Dou Ya insisted, "It's just eight yuan, I can still afford it. Miss Jiang, please don't be like this."
"It's just eight yuan, I can afford it too. How about I pay for you?"
Dou Ya felt that he was a man, how could he take advantage of her?
Before he could say more, Tian Tian scanned her own.
"Alright, you're all young, I understand what you mean. I appreciate the kind offer. Hurry up and pay, let's go."
Dou Ya had a good personality and was honest, making conversations with him particularly interesting.
The two chatted and laughed all the way, and soon arrived downstairs.
Before getting out of the car, Tian Tian thought that her work might be quite busy from now on, and she wouldn't have time to go to the site every day to check their progress. So she told Dou Ya.
"Let's add each other on WeChat. In the future, you can update me on your work progress on WeChat and send me some pictures. I might not be coming for the next few days."
Dou Ya agreed. After exchanging WeChat contacts, they pushed open the doors and got out of the car. Turning their heads, they saw Chen Dongyang walking back, pushing his electric scooter.
Dou Ya, like an energetic leopard, zipped in front of him.
"Out of battery? Pushing it back? Why didn't you let me push it? Come, come, I'll push. Brother Chen, have you eaten?"
"I ate noodles with Miss Jiang. Did you buy the medicine?"
Chen Dongyang felt lightheaded and hadn't eaten. He hadn't slept for nearly three days and was exhausted. All he wanted now was sleep.
He tossed the electric scooter to Dou Ya and walked forward weakly.
"I ate. I bought it. Don't worry about me. I'm going back to sleep. Charge it."
He walked past the car without looking aside. Tian Tian saw his heavy steps, his exhaustion making him look like a walking corpse. Despite his tall stature, he seemed to have no strength at all, as if he could collapse at any moment.
Dou Ya pushed the electric scooter and trotted a few steps to the front of the car. Seeing that Tian Tian hadn't left yet, he poked his head out and spoke to her.
"Miss Jiang, I'm sorry, could I trouble you again?"
"There's a pharmacy on the next street, turn right. I saw Brother Chen didn't buy medicine. Could you give me a ride again to help him buy some medicine?"
Since Tian Tian had to pass by anyway, it wasn't a problem.
"Okay. You put the car away first, I'll wait for you."
Dou Ya nodded profusely in thanks, pushed the electric scooter, and quickly entered the residential compound. In about two minutes, he ran out in a hurry.
Getting into the car and fastening his seatbelt, he complained to Tian Tian.
"Sigh, Brother Chen is always like this. I see he's about to ruin his health, but he doesn't listen when I tell him. I'm really worried about him."
Tian Tian listened to him pour out his heart while driving, "What do you mean 'always like this'?"
"He always stays up late. I've lived with him for over two months, and there hasn't been a single night he slept before 2 AM. These past few days have been even worse. The day before yesterday, he stayed up all night at the hospital waiting for Dou Bao, and yesterday he stayed up all night again to catch up on the progress..."
He hadn't slept for so long?
No wonder he looked so ghastly.
Tian Tian asked in confusion, "Why does he never sleep before 2 AM? Is your work that busy?"
Dou Ya said, "My work isn't that busy, but his is."
"His main job is design. Originally, he only did design, but later it seemed like he didn't have enough money, so he negotiated with the boss for outsourcing."
"It's just the two of us responsible for the entire project now, he has to handle everything from start to finish..."
Tian Tian became even more curious.
Could it be like this? The boss takes on the business and then subcontracts it to employees?
She was in the same industry and knew that design was the most valuable part of the entire renovation.
Because products have prices, but creativity is priceless.
Since he was making the most profit, why would he take on the remaining work if it wasn't profitable, knowing that?
Seeing her look confused, Dou Ya explained further.
"You must be thinking that this is too profitable for us? If it's subcontracted layer by layer, how much are they extracting from the owner?"
"No, Miss Jiang. To be honest with you, we didn't make any money on your project."
"Brother Chen negotiated with the boss like this. If the owner paid 100,000 yuan for full package, the boss would give him 80,000 yuan."
"This 80,000 yuan includes his own design drafts, his own hard work for these two months, and my salary."
"After deducting everything, there's actually not much profit. It's almost like doing one job. I don't know what Brother Chen is thinking, maybe he thinks even a little bit is better than nothing. He agreed even though he knew it wasn't profitable."
"It's a coincidence, you are the first project we took as an outsource..."
He didn't say the rest, and Tian Tian filled in for him.
"I didn't expect the first project to be with such a difficult client like me, who doesn't let you make any profit?"
Dou Ya quickly said, "No, no, no, that's not what I meant. The client's money is also money, it's not blown in by the wind, we can understand wanting to save a little."
"I just wanted to say, can you please not rush us so much? Actually, we are even more anxious than you. Think about it, every extra day spent is also our own time and money. It's just that sometimes there are indeed family matters, and Brother Chen can't help it."
Tian Tian thought to herself: Isn't this his own doing? As his client, she still has to consider those things for him?
Dou Ya went to buy medicine, and Tian Tian waited to take him back.
In less than two minutes, he came out again, looking hesitant.
"Miss Jiang, I'm sorry, could you lend me 200 yuan?"
"All my money has been sent home. When Brother Chen gets better tomorrow, he'll definitely give me the money, and I'll return it to you..."
200 yuan was nothing to Tian Tian, there was no need to explain so much.
She immediately transferred it to him and asked, "Is that enough?"
"Yes, yes, it's enough."
After buying the medicine and getting into the car, Tian Tian turned around at the intersection and noticed a noodle shop by the roadside.
"Hasn't he eaten yet? He should eat before taking medicine, do you want to get him a meal?"
"Yes, yes, yes, I forgot if you hadn't mentioned it. Then I'll trouble you, wait for me a moment."
Dou Ya hurriedly went to buy a portion of ban mian again. He carried it in a disposable container, and the two returned to the outside of the residential compound.
With profuse thanks, he finally got out of the car.
On the way back, looking at the cars coming and going on the street, and the office workers riding electric scooters, Tian Tian felt the benefits of her parents' hard work and her privileged upbringing for the first time.
There were too many young migrant workers in this city.
Like her, they had studied for over 20 years, carrying the hopes of their entire families, only to earn meager salaries each month and walk alone every day.
She had never lacked food or clothing since childhood, enjoying the best love from her parents, yet she still found them nagging and troublesome, lacking freedom.
It was truly "let them eat cake."
Thinking of this, she felt a bit homesick for her parents.
Just as she was about to call them, her phone screen lit up, displaying the name Dou Ya.
They had only been separated for a few minutes? Why was he calling already?
But Tian Tian still answered, "Hello?"
"Miss Jiang! I'm sorry to bother you again! I, I didn't mean to, it's just that the boss's phone is unreachable..."
Tian Tian knew something had happened and told him to get to the point.
"Brother Chen fainted, I, can you lend me some more money?"