Starting with vegetable greenhouses in 1988

Chapter 130 Gold Content

There's a phone booth at the east end of the road outside the housing management bureau.

Li Zhe dialed the Mona Lisa Restaurant's number using a public phone: "Second Sister, what's up?"

"It's nothing, I was just testing if the pager works." A hearty laugh came from the phone. "Just kidding! I've almost finished preparing, but I'm still a bit unsure. Do you have time to come over and give me your feedback?"

"I'm at the housing management bureau right now, I probably won't be able to get there until the afternoon."

"Wow, what are you doing at the housing authority? Are you buying a house?"

“The landlord of the house I’m currently renting is going abroad and is planning to sell the house. I happen to be short of a place to live, so I’m thinking of buying the house. I’m here today to complete the transfer of ownership.” At this point, Li Zhe asked, “Second Sister, do you know anyone at the Dongcheng District Housing Management Bureau? The landlord is going abroad next month, but the transfer of ownership will take two or three months, which is a bit rushed.”

"Hey, why didn't you tell me sooner! If you had told me yesterday, I would have helped you pull some strings." The second sister paused for a moment and said, "I have a friend named Lin Weimin, who is a section chief in the housing management bureau. He brought his wife to my place for dinner a few days ago, and they even took a bottle of red wine with them when they left. Just go to him, mentioning my name will definitely work!"

That kid's always bragging about how powerful he is at the housing bureau. If he doesn't handle things properly, I'll give him a piece of my mind!

"Second sister, thank you so much, you've been a huge help!"

"We're all brothers, don't be so formal. You go ahead and do your thing," the second sister said before hanging up the phone.

……

At the entrance of the Housing Management Bureau, Ji Hongbin was smoking silently, his face looking like he was constipated.

Everything was arranged perfectly, and he was supposed to leave the country next month, but who knew things would get stuck here. "The efficiency of things in China is just unacceptable!" His desire to go abroad grew even stronger; he really wanted to know what the outside world was like.

But what to do now? If the house can't be sold, where will he get the money? If it drags on for too long, will someone else take his spot to go abroad? In just a short time, all sorts of possibilities went through his mind, but he still couldn't come up with a solution.

Suddenly, an idea popped into his head: why not ask Yanzi for help? She works at the police station, so she might know a lot of people there.

"Boss Ji!"

Hearing someone call his name, Ji Hongbin turned around and saw Li Zhe walking quickly back to the Housing Management Bureau.

He asked with a sliver of hope, "Mr. Li, did you manage to pull some strings?"

Li Zhe replied, "What a coincidence! A friend of a friend works here. I'll go ask him and see if he can help."

Upon hearing Li Zhe's words, Ji Hongbin was delighted but also somewhat skeptical: "Are you sure that friend's influence at the Housing Management Bureau is real?"

"Who knows? Let's give it a try, it's better than waiting around anxiously." After saying that, Li Zhe went straight into the housing management bureau lobby.

Ji Hongbin threw his cigarette butt on the ground and stomped on it before following him inside.

Li Zhe walked to the service window again and said to the female employee with the ponytail, "Comrade, I have something to ask you."

The female employee with the ponytail looked up at him and said, "Oh, you're back again? I've made everything clear! This isn't just a matter for my department, so urging me won't help!"

"I would like to ask if Section Chief Lin Weimin is in your unit?"

The female employee with the ponytail paused for a moment, her expression softened slightly, and her speech slowed down: "Do you know our Section Chief Lin?"

"Yes, could you help me find Section Chief Lin?"

"Okay, I'll go for you." The female employee with the ponytail stood up. "Just make sure you know him, don't make me come all this way for nothing."

"Just say my name is Li Zhe, and I'm my second sister's friend." Li Zhe said, sounding a little nervous.

Strictly speaking, he hadn't known his second sister for very long, and they hadn't had much contact. His impression of her was that she was generous and had many friends. But he wasn't sure whether these friends of hers were reliable or could actually help him with anything.

If Li Zhe refuses to even meet his second sister's friend, he'll have to be careful about his future interactions with her. If her friend can actually get things done, then it proves that his second sister is a worthwhile friend.

Although he was being realistic, his past life experiences taught him that it was better to be realistic.

Ji Hongbin sat on a bench by the radiator, keeping a close eye on the situation. When he saw the female employee with the ponytail leading a man in a Zhongshan suit over, Ji Hongbin suddenly sat up straight—something was going to happen!
"Which one of you is Comrade Li Zhe?" The man in the Zhongshan suit was not old, but his tone was quite calm.

"I'm Li Zhe," Li Zhe replied with a smile, then asked in return, "Are you Section Chief Lin?"

“It’s me.” Lin Weimin looked Li Zhe up and down. “I heard about your house purchase and transfer from Xiao Wang. Did your second sister send you to find me?”

"Yes, I didn't originally intend to trouble you, but I'm really in a rush, so I'm asking for your help."

