Chapter 420: Relocation (Part 2)

Xiaojia agreed with Hou Weidong’s proposal after receiving the call. “We should buy the apartments,” she said. “But the prices at the Xinyue Building in Shazhou are nearing two thousand per square meter. Two units would total nearly 250 square meters, costing around 500,000 yuan just for the property. It still hurts to part with that much money.”

Hou Weidong offered some comfort. “Keeping too much cash at home isn’t necessarily a good thing. If we buy the properties in the names of our parents, the assets ultimately belong to us, but it reduces the pressure on our own accounts. More importantly, it gives both sets of parents better housing, which is a way of showing filial piety. It’s a win-win situation, so why not?”

Xiaojia raised a concern. “Won’t the quarry and the coal mine bring negative repercussions? It didn’t matter before, but our positions have changed. Too many people are watching us now. I’m afraid you can’t hide this.”

Hou Weidong reassured her. “The quarry and the coal mine belong to my mother, Liu Guangfen. All the legal procedures are in order; there are no issues.” In truth, he was hiding another large sum of money from Xiaojia—his shares in the Jinggong Group. His initial investment had already doubled, but since the funds weren’t immediately needed, he had left them within the company.

By noon, Zhou Changquan went to the small guesthouse for his afternoon nap.

Hou Weidong drove out of the Municipal Party Committee compound to his brother’s house to pick up his father, Hou Yonggui, and his mother, Zheng Guangfen. As Zheng Guangfen walked beside Hou Weidong, she complained, “We can buy a house anytime. Why do we have to go out right now? Your father needs his nap.”

Although Hou Yonggui had retired, he still wore his olive-green police uniform, minus the collar insignia and cap badge, looking neat and tidy. He addressed Liu Guangfen, saying, “Old woman, you don’t understand. The third son is a secretary to the Municipal Party Committee. He has many duties, so he can only handle private matters at noon.”

He had spent half his life in the military and the other half in the police force. The highest rank he ever achieved was police station chief. Now, his eldest son was the deputy head of the Economic Crime Investigation Detachment of the Shazhou Public Security Bureau, and his youngest son was a deputy division-level secretary. During festivals, the top brass of the Public Security Bureau would often visit his home under the pretext of greeting an old officer. Although Hou Yonggui understood the ulterior motives of these leaders, he still felt a sense of joy and pride.

Liu Guangfen was secretly delighted. “The third son still has a conscience. I’ve been his puppet for so long; it’s about time he paid some interest.”

Hou Weidong was very close to his mother. He linked arms with Liu Guangfen and said, “You should persuade Sister-in-law more often recently. Tell her to stop with those ridiculous pyramid schemes. She has already resigned. If she wants to do business, I can provide the capital. Second Sister can take her along.”

At the mention of Jiang Chu, Liu Guangfen’s expression darkened. “That girl, Jiang Chu, was such a good person originally. How did she get obsessed with pyramid schemes after coming to Shazhou? The first scheme collapsed, and now she’s switched to another one—I can’t even remember the name. It’s all pyramid schemes. She’s completely hooked. Until she wakes up, it’s best not to give her any more money.”

Liu Guangfen was deeply disappointed in her eldest daughter-in-law. In secret, she even harbored the thought of having Hou Weidong divorce Jiang Chu, but she couldn’t bring herself to say it. She had tested the waters with Hou Weidong, but he remained noncommittal. Hou Weidong had provided Jiang Chu with over 100,000 yuan in total. Aside from the money for the house, the rest had been squandered haphazardly. In his eldest brother’s home, an entire room was dedicated to various pyramid scheme products, including many banned items and new schemes. Thinking of these dusty, useless goods, Hou Weidong couldn’t help but remark, “It seems my sister-in-law needs to hit enough walls and suffer enough losses before she turns back.”

Liu Guangfen sighed, “The eldest son really has a hard life.”

What had started as a happy occasion became somewhat dampened by the mention of Jiang Chu, leaving the three of them feeling a bit listless.

They arrived at the Xinyue Building, looked at the renderings for the second phase of construction, listened to the salesgirl’s eloquent pitch, and then donned safety helmets to tour the construction site. The elderly couple began to envision their future new home, and their depressed mood finally lifted.

Back at the sales office, Hou Weidong had originally intended to buy two apartments on the spot. However, considering his parents’ subtle feelings, he only proposed buying one. Liu Guangfen and Hou Yonggui had lived in public housing their entire lives. Their current residence in Wu Hai was a public housing unit purchased after the housing reform, measuring only about 60 square meters. Although it was sufficient for the two elderly people, seeing the spacious apartments of over 140 square meters brought them genuine joy.

While Hou Weidong went to pay, Liu Guangfen asked her husband, “Do we really have a new house? Is this property ours privately?”

Hou Yonggui replied, “You old woman, isn’t the third son handling the paperwork right now?”

Bu Gao had just finished a tour of the second phase of the Xinyue Building. As he walked into the sales office, he saw Hou Weidong talking with the salesgirl and hurried over. “Director Hou, your presence truly honors us.”

Bu Gao had done exceptionally well in real estate in the Yiyang New Administrative Zone. Along with Jinggong Group’s real estate division, he was known as one of the “Two Stars” of the New Administrative Zone, making a fortune. Although the demolition costs for the second phase of the Xinyue Building were high, once he obtained the pre-sale permit, the project became unexpectedly popular. Profit was guaranteed.

Learning that Hou Weidong intended to buy an apartment, Bu Gao instructed the beautiful salesgirl, “Give this gentleman a 50% discount.”

