Chapter 24
Cheng Hui's legs are so thin from running so much, but he hasn't received a single order.
Not only Cheng Hui was anxious, but Cheng Xing was also anxious because they couldn't start work without orders.
She also began to cast a wider net, looking for former colleagues, neighbors, etc., to recruit sales talents everywhere.
But because the factory was closed, it looked very desolate and dilapidated, and some people left as soon as they arrived at the door.
The mission started off badly and both the brother and sister were devastated.
At this time, Tao Zhi took a piece of architectural drawing and placed their first order.
Cheng Xiangmei guaranteed that the team introduced to her would be first-class in construction, design and decoration.
After meeting them, Tao Zhi was very pleased with their understanding. She explained her needs and asked for a design first. If Tao Zhi was satisfied, they could discuss cooperation.
As it turned out, Tao Zhi was very satisfied. After discussing with the contractor, she planned to build the 300 square meters into rental housing, so she ordered 2,000 cubic meters of formwork.
When Tao Zhi bought the land, she had indeed intended to build three buildings: one each for her, the old man, Cheng Xing, and Cheng Man. Her son would live farther away, where the smell of food would be better, to avoid conflicts with his daughter-in-law.
But now that she's rented the villa, she's discovered she really likes gardens. The three plots of land are all close to the road and small, making them suitable for shops but unlikely for gardens, so she changed her mind.
When she told her two daughters her idea, they had no objection, so she simply decided to build rental housing on the entire 300 square meters.
When Cheng Hui got the data, he thought his mother had added an extra zero. He asked Ms. Tao, who replied, "That's right, that's the number."
The plywood factory finally started working with a rumble.
Due to the pleasant cooperation with Tao Zhi and the good quality of the template, the contractor also introduced several business deals to Cheng Hui.
It just so happened that people from his hometown also wanted to move to the city. Previously, they hadn't had the means, but now the factory had accommodations. Cheng Xiangqian also brought his relatives and friends, most of whom were employed in sales. It's true that everyone was eager to gain a foothold in the city, which actually provided Cheng Hui with a lot of talent.
Seeing that the board factory was running smoothly, Tao Zhi just left it alone.
During this period, because of Dongzi's incident last time, Tao Zhi went to buy a car. Cheng Jun urged her to buy a Santana, but Tao Zhi didn't listen and bought an Alto instead. The key was the price.
Cheng Jun helped solve the driver problem. It turned out that the boy I met on the way to Zhaojia Village had really come to live with Cheng Jun. He was now studying auto repair and occasionally worked as a driver. When Ms. Tao needed him, Cheng Jun transferred him over.
Tao Zhi still remembered him, this Zhao Zihao, a bright kid. Since he was the driver, Tao Zhi simply prepared a room for him on the first floor.
With these matters settled, Tao Zhi devoted herself to building the house. She told the designer that she wanted to build apartment-style suites, each with its own entrance and equipped with a balcony, kitchen, and bathroom.
The designer was very confused. In this way, there would be at least three fewer apartments on each floor, so wouldn’t the rent collected be less?
Tao Zhi is very powerful. He is the boss who pays the money, so the designer has to obey him.
When the final draft came out, the designer himself was impressed. Truly, the house, though small, had everything it needed. It looked incredibly comfortable. Everything was in place, and with the door closed, there was no one to bother with, and the room was a haven of peace and quiet.
When the first floor was designed as a shop, the designer suggested that Tao Zhi place the staircase at the back of the house, but she flatly refused. She felt it would be unsafe for a girl to walk back home at night, as the back alley led to a large road, which was brightly lit all night. So she decisively left a 2.5-meter gap on the far left side for the stairwell.
Originally, Tao Zhi wanted to build the staircase in the middle, but dividing the shop into two looked ugly no matter how she looked at it, so she had to abandon this plan.
In short, the designer was both happy and distressed. She was happy because Tao Zhi had so many new ideas, which gave her so much inspiration and often gave her a new lease on life. She was also distressed because, after consulting the contractor about anything she wanted to do, as long as it was feasible, Tao Zhi would not budge even a centimeter. She had never met such a difficult person.
After three months of hard work, the designer finally breathed a sigh of relief.
Tao Zhi has been stationed at the construction site since the foundation was laid, arriving early every day and leaving only after the workers finished their work.
The contractor advised her: "We have the blueprints, and we will strictly follow them."
Tao Zhi was very confused: "Don't you need a supervisor?"
The contractor was choked back.
The money just flowed out like water. Tao Zhi had high demands, and the budget was constantly exceeded. Fortunately, the old man was there to earn money, so Tao Zhi could spend like this.
Tao Zhi has been focusing on the house lately, so she doesn't have much time to go out with Cheng Jin every day. Everyone in the family is busy with their own things, and Aunt Li is the only one left at home to take care of the baby. Tao Zhi ordered meals from a restaurant near their home and had them delivered to their door on time.
The kindergarten was not far from the construction site, so Tao Zhi was responsible for picking up Cheng Mingcheng, and then going back to her home to meet Aunt Li and Cheng Jin. They would then sit down in a cafe to drink tea and eat some pastries.
Cheng Jin saw her cousin eating the cake with big mouthfuls while she had nothing to eat, so she started crying. She just kept silent and didn't cry out loud.