"You're being too polite. My second sister's friends are my friends too." Lin Weimin turned to the female employee with the ponytail. "Xiao Wang, give me Comrade Li Zhe's transfer documents. I'll personally oversee the process." "Alright, thank you for taking care of me, boss!" The female employee with the ponytail smiled and quickly gathered the documents.

Lin Weimin picked up the materials and beckoned to Li Zhe, "Come on, let's talk in my office."

Seeing Lin Weimin and Li Zhe leave with the materials, Ji Hongbin stood up to follow them, but was stopped by the female employee with a ponytail: "Hey! Where are you going? Didn't you see the 'No Trespassing' sign?"

Ji Hongbin retorted, "I'm a real estate agent! If he, the buyer, can go in, why can't I?"

"It's not your turn to go in yet. We'll call you when we need you. Just wait outside!" The ponytail-wearing female employee resumed her previous tone.

Seeing that Li Zhe had disappeared from sight, Ji Hongbin knew that following him would be futile. He sighed and asked the female employee with the ponytail, "Comrade, can your Section Chief Lin... complete the transfer procedures within a month?"

"I don't know if he can handle it, but if he can't, it won't help you no matter who you ask." The female employee with the ponytail waved her hand. "Just wait, we'll let you know when we have news. Don't get in my way, he has other people to handle things for him!"

An old man wearing a cotton hat behind him also said, "I've been here several times, and it's still not done. What's the use of you just standing here? Let's get it done."

Ji Hongbin, somewhat helpless, sat back down on the bench next to the radiator.

Inside the section chief's office.

Li Zhe described the house purchase situation in detail.

Lin Weimin thought for a moment and said, "I'm a few years older than you, so why don't I call you Brother Li? To be honest, the transfer procedures are indeed quite complicated, and it's not that our clerks are intentionally being negligent."

I understand the seller's situation; isn't he in a hurry to leave the country? Then let's get the necessary paperwork done first. Once you get the property deed, the original owner won't need to be present anymore. You can handle the subsequent property transfer registration procedures at your own pace. Unless there are special circumstances, the seller won't need to be present again.

"Brother Lin, if it's as you say, when can I expect to receive the property deed?"

Lin Weimin thought for a moment and said, "About half a month. I'll try to send you the property deed within half a month, and then the transaction will be considered complete. I'll try to complete the remaining procedures within a month."

"Okay! Thank you for your help!"

"Don't be so polite, my second sister's friends are my friends too."

The two exchanged business cards, and Li Zhe stood up and said, "Then you go ahead with your work, I won't keep you any longer. I'll definitely thank you properly another day when you have time."

"Brother Li, you're too kind. There's a long road ahead of us," Lin Weimin said with a smile as he saw Li Zhe out of the office.

Seeing Li Zhe come out, Ji Hongbin hurriedly went up to him: "Mr. Li, how did it go? Was it possible to get it done?"

"Let's talk when we get back." After leaving the housing bureau lobby, Li Zhe got on his bicycle and rode home in silence.

Ji Hongbin followed behind on his bicycle, feeling increasingly uncertain: Was it going to work or not? He asked Li Zhe twice, but Li Zhe didn't answer.

The two returned to Li Zhe's house, and Ji Hongbin could no longer hold back: "Mr. Li, can this procedure be completed or not? Give me a straight answer!"

“The female employee with the ponytail just said it, and you heard it too. Under normal circumstances, the property paperwork definitely wouldn't be completed before you left the country.” Li Zhe warmed his hands by the fire, rubbing his frostbitten cheeks, and continued:
“I asked my friends for help, and Section Chief Lin was willing to help us. But it’s not something he can decide on his own; he also needs to coordinate with staff in other departments and ask them for help, so it will definitely cost some money.”

Li Zhe wasn't trying to fool Ji Hongbin. Lin Weimin agreed to help without mentioning money; he was only doing it out of respect for his second sister. It just goes to show how loyal he was. If Li Zhe didn't give him money, it would be like using his second sister's influence to do something for himself.

Once or twice is fine, but if it happens too often, who will help you? That's not how relationships are built.

Therefore, once the property certificate is issued, Li Zhe will definitely have to make a gesture, and the transfer of ownership is a matter for both the buyer and seller, so Li Zhe should not be the only one to pay for it.

Ji Hongbin wasn't naive either, and pressed further, "How much money is needed?"

"I estimate it will cost at least seven or eight hundred."

"What? So many?" Ji Hongbin asked somewhat reluctantly.

“They’re all people of status, and their families aren’t short of money. Giving them too little won’t help. We’re in a hurry to get things done, aren’t we?” Li Zhe paused and continued, “How about this, you give me 300, and I’ll cover the rest.”

Li Zhe said something nice, suggesting that Ji Hongbin first take out his share of the money, and how much to give Lin Weimin as a thank-you fee later would depend on the situation. By then, Ji Hongbin would already be abroad, so how much he gave would be up to him.

Ji Hongbin was somewhat reluctant, but if he wanted to go abroad, he had to pay this money: "Alright! Let's do it your way."

He secretly cheered himself up: As long as I can go abroad, I'll be earning US dollars! What's this little bit of money? I might be able to earn it back in a day!

(End of this chapter)