A good life starts with blind date

Chapter 301 A Heartless Person

The New City Hotel has been built for seven years, and it is well maintained.

However, it inevitably looks old.

The boss came over for dinner, and Liu Jinliang showed up briefly.

Jiang Ning pointed to the windowsill: "Shouldn't we renovate it?"

Liu Jinliang said, "With this plan, the hotel's decor style can last for a few more years, and some commonly used facilities are constantly being updated. It's just that some of the upholstery is getting old, and we plan to renovate it after the Spring Festival."

Jiang Ning asked, "Do you have money?"

Liu Jinliang said, "We have reserved funds. Let me present a plan and a budget for you to take a look."

Jiang Ning nodded: "What is the debt-to-equity ratio?"

Liu Jinliang said casually, "42%, it will be zero in three more years."

"not bad!"

Jiang Ning said, "Without external debts, your lives will be much easier."

Liu Jinliang nodded, saying that corporate debt was normal.

But for hotels, if they have no debt and don't have to repay loans, they have several million more in disposable funds each year. It would be so appealing to use these funds to pay bonuses and benefits, with an average of fifty to sixty thousand per person, which would motivate everyone even more.

After chatting for a few minutes, Shen Liming and his family arrived.

Liu Jinliang gave a brief greeting and went to the kitchen to urge the production of the food.

"Hello, Uncle! Hello, Aunt!"

Zhang Xin's daughter was as polite as ever.

They greet others without being reminded by their parents.

However, he only greeted Jiang Ning and Feng Yu, and glanced at Feng Xue.

I'm a little unsure how to greet them.

Zhang Xin smiled and reminded her, "This one is also an aunt."

The little girl couldn't hide her surprise, but she still greeted her, "Hello, Auntie."

Feng Xue smiled and nodded, then patted her head.

Shen Liming then gave instructions to his son and greeted everyone.

When we first met, the little one was only two or three years old.

Before I knew it, I was in elementary school. Time really flies.

Feng Yu is also teaching her daughter, but the little one is still young.

He's only two years old on New Year's Day, how could he greet people?

Zhang Xin wanted to hug her, but the little one wouldn't let her.

She's a little shy around strangers.

Congratulations, Sister Zhang!

After they sat down and tea was poured, Jiang Ning expressed her delight.

"Thank you."

Zhang Xin seemed to be in a good mood and was not affected at all.

After chatting for a few minutes, the food arrived.

The waiter brought over two bottles of wine and a decanter.

Feng Yu and Zhang Xin didn't drink, but poured wine for the boss and Mayor Shen.

They clinked glasses and started chatting.

Jiang Ning asked Shen Liming about his situation: "You've been the township head for three years, shouldn't you be promoted?"

Shen Liming didn't hide anything: "I might have to go to the Ecological and Environmental Protection Bureau after the New Year."

"That's pretty good too."

"Let's just make do with it!"

When will you be promoted to deputy director level?

"There's no hope."

Shen Liming shook his head: "It's too difficult."

Jiang Ning asked, "Are you over forty yet?"

Shen Liming said, "No, thirty-eight."

Jiang Ning said, "Thirty-eight isn't old, there are still plenty of opportunities."

Shen Liming said, "There are a lot of people at the section chief level, and many want to jump the dragon gate. Most of them work until retirement, and they just keep being transferred around at the section chief level. At most, they can become the head of a township or the director of a bureau, and retire with the salary of a deputy division chief."

"That's not bad."

"It's a little better than for ordinary people."

We chatted for a while.

Shen Liming asked, "I heard you're going to withdraw your shares from the second venue?"

Jiang Ning didn't hide anything and nodded: "That guy has too many ideas right now, let's withdraw him and let him do what he wants."

Shen Liming asked, "If you withdraw from the second round, can you still turn things around?"

Jiang Ning said, "The earth will keep turning no matter who's gone."

Shen Liming had some doubts, but he didn't press the matter further.

