My Lord, you need to stand up!

Chapter 578 There Must Be an Essence Beyond the Phenomenon
Big overseas business deals weren't really on Wei Dong's mind.

In terms of wealth, he has indeed amassed over 100 million yuan in fixed assets through his domestic business.

As long as the transition can proceed smoothly for another ten years or so, some people should be allowed to get rich first in the mid-to-late 1990s.

If a billionaire in 1986 had a net worth of less than a billion back then, and hadn't reached that level thirty years later, it would definitely be considered a decline in their fortunes.

Therefore, mastering the domestic market is the key.

Wei Dong didn't even want to develop any backup plans for overseas operations, because he understood that if he continued to think and act this way, and tried to run away at the first sign of crisis or pressure, he probably would never be able to come back in his lifetime.

His old leader in Shangzhou had long ago taught him that this was also a battle.

It's no different from the sacrifices made by our martyrs.

He knows better than anyone what this place will become, and now he is confident in participating in this change.

For example, standing upstairs in the Salt Industry Association building now, looking around, all I feel is "What the hell is this place?" and I can't help but feel that "I'm in charge" mentality that only a market manipulator would have.

With his aesthetic sense as a security guard in a compound, if the current urban area were a cluster of self-built houses in an urban village that emerged after large-scale urbanization, it would be fine, whether it's ugly or not.

It was precisely when he went to Kuizhou that he saw the ancient city walls mixed with newly built houses from the 1970s and 1980s on the river, which looked very awkward.

This place also contains a large number of buildings from the Republican era, as well as many houses built after liberation, all of which are dilapidated regardless of the era.

This is the face of this mountain city facing the Yangtze River.

Anyone wanting to photograph Jiangzhou, whether from the opposite bank or a boat on the river, will capture the scale of this three-dimensional peninsula built against the mountain.

Because the houses used to be low, and this place is considered a bit high by the roadside, all you can see are dilapidated structures, a makeshift combination of asbestos tiles and asphalt felt, with various stilted buildings and sheds mixed among these Republican-era buildings and post-1949 warehouses.

It felt like repeatedly applying one plaster after another.

It's even uglier than the stinking ditch on West Second Street in Shangzhou. At least if you hold your nose and clean up the ditch, West Second Street still retains its exotic charm.

This place is too big, and it was once too glorious and too important, so it is left with layers of plasters.

This made Wei Dong even more determined to renovate the place. He turned to the platoon leader and pointed out: "After you all get together, first repair and improve the yard of the cleaning and moving company. Then start to interact with the people along this side, try to get to know their situation, and we will try to help them find jobs. Then we will gradually relocate and replace them, freeing up these adjacent buildings, whether they are old yards or newly built houses, to help them improve their lives and protect these historical buildings."

The platoon leader naturally interpreted it as simply helping the people, at most adding some protection of old buildings, and firmly and resolutely said yes!
After he arrived, Wei Dong stared intently at the endless rows of shacks and dilapidated roofs, interspersed with the occasional patch of something better. He was trying to recall what the nicer urban planning would look like later, and what the old building complexes would be like.

It wasn't until his daughter, who was perched on his shoulder, suddenly cried out that he abruptly turned his attention away, both amused and exasperated. Following Xiao Die's gaze, he turned around and saw Shen Laosan hiding behind a brick pillar in the corridor, his face streaked with tears.

"Which building is your home?" I asked, pulling the baby closer to her angle.

Shen Cuiyue whispered, "That one with the skylight, I used to sit there and watch the moon when I was little..."

How heartbreaking it was that Wei Dong, that damned bastard, actually laughed: "Have you learned your lesson yet? If the whole family goes astray, they deserve to be ruined and die."

Shen Cuiyue mumbled, "I know."

She wiped away the water stains and then stepped forward to pull Wei Dong's clothes to wipe his face: "If I hadn't been holding my two younger brothers back then, I would have just jumped into the river. Now, your house is my house. I hope you will keep a close eye on me so that I won't become arrogant."

Wei Dong scoffed, "Not bad, not bad. Your acting is much better than it was three years ago. Hmm, July, it's been exactly three years. Let's go pick someone up and have a couple of drinks to commemorate it."

Shen Cuiyue didn't complain about whether it was real or fake. She grinned and made a face to amuse the child. Wasn't it good enough to commemorate the occasion?
At that moment, the smile on her face was genuinely happy.

But Stone, who was guarding the bottom of the stairs, sneakily announced, "Brother, look, there's a golden flag here too..."

Pointing to the inconspicuous carvings on the wooden pillar in the corner, the lifelike fluttering triangular flag was only the size of a palm, with a gold character in the middle and a faint yellow tinge around the serrated edge.

Time may have dulled the surface, but it can't suppress the dynamism and color variations.

Wei Dong raised an eyebrow: "What do you mean?"

Shen Cuiyue knew more than her brother: "The fleets along the Yangtze River were roughly divided into eight major gangs, with each gang consisting of two or three counties. Jiangzhou had three gangs, one for the upper reaches, and the three counties near the Three Gorges exit were the Chu gang, which used the Shun flag. Shangzhou and my grandfather's hometown used the triangular black-bordered flag, and the Ghost City used the square bubble flag. Kuizhou and the Gorge entrance were the Wu gang, which flew the golden flag. The Salt Industry Guild was actually the Salt Gang. My grandfather said that the ancient town used to be a salt-producing area..."

