I'm in the county town, and you say I'm a big shot?

Chapter 236 Inviting County Magistrate Miao to the Nursery for Tea

"Really? I've never heard him say that before. Besides, he's not qualified," Fang Jianhua replied.

"Oh, actually I do hope someone will come out and compete with Country Garden, so those people won't act so arrogantly. You're here to do business and make money, but it's like I'm begging you," He Xiaoqi said.

The two chatted for a few more minutes before hanging up.

Fang Jianhua lit a cigarette, thinking about the phone call He Xiaoqi had just given him. Did Fang Qingye really want to get into real estate development?
However, based on his understanding of his nephew, it's quite possible.

This kid always does things unexpectedly.

However, we need to talk to him about this. Real estate is a hot industry these days, and it can make money, but it's also a very complex industry. As a newcomer, can he really compete with a national giant like Country Garden, as well as local veterans like Song Qingdong and Qian Weimin?

It's not appropriate to discuss these things over the phone; let's find a suitable opportunity to meet and talk.

For the past two days, Fang Qingye has been accompanying Engineer Luo around Nanxin Lake. Luo Bin measured several key data points on the original drawing board to verify them on-site, and the results were the same, which put his mind at ease.

The next step is to return to Huijing and, based on the results of the discussion with Fang Qingye, revise the scenic area planning scheme and then conduct the project cost assessment. Everything is proceeding in an orderly manner.

It's already late February, the Lantern Festival is over, and the New Year celebrations are officially over. Bai Ou went to Shanghai for school, saying she'll be taking the bar exam in March and is quite busy lately.

Fang Qingye is also quite busy.

His main job is still with the nursery. Although he is the general manager, he also helps out with some tasks and learns some flower-growing techniques from his grandfather.

This afternoon, Fang Qingye was fertilizing the Cymbidium goeringii with his grandfather in the orchid greenhouse when he saw his second uncle enter the greenhouse.

"Second Uncle," Fang Qingye stood up to greet him, "You're free to come over today?"

"Yes, I came to check on you." Fang Jianhua replied, then called to his father, Fang Guisheng, asking him a few questions about his health, before turning to Fang Qingye and saying, "Xiao Ye, come out for a moment, I need to ask you something."

Fang Qingye followed him out and asked, "What is it?"

"What were you doing wandering around Nanxin Lake with two people a few days ago?" Fang Jianjun asked.

"you saw it?"

"It wasn't me, it was someone else."

Fang Jianjun then recounted to Fang Qingye the content of the phone call he received from Director He of the Development and Reform Bureau.

"Are you planning to get into real estate development?" Fang Jianjun asked.

"I do have this plan." Fang Qingye didn't hide anything from her second uncle and simply told him her thoughts.

“I went to Huijing to find a company to do project planning, then to do the engineering cost, and finally to make a comprehensive evaluation to see if the project is worth doing.”

"You're not qualified, are you planning to cooperate with someone else, Song Qingdong?" Fang Jianjun asked.

"Yes, but I haven't contacted him yet."

Fang Jianjun listened and pondered for a moment before saying, "The real estate industry has high profits, but it is also very risky and murky. Especially the Nanxinhu project, you have to invest a huge amount of money first. Will you be able to get it back later? Also, the county originally intended to make Nanxinhu a shining landmark of our county. If you just try to save money and do something shoddy, the county probably won't agree."

"I've thought all of this through. Don't worry, I know what I'm doing," Fang Qingye replied.

Seeing that his nephew was determined to do it, Fang Jianhua didn't say anything more.

"Okay, if you have any problems, just let me know and I'll help you as much as I can."

"Okay, thank you, Second Uncle. Keep this a secret for now, don't tell anyone else," Fang Qingye reminded him.

"I understand." Fang Jianhua went to visit his mother at the makeshift house again, chatted for a while and then left. Fang Qingye returned to the greenhouse to consider the matter.

The planning proposal has been completed, and Engineer Luo from Huijing has sent over the electronic version. Now we should contact the relevant departments in the county to discuss our ideas.

Although I think this plan is a win-win situation, what will the relevant leaders in the county think? What if I have everything ready but am just waiting for the right opportunity?

As a result, the county's "east wind" (government support) didn't blow, and it became a joke.

Also, what is the plan for Country Garden? Is it possible to find out some information in advance?
Normally, one should go to Director He of the Development and Reform Bureau, just like Hu Hao of Country Garden, but after thinking it over, Fang Qingye decided to go to Miao Hongbin.

Although Miao Hongbin is not in charge of development and reform or urban construction, he is, after all, a county-level leader with more information, and the two have a personal relationship so they can speak freely about some things, which is not the case with Director He.

Thinking of this, he washed his hands and took out his phone.

I decided against calling, as it's during working hours and the other party is busy and sometimes it's inconvenient for them to answer the phone. So I sent a text message instead.

"County Chief Miao, are you free this weekend? Let's go fishing together."

After sending the text message, Fang Qingye went to do other things. Unexpectedly, just a few minutes later, her phone rang. She saw that it was Miao Hongbin calling and answered it.

"Brother, what a pity, I can't go fishing. I have to go to Huijing on a business trip tomorrow and won't be back until next Tuesday," Miao Hongbin said on the phone.

Fang Qingye felt a little regretful, and when she heard that he wouldn't be able to return to Nanxin until next week, she quickly said, "County Chief Miao, do you have time tonight? I'd like to invite you for tea."

"Drinking tea? Why the sudden urge to drink tea?"

“Tea is fine too. If County Chief Miao is free tonight, how about we go to Yunshan Tea House for tea?” Fang Qingye said.

"Brother, as far as I know, you rarely invite people for tea. Is something the matter?" Miao Hongbin asked on the phone.

"There's something I'd like to talk about," Fang Qingye said honestly.

"Then let's skip Yunshan Teahouse and come to your nursery instead. It would be nice to admire the flowers and plants you grow."

"Okay, what time?"

"Seven o'clock in the evening."

"Okay, I'll wait for you."

Fang Qingye told her grandparents that Miao Hongbin was coming to the nursery for tea, which greatly surprised Fang Guisheng.

The county magistrate is actually coming to the nursery for tea?

Isn't my eldest grandson too influential? Even my youngest son, who's the head of the finance bureau, hasn't invited any county magistrate to the nursery for tea.
"But Xiao Ye, our nursery building isn't completely finished yet, it's a bit messy," Fang Guisheng said worriedly.

"It's alright, County Chief Miao isn't the kind of person who's particularly particular. Just make sure the temporary office is clean," Fang Qingye said. "You don't need to worry about it. I'll have Xiao Fei clean it."

Xiao Fen's real name is Fang Fei. She is a distant relative of Fang Qingye and is called Fang Qingye's uncle by seniority. She didn't get into high school after graduating from junior high school, so she attended a vocational school for two years to learn accounting and computerization.

After graduation, she couldn't find a suitable job and stayed at home. Later, her parents came to Fang Qingye, hoping to find some work at the nursery.

Fang Qingye agreed, but for the time being, she didn't let her handle the finances. Instead, she did some office chores and they would observe her for a while before making any decisions.

After instructing Fang Fei to clean the room, Fang Qingye also needed to prepare something for himself. He usually drank Da Hong Pao tea, which was of a relatively high grade, but he wanted to prepare some new tea for Miao Hongbin, so he called Yunshan Tea House to send over a can of Longjing tea that had just been released this year.

True tea lovers don't appreciate greenhouse-grown teas, which are very expensive but have a weak flavor and don't hold up well to multiple infusions, though they're good for entertaining guests and for their seasonal appeal.

(End of this chapter)