Courtyard House: A Start with Black Gold Swallowing 100,000 Silver Dollars

Suburban villa.

Qi Zhendong slammed the documents in his hand on the table: "The tape factory is gone! The equipment, inventory, and even the factory buildings were all bought up by Dadi Tape Factory at a low price... Three months of work for nothing, not a single penny was earned."

Wang Hanli sat opposite, tapping his fingertips on the table: "Shanghai is only so big, and their factory is right next to ours, it's too easy to investigate."

"snort."

"In the end, it's because your eldest brother won't lift a finger. If he were to give in, who would dare to touch us? He doesn't even say a word when his own son is in jail; what kind of head of the family is that?"

Qi Zhendong became increasingly agitated as he spoke, his voice becoming strained.

He distrusts and cannot tolerate others. He always thinks in the dark and never considers what principles or bottom lines are.

Wang Hanli stared at the swaying reflection of the cup on the coffee table, his voice low: "Now, in his eyes, we're outsiders. If we make another move, he'll really hand us the knife himself."

"You don't need to say that."

Qi Zhendong sneered, "He screwed over his son, and you think he can just pretend nothing happened?"

Qi Zhendong stared at the several imported parts price lists spread out on the table, his voice flat: "Shuyu Refrigerator Factory's daily output is five hundred units. I had someone buy a sample unit to disassemble and calculate... The cost of the whole unit is one thousand yuan, and the retail price is two thousand three hundred yuan. The price difference is more than half. They follow the assembly route, sourcing all the core components from the United States. We place orders directly with the source, selecting the most basic models, shipping them back to China for assembly and sales, and our profits more than double."

Wang Hanli tapped his fingers lightly on the table twice, suppressing his slight displeasure with Wang Hancheng. After a moment of mental calculation, a glint appeared in his eyes. American industrial products were inexpensive and came in a wide variety; even the most basic compressors and condenser coils could be compressed to their lowest settings. They were labeled "original imports," and people in Shanghai recognized that. His Adam's apple bobbed, but he didn't speak. He got up, walked to the fax machine, and pressed the redial button.

In less than four hours, the detailed lists from the three US suppliers were printed out. Converting the exchange rate... one US dollar to 1.96 RMB, the material cost per unit was equivalent to three hundred US dollars, bringing the total cost to just over six hundred RMB. That's four hundred RMB cheaper than what Li Guoshu's factory produces.

Wang Hanli pushed the paper in front of Qi Zhendong: "It's four hundred less than theirs."

Qi Zhendong didn't reply, but just glanced at him.

"We should have gotten our sights on this business a long time ago." Wang Hanli's voice was dry. "That tape business was a complete waste of time."

"My nephew doesn't have to go to jail either."

He stopped himself from speaking. He stared at the traffic outside the window, his shoulders tense. If he had made this connection six months earlier, would he have ended up falling out with Wang Hancheng? In Shanghai, if the other party conceded even a little, many things could be resolved with a single word.

Qi Zhendong picked up his teacup and blew on it: "It's too late now, there's no turning back. Remember, the US is where your roots are."

Wang Hanli nodded, raising his voice slightly: "Understood."

His tone was firm, but his eyes were deep. Qi Zhendong didn't look at him again, only saying, "I'm flying to the US tonight to sign parts orders and oversee the first shipment. You set up the distribution channels here, and as soon as the goods arrive at the port, they'll be in the stores."

"It's all arranged." Wang Hanli turned around and called Wang Tingwei over, giving instructions in three sentences: rent a street-front shop, negotiate department store counters, and connect with the department store's distribution system.

On the other end, in the office of the boss of Shuyu Real Estate Company.

Xu Damao placed his briefcase on his lap and smiled broadly: "Jiayu, the reason I'm here is to open ten electronics stores in Shanghai. Uncle Guobiao mentioned it on the phone a couple of days ago, you should know that."

Li Jiayu leaned back in his chair, a cup of tea just refilled beside him: "Uncle Guobiao said, don't worry, you can do whatever you want in Shanghai."

He's completely different from the Li family. Real estate projects bring in cash quickly, and his refrigerator factory has orders booked three months in advance; the numbers in his account are rising every day. No matter how popular the appliance market is, it won't affect him.

"But Uncle Da Mao," he leaned forward, "now the factory is in partnership with Uncle Guo Hang, so if you want to pick up goods, you can go directly to the factory and get them without going through any middlemen."

Xu Damao's eyes twitched; he immediately understood: the price would follow the old Beijing rules, no markup. It was practically giving away a free layer of profit.

"Of course!" He slapped his thigh. "The factory is in Shanghai, which saves on shipping costs and hassle. Who else would we choose?"

Li Jiayu laughed: "Let's go to the Holiday Inn. Uncle Guoshu is here too, let's eat and chat."

Xu Damao entered the hotel lobby and stopped in his tracks: "This... is it exactly the same as the Holiday Inn in Beijing?"

"It was an investment from an elder in Hong Kong," Li Jiayu answered casually. "The one in Beijing was also his."

"Wow!" Xu Damao looked up at the chandelier. "This one building alone must have cost tens of millions."

"Money?" Li Jiayu picked up his glass. "His uncles in Hong Kong don't really know how to count money."

The dinner was held in a private room. Li Guoshu was already seated. After the three clinked glasses, Xu Damao asked for three things: the property rights or long-term leases of ten shops, a recruitment channel for 120 local skilled workers, and a 1,000-square-meter transit warehouse adjacent to a freight hub.

Li Jiayu noted it down in his notebook, then turned to Li Guoshu and asked, "When will we start piling the stones on that thirty-acre plot of land in the northern suburbs, all the paperwork is complete?"

