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

Chapter 237 Repair the lake first, then build the houses

Manager Wu, the person in charge of Yunshan Tea House, agreed and said he would send someone to deliver it immediately.

Half an hour later, Fang Qingye heard Wangcai barking at the entrance of the nursery. He went over to take a look and saw a girl riding an electric bike standing there not far away.

It turned out to be my elementary school classmate, Zhao Qiong.

Zhao Qiong wasn't wearing a cheongsam now, but a down jacket and jeans, which surprised Fang Qingye.

"Zhao Qiong, did you send me to deliver tea?"

"The delivery guys are a bit busy, and there aren't many customers in the teahouse right now, so I'm just running an errand." Zhao Qiong was much more lively than she was at the teahouse. After getting off her electric scooter and carrying a tea box, she said, "Old classmate, may I visit your nursery?"

"Yes, please come in." Fang Qingye led her into the nursery.

"The scenery inside is quite nice, all lush and green," Zhao Qiong said as they walked. "Old classmate, do you need any help at your nursery? You could let me come and work for you."

"You? Weren't you doing just fine at Yunshan Teahouse?"

Zhao Qiong sighed and said, "I can't stay a waitress forever, can I? These days, teahouses are full of young and beautiful girls. I'm barely making do now, but the boss won't want me in a few years."

“Hmm, that makes some sense, but my nursery doesn’t need anyone for the time being. Besides, most of the work in the nursery is manual labor, like watering, fertilizing, and pruning. It’s not like you working in the teahouse where you’re always clean and tidy,” Fang Qingye said.

“I know my old classmate, Mr. Fang. I heard you’ve invested in several companies. If you have any suitable jobs for me, could you please help me out?” Zhao Qiong said again.

"Okay." Fang Qingye agreed readily.

In any case, it's all just empty promises.

Zhao Qiong delivered the tea, collected payment from Fang Qingye, and left after a short while.

At this moment, Fang Fei walked over and asked, "Uncle, who is she?"

"The waitress at Yunshan Teahouse is also my elementary school classmate," Fang Qingye answered truthfully.

Fang Fei pouted, "I feel like a fairy."

Ah?
Fang Qingye glared at her: "Get to work!"

We ate dinner at the nursery again that night—my mom rarely cooks dinner these days, so Fang Qingye could openly freeload here.

After finishing her meal, Fang Qingye checked the time and waited at the entrance of the nursery.

More than ten minutes later, a black Passat drove up from a distance and stopped at the entrance of the nursery. Miao Hongbin got out of the car.

"County Chief Miao." Fang Qingye stepped forward to greet him and accompanied him into the nursery.

Although it was already dark, the nursery was well-lit with streetlights. Miao Hongbin took a long walk around with great interest, and then followed Fang Qingye to the makeshift house.

After greeting Mr. and Mrs. Fang Guisheng and chatting for a few minutes, I went into the office.

Fang Qingye brewed him some tea, and the two of them drank it.

"Is this new tea?" Miao Hongbin asked, looking at the bright green tea buds.

“Yes, it’s Longjing tea that just came on the market this year. I got it from Qian Weimin’s Yunshan Tea Shop.” Fang Qingye said with a smile, “County Chief Miao, do you like it? I’ll get you some.”

Miao Hongbin chuckled: "Brother, let's not stand on ceremony. To be honest, this new tea smells good but it's not very palatable. After a couple of cups, it loses its flavor. It's not as good as our Langshan tea."

Fang Qingye also laughed.

Like his second uncle Fang Jianhua, Miao Hongbin worked his way up from the township level. This kind of leader is characterized by being pragmatic and down-to-earth.

After drinking for a while, Miao Hongbin asked Fang Qingye what was going on. Fang Qingye then told Miao Hongbin about her plan to develop Nanxin Lake, including mentioning that she had heard that Biyuan Garden was also eyeing that area.

Miao Hongbin laughed heartily upon hearing this: "Brother, some people say you're always slacking off, either fishing or drinking tea, but you're actually doing some really important things."

“I’ve also heard that Country Garden has its eye on the land in Nanxin Lake. The county government even held a special meeting to discuss it, and their ideas are similar to yours.”

"So do you think my idea is feasible?" Fang Qingye asked.

"Of course it's feasible. Transforming Nanxin Lake will provide citizens with another place for leisure and entertainment, enhance the city's image, and drive the development of surrounding industries. It's a plan that yields both social and economic benefits, so why wouldn't it be feasible?"

"County Chief Miao, I'm relieved to hear you say that," Fang Qingye said.

“Brother, I’m afraid you can’t manage on your own. You don’t own a real estate company. Who are you planning to partner with?” Miao Hongbin asked.

"I want to find Song Qingdong," Fang Qingye said without hiding anything.

