Ye Zhao was half asleep and half awake when she felt someone holding her hand and gently stroking it. It was a familiar, slightly rough texture...
She opened her eyes slightly and asked in a hoarse voice: "Brother Xiang, you are back? How is your father?"
"The operation went smoothly, but he's not awake yet." Zeng Xiang's voice was very soft, and he didn't sound tired. It seemed that he didn't have much emotional investment in his father's injury. Maybe it was more of a sense of responsibility.
Ye Zhao held his hand tightly and asked, "What time is it?"
"It's past one. Go to sleep. I just wanted to come and see you."
Ye Zhao closed his eyes and smiled sleepily: "I have telepathy, I will know when you come in."
Zeng Xiang kissed her, "Go to sleep, baby. Don't worry about me. I'm in a good mood today."
His enemy was where he belonged, and he could sleep peacefully from now on.
"OK, good night."
When Ye Zhao got up the next day, Zeng Xiang had already gone out.
Luo Jiaming has been in a coma, and Zeng Xiang has been running back and forth between the hospital and Luo's home. They were originally scheduled to go back on the fourth day of the New Year, but they postponed it for one day. Ye Zhao and Aunt Qiao went back first.
Zeng Xiang didn't say how he led Zhong Lini and Luo Jiafei to Jiale Building. It was probably that Qi Lian'an tricked them into going there.
There are many ways to do this, and Ye Zhao didn't ask. Some things can be understood by both parties without having to say it out loud.
The day before returning to Shenzhen, Ye Zhao called Qi Lian'an over, mainly to discuss with him how to use the funds in her personal account in the future.
After buying two properties in Shenzhen and Hong Kong, Ye Zhao only had 300 million Hong Kong dollars left in his account.
She has to return more than 90 million Hong Kong dollars to Song Rongji, and then Shenzhen Song Rongji's mainland account will return 100 million yuan to Ye Zhao.
So, she has 200 million Hong Kong dollars and has to choose how to invest.
It’s a pity that she didn’t have a deep understanding of the stock market in her original world. She only understood the general trends and didn’t know much about some unknown monster stocks. Otherwise, she could have made a lot of money by investing in various monster stocks.
She knew that on the eve of Hong Kong's return, the real estate market reached its peak, but was then hit by a financial crisis, which forced a large number of people who had taken out loans and leveraged to speculate in real estate into a corner, with some going bankrupt or jumping off buildings.
If the 200 million yuan could be used to invest in the real estate market before the financial crisis and earn enough capital, it could be invested in American Pear Co., Ltd., which was at its lowest point in stock price at the end of 1996. The stock price would have skyrocketed by nearly 100 times.
At the same time, the fat goose instant messaging of the domestic investment brother boss...
Walk on two legs, domestically and internationally!
Well, by then, she can really lie back and let the big guys help her make money. How comfortable that would be.
She asked Qi Lian'an: "What real estate projects can I invest in in Gangcheng now?"
Qi Lianan said: "Last year, the real estate market was very hot and it was difficult to get projects. This year, it has cooled down. The seller of Shoal Point asked for 400 million yuan before, but it didn't sell. Now it is listed at 350 million yuan. I guess it will drop further later."
Ye Zhao asked in doubt: "Isn't the location of Shoal Point very good? Why can't it be sold suddenly?"
Qi Lianan said: "This Gulf War had a great impact. The United States won the war in Iraq at the fastest speed. It is said that the Soviet Union has been in turmoil recently. The citizens of Hong Kong are very worried about the future. Many people want to immigrate..."
This emotional low will probably pass in one or two years. It is just the right time to buy land and build houses. Once the houses are built, the public's emotions will ease and the real estate market will slowly pick up. Then it will be the best time for them to sell their properties.
Ye Zhao said: "Then see if you can get the 300 million. If you can, don't pay back Song Rongji's money yet. After you buy the land at Shoal Point, mortgage the land to the bank, borrow cash from the bank, and then pay back Song Rongji's money and build the house."
Qi Lianan was a little worried. He said, "Mr. Ye, are you sure? The real estate market may soon fall into a downturn."
Ye Zhao nodded and said, "I'm sure."
“I’m afraid that the property won’t be able to be sold when the time comes.”
"We won't sell pre-sale properties. We'll build them and sell existing properties next year or the year after. Existing properties can be sold at a higher price."
