Spring Breeze Twenty Years

Chapter 956 Police Academy and Artillery

Xiao Wei took out a cigarette and offered one to the old director, lighting it for him. The old director took a puff and looked at the cigarette: "The tobacco is good, it's good stuff. You can use the artillery division's houses, I'll help you negotiate the rent, we'll go all out and get a big one."

He still has ideas, no wonder he has a big business at such a young age. This area is full of soldiers and some of their families, so life is not very convenient. It has gotten a little better in recent years. More private businesses have started, and various small shops have opened. Before, you had to go to the city to get around.

There are tens of thousands of people here; you certainly have foresight in opening a shopping mall here. I have three requirements for you that you must meet. First, the price and quality of the goods must be guaranteed. The selection of goods must be complete. Second, selling alcohol to cadets and soldiers is strictly prohibited on non-holidays; this is a fundamental rule. Third, no illegal or disorderly items or people are allowed to be brought here.”

Xiao Wei said, "No problem. Actually, I only need to follow the second rule you mentioned. The first rule is just my duty. As for the third rule, I'm a police officer, I've arrested criminals before, how could I possibly make this mistake?"

The old dean nodded, glanced at his watch, and said, "Let's go, we should be there by now. I'll take you there to meet them."

Xiao Wei said, "Just tell me where to find whom, there's no need for you to make the trip yourself."

The old dean waved his hand, found his hat, put it on, and said, "Perfect timing for a walk, let's go."

The two went downstairs and reached the top of the building. Xiaowei said, "My car is here, do you want to drive it?"

The old dean looked at Xiaowei's SUV and said, "Keep it. You've got military and police connections now. With this license plate, I'll have a better chance of getting things done."

We got in the car, turned around, and went back the way we came, walking to the area where the academy and the artillery division compound were adjacent. A jeep was parked on the side of the road, and the old dean said, "Pull over, this is it."

Xiao Wei pulled the car over to the side of the road and got out with the old dean.

A military officer with thick eyebrows and big eyes got out of the jeep across the street. He waved to the old dean, tilted his head to look at Xiao Wei's license plate, and then looked at Xiao Wei.

The three men approached, and the officer pointed to Xiao Wei's car and asked, "Where did you get that license plate?"

Xiao Wei said, "Our company and the military region are co-construction units, and the military region has given us six license plates."

The old dean said, "All you do is meddle in other people's business. Does anyone dare to impersonate this kind of sign? Let me tell you, Lao Hu, Zhang Wei is a combat hero who has been commended by our department several times. He has actually arrested murderers with real weapons."

Old Hu raised an eyebrow and looked Xiao Wei up and down a few times: "Not bad, I didn't tell if it was an individual effort or a team effort? How many can you catch?"

Xiao Wei touched his nose and said, "Three times individually, twice as a group. Two of them committed murder."

Old Hu gave a thumbs up: "Good soldier. Not big in stature, but capable in big things. You want to open a shopping mall?"

Xiao Wei said, "I was originally a businessman from the countryside. Becoming a policeman was an accident. I was a citizen representative. Later, I was given an honorary title for my meritorious service."

Old Hu turned to look at Xiao Wei: "Hmm, I've heard of you. You were the most awesome citizen representative last year. I've studied the documents, but I didn't expect to meet you in person. It's a shame you're not a real policeman."

Xiao Wei laughed and said, "We can't just quit now that the company is up and running. There's no way to have it both ways." He handed him a cigarette.

Commander Hu took the cigarette, smelled it, and held it in his hand. Xiao Wei was about to light it for him, but he waved his hand, pointed to the north side of the road, and said, "This place is ours. It's been vacant for a while now. The locals have asked for it several times, but I've been hesitant. It just so happens that we can use it. You can see for yourself if it's okay."

Xiao Wei turned his head and looked over. Right next to the police academy fence was a row of two-story shops, about sixty meters long. The end of the row was three stories. Xiao Wei asked, "These are the shops that were specially built back then?"

Commander Hu took out a lighter, lit a cigarette, nodded, and said, "The service center moved after a few days. Later, some family members moved in, and then a new residential area was built there, so it's been empty for over a year. Is it still usable?"

Back then, the military was really extravagant. They could build houses, factories, hotels, and restaurants with ease. Then, for some unknown reason, they would just shut them down. When they left after completing a project, it seemed like they would feel embarrassed if they didn't leave a few small buildings to the local area. In the 90s, it suddenly became popular to build gas stations, many of which were actually built by the military, and then they were abandoned.

Xiao Wei looked up and saw that the length was definitely enough. He wondered how big it was inside, so he walked over and asked, "Is it open inside or divided into sections?"

Commander Hu said, "Originally, the two sides were connected, but the front side, which was an office, had a separate door. Later, when people moved in, it was separated, and I never went in."

Police academy students passing by saluted the old dean. The soldiers from the division headquarters, seeing their division commander in the distance, all ran around him, not daring to come over. However, some of the bolder ones kept watching from afar, trying to see what was going on.

The three of them approached the storefront. Xiao Wei opened a door and looked inside. The place was a mess, dusty and grimy, with an indescribable smell. The distance from the front door to the back window was about seventeen or eighteen meters, and the stairs leading upstairs were near the back window.

Xiao Wei asked Commander Hu, "Uncle Hu, is it okay to completely demolish this place? Including the staircase in the middle?"

Commander Hu said, "I need to ask, is the whole thing going to be demolished? Even the office blocking the entrance will be torn down?"

Xiao Wei nodded and said, "Tear everything down. My office only needs to cover the first three floors. We'll only keep the staircase on the first side, and turn the first and second floors into two large halls. To be honest, the space is a bit small."

Commander Hu said, "There are more behind, right next to it. Go look through the back window. They're about two meters apart, not much smaller than this one, but only one story high. It used to be the barracks."

Xiao Wei said, "Can we connect it to this side? Make it a unified whole?"

Commander Hu said, "It's a small matter. We can just tear down the wall and build a roof. Do you think that's okay? If it is, I'll arrange for someone to clean it up for you."

Xiao Wei nodded and said, "Okay, that should be enough with the rest of the space. How much is the rent?"

Commander Hu scratched his head and glanced at the old director: "How about we just use it for now? How do we rent this? We've never rented it before. We've never paid the local government for using our buildings or anything they use. Aren't you one of those co-construction units? Fine, we'll use it."

Xiao Wei said, "Thank you so much, but it's better to make it clear and sign a contract. This isn't something that can be done in a day or two, and I'm using this to make money. If things don't go well, it might cause you trouble later."

Commander Hu smoothed his buzz cut, thought for a moment, and asked, "How much can you give me?"

The old dean said, "How much is this godforsaken place worth? If you ask me, Xiao Zhang, you shouldn't rent it. Lao Hu, you should figure out the price and just sell it to him. Anyway, you're already throwing it away, and this place isn't even in your yard."

(End of this chapter)