"Sure, how big do you want?" the shopkeeper asked.
"That one will do." Chen Jianguo looked up at the window and pointed to the excavator.
"Is this another long-term lease?" the boss asked, nodding.
“This time, it’s not so certain. I’ll pay you for each day you rent it.” Chen Jianguo said, glancing at Chen Feng unconsciously.
"Sure, no problem. The excavator is 800 a day. Although you don't know how long you'll be using it this time, we're old customers, so I'll give you a discount. It'll be 750 a day," the boss said readily.
"Okay, okay, then thank you very much, boss," Chen Jianguo said with a smile.
"Is it by the river again this time?" the shopkeeper asked.
"No, this time it's that abandoned mine, the one on the outskirts of the city, you know?" Chen Jianguo pointed in a direction.
"Ah, you mean that old mine?" the boss said, quite surprised.
“Yes, that’s the old mine.” Chen Jianguo nodded.
"Damn, what are you doing there with an excavator? Panning for gold? Dude, let me tell you, that's no good."
"You have no idea, people used to come to me to rent excavators and try their luck there. The thing is, that old mine has been around for so many years, where are you going to find gold?"
"In the end, they didn't even pay for their travel expenses, let alone the gold. If you trust me, don't go. It's really not going to work."
“Although this is what I do for a living, making money by renting out excavators, I advise you that it’s really not worth it. Don’t go anywhere else.” The boss waved his hands repeatedly as he spoke, genuinely concerned for Chen Jianguo.
"Haha, thanks for reminding me. I knew that wouldn't work, but I just wanted to give it a try. If it works, I'll shop around for a few days; if not, I'll just give up. I won't make much money anyway."
Chen Jianguo laughed.
"Alright, it's worth a try anyway. I'll just deliver it to you. Is there any special location?"
Since Chen Jianguo has said so, what else can the boss say? As long as he understands what's going on with this mine, that's enough.
“Just throw it on the mine, we’ll be there in a bit. Should I give you a deposit first?” Chen Jianguo asked.
"No need, no need, no rush. We can talk about it tomorrow. We already know each other, so no one will be on a errand. Don't worry," the boss said, standing up.
"Alright, we'll be going now." Chen Jianguo and the others also stood up and spoke.
"Take care, feel free to contact us if you need anything." The boss waved and saw them to the door.
The group left the gate and drove to the large supermarket.
We've finished eating everything from yesterday, so we have to buy more today, especially water and such.
This time it's not like by the river; getting water is much more troublesome, so we need to prepare more.
And so, the five of them carried six large bags and loaded them onto the car.
"Oh my god, I need to call Uncle Qi right away and tell him to bring the pots and pans. Otherwise, we'll have to buy them all again, which is such a hassle," Chen Feng said, remembering to call him.
When Shi Guang asked him to hang the prefab house, he forgot to tell him to bring pots and pans.
Chen Feng and his group weren't planning to keep those things anyway, as they weren't worth much money.
I never thought I'd be able to use it again.
"Okay." Chen Jianguo nodded and made a call to notify Brother Qi again.
They soon arrived at the abandoned mine, and Chen Feng chose a spot.
This abandoned mine is quite a classic example, with large and small pits everywhere, and a lot of leftover garbage.
After Qi Ge abandoned them, no one was watching them, and things fell into chaos.
"Dude, is this going to work? Look, there are already holes dug by others here," Huang Fei said, looking at a small hole that was half a meter deep in the ground.
He knew this pit all too well; it was a gold-mining pit left behind by gold prospectors. There must have been something inside, but now everyone had taken it all, leaving only the pit.
"What's the rush? Let's dig around and see." Chen Feng lit a cigarette and scanned the abandoned mine, a rough sketch gradually taking shape in his mind.
Half an hour later, the excavator arrived, and Chen Jianguo took it and placed it right next to them.
"Brother Qi said that the tools and prefabricated houses should arrive by noon at the latest," Chen Jianguo told Chen Feng.
"Don't rush, let's sit down and talk for a while." Chen Feng found a large rock, sat down, and smoked.
Right now, he has nothing but an excavator, so he can't do any work. He might as well plan more about how to find something next.
Everyone sat down and chatted idly. Huang Fei lay in the driver's seat with all four doors open, occasionally chiming in with a word.
"Hey, they're here." Lin Nian had sharp eyes and spotted a vehicle in the distance carrying prefabricated houses, followed by a pickup truck.
Needless to say, the car stopped right next to them.
After they had all gotten off the bus, a crane finally arrived late.
"Brother Feng, how do we hang it?" the man asked Chen Feng.
"Just put them all here." Chen Feng pointed to a flat area.
"Alright, unload the crane, get to work." The man gestured.
"Brother Feng, there are five detectors, ten pickaxes and ten shovels, and some miscellaneous tools, safety helmets and such."
"Can you check if there's anything you've missed?" the man asked.
"That's all. Come on, unload the stuff." Chen Feng glanced around and found that nothing was missing, so he called out to Huang Fei and the others to come and unload the stuff.
"Okay, we'll be going now if there's nothing else. Just let me know if you need anything, Brother Feng," the man said after helping unload the tools.
"Let's go, you've had a long day." Chen Feng saw him off.
"What are you saying, Brother Feng? Saying that would be too formal. I'm leaving."
Now, all the equipment was ready, and they were just waiting for Chen Feng's order to start work.
"Come on, Fengzi, tell me how to do it." Huang Fei picked up the detector, eager to try.
"How do we dig? First, use an excavator to cut the seam, then use a shovel to finish it?" Li Chunlai said, holding a shovel.
"Well, let's set up the stove and make the bed first. The crane will lift the prefabricated house over here; it's a complete mess inside."
"Let's get ready while it's still light, otherwise we won't be able to sleep tonight."
"Then we'll have to borrow a generator from Uncle Qi, since we don't have any electricity here," Chen Feng said, looking around.
"We don't need electricity. We can just connect it from where Brother Qi used to be. Although no one has been using the electricity since he left, it should still work fine." Chen Jianguo knew exactly where Brother Qi's old base was; he was very familiar with it.
"Okay, then this job is yours." Chen Feng said as he climbed onto the excavator, and everyone got to work.
Chen Feng sat in the car and fiddled with the excavator a few times. He hadn't used it in a long time and had almost forgotten how to use it.
After fiddling with it for a few moments, Chen Feng shook his head.
Even if he knew how to use it, it would be useless. The system didn't work properly on the vehicle, and he had no idea if he would dig off course. He had to get off and check it every now and then before going back up to dig.
Forget it, let my dad do this job. I'll just stay here and give orders.
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