[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"origin-reborn-starting-from-1993":3,"chapter-reborn-starting-from-1993-reborn-starting-from-1993-chapter-21":6},{"origin":4,"title":5},"chinese","Reborn Starting from 1993",{"chapter":7,"nextChapterSlug":19,"prevChapterSlug":20,"totalChapters":21,"novelImage":22},{"id":8,"novel_id":9,"title":10,"slug":11,"index":12,"content":13,"wordcount":14,"created_at":15,"updated_at":15,"volume":16,"translator":17,"content_hash":18},2357005,4611,"Chapter 21","reborn-starting-from-1993-chapter-21",21,"\u003Cp>“Handle the office building matter quickly—I must have the property certificate in hand!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Dongling said to Gao Peng, unwilling to run into problems over such matters; nowadays, people, due to their mindset and experience, valued verbal promises far more than contracts.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>China’s real estate industry had only recently been liberalized, still finding its footing; although land speculation in Yazhou was hot, inland cities remained relatively conservative.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Especially with properties, land, and office buildings under municipal or state-owned enterprises—if the property certificate wasn’t secured at purchase, years later, when the original officials retired and new ones took over, it was uncertain whether they’d even recognize the transaction.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Forget Pingyang—even buying Sihe Courtyards in Yanjing today to hoard them for massive profit could easily trap you; many Yanjing Sihe Courtyards have unclear ownership, still occupied by multiple households—you can buy them, but collecting rent is hard, let alone selling them.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Of course, if you truly acquire Sihe Courtyards with clear ownership, you can make a fortune; rarity drives value, especially in a place like Yanjing, where depreciation isn’t a concern.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Gao Peng wiped his mouth and assured Li Dongling, “Brother Li, rest easy—I know all this. My old man works in the municipal office; his favorite saying is, ‘Caution prevents errors—never give anyone leverage!’”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Dongling nodded. “Besides this, once the office building’s ownership is settled, I need you to find a construction team to renovate it in batches—follow the standards of Shanghai, Pengcheng, and Gangcheng.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hearing this, Gao Peng’s face lit up—it was a lucrative opportunity; even without skimming on materials, he could still make a profit.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Dongling didn’t mind Gao Peng making money—as long as the job got done and quality was guaranteed, what harm was there in him profiting? To get people to work—or even die for you—you need fame and profit; without both, empty words won’t last long.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Wherever you point, I’ll strike—my last name is Gao, and I won’t say a word against it!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“In Pingyang, there’s nothing Gao the Third can’t settle!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Brother, from now on you’re my real brother—I’m sticking with you, Gao the Third!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Halfway through the meal, Gao Peng was thoroughly drunk; watching him make grand vows and boast drunkenly, Li Dongling paid the bill with a wry smile and dragged him out of Pingyang Grand Hotel—he’d only tasted the 1993 Maotai, drunk two cups, while the rest went straight into Gao Peng’s belly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At this moment, Gao Peng was sloshed, still babbling about doing “great things” with Li Dongling, to prove to his old man and his two older brothers in the Gao family who was truly the most promising.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After dragging Gao Peng out, Li Dongling exhaled deeply, then stared at Gao Peng leaning against the motorcycle, still gesturing wildly—Li Dongling’s head throbbed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Dongling didn’t have a mobile phone; domestic mobile users were still few, most relying on pagers, then calling back via landline—and he didn’t even know Gao Peng’s home number.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After thinking, Li Dongling found a nearby shop’s phone and called Zhang Ao at the Yuanqi Factory; after a while, Zhang Ao arrived by taxi, loaded Gao Peng in, and rode off on the motorcycle—finally done.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Watching the car disappear, Li Dongling suddenly felt he needed a vehicle; transportation was still underdeveloped, otherwise taxis wouldn’t be so coveted—now synonymous with high income.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>With a car, traveling anywhere would be far easier; in a few days, Li Dongling planned to buy two vehicles—one for Dongling Gaoken’s official use, one for himself.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Clothes make the man, saddle makes the horse; for a long time, the appearance of an office building and the brand of one’s car were key indicators of a company’s strength—though not absolute, in this era, this image mattered deeply.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“What? The Municipal Industry and Commerce Bureau and the Bureau of Industry have awarded our factory? Mayor Luo is coming to inspect?!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At Xicheng Wireless Factory No. 1, Liu Jiande received the notice, utterly baffled.