In Director Wu’s eyes, customers who could buy government bonds were premium clients.

Without buying bonds, having over a hundred thousand in a branch account only fulfilled part of the deposit quota. After all, selling government bonds was much harder than attracting deposits – they weren’t even in the same league. At this time, people’s first choice when they had money was to deposit it in the bank. From their wages, they would set aside a portion, accumulating savings bit by bit. Even five yuan could be deposited – this was how ordinary working families slowly built their savings.

Money in the bank wouldn’t be stolen.

Bank deposits earned interest.

Savings supported national construction.

Ordinary people knew the benefits of saving money, so Director Wu needn’t worry about deposit quotas. Without Xia Xiaolan’s deposits, others would come, though their amounts weren’t as large. Drop by drop fills the ocean – hundreds and thousands of small depositors could help the branch meet its targets. But without Xia Xiaolan buying government bonds, finding other willing buyers would be difficult.

Units needing loans would buy bonds under Director Wu’s persuasion.

But Xia Xiaolan wasn’t borrowing money and volunteered to buy – naturally, Director Wu was delighted.

Another 3,000 yuan?

That would make 6,000 yuan in government bonds in total.

Director Wu saw enormous potential in Xia Xiaolan. If she could buy six thousand now, she might buy sixty thousand later!

Helping a premium client solve some troubles was only natural. Director Wu had wondered what prompted Xia Xiaolan to voluntarily buy government bonds… Who knew it was just about buying a house?

“A courtyard house within the Second Ring Road – you ask if that’s too demanding? Not at all, not at all. It’s no joke, anything outside the Second Ring is too remote!”

Haidian District was remote too.

Huaqing Garden was already in the suburbs.

Hearing Director Wu’s tone suggesting anything beyond the Second Ring was suburban, Xia Xiaolan listened silently without arguing.

This disdainful attitude would get someone mobbed thirty years later. If houses outside the Second Ring weren’t worth buying, what about those buying in Tongzhou, or those living in Beijing but buying houses in Northern Hebei Province?

Properties in Haidian District had investment potential and were convenient for living. Barring the unexpected, Xia Xiaolan would study at Huaqing for five years, so she asked Director Wu to keep an eye out there too.

Though Beijing didn’t have commercial housing transactions yet, private house trading wasn’t uncommon.

Xia Xiaolan wasn’t just fixated on courtyard houses – currently, tradeable properties weren’t unit-assigned apartments but rather returned “ancestral properties” like courtyard houses, where individuals held property rights. She could search by herself, but as an outsider, information access was difficult. Having Director Wu help would be more efficient than her efforts.

She told Director Wu he could look for several properties.

Director Wu thought she wanted to choose, like selecting vegetables – naturally, buying a house would be similar.

Xia Xiaolan didn’t explain.

If suitable properties appeared, she wanted to persuade Uncle Liu Yong to buy one too. “Yuan Hui” was gradually gaining ground in Pengcheng, and as long as work kept coming, Liu Yong could earn money. The guesthouse business had also brought Liu Yong substantial profits, half of which went to Xia Xiaolan, with some invested in the building materials store. But Liu Yong could afford to spend tens of thousands on a house.

Investing in property in Shangdu didn’t conflict with buying in Beijing.

Then there was Zhou Cheng’s letter mentioning ending the cigarette business, with large amounts of idle capital, asking Xia Xiaolan what to do.

Xia Xiaolan didn’t know exactly how much his “large amount” was, but Zhou Cheng had previously said he could choose any car under 200,000 yuan, suggesting his wealth far exceeded her own. Use it all to buy houses? Were there even that many houses for sale in Beijing?

This wasn’t something Xia Xiaolan could decide alone. She needed to think carefully and discuss it with Zhou Cheng when they met.

The weekend was destined to be busy. Kang Wei returned to Beijing together with Chen Xiliang.

Since leaving Pengcheng in August, Xia Xiaolan hadn’t seen Kang Wei.

Kang Wei was darker than in late August but energetic. After fully participating in the building materials store’s preparation work, he seemed much more mature than when they first met last year. Xia Xiaolan herself had changed greatly – Kang Wei wasn’t the only one around her experiencing huge changes.

“How’s business at the building materials store?”

“Not bad. I think we can recover our investment in about a year, and after next year, it’ll be pure profit.”

Large-scale renovation materials businesses like theirs were rare. With a 200,000 yuan investment, recovering costs within a year would be good. All shareholders understood this – it wouldn’t bring quick profits like clothing resale, but once they opened the market, given Pengcheng’s construction pace, the building materials store could earn big money.

Chen Xiliang was envious.

He felt Xia Xiaolan never chose the wrong industries, but she hadn’t invited him to partner, and he couldn’t just volunteer.

Besides, he was more confident in the clothing business – it was his expertise. He had more confidence operating in the garment industry. The world’s money couldn’t all be earned at once; better to first secure profits in the clothing sector.

Chen Xiliang came to Beijing to meet editors from “Popular Cinema.” Carrying a cashmere coat, he wanted to get his favored rising actor onto the magazine’s cover, preferably with an interview – that would be foolproof.

Listening to Chen Xiliang excitedly share his ideas, Xia Xiaolan wondered if pushing Old Chen into the entertainment circle early had been right.

Is a clothing wholesaler already planning to manipulate “Popular Cinema’s” cover and interviews?

Just to sell clothes, Chen Xiliang was too ambitious – but such determination explained why wholesalers like him succeeded!

Chen Xiliang asked if Xia Xiaolan wanted to visit the “Popular Cinema” editorial office. Before she could answer, someone else sought her – unexpectedly, Tang Hong’en had come to Beijing for meetings, arriving almost simultaneously with Kang Wei, and asked if Xia Xiaolan had time for a meal.

Driver Wang came to find Xia Xiaolan.

Chen Xiliang fell silent. “Please attend to your business. For such a small matter, I can go to the editorial office myself.”

When a high-level leader wanted to dine with Xia Xiaolan, a mere wholesaler like him couldn’t compete. Chen Xiliang knew Driver Wang from when he delivered flower baskets on behalf of leaders at the “An Family Building Materials” opening.

Chen Xiliang still hadn’t figured out just how deep Xia Xiaolan’s connections ran.

Kang Wei needed to head home too. Since Mayor Tang wanted to dine with his sister-in-law, Kang Wei chose to meet another day.

Though Xia Xiaolan was just studying at Huaqing, it was like she ran Pengcheng’s Beijing office. In one day, so many people came from Pengcheng, and she was their first contact!

“Where does Uncle Tang want to eat?”

Driver Wang smiled, “The leader said a simple meal at Huaqing Garden would do.”

So he deliberately came to have a meal with her, even accommodating her by choosing Huaqing Garden? Even if she were in charge of Pengcheng’s Beijing office, she wouldn’t deserve such treatment!