Power and Wealth

Morning.

Haohai Street.

Autumn is in full swing, with leaves falling everywhere, sprinkling the ground with golden hues. Dong Xuebing and Zhang Longjuan walked along the edge of Haohai Lake. The sound of crunching leaves and twigs echoed beneath their shoes. Zhang Longjuan didn't say where they were going, and Dong Xuebing couldn't guess the surprise. He could only follow her along the way. Dong Xuebing wasn't in a hurry anyway. When he went to Jiangnan Province, he requested leave from his unit, and they granted him half a month of business trip leave. Calculating the time, it had only been about ten days since then. He still had about five days of vacation and leisure left. He wasn't in a rush to return to work and wasn't even thinking about returning to his unit.

"Sister Zhang, when are you going back to Fuzhou?" Dong Xuebing asked.

Zhang Longjuan glanced at him. "What do you mean? You just met me, and you're already chasingaway?"

Dong Xuebing quickly said, "Oh no, it's nothing like that. I was asking."

"Haha, I'm not in a hurry to leave. I have sthings to deal with, so I'll stay for a week," Zhang Longjuan said.

"Well, that's a coincidence. My vacation lasts until next week. Since you're here, I can accompany you for a few more days," Dong Xuebing said.

"Oh, you're quite proactive. Are you up to no good? Are you trying to deceivefor money or romance?" Zhang Longjuan never had a straight face.

Rolling his eyes, Dong Xuebing said, "What are you talking about? No, I want to thank you properly. I was able to get promoted so quickly this time, thanks to your significant investment in Zhengshui County. Since you rarely cto Beijing, I have to treat you well and show you shospitality. Where do you want to go?"

Zhang Longjuan smiled, "Not trying to deceive me?"

Dong Xuebing: "..." He thought, "I want to deceive you too."

Dong Xuebing lacked restraint in his speech, but Zhang Longjuan's mouth was even more unrestrained than his. So, when he was with Zhang Longjuan, Dong Xuebing always felt exhausted and passive everywhere.

The so-called "like attracts like." Perhaps that's the reason.

After chatting, Zhang Longjuan confidently walked ahead in her high-heeled sandals. Many people were attracted by her charm and drawn to her. Dong Xuebing, standing beside her, naturally becthe object of attention. Dong Xuebing glanced around, feeling a sense of accomplishment in his heart.

"Sister Zhang, where are we going?" Dong Xuebing asked again.

"Don't worry, we're almost there," Zhang Longjuan said.

"You said that a while ago."

"Haha, we're just ahead. Keep going."

Suddenly, Zhang Longjuan turned a corner and walked down an alley. Dong Xuebing was surprised but quickly followed. He grew up in a hutong himself. The old courtyard houses had been demolished long ago, and now he felt nostalgic for the old hutong life and culture. Moreover, this area has been renovated recently, and many hutongs and courtyard houses have been refurbished. It no longer looked as dilapidated as before but had a quaint and ancient charm, similar to the atmosphere near Liuli Factory. The atmosphere of the hutong was intense, and he knew that this area wouldn't be demolished. Most courtyard houses had been protected as cultural heritage sites, and he could see one or two protected trees fenced off nearby. Walking here, Dong Xuebing felt very comfortable all over. It reminded him of the happy scenes of living with his parents when he was a child, and he remembered playing with his childhood friends in the hutong. But...

What are we doing here?

There don't seem to be any famous restaurants inside.

Moreover, it's not even lunchtyet.

Suddenly, Zhang Longjuan stopped and turned sideways, facing a courtyard with a red, quaint wooden door. She reached into her bag and took out a key. "We're here."

Puzzled, Dong Xuebing said, "But didn't you just arrive a few days ago? Why did you rent a house?"

Zhang Longjuan smiled, opened the door with the key, and strode in. She reached out and beckoned, "Stop talking nonsense, cin."

Dong Xuebing followed her in, and then he also looked around in astonishment. There was a main house to the north, two side rooms to the west, and two side rooms to the east. In the middle was a spacious, bright courtyard with a Chinese toon tree, stone tables, and stools. This was probably the best courtyard he had ever seen. His family's old house also called a hutong and a courtyard house, was unlike this square one. It was more like a maze, with houses turning in all directions. It wasn't too regular or neat. But this courtyard was different. It was the most regular type of courtyard. If Dong Xuebing's family's old house was for ordinary people at that time, then this courtyard must have been the residence of officials and nobles. At a glance, you could tell that the grade was different. The eaves and tiles were particularly exquisite.

Standing under the Chinese toon tree in the courtyard, Zhang Longjuan turned around with a smile and said, "How's the environment? Does my little handsguy like it?"

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"I like it," Dong Xuebing said.

"As long as you like it," Zhang Longjuan smiled.

