong replied, "The loan isn't due yet, no need to rush. In a couple of days, I plan to go south." Before the Spring Festival, Lin Qi had stockpiled a batch of raw materials. Affected by production restrictions, prices had been continuously rising since the beginning of the year, and sales were not a concern. Coupled with the payments from Jiang Pan Garden, Gu Xingdong was confident in the capital. Now was the time to spend money where it was needed.
Upon hearing that Gu Xingdong was going south, Chen Lishu was visibly stunned. "When do you leave?"
Gu Xingdong explained, "Besides buying equipment, I also want to visit Pengcheng. Last time Li Yuanchao mentioned that the development there is quite good, especially in the construction industry. I should be able to learn a lot of useful things."
Chen Lishu nodded. "It's right to go out and see. After all, whether it's equipment or technology, Pengcheng is much more advanced than here."
Gu Xingdong held his son's small hand. The little fellow was slowly sitting up. Before he could even rejoice, due to his lack of balance, he immediately toppled to the side. The bed was covered with blankets, and knowing he wouldn't get hurt, Gu Xingdong didn't rush to help. Little Chengzi grunted for a while before finally managing to roll over.
"It might take a while, perhaps a month." Given the distance, the usable time was actually limited. "When I return, the two little ones will probably be crawling, right?"
Chen Lishu smiled. "Three flips, six sits, seven crawls. They are almost six months old, so it's about time they can crawl."
Gu Xingdong was a man of action. Once he decided on something, he would put it into practice. Before long, the personnel for this trip and the departure date were finalized. There were three people in total: himself, Wang Kuo, and Sun Daguo. Sun Daguo was originally a bricklayer with rich experience, and after working with Ding Chen for a while, he could understand blueprints reasonably well.
After Gu Xingdong left, Xu Ning suddenly arrived, holding two packets of traditional Chinese medicine wrapped in brown paper.