Miao Hongbin nodded in agreement.

"Kerry Group is a strong company, and Lao Song is a reliable and steady person. We can cooperate with him. However, don't let Song Dacheng handle this project. Secretary Liu and County Head Hu are not comfortable with it!"

Holy crap! How did Song Dacheng end up like this in the eyes of the county leaders?

Kerry Group is in grave danger.

Of course, Song Qingdong was still in charge at the moment, so Fang Qingye didn't need to think too much and immediately said, "County Chief Miao, don't worry, if we win this project, we will definitely make it a reliable project!"

"Hehe, I believe that, brother. Although you are young, you are very reliable in doing things."

The two chatted for a while longer before Miao Hongbin took his leave. Fang Qingye escorted him to the entrance of the nursery and only returned to her office after watching the Passat disappear into the night.

After communicating with Miao Hongbin, if the county leaders actually attend the meeting in the future, he can put in a good word for me. Now I can start working with Song Qingdong to do this.

It's too late today, I'll call tomorrow.

The next afternoon, Fang Qingye called Song Qingdong again, ostensibly to have tea.

"Uncle Song, do you have time? I'd like to invite you for tea tonight."

"You're inviting me for tea? Where to?" Song Qingdong asked.

"It's at Mr. Qian's Yunshan Tea House."

“Go to his place? You might as well come to my house.” Song Qingdong was also quite shrewd.

Fang Qingye wasn't the kind of person who would invite him for tea for no reason; after all, the two were from different generations and didn't have much in common.

“Okay, I’ll come over after dinner.” Fang Qingye didn’t stand on ceremony.

Dinner was at the nursery. After finishing her meal, Fang Qingye saw that there was still some time, so she drove straight to Song Dahai's house.

The car was parked outside the gate. Fang Qingye knocked on the gate, and the housekeeper opened it. The housekeeper recognized Fang Qingye and invited him in.

"Uncle Song is waiting for you on the second floor."

Fang Qingye nodded and went up to the living room on the second floor, where she found that not only Song Qingdong was there, but also the brothers Song Dacheng and Song Dahai.

Song Dacheng was dressed in a suit and tie, his hair neatly combed, looking just like his father, Song Qingdong.

Unfortunately, it lacks vision.

Fang Qingye rarely saw Song Dacheng here; it seemed he had come for a meal.

"Uncle Song, Brother Song," Fang Qingye greeted them with a smile.

"Xiao Ye, sit down." Song Qingdong was very enthusiastic, but Song Dacheng only nodded in response.

Fang Qingye greeted Song Dahai again, and then sat down on the sofa.

"Come on, try this year's newly harvested Longjing tea." Song Qingdong personally poured a cup for Fang Qingye.

"Thank you."

After Fang Qingye finished her tea, Song Qingdong said, "Xiao Ye, you said on the phone this afternoon that you had something to tell me. What was it?"

"Uncle Song, you're in real estate development, what do you think of that piece of land in the northwest corner of Nanxin Lake?" Fang Qingye asked.

“That piece of land? Actually, the location isn’t that bad, but the Nanxin Lake next to it is too unappealing, so it’s not suitable for building houses at this stage,” Song Qingdong said.

"Fang Qingye, why are you asking this? You don't mean you're thinking of getting into real estate development too, do you?" Song Dacheng chimed in, "But your judgment is terrible! Do you think you can sell the houses you build there?"

“It’s not fair to say that you have a poor eye,” Song Qingdong corrected. “Actually, the location of that piece of land is quite good. It’s all farmland now, so there’s no need for demolition, and the cost is low. The biggest problem is the Nanxin Lake next to it.”

“If Nanxin Lake is properly managed and transformed into a park-like scenic area, then the surrounding land prices and housing prices will rise,” Fang Qingye said.

"You think we don't know? The problem is, who will do the cleaning up? It's not something that can be solved with millions or tens of millions; it'll probably cost hundreds of millions! Who but the government will be the sucker for this?" Song Dacheng said.

“Dacheng is right. To be honest, I’ve been keeping an eye on that piece of land.” Song Qingdong chuckled. “Unfortunately, the county won’t budge and won’t sell it now.”

Of course I won't sell it.

Those leaders in the county are very shrewd.

Selling you the land now will definitely not fetch a good price; we'll sell it to you at a low price. Once the scenic area is completed, the price will skyrocket, allowing you developers to make a fortune.

"What, Xiao Ye, are you also interested in that piece of land?" Song Qingdong asked with a smile.

"Yes," Fang Qingye readily admitted.

“I’m not only interested in that piece of land, but also in Nanxin Lake. My idea is for us to work together to develop the lake first, and then build the houses. What do you think?” Fang Qingye said slowly.

(End of this chapter)