Chapter 615 | Chapter 616 | Chapter 617
Chapter 615: The Lane Houses
“Going out to unwind occasionally is still perfectly fine,” Gu Second Uncle remarked. Hearing this, Gu Jinshou grew instantly excited.
“Little Shou, everyone gets tired. It’s fine to relax, but you must never become addicted.”
“Grandpa, I understand.”
Gu Jinshou was a child who abided by the rules, especially when it came to keeping his word. His name, Jinshou—meaning strictly adhering to principles—had truly been chosen correctly.
“Let’s eat first.”
Seeing that everyone’s conversation was growing more and more intense, Gu Second Aunt hurriedly spoke up to stop them, calling everyone to the table to eat.
Currently, Gu Lin’s branch was in the Northwest, so only Gu Tingen’s family and the two elders remained at the main house.
“Wanyan, try this braised pork.”
“Your cousin-in-law made it specifically for you.”
Gu Second Aunt placed two pieces of braised pork into her bowl, making sure to highlight the thoughtfulness of her eldest cousin-in-law, Li Jiaying.
“Thank you, Cousin-in-Law.”
“You’re far too polite, Third Cousin-in-Law. Eat more.”
Li Jiaying smiled and placed a few more meat dishes into her bowl. Sheng Wanyan ate until she was completely stuffed during this meal.
After dinner, Sheng Wanyan brought out the gifts she had carried along. Although Gu Lin’s family wasn’t in Shanghai, the items meant for their children hadn’t been left out at all.
There were also gifts prepared for Gu Tingying, the granddaughter who had married out, as well as the maternal grandchildren. Everything was fully accounted for.
“Second Uncle, Second Aunt, these were sent by Grandpa, Grandma, and Mom.”
The elders had prepared nutritional supplements, children’s toys, clothes, and food. Sheng Wanyan had prepared drawing pens and clothing items from her own store.
“And these are the toys, stationery, and clothes I bought for Little Shou, Xiaogong, and Xiaorong.”
Xiaorong was Gu Tingying’s son. Sheng Wanyan hadn’t forgotten him either, preparing everything nicely.
Nowadays, the clothing store also manufactured menswear, so there was no shortage of clothes for boys. Sheng Wanyan had selected the best of everything to bring along.
“This is far too expensive.”
“Second Aunt, these are all items from my own shop. They don’t cost much.”
How could Gu Second Aunt believe her nonsense? However, since these were gifts from the elders to the younger generation, they couldn’t very well refuse them on behalf of the children.
“Second Uncle, Second Aunt, these are clothes for the two of you, suitable for everyday wear.”
“Eldest Cousin, Cousin-in-Law, these are for you two. See if they fit.”
Sheng Wanyan had brought something for everyone. They were parent-child outfits and clothes within the same color palette; when worn out, anyone could tell at a single glance that they were a family.
“And these are for the other cousins and their families. I’ll have to trouble Second Aunt to mail them over.”
Gu Second Aunt felt her heart flutter nervously looking at all these items. This was simply too much stuff. The clothes were of such high quality that, added together, they represented a significant sum of money.
“Second Aunt, these are just tokens of my regard. Please accept them.”
“There’s no reason for me to run a clothing business and not even be able to gift a few sets of clothes to my own family.”
Since Sheng Wanyan had put it in such terms, what else could Gu Second Aunt do? She could only accept them.
She could fully empathize with Mother Gu’s feelings now. Having so many beautiful clothes placed before her eyes truly made her feel both delighted and overwhelmed.
“Alright, alright, alright. We’ll accept them all.”
Gu Second Aunt accepted the items with a smile. In any case, Sheng Wanyan would be staying in Shanghai for a period of time, so she would just have to take extra care of her.
After finishing the meal, Sheng Wanyan prepared to head back and rest. Gu Second Uncle and Gu Second Aunt wanted to keep her at the house, but after much persuasion, Sheng Wanyan finally convinced the two elders.
“Come over to the house for meals from now on.”
“If anything comes up or if you need anything, just tell your Second Uncle.”
