Those Years When I Was Forced to Top the Forbes List

Chapter 101, Second Project: Construction Begins

The next morning, Chen Xuebing got serious with the project team.

He brought 135,000 yuan in cash to the project office for 39050 square meters of geogrid, which cost 273,350 yuan. He asked Yang Feng, the executive deputy manager of the project office, to talk to the manufacturer and round down the price before placing the order.

As for the material costs, of course we only pay half, which is already a very high percentage.

The other half will be deducted from the project payment settlement.

Yang Feng has no obligation to get involved in this matter, but if a good road can be built, the savings on maintenance costs could be equivalent to the cost of another highway.

—Sometimes the problem with public projects lies in this: they can spend 371 million to ruin a road and then spend another 300 million to maintain and repair it, but they can't increase the budget and specifications from the beginning, because there is a budget limit for the supporting works of some projects, and any part exceeding the budget requires the signature of the top leader.

Maintenance and repair decisions are made based on the actual situation and do not require signatures.

It's hard to say whether it's good or bad; without such regulations, a large number of projects would exceed their budgets.

However, these regulations can be frustrating.

Zhang Manhua and Yang Feng were both helpless, but now someone was helping them solve the problem for free. They were surprised and grateful, and while agreeing to help, they also invited him to stay for lunch.

Chen Xuebing was very aloof, saying that he had to go back to organize the start of construction and asked them to deliver the materials within a week. He said that this meal would be saved and they could eat it after the highway was completed.

The two managers' impression of Chen Xuebing continued to improve, from "Why did Secretary Lan send such a person?" to "Secretary Lan actually managed to find such a person."

They wanted to report the matter to the highway command center, but since construction hadn't started yet, they decided to wait and see out of caution.

……

The construction in Gonghe Village proceeded much more smoothly than that in Furong Village.

There are readily available personnel and cash on hand.

The administrator Zhao Fuhua from Furong Village was transferred over first, but Chen Xiaobo's truck team was still the ones hauling the goods.

—This time, Chen Xiaobo received an advance payment of 100,000 yuan.

Chen Xiaobo jokingly scolded Chen Xuebing for being cunning, saying that he clearly had money but didn't take it out. Chen Xuebing didn't explain, only saying that the accounts on both sides should be kept separate, and that he should just do his job well and wait to get paid.

He had no objection to receiving a sum of money first and having work to do.

Tan Maoshui's excavator is still needed in Furong Village, so we contacted another local small excavator with a monthly rental fee of 25,000 yuan. We paid one month's rent as soon as it arrived on site, and the other party immediately said that it would arrive the next day.

He also gave Tan Maoshui instructions on this matter: once his excavator becomes available, the excavators here will be settled and cleared out, and his excavator will take over.

Anyway, Chen Xuebing can guarantee that there will be work to do with that excavator all year round.

Tan Maoshui was furious. He thought, "What's the use of having work? I can't even get paid. Furong Village won't settle accounts by the end of next month. I'm leaving now, and the excavator is being transferred away. I also need to take the settlement documents with me."

Such words are usually a big taboo. Threatening the boss with project data can sometimes lead to physical kidnapping. But at this critical moment, Lao Tan had to take a little money to beg people to continue construction and couldn't even get the excavator rental fee he was entitled to. Chen Xuebing just thought he was venting his anger like a little wife and even smiled and assured him that he would definitely have money by the end of next month.

In addition, there is no need for credit; workers are paid daily. Under these conditions, there are plenty of workers to be found.

All of this led to extremely rapid progress at the Gonghe Village construction site. Tan Hailiang used the total station he had long desired to lay out the lines that very day, and the excavator was brought to the site the next day to start work.

……

To ensure quality, I supervised the work in Gonghe Village for several days.

Good news: There is no T+0 trading in the stock market.

On June 16 (Thursday), the stock market opened lower but closed higher, gaining 1.26%. The following Friday, it closed with a doji candlestick pattern, slightly retracing 0.04% to close at 1085 points.

1085 is considered a relatively high level in the previous ten days.

A doji candlestick pattern at a high level (with opening and closing prices almost identical) usually indicates a downward turning point. If you're looking to trade intraday, you might consider selling.

But Chen Xuebing was in the village and didn't have time.

On Monday, June 20, the stock market rose almost all day long, opening with the largest gain in recent days of 2.76% and closing at 1115.62.

During this period, Chen Xuebing had a large position of 170 million.

From then on, Chen Xuebing recovered all his previous losses and even made a profit of over 30,000 yuan.

Old Hong called to praise Chen Xuebing for being too steady. He said he sold everything when the doji candlestick pattern appeared, and now his profit line is more than 4 points behind Chen Xuebing's. He admitted defeat.

Chen Xuebing chuckled and replied: "It's just basic stuff."

Then came the bad news: the stock market did not offer T+0 trading.

For the next four days, the market fluctuated around this level, which was exactly the "wave pattern" that Chen Xuebing wanted. Until the close of trading on Friday, he did not make any profit from the price difference between the peaks and troughs.

It was only because a few individual stocks performed well that he gained a slight advantage and earned a few thousand yuan.

When the market closed on Friday, Lao Hong called him, his tone filled with admiration.

"You have a good eye! Those small-cap stocks you picked are really profitable! Even if the overall market doesn't move, they still move! Tell your Uncle Hong, how did you choose those stocks?"

"Hehe, they don't call them small-cap stocks! They call them sector stocks! I certainly can't tell you their stock-picking methods, otherwise how would I make money? Just wait and see, you're making a small profit now, the big gains are yet to come!"

