Chapter 163 Wages

Chapter 163: Payment Terms

"Alright, Mr. Yu, let's go with your suggestion. For the walls, I want them painted pure white. And for the flooring, something light gray—bright and clean."

After discussing the details with Yu Xu, Su He brought up payment.

"Mr. Yu, what were you thinking for payment?" Su He asked.

Yu Xu hadn't expected her to ask this question, and he immediately stammered in response.

"I... You... Miss Su, whatever you think is fair is fine. Anything will do."

He feared it was a test, worried that if he gave the wrong answer, she might change her mind about hiring him.

With his disability, he'd been out of work for so long that his family was barely scraping by—they could hardly afford food.

If not for that accident, his wife wouldn’t have left, leaving his son to suffer alongside him.

His son was already seventeen—thin and small—but no construction site would take him on, turning him away as too scrawny.

No matter what, he couldn't lose this job. His son had gone to bat to get it for him.

He had already decided that no matter how ridiculously low Su He’s offer might be, he would accept it.

At the very least, it would keep them afloat for now, keeping them from starving.

"Whatever I think is fair?" Su He thought to herself. What an honest man.

She had no idea that while Yu Xu was indeed honest, his response wasn’t just out of honesty—it was mostly fear that she might refuse to hire him, and he'd lose this chance.

"So, how long do you think the renovation will take?" Su He asked next.

Yu Xu thought for a moment before replying, "About half a month, mainly because you want to install a toilet in the bathroom, Miss Su."

City bathrooms already had basic plumbing, unlike the primitive outhouses in rural areas.

But Su He still preferred the convenience of a toilet, though it wasn’t absolutely necessary.

"What if we skip the toilet?" she asked.

"Without the toilet, it’d take about ten days."

Since they were renovating anyway, they might as well do it right.

A few extra days wouldn’t make much difference.

"Then I’ll give you fifteen days to finish. As for wages, since you're a skilled craftsman, I’ll pay you seven yuan a day. For Yu Xi, five yuan a day. How does that sound? If you go over fifteen days, no extra pay. You'll get paid daily the first week, and the rest after completion."

Su He could tell they were really struggling, so she didn’t plan to hold back pay at first.

But she would keep the final payment until the end—after all, she was the one paying, and she couldn’t let pity get in the way. What if they took off on her after fifteen days?

Couldn’t be too careful.

Hearing Su He’s offer, Yu Xu felt his heart leap.

Seven yuan? He never imagined that with his disability, he'd still be making seven yuan a day.

Yu Xu barely registered the rest of what Su He was saying.

Fifteen days should be plenty of time.

He and his son would work around the clock to get Miss Su’s shop renovated properly.

"Don’t you worry, Sister Su! I’ll do this shop up right," Yu Xu said excitedly.

Standing beside him, Yu Xi could hardly contain his excitement.

At last, they’d landed some work—for both his father and himself.

After Su He signed the contract with the two of them, she told them to arrive at seven the next morning to start work.

She would take care of purchasing and delivering the materials today.

Yu Xu gave her a list—renovation wasn’t just paint and floor tiles; there were many small items needed as well.

Su He knew what was needed and agreed to everything without hesitation.

Once they left Su He’s shop, the father and son were still riding high from securing the job.

Though it was only a half-month project, between them they'd earn twelve yuan a day—180 yuan total. That would keep them fed for weeks.

Back in Yu Xu’s prime working days, that amount would have taken him a whole year to make.

This money would buy them time to figure out their next move.

"Xi, how’d you come across this Miss Su?" Yu Xu asked.

The question made Yu Xi stiffen.

He hadn’t dared to tell his father about the time he’d gotten beaten for stealing.

If his father found out, he’d be so disappointed.

"She helped me once. Today when I was looking for work, I happened to see her searching for a renovation master, so I approached her. Sister Su is a good person—she didn’t hold my size against me," Yu Xi said excitedly.

Looking at his son, who was no taller than a middle-schooler, Yu Xu couldn’t help but frown.

Why hadn’t his son grown? He himself wasn’t particularly short.

If only he weren’t such a failure—then he could afford to take his son to the hospital for a check-up.

The hospital...

Back when his leg was injured, the doctor had said that with consistent rehabilitation, he could’ve made a full recovery.

But...

"C’mon, let’s head home. Tomorrow we’ll give it our all for Miss Su. Once we get our wages, we can buy some good food," Yu Xu said with confidence.

"You bet! I’ll follow your lead and give it everything!"

As they walked home chatting, finding a paying job in times like these was a real blessing for people like them.

Once Su He had seen them out, she locked up and stepped into her storage space to select the supplies.

She chose only child-safe, eco-friendly renovation materials developed in the future—perfect for ensuring a healthy environment.

These materials would be a bit more expensive, but Su He, holding over 500,000 points, didn’t bat an eye when spending them.

The miscellaneous decorating supplies cost over 10,000 points, and only after confirming she hadn’t missed anything did she finish buying all the renovation materials.

In reality, within the space, man-made and researched items weren’t particularly pricey.

But things like endangered plants, animals, medicinal herbs, and other materials with research value were the most expensive.

After visiting the space forum, she found her DMs blew up again.

The person who had previously asked for her help with embroidery messaged her daily, waiting for her response like she might change her mind.

150k points—definitely worth going after.

Su He thought she’d also run the kids over to her mom’s place that afternoon.

She replied to the person saying she’d get back to them by tonight, then exited the chat.

There were plenty of other messages in her DMs too—from people wanting to buy stuff she’d posted for sale before.

But those finds were pure luck; no chance she’d score them again.

Besides, she’d already left the sticks behind.

So she just left them on read.