Seeing Ye Zhao's determination, Qi Lian'an didn't want to ask directly if she had had another dream. Since the boss was so sure, she must be sure. He smiled and said, "Okay, I know."
"You can research where there is land for sale. As long as the location is suitable, we can find a way to acquire it."
Where does the money come from
Qi Lianan thought for a moment and asked, "Do you want to pledge Song Rongji's shares?"
"If you really need money and don't have enough, you can only pledge your stocks." She has to seize the time and make enough money to invest in the US stock market.
Qi Lian'an said he would make the arrangements, and then they discussed registering a real estate development company, all using the name Zizhulin.
Ye Zhao reminded: "By the way, Song Rongji's old factory needs to apply for a change of property."
This matter was already in Qi Lian'an's notebook. He said, "The old Song Rongji factory can be sold to Zizhulin Real Estate Company after the property rights are changed."
Song Rongji is a listed company after all, and Ye Zhao didn't want to be accused of transferring benefits, so she said, "Then the operation should be more formal. Ask an appraisal company to assess the price, and then auction it publicly. Zizhulin can spend money to buy it."
Since the market is sluggish, I guess no one will come to compete with her for it.
Qi Lianan: "Okay, let's see which one we can operate first, the shallow corner or the old factory building. If we do both at the same time, we won't have enough funds. We must take one of them first, and after the mortgage is secured, we can take the other piece of land."
Ye Zhao thought Qi Lianan’s plan was feasible. She said, “The development cycle can be simultaneous…”
As long as she can grasp the right rhythm, she can make a lot of money before the financial crisis comes.
After the two of them finished discussing work, Qi Lian'an went back first. Before leaving, Aunt Qiao gave him two pieces of rice cakes and a braised pork belly, and asked him to take them back for his family.
As soon as Qi Lian'an left, Guo's mother came. She said she was going to buy something nearby and brought them a large box of dumplings.
"Oh, thank you so much. It's so thoughtful of you to send it all the way here." Aunt Qiao thanked her repeatedly: "We had the dumplings you made for supper on New Year's Eve. Zeng Xiang brought them back. They were really well made. People here don't know how to make them. I just learned how to make them, so I'm not very good."
Mother Guo said with a smile, "You are going back to Shenzhen tomorrow, right? You can take it back and put it in the refrigerator to eat slowly."
Guo's mother didn't sit for long. She originally wanted to talk to Ye Zhao, but Zeng Erqiao was always beside her, so she didn't have the chance to say anything. In the end, she just handed Ye Zhao two red-string jade pendants that had been blessed in a temple in Beijing.
"This is for you and Luo Shen. I hope you can all be safe and sound."
Aunt Qiao glanced at the jade pendant and said, "How can I accept your gift?"
Ye Zhao suspected that Guo's mother might have known her identity, or that Luo Jiaming's accident on the second day of the Chinese New Year interrupted her plan to send a gift, so she came today specifically to give her the jade pendant.
This blessed jade pendant was a gift of thought greater than its value, so she did not refuse it. “Thank you, Grandma Guo.”
"You're welcome." Mother Guo took Ye Zhao's hand and wanted to say something, but she felt it was difficult to say it directly. "After Xu Yan went abroad, it will be difficult for us to come here again. If you come to Beijing for a visit, remember to contact us."
Although she was not sure whether she would bother the other party, Ye Zhao agreed first. She smiled and said, "Okay. Definitely."
After seeing off Guo's mother, Aunt Qiao said, "These northerners are really warm-hearted. These two elders are much more humane than Xiangzi's aunt."
Ye Zhao smiled slightly and didn't comment.
After returning to Zengwuwei, Ye Zhao didn't rest but started working.
Designer Lin Dong introduced her to Chen Jiongming, the president of a large real estate company, and she poached him with a high salary.
Chen Jiongming has worked in a large real estate company and has enough experience to lead the team to carry out development work.
Because Ye Zhao's large sum of funds were all tied up in the Song Rongji branch, she could only raise a few million now and wanted to start the finishing work of the Fortune Building first.
After the design of Zizhulin Commercial Street is finalized, the project will be put to bidding, and the construction start time has not yet been determined.
Ye Zhao's current situation is that although she is rich on paper, the actual money has been arranged for a place to go. She cannot spend it lavishly. At least she has to live frugally in her wealth building.
That day Ye Zhao, Chen Jiongming and Gan Xiaofeng were having a meeting at the company.
