Chapter 20

Huo Yanci never supported borrowing money to spend, but Ning Qingxi's money could be considered as her wages for building the garden, which seemed reasonable, so he didn't say anything more.

But unexpectedly, something really did happen.

Early in the morning, just as dawn was breaking, the workers went to work. These past few days have been hot, and it was unbearably hot to work at noon, so they changed their schedule to get up early in the morning and go to bed late at night, thus freeing up the hottest time at noon.

Among the first group of people to arrive was a skilled technician named Ma Li. As soon as he arrived at the construction site, he noticed something was wrong.

How did those trees in the garden, which were specially transported from the south, grow like this?

When Ning Qingxi arrived, she almost swore.

Is this some kind of question about whether it grows well or not? This tree is completely dead!

She could tell at a glance that the leaves were soft, curled at the edges, and looked pitifully wilted. Even the trunk was turning yellow. If the roots were dug up, the root system would most likely have problems as well.

— Watering during high temperatures.

This was Ning Qingxi's first thought.

The best time to water any plant is definitely not at noon, especially in the middle of summer. First, the water droplets on the leaves act like tiny convex mirrors, focusing sunlight and burning the leaves. Second, the temperature is too high at noon, and suddenly watering plants with cold water is like pouring cold water on someone suffering from heatstroke—it's no wonder they get sick. Third, the high temperature at noon causes the water to evaporate immediately, leaving the surface dry but locking the moisture underground. Even people get sick from being in water for too long, let alone plants.

However, these are not problems that can be detected immediately. Over time, the lesions will appear, making it even more difficult to catch the perpetrator.

Ning Qingxi felt a wave of suffocation! But since things had come to this, she had to come up with a solution: "Call everyone over, including the kitchen staff. Everyone should tell me when the people in their room are absent, including Huo Yanci..."

Huo Yanci looked up at her.

"Have someone go to the capital and tell Boss Zhang that something has happened here, and ask him to come too."

After making the arrangements, she clutched her chest and slowly squatted down.

She has a heart ache, really.

This happened right under her nose. These trees were seedlings from the south, transported all the way here, planted, and then maintained. It cost a lot of money to keep them. She is the person primarily responsible.

Before he could even begin his campaign, he was already facing financial ruin. Ning Qingxi was so excited that she almost fainted.

Huo Yanci, who was standing nearby, also ordered someone to follow Ning Qingxi's instructions. When she turned around, she saw the person lying on the ground like Xi Shi clutching her heart, looking very weak. She found it a little funny and couldn't help but ask, "Is it really that bad? Miss Ning wouldn't be so upset about something like this, would she?"

Ning Qingxi clutched her head, her voice muffled: "As for it! Do you know how much silver those trees cost by now?"

Huo Yanci: "Take a break. If we really lose money, save your energy to make money."

"..." Ning Qingxi: "Do you think you're very humorous?"

Huo Yanci, whose attempt to tell a joke backfired and turned it into a lame one, touched the tip of her nose: "Is it really that unfunny?"

Ning Qingxi: "Not even a little bit!"

Huo Yanci: "..."

He finally gave up on the witty remarks and said sincerely, "Why don't you come work for me? I'll give you three taels of silver a month."

Strangely enough, Ning Qingxi is now dirt poor, but she still has to worry about whether three taels of silver a month is enough to live on.

It's true that it's hard to go from extravagance to frugality.

Huo Yanci seemed to have the ability to read minds. After a moment, her tone became somewhat uncertain: "Are you complaining?"

"How could that be? You must have seen it wrong."

"...Can't you be normal for once?"

Huo Yanci rarely had the leisure to chat with her, so they talked casually until Zhang Fuhu came over, at which point Ning Qingxi stood up.

Zhang Fuhu asked with a stern face, "What's going on?"

Ning Qingxi: "There's something that has no hands, no legs, and no life. Can you guess what it is?"

Zhang Fuhu: "..."

Ning Qingxi: "Hey, it's your tree."

She dodged aside like she was showing off a treasure, revealing the pitiful little tree behind her. Then, seeing that Zhang Fuhu didn't seem to be smiling, she felt a little embarrassed and touched her nose awkwardly, saying, "It's like this, someone watered this tree in the middle of the day, and the roots were destroyed. I reckon it will have to be replanted... But don't worry, I'll sell everything I own to compensate you!"

"So you'll have to pay for every time someone pours water on you?" Zhang Fuhu said viciously, as if stabbing Ning Qingxi in the heart. "That's not fair. I don't need the money, but I can't let people stab me like this behind my back."

Ning Qingxi: "I've already called everyone back. There are at least two people in each dormitory, so we can start by identifying the suspicious ones."

Huo Yanci: "That's simple. Should I find someone to review it?"

Ning Qingxi: "...What if the defendant forces a confession under torture, and then when we go out, one of us gets rotten eggs and the other gets rotten vegetable leaves?"

Huo Yanci: "..."

Because of the imperfect system, and because the construction site is a semi-open place where anyone can cause trouble, it is even more difficult to catch people.

Everyone has been called over, most of them unaware of what was going on, having been inexplicably dragged over, all looking confused and unwilling.

"Miss Ning, what are you doing calling us over in broad daylight? We haven't finished our work yet."

"That's right."

