Guan Baiyu had boasted to his deskmate about how good Shi Zhen had been to him, and his mood gradually calmed down, so he began to study seriously.
That year, Shi Zhen took on several more projects, his team grew larger, and he earned more and more money.
Back then, it took Shi Zhen a long time to save up enough money to buy a tricycle, but now he owns two large trucks.
Making money is like rolling a snowball; as long as you take the right path, the snowball will grow faster and faster over time.
But he stayed at school.
This made him feel that the gap between him and Shi Zhen was widening.
Of course, he owns shares in Wah Kwong.
After a year of development, Huaguang has gained a certain reputation in the province and its sales are very good. However, now that Huaguang has developed to this point, he only takes dividends and no longer cares about anything else.
Because the company is expanding, the dividends are not yet substantial.
After evening self-study, Guan Baiyu and his deskmate went back to the dormitory and took out cola chicken wings to share with the people in the dormitory.
He wanted to eat them all himself, but he definitely couldn't finish them all by himself, and in the middle of summer, chicken wings can't be kept for long.
Back in my first year of high school, for a long time, there were rumors circulating at No. 1 High School that Guan Baiyu's family was very poor, but now, no one talks about it anymore.
Guan Baiyu is good at academics and good-looking, so it's pointless for him to go and criticize others for being poor.
Those who know Guan Baiyu well know that his family background is probably quite good. He is always frugal with his money and doesn't like to show off, but his food, clothing and daily necessities are not bad.
"Guan Baiyu, your family's cooking is amazing! These chicken wings are so delicious!" The people in the dormitory praised as they ate.
Sweet meat dishes like cola chicken wings are very suitable for local tastes.
"This is made with cola. It's very simple to make. You can try it too," Guan Baiyu said.
"Sigh, if I had Coke, I'd definitely drink it straight away; I wouldn't use it for cooking," someone said.
After entering their senior year of high school, many students will not go back to school even on weekends, but will stay at school to study.
The school also provides convenience for these students; the dormitory doors are not locked.
Although the cafeteria is closed, the school store remains open, allowing students to go out and buy food nearby.
But Guan Baiyu was different. No matter if it was a long or short prayer day, he would always go out. And every time he went out, he would bring back some food for his roommates.
Sometimes it's a cooked meal, sometimes it's some snacks or drinks.
Occasionally, Guan Baiyu would also take some of Huaguang's new ballpoint pens and share them with them.
Everyone in their dorm liked Guan Baiyu very much.
Evening self-study at school ends at 9 p.m., and the dormitory lights go out at 10 p.m.
Guan Baiyu took a shower at home, ate, brushed his teeth, and went to bed early, reading a book while waiting for the lights to be turned off.
He was considered one of the earlier students to go to bed at his school.
In their dorm room, some students would study for several extra hours at night with flashlights, while others would doze off for a while after returning to the dorm, then get up at midnight to read until 2 a.m. before going to sleep again.
But Guan Baiyu would go to sleep as soon as the lights were turned off.
Shi Zhen told him to go to bed early every day. Although Shi Zhen couldn't see what he did at school, he was still willing to listen to Shi Zhen.
As soon as the dormitory lights went out, Guan Baiyu fell asleep quickly.
Guan Baiyu woke up before six o'clock the next morning. Some people in the dormitory were still sleeping, while others, like his deskmate, were already awake.
Instead of washing up, the two secretly got up and went for a walk on the playground.
Guan Baiyu has a habit of taking a walk on the playground every morning, reviewing the previous day's knowledge as he walks...
Guan Baiyu's deskmate became familiar with him and started going for walks with him. He thought it was a great way to walk; they would ask each other questions, which not only helped them review their lessons but also allowed them to chat as they walked. After half an hour, they felt incredibly refreshed.
They didn't have much class yesterday, so they quickly finished reviewing. Guan Baiyu's deskmate then asked, "Guan Baiyu, when are you going home to stay?"
"After I finish this week's classes, I'll go home to live," Guan Baiyu said.
After entering their senior year of high school, many students at the No. 1 High School in the city started living at home.
After all, it's more comfortable to live at home. If I need to study, I don't have to worry about disturbing my classmates, nor do I have to worry about my classmates disturbing my sleep.
Guan Baiyu knew Sun Qiqi and Qiu Yunxin, both of whom went home to live immediately after the end of their second year of high school.
Guan Baiyu was quite envious when he found out, and also wanted to go home to live. After all, the house he and Shi Zhen rented was not far from the No. 1 Middle School in the city, only a ten-minute bike ride away.
But if he goes home, Shi Zhen will have to spend a lot of time and energy taking care of him... He's afraid of tiring Shi Zhen out.
