Starting a new chapter in life

Chapter 220 Investing in a Real Estate Company

He Zhijun nodded knowingly: "In other words, you prefer that my husband and I invest in the project as shareholders. Building a house is different from decorating it. You not only need construction qualifications, but also relevant managers and construction workers. Do you have such talent on hand?"

Liu Qiang shook his head: "I'm thinking of registering the company first, and then recruiting talent."

He Zhijun rolled his eyes and smiled: "The troops I served in back in the Great Northern Wilderness mainly did urban and rural construction. Their qualifications and skills for building houses shouldn't be a problem. Last year, I got in touch with a few comrades..."

Many of them have already transferred to civilian jobs, while some still work for state-owned construction companies. However, everyone knows that a fixed salary, no matter how high, isn't much. If you need help, I can make connections and introduce them. As for whether they can actually join, that's up to your skills.

Liu Qiang immediately perked up and nodded repeatedly: "That's great, thank you very much, Brother He. This is your network, and it can also be used as technical shares to increase the shareholding ratio."

He Zhijun waved his hand: "It's not about technical stocks. I just wanted to connect you with some people with professional skills so that the real estate company can be set up and we can get back our investment many times over. We can't help with anything else, so consider this as an added value."

Yuan Xiaoling understood. She was worried that if they only contributed capital, and the real estate market became extremely profitable later, their share of the profits would be much higher than hers, who had dedicated herself entirely to the company. She feared that their easy access to money made them uncomfortable.

But now that they have his connections to help them, even if it's just initial assistance, they won't be taking advantage of them at any time in the future. No wonder Jing Yan preferred to borrow money rather than invest in the company.

Having figured it out, Yuan Xiaoling felt even more relieved. "Oh dear, it's already a huge help that you invested money in us. It's only right that we share the profits. The fact that you don't participate in any of the company's decisions already gives us the greatest freedom. Now, with your connections connecting us, I believe we can definitely take advantage of this opportunity and make a fortune!"

Finally, Jingyan invested 500,000 yuan, taking a 20% stake. After all, the couple would have subsequent management inputs. After the two parties reached an agreement, Jingyan took the savings book for the decoration dividends and He Zhijun's salary income to the bank in Haishi.

There was a total of 420,000 yuan in the decoration company's profit-sharing savings account. Jing Yan also withdrew 80,000 yuan from He Zhijun's salary savings account, making a total of 500,000 yuan. She took the money to the decoration company's office building, and after both parties signed the contract, He Zhijun handed the money over to Yuan Xiaoling and her husband.

After the transaction was completed, He Zhijun took out a notebook from his pocket and started making calls using the phone numbers listed. The people he contacted were all from nearby Shanghai and knew that newly established real estate companies needed talent, promising excellent benefits. They all said they would come and take a look.

He Zhijun then gave them the renovation company's phone number, since he was only acting as a matchmaker and the subsequent events were not his concern.

After finishing their business, the couple ran into Commander Shen's wife on their way back to the island. She was also returning to the island by boat from Haishi. Mrs. Shen was very happy to see them and they asked each other about their recent situations. She couldn't help but start talking about her own family.

She went to her daughter Shen Rongrong's house. Shen Rongrong got married in early 1997. Her husband was also in the navy. Her child was born at the end of the year. She had just returned from taking care of her postpartum period. In her words, she could not calm down her excitement as a new grandmother.

That's how people are. When they have grandchildren, they like to inquire about other people's families, so they naturally asked about He Ci'en's recent situation.

Jingyan replied gently, "Ci'en got married in 1996. His wife is also a colleague at their research institute. Perhaps she's too busy with work, so there's no good news yet. But we're not in a hurry."

Zhizhi is in her second year of high school now, and she's very busy. She wants to apply to film school, so they've arranged a bunch of extracurricular classes for her. I'm so busy with her that I don't even have time for myself. So it's better to wait until things are settled with Zhizhi so I can go and take care of my niece-in-law during her postpartum period. Otherwise, I really won't be able to find the time.”

Madam Shen nodded with a smile: "That's right. It's okay for men to have children later in life, unlike women. It's too dangerous for older women to have children. But your niece-in-law is younger than Ci'en, right?"

Jing Yan nodded: "Indeed, he's three years younger than me, but he's almost thirty."

