Spring Breeze Twenty Years

Chapter 538 Brand Advice

After thinking for a moment, Dean Cheng stood up, went to the bookshelf, took out a book, flipped through it, and handed it to Xiao Wei, saying, "It looks about like this. What do you think?"

The book described a medieval European building. Xiao Wei didn't understand it, but he thought it looked alright and quite imposing. He nodded and said, "Okay, Dean Cheng, you can make the decision. I only have a few requirements: first, it should be grand; second, it should be sturdy; and third, the cost should not be too high."

Dean Cheng chuckled a few times and said, "That's for sure, don't worry. We're family, no need for formalities. Besides, your father-in-law is still in charge of us. I don't know if my thinking is right, but just listen. I feel you might have to build more in the future, which means you're going down the real estate development path. So trust me, you need to establish your own style now, so that wherever you go, people will know you built this house just by looking at it, understand?"

Xiao Wei said, "Like the European medieval style you mentioned, Dean Cheng? I'll try to use that style when I build my house in the future, right?"

Dean Cheng said, "That's right. Nowadays in China, most buildings are either slab-style or tenement buildings. Yours will definitely shock people as soon as it comes out."

Xiao Wei said, "Okay, I trust Dean Cheng. You're the expert in this matter, I'll listen to you."

Dean Cheng said, "I'll have a student design an artistic logo for you. No matter where you build a house in the future, you can put the logo on the gate and the wall. Gradually, this will become your brand. If others sell for a thousand, yours will be worth two or three thousand. Brand value isn't valued in China right now, but it's only a matter of time. Taking the first step will give you a significant advantage. Don't think it's intangible; once you establish yourself and become famous, it will be valuable."

Xiao Wei said, "I understand, I'll listen to you. I've already registered a real estate development company called Brothers. My group is also called Brothers, Liaodong Brothers Industrial Group Company, which includes Brothers Real Estate Development Company, Brothers Food Company, Brothers Feed Company, Romantic House Food Sales Management Company, Anji Old Restaurant Catering Management Company, Brothers Department Store, and Brothers Technical Training School. Anji Old Restaurant has an old signboard that's been passed down, it needs to have this mark. I'd appreciate it if Dean Cheng could help me design the rest."

Dean Cheng said, "Okay, it's a small matter. Just write down the names and business operations of each company for me, and I'll have my students do it for you."

Xiao Wei picked up a pen and started writing. Dean Cheng then picked up the map of Xingcheng and looked at it, saying, "It's a pity. If this land were in Fengtian, you would become famous overnight, and we could also benefit from your fame. Xingcheng is a bit too remote; it's even in another province."

This building needs about ten passenger elevators, plus four at the corners. The middle eighteen stories are a bit short, so let's add seven at the bottom and another twenty-six at the top, making it thirty-three stories. You can keep the top floor for yourself; don't let anyone else use it. The surrounding residences will be sloping, with the highest point at eighteen and the lowest at twelve. I'll enclose the four central courtyards with glass, letting in light but preventing rain. There will also be four small plazas on top, making it a small park.

Xiao Wei put down his pen and said, "Okay, I really don't know anything about this. Dean Cheng, you can figure it out."

Dean Cheng asked, "Is the construction team ours or an outside one?"

Xiao Wei said, "Xingcheng will use the military's equipment, while Longcheng and Fengtian will use our own."

Dean Cheng said, "It's alright in the military area. I'll send someone over to give some guidance. This building is a bit too tall. Okay, leave me your phone number. I'll call you when the plan is ready, and then you can come and take a look."

Xiao Wei asked, "Director Cheng, how should we calculate the design fee?"

Dean Cheng said, "There's no rush. We'll talk about it after you're satisfied with the drawings and we've done a preliminary estimate. The country has quota standards for this, so we can calculate it together later. Your price will definitely be an internal rate, haha."

Xiao Wei said, "Okay, thank you for your help. I'll head over now."

Dean Cheng stood up and said, "Okay, let's go. You young people are busy. I'll call you when it's done."

As they reached the door, Xiao Wei turned back and said, "By the way, Dean Cheng, how much money do I need to prepare for the whole thing? Roughly speaking..."

Dean Cheng lowered his head and did some mental calculations, then scratched his balding head and said, "If we don't consider other additional costs, the construction alone will probably cost around ten million, maybe twelve million."

"Your bulk of the cost is in Xingcheng and Longcheng. Construction costs in Longcheng are half that of Fengtian, and in Xingcheng, they're less than a third. If this Xingcheng plot were in Fengtian, try it; that alone would cost at least nine million."

Xiao Wei said, "If we add in the elevator and related equipment, would 20 million be enough?"

Dean Cheng said, "I'll have my staff do an actuarial calculation for you. You can't give me an answer right now."

Xiao Wei nodded and said, "Okay, I'll be going now. Thank you for your help, Dean Cheng." The two shook hands and said goodbye, and Xiao Wei went out and went downstairs.

When Xiaowei got downstairs and walked to his car, he felt like he had forgotten something. He wondered if he should ask Dean Cheng if he knew of any suitable houses in Fengtian, or if he should ask about the municipal infrastructure in Wanliu. With so many residential buildings being built, he wondered how difficult it would be to handle the supporting infrastructure. Just dealing with the drainage system alone was no small matter.

Looking up at the design institute building, Xiao Wei thought for a moment. They were professionals; they'd surely think things through. He decided to wait until the blueprints were ready. He got in his car, started the engine, and drove straight to Jixian Police Station.

Director Lu was still in his office looking at documents when Xiao Wei knocked on the door and came in, asking, "Where did all these documents come from? Every time I come here, you're looking at documents."

Director Lu threw the documents on the table and said, "Do you think I'm idle all day? Documents, documents, meetings big and small, endless documents to read and meetings to attend. Today it's this 'spirit,' tomorrow that 'speech,' the day after tomorrow it's 'learning from advanced models,' today I have to write a reflection, tomorrow another reflection, plus a few case analyses in between—that's half of my job. Do you think I have it easy?"

Xiao Wei sat down and asked, "What about the other half?"

Lu Suo also came over and sat down, saying, "You're the kind of person who'll be the other half. You'll be responsible for reception, arrangements, handling the work of the station, and then going around socializing to solicit sponsorships and ask for small sums of money. You'll also have to take the blame for your colleagues. You'll see after you stay here for a while. When you're at a meeting over there, remember to speak up for our grassroots police station. Even if it only gets you a few tens of thousands more in funding each year, that would be great."

Xiao Wei asked, "Is the police station short of funds?"

Lu said, "That's far from the truth. Go down and ask around. Which comrade doesn't have something waiting to be reimbursed? They all have to pay for their own expenses when they go on business trips."

Xiao Wei asked, "Is it easy to get sponsorship? How much is our institute's annual budget?"

(End of this chapter)