Lin Yuelan also smiled and said, “master Hu, how do you think we should settle the bill?” She was not going to be led by the nose.
Master Hu and his brothers looked at each other and said, “we’ll get paid one day at a time or when the project is half done.” This was how he was paid when he worked with others.
However, Lin Yuelan shook her head.
Craftsman Hu and his brothers looked at each other. Craftsman Hu’s face darkened, but he asked calmly, “Yuelan, is there anything wrong?”
Lin Yuelan said, “there’s nothing wrong with it. It’s just that I have a better way to settle the bill that will be more beneficial to both of us.”
“What method?” Master Hu asked sternly.
“Contracting!” Lin Yuelan said directly.
“What is contracting?” Craftsman Hu and his brothers were puzzled.
Lin Yuelan said, “I’ll give you a sum of money. No matter how many days you work, you must finish it within the stipulated time. If you can’t finish it, you can hire someone else to do it, but you have to pay for it yourself, or you can work overtime.”
If they were paid by their daily salary, many people would delay the project for money. This was not a good thing. So contracting was the best choice.
This was because no matter how long they worked, they would be paid a fixed amount of money. In order to save money, they would work as fast as they could.
But at the same time, this also had a drawback. Sometimes, quality was sacrificed for speed. Therefore, supervision was required. Of course, Lin Yuelan had already thought about this.
Craftsman Hu and his four younger brothers didn’t quite understand this. However, craftsman Hu was most concerned about money.
He asked directly, “what kind of house do you plan to build?”
“A two-story tile-roofed house with a courtyard.” Lin Yuelan’s clear voice resounded in the brothers ‘ears.
“What?” Craftsman Hu was shocked.
It was unbelievable that a child would be able to afford to build such a big house. The expense was huge. The real expensive part was the materials for building the house.
However, what was even more shocking was what came after…
“If you guys do a good job, I’ll contract you to build more houses,” Lin Yuelan’s lips curled into a powerful and confident smile.
“What?” This time, the brothers stood up in shock again, looking at Lin Yuelan in disbelief. Just how much money did this child have?
When the brothers came back to their senses, they slowly sat down again, but their expressions revealed their uneasiness.
“Brother!” Craftsman Hu’s brothers called out to him excitedly. It was obvious that they wanted to take on such a huge project.
However, craftsman Hu was cautious. He was calmer than his other brothers and did not lose his sense of propriety.
Craftsman Hu asked very calmly, “you said you’d contract us. How are you going to pay the workers? How are you going to pay for the materials?”
Lin Yuelan said, “I said that I’d pay you half of your wages first. I’ll pay the other half after the project is completed. As for the money for the materials, I’ll pay a third party.”
“A third party?” Craftsman Hu and the others were puzzled by this.
Lin Yuelan smiled and said, “the third party, also known as the supervisor, will be someone from this village. He is responsible for purchasing materials with you and supervising the progress of the project.”
After understanding the meaning behind Lin Yuelan’s words, craftsman Hu and his brothers’ faces immediately flushed red. They said angrily, “Are you doubting our character? Otherwise, why would we need an outsider to supervise our work?”
The so-called supervisor was to prevent them from slacking off. It was to prevent them from cutting corners or using inferior materials. This was an affront to their characters.
Lin Yuelan knew that it was normal for craftsman Hu to be angry. If it were anyone else, they would definitely be angry as well. Therefore, Lin Yuelan didn’t take it to heart that they were angry.
