Chapter 256: Profit First

Wu An and Chen Zhuren were walking on the road.

Chen Zhuren said earnestly: "Little brother, you really plan to run a guesthouse in the village, but even saying village aside, even in the town there aren't many tourists all year round."

Wu An nodded, giving a perfunctory response.

They arrived at Chen Jun's homestead.

The place is large.

It also includes a large plot of private land.

Walk out the door a hundred or so meters and you reach a small hill; the other side of the hill is the sea.

To the left is a large rocky beach, to the right also a large rocky beach.

Wu An came to the hilltop and gazed out at the sea.

Today the weather is fine, gentle wind and bright sun, blue sky with white clouds, the reflected sea water is also deep blue; in the distance two small boats drift on the sea surface.

He stared, somewhat dazed.

Even though he grew up by the sea, he was still stunned by this coastal scenery.

If inland visitors saw this scene, they'd keep shouting "Damn, damn," lamenting that knowledge is regretted when needed, their mouths constantly uttering "damn."

It's too beautiful.

Wu An also didn't know how to praise it.

He could only say, "My hometown is full of treasures everywhere; it just lacks a pair of eyes to discover them."

And now.

He has been reborn and also brought with him a broader perspective.

Coming down from the hill, Wu An smoothed his wind‑tousled hair; the Chen Family homestead is somewhat far from the village center, right by the sea, probably the only drawback being that the wind is rather strong.

But it's not a problem.

As long as the scenery is good and the lodging comfortable, there will naturally be people who will "argue the classics" for it, and even this wind will become one of the factors he praises this place for.

Chen Zhuren doesn't think it's anything special; on the contrary, he finds such scenery monotonous, nothing worth seeing, and the strong wind could blow off what little hair he has left on his head.

If this were truly a good place, why would the Chen Jun family have moved away?

"Little brother, you won't be able to pull it off."

"This place is far from the village, the road is bad, there's not a single light at night—I'll put it bluntly, this is a ghostly place."

"If you want to sell, the village still needs it."

"It's just the price..."

Wu An waved his hand: "Chen Zhuren, I'll take care of the road, I'll install the streetlights!"

"I have only one request."

"Besides the private land already here, from this side to that side, all the way to the sea, could this large tract of wasteland be allotted to me?"

"I plan to plan it out, grow some vegetables, plant some flowers, maybe set up a small fish pond."

"The seaside also needs to be tidied up..."

Chen Zhuren listened, and everyone was dumbfounded.

"Is that how you run a guesthouse?"

Wu An smiled: "That's how I think of it..."

"You're a youngster with real guts; if you can actually build the road and install the lights, this wasteland is yours." Chen Zhuren also waved his hand broadly and said seriously.

Wu An was overjoyed: "Chen Zhuren, let's bump fists."

"Let's go back and sign an agreement."

Chen Zhuren switched his tea cup to one hand, palm‑to‑palm with Wu An, also smiling; he thought Wu An was a hot‑headed rookie who does nothing but rely on sheer enthusiasm.

Sooner or later he'll end up cracking his skull and bleeding.

However, once Wu An fixes the road and installs the lights, even if he can't keep it going later, the foundation will be laid; for the village, whether it profits is uncertain, but it will definitely not be a loss.

"Handsome guy, this road must be built first, otherwise you won't be able to do anything later."

"You're right, but if we're building the road, we'll definitely have to widen it; other families..."

"Don't worry about that, I'll handle it."

"Then thanks, Chen Zhuren; when the time comes we can arrange for village folks to do the road work, and for these hassles we'll still need you to coordinate."

"No problem, no problem, it's only right." Chen Zhuren grinned wide, patted his shoulder and said: "A An, although you don't live in Zhenzhongcun, you've bought so many homesteads in the village, so you're one of us; if you ever run into trouble, just come to me."

Wu An pointed not far away: "Just now when I came over, I saw that area also has many old stone houses..."

"Exactly, no one lives there." Chen Zhuren turned to look at him, suddenly realizing: "If you have the guts to take it over, I can help you inquire."

Wu An repeatedly thanked him.

Chen Zhuren is a pragmatic person; that earlier unpleasantness of being cut off vanished in the face of actual benefits—from "little brother" to "handsome guy," and now he calls him "A An."

No need to say how good the relationship is, but as long as he keeps bringing benefits to the village, Chen Zhuren's attitude toward him won't sour; that's his backing in the village.

Whoever tries to trip him up, let Chen Zhuren deal with it.

As they were speaking, a group approached, with Mai Hangyu leading the way, waving as he walked.

Wu An also waved, walking forward to meet them.

Behind Mai Hangyu were four people; in the middle was a man in a gray shirt, about forty or fifty, with one male and two females beside him, presumably all students.

Mai Hangyu made mutual introductions.

Wu An stepped forward, extending his hand warmly: "Welcome, Teacher Fan; this place is rather remote, thank you for coming by car."

Teacher Fan smiled: "Mr. Wu, accomplished at a young age."

"Just call me A An; I'm really just tinkering aimlessly, I can't quite grasp it, so I still need you to come take a look, to oversee and give pointers."

Hearing him speak, Teacher Fan nodded with a smile; young yet articulate, he looks like someone capable of great undertakings.

Please, please, let's first take a look.

Good, good, good, let me introduce you—this is our village's Chen Zhuren.

They exchanged greetings.

Everyone chatted as they walked.

The group arrived at the homestead; Wu An gave a brief rundown of the situation, and Fan Laoshi said they should walk around and have a look, growing more shocked the more they saw.

The place is too big.

If this gets done, the investment will definitely be huge.

For him it's a good thing—he can charge higher design fees; moreover, if the project succeeds, the students will gain experience, and frankly, that would be a 'golden signboard' for navigating the world.

Because this kind of homestay project can be replicated.

For now, this is still a blue ocean.

He just doubts Wu An can pull it off; if it falls through midway, he'd end up in an awkward spot.

He specially brought the team here.

It's not just about earning design fees; more importantly, he's here to inspect the project.

Wu An briefly outlined his idea: 'I think the building shouldn't be too high—about three stories is fine, creating a large open space.'

'As for the style, modern pastoral; most important is to blend with the environment.'

'Around here, I hope...'

He repeated what he had just said to Chen Zhuren; Fan Laoshi grew happier the more he listened, nodding repeatedly, while the three students beside him were not idle—some took photos, some took notes.

After Wu An finished presenting his ideas and requirements, Fan Laoshi also asked some questions about interior decoration, such as room layout, size, whether to install an elevator, including the pool's layout...

Wu An explained each point.

After listening, Fan Laoshi nodded and said, 'A An, your idea is not bad and quite thorough; it doesn't look like you're doing this project on a whim.'

'It's just that your investment is huge.'

'Just the buildings alone cover over a thousand square meters; adding the outdoor space, it's at least four or five mu.'

'I've made a rough estimate—the design fee will be no less than 100,000.'

Wu An nodded, but didn't say anything.

Beside him, Chen Zhuren listened, clicking his tongue in disbelief, thinking this was far too expensive.

Mainly because the land isn't worth much.

When Wu An originally bought it, he only spent sixty thousand; looking at it now, if he wants to get the homestay up and running, the investment would likely be at least several hundred thousand.

Chen Zhuren thought about it, and ended up getting excited.