"Sixty-three million... Fourth Brother, how much do you think it would cost to renovate this house?"
Zhuang Rui did some mental calculations. The total amount he had earned from gambling on stones and finding some bargains in antiques was over 116 million. He also had a million from selling that cabochon, and several hundred thousand from the money his brother-in-law had transferred to his account recently. These were negligible.
However, he spent 16 million yuan to buy a villa in Pengcheng, and then transferred another 10 million yuan to the Jade King for investing in a jade mine in Xinjiang. Now, roughly speaking, he should still have more than 90 million yuan in cash on hand, which is more than enough to buy this house.
The house needs major repairs, but Zhuang Rui isn't sure about current market prices for renovations. He wants to know how much it would cost to completely renovate this courtyard house.
"Don't ask me about this, I'm not a contractor..."
Ouyang Jun rolled his eyes at Zhuang Rui. "I'm just here to back you up. Do you really think I'm an expert?"
"Mr. Zhuang, there are several good renovation companies in our area. I can introduce them to you, and I'll definitely give you the most favorable price..."
Director Zheng, the head steward, has handled renovations many times. He even found the renovation company for the district office building, so he's quite familiar with the industry. Of course, there were benefits to helping renovation companies find work in the past, and if he were to introduce Zhuang Rui to this, he really wouldn't dare to pull any tricks.
Xiao Li, who was in the cultural preservation area, hadn't said a word until Director Zheng was about to introduce a decoration company. He then said, "Director Zheng, I'm afraid those decoration companies can't do this job."
"Nonsense, if we can renovate the buildings in our district, why can't we renovate this apartment?"
Director Zheng looked at Xiao Li with some displeasure. A bookworm is a bookworm; he actually undermined his own efforts at a crucial moment.
Xiao Li realized he had been a bit too direct and quickly explained, "Director Zheng, that's not what I meant. The company you recommended is definitely of high quality. However, most decoration companies are divided into commercial and residential decoration. This kind of courtyard house must be decorated according to the antique restoration procedure to maintain its original flavor. Otherwise, the courtyard house might become a mishmash after the renovation."
Xiao Li still had some bookish habits, and his words gradually went astray, without noticing that Director Zheng's expression was getting increasingly unpleasant.
"Brother Li, what kind of people do you need to renovate this house?"
Zhuang Rui won't spend money on this multi-million dollar deal until he gets a clear understanding of the situation. If he buys it, renovates it, and it turns out to be a complete mess, then there's no way to get justice.
After hearing Zhuang Rui's words, Xiao Li pushed up his glasses and said, "Generally, buildings like these require professionals in ancient building preservation to design the plans and supervise the entire construction process. Otherwise, the finished product will easily look off. There's a foreigner in this conservation area who bought a courtyard house. After the renovation, it looked completely different. But since he's a foreigner, we can't really tell the difference. If Mr. Zhuang wants to live there himself, I think he should hire a professional in ancient building restoration. However, ancient building restoration is a relatively niche field, and many renovation companies don't have such professionals..."
Zhuang Rui thought about it and realized that it was indeed the case. He himself was a college graduate and knew that the majors in each discipline were very specialized. Now that the home decoration and commercial decoration markets were booming, the kind of ancient building restoration major that Xiao Li mentioned probably really wouldn't be in demand. Besides those temples in the mountains, where in the city are there any ancient buildings left?
"Fourth Brother, what do you think of this matter?"
Zhuang Rui turned to Ouyang Jun. He was unfamiliar with Beijing and didn't know anyone there. Where could he find an expert in ancient architecture?
"Brother, are you really going to buy it?"
Ouyang Jun asked a question.
"purchase!"
Zhuang Rui nodded affirmatively. House prices have risen rapidly in recent years, and this is a courtyard house, which is becoming increasingly rare. Buying it will definitely not be a bad deal.
"Alright, I'll tell Secretary Wang about this later. Even if you want the top ancient building restoration experts in the country, we can bring them here."
Ouyang Jun's words reminded Zhuang Rui of his uncle's position, and it was indeed true. However, after thinking for a moment, Zhuang Rui shook his head and said, "Fourth Brother, this is not appropriate. I think we should find some people with this major from universities."
Zhuang Rui is a very self-disciplined person. He didn't want to bother his uncle with such a small matter. If his mother found out, he would definitely be scolded.
"Okay, I'll take care of it for you. I'll find you a few professors from universities later, and you can pay for it..."
