Chapter 74

Looking at the tall commercial building, Cheng Jemin suddenly had an idea: If he could take over this commercial building and turn it into a supermarket, as long as nothing went wrong, it would be a huge fortune in a few years.

Although Cheng Jemin couldn't figure out exactly how much money the Chengping Supermarket had made, according to the recorded customer flow, it was easy to imagine that the Chengping Supermarket had made a substantial profit.

Since the Chengping Supermarket started here, why can't I do it?

Thinking about the savings book with 90,000 yuan in his luggage, Cheng Jemin was eager to go and negotiate with the mall manager right away, but after taking a few steps, he stopped.

Don't be too hasty; you need to be patient. Cheng Jemin was not like some people who drew grand blueprints before anything was settled. He liked to set practical goals for himself and move forward step by step, steadily and solidly. Many people could do things well, but Cheng Jemin wanted not only to do things well but also to do them differently.

He found a rickshaw and first returned to the dormitory of the Water Conservancy Bureau. According to the rules of the Water Conservancy Bureau, the dormitory of cadres like Cheng Jemin who went to support agriculture should have been reclaimed. However, rules are rules, and people are people. The office director, Feng Changhai, had a good relationship with Cheng Jemin, so who would be willing to bring it up?

It was working hours, and the residential area was deserted. Cheng Jemin opened the room, and a suffocating dust smell hit him.

This dormitory was almost the first space Cheng Jemin had ever had to himself. The current situation made him a bit disappointed, so he quickly opened the windows and cleaned up.

After about ten minutes, the room was clean. However, without a stove, it felt cold and bleak. Cheng Jemin didn't want to light a coal stove, partly because he wouldn't stay long, and partly because he was afraid the dried food he brought would spoil.

After making the bed, Cheng Jemin lazily lay down. Hugging the familiar quilt, he seemed to smell the scent of Gu Xixi. Unfortunately, Gu Xixi was away for studies.

After resting for a while, Cheng Jemin went downstairs. He came back mainly to strengthen his newly formed, somewhat fragile network of relationships before the New Year. Therefore, he didn't go to the office hall in a grand manner.

After all, he had only been away for ten days. Even if everyone knew there was nothing to do during the New Year, it wouldn't be good to loiter around here.

Cheng Jemin found a small store and called Tang Zhengshan first. Tang Zhengshan happily said, "Jemin, you're back? Great, let's have a good drink tonight."

Cheng Jemin chuckled and said, "Sure, as you say, see you then."

After hanging up with Tang Zhengshan, Cheng Jemin called Feng Changhai and a few others. However, he postponed the dinner with Feng Changhai, although Feng Changhai and others were important, Tang Zhengshan was the one Cheng Jemin saw as the biggest potential.

Moreover, in his interactions with Tang Zhengshan, Cheng Jemin felt that they were quite compatible, so he was very willing to have a private chat with Tang Zhengshan.

After making a round of calls, Cheng Jemin hesitated for a moment and called Gu Xixi's pager, telling her he was back and to call him back soon. After half an hour, there was no response.

"Boy, do you want anything else?" the old lady in the store asked kindly.

Looking at the old lady's wrinkled face, Cheng Jemin shook his head and said, "No, I'm leaving now."

Winter nights came quickly. When Cheng Jemin arrived at Tang Zhengshan's house with four dried wild chickens, the whole city of Tianyuan was already lit up. As soon as he knocked on the door, Tang Zhengshan's daughter ran over with a doll, sweetly calling out, "Uncle, hello."

Cheng Jemin put the wild chickens on the table and picked up the little girl, smiling, "Xin, do you remember Uncle?"

"Of course, you're Uncle Cheng, and you brought me candy last time," Xin said cutely, tilting her head.

"Was it good? I'll bring you more next time, okay?" Cheng Jemin kissed Xin's tender face and chuckled.

Tang Zhengshan frowned at the things Cheng Jemin put on the table, "Jemin, you didn't have to bring anything."

"The place where I support agriculture is always advertised as resource-rich, beautiful, and blessed with talented people. The advertisement is too poetic and unrealistic. In reality, it's poor and barren. But these are local specialties, and I thought you might enjoy them," Cheng Jemin said casually, sitting on a small stool.

Tang Zhengshan's home was only about 50 to 60 square meters, with a living room just big enough to move around in. Tang Zhengshan waved at his daughter, "Xin, go watch TV, I need to talk to Uncle Cheng."

