Traveling back to 1977

Chapter 561 Killed Three Birds with One Stone

There are mountains beyond mountains, and buildings beyond buildings.

Jiangnan University is situated on one of the few hills in the provincial capital. The main gate of the university is on the south side. If you walk straight through the main gate and cross three small hills, you will reach the north gate.

There is a "mountain ring" road outside the North Gate that has existed for nearly a century, which encircles the entire campus.

With this highway as the boundary, the area inside the highway is considered the urban area, while the area outside the highway is the suburbs in an administrative sense.

Actually, if Jiangnan University weren't located here, the few small hills on campus would also be considered part of the suburbs.

On the other side of the road is an irregularly shaped lake with a total area of ​​more than 500 hectares. The lake water is crystal clear and reflects the night sky on a clear night, as if it has taken in all the stars in the sky, twinkling with starlight. Hence, it is called "Star Lake".

The western half of Xinghu Lake is located just north of Jiangda University. The western shore is flat and without slopes, with no villages or factories. There is only a small corner extending into the lake, which is about four or five acres in size. It is high in the middle and low around the edges, and only a dozen meters away from the land, resembling a mini peninsula that is neither too close nor too far.

Standing at the highest point of the peninsula, Chen Fan looked at the Jiangda campus not far away. "It's really close here. It probably won't take more than 20 minutes to walk there."

Then he turned to Huang Tianzhi and said, "But there are no houses here?!"

This person is also a member of the Provincial Writers Association and works in the Urban Construction Committee of the Provincial Capital as the deputy director.

Like Chen Fan, Huang Tianzhi started his career by writing "documentary literature," which specifically focuses on things worth praising in his workplace. A simple water pipe renovation project can be transformed into a human miracle comparable to the Red Flag Canal in his writing.

Although he couldn't write anything else, it was enough for him. With this pen, he rose through the ranks, not only reaching the top of his unit but also successfully joining the provincial writers' association, making him a true winner in life.

The Urban Construction Commission has always been a powerful organization, even in later generations. Today, it oversees important units such as the Housing Management Bureau, construction companies, planning institutes, and building materials companies, managing all aspects of civil engineering and housing welfare, including urban planning, housing allocation, land allocation, public construction, building construction, and building repair.

If Chen Fan wants to buy a house, he can't go wrong by contacting this person.

Even though Huang Tianzhi was in charge of administrative work, within the system, a casual greeting was still better than going to the housing management bureau of the subdistrict office.

Huang Tianzhi is over 40 years old, but because of his impeccable political background and his leadership position in a key public welfare unit, he is immune to the storms and hardships outside, making him appear younger than his 30s.

If this were a production team, this age would likely match the appearance of someone in their 5s or 60s in later generations, the typical look of a farmer. One looks more than ten years younger, the other more than ten years older; standing together, they could easily be mistaken for two generations.

Huang Tianzhi flicked his cigarette ash and laughed, saying, "If you want to buy a house, the conditions are that it should be close to Jiangnan University or the Writers' Association, preferably a detached house with a good view and not many other houses around. Then I can only bring you here."

The houses in other places are either too far from Jiangda University or my workplace, almost to the countryside, or they are very old houses, with houses next to houses and walls squeezed together, with no open space in front and no yard in back, and you can hear your neighbors talking.

And there are no toilets; you have to use public restrooms, and in some places there's no running water, you have to use water from water trucks. You want a house like that?

Chen Fan suddenly remembered the old residential areas he had visited when he first came to the provincial capital, and immediately shook his head repeatedly, "No, no."

Huang Tianzhi laughed heartily, "That's why I won't take you to see those houses."

He then pointed around and said, “Look here. You just said that it takes less than 20 minutes to walk from here to the North Gate of Jiangda University. You can drive there in no time. The roads inside the campus are much longer.”

As for the environment, this is one of the best places in the entire province in terms of natural scenery, and some people even consider it the best. Doesn't that perfectly meet your requirements for beautiful scenery?

Upon hearing this, Chen Fan nodded slightly without realizing it.

It really is.

Decades later, all the houses around Xinghu Lake that could be demolished were demolished, leaving only a very few old villas and dormitories where no one knew who lived. The area around the lake was then transformed into a lakeside park, and the environmental conditions were incredibly good.

Even the "peninsula" under your feet is a popular spot for taking photos.

