Chapter 13 Coal and Honeycomb Briquettes

The boss didn't expect that I would order such a large quantity.

He smiled so hard his eyes narrowed into slits as he calculated the total price for me.

There are relatively few high-end goods in the town, and even the best coal isn't that expensive.

The best coal is 1150 yuan per ton, which is 1100 yuan per ton. The best honeycomb briquettes are 950 yuan per ton, which is 900 yuan per ton.

They gave me another discount, charging me a total of 92,000. Then they looked at me, as if asking for my opinion.

I know that 1150 and 950 are inflated prices, while 1100 and 900 are the real prices.

If we keep negotiating, we can lower the price a bit more.

However, I have an additional requirement.

Compared to a few hundred yuan, I want to negotiate greater discounts on labor and packaging.

"This price is acceptable, but I have a request: all the coal must be packed in sacks before being transported here. Please stack the sacks in the yard for me, and also stack the honeycomb briquettes inside the house."

When ordinary families buy small quantities of coal, it is customary to have it transported in sacks.

But with such a large purchase, I'm not sure if he'll pack it all in sacks for me.

My request to have honeycomb briquettes piled up inside the house was rather excessive; coal sellers generally don't offer this service.

This is also the main reason why I didn't haggle and asked him to help me build it.

It would take me seven or eight days to stack all these honeycomb briquettes myself, but hiring workers would cost over a thousand yuan.

For him, this was much easier. His coal mine certainly had many workers who were paid by the day, so he could manage this kind of work.

The boss thought for a moment and said, "Packing the coal in sacks is no problem, but stacking 50,000 honeycomb briquettes inside the house will take a lot of manpower... Can you pay in full upfront? If you can, I'll cover the labor costs!"

"As long as you deliver the coal accurately and neatly, the payment will be settled on the spot."

"No problem, girl. My factory operates with integrity and has plenty of workers. Just bring a couple more over tomorrow."

I paid a deposit of 5,000 yuan and arranged for the coal to be delivered to my door tomorrow.

Because I needed it urgently, the boss probably started loading it onto the truck in the afternoon.

At 9 a.m. on May 31, a coal truck came to a steady stop at my house.

He brought a total of 6 workers, along with the boss who had a beer belly.

The boss slid off the truck like he was on a slide, and started complaining as soon as he saw me.

"Oh dear, I know you're in a hurry. We even need to pack it in sacks. We started loading it yesterday afternoon and didn't finish until the early hours of the morning."

I thought to myself, isn't this what you're supposed to do? Don't you even know how much money you're taking from me?

"Thank you for your hard work. You're very efficient. I'll definitely pay you promptly." I still gave him the reaction he wanted on the surface.

The boss was indeed pleased with what he heard.

Then he became serious and beckoned all six workers over.

They asked me where I wanted to put the coal and where I wanted to put the honeycomb briquettes.

I explained in detail that the coal should be piled up starting from the north side of the threshing ground, and the honeycomb briquettes should be piled up in the west wing next to the main house.

Then the workers started moving things, three people carrying coal and three people carrying honeycomb briquettes.

The honeycomb briquettes were piled high on the wheelbarrow and then stacked into the side room.

They were skilled and could move fifty or sixty at a time. At this rate, they could finish moving everything tonight.

After a while, I realized something was wrong; the quantity didn't seem to be enough, so I quickly went to ask the owner, who was smoking nearby.

The boss stared at me with a half-smile, "You little girl really have no common sense. This is definitely not enough; this is only half."

"ah?"

I exclaimed in confusion.

"Large coal trucks can't get through this mountain path. After one truck is emptied, the next one will arrive. Two trucks are all the coal you need."

He then added, "Where are your parents? It's good that you met me. If it were a boss with malicious intentions, you would have really been cheated."

I chuckled and joked, "That's why I bought from you, brother. It's because you're a good and reliable person."

The older brother was even more pleased, and he squinted as he took a drag of his cigarette.

To be honest, although he looked fat and slovenly, he did have a kind face and seemed to be a good husband and father and a loyal friend to his brothers.

Of course, I didn't like it; it was just praise.

It was almost noon, and there was still half a truckload of coal left.

I asked the owner where they ate lunch, and he said they all brought their own food.

Coal mining is pure physical labor. The thought of working all afternoon on dry rations made me feel a little sorry for them, and I was also worried that they wouldn't have enough to eat and wouldn't be strong enough.

Using the excuse that there are dogs at home and I'm afraid they'll get hurt if I'm not home, I locked the door and quietly drove to town to buy food.

On the way, he was thinking that if he couldn't finish in one afternoon, he would have to work late into the night.

I decided to buy food for two meals.

When we arrived in town, we went to a restaurant that served stir-fries when we were kids. We ordered a stew, four stir-fries, and one cold dish.

I ordered pickled cabbage stew with glass noodles, braised pork, stir-fried shredded potatoes, stir-fried eggplant, potatoes, and green peppers, stir-fried cabbage, and cold tiger salad. While the owner was cooking, I also went to the vegetable and fruit supermarket and the delicatessen.

I bought 25 large steamed buns, vegetables with dipping sauce, a roast chicken, a pound of cold pork head meat, and a pound of braised vegetables.

We can have stir-fried or hot dishes for lunch, and braised chicken or pig's head meat for dinner. We can also add a few bowls of instant noodles. It would be perfect.

The total cost was 248 yuan, which was a real bargain. 248 yuan is enough for 7 people to eat two meals.

When I got back, the owner still had one dish left to finish, so I went next door and ate a bowl of cold noodles. Now I don't have to eat with those guys anymore.

When I returned with a pile of food, the workers were still working.

Why aren't you resting yet?

"I was thinking of eating earlier, but the door was locked and there was nowhere to wash my hands, so I thought I'd wait until you came back to eat," a tall, thin worker said, scratching his head.

"Haha, that's perfect, good thing I didn't make you wash your hands." As I said this, I took out bags of food from the car.

The workers must have been really hungry, because several of them stared at the food in my hand with shining eyes.

"Oh dear, I'm so embarrassed."

"Then we can't eat it, you're going to spend too much money."

"Thanks to my sister, I was able to have a good lunch today."

A chorus of polite greetings rose and fell; this was the most I had heard people talking so far.

I quickly went inside and filled several basins with water, then placed them on the steps for everyone to wash up.

The workers' hands and faces were covered in black coal dust, and it took two basins of water to wash them clean.

I placed two kang tables in the east room, intending to invite them in for a meal, but they refused to come in, saying they were too dirty.

I placed the two tables side by side on the steps, and put the five steaming hot dishes directly on the tables in takeout boxes.

He washed some vegetables for dipping sauce, put the steamed buns in a large basin, and urged them to come and eat quickly.

It's quite hot now, so the workers are sitting on the ground. The boss also sits down with them.

The seven people squeezed together, filling the table perfectly.

They invited me to join them for a meal, but I said I had just eaten in town and that they had all worked hard all morning, so I should eat.

Perhaps fearing food waste, the workers brought their own lunchboxes as well. It was nothing more than rice or steamed buns with some vegetables.

The workers were very happy, sitting together laughing and chatting as they ate heartily, occasionally praising how delicious the food was.

While everyone was eating, I went down to the basement and brought up a case of Coke.

Place it beside them and tell them not to be shy and to just take it and drink it.

The workers finished their meal in less than half an hour. They sat in the shade by the courtyard wall, holding their Cokes, to rest.

Half an hour later, someone shouted loudly, "Come on, let's keep going!"

Everyone jumped up and continued moving the coal.