Several years ago, Bu Gao had almost become Hou Weidong’s rival in love. At that time, Hou Weidong was still a low-level cadre in Yiyang, and Bu Gao hadn’t taken him seriously. However, since Hou Weidong became the director of the Yiyang New Administrative Zone, Bu Gao had begun to view him with greater respect and developed a desire to curry favor with him. This had led to the incident involving Zhu Yingying from the Provincial Song and Dance Troupe.

Now, Hou Weidong held a significant position in Shazhou. Bu Haiyun, Bu Gao’s father, was also a key figure in Zhou Changquan’s inner circle. Bu Gao was well aware of Hou Weidong’s influence with Zhou Changquan. Therefore, his attitude toward Hou Weidong had shifted from looking down on him to viewing him as an equal, and now, slightly looking up to him.

Hou Weidong had just been immersed in the warmth of reuniting with his parents. He quickly suppressed his tender feelings and thought carefully. “A 140-square-meter apartment at half price means he’s easily giving away over 100,000 yuan. Bu Gao is making a big move.” He wondered, “What is his purpose? The four major leadership groups are relocating, and various departments have submitted relocation reports. Bu Gao definitely wants a share of the pie.”

Deciding to play it safe, Hou Weidong refused such a heavy gift but still gave Bu Haiyun some face. He smiled and said, “A 50% discount is too much. I don’t accept rewards without merit. However, I would be very grateful for a 20% discount, Mr. Bu.”

A 20% discount was considered normal commercial behavior, giving Bu Gao a way out. Hou Weidong pushed the “Tai Chi ball” back to Bu Gao and watched him with a smile.

Bu Gao was a smart man and agreed readily. “20% discount it is.” He then told the salesgirl, “Process this for Director Hou immediately.”

Bu Haiyun was the Executive Vice Mayor and the actual head of the relocation leadership group for the four major leadership bodies. Bu Gao, being close to the action, acted wisely. He did not compete for the construction rights of the offices for the four major leadership groups. Instead, he focused his efforts on larger, less conspicuous but highly profitable departments such as the Finance Bureau, the Construction Commission, and the Transportation Bureau.

The matter was already taking shape, and there was no need to go through Hou Weidong’s channels. Bu Gao viewed Hou Weidong as a potential stock and was investing in him early.

Hou Yonggui, a retiree in his old-style police uniform, had felt somewhat out of place entering the luxurious sales hall. When Bu Gao offered the 50% discount, his eyebrows shot up, and he watched Hou Weidong and Bu Gao coldly from the side.

The salesgirl had been specially hired from Lingxi. She was gentle and beautiful. When Bu Gao announced the 50% discount, she was startled. She didn’t expect the young man to refuse it and instead ask for only a 20% discount. She calculated silently in her mind: “The difference between a 50% and an 80% price is tens of thousands of yuan. This young man must be wealthy.”

Thinking this, she couldn’t help but glance at Hou Weidong a few more times.

After leaving the second phase of the Xinyue Building, Hou Yonggui couldn’t help but ask, “Who was that man? He was very generous, giving us over 100,000 yuan right away. No one offers kindness without a motive. You should stay away from him.”

Hou Weidong laughed. “Dad, you’re too sensitive. That’s Bu Gao, the boss of the Xinyue Building. He is the eldest son of Bu Haiyun, a member of the Standing Committee of the Shazhou Municipal Party Committee and the Executive Vice Mayor. He has power, influence, and money. He doesn’t need to bribe me.”

Hou Yonggui spoke in a cautionary tone. “Merchants like him always have an agenda. He’s casting a long line to catch a big fish. You are the big fish. Holding a high position is not necessarily a good thing. The higher you are lifted, the harder you fall.”

In Hou Weidong’s heart, his father was a dedicated police officer who focused on catching thieves but had no political achievements, which is why he had spent his entire career as a grassroots police officer. However, his assessment of Bu Gao was quite accurate. Hou Weidong said, “Dad, rest assured. I know my limits.”

Hou Yonggui seemed somewhat melancholy. He nodded. “As long as you know your limits, it’s fine.”

After Hou Weidong’s family left, Bu Gao wandered around the construction site for a while and then called Liu Dazhi, the deputy director of the Construction Commission. “Brother Liu, are you free tonight? I’d like to treat you to dinner.” Bu Haiyun had once been the director of the Construction Commission, and Liu Dazhi had been the lowest-ranking deputy director at the time. Bu Gao had become quite familiar with him. Over the years, as Bu Gao’s business expanded, their relationship had grown closer.

When Bu Gao returned home, Xiao Man was laughing and chatting with three friends as they came upstairs. They were carrying large and small bags. It was Xiao Man’s birthday, and her good friends from the Provincial Song and Dance Troupe had come from Lingxi to Shazhou.

Although Bu Gao had traveled extensively and dated many beautiful women, this was the first time he had gathered such a high-quality group of women at home. He felt dazzled, swallowing hard as he looked at the group of tall, elegant, and outstanding women.

Xiao Man coquettishly asked, “Do you have anything to do this afternoon? Where should we go?” Bu Gao looked at the group of beauties and grinned mischievously. “Let’s go soak in the hot springs.”

Xiao Man huffed. “Pervert.” But after thinking it over, there really weren’t many good places to go in Shazhou. After consulting with Zhu Yingying and the others, Xiao Man said, “Fine, you’ve got lucky today. Let’s go to the hot springs this afternoon.”