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>What was the state of Wireless Factory No. 1? All production halted, wages delayed, the TV production line bought at high cost had just arrived and was still being calibrated—no one knew when it would start. Why was Pingyang’s municipal government now honoring them? Liu Jiande thought it absurd—what was there to praise?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After hanging up, Liu Jiande looked at Liu Shirong sitting in his office. “I’m holding a meeting now. You’re in the Technical Section—behave yourself, don’t stir up trouble!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“The factory’s been unstable lately, municipal leaders are coming to inspect—don’t run into their guns and drag your old man down with you!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I know—I wouldn’t cause any trouble!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Liu Shirong, fiddling with the pager he planned to give his blind date Zhao Wanrong, said impatiently, then stood up. “I’m taking Wanrong to see a movie from Gangcheng this afternoon—I won’t come.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Liu Jiande stared at Liu Shirong, his liver aching with rage; he had no time to yell—he grabbed his teacup and notebook and headed for the factory meeting room. Today’s meeting was personally convened by the old factory director—he dared not delay.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Everyone’s here?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Xu Yongjin, factory director of Xicheng Wireless Factory No. 1, saw Liu Jiande and the others arrive and signaled to close the door.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Xu Yongjin, who had risen from within the factory since its founding, even though he now rarely managed affairs, still commanded respect—no one, not even Liu Jiande, dared treat him lightly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I called you here for two reasons. First: the color TV production line. It’s already past schedule. When we applied for the project, we promised no delays—but how long has production been halted? Workers below are furious, municipal leaders are closely watching. This concerns over a thousand regular staff and two thousand temporary workers—families’ livelihoods are at stake. This isn’t trivial!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Xu Yongjin’s voice wasn’t loud, nor did he slam the table—but each word struck Liu Jiande’s chest like a hammer; this was clear dissatisfaction.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“There are some technical issues—our technical staff’s skill level is weak; we haven’t fully grasped some materials yet—we need more study,” Liu Jiande said hastily, sweat already dampening his back.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“A problem with the Technical Section?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I recall Zhou Wenyang, the young man in Technical Section, had excellent skills—other city wireless factories tried to poach him. Can’t he figure this out either?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Also, didn’t we recently get a graduate from Hanxi Jiaoda? The director of the Municipal Bureau of Industry personally contacted me when assigning personnel—he said many units and SOEs in Pingyang wanted him. After careful consideration and his own willingness, he was assigned here. I was sick recently, hospitalized for recovery, haven’t even met him yet.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Even with your Technical Section and support from the color TV line supplier, you still can’t fix it?” Xu Yongjin asked hesitantly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Liu Jiande’s back was now soaked, beads of cold sweat forming on his forehead. He picked up his teacup and drank—never had he imagined Xu Yongjin remembered Li Dongling and Zhou Wenyang. Recalling how he’d forced them out through Xu Yiqiao, his hands trembled.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Other leaders of Wireless Factory No. 1, who’d heard the inside story—that Liu Jiande had driven out multiple technicians to make room for Liu Shirong—watched him with amused expressions.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His mind raced—better the other guy drown than himself. He was general manager, not head of the Technical Section—why should he handle these “minor” issues?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“It must be a Technical Section problem—I’ll investigate immediately, find out what Xu Yiqiao’s up to, and guarantee the production line restarts soon!” Liu Jiande said sternly, directly shifting blame to Xu Yiqiao.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Xu Yongjin studied Liu Jiande, sensing something off—but here, he couldn’t press further.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Second matter: the municipal government is honoring our factory. Mayor Luo and other leaders will visit. The reason? Our technical support helped Shangguan Town’s Yuanqi Factory overcome its crisis.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Xu Yongjin continued, “This month, Yuanqi Factory’s revenue broke nine million. Rumor says next month it’ll hit fifteen million—becoming one of our city’s top taxpayers.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“The satellite dish project at Yuanqi Factory received technical support from our factory’s staff. The city takes this seriously, hence the honor…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>When Liu Jiande heard this, it felt like a punch to the skull—he was stunned.\u003C\u002Fp>",1360,"2026-06-21T04:42:08.057Z",1,"Qwen3-Next 80B","e6739e0998861428258f76da2216db01cf85d28281babe2de776fbcd1c56f046","reborn-starting-from-1993-chapter-22","reborn-starting-from-1993-chapter-20",989,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Freborn-starting-from-1993-cover.jpg"]