Spring Breeze Twenty Years

Chapter 1349 George

Xiao Wei thought for a moment and said, "It's possible, houses are privatized now and can be bought and sold freely, as long as you have the money. However, buying one like that is probably not feasible."

These types of courtyards have all been designated as cultural relics. They are either used by government agencies or have been converted into tourist attractions. If you want to buy one, you can only buy a smaller one.

"Just past the lake, there are many courtyards over there that you foreigners bought. After buying them, you have to spend money on repairs. These houses were originally distributed to ordinary people, and some of them have been damaged."

David Wang explained to George, who shrugged: "Sure, of course, absolutely. How much will it cost?"

Xiao Wei thought for a moment: "If you buy and repair it, it will cost about seven or eight hundred thousand to restore it to its original state. If you don't want to do it that way, you can save a lot of money. These carvings and paintings are slow and expensive."

David Wang told George, "We can buy it for around 50,000 pounds and restore it to its original state. We have old technicians from the original palace here, so there won't be any technical problems."

George was practically gesturing wildly: "Fifty thousand pounds? No problem, please help me, I trust you. And over here, uh, can I get a loan for the house? A loan."

Xiao Wei whispered to Chen Hui, "Why are these British people so easily excited? Aren't British men supposed to be quite reserved?"

Chen Hui said, "Foreigners probably like to express themselves more, who knows?"

David Wang said, "Chairman, George said he'd like us to help him buy a small yard and renovate it. He said he trusts you. He asked if we could get a loan."

Xiao Wei said, "Weren't you here for a job interview? Why are you talking about housing all this time? Did you even tell him about our London office?"

Wang Dawei said, "As I said, I gave him the information Sister Liu gave me, and I also gave him a general overview of the situation in China. He is quite interested in returning to London to serve as an executive at a company, and his abilities are quite good. I can guarantee that."

Xiao Wei tapped the armrest: "Brother George, let's put the house thing aside for now, okay? Let's talk about the important matter first."

George paused for a moment, then shrugged. "Of course, of course, please forgive me, I'm just too happy."

Xiao Wei said, "I don't know if you've figured out the requirements of this job. This job mainly consists of two parts: one is signing documents for the Chinese company, but of course, you don't need to do much more in this part."

Secondly, there's the company's operations and development in the UK, encompassing department stores, food, trade, real estate, wine, hotels, supermarkets, and convenience stores. I will send a representative to be stationed there long-term for financial matters.

George scratched his brow with his small hand: "Can I ask you a question?"

Xiao Wei raised his right hand and gestured for him to proceed.

George became serious, considered for a moment, and looked at Xiao Wei, saying, "I understand. This is a nominal parent company. Its existence is solely for holding shares and facilitating some legal operations for the Chinese company."

I want to know how much investment I can get, what my authority is, and my salary.

Xiao Wei said, "Let's talk about your salary first, £20,000 a year. The company's headquarters is on John Adam Street. The house belongs to my wife, and the company uses it free of charge, but is responsible for the maintenance and operation of the entire building complex."

As I just mentioned, you can choose to develop your business in areas such as department stores, food trade, real estate, wine, hotels, supermarkets, and convenience stores. As for the amount of investment, we'll see how things go based on the actual situation.

Let me explain. Our development model in China involves buying land, building factories, and opening stores. Basically, our main business, real estate, is all owned by us. We don't force this model there, but you can use it as a reference.

Wang Dawei provided simultaneous interpretation, while Shi Li sat to the side taking notes. Her spoken English was also perfectly adequate for translation; she was just listening and looking for problems to remind Xiao Wei.

George frowned. "Twenty thousand pounds?"

In 1995, an annual salary of £20,000 was considered a very high income in the UK. Senior executives in large companies typically earned around £30,000 to £50,000, and of course, there were other benefits as well.

Around 1995, Britain was poorer than Hong Kong. The average monthly household income in Britain was HK$20,000, while in Hong Kong it was HK$27,000. At that time, Hong Kong people often mocked the British, and it was even sung about it in songs.

Xiao Wei said, "You can live here for free. There's even a company car. You'll also receive a share of the profits from the company's projects, and the board will reward you based on your performance. It's all temporary; you need to prove yourself."

George thought for a moment and asked, "May I ask about the company's current asset size and investment scale? I think I need to know that."

Xiao Wei said, "Let's forget about the assets; we don't have a very detailed inventory ourselves. As for the investment scale, we can tentatively set it at under 30 million pounds, but of course, you'll need to convince us."

David Wang said to George, "Alexander, please believe me, the company has just invested 30 million pounds in Hainan, more than 40 million pounds in Kyoto, and also in the Northeast, where there are three and a half provinces."

"Well, the cities combined are roughly four times the size of the UK, and the company has significant investments in each of them. Each city has a population exceeding half a million. What you need to do now is think about how to develop, not about the pound."

George nodded and said, "I will prove with my abilities that I deserve more."

Xiao Wei smiled and said, "Of course, what we're talking about now is only temporary, because there's no business there yet. As long as you can develop the business, you'll receive a salary and bonuses commensurate with the profits you generate."

For example, I can give you a house here, or some shares, on the condition that you are capable and work for the company for at least three, five, or longer years. I won't let my people suffer losses.

George rested his chin on his hands for a moment, then nodded and said, "Okay, I accept the job. I hope I haven't made the wrong choice."

David Wang said, "I assure you with my integrity."

Xiao Wei said, "One more thing, George, WMH is the parent company of a Chinese company. You are the CEO of WMH, and the shareholders are confidential. I hope you can keep this a secret in any situation."

George brought his right index and middle fingers together to his temple, indicating that he would keep his promise.

Actually, he was quite satisfied. In Hong Kong, his monthly salary was only a little over ten thousand Hong Kong dollars, and he also had to pay for his own rent.

His home is in Liverpool, which is economically less developed than London. If he went back there, he would be considered very well-off if he could find a job with an annual income of £12,000. Moreover, here he is an executive officer with a company car and housing.

If it weren't for 97, he and his family would never have left Hong Kong.

Everyone, please go and support "Old Tales of Maple City," it's so good!

(End of this chapter)