Chapter 160: What a Massive Undertaking

So-called impromptu dinner gatherings are never sincere; they are merely gatherings to make up numbers.

Chen Jianjun had indeed invited everyone to lunch, but that did not include Chen Huajiang.

At this moment, however, he had changed his mind, wishing to use the dinner to suppress Chen Huajiang, humiliate him, and elevate his own status.

"Huajiang, surely you won't refuse to give me this face this time?"

"Jianjun is paying out of his own pocket to treat everyone. If you don't attend, that really wouldn't be giving him any face."

"Precisely. We all understand that you don't like gambling, but you surely can't claim you don't like eating, right?"

The others chimed in one after another, taking Chen Jianjun's side, and looked at Chen Huajiang with expressions of mild displeasure.

"Alright, then I'll let Jianjun go to some expense this noon."

Chen Huajiang naturally understood Chen Jianjun's petty tricks completely and nodded with a smile.

Even if the other party used the occasion to show off later, what could it possibly prove? Chen Huajiang was long past the age of being a hot-headed youth, and naturally, he wouldn't cause an awkward scene for everyone just for the sake of such a trivial matter.

Seeing him agree, the expressions of Chen Jianjun and the others eased up slightly as they exchanged chatter and laughter.

At noon, at the Fugui Restaurant.

This was the best restaurant in Sanhe Town. Sanhe did not refer to three rivers, but was the name of a large local river called the Sanchacha River.

East of the river lay Hedong Village, while west of the river lay Hexi Village. Sanhe Town was built around the waterway and served as the most prosperous area within a radius of ten miles and eight villages.

As for Hedong Village and Hexi Village, villagers would come here to visit the market and buy goods on the first and fifteenth day of every lunar month.

With the New Year approaching, the town was naturally exceptionally lively, with surrounding shops and roadside stalls everywhere, though the goods were not as abundant as in later generations, giving it a somewhat understated feel.

"Waiter, give me your best private room!"

As soon as he entered the restaurant, Chen Jianjun called out loudly.

"Apologies, esteemed guest, but the restaurant's best private room is already occupied."

"The private rooms on the second floor are currently full as well. There are only tables available on the ground floor right now. Would you prefer to wait until a table opens up on the second floor, and I will notify you?"

The waiter hurried over and explained the situation to Chen Jianjun.

"Really? Such a large restaurant doesn't even have a single vacant private room."

"Forget it, forget it. We'll just sit over there by the window."

Chen Jianjun muttered in dissatisfaction, then led the group toward a large table by the window.

Ordering followed shortly after. Chen Jianjun was quite proficient, rattling off a succession of dishes without even looking at the menu, clearly showing he was not a first-time visitor.

Only then did he hand the menu around for the others to look over.

The others glanced back and forth at one another; the dishes on the menu were rather expensive, and after much deliberation, they only added two more dishes.

When the menu reached Chen Huajiang's hands, he hesitated for a moment before directly passing it back to Chen Jianjun. Since the other person was hosting, he shouldn't usurp the host's role.

"Chen Huajiang, why are you being so polite with me? Didn't order a single dish?"

"Order one, what's the big deal? Do you think I, Jianjun, am someone short of money?"

Chen Jianjun said proudly, pushing the menu back to Chen Huajiang with a grand and generous air.

"That's right, don't stand on ceremony, go ahead and order."

"Order whatever you want to eat, don't hold back."

"Jianjun is clearly a regular here; don't try to save him any money."

Prompted by Chen Jianjun's words, the others also chimed in with good-natured instigations.

"Then I'll have a plate of sweet and sour pork ribs and a sweet and sour fish."

Chen Huajiang smiled, ordered two dishes, and handed the menu back to Chen Jianjun.

"Let me tell you, I come here all the time. The signature braised lion's head and roast duck here are absolute masterpieces."

After the waiter left, Chen Jianjun took a sip from the teacup on the table and boasted to the group.

