March 27th.
With the Qingming Festival approaching, the weather had turned a bit gloomy.
Nearly a week had passed since Jiang Miao took over the eel farm and the Magong resort restaurant.
During this ti, he and his brother-in-law had split up to handle the various matters at the two locations.
Today, he rode his small electric scooter to the resort restaurant.
As soon as Old Ke saw him, he opened the electric barrier gate.
"Morning, Boss."
"Where’s Ah Yong?"
"He’s on the second floor moving things."
"I’ll call him." Jiang Miao took out his phone and made a call.
BEEP BEEP BEEP...
"Hello, Boss. Are you here?"
"I’m at the main gate. Co on down."
"Okay."
A mont later, a burly young man with a crew cut ca rushing down from the restaurant’s main entrance.
This was Old Ke’s son, Ke Yong. He was about the sa age as Jiang Miao. He had enlisted in the army after high school and, after being discharged, had been hit by the unexpected circumstances of the past few years, leaving him unemployed at ho for over a year.
He was originally working on a fishing boat, but when Jiang Miao was looking for a driver and bodyguard, Old Ke recomnded his son, Ke Yong.
Jiang Miao had asked his brother-in-law about him and learned that Ke Yong was a relatively honest person with no bad habits, so he hired him.
"Ah Yong, get on. We’re going to Pubei Town."
"Okay."
Jiang Miao parked the electric scooter at the resort restaurant, and the two hailed a Didi to Pubei Town.
「Half an hour later.」
The two arrived at a Great Wall Motors 4S dealership.
The saleswoman saw that the two were dressed ordinarily, but she didn’t show any judgnt, instead greeting them with a smile.
"Are you two here to look at cars?"
"I’ll take a diesel Shanhai Cannon. The standard model is fine." Jiang Miao cut straight to the chase, giving her no chance to make her sales pitch.
The saleswoman’s smile grew even more charming. "Our dealership can offer you a favorable auto loan..."
Jiang Miao was very direct. "Not necessary. I’m paying in full. Can you get the paperwork done in an hour?"
"Er..." Although the saleswoman was a little disappointed, a sale was still a sale, so she naturally didn’t refuse. "We can get it done in an hour, but you’ll only get a temporary license plate. Do you have any requirents for the plate number?"
"No, just nothing with an unlucky-sounding number."
"Alright then. Please wait here for a mont."
The two sat down.
Another saleswoman quickly ca over to ask, "What would you two like to drink? We have tea, coffee, and soft drinks, as well as matcha cake."
"Just a bottle of mineral water for , please."
"Sa for ," Ke Yong added.
"No problem. One mont, please."
In less than an hour, all the paperwork was completed. The permanent license plate would be ready in about a week, and they would have to co back to the dealership to have it installed.
After paying 260,000 yuan for the vehicle and miscellaneous fees, they took delivery of the truck.
After taking the keys, Jiang Miao handed one to Ke Yong. "Ah Yong, you’ll be driving from now on."
"Yes, Boss." Ke Yong nodded.
After getting in the truck.
"Boss, are we heading back to Magong?"
"Go to Sanma Road in the city center."
Ke Yong shifted into gear, hit the gas, and the pickup truck sped away.
The two saleswon waved goodbye from the dealership entrance.
Watching the pickup truck disappear into the distance, one of the saleswon rubbed her shoulder. ’I’ll never understand the world of the rich! Buying a car like it’s a trip to the grocery store.’
"Dreaming of marrying into a rich family?"
"You know it! Too bad he didn’t even give a second glance."
"Heh, stop dreaming. You should just count your blessings you got a custor like that."
The pickup truck headed toward the city center along Shani Avenue.
「Half an hour later.」
Jiang Miao brought Ke Yong to a large clothing store on Sanma Road.
"Ah Yong, it’s on today. Pick out three suits and a few pairs of dress shoes for yourself."
"Boss, you don’t have to do that."
"Don’t be polite. You’re my driver, you represent and the company. If you don’t dress well, how can I take you with on business?"