Ouyang Jun thought about it and realized that it was indeed a bit inappropriate to bother Secretary Wang with such a small matter. However, with his connections, finding a few teachers in this field would not be a problem. At most, he would just have to pay them a little money. After all, how many professors these days don't earn extra money on the side?
"Fourth Brother... it's up to you, just find me people who can produce blueprints and handle construction."
Zhuang Rui's original intention was to find students from several universities, but he didn't expect Ouyang Jun to have a higher goal. However, as long as it could be solved with money, Zhuang Rui didn't care much. Spending some money was better than owing favors.
The rest of the time was quite complicated. Miao Feifei had to go to work in the afternoon, so she left first. Ouyang Jun was also impatient to follow Zhuang Rui around doing these things. After handing Zhuang Rui over to Director Zheng, he also drove away. Zhuang Rui simply asked Liu Chuan to take Bai Shi back to the club. It was probably not suitable to take Bai Shi with him to the places they were going to today.
Zhuang Rui first went with Director Zheng to the district to sign the purchase contract, and then went to the housing management bureau to complete the transfer procedures. Zhuang Rui felt a little pained by the taxes he had to pay. The stamp duty that both parties had to pay was not much, only 0.005%, which amounted to just over 30,000 yuan. However, the buyer had to pay 3% deed tax and some other miscellaneous taxes, which added up to more than two million yuan.
"Mr. Zhuang, how about I have someone calculate the area to be smaller during the assessment, and we can also sign a new contract to lower the price?"
Director Zheng followed Zhuang Rui around, running errands. If it weren't for him, Zhuang Rui wouldn't even have been able to get close to the housing management bureau. Not to mention Zhuang Rui, even Director Zheng was a little shocked when he saw the tax money. You know, even in Beijing these days, more than two million yuan can buy a decent house.
"Fine, let's just calculate it based on the actual area..."
Zhuang Rui thought for a moment and decided it was best not to play any tricks. The assessed and measured area would be written on the property certificate. If the area was smaller now, it would definitely cause trouble if he wanted to sell the house in the future.
After swiping his card to pay, Zhuang Rui checked his bank balance and found he still had over 20 million yuan left. He couldn't help but smile bitterly to himself. He didn't know how much the renovation would cost. Should he ask Master Wu's apprentice to make a few more top-quality blood jade bracelets and auction them off to recoup some funds?
With Director Zheng accompanying them, the procedures went very smoothly. Usually, the housing management bureau's surveyors would take fifteen days to measure the house area, but the director had already said that he would send someone to the house tomorrow and try to hand over the land certificate and property certificate to Zhuang Rui within a week.
This suited Zhuang Rui perfectly; he wanted to resolve these issues before returning to Pengcheng, after spending time with Miao Feifei tomorrow. Zhuang Rui planned to hire a renovation company to move in, hoping to be able to move in before his next trip to Beijing. ...
"Mr. Zhuang, you've solved such a difficult problem for the district. How about I treat you to dinner tonight?"
After the matter was settled, Director Zheng extended an invitation to Zhuang Rui. In his view, if he could establish a relationship with Zhuang Rui, he would naturally have more dealings with Ouyang Jun in the future. Isn't that how relationships are built?
Zhuang Rui glanced at his watch; it was almost five o'clock. He shook his head and said, "Director Zheng, it's not possible today. I have an appointment with my elders for dinner. I'll definitely invite you another day, once my new house is renovated."
"Okay, Mr. Zhuang, where are you going? I'll give you a ride."
Zhuang Rui didn't drive today. He had agreed to call Ouyang Jun after he finished his business, and Ouyang Jun would come pick him up.
"No need, Fourth Brother will pick me up later. Oh, by the way, Director Zheng, I need to trouble you with something. Could you have someone tidy up that yard, clear away the weeds, and also move everything out of the house? You see, I can't manage it all by myself..."
Zhuang Rui meant that everything in the house, except for the main building and the overall layout, should be cleared out. When he looked at it yesterday, there were still some broken pieces of furniture left inside. Those pieces of furniture were from the 1960s and 70s. If they were antiques, Zhuang Rui would have kept them.
"Okay, Mr. Zhuang, don't worry, I'll bring people over tomorrow and they'll definitely take care of it properly for you."
Upon hearing this, Director Zheng readily agreed. What's the purpose of this office? Isn't it just for doing odd jobs? Of course, Director Zheng wouldn't do it himself. There are plenty of idle people in there. If all else fails, he can hire a few cleaning staff; it won't cost much.
After Director Zheng left, Zhuang Rui called Ouyang Jun and then stood waiting at the entrance of the Housing Management Bureau. After more than half an hour, a Hongqi car slowly pulled up beside Zhuang Rui.