It is the best observation point, especially when migratory birds fly in every winter.

So if you buy it in advance, it will be a "private property"?
Thinking of this, Chen Fan had an idea and turned to look at Huang Tianzhi, "Brother Huang, how much of this land can I buy?"

His idea was to buy the entire peninsula, seal off the entrance, and create an independent park.

In the future planning of the provincial capital, relying on the human resources of Jiangnan University, high-tech industries will be developed around Xinghu Lake. The east and north will be mainly high-tech manufacturing, while the west will be the "headquarters area". So naturally, this area has become the new city center with all kinds of supporting facilities.

Living here, the phrase "quiet amidst the hustle and bustle" doesn't even begin to describe its transcendence. I imagine that, along with the residents of those old villas, it will become the subject of speculation, and perhaps the biggest one at that.

Just as Chen Fan was lost in thought, he saw Huang Tianzhi shake his head, "You? Don't even think about buying a single square meter!"

What does it mean? ? ?
Chen Fan blinked at him, "Can't I buy it?"

"Of course not."

Huang Tianzhi laughed and said, "Private individuals can buy old houses, but buying land? Impossible!"

Chen Fan immediately put his hands on his hips and said irritably, "Brother Huang, did you bring me here just to show me around?"

What's the point of bringing me here if I can't buy it?
Huang Tianzhi laughed and said, "Brother, don't be in such a hurry. Individuals can't buy them, but companies can apply!"

Chen Fan's eyes widened. "You mean, in the name of the association?"

Huang Tianzhi nodded, then shook his head. “The Writers’ Association looks high-level, but if you really count the number of members, there aren’t many. What I mean is, you can ask Lao He to take the lead in the name of the Writers’ Association, and work with Jiangnan Literature and Art Publishing House and your correspondence center to apply to the province for a piece of land to build a dormitory building.”

He took out two cigarettes, handed one to Chen Fan, and put the other in his own mouth. He lit the cigarette with the lighter Chen Fan offered, exhaled a puff of smoke, and continued, "If you're talking about applying for land in the city, you probably have no chance. Many units are crammed into tenement buildings, and some employees have been assigned to old residential areas. Their housing conditions are far worse than those of people in the cultural system. To be fair, if things are done according to principle, you definitely can't compete with them."

He then pointed to the surroundings and said, “These ‘fringe areas’ that are adjacent to the city but not quite in the city are different. There are all kinds of land. If you want to build a factory, there are large flat areas. If you want to build dormitories, there are places with mountains and water. If you submit an application to the higher authorities, the province will definitely approve it and praise you for being sensible.”

Chen Fan was somewhat puzzled, "Why hasn't any organization applied for land here?"

Huang Tianzhi hummed twice and sighed, saying, "Brother, you don't know, apart from those factories that burn blast furnaces every day, which unit is willing to separate the dormitory from the workplace too far away? They've been eyeing the vacant land near their workplace all this time, but it's been almost 30 years since the founding of the People's Republic of China, where in the city can they still build buildings?"

Then he pointed around, "Actually, you see, this place isn't that far. Especially since it's right next to Jiangnan University. From here to the Writers' Association, it takes 20 minutes by bus and half an hour by bicycle."

I reckon that in another year or two, some companies will get impatient and relocate to areas on the outskirts of the city. Once the dormitories are built, some families with less desirable housing conditions will likely be happy to move there.

"No, Brother Huang?"

Chen Fan frowned. "I just wanted to buy a small courtyard for some peace and quiet. How did it turn into building public housing? Besides, building public housing isn't just a matter of a few hundred or a few thousand yuan. Building a dormitory building would easily cost tens of thousands of yuan, right?"

Huang Tianzhi squinted and smiled slightly, finally revealing his true colors, "Brother Chen, your vision is too narrow."

He flicked off his cigarette ash and chuckled, "Public housing or private housing, once it's allocated to you, isn't it your house? Even if you change jobs someday, as long as you're not transferred to another place, it won't affect your ownership of the house."

He glanced at Chen Fan, who seemed somewhat unconvinced, and said, "If you really don't want to live in public housing, that's simple. I'll teach you a way."

He turned around and drew a circle, saying, "This piece of land that protrudes out, plus a few acres on the bank, I'll give you ten acres, or twenty acres if you want. You can build a wall around this land and build tenement buildings on the bank. Build one or two more apartment buildings. This is useful, but I'll explain why later."