Chen Jiongming said: "I went to the construction site and communicated with the construction company. As long as the funds are in place, they can start the follow-up work immediately."
Ye Zhao said: "Let's make a plan first. We can't continue construction according to the old design drawings. We need to summarize what needs to be changed first."
Chen Jiongming: "Mr. Ye, you said before that the gate needs to be changed. This is not difficult. Other things, such as the facade, are already being finished. You think the previous facade is not bright enough, and this may not be able to be changed. If you want to change it, all the glass must be replaced, which will cost a lot of money."
Ye Zhao knew the difficulty of modifying the facade, so she said, "I have already communicated with Lin Dong, and he will think of a way to modify the facade at the lowest cost to meet our requirements."
Ye Zhao has always placed equal importance on the appearance and quality of a building. Quality represents safety, while appearance represents the ability to attract tenants.
Chen Jiongming: "Okay. Then the most important work next is actually the water, electricity and interior decoration. This is an office building, and the interior decoration must be done according to the standard of fine decoration. I think the current construction company has changed several bosses and has become a bit old-fashioned. I suggest that after the facade is completed, we replace this company and find a more professional and cost-effective construction company to cooperate with."
Ye Zhao also thought so. Previous construction companies outsourced many projects and processes, just like Lao Mai contracted out a part of it. This was obviously an unprofessional approach with higher costs and lower communication efficiency.
Gan Xiaofeng was afraid that Chen Jiongming would bring his own construction company into the market, so she suggested: "Then let's list the requirements and budget, and then open the bidding."
Ye Zhao knew Gan Xiaofeng's concerns, so she nodded and said, "That's fine. Mr. Chen, can you lead someone to make a list of requirements? Is there any problem?"
Everyone has selfish motives. Chen Jiongming wanted to bring in a construction company he knew, but it was clear that the boss's team didn't trust him enough, and he didn't want to cause trouble. Open bidding was indeed the best. He said, "It's fine for me to make a list. If you want to bid, it may be after the fifteenth day of the first lunar month. It's too early now."
"Okay. Then let this construction company leave after completing the exterior."
On the fifteenth day of the first lunar month, the Zengwuwei Village Committee spent money to set up a hundred tables of hot pot banquet in the small square and invited all the young and old in the village to eat hot pot.
Ye Zhao stood at the office window and looked out. More than a hundred round tables covered with red tablecloths almost filled the small square. In the distance, people were beating drums and gongs, and setting off firecrackers. Villagers came one after another, and the whole place looked festive.
Indeed, this is the atmosphere of the Chinese New Year.
Lao Kai came out of the office to pour the tea in the teapot. He looked up and saw Ye Zhao, and waved: "Boss Ye, come downstairs to discuss something."
Ye Zhao was just about to go eat hot pot, so he went downstairs first and came to Lao Kai's office.
Guipi and Lao Mai were also in Lao Kai's office, and the three of them were sitting around drinking tea.
Ni Meng also came and stood outside the window. "Hey, the feast is about to begin, and you guys are still chatting here."
Guipi said to Ye Zhao: "Come in and chat with everyone first."
Ye Zhao looked at them and didn't come in. "What are you talking about?"
Lao Kai smiled and said, "Aren't you and your friend planning to build a building on the land in Zizhulin? I heard that you want to build three high-rise buildings first?"
It's not that three buildings are built first, but that there are only three buildings in total. The three high-rise buildings in the concept of these people in the village and the three high-rise buildings planned by Ye Zhao are the difference between a small witch and a big witch.
Ye Zhao didn't explain, and just said casually: "Yeah, what's wrong?"
Gui Pi said: "Then it would take an investment of 10 or 20 million, right?"
You underestimated it. It involves an investment of hundreds of millions.
Ye Zhao didn't answer directly, but asked: "Then what?"
Lao Kai said, "Will you let us build these three buildings? Guipi will be responsible for the construction, Lao Mai will be responsible for the materials, and I will be responsible for helping you with the connections. Even if you don't build according to the design drawings, I will still be able to help you get it done."
Ye Zhao smiled silently. This had all been arranged for her.
She questioned, "Uncle Kai, that's not what you said before. You said the leaders liked our planning and design and didn't allow us to change it at will. How can we change it now?"
Lao Kai's ability to brag came out immediately: "I've thought about it, we should still call it Zizhulin Commercial Street, build more shops underneath, and make it a commercial street like those small streets in Gangcheng, there will be no problem."