Wei Dong remained somewhat unconvinced: "Well, so what if there are these stories of the martial arts world? They've been around for decades, what's the point?"

Shen Cuiyue raised an eyebrow and smiled, with a hint of allure: "Didn't you say you were going to take over the houses in that ancient town? The richest families in that town must be the big families of the Salt Gang. Now that you've taken over the Salt Industry Guild's building, let's see if they'll give you any face in the martial arts world."

Wei Dong initially wanted to scoff: "I'm from Shangzhou Tourism Development Company... Heh heh, it seems what you're saying makes some sense."

He, Shi Tou, and Lamu stayed overnight in the courtyard of the Ren Da family. When they settled the bill the next day, they heard the family complaining that the county officials made all sorts of promises, dragging their feet on paying for meals and lodging. It was the mid-1980s! Even three years ago, Wei Dong was very careful selling cured meat. This family must have been punished a few years ago.

It was only after the policy was implemented that they were able to return their old houses, just like the Dong family did, but they still dared to complain like this.

He's a troublemaker at heart, not the kind of guy who'll just agree to anything.

Maybe this trick will actually work.

Shen Cuiyue immediately emphasized, "Take me with you next time, and I'll take care of everything!"

He immediately added to his own worth: "Back then, all the boats on the Sichuan River had to fly their own flags. Normally, they kept to themselves and didn't interact with each other, but when the fleets gathered together and there was a festival, they could still chat, drink, and fight sheep together. There were many rules, and only those who knew them understood them!"

Let Weidong say yes.

Shen Laosan proudly wagged her tail at her younger brother, while Shi Tou responded with a hanged ghost expression.

But Wei Dong gave the platoon leader a few more instructions: in addition to working here, they should also get an advance from the company and start acquiring antique furniture to try to restore the currently empty building and put it back in the open.

Then, after Ram returned, slightly sweaty, they quickly exchanged glances and got into the car together before Ram reported, "I went to check, and everything was locked, with broken seals and rusty padlocks."

Shen Cuiyue wasn't so sad now: "Well, that means no one has come back yet. When disaster strikes, everyone flies away. Master, I want to take it back. After I take it back, our family will be in charge!"

Wei Dong laughed and scolded, "Why are you making the decision? Are you trying to set me up?!"

Shen Cuiyue leaned back in her chair: "The Shen family is gone, so only our family has the ability to sit in the hall. Shitou, don't you think so?"

Shi Tou said in a muffled voice, "The surname on the household registration is Rang, so it means Rang's family."

They took advantage of the first batch of ID card processing to have Wei Dong slip them into his own household registration, and they were all registered in the Beijiaochang New District, which has now seen a surge in population of several thousand. Ding Haifeng did not show any favoritism when processing them; it was very easy.

Naturally, they changed the surname of the three of them to Rang, otherwise they would stand out too much among everyone, since there was no one with the surname Shen in their area.

Not to mention that the surname is Chen.

Wei Dong disagreed: "In ten or twenty years, many landlords and tyrants will come back as overseas Chinese to invest. This change of surname is just to cover it up. It can be changed at any time in the future. I think it's good to serve as a lesson. The house is a small matter. As long as we promote this transformation, it will be easy for it to be ours."

Currently, local cultural heritage bureaus have not yet been established and are all under the jurisdiction of the education and culture departments. Tourism bureaus have just been separated from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and do not yet have any real domestic power.

Wei Dong has already clearly outlined his plans for developing the Three Gorges scenic area.

He's now operating under the name of Shangzhou Tourism Development Company, so setting up this private company in Jiangzhou City would be a piece of cake for him.

Right now, the plan is to deliberately achieve some results first, and then approach the city government for a proposal.

But when the van arrived at the White Building, Wei Dong was too lazy to go up and show his face. Shi Tou went to buy the local specialties that his third sister had specified, while Lamu went up to pick them up.

Shen Cuiyue quietly leaned back in the back seat, squinting her eyes.

Dong Xueqing, heavily pregnant and being helped down the mountain by her two friends from the plateau, joked, "I thought you were going to squeeze to the front to sit. Why are you sitting so calmly?"

Shen Cuiyue smiled and carefully helped her up to sit down: "It makes me feel at ease to have you here with me. Did you kick your belly today?"

Fengchu wasn't that cunning, but as soon as he sat down, he told Weidong, "Today, people from the city's finance bureau, tax bureau, and bank came and went through all our accounts."

I was just thinking about how to get along really well with the city.

Wei Dong frowned in surprise: "Of course we're not afraid of being investigated, but what does this mean?"

Even though he's over sixty, he still has this subconscious reaction of looking beyond the surface and directly seeking the root cause.

Shen Cuiyue immediately thought, "Is the master upstairs about to leave?"

Wei Dong shook his head and started to speak: "We've never been tied to any lord, so it's a bit strange to do this. You've had some training before, haven't you?"

Dong Xueqing was both amused and annoyed: "Yes, people from the banking and finance departments even came here to train us on how to use computers. They even led the way in searching through all of my computers. Of course, my brother always tells us to be honest, so I also gave them some pointers on how to upgrade to the new version, hehe."

This matter will certainly not reveal any serious issues, but does it make perfect sense that your daily sales gross profit is nearly one million, and your fixed assets are actually over one hundred million?
There must be a reason.

(End of this chapter)