A big white bird landed on the wisteria tree in the garden of Chiwuju. Ah Hui saw it and whispered to Ye Zhao who was having breakfast, "Xiao Zhao, look, the bird is here again."
Ye Zhao, who was eating rice noodle rolls, looked out through the window. She smiled and said, "Did you scatter food in the garden?"
“I sprinkled some rice.”
The morning news is on TV.
[Today is September 17, 1994... Since the Hong Kong government cut interest rates, housing prices have soared. According to statistics, some pre-sale properties have increased by more than 20%, and existing property prices have soared even more sharply, exceeding 30%...]
Ye Zhao had breakfast and went upstairs. Zeng Xiang had been working overtime recently and came back almost at dawn. She walked lightly and went straight into the cloakroom to change clothes.
On the shelf in the cloakroom are her and Zeng Xiang’s wedding photos. It’s almost been their first wedding anniversary.
After changing his clothes and going downstairs, Ye Zhao found that Zeng Xiang was already wearing his uniform and sitting at the dining table, eating noodles quickly.
She asked, "Why don't you get some more sleep?"
He said, “I have to go back to work.”
Ye Zhao put her handbag on the chair and tied her hair up. "Will it affect your promotion exam if you are so busy recently?"
"You don't have confidence in your husband?"
Ye Zhao smiled slyly and said, "No, that won't happen. I just asked casually."
Zeng Xiang has been a trainee inspector of Yilihua since he joined the police force last year. He is currently preparing for the examination. If he passes the examination, he will officially become an inspector.
Ye Zhao pulled out a stool, sat down and watched him eat. "I'll be back to Zengwuwei later. Remember to ask for leave on Friday."
Friday is Aunt Qiao’s birthday. Ye Zhao has reminded him several times. Zeng Xiang certainly remembers: “I’ve already invited her.”
The news was still playing on TV.
[The World Trade Organization, formerly known as the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade, was officially established in Geneva on September 16… ]
Upon hearing the news, Ye Zhao couldn't help but frown. Although this was the world of a novel, most things were the same as the world she originally lived in. She remembered that she had taken a test before and had learned that the "World Trade Organization" was established in 1995.
And it’s only 1994…
In fact, it's not just this one thing, there are many other things that have slowly changed since I don't know when.
She believes that the overall trend of this world will not change, but small things are indeed constantly changing.
Maybe from the moment she came into this world, with the addition of her little splash, the world is no longer the same as before.
It’s just that this change is spreading slowly from a ripple, and the butterfly effect is constantly accumulating. More and more things are changing, and the impact is getting bigger and bigger.
Or her advantage of knowing the plot and future events will gradually disappear.
Zeng Xiang saw Ye Zhao in a daze and couldn't help asking her, "What's wrong with you? What are you thinking about?"
“I’m listening to the news.”
Zeng Xiang stared at his wife, "Why is there a bump next to your ear?"
Ye Zhao touched it and said softly, "It was bitten by a mosquito."
"Ahui, you need to drive away the mosquitoes."
After Zeng Xiang finished speaking, he stood up, got the Wubi Di, and put some on Ye Zhao's ear.
Ye Zhao said: "It's actually okay, it doesn't itch."
Ah Hui came out of the kitchen and said, "There are a lot of mosquitoes recently. I'll ask someone to come and repel them later."
After quickly finishing the noodles, Zeng Xiang went upstairs to get something, and they went out together. He drove to the police station, and she went to the company for a meeting.
Two sales meetings were held in the morning. Ye Zhao now has three properties for sale and two under construction.
The plan was to sell out all of them by around 1996.
No matter how the world changes, housing prices cannot keep rising. In the few years after 1997, housing prices will definitely fall. She believes in her judgment.
It’s never a wrong idea to sell it early and invest in other things.
During the meeting, a colleague suggested: "The two buildings under construction have already obtained pre-sale permits. Should we learn from other developers and also sell pre-sale units?"
"Although the profit from selling pre-sale properties is less, the funds can be recovered quickly and we can immediately invest in the development of the next piece of land, so we can actually make more money."
"Yes, the speculation on pre-sale properties has been very intense recently. Many pre-sale properties are sold out as soon as they are released. You have to rely on connections to get one."
"Our existing homes are actually not as easy to sell as pre-sale homes because they are expensive. If we want to seize the market, it is definitely better to sell pre-sale homes."
Listening to the discussions of her colleagues, Ye Zhao was firm in her attitude. She said, "We have five real estate projects under development now. After all the houses in these five projects are sold out, I have no plans to bid for land. So, don't think about quickly recovering funds and then getting land to continue development."
