Looking at their expressions, Luke smiled. “It was just a joke. However, they don’t seem to have any money, so I’ll let them go…”
The two boys seemed encouraged by the good news.
“But!” Luke continued unhurriedly, “There has to be compensation, in case they think they can get away with their crimes.”
Foggy was even more straightforward this time. “Sure. As long as you don’t injure them badly, you can do whatever you want.”
The lips of the two boys turned pale again. Bro, do you have to be so ruthless, just because we didn’t pay you a lawyer fee?!
Luke waved his hand. “I’m not interested in beating up kids. However, did you just say that you want them to get jobs?”
Foggy nodded. “That’s right. Otherwise, if they carry on like this, they’ll go to prison in less than two years, and wind up dead a few years after that.”
Luke said, “How about this? I’ll hire them as manual labor for the time being; consider that their compensation.”
The four people were stunned. “What?”
This sounded more like Luke giving them compensation, not the other way round.
Luke, however, continued, “I’ll be renovating my place for the next few days. I’ll leave all the construction waste to them. As for pay… ten bucks an hour.”
The four of them were stunned again.
The lowest hourly rate was just a little over five dollars, and many low-level workers fought to get their salary raised to seven or so bucks.
Ten dollars really wasn’t low for temp workers.
Luke looked at the two boys and asked, “Do any of you have a driver’s license?”
The two boys shook their heads, but the shorter one added, “I can drive, but I don’t have a license.”
Luke wasn’t surprised.
This was a nation on wheels. He had been little more than ten when Drax egged him on to drive a tractor and a pickup on the ranch.
To get a driver’s license, you had to do a written exam. The short man certainly didn’t like that, so he didn’t take the driver’s license.
“Then find a trustworthy driver with a driving license. I’ll pay him ten bucks an hour too. He’ll be responsible for taking you to the garbage dump. If you can find a car to transport the rubbish, I’ll cover the cost of that too,” he said.
The two boys looked at each other, and the shorter one said, “Then… what are we doing?”
Luke glanced at him and said, “Of course, the driver is only responsible for driving. You’ll focus on moving the trash.”
The two boys widened their eyes. “What?”
Luke said unhurriedly, “If you have professional skills, you can make money with your skills. If you don’t have any skills, you just have to do manual labor. Isn’t that reasonable? You don’t have a driving license.”
The short man gritted his teeth in frustration. He knew how to drive, and he even drove pretty well. He just didn’t want to take the exam.
With one misstep, he could only work as a manual laborer.
Don’t accept the job?
He looked at Foggy and dismissed the naive thought.
This guy would definitely force him to accept the job.
If he didn’t accept it, Foggy would definitely pay him a “home visit,” and his cousin would nag him for days.
Under the watchful eyes of Luke and Foggy, the short man nodded gloomily. “Alright, I’ll find a driver later.”
Luke nodded in satisfaction. “Remember, what I want is for the construction waste to be sent to a waste disposal company. You won’t get paid if you simply throw it anywhere.”
The short guy hurriedly said, “You have to pay for the access to the waste disposal company.”
Luke said, “I’ll pay. Do you think I expect you to do it?”
The short guy lowered his head.
He had no money and could only accept his fate!
Foggy suddenly interjected, “Charlie, is your cousin still at home? She has a pickup?”
Charlie was stunned. “You want my cousin to drive?”
Foggy smiled. “I trust her.”
Charlie had nothing to say.
Foggy’s obvious meaning was that he didn’t trust him, and that it would be best to have someone who could deal with him keep an eye on him. Plus, his cousin could make a bit more money while she was at it.
Foggy looked at Luke. “Is that alright?”
Luke said, “Yes. You’re Charlie, and you’re Raqael, right?”
The two boys nodded.
“You can start work now. The sooner you start, the more you get paid.” With that, Luke opened the door and gestured for them to enter.
Charlie and Raqael looked at the door, which they had been dying to enter earlier, but now felt like a prison door. Their legs felt heavy.
But under the gazes of Luke and Foggy, they could only enter.
When they entered the house and saw the heap of rubble in the hall, they moaned in despair.
Charlie couldn’t help but roar in his head, Are you renovating or demolishing the house? Why is there so much trash?
Luke wasn’t demolishing the place, but in fact had dug a temporary pit in the lounge.
Coupled with the rubbish that had been cleared out from the fifth and fourth floors yesterday, there was a lot of it.
Outside, Foggy said goodbye. “I’ll call Charlie’s cousin, Claire Temple. She’ll be here soon.”
Luke said, “Okay.”
Foggy pointed at a building diagonally across the street, where they had been before they arrived. “That’s my and Matt’s office. The Nelson and Murdock law firm on the third floor is ours. If there’s anything, you can find us there.”
Luke said, “Okay.”
With that, Foggy shook hands with him.
Releasing his hand, Luke walked over to the slim man and extended his hand. “Matt, nice to meet you. Let’s talk when we’re free.”
Matt held out his hand to shake Luke’s before letting go.
Looking at his hand, Luke smiled. How interesting for a lawyer who had just graduated to have hands like that.
He watched them return to their law firm more than twenty meters away.
Looking at Charlie and Raqael, who were staring at the rubble, he smiled. “How is it? You must be so happy with this deal!”
The two boys glared even more. Can you speak human language? You want us to move all these things.
Luke had done it on purpose.
Was earning money a happy thing? No. For idle kids, moving bricks was the greatest torture.
For them, stealing was an even easier way to earn money.
The important thing for them was that it was easy and quick.
Before, casually nicking and selling things could earn them a few dozen bucks. They now would only get as much after painstakingly moving bricks. How could that be the same?
Luke knew exactly what these hooligans were like, which was why he didn’t mind paying them.