Chapter 136: Construction Blueprints

When the workers received the notice about the canteen’s trial opening, they didn’t really expect much.

They were different from the project department staff—those people worked in offices and earned high salaries, while they did the manual labor. Did they even deserve to eat in the same place? From their memory, the workers in the field usually just sat on bricks to eat.

What worried them most was whether, dressed in worn-out cotton jackets and mud-stained pants with only a few coins in their pockets, they could even get a full meal at the canteen.

Besides, the top leaders had said eating at the canteen was voluntary, suggesting everyone come take a look on the first day, but not forcing anyone to come.

When Li Shengli and his buddies arrived, he sighed: “I wonder if Yunshu is already selling meals today. If we all don’t show up, who will she sell the food to?”

Qiangzi had only prepared ten cents: “I’ll just buy a steamed bun and maybe some vegetable dishes later.”

Most people who had gotten used to Xie Yunshu’s food were basically like this—giving face to the leaders by coming once, but planning to eat elsewhere tomorrow. The young girl’s meals were tasty and cheap, with pickled vegetables and chili on the side. They’d rather take a little extra walk than eat in the project department’s canteen.

Just entering the first floor’s main door, Li Shengli rubbed his eyes. He saw Xie Yunshu wearing a mask, her big bright black eyes smiling as she waved at him: “Brother Li, over here!”

“Yunshu?!” Li Shengli widened his eyes, quickly walking over and laughing heartily, “How come it’s you?!”

Seeing several familiar faces behind him, Xie Yunshu felt a warm sense of familiarity and blinked: “Big brother, come visit your little sister often! Same prices, same taste, I promise you’ll eat well and be full!”

Who would want to eat outside after that?

The workers ate much faster than the project staff, and not everyone dared to sit down—many simply took their food back to their work spots. After sitting where the cadres usually ate, they felt uncomfortable.

Li Shengli and Qiangzi sat down, eating while discussing the upcoming new site.

“This plumbing job is guaranteed money; Old Li asked me twice already. It’s hard to find workers right after the New Year, so they want us to go do it,” Li Shengli was the small team leader, and the people under him had worked in Haicheng’s sites a long time, so he had some connections.

The problem was no one understood the blueprints.

Qiangzi still only had vegetables as usual, but Xie Yunshu added some meat broth, which tasted pretty good. He bit into a bun and asked: “If we can get this job, we won’t be idle all year. Should we go to the project department to ask an architect?”

Li Shengli shook his head helplessly: “Who has time to deal with us? And these blueprints aren’t something you can just glance at. We have to understand them while working—can’t keep asking questions every day.”

He was very happy when Old Li found them this job.

Haicheng’s government had money, and the southern big bosses had money too. This was the biggest project he had gotten so far. If they could do it, they’d make six figures at least! With his brothers, they wouldn’t have to worry about money all year.

He did think about finding someone who understood blueprints to advise them, but where would he find such a person? People who could read blueprints usually wore green safety helmets on sites and weren’t easy to approach.

By now, fewer people were eating. Xie Yunshu had already prepared three meals ahead, letting Li Fenlan and Zhao Aunty eat first, while she was drawn to the blueprint Li Shengli had put on the table.

“Brother Li, is this the new site’s design blueprint?” She had been self-studying this area and read quite a few books recently, so she quickly understood: “More than twenty buildings, plus so many public facilities, covering over seventy acres. No wonder they said this project would take at least ten years!”

Li Shengli was surprised: “Yunshu, you can actually understand this?”

Xie Yunshu didn’t dare be arrogant: “I only understand basic blueprints like this. I don’t know the deeper stuff.”

She knew construction blueprints came in many types—floor plans, section views, 3D views—but the one in front of Li Shengli was the plumbing and drainage plan. It wasn’t that complicated, just looked busy with many lines.

Li Shengli’s job was to install the plumbing in advance. The positioning and routing couldn’t be wrong; otherwise, it’d be a huge hassle fixing things after the building was done. How the building was constructed wasn’t his concern.

Qiangzi immediately said: “Brother Li, let’s get Yunshu to help!”

This was serious, not a joke. Li Shengli pursed his lips: “Yunshu, take another look at these blueprints. Can you understand the pipe locations and directions?”

She really could understand, but Xie Yunshu was confident without being arrogant, and she wasn’t a professional, so she didn’t dare guarantee accuracy.

“Brother Li, I think you should still find a professional to check.” She shook her head, reluctantly pulling her eyes from the blueprints. “Construction isn’t a small matter; no room for mistakes. I only know the basics.”

Li Shengli was a little disappointed but then thought that Yunshu was already better than them just by understanding some blueprints. He smiled: “It’s fine, I’ll keep looking for someone.”

By then, not many people were left in the canteen. Li Shengli rolled up the blueprints and hurried to the site: “Yunshu, I’m off!”

Xie Yunshu felt a bit regretful—she hadn’t finished looking at the blueprints. She wished she could trace a copy someday…

At that moment, Li Fenlan’s voice called out: “Little Yunshu, why did you just come down to eat? There’s almost nothing left…”

Maybe because the midday temperature rose a bit, Shen Subai had changed from his usual black cotton jacket to a black long coat. He was tall and stood straight, looking even more upright. For some reason, Xie Yunshu felt that Shen team leader seemed a bit different.

She couldn’t quite say why, maybe he looked more spirited? After all, winter clothes were bulky, but now with the long black coat, he really gave off a fresh impression. His usually steady and serious appearance had a bit more flair.

Shen Subai put his hands in his coat pockets and faced Li Fenlan warmly: “Aunt Li, these past two days we’ve been busy with the canteen’s trial operation and lost track of time at lunch. It’s okay, I’ll just grab some steamed buns later.”

It was the first day selling food inside the site, and Xie Yunshu didn’t know how many people would eat, so she didn’t make much. Now, not only were the dishes sold out, but even the buns were gone…

Looking at the meal she had reserved, a feeling of guilt rose up. “Team Leader Shen, if you don’t mind, would you eat my portion?”