Some people were puzzled: "Boss Ye, the trend is so good now, and we have taken the lead, why don't we take advantage of the victory?"
Ye Zhao: "The current trend is good, but it does not mean the future trend will be good. Moreover, most of the people who are frantically buying pre-sale properties are speculators. These speculators take advantage of the low prices to buy dozens of pre-sale properties and owe the bank tens of millions. If something really happens and the housing prices plummet, and the pre-sale properties cannot be sold at a profit, then these speculators may lose everything..."
Ye Zhao didn't want to make this kind of bloody money.
Build the house before selling it. Those who buy ready-made houses are those who can really afford it and have an urgent need for the house. They buy it for their own use, and even if the house prices fall briefly for a few years in the future, it will not affect their housing needs.
And after 2000, housing prices will slowly rise back and then double...
But real estate speculators won’t be able to survive until that time.
It is estimated that in a few months at most, they may not be able to bear it and commit suicide by jumping off the building.
Ye Zhao couldn't tell everyone too much, so she asked, "How long do you think it will take to sell out our current houses?"
"We should be able to sell out by March next year. Then we will start buying the remaining two properties in May, and we expect to sell them for about a year."
Ye Zhao nodded: "Let's follow this pace. In addition, how is the current leasing situation of Zhaohua Building?"
A commercial building and two hotel apartments have been built in Shoal Point. Two of the hotel apartments are for sale, while the commercial building is named Zhaohua Building and is currently only for rent and not for sale.
"After the ad was released, many people called to inquire. But few actually came to the site to discuss the matter."
Ye Zhao asked: "How much has been rented out?"
"At present, there is no one rented out except us."
This surprised Ye Zhao a little. After all, the location of Shoal Point is very good. She asked, "Is your price too high?"
"We can't help it. The prices are all in this area. We can't lower the prices either. If the rent is too cheap and disrupts the original market price, other buildings will complain."
Ye Zhao thought about it and decided that instead of renting out the property slowly, it would be better to make concessions and find a way to rent it out earlier. "We won't lower the price, but try another approach. You advertise that if you move in in October, you will get 6 months' rent free; if you move in in November, you will get 5 months' rent free; if you move in in December, you will get 4 months' rent free... and so on. The later you move in, the less discount you will get. You can try it out."
A colleague worried, “What if they run away after the rent-free period is over?”
Ye Zhao: "At least the contract should be three years, right? You should study the strategy carefully."
"Okay. We'll work on a new lease plan after we meet."
After the meeting, Ye Zhao came out of the office. She and Qi Lianan had to go to Song Rongji for a meeting.
On the way, she asked Qi Lian'an: "Uncle Qi, how much money do we have now?"
Qi Lianan said: "The funds that have been recovered have basically been returned to the bank."
"No money?"
Qi Lian'an smiled and said, "I should say that we almost don't owe any money. We estimate that we should have about 3 billion in our hands in 1996."
Ye Zhao nodded and said that when she was radical, she was very bold and radical, but when she was conservative, she was unwilling to owe the bank too much money.
Unless she has a very clear investment direction.
But now she is somewhat confused, but others can't see it.
In the eyes of employees, Boss Ye is courageous and decisive, and his direction is always right.
Ye Zhao now travels between Shenzhen and Hong Kong, spending half of his time in Hong Kong and half in Shenzhen.
She had just returned from Hong Kong City and rushed to the hotel to attend Xiao Baisi's wedding.
Xiao Baisi is older than her and Zeng Xiang, but he married late and his wife is his colleague.
After Ye Zhao handed over the red envelope, she took a photo with the bride and groom. She went into the banquet hall, found a seat, and peeled open a wedding candy and ate it...
When Xiao Baixiong saw her, he trotted over.
Ye Zhao glanced at him and said with a smile, "Sure, put on a suit and look presentable! Are you the best man today?"
"No. My brother doesn't want me to be his best man." Xiao Baixiong pulled out a chair and sat down.
Ye Zhao asked him: "How is it? Is work going well?"
After graduating from university, Xiao Baixiong and Yang Feihe both went to work in a paging company.
He said, "Yang Feihe and I want to go out on our own."
When Ye Zhao heard this, she thought it was good news. She pretended to be nonchalant and said with a smile, "Resigned?"
"Resign after you've prepared."
"What can I support you with?"
Xiao Baixiong chuckled and said, "We are just a little egg without a mother now. We need your wealth building to incubate us."
Ye Zhao understood: "You want to rent an office?"