Dong Xuebing didn't understand. "Then what's the point? What do you mean?"

Zhang Longjuan waved her hand. "What else could it mean? Haha, it's a gift for you!"

When Dong Xuebing heard this, he was stunned and said, "What do you mean, a gift for me? Huh? Did you buy this? Is this the surprise you mentioned earlier?"

"Yes," Zhang Longjuan took out a lady's cigarette, lit it, and held it in her mouth. Then she threw a bunch of keys in her hand to him. "Take it. All the keys are here."

Dong Xuebing hurriedly stepped forward to catch it, then quickly pushed it back. "This won't do, this won't do. How can I accept your gift? And this is not an ordinary thing. The property prices in Beijing are already high enough, not to mention a place like Haohai, the most central area. The surrounding property prices are all 100,000 RMB per square meter. Moreover, it's a courtyard house. Courtyard houses are much more expensive than apartment buildings. They can't be estimated based on the average price in the area. And it's even such a formal, old courtyard house. It's simply something that, even if you have money, you can't buy. It cannot be bought for tens of thousands of yuan per square meter."

Zhang Longjuan smiled, "Okay, you have a good eye. Let's not talk about the price for now. This kind of courtyard is indeed not something you can buy with money. Moreover, it's a whole courtyard. Ordinary people wouldn't sell it. Those who can have such a courtyard wouldn't lack money at all. Haha, but there are exceptions to everything. This time, you caught a break with me. This courtyard used to belong to an old friend of mine. Although we had no business contact before, I once helped him out. I lent him smoney when he was having the most difficult time. His family's business has reencountered sproblems, and he wants to sell this courtyard. But he's reluctant to sell it to others. A few days ago, I happened to be in Beijing, and we talked about this matter when we met. I cover to look with him, and we agreed. Although the price is a bit high, this unique courtyard can't be found anywhere else. So, I bought it."

Indeed, it's hard to find such a place. Generally, these kinds of courtyard houses are occupied by several households, with as many as a dozen or as few as three or four families. One family occupies one room. So, having a huge courtyard for one household is almost impossible. Even if it's possible, as Zhang Longjuan said, the other party wouldn't lack this money. So, to be able to encounter such a good thing still depends on luck.

Dong Xuebing asked, "How much?"

"Haha, take a guess?" Zhang Longjuan teased.

Dong Xuebing estimated and was startled himself, "Two hundred million?"

Zhang Longjuan smiled, "He wouldn't sell it for two billion. Well, it's about three hundred million."

Dong Xuebing almost fainted. This woman had such a lavish spending habit that he felt dizzy hearing this number: three hundred million! But thinking about it, this number wasn't unreasonable. In a better location, a villa would cost several tens of millions, and the area of this courtyard was not smaller than any villa, even larger by quite a bit. Just the central courtyard alone would be at least three hundred square meters.

This was Haohai.

This was a protected area.

This was an entire single-household courtyard!

Three billion might be expensive, but it was about the right price. Moreover, it was hard to cby. This old house couldn't be bought even with five hundred million. According to what Dong Xuebing heard, only a few old folks with the sstatus and influence as Senior Xie occasionally had a single household courtyard. And it seemed that none of them were as good as the courtyard bought by Zhang Longjuan, nor were they as large. Even Senior Xie didn't have one. He only lived in a villa. So, you can imagine how precious this was.

Dong Xuebing liked it. He was born and raised in the hutongs, so he naturally had a feeling here that others couldn't understand. But Dong Xuebing still pushed the keys back to Zhang Longjuan, "Really, I can't accept it. I really can't."

"You earned it," Zhang Longjuan smiled.

"You're givingsuch a valuable gift for free. How can I accept it?" Dong Xuebing objected.

Zhang Longjuan laughed, "It's not for free. Sit down, and letexplain it to you." With that, she sat on the stone stool, her legs wrapped in tight leather pants, and said, "Have you forgotten? You still own twenty percent of my company's shares. Since using the money you won to ease the financial strain, many projects in our company have been successfully launched. This year's performance is awe-inspiring, with profits reaching a new level. With twenty percent of the shares, it's natural for you to receive dividends."

Dong Xuebing said, "But the dividends shouldn't be that much."

"Haha, they are." Zhang Longjuan snapped her fingers. "Don't underestimate the benefits brought by your money. Our company has almost reached a new level in just a few months. I know you probably don't understand the financial reports, but lettell you, your dividends this year are about two hundred million RMB."

"So much?"

"Yes."

"But the courtyard is three billion."

"I paid the remaining money as a thank you to our little handsguy for reviving the company and escaping the crisis of bankruptcy or acquisition."

"It really won't do, Sister Zhang, I..."

"It doesn't matter if it won't do. The property is already under your name."

