Courtyard House: A Start with Black Gold Swallowing 100,000 Silver Dollars

"Fifteen buildings refers to six units per floor."

"In total, there are 1,080 households."

The building was widened, and each floor had two more units than before, resulting in nearly 500 more units in the fifteen buildings.

Mr. Guan didn't actually approve of the plan... The buildings were too close together; people on the same floor could see exactly which clothes were hanging on the opposite balcony. The greenery was also almost completely obscured. In Hong Kong, even real estate agents wouldn't list this kind of property, let alone have anyone willing to invest.

In his view, thirty acres of land should be used to build at most eight or nine buildings, with four households per floor.

But the situation is different in China. He sold three-quarters of the last project, so he didn't pursue it further.

"oh……"

Li Guoshu and Li Jiayu nodded simultaneously, their faces relaxing.

Five hundred sets, at the average price, would generate an extra forty million.

Real gold and silver.

"Mr. Guan, what was the construction cost for the fifteen buildings?"

"Ten million more than last time, about twenty-six million seven hundred thousand."

"If we rush the construction schedule, we can add another construction team, working two shifts, and the cost will be capped at 30 million."

This plot of land is in a much better location than the previous one, covering thirty acres, and the land price alone cost ten million. Adding the thirty million for construction, the total investment is forty million. If it's all sold out, the guaranteed profit will also be forty million.

"Let's go with fifteen buildings!"

Li Jiayu made the decision.

Xu Damao sat next to him, quickly calculated the gross profit in his mind, and his Adam's apple bobbed.

He received the company registration materials from Hong Kong and rushed back to Beijing that same day.

Li Jiayu had already arranged for people to handle the site selection and staff recruitment for the electronics store.

As soon as he got off the train, he went straight to Shuxiangxuan without even going home.

This time it wasn't a state-run restaurant, but a Sichuan restaurant owned by Li Guobiao's brother, Li Guotao. Xu Damao knew what was going on, and booked all his meals there afterward.

"Guobiao, a new trend has emerged in Shanghai... building high-rise buildings and selling them."

He filled Li Guobiao's glass with wine, but before he even put the glass down, he had already spoken.

"Building buildings to sell houses?"

Li Guobiao frowned.

The sale of houses has been liberalized, and private construction and sales of houses are now permitted, something no one in Beijing has ever done before. He knows exactly where the policy boundaries lie, and so far, no official documents have been issued to loosen the restrictions.

He spoke frankly about his concerns.

Xu Damao waved his hand with a smile: "I'm talking about Shanghai, not here."

Then he poured out all the details of how Li Jiayu and Li Guoshu partnered up, how they acquired land, how they sold houses, and how their accounts changed.

"Okay, Brother Da Mao, if you want to do it, I'll get Jia Yu to cooperate with you."

Li Guobiao spoke calmly. He used to be against doing business, but in recent years, his old colleagues have gone into business, his relatives have opened shops, and even his nephew is in the building materials wholesale business... That little bit of distance between them has long since faded away.

"Haha, great! Take this document back with you, and have Yunyun sign it. Just sign where it's marked in red."

Xu Damao pulled a stack of papers from his briefcase and pushed them over.

This is the business license obtained by Li Jiayu through his connections in Hong Kong: Hong Kong Guomao Real Estate Co., Ltd. The shareholder list includes the names of Xu Damao and Duan Yunyun.

Duan Yunyun is Li Guobiao's wife. She was originally a police officer, but after having five children, she took a leave of absence without pay to stay home and take care of the children. Since Li Guobiao was in the system, it was not appropriate for him to be listed as a business owner, so the property rights naturally went to her.

Not long after, Li Guobiao entered the house.

"Yunyun, sign the company documents from Hong Kong."

He handed over the briefcase.

Duan Yunyun was squatting down teaching her three-year-old son how to hold a pen and draw circles when she took the pen from him and turned to the first page.

"Is this another new project by Brother Da Mao?"

She asked casually. It's not uncommon for someone to be suspended from their job three years ago and to have just signed an equity agreement for the electronics store before the new year.

She was used to seeing self-employed individuals all over the city. But her professional habits were still there... Even with heavy eyelids, she read on, word by word.

"Xiangjiang Guomao Real Estate Co., Ltd."

"real estate?"

She looked up, her voice softening.

"Da Mao saw Guo Shu and Jia Yu making money building and selling houses in Shanghai, and he wanted to do the same."

Li Guobiao answered, leaning against the door frame.

"Um."

She responded with a soft "yes," her heart settling back into her stomach.

It took her a full half hour for her youngest son to fall asleep before she finally closed the last page.

"Hey, why are you looking at this so closely? Just sign it already, do you think Da Mao would try to cheat me?"

Li Guobiao rubbed his hands together and smiled.

Ten years as an assistant, trustworthy.

"Okay, okay, I'll sign."

Duan Yunyun knew what he was like after drinking. Sure enough, just as she finished writing on the third page, he pressed himself against her, his hand already slipping inside her clothes.

"Don't move, we're still missing two names."

She sidestepped, and the pen tip fell steadily.

The next morning, a brand-new Maserati drove up to Li Guobiao's building, with a Hong Kong license plate on the back.

Two identical cars were purchased through an accounting process and given to Li Guobiao, while the other was kept in Shanghai for his own use.

For the future construction of the building, Xu Damao will have to be stationed in Shanghai.

"Guobiao, here's the car."

He placed the key in Li Guobiao's palm.

Li Guobiao's eyes never left the car... its sharp lines and reflective paint made it look like a lightning bolt that hadn't yet hit the ground.

When Xu Damao drove in just now, everyone on the street turned their heads to look at him a second time.