"You're not young anymore. Women over thirty are considered older mothers. You'll have to take good care of her then. Sigh, it's not easy being a woman. Pregnancy and childbirth are truly suffering," Madam Shen couldn't help but sigh.

We exchanged a few more casual words on the way, and then parted ways once we reached the island.

When they got home, Jingyan said to He Zhijun, "I've been busy with An'an's college entrance exam and Zhizhi's application to the film academy lately, and I've neglected Ci'en. I need to call him right away and ask if his wife is pregnant. I need to figure out when to go over and help her out."

He Zhijun gently pulled Jing Yan down onto the sofa and comforted her softly, "The children are all grown up now, so don't worry so much. I remember that my sister-in-law should be close to retirement age in the next couple of years. I'll call my uncle later to ask. If my sister-in-law can come back, then we won't have to worry about Ci'en."

Jingyan nodded. He Zhijun made a phone call directly in the living room. Sure enough, his sister-in-law had retired at the end of last year, but she was still taking care of her husband in the Northwest Military Region. Ci'en was currently married but didn't have any children.

Cihai got married last year, but because his work and his partner were both in other places, only his uncle and aunt attended the wedding. His uncle said that his second granddaughter-in-law is now pregnant, and her mother is taking care of her nearby, so there is no need for his sister-in-law for now. They will call his sister-in-law over to take care of her when there is news from Ci'en.

As for my second sister-in-law, she still has two years before she can retire. Her two children, one is 27 years old and just got married last year, and the other is 23 years old and is preparing to graduate from university. They are both in other places, and even if they need to come to Haishi in the future, they probably won't.

Jingyan listened to her aunt's ramblings. In the past two years, her uncle and aunt had gotten older and their health was not very good. He Ci'en was the closest to them, and she would always go to visit them on holidays.

My father-in-law has also started to show signs of aging in the past two years, with his physical functions declining. I guess the ailments he had when he was young have finally come back to haunt him. He Zhijun and his family live far away and can't take care of him. Now it's my older brother and sister-in-law who are taking care of him.

Everyone gets old; that's an inescapable fact. As younger generations, all we can do is visit them more often during holidays, which is a way of showing filial piety. Jingyan wanted to bring her uncle and aunt back to take care of them for a while, but the elderly couple refused, saying they were still able to walk and didn't want to leave home.

This summer vacation, An'an didn't come back. He called to say that he found a part-time job as a tutor near the school. Because of his good grades and clear explanations, he was hired by one or two families at the beginning, but later by four or five families. This was the limit he could take on. After all, he didn't have to worry about making a living and didn't need to squeeze too much of his vacation time.

Zhizhi and Xiaoxiao finally experienced the rigors of studying, and they didn't slack off at all throughout the summer vacation. Shen Runze was especially dedicated, practically living there every day to watch over the two children, ensuring neither of them could slack off.

In previous years, Xiaoxiao could go on a trip with her parents during summer vacation, but this year all of that was canceled. She plunged headfirst into the ocean of studying and couldn't make a ripple at all.

In August, Jingyan received good news from He Ci'en: Hu Fangfei was pregnant after three years of marriage. Jingyan was excited and began to calculate the delivery time. The due date was at the end of May or the beginning of June 1999, when the temperature was just right, neither too hot nor too cold.

Jingyan asked him if he wanted to go and take care of Hu Fangfei for a while, but He Ci'en refused: "Auntie, I know that Zhizhi is preparing for the art exam, and that's a time when she really needs to focus her energy."

My mom is retired. Fangfei is in the later stages of her pregnancy. If my mother-in-law can't come, my mom will come and take care of her for a while. If my mother-in-law comes, my mom can take care of my dad. You don't need to worry about me. I'm an adult; I can take good care of Fangfei."

Since He Ci'en doesn't need it, Jing Yan is now truly focusing all her attention on Zhizhi and Xiaoxiao.

The start of the new semester means it's the senior year of high school. Now, even if parents don't say anything, the students have to be on their toes and make a final push for the year. Less than two months into the semester, Zhizhi and Xiaoxiao took the provincial art student exam. And let me tell you, the year's preparation has really paid off; both of them got their tickets to the college entrance exam.

This time, they're just waiting to apply in January. The school will help them with the application process; they only need to fill out the application form. They'll go to Beijing in February to take the entrance exam and will need to stay there for at least a week. The most important thing during this time is to consolidate their academic studies.

