What Teacher Xu Jing couldn’t handle was solved in one day by Liu Yong, with Manager Wu’s help and guidance!

Even those who refused to leave had no choice – once their belongings were moved out, they absolutely couldn’t move back in.

Li Dongliang and Ge Jian stood guard like door gods!

When Manager Wu offered a loan, Liu Yong was hesitant to accept. He needed to discuss it with Xia Xiaolan. Manager Wu didn’t rush him – he hadn’t even accepted Liu Yong’s thank-you money, just taking a pack of cigarettes. After all, Manager Wu wasn’t after such small profits. Many struggling state-owned enterprises came begging him for loans from the branch bank – was he the type to care about mere food and drinks?

He was dedicated to public service, with greater aspirations.

“Xiaolan, are you sure we won’t lose money buying these government bonds? Looking at Manager Wu’s expression, I’m worried for him.”

Xia Xiaolan was speechless – Manager Wu was worried about quotas from above, while her uncle, a private businessman, was worried about someone with an iron rice bowl. As a mid-to-high-level bank manager, Manager Wu’s position would only become more valuable as reforms and opening up expanded.

“You won’t lose money on government bonds, but for us, even keeping money in the bank earning interest would mean losing quite a bit – naturally, buying government bonds won’t be profitable either. As for Manager Wu offering you a loan, you need to consider if you need it.”

It depended on how low the interest rate was.

If the bank’s lending rate was lower than the deposit rate, they could make a profit just by borrowing money and depositing it back.

Xia Xiaolan thought such small-scale operations weren’t worth it. They needed to see if Liu Yong could put the loan to good use. In business, more working capital was always better, but they needed to reasonably judge business prospects and financial conditions. If they borrowed a lot of money but couldn’t turn it over, Yuan Hui wasn’t a state-owned enterprise – could they just default on bank loans?

Those defaulting state-owned enterprises were already bankrupt, but Yuan Hui needed long-term development.

After hearing Xia Xiaolan’s explanation, Liu Yong was somewhat tempted.

He had borrowed before and knew the anxiety of owing the bank money. But the municipal government guesthouse project had been completed successfully, he had repaid the bank loan on time and made a substantial profit. Having experienced the benefits of bank loans firsthand, Liu Yong wasn’t opposed to them. As Xia Xiaolan said, if suitable projects came up and he needed funds, he would consider taking Manager Wu’s loan offer.

Liu Yong had always been bold – how else would he have dared to smuggle before?

He walked around the courtyard with Xia Xiaolan. Although the tenants’ makeshift buildings had made the courtyard messy, the overall area was quite large – about the same size as the homestead plot given to Xia Xiaolan’s family in Qijing Village!

How could village land compare to this courtyard? This was in the imperial city.

Liu Yong finally felt a sense of reality: “I now have a house in Beijing?”

Indeed – Xia Xiaolan was happy that her uncle had gotten a house before her.

The family didn’t keep separate accounts – it didn’t matter who bought first. Xia Xiaolan was deeply grateful, remembering how when she and Liu Fen were living in that drafty old house in Dahe Village, her uncle had taken them in without hesitation. It wasn’t just for a few days – back then, Liu Yong didn’t know she could earn money, he had simply taken responsibility for the mother and daughter!

Looking back, it wasn’t entirely proper – Liu Yong had made that decision without consulting Li Fengmei.

Fortunately, Xia Xiaolan hadn’t troubled her uncle’s family for long, quickly earning her own money.

All this had happened just last year. In that short time, many things had occurred, but Xia Xiaolan hadn’t forgotten her gratitude toward Liu Yong.

“These illegal buildings need to be demolished. Your family only has three people – you don’t need so many small rooms. The courtyard’s original layout was good, plenty for you, your aunt, and your cousin to live in. Restore the courtyard’s original appearance, and the house will be so bright and spacious!”

A family of three could squeeze into small rooms.

Some even had three generations sharing one room – this wasn’t unique, but common during special times.

Food, clothing, shelter, and transportation were essential human needs. After earning money to solve food and clothing issues, the next improvement would naturally be housing. Having a house and living comfortably were two different things – Xia Xiaolan thought Liu Yong could skip straight to living comfortably. They might as well demolish all the makeshift structures and spend some money renovating the courtyard.

“That will require more money.”

After buying the house, they still needed to restore it and furnish it – Liu Yong felt this was truly a money pit.

The advantage was that Liu Yong worked in renovations. If he could renovate others’ houses well, how could he not be thorough with his own home?

He turned to Xia Xiaolan and said: “You’re studying architecture, and renovation is part of architecture – uncle’s courtyard is in your hands.”

The school had barely been in session for two months, and Xia Xiaolan had just started learning professional knowledge. However, even as an amateur, she had previously designed renovations for Kang Wei and Shao Guangrong’s homes, plus the Pengcheng Municipal Government Guesthouse project, and she had collaborated with Gong Yang on the Qijing Village house. If asked to take charge, she wasn’t afraid.

Huaqing’s Architecture Department had many accomplished professors – she could consult them when she encountered problems.

Applying knowledge practically and gaining experience was better than just drawing lines.

Of course, she needed to practice the basics. Xia Xiaolan happily accepted Liu Yong’s commission – she would come to measure the courtyard’s area and layout carefully someday.

Liu Yong kept touching the house – when he told Fengmei about this, she would be overjoyed!

The only issue was that the family couldn’t move to Beijing yet – Liu Yong needed to do business in Pengcheng, while Li Fengmei couldn’t leave her clothing store in Shangdu.

There was no rush – they could gradually renovate the house and make money when time allowed. His son Liu Zitao was only in first grade. Liu Yong swore that within four or five years before Liu Zitao started middle school, he would establish their home in Beijing!

It was unfortunate his parents had passed away early and hadn’t imagined he could be this successful. The Liu family, who had fled to Qijing Village in Yunan Province, was becoming more prosperous and could even move to Beijing.

As Xiaolan said, they could change their household registration later. Liu Yong felt this would make his life worthwhile – establishing the Liu family in Beijing would let him face his ancestors underground with pride.

“Come on, take me to see that Shichahai courtyard you mentioned.”

He had bought his house, but his niece’s wasn’t settled yet. Since Liu Yong was in Beijing anyway, he wanted to take a look.

If the other party wouldn’t compromise, he would add some money himself… Well, money could be earned again after spending it. Hadn’t Manager Wu offered to lend to him? Liu Yong now felt quite confident.

…

Far away in Hong Kong, Xia Dajun suddenly seemed to have found his confidence too.

After accidentally saving the “young master,” Xia Dajun’s fortunes seemed to have turned around in Hong Kong.

The young master kept him as an attendant. As they say, a prime minister’s doorkeeper is like a seventh-rank official – although he was just a runner for the young master, even the group’s middle managers didn’t dare put on airs with him. Yes, it was a group company – regardless of what they did privately, the young master’s family had a proper group company.

Xia Dajun, this unsophisticated mainlander, suddenly became the young master’s favored servant. Following the young master for just one month, he had seen more of the world than in several decades of his previous life.

At the end of the month, the young master paid Xia Dajun his salary.

Counting the colorful Hong Kong dollars, again and again, Xia Dajun was amazed – over thirty bills?!

Money was what made heroes bold, what gave men confidence. Xia Dajun tucked away his salary, let out a long breath, and even stood much straighter!