Manager Chen was very satisfied with Yang Jian's respectful attitude. This guy was usually a troublemaker, never giving his superiors face when he felt he was in the right. Today, his tone was much gentler.
"Little Yang, as long as you can guarantee the progress, I won't force you to work overtime. Let's talk about something personal. I heard your casino is doing very well, making a lot of money, right?"
Manager Chen also changed his tone.
"It's okay. The casino is actually run by Huang Hua, and I'm just tagging along. I really have no choice. With the double contract suddenly starting, I didn't have enough cash on hand, so I had to find some side income. Otherwise, the construction site couldn't be maintained."
"It's fine, as long as it makes money. But be careful about safety. Running a casino is illegal, and if you get caught by the cops, you'll still be sentenced." kanshuwu.net
"Yes, I'll be careful about that. I don't plan to do it for long either. As soon as I earn enough to keep the construction site running normally, I'll stop."
Yang Jian hadn't figured out Manager Chen's true intentions for calling him in, so he could only go along with what he said.
"Little Yang, your brother came to me about the meal tickets. I've already spoken to the finance department. You can send all the meal tickets you earn from the casino to the finance office, but keep it a secret from others. Huang Hua approached me before, and I didn't agree. You know what I mean, right?"
Yang Jian scratched his head, "I don't know?"
Manager Chen gave him a look, "You're usually such a sharp person, why are you acting foolish now? You've confirmed your relationship with Xiao Li, so we're family from now on. I'll do my best to help you in everything you do."
Yang Jian suddenly understood, "Thank you, Manager Chen."
"What did you call me? Still Manager Chen?"
"Oh, thank you, Uncle."
Although it felt a bit awkward to say, Manager Chen was in his forties. Even without the connection to Chen Xiao Li, it was normal for Yang Jian to call him uncle.
"Yes, call me Uncle in private from now on, but still Manager Chen during meetings."
"Okay, Uncle. If there's nothing else, I'll be going now."
He hadn't even properly started dating Chen Xiao Li yet, so Yang Jian didn't feel much connection to Manager Chen as an uncle. Calling him so familiarly felt particularly awkward, and he just wanted to leave quickly.
"Wait a moment, there's something I want to ask. The carpentry work here is a joint venture between you and Liu Yong, right?"
"Yes, but he signed the contract."
Manager Chen nodded, "I know that. How do you two cooperate, how do you split the profits, and how do you invest?"
"For the single contract, it was a 40-60 split, him 60 and me 40. I only invested fifty thousand, and he invested the rest. For the double contract, it's a 50-50 split, and I invested three hundred and eighty thousand."
Yang Jian didn't hide anything. He vaguely felt that Manager Chen's question had a deeper meaning.
Manager Chen frowned, thought for a moment, and then said, "Little Yang, since we're not outsiders anymore, I have to remind you to be a bit tighter with your finances from now on. Liu Yong's expenses have been quite high lately.
You've just started the double contract, and you need to purchase a lot of materials and equipment. The first project won't have much profit; the real money is in the later projects. If you don't manage the budget well and try to save expenses as much as possible, the first project might even result in a loss."
Yang Jian already knew that the first double contract project wouldn't yield much profit. The profit from carpentry double contracts actually came from material and equipment fees. For the first double contract, all materials and equipment had to be bought new, so there wasn't much profit to be made.
However, by the second project, there would be no need to buy machinery and equipment, nor steel pipes and fasteners. Additionally, old formwork could be fully utilized, and only a small amount of new material would be needed, with old templates having a 30% utilization rate.
Therefore, once the second project started, the profit margin would be very large, generally exceeding 30%, while the profit for a general contractor would not exceed 20%. This was why some experienced carpentry bosses were even stronger than general contractor bosses.
Yang Jian focused on Manager Chen's earlier statement: "Cousin's expenses are quite high?" But the accounts showed that he hadn't used much of their joint funds.
Perhaps it involved some of his personal privacy, as Manager Chen didn't say much more about Liu Yong. After a few pleasantries, he left.
Both Liang Liang and Manager Chen had mentioned his cousin's issue, and Yang Jian felt a bit uneasy. However, the construction site was too busy, and he also had to keep an eye on the casino's activities. Within a few days, he forgot about it.
"Er Jian, Xiao Bo's crew is leaving, and I'm short on cash. I need to pay their wages."
After the casino had been operating for more than twenty days, Liu Yong started asking Yang Jian for money.
"I only have fifty thousand here. Take it for now."
Yang Jian didn't say much. He knew Xiao Bo's crew was leaving. They were locals, but not from Baoping. They were mediocre workers, and due to internal discord and frequent squabbles, they worked too slowly, resulting in very low wages. Others earned three to four hundred yuan a day, while they only got a little over a hundred. Xiao Bo himself felt embarrassed to continue working there.
"Fifty thousand isn't enough. I heard Liu Chao say you've made fifty thousand in cash recently. Give me another fifty thousand."
"Brother, Huang Hua arranged a car for me at the site, and I have to pick it up tomorrow. I can only give you this much for now."
Yang Jian remembered Manager Chen's words. This was the second time Brother Yong had asked for money, and he had given him fifty thousand just a few days ago. It shouldn't have been used up so quickly.
"Buying a car? Why would you think of buying a car at this time? We don't even know if the construction site will get allocated funds before the end of the year. You need to plan for the possibility of no allocation, otherwise, the workers might cause trouble, and we won't be able to handle it."
"It's fine. There's still a month until the New Year. Even if the casino closes now, the two hundred thousand meal tickets I gave you can be cashed out, which should be enough to pay the wages."
The casino had been running smoothly during this period. San Pang and his group had won over seven hundred thousand in cash and meal tickets, which was why Yang Jian planned to buy a car.
What young man didn't love cars? Especially now that he was dating Chen Xiao Li, showing off in front of a girl was a normal aspiration for young men.
Chen Xiao Li had also been looking forward to going home for the New Year in Yang Jian's new car, which would satisfy her vanity and make her look good when she returned home.
"Alright, how much did the car cost?"
"Three hundred thousand, paid in full. I'm a big guy, so Huang Hua ordered an SUV from a joint venture brand for me."
"Three hundred thousand? You're really extravagant. Did you discuss it with your dad? Otherwise, you might get beaten up again when you go back."
Liu Yong's expression turned sour when he heard that Yang Jian spent three hundred thousand on a car. Manager Chen's car was only a little over a hundred thousand, yet Yang Jian, a team leader, had a better car than him.
Moreover, he, the master, hadn't even bought a car yet, and his apprentice was living so lavishly.
Yang Jian had no idea what his cousin was thinking at the moment. "It's fine. As long as you don't tell him about me running a casino when you go back, he won't be angry. He'll be happy when he sees me driving back."
It seemed he couldn't stop it. Liu Yong, unwillingly, took the fifty thousand cash and left.