He was wearing a faded plaid shirt and a work jacket covered in dried mud.
A few shards of ice even formed on his thick beard.
Matt strode over, rubbing his calloused hands vigorously on his trouser legs, seemingly trying to hide his nervousness.
"Take a look at this area."
Matt pointed to the smooth concrete foundation, his tone a mixture of pride and uncertainty.
"I used the best and most expensive early-strength agent on the market. I bet that even in this minus twenty degree Celsius temperature, this plate is now strong enough to withstand an armored vehicle!"
Su Wei looked in the direction he was pointing.
The foundation was extremely regular, and the wooden formwork at the edges had not yet been removed. The concrete inside had already turned a uniform grayish-white color, resembling a huge rock.
There was no cracking or sandblasting caused by the low temperature.
Six sturdy load-bearing H-shaped steel columns have been pre-embedded in place, like the skeleton of a giant, fixed to the core nodes marked on the drawings.
"There's another way."
Matt pulled out a flattened pack of cigarettes, took one out and put it in his mouth, but his hand trembled slightly.
"I specifically arranged for two graders to lay eighty tons of premium-grade gravel. This exceeded our initial budget, but I assure you, this road is absolutely worth every penny!"
Matt took out a windproof lighter, lit a cigarette, took a deep drag, and exhaled thick white smoke.
This old hand at the construction site is a smart guy.
He was playing a game of acting first and asking questions later, using construction quality far exceeding expectations and high additional investment to force the Su Wei to demonstrate its financial strength.
Matt knew very well that if Su Wei couldn't pay the remaining project costs, these would be his bargaining chips.
But if the Su Wei can afford it, this will be a testament to their long-term cooperation.
Su Wei saw through everything, but he was in no hurry to express his opinion. He simply put his hands in his pockets, looked past Matt, and walked toward the group of workers who were resting.
The workers noticed their employer approaching and stopped talking, as more than a dozen pairs of eyes turned to them.
Su Wei's gaze fell on the aluminum foil lunch boxes in their hands.
Inside were cheap canned soybeans, a few slices of bacon covered in white fat, and a few hard pieces of bread.
This is commonplace on construction sites in the Alaska wilderness.
It's a two-hour drive from the town, and there's no food delivery or convenience store.
A hot meal is a luxury.
Su Wei's gaze lingered on the layer of white paint for a second before he stopped in his tracks.
Are any building materials scheduled to arrive this afternoon?
Su Wei suddenly turned around and asked in a calm tone.
Matt paused for a moment, then quickly took the cigarette butt out of his mouth, concealing the anxiety in his eyes.
"Timber and wall insulation materials. The supplier's truck is waiting for my call in town. They'll leave this afternoon as soon as payment is settled."
Matt answered truthfully, his rough voice carrying a hint of probing and pressure.
I read your text message.
Su Wei's expression remained completely unchanged.
"The deadline for the second payment for the project has arrived, right?"
Matt rubbed his hands, which were covered in chilblains, a glint of shrewdness flashing in his eyes.
"Five hundred thousand US dollars."
Matt gritted his teeth and announced the number.
"Including the extra costs for road construction, it'll be a total of 500,000. Su Wei, once the money arrives, I guarantee you, with the reputation of the Polar Solid Shield Engineering Team, that the main structure of the exhibition hall will be erected before Christmas!"
Five hundred thousand.
This is a huge sum of money that hunters in the wilderness might not be able to accumulate even after five or six years of hard work.
Matt was waiting outside today because he saw the brown bear in the truck bed with his own eyes yesterday.
He admitted that Su Wei had the ability to kill a top-tier predator in a single battle.
But in Kodiak Town, there are very few restaurants where you can afford to pay cash for a whole bear meal.
If the prey doesn't fetch a good price, the cash flow breaks down, and the machines stop running for even a day, the losses can amount to thousands.
Matt had even mentally rehearsed installment payment plans, even if it meant paying 100,000 upfront.
However, Su Wei calmly took out his phone, unlocked it with one hand, and opened the bank transfer interface.
Long, slender fingers tapped rapidly on the screen. The construction team's corporate account number was entered, followed by the amount.
[500,000 USD]
Press the confirmation button.
"Buzz"
Matt's phone, hidden inside his heavy winter coat, vibrated violently.
He stiffly pulled out his phone.
The bank text message that popped up on the screen made him blink three times to make sure he wasn't seeing things.
Five hundred thousand US dollars, paid in full! No haggling whatsoever, as straightforward as paying for a fast food meal.
Matt suddenly looked up, his fingers twitched, and the half-smoked cigarette he was holding fell directly into the snow with a faint hissing sound.
This veteran foreman, with twenty years of engineering experience, even experienced a brief mental blank at that moment.
This young man, not yet twenty-two, went to a small town and came back casually throwing away half a million US dollars!
This completely shattered Matt's preconceived notions about the young hunter.
In this wilderness, ample cash flow is the power to crush everything.
This money means his construction team can have a very stable profit throughout the entire winter.
Several older workers, who were eating cold rice, also noticed that their boss was acting strangely.
They've been hanging out with Matt for years; you can tell from his expression that the big spender has paid the bill.
In this wilderness, an employer who can readily hand over so much cash is their god.
Matt took a deep breath of cold air and shoved his phone tightly into his inner pocket.
The way he looked at Su Wei changed; the shrewdness and probing of a businessman vanished, replaced by heartfelt awe and fervor.
"The materials supplier's truck will depart promptly at 1 p. m."
Matt suddenly stood up straight, his back ramrod straight, and spoke at an extremely fast pace.
"I've had them replace the timber with top-grade Alaska fir that has undergone deep Preservation Treatment, and upgraded all the insulation to R49 grade. Tomorrow morning, the first batch of steel structures will be on site!"
The promise was firm and decisive, a direct response to a high-quality client.
Su Wei nodded, very satisfied with Matt's change in attitude.
He turned around, his long, slender fingers pointing to the newly paved gravel road.
"This road."
Su Wei statements were straightforward and precise.
"The current flatness is only suitable for my pickup truck and SUV."
He looked at Matt calmly.
"You should be aware of my future clientele. When those bankers and Wall Street tycoons drive by in supercars or Maybach with extremely low chassis, this kind of road surface will scratch the rims and make the bosses in the back seats feel bumpy."
The deduction was extremely clear in Su Wei's mind.
Charles, the Seattle banker, was just the first step.
Once the expedition returns, Emerald Lake must accept the highest-level hunting commissions.
The wealthy crave the thrill of the wilderness, but they absolutely cannot tolerate rudimentary facilities.
"I need a completely flat asphalt road, or a cement road without any seams."
After hearing this, Matt didn't think Su Wei was an amateur; instead, he burst into laughter.
Rough and hearty laughter echoed across the empty construction site.
Several elderly workers with stubble-covered faces grinned and smiled kindly.
"Boss Su Wei, this is common sense in polar infrastructure."
Matt stepped forward, his work boots stomping hard on the gravel, making a squeaking sound.
"This land used to be permafrost and swamp. The permafrost layer beneath the surface experiences terrifying expansion and contraction stresses in different seasons. If we were to directly pave it with asphalt or pour cement now, the road surface would be torn to shreds in less than two months."
Matt crouched down, took off one glove, and with his calloused fingers, picked out a piece of bluish-gray gravel, holding it up to Su Wei.
"These 80 tons of gravel are just the first layer of pressure relief. We need to have trucks weighing tens of tons run over it for ten to fifteen days."
"Once the heavy pressure has compacted every inch of the frozen soil, the settlement period will be completely over."