It was only then that Ke Yong understood. "Thank you. I appreciate you spending the money, Boss."
Jiang Miao also picked out five or six suits for himself.
After all, clothes make the man. He was planning to hire so employees in a few days, and if he dressed too casually, people might doubt the strength of the Hailufeng Company.
They bought eight suits and eight pairs of dress shoes, spending nearly 40,000 yuan in total.
The clothing store owner even threw in a bunch of freebies.
Once they were all kitted out, Jiang Miao made a call from the truck.
"Hey, Brother Yao, let’s get lunch. Where are you? I’ll co pick you up."
"Lunch? Sure. I’m at the shop on Jinpeng Road."
"Okay, I’m on my way."
In less than half an hour, the pickup truck pulled up in front of a hardware store on Jinpeng Road.
Rolling down the window, Jiang Miao called out, "Brother Yao, I’m here."
A middle-aged, square-faced man carrying an iron pipe turned to look, his eyes landing on the pickup truck before realization dawned.
"You took a cab over, kid! Hang on a sec."
This was Jiang Miao’s cousin, Jiang Yao.
"i Zhi, watch the store. Ah Miao and I are going out for lunch."
"Go on!" a short-haired woman holding a child said with a wave of her hand.
His cousin changed his clothes, grabbed a small clutch, and ran over. He tossed a Huazi cigarette to Ke Yong. "Sorry to keep the driver waiting."
Jiang Miao shook his head with a smile. "Brother Yao, this is my truck. And Ah Yong doesn’t smoke."
As soon as he got in the truck, his cousin paused. "You bought a truck?"
"Just picked it up today..."
The two chatted casually.
anwhile, Ke Yong focused intently on driving.
About twenty minutes later, they arrived at Sea View Villa near Jinting Bay.
They got a private room.
Jiang Miao poured a cup of tea for his cousin. "Have so tea, Brother Yao."
"You lucky dog."
"Brother Yao, how’s business lately?"
His cousin shook his head, looking helpless. "You know how it is. There are fewer construction projects around, so your sister-in-law’s hardware store isn’t doing well, and I can’t land many contracts myself."
"I have two projects on my end. If you think they’re a good fit, Brother Yao, I’ll give them to you."
His cousin’s interest was imdiately piqued. "What kind of projects?"
"One is the renovation of the eel farm. I want to build an indoor farming facility, about ten mu in area, with a single-story steel structure. It needs to have an insulation layer, climate control equipnt for constant temperature and humidity, as well as breeding ponds and a water recycling system."
After hearing the requirents, his cousin fell into thought.
"The other project is the renovation of the Magong resort restaurant. That one’s a bit simpler: convert the third-floor rooms into dormitories, the second-floor rooms into offices, and the first floor into an employee cafeteria and reception hall."
"You rented the resort restaurant?"
Jiang Miao nodded. "It’s the best spot in Magong. The other locations either weren’t big enough or the price wasn’t right."
His cousin thought for a mont. "The resort restaurant renovation is no problem. Excluding appliances, if it doesn’t need a major layout change—just adding partitions, repainting, running new plumbing and electrical, plus so soft furnishings—it would be about 500,000 yuan for labor and materials."
"Deal." Jiang Miao knew this was a very fair price.
But his cousin’s brow furrowed as he continued, "I can’t take on the whole eel farm project, though. I can’t handle the specialized equipnt, but I can help you find a foreman who specializes in that kind of work."
"Is that so? That works too. I’ll have to trouble you to help, then, Brother Yao."
His cousin took a sip of tea. "Don’t ntion it. You’re looking out for your big brother, so of course I’m going to make sure things get done right for you."
A short while later, the dishes began to arrive at the table.
"Let’s eat first. We can talk while we eat."
They ate for over an hour before driving his cousin back to the hardware store.
After a busy half-day, Jiang Miao had Ke Yong drive back to the resort restaurant.
He didn’t take the pickup truck back to the village, opting instead to ride his small electric scooter ho. He planned to have a serious talk with his parents tonight about his next steps.
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