Spring Breeze Twenty Years

Chapter 464 Director Qin Arrives

We played cards until after six o'clock, and ordered tea, snacks, and fruit several times in between. The whole family seemed to be on vacation.

A little after six, Uncle Wang came over, came in, looked around, and said, "Oh my, what a family! So relaxed." He put down his purse, picked up an apple, and said, "What's so good about this? Let's order some food. I'm hungry today."

So the game ended, and Xiao Hong happily started counting the money on the side of the table, acting like she had won: "Wow, one hundred and twenty-three, one, two, three." Aunt Wang was stunned for a moment, looking at the money in Xiao Hong's hand, and said: "So much? I didn't even realize it. Oh dear, gambling is a trap, it gets you hooked without you even noticing."

Chen Hui said, "Aunt Wang, it seems you only contributed five yuan, the rest is all ours, our family contributed the most."

Aunt Wang paused for a moment, then said, "Really? I didn't notice. Haha, it's alright, bad luck but good fortune, Chen Xiao's baby is a lucky one." Xiao Hong was confused: How did it turn that way?

Xia Maosheng called the waiter to order. There were noticeably more people outside than at noon. This place was a must-visit for out-of-towners coming to Fengtian, so there was no shortage of customers. These days, there aren't many places to see or do. People from other places still make a special trip to the Wulihe Stadium every day, though I don't know what they're there to see.

In the early 90s, the income of urban residents in Northeast China began to increase significantly, but prices remained relatively stable. Citizens began to have savings. People in that era could truly say that every penny was precious and that thrift was a common social phenomenon.

After 95, prices in Northeast China began to rise, leading to a period of exorbitant commercial profits. However, this quickly stabilized with government intervention. Traffic order also became a major problem in the mid-to-late 90s due to the increasing number of vehicles, but this too was quickly improved after the government adopted strong intervention measures. For these two points, the governments at all levels in Northeast China deserve praise.

As people have more money, entertainment, leisure, and tourism naturally begin to rise. However, in this era, China is really weak in these areas. Most of the tourist attractions at this time were developed passively because they were valued only because more people came. In fact, there was no real development strategy; they were just fenced off and charged admission fees, indirectly benefiting some individuals.

People who have just had some spare money and are now out of the house are curious about everything. Even a purely electronic market like Sanhao Street attracts countless tourists every day.

During this period, some of the more popular places in Liaodong included the Andong border, Andong Phoenix Mountain, Beixi Water Cave, Anshan Qianshan, Meigouying Bayuquan, Dalian Bangchui Island, Fengtian Imperial Palace, and Liaodong TV Tower. Fengtian, being the provincial capital and home to several major wholesale markets like Wu'ai and Nanta, saw the largest flow of visitors, which benefited the Imperial Palace and TV Tower. People from other cities would make sure to visit them before leaving Fengtian.

Aunt Wang watched Xia Maosheng and the others discussing what to order and whispered to Uncle Wang, "It's really expensive here. Eight dishes for lunch cost over four hundred yuan. We can't let them indulge their whims anymore. Even if we have some money, we can't spend it like this every day."

Uncle Wang patted his wife's hand and said, "The kids are all smart and capable, and they can earn money too. Don't worry about these things; they won't do anything wrong. You're just worrying too much. You have good fortune but don't know how to enjoy it." Aunt Wang glared at Uncle Wang, then pinched his arm and said, "What do you think about living a bit higher up? Look outside; I think it's great. The view is far, and it makes me feel better."

Uncle Wang turned to look outside, nodded, and said, "Hmm, it is indeed bright. But you can't live up here, can you? They don't allow living here, do they?"

Aunt Wang said, "Xiao Wei said that Xia is planning to buy an apartment with an elevator in that area, the highest one, right by the Hun River. He said, why don't we buy one there too, so we can live in both places? What do you think?"

Uncle Wang said, "Riverside Garden? Hmm, their buildings are tall, the tallest residential buildings in our province, all with elevators. You want one? Then buy it, buying a house is a good deal, Xiaowei isn't short of money for a few houses."

Aunt Wang asked, "How much does that set cost?"

Uncle Wang said, "It's hard to say the exact price right now, but I estimate it will be around three thousand yuan per square meter." Uncle Wang works in Jianshe City and is about to take over the Urban Construction Bureau, so he naturally pays attention to this only luxury residential building with elevators in Fengtian and knows it quite well.

Aunt Wang's hand trembled, and she looked at Uncle Wang in astonishment: "Three thousand yuan per square meter? My God, are you selling gold? No way, no way, we don't want it. My goodness, is this even a house?"

Uncle Wang said, "It was done by the Xingjiapi people. They are indeed better than us in terms of residential construction. You'll see when it's finished. Theirs is a gated community with security guards at the gate. They don't let anyone who isn't a homeowner in, and it even has its own garage."

Back then, there was no such thing as selling apartments off-plan; houses were only sold after they were built. The first batch of houses along the riverbank didn't go on sale until 93.

The idea of ​​selling pre-sale apartments was introduced and promoted by Mr. Li Ka-shing.

Aunt Wang shook her head and said, "That's too expensive, too scary. I can't afford it, I can't afford it. Wouldn't I get so stressed living there?"

Xiao Wei, sitting to the side, said, "Old Xia will definitely buy it. We'll go and see for ourselves when the time comes. Maybe you won't think that way then, Auntie." His pager beeped, and he picked it up to look at it. It was a local Fengtian number, which he didn't recognize.

He took the mobile phone from Chen Hui and sent it back.

"Feed? Is that Xiaowei?"

Xiao Wei thought for a moment, then his eyes lit up: "Director Qin? It's Director Qin, isn't it? You've come to Fengtian? Where are you right now?"

Director Qin smiled and said, "It's me. You can still recognize my voice, huh? I'm at the train station. I'm reporting for duty tomorrow. I just got off the train and I'm calling you now. Is this a convenient time?"

Xiao Wei said, "It's convenient, what's inconvenient about it? Well then, Director Qin, why don't you just take a taxi to the TV Tower? My whole family is here. There's a revolving restaurant up there; you can just buy a ticket and come up. It's a private box in the back."

Director Qin said, "Where are you going to eat with your whole family? Never mind, I won't bother you. I'll just find a place myself and we can make it up tomorrow."

Xiao Wei said, "No, come on over. There are no outsiders here, and Xiao Hui is here too. It's a good opportunity to get together. Come on over, we'll wait for you."

Director Qin thought for a moment and said, "Alright, then I won't stand on ceremony. I happen to have something to discuss with you. I'll be right there."

After hanging up the phone, Xiaowei said, "Director Qin, I just got off the train. He said he's going to report to the department tomorrow. Xiaohui, could you make some arrangements for tonight?"

Chen Hui nodded and said, "Okay, no problem. I'll have a drink with him; I haven't thanked him for what he did last time."

Xia Maosheng laughed and said, "Are you sure you want to drink with them?"

Chen Hui said without changing his expression, "I already said so, so what? I can handle one or one cup, but I didn't say I'd drink two or three, did I?"

Xiao Wei and Xia Maosheng both clicked their tongues.

(End of this chapter)