Buying a Car and Construction Projects

March 27.

With Qingming Festival approaching, the weather had turned somewhat gloomy.

It had been nearly six or seven days since Jiang Miao took over the Eel Farm and the Resort Restaurant in Magong.

Over the past few days, he and his brother-in-law had split up to handle the various matters at the two sites.

Today, he rode his Electric Scooter to the Resort Restaurant.

The moment Old Ke saw him, he raised the electric barrier.

"Good morning, Boss."

"Where's A Yong?"

"He's moving things on the second floor."

"I'll call him." Jiang Miao picked up his phone and made a WeChat call.

Knock, knock, knock...

"Hello, Boss. You're here?"

"I'm at the entrance. Come down."

"Okay."

Before long, a burly young man with a crew cut hurried out through the restaurant's main doors.

He was Old Ke's son, Ke Yong. He was about the same age as Jiang Miao. After joining the army in high school, he had been discharged just as the unexpected events of recent years occurred, leaving him unemployed at home for over a year as well.

He had originally planned to go out to sea on fishing boats, but Jiang Miao wanted to find a driver who could also serve as a bodyguard, so Old Ke recommended his son, Ke Yong.

Jiang Miao had asked his brother-in-law about him and learned that Ke Yong was an honest man without any bad habits, so he hired him.

"A Yong, hop on. We're heading to Pu Bian Town."

"Okay."

Jiang Miao parked the Electric Scooter at the Resort Restaurant, and the two took a Didi to Pu Bian Town.

Half an hour later, they arrived at a Great Wall Motors 4S dealership.

Seeing that they were dressed quite ordinarily, the saleswoman did not show any disdain. Instead, she smiled and came over.

"Are you two looking at cars?"

"I'd like to pick up a diesel Mountain-Sea Cannon. The entry-level version will do." Jiang Miao got straight to the point, not giving her a chance to make a pitch.

The saleswoman's smile became even more dazzling. "Our dealership offers discounted auto loans..."

Jiang Miao was extremely direct. "No need. I'll pay in full. Can the paperwork be completed within an hour?"

"Uh..." Though the saleswoman felt somewhat disappointed, selling a car was still a sale, so naturally she did not refuse. "It can be done in an hour, but you'll only get temporary plates. Do you have any requirements for the plate number?"

"No. Just don't give me one with an unlucky homophone."

"Alright, please wait here for a moment."

The two sat down.

Another saleswoman hurried over and asked, "What would you two like to drink? We have tea, coffee, and soft drinks, as well as matcha cake."

"A bottle of mineral water for me."

"Same for me," Ke Yong added.

"No problem. Please wait a moment."

In less than an hour, all the paperwork was completed. The official license plate would take about a week, after which they would need to return to the 4S dealership for installation.

After paying a total of 260,000 yuan for everything, they drove the vehicle away.

After taking the keys, Jiang Miao handed one set to Ke Yong. "A Yong, you'll be driving from now on."

"Okay, Boss." Ke Yong nodded.

Once they got in the car.

"Boss, are we heading back to Magong?"

"To Sanma Road in the city."

Ke Yong shifted gears and stepped on the gas, and the pickup sped away.

The two saleswomen waved goodbye at the entrance of the 4S dealership.

One of them watched the departing pickup and rubbed her shoulder. "I really don't understand rich people! Buying a car is as casual as buying groceries."

"You want to marry into a wealthy family?"

"Of course! Too bad he didn't even look at me."

"Hehe, stop dreaming. You should be thanking your lucky stars when you meet customers like that."

The pickup headed toward the city along Shanmei Avenue.

Half an hour later.

Jiang Miao brought Ke Yong to a large clothing store on Sanma Road.

"A Yong, I'm paying today. Pick out three suits and three pairs of leather shoes for yourself."

"Boss, there's no need for that, is there?"

"Why be so polite? You're my driver. You represent both me and the company. If you don't dress properly, how am I supposed to take you out on business?"