"Give me?"

"...But given my status, it might not be appropriate for me to drive this car."

This car is clearly not an ordinary item. If he drives it to and from get off work every day, people will inevitably take a second look and whisper among themselves.

Just like a few years ago when someone moved into a detached house in the suburbs of Beijing, people's first reaction was: This person is probably dishonest.

"Uh...then let your sister-in-law have it."

"At least she's in business."

Li Guobiao responded with a nod of approval.

If the wife were to use it, no one would gossip anymore.

It's now commonplace for many public officials to take unpaid leave and go into business. It's also perfectly normal to see someone's wife driving a car to run a business.

Xu Damao boarded the old green train that day and hurriedly returned to Shanghai.

A week later, all ten shops in Guomao Electrical Appliance City, along with a central warehouse, were registered under Xu Damao's name; renovations and recruitment began simultaneously.

Hongkou District also allocated nearly 20 acres of land for his use, and the approval was granted, with a total price of five million yuan.

The electronics stores that had opened in more than ten cities had already brought him over ten million yuan; in addition, in Beijing, through Li Guobiao's connections, he obtained a loan of twenty million yuan from Li Guohang. With the funds in place, he was just waiting to put them into operation.

Speaking of Li Guohang... he controls most of the freight routes in the north, with annual profits exceeding 100 million yuan. He is the most successful and wealthiest member of the Li family's generation.

Xu Damao gave a generous red envelope and asked Mr. Guan to provide the design drawings. He then immediately summoned the construction team to the site.

He is always efficient and decisive, both steady and fast, and methodical in everything he does. While the electronics store is busy with decoration and stocking up, the advertising campaign has already begun: flyers are scattered in the alleys, and newspapers feature full-page articles about GG.

There was no precedent for an electronics mall in Shanghai, so the public found it novel and kept it in mind. The "first 50 customers get 20% off" offer on Google Play further fueled the enthusiasm, with many people holding onto their wallets, waiting to be among the first to grab a piece of the action on opening day.

In the suburban villa, Wang Tingwei stood by the window, his voice slightly somber: "Dad, who's in charge of that Guomao Electronics City that opened ten stores all at once?"

The news had already spread throughout Shanghai, and it was impossible for Wang Hanli and his son not to have heard about it.

Are these ten stores connected to Wang Hanli, Wang Tingwei and his son, and Qi Zhendong?

Yes. Of course.

They are assembling refrigerators themselves, preparing to stock and sell them.

The original plan was to set up retail stores in Shanghai and rely on wholesale to sell in other cities. However, ten appliance stores suddenly appeared in Shanghai, offering all kinds of appliances, directly blocking their path.

Given the choice between a store that only sells refrigerators and a store that sells all kinds of appliances, which would people choose?

The answer is obvious... go wherever is convenient, go wherever has everything.

The other party's background is unknown, but the speed and scale of their actions are definitely not the work of a retail investor.

Wang Hanli tapped his finger on the table: "Tingwei, find out who's behind Guomao Electrical Appliances City."

"Also, urge the people up north to hurry up. Uncle Qi's first batch of two thousand refrigerators in the US is about to roll off the production line and arrive. We can't just wait around."

"Understood, I'll arrange it right away," Wang Tingwei replied.

Although he no longer wields the same influence as before, and some of his peers have switched their allegiance to Li Jiayu, the Wang family has been rooted in Shanghai for decades and still maintains its connections. For example, Yan Lixing of the Industry and Commerce Bureau had dealings with the Wang family in his early years.

One phone call, and the business license information is immediately retrieved... Operator: Xu Damao, Hometown: Beijing.

"Xu Damao?"

"From the capital again?"

Wang Hanli's brow furrowed deeply.

Last time, the Dadi Tape Factory was also backed by people from Beijing. With Mayor Li Guofu backing them up, they managed to snatch the tape business away from them. They didn't even dare to trip them up in secret.

Now, this Xu Damao, also from Beijing, has opened ten stores in one go. Who's behind him? Is it the same group of people?

Those who can do this are definitely not working alone.

"Dad, I have an idea," Wang Tingwei said.

"speak."

"Since he dares to open ten stores and advertise in the newspaper, it means he has a stable customer base and is confident. Why don't we just put the refrigerators in his stores to sell? It will save us the trouble of starting from scratch."

Wang Hanli remained silent, though he had actually considered it beforehand. However, he didn't want to speak rashly before figuring out the other party's background.

Now that the person has been identified and their name is known, this matter is definitely worth discussing.

"I want to meet him."

Xu Damao was squatting at the construction site, wearing a bright yellow safety helmet, staring at the first shovel of soil turned up by the bulldozer.

His name was already written on the empty plot of land before him. Gazing at the horizon, his mind was filled with images of glass curtain walls, escalators, and bustling shopping malls… Real estate wasn't just about building houses; it was about constructing lives, about securing the livelihoods of generations. His spirits lifted instantly.

"Beep beep...!"

The pager on my waist went off.

He wiped his sweat, left the construction site, jumped into his Maserati, and headed straight for the public phone booth on the street corner.

After dialing, all I heard was, "An American brand refrigerator?"

It is Wang Hanli.

I'd like to collaborate.

"I'll be waiting for you at the Holiday Inn tomorrow at noon," Xu Damao said.

An electronics store should sell a full range of products. Brands don't matter; what matters is market acceptance. Products that don't sell will naturally be eliminated.

On the other side, Wang Tingxi found Li Guoshu after get off work.

"I'll take you home to meet my parents," she said.

Li Guoshu was taken aback, then a light shone in his mind... Was this... about to officially start dating?