"Xiao Rui, get in the car..."
After the car window was rolled down, Zhuang Rui saw Ouyang Zhenwu sitting in the back seat, waving at him. Secretary Wang, whom he had met once before, got out of the passenger seat and opened the back door for Zhuang Rui.
"Thank you, I can do it myself."
Zhuang Rui greeted Secretary Wang, got into the car, and looked at Ouyang Zhenwu, saying, "Uncle, what brings you here?"
Chapter 292 Grandson (Part 2)
Zhuang Rui felt a little embarrassed when he saw Ouyang Zhenwu. He had arrived in Beijing yesterday but hadn't visited his uncle yet, and now it was his uncle who had come to pick him up.
“My workplace isn’t far from here. I got a call from Xiaojun, so I came over on my way. Let’s go…”
After seeing Secretary Wang get into the car, Ouyang Zhenwu signaled to the driver in front that they could watch the car, and the car slowly drove into the rush hour traffic.
"Xiao Rui, I heard from Xiao Jun that you bought a house and are looking for someone to renovate it, right?"
Ouyang Zhenwu didn't hide his conversation from his secretary and driver; Zhuang Rui's earlier use of the term "little uncle" had already clearly indicated their relationship.
"Renovation is easy enough; most renovation companies can do it. However, the courtyard house I bought is a building from the Qing Dynasty. I'm worried that the renovation company might mess it up in some places, so I want to find someone who knows about ancient building restoration to supervise me. Why are you telling me all this, Brother Jun?"
Zhuang Rui had told Ouyang Jun before that he didn't need his uncle's help with this matter, but he didn't expect Ouyang Jun to still tell his father.
"What's wrong? Why aren't you contacting your uncle? Are you afraid he'll abuse his power?"
Ouyang Zhenwu saw through Zhuang Rui's thoughts. He chuckled and said, "I'll handle this personally. I have an old friend who teaches architecture at Peking University and is also an expert in the restoration of ancient buildings. He oversees the annual restoration work at the Palace Museum. However, Professor Zhou is getting old, so he can only give you guidance and suggestions. He might not be able to supervise the actual construction. Hmm, I'll ask him later to find one of your students to be the project supervisor."
When Secretary Wang and the driver, who were sitting in the front seat of the car, heard Ouyang Zhenwu's words, they were both stunned. They had never seen their boss ask for favors in private before. He would actually ask for help for his nephew over a mere house.
Ouyang Zhenwu's words warmed Zhuang Rui's heart. His uncle had even considered such small things. He could feel Ouyang Zhenwu's heartfelt care for him. It would be too pretentious for him to refuse. So Zhuang Rui said, "Uncle, thank you very much. I will give them some subsidies later..."
"Okay, I'll call Professor Zhou tomorrow. That's all I can do for you, I don't have any money."
Ouyang Zhenwu joked with Zhuang Rui, knowing more about his nephew than Ouyang Jun did. He knew Zhuang Rui earned his money honestly and wasn't afraid of gossip; at his level, rumors couldn't sway him.
Zhuang Rui wasn't very familiar with Beijing. He sensed that after leaving the bustling city center, the car entered a not-so-wide road with very few cars. The driver increased the speed, and after nearly forty minutes, the car arrived at the foot of a mountain with six peaks connected and stretching from north to south.
“Your maternal grandmother liked the tranquility of Yuquan Mountain, so they spent most of the year living here.”
Ouyang Zhenwu casually explained it to Zhuang Rui.
Yuquan Mountain is located five or six miles west of the Summer Palace. Because it is nestled against the mountain and faces the water, and is not far from Beijing, it has been favored by rulers throughout history. Emperors of all dynasties built palaces here. However, due to many wars, many gardens were destroyed. They were only renovated and used for residence after the founding of the People's Republic of China.
Since the early days of liberation, Yuquan Mountain has always been an important residence for Party and state leaders. Deng Xiaoping, Liu Shaoqi, and Ye Jianying all lived here for extended periods. Many veteran revolutionaries also preferred to retire here for quiet recuperation.
After the car passed through a mountain road, a gate appeared ahead. On either side of the gate, an armed police officer stood straight. Upon seeing the car approaching, the officer stopped it, first checked the pass, and then verified the ID card and grade of everyone inside the car. This level of inspection was much stricter than that at Ouyang Jun's club.
After the inspection, an armed policeman went back to the guard post, made a phone call inside, and then allowed the vehicle to pass.