Only then did Ke Yong understand. "Thank you. You've spent too much on me, Boss."

Jiang Miao also picked out five or six suits for himself.

After all, clothes made the man. He was preparing to recruit some employees in a few days. If he dressed too casually, people would doubt the strength of Hai Lu Feng Company.

They bought eight suits and eight pairs of leather shoes, spending nearly 40,000 yuan in total.

The clothing store owner even gave them a whole pile of freebies.

After getting themselves properly outfitted, Jiang Miao sat in the car and made a call.

"Hello, Yao. Come out for lunch. Where are you? I'll pick you up."

"Lunch? Sure. I'm at the store on Jinping Road."

"Okay, I'll be right there."

Less than half an hour later, the pickup appeared outside a hardware store on Jinping Road.

Rolling down the window, Jiang Miao called out, "Yao, I'm here."

A square-faced middle-aged man carrying an iron pipe turned around, looked at the pickup, and only then realized what was happening.

"You brat, you took a taxi here? Wait for me a moment."

This man was Jiang Miao's cousin, Jiang Yao.

"Mei Zhi, keep an eye on the store. A Miao and I are going out for lunch."

"Go ahead!" The short-haired woman holding a child waved her hand.

After changing into another outfit, his cousin ran over with a small leather bag, then tossed a Hua Zi cigarette to Ke Yong. "Sorry to keep the driver waiting."

Jiang Miao smiled and shook his head. "Yao, this is my car. A Yong doesn't smoke."

The moment he got into the car, his cousin froze. "You bought a car?"

"I just picked it up today..."

The two chatted casually.

Ke Yong, meanwhile, focused intently on driving.

About twenty minutes later, they arrived at Sea View Villa near Jinding Bay.

They booked a private room.

Jiang Miao poured his cousin a cup of tea. "Have some tea, Yao."

"You lucky brat."

"Yao, how has business been lately?"

His cousin shook his head, his face full of helplessness. "You know how it is. There are fewer and fewer projects these days. Your sister-in-law's hardware store isn't doing well, and I haven't been able to land many construction jobs either."

"I have two projects here. If you think they're suitable, I'll hand them over to you."

His cousin immediately became interested. "What projects?"

"One is the renovation of the Eel Farm. I want to build an indoor farming facility, covering around ten mu. It'll be a single-story steel structure, with insulation and temperature-and-humidity control equipment inside, along with breeding pools and a water recycling system."

After hearing the requirements, his cousin began to think.

"The other project is the renovation of the Resort Restaurant in Magong. That one is simpler. Convert the rooms on the third floor into dormitories, the rooms on the second floor into offices, and use the first floor as an employee cafeteria and reception hall."

"You rented the Resort Restaurant?"

Jiang Miao nodded. "That's the best location in Magong. Everywhere else either doesn't have enough space or isn't priced right."

His cousin thought it over. "The Resort Restaurant renovation won't be a problem. Appliances aren't included. If there's no need to drastically alter the layout, then adding partitions, repainting the walls, setting up plumbing and electrical systems, and adding some soft furnishings would cost around 500,000 yuan, including labor and materials."

"That works." Jiang Miao knew that was already a very fair price.

However, his cousin continued with a deep frown. "I can't take on the entire Eel Farm project. I can't handle that specialized equipment, but I can help you find a contractor who specializes in this kind of work."

"Is that so? That works too. Then I'll have to trouble you, Yao."

His cousin took a sip of tea. "Don't be polite. You're looking after your big brother here, so I'll definitely make sure everything gets done properly for you."

Before long, the dishes were served one after another.

"Let's eat first. We can talk while we eat."

After eating for over an hour, they drove his cousin back to the hardware store.

After a busy half day, Jiang Miao had Ke Yong drive back to the Resort Restaurant.

He did not drive the pickup back to the village. Instead, he continued riding the Electric Scooter home. That evening, he planned to have a proper talk with his parents about what came next.