"Indeed, you can tell at a glance that Brother Jianjun is an expert who comes here frequently without even needing to look at the menu."

"Brother Jianjun is truly capable. Just looking at the prices on the menu made my head spin; even the cheapest plate of preserved eggs costs fifty cents, and several of the major dishes cost four or five yuan a piece."

"By the way, Brother Jianjun, what exactly do you do in the city to make so much money?"

The group naturally showered him with flattery, looking at Chen Jianjun with adulation.

Chen Jianjun produced a pack of Zhonghua cigarettes. Everyone's eyes burned with desire, but he only pulled out one cigarette for himself and put the pack away.

"What do I do? What I do is major engineering, high technology. It's not that I won't tell you, but even if I told you, you wouldn't understand."

"You all know about northern heating, right?"

Chen Jianjun lit his cigarette and swept his gaze over the crowd.

Some of them wore bewildered expressions, while others nodded slightly.

Heating of that kind did not reach Nanming City until around the year 2000 in later generations. Furthermore, it wasn't the centralized collective heating found in the north, but rather a heating project introduced by a heating company spearheaded by the municipal government.

After all, Nanming City was situated right on the Qinling-Huaihe line, acting as a dividing point. North of it, cities had collective heating, while south of it, even up to the time he transmigrated, heating had never been implemented.

In this era, it was common for some people to be unaware of heating, especially since many didn't even own a television set.

"What I do is provide heating for residential buildings in the city, but unlike the heating methods in the north, we use coal stove heating."

"Chen Huajiang, you should know about it. Recently, many places in Nanming City have been undergoing renovations, installing stove-heating projects—that's what we do."

Chen Jianjun said smugly while smoking, casting a sidelong glance at Chen Huajiang.

Chen Huajiang understood. He finally knew what kind of work the other man was doing.

It was either smashing walls or helping people install pipelines, or perhaps both.

"I do know about it. Stove heating involves connecting an aluminum pipe to a stove and routing it along the upper part of the house. The heat from the coal stove warms the pipes, and the heat from the pipes transfers to the air in the house, thereby achieving indoor heating in the winter."

Chen Huajiang nodded and smiled, explaining it to the others as well.

"That job must make an absolute fortune, right?"

Chen Chengzhu said, looking at Chen Jianjun admiringly and refilling his teacup.

"Isn't that obvious?" his older brother Chen Long said discontentedly from the side.

"Would Brother Jianjun be like this if it weren't profitable?"

"Sounds like a great business. I never expected Brother Jianjun to be undertaking such a massive engineering project, providing heating for the entire city. If we follow him to work next year, we're bound to make a fortune too."

Chen Zongguang and the others said excitedly, one after another.

With Chen Huajiang's endorsement, the existence of a major project was verified, and since Chen Jianjun had already succeeded, they believed the venture would definitely be profitable.

"Chen Huajiang, interested in teaming up with me?"

Chen Jianjun blew a smoke ring and looked at Chen Huajiang.

"No thanks, this isn't a long-term prospect. Once winter is over, the market for this will drop drastically."

"Besides, there's not much technological sophistication involved here, so competition is likely to be fierce next year. Moreover, as more and more households finish their renovations, the market will only shrink further."

"Jianjun, I advise you to make other plans and change careers early on."

Chen Huajiang shook his head and offered some advice to Chen Jianjun.

These words immediately caused Chen Jianjun's expression to darken, as he assumed Chen Huajiang was undermining him and failing to show him respect.

"Is the market something you, Chen Huajiang, can just declare nonexistent whenever you feel like it? Who do you think you are?"

"I see you just can't stand to see me do well, and can't stand to see our brothers do well."

"Don't sit here running your mouth either; when it's about the ability to make money, ten of you Chen Huajiangs couldn't compare to one of me."

Chen Jianjun said with a cold, disgruntled face, his expression filled with utter disdain.