"Yes. I heard that if you want to get the incubation service of Fortune Building, you need a lot of conditions. A new company like us with nothing seems to not meet the requirements. Look, old classmates, can you lower the conditions?"
Ye Zhao: "Then you need to show me your business plan. If necessary, I can invest in it!"
Xiao Baixiong clapped his hands immediately after hearing this: "Oh! I've been waiting for you to say this! Mr. Ye! Boss Ye! Quickly, give me ten days and I'll give you the plan."
Ye Zhao nodded and said, "Okay, call me when you're done. I will definitely support you."
"What's the saying? A good horse needs a good horse trainer to become a good horse! Sister Zhao, you are our good horse... No, no, I said it wrong, let me start over. You are our good horse trainer, the mother who hatched us!"
Xiao Baixiong was flattering her, and Ye Zhao quickly reached out to stop him. She smiled and said, "That's enough, little white bear. Be honest."
Friday was Aunt Qiao’s birthday, and Ye Zhao said he wanted to go out to celebrate, but Aunt Qiao was reluctant because the BoBoPark in Zizhulin had been completed and they would move into the new home next month.
Aunt Qiao plans to treat everyone to a meal at the Xiaoxi Building.
Ye Zhao woke up early on Friday morning. She just moved slightly and Zeng Xiang also woke up.
He hugged her and kissed her, "Is it so early?"
"Today is Mom's birthday, and I promised to go grocery shopping with her."
"Sleep a little longer." He hugged her tightly, not letting her leave.
Ye Zhao rubbed against him and looked up at him, "You have dark circles under your eyes, Brother Xiang."
Zeng Xiang didn't even open his eyes. He said, "What should I do? I don't get enough sleep."
"You should sleep well today. I'll go buy groceries and call you at noon."
"You'll sleep better after some exercise." Zeng Xiang wrapped her directly under his body.
After exercising early in the morning, Ye Zhao, who was originally fully awake, felt extremely sleepy again as he leaned against the pillow. He took another half-sleep before getting up.
Aunt Qiao was watering the flowers on the balcony. When she saw Ye Zhao coming out, she asked hurriedly, "Why did you get up so early?"
"There's no rush to buy groceries. I didn't make breakfast today, so let's go out for dinner."
Aunt Qiao took her wallet and went downstairs hand in hand with Ye Zhao, and met Fatty Ying downstairs.
Fatty Ying asked: "Was the table for lunch delivered by the hotel?"
Before Ye Zhao could answer, Zeng Xiuqun, who was brushing her teeth beside the sink, said, "It was sent by the hotel. I ordered it. For such a small matter, you should just ask me directly and don't bother my boss."
Fatty Ying: "Why didn't you say so earlier? You had to wait for me to ask."
Zeng Xiuqun: "I didn't tell you, which means you don't need to worry about it."
The mother and daughter started arguing with each other early in the morning.
Zeng Xiuquan is now Ye Zhao's secretary, and Ye Zhao generally entrusts all chores, big or small, to her.
After two years of experience, Zeng Xiuqun can now stand on his own.
After leaving the hospital gate, Aunt Qiao asked Ye Zhao: "What do you want to eat? Rice noodle rolls? Sanjidi? Badao soup? Or do you want to have morning tea?"
"I also can."
"Then let's go with the Eight Sword Soup, it's close."
They ordered two bowls of noodle soup at Ba Dao Tang. While eating, Auntie Qiao said to the proprietress with disdain, "Your Ba Dao Tang is getting more and more watery. Tell me, where are the eight parts? I only ate the liver, pork intestines, pig heart and pork, which is four at most. I remember there were pig tongue, pig kidneys, pig lungs and pig stomach in the past, but now they are all gone."
The lady boss of Eight Knife Soup said with a smile: "The cost is high and the labor is expensive. It's good to have four knives. Some people don't even have four knives, they only have three knives!"
"It's better to call it Sanjidi if there are only three knives, right? And why call it Badaotang? It doesn't live up to the name."
"The taste hasn't changed, has it? Sister Qiao, tell me, does it taste the same?"
Aunt Qiao said, "It's almost there."
Ye Zhao said: "The most important thing about the eight-knife soup is the aroma of pepper, chopped green onion and peanut oil mixed together. No matter how many knives you cut, the taste is almost the same with these three ingredients."
"Hey, Qiaojie, your daughter-in-law is the one who knows what's good!" The proprietress was busy flattering her.
Aunt Qiao smiled and said, "She is easier to fool than me."
As they were talking, another guest came in and it turned out to be Granny Liang.
Over the past few years, Grandma Liang has gradually recovered and can take care of herself, so she dismissed the nanny and still lives alone.
