The Secret of the Yoga Club: The Women's Identity is Not Simple

After the channels for Epimedium were opened up, other Chinese medicinal herbs gradually found their own sales channels as well.

Following the previously established premium product strategy, the centralized procurement department ensured that each batch of products underwent a formal testing process and was graded according to quality.

After Wang Yue signed the long-term cooperation agreement with the testing center, each box of products leaving the factory came with a uniquely numbered test report. By scanning the QR code, one could see the origin traceability information of this batch of medicinal materials.

This transparent quality control quickly gained a good reputation within the traditional Chinese medicine industry in Hehai City. Several government departments and state-owned enterprises proactively approached them to discuss cooperation, some wanting to order holiday gifts, and others wanting to sign long-term supply agreements.

From Zhaicun, Old Chen called to say that the villagers are much more enthusiastic about planting medicinal herbs than before, and several households have reclaimed their previously barren hillsides to plant epimedium.

Wang Yue's father told her on the phone that under the old banyan tree at the entrance of the village, people now squat there every day to discuss the market for medicinal herbs, making it even more lively than during the Spring Festival.

……

"Dad, you and Mom should take care of yourselves. Don't go up the mountain to dig for medicinal herbs anymore. You're getting old and your legs aren't as strong."

"I'm not digging, I'm just helping Old Chen and the others with some arrangements. Your mother is always at the village entrance telling the aunties that you've found a good partner, she can't stop smiling. When are you coming back again? Your grandma keeps talking about it."

"I'll go back home after I'm done with this busy period. Is the wheelchair at home working well?"

"Just a quick thing, your grandma now sits in her wheelchair in the yard every day, sunbathing, and tells everyone that her grandson-in-law bought it. By the way, they've started paving Cuifang Road with cement, and Old Chen says it'll be open to traffic soon. Your grandma says she wants to be the first one there, and nobody can stop her."

Wang Yue hung up the phone and stood by the office window, looking at the river view of Hehai City. A few months ago, she was just a junior secretary who had just passed her probation period, but now she manages an independent department and has orders from several important clients.

Her identity changed imperceptibly, from a girl who needed protection to a capable and independent right-hand woman who could share Lin Feng's responsibilities.

However, one thing remained unchanged: every morning she would still carry a perfectly warm cup of coffee, walk into Raymond Lam's office in her high heels, and place the day's schedule on his desk.

She has never missed this habit.

As the demolition work in the old city area nears completion, a large amount of construction waste has been cleared away, and the area that was once crowded with dilapidated old buildings has now become a flat open space.

According to the previous plan, a brand-new boutique residential community will rise here.

That afternoon, Lin Feng, Chao Yuan, and He Qianwen met in the conference room of the Shuke Group.

The design team's director, surnamed Han, is in his early forties and is a partner at a top domestic architectural design firm. He previously worked on several high-end residential projects in the provincial capital.

Director Han had his assistant project the renderings onto the large screen, and then, holding a laser pointer, began explaining each page one by one.

"The entire plot is rectangular, longer east to west and narrower north to south. Based on sunlight analysis and wind direction simulation, we divided the ten buildings into two rows. The first row consists of four seven-story villas, with two units per floor and relatively large units. The exterior facade uses light beige dry-hanging stone with dark gray aluminum panel lines, and the balconies are curved, appearing like layers of waves from the outside. The villas have courtyards on the ground floor and terraces on the top floor. The second row consists of six mid-rise buildings, eighteen stories high, with four units per floor and two elevators. The mid-rise buildings have a raised ground floor at the bottom, which can be used as common areas for the owners in the future." Shared activity spaces. The buildings throughout the community are spaced far apart, with even the narrowest points being several tens of meters wide. The main entrance is located on the south side, with separate pedestrian and vehicular traffic. A sunken courtyard has been created along the central landscape axis, connecting the underground parking garage and the surface garden. A century-old ginkgo tree transplanted from elsewhere will be planted in the courtyard. The green space ratio reaches 40%, with an independent cluster garden between every two buildings, each themed around a different season—a spring garden planted with cherry blossoms and crabapple blossoms, a summer garden with wisteria and lotus blossoms, an autumn garden with red maple and ginkgo blossoms, and a winter garden with plum blossoms and camellia blossoms.

Director Han then turned to the floor plans and introduced the apartment designs for the townhouses and mid-rise buildings. He concluded, "The total construction area of ​​the entire project is quite large, and the construction period is expected to be around two and a half years. The first phase will start with the townhouses and two mid-rise buildings in the front row, and the second phase will complete the remaining mid-rise buildings."

Lin Feng leaned back in his chair and listened attentively, his gaze lingering on the villas with their curved balconies in the rendering for a long time.