“Your Second Uncle still carries a bit of weight here in Shanghai, so there’s no need to feel constrained.”
Gu Second Uncle gave a few instructions. The underlying meaning of the old gentleman’s phone call yesterday was precisely his hope that Sheng Wanyan could let herself go and work freely.
With him, the Military District Political Commissar, acting as a backer in Shanghai, he could easily shield Sheng Wanyan.
“Thank you very much, Second Uncle.”
Sheng Wanyan understood Grandpa Gu’s arrangements perfectly. Naturally, she wouldn’t act timidly; whatever needed to be developed would be developed.
Sheng Wanyan drove herself back. Gu Second Uncle’s household already had two military vehicles, so she didn’t even need to go to the military district to fetch one.
Her eldest cousin-in-law, Li Jiaying, had also given her the keys to the courtyard, letting her know where the spare bedding was kept and wishing her a comfortable stay.
“Thank you very much, Cousin-in-Law. I’m sorry to trouble you during this trip.”
“What kind of talk is that? It’s no trouble at all.”
Seeing how polite she was, Li Jiaying felt pleased in her heart. After all, her own efforts had been acknowledged by Sheng Wanyan.
Even though they were family, having one’s efforts noticed brought a thoroughly different feeling.
“Then I’ll head out first.”
Gu Second Uncle and Gu Second Aunt waved goodbye. Consulting the address given by Li Jiaying, Sheng Wanyan drove toward the courtyard.
The courtyard wasn’t far from the military district, requiring only a ten-minute drive to arrive. When she returned to the small courtyard, the two managers were waiting for her.
The two managers had very consciously left the master bedroom empty for her. The courtyard was said to have four rooms, but one of them was a storage room, unfit for living.
Sheng Wanyan returned to her room. The bedding was inside the wardrobe of each room, ready to be used as soon as it was pulled out.
“Boss, the bathwater has been heated.”
“Thank you. Go ahead and rest, don’t worry about me.”
The two managers nodded. Everyone was exhausted, so they each returned to their rooms to rest. There was a massive battle waiting for them next.
After taking a shower, Sheng Wanyan also returned to her room to rest. Locking the door securely, she slipped straight into her space to sleep.
The bed inside the space was the most comfortable—it had cost her a hefty sum to purchase.
When Sheng Wanyan woke up the next day, she went out with the two managers to a small street stall to buy some breakfast. After eating, they set out to inspect the area.
“Go ask around to see if there are any courtyards or shopfronts for sale.”
“Let’s split up and meet back here later.”
“Understood, Boss.”
The three split up to take action. Sheng Wanyan intended to open a clothing store in every district of Shanghai.
As for the local manager here, she also needed to scout one out properly. It had to be someone reliable and full of drive.
Sheng Wanyan inquired all over the place. There were many lane houses here, and the lane houses in one particular area used to be the family quarters of a factory.
After the factory went bankrupt, the family quarters naturally became vacant. Currently, they were actually up for lease, which thoroughly tempted Sheng Wanyan.
She wanted to buy it! Such a massive cluster of lane houses would have countless uses in the future.
Sheng Wanyan made some inquiries. This was state-owned property, so buying it wouldn’t be easy at all. However, she had connections!
Sheng Wanyan noted down the address, and after looking around, she found a few more shopfronts up for lease.
Once the morning passed, Sheng Wanyan returned to the designated spot to wait for the two managers. Relying on their sharp gossiping abilities as women, the two managers had also successfully scouted out several locations.
“Boss, there are very few independent courtyards here in Shanghai.”
“It’s mostly lane houses with many families living inside them.”
“There is one lane house cluster for sale, but it’s very old and the price is high.”
Listening to the news they had gathered, Sheng Wanyan felt incredibly excited. Old and expensive were not issues at all.
“How much is it?”
“The plot is very large. The owner is asking for 200,000 yuan.”
The lane houses in Shanghai were not small, and the families living in these places used to possess a fair amount of ancestral wealth.
“We’ll go take a look this afternoon.”
“Let’s grab lunch first.”
