Spring Breeze Twenty Years

Chapter 934 Construction Site

Today was Li Wen's first day at work, so he went over to take a look and check on the demolition progress.

The clothing and department store in the trade city has moved here. Xiaowei and Chen Hui haven't gone to see it yet since they came back from Longcheng. They need to take a look around and ask the market management office if there's any space they can rent as a warehouse.

The shopping mall and other parts are still standing still, waiting for Shenhe District to find a new location. We also need to urge them to move on. Xiao Wei feels like he's suddenly become very busy. There are so many things to do all at once, and he's being forced to learn many things, which makes him feel overwhelmed and disorganized. Like this warehouse, he never understood how important it was before, or rather, he never even had that concept.

The site, personnel, warehouse, and transportation all suddenly appeared before him, leaving him completely unprepared. This made Xiaowei realize how much he still lacked, and all the confidence or pride he had grown over the past six months was shattered. He felt like a complete novice who knew nothing.

Lost in a jumble of thoughts, the SUV drove east along Beishuncheng Road until it reached the entrance of Chaoyang Street. There were several unnamed north-south roads there; passing through them led to a plot of land that was being demolished.

These roads didn't exist originally; they were created by the government in recent years through demolition and reconstruction. For some reason, they don't have names.

The construction site is surrounded by corrugated steel sheets, with two main entrances on the north and east sides. The residents inside have already moved out, and the houses have been mostly demolished. The site is currently being leveled, including the installation of water, heating, and gas pipelines. The electricity and telephone lines are still exposed and connected via utility poles, so they haven't been touched yet.

Xiao Wei turned his car into the construction site gate. The road was a bit narrow, and if he parked on the side of the road, other cars wouldn't be able to pass.

A few buildings at the main entrance were left undemolished and will be used as the demolition command center and equipment warehouse. These buildings will be demolished after all the work is completed. The future construction department will have to be located in a rented area outside the site, as the building design cannot accommodate it.

"What are you doing here?" The gatekeeper was a man in his thirties who stood to the side, sizing up Xiao Wei as he got out of the car.

Xiao Wei closed the car door and said, "Is the person in charge here? I'm from Brothers Group."

The man guarding the door nodded, then turned and called into the house, "Manager Xie, someone's looking for you."

Someone inside answered, "Who is it?"

The gatekeeper said, "It belongs to our brother company."

The person inside had already come out, glanced at Xiaowei, looked at the SUV, and asked, "What's up?"

Xiao Wei walked over and said, "I came to check on things. How's it going? How much longer?"

Manager Xie said, "It will take a few more days. It should be finished before the ground freezes. These next few days will be spent on leveling and digging trenches. The trenches for this building are a bit complicated and have many requirements, so it will take time."

Xiao Wei asked, "Is the waste removal all done?"

Manager Xie nodded and said, "That's about it. It should be finished by tomorrow. There's not much left to do. The bricks and cement will be delivered tomorrow afternoon. The contract is to finish building the trenches before the ground freezes. I'm having a headache about this too. If it doesn't work out, we can just add more people."

Xiao Wei said, "Just don't let the rush to get work affect the quality. If it's really not good enough, it's better to postpone it until next year than to cut corners. You need to know that."

Manager Xie said, "That won't do. Don't worry, we guarantee the quality of the work we take on."

Xiao Wei said, "The final inspection is our responsibility. Even if the supply and marketing cooperative approves it, it doesn't count. You guys need to be aware of this. I've invested hundreds of millions here, so there's absolutely no way I can be careless in any way."

Manager Xie laughed and said, "Definitely not. This isn't like building a few bungalows or some towering skyscraper. Who would dare to cut corners? Don't worry. You're my boss, aren't you?"

Xiao Wei said, "We're a group of people working together, and I'm in charge of most things." He handed over a cigarette.

Manager Xie took out a lighter and lit Xiao Wei's cigarette, saying, "Please take care of me more in the future. Look at our work, you can rest assured. From demolition to ditches, we can do everything from bricklaying to plastering. If the quality is not up to standard, I won't take a penny."

Xiao Wei said, "We have work, let's finish this first, and then we'll talk about it. It's a bit early to talk about these things now."

Manager Jie smiled and said, "That's right, that's right. Don't worry, boss. I guarantee you'll be satisfied with the work. You'll see later."

Xiao Wei said, "You work in demolition and relocation, so to be honest, we don't have many opportunities to come into contact. I'm an investor and developer, so I don't usually get involved in demolition and relocation. The fact that you got this job means you have good connections in the government, so just hold on to it."

Manager Xie said, "Actually, if you didn't use the government's demolition and relocation program, you could save a lot of money, I mean the land price. A significant portion of the land price goes towards relocation compensation, but in reality, these relocated households don't receive that much. Do you understand what I mean? Generally, it's just getting a replacement house, or some people take money without the house. In total, how much can you really get?"

Xiao Wei nodded and said, "The main problem is the hassle. The influence is different. The government can just issue a document, but how can we get through to them? Reaching out each household one by one is too much trouble and not worth it."

Manager Xie said, "You can outsource it. Just give it to me, and I'll handle everything from start to finish, leaving no room for ambiguity."

Xiao Wei said, "Let's talk about it later. I need to think this over carefully. You get this done first. You're busy, I just came to check on things. I'm leaving now."

Manager Jie helped Xiao Wei into the car, and as the SUV drove out of the gate and turned the corner, he said to the gatekeeper, "Damn it, one of their cars is enough for us to work hard for several years, and even then, we might not be able to. We'd have to beg and plead, give gifts, and pull strings to grab territory. If only we could get a piece of that pie."

Xiao Wei drove along Beizhong Street to Chaoyang Street and parked his car downstairs at the shopping mall. A large banner for the Northern Trade City Clothing and Department Store was already up above the main entrance, and a large banner on the side of the hotel opposite also read: "Due to renovations, the Trade City Clothing and Department Store has temporarily moved to the mall across the street." There was blank space below; that was reserved for departments like home appliances and motorcycles, which would be added after the move.

Xiao Wei turned and went into the mall. As soon as he entered, he noticed a difference; there were more people, drawing in the flow of customers from the trade city.

The individual vendors on the first floor were overjoyed, having gotten a huge bargain for free; foot traffic equals sales.

A new sign has been added at the entrance, listing the businesses operating on each floor, the location of passageways, and restrooms.

Xiao Wei followed the flow of people uphill.

There are three staircases in this building, covering more than 2,000 square meters. The main staircase is in the middle, and the secondary staircases on both sides are half the width of the main staircase. Currently, the main staircase is for going up only, while the secondary staircases on both sides are for going down only. It's quite well arranged, so people going up and down don't interfere with each other.

All the counters adopted a semi-open design similar to those in free markets, but with six-point pipes and flow dividers to prevent crowding and potential dangers. Xiao Wei also saw someone patrolling with a small electric megaphone, shouting to disperse the crowd wherever there was congestion. He mentally gave Manager Zhang a thumbs up; the manager was truly experienced and thoughtful.

I didn't explore any further until I reached the fourth floor.

(End of this chapter)