Chapter 3 Bitterness in the Midst of Suffering

  When Xu Shaojie really started doing things, he realized that it wasn't just a matter of saying yes, his speed was obviously slower than the other workers. If it weren't for Liu Fugui and Song Guangming's presence, Xu Shaojie would have been scolded by the other workers until he was covered in blood. But Xu Shaojie had his own way of doing things, which was to coordinate relationships. After achieving success with two bowls of noodles, Xu Shaojie understood the importance of coordinating relationships. Originally, Xu Shaojie didn't smoke, but yesterday evening after dinner, he specifically bought two packs of cigarettes from a nearby convenience store, each costing over 1 yuan, which was considered very good quality. Xu Shaojie observed that his colleagues who smoked after meals were all smoking cheap cigarettes that cost only a few cents per pack. So, during the break at work, Xu Shaojie accompanied everyone with a smile, offering them cigarettes and saying some interesting things. He didn't know when he had become so good at talking, chatting with these people about their families, women, and making everyone laugh out loud, his face turned red, but it was okay after a while.

  Xu Shaojie was pulling the cart when Zhang Shaocai came over.

  Zhang Shaocai's background was not simple, he was a genuine farmer, and in his hometown, Zhang Shaocai was very clever. Seeing that being a contractor could make money, and considering his own experience as a bricklayer, he thought it over and gathered a group of people from his hometown to form an engineering team. They slowly started taking on projects outside their hometown.

  Zhang Shaocai had one major advantage: he was a man of his word, whether dealing with superiors or subordinates. Because of this trait, Zhang Shaocai's team gained a good reputation, and after several years, they were able to establish themselves in the provincial capital.

  However, Zhang Shaocai was not a simple person either. On the surface, he appeared very honest, but in reality, he had his own set of principles. He was very accurate in judging people and situations. Over the years, as he developed his business in the provincial capital, things didn't always go smoothly. The construction market was highly competitive, and Zhang Shaocai lacked sufficient financial resources to compete with those wealthy and influential bosses. He could only rely on his thin connections to obtain some subcontracted projects.

  As time passed, Zhang Shaocai came to realize that relationships were the most important thing in the industry. Unfortunately, as a bricklayer from a humble background, he was unable to reach out to those powerful officials who held significant influence.

  When Zhang Shaocai first met Xu Shaojie, he had a strange feeling that this young man was not ordinary. Although Zhang Shaocai hadn't visited Xu Shaojie's construction site, he had heard about his actions and deeds through the grapevine. Therefore, Zhang Shaocai decided to come over and take a look for himself.

  "Zhang Ge, haven't seen you for several days, didn't even come to supervise."

  "Lao Liu, Lao Song, I trust you both to handle things, no need to come over and check, you're both old brothers now."

  Xu Shaojie saw Zhang Shaocai walking over and stopped what he was doing, pulling out a pack of cigarettes from his body.

  "Little brother, Zhang Ge is smoking good cigarettes, you don't have to give Zhang Ge a cigarette, let Zhang Ge give us a good one instead."

  Xu Shaojie smiled and handed Zhang Shaocai a cigarette, still explaining.

  "It doesn't matter whether the cigarette is good or bad, Zhang Ge is a rich man, a big boss. I'm giving Zhang Ge cigarettes as a gesture of goodwill, otherwise he'll say that I don't know how to handle things."

  Zhang Shaocai smiled and accepted the cigarette. When he first started his business, he had smoked all sorts of cigarettes. Although he was now wealthy, Zhang Shaocai always carried two packs of cigarettes with him - one pack of high-end cigarettes, mostly Red Pagoda Mountain and Apsaras, which were used to entertain guests and put on a good face; the other pack was ordinary cigarettes for his own smoking pleasure. As a contractor, he had to maintain appearances, especially in the construction industry where people looked down on him.

  "Little brother, I heard you're doing well, I'll come take a look."

  Zhang Shaocai spoke as he pulled out a pack of Hongtashan cigarettes and handed one to each person. In the summer, people's clothes were thin, and Xu Shaojie noticed that Zhang Shaocai seemed to have another pack of cigarettes on him, and he understood something.

  "Brother Zhang, it's all thanks to Big Brother Liu and Big Brother Song taking care of me. There are also several other big brothers who take care of me from time to time. Otherwise, I really wouldn't be able to handle it."

  "Haha, you're not bad at all! I've seen many newbies come to the construction team and cry their noses off. I didn't expect you to adapt so quickly and work with everyone together. You have potential, little brother, keep up the good work and you'll definitely achieve great things in the future!"

  Zhang Shaocai patted Xu Shaojie's shoulder heavily and was about to leave. He was satisfied with Xu Shaojie's performance, but only satisfied. A young man who had just come out of school would not be able to achieve much in the future.

  "Zhang Ge, you probably don't know, Little Xu has just started smoking. The first time he smoked, his reaction was similar to us old smokers, and he could still drink alcohol. I've never seen a young person like this before."

  "Really? It seems like little brother is quite good indeed."

  After hearing Liu Fugui's words, Zhang Shaocai began to pay attention to Xu Shaojie. The rumors from his hometown he still believed in, could it be that this Xu Shaojie really had something different about him? In the engineering team, there were many temporary workers, but Zhang Shaocai only paid attention to skilled workers, never having paid attention to laborers before. Yet this Xu Shaojie sparked his interest.

  Chapter One