Chapter 114 Cutting Off People's Source of Wealth
Everyone at the table turned around at the same time.
When Wang Cuihua returned from the restroom, she heard the familiar shrewish voices discussing Bailu. She intended to walk past quickly.
But I was stopped halfway there.
We had to stop.
Turning around, I met Chen Chunli's threatening gaze. If I didn't want to be beaten, I had to go along with her intimidating expression.
Wang Cuihua's husband died, and she had no relatives in the town. She was beaten and scolded by Chen Chunli, and no one could help her.
The reason Chen Chunli slapped me twice last time was because I didn't say nice things and didn't do what Chen Chunli wanted.
Chen Chunli's husband, Wang Hao, is also Xiao Cheng's brother. Wang Cuihua's attempts to speak ill of Chen Chunli to Xiao Cheng were futile, as Xiao Cheng doesn't care about conflicts between women.
Moreover, Chen Chunli is pregnant, so everyone will be more accommodating to her, for fear that she might get into trouble.
Wang Cuihua was afraid of being beaten by Chen Chunli, afraid of being publicly scolded by Chen Chunli, but her current good life was given to her by Bai Lu, and she did not want to lose the golden rice bowl of roasted chestnuts.
He could only steal a glance at the escape route before speaking: "I don't know what other people's roasted chestnuts are like, but mine are all good. They taste just like the ones Aunt Wu sells, so I sell out every day no matter how many I take."
After saying that, he took off running.
This answer was evasive, but it was enough to prove that Bai Lu's business did not only cater to Wen Xiuyun.
Instead of falsely accusing Bai Lu as Chen Chunli intended, Bai Lu disappeared in an instant, causing Chen Chunli's face to turn a deep purplish-red.
The group of people at the table scanned Chen Chunli's face, clearly questioning what she had just said.
Finally, it was the wife of one of the construction workers who broke the deadlock by talking about the new house.
No one wants to have an unpleasant experience at a banquet, and the others chimed in, praising Wen Xiuyun's new house for being spacious, bright, having good feng shui, and being decorated in a grand and beautiful style.
Chen Chunli pursed her lips: "We spent so much money to contract it out, how could it not be beautiful?"
"They don't even know how much kickbacks they've been taken. It's just that the homeowners are foolish and rich. They don't understand the market prices for building materials in town. They just pay whatever the other party asks for. They're being ripped off and they're even helping the other party count the money. They're eager to curry favor and get fleeced."
"A group of people worked themselves to the bone to help build the house, but in the end, the wages they received weren't even a fraction of what others earned."
The construction worker's wife is named Liu Xiaomei. They have elderly parents and young children to support, and their family is not well-off.
Hearing Chen Chunli's words, he frowned: "Didn't everyone get six hundred yuan for their work?"
Another worker's wife said, "Yes, my husband Wang Youcai also received 600 yuan. I heard him say that 25 people built the house together, and all the materials were available. Wen Xiuyun's new house was completed and the interior walls were painted in less than a month. The wages were calculated and split equally by square meter."
“The doors and windows were all handled by the people at the door and window store, and Mr. and Mrs. Wen paid extra for them.”
The others at the table were shocked to hear such a high wage: "Six hundred yuan in less than a month! Such a high wage? I heard that building a sugar factory in the next county only pays three hundred yuan a month, and a brick factory pays even less at two hundred and sixty!"
Liu Xiaomei nodded and said, "You might not even get such a high wage in Nanshi. My husband, Afu, said that Xiao Cheng never mistreats those who work for him."
"You have no idea you've lost out!" Chen Chunli sneered sarcastically. "The entire construction payment is in their hands. How would you know how much they got? Maybe they got six thousand, and you got six hundred. Is that considered too much?"
"No way." Liu Xiaomei said incredulously, her tone hesitant: "They calculate the construction cost by the square meter. Everyone knows exactly how much it costs per square meter."
The others at the table nodded in agreement, somewhat incredulous that Xiao Cheng would accept such a large kickback.
Chen Chunli looked at them like they were idiots: "It is calculated by square meter, but how much money do they get per square meter from the owner and how much do they tell you per square meter? How can the amount they spend on materials be the same as the amount they tell you and the amount they get from the owner?"
"Only our Wang Hao is both stupid and cowardly. Despite being such a close brother, he doesn't dare to ask a single question. He thinks he's been rewarded with a little kindness and runs off to work himself to the bone like a slave..."
“If the husband takes such a hefty kickback, how can the wife be any better? Even if the roasted chestnuts he gives out are of good quality, who knows how the profits will be divided after they are sold, and who knows how much kickback he has taken behind the scenes.”
Chen Chunli still harbored resentment over Bai Lu's rejection of her joining the roasted chestnut business. Her skeptical words, spoken with such certainty, became the final straw that broke the camel's back for everyone at the table, as well as those at the gossip table next door who were still hesitant and disbelieving.
The surrounding tables fell silent instantly, and Liu Xiaomei and the wife of another construction worker looked very upset.
If these words came from someone else, they naturally wouldn't believe them. Chen Chunli is Wang Hao's wife, and Wang Hao and Xiao Cheng are brothers. Would brothers betray each other?
Before the banquet even started, the snacks like melon seeds and fruit served before the meal were already untouched.
Each table held a different thought.
The sales channels for Bailu's roasted chestnuts had already been opened up to a deeper level, and the specific time for purchasing the goods was about to be negotiated. All the partners were overjoyed and eager.
Unexpectedly, when one of them went to the restroom and came back, he whispered a few words to his companions, and the situation changed.
Although no one showed anything on their faces, the topics of conversation shifted from deep to shallow. They stopped talking about becoming agents for roasted chestnuts and went back to chatting about everyday family matters.
Bai Lu didn't press the matter, guessing that the other person had probably met someone on the road and heard some bad gossip.
The logging process in Xiaojia Village has encountered some problems, and Xiao Guofu came to find Xiao Cheng to go to the countryside early this morning.
I estimate I'll be back later.
They're sitting at the living room table now, and gossip travels fast; it won't be long before it reaches them.
Bai Lu's guess was correct, but she wasn't the only one who heard about this slanderous news that would ruin someone's reputation and cut off their livelihood.
Yu Fugui, who was greeting guests outside the door, also heard it.
The rumors spread like wildfire, and people around them would occasionally glance at Bai Lu's table and point and whisper.
They said all sorts of bad things about Bai Lu and Xiao Cheng, slandering their character, ruining their reputation, and cutting off their livelihood.
Although no names were mentioned, it was Bai Lu and Xiao Cheng, who were selling roasted chestnuts and working as general contractors for building construction.
Upon hearing who it was, the businessmen who had originally intended to chat with Bai Lu all gave up and remained silent.
Yu Fugui was both anxious and angry.
Xiao Cheng had already given him the detailed list of building materials. He had checked it and there were no problems. As long as he had that detailed list, any rumors could be dispelled.
At the time, he was in a hurry to go to the city to set up a fruit stall, so he gave the detailed list to Wen Xiuyun.
Wen Xiuyun's family members came to visit. They had set off early in the morning from the remote mountains. It was their first time in the new town, and they didn't know the way. Wen Xiuyun and her two children went to greet them.
Yu Fugui didn't know where Wen Xiuyun had put the detailed list, and he couldn't find it even after searching for a long time.
(End of this chapter)
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