Driving the car, Sheng Wanyan made a loop around the city before stopping at a private restaurant to eat.
Chapter 616: Buying a Shanghai Lane House
The three of them ordered three meat dishes. It had to be said that the common people’s culinary skills were quite impressive, and the prices were not expensive either.
Shanghai had many local culinary specialties, which gave them a perfect opportunity to savor them properly during this period.
“Dishes coming out~”
Seeing that the table was covered entirely in meat dishes, the two managers felt immensely thrilled in their hearts. Although their current wages were by no means low, their families had a vast number of areas requiring money.
Furthermore, purchasing meat nowadays still required coupons, which meant it was not entirely convenient.
“Boss, this is far too much.”
“It’s not much. You need to eat your fill to work hard this afternoon.”
Sheng Wanyan understood how to handle people’s hearts perfectly. If employees couldn’t even eat their fill at work, how could they possibly put their hearts into working for the boss?
“Ah! Thank you, Boss.”
Deeply moved, the two managers nodded. Sheng Wanyan instructed them to eat more, as they would have to walk under the blazing sun for the entire afternoon.
Upon arriving in Shanghai, Sheng Wanyan had placed a phone call to Xu Guihua, who had also gone out on a business trip.
Following Sheng Wanyan’s advice, Xu Guihua had taken several employees down south to open branch stores, with Guangzhou and Shenzhen being the primary focal points.
If they could purchase land plots, it would be the absolute best outcome, and Sheng Wanyan would fund the purchases herself.
After eating their fill, Sheng Wanyan took the two managers back to the courtyard to rest. At two in the afternoon, they set out again to continue searching for land parcels and lane houses.
After twisting and turning for the entire day, they managed to locate five places, varying in both large and small sizes.
Sheng Wanyan arranged to meet several of the property owners tomorrow. Property prices in Shanghai were exceptionally low right now; if one wished to buy a house in the future, it would require an astronomical sum.
Sheng Wanyan sent the two managers back, while she carried two strips of pork over to Gu Second Uncle’s house for dinner.
When she went back, she retrieved a massive sum of cash from her space. Over the past few years, she had gradually withdrawn the money she earned into cash.
It was all stored inside her space. After all, the rural credit cooperatives would soon face successive bankruptcies, and when that time came, everything would be lost.
Although this was a parallel world, the trajectory of development did not differ by much and remained remarkably similar.
Sheng Wanyan used several gunny sacks to pack the cash and brought it back to the courtyard. The next day, the three of them shouldered the money to go buy the properties.
There were two shopfronts, two lane houses, and one old Western-style garden house—all in excellent geographical locations. Once these were purchased within the city center, she would head over to check out other districts in Shanghai. With properties distributed across multiple areas, the reputation of the clothing store would easily rise within Shanghai.
Driving the car, she arrived at a teahouse. The people here in Shanghai truly knew how to enjoy themselves and were exceptionally quick to grasp the newest moneymaking opportunities.
A business owner had opened a teahouse here in Shanghai, complete with private compartments on the second floor, and the business was packed to the brim every single day.
Sheng Wanyan had arranged to meet several of the property owners here in the private compartments on the second floor, taking them one by one. She would meet two in the morning and three in the afternoon.
She had the manager order black tea and pastries, arranging the tea sets nicely on the table. The people of Shanghai emphasized a sense of ritual, regardless of the era.
Sheng Wanyan sat inside waiting, while the two managers waited outside the private compartment for the property owners to arrive.
After a short while, the owner of the lane house cluster that Sheng Wanyan valued the most arrived, and the two managers escorted him into the compartment.
He was a middle-aged man dressed in a refined gray suit, wearing dark brown leather shoes on his feet and an exquisite watch on his wrist.
Wearing gold-rimmed glasses and with his hair meticulously styled, he carried a highly scholarly and elegant aura.
Sheng Wanyan was also dressed today in a royal blue suit and black high heels, wearing pearl earrings and a Cartier watch on her wrist.
Seeing him enter, Sheng Wanyan stood up and greeted him politely.
“Hello, sir.”
“I am Sheng Wanyan.”