Granny Liang had good eyesight. When she saw Ye Zhao, she hurried over and sat at the table with them, saying, "You are so rich now, but you still eat such a cheap breakfast like us?"
How can you be so rich? Aunt Qiao changed the subject, "You come here to eat alone? Has your son ever been home?"
Granny Liang waved her hands: "You came back just to ask me for money. What did you come back for?"
Ye Zhao said: "It's good to live alone, it's comfortable."
Granny Liang sighed, "No one is as filial as you. Look at you. Xiangzi is not coming back, and you are living with your mother-in-law. You found a good daughter-in-law."
Aunt Qiao smiled happily and said, "Of course, a daughter-in-law is more important than a son, that's for sure."
Granny Liang asked again, "Why don't you have a baby yet? Give birth to a baby sooner so you can have peace of mind sooner."
Aunt Qiao said, "Hey, as parents, we should not interfere in the affairs of young people. They can make their own arrangements. It doesn't matter whether they are young or not. We should respond to the call of the country and treat boys and girls the same."
Granny Liang nodded in agreement and said, "If you think about it carefully, it's better to have a girl. If I had a daughter, it wouldn't be like this."
"My daughter also has her bad sides." Aunt Qiao spoke bluntly.
Granny Liang was unhappy. "You mean, I didn't educate him well? My son is not filial because I didn't educate him well. Your son is filial because you educated him well, right?"
Aunt Qiao patted Granny Liang on the shoulder and said, "Why are you angry? It's too late for you to regret now, isn't it?"
Ye Zhao also smiled and comforted her: "My mother is just sighing personally, not targeting you personally."
The lady boss brought the noodles that Liang Po ordered. Liang Po drank a mouthful of hot soup and asked Ye Zhao softly, "I heard that your house in Zizhulin is finished?"
Ye Zhao nodded: "It's built."
“Are there any houses left for sale?”
Of the three buildings in Zizhulin, one was sold partially to employees, and the others were not sold.
Ye Zhao planned to keep the property and only rent it out but not sell it.
She said: "No, we don't sell it. We only rent out our house."
Granny Liang: "Didn't you say Fatty Ying also bought two sets?"
Aunt Qiao said, "Fatty Ying is my sister. And her daughter works at Xiao Zhao's company, so it's different."
Granny Liang: "Can you give me one? Just one. I sold you the land, didn't I?"
Although Granny Liang was pitiful, Ye Zhao didn't want to ask for it. Otherwise, Ni Meng would ask Aunt Guipi Jiao and the others to ask for it. Would she sell it? Moreover, selling it to Granny Liang would mean giving her son a bargain, so Ye Zhao was even more unwilling.
Ye Zhao advised: "Mrs. Liang, it's not cost-effective to buy my house. If you want to sell it, it will cost at least 6,000 yuan per square meter. If you do the math, 100 square meters will cost 600,000 yuan."
"What?" Mrs. Liang smacked her lips, unable to believe it. "So expensive?"
"Other properties are selling for 4,000 or 5,000 yuan. Mine is better built than others and is fully decorated, so 6,000 yuan is considered a low price."
Granny Liang didn't understand: "How much did you pay for my land?"
Aunt Qiao said, "How much have prices increased in the past few years? In 1988 and 1989, the salary was only around a hundred yuan. Now the lowest is a few hundred yuan, and the highest is one or two thousand yuan, or even three or four thousand yuan. Things are different now, Aunt Liang."
"Yes, money is worthless now. I can't afford such a high price."
After dispelling Liang Po's idea, Ye Zhao and Aunt Qiao smiled at each other and said nothing more.
After breakfast, Aunt Qiao stood up to pay the bill. Ye Zhao gestured and Aunt Qiao understood. She said, "Grandma Liang, we'll treat you to the eight-knife soup today."
"Oh, no need. Why are you so polite?"
"No big deal."
Aunt Qiao and Ye Zhao went out and walked towards the market. Today they went to the market mainly to buy some fruits and vegetables, and then to pick up the butter crabs that Aunt Qiao had reserved in advance.
There were familiar faces everywhere along the way. Ye Zhao had been busy in the past two years and had seldom gone out, so he met many familiar faces along the way.
When passing by the small square, Ni Meng was drinking tea in Lao Kai's office. He saw Ye Zhao and hurried out to say hello.
"Boss Ye, when will you move in after the construction of Zizhulin Commercial Street is completed?"
Ye Zhao said: "Next month."
"Housewarming party, shall we? I have prepared the red envelopes."
Ye Zhao smiled and said, "Please, please, please have a drink."
