After traveling through the book, I realized my wish in my previous life

After hearing what Jiang Yan said, the man's expression softened a bit. "This place is not cheap. It costs at least 600,000 or 700,000 yuan."

Jiang Yan's heart skipped a beat. The price was much higher than he expected, but he nodded calmly, "Can I go in and take a look?"

Under the man's guidance, Jiang Yan carefully inspected the interior of the factory. The roof was leaking a little, but the truss structure was intact. There were cracks on the ground, but the load-bearing walls were solid. He quickly calculated the cost of the renovation in his mind and wrote down various details.

When he left the factory, the sun was already setting. Jiang Yan rode his bike to the Beijing Library. Without taking a break, he went straight to the architectural book section, took out a stack of books on real estate development and building structures, and found a corner to read.

"Is this seat occupied?"

Jiang Yan looked up and saw an old man with thick glasses and gray hair standing opposite him, holding several architectural journals in his hands.

"No, please sit down," Jiang Yan quickly moved his book to the side.

After the old man sat down, he glanced at the "Construction Technology" spread out in front of Jiang Yan, then looked at the densely packed records and sketches in his notebook, and a hint of interest flashed in his eyes. "Young man, are you studying architecture?"

"No," Jiang Yan said a little embarrassedly, "I work in transportation and want to learn about real estate development."

"Oh?" The old man pushed up his glasses. "Why are you suddenly interested in this?"

Jiang Yan briefly explained his idea. To his surprise, the old man not only did not laugh at his lack of knowledge, but enthusiastically explained to him the basic knowledge of the construction industry. During the conversation, Jiang Yan learned that the old man's surname was Chen and he was a retired construction engineer.

"If you really want to get into the industry, just reading books isn't enough," Mr. Chen pulled a business card out of his pocket and handed it to Jiang Yan. "You can come to our industry exchange meeting this weekend. The address is on the back."

Jiang Yan was overjoyed and took the business card with both hands and thanked him repeatedly. The two chatted for a while until the library broadcast sounded the closing reminder and then separated.

On the way home, Jiang Yan's mind kept replaying the day's gains. The land with the underground river needed careful evaluation. The old factory building was expensive but the location was perfect. The learning opportunity provided by Engineer Chen was a pleasant surprise...

When I opened the door, it was completely dark. The yard was quiet, and only the lights in the main house were still on.

Jiang Yan walked in quietly and saw Shen Xiaoxia sitting under the lamp mending something. She looked up when she heard the noise.

"You're back?" She put down her work, got up and went to the kitchen. "The food is still hot. I'll bring it to you."

Jiang Yan then noticed that his shirt was spread out on the table. The hole at the cuff had been patched up with fine stitches. He hurriedly grabbed Shen Xiaoxia's hand and said, "Don't bother, I'll do it myself. Is Xiaosheng asleep?"

Shen Xiaoxia nodded. "Just went to bed. He was so noisy today. He had to hold on to your photo before he would go to sleep."

Jiang Yan smiled when he heard that, walked to the door of the room, gently pushed it open and peeked inside. Moonlight shone through the window onto the small bed. Little Mu Sheng was sleeping soundly with a photo frame in his arms. It was a photo of their family taken in the park last month.

Back in the restaurant, Jiang Yan ate the leftover food and excitedly shared his experiences of the day. Shen Xiaoxia listened carefully and asked sharp questions from time to time.

"The price of that old factory is indeed high," she pondered. "But if it were converted into a mixed-use commercial and residential building, with shops on the ground floor and housing above, the rate of return might be even higher."

Jiang Yan looked at Shen Xiaoxia in surprise, "How do you know all this?"

Shen Xiaoxia smiled mysteriously, "I also have my sources of information."

She stood up and took out a tin box from the cabinet. When she opened it, she found a stack of newspaper clippings and handwritten notes. "I've also collected some information during this time."

Jiang Yan flipped through the carefully compiled materials and found that they were all about real estate policies and market analysis, and even included several hand-drawn maps of Beijing's hot spots. He looked up at Shen Xiaoxia, his eyes full of emotion, "When did you..."

"You go out during the day, and I'll study these at home," Shen Xiaoxia said lightly, "Although I'm mainly taking care of Xiaosheng now, I can't completely let go of things outside."

Jiang Yan held Shen Xiaoxia's hand and said, "Well, don't work too hard!"

Shen Xiaoxia smiled and said, "I'm not the type of person who would tire myself out. Don't worry, I can handle it."

Then he changed the subject, "By the way, how's the situation with the transport team? Can Qin Song handle it?"

"No problem," Jiang Yan came back to his senses. "I trust Lao Qin to do things, but..." He hesitated. "If I really want to invest in real estate, I may have to gradually hand over the burden of the transport team to him."

Shen Xiaoxia seemed to be thinking about something. "Qin Song has been with you for so many years, and he is indeed reliable, but when it comes to business matters, there still needs to be a clear agreement."

Jiang Yan nodded. "I was just about to talk to him about the shares and was planning to give him some."

The two chatted for a while until Shen Xiaoxia started yawning. Jiang Yan looked at the wall clock and it was almost eleven o'clock.

"Go to sleep, you have to get up early tomorrow," he said softly.

Lying in bed, Jiang Yan tossed and turned, unable to sleep. Various data, drawings and plans were intertwined in his mind, making him both excited and nervous.

Outside the window, a crescent moon quietly climbed up the treetops, casting mottled shadows on the window lattice.

The next morning, Jiang Yan got up earlier than usual, washed up quietly, left a note and went out. He was going to the transport team to talk to Qin Song today.

In the transport team, workers were busy loading and unloading goods. When they saw Jiang Yan coming in, several veteran employees greeted him enthusiastically, "Brother Jiang is here!"

In the office, Qin Song was frowning over the account book. When he saw Jiang Yan come in, he immediately stood up and said, "Old Jiang, I was just looking for you. There's something wrong with last month's account..."

Jiang Yan waved his hand, "Let's not talk about this for now. I have something I want to discuss with you."

The two of them talked behind closed doors for the entire morning. When the office door opened again, Qin Song had an unconcealable look of joy on his face, while Jiang Yan breathed a sigh of relief.

"It's settled," Jiang Yan patted Qin Song's shoulder, "I'll have to take care of the transport team from now on!"

Qin Song nodded heavily. "Don't worry, I will manage it well. But if there's anything you need help with in real estate, feel free to ask."

Jiang Yan smiled and said, "Yes, that friend from the construction company you mentioned last time, can you introduce him to me?"

That afternoon, under Qin Song's arrangement, Jiang Yan met Lin Gong, a retired engineer from the Beijing Architectural Design Institute. The man in his sixties was energetic, well-spoken, and knew the history of Beijing's architectural development like the back of his hand.

The three of them chatted in a small teahouse until the evening. Mr. Lin was very interested in Jiang Yan's entrepreneurial ideas. He not only provided a lot of professional advice, but also promised to help introduce several people in the industry.

"It's a good thing for young people to be bold," said Mr. Lin, patting Jiang Yan on the shoulder before leaving. "But the real estate industry is a very complex one, so you must be fully prepared."

Jiang Yan nodded solemnly, "I will. Thank you, Mr. Lin, for your guidance."