After that, we should plan this area properly, maybe build a staff activity center or something, that's the idea.

"When the time comes, you can take a small plot of land and build a few of the kind of yards you want. After they're built,..."

Huang Tianzhi clapped his hands and looked at Chen Fan with a smile, "Hey, guess what?" Chen Fan's eyes darted around, "More houses?"

Upon hearing this, Huang Tianzhi couldn't help but grin and laugh heartily. "That's right. Which workplace doesn't have a housing shortage these days? Although our place can't compare to big cities like Beijing or Shanghai, it's still one of the major ports in the country, and the housing problem has never really been alleviated."

Especially this year, more and more educated youth have returned to the city, and there are quite a few families of seven or eight people crammed under one roof. If they had the opportunity to move to a bigger house, even if it was a bit far away, they would definitely be willing to accept it.

"Look at you guys, you've built new houses and you even have extras. The other units in your cultural system will definitely be envious."

As he spoke, he gestured as if he were plotting some kind of conspiracy, "Then you can go with the flow and give away some of the extra houses for a fee, you can be sandwiched in the middle, and incidentally buy a 'nobody wants' big yard. That's solving a problem for the unit, so who can say anything?!"

Chen Fan looked at him, gritted his teeth slightly, and couldn't help but grin from ear to ear, "Brother Huang, you're amazing!"

Huang Tianzhi proudly raised his head, "Standard procedure, nothing to mention."

……

Writers Association, He Qingsheng's office.

After hearing Chen Fan's words, He Qingsheng snorted coldly twice and glanced at him sideways, "I told you you weren't suited for the system."

Chen Fan's face immediately fell. "I didn't want to work here, you were the one who insisted on dragging me in!"

He Qingsheng's face stiffened slightly, but a smile crept onto his face the next second, and he said in a gentle voice, "What I mean is, this time you've been sold out and you're still helping them count the money!"

Chen Fan was slightly taken aback. "What do you mean?"

He Qingsheng grabbed a bottle of "Special Grade A, Superior Filter" Yunyan cigarettes from the table, tossed one to him, and said with a smile, "This time, Huang Tianzhi has killed three birds with one stone."

He struck a match and lit it, then handed the half-burnt match to Chen Fan, explaining, "First, all the units are applying for land to build dormitories, but as Huang Tianzhi said, apart from public land that can't be used for other purposes, where else can they get land?"
The Urban Construction Committee has repeatedly suggested that various units consider locating their dormitories in the suburbs, but no one is willing to do so.

He Qingsheng chuckled and said, "Which leader in any unit would dare to agree? Although they are leaders, the higher the position, the more they should consider the welfare of the employees. If their unit is in the city, and you send them to the suburbs, aren't you afraid of being scolded by the employees when you return to the unit?"

Upon hearing this, Chen Fan couldn't help but lick his lips and whispered, "It can't be that bad, can it?"

He Qingsheng shook his head. "Whether it's that serious or not, let's not talk about it for now. But as long as we agree to build a dormitory area 'outside the city,' it's like opening a door. Then the Urban Construction Committee will have enough reason to make other units consider the suburbs as well."

He held up a finger, a cold smile playing on his lips. "As long as just one company, just one company that follows suit, this loophole will be torn open and widened. You can probably tell what will happen next without me saying it, right?"

Chen Fan, with a cigarette butt between his teeth, nodded slightly. "Once a precedent is set, it can become a routine."

He Qingsheng leaned forward, resting his elbows on the desk, and said to Chen Fan, "Let me tell you about the second eagle, which was shot at the money that our company just put into its pockets!"

Chen Fan's eyes darted around slightly. "The tuition fees received by the correspondence center?!"

He Qingsheng smiled and nodded, then sighed and said, "Of the 200,000 yuan income, 36,000 yuan will be distributed to the 12 regions below. The cost of textbooks and classroom rentals will not exceed 14,000 yuan. The staff is readily available. At most, we will give them a subsidy of 10 yuan per month. For dozens of people, it will only cost 3000 yuan."

"Let's do the math. The total cost is less than 55,000 yuan, and the net income is over 140,000 yuan. Even if you have to hand over a portion to the province and the supervising unit, your correspondence center can still keep at least 100,000 yuan in hand. Who wouldn't be envious of such a large sum of money?!"