Ni Meng: "Let me tell you, I've seen so many buildings, and I've been to Hong Kong City several times, but I've never seen one as beautiful as Zizhulin. It's so beautiful. I heard that it took several hundred million to invest? I can't imagine."
Lao Kai also came out to talk, he said: "Back then, everyone disliked my piece of land, it stank of garbage and pig manure, look at you now, how do you say that word, heaven and earth..."
Ye Zhao reminded: "There is a world of difference!"
"Yes! There is a world of difference! It's only been a few years? You bought it two years ago, and it took you three years to develop it. In five years, it's even more amazing than a girl changing eighteen times after she grew up!" Lao Kai also praised it, and finally asked: "Hey, Boss Ye, is your shop like the Fortune Building, rented out for free for a year?"
Ni Meng's eyes lit up instantly, "If it's really free, I'd also like to open a shop and sell tea."
Lao Kai: "My wife wants to sell fish balls."
Ye Zhao smiled and asked, "Who said it's free?"
Lao Kai said: "If it's not free, who would come? To be honest, it will take at least ten or eight years for the surrounding area to become prosperous."
Aunt Qiao said, "What a mouth! Say it again."
Lao Kai was laughing and didn't dare to say anything. Ni Meng changed the topic to flatter him: "I think your previous strategy for Fortune Building was very good. Look, you have made Fortune Building prosperous. Did you also take the land diagonally opposite Fortune Building? Tsk tsk tsk, you will be so busy collecting rent in the future."
Ye Zhao smiled and said, "Purple Bamboo Forest is different. We have a plan and we are not in a hurry."
Aunt Qiao: "Let's go. Let's go buy some groceries."
"Go slowly, Sister Qiao."
At around 11:40, the hotel’s meals were delivered.
Three tables were set up in the yard, and relatives and friends were invited. Everyone had a lively meal, cut the cake, and wished Aunt Qiao a happy birthday, good health, and more youth.
After dinner, Zeng Xiang and Ye Zhao took a nap. When they woke up, it was almost evening.
Ye Zhao and Zeng Xiang went downstairs for a walk and slowly came to the purple bamboo forest.
I can still vividly remember the excitement I felt when I first acquired the land from Lao Kai.
Zeng Xiang said: "The stench was so bad that I couldn't even open my eyes."
Ye Zhao looked up at the big characters "Zizhulin BoBoPark" on the glass ceiling of the commercial area, and was filled with emotion. "The design draft that Lin Dong made for me back then was really just a casual drawing. Who could have thought that it would be realized like a magic brush?"
There is a sky garden on the fourth floor of the community. Although they have not moved in yet, flowers are already blooming all over the walls.
"My wife is really the best. Others just draw casually, but you just wave your hand and do it as soon as you say it, and finally made this career. As a husband, I admire you." Zeng Xiang was both proud and pleased. Look, this empire was built by my wife.
The two people stood on the side of the road, eating popsicles and looking at the bamboo forest.
Ye Zhao said: "We have reserved space for a kindergarten on the fourth floor. Our children can go to kindergarten directly here in the future."
"Yes. The kindergarten in the garden is perfect. We can bring it in from Hong Kong City."
Zeng Xiang supported everything Ye Zhao said and also offered his own opinions.
Ye Zhao nodded: "Yes, I will listen to Boss Zeng and introduce advanced things. Only by learning more can we make progress."
He asked, “So when are we going to have kids?”
Ye Zhao thought that he would at least wait until she had secured a stable position. "Let's wait a little longer, maybe after 1997 or 1998..."
By then she will be around 27 or 28 years old, which is suitable for having children.
Zeng Xiang smiled and said, "Listen to my wife."
Even if his wife said she didn't want to have a baby, he had no objection.
As the two were talking and laughing, a group of birds flew over from the distance and landed on the tree next to them, chirping loudly.
A month later, they moved into their new house in Zizhulin.
Since the entire architectural structure and planning design of Zizhulin were advanced, Shenzhen media reported it extensively.
Within a short period of time, almost everyone in Shenzhen knew the name of Zizhulin.
Zizhulin's residential leasing and commercial investment promotion are carried out simultaneously. Since the residential properties are positioned at the high end and can provide hotel-style services, they attract big and small bosses and high-income groups.
After only two months of renting out, the three buildings were almost full, and for a long time thereafter, it was hard to find a room.
As for commercial investment, Ye Zhao made full use of his personal connections to attract Hong Kong-owned convenience stores and many luxury stores that were entering China for the first time.
Almost overnight, Zizhulin became synonymous with high-end, wealth, and luxury.
(End of this chapter)