Traveling back to 1977

Chapter 612 Partners

Huashan Road, a manor villa.

Accompanied by Jiang Tiantian and Jiang Lili, Zhou Yali toured the dilapidated old house.

At the entrance of the villa, Chen Fan, along with Wang, an official from the housing management office, and Ma, an official from the United Front Work Department, were smoking together. Wang was the same official who had introduced the house to him and An Quan earlier.

Sitting on the low wall of the veranda, Officer Wang said with a smile, "I've been in housing management for so many years, and I've only ever sold one villa, which is yours. I never expected that you would want to buy these two as well."

Chen Fan immediately shook his head and denied it, "No, no, no, I can't afford this place. It's for my relative."

He turned his head and looked around, and even with his extensive knowledge, he couldn't help but be a little surprised.

This old Western-style house from the Republican era was the third one they had looked at.

Let's not even talk about the first two sets; they were the ones Chen Fan didn't choose back then, and they haven't sold even after more than half a year.

This house was recently vacated. The owner is in Hong Kong, and when he heard that the policy had changed, he sent a lawyer with the property deed to deal with the old house. It was actually a test.

After careful consideration, the higher authorities decided to spend a fortune to buy the horse's bones and return the horse to its rightful owner.

As it turned out, the homeowner had already made up his mind: if you return the property, I'll sell it, so he put it up for sale.

In contrast, the "First Private Garden of Shanghai," located at No. 3 Baoqing Road and once famous throughout Shanghai, was only returned in 2002 by several descendants of the original owner, Zhou Zongliang, who brought the property deed to demand its return.

Previously, the place had been inhabited by Zhou Zongliang's grandson, Xu Yuanzhang. Even during those ten-plus years, he lived there as the owner. At that time, many old Shanghainese would gather there, making it their secluded paradise.

However, when the Zhou family descendants came with the property deed, the court still ruled that the deed was valid, and Xu Yuanzhang had no choice but to move out of the old Western-style house where he had lived for most of his life.

Back then, it was already the new century, and property deeds were still considered valid. Now, at this crucial time for united front work, vacating and returning the property is only natural.

The villa itself occupies an area of ​​over 500 square meters, has four floors, and a large rooftop terrace. The total building area exceeds 2000 square meters, and it also includes a large garden of over 30 acres and two annex buildings.

Although part of the large garden has been occupied, about 18 acres of land have been preserved, and there are still two annex buildings, each occupying 80 square meters. There is even a large swimming pool in the front garden.

That's fucking luxurious!
The house, including the garden, is priced at 50 yuan by the housing authority. This is the lowest price, and not a penny less.

Well, that's what the homeowner requested, so it's quite reasonable.

In fact, this is a difficult problem that the homeowner has put the government in, which is to say that the homeowner intends to make the government foot the bill.

But the government is short of money now, especially with the housing shortage. So many people are waiting for housing allocation, so they have no choice but to put their properties up for sale.

Moreover, the house was taken back from a certain unit, and many of the facilities inside were damaged. Even the floors and walls needed to be renovated, and the renovation costs had to be paid by the owner.

In addition, the swimming pool has been abandoned for decades and has now become a large pond. Restoring it to its original state will cost a considerable amount of money.

With such a high price, how many people in China can afford it, or dare to buy it?
Chen Fan couldn't afford the house payment alone. Even with the 38 yuan that Master Zhang had and the 7 yuan that he had, he was still 5 yuan short. It was really expensive.

Besides, he wouldn't dare to buy it.

Spending 3 yuan to buy a small villa is understandable, but if someone dares to buy this, do they really think the world is at peace now?!

You'll definitely die if you try.

Only wealthy overseas Chinese or foreign guests who are living abroad have the money and the courage to buy such houses.

Faced with Chen Fan's repeated shaking of his head in denial, Officer Wang, smoking a cigarette, said with a smile, "I've seen many of these overseas relatives. Many of them have bought houses in China, but a large part of them are actually for their relatives to live in."

"Your relatives are no different. Do you think they'll settle down in the country year-round? When they're not around, you can stay wherever you want."

Chen Fan shrugged. "But I don't live in Shanghai permanently. Besides, it's not like I don't have a place to live; I have more than enough of my own place to live in."

Officer Wang and another colleague exchanged a glance, both able to see the speechlessness in each other's eyes.

They all sighed inwardly, thinking that this was just like it had been a decade or so ago, with some suffering from drought and others from floods, and the rich making a comeback.

