"Joey, just as you said, the last section of the stake has just been installed!"
The bearded man crept up to Joey, who was working, and whispered something in his ear.
"Yeah, don't tell anyone about this, it's our trump card!"
Joey remained calm and continued with her work.
"But Joey, is it really necessary? I think this foreman is quite reliable, and his wife seems like a nice person too; she's always taken good care of us!"
The bearded man, remembering the large chunks of meat in each meal, actually felt a pang of regret after finishing the task Joey had assigned him.
"Big Beard, I understand that you're obligated to help others, but one thing is one thing. Besides, this trump card doesn't affect the overall quality of the wooden bridge. It might just be a lifesaver in a critical moment!"
As the wooden bridge neared completion, Joey, based on her initial analysis, felt that the foreman was not very reliable. Although he had treated her well in general, if she didn't receive her wages this month, all the kindness she had shown him would be completely inadequate to compensate for the unpaid wages.
He's already sorted things out; he can't let himself suffer a loss.
So he had the bearded man install a hidden fastener on the last section of the wooden stake. As long as this fastener was in place, the wooden bridge would be stable and wouldn't collapse as long as the load-bearing capacity was within regulations.
But if this hidden clasp is removed, the wooden bridge will lose the support of a wooden stake, and it will only be a matter of time before it collapses, waiting for a destined person to possess it.
"Alright, it should be finished in the next couple of days anyway!"
The bearded man stopped worrying about it. In any case, he always followed orders. Although he liked to ask questions, the answers weren't what he really cared about.
The next morning.
The morning mist by the river had not yet dissipated, and the area near the wooden bridge was already crowded with people. About a hundred workers were guarding the bridge, not finishing their work, but blocking its completion.
"What are you doing? What are you doing?"
"Why are you making a fuss so early in the morning instead of sleeping?"
The foreman came running over, cursing and swearing. Hearing the commotion, he rushed over without even changing his clothes.
"Your wages are due!"
It was the same burly human man from a month ago. He walked to the front of the crowd and spoke loudly to the foreman.
"The work isn't even finished yet, how can we settle the wages?"
"It's you again, kid. You were the one who started the trouble last time, weren't you?"
The foreman, with a righteous and righteous tone, walked up to the burly man with his round belly sticking out. The distance between the two was the length of the foreman's big belly.
He thought this time it would be as easy to handle as last time. Even if it was difficult to deal with for a while, Joey, who usually said he would take care of him, would definitely step forward again and smooth things over for him.
"Let's not talk about what happened last time, but this time it's different. This wooden bridge can be completed in just half a day, so you have to pay us our wages!"
The burly man was not intimidated by the foreman's words. On the contrary, his eyes were unusually firm, as if to tell the foreman that it would be of no use for Joey to come again this time.
"How can there be a rule that wages should be settled upon completion of the work?"
The foreman wanted to use this as leverage to argue his case, and also hoped that Joey could miraculously appear and rescue him, just like last time.
But after waiting for a long time, Joey did not appear. Instead, the group of workers stared at him menacingly, as if they wanted to devour him alive.
"Joey, is it really okay if we don't go?"
The bearded man found a plate of sunflower seeds somewhere and was now eating them while watching the activity near the wooden bridge through the window of the makeshift shed.
"Of course it's great, it couldn't be better!"
"Just watch the show and let time do its work!"
Joey hadn't even gotten out of bed yet; still half asleep, she barely managed to muster the energy to say a few words to the bearded man after hearing his words. Then she turned over, and a snoring sound immediately came from behind the bearded man.
"Okay, okay, I'll pay half the wages first, and the other half when it's finished!"
The foreman was surrounded by the crowd for an hour. Whether he was scared or genuinely worried about not being able to finish the job on time, he finally had to compromise and agree to go back to his tent to get the money.
The workers tasted the benefits of unity; although they hadn't received their money yet, they were already extremely satisfied.
"Here, count it, that's half the wages!"
The foreman hoisted a large cloth bag and threw it in front of everyone, then collapsed to the ground, his belly fat jiggling. It seemed that half of the wages was quite a heavy burden, and he was truly exhausted.
He was panting heavily, glancing back at the shed every now and then. The hero in his heart still hadn't appeared, but instead a bearded dwarf walked out of the shed.
The bearded man came to collect the money as Joey had instructed; as for choosing sides, he didn't need to get involved.
"These belong to both of you!"
The burly man who was leading the crowd threw two money bags at the bearded man first. He didn't complain that the bearded man had only arrived now; on the contrary, he was very happy to see him now.
The bearded man took the money bag, weighed it in his hand, and then put it in his pocket. He didn't need to count the silver coins one by one; he could tell the amount just by feeling them in his hand. Perhaps this was his talent!
After taking the money, he did not leave the wooden bridge, but went straight to a pile of timber, picked up a large plank and walked towards the center of the bridge.
Before they came, Joey had actually told him that the two of them were considered outsiders in the eyes of the workers. They would be grateful if he didn't bother them. There were still half a day left to finish the work, and the bearded man could choose to do nothing and continue sleeping with him.
But the bearded man was honest and straightforward, and unwilling to take advantage of the situation. Once he had received his wages, he began to work hard.
However, the other workers were clearly surprised that the bearded man would continue working.
The workers who received the money joined the bearded man's team, striving to finish building the wooden bridge as soon as possible. Meanwhile, the dwarf foreman, seeing that the money had been paid and the wooden bridge was under construction, walked dejectedly toward his tent.
"Um?"
While still asleep, Joey suddenly felt a tightness in his lower body, as if something heavy had suddenly pressed down on him. He couldn't help but let out a soft exclamation.
The heavy object seemed to hear Joey's whispers in her dream, and shifted its position, making Joey feel a little better.
A moment later, still feeling somewhat unwell, Joey suddenly woke up.
He rested his chin on his neck, looking at the high mound of the bedding, thinking he was experiencing the legendary sleep paralysis, and a cold sweat instantly soaked his clothes.
He forcefully ripped off the blankets covering him, and the sight before him made him feel as if the building was about to collapse and the stars were turning upside down.
The foreman's wife, a dwarf woman, was hiding under the bedding. When Joey lifted the covers, she was looking at him with a shy expression.
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