After dinner, Jiang Hexi called everyone to the living room and told them about a lucrative business opportunity:
"After retiring from the Forestry University, Professor Luo moved to the shore of Sanxi Lake in the suburbs. He dedicated himself to turning the shore of Sanxi Lake into an ecological wetland park for egrets, and he and his wife lived by the lake for twelve years."
"There is only one dirt road in and out of Sanxi Lake. Due to the driving of cars, the road has long been full of potholes. Professor Luo has asked the county to repair the road many times, but no approval has been issued. He had no choice but to pay out of his own pocket to hire people to repair the road."
"But he could only afford 20,000 yuan for road repairs, which included all costs such as labor, materials, and machine rental."
Shen Yingyu picked up the manuscript paper and began to do calculations. "How long does he want to build the road? What are the specific requirements?"
"That dirt road is one kilometer long and three meters wide."
Jiang Hexi recounted everything she had learned: "Professor Luo only requested a gravel road to facilitate the movement of people in and out."
Shen Yingyu conducted cost accounting while consulting relevant materials:
“Natural gravel costs 100 yuan per ton, and one ton of gravel can roughly pave 32 square meters of dirt road. If we calculate it this way, the cost of buying gravel alone would be more than 9,000 yuan. Add to that the rental costs of excavators and graders, and we can’t take this job.”
Yan Jie suggested, "Unless Professor Luo is willing to increase the fee to 30,000."
"If we could increase the money, we wouldn't have had to repair that road."
When Jiang Hexi was working at the village committee, she had already mentally reviewed the accounts. Driven by necessity, she devised a new approach:
“I asked the village chief, and he said that when the road was built by carving into the mountainside, a lot of crushed gravel was left at the entrance of the village. We can use this to pave the road.”
"The rental fees for excavators and graders are not cheap. If we work overtime and take turns working, can we save half of the rental fee?"
Yu Xiangwan also spoke up: "To earn 15,000 in a short period of time, this is the only job we can find right now."
Yan Jie couldn't help but look at Jiang Hexi with newfound respect; with such cost-cutting measures, the profits would be quite substantial.
"It's worth a try."
Jiang Hexi collapsed into the chair with a sigh of relief.
Yu Xiangwan came over and massaged her shoulders, gently rubbing away the knots and pressing on acupoints with varying pressure until the woman's eyes were half-closed.
"Xi-mei, you've worked hard this time. Chu Yang, bring out the foot bath tub and help Xi-mei soak her feet."
"Sister, I'll go get the medicine right away."
As soon as Chu Yang left, Chai Fei, who had been lying listlessly on the sofa, was the first to sit up:
"No wonder the previous guests said you were bullying the newcomers. Why does Xi Mei get massages and foot baths while I don't?"
"Gossip Girl, when you were stuck in the mud and couldn't get out, who crossed the entire pond to pull you out of the mud? And who did the work of two people and retrieved the bottom net for you?"
Jiang Hexi pressed on with domineering questions, completely silencing Chai Fei's temper.
Learning from Nan Xi's experience, Yu Xiangwan was ruthless when it came to taking action:
“When we went up the mountain to collect eggs, you complained of being tired after walking just a few steps. You found a shady spot to sit and wait for me to come back from the mountain. I didn’t say anything to you, but you still wanted me to massage your shoulders.”
Chu Yang brought out the foot bath water, following her sisters' example:
“Sister Chai, it’s not that I don’t want to treat this bucket of foot bath water fairly, it’s just that when we were cleaning the beehives, you kept whimpering for ages but didn’t manage to clean a single hive. In the end, I had to clean up the mess for you. If this isn’t taking care of a newbie, then I won’t do anything anymore.”
"Don't--!"
Chai Fei exclaimed in panic, "What I just said was a question to Director Chen: Why does Xi Mei get massage and foot bath treatments? Why didn't the production team have the staff prepare them for me?"
She vented all her frustrations on Director Chen, saying, "Before inviting me, he showered me with all sorts of flattery, completely fooling me. But after I arrived, all I did was work from dawn till dusk, and he didn't even prepare a foot bath for me!"
Chu Yang chimed in, "Sister Chai, there are still herbs in the storeroom. I'll go and boil some water for your foot bath right away."
The men sitting on the sofa all suggested that Chu Yang boil their foot bath water as well.
Director Chen was in the wrong. He had tried everything to persuade Chai Fei to participate in the variety show, but the show's rules were set in stone, and he couldn't make an exception for her.
He handed over command of the scene to the assistant director, pretended to be too busy, and walked out the door while answering the phone.
[Director Chen: What's wrong with this woman? It's one thing to betray us, but she dares to say anything out loud. Can she really say those private things in front of the camera?]
[The gossip girl was visibly nervous, afraid of becoming the next Nan Xi; her ability to change her tune so easily is truly remarkable.]
[The Jackal-Wolf CP is so cute! Director Chen criticizes everyone and everything, even the guests, but he just doesn't dare to criticize Chai Fei!]
[I like the heavy tastes upstairs.]
The seven guests sat in a row on the sofa, soaking their feet. Their expressions of enjoyment with their eyes closed were strikingly similar, as if they had been cut from the same mold.
Everyone was too tired to talk and was completely absorbed in the enjoyment of soaking their feet.
The assistant director, taking full control for the first time, noticed zero interaction in the live stream. Following Director Chen's previous approach, he began to prompt the production team with the program's procedures:
"Seven guests, the production team, on behalf of the village chief, would like to inform you that all three acres of peaches have been harvested. The orchards are now overgrown with weeds, and it's time to go up the mountain to clear them."
Jiang Hexi's pleasant foot bath was interrupted by this abrupt sound, and she complained to Chai Fei:
"Gossip Girl, don't you think they're annoying? They wouldn't let you soak your feet before, but now that you're doing it, they're making a racket and disturbing your peace."
Yu Xiangwan turned to look at Chai Fei and said, "They have no idea what it feels like to be so tired that you don't want to talk."
Chu Yang added insult to injury, "Sister Chai, the production team used to bully us like this. No one stood up for us, so we could only endure it."
Chai Fei lifted her eyelids, gave the three of them a reassuring look, and then sternly shouted at the assistant director:
"Shut up."
The assistant director stood there, at a loss. He didn't want to offend the person Director Chen dared not mess with, nor could he afford to offend him either.
Chai Fei looked at Jiang Hexi and made a small request:
“Xi-mei, please get me a foot bath tub with a foot massage function later. Mine is too basic. If netizens say you’re bullying newbies, I won’t know how to defend you.”
Xie Wanyi seconded, "Get me one too."
Jiang Hexi glanced at the shallow plastic basin at their feet; it was indeed rather shabby.
"Okay, next time we go to the town market, I'll buy you both a luxury foot bath tub."
This foot bath tub has a special sense of ritual to it; whoever owns it is an official, unofficial member of the five-person chaebol group.
[Not only was Gossip Girl recruited, but she was also recruited to become the leader of the villains. Director Chen, you've really shot yourself in the foot!]
The trio's instigating tactics, their persuasive rhetoric, and their sly, sly demeanor are truly captivating.
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