A Renovation Adventure
Da Shuan was a small foreman at a renovation company in the county town, often leading a team to take on renovation jobs. Because of his excellent skills, reliable work, and honest character, he had an excellent reputation in the county. Many sought his services, and he was always busy.
Recently, Da Shuan and his crew took on a great job in a certain neighborhood, renovating a house for a wealthy businessman. It was said that this businessman was involved in pile foundation engineering in a special economic zone in the south and was very wealthy.
The renovation demanded top-quality materials and craftsmanship. The businessman chose Da Shuan’s team because of their stellar reputation for high-quality work and fair pricing.
A month passed without any sign of the businessman, but a graceful woman in her thirties, often accompanied by a three or four-year-old boy, frequently visited to supervise the work. The woman was kind and showed no signs of arrogance despite her wealth. Over time, they got to know each other.
Besides discussing the renovation, they also talked about their personal lives. It turned out that the woman had a university degree and worked at the county quality inspection bureau. She had a modern marriage: a talented woman married to a rich man. Da Shuan often expressed his envy, lamenting how different their lives were.
The woman sympathized with Da Shuan, often comforting him and assuring him that as long as he had good skills, his situation would improve.
As time went on, Da Shuan saw the true nature of people. One day, after work, he passed a tea house and saw the woman having tea with a man he recognized as a well-known lawyer from the county judicial bureau who had helped farmers win several lawsuits. Curious, Da Shuan observed them for a while and saw them leave together in a car.
Da Shuan thought to himself: city women are like flowers; it’s not surprising she’s unfaithful given her husband is always away. This thought made him lose a lot of respect for her.
Da Shuan had a very tough past. His father died when he was very young, and his mother raised him with great difficulty. When he grew up, he was very filial. His mother worked hard to build three northern rooms and married him off. In the early years, life was tough but manageable. His wife, Cui Ping, though not particularly virtuous, was decent enough, and they lived a relatively peaceful life.
However, his mother’s severe illness broke the peace. She was diagnosed with ankylosing spondylitis and became bedridden. Da Shuan had to work and couldn’t care for his mother, so the burden fell on his wife.
But Cui Ping, who couldn’t handle the hardship, suggested moving the mother out, which Da Shuan refused. Soon after, she abandoned her young daughter and left with a “cousin” from her hometown. Rumor had it they had a relationship before, but no one had proof. Eventually, Da Shuan divorced Cui Ping.
This family crisis devastated Da Shuan, making his life even harder. He worked tirelessly while also caring for his bedridden mother. Though he had some matchmaking prospects later, they either couldn’t accept his situation or he was afraid they wouldn’t treat his mother well. Over time, he lost hope and grew to despise unfaithful women, believing there were few good women like his mother.
Not long after, Da Shuan noticed a sudden change in the woman supervising the renovation. She started behaving provocatively, making advances when his workers were not around.
Though he was tempted, his wife’s betrayal made him detest such women, and he didn’t want to risk getting into trouble. He decided to ignore her and focus on his work, though he was baffled by her drastic change.
One day, she used an excuse to check some new floor tiles, lifting them high above her head. Suddenly, she dropped them, smashing them to pieces and cracking the already laid tiles.
Da Shuan knew it was her revenge for rejecting her advances, but she pretended it was an accident and apologized profusely, offering to cover the damages. Despite his dislike for her, Da Shuan had no choice but to redo the work, which took a whole day.
Finally, the renovation was complete. Da Shuan was relieved but worried about what the woman might do next. Sure enough, when it came time to settle the bill, she only offered half the agreed amount, promising to pay the rest by the end of the year.
Da Shuan, who depended on his earnings to support his family, was furious. He insisted on full payment, threatening to take the matter to her workplace or even court.
“Brother, you’ve misunderstood!” The woman, now in tears, explained her situation to Da Shuan.
Her husband, always away for work, had an affair and abandoned her and their son. He eventually went bankrupt and tried to return to her, but she refused. She hated unfaithful people and was struggling to raise her son alone.
She had developed feelings for Da Shuan, seeing him as honest and hardworking, someone she could depend on.
A year later, Da Shuan’s modest house was transformed, and a special wedding was being held there. The bride was the woman from the renovation job.
On their wedding night, the two children slept soundly with their grandmother, while the newlyweds whispered sweetly to each other. The bride revealed that her ex-husband’s mistress, Cui Ping, had also abandoned him after he went bankrupt. Da Shuan realized this was his ex-wife.
“Now I understand. This is karma!” Da Shuan exclaimed.
“If it weren’t for Lawyer Wang arguing that he had no capability to raise our daughter, we might not have gotten custody of her. Testing you with the floor tiles and the delayed payment was to see if you were skilled and compassionate. I admired your honesty and talent. We share similar hardships.”
“Indeed, this is good fortune after many trials,” Da Shuan said. “I ended up with a wonderful wife.”
“No, it’s good people getting their due rewards,” the bride replied.
Their conversation was overheard and became the story shared here.
Thank you for reading! ” Sitestorys “
