Chapter 45: A Wonderful Money-Wasting Thing

Before Fang Eldest Brother brought people over the next day, Wang Cuixiang had already delivered food to her son-in-law and daughter. The two of them had not left the construction site at all.

The people Fang Eldest Brother had found had not expected that such a small job would actually be equipped with such a big machine. “Whoa, that’s impressive. It looks pretty professional.”

Even Fang Eldest Brother felt proud. “My brother-in-law is a meticulous person. He handles things properly.”

Lu Feng had the final say on how the workers were assigned.

Lu Chuan had the final say on how the work was done.

Fang Eldest Brother did not even need to speak. These people had come because of his reputation, so they could not do anything that would make him lose face.

When Lu Chuan spoke, he kept it simple. “I know everyone is here because of my brother’s reputation. I can’t let everyone suffer losses. Everyone earns money through their own labor. The more you work, the more you earn.”

Even Fang Eldest Brother did not understand. “How does working more mean earning more?” The others understood even less. Since when could construction work be paid that way?

They were all used to doing the minimum required for a day’s pay.

Lu Chuan pointed toward a distant corner. “For that section over there, Brother, take a look. Whoever wants it can estimate what they think is a fair price and do it. Once they finish early, they can take another small section the same way elsewhere. The more work they do, the more money they naturally earn.”

Honestly, everyone who had come had skills. None of them were freeloaders. No one thought there was anything wrong with this. It was better than wasting time.

Someone immediately spoke up. “I’ll take that section. I’ll bring one person with me. Brother Fang, tell me what price you think is fair.”

Fang Eldest Brother had worked in this field for a long time and knew the market well. He named a price that would not disadvantage anyone. The man thought it was acceptable, nodded, and left with his helper.

Just like that, with such a simple and informal subcontracting arrangement, Lu Chuan’s business career began.

Over here, Fang Wuhu had already started the mixer running with two other people.

Fang Eldest Brother calculated the costs and felt worried. Quite a bit of money had already gone out in such a short time. His brother-in-law was being a little reckless.

As a result, before noon, those who had taken subcontracted sections had already finished one after another. The money spent was substantial, but the speed had increased dramatically.

Fang Eldest Brother had never imagined these people were capable of this much.

If they subcontracted a little more in the afternoon, they could earn two days’ worth of wages in one day. Everyone was quite happy.

Fang Yuan frowned over there. She had never really had much sense for numbers before, but ever since numbers became tied to money, especially money coming out of her own pocket, she had discovered that mathematics was actually quite simple. Every figure added up very clearly.

Of course, that only made her worry more. “I’ve never seen anyone throw money around like you. One day’s wages are double what others get. How can you be such a spendthrift?”

The key point was that they had no money left. Fang Yuan was not good at accounts, but she could hear how much everyone said they had earned. Adding it all together gave the amount her family had to pay out in a single day. She could not stay calm.

Lu Chuan said, “But today we completed two days’ worth of work in one day. If you calculate it that way, we’ll finish earlier, and the mixer will need to be rented for one less day. Doesn’t that save money?”

Fang Yuan said, “That makes some sense. But every time money leaves my hands, I feel uncomfortable. In the future, we are not allowed to do anything that involves spending money like this.”

Her heart simply could not take it.

Fang Yuan’s honesty made Lu Chuan laugh. “How can there be such a good thing as only making money?”

Fang Yuan looked at the imposing Fang Eldest Brother as he assigned work and set prices. “My eldest brother doesn’t need to spend money.”

The work was not tiring, and everyone flattered her eldest brother. Fang Yuan thought that was a good job.

Lu Chuan did not see it that way at all. That basically meant following her eldest brother around carrying bricks. This woman really had ambition.

Fang Yuan was still muttering, “I’m serious. I’ve only just discovered that I’m actually pretty stingy. I really do hate spending money.”

She had never felt so uneasy about spending before. Clearly, far too much money had gone out.

Lu Chuan told Fang Yuan to relax and stop overthinking it. “You’ll have to get used to it slowly. The kind of good thing you’re imagining doesn’t exist.”

By the afternoon, Lu Chuan directly handed out the sodas that Fang Yuan had intended to sell for profit, giving one bottle to each worker. Fang Yuan’s expression became impossible to look at.

If she had not needed to watch over the construction materials, she would have gone home immediately. Out of sight, out of mind. This man was no good. This man was a spendthrift.

When the person who had subcontracted the project to Lu Chuan came by, he was astonished to see equipment like a mixer.

“I didn’t expect you to have such a proper team.”

Lu Chuan replied, “Listen to yourself. Whatever job we’re doing, we should do it properly. Look at this speed. Check the quality too. Let’s all take a look, then everyone can work according to the standards you set. That way it’ll be easier for all of us later.”

The supervisor was extremely satisfied. “This young man understands how to do things. I’ve already looked. The quality is excellent. If you’re short on any materials, let me know in advance. Don’t let it delay your work.”

Lu Chuan became even happier after hearing that. “Thank you, big brother.”

When work resumed in the afternoon, Lu Chuan specifically emphasized quality requirements. Otherwise, everyone would have to redo the work later.

Fang Eldest Brother responded, “Brother-in-law, don’t worry. The people I found all pass technically. They all do conscientious work.”

Coming from Fang Eldest Brother, the statement was not especially convincing. However, everyone was giving him face. No one actually cut corners just to make money.

When the usual quitting time arrived, nobody left work. They said that if they worked one extra hour, they could finish that much more work. This was the benefit of earning more by doing more.

Fang Eldest Brother even sighed to Lu Chuan, saying that when it came to stuffing money into their own pockets, none of these people were cowards.

Lu Chuan said, “Brother, do you think we can continue like this tomorrow?”

Fang Eldest Brother replied, “I think it’s pretty good. The only problem is setting the prices. There are personal relationships involved. Otherwise, you should handle this tomorrow.”

Fang Eldest Brother felt that his brother-in-law had secured this job. It was not appropriate for him to take charge of everything.

Lu Chuan said, “No need. This morning I calculated everyone’s work. From now on, we’ll calculate payment by square metre. They won’t lose out, and we won’t have to worry about personal obligations. Plus, everyone gets treated equally.”

Fang Eldest Brother had no idea it could be calculated that way. “That’s possible? You can even calculate something like that?”

If that happened, would the people closest to him have objections? Would his authority decline?

Even though only half a day had passed, Fang Eldest Brother was already enjoying the feeling of being a foreman.

Lu Chuan said, “What I do isn’t real skill. Someone like you, Brother, who has friends everywhere and people willing to help, that’s real ability. These people definitely offended the previous contractor by coming here. If it weren’t for your reputation, Brother, I wouldn’t have been able to recruit anyone to help.”

Hearing that, Fang Eldest Brother felt delighted. His brother-in-law understood exactly what he had contributed. Educated people really were impressive when it came to understanding people.

As for the matter of calculating payment by square metre, Fang Eldest Brother said nothing more. He simply felt that his brother-in-law thought very deeply.

Just as they were talking, the previous contractor arrived with a group of people.

They were all carrying tools in their hands.

Before Lu Chuan could even react, Fang Eldest Brother and his brothers had already grabbed tools and moved to confront them.

Fang Yuan even picked up a shovel and followed them over. Lu Chuan hurried after them. When fathers and sons went into battle, and brothers fought side by side, he truly witnessed it with his own eyes. There was no discussion at all. Not a single one of them showed any fear.