Having achieved financial freedom, I reorganized my workplace.

Lin Chen, along with Tang Yuwei, accompanied Wang Ping to the back mountain of Meihua Village where construction was underway.

The sight before them left all three of them speechless.

Scattered across the earth trampled by the bulldozer were the stark white bones. Wang Ping crouched down, trembling, and pieced together his father's bones one by one, as if gathering precious treasures.

But no matter what he did, he couldn't find the end. This middle-aged man, who had been to school, was now crying like a child. He knelt on the yellow earth, his voice hoarse: "Father... your son is unfilial... even after you're gone, you still have to suffer like this..."

The mournful sounds echoed throughout the valley, lingering for a long time.

Tang Yuwei was soft-hearted, and tears were already streaming down her face. She turned her face away, unable to bear to look anymore. Lin Chen stood aside, not crying, but his heart felt as if something had ripped it out, leaving him feeling empty.

For the first time, he began to doubt his work. If he hadn't condoned the village chief's violence that day, hadn't rushed the construction, and if he had asked one more question about the relocation of the graves, perhaps today's tragedy wouldn't have happened.

Just then, Director Lin Kaidong's phone rang at an inopportune moment.

"Lin Chen, where are you?" The voice on the other end of the phone sounded anxious.

"On the mountain."

"What are you doing up in the mountain? What time is it?"

"I'm helping Wang Ping's father collect his body. What do you think I'm doing?" Lin Chen's voice was as cold as a mountain wind.

Lin Kaidong instantly flew into a rage: "Did I fucking give him face? Daring to scare the boss with a snake? Tell him there won't be a single penny of compensation. I'm going to kill the bastard."

Lin Chen sneered: "You want him to go to the boss's office for tea again?"

"He dares."

"Did Wang Ping come to see you last night? If you had spoken to him politely then, would you have pushed him to this point?"

"How was I supposed to know that bastard would do something like this? I knew I'd killed him." Lin Kaidong's tone was noticeably weak.

"He's on the back hill. Come over and kill him so he can keep his father company."

"Lin Chen, don't worry about your precious grandson."

"I really shouldn't have worried about it. I don't even dare to go to the county," Lin Chen said wearily.

Lin Kaidong then remembered the important matter and lowered his voice: "By the way, how is Director Tan? Is he alright?"

"You won't die, don't worry."

"Did he say anything? Did he blame us?"

Lin Chen looked at Wang Ping's trembling back and suddenly felt disgusted by the face on the other end of the phone. At this moment, this is what you care about most, while others can't even find their father's remains.

"Alright," he interrupted, "Chief, can you give me some peace and quiet?"

After saying that, he hung up the phone and pressed the mute button hard. The mountain wind howled past, swirling up a few withered leaves, as if performing a ritual for Wang Ping's father.

When they returned, Lin Chen took Tang Yuwei to Baisha Bay again, but Tang Yuwei didn't go in to dance today. Instead, she sat with Lin Chen on a rock and quietly watched for the whole afternoon.

At that moment, Tang Yuwei realized that her heart seemed to be a little closer to the class monitor.

Time flies, and it's already the end of December.

Last month, because of Wang Ping's incident, Director Lin Kaidong was publicly criticized by Director Tan at a general meeting. Director Tan slammed his fist on the table and said, "You're always elusive and never around. If you can't reach him by phone next time, just resign." The effect was immediate.

Now he goes to work on time every day, as honest as a new employee, and no longer dares to skip work. Of course, Lin Chen also knows that this will not last long.

With the director forced to stay on duty, Lin Chen was happy to have some free time, giving him much more time to slack off and write. His novel's sales soared, even breaking into the top ten of the sales charts, and his royalties for this month steadily exceeded 50,000 yuan. If it weren't for the shorter word count, it could have easily reached 100,000 yuan.

Looking at his bank account balance, Lin Chen had the first thought of "resigning" pop into his mind.

But then I thought about it again, and the online literature industry is too volatile. I still vividly remember the feeling of being a flop for several years. It's unrealistic to live off a single book for a lifetime; I still need a stable job as a safety net.

What's more, the joy of slacking off at work to earn extra money is a double dose of exhilaration that you can never experience by simply writing.

A few days later, the project in Meihua Village was nearing completion. In the morning, the director took Lin Chen there for a preliminary inspection.

Lin Chen had done this kind of thing before and knew the process.

Lin Chen originally wanted to bring measuring tools and acceptance forms, but Lin Kaidong waved his hand and said, "Why bring those things? It's unnecessary."

It seems they're sticking to the old adage that "eyes are the measure."

It doesn't matter anymore.