Ye Zhao: “…”
Guipi said, "Boss Ye, we have cooperated so many times, and you are always satisfied with my work, right? If you give us the three buildings in Zizhulin, you can rest assured that the quality will be the best in the village. I hired someone to build Aunt Jiao's building, you can go and have a look and visit it."
Guipi said it with full confidence, saying that the house he built was one of the best in Zengwuwei.
Old Mac looked like he was trying to beg someone for help. He said, "You know the Fortune Building. I was involved in it. The investment in one building of the Fortune Building was hundreds of millions. I can build it. To me, this is just a drop in the bucket!"
How arrogant!
Ye Zhao didn't want to waste time talking to them. "First, we hired a professional to design this, and the construction process is relatively complicated, and the materials used are also complicated. You can't do this job. Second, Zizhulin may not be able to start construction this year, and we don't have enough money."
When Old Mai heard this, he immediately sneered. In his opinion, the first reason was just an excuse. The key was the second one: Ye Zhao had no money.
He snorted coldly and said with a smile: "Look, isn't it? I told you that she didn't have the money to build it, but you just didn't believe me!"
Lao Kai didn't quite believe what Ye Zhao said: "Didn't you say it would be built this year? Fatty Ying was bragging outside that she would pay for your house and it would be built this year!"
Gui Pi also asked in confusion: "Yes, I also heard from the village committee that you plan to start construction this year."
Ye Zhao: "We don't have the money this year, so we may not build it. We haven't decided yet. We will build it when we have the money. If you are interested, you can bid for the Zizhulin project when it is put out for bidding."
Still need to bid? Old Mai sneered: "You really think you are a piece of cake. Still need to bid?"
Guipi kicked him and said, "You idiot! Watch your mouth."
Old Mac was still holding back: "Let's not worry about whether she has money or not, but it's obvious that she won't do the project for us, so why bother to flatter her!"
Lao Kai ignored Lao Mai. He was not giving up. "We can bid for it then. We still have a chance, right? Boss Ye."
Ye Zhao shrugged: "You want to do big things, why do you need to bring people like this into the group?"
As she said this, she pointed at Old Mac and said, "People like him who have bad feet will only spoil the food."
Old Mai just took out a cigarette and before he could light it up, he heard Ye Zhao insulting him. He stood up and said angrily, "My feet are not good? Don't you know? During the New Year's Day, our Fortune Building successfully changed its boss again! We got all the money for materials before the New Year. We just had a good year. If I have poor feet, there will be a boss to take over? We will start construction right after the Lantern Festival. By the time our Fortune Building is occupied, I'm afraid your Zizhulin will still be a scrap yard."
Ni Meng felt embarrassed for Lao Mai after hearing this, "You should say less..."
If you keep talking, you might not have a job to do when the Lantern Festival starts.
Old Mac didn't listen to the advice. He continued to talk: "Everyone is destined to eat how much rice they eat. Maybe I am destined to only eat the food of Fortune Building, not the food of your scrap yard."
Ye Zhao sneered and said, "Old Mai, judging from your appearance, you probably won't be able to eat at Fortune Building anymore."
Old Mai bit his lip and said angrily, "Okay, okay, I can't eat it, but you can, okay? I have no flesh on my face, and you still say that I don't look good. I can't even build a building myself, and I don't know that I'm going to fail? You think..."
Before he could finish his words, a carrot hit him on the head and smashed it into pieces!
Old Mac jumped up angrily...
Auntie Qiao rushed in, holding a carrot in her hand and threw it at him, "Who are you talking about? You lowlife!"
Ye Zhao and Ni Meng hurriedly pulled Aunt Qiao away, while Guipi and Lao Kai also pulled Lao Mai to tell him not to be impulsive.
It turned out that Aunt Qiao saw Ye Zhao standing at the door of Lao Kai's office and was about to call her to have a hot pot dinner, but when she heard what Lao Mai said, she couldn't help herself.
Ye Zhao: "Old Mai, from today on, you are done with your job at Fortune Building."
Old Mai wiped the carrot juice off his face and said angrily, "When will it be your turn to speak about the Fortune Building?! Who do you think you are?"
As soon as Lao Mai finished speaking, his subordinate A Qiao ran over breathlessly and said, "Boss, Brother Li from the construction company just said that we don't need to provide materials anymore."
