Chapter 28

“What?”

Lin Yilan stared at Lai Jialin in disbelief. Was this man an idiot?

The eyes of those around them made Lin Yilan swallow the urge to curse. Lowering her voice, she asked, “How much did you tell them?”

Under Lin Yilan’s look of utter contempt, Lai Jialin timidly spread out his palm.

“Five dollars a day.”

Lin Yilan was stunned. Truly stunned—there was no other emotion in her mind. At a time like this, even in the rural areas around the capital, a daily wage of fifty cents would already have been considered extremely high. Yet this handsome—idiotic—guy had actually offered five dollars a day.

What species of sweet, clueless fool was he? She was rather curious how Lai Chengrong had raised such a younger son. Looking at Lai Jialin’s pure yet foolish expression, she smiled.

When dealing with a foolish rich man, worrying about his money was no better than worrying about herself.

“How much money did Boss Lai give you for the budget?” Lin Yilan asked once her mood had settled.

Lai Jialin glanced at her without saying anything. He knew he had caused a major problem, but remembering his father’s instructions before leaving, he reluctantly blurted out a number.

“Five thousand dollars.”

Lin Yilan nodded thoughtfully. That was two thousand more than the price Lai Chengrong had told her, which was within her expectations. It might even be more.

Seeing Lai Jialin’s guilty expression, she narrowed her eyes.

“Since you already promised the village officials, let’s leave things as they are for now. I’ll think of a way to revise the budget.

“But since you’ve caused such a mess, find an opportunity to call Boss Lai and tell him about it. Otherwise, once the house is finished and you bring him the expense list, he probably won’t believe you.”

Lai Jialin nodded furiously. He understood perfectly well that confessing was his only way out. Otherwise, when he returned to Hong Kong and explained everything to his father, the consequences would be far worse than admitting it now.

There was just one thing he was worried about.

“Miss Lin, I—I’m just afraid of one thing. If I offer the villagers in my grandfather’s village such high wages, what if they deliberately drag out the construction period?”

Lin Yilan could not help rolling her eyes. If he knew what was going to happen, why had he gone ahead and done it? In her opinion, the problem he was worried about was not something that might happen. It was something that would definitely happen.

She thought for a moment. The only solution she could come up with was to use performance incentives.

“We’ll set aside another portion of the budget as bonuses. Before construction begins, we’ll explain to everyone who comes to help build the house that if they finish before the deadline, they’ll receive an additional bonus.”

Other than that, she could not think of any better method for the time being.

When Lai Jialin remained silent, Lin Yilan asked, “Do you have any other suggestions?”

He shook his head, lowered it in resignation, and said, “Let’s do it your way.”

Seeing him like that, Lin Yilan scratched her cheek, raised her brows, and put on a stern expression.

“Let’s settle on this for now. But don’t say anything else to the people in your grandfather’s village. If they ask, tell them I’ll be making the decisions. I’ll explain everything to them when the time comes.”

Lai Jialin looked solemn. “All right. I won’t cause you any more trouble this time, Miss Lin. You have to believe me.”

Lin Yilan looked him up and down, then wisely kept her mouth shut.

Just then, the waiter brought out the last dish they had ordered.

“Comrades, all your dishes have been served.”

“Let’s eat. Come on, let’s eat.” Lin Yilan pointed at the food.

Quickly changing the subject was the only way to avoid discussing Lai Jialin’s trustworthiness. That would only turn into a thoroughly unfunny joke.

Lai Jialin innocently followed her lead. He looked at the dark dish in front of them.

“Is this one of the inland dishes from Shandong cuisine?”

Lin Yilan glanced at it. “Yes. Braised sea cucumber with scallions.”

“Go ahead and eat. I still have to find Uncle Zhao later to discuss the things needed for the interior decoration of your grandparents’ house.” Seeing that Lai Jialin seemed about to say something else, she quickly cut him off.

If he had not been the son of the client funding her project, she might still have had the leisure to chat with him.

Lai Jialin was also good at reading the room. Realizing that she did not want to talk, he lowered his head and began eating.

There was no denying that this project had made Lin Yilan’s schedule hectic.

After finishing lunch with Lai Jialin, she retrieved her bicycle from the university and immediately rode toward Uncle Zhao Woodenhead’s house.

“They say there are only wrong names, never wrong nicknames. Looks like that saying is true.”

“Zhao Sanli, I’m talking to you! You really are as wooden as a block of timber. Can’t you eat a proper meal?”

Before Lin Yilan even entered the courtyard, she heard Zhao Woodenhead’s wife shouting.

When the people in the courtyard saw her wheeling in her bicycle, they all looked up and greeted her.

“Oh, Comrade Lin is here again?”

“Little Lin, long time no see!”

As soon as Zhao Woodenhead’s wife heard the voices, she darted out of her house and hurried over to Lin Yilan.

“Comrade Lin, you’re here! Come in, come in.”

Her tone was dripping with flattery.

The others in the courtyard dispersed at once, feeling both envious and jealous.

