Chapter 4: The Fool, Er Pang

At this moment, under the dim light, Zhao Chuxi's silhouette appeared incredibly weathered. The poorest one can be is a beggar, and as long as one is not dead, there will always be a chance to rise. It seemed like a simple and ordinary statement, but who knew how many setbacks and hardships it entailed?

What Zhao Chuxi didn't notice was that beside the Audi A8L, a woman with light makeup and a Givenchy black and white suit was staring at him. Her coiled hair gave her a mature and graceful aura, with a hint of sensuality and seriousness, though it seemed out of place with the surroundings.

The woman frowned slightly; Zhao Chuxi's gaze and demeanor made her uncomfortable. For her, she had seen many men like him before, mostly from humble backgrounds, smooth and low-key in their dealings, with an incredibly strong spirit and self-control, having their own principles and goals, bending and striving to climb up, like the man her father adopted as a foster son, her god-brother.

Encountering such a man here, how could the woman not be surprised?

After finishing his meal, Zhao Chuxi, with nothing to do, decided to wander around the construction site to familiarize himself with the environment. As he walked past the two Audi A8Ls, he unexpectedly met the woman. Zhao Chuxi gave her a slight smile, feigning calmness, and subtly glanced at her shapely buttocks wrapped in a narrow skirt as they passed by, his eyes filled with the same aggressiveness as most men.

After walking a distance, Zhao Chuxi let out a long breath and said, "This woman is really beautiful. If I could marry a woman like her and bring her back to Phoenix Village, wouldn't Hu Zi and the others be envious to death? Xiao Wang was right; there are so many beautiful women in big cities."

The reason Zhao Chuxi could remain calm and composed when passing by the woman was entirely due to a small trick Li Qingyi taught him. When meeting any beautiful woman for the first time, there's no need to rush to show off; just remain calm and composed, give a slight smile, and you won't attract too much attention, but at least you won't make her dislike you. This way, when you meet again, you'll have a higher starting point. Li Qingyi didn't forget to mock Zhao Chuxi, saying that if he were a bit more handsome, the effect would be even better, but with Zhao Chuxi's appearance, it was hopeless. This made Zhao Chuxi roll his eyes in frustration.

For the next month, Zhao Chuxi began working systematically on the construction site of the International Mansion. The work was monotonous, and at the beginning, Zhao Chuxi was unfamiliar with things like the difference between fine and coarse sand, the ratios of cement and sand in different situations, and the proportions of concrete. After a few days of guidance from the old master, he became familiar with it, and with his good understanding and willingness to work hard, he became particularly skilled. Since the construction site was close to the Xi'an city wall, Zhao Chuxi would get up at 5:30 in the morning and run around the southern city wall. Sometimes, he would join the old men practicing Tai Chi, his movements quite lifelike. In Phoenix Village, the old monk on the mountain often practiced Tai Chi, but he was unwilling to teach Zhao Chuxi, only teaching him some self-defense techniques. However, Zhao Chuxi's body was weak, so he could only mimic the form without the essence. If there were old men playing the erhu and singing Qin opera, Zhao Chuxi would finish his Tai Chi and sit beside them, listening to their voices, which had been seasoned by the vicissitudes of life, singing the heavy Qin opera, which had a unique charm.

A song, "I ride my white horse through three passes, change into plain clothes and return to the Central Plains, leave Xiliang unattended, and I only think of Wang Baochuan," instantly made Zhao Chuxi excited. The old men in Phoenix Village loved Qin opera, and the old monk on the mountain preferred Qin opera and Peking opera. Zhao Chuxi's early life was spent listening to Qin opera and Peking opera, and he was particularly skilled in "Fighting Dong Zhuo," holding a three-foot-long Dragon Spring sword, killing the enemy and ending all troubles.

The gray brick and tile city wall, the old men in plain clothes, Tai Chi, erhu, Qin opera, and the common people, all in perfect harmony...

After returning from the southern city wall, he would start work at 6:30, work for two hours until 8:30 for breakfast, then continue working until 12:30 for lunch, and keep working until 8:00 in the evening for dinner. After dinner, if there was overtime, it would go until midnight, but there would be overtime pay.

If there was no overtime, Zhao Chuxi would mostly help the Sichuanese workers on the same team, a mix of men and women. The Sichuanese were hardworking and efficient, and most construction sites preferred to hire them. Perhaps because of Xiao Wang, Zhao Chuxi had a good impression of the Sichuanese. At first, the Sichuanese were wary of Zhao Chuxi, but as they became more familiar, and since Zhao Chuxi helped without asking for payment, they were happy to have him around, especially when he joined them for better meals. Only a fool like Zhao Chuxi would work for free.

