C13 Work

When the equipment was brought back to the village, nearly everyone came to watch. Nowadays, if someone buys a TV, it's a big deal, so when the Yang family bought such a large piece of equipment, it sparked quite a bit of chatter.

"This thing must have cost over a thousand bucks!"

"Over a thousand? I think it's more like three to five thousand."

"That much? A TV only costs a few hundred."

"Well, it's not the same, is it?"

"Where did they get all that money?"

"Well... I heard it was Yang Chenxuan who came up with the idea. I heard he thought of the sand digging, and renting this area was his idea too. That day when there was a fight, he managed to hold his own against everyone."

"That kid Chenxuan is going places! The Yang family sure hit the jackpot."

"Yeah!"

While everyone was amazed at first, once the excitement and shock wore off, most were skeptical. With such a big piece of equipment costing so much, and with a load of river sand selling for only five bucks, how much would they have to sell to make it back?

Everyone thought the Yang family was going to take a loss this time.

Yang Chenxuan had his father get an electrician to hook up a power line, and by the time they were done, it was already evening. The whole family was excited. Yang Xiuyuan, worried about the machine, insisted on taking a mat to the riverbank to keep watch overnight. If anything happened to the equipment, it would be a disaster.

Zhang Yuehua thought it was necessary to keep an eye on things; with so much money involved, if someone got any funny ideas and took a bit, it would be a problem. Yang Chenxuan couldn't convince her otherwise, so he just let it be.

The next day, at 7 a.m., Yang Xiuyuan bought a big string of firecrackers. After setting them off, he officially powered up the equipment. The whole event was full of ceremony, just missing a big red ribbon.

Yang Chenxuan found it a bit amusing, but everyone else thought it was perfectly normal. After all, bringing in such a large piece of equipment was a big deal!

As the conveyor belt started moving, Zhang Yuehua scooped up some river sand and poured it onto the belt. The belt slowly carried the pile of sand to the shore. Everyone watched with fascination.

Yang Xiuyuan shouted, "Yuehua, hurry up!"

"Mom, just use the shovel!" Yang Chenxuan said, jumping into the river with two shovels and handing one to his mother. The two of them began shoveling the sand onto the conveyor belt. The river sand, mixed with pebbles, continuously moved toward the shore.

Even with both of them working hard, they couldn't keep up with the speed of the belt. As the belt reached the end, the sand tumbled to the ground, quickly forming a small hill.

Yang Xiuyuan stood by the switch, grinning from ear to ear, and eagerly grabbed a shovel to sift the sand. One person couldn't possibly sift as fast as two could dig, and before long, the sand piled up too high. Yang Xiuyuan had to use a hoe to spread it out, his face full of joy.

This is all money!

Yang Xiuyuan was confident that with enough manpower, they could get at least ten truckloads a day. Those watching couldn't help but feel a twinge of envy. Many who were ready to see them fail yesterday were left speechless. Wu Daxiang's eyes sparkled with excitement. Zhou Jun was genuinely happy for the Yang family, knowing this could be a huge financial opportunity if done right.

After an hour of hard work, the whole Yang family was drenched in sweat. But seeing the mountain of river sand on the bank, Yang Xiuyuan and Zhang Yuehua felt it was worth it. The machine was a good investment! The effort was worth it! Yang Chenxi was also helping out with all her might, fully aware of the sand's value now.

"Let's take a break!" Yang Chenxuan called out. Yang Xiuyuan was in the zone, knowing it was just past eight, a prime time for work. But seeing his son's clothes soaked through, he quickly went to turn off the machine.

Yang Chenxuan sat by the machine, realizing it was still exhausting. Yang Xiuyuan and Zhang Yuehua were calculating the sand, estimating they had over a truckload. With the four of them working, they could manage about fifteen truckloads a day. At four dollars a truckload, that would be sixty dollars! In just two days, they could earn more than Yang Xiuyuan used to make in a month. The machine, even at nine hundred dollars, would pay for itself in less than a month.

Meanwhile, the surrounding teams, numbering over a dozen, watched with a mix of envy and jealousy. Most of them stopped digging and gathered around to watch the spectacle.

Wu Daxiang eagerly ran over and offered cigarettes to Yang Xiuyuan and Yang Chenxuan. "Hey, Yang, you really found a treasure here. How much did it cost?"