By now, they had all figured out why the Old Zhao family’s life was improving so rapidly: it was because this young comrade kept coming to Uncle Zhao to make things for her.

They truly had no idea where she found so many things to make.

Why did their own families never get such opportunities?

Seeing the envy and resentment on the faces of her old neighbors, Zhao Woodenhead’s wife proudly puffed out her chest.

The person Lin Yilan dreaded most was someone with exactly this kind of personality. Faced with such blatant flattery, she neither wanted to accept it nor knew how to refuse. Every time she tried, the other woman would only redouble her efforts, and the two of them would end up locked in a pointless tug-of-war.

There was only one move Lin Yilan could make.

Run.

Avoidance was nothing to be ashamed of.

She hurried over to Zhao Woodenhead and saw him squatting beside a pile of timber with his bowl in his hands.

“Uncle Zhao, you should eat properly.”

Hearing Lin Yilan’s voice, Zhao Woodenhead immediately set his bowl on the ground, stood up, and greeted her.

“Little Comrade Lin, what brings you here?”

“Would you like some tea?”

“Wife, wife! Pour Little Comrade Lin a cup of tea!”

Lin Yilan immediately waved her hands.

“No need to trouble yourselves, Uncle Zhao. Please finish your meal. I came to ask whether everything is ready. I estimate that construction will have to begin ahead of schedule.”

She had not originally planned to move the schedule forward. If Lai Jialin had not caused this latest mess, she would never have changed her plans. But the longer they delayed construction, the more troublesome everything would become.

Zhao Woodenhead nodded. “It’s all more or less done. The wardrobes and other things you asked me to make are finished. I applied the final coat of varnish a couple of days ago. They’ll be ready once they dry for a few more days.”

Lin Yilan nodded. “What about the casings for the nails? Can you make those?”

Zhao Woodenhead shed his earlier timid, plainspoken manner and became extraordinarily confident.

“Don’t worry. There won’t be any problems. I followed your drawings exactly. Everywhere you wanted holes, I drilled them without the slightest deviation.”

Lin Yilan gave a rough inspection of what he had completed over the past few days. She was extremely satisfied. He had indeed followed her drawings almost perfectly.

This house combined a pastoral style with features suited to the elderly, along with certain modifications. The result was a design that fit the rural setting of the Lai family’s home while retaining a sense of style. She had also left room for further improvements in the future.

Lin Yilan did not particularly like the long white tiles that became fashionable on rural houses in the 1990s. Still, she had considered that the family might want to install them someday, so she had deliberately left the necessary space.

To be honest, when she first designed the house, she estimated that many laypeople would see little difference between its exterior and the houses already found in the village. At most, it would look somewhat more comfortable, harmonious, and attractive.

Only Lin Yilan knew how much thought she had poured into the design.

That was also one of the reasons she wanted to take part in the construction herself. If the house was not built strictly according to the drawings, at least half of her design would be wasted.

The more meticulous the details, the more clearly her care could be seen.

The drainage and cold-weather protection were especially important. From the drainage ditches and parapets to the drip edges and the angles of the windows and eaves, every element had been designed by drawing on the experience of her previous life.

That was why construction mattered so much.

It was also what troubled Lin Yilan. Truly skilled workers were difficult to find at present. Once Deep City became a special economic zone the following year and rapid development and construction began, the number of available workers would probably increase.

Lost in these thoughts, she slowly pedaled her bicycle back to the university.

After locking it and returning to the dormitory, she saw Xiong Zhaodi rushing toward her.

Xiong Zhaodi was beaming with excitement. She placed both hands on Lin Yilan’s shoulders.

“Little Lan! Little Lan! I just heard some wonderful news.”

“The design professor discussed it with the department, and they’re planning to invite someone to teach us drawing during a time when we don’t have classes.”

“And it will be free! The department is paying for it!”

“Little Lan, going to university is wonderful. How can anything be this wonderful?”

Xiong Zhaodi was so moved that tears shimmered in her eyes.

Lin Yilan understood her perfectly. As one of the students in the class who had to draw with a ruler, Xiong Zhaodi had endured plenty of mockery from her classmates. Now she had been given an opportunity to make up for the knowledge she had missed. Who could blame her for being excited?

Lin Yilan said nothing. She merely patted Xiong Zhaodi on the shoulder in comfort.

Xiong Zhaodi blinked hard, looking slightly embarrassed.

“Little Lan, what are you planning to draw for the residential design assignment the professor gave us?”

Lin Yilan placed her bag on her desk.

“I’ve already decided. I’m going to design a rural house.”

Xiong Zhaodi froze for a moment, then hurried to Lin Yilan’s side, her expression uncertain.

“Little Lan, are you… are you sure?”

Lin Yilan nodded as she took the items out of her bag one by one.

“Yes.”

Xiong Zhaodi leaned against Lin Yilan’s desk. She envied Lin Yilan’s confidence in her field. When would she be able to stand with such certainty and conviction herself?