"What do you mean?" Old Mac looked confused.
"I don't know. He didn't tell me the reason. What should I do? The batch of cement we ordered will be delivered tomorrow. We have already paid, and he will definitely not give us a refund."
Old Mai looked at A-Qiao in disbelief, then looked at Ye Zhao, what the hell is this!
Damn, is it too late to kneel down now? Old Mai looked dark and confused.
Ye Zhao ignored him and pulled Aunt Qiao out.
Seeing Ye Zhao leave, Ni patted Lao Mai and said, "Why are you being so mean? Look! You're dead, right?"
Old Mai still didn't understand: "Why did she know the news in advance?"
"They are in a different circle than us. They run such a big factory, and they are said to be supplying vegetables to Hong Kong. What friends do they have? What news are they not more up-to-date than us?"
Old Mac shook his head, feeling something was wrong, "She bought the Fortune Building?"
The others were also surprised. Ni Meng waved his hands repeatedly: "I don't know. This matter is too profound. Don't ask me. Let's go. Let's start the feast."
How could Old Mac be in the mood to eat the hot pot? He had to find a way to deal with that batch of cement immediately, otherwise, all the money he earned last year would be lost.
The sounds of gongs, drums and firecrackers were deafening. Before the banquet started, people from the Little West Building gathered around a table. Ye Zhao sat obediently next to Aunt Qiao and ate the small oranges on the table.
An old lady at the table next to him stared at Ye Zhao and teased Zeng Erqiao, "Erqiao, when will it be your turn to hold a wedding banquet?"
Zeng Erqiao knew what the old lady was talking about, so she said, "Our Xiao Zhao is still in college. He is a college student and hasn't graduated yet. Why are you in such a hurry?"
Aunt Jiao, who was sitting at another table, teased, "Qiaojie, you are really capable. You took action when you saw someone you liked. Your daughter-in-law is a college student and she inherited such a big factory. Wow, in our village, no one has better taste than you!"
Zeng Erqiao didn't think it was her own achievement. She said, "It's because my son is so good. What does it have to do with me?"
An auntie asked, "Hey, has Gangchengzi bought a house for Xiangzi in Gangcheng?"
Zeng Erqiao: "What house do you want to buy?"
"Houses in Gangcheng are too expensive, not everyone can afford them. I heard there are public housing units there, and if you meet the requirements, you can apply. Let Xiangzi work hard, maybe your whole family can get Gangcheng ID cards in the future."
Zeng Erqiao said disdainfully: "Who needs a Hong Kong ID card? Isn't it better to be a villager of Zengwuwei?"
Zeng Erqiao was really disdainful, but in the eyes of others, this was just like being unable to eat the grapes so they felt sour.
Aunt Jiao said: "Oh my, if it were me, I would definitely choose the Hong Kong City ID card without hesitation for a second."
"Going to Hong Kong City to rent a public housing unit?"
"You get an identity there, earn money there, and live here. Living here is definitely more comfortable."
As everyone was talking excitedly, Aunt Jiao pulled a plump middle-aged woman who was walking over and said, "Hey! Amei! Just ask Amei and you'll know which is better, Gangcheng or Zengwuwei."
"Of course Hong Kong is better! You haven't been to a big international city and haven't broadened your horizons!" Amei's voice was a little hoarse, as if she had a bad cold.
Someone curiously asked, "Hey, Amei, I heard that when your brother Zeng Laojiu escaped to Hong Kong, you helped him sneak across the border, right?"
This was the thing that Amei was most proud of in all these years. She said, "I rowed a boat to send my brother to Chitose Island. He hid there for two days, and then I sent him more than ten miles away. He then dived to the harbor city."
Hearing the words "Chitose Island", Ye Zhao couldn't help but look up at Amei. Amei had curly hair and was probably in her forties. She was Zeng Laojiu's sister.
Ye Zhao asked her, "Auntie Amei, in which year did your brother escape to Hong Kong?"
Ah Mei was talking to someone else and didn't hear. Aunt Qiao nudged her with her elbow and said loudly, "Amei, I want to ask you, in which year did your brother escape to Hong Kong?"
May turned around and thought for a moment: "What year? 1970! In August! It was a typhoon day!"
Isn't August 1970 the time when Ye Zhao was born? Zeng Jiulong and his sister stayed on Chitose Island for two days. It's impossible that they didn't meet those educated youth.
(End of this chapter)