If your entrance exam results are not ideal, or if there are too many applicants, you may not receive an admission notice after the college entrance exam. So it's best to have a backup plan. If you don't get into the film academy, you can still attend another university. You won't end up with nothing to show for it.

This year's college entrance exams will be held from January 31st to February 4th, a total of five days. Just in case, Jingyan asked He Zhijun to help her buy sleeper tickets for the train departing on the afternoon of the 27th. After that, she took the two girls straight to Beijing.

After getting off the train on the morning of the 29th, Jingyan found out it was Haidian District again. She waved her hand and hailed a taxi directly to the Wanshou Hotel. The taxi driver was a chatty fellow; knowing they were going to the Film Academy for campus recruitment, he suggested:

"The Wanshou Hotel is more than ten kilometers away from the Film Academy. It's inconvenient to take a taxi every day, and it would be a waste to be late if the traffic was bad. It's better to find a hotel nearby. Although the environment there is not as good as the Wanshou Hotel, the facilities are still quite good."

"Which hotel would you recommend, Master? We're all women, so safety is our top priority," Jing Yan asked.

"Jiayuan Hotel, it's a tourist hotel catering to foreigners, offering both food and lodging. It's supposedly a star-rated hotel, so of course, the price won't be cheap," the driver suggested directly.

Jingyan nodded, "Okay, I'll listen to my master and go to Jiayuan Hotel."

The taxi driver readily agreed: "Okay, Jiayuan Hotel!"

Upon arrival, they settled the fare with the taxi driver, and the three of them, each pulling a suitcase, entered the hotel. At the front desk, Jingyan asked, "Excuse me, how much is a night's accommodation here?"

The receptionist glanced at the three of them and smiled, "A standard room with two beds is 200 yuan a day, and a double room is 230 yuan a day. Which one would you like to stay in?"

Jingyan pointed to Zhizhi and Xiaoxiao: "They share a standard room, and I share a double room."

The receptionist asked somewhat uncertainly, "Are you sure you three want to book two rooms?"

Jing Yan nodded. She had gotten used to living in spacious accommodations over the years and naturally didn't want to make things difficult for herself these next few days.

The receptionist happily processed the form and casually asked, "How many days are you staying?"

"Expected to take seven days."

Upon hearing this, the receptionist beamed with delight: "Then I'll just book a seven-day stay. Our hotel and restaurant are combined, so it's very convenient to eat here. Breakfast is a buffet and served free of charge. If you bring your room key with the key attached, you'll get a 20% discount when you dine at our hotel."

Please keep your room key safe. It's already 11:00 AM. We count each day from 12:00 PM to 12:00 PM the following day. Please remember to check out before 12:00 PM on February 5th, otherwise you will be charged for another day. Please be aware of this.

We have a room available today, so you can go up and drop off your luggage in advance. We won't charge you extra. The total room rate is three thousand yuan, and the deposit is four hundred yuan. Is that alright...?

Jingyan opened her suitcase, took out an envelope, and was about to count the money when she asked, "Um, can I use my bank card to make purchases here?"

The receptionist nodded: "Sure, we have a card reader here. Would you like to pay by bank card?"

Jing Yan nodded, took out a small wallet from the hidden compartment of her suitcase, pulled out a bank card and handed it over. After entering the PIN, the transaction was successful. Jing Yan took back the bank card and also put the envelope away. The three of them, holding their room keys and dragging their suitcases, entered the elevator.

The receptionist whispered to her colleague, "Looks like they're rich. Staying for seven days, two rooms, without even hesitating. I wonder what they're here for."

Before entering the room, Jingyan instructed, "Go back to your room and tidy up first. You must be hungry. Come to my room later, and we'll go downstairs to eat. After eating, come back and rest. We can rest for another day tomorrow and also check out where the school is."

The taxi driver said this place is near the film academy, and the official entrance exams are in two days. We need to go and scout it out beforehand to avoid being flustered and making mistakes on time.

The two little girls nodded obediently in agreement.

"We're mainly here for the exam. It's not the right time for sightseeing yet. If you pass, I'll take you on a great trip when you report for duty. It will be summer then, and it will be warm. It's a bit too cold now." Jingyan didn't forget to promise them a glimpse of what was to come, to satisfy their hunger for now.