Returning wealthy individuals develop their hometowns and become rich in the 1980s

The following day, Ningcheng Hotel

Chen Dong and Chen Zaixing were having breakfast provided by the hotel when there was a knock on the door. Wang Xuebing and Ji Lianjun opened the door and walked in. Chen Dong couldn't help but laugh when he saw Ji Lianjun's attire.

Ji Lianjun was dressed in a faded Zhongshan suit, with a pair of worn-out liberation shoes on his feet, and his trouser legs were tied tightly with rope. His secretary, Lai Zhanggao, was holding two straw hats beside him. He looked exactly like someone who was going hiking.

Chen Dong looked him up and down, then asked with a smile, "Mayor Ji, are we going hiking today?"

"Hey, no, the land in Beilun is hilly and sloping, it's not very flat and it's full of potholes, so it's hard to walk around," Ji Lianjun said, taking two bamboo sticks from outside the door and handing one to Chen Dong. "I specially asked someone to find two bamboo sticks so that I won't get tired halfway through the walk."

"Wow! Mayor Ji, you're so thoughtful," Chen Zaixing said with a smile, taking the bamboo stick from Ji Lianjun. "You even thought of needing a cane when you're tired of walking. I'm impressed!"

"It's nothing, I just went to the countryside to do a lot of research and learned some experience," Ji Lianjun waved his hand dismissively. Chen Dong politely invited Ji Lianjun to eat some more, and Ji Lianjun didn't stand on ceremony. He picked up a steamed bun and started eating it with some vegetables.

After the three finished breakfast, Chen Dong took a thermos from his suitcase and handed it to Ji Lianjun. "Mayor Ji, this is a thermos I bought in America. I haven't used it much. We'll make some tea for our trip to Beilun later, so we'll have water to drink if we get thirsty on the way."

"Oh my, this must be expensive. I dare not take it," Ji Lianjun said, looking at the shiny stainless steel cup, which looked like it was worth a lot of US dollars. He didn't dare to reach out and take it.

Chen Dong forced it into Ji Lianjun's hand, saying, "It's not expensive at all. Just consider it a loan from Mayor Ji. You can return it to me whenever you feel you don't want to use it anymore."

Insulation boards that cost twenty or thirty US dollars each are nothing to Chen Dong. Ji Lianjun nodded, stroking the stainless steel insulation board in his hand, and said, "Okay, Mr. Chen, since you've said so, I'll use it for now."

"Mayor Ji, please stop calling me Mr. Chen. Just call me Zai Dong or A Dong, it's fine," Chen Dong said, taking out the Dancong tea he had brought from Tuocheng, preparing to brew a pot and take it with him.

Ji Lianjun smiled and nodded. Chen Dong asked him to change his form of address, obviously hoping to bring the two of them closer. Ji Lianjun naturally wouldn't refuse. "Then I'll call you Zai Dong from now on. Don't call me Mayor Ji anymore, just call me Lao Ji."

"That won't do. When there are no outsiders, I'll call you Uncle Ji, but when there are outsiders, I still have to call you Mayor. It's basic courtesy."

"OK!"

When Chen Dong, Chen Zaixing, Ji Lianjun, and the others arrived in Beilun District in several cars, the morning mist had not yet dissipated. The distant mountain shadows were hazy, like a traditional Chinese ink painting. The planned saline-alkali land stretched out in the morning mist, with withered reeds and weeds reaching waist height, swaying in the cold wind. Occasionally, a few water birds would flutter up from the reeds and fly across the gray sky.

Chen Dong stood on the edge of the land, gazing at the faintly visible Beilun Port Wharf in the distance. The cold wind howled, making Chen Dong's hair, which was styled with mousse, all messy. This saline-alkali land was the only piece of land that Ningcheng could offer, and it was also the closest to a deep-water port, making it the most suitable large-scale industrial project.

Chen Dong shaded his forehead with his hand and looked at the distant sea, asking Ji Lianjun, "Uncle Ji, this piece of land in Beilun is a good piece of land. If the road is repaired in the future, it will only take about twenty minutes to drive from here to the dock, which is faster than in Pudong, Shanghai."

"Zai Dong, Zai Xing, let me tell you this: in order to get your project to land in Ningcheng, Secretary Cai has really pulled out all the stops, and Secretary Liao approved the proposal on the spot," Ji Lianjun said, pointing with his finger and gesturing with the bamboo stick in his hand like a pointer.

"Look further east, this is where the main road for the factory area can be built in the future," Ji Lianjun said to Chen Dong, pointing to a higher-lying area. "East of here is the production area, west is the living support area, the north is backed by mountains and can be used to build warehouses, and the south is near the sea and docks where a dedicated highway can be built directly to the factory area."

As Ji Lianjun spoke, he drew on the ground with a bamboo stick, depicting the image of this wasteland in his mind stroke by stroke. The cold data and lines on the planning map transformed into wide roads, neat factory buildings, and rows of tree-lined residential areas in his mouth.

Chen Dong and Chen Zaixing listened, nodding from time to time, and occasionally asking a question. Ji Lianjun answered every question, rattling off data as if he were reciting something he had done himself, rather than reciting material.

"Zaixing, you said you want to develop real estate in Ningcheng. I think this will be the best location in Ningcheng in the future." Ji Lianjun not only tried to win over Chen Dong, but he also didn't let go of Chen Zaixing, the future real estate tycoon.

"Think about it, once Xiaochi's car city is completed, Secretary Cai also advocates that our Ningcheng tractor factory and car factory be moved here together. At that time, this place will become Ningcheng's industrial zone, with a dense population and a strong commercial atmosphere. You are far away from the industrial zone here," Ji Lianjun moved the bamboo stick in his hand to the vicinity of Lushan Village.

"Building a residential area here, once the city's planned ring road is completed, it will only take about twenty minutes to get to the city center, guaranteeing that Huaxing Real Estate's houses will have no trouble selling."

"Alright, Uncle Ji, I'll take your advice, you're a Ningcheng expert, and build it here," Chen Zaixing nodded with a smile. Chen Dong also said to Ji Lianjun, "Uncle Ji, there's no need to look at it anymore. Xiaochi wants this land. Go back and prepare the contract, and we'll sign it as soon as possible."

"Aren't you going to take another look?"

"I'm not looking anymore. I trust you, and I trust the Ningcheng Municipal Party Committee and Government," Chen Dong said, taking out a cigarette and offering it to everyone. "As for the shareholding division, let's go for 70% to 30%. Uncle Ji, what do you think?"

"sure!"

Ji Lianjun answered almost without thinking: a $500 million project, 30% of which is $150 million, and the Ningcheng City government contributing 3.9 square kilometers of land as equity, which is worth $25,600 per acre on average.

2.56 US dollars! Even if it were just Chinese yuan, in 1983, 2.56 yuan per mu would be an astronomical price.

The Ningcheng City government really struck gold. Luckily, the people in Shanghai messed things up, which allowed Ji Lianjun to snag this treasure project. If Ji Lianjun goes to Shanghai again and meets Gao Yueming, he'll definitely have to thank Gao.

Thank you so much, Lao Gao, you're such a kind person!