Yang Xiuyuan smiled and said, "Three thousand!"

This was the price Yang Chenxuan had suggested he mention. Chenxuan was a bit protective; he didn't want others rushing to buy if the price seemed too low. It could complicate things when the Yang family wanted to expand.

Wu Daxiang was taken aback. Although this venture seemed like a gold mine, the price was steep. If it didn't pan out, the losses could be severe.

As Chenxuan smoked, he asked, "Daxiang, has your wife had any schooling?"

Back then, many adults hadn't had the chance to go to school.

Wu Daxiang nodded, "She finished seventh grade."

"How about having her manage the sandpit?" Chenxuan suggested. "Three dollars a day, but for now, my little sister will work alongside her to teach her the ropes. She'll take half the pay. Once school starts, your wife will get the full three dollars."

Wu Daxiang was thrilled at the idea of his wife managing the sandpit. "Really?"

"Of course!" Chenxuan nodded. "But for now, your wife will earn a dollar fifty a day."

The job was straightforward—just standing at the entrance with a notebook. It was much easier than digging sand, and quite a good deal!

Wu Daxiang nodded without a second thought. "Sure, no problem!"

Yang Chenxuan smiled softly. "Don't agree too quickly. Earning these three bucks isn't easy; there are rules. I'll draft some guidelines when the time comes."

"Getting paid to work, of course, there are rules. I get that," Wu Daxiang said, not really concerned. Being from the same village, he figured the rules couldn't be too strict.

As they chatted, a tractor rolled in, and Jiang Youcai jumped off the back. "Hey, Yang, I'm here to haul sand. From now on, this is Mr. Chen. Whenever he comes around, he's helping me with the hauling."

Yang Xiuyuan immediately approached. "Jiang, you're here early! How many loads today? Want a smoke?"

With that, Yang Xiuyuan offered cigarettes to Jiang Youcai and the tractor driver.

"Eight loads, sound good?" Jiang Youcai said, glancing at the newly acquired equipment. He marveled, "Wow, this is impressive! Yang, you're really expanding!"

Yang Xiuyuan felt a bit proud inside, and it showed on his face. With this equipment, he considered himself somewhat of a local expert. But he remained modest. "It's just small-scale stuff. Eight or nine loads, no problem. As soon as Mr. Chen arrives, we can start loading."

Jiang Youcai looked a bit envious. Not long ago, Yang Xiuyuan often asked him if there were any odd jobs available. Now, in just a few days, he had become his own boss, all thanks to his son!

James smiled and nodded, "Alright! Load up a truck for me first. I just came to check in. Without a sign, I was worried Mr. Chen might not find the place, so I brought him along. I've got a busy day at the site!"

Loading the truck was a bit slow. Even with several people working together, it took a few minutes.

By the end of the day, the Yang family had dug up twelve truckloads of river sand and hauled away ten. The hard work left them exhausted.

Everyone except Yang Chenxuan was quite satisfied. Twelve truckloads meant forty-eight dollars. If not for the loading, they could have easily managed twenty truckloads.

Yang Xiuyuan didn't go back to sleep; he stayed by the river to watch over the machines.

Yang Chenxuan was deep in thought. Even after buying the machines, they hadn't escaped the realm of hard labor. They needed to hire someone.

But how exactly to hire someone required careful consideration.

That evening, Yang Chenxuan told his sister to keep watch at the entrance the next day, explaining what she needed to do, and then asked her to call Wu Daxiang's wife.

Zhang Yuehua wasn't entirely pleased with this arrangement. "Xuan, Uncle Jun's wife is educated and can read. Why not have her do it?"

Yang Chenxuan smiled gently, "There will be other opportunities. I talked to Uncle Jun this afternoon. In a couple of days, we'll find another task for his wife."

Upon hearing this, Zhang Yuehua immediately understood: "You think we need to hire more people?"

"We need someone to handle logistics!" Yang Chenxuan replied. "Right now, we're just pushing through with sheer determination. We need to change that!"

Zhang Yuehua was actually quite satisfied with the current situation. However, everything had been achieved through her son's persistence, and she now had an almost blind trust in him. She only hesitated when it came to large sums of money. "Alright, as long as you have it all planned out."