Spring Breeze Twenty Years

Chapter 730

Determination to undertake large-scale construction

Mayor Mi nodded and sat down, saying, "The province wants to demolish the old buildings and build new ones, but our city wants to preserve them. This is a perfect opportunity for you. The provincial government has many departments and people, and they all use the old buildings for offices and residences. A lot of them have already been demolished. Every department has its own ideas, and our city can't control them. We're too low-ranking."

Xiao Wei thought for a moment and said, "Okay, it's not like we'll miss out on one more. I'll take it, but these buildings must be marked as cultural relics immediately. I need to spend money to renovate them. If they come and demolish them again, where will I go to complain? I'll listen to you and use them to build a kindergarten."

Mayor Mi slapped the armrest of the sofa and said, "Great! That's the kind of person who gets things done. It's settled then. Six buildings plus the attached land will cost eight million. Not expensive, right? It's over a hundred acres, more than a hundred and ten acres, all in good locations near major transportation hubs."

Xiao Wei smiled and said, "Okay, Mayor Mi, it's your decision. When do we go through the formalities?"

Mayor Mi said, "The two comrades who came in with me just now are from the State-owned Assets Supervision and Administration Commission and the Housing Authority. I just had a small meeting with them and we finalized this matter. You can go there now and handle it directly. Pay the money to the State-owned Assets Supervision and Administration Commission, and the Housing Authority will issue you the certificate."

Chen Hui exclaimed in surprise, "So urgent?"

Mayor Mi said, "There's no other way; we have to make this a done deal quickly, is that alright?"

Xiao Wei stood up and said, "No problem, okay, I'll go take care of it now."

Mayor Mi stood up and said, "Go and get on with it. I won't keep you any longer. We'll have another drink when we receive you."

Chen Hui said, "Mayor Mi, why don't you let Mi Le go to the Changchun Hotel for a while tonight?"

Mayor Mi turned his head and glanced at Chen Hui, who was sitting on the sofa without moving: "Alright, I'll let him go tonight. That kid's a bit slippery, so give him a good thrashing if necessary."

Chen Hui said, "Of course not. We young people interact differently than you older generation. You don't need to worry about it. Don't worry, I'll definitely treat him like a brother."

Mayor Mi nodded and said to Xiao Wei, "Come on, let's go together. I'll bring you here so you don't have to search around aimlessly. This building is like a maze. When I first came here, I often couldn't find my way around. Everywhere looks the same."

The Xidu Municipal Government building is also an old building from the Japanese occupation period, but it is a Western-style building and is quite tall. It was the financial center of the puppet capital of Manchukuo at that time. Large companies such as Manchuria Life Insurance Company, Mitsubishi, Mitsui, and Sumitomo of Japan all had offices here. It was the best office space in Xidu at that time.

The entire building has a corridor-like, open structure, so it can be a bit difficult to find if you're not familiar with it.

Xiao Wei followed Mayor Mi to the State-owned Assets Supervision and Administration Commission. Mayor Mi said, "Actually, I looked at the information and the building that would be most suitable for you is the one across the street. It used to be the building of the Japanese Marine & Fire Insurance Company, but it's been turned into a hospital. There's nothing we can do about it."

Xiao Wei said, "You really went to a lot of trouble with this. It's fine as it is now, it's enough."

Mayor Mi said, "Xidu needs to develop and its economy needs to improve, so urban construction is imperative. However, how to carry out the construction and in which direction is a big problem. Some comrades are now looking for convenience and want to demolish and rebuild, which I don't think is good. It's better to preserve some historical elements as much as possible, which is why I'm in a hurry to hand over the building to you."

Until this matter is finalized and becomes an ironclad case, the urban planning for Xidu will never be finalized, and there will always be endless arguments. Now it's all good. The main old buildings along Renmin Avenue have been leased out, so there's no need to worry about that anymore. Everyone can sit down and calmly consider the planning and construction issues. Haha, you've really helped a lot with this."

Xiao Wei said, "You can rest assured once the building is handed over to us. We will hire professionals to maintain, repair, reinforce, and renovate it, ensuring its proper use while preserving its original appearance. It will definitely become a highlight of the city in the future. We have experience in this field; we've worked on projects in Fengtian and Dalian, and the Fengtian project is basically complete."

Mayor Mi waved his hand and said, "Next year, I hope that while you are building, you can also bring in real estate companies. Xidu needs companies with strength and ability like yours to come in and develop together. I have a goal: during my term, I want to make Xidu a truly big city and an international metropolis. Both the software and the hardware must be up to standard. Large-scale construction is imperative."

Xiao Wei said, "Great! We're definitely willing to do it if the project is suitable. I'll take a serious look at the plan once it's finalized."

Mayor Mi said, "I have high expectations for you. You have sufficient funds, a long-term vision, a down-to-earth work ethic, and experience in large-scale construction. I had someone check, and your building in Xingcheng is excellent and very suitable for Xidu's future development direction."

"You're planning to do the same thing on Qima Road, right? Absolutely! It will become a landmark building in Xidu, and I believe you'll surpass it in the future. I have confidence in you."

Xiao Wei wasn't used to being praised to his face like this, so he pinched his nose and said, "Thank you for your high regard. We will work hard and do our best."

Mayor Mi smiled, patted Xiao Wei on the shoulder, opened the office door of the State-owned Assets Supervision and Administration Commission, and went inside.

After signing the contract, Geng Hui was notified to transfer the funds. In those days, fund transfers weren't as instant as they are now. Back then, it all relied on manual reconciliation, which could take anywhere from three to five days to half a month or even a month. Especially for such large sums of money that crossed provinces, it was normal for it to take two months to complete the process.

However, Mayor Mi waved his hand, and the State-owned Assets Supervision and Administration Commission issued the receipt, saving them from a long and uncertain wait. They could go directly to the Housing Authority to process the documents. A staff member from the State-owned Assets Supervision and Administration Commission accompanied Xiaowei downstairs to the Housing Authority. In just twenty minutes, the buildings and the land belonged to the Zhang family.

It's no wonder people like to use connections and acquaintances to get things done; it's really convenient and fast. Even in the information age, the efficiency of government departments in Northeast China is still not high, mainly because there are too many state-owned enterprises in the area.

There are so many businesses and organizations, and everyone is deeply entrenched in their connections. When something happens, people immediately turn to acquaintances, and this becomes a habit. People who know each other get things done first, and others naturally have to take a backseat, so they also turn to acquaintances. Everyone does this, and as a result, things become so complicated that you can't get anything done without asking acquaintances.

Holding six brand-new property ownership certificates, Xiao Wei circled around twice before finally finding the original reception room, where he discovered Li Weibing, Wang Gang, and an unfamiliar man sitting on the sofa talking to Chen Hui.

Xiao Wei waved the property certificate at Chen Hui: "It's all done, but we'll have to wait a few months to take possession."

Chen Hui said, "Let's work on the plan first, since we won't be able to work soon anyway. Oh right, this is Miler. Miler, this is Xiaowei, Zhang Wei, my boss."

Xiao Wei turned around and greeted Miler.

(End of this chapter)