Ning Qingxi cleared her throat, found a rock to stand on, and stood on it to visually appear the same height as Huo Yanci, which would make her look more intimidating: "Everyone, stand in your respective dormitories!"

Zhang Fuhu and Huo Yanci stood on either side of her, acting as if Ning Qingxi was the boss. Although the workers were dissatisfied, they still did as they were told. After a series of footsteps, the area was divided into several small squares. There were few people in the kitchen. The chef was an old man who lived in a single room, while the vegetable preparer and the pastry chef were two women who shared a room. However, Ning Qingxi noticed a problem.

Where is Shen Xiulian?

The pastry chef, when asked, looked puzzled: "She... left."

"when?"

"Three nights ago."

There was someone on the construction site who was in charge of the money, but Ning Qingxi singled him out at the moment: "You paid the money?"

This person, who had somehow shifted the blame, could only stammer, "Yes...yes."

"..." Ning Qingxi laughed in anger: "How come I didn't know that you were in charge here? You didn't even ask any questions before daring to settle the money directly?"

At this point, the person realized the seriousness of the problem, but still subconsciously argued, "She herself said you agreed to let her leave."

"Just because I say so doesn't mean it is. What if I said your brain is full of mush? Is your brain full of mush?"

"..."

Ning Qingxi waved her hand: "Get lost, I'll settle the score with you later! Now everyone, tell me if anyone who shares a room with you has had any extended periods of free time in the last five days?"

The pastry chef asked, "Three days ago, Shen Xiulian went out for half an hour at noon. Does that count?"

Does it count?

Of course it counts!

She was the prime suspect from the start!

The remaining people gradually provided evidence, either with witnesses or physical evidence, and all gave alibis for the nearly five days of rest, especially for the time at noon. After she finished speaking, Ning Qingxi told everyone to go back to their work.

She was convinced that it was Shen Xiulian, but at this moment there were only witnesses and no physical evidence. The witnesses couldn't directly prove her innocence, so she was basically stuck with this bitter pill.

Huo Yanci suddenly said, "Isn't it too strange that she did this?"

Ning Qingxi: "?"

“She’s here now, and even if she doesn’t get rich, at least she has food, lodging, and money. Why would she risk everything to do something so immoral?”

Ning Qingxi: "Is that hard to understand? Imagine your mortal enemy is standing in front of you, and all you have to do is pour water on her to destroy her. Wouldn't you be tempted? Would you like to try pouring water on her?"

Huo Yanci: "...There's no need to bring it up like that."

Zhang Fuhu: "Can I say something...?"

The two then remembered that there was another person here. They had been performing together for so long that it was quite strange to suddenly have a new partner.

Ning Qingxi said, "Please?"

Zhang Fuhu: "Isn't there a really big problem with the management here?"

Ning Qingxi touched her nose and remained silent.

The management here! It's not just a little problematic, it's a makeshift team built entirely of problems!

Huo Yanci: "Then, in your opinion?"

Standing next to Huo Yanci, Zhang Fuhu was indeed not as outstanding vertically as Huo Yanci, but horizontally, he was far ahead of the competition! The two of them were equally impressive, neither willing to concede to the other. However, as soon as Zhang Fuhu saw Huo Yanci, his aura automatically diminished, and Ning Qingxi had to lower her head to see him.

"Shouldn't everything here go through Miss Ning's hands first?"

Huo Yanci nodded: "But how do we get through this? Do workers have to ask permission before they even need to use the restroom?"

Ning Qingxi: "...That won't be necessary."

Zhang Fuhu: "That's none of my business. You guys figure it out yourselves. I just want the result."

Huo Yanci swept her gaze coldly over him, and Zhang Fuhu shrank his shoulders and hid behind Ning Qingxi. Except for his head, most of his body could not be hidden at all.

Ning Qingxi clicked her tongue and dragged the man out from behind her: "What kind of talk is this? Such a big boss, yet you act like a quail. Stand up straight! Listen to me."

“I think we can make all sorts of notebooks to help with management. For example, if someone comes in to work, they can register their information in the relevant notebook. When they leave, they also need to register in the notebook before they can take their things with them. Similarly, we can manage who needs to take a break, who needs to receive their wages in advance, and so on.”

Huo Yanci pretended to be deep in thought. Zhang Fuhu, being a businessman himself, easily understood her meaning and asked a new question: "What if this person refuses to pay his wages?"

Ning Qingxi shrugged: "Then when we register here, we'll have them sign an agreement outlining these risks. They'll sign their names and put their fingerprints on it as a form of intimidation. If they don't do what we say, we'll assume they've done something immoral and take them directly to the authorities."

Huo Yanci: "Really going?"

Ning Qingxi didn't speak, but blinked at him.

Huo Yanci: "..."

Ning Qingxi: "So this might be a problem for you. We don't need to actually hold a court session. We'll just scare them a little, but we need to make sure it looks perfect on the surface. Otherwise, we won't be able to establish our authority, and then nobody will take us seriously anymore."

Huo Yanci and Zhang Fuhu: "..."

Ning Qingxi: "Well, say something!"

Huo Yanci: "I think it's excellent! It's flawless!"

Zhang Fuhu: "Very good!"

Zhang Fuhu felt aggrieved. He should have spoken before Huo Yanci, otherwise he would have looked very incompetent.