"Okay, okay, I won't ask!" Hong Yongqiang said happily. After all, Chen Xuebing had already earned 40,000 in two weeks. Even if he could maintain this rate of return, let alone a big increase, that would be 80,000 a month. That's 4%, and with compound interest, it would be 60% a year. Even high-interest bridge loans don't earn that much.

After Chen Xuebing's several "accurate predictions" over the past two weeks, he is now considering increasing his investment in Chen Xuebing.

"But you haven't made a move in the past week. Do you really have that much faith in the market?"

Hong Yongqiang's words made Chen Xuebing feel a little guilty.

He wasn't inactive; he was simply too busy! These past few days, listening to the fluctuating stock market figures coming from his Chongqing office, he'd been itching to get back to work!
"I have my own ideas, just wait and see!"

Chen Xuebing said confidently and resolutely.

……

On Saturday, 500 meters outside the bridge construction site, excavators were clearing a long section of the foundation with large, sweeping movements.

Workers are cleaning up a puddle of water.

The road roller compacts the soil behind the trucks, performing pre-fill compaction, while the trucks prepare to fill the soil.

A group of people surrounded Chen Xuebing.

Chen Xuebing, with one hand behind his back and the other pointing to a pile of dirt, said to Tan Hailiang:
"The fill material needs to be turned over by an excavator! It's not just household waste; if you find any humus, it's unacceptable! As for the roadbed material selection, ask your brother; he knows! I've already negotiated with the commercial concrete plant. In short, quality first, speed second, and making money third! Also, keep a close eye on the quality of the outsourced part of the highway. If there are any problems, call me directly."

Tan Hailiang nodded with a puzzled expression.

He'd heard slogans countless times, but no boss would actually put making money third. This time, he truly learned something new.

On the foundation, they didn't cut corners or even do anything slightly flawed; they paid for the geotextile materials themselves and poured C40 concrete.

At first, he thought it was some kind of military anti-missile project.

He knew Chen Xuebing had ulterior motives, but losing hundreds of thousands of yuan like that was something few people could do, and it once again proved the courage of this young boss who started from scratch.

He knew more than Tan Maoshui. Before he came, Yu Chunyin told him that Chen Xuebing had other projects outside that could make a lot of money, and told him to follow along without worry.

He has been trying to repair his relationship with Chen Xuebing this week, but Chen Xuebing's attitude is lukewarm and not as polite as it was at the construction site in Yuzhong.

I got on the bus too late...

"Liang Hui!" Chen Xuebing waved.

"coming!"

Liang Hui, who was learning from Zhao Fuhua, hurried over.

Chen Xuebing patted Liang Hui on the back: "Take good care of the money! If you don't understand anything about the accounts, call Assistant Ren. For engineering matters, ask Engineer Tan. Engineer Zhao, although you are the company's vice president, you should be more humble! Engineer Tan, please help me mentor this apprentice!"

Tan Hailiang immediately nodded: "Don't worry, President Chen!"

As Liang Hui watched his former elder brother grow taller and taller, his heart was filled with admiration.

"Brother, I'll definitely study hard!"

"Hmm." Chen Xuebing turned to look at Jiao Gui: "Have you gotten your driver's licenses back?"

In the past two days, his and Jiao Gui's driver's licenses have also been issued.

Aside from the exams, he rarely went to the driving school; his practice hours were all recorded by a machine.

Actually, these days, as long as you're willing to spend a little money, you can get a driver's license without taking an exam.

"Brother, we got them all!" Jiao Gui said with a beaming smile.

He spent a lot of time practicing driving, as this would be his livelihood. He practiced extremely diligently, and even his driving instructors praised him for driving well. Now that he has his driver's license, he's just waiting for Chen Xuebing to buy him a car so he can drive on the road.

Chen Xuebing doesn't seem to have a strong desire to buy a car right now.

He only wants to make money from money.

"Let's go, next stop."

……

On Monday noon, Chen Xuebing took Ren Lugou and Jiao Fei to Shenzhen.

It was June 26th, just as summer was beginning.

As I disembarked, I heard the flight attendant repeatedly reminding me, "The outside temperature is high, please be aware of the temperature difference."

At first, a group of people were a little unconvinced.

Holy crap, I'm from Chongqing, a city known for its sweltering heat, and you're telling me it's hot outside?

As soon as they left the airport, they started fanning themselves by lifting their clothes.

Thirty degrees Celsius is actually not comparable to the high temperatures in Chongqing.

But it's already in the thirties before July, which is way too early.

When Chongqing reaches its peak heat, it's 40 degrees Celsius, hot enough to burn a person—worse than Shenzhen. But the peak heat period lasts less than ten days a year, and it's still around 27 or 28 degrees Celsius now.

Shenzhen's heat has been lingering for a long time. He and Huo Xiaowen were wearing short sleeves when they came in November, and they are still wearing short sleeves now, but the current temperature makes it a bit unbearable to wear short sleeves.

From Bao'an Airport to Longgang, I still saw many people wearing long-sleeved shirts and crisp trousers, and even some wearing full suits.

Chongqing is such a nurturing place; government officials and business people don't really like formal attire. As soon as you arrive, you immediately feel a sense of urgency that prioritizes career over life.

A suit, which has nothing to do with units like meters and seconds, embodies the phrase "Shenzhen speed".

Chen Xuebing admires the speed of Shenzhen.

(End of this chapter)