However, they dared not say this outright.

They still want to win over the people.

After smoking two cigarettes, Zhou Yali and the other two finally came out of the house.

Before he even arrived, she called out, "Brother, are you done watching?"

Chen Fan turned around. "How is it?"

Zhou Yali chuckled and glanced at the two people beside her.

Officer Wang and Officer Ma immediately stood up, exchanged a glance, and Officer Wang said, "You two talk, we'll go over there and have a smoke."

After saying that, the two walked away together.

After they had walked away, Zhou Yali said, "Brother, I think this place is pretty good. Although it needs a complete renovation, it's spacious and in a great location. If you buy it, it would be a good choice as a family home or a company headquarters."

After a pause, she continued, "Didn't you say that the mainland will gradually open up and allow foreign investment to enter? And in the past two years, there have been continuous news reports about allowing foreign investment to enter. The year before last, Revlon even opened its first mainland store in Guangdong. I think your judgment should be correct."

Although our Zhou family started out in trade, we also operated in the real estate industry for decades. According to objective laws, once a region's economy begins to develop, the first and easiest sector to see price increases is real estate.

This apartment is very large and located in downtown Shanghai; its value is sure to appreciate significantly in the future.

After she finished speaking, she blinked and asked softly, "What do you think?"

Chen Fan snorted twice and spread his hands, "You've already said so much, what else can I say?"

He then smiled and said, "Besides, you're the one buying the house, so of course your opinion should take precedence."

"Hehehehe."

Zhou Yali chuckled twice, turned to look at Jiang Lili and Jiang Tiantian, then glanced at Wang and Ma, who were far away, before whispering, "Anyway, there are no outsiders here, I have something to tell you."

Chen Fan frowned slightly. "What is it?"

Zhou Yali made a gesture, ran over and sat down next to him, and whispered, "It's like this, my dad transferred the share that belonged to your aunt and now belongs to you to me. In addition, I also hold shares in the newly established technology company that makes Chinese character input methods. So all your assets are in my hands."

Chen Fan smacked his lips, staring intently at her, but didn't say anything, waiting for her to finish speaking.

The two Jiang sisters nearby couldn't help but exchange a glance, then turned their gaze to Zhou Yali. Both of them wondered if this meant turning Chen Fan into a capitalist.
Seeing that Chen Fan didn't say anything, Zhou Yali continued, "Your share includes both shares and cash, so I'm thinking of buying this house under this company's name, okay? That way, the house will be yours in the future. Anyway, my family is in the United States, so even if I come back, I can stay at your house."

Chen Fan looked at her, unsure of where to begin.

After several seconds, he shook his head and said, "There's no need for that. I made it very clear before that I won't take the Zhou family's money. As for that tech company, you can consider it as me providing the ideas, and you providing the money and effort, and I'll get half the shares."

If Zhou Yali hadn't brought this up, Chen Fan would have decided to reduce cooperation with the Zhou family after the Chinese character card was successfully developed.

He hadn't forgotten that this relative was adopted, not real, and even if he were, he couldn't let someone else take advantage of him for nothing.

Now that the Zhou family has offered him the company, he feels that they can cooperate long-term and share the opportunities from the 80s through this company.

Anyway, he only provides project suggestions; the Zhou family handles the execution and investment, so it's reasonable for them to each hold half the shares.

However, Zhou Yali was very angry about his plan.

She immediately glared at him, "How could you do this? Are you trying to distance yourself from us?"

Chen Fan said helplessly, "Sisters, you guys insisted on giving me money. If anything, you should be the ones drawing a line between us."

Zhou Yali puffed out her cheeks. "That's different. There's an old saying that even close brothers should keep clear accounts. No matter how close the relatives are, they should clarify things about money. The closer the relationship, the clearer the accounting should be to avoid problems. If you don't accept it, then you're wrong."

Chen Fan wiped his face, looked at her, and asked, "So what do you want?"

Zhou Yali snorted, "Just do as I said. Since you're not available right now, I'll hold the shares and assets on your behalf. I'll return them to you when the time is right. That's it."

Chen Fan scratched his head, thought for a moment, and said, "How about this, since you're planning to invest in the mainland in the future, why don't we use this company's name and you run it? You also said that even close brothers should keep clear accounts. I'll only be responsible for the strategic investment direction, and you'll handle all the other execution. Then we'll split the shares 50/50, how about that?"

