Shi Zhen specifically chatted with this Mr. Wang because he hoped Mr. Wang would hire him to build houses. Now that Mr. Wang is interested, it's the best thing for him.

Shi Zhen then told Boss Wang some things to pay attention to when building a house, and then said, "Boss Wang, I used to be a foreman in the city. If you want to build one, I can come and be the foreman. I guarantee I'll build you a really beautiful house."

"Foreman?" Mr. Wang was puzzled. What was that?

“They’re the people who help you manage the construction site,” Shi Zhen said.

Building a house in the countryside is really quite simple. Basically, you just need to buy enough materials, call some people nearby who know how to build houses, and you can start building right away.

Currently, there are roughly two models for building houses.

In both models, the building materials are purchased by the family building the house. In the first model, the family buys all the materials and then hires people to do the work, paying the workers by the day.

In the current market, a bricklayer typically earns 20 or 25 yuan a day, while a laborer earns 10 to 15 yuan a day. Of course, many families don't hire laborers at all; instead, the men in their own family assist the bricklayers and other workers.

After that, painters, plumbers, carpenters, and so on were hired one by one to do the work, and they were paid for each day they worked.

The second method is that after the family hires workers, they calculate the workers' wages based on the entire project. For example, they might agree with the bricklayer that they will be paid a certain amount of money for building the entire house.

Then, you can do the same thing with plumbers and electricians – you do all the plumbing and electrical work in my house and I'll give you this much.

At present, because there are no contractors in rural areas, very few people choose the second model. Most people choose the first model, which pays workers according to their "work hours".

Of course, there are some problems with this method of paying by the "work". It's fine if the homeowner can keep an eye on things, but if the homeowner is not around, the workers who come to their house to do the work will most likely slack off.

For example, you might hire two carpenters to work at your house for a day, paying them fifty yuan a day, only to end up with a door... These kinds of things happen all the time.

If a worker hasn't received another job, he doesn't mind dragging out the previous one and refuses to finish it quickly.

For them, getting as much pay as possible is the best option, right?

So later on, more and more people chose the second approach.

Shi Zhen still remembers when he first started working as a contractor, he led the villagers to tile the exterior wall of a house.

The family built the house together with their brother, and the two houses were built exactly the same. The only difference was that the family hired him, agreeing to pay him 500 yuan to lay all the bricks on the exterior walls, while the brother hired workers to pay by the "labor".

Finally, he and his team finished tiling the exterior walls of the client's house in just two days. As for the client's brother's house, they had only just begun.

He later learned that the client's brother not only paid him over six hundred yuan in the end, but that worker had also worked for half a month longer than him.

Meals are provided during the work period, so hiring him is much more cost-effective.

That's how he gradually opened up the situation.

Of course, Shi Zhen has no one under his command now, and he has never done this kind of work before, so he is not trustworthy and is not suitable to talk to people about the second model.

Finally, Shi Zhen suggested that General Manager Wang add a "foreman" to the first approach.

“Mr. Wang, you know that building a house requires someone to oversee it. The foreman is there to keep an eye on things. I can calculate how long each task will take, making sure the workers don’t slack off! I’ll also supervise the quality of the project.” Shi Zhen laughed, “You can hire me for a try. If you’re not satisfied with anything, you can just fire me.”

The wages were in Mr. Wang's hands, and Mr. Wang wasn't afraid that Shi Zhen would cheat him, so he immediately asked, "How much wages do you want?"

“Thirty a day,” Shi Zhen said. “I can also do masonry and similar jobs, and I’ll make sure it’s done well for you.”

He hasn't done anything before, so he can't ask for a high price, but he also can't ask for too low a price and seem cheap.

Mr. Wang remained silent for a moment.

Mr. Wang was well aware that the person in front of him had come prepared specifically to find him.

Of course, he didn't really care.

What he cared more about was whether Shi Zhen could really help him build a unique villa.

After thinking for a moment, Mr. Wang said, "Okay, then I'll build a house next month, and you can come and be my foreman."

He didn't care much about the 30 yuan a day wage; hiring more people wouldn't be a problem.

If Shi Zhen does a good job, he'll let him continue; if he doesn't do a good job... he can't do anything to Shi Zhen even if he doesn't pay him.

Upon hearing this, Shi Zhen breathed a sigh of relief.

While Shi Zhen was striving towards his goal, Guan Baiyu, who had met Xiao Zhouqi, was studying on his own in the classroom.

Shi Zhen had told him before that he wouldn't be coming this week, and even gave him an extra ten yuan so that he could go to Changxi City and buy some things he liked.

Shi Zhen clearly didn't want him to travel back and forth during the short weekend, as Shi Zhen might be unhappy if he did.

