TIPS – Chapter 26

Chapter 26

But Sun Laizi couldn’t hold back any longer. He quickly chased after them.

“Young Master Song! Ah, let me apologize first. We were wrong before—we were just too stubborn to think straight.”

Song Jingwei rolled his eyes. “Just get to the point.”

“Heh, well, it’s about the land dispute… We’re willing to accept compensation.” Sun Laizi finally admitted.

Song Jingwei raised an eyebrow. “One-quarter of the price?”

“Yes, yes, one-quarter.” Sun Laizi resigned himself to reality. They had no chance of winning against Song Jingwei, and squeezing money out of him for nothing was impossible.

“Fine. Come tomorrow to sign the paperwork, and I’ll pay you.” Song Jingwei agreed without hesitation.

“Good, good! Oh, and about the long-term laborer jobs… My nephew and I—can we also sign up?” Sun Laizi rubbed his hands together, looking hopeful.

“Oh? You two want to be laborers too?” Song Jingwei thought for a moment.

Shen Dongming and Shen Junxi were visibly confused, but after a brief consideration, Song Jingwei nodded.

“Fine, but on one condition—you must work hard and not slack off. If I catch either of you being lazy or dishonest, I’ll fire you immediately. Understood?”

“Of course, of course!” Sun Laizi nodded eagerly. Hah! Once we’re out in the fields, who’s going to check if we’re really working? Even if someone’s supervising, no one dares to say anything to us!

“Alright, come sign the contract tomorrow.” Song Jingwei dismissed them and headed back with the Shen family.

This was the second time in a short period that they had marched confidently out of the village chief’s house.

On the way home, Shen Dongming fumed, “That bastard Wu Fu is worthless!”

Song Jingwei remained calm. “People like him always face their own downfall. No need to waste energy thinking about him.”

He wasn’t surprised by Wu Fu’s cold-heartedness. He had seen countless families turn on each other—not just siblings but even parents abandoning their children.

“Tch! Our family would never produce someone like that!” Shen Dongming huffed. He bit down on his pipe, took a few puffs, and then asked, “Daughter-in-law, are you really going to hire Sun Laizi and Sun Zheng?”

“If they’re willing to come, I’m willing to hire them.”

That night, as Song Jingwei prepared for bed, he noticed a flickering light still burning in the house.

Curious, he got up and saw Shen Junxi hunched over the desk, writing labor contracts.

Song Jingwei had never asked him to do this.

After a moment of thought, he understood. Shen Junxi was naturally observant and detail-oriented. He must have overheard their conversation earlier at the village chief’s house and realized that more workers would be coming—not just tomorrow, but likely in the future as well.

“Finish this one and then get some rest.” Song Jingwei said.

Shen Junxi paused for a moment, then continued writing. This time, his pen strokes felt a little lighter and quicker.

At dawn, the Shen family’s main courtyard gate was knocked on repeatedly.

The first to arrive were the Wu brothers—but not together.

Wu Fu and Wu Xi had come for different reasons.

Wu Fu was there to sign the compensation agreement. Once the papers were signed, he took five taels of silver. Wu Xi, on the other hand, didn’t receive any additional money, as he had already been paid the previous day.

“Young Master Song, as we discussed yesterday… I’d like to become a long-term laborer for you.” Wu Xi said shyly.

He was naturally reserved, and the only reason he had brandished a knife yesterday was because he had been terrified.

Song Jingwei didn’t hesitate. He handed Wu Xi a labor contract. “Sign here. You can start work today.”

Wu Xi immediately signed, grateful for the opportunity.

Then, unexpectedly, Wu Fu spoke up.

“Young Master Song… I also want to be a laborer.”

After seeing how many tenant farmers had joined Song Jingwei’s workforce, he realized that if he didn’t secure a job now, he might be left with nothing.

But Song Jingwei flatly rejected him.

“Wu Fu, I suggest you find someone else’s land to rent or look for a job in town.”

Wu Fu was stunned. “Why? Why can’t I work for you?”

His younger brother was accepted—why was he being turned away?

Song Jingwei remained firm. “The reason doesn’t matter. It’s my decision.”

He had already offered advice, which was more than Wu Fu deserved.

To him, Wu Fu was as useless as mud—a man with no loyalty, no courage, and no potential.

Soon after, the other labor candidates began to arrive.

Village chief Li Zhangguang had brought several strong men, eager to work.

And, as promised, Sun Laizi and Sun Zheng also came—ready to sign their contracts.

It seemed that Sun Laizi and Sun Zheng had completely forgotten last night’s unpleasantness. The moment they entered, they started flattering Song Jingwei, calling him Young Master Song every chance they got.

Song Jingwei handed each of them a labor contract and had them sign it. Then, he kept it brief:

“No need for unnecessary chatter. Just remember my requirements—work hard and keep your mouth shut. Don’t stir up trouble, got it?”

