Chapter 126: The House Renovation is Complete

The next day, Cao Zhenggang, eager for work, led his team of eight to Cao Shujie’s newly leased mountain land. Equipped with tools and drawing on their previous experience installing wire mesh fences, they began digging holes and pouring cement posts along the boundary of the leased land. They were just waiting for Chen Xingquan to deliver the wire mesh fence so they could start the installation anytime.

Meanwhile, Xia Changhong also visited the site with his team. Based on his suggestions, since the well Cao Shujie had previously drilled was not far from the new leased land, they could use pipes to transport water over, saving the cost of drilling a new well.

Additionally, Chen Lei brought his team with equipment and fittings to enhance the existing irrigation system. They installed pumps, fertilizer injectors, filters, control and measurement instruments, adjustment devices, and drip irrigation connectors.

Chen Lei privately informed Cao Shujie that the current setup was semi-automated. They were developing fully automated temperature-sensitive equipment, and if Cao Shujie needed it in the future, he could upgrade the system at a minimal cost.

Cao Shujie was indeed intrigued by the idea of fully automated equipment.

As they busied themselves, time seemed to fly by. In the blink of an eye, a week had passed, leaving only three days until the National Day holiday.

Of the 47 workers hired by Cao Shujie, some began to leave to harvest corn from their own fields. Cao Shujie understood this well. Although he was eager to complete the remaining work on the newly leased land, he knew that for the villagers, their own crops were more important than any outside earnings.

Fortunately, the progress of other construction aspects was not delayed, and everything proceeded smoothly.

Before the mountain land project was completed, the house at the foot of the mountain, which had taken two months to renovate, was finished first.

Cao Tiemin specifically called Cao Shujie and his wife, Cheng Xiaolin, to the house for a thorough inspection. Despite the fact that the house was renovated by his childhood friend, Cao Shujie did not take the inspection lightly. He carefully checked every detail to avoid any future issues that could strain their friendship.

The couple spent over half an hour inspecting the house and found a few minor issues, which were quickly addressed by Cao Tiemin.

“How much do I owe you in total, Tiemin?” Cao Shujie asked.

With no outsiders present, Cao Shujie felt it was even more important to settle the payment promptly.

Cao Tiemin handed over a prepared invoice to Cao Shujie. “Here’s the list of all materials and labor costs. The total is 183,625.82 yuan. Just give me 183,000.”

Without any fuss, Cao Shujie took Cao Tiemin home, logged into his bank account on his laptop, and transferred 183,000 yuan using his U-Shield.

This left Cao Shujie and his wife with just over 820,000 yuan. Without a loan, he was only slightly better off than Cao Jianhua, merely buying a bit more time without any fundamental change.

“I need to quickly plant some seasonal crops to increase income,” Cao Shujie thought, planning to circulate the money as soon as possible.

But that was a matter for later. Turning to Cao Tiemin, he said, “Tiemin, I’m hosting a lunch at Fuxing Hotel in town tomorrow. Join us for the celebration.”

“We’re brothers; there’s no need to be so formal,” Cao Tiemin initially wanted to decline.

But Cao Shujie insisted, “That’s different. After all this hard work, the house is finally done. Let’s all get together and celebrate.”

He added, “I’ll also invite Cao Zhen and a few others…”

“Alright, Fuxing Hotel it is. I’ll definitely be there tomorrow,” Cao Tiemin agreed.

After speaking with Cao Tiemin, Cao Shujie also called Cao Jiangang, Cao Zhengyin, and other village committee members to invite them.

He extended invitations to Chen Xingquan, Xia Changhong, Tian Xinhua, and others as well.

Finally, he called Cao Zhen, Cao Fei, Cao Shuyang, and Cao Shulun to arrange a gathering for the following evening.

Pingyuan County Town was only a 20-minute drive from Qingshi Town. Cao Shujie’s plan was for them to join the celebration after work.

Everyone was enthusiastic about the event.

Upon hearing that her son’s house was finished, Wang Yuelan insisted on seeing it.

Cheng Xiaolin accompanied her, while Mengmeng ran around playfully, ignoring her mother-in-law’s attempts to call her back. No amount of shouting could deter Mengmeng, who was lost in her own world.

After several unsuccessful attempts to call Mengmeng, Cheng Xiaolin grabbed her as she ran past, giving her a couple of firm smacks on the bottom.

Despite the force, Mengmeng didn’t cry. She just stared at her mother, and when Cheng Xiaolin thought her daughter was about to pull a trick, Mengmeng suddenly went limp, lying on the ground. Even as Cheng Xiaolin tried to pull her up by her clothes, Mengmeng would just kneel and lean back, lips tightly shut, stubbornly refusing to budge.

Wang Yuelan was about to say something, but Cheng Xiaolin quickly interjected, “Mom, don’t worry about her. If we don’t discipline her, she won’t know her limits.”

Hearing this, Mengmeng realized she had pushed her mother too far. Frightened, she tried to run, but with her clothes still in Cheng Xiaolin’s grip, she couldn’t get far.

“Smack! Smack!”

Two more firm slaps followed, and Mengmeng finally burst into tears, crying miserably.

But she behaved herself after that.

With teary eyes, she followed her mother closely, crying out whenever Cheng Xiaolin walked too fast, trying to keep up.