The foreman of the Sichuanese workers was Zhang Dashan, a typical Sichuanese man, short and thin, with dark skin and a Sichuan accent that made people want to punch him. To Zhao Chuxi's surprise, they all brought their wives. The men were skilled workers, and the women were laborers, working so hard that the other men on the site were ashamed. Indeed, men and women working together made the work less tiring. What surprised Zhao Chuxi the most was that these women slept in the same pigsty as the men, with each couple having two beds, separated by sheets. If that were the case, it would be fine, but every night, when it was quiet, the couples would engage in their most primitive activities, their moans and the rhythmic creaking of the wooden beds making the other men in the pigsty desire. As a result, many men would go to the hair salon behind the construction site to solve their physiological needs. As for Zhao Chuxi, who was still a virgin, he wouldn't and couldn't spend the money, which was too luxurious for him. What could Zhao Chuxi do? When he was truly helpless, he would roll up his bedding and sleep on the floor of the completed building, which was cooler in the summer.

Apart from these peculiar Sichuanese, the person Zhao Chuxi was most curious and interested in was another laborer on the site, the hardest worker besides Zhao Chuxi, but unfortunately, he was a fool.

Everyone on the site called him a fool. He was around twenty years old but had the intelligence of an eight or nine-year-old child. He was nearly 1.9 meters tall, very strong, with a round face and a tendency to grin widely, showing a mouth of white teeth, even whiter than Zhao Chuxi's. His eyes were so clear that one couldn't help but believe he was a fool.

Everyone on the site thought he was a fool, but Zhao Chuxi didn't. He learned from the old man who watched the site that the boy's name was Lin Sanwu. He had been on the site for a whole year, and many people liked to bully him for fun, but he had never been angry. He always grinned, making him seem harmless and even more pitiful. Gradually, everyone called him a fool, even the foreman. Zhao Chuxi recently learned that while other laborers earned around 4,000 yuan, and he himself earned 2,300 yuan, Lin Sanwu, who worked the hardest, only earned 900 yuan. This made Zhao Chuxi very angry.

Lin Sanwu rarely spoke to anyone on the site and mostly worked hard. When people teased or bullied him, he just smiled and let it pass. The only time Zhao Chuxi could talk to Lin Sanwu was during meals. Lin Sanwu had a huge appetite, eating at least six or seven large steamed buns per meal, but the site had a standard for each worker's food, giving them at most four buns, and if they arrived late, there might be none left. So Lin Sanwu was always hungry. Zhao Chuxi would always share half of his buns with Lin Sanwu and help the cook with odd jobs, so she would secretly give him a few extra buns, which Zhao Chuxi would also give to Lin Sanwu. Zhao Chuxi remembered clearly that the first time he gave his buns to Lin Sanwu, Lin Sanwu's eyes were complex, filled with caution, confusion, surprise, and excitement. This was how Zhao Chuxi knew Lin Sanwu wasn't a fool. How could a fool have such complex eyes? But Zhao Chuxi didn't know why he was pretending to be a fool.

Lin Sanwu's name was unique. Sometimes people called him "Sanwu Product," which Zhao Chuxi initially didn't understand but later learned meant "substandard goods." After much thought, Zhao Chuxi gave Lin Sanwu a nickname, Er Pang. Whenever he called Lin Sanwu "Er Pang," Zhao Chuxi would think of his favorite child in Phoenix Village, a smart and cheerful boy who smiled even more purely than Lin Sanwu. The boy was called Ping An, and Zhao Chuxi called him "Er Dan." Even Li Qingyi said Er Dan could get into college. Zhao Chuxi often fantasized about what Er Dan would be like if he got into college, but unfortunately, the heavens were jealous of the child and took him early. Zhao Chuxi would never see the day when the child walked out of the mountains.

Zhao Chuxi clearly remembered the night Ping An died. It was pouring rain, and he carried Ping An's body for a whole night before returning to Phoenix Village, burying him by the primary school on the hillside, where wildflowers bloomed every year after winter.

Whenever Zhao Chuxi thought of Ping An, he would sigh and feel deep emotion. Seeing Er Pang being bullied, he almost lost control many times.

