flstandardbreds Chapter 154 The Bridge Demolition Worker's Dilemma
Chapter 154 The Bridge Demolition Worker's Dilemma
Bridge Demolition Workers' Dilemma
Su Yunlan turned to look at him. "I know." She took a deep breath, her gaze firm. "But no matter how many difficulties lie ahead, we must overcome them."
Xiao Yuhan grasped her hand in return, offering her silent support.
However, the challenges of reality always come sooner than expected.
Shortly after the bridge construction began, a thorny technical problem arose.
That day, Su Yunlan arrived at the construction site and saw the workers gathered together, their brows furrowed, whispering among themselves.
The clanging and banging stopped, replaced by a heavy silence.
Su Yunlan's heart sank, and an ominous premonition welled up in her mind.
"What's going on?" She quickly walked up and asked a worker who was moving stones.
The worker pointed to the middle of the riverbed with a worried look on his face. "Madam Su, the riverbed there is too soft. We can't drive the bridge piers in! We've tried several times before, but they all sank and can't stand up at all."
Su Yunlan looked in the direction he was pointing, and sure enough, the water flow in the middle of the riverbed was more rapid than in other places, and the water level was slightly lower, which was obviously a sign of soft ground.
This poses a significant threat to the stability of the bridge.
"Where is Craftsman Li?" Su Yunlan asked.
“There it is!” The worker gestured toward the center of the crowd.
Su Yunlan pushed through the crowd and saw Craftsman Li standing there with his hands behind his back, a smug look on his face.
When he saw Su Yunlan approaching, a sly smile appeared on his lips.
"Lady Su, as you can see, this bridge is not easy to build," Craftsman Li said slowly, with a hint of schadenfreude in his tone.
He twirled his fingers, his eyes darting around, "As for the wages..."
Su Yunlan immediately understood his meaning.
This craftsman Li is clearly trying to take advantage of the chaos!
A surge of anger welled up inside Su Yunlan, and she clenched her fists tightly.
But she didn't argue with him about wages like she had before.
She took a deep breath, suppressing her anger, and stared intently at Craftsman Li. "Craftsman Li, what good ideas do you have?"
Craftsman Li twirled his fingers, his greedy eyes undisguised. "Well, there are ways, but..." He paused, feigning profundity, "...it's much more difficult, so the wages will naturally have to increase accordingly."
Su Yunlan sneered and didn't respond to his words. Instead, she said, "Craftsman Li, I have a suggestion."
Craftsman Li was taken aback and looked at her suspiciously. "What suggestion?"
"How about we have a match?" Su Yunlan's tone was calm, yet carried an undeniable firmness.
"A competition?" Craftsman Li laughed loudly as if he had heard a joke. "Madam Su, are you kidding me? What do you, a woman, know about bridge building?" The surrounding workers also whispered among themselves, finding Su Yunlan's suggestion unbelievable.
Su Yunlan remained unmoved, her eyes sharp as knives. "Whether you understand or not, you'll know after the competition."
The smile on Li's face gradually disappeared, replaced by a sinister look. "Fine, let's compete! If you lose, I'll decide the cost of this bridge!"
Su Yunlan nodded, "It's a deal. However, if you lose, you'll have built this bridge for nothing."
Craftsman Li snorted and agreed nonchalantly.
He simply couldn't believe that a woman could surpass his bridge-building skills honed over many years.
Su Yunlan walked to the riverbank, carefully observed the condition of the foundation, and asked several workers for their opinions.
Back on shore, she directed the workers to bring some sturdy wooden stakes and a large amount of gravel.
No one understood his meaning, and the craftsman Li, with a mindset of watching a joke, mocked him from the sidelines.
Ignoring the comments of others, Su Yunlan calmly directed the workers to drive wooden piles into the soft area in the center of the riverbed, forming a circular cofferdam.
Then, crushed stones are filled into the cofferdam and the foundation is compacted.
As wooden stakes were driven into the riverbed one by one, the originally soft riverbed gradually became firm.
The turbulent water flow was also blocked by the cofferdam, preventing it from eroding the foundation.
The craftsman's initially disdainful expression gradually froze.
In less than half a day, Su Yunlan solved the technical problem that had been troubling everyone.
The surrounding workers exclaimed in admiration, their gazes towards Su Yunlan filled with respect.
Craftsman Li's face turned ashen, overwhelmed with shame.
Su Yunlan dusted off her hands, walked up to Craftsman Li, and smiled faintly. "Craftsman Li, do you have anything to say now?"
Craftsman Li opened his mouth, but couldn't say anything.
His face flushed red, and he felt as if he had swallowed a fly.
Su Yunlan turned and left, leaving Li Gongjiang with a tall and straight back view.
She felt incredibly happy; the feeling of solving a problem on her own gave her immense satisfaction.
“Nineteenth Brother,” Su Yunlan called out to Xiao Shijiu, who was about to follow, “Go and make the arrangements…”
[Event occurred]
Sunlight shone on the river, creating shimmering waves that also reflected Su Yunlan's busy figure.
Xiao Yuhan stood quietly to the side, watching her command with composure and handle the situation calmly, his eyes filled with admiration and pride.
It was an indescribable pride, as if saying, "Look, this is my wife."
She was not only his lover, but also his partner in battle, and his strongest support in this chaotic world.
Su Yunlan felt that burning gaze, and when she looked up, her eyes met Xiao Yuhan's.
Without many words, a single glance was enough to convey a thousand words.
They smiled at each other, and a warm current called tacit understanding flowed between their hearts. That was the most beautiful form of love, where no sweet words were needed, and a single glance was enough to understand each other's feelings.
On the other side, seeing that things were not going well, Li the craftsman rolled his eyes and tried to sneak away.
He didn't want to work for nothing, and he certainly didn't want to lose face in front of these people.
He hunched over, trying to minimize his presence, and like a mouse, he moved step by step along the base of the wall.
"Stop!" A sharp shout, like a thunderclap, made the craftsman Li tremble all over.
He turned around stiffly, only to see Young Master Xiao Nineteen standing in front of him with his arms crossed, a playful smile on his lips.
"Craftsman Li, where are you going?" Xiao Shijiu's voice was not loud, but it carried an undeniable authority.
Although he was still young, he was, after all, a member of the Xiao family, and possessed an air of nobility that made him someone not to be underestimated.
Fine beads of sweat appeared on Li's forehead. He stammered, "I...I have some things to take care of at home..."
"Something's wrong at home?" Xiao Shijiu raised an eyebrow, looking at him with a half-smile. "I think you don't have something wrong at home, you just have something to hide, don't you?"
The craftsman felt guilty under his gaze, his eyes darting around, and he dared not meet his eyes.
"I'll give you one more chance." Xiao Shijiu's voice suddenly turned stern. "Either you obediently build this bridge for me, or you return every penny of the wages you received!"
Craftsman Li's face turned ashen. He had originally thought he could take the opportunity to extort some money, but he had unexpectedly run into a brick wall.
The surroundings were quiet, with only the sound of the flowing river and the occasional bird call.
The atmosphere became tense, like a taut string that could snap at any moment.
After resolving the foundation issue, Su Yunlan did not relax at all.
She knew that building the bridge would be no easy task.
Although the problem of craftsman Li has been solved, new technical challenges may arise, and she must remain vigilant at all times to ensure the bridge is completed smoothly.
Sweat soaked her clothes, and the sticky feeling made her a little uncomfortable, but she didn't care.
She walked to the riverbank, carefully observing the changes in the water flow, and pondering her next plan.
Just then, Su Yunlan said to Xiao Shijiu, "Go and..."