Chapter 303: The Sea Turns into Mulberry Fields (Part 1)

Hou Weidong reflected on the Lingxi Lingdong Jiawan project currently under sale. "Bu Gao has the strength," he said. "His real estate ventures in Lingxi and Shazhou have been quite successful. He has been buying up large plots of land in both the new and old districts of Yiyang. It seems he has great confidence in Yiyang’s development."

Although the large tracts of land in the old town were nominally under the jurisdiction of Chengguan Town, Party Secretary Qin Feiyue did not have the authority to decide their fate. The top leaders of the County Party Committee and the County Government were all keeping a close eye on these valuable assets.

Qin Feiyue remarked, "This plot is in a prime location. Many developers have their eyes on it. Without Old Bu’s connections, Bu Gao might not have secured it. What worries me most are those who try to make a profit with empty hands. They take the money, and in the end, the local government is left to pick up the mess."

Hou Weidong asked, "Did Mayor Bu put in a word with Secretary Yang or County Head Ma?"

"County Head Ma handled this personally."

Hou Weidong continued, "I suspect Bu Gao’s willingness to invest in Yiyang stems largely from the ten-billion-yuan loan from the Development Bank to the New Administrative Committee. His father is a Vice Mayor, so his information network is far more sensitive than that of ordinary developers. As the first developer to enter the New Administrative Committee, he received all the preferential policies. I estimate he will make a profit."

The speaker may have been careless, but the listener was attentive. Su Ming from Qinglin Town, who had been listening to their discussion, spoke up. "Since the New Administrative Committee has such a promising future, my brother-in-law used to be in the coal business. Now that coal is tough, he could come buy some land and get into real estate."

Hou Weidong had large tracts of idle land in his hands and was currently most anxious to find developers to buy it. He replied, "As long as they are willing to invest in the New Administrative Committee, I welcome them with open arms."

In the afternoon, Hou Weidong first went to the County Finance Bureau to discuss the financial issues of the New Administrative Committee with Finance Bureau Director Gui Gang. He did not return to the New Administrative Committee until half past three.

Walking into the compound of the New Administrative Committee, he looked up and saw a familiar small car. It was Li Jing’s new ride. He hurriedly took out his mobile phone. The screen was clean; there were no missed calls. Getting out of his car, he checked again, but Li Jing’s driver was not waiting in the vehicle.

Hou Weidong understood immediately: Li Jing had driven herself.

Li Jing had previously expressed interest in investing in the New Administrative Committee. Hou Weidong had not been entirely in favor of this, mainly because he held shares in Jinggong Group. Jinggong Group had already undertaken projects in the New Administrative Committee. If people with ulterior motives found out, Hou Weidong would have a hundred mouths and still not be able to explain himself clearly.

"Li Jing didn’t call me, probably because of the land issue." With this suspicion in mind, he went upstairs. At the door of Zhang Xiangyu’s office, which was half-open due to the air conditioning, Li Jing’s voice flew out through the crack, directly into Hou Weidong’s ears.

Hou Weidong held his keys for a moment, then turned around and went back downstairs. He called several colleagues from the Infrastructure Section to inspect the construction sites that were currently under way.

One-fifth of the ten-billion-yuan loan from the Provincial Development Bank had already arrived. All the funds received were poured into the construction sites of the New Administrative Committee. With two hundred million yuan spent, the results were striking. From the highway exit, one could see many busy trucks on the site, hauling away load after load of soil.

The southern suburbs of Yiyang consisted of gently undulating shallow hills. The planned New Administrative Committee would level all these hills. While leveling the slopes, they began building roads to construct a road network. Sidewalks and pipelines for water, electricity, and gas were laid along both sides of the roads. In this way, the resulting plots became mature, developed land, naturally worth much more than land in its raw, wild state.

This model was an additional condition attached to the loan from the Provincial Development Bank.

The land that had been leveled in the early stages already covered a considerable area. At a glance, it had the feel of an alluvial plain. Hou Weidong felt a touch of poetic inspiration. Pointing to the bustling construction site, he said to his subordinates, "The phrase 'the sea turns into mulberry fields' describes how terrain and landscape undergo tremendous changes over time. This is exactly that."

All of this was the result of capital injection from the Provincial Development Bank. He sincerely said, "The power of capital is truly remarkable. Without the money from the Provincial Development Bank, achieving such results would have cost us countless hairs."

The land purchased by Bu Gao was closest to the highway exit and had already been graded. Migrant workers from Sujia Village and other places were working hard to dig pipe trenches. Once the pipelines were installed, Bu Gao Company could move in. Here, the first residential community-style building of the New Administrative Committee would rise.

The Infrastructure Section had only six people. Due to the large volume of projects in the New Administrative Committee, everyone was assigned to various sections as representatives of the client side. Along the way, every construction team was very enthusiastic. The heads of the construction teams present accompanied Hou Weidong, introducing the progress of the projects.

The feeling of being valued and surrounded by people was indeed pleasant.