As soon as he finished speaking, he added, "If you don't agree, then don't talk to me about economics or investment anymore. Let's just be ordinary relatives, have some tea, play cards, and that's it. We don't need to say anything else."

Zhou Yali frowned deeply. "Investing in the name of this company? What about my dad?"

Chen Fan laughed and said, "Your dad is your dad, and you are you. Don't you want to be independent, make something of yourself, and show your dad?"

Upon hearing this, Zhou Yali's eyes immediately lit up. "Yes, that's a good idea."

She thought for a moment, then grinned and said, "Okay, I'll ask my dad to invest some more money in me later, and we'll split this company in half."

She reached out and patted Chen Fan on the shoulder, laughing heartily, "Little brother, whether I live a life of luxury or just eat steamed buns and porridge for the rest of my life depends on you!"

Chen Fan was speechless. "What kind of nonsense is this? Where did you learn all these words?"

Zhou Yali laughed and said, "The story collection in your study has martial arts novels. Although they're not as good as Jin Yong and Gu Long's works, they're still quite interesting."

Chen Fan, “…”

After a two-second pause, he said, "Since you've decided to buy this place in the company's name, why not just buy the first villa you looked at before as well? This place can be used as the company's office, and you can live in the villa over there."

Zhou Yali nodded without hesitation, "Okay, you decide."

The first villa is about the same size as Chen Fan's, and even the layout is 90% similar. Moreover, the location is good, right on Hunan Road. When my parents come to visit in the future, they can stay there, which will be very convenient.

What? Herself?
Of course I'd stay at my younger brother's house! There are more people, it's more lively. What's the point of living with my parents?
Besides, she and her younger brother will be business partners from now on, so living together will facilitate communication and work.

After the two finished their discussion, Chen Fan stood up, dusted himself off, and led them toward Officer Wang, waving as he did so.

When Officer Wang saw them coming, he immediately threw away his cigarette butt and went to greet them.

As he got a little closer, Chen Fan said, "I want this set, and the one I saw first."

Wang's eyes lit up immediately, and he quickly took two steps forward, "Really?"

By this time, the two sides had met up. Chen Fan took out two cigarettes and said with a smile, "Of course it's true. You can't joke about something like this."

Officer Wang laughed and said, "No, no, I just can't believe it."

These are two of the hardest old villas to sell, especially this one. He doesn't even dare to think about who could come up with 50 yuan.

Even among the overseas Chinese who returned one after another, few had this kind of strength.

Although overseas Chinese are wealthier than mainlanders, not all of them are rich. Many are small business owners, such as running a restaurant or shop, and many others make a living by working odd jobs.

He also heard some good-natured overseas Chinese say that those who were able to return to China were actually in relatively good financial condition. Many people wanted to come back but couldn't afford the travel expenses, so they could only contact each other by letter.

It's rare to encounter a wealthy person, and even if they are willing to buy property in mainland China, they are mainly looking for conventional residential properties.

To have the money and be willing to buy such a big house is truly a stroke of luck.

Chen Fan smiled and said, "Actually, the main reason for buying this courtyard is to prepare for future investments back in China."

Upon hearing this, another officer surnamed Ma also became excited and couldn't help but ask, "Are you willing to invest back in China?"

These words were, of course, directed at Zhou Yali.

Zhou Yali smiled and nodded, "Yes. Last time my father returned to China, he also took the opportunity to investigate the domestic environment and felt that it had great investment potential. So when I came back this time, he gave me a few tasks, one of which was to find a few suitable houses, some for my own residence and some as company premises."

The courtyard is large, and although the houses are a bit old, the area is quite good, making it suitable as a company headquarters.

The villa I looked at before was quite nice as a residence, so I've decided to buy both.

Upon hearing this, both Officer Ma and Officer Wang were overjoyed.

One sold his house, and the other successfully secured a commitment to invest in the mainland. When they returned to their units and reported this to their superiors, it would be considered a great achievement, and they were naturally happy.

Without saying much more, the group got into Chen Fan's van and quickly headed towards the housing management office.

Back at the housing management office, the leaders, upon learning the outcome, naturally gave them the green light and processed their paperwork as quickly as possible.

However, since Zhou Yali did not bring the company documents, she could only buy the house in her own name first.

As she left the housing management office, holding two property ownership certificates, Zhou Yali couldn't help but burst into laughter. "I never imagined that my first house purchase would be in China. How amazing!"

(End of this chapter)