Knowing that Biao Biao was concerned about Yang Jian's safety, Lu Yao patiently recounted the incident of Yang Jian being arrested after a fight.
Upon hearing that Yang Jian was merely detained and not injured or in mortal danger, Biao Biao finally breathed a sigh of relief.
"Sister Yaoyao, don't worry. Li Jin has connections in the Hancheng police. I'll ask him to smooth things over, and Brother Jian will be out soon."
"Biao Biao, don't tell Li Jin about this for now. Firstly, Brother Jian's case has been transferred to the Xinhe police for investigation, so his connections won't be of any use. Secondly, if he finds out Brother Jian has been arrested and won't be out anytime soon, he might kick you all out. You know Brother Jian's current situation; he needs money everywhere, so the casino's income is very important to him."
Lu Yao had fully integrated into Yang Jian's life and was well aware of how crucial the casino was to him at this moment.
Biao Biao quickly replied, "Right, right, right. I was just anxious and forgot about that. Without Brother Jian, Li Jin will definitely make us leave. We'll last as long as we can. We just hope Brother Jian gets out soon because there are many people from Xinhe at the construction site here. News of Brother Jian's arrest will reach here sooner rather than later."
With an income of around two hundred thousand yuan a day, who would be willing to give it up? Biao Biao and the others had tasted the sweetness of making a fortune daily, so they worked diligently at the casino. If the news of Yang Jian's arrest reached Li Jin's ears, their good days would be over.
"People leave when the tea gets cold, and human nature is fickle. Li Jin's relationship with Yang Jian is based on profit. If they no longer have any use for each other, they will go their separate ways."
"Don't worry, Lin Nan is involved in this case. He's the deputy leader of the task force. With his oversight, Brother Jian shouldn't be detained for long."
"That's great. As long as this case is being investigated in Xinhe, there's a lot of room for maneuver. Sister Yaoyao, do you need us to come back and help?"
"No, you just focus on managing the casino. However, September 1st has arrived, and the migrant workers who are owed wages have come to the factory. Can you transfer some funds back to help with the emergency?"
Lu Yao knew Yang Jian had gone to Hancheng for the casino's profit distribution, but she didn't know if the money had reached his account.
"Sister Yaoyao, I've already transferred Brother Jian's profit share of three million two hundred thousand yuan this month in three installments to his account. Don't you have his bank card?"
"Are you kidding? We're not married yet, so why would he give me his bank card? But once he's back, I need to take control of his finances. This guy causes too much trouble."
"Then how about this, you give me an account number, and I'll go to the bank to transfer the money later. How much do you need?"
"The workers here said they need 1.5 million yuan. Borrow as much as you can, pay some to the migrant workers, and let's get through this month of September first."
"Alright, I'll transfer two million yuan to you. Both Chunfeng Lou and the template factory need to pay wages. 1.5 million yuan definitely won't be enough."
Lu Yao was very surprised. "Do you have that much money?"
"Yes, we've had income these past few days, and our money hasn't been distributed yet. I'll give it to you for now to cover the emergency. We'll settle with Brother Jian next month."
As long as Yang Jian needed money, Biao Biao would unhesitatingly give all his savings. He knew clearly that without Yang Jian's care, he would still be an addict, drifting along with Song Jianhao, with no future in sight. It was Yang Jian who helped him earn the money to quit drugs, making him the first person in his village to buy a house in the county seat, and soon he would become the only millionaire in the village.
Lu Yao didn't dally. She gave him the template factory's account number and returned to the conference room.
"Masters, I've managed to raise some money, but it won't be available until tomorrow because withdrawing large amounts of cash from the bank requires an appointment. Please come back tomorrow."
Before Lu Yao could finish speaking, the workers erupted.
"Teacher Lu, are you just stringing us along? No money today, but money tomorrow?"
"Exactly. You went out for a while and raised money. Who believes that?"
"Teacher Lu, you must give us money today, because once you leave, who will we find tomorrow?"
These workers clearly didn't trust Lu Yao and thought she was trying to trick them. With Yang Jian gone, she was now the boss's wife, and they wouldn't let her leave easily.
Lu Yao frowned, not expecting the workers to be so difficult.
Jiang Bin couldn't stand it. "What are you all arguing about? Since Teacher Lu said there will be money tomorrow, come back tomorrow. She can't conjure money out of thin air right now."
"But what if she doesn't come tomorrow? Who will we find? You?"
A young worker's remark silenced Jiang Bin, as he himself couldn't be sure Lu Yao would be able to secure the money tomorrow.
Lu Yao waved her hand. "Everyone, please be quiet and listen to me. The money I mentioned will be in the template factory's account today. Director Jiang, have the finance department call the bank to make an appointment later. We'll withdraw the cash tomorrow to pay wages. Brother Yong has the accounts. You'll be responsible for the distribution. It doesn't matter if I'm here or not."
Hearing this, Jiang Bin felt more confident. "Did you hear that? Come back tomorrow to find me. But don't come too early, I have to go to the bank to withdraw cash. Everyone, disperse."
With Jiang Bin's guarantee, the workers, though skeptical, left one by one. Only Xu Sheng stayed behind.
"Master Xu, is there something else?" Lu Yao asked curiously.
"Teacher Lu, when Yang Jian left that day, he asked me to be responsible for the road layout and formwork. Now that he's had an accident, will the road still be built?" Xu Sheng was worried that if Yang Jian couldn't get out, the road construction might stop.
"Yes, of course, it must be built. The road cannot stop." With Yang Jian gone, Lu Yao had to support the large undertaking he had left behind. This road was crucial for the survival and development of the template factory. It had to be completed as soon as possible. Moreover, Yang Jian had already invested a large amount of capital in this road. The excavators, bulldozers, and paving materials were all paid for in cash. Land acquisition and crop compensation alone cost over two hundred thousand yuan. The small excavator that was previously burned also cost ten thousand yuan in compensation. All this money was paid from Yang Jian's casino profit share in July. How could they give up halfway? As long as the casino continued for another month, or Yang Jian got out soon, there would be no shortage of funds.
Xu Sheng nodded and left without saying anything. He would decide after seeing tomorrow's situation. If Lu Yao kept her promise and paid all the wages, he would continue to help Yang Jian build the road, even if the wages were a bit lower. But if Lu Yao deceived them, there would be no point in staying. After September 1st, he would have to go out to work to earn money for the upcoming year.
"Teacher Lu, is there really money coming into the account today?" As soon as Xu Sheng left, Jiang Bin asked impatiently. Otherwise, he wouldn't know how to face the anger of so many workers tomorrow.
Lu Yao smiled. "Don't worry. Ask the finance department later. She should receive a bank SMS notification. Two million yuan will be deposited. 1.5 million yuan will be used to pay these workers' wages, 100,000 yuan will be kept for the factory, 100,000 yuan for Chunfeng Lou, and the remaining 300,000 yuan will be used for road construction funds. You arrange it all."
"Don't worry, it's easier to do things when there's money. I'll make sure everything is handled properly." Jiang Bin was the most worried when Yang Jian had an accident. The template factory was just starting out and had a rapid development momentum. The construction templates produced had no inventory at all; they were taken away as soon as they came off the production line. However, the credit was substantial, and it hadn't yet entered a virtuous cycle. At this stage, it couldn't be chaotic, because any chaos would ruin everything.