Also... if he goes home, he might not be able to concentrate on his studies.
When Shi Zhen isn't around, he might think about him occasionally in his spare time, but when Shi Zhen is present, he's more likely to focus all his attention on him.
So he never mentioned going home to live with Shi Zhen, and Shi Zhen... never mentioned it either.
However, when he returned yesterday, he found that his bedroom had been equipped with an air conditioner, and Shi Zhen even asked him if he wanted to go back to live there... Of course, he wanted to go back.
He's already learned everything he needs to learn, and with the college entrance exam approaching... he should relax a bit!
And honestly, it's definitely better to sleep at home than at school. Although their dorm rooms have electric fans, it's still extremely hot to sleep in the middle of summer, and there are mosquitoes too.
Last summer, during their tutoring sessions, some students were so hot that they simply carried a bucket of water, then soaked their feet and calves in the cold water to sleep.
Guan Baiyu's deskmate is Lu Mingqi. His family is from a town in Changxi City. His family is well-off, and he is the youngest child in the family, so he is quite spoiled.
"That's great! I also want to live outside." Lu Mingqi said, "It's very inconvenient to take a shower at school, and they study so late at night, disturbing my sleep."
Guan Baiyu has excellent sleep quality, while Lu Mingqi's is just average; he can't fall asleep if others make any noise while reading at night.
"We'll be liberated soon!" Guan Baiyu said.
Lu Mingqi was pleased, but then remembered something: "By the way, Guan Baiyu, we're about to take the college entrance exam... After the exam, are you going to confess your feelings?"
Guan Baiyu remained silent.
"But you two don't need to confess, right? I think you're already together... You don't need to say anything, just kiss her!" Based on what Guan Baiyu told him, he felt that Guan Baiyu and his older sister's relationship was just one step away from being official.
Once the paper window is lifted, the wedding night can begin immediately.
I'm so envious just thinking about it.
Guan Baiyu said, "I need to think about it."
Although Guan Baiyu had told Lu Mingqi a lot about himself and Shi Zhen, he really didn't dare to confess his feelings.
Shi Zhen treated him like a younger brother, but he would feel guilty whenever he got close to Shi Zhen, feeling that he was taking advantage of Shi Zhen.
"Your older sister is twenty-one now, right? She must have a lot of people trying to set her up with potential partners. You should make the most of it," Lu Mingqi encouraged his deskmate.
His deskmate has had a crush on her for so long, and they even go on dates every weekend. It would be an injustice if he didn't confess.
"I will," Guan Baiyu said.
He actually had an idea all along.
After the college entrance examination, barring any unforeseen circumstances, the students in their class will likely get together.
At that time, could he... have a drink and then do something under the influence of alcohol?
He didn't necessarily need a result, but he was going to university in another city, which would take him even further away from Shi Zhen... He just wanted to get a hug while he was drunk.
Shi Zhen was completely unaware of Guan Baiyu's thoughts.
He had met Guan Baiyu's teacher and had the teacher's contact information. They would contact each other from time to time, but they would only talk about Guan Baiyu's studies. He knew that Guan Baiyu's grades were very stable, she had a good attitude, and no one bullied her at school, so he was at ease and wouldn't ask any more questions.
On Monday morning, Shi Zhen returned to Anshan Town early in the morning.
He has a municipal engineering project to do in Anshan Town.
Last year, after he took on the job of building 32 houses, he worked very hard and did not cut corners at all. This year, things are getting better and better.
Of course, he encountered some problems when he was working on that project—some people ran out of money while building their houses and wanted to pay in debt.
This kind of thing is really common. Many contractors can't do anything about it. They were helpless about it in their past lives.
At that time, he couldn't stop work just because he wasn't getting paid, because if he stopped work, he would suffer huge losses.
So he had no choice but to bite the bullet and keep going.
As a result, those who asked him to build houses saw that some people didn't pay but still got their houses built, so they followed suit and also refused to pay.
Otherwise...wouldn't they be at a loss?
Most contractors can make money, but they also lose a lot. He almost lost money back then, but he gritted his teeth and stopped the work to barely collect the money.
But in the end, almost every family owed him tens of thousands of yuan. When he went to collect the debts, they treated him like royalty.
Moreover, many of them said that if others gave it to them, they would give it to them too.
He even considered suing those people, but in their line of work, sometimes you can't be too tough, lest others be afraid to cooperate with you.
Moreover, by then, several years had passed. Even if people owed him some money, he could still make a profit, and in the end, that money became a bad debt.
This life is different... After someone stopped contributing money, Shi Zhen immediately stopped construction.
He has more than one project under his management. If this project is suspended, the workers can go to other construction sites... Who's afraid of who?