Guan Baiyu simply started studying in the classroom.

The students in the experimental class are all very enthusiastic about learning, and many of them, like Guan Baiyu, study on their own in the classroom.

After studying for a while, Guan Baiyu glanced at his watch, took his English book, and went downstairs. He memorized vocabulary in the shadow of the teaching building while waiting for Liang Qinxuan.

Liang Qinxuan lives at school now, but he runs out every weekday, saying he wants to go out to eat something good and go home to take his dirty clothes home to wash.

At the time, Liang Qinxuan invited Guan Baiyu to come along, saying that his family had fun game consoles, but Guan Baiyu did not agree.

Liang Qinxuan's family is wealthy, and their spending habits are on a completely different level from his. It's fine at school, but outside... he can't get along with other people.

He only gave Liang Qinxuan a few instructions, telling him not to get into a conflict with his stepmother.

Regardless of what kind of person Liang Qinxuan's stepmother is, she is currently pregnant and at an advanced maternal age. If Liang Qinxuan gets into a conflict with her and something happens to her, then Liang Qinxuan will be in trouble.

Guan Baiyu waited for a while, and then saw Liang Qinxuan, who was dragging a suitcase, come in from the school gate. As soon as he saw him, Liang Qinxuan waved and said, "Baiyu!"

"Did you run into trouble when you went home?" Guan Baiyu asked.

“No,” Liang Qinxuan said, “That woman is so protective of the child in her belly. When I went back this time, she wasn’t even home. She was avoiding me!”

Guan Baiyu was not surprised by this. If he were Liang Qinxuan's stepmother, he would definitely be wary of Liang Qinxuan as well.

Liang Qinxuan continued, "My dad is really good to her. He can't stand my grandma saying a bad word about her. My grandma cried to me, wanting me to go back to live with her. She said there's no one at home to take care of her now, and my dad argues with her every day..."

When this matter was brought up, Liang Qinxuan couldn't help but hesitate.

Guan Baiyu said, "If you really go back, won't there be arguments at home every day? How will you study then?" Although Liang Qinxuan didn't say much, Guan Baiyu knew that Old Madam Liang particularly disliked Chen Shaojin's mother.

When a mother-in-law and daughter-in-law start arguing, the whole family will be in turmoil.

He never had a good time when his grandmother and his adoptive mother were fighting.

Moreover... not to be blunt, but no matter how much Liang Qinxuan's grandmother dislikes Chen Shaojin's mother now, once Chen Shaojin's mother gives birth... the old lady's attitude might change.

Now that Liang Qinxuan's parents are divorced, and Liang Qinxuan can't possibly get rid of his stepmother's baby, going home and getting involved in his mother-in-law/daughter-in-law relationship won't do him any good.

It's better to study hard.

“Then my grandma…” Liang Qinxuan hesitated.

"Why don't you find her a few old friends to keep her company?" Guan Baiyu suggested. The old ladies in their village definitely love talking to people their own age the most.

Liang Qinxuan thought it was feasible.

Guan Baiyu added, "By the way, go back and pack your things, then we'll study together. I've noticed a big problem you need to fix!"

"What problem?" Liang Qinxuan asked, puzzled. "You're only in your first year of high school, how could you possibly discover that I have a serious problem?"

Liang Qinxuan felt that even if Guan Baiyu was in the experimental class, he, as a first-year high school student, was definitely not as good as him, a second-year high school student.

Guan Baiyu said, "Your handwriting is too ugly."

Liang Qinxuan: "!!!" I can't be friends with him anymore!

Guan Baiyu took out a math test paper: "Look at this question you got wrong, you calculated it wrong! Why did you get it wrong? It's because you wrote 5 like a 3, and then you treated it as a 3 and kept calculating it!"

"And this English test paper, couldn't you have properly sealed the 'A' at the top? It looks like a 'U'!"

"Not to mention Chinese... You've practiced your handwriting, haven't you? It's just that you don't write it properly. You even wrote the 'eight' radical on top of this character as 'enter.' I'm only letting you off the hook because the teacher is being kind."

...

Guan Baiyu pointed them out one by one.

Liang Qinxuan has some... a common flaw among many boys, namely, carelessness.

Moreover, he has a quick mind, and sometimes when he is doing problems, he may get distracted by other things, which can easily lead to mistakes in calculation problems.

Guan Baiyu felt that he had made a terrible mistake!

As Liang Qinxuan listened, he stopped being angry, since what the other person said was true.

He always loses points in every exam because of carelessness.

It's no wonder Guan Baiyu was watching so intently.

"I was just careless..."

“Carelessness is no excuse. If you had written carefully, this problem would never have happened,” Guan Baiyu said. “From now on, you must write every single character carefully during your exams.”