Cheng Xiaolin scolded her, “Mengmeng, if you had listened earlier, you wouldn’t have been spanked. Why do you always wait until you’re punished to behave?”

Wang Yuelan wanted to say a few words to her granddaughter, thinking she was just asking for trouble.

Once Mengmeng settled down, Wang Yuelan and her daughter-in-law, Cheng Xiaolin, took a look around. Seeing the newly renovated two-story house, which was almost like a building in the city, Wang Yuelan couldn’t find anything to criticize.

She asked her daughter-in-law, “Linlin, have you bought the furniture and appliances yet?”

“We’ve ordered some of the furniture. We’ll buy the rest gradually,” Cheng Xiaolin replied.

“As for the appliances, Shujie and I discussed it. We’re planning to go to the county town during the National Day sales to get some good deals.”

“Do you have enough money? I can give you some more,” Wang Yuelan asked instinctively.

Cheng Xiaolin immediately refused, “Mom, we have enough money. Don’t worry.”

“Really enough? Shujie spent a lot renting those over 100 mu of land,” Wang Yuelan wasn’t completely in the dark.

But Cheng Xiaolin nodded, “Mom, we’ve divided our funds and loans into two parts. The expenses for the mountain area are covered by the loan, so you don’t need to worry.”

Hearing this from her daughter-in-law, Wang Yuelan stopped worrying about it.

The next morning, Cao Shujie brought some sunflower seeds, fruits, cigarettes, candies, and water to the new house to wait.

To his surprise, the first to arrive were Xia Changhong and Chen Xingquan from Pingyuan County.

As they entered with Cao Shujie, Chen Xingquan, who had passed by the house a few times, finally realized that this countryside villa belonged to Cao Shujie.

“Boss Cao, you’ve kept me in the dark,” Chen Xingquan remarked.

Cao Shujie laughed heartily and handed him a bottle of mineral water. The house had just been renovated, and the smell wasn’t great, so after looking around inside, they moved outside.

Unexpectedly, Cao Zhen and the others, who had said they’d come in the evening, showed up in the morning.

“Why are you here now? Did you all take leave?” Cao Shujie asked them.

Cao Zhen replied, “Your house’s renovation is such a big deal. How could we not come?”

“Besides, it’s just taking a leave. It’s not a big deal,” Cao Zhen added.

Cao Shuyang and the others nodded in agreement.

Cao Shulun said, “Shujie, don’t overthink it. I took annual leave; it doesn’t dock my pay, so it doesn’t matter when I take it.”

The others chimed in with their reasons, leaving Cao Shujie feeling touched, though he didn’t express it.

He said, “Since no one is in a rush to get back to work, let’s have a good drink this afternoon.”

“You’re about to move into your new home. Such a joyous event calls for a celebration,” Cao Fei said.

When Cao Jiangang and the Village Committee members arrived, Cao Shujie called the owner of Fuxing Hotel in town, who arranged for a minibus to pick them up.

That afternoon, Cao Shujie did nothing but drink and chat with the guests.

In his view, those who came after being invited were showing him respect, and he needed to reciprocate.

Cao Jiangang teased, “Shujie, it’s been half a year since you first mentioned inviting us. I finally get to drink this cup of wine.”

Though it sounded like a complaint, many were envious.

At least, Cao Jiangang’s tone showed he didn’t see Cao Shujie as an outsider.

Chen Xingquan, Xia Changhong, Tian Xinhua, and Cao Zhenggang, who worked for Cao Shujie, each had a drink with him.

These people were still working for Cao Shujie, and because of this, they increasingly realized his capabilities and wanted to strengthen their relationship with him.

It’s all about the money.

After making his rounds, Cao Shujie returned to the table with Cao Zhen and the others, where they casually chatted.

When talking about Cao Shujie’s achievements, they all admired him.

Since returning from Beijing, Cao Shujie’s progress was evident to all of them. Because of this, they understood the challenges he had overcome.

While Cao Shujie’s future seemed limitless, none of Cao Zhen and the others wanted to follow his path.

Cao Zhen specifically reminded him, “Shujie, when you’re not busy, take some time to go to the county with me. We can visit the Agricultural Bureau and Forestry Bureau to get the subsidies you’re entitled to.”

“When my orchard’s apples are ripe, I’ll share some with you,” Cao Shujie said.

Selling apples was different from selling kiwi fruit. Not many people would come to the orchard to pick apples.

Cao Shujie didn’t expect to sell apples at the high price of premium kiwi fruit, so he was thinking about how to maximize the value of this batch of apples.

With two mu of apples yielding at most ten thousand jin, selling them at the market would only fetch three to four yuan per jin.

“Are they tasty? Are they as good as your kiwi fruit?” Cao Shulun asked.

Cao Shujie laughed, “It’s hard to say, but I can tell you my apples are indeed tastier than most apples on the market.”

Before the apples were fully ripe, Cao Tiemin had already gone to the orchard to taste them and found that even the unripe apples were quite good.

“If the apples are fully ripe, how delicious will they be?” Cao Tiemin thought, mumbling aloud.

Cao Shujie replied, “That’s hard to say.”

This sparked everyone’s anticipation, and they all said they’d come over once the apples were ripe.

(End of Chapter)