"I have two requirements," Hou Weidong stated. "First, ensure the quality of the engineering. If any problems are found, the work must be redone, and the losses will be borne by the construction team. These are old sayings, so I won’t elaborate. Second, ensure construction safety. Blasting personnel must be formally trained. When blasting, warning lines must be set up, and personnel must be stationed to guard the area."

At every construction section, Hou Weidong gave these instructions. He also reminded the client representatives of their duties.

As Hou Weidong inspected the sites, he thought of Li Jing in Zhang Xiangyu’s office. He had not been close to any woman for a long time. Thinking of Li Jing in bed, he couldn’t help but feel a tightness in his throat.

At five o’clock, he brought the colleagues from the Infrastructure Section back to the New Administrative Committee office. Hou Weidong looked up at the floor above. The air conditioner in Zhang Xiangyu’s office was still humming. He thought, "Li Jing and Zhang Xiangyu have been talking for so long. She will probably invest in the New Administrative Committee."

He said to his driver, "Return to Shazhou College."

Hou Weidong’s original driver was Wang Bing, who now stayed in Lingxi to drive for Zhu Yan. After Zhu Yan borrowed a new Passat, he returned the small car provided by Ji Haiyang. Zhu Yan had originally wanted Wang Bing to act as a driving instructor. After teaching for a few days, he felt that Wang Bing not only had good skills but was also particularly sensible and easy to use. Thus, he had the intention of using him to replace Old Liu.

It is difficult for a leader to pick a good driver; it requires fate.

Drivers for leaders generally have decent skills, but their personalities vary greatly. Some drivers are too clever, often using the leader’s name to handle private matters. Leaders are afraid to use such drivers, fearing they will constantly cause trouble. Some drivers are not very clever and tend to meddle in everything the leader does. For example, during meals, some drivers always want to eat at the same table as the leader, which is not a good habit. Some drivers have good personalities and are smart, but they have loose lips and like to use the leader’s affairs as capital for bragging.

Therefore, it is hard for a leader to find a driver who satisfies all aspects. Once found, they do not easily let go. Even when transferring positions, they often take the driver with them.

Hou Weidong knew Zhu Yan’s intention, so he had to find a new driver. The driver from the Development Zone was only for temporary use, and there was still a period of observation and磨合 (磨合 means "running-in" or "adjustment period").

After returning home, Hou Weidong watched TV for a while but found nothing interesting. He then went online, checked the news, and sent an email to Zhu Yan.

At this moment, the telephone rang. He quickly looked at the caller ID and saw it was Zhang Xiangyu. He let the phone ring for a while before answering. "I have arrangements for tonight. Manager Li from Jinggong Group is coming. Isn’t she in the transportation sector? Why does she want to get into real estate too? I really can’t spare the time. You represent the New Administrative Committee and receive her properly."

Having confirmed that Li Jing wanted to buy land in the New Administrative Committee, Hou Weidong thought to himself, "Li Jing is indeed smart. She knows how to minimize the impact."

Hou Weidong rarely ate at home. The refrigerator was empty, with hardly anything in it. He fried some eggs and boiled a bowl of egg noodles, but the meal tasted bland.

Sitting in the house until eight o’clock, Hou Weidong felt idle. He found it hard to concentrate on anything. He received several calls, all about work. "Li Jing has arrived in Yiyang, and I am definitely distracted by lust." At half past eight, Hou Weidong finally made a correct assessment of his state.

At nine o’clock, the phone on the coffee table rang again, as if mocking Hou Weidong’s lustful thoughts. He picked up the phone with a sense of premonition. It was indeed Li Jing.

Li Jing joked, "Weidong, you have such a big ego. An investor comes, and you don’t even show up." Hou Weidong cleared his throat and said, "Are you really going to invest in Yiyang? This is a small county town. Have you considered the return on investment?"

"Director Zhang praised the New Administrative Committee to the skies. How can you, as the main official, lack confidence? I visited the new district in person and found the land very cheap. Even if I don’t develop it now, I can make a profit by flipping it later. Jinggong Group builds highways. Once the highway is completed, local land prices and housing prices generally rise for a period. The New Administrative Committee is right next to the highway, and land prices are still low. With ten billion yuan thrown in, I think the increase should be significant."

Hou Weidong said, "I hope so." He added, "Who else is attending dinner tonight?"

"Director Zhang, Office Director Yang Liu, and the Investment Promotion Section." Li Jing praised, "Director Yang Liu is very capable. She handles things with precision."

"If she can serve as the Office Director of the New Administrative Committee, she must be good."

Li Jing laughed crisply a few times and added, "I’ve arrived in Yiyang, and you really won’t meet me, Sun Wukong." The nickname "Sun Wukong" was called with such resonance that Hou Weidong naturally understood the underlying meaning. He replied directly, "White Bone Demon, where shall we meet?"

Li Jing had already made arrangements. "Let’s meet at the Yiyang Branch of Jinggong Group. I’ll pick you up. I’m driving myself. I’ll wait for you at the highway exit."