Ever since Bai Jiu had a deep conversation with Aunt Xu, the food provided for the workers had all been made with produce grown in her own yard. Even the meat dishes were mainly substituted with eggs.
The workers didn’t mind at all. The main thing was that the host used a lot of oil in her cooking; it had been a long time since they had eaten dishes so rich and flavorful. However, seeing the host and her children eat very little during meal times made them feel somewhat apologetic. But the food was so delicious that they couldn’t stop eating. In the end, they could only silently resolve to work harder, finish building the toilet as soon as possible, and save the host from further expense.
To their complete surprise, on the day the work was finished, the host actually cooked meat for them. While putting the final touches on the toilet, the rich aroma of the meat almost made them drown in their own drool.
"Boss, the lady of the house is truly kind," the workers said, their eyes crinkling with smiles.
The foreman also wore a smile. "Yeah, I heard she even went to high school. You can tell she’s educated just by looking at her." Naturally, they had asked around since starting the job. Bai Jiu’s file had been transferred here. Logistics handled these matters anyway, so this kind of information couldn’t be kept secret. Besides, the factory still needed to arrange a job for her.
Bai Jiu had no idea she had won them over with a single meal of meat. Of course, even if she did know, she would only brush it off with a laugh.
Over the past few days, the children didn’t have any complaints about the food, but she had been finding her meals tasteless. It was mainly because their diet had been too vegetarian. Although she hadn’t been a heavy meat-eater in the past, perhaps she was influenced by the original owner of her body—she simply couldn’t stand being wronged when it came to food. Lately, she had been feeling a bit irritable. She just wanted to eat something good. For this meal, she had deliberately taken out an extra two catties of meat. She wanted everyone to eat to their heart’s content.
For this lunch, she had sent Zhengyang early to tell Gao Zhijun to come home, since the four workers were finishing the job at noon today. Gao Zhijun agreed and promised to come back before noon to help.
"Isn’t cooking steamed rice a bit much?" Gao Zhijun swallowed hard as he looked at the rice soaking next to the large, oil-glistening wok. The cafeteria food couldn’t even compare to his wife’s cooking. He hadn’t been eating well these past few days either. If people found out they were having meat and white rice, who knew how many would be green with envy.
"It’s just this one time, what are you afraid of? Besides, do you think they’ll go around blabbing about it?" Bai Jiu had to thank the leadership here; the houses were spaced quite far apart, so even if the smell drifted, it would be much fainter by the time it reached anyone else. Good food was only real once it was in the stomach. Bai Jiu bet they wouldn’t gossip outside. Men weren’t like women; they were naturally less prone to gossiping.
"Alright. You’ve been eating less these past few days anyway, so you can make up for it today." Gao Zhijun shook his head with a smile. He was just being too nervous.
"Okay, you have a point. Later during the meal, we’ll casually mention it and tell them not to talk about it outside." Bai Jiu knew he was just worried about her. Normally, when no one was around, it didn’t matter. Even if someone smelled it, they couldn’t see what was cooking. Today was different because there were outsiders present.
Soon, they saw a worker come to the front yard to fetch water. He was probably testing the toilet. Bai Jiu gave Gao Zhijun a look, gesturing for him to go out and check. As Bai Jiu had guessed, it was indeed the final step. As long as the water flushed, the job was done.
The first use of the toilet was traditionally left for the hosts themselves. Normally, it would be the workers taking the first turn. If it had been any other family, they might have relieved themselves there, but in Mr. Gao’s house, they really couldn’t bring themselves to do it. Mainly because they were too embarrassed.
"Mr. Gao, you’re here just in time. Take a look and see if there’s anything else that needs doing. If not, we’re officially done here," the foreman said when he saw Gao Zhijun walk in.
Gao Zhijun inspected the space. It looked really good. The cement had dried, and the floor was perfectly clean. Because Bai Jiu was particular, they had even installed tiles. He had to admit, it looked spotless.
"Thank you for your hard work. You did a great job." Gao Zhijun was very satisfied.
Hearing that Mr. Gao was satisfied, smiles broke out on everyone’s faces. "Then let the children of the Gao family take the first turn." This sort of thing was considered a custom.
Zhengyang and Xiuxiu happened to be playing in the backyard, where there was some leftover cement and gravel. The two little ones were having a blast.
"Zhengyang, come here." Since Xiuxiu was a girl, Gao Zhijun wasn’t about to let her use the toilet in front of so many people. He could only call his son over.
Zhengyang wasn’t just playing with mud randomly; he was mimicking the workers, trying to smooth out the ground. He looked incredibly focused. Hearing his father call, he immediately got up and ran over. "I’m coming, Dad!"
"Go on, pee," Gao Zhijun said with a chuckle.
The little guy wasn’t shy at all. He marched right up, pulled down his pants, and started peeing. Xiuxiu, on the other hand, let out a shriek when she saw her brother like that. Seeing this, Gao Zhijun immediately stepped forward, picked up his daughter, and covered her eyes.
"Brother has no shame," the little girl mumbled in dissatisfaction.
"Yes, your brother has no shame." Gao Zhijun doted on his daughter to a fault, throwing his son right under the bus.
Zhengyang rolled his eyes. His dad was the one who told him to pee, and his dad was the one scolding him for it. He wondered if it was really okay for a father to act like that.
The four workers standing nearby burst into laughter.
With the ceremony completed, everyone headed to the front yard. When they came out, they saw two basins filled with hot water, with two brand-new towels draped over each basin. They hadn’t seen this kind of grand treatment in years. It was true—usually, they only received this level of hospitality when working at the homes of prominent leaders. Seeing this setup now, every one of them mentally gave a thumbs-up.
"Mr. Gao, Mrs. Gao, you really went to too much expense." The four men didn’t refuse. They couldn’t bring themselves to refuse such kindness.
"It’s only right."
Gao Zhijun stayed to the side to help wash up the two children, who had managed to get cement all over themselves. Shortly after, Bai Jiu came out of the kitchen and called them into the main hall to eat. The main hall also served as the living and dining room; any guests or visitors would be entertained and fed here. Inviting the workers to eat in the main hall was considered the highest courtesy a host could offer. In ordinary households, workers would eat in the kitchen at best. But Bai Jiu was a modern soul; she didn’t care about those outdated rules. Seeing that they were dining in the living room, looks of excitement appeared on all four of the men’s faces.
After the meal, the four workers packed up their tools and left. Sharp-eyed neighbors outside quickly spotted them leaving. Now everyone knew that the Gao family’s toilet was finished.
Before Bai Jiu could celebrate for long, she heard a knock at the front door.
"Who is it?" Bai Jiu called out as she walked over. When she opened the door, she saw Granny Lin and another old woman she had dealt with previously standing outside.
"Can I help you, ladies?" Bai Jiu’s heart sank. Aunt Xu had been right. These two were truly shameless enough to show up on the very first day.
"We heard your toilet is finished. It just so happens that my grandson needs to use the restroom, and it’s too hot outside, so we thought we’d borrow yours."
The one speaking was the old woman from last time; her surname was Ding. To be fair, Granny Ding’s family background wasn’t as good as Granny Lin’s, but the two women were birds of a feather and had banded together ever since they moved in. However, Granny Ding wasn’t quite as brazenly shameless as Granny Lin. She was much more tactful with her words.
Bai Jiu was speechless.