The two farms are nothing short of miraculous, but no one knows what secrets they hold. Even Feng Yu herself doesn't know if her husband possesses any extraordinary black technology, let alone outsiders.

"Are your two cousins going to continue raising cattle?"

"I'm not raising it anymore, I want to transfer ownership."

Shen Liming's heart skipped a beat; he sensed something was wrong.

Jiang Ning said, "Don't tell anyone, it hasn't been announced yet."

Shen Liming nodded, sensing that this was a huge trap.

It's estimated that quite a few people will be buried.

The second cattle farm has very high profits, and its biggest advantage is its low cost. Otherwise, a lot of companies wouldn't be vying to enter the market. If the second farm can still operate normally after Boss Jiang withdraws his shares, why would his two cousins transfer their shares?

Exiting the market prematurely will likely lead to problems.

The snow stopped the next day, but it was still very cold.

Jiang Ning first went to the second venue and convened a meeting with the management team.

The meeting discussed how to wrap things up at the end of the year and stand firm in our final post.

After the meeting, I sat in the office for a while and signed a bunch of financial documents.

Taking advantage of a moment when no one was around, Cao Junqing seized the opportunity to ask, "There are rumors that President Jiang is going to withdraw his shares, is that true?"

Jiang Ning blinked and said, "Just do your job well, don't ask about these things."

Cao Junqing left dejectedly, feeling uneasy.

How could I possibly concentrate on work?

It was past nine o'clock when Jiang Ning finally went to the county.

Boss Zhu is not here; he's on a business trip to the provincial capital.

Jiang Ning and the second boss sat for a while and discussed the equity transfer.

After lunch, we went to Qize again.

The beginning and end of the year are always the busiest times.

It's time to summarize the work of the past year.

We need to plan and deploy our work for next year.

Various social engagements.

Various social interactions.

There are still a lot of people asking for money, all waiting for him to sign.

Only then can the finance department make the payments.

I was busy for two days, stayed one night in Qize, and had a social engagement.

I didn't return to Bei'an until the following evening.

When we got home, the two adults and one child were having a race on their strollers.

My daughter rode a balance bike, while Feng Yu and Feng Xue both rode scooters.

The scene is heartwarming and very humorous.

As Jiang Ning changed her shoes, she asked, "Why are you all so energetic?"

Feng Yusheng said helplessly, "She won't let us two be idle. She insists that we both ride bikes with her. We can't even take turns with her."

Jiang Ning laughed: "My baby is a master at walking his mom."

Before they could even enjoy themselves for a minute...

When the little guy saw his dad come home, he immediately pulled over a balance bike.

Let him ride it too.

Feng Yu burst out laughing: "Serves you right for showing off."

Jiang Ning scratched his head a little; he had drunk some wine.

I'm feeling a little sleepy.

But looking into her daughter's clear, naive eyes, she couldn't bear to disappoint her good intentions.

I had no choice but to join the family-wide parent-child exercise.

The four of them, big and small, were riding strollers around the living room, chasing each other.

But in his heart he was thinking that he would have to deal with the car later.

Hide them all, leave only one.

The next day at noon, Feng Xue cooked lunch, and the brothers gathered at home for a meal.

While Jiang Hua was eating, she suddenly received a call from her neighbor.

His house collapsed.

So after lunch, the two brothers took their families to look at houses.

The old bungalow in the east of the city had never been lived in since he bought the house. After the farm was built, Father Jiang never lived in the bungalow again. The gate was locked and left there. He hadn't cared about it for more than two years and hadn't thought about selling it.

Feng Yu and Feng Xue had never even been to the old bungalow.

All I know is that there's an old bungalow that Mr. Jiang bought in the east of the city.

I parked the car at the entrance of the yard, and Aunt Cao from next door heard the noise and came out to see what was going on.

We've been neighbors for twenty years, and the two families know each other very well.

When Jiang Ning got married, her father sent out invitations, and people gave gifts as a token of their appreciation.

