Chapter 178
When A-Qiang returned to the construction site dormitory, he saw his fellow workers gathered around the television.
At this time of day, he would usually bring a small stool and go over to join in the fun.
But tonight, A-Qiang was lying alone in bed, his hands behind his head, his legs crossed, sometimes staring blankly, sometimes laughing foolishly.
Around 10 o'clock, when everyone was about to go to sleep, Lei Tingjun finally returned.
Ah Qiang sat up abruptly and looked at Brother Lei at the door.
"Brother Lei, what do you think of that brick factory?"
Lei Tingjun kicked off his leather boots at the entrance of the workshop, went into the bathroom to get a towel before wiping his sweat, and said, "It's settled. I'll go to the construction site to discuss business tomorrow. The day after tomorrow, all the people from the transport team who aren't driving will come with me to Honghe Township to pick up bricks. We'll try to finish the job in one day."
Lei Tingjun left home at six in the morning and returned at ten in the evening without taking a break.
He picked up the teapot, poured half a pot of cold tea down his throat, and then went to the bathroom to take a shower.
Lei Tingjun showered and washed up quickly, finishing in five minutes, and came out shaking the sweat off his hair.
Seeing that A-Qiang was still awake with his big eyes open, he said to him, "I might have to go back to Pingquan for National Day. Are you going back or not? If not, stay at the construction site and keep an eye on the convoy."
A-Qiang hadn't planned to go back before, because he didn't care whether he went back or not, since he didn't have anything to worry about in Pingquan County anyway.
But he might not be so sure now.
If that girl named Zhu Shuangyan also wants to go back, Aqiang wants to see her off.
"Brother Lei, what brings you back?" A-Qiang asked.
Because A-Qiang knew that Brother Lei didn't actually have any ties in Pingquan County.
He was fired from the Dongfang Factory. Apart from his brothers in the factory, the others in the factory might not welcome Lei Tingjun back.
Ah Qiang thought for a moment, his eyes darting around, and chuckled, "Brother Lei, how are things going between you and Miss Ji?"
Lei has been visiting Miss Ji at East China University for two weeks in a row. If their relationship hadn't progressed, he probably wouldn't be going there so frequently.
Lei Tingjun smirked: "It's not your place to ask. Stop meddling."
Ah Qiang chuckled and said, "I just want to know when I can call Miss Ji 'sister-in-law'."
Lei Tingjun said seriously, "Don't shout nonsense. Especially in Pingquan County, if it gets back to her father's ears, it will only cause me trouble."
"Okay, okay, I got it. I won't call you that in front of outsiders, but I can call you 'sister-in-law' in front of you, right?" A-Qiang teased, winking at him.
Lei Tingjun lazily raised an eyebrow.
There was neither objection nor correction.
A-Qiang and Lei Tingjun's beds were close together, so if they spoke quietly, it wouldn't disturb others.
With something on his mind, A-Qiang asked Lei Tingjun, "Brother Lei, what does it feel like to really like a girl?"
“I used to think I liked Luo Chunyan, but after I confessed to her and was rejected, I wasn’t really sad for more than a few days.”
Once he got into the busy work of the car team, he hardly thought about this person anymore.
Ah-Qiang looked at the ceiling above the bed, tilted his head and asked in confusion, "If you like someone, shouldn't you think about her all the time, lose your appetite and sleep because of her, and feel hopeless about life if you can't be with her?"
"I think those stories about the Cowherd and the Weaver Girl, the White Snake and Xu Xian, are just like that."
Lei Tingjun was also lying on the bed, thinking about Ji Wanmei, and answered A-Qiang's question: "Although the stories in those novels are a bit exaggerated, they are roughly like that."
Ah Qiang asked honestly, "So, Brother Lei, are you like that too, always thinking about Miss Ji? But I've never heard you mention her before."
Lei Tingjun smiled faintly: "The person you like is just someone you keep in your heart. Saying it out loud is just for show."
How could he not miss Ji Wanmei?
He was going crazy thinking about it.
Thinking about her made every muscle in my body ache.
But when a man truly falls in love with a woman, what he wants to give her is not just love in his heart and spirit.
He should also shoulder the responsibilities, obligations, and duties of a man.
When a man does these things out of love for a woman, that's when he truly loves her.
Instead of empty words like "I like you" or "I love you".
Anyone can say empty words of flattery and pleasing, but not everyone can truly put the meaning of "I love you" into action.
A person like Lei Tingjun doesn't fall in love easily, but once he does, it's for life.
***
The next day, Lei Tingjun took the kiln bricks from Honghe Township to the construction site to discuss business.
In the few months since arriving in Pingdong City, Lei Tingjun has visited several construction sites.
In addition to Fangyuan Construction Company, he is also in talks with the construction site of the Hongxing Factory employee dormitory about waste recycling, but they have not given a clear answer yet.
State-owned factories like this usually have many approval procedures, which Lei Tingjun was also aware of.
Today he'll go over there to talk about the waste from the Red Star Factory and the red bricks as well.
If Lei Tingjun could both transport red bricks to the Hongxing Factory and take on the waste recycling of their projects, that would be two good sources of income.
Thunder Army's "Thunder Transport Team" is now almost independent of Fangyuan Construction Company, but it also has an outsourcing partnership with Fangyuan Construction.
Of course, Zhao Yingda's appreciation and respect for Lei Tingjun played a significant role in this.
Lei Tingjun was also loyal to Zhao Yingda. Although he had already formed his own transportation team, he still helped Fangyuan Construction transport building materials. Whenever there was work, he would give priority to Zhao Yingda's Fangyuan Company.
If he can acquire the brick factory in Honghe Township, the first company he can discuss cooperation with is Zhao Yingda.
His team could work harder, make more trips on muddy mountain roads, and earn less money in the early stages, but they had to get the brick factory business started.
When they arrived at the office of the director of the engineering office at the Red Star Factory, Lei Tingjun brought two boxes of good cigarettes and liquor as a gift.
When starting a business from scratch, it's inevitable to need to "grease palms" (bribes/grudges) when negotiating business deals.
For Lei Tingjun, offering two packs of good cigarettes and alcohol, and having a polite meal together is the bare minimum.
If the other party makes exorbitant demands and is greedy, Thunder Army would rather not cooperate with such a person.
It's not that Lei Tingjun couldn't afford to give out those few hundred yuan in red envelopes, but rather that if this project fell into the hands of someone like him, it would only bring misfortune to the employees below.
Whether it's cutting corners or lining their own pockets under various pretexts, Lei Tingjun will never condone such behavior.
Upon arriving at the Red Star Factory, Lei Tingjun knocked on the door of the engineering director.
When the engineering director of the Red Star Factory saw Lei Tingjun arrive again, he gave him a nonchalant look.
Seeing what he was carrying, she sighed, "Xiao Lei, don't waste your time. I already told you last time that the waste recycling in our factory dormitory and factory is handled by a specialized recycling company. Even if you come to me, I can't make that decision."
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