Upon arriving at the site—or rather, before we even arrived, before the car had even come to a complete stop—the site construction manager, Engineer Cai, came over to greet us.

"Director Lin, you've taken time out of your busy schedule to come and provide guidance in person. Thank you for your hard work." Engineer Cai grasped Lin Kaidong's hands tightly, his enthusiasm like that of a long-lost brother, while reminding him, "Hey, watch your step, there are a lot of stones on this construction site."

Lin Kaidong, putting on airs and speaking in a bureaucratic tone, said, "Engineer Cai, how's the project going? Is it all finished? Does it meet all the standards? Don't try to fool me. Our leaders are keeping a close eye on this project."

Engineer Cai patted his chest and assured, "Director Lin, you can rest assured. Our construction standards will only be higher, never lower; we'll adhere to the strictest requirements. Look at the pipe burial depth, the joint treatment... these are all high-quality projects with widened and deepened sections."

As they were talking, Engineer Cai magically produced two packs of Zhonghua cigarettes and skillfully stuffed them into the director's pocket. Lin Kaidong symbolically tried to block them with his hand, but his technique was excellent, and he managed to slip them in perfectly.

Lin Kaidong: "This is our class monitor, Lin Chen."

Engineer Cai also came over to shake hands with Lin Chen and offered him two packs of cigarettes. Lin Chen accepted them. Although he didn't smoke, he had to maintain a certain air about him, otherwise people wouldn't take him seriously and wouldn't pay attention to him during the inspection.

The director's inspection skills were very high. He walked around the huge construction site with his hands in his pockets like an expert, constantly pointing out various problems. It has to be said that the director was indeed a seasoned veteran.

The problems he pointed out were mostly details that Lin Chen had overlooked, such as uneven backfilling, overly intricate patterns on water pipes, and haphazard dumping of garbage at the construction site.

These kinds of problems all have one thing in common: they are relatively easy to rectify.

When the director pointed out a problem, Engineer Cai readily and sincerely admitted it with a smile, while offering a pack of cigarettes: "Director Lin has a keen eye; he helped me find so many problems. Thank you so much. We'll rectify them immediately."

It seemed as if the director wasn't being criticized, but rather being given a great gift.

After less than half an hour of browsing, Director Lin waved his hand and said, "I've noted down all the problems. Rectify them first, and we'll inspect them again next time." Lin Chen also understood that it was impossible to complete the inspection in one go. There would have to be at least several rounds of inspection, otherwise there would be no more Zhonghua cigarettes to smoke.

Moreover, the acceptance process cannot be a major issue. If it really delays the construction period, it will cause trouble for ourselves. After all, the director made a solemn promise to the leaders that the project must be completed by the end of the month.

The goals have already been set; everything else is just a formality.

Engineer Cai immediately understood and insisted on pulling the two of them towards the restaurant: "The table is reserved and the dishes are ordered. Director Lin, please do us the honor of joining us."

Lin Kaidong stated righteously, "I'm fine with eating, but I won't drink alcohol."

But when they arrived, Engineer Cai brought out two bottles of Wuliangye liquor, and the director couldn't resist the temptation. He said he'd just have a sip, and once he started, he couldn't control himself. They were drinking one cup after another, becoming one big group.

Lin Chen escaped unharmed by saying he had to drive, and was happy to have some peace and quiet.

After they had eaten and drunk their fill, Lin Chen helped the slightly drunk director into the car.

Engineer Cai chased after him again, forcing two red envelopes on him. Although the director was drunk, he was still quite sober. He touched the red envelopes and even looked at them with a hint of disgust: "What are you doing? This is outrageous."

With a forced smile, Engineer Cai said, "It's just a small token of my appreciation. I'll give you more when the project is completed."

The director then put the red envelope in his pocket, and reprimanded with a stern face: "Don't do this again. Ensuring the quality of the project is the most important thing."

Engineer Cai: "Yes, yes, don't worry."

After starting the car, Lin Chen handed the Zhonghua cigarettes he had received to the director, even though he didn't smoke.

The director smiled and casually tossed him a red envelope: "Here, don't tell the senior workers."

Lin Chen didn't refuse and casually put it in his pocket.

Back at the office, Lin Chen took out the red envelope, opened it, and saw that it contained five hundred yuan.

Thinking of Wang Ping crying while holding his father's corpse, Lin Chen felt the money was a bit too hot to handle, so in the afternoon he asked the cook to get a black goat for everyone as an extra meal.

The experienced chefs ate with great relish, and Tang Yuwei ate with her mouth full of oil, but Lin Chen didn't enjoy it at all.