Aunt Cao recognized Feng Yu, but Feng Yu didn't have much of an impression of her.

There were so many people on my wedding day that I didn't remember anything.

After exchanging a few words at the door, Jiang Hua took out his key and opened the door.

The large iron gate creaked as it was pushed open, and a layer of dust rushed out.

Aunt Cao followed them in and said, "It must have collapsed last night. I heard a muffled thud when I was sleeping, but I forgot about it when I woke up this morning. I just remembered it, so I climbed the ladder over the wall and saw that the carport had collapsed..." The two brothers agreed and led the way into the yard.

The courtyard is not large, with two rooms at the front and a kitchen near the gate.

Next to the kitchen was a carport, right next to the yard.

It's full of junk; all the useless things in the house are piled up here.

Jiang's father had various tools and equipment for growing vegetables, as well as his discarded electric scooter and so on.

There was still some unburned coal inside.

It was piled up to the brim.

Unfortunately, the carport collapsed and buried them all.

The two brothers stood outside and looked around, feeling a bit lost.

What should I do?

Jiang Ziwen and Jiang Tiantian stood beside their respective mothers, looking around curiously.

The two little ones had never been to the old bungalow before, and everything was new and exciting to them.

The yard was covered with a layer of snow; the snow from yesterday hadn't melted.

The two little ones quickly found something to do, jumping and playing in the snow.

Feng Yu peered through the kitchen window and quickly called everyone over to look: "The house is leaking."

The two brothers went over and peered through the window; sure enough, it was leaking.

The drywall on the roof was riddled with holes, and the floor and walls were covered in marks from rainwater soaking.

Jiang Huana tried to open the door, but after trying for a long time, she couldn't get it open.

The lock cylinder is rusted shut and can't be turned at all.

Jiang Hua found some tools and tried to pry it open for a long time, but he couldn't manage it.

This old-fashioned anti-theft lock is of pretty good quality.

Jiang Hua was a little annoyed: "I need to call a locksmith."

Jiang Ning said, "The locks need to be replaced too."

Jiang Hua nodded: "Take it apart and replace it with a new one."

Jiang Ning looked around and said, "There's no point in keeping this house. We might as well sell it."

Jiang Hua said helplessly, "Dad won't let me sell it."

Jiang Ning was also quite helpless; she had mentioned this matter before.

But Mr. and Mrs. Jiang wouldn't allow it to be sold, and they didn't know what use it would be.

The lock on the door of the big house was fine, so I opened it and went inside to take a look.

After discussing it, the two brothers decided that Jiang Ning would call and arrange for someone to come and clean up the carport.

Jiang Hua then called a locksmith to unlock the door.

I found a landline and dialed it. After a while, I got a call back.

They said they were locksmiths and asked for directions.

Jiang Hua asked in bewilderment, "Didn't I tell them? Why haven't they come yet?"

The other party explained, "That call was from the company's designated call center; the information was just transferred to me."

Jiang Hua didn't say anything, but urged, "Run faster."

The other party agreed and hung up the phone to wait.

Two minutes later, another call came in.

They said the person in front had something come up and couldn't come, so they should send someone else.

Jiang Hua didn't think much of it and, as usual, urged him to hang up the phone.

Less than two minutes later, another call came in.

They said the person in front was a bit far away, so they should let him come.

Jiang Hua hummed in agreement twice: "Hurry up."

Two minutes after I hung up the phone, I received a fourth call.

Tell them the person in front is drunk and ask him to come.

Jiang Hua was incredibly annoyed: "What the hell are you guys doing?"

The other party hurriedly replied, "Coming right away, coming right away. I'm in the east of the city, I'll be there in three minutes."

Jiang Hua hung up the phone, still feeling a bit of a headache.

Jiang Ning asked, "What's going on?"

Jiang Hua said, "I don't know. One said he had something come up and couldn't come, another said he lived far away, and another said he was drunk. I don't know what these people are up to!"