Sheng Wanyan extended her hand. Behind the middle-aged man stood a young man around thirty years old, whose facial features closely resembled the middle-aged man’s.
“Hello, I am Ye Chenghua.”
The middle-aged man shook Sheng Wanyan’s hand, then introduced the young man behind him.
“This is my son, Ye Tian.”
“Hello, Mr. Ye.”
Sheng Wanyan shook hands with Ye Tian. After both sides exchanged pleasantries, Sheng Wanyan gestured for the two of them to take a seat.
“Mr. Ye, please sit.”
Ye Chenghua nodded, and sat down opposite Sheng Wanyan alongside his son, Ye Tian. The two managers stood behind Sheng Wanyan.
Since Sheng Wanyan intended to nurture them, she made sure to bring them along to these negotiation settings whenever possible.
Sheng Wanyan did not speak, starting to boil the water and brew the tea, her entire being radiating a steady and composed aura. Opposite her, Ye Tian couldn’t help but steal a glance at her.
With movements as smooth as flowing water, Sheng Wanyan brewed the tea perfectly and placed the filled cups before the two Messrs. Ye.
“Please.”
Ye Chenghua nodded, picking up his teacup to take a sip. His mouth instantly filled with a rich tea aroma; the fragrance of the black tea had been fully brought out by Sheng Wanyan.
The owner of this teahouse truly possessed real skill; the tea leaves alone tasted top-tier.
Once Ye Chenghua finished his cup, Sheng Wanyan refilled it for both of them. This time, Ye Chenghua did not drink.
“Ms. Sheng is truly a heroine among women.”
Ye Chenghua had not expected the person buying his lane house to be such a young woman, who looked even younger than his own son.
“Mr. Ye is joking, it’s just some small retail business.”
Although the aura Ye Chenghua carried was elegant, his presence was remarkably strong, indicative of someone who had sat in a position of high authority for many years.
“My son and I returned to the country this time precisely to invest in the nation, as well as to sell off some domestic properties.”
Ye Chenghua did not reside in the country year-round; his family lived on Wall Street in the US!
He owned his own financial corporation in the US. Sheng Wanyan had read the newspapers; he belonged to the latest batch of merchants returning to invest in their ancestral homeland.
His assets ranked him as the sole Chinese national to break into the top ten of the Forbes list.
The state would naturally welcome these merchants of its own nationality back to invest, as many merchants were deeply patriotic.
“Mr. Ye is a patriotic individual, this junior deeply admires you.”
Sheng Wanyan’s words caused Ye Chenghua to burst out laughing. This young girl opposite him actually knew who he was.
It was truly rare—rare for the country to possess such an ambitious and perceptive young woman.
“Patriotism… it is simply because I was raised on this very soil. Everything is merely a way to repay that kindness.”
Ye Chenghua’s words were not only taken to heart by Sheng Wanyan, but even the two managers standing behind her were thrown into deep thought upon hearing them.
“Mr. Ye speaks the truth, this junior has been enlightened.”
Seeing her humble demeanor, Ye Chenghua smiled and nodded, before steering the conversation directly into the main subject.
“You wish to buy my lane house cluster, but do you know the price?”
“I know.”
How could Sheng Wanyan not know? This was a man who did not lack money. As for why he wanted to sell, she naturally would not pry too deeply.
“Do you have anything you wish to say?”
Ye Chenghua was referring to the matter of pricing. Ye Chenghua had met quite a few prospective buyers for the lane house, and all of them would try to bargain over the price with him.
His set price was 300,000 yuan, and he would not lower it by a single cent.
“Mr. Ye, its value is worth far more than 300,000 yuan.”
Hearing her words, Ye Chenghua’s hand holding the teacup paused slightly, and then he smiled.
“You are indeed a sharp-minded businessperson.”
“Mr. Ye is joking, this junior cannot compare to Mr. Ye’s business acumen.”
Seeing that she held no objections to the price, this transaction could naturally be completed. However, he still possessed one final condition.
