Chapter 124 Worrying about Money
We said nothing along the way and saw the president off.
On the way home, I received a call from Xiaolin:
"Brother Wan, the house is almost finished. When can you come and take a look?"
"In half an hour."
"Okay then. I'll wait for you."
I hadn't been there for a long time and was eager to go home. After getting off the ring road, I took a shortcut and arrived in just half an hour.
I walked into the living room and my eyes lit up at first glance. Even though it was just a first clean, the lights, the walls, the windows, the entrance hall… gave me a strong stimulation:
An exquisite duplex suite, a unique world belonging to Wanshanhong, a countryman's dream, suddenly appeared before my eyes, making me feel like I was in a dream.
Xiaolin, where is Xiaolin?
I heard a noise in the bathroom and walked in. I saw Xiaolin wearing work clothes, with his back to me, kneeling on the ground, wiping something.
She sensed my presence, stood up, turned around and smiled at me: "Are you here?"
Then, as if afraid that I would find fault later, he smiled apologetically and said, "This floor drain needs to be reinstalled. The engineer was lazy and couldn't install it, so he hammered it in."
I squatted down and took a look: "This... is no big problem."
She turned on the faucet, washed her hands, wiped them on her work clothes, and said, "I'll show you through it."
From one floor to multiple floors, she knew everything by heart, explaining to me in detail how each room was laid out, how each switch was controlled, and what each plug was used for... From the overall to the details, she knew it all by heart.
Finally, she took me to the balcony on the second floor and pointed to a long pool:
"This is the vegetable pond I asked the craftsmen to build for you. Your parents have lived in the countryside for too long, and they feel restless if they don't grow some vegetables. Living upstairs, drinking tea and looking at the scenery will get boring after a while. Growing some vegetables will not only exercise your body, but also make it convenient to pick ginger, garlic, and chili peppers. It also makes good use of the remaining broken porcelain tiles."
My heart warmed. I thought, even if my brother-in-law were to supervise the work, he wouldn't be as serious as Xiaolin. Even if Xiaolin was as serious, he wouldn't be as professional. Even if Xiaolin was as professional, he wouldn't be as attentive.
I found it impeccable and exceeded my expectations, so I said from the bottom of my heart: "You really decorated it like you were decorating it yourself. You are so attentive, so responsible, and so...
She stared at me and said, "Don't be so particular. I want to remind you that according to the contract, you must pay the remaining balance next week."
I joked, "What if you don't pay it off?"
"Then you have to be careful of our Mr. Tan."
"How is your Tan Zong?"
"She's a good person. She's very serious about taking on projects and settling bills. No one dares to pay her less than a penny or delay payment for even a minute. Otherwise, she'll turn against her faster than turning the pages of a book."
"Comrade Xiaolin, what about your General Tan? He always says, 'You have the final say. Who told me to run into you in such a vast crowd?' And then he wipes his face away, faster than a Sichuan opera master."
She said seriously, "I also hope you can settle it on time."
"You've collected your salary and commission, and you're planning to leave?"
"As expected of a master, you can calculate everything." She squinted at me.
"Then, go to a first-tier city with your boyfriend to develop your career?"
"Yes." She drawled.
"Okay, thanks for the reminder. How can I not pay on time?"
"I'm just reminding you that you have a lot on your plate."
I thanked Xiaolin profusely. She took a call and went to another construction site. I took another close look at the building, and the more I looked, the more I liked it.
After looking at the house, I went downstairs and got in the car. I lit a cigarette and felt inexplicably nervous.
After sitting for a long time, he drove the car like crazy, parked it in front of the store, and entered the night talk room.
What's wrong with me?
He lit another cigarette and tried to clear his mind.
Xiaolin, you were so enthusiastic at the beginning, as if we were in love. But when the project was finished, where did that feeling go?
The first thing he does is ask for money.
Maybe the feeling of being in love that she gave me was not an exception, but her usual professional approach; maybe she was particularly serious, which was her usual style of doing things; maybe she really had a boyfriend, and like Xi Ruoqin, she wanted to develop in a bigger place.
If she hadn't talked about money in the end, I would have felt much better. In my impression, she was a beautiful woman who was otherworldly and detached.
My brother-in-law came in and said, "I just saw you packing up the car and thought you were going upstairs. Come upstairs and eat."
I nodded, walked to the front yard, and said, "There's something in the car. Director Ming gave it to me."
The two of them went upstairs carrying some fish, tea, wine and other things.
When my mother saw it, she asked, "Who sent you so many things?"
"Director Ming."
"This director will become a high-ranking official in the future."
My brother-in-law laughed and said, "Are you better at fortune-telling than Master Wan?"
"Master Wan, Master Wan! He didn't even know how to cry when he was born. It was only when Mrs. Sun next door slapped him on the butt three times that he cried out in pain, and then he couldn't stop crying."
My brother-in-law couldn't stop laughing. But I couldn't laugh.
The family eats around the table.
My mother asked, "Is everything done?"
I nodded. "I'm quite satisfied. The workmanship is fine. I'll give it another half year of airing to dry it out and get rid of the odor. We can move in by the end of the lunar year."
My mother said, "People are a bit strange. If I were to move there, I'd be reluctant to leave. I'm used to living here, chatting with the old neighbor lady, planting some vegetables, and taking care of Gao Nai..."
My sister thought about it and said, "The two elders should stay here. It would be better to go over there later so that they can get more fresh air."
They were discussing the house, but I couldn't feel happy. I'd thought Mr. Tan was easy to deal with, and had already raised 200,000 yuan for her. I'd tell her to pay the remaining 200,000 yuan in two installments within a year. But the Mr. Tan Xiaolin mentioned seemed unyielding.
My mother asked, "Why do you look so gloomy?"
I looked up and gave a wry smile. "The renovation company still needs to pay 200,000 yuan. I wanted to pay it back, but they're not very easy to talk to."
As soon as the words came out, everyone ate in silence.
I took a few bites, went downstairs, and closed the door. Sitting on the bed, I felt a surge of regret. I shouldn't have bought such a large bowl. My sister didn't express her opinion, as she'd already lent me money once. I also understood that a business like hers requires cash flow. Besides, no matter how big a noodle shop is, it's still a noodle shop.
As for my father, he only had a pension of three or four thousand yuan, and even if my mother saved, she couldn't save much. I started to count the spare money I had, and it didn't add up to more than fifty thousand yuan.
Who to borrow money from?
Director Ming?
I haven't thought it through yet.
Maybe Ms. Tan is not what Xiaolin said. She is only strict with people she doesn't know well, or people she thinks are not financially strong or lack credibility, and she might show leniency to me.
There is always a way out. Give it a try and talk to Mr. Tan first. Don't make yourself miserable.
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