Chapter 11 An ordinary white jade hairpin and "Zhao Feiyan..."
On the construction site.
Foreman Liu and several engineers stood beside the foundation pit, watching the water flow gradually decrease, and finally breathed a sigh of relief.
Once the matter was completely resolved and everyone was alone, the senior engineer quietly said to the foreman, "Old Liu, we owe you a lot this time, otherwise we would have been in serious trouble!"
He cupped his hands in a gesture of deep gratitude to Foreman Liu, as if he needed no thanks. If something truly irreparable went wrong and caused economic losses, and it came to light that he had violated site rules by going out to eat, he would definitely be held responsible.
What a relief!
He said with lingering fear, "Luckily you held on until we arrived, otherwise the cost would have been too high if it had taken longer. I have to say, you're a real hidden gem; you managed to find the leak so accurately in such a short time."
Foreman Liu chuckled: "Don't you know my skill level? This time, it's all thanks to the old Taoist priest I invited."
Senior Engineer: "...Is that the expert you told me about before?"
He knew that Foreman Liu was somewhat superstitious. Those who work on construction sites are more or less superstitious.
Foreman Liu: "This time it really wasn't one of those charlatans!"
He then told the senior engineer everything that had just happened. The senior engineer went to the leaking area of the foundation pit and looked at it again and again, then stared blankly at the few temporary caissons that had been pulled up.
If he had been there, he probably would have used a drainage pipe and grouting, which would have been more effective. But what's remarkable is that the old man wasn't a civil engineer, yet he was able to pinpoint the location of the leak precisely, placing the caisson accurately every time, which greatly delayed the process.
This kind of discernment is built up through experience.
Moreover, he had seen this principle in books when he was studying, but it is rarely used directly like this in modern times.
"It is indeed the fish-mouth water-dividing method..." After a long while, the senior engineer sighed, "I didn't expect that this ancient method can still be used today, and the effect is quite good."
No wonder my teacher became obsessed with ancient architecture after achieving great success!
I wonder if this old gentleman also has some knowledge of ancient architecture?
"By the way, Lao Liu, did you give it to him?" He remembered and made a money gesture to Foreman Liu.
Foreman Liu immediately nodded: "Of course! A big red envelope!"
He invited Yuwen Kai to the construction site hoping he could give him some advice on feng shui. Now that Yuwen Kai had not only improved the feng shui for him but also solved a major problem, he naturally had to reward him handsomely.
......
Yuwen Kai didn't know how much was in the red envelope; to him it was just some red paper. But Lu Xiaoqi counted it and found a full 30,000 yuan!
She worked hard for several days and painstakingly earned 5,000 yuan from the system, while Yuwen Kai earned 30,000 yuan in just two or three days after arriving, after only spending one morning going out for a stroll!
What does this tell us?
The system popped up: "This shows that knowledge is power."
Lu Xiaoqi: ...So is she illiterate?
"Shut up!"
Although she really wanted to keep the 30,000 yuan for herself, she eventually returned it to Yuwen Kai: "Teacher Yuwen, this is money you earned yourself, so you can keep it. I'll open a bank account for you later, so it will be convenient for you to use it."
Seeing her reluctant expression and resolute actions, Yuwen Kai stroked his beard and smiled: "Young friend Lu, just take it. I know you need money to build that town. That town is also closely related to us, so accept this money and use it as needed. Consider it a small token of our appreciation."
Song Wu Sao overheard most of what was going on and roughly knew that Lu Xiaoqi was still worried about rebuilding the town. She immediately patted her chest and said, "Xiao Lu, if there is a shortage of money for rebuilding the town, I will give you all the money I earn. Mr. Yuwen is right. We were able to come here because of that town. Moreover, we eat and drink your food every day and rely on you to spend money. We should give you some money."
Zhao Feiyan secretly regretted that she had been empress for too long and hadn't reacted in time. She knew things were going badly. It was always more disadvantageous to express one's opinion later than to express it first, but not expressing one's opinion was absolutely out of the question.