Morning.

Haohai Street.

Autumn is in full swing, with leaves falling everywhere, sprinkling the ground with golden hues. Dong Xuebing and Zhang Longjuan walked along the edge of Haohai Lake. The sound of crunching leaves and twigs echoed beneath their shoes. Zhang Longjuan didn't say where they were going, and Dong Xuebing couldn't guess the surprise. He could only follow her along the way. Dong Xuebing wasn't in a hurry anyway. When he went to Jiangnan Province, he requested leave from his unit, and they granted him half a month of business trip leave. Calculating the time, it had only been about ten days since then. He still had about five days of vacation and leisure left. He wasn't in a rush to return to work and wasn't even thinking about returning to his unit.

"Sister Zhang, when are you going back to Fuzhou?" Dong Xuebing asked.

Zhang Longjuan glanced at him. "What do you mean? You just met me, and you're already chasingaway?"

Dong Xuebing quickly said, "Oh no, it's nothing like that. I was asking."

"Haha, I'm not in a hurry to leave. I have sthings to deal with, so I'll stay for a week," Zhang Longjuan said.

"Well, that's a coincidence. My vacation lasts until next week. Since you're here, I can accompany you for a few more days," Dong Xuebing said.

"Oh, you're quite proactive. Are you up to no good? Are you trying to deceivefor money or romance?" Zhang Longjuan never had a straight face.

Rolling his eyes, Dong Xuebing said, "What are you talking about? No, I want to thank you properly. I was able to get promoted so quickly this time, thanks to your significant investment in Zhengshui County. Since you rarely cto Beijing, I have to treat you well and show you shospitality. Where do you want to go?"

Zhang Longjuan smiled, "Not trying to deceive me?"

Dong Xuebing: "..." He thought, "I want to deceive you too."

Dong Xuebing lacked restraint in his speech, but Zhang Longjuan's mouth was even more unrestrained than his. So, when he was with Zhang Longjuan, Dong Xuebing always felt exhausted and passive everywhere.

The so-called "like attracts like." Perhaps that's the reason.

After chatting, Zhang Longjuan confidently walked ahead in her high-heeled sandals. Many people were attracted by her charm and drawn to her. Dong Xuebing, standing beside her, naturally becthe object of attention. Dong Xuebing glanced around, feeling a sense of accomplishment in his heart.

"Sister Zhang, where are we going?" Dong Xuebing asked again.

"Don't worry, we're almost there," Zhang Longjuan said.

"You said that a while ago."

"Haha, we're just ahead. Keep going."

Suddenly, Zhang Longjuan turned a corner and walked down an alley. Dong Xuebing was surprised but quickly followed. He grew up in a hutong himself. The old courtyard houses had been demolished long ago, and now he felt nostalgic for the old hutong life and culture. Moreover, this area has been renovated recently, and many hutongs and courtyard houses have been refurbished. It no longer looked as dilapidated as before but had a quaint and ancient charm, similar to the atmosphere near Liuli Factory. The atmosphere of the hutong was intense, and he knew that this area wouldn't be demolished. Most courtyard houses had been protected as cultural heritage sites, and he could see one or two protected trees fenced off nearby. Walking here, Dong Xuebing felt very comfortable all over. It reminded him of the happy scenes of living with his parents when he was a child, and he remembered playing with his childhood friends in the hutong. But...

What are we doing here?

There don't seem to be any famous restaurants inside.

Moreover, it's not even lunchtyet.

Suddenly, Zhang Longjuan stopped and turned sideways, facing a courtyard with a red, quaint wooden door. She reached into her bag and took out a key. "We're here."

Puzzled, Dong Xuebing said, "But didn't you just arrive a few days ago? Why did you rent a house?"

Zhang Longjuan smiled, opened the door with the key, and strode in. She reached out and beckoned, "Stop talking nonsense, cin."

Dong Xuebing followed her in, and then he also looked around in astonishment. There was a main house to the north, two side rooms to the west, and two side rooms to the east. In the middle was a spacious, bright courtyard with a Chinese toon tree, stone tables, and stools. This was probably the best courtyard he had ever seen. His family's old house also called a hutong and a courtyard house, was unlike this square one. It was more like a maze, with houses turning in all directions. It wasn't too regular or neat. But this courtyard was different. It was the most regular type of courtyard. If Dong Xuebing's family's old house was for ordinary people at that time, then this courtyard must have been the residence of officials and nobles. At a glance, you could tell that the grade was different. The eaves and tiles were particularly exquisite.

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Standing under the Chinese toon tree in the courtyard, Zhang Longjuan turned around with a smile and said, "How's the environment? Does my little handsguy like it?"

"I like it," Dong Xuebing said.

"As long as you like it," Zhang Longjuan smiled.