Chapter 617: Buying Massive Amounts of Shanghai Real Estate
“Ms. Sheng, I can sell the lane houses to you, but I have only one condition.”
“Please speak, Mr. Ye.”
Sheng Wanyan noticed the gravity in his eyes and naturally took it very seriously. Ye Chenghua, however, had only one requirement.
“I hope that in the future, its owners will always be citizens of Huaxia.”
Ye Chenghua spoke with profound emphasis. Hearing this request, Sheng Wanyan smiled.
“Mr. Ye, I’m afraid it will belong to me alone from now on.”
Sheng Wanyan’s words acted as a reassurance to Ye Chenghua. Sure enough, upon hearing her response, his face filled with smiles.
“May I boldly ask, Mr. Ye, what other properties do you have in the country that need to be liquidated?”
“This junior would like to understand a bit about them and perhaps purchase a few.”
Ye Chenghua truly hadn’t expected that this single meeting with Sheng Wanyan would find a buyer for all his other unsold domestic real estate.
“Oh? You’re interested?”
“Yes. If they are suitable, I hope to buy them.”
“As long as the price is reasonable, this junior can accept it.”
Sheng Wanyan’s words caused the expressions of both father and son to shift slightly—not with aversion, but with a trace of admiration and scrutiny.
They could never have imagined that someone as young as Sheng Wanyan could make such an audacious claim. Her business must be exceptionally successful.
“Mr. Ye’s condition from just now will apply to any property this junior purchases.”
Now that Sheng Wanyan knew what Ye Chenghua cared about the most, she naturally added fuel to the fire.
Sure enough, upon hearing this, Ye Chenghua relented and signaled Ye Tian to tell her which properties were up for sale.
“Ms. Sheng, there is one lane house cluster in the south of Shanghai and another in the north.”
“There are also five shopfronts across various districts in Shanghai.”
“And in the urban area of Shanghai, there is a parcel of land totaling 27.9 hectares.”
Hearing about such a massive plot of land, Sheng Wanyan nearly lost her composed facade.
For a plot of land that large in Shanghai, she didn’t even dare to imagine the sheer scale of this family’s wealth.
“In the Capital, there is also a ten-courtyard compound, spanning 55,000 square meters, near the Prince Gong Mansion.”
Sheng Wanyan felt a bit dizzy hearing this. A ten-courtyard compound—the Prince Gong Mansion itself was only thirteen courtyards deep. Just how incredibly valuable would that be?
“The compound in the Capital has been preserved exceptionally well. No one has lived in it before, and all the original furniture remains intact.”
Given Ye Chenghua’s status, preserving a compound intact was naturally within his capability.
“In the center of Shenzhen, there is a recently bankrupt factory, including the family quarters, with a land area of 6,000 square meters.”
Hearing that there was such a massive plot of land in the center of Shenzhen, the decision was already made in her heart.
“These are all the properties that need to be sold.”
Ye Tian listed out all the locations. The way Sheng Wanyan looked at Ye Chenghua now was like looking at a walking gold mine.
“Are you interested?”
Ye Chenghua took a sip of tea and looked at Sheng Wanyan. In his heart, he assumed she probably couldn’t produce that much money at a moment’s notice.
“Yes. May I ask the total price?”
Ye Chenghua’s pupils contracted slightly. Setting down his teacup, he looked at Sheng Wanyan with absolute seriousness.
Ye Chenghua was shocked, and Ye Tian was equally stunned. Even the two managers standing behind Sheng Wanyan were completely dumbfounded.
“Are you truly interested?”
“Yes. Please give me your quote, Mr. Ye.”
Seeing that she was genuinely interested, Ye Chenghua took the document bag from Ye Tian’s hands, opened the files, and showed the details to Sheng Wanyan.
“The two lane house clusters are not in the city center; 200,000 yuan each.”
“The shopfronts are 30,000 yuan per unit.”
“The land plot in Shanghai is large, high in price, and in a prime location. If you truly want it, I will give it to you for 5 million.”
“The land in Shenzhen cannot compare to the one in Shanghai, but the location is also excellent; 600,000 yuan.”