Chen Fan chuckled dryly, "So, it turns out Brother Huang is just trying to get business for the construction company?"

"It's more than that."

He Qingsheng looked at him and smiled, "Didn't he suggest you build two more buildings, and then give the unused ones to other units? Do you think he could profit from this?"

Chen Fan laughed and said, "Of course it is. No matter which unit wants a house, they can't bypass the Housing Management Bureau. He is also a member of the Urban Construction Committee. Whether it's a unit or an individual, they can all get some benefits."

He Qingsheng laughed heartily, "Look, this is the third eagle he shot."

Chen Fan wiped his face, feeling somewhat depressed.

Well, all I wanted was to find a quiet place to live, and I ended up getting killed three times over?

He took a drag of his cigarette in a sullen voice, then looked up at He Qingsheng. "Then... this can't be done?"

He Qingsheng smiled slightly and shook his head, "No, it can be done."

He looked at Chen Fan and laughed, "He has his own plans, but that doesn't mean we're at a disadvantage. Besides, we don't necessarily have to do what he says!"

He then leaned back in his chair and said softly, "To be honest, I'm also having a headache about how to make good use of this 10 yuan, otherwise a large portion of it will definitely be taken away by my superiors."

I hadn't decided how to use the money yet, but now it seems that applying for land to build a house is a very good option.

Chen Fan hesitated for a moment, "Is a few hundred thousand yuan enough to build a dormitory building?"

He Qingsheng: "That's enough. For example, a 50-square-meter two-bedroom apartment with a toilet and kitchen would cost only 3500 to 4000 yuan to build. If you build a tenement building, it would be even cheaper."

If we can get this project approved before the higher authorities withdraw the funds, we can build 36 to 40 apartments.

If you include the publishing house, they still have over 4 yuan left. Putting it all together, that's more than 80 apartments. They could build 10 four-story apartment buildings with two units per floor.

At this point, He Qingsheng leaned back, his face full of pride, "No matter when, houses are a resource. Having 80 houses in hand, whether it's allocating new houses to employees in the unit who don't have houses, or helping old employees exchange their houses, it's a huge benefit."

Chen Fan gasped, "A paid transfer? You're not doing it anymore?"

What's he so busy with? Just so his workplace will allocate him a small two-bedroom apartment of 50 square meters?
He Qingsheng chuckled and said, "Of course we'll exchange them. But we must prioritize our own people. Only those with extras can be given to others. Besides, the old houses vacated by the veteran employees are also our resources. Who says we have to exchange them for new houses? Aren't old houses houses too?!"

Chen Fan silently gave a thumbs up, "Brilliant, truly brilliant."

He stubbed out his cigarette in the ashtray and said seriously, "Then, do I still have my little courtyard?"

He Qingsheng laughed and said, "You want to live in a detached house? That's easy. We'll build a few more detached houses as housing for senior cadres of the Writers' Association. If you like living in your own house, we'll allocate one to you."

Chen Fan's face immediately lit up with a happy smile, "Won't there be any trouble?"

He Qingsheng's expression changed slightly, his eyes showing a strange look, as if he was suppressing a laugh. "It is indeed a little troublesome."

Chen Fan blinked. "What trouble?"

He Qingsheng coughed twice, "In the future, people will definitely praise you for being selfless, but behind your back they'll call you stupid!"

Seeing that Chen Fan still didn't seem to understand, he couldn't help but chuckle and say, "Why would you choose to buy a house out of your own pocket when you have free public housing? You're just wasting thousands of dollars. Who's stupid if not you?"

No one would have imagined that more than a decade later, housing reform would take place, gradually replacing welfare housing with commercial housing.

Nowadays, everyone is enjoying the benefits of housing allocation without spending a penny. Why should they pay for their own house?
Only those without a stable job, or whose employers offer poor benefits and whose homes are in poor condition, would struggle to buy a house out of their own pockets!
Once this project is built, even though the company doesn't lack housing, Chen Fan still insists on spending money to buy one. What else could he be but a fool?
Chen Fan understood the logic behind it, silently grabbed the Yunyan cigarettes on the table and put them in his pocket, then stood up and said, "Yunyan is the best, followed by Guiyan and then Zhonghua. Next time, I'll get some Guiyan to try."

After saying that, he stood up, waved, and walked out lightly.

(End of this chapter)