Soul Returns to Hong Kong: From Tailor Shop to Richest Woman

Lin Lanying pushed a pre-prepared promissory note into the middle of the coffee table: "Here is HK$100,000; it's from me."

"Big sister!" Lin Yaoying stood up anxiously.

"Sit down!" Lin Lanying said, adopting the air of an elder sister; Lin Yaoying had no choice but to sit back down on the sofa.

Lin Lanying pointed to the promissory note: "This money is from my heart. Take it and build a luxurious house like the one costing 290,000, with plenty of materials, so you can live comfortably. However, there are some things I, as your older sister, need to make clear to you today in front of your parents."

"Sister, please speak," Lin Yaoying said, a little uneasy.

"With this 100,000 yuan, the ownership of this house and the land deed will all belong to you, little brother. I, Lin Lanying, will not take a single share of the property rights, and I will absolutely not use this 100,000 yuan to fight you for the ownership of the house in the future."

She continued, "However, I've paid for it, but once the house is built, there must be a room for our family inside. During holidays, or when I take Ah Ying and Ah Qian back to the New Territories, I'll need to stay there. That's the condition, and I'm making it clear to you in advance."

Lin Fu sat in the main seat and nodded to his daughter.

Lin Yaoying looked at the 100,000 yuan promissory note on the coffee table and didn't refuse or hesitate any longer; he knew that his older sister had put it this way, and refusing again would be hurtful to their relationship.

"Okay." Lin Yaoying nodded heavily and took the promissory note with both hands. "Big sister, Ah Hui and I are grateful for your kindness. Don't worry, once the house is built, it will always be your house."

"That's right." Lin Lanying finally smiled.

He Dazhu laughed and said from the side, "Just build a luxurious one, make sure the frame is sturdy, and you won't have to keep repairing it."

With the business settled, the atmosphere in the living room immediately became relaxed and lively. Now that they had decided to build a luxury version costing 290,000, the family naturally began to gather together to plan the house's blueprints.

Lin Fu took out a pencil and drew a rough square on a piece of white paper: "According to the rules of our New Territories, the floor area of ​​a Ding house cannot exceed 700 square feet per floor."

Deng Hui did the math: "Each floor is 700 square feet, so three floors together would be 2,100 square feet. That's much more spacious than our current bungalows."

"There are strict rules about the height too." Lin Fu wrote a number next to him, "The roof can't exceed 8.2 meters. They'll send someone to measure it, and it can't be even an inch over."

Lin Ying had been sitting quietly to the side, listening intently, until she heard this.

"Grandpa," Lin Ying asked, pointing to the blueprints, "Since the regulations stipulate a maximum height of 8.2 meters and a land area of ​​only 700 feet, those are the surface-level rules. Can we dig a basement instead?"

The whole family was stunned when he said that.

Looking at his granddaughter's serious face, Lin Fu suddenly couldn't help but burst into laughter.

"Grandpa, what's so funny?" Lin Ying asked, puzzled. "An extra basement level means an extra 700 square feet of usable space. It's a good deal to use it as a storage room."

"Ah Ying, Ah Ying, you certainly think fast," Lin Fu said with a smile, shaking his head. "But the law is precisely to prevent thoughts like yours!"

Lin Fu explained, "The Hong Kong government's land approval terms clearly state that small houses are only allowed to be built three stories above ground, and any underground excavation is strictly prohibited! Do you think those officials are fools? If they could dig, the villagers would have already dug eighteen stories down and rented them out!"

Lin Lanying also found it amusing: "You think this is writing a script, where you can write whatever you want?"

Lin Ying wasn't annoyed by the rejection. She thought for a moment and said, "Since I can't dig a basement, can I borrow twenty centimeters from the ground?"

"What do you need twenty centimeters for?" Lin Yaoying asked, puzzled.

"Build a moisture barrier, or lower the foundation slab slightly, so that each floor will appear more spacious." Lin Ying's calculations were very precise. With 8.2 meters divided into three floors, each floor is less than 2.7 meters high. Adding the thickness of the floor slabs and the floor tiles, the interior space would be a bit too low.

"Openly, not even a centimeter is allowed. But if you really want to do it, do it secretly, and you can only borrow a maximum of ten centimeters. No more than that," Grandpa told Lin Ying.

Lin Ying pressed further, "Why ten centimeters?"

"Because after it's built, the Land Administration Department and building inspectors will come to assess it and take measurements," Lin Fu explained. "If you steal ten centimeters and lay down some floor tiles, they'll turn a blind eye. But if you dare to steal twenty centimeters, it'll be obvious to the naked eye that something's wrong. If the assessment fails, they won't issue an occupancy permit, and your 290,000 NTD house will be considered an illegal structure; you won't be able to move in even for a day!"

Lin Ying understood the intricacies of the matter.

"I understand, Grandpa." Lin Ying nodded, silently keeping these points in mind.

Lin Lanying clapped her hands: "Alright, everything's cleared up. Little brother, take some time to go back to the village and find a reliable construction team. Father, you'll have to keep a close eye on the construction plans and the foreman. Foremen these days are very cunning; don't let them cut corners on the cement and steel."

The family sat around the coffee table, chatting about their future three-story house.

Lin Ying leaned back on the sofa, listening to her elders' discussion, but her mind was already starting to work out. Although they couldn't dig a basement, and could only secretly borrow ten centimeters of space, the internal structure, lighting, and water pipe routing could still be maximized if designed properly.

Once her uncle retrieved the accurate data on the land's shape, she planned to create a modern interior design plan for the Lin family.

Hong Kong land is precious; even the mud from the New Territories must be squeezed to extract the greatest value.