She immediately pulled out the exquisite white jade phoenix hairpin she always used from behind her head and presented it with both hands: "Xiao Lu, this is something I always carry with me. Perhaps I can exchange it for some money at a pawn shop. If you don't mind, please accept it."
Alas, it's a pity she was sent to guard the tomb when she died, and she didn't have anything valuable on her. If she had been favored by the emperor, any one of her belongings could have easily been used to build a small town.
Lu Xiaoqi's eyes lit up. It was a white jade hairpin with an ancient design, but it looked incredibly comfortable and warm, and it looked very valuable.
Is it really... possible?
“It is possible,” the system popped up again. “Although it’s just a segment of historical projection, their [illegible] are real, and the items they brought are also real, so of course they can be sold.”
Lu Xiaoqi: "But?"
The system chuckled: "However, these things don't have the blessing of time."
Lu Xiaoqi immediately understood. Antiques become antiques because they have been weathered and refined by time; every mark on them reflects the passage of time. Without the passage of time, the white jade hairpin is just a white jade hairpin, not "the white jade hairpin worn by Zhao Feiyan." The latter could sell for two million, but the former would only fetch twenty thousand.
She felt a pang of regret in her heart for a long time, and then returned the white phoenix hairpin to Zhao Feiyan: "This is the only piece of jewelry you brought from ancient times. You should keep it safe. It's a keepsake."
Yuwen Kai pondered for a moment and said, "How about this, if there are any more such incidents in the future, the money obtained will be split between me and young friend Lu?"
In the past, money was nothing to him; to even glance at it would be a loss for him, and he would laugh at others for being so materialistic and lacking in the demeanor of a noble family. But things were different now. He was penniless and relied on a young girl for everything, so he couldn't very well ask her for money every time he wanted to buy something. He needed to keep some money on him.
The other two also came to their senses and nodded in agreement.
Lu Xiaoqi was a little touched.
She thought for a moment and decided that she couldn't refuse their kindness. After thinking for a while, she said, "Alright, then I won't stand on ceremony. The town is indeed short of money right now, but I'll make up for it later."
In reality, she was the one who benefited—although she was currently paying for everything, she had gained such a large ancient town and so many extra NPC employees out of thin air, which were costs she was obligated to pay. Lu Xiaoqi understood these gains and losses and the logic behind it. However, she was indeed short of money and had no choice but to accept the kindness of these people for now.
She plans to write it down first, and then return it to them once the ancient town is up and running and makes money, or perhaps convert it into shares or dividends.
Having made up her mind, Lu Xiaoqi didn't stand on ceremony and happily accepted the red envelope from Yuwen Kai: "Then I won't be polite. I'll take half, and I'll deposit the other half for you later. I'll open a bank account for you, so it will be more convenient then."
It wasn't just Yuwen Kai; Song Wu Sao and Zhao Feiyan also needed to have some money.
The group ate together, with Lu Xiaoqi and Song Wu's wife doing most of the talking, Zhao Feiyan occasionally chiming in. Yuwen Kai was initially a bit awkward, clearly not used to eating with a group of women. He gradually got used to it and began to sit quietly and daydream throughout, but overall, the atmosphere among them was quite harmonious.
Lu Xiaoqi was very satisfied. This was her makeshift troupe in her ancient town... oops, no, her initial team. Everything was developing in a positive direction.
Over the next two days, she opened bank accounts for the group, checked out of the hotel, and rented a small two-bedroom apartment for Yuwen Kai in the neighborhood—after all, they were from ancient times, and it was a bit unreasonable to ask a man and a woman to share a room.
With all the trivial matters settled, Lu Xiaoqi was on her way to meet her senior classmate who worked in the bank's credit department.
As soon as I stepped outside, I heard a system notification in my mind:
Weekly tasks have been refreshed!
Lu Xiaoqi entered the system space and found that this week's tasks were different:
"Task 1: Help three NPCs integrate into modern society. Reward: 20,000 yuan."
"Task 2: Please arrange the ancient town cleaning task within this week. Task reward: one special building blueprint."
"For this weekly mission, players can choose one of two options."
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