met free Chapter 31 Buying Land
Chapter 31 Buying Land
The morning sunlight streamed through the blinds, casting dappled shadows on the wooden floor of Lin Zhou's office, while a light dust mote floated in the air—a unique way the sunlight was presented.
Editor-in-Chief Chen Jingzhi sat on the opposite sofa, holding a thick stack of printed papers in his hands. His fingertips caressed the slightly rough surface of the paper, but his gaze was fixed on the words, and he even unconsciously held his breath. He had been reading the manuscript for nearly an hour since he received it, without drinking a drop of water or saying a word. The expression on his face gradually changed from initial curiosity to surprise, then to excitement, and finally to undisguised elation.
When I saw the last sentence of Chapter Thirteen, "Xu Ziling looked at Kou Zhong's departing figure, a complex emotion flashing in his eyes. The road ahead was long, and he wondered if the two of them could truly live and die together as they had sworn in this chaotic world," I found that it was no longer there when I scrolled down.
Chen Jingzhi slammed the manuscript shut, slapped his thigh hard, and exclaimed in a trembling voice, "A-Zhou! You wrote this so well!"
He leaned forward, his eyes shining brightly, and spoke rapidly: "Xu Ziling and Kou Zhong, one composed and the other unrestrained, they're practically alive! And the local flavor of Yangzhou, the exhilarating grudges and chivalrous battles of the martial world, the breathtaking undercurrents of the imperial court—how could you have imagined all of that? Especially the part where Yuwen Huaji appears, with just a few strokes, you captured that ruthless and sinister energy perfectly, it made my palms sweat!"
Chen Jingzhi became more and more excited as he spoke, pacing back and forth a couple of times. He picked up the manuscript again and flipped through it, his face full of regret: "What a pity, what a pity! Why does it end here? I was really getting into it, eager to know how they would escape Yangzhou and how they would conquer the world step by step!"
He turned to Lin Zhou, his tone filled with barely suppressed anticipation: "Ah Zhou, you'd better hurry up and start writing! You can't stop updating! You don't know, although our *Zhonghua Daily*'s sales are steadily increasing, we're still lacking a blockbuster that will keep readers hooked. With *The Legend of the Twin Dragons of the Tang Dynasty*, not only readers in Hong Kong, but even those in Macau and even overseas Chinese communities in Southeast Asia might subscribe just to read your novel! Now our newspaper's sales are truly guaranteed!"
Lin Zhou sat behind his desk, watching Chen Jingzhi's overjoyed expression, a faint smile playing on his lips. "The Legend of the Twin Dragons of the Tang Dynasty," as a classic martial arts IP, possessed inherent appeal, and coupled with the familiar tropes of martial arts novels in this era, he had long anticipated its popularity. He simply hadn't expected Chen Jingzhi's reaction to be so intense.
"Old Chen, don't worry, I'm already writing the subsequent chapters, and I promise there won't be any breaks in updates," Lin Zhou reassured him. "You should first arrange the layout of these dozen or so chapters and try to release them to readers as soon as possible. There's no need to adjust the pricing; I think we should just do a subscription discount to attract more new readers."
"No problem! I'll go and organize the manuscript right away!" Chen Jingzhi was full of energy and was about to turn around and leave when the phone on the table suddenly rang, breaking the lively atmosphere in the office.
The ringtone was urgent and loud, jarring in the quiet room. Chen Jingzhi paused, turned to Lin Zhou, his face still brimming with excitement: "Should I wait a bit? Maybe it's a call from a business partner. I can answer it for you. You're known for being a hands-off manager."
Lin Zhou waved his hand and picked up the microphone: "No need, you go ahead and do your thing, I'll handle things here."
Seeing this, Chen Jingzhi stopped insisting and nodded with a smile: "Then I'll go make the arrangements first. We can communicate anytime if anything happens!" After saying that, he carefully put the manuscript of "The Legend of the Twin Dragons of the Tang Dynasty" into his pocket, as if it were some rare treasure. He walked out of the office with light steps and made sure to close the door quietly.
Lin Zhou spoke into the microphone in a deep voice, "Hello."
"Manager Lin! It's me, Li Wangcai!" The voice of Operations Manager Li Wangcai, slightly tired but unable to hide his excitement, came from the other end of the phone, mixed with some background noise, as if he were making a call on the street. "The matter you asked me to handle is showing signs of progress!"
Upon hearing the words "there's progress," Lin Zhou, who had been relaxed, straightened up slightly, his eyes instantly becoming focused. Buying land and building a factory was a crucial step he had planned long ago. The success of the Zhonghua Daily was just the beginning; he wanted to create more than just a newspaper—a commercial empire encompassing culture and entertainment, finance and securities, manufacturing, and import/export trade, with the factory as its cornerstone.