Turning to look at He Qianwen sitting opposite him, he asked, "Sister He, do you think the greening rate can be increased by a few more percentage points? Could we refer to some real-world examples of high-end residential projects in Qingyuan for the design of this sunken courtyard? I saw one project there, which also had a sunken courtyard, but their water system was too straight and not natural enough. We can use a meandering water feature, letting the water system circle around the ginkgo tree before flowing into the underground rainwater collection pool. In addition, it would be best to add a circular walkway around the sunken courtyard so that residents can stroll through the entire central landscape without leaving the community in the evening. What material should we use for the walkway surface? Ordinary permeable bricks are too cheap."

Director Han quickly jotted down a few notes in his notebook: "We can consider using quartz sand bricks. They are slip-resistant and the colors can be customized, which will blend well with the ginkgo trees and stone landscaping in the courtyard."

"Then let's use quartz sand bricks. Choose a warm gray color, the same color family as the stone on the exterior of the villa."

He Qianwen sat opposite him with her legs crossed. Her bodycon skirt hugged her rounded hips, and the hem of the skirt just covered the middle of her thighs, revealing her calves covered in flesh-colored stockings.

He typed rapidly on his laptop, noting down each of Lin Feng's suggestions for revision.

"Lin Feng, your idea certainly elevates the overall quality significantly. However, with increased costs, pricing will need to be adjusted accordingly. My suggestion is to adopt a low-start, high-finish pricing strategy for the first phase, building a strong reputation and attracting the first batch of homeowners. Once their positive word-of-mouth spreads, the price for the second phase can be raised further. The profits sacrificed in the early stages can be fully recouped later through a premium pricing strategy based on positive reputation. I've done the math—if we increase the green space ratio by a few percentage points, along with optimizing the sunken courtyard design and adding high-quality finishes to the elevated floors, the cost per square meter will indeed increase considerably. However, considering the current housing price trends in Hehai City and the market demand for high-quality, upgraded residences, the return on investment is very considerable. In addition, I suggest finalizing the property management company in advance, ideally having the team on-site before the official launch. When the demonstration area opens, the property management service standards can be directly showcased, allowing customers to experience the quality of the community as soon as they enter."

Chao Yuan leaned back on the sofa armrest, drawing a circle on the rendering with a laser pointer: "The design of this elevated floor is quite good. It can be linked with the scenic area in Qingyuan. In the future, homeowners who buy school district properties can enjoy VIP treatment, fast track access, and discounted tickets when visiting the karst cave scenic area. Conversely, if tourists from the scenic area want to buy property in Hehai City, they can give priority to recommending our properties. This mutual traffic redirection can significantly reduce marketing costs. By the way, I remember last time a high-end guesthouse owner from Qingyuan came to inspect the scenic area, he was also very interested in school district properties in Hehai City. I'll give his contact information to Sister He later and see if we can connect them."

"That would be great. Your collaborative plan is very valuable. The two projects can connect their resources, which is much better than going it alone. In that case, when we open the market, we can do a 'Buy a property and enjoy VIP access to the scenic area' event. The first few dozen homebuyers will receive an annual pass to the scenic area and a hot spring experience voucher. This will not only boost the initial sales but also attract visitors to the scenic area."

"That's a great idea. The scenic area is also preparing to implement a membership system, so we can launch it simultaneously with the real estate project. I'll have the marketing department refine the plan, and we'll discuss it together at the next meeting."

The three of them discussed from the afternoon until it got dark, changing the color of the facade stone from a light beige to a warmer gray that is more resistant to dirt, and including the age requirement for the ginkgo tree in the sunken courtyard in the contract.

The functional zoning of the ground floor of the low-rise buildings was replanned, and the unit type ratio, parking space pricing strategy and bidding plan for the property management company were finalized item by item.

This residential community is positioned as a high-end, upgraded housing development, targeting middle- and high-income families in Hehai City, so every detail must be meticulously considered.

Empty coffee cups were stacked in a row on the corner of the table in the conference room. The renderings brought by Director Han were worn and frayed, with the blank spaces filled with annotations and revisions made by the three people during their discussion.

After the meeting, the three of them chatted for a few more minutes at the conference room door. He Qianwen closed her laptop and tucked it under her arm, saying that the financing plan would be ready in the next couple of days, and she would send it to them for review first.

Chao Yuan took out his phone and checked the calendar. He said that next week he would go to Qingyuan to keep an eye on the trial operation data of the karst cave scenic area. After the data came out, he would meet with them again to see if the two projects could make some more specific collaborations in marketing.

"That's all for today. Once the plan is approved, we'll prepare to start construction. This is another major project that will take two and a half years. Let's call it a day."