Fortunately, this time it didn't take long, about five minutes.

Two people arrived, one of whom was around thirty years old.

A man in his early twenties came in carrying a tool bag.

Jiang Hua pointed out the directions, and the two of them started working.

It was too cold outside, so the women had already taken their children to the car.

There were only the two brothers and two locksmiths in the yard.

The locksmith was very professional. He took out a bunch of tools and quickly opened the lock from the outside. Then he took out a new lock to replace it. While he was busy, a middle-aged man came in and asked, "Are you locksmiths?"

The two brothers were a little confused.

Jiang Hua said, "It's already opened."

The middle-aged man immediately became unhappy: "How can you do things like this?"

Jiang Hua was completely bewildered: "What's going on?"

Jiang Ning was also quite confused.

The middle-aged man was quite angry: "I already said I was coming, why did you call someone else?"

The two locksmiths worked with their heads covered, not uttering a sound.

Jiang Hua was completely bewildered: "Who did I call? I only made a call to a locksmith, but I received four calls. One said they had something urgent and couldn't come, one said they lived too far away, and one said they were drunk. Why are there two groups of people coming?"

The middle-aged man said, "How should I know? I already told you I was coming."

"The lock is open, you can go back now!"

"I came all the way from the west side of the city, are you kidding me?!"

"I didn't mess with you at all. I just made a phone call. Who knows what you guys were up to?"

"I don't care, I'm already here, so you have to pay for unlocking it."

Why should I pay for it for you?

“I already said I was coming over, but you went and found someone else. You should have a conscience.”

Jiang Hua was furious: "What nonsense are you talking about? I only made one phone call, but I received four calls from you. The second caller said the first one had something come up and couldn't come. The third caller said the second one lived too far away and couldn't come. The fourth caller said the third one was drunk and couldn't come. Is this your problem or mine?"

"It's definitely your problem."

"How is it my problem?"

"I already said I was coming, why are you still answering other people's calls?"

Do I need your permission to answer the phone?

"You'd take a hundred of them?"

Stop giving me that nonsense.

"Heartless..."

Just as they were arguing, another middle-aged man walked in.

When asked, they said they were there to unlock the door.

It’s even more lively.

Feng Yu saw this from inside the car and ran out to ask, "What's going on? It looks like two more locksmiths have arrived?"

Jiang Ning said, "I don't understand either, it seems like there's a problem."

"What's the problem?"

"Wait and see."

The third middle-aged man who came over was easy to talk to, and he heard that the lock had already been opened.

He left without saying anything.

Only the second middle-aged man who came over persisted, insisting on paying for unlocking the door.

I didn't want to make a wasted trip.

The first two to arrive installed the lock and prepared to take the money and leave.

Jiang Ning stopped her: "Wait, explain yourself before you leave. What exactly is going on with you?"

The young man, around thirty years old, seemed reluctant to say, "The locks have been changed, there's nothing more for me to do here."

"Explain yourself! What the hell are you doing?!"

"This……"

After discussing it during the day, the two brothers finally figured it out.

That landline phone was probably just a dispatcher, similar to a ride-hailing app that assigns orders. These locksmiths were like drivers accepting orders, bidding on them on the platform. Whoever got the order got it. As for the phone numbers we intercepted earlier…

The middle-aged person was the first to make the call.

The two locksmiths who arrived first were the fourth to make the call.

It's the closest and runs the fastest.

As for the people in front being drunk, it was purely for the sake of grabbing the order.

"That's fucking bullshit!"

Jiang Ning was also annoyed; these people really would stop at nothing to grab orders.

I thought that once I figured things out, everything would be fine.

But the second middle-aged man who came over refused to give up.

They absolutely insist on charging for unlocking.

One hundred yuan is nothing, let alone Jiang Ning.

Jiang Hua wasn't short of a hundred yuan; he could just say a few nice words and give it to her.

But this middle-aged man not only spoke rudely, but also kept criticizing Jiang Hua for answering other people's calls.