The last part was directed at Sun Laizi and Sun Zheng specifically, a clear warning.

“Got it, got it! We’ll do whatever Young Master Song says.” Sun Laizi nodded quickly.

“Get to work, then.” Song Jingwei led them to the construction site.

After that day, word spread fast—people realized that Song Jingwei was still hiring laborers. They no longer asked the Shen family couple for work but went directly to him.

If someone was fit for the job, Song Jingwei hired them. If they weren’t, he turned them away.

In just a few days, his worker list grew to fifty-three. For now, he decided not to hire more.

The workers were building a road at the foot of Xiaoliang Mountain.

Villagers hauled stones from another site to fill in and level a rugged goat path, transforming it into a proper road for carriages.

Sun Laizi and Sun Zheng had been working here for five or six days. Compared to their carefree attitudes on day one, they now looked utterly miserable.

“This is too exhausting, Uncle! I quit!” Sun Zheng threw down his iron shovel and slumped onto the ground, complaining.

“What can we do?” Sun Laizi sighed. His job was hauling heavy stones, which was far harder than he had expected.

At first, he thought no one would supervise them, but that damned Chen Xianggui kept reporting them to Song Jingwei whenever they tried to slack off.

Because of this, Song Jingwei had already personally warned them—if they slacked off again, he would dock their wages. No discussion.

“So what? Who cares if we don’t get paid? We’ll just rent land elsewhere. It’s not like he’s the only landlord in the village.” Sun Zheng argued. He really didn’t want to work anymore.

To be honest, the job wasn’t even that difficult—he had just been lazy for too long and couldn’t handle real labor.

“That won’t do!” Sun Laizi’s eyes gleamed as he rolled his eyes cunningly.

Sun Zheng knew that look—his uncle was scheming something again.

“What’s your plan?”

“Just watch me.”

Sun Laizi suddenly collapsed onto the ground.

“UNCLE!” Sun Zheng acted startled, then shouted for help:

“Somebody help! My uncle has fainted! Help!”

Song Jingwei was inspecting the site when a villager ran up to him, shouting:

“Young Master Song! Sun Laizi fainted!”

Song Jingwei glanced up at the sun—it was still early, not even hot enough for heatstroke. He was instantly suspicious.

He arrived at the makeshift shelter, where villagers had carried Sun Laizi inside.

“What happened?” he asked, as the villagers cleared a path for him.

“Young Master Song, my uncle just collapsed!” Sun Zheng looked distressed.

Song Jingwei gave him a skeptical look, then walked up to Sun Laizi’s ‘unconscious’ body.

He nudged him with his foot. No reaction.

“Oh? He’s really passed out?”

Squatting down, Song Jingwei grabbed a chisel nearby.

Then, without warning, he jabbed Sun Laizi’s leg with it.

The villagers heard a scream like a pig being slaughtered.

Sun Laizi shot up instantly, clutching his leg.

Song Jingwei stood up calmly, dusted off his hands, and said:

“All good now. Get back to work, everyone.”

The villagers were stunned but slowly returned to their tasks, still confused about what just happened.

Then, someone figured it out:

“He was faking it! He just wanted to get out of working!”

With that realization, the whole site erupted in laughter.

No one was more embarrassed than Sun Zheng. Seeing his uncle completely exposed, he didn’t dare stay long—he slipped away with the crowd.

Meanwhile, Sun Laizi was still sitting on the ground, clutching his leg and wailing.

“Oh, come on.” Song Jingwei sighed, half amused. “I barely even used any force. Quit the act.”

“Ahhh! Young Master Song, that really hurt!” Sun Laizi grimaced. “I hurt my leg! Does this mean I can take the day off?”

Song Jingwei nodded. “Sure, but no pay for today.”

Sun Laizi immediately shut his mouth.

After a few moments of sulking, he finally got up, dusted himself off, and muttered:

“Fine, fine, I’ll get back to work.”

“That’s the spirit. Work hard.” Song Jingwei patted him on the shoulder, grinning.

Later, Sun Laizi and Sun Zheng met up again at the mountainside.

Sun Zheng asked, “Uncle, is your leg okay?”

Just thinking about Song Jingwei’s ‘treatment’ made Sun Zheng’s face sting with embarrassment.

“It’s fine. Just bruised a little.” Sun Laizi sighed. “This isn’t working. If we want to scam him, it has to be real.”

Sun Zheng hesitated. “What do you mean by real?”

“If I actually get injured, he’ll have to compensate me, right?” Sun Laizi said confidently.

Sun Zheng’s eyes widened. “Uncle, don’t do anything crazy! Your health—”

“Pah! I’m not talking about a serious injury! Just a small one!”

Sun Laizi started looking around for a ‘suitable tool’.

Finally, he picked up a rock and held it above his own leg.

He hesitated.

I… I can’t do it!

After a moment, he shoved the rock into Sun Zheng’s hands.

“You do it.”