After the work was suspended, Shi Zhen visited those who had paid in full and apologized to them one by one. He also went to see those who hadn't paid and conveyed the same message—if they didn't have the money, he wouldn't start work there.
After a few days of work stoppage, most people paid their fees in full. As for those who really couldn't pay...
Shi Zhen approached them and offered them a suggestion—if they really didn't have the money, they could sign a contract with someone to sell a house or a shop before the house was built...wouldn't that give them money?
It's not twenty years from now. The storefront is quite valuable. As for the apartment upstairs... a 140-square-meter precast concrete building like this can sell for 50,000 yuan a unit, which is still acceptable.
Ever since he started building this house, everyone in town has known that it's of good quality.
Some of these plots of land are owned by one family, while others are shared by two families... Even if two families share one plot, it still results in one house and two storefronts.
The house they built, including the foundation, cost less than 100,000 yuan. Now, one of the houses can be sold for 50,000 yuan... and they'll have half the money.
They have a house to live in and a storefront to rent out, so they're definitely making a profit!
Some people listened to Shi Zhen and sold their houses.
Some families couldn't afford a foundation before, but now that the houses are being built, they want a new house... They are willing to spend 50,000 yuan to buy a house.
Once the money issue was resolved, Shi Zhen's project proceeded very smoothly.
At the end of last year, Shi Zhen completed the entire project.
The house, built by Shi Zhen, has a sloping roof covered with large red tiles.
Compared to flat roofs, sloping roofs are more practical for ordinary people as they are less prone to leaks. As for the exterior walls, he covered them with blue and white mosaic tiles as requested by the guests.
The house was unfinished, but Shi Zhen installed the doors and windows. After the client inspected it and confirmed there were no problems, he gave him the final 5,000 yuan he owed, and then handed over the house.
In his past life, he did this kind of project several years later, when money was worthless, and the final payment was 10,000. Now, he only has 5,000 left.
And unsurprisingly, some people didn't want to give that five thousand.
They didn't say they didn't want to give it, they just said they didn't have the money right now and would have to wait.
Shi Zhen didn't dwell on it. He simply tidied up the house and turned it into dormitories for his workers.
If the homeowner really pursues this matter, he will have to pay compensation. However... if they really go to court, he will also have to give the homeowner the five thousand.
The contracts were all signed, and the houses he built had no quality issues whatsoever. The project was even completed ahead of schedule, and they couldn't find any fault with them.
In the end, those people couldn't stand having a new house built but no one to live in it, so they gave the money.
Shi Zhen received all the money by the end of last year, and made about 700,000 yuan from the entire project.
It's all thanks to his experience in managing workers; otherwise... the longer the project is delayed, the less money he'll earn.
The other three people who took on the project were building houses at a slower pace. They didn't finish building them last year, and they continued building this year. However, because the provincial capital and Shanghai have been carrying out construction projects for the past few years, the prices of cement and other building materials have risen again after the New Year. After they finish their work, they definitely won't earn as much as him.
However, Shi Zhen also noticed that their project was not very good in terms of quality.
By the time the project was finished, it would be the end of the year. Shi Zhen still had other projects to do, plus Guan Baiyu was a senior in high school and needed to attend tutoring classes during the winter break... Last year, Shi Zhen did not go back to his hometown for the Spring Festival.
Since he wasn't going back, Shi Dalin and the others, after considering it, also didn't go back.
Many of his relatives have come here to work, and he sees them often, so Shi Dalin no longer has any strong desire to go back.
Most importantly, the house in his hometown had been uninhabited for three years and was already dilapidated. The thought of living in such a house when he went back made Shi Dalin lose interest.
He would rather spend that time decorating his new house.
The location of their house's foundation was chosen by Shi Zhen. It faced east and was the southernmost unit in a row of houses, meaning that their house also had windows on the south side.
Although the land here is a bit more expensive than other land, this house is definitely better than other houses.
The final division of the house was as follows: the second floor went to Shi Dashan and Chen Xiaofen, the third floor to Shi Dalin and Zhao Meiyun, the fourth floor to Zhao Qiujuan, and the fifth floor to Shi Xingchao.
Shi Dashan and Chen Xiaofen didn't want to climb too many stairs, so they chose the second floor. As for Shi Xingchao, he wanted the highest floor, the fifth floor, firstly because he didn't mind taking the stairs, and secondly because... Shi Zhen built a sloping roof, so the fifth floor had an attic.
A similar house, but with an extra attic – much more profit! Shi Xingchao naturally liked it.
Shi Dalin and Zhao Qiujuan didn't feel like they were at a disadvantage. In fact, there's a saying now: "Gold on the third floor, silver on the fourth floor." Most people prefer the third and fourth floors.
