Chapter 43
Facing this gray house, Tao Zhi stood there in a daze, wondering if she was dazzled.
She blinked, looked around, and then looked ahead. Everything was fine, nothing had changed.
Tao Zhi couldn't help but wonder, did she not pay the design fee? Or did someone embezzle her money?
Perhaps her expression was too obvious, so Village Chief Zhou quickly explained: "It's just that the renovations haven't been completed yet. The house has been painted white."
Tao Zhi came back to her senses, a bit shocked. She swallowed and said, "Village Chief Zhou, is this finished?"
As if afraid that Tao Zhi would misunderstand him, Zhou Shangmin quickly denied it: "Not yet, not yet, this is just a framework."
Tao Zhi finally breathed a sigh of relief and began to survey the small building. Actually, there wasn't much to see. It was an L-shaped, two-story structure with cement plaster walls and large, empty windows. It looked like an unfinished, unfinished building. The sandpit out front had been dug, but it hadn't been filled with sand. Not to mention any outdoor facilities—there wasn't a single one to be seen.
Fortunately, it wasn't finished yet, otherwise it would have been too ugly for her eyes. Tao Zhi didn't want to go in at all. She asked her doubts: "Why are they saying they're going to open the park when the buildings aren't even finished yet?"
Village Chief Zhou smiled innocently, "Brother Cheng told me earlier that you were planning to move to City S, so I wanted to hold the opening ceremony before you left."
Tao Zhi imagined herself dressed beautifully and standing in front of this gray and rustic background. The picture was so beautiful that she dared not think about it, so she decisively rejected Village Chief Zhou's "kindness".
Tao Zhi said to Village Chief Zhou, "It doesn't matter whether I'm there or not. What's important is that the children have a good environment." She paused and continued, "Just take a couple of photos for me. I'll leave the opening ceremony to you, Village Chief." Zhou Shangmin nodded in agreement.
Tao Zhi made an appointment with the designer to inspect the house. On the way there, she used subtle means to trick the designer into assuring her that the kindergarten would be decorated according to the design, which made her feel relieved.
During the acceptance inspection, she followed behind, listening to the designer's nitpicking. After a thorough inspection, there were no major issues, so Tao Zhi readily paid the project fee.
When I got home after work, Cheng Dachuan and his wife were already there.
"Have you eaten?" Tao Zhi asked.
"I came back after eating on the street."
Tao Zhi nodded. "I saw it today. The main structure is already completed. How do you think you're doing?"
"You can get the hang of manual labor after a few tries, and you can master simple technical work after a few attempts. But for highly technical jobs, I still need to find a master to guide me."
"Can you understand the drawings?"
"Now it's all right. The contractor is honest and teaches me very attentively."
"If I give you a piece of land, can you build me a house?"
Cheng Dachuan shook his head vigorously, "I'm not even a skilled worker yet. I need to learn for at least two or three years."
"What about the renovation? For example, masons, carpenters, painters, plumbers and electricians?"
Cheng Dachuan puffed out his chest and said, "This isn't that difficult. We already have someone who has completed the task."
Tao Zhi's eyes lit up and she instantly had an idea, but she needed to confirm it again.
"Would you rather be involved in construction or renovation?"
Cheng Dachuan and Tan Yufen looked at each other, and then he answered cautiously: "It should be decoration."
"Could you tell me why?"
"Because this is easier to get started, if we can establish ourselves in the future, we can bring more villagers out."
Tao Zhi nodded secretly in his heart, he was indeed a child taught by his second uncle.
So, she immediately became serious and said, "Dachuan, Yufen, I plan to move to City S. You all know this."
They both nodded.
"Well, listen carefully to what I'm going to say next. I might leave at the end of the month, and then I'll give up this building. I originally thought that learning to build a house would be easy, so when I leave, you can follow me to S City and help me build a house."
Cheng Dachuan listened very carefully, and Tao Zhi silently expressed his approval.
She continued, "Since you've chosen to do renovations, I have to build the house first before I can decorate it for you. So, there are two options for you. One is for you to continue learning the craft here and then go to S City once you've mastered it. The other is for you to follow me to S City and try to take on some small orders there. You'll eventually get the hang of it as you learn."
"I say this because, since we're both in City S, my ultimate hope is to bring you there too. Whether it's for your own development or for your children's choice of schools, a big city at least offers more possibilities."
"The most important thing is, no matter which city you choose to settle down in, you must first own a house. To be honest, Cheng Jun plans to develop real estate, and the first stop is City S. When the time comes, it will definitely be much cheaper for our family to buy a house than on the market. That's why I also want to take you to City S."
"Don't worry about not being able to afford it. If you don't want to do it yourself, I can register a company and you can register under it. You can then apply for a loan to buy the house. The down payment is only 30%."
Tao Zhi thought to herself: "At worst, I can lend you money privately. It's just a house, who can't afford it?"
Cheng Dachuan and Qin Yufen were both stunned. They had previously never dared to think about buying a house in the city, but now their aunt was talking about a house in City S. That was a first-tier city; even if they sold their house, they didn't know if they could even afford a bathroom.
