Rebirth 08: A Happy Life Begins in Elementary School

When Li Zhao was in elementary school, Li Changlin especially liked him to test him.

This is a good opportunity for a father to use information asymmetry to establish a great image in front of his child.

After junior high school, he stopped being proactive, and in high school, he couldn't stand Li Zhao asking him questions.

"explain."

Li Zhao put the book in his hand aside and only spread out the planning drawings of the pedestrian street.

"Dad, if you were to run a shop on this pedestrian street, where would you choose?"

Having observed for two nights, Li Changlin was well-prepared. Although he didn't understand why Li Zhao suddenly became interested in planning, this topic was a complete game-changer for an adult when it came to elementary school students!

"Your dad's in business," Li Changlin said, his posture exuding authority. "Obviously, the entrance is where the crowds will gather. The entrance is here, the space is larger, and the storefronts are eye-catching. If the pedestrian street really takes off, the storefronts on both sides of the entrance will be the most valuable."

"Does that mean if there are people going to the pedestrian street, opening a shop there will be very profitable?"

"certainly."

"Dad, do you think the pedestrian street project can succeed?"

"I wouldn't dare say it'll be perfect, but I'm sure it will succeed. The old city of New Taipei City already has a lot of tourist attractions, so opening a pedestrian street in the old city is what everyone wants. The heart of the provincial capital has no reason to be deserted."

Li Zhao nodded:

"Then let's open a store too."

"Silly child," Li Changlin laughed, patting Li Zhao's head, "If your father can think of this, why can't others? How much have the rents for those shops gone? And they're all long-term contracts. If you actually rent them, it's not a gamble on whether this pedestrian street will have any customers, but whether it will be successful. Nobody can say for sure."

Li Zhao gleaned a useful piece of information: "Dad, have you considered this?"

"That's all about business, of course I'll look into it."

"If there really were a cheap storefront, Dad, would you really consider switching businesses?"

"Forget about it. Every storefront with a chance of survival has already started auctioning off its rent, with the highest bidder winning. Let's just focus on our current business."

"I have some special information."

Li Changlin, who was just about to get up, sat down again. "You?"

"Yes, Dad, what you just said means that wherever the entrance is, the storefronts there will be valuable, right?"

"...That's what I mean."

Li Zhao picked up a pen, marked the entrance location in the small park, and crossed out the row of old houses opposite the Golden Gate. "This small park will be expanded to become a new entrance. If so, which storefronts will be the most valuable?"

Li Changlin frowned slightly.

I finally felt that my son, who had ideas but was still naive, had returned. But after this conversation, something still felt off.

Li Zhao's conversation was too leading; Li Changlin's instincts told him he couldn't answer too hastily.

This is his sixth-grade son, and he has surprisingly been inspired to use the risk-avoidance instinct he developed in the business world!

"These." Li Changlin circled the two rows of shops, including the prime storefront, then frowned deeply. "No, if these buildings are demolished, there's a bank across the street, so this is the only row left."

"These rows aren't worth anything now."

Li Changlin laughed, "Of course, son. You changed the entrance and that's why we got this result. According to the original plan, these storefronts were worthless."

Li Zhao raised an eyebrow and looked at Li Changlin with a smile.

"You...you said you heard some news?"

"uh-huh."

Li Changlin stroked his stubble. "Tell me about it."

"This is the plan I drew up, and it will probably be implemented according to this plan in the end," Li Zhao said.

Li Changlin frowned and pursed his lips, his rough hands constantly rubbing his mouth. "Who told you that?"

I've finally heard that.

He Shuyao.

"Shuyao? That girl in your class who gets pretty good grades?"

"Um."

Li Changlin laughed and quickly patted Li Zhao on the shoulder. "She probably heard this rumor from somewhere, probably that some shop owners are trying to raise prices and trick people into signing long-term contracts. Don't take it too seriously..."

"Her father is He Wenping, the director of the New Taipei City Planning Bureau."

Li Zhao has been doing a lot of information gathering work these past two days, which Chen Nian complained was like conducting a household registration investigation on He Shuyao.

Li Changlin, who tried to get up and leave for the second time, was once again pinned to his seat.

"Huh? The head of the planning bureau?!"

"Yes, otherwise I wouldn't have seriously considered it. Last time I answered some of Shuyao's questions, and she mentioned it in casual conversation. I probed with many questions before asking her."

Right now, Li Changlin didn't have time to dwell on his son's overly mature behavior.

"Then why change the entrance?"

"Because the people at Namdaemun don't want to demolish it."

"Then why change it here?"

"This was originally intended to be a secondary entrance."

"Then why not release this information?"

"If we release them, won't the houses at the new entrance be just like those at Namdaemun? If the people at Namdaemun know that they're not going to demolish them, they'll lower the prices, and the discussions will never end."

"Um……"

Li Changlin pondered.

What made him ponder was not only the value of the news, but also his son's terrifyingly quick reply.

He always felt that Li Zhao had been controlling the outcome of the conversation from the moment he asked the first question.

If the information just said is true, then it would be hard for Li Changlin not to be tempted by the row of storefronts he had fenced off.

"But these shop owners should have heard something, right? Even if they didn't, they initially signed short-term contracts, and when they found our business was doing well, they started to raise prices on the spot, and even forced us to leave and do it themselves... This kind of thing happens quite often in business."

Our business... Li Changlin's expectations have undergone a remarkable change.

Li Zhao pressed his advantage, pointing to the storefront on the planning map, "Dad, you might not believe it, but Chen Nian really loves the mung bean soup sold at this shop. I went to this storefront with him. The storefront is a bit old and has been fenced off. The owner is an old man who has no intention of renovating or running the business. He's also preparing to go abroad to reunite with his son, so he wants to sell the storefront at a low price. Besides, the buildings next to this storefront are all government houses."

Li Changlin heard the sound of his heart pounding.

A long-dormant surge of passion suddenly began to rise.

This is an opportunity, Li Changlin! This is a damn chance to turn things around!

"Son, how did you find out about this shop owner?"

"He told me that."

Why would he tell you these things?

"I also know that he asked for 600,000, but no one is buying it yet." Li Zhao said, writing down a few numbers on a piece of paper. "I tricked him by saying that I have an uncle with several hundred thousand in spare cash who wants to buy it. After two rounds of negotiation, the price has been reduced to 400,000."

Li Changlin blinked incredulously.

"You? Why would you go looking for him? Your uncle? You don't have an uncle!"

Li Changlin was the youngest child in the family.

"I already told you it was a scam."

"Why would you think of that...?"

Li Zhao laughed, "Dad, I didn't read these books for nothing. You can understand He Shuyao's words now, and I could understand them two weeks ago."

"And these blueprints..."

"I asked He Shuyao for it, and she got it for me from her dad's desk."

Thus, a handwritten drawing with very professional annotations became exceptionally convincing at this moment.

Li Changlin finally stood up. He patted his head, rubbed his temples, remained silent for a few seconds, and then decisively walked towards the living room.

"Honey, there's something very important I need to tell you..."