After passing through the gate, the road on both sides was lined with lush trees. After driving for another hundred meters or so, a row of independent small buildings came into view. Most of these buildings were two stories high and were far apart. Ouyang Zhenwu's driver was very familiar with the area and parked the car directly outside the courtyard of one of the buildings.
"Xiao Wang, you guys go out and get something to eat first, then come pick me up in two hours. Xiao Rui, get out of the car..."
Ouyang Zhenwu first gave instructions to Secretary Wang, then picked up some things from his side, and beckoned Zhuang Rui to open the car door and get out. The car then turned around and drove away.
"Uncle, you're here! Give me the things..."
As soon as the two got out of the car, a middle-aged man in his forties wearing a military uniform walked over to the gate of the courtyard. The man was burly, with thick eyebrows and big eyes, and stood up straight. However, what caught Zhuang Rui's eye the most was that the man was wearing the rank of major general on his shoulder.
It is important to know that there are regulations for the promotion of military ranks in the Republic. At each level, one must serve for a certain number of years. The promotion from captain to major is a threshold, and many people who cannot be promoted end up transferring to civilian jobs. The promotion from senior colonel to general is an even higher threshold, and many officers in the military retire at the senior colonel position.
Only by being promoted to general can one secure a place in the military and be provided with a personal attendant for life.
During wartime, it was not uncommon to become a major general in one's thirties, but it is much more difficult in peacetime. Many people are promoted after the age of fifty, making a general as young as Zhuang Rui's is extremely rare, if not unheard of, in the Republic.
"Xiao Lei, what are you doing here? My brother didn't mention you were coming when I called yesterday?"
When Ouyang Zhenwu saw the general, a look of surprise appeared on his face, clearly somewhat taken aback by his presence.
"Uncle, I'm going to Beijing for a meeting today and I have to leave early tomorrow morning. I wasn't supposed to have time to come, but my dad said my aunt's younger brother is coming and he insists I meet him. Uncle, is this Zhuang Rui?"
As he spoke, Ouyang Lei transferred the object from his right hand to his left and extended his right hand to Zhuang Rui.
"Xiao Rui, let me introduce you. This is Ouyang Lei, the eldest son of your maternal uncle's family. He's a general at such a young age, and he's your maternal grandfather's favorite person..."
When Ouyang Zhenwu spoke, his gaze toward Ouyang Lei revealed undisguised admiration. Ouyang Gang was a founding general who had fought his way up from the battlefield, and the foundation of the Ouyang family lay in the military.
However, none of the Ouyang brothers joined the army. Although they all became high-ranking officials in both local and central government positions, their control over the military was much weaker than when their grandfather was in power. It wasn't until Ouyang Lei distinguished himself in the army that the Ouyang family regained its voice in the military.
However, this also brings up a problem: the Ouyang family is too powerful. It should be noted that the separation of military and political power is a fundamental principle and a basic condition for those in power to maintain balance with those below. Having power and soldiers has always been a major taboo. Now that the old man is still alive, no one dares to say anything.
However, if Ouyang Gang were to pass away, the Ouyang family's power would likely be significantly diminished. Not to mention, they would certainly not be eligible to keep the house on Yuquan Mountain.
The Ouyang brothers also recognized this problem, so they always disciplined their children very strictly. In addition, while their grandfather was still alive, they also arranged for Zhuang Rui's eldest brother to enter the central government. This way, when Ouyang Lei grew up, they could give up some resources to ensure that he could have his own voice in the army, so that the Ouyang family could continue to prosper.
"I often hear my father mention my aunt. But... well, never mind, it's all in the past. Come in and let's talk..."
Ouyang Lei squeezed Zhuang Rui's hand tightly, then turned and pushed open the courtyard gate to go inside.
"Grandma, what are you doing here?"
Zhuang Rui, who was walking behind Ouyang Lei, heard Ouyang Lei's shout as soon as he entered the courtyard. However, his view was blocked by Ouyang Lei's body. Zhuang Rui quickly took a step to the right and saw an elderly man with white hair sitting in a wheelchair pushed by a nurse in white in the middle of the courtyard.
The old lady's full head of white hair was neatly combed. She sat there with her back straight and her complexion was rosy. However, her eyes seemed to have some problems. After hearing Ouyang Lei's words, she stretched out her hands and called out, "Wan'er, where is Wan'er? That heartless brat, she hasn't come to see her mother for so many years. I want to see you, but I can't..."
"Mom, my younger sister hasn't arrived yet. She'll come to see you in a few days, but your grandson is coming..."