Zhang San openly hauling away a truckload of sand, gravel, and steel bars caught Lu Fan by surprise. While the construction company was responsible for the materials, he worried about the quality of his villa. It was obvious that ten tons of steel and eight tons of steel, or ten tons of cement and eight tons of cement, would not have the same quality.
“Chu Xiangwei! Who allowed him to take that sand, gravel, and steel?” Lu Fan asked with a hint of anger.
“Mr. Lu! He… he said you agreed to help him repair his house, and that he had already taken two truckloads!” Chu Xiangwei replied with some hesitation.
“Zhang San! Stop right there!” Lu Fan, now furious, rushed forward and blocked Zhang San’s four-wheeled vehicle.
“Lu… Lu Fan! What are you doing here?” Seeing Lu Fan, Zhang San appeared visibly surprised. He stopped his vehicle and grinned, saying, “What are you doing here?”
“I’m asking you, who gave you permission to take the sand, gravel, and steel from here?” Lu Fan asked in a deep voice.
“Lu Fan, my house is very dilapidated. I spoke to the person in charge here and asked them to help me repair it. This sand, gravel, and steel were given to me by the foreman on site!” Zhang San stammered, clearly feeling guilty.
“Take this truckload back, and return everything you’ve taken before!” Lu Fan said, suppressing his anger.
“Lu Fan! Is it really necessary? You’re so rich, are you short of a bit of sand and gravel? Besides, I got this from the foreman, it’s not yours! What right do you have to interfere with me?” Zhang San exclaimed.
“Which foreman gave it to you? Call him over,” Lu Fan said, glaring at Zhang San.
“Lu Fan! What business is it of yours? You’re rich, but I haven’t asked you for money or help. Aren’t you meddling a bit too much? Don’t think you’re so great just because you have some money. I, Zhang San, am not afraid of you!” Zhang San shouted back, equally indignant.
“Fine! If you can’t find the foreman, I’ll report you for theft. You’ve been caught red-handed. Just wait to enjoy yourself inside!” Lu Fan said, pulling out his phone.
“Lu Fan… Lu Fan… Don’t make that call! I’ll return the sand and gravel, I’ll return it, alright!?” Zhang San, now terrified, quickly drove the truckload of sand and gravel back.
A moment later, a middle-aged man in work clothes and a safety helmet arrived at the temporary construction office with Zhang San.
“Ms. Chu!” the middle-aged man said cautiously, nodding at Chu Xiangwei as he entered. Chu Xiangwei was in charge of the entire project, and Lu Fan had not made an appearance, so Zhou Tao did not recognize him.
“This is Mr. Lu Fan! He is also the owner of this villa!” Chu Xiangwei said, her expression somewhat grim, quickly introducing Lu Fan to the middle-aged man.
“Hello, Mr. Lu! I am the foreman responsible for the construction. My name is Zhou Tao!”
“Well… Brother Zhang San is from our village. A few days ago, he approached me saying he wanted some sand, gravel, and steel to repair his house. I thought it wouldn’t be right not to help, considering you all live in the same village. So, I agreed!” Zhou Tao said, bowing slightly to Lu Fan.
“Did you receive any benefits in return?” Lu Fan asked with a slight, cold smile.
“No… no! Really, no!” Zhou Tao replied hurriedly.
“I know, but you might not admit it,” Lu Fan said, shrugging. “I’ve seen news and television reports about shoddy construction projects before – bridges collapsing after a few cars, houses leaking, floors reinforced with cardboard instead of steel, collapsing with a single step.
Hmph! I always thought these things had nothing to do with me. But now that I can afford to build a villa, I don’t want to end up with a shoddy one, riddled with problems as I live in it.”
“Impossible! Rest assured, we construction professionals must guarantee the quality of the project. Moreover, Ms. Chu and others are responsible for supervision and technical guidance. There will be no mistakes!” Zhou Tao quickly reassured him.
“That remains to be seen! From now on, the construction is suspended! I will invite professional appraisal departments to conduct an engineering assessment. If I find that the project quality is not up to par, or does not meet my standards, hmph! Forget about compensation, you won’t be leaving!” Lu Fan’s expression turned cold. He then immediately took out his phone and called Liu Ruyan.
Although Lu Fan didn’t understand construction, he knew that building by the river with substandard quality was extremely dangerous. The soil by the river was soft, making the foundation difficult to compare with those in other locations. Most construction projects avoided riverbanks.
He had trusted Yan Menghan before, and therefore, he had also trusted Chu Xiangwei to a certain extent. However, Chu Xiangwei hadn’t informed him about Zhang San’s actions, and Zhang San had brazenly taken the materials in broad daylight.
If Zhang San were just trying to pull a local bully trick, teaching him a lesson would suffice. But this was clearly a prearranged deal between two people. This meant… it was a transaction!
Therefore, he was convinced that if Zhang San appeared today, Li Si would appear tomorrow. The day after that, perhaps the entire village would show up. By the time his villa was completed, several new houses in the village would also be built. But would the construction company be willing to waste these materials for no reason? Could he still trust such a project?
Upon hearing Lu Fan’s words, Zhou Tao’s face turned grim. Chu Xiangwei’s expression also flickered. Lu Fan no longer trusted her, which was not beneficial for her. She quickly sent a message to Yan Menghan.
“Mr. Lu! If the project… if the project is stopped, it will affect the delivery deadline,” Zhou Tao said, swallowing hard.
“I will take responsibility for that!” Lu Fan said, standing up and walking out. He didn’t want to listen to their explanations any longer.
“Zhang San! You’ve ruined me! I told you to take it at night, and you had to take it during the day!” Zhou Tao yelled at Zhang San, pointing at him furiously.
“I… I just wanted to show off in front of everyone in the village!” Zhang San said, looking wronged.
“Zhou Tao! Didn’t you say Mr. Lu agreed to give him the sand and gravel? What’s going on here?” Chu Xiangwei was stunned by their conversation.
“Ms. Chu! This… this is all my fault. He said it, and I believed him. I didn’t know this kid was just talking nonsense!” Zhou Tao quickly explained, while also glaring at Zhang San.
Zhang San immediately understood and said, “Sister Xiangwei!”
“Hmph!” Although Lu Fan had walked outside, he heard everything clearly! He snorted coldly in his heart. As expected, relying on the mountain to eat the mountain. The foreman, the foreman, was planning to make a small fortune from this project!
Lu Fan walked out and found a slightly elevated spot, gazing into the construction site.
Huh? Why did he feel a faint, elusive aura of malevolence?
Suddenly, Lu Fan frowned. With a thought, he took out the Heavenly Secrets Mantra.