“Everyone knows the value of a compound in the Capital. I will give it to you for 1 million, no lower.”
Listening to Ye Chenghua’s quotes while reviewing the documents in her hands, Sheng Wanyan had to admit that Ye Chenghua hadn’t gouged her at all.
They were both businesspeople; he knew its future worth, and she knew it too. The pricing was exceptionally fair.
Added together, the total came to 7.15 million yuan. Sheng Wanyan felt she was making an absolute fortune.
Sheng Wanyan calculated all the funds she had on hand. Before coming, she had given 3,000 yuan to Gu Tingxiao and hadn’t brought her dowry items.
Between her personal savings, the national dividends from her pharmaceutical formulas, and the profits her shops had earned over the past few years, she possessed a grand total of 8.34 million yuan.
It was more than enough to pay for all of Ye Chenghua’s properties, leaving her with 1.19 million yuan—plenty to cover subsequent expenses.
“Deal!”
Sheng Wanyan was incredibly decisive. Holding his teacup, even Ye Chenghua’s hand couldn’t help but tremble slightly.
Between him and Sheng Wanyan… who exactly was the billionaire here?
He was liquidating his domestic assets precisely to invest in stocks, intending to buy back domestic properties later on.
The motherland truly was a place of crouching tigers and hidden dragons.
“Since there are no issues, let’s proceed with the title transfer and transaction.”
Sheng Wanyan nodded and gestured toward the several gunny sacks behind her. The corners of Ye Chenghua’s mouth twitched. Don’t tell me those are filled with cash.
“Is that… cash?”
“Yes. There is 8 million yuan inside.”
Ye Chenghua, Ye Tian: “…” Who is going to count all this???
Sheng Wanyan seemed to perceive their predicament. Smiling, she went to open the gunny sacks. She had bundled the cash in small stacks of 10,000 and large bundles of 100,000, all tied securely with ropes.
Seeing this, both Ye Chenghua and Ye Tian let out a sigh of relief. Sheng Wanyan pulled 85 large bundles out from inside.
The remainder belonged to the two Messrs. Ye. Ye Chenghua had Ye Tian haul the money to the car before heading out with Sheng Wanyan to complete the title transfer.
“I have connections in Shenzhen and the Capital. I will make the calls to have the titles transferred to you there.”
“You can have someone verify it in a little while.”
After all, since they were currently in Shanghai, Ye Chenghua would naturally utilize his network rather than travel so far.
Sheng Wanyan nodded with a smile. Xu Guihua was in Shenzhen, and as for the Capital, needless to say, her family was all there.
“Alright. Once you have initiated the process, I will have someone confirm it.”
Nowadays, brick mobile phones were already available, making it convenient to place calls anytime, anywhere. Ye Chenghua made his calls, while Sheng Wanyan separately called home and Xu Guihua.
Upon hearing that Sheng Wanyan had purchased another compound, Gu Tingxiao headed straight to the property registration office the moment he received the news.
Xu Guihua was currently scouting for shopfronts in Shenzhen as well. Upon receiving Sheng Wanyan’s call, she hurriedly made her way to the deed registry office.
Things were still simple nowadays; no tedious procedures were required as long as one possessed connections and relationships.
Once Xu Guihua and Gu Tingxiao confirmed everything on their ends and obtained the property ownership certificates, the transaction between Sheng Wanyan and Ye Chenghua concluded successfully.
“This is my business card. If you need anything when visiting the US, you can find me.”
Ye Chenghua handed her a business card. Sheng Wanyan accepted it with both hands and nodded with a smile.
“Alright. Have a safe journey, Mr. Ye.”
Sheng Wanyan personally escorted them out, then had the teahouse clerk bring a fresh pot of tea.
Sheng Wanyan took a brief rest before the owner of the other lane house cluster arrived. However, this particular lane house had residents living inside it.
She would have to find a way to make those people move out in the future, so the price naturally couldn’t be that high.
Sheng Wanyan dug her heels in firmly at 150,000 yuan. The counterparty asked for 200,000 yuan, but in the end, they still compromised.