"Alright..." Liang Qinxuan said, then suddenly remembered something: "By the way, you've looked at all these questions? You guys basically didn't teach them, can you do them?"

"I know most of them, but not so much of them." Guan Baiyu pointed to a question on the math test and said, "I don't really know how to do this one."

Liang Qinxuan: "..." Good grief! He's not quite sure how to do this question either!

Is this what makes the top students in the experimental class so terrifying?

This truly made him, a student who had paid his way into the top high school, tremble with fear.

As the two were talking, someone suddenly walked towards them.

Guan Baiyu looked up and saw Chen Shaojin.

Liang Qinxuan often complained to Guan Baiyu about Chen Shaojin. Liang Qinxuan was a simple-minded person, and Guan Baiyu believed what he said, so he didn't like Chen Shaojin.

"Liang Qinxuan, you've made another friend? Ha, do you think those students in the experimental class are genuinely friends with you? They're all after your money!" Chen Shaojin said.

Liang Qinxuan was somewhat angry: "You..."

“Your mother is a mistress,” Guan Baiyu suddenly said to Chen Shaojin.

Chen Shaojin's face darkened: "What did you say? If it weren't for his father..."

“Your mother was a mistress,” Guan Baiyu added.

"Don't think Liang Qinxuan will be your friend. He just treats you like a dog."

"You're the son of a mistress." Guan Baiyu said seriously. With this kind of person... just poke at their sore spot.

Seeing Chen Shaojin's expression, he was ready to attack. Liang Qinxuan quickly stepped in front of Guan Baiyu.

Taking a deep breath, Chen Shaojin calmed down and looked at Liang Qinxuan, saying, "Liang Qinxuan, I know you're angry with my mom and don't like her. I also hate your dad. There's not a single good person in your family!"

Liang Qinxuan also became popular.

Chen Shaojin added, "We can't fight at school. How about we go to the construction site next door that's closed at four o'clock and have a fight in the tallest building?"

"Fine! Let's fight! I've wanted to beat you up for a long time!" Liang Qinxuan said.

Guan Baiyu had told him to ignore Chen Shaojin, so he hadn't, but since the man insisted on coming closer, he wasn't going to avoid him!

"I'll wait for you." Chen Shaojin glanced at Liang Qinxuan, then turned and left.

"What kind of attitude does this bastard have? Does he think he can beat me? I'll beat him until his face is a bloody mess!" Liang Qinxuan said, turning around.

"You really want to go?" Guan Baiyu asked in shock.

"He's already challenged me, how can I not go?" Liang Qinxuan shouted.

Guan Baiyu: "..." Liang Qinxuan is too easily provoked.

Although Liang Qinxuan seems to be a better fighter than Chen Shaojin, fighting can lead to injuries, which is not a good thing, is it?

Guan Baiyu could only try to fool him: "Chen Shaojin is a bit cunning. I think he didn't really want to fight you when he challenged you to a fight. He just wanted to frame you. If you go as promised, you might fall into his trap!"

"How could he possibly frame me?" Liang Qinxuan asked.

"For example, you could hire a group of people to beat you up, or you could pretend that you were beaten up and then go to someone to complain. There are many ways to do this!"

"Then what should I do?" Liang Qinxuan asked.

Guan Baiyu said, "Don't go."

"Won't he think I'm afraid of him?" Liang Qinxuan asked again.

Guan Baiyu could only say, "Why don't you call a few people to go with you? Call a few more, and say that Chen Shaojin challenged you to a fight. Ask them to be witnesses, and you can even call your dad."

They won't fight if there are outsiders around.

If Liang Qinxuan's father were here, then nothing would have happened!

"Do you want to come with me?" Liang Qinxuan asked.

“I want to study,” Guan Baiyu said, then added, “I think it would be best to call your dad along.”

He didn't want to get involved in the fight; what if he got a demerit?

This is something that could easily get your parents called in if you're not careful!

Guan Baiyu was thin and small, and looked very well-behaved. It was indeed not appropriate for Liang Qinxuan to ask him to go fight.

But calling yourself father... that's definitely not acceptable.

If his dad comes, will they still fight?

Liang Qinxuan thought for a moment. He initially wanted to go find his cronies, but then felt that those people were unreliable. At that moment, he saw the school basketball team playing basketball, and his eyes lit up.

Liang Qinxuan gave each of them five yuan and asked them to accompany him to fight Chen Shaojin... The basketball team members all agreed, but of course they also declared: "We will not help you fight!"

"I don't need your help. I can beat him to a pulp all by myself!" Liang Qinxuan said confidently.