When they calmed down and thought about it, what the aunt said made sense. Why did they feel their blood boiling? They both saw the shining light in each other's eyes.
Fight? Fight.
Cheng Dachuan said, "Aunt, I'll listen to you. If we want to go long-term, we really need to polish our skills. Does Aunt know any experienced craftsmen?"
"Do you want to study here for a while?"
Cheng Dachuan nodded firmly: "Not only me, my cousins need it too."
"Then let me ask for you."
His brows lit up: "Thank you, auntie."
Tao Zhi contacted the decoration team leader directly. She said a few simple words, especially emphasizing that Cheng Dachuan would go to S City after graduation and would not compete with him for business locally. She asked the team leader if he was willing to accept a few apprentices?
The captain was a little embarrassed: "That's what I said, but if people don't leave, I can't do anything about it."
Tao Zhi took a step back: "I don't want a salary, I just want to learn some skills."
The captain thought it was funny: "The salary is only a few dollars."
"Captain, what are your conditions?"
"Help me for a few months after you learn it?"
"The kind that doesn't pay?"
The captain laughed and said, "Just think of it as paying tuition."
"How long will it take to learn it?"
"It depends on one's understanding, and it generally takes no more than a year."
"Apprentices are also free laborers, so you're making money anyway."
"Sister Tao, I'm only doing this for your sake. You don't know how much trouble it is to take in an apprentice."
"How about this, since there's no set rule for a few months, just let them help you with a project? Maybe it can save you a few big workers' money."
The captain thought for a moment and said, "Okay."
Tao Zhi said quickly, "Then let's start with the kindergarten project?"
"Okay, okay, you have to be able to endure hardship."
"Don't worry, come to me if you have any problems."
Tao Zhi hung up the phone, feeling lucky that there was still a project, otherwise it would be difficult to find someone.
Tan Yufen looked at her with admiration.
Tao Zhi smiled: "Yufen, if you train more with Dachuan, you will definitely be better than me when you are my age."
"That won't happen." Tan Yufen immediately shook her head.
"Many things can be learned with a little practice. Don't be afraid, they're not difficult at all."
"My brain is rusty and often doesn't even work."
Tao Zhi looked at her with a smile and said, "There's a very good way. Just remember: I want to be a good role model for my children. If I want my children to be more capable than me, then I must first become capable myself. If you hold on to this belief, many things will naturally be learned by you."
Qin Yufen's eyes sparkled when she heard this.
Tao Zhi suddenly thought: "What about your fat boy? What are you going to do this year?"
"Auntie, can this kindergarten you built accept children this young?"
Tao Zhi hadn't considered the nursery at the time. "I'd have to ask Village Chief Zhou to find out."
"If you're willing to take him in, we'll bring him here. That way, even if you're tired from work during the day, you can still see your baby in the evening."
Tao Zhi quickly took note of this. She planned to mention it to Cheng Jun, asking him to set up a similar daycare center on his own property. The first rule for entrepreneurs: Know how to solve problems for your employees.
"If that's the case, I'll leave a few rooms in my rental house for you. Even if it includes food and accommodation, a construction site isn't suitable for children, so you can ask those with children to come along."
Cheng Dachuan didn't want to: "Aunt, how can I be so embarrassed?"
Tao Zhi held him down: "This is not for you to live in, it's for the fat boy. Besides your son, there are other children, so you have no right to make decisions for them, do you understand?"
Tao Zhi was too lazy to pay attention to him after she finished speaking. She turned to ask Tan Yufen: "What have you been doing at the construction site during this time? Do you have a place to live?"
"Dachuan helped out, and I helped with cooking at the construction site. Village Chief Zhou saw that I was diligent and found me a room in the village."
"You've worked hard, cooking for so many people. If you're asked to go again this time, remember to ask the captain for your salary, okay?"
"I...I...I can't say it."
Tao Zhi immediately looked at Cheng Dachuan, who also looked like he couldn't speak.
Tao Zhi sighed. "If the captain doesn't mention the salary, then you shouldn't go. Can you do that? Just say there's no one to take care of your son. That way, he'll save face."
Tan Yufen nodded: "Aunt, I'll listen to you."
Tao Zhi touched her head and said, "Come on, take a look around this house. If you have anything you can use, move it to the rental house."
Tan Yufen was so moved that tears welled up in her eyes: "Aunt, you are so kind to us."
"That's because Dachuan's grandparents, and his parents, are also very kind to our family."
In the evening, Tao Zhi mentioned this arrangement to the old man.
Cheng Xiangqian praised her: "This is the best solution I can think of."
Tao Zhi asked, "Should the furniture and appliances here be moved to City S, or put in the rental house?"
Cheng Xing heard it from the side: "Mom, mom, I want it, I want it, you can put it in my house."
Cheng Hui also said yes, obviously liking his bed.
"I promised to give Yufen some furniture."
The old man said, "Then bring everything here except what's given to her."
"What about the other cousins?"
"They can only live here for a year at most. It's a waste if you spend a lot of money on these things and then no one uses them. You might as well go to the market and buy new ones so you can give them to the tenants."
"Okay, let's do it."
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