Chapter 818: Buying Land in Qiongzhou

Xu Damao said with an original idea: "Zhuzi, do you think Qiongzhou is a good place? I'm actually quite interested in going there to retire."

He Yuzhu nodded: "Actually, we could take out a portion of our money, buy a good plot of land there, and build a hotel. We could all go there to retire in the future, and the land value will appreciate later on."

In truth, He Yuzhu originally didn't want to get involved in the land speculation in Qiongzhou. But since Secretary Liu wanted to manage affairs there, he also thought about going over to see if he could be of any help.

Moreover, he was still holding onto a large sum of US dollars obtained from the Babylon army. That money was all in sequential serial numbers, and it was useless if not spent, so it might as well be invested in Qiongzhou!

In the future, his own Chip Factory, as well as Chen Xueru's clothing company, Liushi Trading Company, and Lou Xiao'e's real estate company, could all have their employees come over for vacations.

Thinking of this, he suddenly became spirited: "Sometimes I really admire Damao's business sense. We can take out some money to build a hotel there... The most important thing is that the place is about to take off, and a large number of people will be flooding in. What will be the most profitable then? First, office buildings; second, hotels. People who just arrived need to stay in hotels, and those coming to speculate on land need to open companies."

Xu Damao slapped his thigh: "Zhuzi, you are a business genius. Why was I so muddled in my early years? I just had to compete with you. If we had cooperated earlier, we would have been invincible!"

He Yuzhu said with a smile: "You kid just always felt that I was the one who caused your father's death. But I'll tell you the truth, that matter with your father had absolutely nothing to do with me—he was colluding with a group of puppet police to go and take revenge on Chen Daya." Actually, in order to save face for Xu Damao, He Yuzhu didn't mention that his father's original intention was to rob Chen Daya, "It just so happened that Chen Daya was delivering money to Lao Zhou's side that day. Your father and the others were mistaken for traitors and spies by Lao Zhou..."

After listening, Xu Damao let out a long sigh: "Zhuzi, I believe you this time. Let bygones be bygones. But I'll also be honest; I was young at the time, but I was sensible. Looking back now, I was too narrow-minded, and I did do some things that were truly wrong."

He Yuzhu patted his shoulder: "It is easier to resolve grudges than to harbor them; let's turn the page on this. From now on, let's do business properly. We aren't that old, so let's strive to build a good foundation for the next generation. But Damao, you don't have any descendants, why not adopt one?"

Xu Damao's face turned red: "You are starting to pick on me again, aren't you? Damn it, I really am going to adopt one. With so much money in my hands now, I don't believe the child I adopt won't be filial to me in the future."

Dajinya asked: "Master Zhu, let's talk business. Since you are optimistic about the development of Qiongzhou, why don't we go over for an inspection, how about that?"

He Yuzhu nodded upon hearing this: "Today is Thursday; next Monday, we will set off by plane."

Three days later, the five of them set off from Beijing by plane early in the morning and arrived in Qiongzhou in the afternoon.

They checked into the highest-end hotel in Haikou, which was already considered top-tier for the local area. But when He Yuzhu checked in, he felt it was only equivalent to an ordinary inn of later generations. He said with a smile: "Everyone, before coming here, I was wondering if it was too early to build a hotel now. Only after arriving did I realize that this place really lacks a high-end hotel with class."

Wang Pangzi nodded and said with a bit of showing off: "The hotels here are far behind the ones in M Country."

Hu glared at him: "Little Pang, you're getting a bit carried away."

Wang Pangzi said with a grin: "Lao Hu, you don't understand. This hotel is already quite good for ordinary tourists, but for those big bosses, a hotel is not just a place to sleep; it's a venue for discussing business."

He Yuzhu agreed: "Kaixuan is right. For those big bosses, spending one or two thousand a night is nothing at all."

Xu Damao asked: "Then when are we going to look at the land?"

"Everyone is tired from the journey, so let's find a place to eat first, and we'll go look at the land early tomorrow morning," He Yuzhu said.