Li Guoshu picked up some vegetables with his chopsticks: "Seventy percent of the units in the Happiness Community have been pre-sold. The final payment will be settled upon delivery, but potential buyers are lining up to inspect the units. The funds have already been recovered, and the profits are enough to build two phases. We can start construction next week."

Xu Damao listened, his chopsticks hovering in mid-air, not picking up a second bite.

Xu Damao listened intently the whole time. In his eyes, real estate construction was a respectable and lucrative business, and the idea began to stir in his mind... Could he do it himself?

As soon as he finished eating, he offered to go and check out the construction site.

"Brother Guoshu, this car is awesome! Can you get me one too?"

As soon as Xu Damao sat down in that sleek, gleaming Maserati, he couldn't take his eyes off it.

"Okay, I'll make a call and have one sent over from Hong Kong."

Li Guoshu should be decisive.

"By the way, many people in China have more money now, have you thought about selling cars?"

Xu Damao was obsessed with business, trying to extract information from everything he saw. His thinking wasn't wrong, but the car sales business was far too complex.

Li Jiayu hesitated for a moment, then shook his head: "This is too risky."

Cars are no small matter. Just this Maserati alone is worth hundreds of thousands; add in a Mercedes or BMW, and it easily reaches millions. The tax evasion alone is enough to warrant a heavy prison sentence. Even though he's the mayor's son, he wouldn't dare cross that line.

It's 1983 now, and private car ownership is still illegal. The policy will be relaxed next year, 84, before individuals will be allowed to register and license cars.

Li Guoshu drives this car every day, but the license plate is from Hong Kong... The mainland doesn't issue license plates for private cars at all.

Hearing Li Jiayu say this, Xu Damao immediately put his mind back on it.

When the car arrived at the construction site, it was still light out. The project was scheduled for the end of the year, and the workers were working in shifts to catch up. Hammers were hammering, concrete pumps were roaring, and figures were moving back and forth.

The Happiness Community has been built to ten stories, and its overall outline is beginning to take shape. Five main buildings have sprung up, almost exactly the same as those on the model.

As soon as the three got out of the car, a crowd gathered around the construction site. There were homeowners who had paid deposits, and buyers who were still observing. A house costing over 70,000 yuan represented half a lifetime's savings for them; who wouldn't want to see the progress firsthand?

"Hey? Isn't that Mr. Li, the developer?"

Someone with sharp eyes recognized Li Guoshu.

A crowd immediately gathered: "Boss Li, when will the apartments be ready for handover?"

"I'm in a hurry to move in!"

Even though I knew it would be completed by the end of the year, I couldn't help but ask. Seventy thousand yuan is no small sum; I'll only feel at ease if I can move in a day sooner.

"Rest assured, everyone, the houses will be delivered by the end of the year, without any delays."

Li Guoshu responded with a smile.

Xu Damao stood to the side, and the more he looked, the more he felt that this line of work had a promising future.

After driving around for a while, the three got back into the car. He immediately turned to Li Jiayu and asked, "Jiayu, how much was invested in this community in total?"

"Oh, Uncle Da Mao is really taking this seriously?"

Li Jiayu smiled.

Everyone could see that Xu Damao was eager to try.

"Hehe, this neighborhood is so interesting. It's selling so well in Shanghai, I want to get involved too."

Anyway, Shanghai is a large city with many areas, so everyone can do their own thing and avoid overlap.

"The land and construction cost a total of 17 million. There are more than 500 apartments, each 120 square meters, at a price of 600 yuan per square meter."

Li Jiayu put it bluntly.

Xu Damao quickly calculated the accounts: the gross profit had more than doubled, resulting in a net profit of over 17 million yuan.

This number is almost equal to the annual revenue of his electronics store.

Of course, the electronics stores haven't covered the entire north yet; if they did, the profits would only be higher.

His eyes welled up with tears, and his resolve hardened.

Then they asked about the procedures, application process, and acceptance procedures – all the practical steps involved.

Li Jiayu only replied with one sentence: "Building a building is not difficult, what is difficult is 'relationships'."

This statement serves as a reminder... land approval, project establishment, planning, construction permits... which link can be separated from human intervention?

Xu Damao didn't need any explanation. Just take land approval as an example. Without connections, who would sign off on it? He already had his own plans in mind; he was definitely going to bring Li Guobiao along.

"It's alright. Your uncle Guobiao and I will work together. He'll handle the connections, and I'll handle the implementation. Land acquisition will be easy."

In the latter half of the journey, Li Guoshu focused on driving, occasionally interjecting a few words. The main speakers were Xu Damao and Li Jiayu; one asked detailed questions, and the other gave practical answers, each one hitting the nail on the head.

Twenty minutes later, the car stopped on a piece of wasteland in Huangpu District. The weeds were knee-high and rustled in the wind.

Two people were already waiting there: Mr. Guan from Hong Kong, and an employee sent by the real estate company to pick him up.

"Mr. Guan, I hope I haven't kept you waiting too long?"

Li Guoshu got out of the car, speaking politely.

The other party is someone from Hong Kong, and a key collaborator on the current project. It won't hurt to be humble.

"Just arrived, it's alright."

Mr. Guan smiled naturally.

He's the boss's brother's man, so we can't afford to offend him; plus, he gets paid by Shuyu Real Estate, so with double income in his pocket, why wouldn't he be happy?

"Mr. Guan, this plot of land is nearly thirty acres. At most, how many buildings can be constructed on it?"

Li Jiayu got straight to the point.

Mr. Guan had long figured out their tactics... what they wanted was density and profit. He had already walked around the site before coming, and the blueprints were already in his mind.

"Fifteen buildings, that's the maximum."

Fifteen buildings?

That's a bit too little.

This is an extra ten acres of land, so why were only three more buildings constructed?

Li Guoshu and Li Jiayu were stunned on the spot.