Courtyard houses: Those who are capable are rewarded, and many children bring many blessings.

After saying that, Qin Xueru turned and left. It was already quite generous of her to come down and let them in; to expect her to treat an outsider like a sister was absolutely unacceptable.

"Eighth Brother, who is it this time? What do they look like?" Qin Yueru was always the quickest to speak.

"If you ask me, Eighth Sister, you're just too magnanimous. Who cares if they live or die? The death of one of them means one less competitor for us."

"Jingru, you mustn't say that outside. If it gets to Brother Da Niu's ears, you'll be in big trouble."

"Ningru, I'm just venting at home. I know the rules; we can't talk about our family matters outside."

"Alright, Eighth Sister is annoying enough. You all stop making a fuss and go do what you're supposed to do."

The sisters gradually accepted Meiru as their second-in-command. Her words carried considerable weight.

Xiuru was the honest and dutiful one, and the one who caused the least trouble.

"After dinner, Meiru, you and I will go down to the mountains and see if there is a suitable place in the village to build a few more houses."

Although Qin Xueru was unhappy, it concerned her husband's reputation, so she had to finish building the house, even if it meant holding her nose.

Niujiazhuang is bustling with activity.

Lou Xiao'e's family on Hong Kong Island is also not at peace.

"Xiao'e, we've already bought two doors in Tsim Sha Tsui, and twenty more in our building downstairs. We've also bought three plots of industrial land, totaling over twenty acres. Whether you open a restaurant or a factory in the future..."

"I don't have to worry about anything anymore, so is it still necessary to buy a villa? If I buy another one, I'll be turning in my grave."

"Mommy, don't you trust Da Niu?"

"If I didn't trust him, would I have spent so much money buying land and houses? What I mean is, we need to keep some cash on hand. Opening a restaurant will cost money, and opening a factory will cost even more."

"I know that, Mommy. How could you be so confused? If we spend all the money now, it will double in less than two years. When we want to start our own business, we can just sell a few houses."

Even if all else fails, there's always Da Niu! I can't just ask to borrow some money to help his son start a business; he can't very well refuse!

"You're right, but I always feel uneasy if I don't have some cash on hand."

"Lin Yongmei has bought two detached villas in Victoria Peak. We should buy one too, so we can live in them. I've already found a house right next to Lin Yongmei's."

"Alright, from now on you'll be in charge of the household. I won't bother with this anymore. Right now, everyone's in a state of panic, and we can't even find anyone to play mahjong with."

"Didn't Da Niu say that things would be settled by the end of this year? It'll be here soon."

"Okay, don't go out alone tomorrow, ask your cousin to come with you."

"Let's forget about it. I feel like the way he's looking at me isn't right. Especially after he found out our family bought so many houses, he's been a bit overly enthusiastic. His attitude when we first arrived is completely different from his attitude now. Didn't you notice?"

"What's so strange about that? That's just human nature. When you're poor, no one cares if you live in a bustling city; when you're rich, distant relatives come calling even if you live deep in the mountains. Everyone adds flowers to brocade, but how many offer charcoal in the snow?"

"Then why should I associate with them?"

"You don't understand, do you? This is called leveraging external forces. Our family business is still small and can't support the family. We've also lost money recently, so it's inevitable that outsiders will have their eyes on us."

Of course, that includes your cousins. Being close to them is for outsiders to see, to show that our family has connections and influence, and that we don't need to worry about outsiders having designs on us.

You need to be more careful with your older and younger cousins; they're using tricks within the rules. If you don't fall for it, there's nothing they can do.

Outsiders are different; they're after money, and they'll use any underhanded means possible.

"Mommy, please stop thinking about playing mahjong all the time these days and keep an eye on the kids. You reminded me."

"That can't be!"

"Mommy, didn't I just say that people's hearts are not what they used to be? It doesn't hurt to be more careful. Don't gamble with their conscience."

"Too."

The mother and son finally reached an agreement.

As for Niu Dazhuang, he took leave and went with Lin Yongmei to register with the General Administration to handle the transfer of ownership. Not only did they not encounter any difficulties, but they also said they would give Niu Dazhuang the title of honorary citizen.

To still be optimistic about Hong Kong Island real estate during this turbulent time—that's truly the mark of a good citizen.

"Sister, I own so many properties on Hong Kong Island, and I don't even have a Hong Kong ID card. Shouldn't we report this to the higher-ups?"

"Okay, sir, please wait a moment, I'll make the call right away."

That's the good thing about capitalist society: as long as you're seen to have the ability, the efficiency in getting things done is exceptionally fast.

The young lady who was handling the property transfer for Niu Dazhuang looked at him with a piercing gaze when he pulled out a stack of land deeds.

His voice immediately softened; if we weren't at work, the young lady would have taken the initiative to approach him.

Even though house prices have fallen by more than half, owning so many properties is still beyond the reach of most people. He's definitely a millionaire. And so young.

Niu Dazhuang looked her up and down. She was alright looking, but her figure was... well, let's just say it wasn't her type.

The property transfer and Hong Kong Island residency permit were all completed in one morning, without needing a guarantor. That's the advantage of a capitalist society.

Lam Wing-mui also changed her residence permit to a resident card. Don't underestimate the difference of just one word; there's a big difference. A residence permit allows you to live on Hong Kong Island, but you are not a resident of Hong Kong Island.

To be honest, Niu Dazhuang wasn't particularly interested in this identity; he only wanted to make things easier for himself in Hong Kong later. After all, there was no financial market in mainland China for the time being.

If you want to make quick and big money, you have to rely on the financial market. Otherwise, squid will eventually abandon industrial manufacturing and cling to the financial market.

Printing money isn't as fast as making money in the financial markets!

The transfer of ownership was completed smoothly, and Niu Dazhuang was finally able to relax completely.

"Yongmei, go register a company in the next couple of days, and buy a few office buildings. We'll set up a property management company, and then we can leave the rent collection to the property management company. You just need to keep an eye on the company."

"That's true. This house is all rented out. I can't handle the rent collection by myself every month."

My brother runs a small business; could I ask him to come and help me?

"Okay, let's meet them when they arrive."

"Are you coming home with me today?" Lin Yongmei asked tentatively.

Through this incident, Lin Yongmei was utterly amazed by Niu Dazhuang. On the one hand, his prediction was accurate, but on the other hand, she wondered how he had managed to acquire so much gold in the mainland over the years. That was tons of gold! How did he transport it all over the place?

What others may not know is that she accompanied them the entire time, and all payments were made in gold.

Lin Yongmei had developed a path dependency; she went directly with Niu Dazhuang to find Lou Xiao'e and her daughter...