Dong Xuebing didn't understand. "Then what's the point? What do you mean?"

Zhang Longjuan waved her hand. "What else could it mean? Haha, it's a gift for you!"

When Dong Xuebing heard this, he was stunned and said, "What do you mean, a gift for me? Huh? Did you buy this? Is this the surprise you mentioned earlier?"

"Yes," Zhang Longjuan took out a lady's cigarette, lit it, and held it in her mouth. Then she threw a bunch of keys in her hand to him. "Take it. All the keys are here."

Dong Xuebing hurriedly stepped forward to catch it, then quickly pushed it back. "This won't do, this won't do. How can I accept your gift? And this is not an ordinary thing. The property prices in Beijing are already high enough, not to mention a place like Haohai, the most central area. The surrounding property prices are all 100,000 RMB per square meter. Moreover, it's a courtyard house. Courtyard houses are much more expensive than apartment buildings. They can't be estimated based on the average price in the area. And it's even such a formal, old courtyard house. It's simply something that, even if you have money, you can't buy. It cannot be bought for tens of thousands of yuan per square meter."

Zhang Longjuan smiled, "Okay, you have a good eye. Let's not talk about the price for now. This kind of courtyard is indeed not something you can buy with money. Moreover, it's a whole courtyard. Ordinary people wouldn't sell it. Those who can have such a courtyard wouldn't lack money at all. Haha, but there are exceptions to everything. This time, you caught a break with me. This courtyard used to belong to an old friend of mine. Although we had no business contact before, I once helped him out. I lent him smoney when he was having the most difficult time. His family's business has reencountered sproblems, and he wants to sell this courtyard. But he's reluctant to sell it to others. A few days ago, I happened to be in Beijing, and we talked about this matter when we met. I cover to look with him, and we agreed. Although the price is a bit high, this unique courtyard can't be found anywhere else. So, I bought it."

Indeed, it's hard to find such a place. Generally, these kinds of courtyard houses are occupied by several households, with as many as a dozen or as few as three or four families. One family occupies one room. So, having a huge courtyard for one household is almost impossible. Even if it's possible, as Zhang Longjuan said, the other party wouldn't lack this money. So, to be able to encounter such a good thing still depends on luck.

Dong Xuebing asked, "How much?"

"Haha, take a guess?" Zhang Longjuan teased.

Dong Xuebing estimated and was startled himself, "Two hundred million?"

Zhang Longjuan smiled, "He wouldn't sell it for two billion. Well, it's about three hundred million."

Dong Xuebing almost fainted. This woman had such a lavish spending habit that he felt dizzy hearing this number: three hundred million! But thinking about it, this number wasn't unreasonable. In a better location, a villa would cost several tens of millions, and the area of this courtyard was not smaller than any villa, even larger by quite a bit. Just the central courtyard alone would be at least three hundred square meters.

This was Haohai.

This was a protected area.

This was an entire single-household courtyard!

Three billion might be expensive, but it was about the right price. Moreover, it was hard to cby. This old house couldn't be bought even with five hundred million. According to what Dong Xuebing heard, only a few old folks with the sstatus and influence as Senior Xie occasionally had a single household courtyard. And it seemed that none of them were as good as the courtyard bought by Zhang Longjuan, nor were they as large. Even Senior Xie didn't have one. He only lived in a villa. So, you can imagine how precious this was.

Dong Xuebing liked it. He was born and raised in the hutongs, so he naturally had a feeling here that others couldn't understand. But Dong Xuebing still pushed the keys back to Zhang Longjuan, "Really, I can't accept it. I really can't."

"You earned it," Zhang Longjuan smiled.

"You're givingsuch a valuable gift for free. How can I accept it?" Dong Xuebing objected.

Zhang Longjuan laughed, "It's not for free. Sit down, and letexplain it to you." With that, she sat on the stone stool, her legs wrapped in tight leather pants, and said, "Have you forgotten? You still own twenty percent of my company's shares. Since using the money you won to ease the financial strain, many projects in our company have been successfully launched. This year's performance is awe-inspiring, with profits reaching a new level. With twenty percent of the shares, it's natural for you to receive dividends."

Dong Xuebing said, "But the dividends shouldn't be that much."

"Haha, they are." Zhang Longjuan snapped her fingers. "Don't underestimate the benefits brought by your money. Our company has almost reached a new level in just a few months. I know you probably don't understand the financial reports, but lettell you, your dividends this year are about two hundred million RMB."

"So much?"

"Yes."

"But the courtyard is three billion."

"I paid the remaining money as a thank you to our little handsguy for reviving the company and escaping the crisis of bankruptcy or acquisition."

"It really won't do, Sister Zhang, I..."

"It doesn't matter if it won't do. The property is already under your name."