Six months have passed, and the new house is almost finished with renovations, but no one has moved in yet. They plan to move in July when summer vacation starts, Guan Baiyu finishes his college entrance exams, and Shi Dalin and his friends' shop is less busy.
After inspecting his own construction site, Shi Zhen went to check out the renovations at the new house.
At that time, people in small places like Anshan Town didn't pay much attention to home decoration as they would later, and they didn't care much about style.
In rural areas, many families simply have cement floors, while in towns, they can move in immediately after installing plumbing and electrical work, tiling the floors, painting the walls white, and buying some furniture.
Zhao Meiyun and Shi Dalin were focused on saving money, so their requirement for the renovation was that it be inexpensive. Therefore, Shi Zhen didn't make too many changes.
Shi Dalin and the others thought they would live in this house for the rest of their lives, but he knew that was impossible.
In another ten years or so, they will definitely need to move to a new house.
So it doesn't matter if the decoration is simple; if you want to improve your quality of life... it mainly comes down to appliances.
At this stage, if he installs a washing machine, air conditioner, and other appliances for his family, their quality of life will improve significantly.
If they're willing to use it.
The renovation is now complete, and we've been letting it air out to dissipate the smell.
Although Zhao Qiujuan also owns an apartment, she lives alone and it's not very interesting, so she still lives with Shi Dalin and his wife. The two south-facing rooms are shared: the master bedroom is for Shi Dalin and his wife, the second bedroom is for her, and the north-facing room is for Shi Ting.
The furniture was all purchased. There is a bed and a wardrobe in the bedroom, and the living room and dining room have simple sofas, coffee tables, TV cabinets, dining tables, and the like.
Shi Zhen put a lot of effort into both bathrooms.
People in the city have been using flush toilets since they were young and are used to them, but Shi Dalin and his friends had never used one before... This is definitely one of their favorite things.
Of course, they would also like shower rooms and water heaters.
After inspecting his own home renovation, Shi Zhen went downstairs and saw that Chen Xiaofen's door was open, and Shi Xingxing was cleaning inside.
"Xingxing, I heard you're getting engaged?" Shi Zhen asked.
"Yes! We'll get engaged after the New Year and get married next year," Shi Xingxing said with a smile.
She's not very old and isn't in a hurry to get married.
"Congratulations," Shi Zhen said with a smile, then asked for details.
Shi Xingxing chose the same husband as in her previous life, Liang Weiguo. She and Liang Weiguo were quite decisive. When Shi Zhen made those who couldn't afford to build houses sell their houses in advance... she gritted her teeth and bought one.
Liang Wei's family is not bad, unlike Liang Dawen's family, which is full of vampires.
Liang Weiguo's parents have always farmed at home and could not provide him with any assistance, but they also did not ask him for money. So, Liang Weiguo kept all the money he earned from working for the past two years.
Shi Xingxing was the same; she had her own money. The two of them pooled their money together and borrowed some from Shi Zhen, and spent 50,000 yuan to buy a house.
It's a little more expensive than buying the land and building the foundation themselves, but to be honest, it's not that much more expensive.
The main problem is that they were indeed short of money before, and they still owe Shi Zhen 20,000 yuan.
Zhao Qiujuan still owes Shi Zhen two thousand, but the debts for everyone else have been settled.
Now, Shi Xingxing has finally gotten her hands on the house, but the property certificate... all the property certificates will take two years to be issued.
After the house was released, it was found that the market price for this house was 55,000, which was a direct increase of 5,000, so Shi Xingxing was actually quite happy.
As they talked, they mentioned Shi Xingchao. When his second brother was mentioned, Shi Xingxing was speechless: "Shi Zhen, you don't know, Shi Xingchao is simply inhuman. Fang Miyan is pregnant, and he still makes her busy."
Shi Zhen said, "Fang Miyan should also... be willing." She's a hardworking person too!
Shi Xingchao's child was born at the end of this year in his previous life, and in this life... it should be about the same.
As for why they were able to get pregnant despite living separately... Shi Xingchao and Fang Miyan had already moved in a few months before Shi Dalin and Shi Dashan moved in.
Shi Xingchao's house wasn't even painted! He had someone do the plumbing and electrical work, installed a toilet and a sink in the bathroom, and moved in right away!
Their house had cement walls with electrical wires wrapped around them.
The floor is concrete, and there's a water pipe in the corner.
As for the rest?
There's nothing else, of course.
Aside from the bed they made themselves and two chairs for sitting, there wasn't even a table in the room.
Because they're not eating here now.
Shi Zhen had visited the place before and had nothing to say afterward.
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