One morning, the construction equipment broke down, and Zhao Chuxi's site couldn't start work. With nothing to do, he went to Er Pang's site. Just then, the two Audi A8Ls drove into the site. Zhao Chuxi had seen them four or five times in the past month, and the beautiful woman was there again. Other workers said she was the developer of the International Mansion, which made Zhao Chuxi marvel at how rich she must be.

The woman was called Su Xiluo, and the foremen called her "Su Boss." Although she dressed maturely, she was only 26 years old. Zhao Chuxi hadn't seen her clearly that night. The last time Zhao Chuxi went out to buy cigarettes for the foreman, he met her at the gate. At that moment, Zhao Chuxi almost lost his composure, but he remembered Li Qingyi's advice to stay calm, smiled slightly, and passed by, though he had already fantasized about Su Xiluo countless times. After all, Zhao Chuxi was a man with desires and passions.

Er Pang had almost finished his work and was sitting on the window sill, daydreaming. Zhao Chuxi greeted the skilled workers responsible for Er Pang and slipped over to him. These skilled workers treated Er Pang well and didn't bully him like others. To make Er Pang's work easier, Zhao Chuxi had secretly bought a few packs of cigarettes for the skilled workers.

Amusingly, Er Pang was staring at Su Xiluo. Zhao Chuxi chuckled, "Er Pang, let's work hard and save money. In the future, we can marry a beautiful woman like her."

Er Pang turned his head, stared at Zhao Chuxi, and nodded, grinning like a child. He had long accepted Zhao Chuxi calling him "Er Pang." Zhao Chuxi wondered if Er Pang would know what to do with such a beautiful woman. If it were the Sichuanese, they would definitely take advantage of her every night.

Zhao Chuxi's eyes were slightly lecherous. At that moment, Su Xiluo, who was inspecting the site, seemed to feel Zhao Chuxi and Er Pang's gazes, turned her head, frowned, and glared at them. Er Pang laughed foolishly, and Zhao Chuxi didn't hide, mimicking Er Pang's foolish smile, his eyes full of defiance and challenge. In the end, Su Xiluo turned and left.

"Er Pang, see, she's just an ordinary woman. Next time, we'll look at her chest and butt," Zhao Chuxi licked his lips and continued to fantasize.

To his surprise, Er Pang laughed even more joyfully.

Zhao Chuxi scolded, "You fool."

Before long, it was lunchtime. The Sichuanese had prepared a pot of braised pork, and they had invited Zhao Chuxi to join them. Zhao Chuxi told Er Pang, "Eat all my buns. I'll go eat the braised pork with the Sichuanese and bring some back for you."

Er Pang, hearing that he could eat ten buns and braised pork, drooled like a true food lover.

Zhao Chuxi eagerly took his bowl and ran to the Sichuanese. Foreman Zhang Dashan saw him and called out, "Chuxi, today's braised pork is all you can eat. Help yourself."

Zhao Chuxi smiled, "Sure, sure."

Zhang Dashan's wife, Wang Cuifhua, from a neighboring village in Sichuan, quickly filled Zhao Chuxi's bowl and gave him a small bowl of rice. Zhao Chuxi chatted and ate with the Sichuanese.

Zhang Dashan reminded him, "Chuxi, you've been here for a month and a half. Everyone knows how hard you work. 2,300 yuan is a bit low."

Zhao Chuxi looked up slightly, "2,300 yuan with food and lodging is enough for me."

Zhang Dashan glared, "Being content is one thing, but you should be paid for the work you do."

Being away from home, not everyone cared about you, but Zhang Dashan's words made Zhao Chuxi feel comfortable. Zhao Chuxi shook his head, "I understand, Brother Zhang. Can you ask Old Wang to raise Er Pang's salary?"

Wang Cuifhua gave Zhang Dashan a look, and he hesitated, "Not every site dares to hire a fool. Besides, you should know that Old Wang makes 20,000 to 30,000 yuan a year from Er Pang. Everyone knows, and I don't want to offend him; I need to rely on him for work."

"I was just saying, no problem," Zhao Chuxi said awkwardly.

Zhao Chuxi quickly finished his meal, thinking of Er Pang waiting for the braised pork, and asked Wang Cuifhua to fill another large bowl. On the way, Zhao Chuxi thought about Er Pang's 900 yuan salary, feeling increasingly uncomfortable. When he returned to the kitchen, he saw a scene that made him lose his temper.

Zhao Chuxi narrowed his eyes and walked towards the group of people around Er Pang...

(Collect and Red Votes)

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