Early the next morning, He Yuzhu took Hu, Wang Pangzi, Xu Damao, and Dajinya to inspect all the core areas of Haikou in person.

In his previous life, he had visited this city many times, so he knew exactly which locations were good; this time was just to go through the motions with everyone.

Three days later, He Yuzhu had seen almost all the plots in the Haikou urban area and its surroundings.

The group finally set their sights on the plots along Haixiu East Road and Longkun North Road that were suitable for building hotels and office buildings.

However, they were completely in the dark about this place and didn't have any connections locally, so they could only follow the procedures to find the relevant departments.

Dajinya said: "If we want to get things done at government agencies, we have to go early, treat them to a meal at noon, and smooth things over; then it will be much easier to handle."

Xu Damao was also an old hand at this, and he immediately agreed with Dajinya's idea.

At eleven o'clock the next morning, the group arrived at the Haikou Land Bureau on time.

He Yuzhu wanted to go directly to the Bureau Chief, but was pulled back by Xu Damao.

"Zhuzi, a county magistrate is not as effective as the person currently in charge. We should first find the section chief of the Land Use Section. If he can't make the decision and needs to ask the Bureau Chief, it won't be too late for us to go to the Bureau Chief then."

Dajinya deeply agreed, and Wang Pangzi also felt this made sense.

The group walked to the Land Use Section of the Haikou Land Bureau and knocked on the section chief's office door.

The person who opened the door was a refined old man; although his hair was already gray, there were no wrinkles on his face, and he had a dignified and upright appearance.

As soon as He Yuzhu saw this person, he was stunned on the spot: "Wu Wanli, is that you?"

"He Yuzhu? It really is you!" Wu Wanli blurted out his name.

The two gripped each other's hands tightly and shook them for a long time before slowly letting go.

"After we separated on the Korean War battlefield, how did you fare later? I kept asking around everywhere, but I never found out where you were," He Yuzhu said.

Wu Wanli sighed: "Only fifteen people from our Seventh Company survived in the end, and my brother also sacrificed himself. Come to think of it, I have to thank you for the cotton-padded jackets and ammunition you sent back then; otherwise, not a single one of us from the Seventh Company would have been able to make it out of the battlefield alive."

He Yuzhu also sighed: "If I had followed you into Korea back then, perhaps I could have helped out more. It was just that I received a new mission at the time and couldn't help myself."

"It's all fate," Wu Wanli said with a miserable smile.

"Let's talk about the old days on the battlefield another day. I didn't expect you to be a section chief here?" He Yuzhu asked.

Wu Wanli nodded.

"After several decades, you only managed to become a section chief?" He Yuzhu teased.

"You were a combat hero, yet didn't you also retire early and only serve as a Factory Director?" Wu Wanli retorted without showing any weakness.

"You clearly knew about my news, so why didn't you come to Beijing to find me?" He Yuzhu asked.

"I also only saw the news a few months ago about someone buying ten planes from the Russians, and the report mentioned that this person was a junior to the combat hero He Yuzhu; that's how I knew it was you. It was also not long ago that I learned of your recent situation; you retired quite early," Wu Wanli said.

"When I was a Factory Director, I was always being picked on, so I just quit. Retiring early is just right for doing some things of my own. How about it? I came here specifically today, so you have to play the host and treat me to a meal, right?" He Yuzhu laughed.

"Let's go, I'll treat you to seafood at a food stall!" Wu Wanli said readily.

Xu Damao wanted to say something, but was quietly pulled back by Hu.

After He Yuzhu and Wu Wanli finished catching up, he didn't beat around the bush and said directly: "Old Wu, let me make it clear to you first: we aren't here just to speculate on land. I have my eye on a few plots of land and intend to buy them to build office buildings and hotels, mainly those plots along Haixiu East Road and Longkun North Road."

Wu Wanli laughed heartily: "Little He, you saved the lives of everyone in our Seventh Company back then; I will remember this kindness for a lifetime. Since you are coming here to invest and build, I will definitely help you with all my might. I will help you reserve those plots you have your eye on, and I will help you smooth out all the procedures, ensuring they fall into your hands securely."