"No, I want to play with Uncle Cheng!" Xin tugged at Cheng Jemin's sleeve, pouting.

Tang Zhengshan was about to speak, but Cheng Jemin smiled, "Brother Tang, I haven't seen Xin for a while, it's lively with a child around!"

While they were talking, Tang Zhengshan's wife, Chao Hongying, came out of the kitchen and greeted Cheng Jemin with a smile, "Xiao Cheng, when did you come back?"

"I came this afternoon, left early in the morning, and rushed here from the countryside, spending the whole day on the road!"

Cheng Jemin had met Chao Hongying a few times. She was an ordinary-looking woman but very virtuous, working as an art teacher at a primary school in the city.

Since the Tang family was prepared, it didn't take long for four dishes to be served. They tore half of the dried wild chicken Cheng Jemin brought and started drinking.

Although Tang Zhengshan wasn't doing well at the Water Conservancy Bureau, he was still well-informed about what was happening there. From him, Cheng Jemin learned the latest developments at the bureau.

Director Li Zhonghua was now pushing for river dredging, while Deputy Director Zhao Huazhong had clashed with the current Deputy Director at a meeting a few days ago.

Tang Zhengshan said that the current Deputy Director was actually quite good. With years of experience and accumulated work ability, he had been handling his job smoothly since taking office. He was smart and very low-key. For a politician, there were some taboos that couldn't be violated: no matter how capable you were, you couldn't overshadow the boss. Therefore, he cooperated very well with Director Li Zhonghua.

This greatly angered Zhao Huazhong. He firmly believed that the Deputy Director was a sycophant, always flattering the director and talking everywhere with a smile, but with deep, sinister eyes. Such a despicable person, who might have used improper means to hinder his political future, Zhao Huazhong would not tolerate.

"Jemin, it's good that you left the Water Conservancy Bureau to support agriculture. It looks calm now, but it's actually stormy, and the atmosphere is off!"

Cheng Jemin thought to himself, Brother, I had no choice but to leave. I'm looking forward to you becoming Secretary Liu's secretary so you can help me in the future. But this was just a thought, and he couldn't say it now.

"Knock, knock, knock"

The light knocking on the door made Tang Zhengshan frown, wondering who would come at this time. While he was puzzled, Chao Hongying had already gone to open the door.

A middle-aged woman in her forties came in. Seeing Cheng Jemin sitting in the small living room, she felt a bit awkward. Tang Zhengshan saw her and quickly stood up, "Sister, come in, sit down."

The woman Tang Zhengshan called "Sister" didn't sit in the living room but followed Chao Hongying to the dining room for a few words and then left.

"Hongying, what did Sister come for?" Tang Zhengshan's face was a bit red after drinking a glass with Cheng Jemin.

Chao Hongying thought for a moment and said, "Sister's child has a girlfriend. The girl's family wants a refrigerator, a TV, and three pieces of gold. You know, Sister and her husband work at the Commercial Building, and they haven't been paid for half a year. Where can they get the money?"

"Sister's family is not easy. We should help as much as we can," Tang Zhengshan frowned, holding the wine glass.

Chao Hongying sighed, "Money is becoming less and less useful. Jemin, you should be prepared; you'll need a lot of money when you get married."

Hearing Chao Hongying mention the Commercial Building, Cheng Jemin perked up, "Sister Hongying, I passed by the Commercial Building today and heard it might close?"

"That's right, it's been a shell for a long time, not paying wages for half a year. The longer it stays open, the more it loses!" Chao Hongying sighed, "Now, it's hard for those families where both parents work at the Commercial Building. What will they do without jobs?"

Cheng Jemin felt uncomfortable hearing Chao Hongying's sighs. But he wasn't a savior; he couldn't even sort out his own affairs, let alone help others. After sympathizing with Chao Hongying for a few moments, he asked, "The location of the Commercial Building is good. If it's rented out, it should bring in a lot of rent."

"If it were small shops, it would be easy to rent out, but the Commercial Building is so large, who can afford to rent it?"

Cheng Jemin's heart leaped. He didn't expect to get inside information about the Commercial Building from Chao Hongying. His mind raced, and he looked at Tang Zhengshan, "Brother Tang, money is becoming less valuable, and wages aren't increasing. I want to do something. Do you have any interest?"

PS: I need some recommendations, collections, and clicks. Thank you to everyone who left messages for me. I will work hard!