It’s not that Tao Zhi is cruel, but children are not allowed to eat sweets before the age of three, and she enforces this rule very thoroughly.
But when she saw the baby crying, she felt so distressed that she quickly went out to buy some buns, came back, tore off the bun skins, and fed little Chengjin bit by bit.
The baby is very easy to coax. He starts laughing as soon as he has food in his mouth.
Tao Zhi touched her little Jiujiu and thought, the years are quiet and good, just like this.
When she raised her eyes, she saw Cheng Man passing by the glass door and stood up immediately.
What is this kid doing here instead of attending class?
Tao Zhi asked Aunt Li to look after the child while she ran out to see what was going on.
She saw Cheng Man at the corner and was about to go over when she found something wrong.
Cheng Man was walking straight ahead, but she seemed to be stopped by someone. Because of the angle, Tao Zhi couldn't see the person.
Cheng Man was very angry, her face was livid, and she was saying something. Suddenly, a hand reached out, trying to grab Cheng Man's hand.
Cheng Man took two steps back, put her hands behind her back, and seemed to have cursed. She turned around and walked back.
The man followed her, and Tao Zhi finally saw him clearly. He was a thin boy with a straight face and a flat head, but he had dyed his hair yellow and looked very sloppy, which made him look very unpleasant.
Tao Zhi's mind suddenly flashed back to Cheng Man's face when she was deceived. She was so sad and desperate, but she didn't get any sympathy from the other party. She only got ruthless ridicule and cold sneer.
Seeing that Huang Mao still wanted to hug Cheng Man's shoulders, Tao Zhi said, "Man Man."
Cheng Man had been hurrying along with her head down, but when she heard a familiar voice, she looked up and was very surprised: "Mom."
Huang Mao wanted to turn around and walk away when he heard the word "Mom", but after seeing Tao Zhi's clothes, his disdain took over, so he followed her and said provocatively: "Cheng Man, this is your mother?"
Tao Zhi didn't ignore the scornful look. She glanced at her clothes. Fresh from a construction site, she was covered in mud and dust, looking like a laborer. This coffee shop seemed quite good, not one to look down on others. She decided to patronize it more often in the future.
Cheng Man didn't care about these things. As long as her mother was around, she was very confident: "None of your business."
The yellow-haired man raised his lips to smile, and said in a self-proclaimed handsome manner, "Hello, Auntie. I'm Cheng Man's boyfriend."
"Bullshit, don't lie."
The yellow-haired man said with a playful smile: "You have already accepted my token of love. Now you are turning your back on me. Isn't it a bit too late?"
Cheng Man frowned: "Don't talk nonsense, I have never confiscated anything from you."
Huangmao's face darkened: "I saw you put the necklace into the drawer with my own eyes."
Cheng Man thought about it for a long time, and then she said to Tao Zhi, "Mom, I didn't."
Tao Zhi was very calm: "I believe you."
Huang Mao sneered at the side: "Auntie, what's the point of you trusting her? She's greedy for money and won't tell you."
"Anyway, I didn't take it. If you lost something, you can call the police. But if you want to force me on this, I tell you, there's no way."
Huang Mao also got angry: "Cheng Man, taking the money and not doing the job, there is no such rule in the underworld."
Cheng Man glanced at him and said, "With your stinky mouth, do you think whatever you say counts?"
Huangmao raised his hand and wanted to hit someone, but Cheng Man quickly hid behind Tao Zhi.
Tao Zhi grabbed Huang Mao's hand and said, "If you can't win the argument, then use violence. Who taught you that?"
Huangmao felt like he was being clamped by a crab, and his hand was in pain. He wanted to shake it off but couldn't, and he wanted to pull it out hard but couldn't.
He was shocked by Tao Zhi's great strength, but then he thought, it's normal for people who do hard labor, carrying loads all day, to have a lot of strength.
His right hand was grabbed, and he clenched his left hand into a fist and swung it towards Tao Zhi: "You bitch, you dare to hit me." In fact, it was just a feint, and he kicked hard with his foot, aiming at Tao Zhi's knee.
Tao Zhi turned her head to avoid his punch. She grabbed the yellow-haired man with her right hand and pulled it downwards, blocking his attack. Her left hand gripped the back of his neck, and she quickly raised her right foot, bent her knee, and struck him directly in the stomach.
It was like a huge pendulum, hammering directly into his stomach. Huangmao bent like a shrimp on the spot. He was in so much pain that his whole body was numb. One of his feet could not support himself, and Tao Zhi had let go of his hand long ago. He had no place to gain leverage, and fell to the ground with a bang.
Tao Zhi had no sympathy. She was always merciless towards men who beat women. A man who couldn't protect a woman was fine, but who also took out his anger on the weak. This kind of man was only capable of bullying others. Tao Zhi wanted to deal with every one of them she saw.
Luckily, it was on the roadside with some trees, so the yellow hair didn't hit his head directly. Otherwise, on this hard concrete ground, no one could say how badly his head would be injured.
Huang Mao lay motionless on the ground. Tao Zhi stepped forward and warned him: "No matter what you did before, from this moment on, Cheng Man has nothing to do with you. Remember?"
The yellow-haired man slowly made an "OK" gesture.
Tao Zhi turned to Cheng Man and said, "I hope you can give me an explanation when we get back."
Cheng Man nodded in agreement.
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