"Brother Li, speak slowly and in detail." Lin Zhou's voice was calm and reassuring. He knew how hard Li Wangcai had worked these past few days. Ever since he was given the task of buying land, Li Wangcai had been working from dawn till dusk almost every day for the past week, traveling all over Hong Kong, asking for connections and finding ways to find a suitable piece of land.
Hong Kong is already land-scarce, especially industrial land suitable for factory construction, which is even more sought after. Either the land is too small and the price is outrageously high, simply not meeting the needs of future factory construction; or the land is large enough, but the location is remote and inconvenient, hindering the transportation of raw materials and product sales; and some land involves complicated property rights issues, making it impossible to buy. Lin Zhou had heard Li Wangcai report on the progress several times before, each time with unsatisfactory results, but unexpectedly, this time there was finally good news.
"Mr. Lin, you have no idea how exhausted I've been these past few weeks!" Li Wangcai sighed on the other end of the phone, his voice filled with the weariness of his journey. "I've been to several places in Hong Kong Island, Kowloon, and the New Territories, asking many friends and using a lot of connections, but either the land wasn't suitable, or we couldn't agree on the price. Later, through a friend, I met a foreign official in the government named Williams. It took a lot of effort to persuade him, and he finally agreed to sell us a piece of land!"
"Where is it located? How big is it? How much does it cost?" Lin Zhou asked directly, these were the three questions he cared about most.
"It's located in Yuen Long!" Li Wangcai's voice rose a few decibels, brimming with obvious excitement. "Although the area isn't particularly large, only eighty acres, don't underestimate these eighty acres! This land is wasteland, unsuitable for growing crops, but the terrain is exceptionally flat. We can build the factory directly without much leveling, saving a lot of effort and costs. Moreover, the location is superb. One side is right next to a highway, making it extremely convenient for transporting raw materials or finished products; the other side is adjacent to a small dock. While it can't accommodate large ships, it's perfectly fine for small cargo ships. If we do import/export business in the future, we can transport goods directly by water, saving a lot of money compared to land transport!"
Li Wangcai spoke rapidly, afraid that Lin Zhou might be dissatisfied with the small size: "Mr. Lin, let me tell you, industrial land in Yuen Long is already scarce, and land like this, with its flat terrain and convenient transportation, is extremely rare! I've inquired, and the price of agricultural land in the surrounding area is higher than this, plus you have to apply for a change of land use, which is a very complicated process, taking at least several months, and there's no guarantee of approval. But this land is different. Williams said he can sell it to us directly as industrial land, the procedures are simple, and it can be processed quickly!"
"What about the price?" Lin Zhou pressed, this was the most crucial question. The newspaper was just starting out, and although it was profitable, its funds were not particularly abundant, so he had to use every penny wisely.
"The price is absolutely a steal!" Li Wangcai's voice carried a hint of pride, as if he had accomplished a tremendous feat. "Williams said it's three thousand yuan per mu! And there's no need for bidding; nobody wants this land anyway. We can just pay in full after it's sold to us!"
"Three thousand per mu?" Lin Zhou's heart skipped a beat. This price was indeed beyond his expectations, much lower than he had anticipated. He had previously learned that the price of industrial land in Hong Kong was generally between eight thousand and tens of thousands per mu. Even in relatively remote areas like Yuen Long, the normal price was five or six thousand or more. Of course, these were all developed lands, but even if this land at three thousand per mu was undeveloped, it was still a great bargain.
"That's right! It's 3,000 yuan per mu!" Li Wangcai said confidently. "I specifically checked. Williams said that this land was wasteland requisitioned by the government years ago and has never been used. Now there's a policy to support the construction of new manufacturing plants, which is why the price is so favorable. He also said that the government has additional preferential policies for newly built manufacturing plants, such as tax breaks and subsidies for water and electricity. However, we'll have to wait until we build the plant and apply for the relevant certificates at the government department before we can discuss the details."
Lin Zhou tapped his fingers lightly on the table, his mind racing. Eighty acres of land, three thousand dollars per acre, totaling two hundred and forty thousand Hong Kong dollars. This price was within his budget, and the location and conditions of the land were so good, it perfectly met his needs.
"Brother Li, you did a great job." Lin Zhou's voice was full of praise. "Where are you now? I'll come find you right away, and we'll go and complete the formalities and pay the money now."
"I'm near the government office in Yuen Long, just around the corner of Sheung Wan Street, next to the Hung Shuang Hei Tea House." Li Wangcai quickly gave the address. "I've already made an appointment with Williams. He's free this afternoon, so we can make it in time if we go now."
"Okay, wait for me there, I'll be right there." Lin Zhou hung up the phone, got up, grabbed his coat, and quickly walked out of the office.