After discussing the matter, Liang Qinxuan played basketball with the others for a while. Seeing that it was almost time, he led a dozen or so people to the agreed location in a grand procession.

As soon as they entered the house, they saw four students wearing their school uniforms.

They all knew these four people; they were the students in their school who never studied and just messed around all day, whose grades were always at the bottom, and who had once read a self-criticism on the podium.

Compared to these four, Liang Qinxuan is considered a good student.

That Chen Shaojin actually framed him! He actually hired these four people to beat him up!

Liang Qinxuan was furious when he saw that the four men were holding sticks, but when they saw them, they were also surprised: "What are you doing here?"

"Come and fight! Where's Chen Shaojin?" Liang Qinxuan asked.

"Chen Shaojin? Who's that?" These people were confused.

Just then... someone else arrived.

This time, six thugs who looked like hooligans arrived, carrying weapons like sticks. The one in the lead barged in and said, "You little punk from No. 1 High School, how dare you steal my girlfriend..."

Liang Qinxuan: "!!!"

The person who rushed in: "!!!"

Those who rushed in were all around seventeen or eighteen years old, and two of them looked particularly thin and small.

The players on the No. 1 Middle School basketball team... most of them are sports specialists, all of them are tall and strong, half of them are 1.8 meters tall.

Moreover, the basketball team had a total of fifteen people, plus Liang Qinxuan and the four students who were originally here... Now there are a total of twenty students wearing No. 1 Middle School uniforms.

The leader of the gangsters was furious: "You actually brought so many people... Damn it! Let's go!"

Those of them who are involved in the underworld know that discretion is the better part of valor; seeing that they were unlikely to win, they simply ran away.

Liang Qinxuan: "..." So... what about Chen Shaojin?

Liang Qinxuan wasn't stupid, and he quickly realized the problem: "That guy Chen Shaojin framed me!" Chen Shaojin probably knew that someone in their school had arranged a group fight with outsiders, so he tricked him into coming here!

If he had come alone, he might have gotten caught up in this brawl!

I should have known better than to call the basketball team; I should have called his dad!

Sigh, why didn't he listen to Guan Baiyu?

Liang Qinxuan left the students who had arranged a group fight and said to the basketball team, "Thanks for today! It's my treat, let's go to the cafeteria for dinner tonight!"

The basketball team members knew the whole story and felt sorry for Liang Qinxuan. As for inviting him to dinner... of course they wouldn't refuse.

Everyone knows that Young Master Liang is incredibly rich. While others only buy one dish when they eat out, Young Master Liang, ever since he entered high school, has bought all the meat dishes in the cafeteria every time he eats out!

The group went to the school cafeteria for dinner in a large group. During the meal, Liang Qinxuan also called Guan Baiyu over.

After learning the whole story, Guan Baiyu was a little confused.

He just said it casually... I didn't expect it to come true?

That Chen Shaojin... he's really quite vicious.

“It’s a pity that all the teachers like him, and my dad believes him but not me. If I go and complain, they’ll definitely think I’m lying to them,” Liang Qinxuan said.

Even if they believed it... since no fight ever broke out today, Chen Shaojin would naturally not be punished.

Guan Baiyu said, "Study hard, and when your grades improve, everyone will believe you."

Liang Qinxuan: "..." He didn't want to talk to Guan Baiyu.

Shi Zhen was unaware of what had happened at No. 1 Middle School. He was in a particularly good mood after finishing his business with President Wang.

As Shi Zheng was driving his tractor home, he had just parked the vehicle when he saw someone selling malt candy in front of Guan Jian's house.

You can exchange old shoes, old washbasins, and other items for maltose from this person, or you can buy it directly with money.

The children in the village were very enthusiastic and came to buy. Shi Zhen even heard a child tell his mother that he would help with the embroidery and ask his mother to buy it for him.

Shi Zhen glanced at it and that was it. But once inside, Shi Xingchao, who was embroidering clothes, suddenly looked up and said, "Ah Zhen..."

"What's wrong?" Shi Zhen asked.

"Have you ever tried that maltose?" Shi Xingchao asked while still embroidering.

"You've eaten it before... do you want some?" Shi Zhen grasped the key point. This maltose was homemade, very sticky, and usually eaten by scooping it out with a stick and rolling it up. You could eat and play at the same time. He had tried it in his previous life and didn't like it very much, but Shi Xingchao probably hadn't eaten it before... Did he want some?

"Sigh, it's nothing..." Shi Xingchao sighed and continued embroidering the clothes.

Shi Zhen silently took two cents, bought a roll of malt candy, and gave it to Shi Xingchao along with the stick.

Shi Xingchao was immediately moved: "Azhen, thank you! I'll wash your clothes for the next few days!"

Shi Zhen: "..."