Yun Sanman entered with Shangguan Fang'er, both seething with anger.
They had been eavesdropping outside the door, and what they heard halfway through had struck them like lightning.
Feeling that Foreman Li was utterly unreliable, they decided to vent their sister's frustrations.
"Third Brother, Sister Fang'er, you finished shopping for clothes so quickly?" Xiao Xitian asked curiously.
Foreman Li felt a sense of dread upon seeing them.
The last time this little girl visited, she had been accompanied by several people, none of whom seemed easy to deal with.
Today, with the addition of a "Third Brother" and a woman with a fixed gaze, they likely wouldn't be easy to handle either.
Yun Sanman walked over, pulled Xiao Xitian behind him, and glared at Foreman Li, "Take out the deposit immediately, return it to my sister, and then get out with your workers!~"
Foreman Li: "..."
Good heavens, this person's temper was too volatile.
"My good sir, I already explained that the workers are not slacking off; they have family matters!" Foreman Li wiped the sweat from his brow and patiently explained, "Plus, my daughter had her birthday last night, so everyone had a few drinks together. The workers got up early and started working. They're just upstairs resting during their noon break. Some are helping their families buy pork. No one is being lazy..."
Foreman Li sighed heavily, "It's not easy for these workers to earn money by selling their labor. Everyone wants to finish the job quickly and reunite with their families. Miss Yun's project is during the Spring Festival. Everyone has elders and children to care for; life is hard. Please, let's all be understanding, alright?"
Upon hearing this, Xiao Xitian exchanged a look with Yun Sanman, their expressions a little bewildered.
Had they perhaps wronged them?
"Little Aunt, Father, the workers upstairs are clearly drunk and reek of alcohol. If you don't believe me, go and see for yourselves!~" Gao Jingde said.
Foreman Li heard this, subtly turned his head, and wrung his fingers tightly.
Xiao Xitian, hearing this, took her short legs and trotted upstairs.
With just one look, her blood pressure soared, and her eyes went hazy.
The second floor was littered with wine jars, bowls, and the bones of roast chicken and duck.
And judging by the number of wine jars, they had been drinking here for more than a day or two.
The others also followed to the second floor, all wearing angry expressions.
Good heavens, they had treated this place like a tavern.
Xiao Xitian questioned Foreman Li, "What's going on? You said the workers worked all morning and were resting during their noon break. Why have they drunk so much wine?"
"Because, because..." Foreman Li rolled his eyes, his heart filled with dread, unable to speak.
"Liar, big liar!~" Shangguan Fang'er suddenly shouted, rushing forward and grabbing Foreman Li by the collar, "Return Sweet Baby's money, return it, or I'll break your neck!"
With that, she slapped Foreman Li across the face and then messed up his hair.
"Hey, what are you doing? Let go!~" Foreman Li was pulled back and forth, his face scratched.
Chen Xiaoran snorted at the sight, hands on her hips, "Hey, if you don't return the money, I'll go tell my father right now!"
Foreman Li: "???"
Who is your father? Is he very powerful?
Gao Jingde curved his lips, puffed out his chest, and said proudly, "Her father is the renowned Magistrate Chen. Do you want to go to the county yamen to sue my little aunt, or will you obediently hand over the money now? You decide!~"
Foreman Li: "..."
No, who are these people behind this little girl? Why are they all so difficult to deal with?
If this matter truly reached the magistrate, how would he be able to get by in the Heyang County area?
In fact, Foreman Li was not a reliable person to begin with. He knew that during the Spring Festival, his workers had no interest in working, and they wouldn't be able to finish by the fifteenth of the first lunar month.
If Gu Mingyan and Xiao Jinfeng hadn't pressured him that day, he wouldn't have taken on this project.
But after receiving the hundred taels deposit, he had developed a wicked idea.
Not spending money when you have it is foolish.
For the past few days, Foreman Li had been feasting with his workers, visiting brothels, and going to gambling houses. They had tasted all sorts of delicacies, good wine, but had done little work.
He only planned to tell Xiao Xitian after the fifteenth of the first lunar month that the project was too difficult, that they couldn't do it, or simply abandon the work and run to other places to take on projects.
If Xiao Xitian couldn't find them, those hundred taels would be lost.
After the dust settled, Foreman Li would then bring the workers back.
His little plan was clicking away in his mind, but it was discovered by Xiao Xitian in advance.
"That, that hundred taels of silver, I spent twenty taels, and now only eighty taels are left, so, so..."
"So what?"
Before Foreman Li could finish speaking, Yun Sanman punched him in the eye socket and roared, "You're truly capable of squandering money! Those twenty taels are enough for an ordinary family to live for several years, yet you used my sister's money for eating, drinking, whoring, and gambling! Today, you will vomit out everything you ate..."
With that, Yun Sanman slammed Foreman Li to the ground and searched him, finding a silver note for eighty taels and a few pieces of loose silver.
"Third Brother!~" Xiao Xitian closed her eyes and let out a long sigh, "Let them go!"
If they injured someone and were then extorted, the losses would be even greater.
Just as Foreman Li had said, during the New Year, many workers returned home or took a break, with almost no one coming out to work.
Even if some families were struggling, they would only take on short-term jobs. Furthermore, skills like bricklaying and carpentry were not something just anyone could do.
It seemed that if Xiao Xitian wanted to renovate the shop, she would have to find another way.
Yun Sanman released Foreman Li and stuffed the silver note and loose silver into his sister's small satchel, "Keep it safe, don't lose it!"
The other workers, hearing the commotion, also staggered to their feet and went downstairs, hiccuping.
Foreman Li looked ashamed and instructed his workers, "Pack up all your belongings, and your tools, and load them up!"
Tools were the instruments that carpenters and bricklayers used for their work, as important as the swords in a soldier's hand.
Xiao Xitian looked at the tools scattered on the first and second floors and suddenly had an idea, "Leave all the tools behind; consider them compensation for us!~"
Many of the tools were hand-ground and made by the craftsmen themselves and couldn't be bought at the general store.
Foreman Li was stunned for a moment, hesitated for a long time, then put down the tools and left with his workers.
Xiao Xitian skipped to the first floor, looking at the gathered tools, her gloomy mood gradually dissipating.
She knew what to do now.