Director Liu was humiliated and finally realized that Huang Ziqiang wasn't putting on an act, nor was he being well-mannered like a wealthy person. He was a vicious wolf who was currently itching to devour her, Director Liu, but when facing Bi Shenghua, he suddenly turned into a docile sheep.
Director Liu couldn't understand why this big boss was so afraid of Bi Shenghua. A woman who ran a bar, who had never had anyone to rely on, and judging from her appearance and personality, she didn't seem like the mistress of some important person.
Although she was just a minor director, she had been navigating the officialdom for many years, and was used to seeing the winds of change and maneuvering. She immediately put on a smiling face and said, "Oh, Mr. Huang, you're joking. Huahua and I have been neighbors and sisters for decades, our relationship is very close! Right, Huahua?"
Bi Shenghua neither admitted nor denied it; her icy expression remained solemn.
Director Liu then instructed Xiao Wang to brew the tea, loudly adding, "Brew the best Biluochun; my daughter Huahua loves this!"
Huang Ziqiang was quite impressed with Director Liu's ability to change her expression; even he, a seasoned veteran of decades, might not be as adept at it as this neighborhood auntie.
The atmosphere eased slightly, and Huang Ziqiang tentatively said, "Boss lady, I've been trying to get this project done since I first met Mr. Qingmu. Mr. Qingmu knows I'm going to invest here, and he even encouraged me!"
Bi Shenghua said, "Did he also encourage you to touch that willow tree?"
Huang Ziqiang, who had been too certain just moments before, now finally understood where the problem lay. He walked to the window, looked at the conspicuous old willow tree on the street ahead, and said, "Is that the tree you're talking about?"
Before Bi Shenghua could speak, Director Liu interjected, "That's the one! That tree is quite old; it was already that big when my dad was a child. Speaking of which, this tree has a connection to Huahua's family. Legend has it that it was planted by Huahua's great-grandfather, and all the willow trees on our street were propagated from branches taken from that tree. So you can't blame Huahua; she's attached to it!"
Huang Ziqiang felt that things were definitely not as simple as Director Liu made them out to be, but Bi Shenghua wouldn't reveal the real reason, he didn't press her further. He simply said, "Boss lady, I don't know the details. If I did, I definitely wouldn't have considered this. So, I'll withdraw from this project immediately. Anyway, the project hasn't even opened for bidding yet, and I haven't signed a contract."
Director Liu grew impatient and said, "President Huang, you can't play like this. Let's talk this out."
Just then, Xiao Wang brought in the brewed tea. Director Liu took the teacup, personally offered it to Bi Shenghua, and then pulled her hand to sit down on the sofa. He said, " Huahua, I'm begging you. Everyone in Liuying Lane, young and old, has been hoping for this demolition for so many years. You have to persuade General Manager Huang. We can't let everyone be heartbroken!"
Bi Shenghua said, "I don't care about anything else, but that tree can't be touched."
Huang Ziqiang was well aware of the project's implications. If Liuying Lane were to be restored to its original old appearance, only the government would be capable of doing it, as there would be no profit to be made. That's why he and the street committee revised the plan, adjusting the street's orientation and the layout of the houses while maintaining the original appearance. However, this relocation of the old street would inevitably require moving that tree.
He said, " Director Liu, I think we should postpone this project for a while; revising the plan will take time."
Director Liu's face was long and drawn. She knew this was Huang Ziqiang's excuse—"I need time"—which meant he was just shirking his responsibilities. She cursed Bi Shenghua in her heart for being so inconsiderate, ruining the whole street's plans for the sake of a tree, but she dared not lose her temper with Bi Shenghua again.
Huang Ziqiang and Bi Shenghua went downstairs together. Director Liu saw them off, saying, "President Huang, please reconsider. We have no problem offering any policies here, and I'll try to negotiate with the district." Then, with a reluctant look, he said to Bi Shenghua, " Huahua, it's rare for you to come and sit here. You must come often in the future!"
Once on the street, seeing that no one was around, Huang Ziqiang mustered up his courage and asked Bi Shenghua, "Is that tree really that important to you?"
Bi Shenghua nodded and said, "Unless I die, no one can move that tree."
Huang Ziqiang gasped, realizing she wasn't joking, and said, "Boss lady, not to be nosy, but I'm afraid this tree isn't safe."
"Why?"
"The renovation plan for Liuying Lane has been delayed for many years because the environment here is relatively complex and the interests are not prominent. Although it is called an old street, there are no famous historical sites or ancient buildings from the Ming and Qing dynasties. They are all old houses from the Republic of China period, which were severely damaged after the founding of the People's Republic of China, resulting in their current state. If we demolish them, it would be a pity; if we don't demolish them, we can't create a distinctive street."
However, dragging this out won't simplify the situation; it will only make it more complicated. If no capital is willing to intervene, the government will eventually have to take that step anyway. At that point, they might not even consider the old street factor and will simply vacate the land and sell it off. Liuying Lane is also incompatible with the surrounding commercial district. If it's not renovated now, the government will eventually see it as a cancer in the city and cut it off completely, because that's the cheapest way to do it.
Bi Shenghua thought he made sense, so she asked, "What's your opinion?"
Huang Ziqiang said, " The Parks and Culture Bureau's willingness to relocate the trees was originally the best solution. With current technology, the trees won't die even if they're moved; on the contrary, they can find a better living environment..."
He glanced cautiously at Bi Shenghua and, seeing that she remained unmoved, knew that the plan wouldn't work, so he could only sigh. He didn't understand why the tree couldn't be moved, and wondered if her ancestors were buried underground. The more he thought about it, the more likely it seemed, because a feng shui master had mentioned it before.
There was something he didn't mention: when he was working on the plan, he had a feng shui master come to take a look. The feng shui master said that the tree occupied the feng shui eye of a ten-mile radius, and that there might be a tomb of some wealthy family buried there. It had to be dug up, otherwise no matter how this area was renovated, it wouldn't be good.
Although feng shui is a myth, most business people prefer to believe in it, and governments often pay attention to it as part of traditional culture and modern environmental science.
If Huang Ziqiang doesn't take action, whoever does will take this factor into consideration, so it seems impossible to save this tree.
Bi Shenghua understood Huang Ziqiang's meaning. She slowly walked to the willow tree, grabbed a drooping branch, and said, "Mr. Huang, you're a seasoned businessman and know more than I do. Can you teach me if there's any foolproof way to save this tree, and ideally, to ensure that this never happens again?"
Huang Ziqiang felt incredibly pleased by her compliment; it was far more satisfying than having someone like Director Liu fawn over him for a hundred days. However, he had no idea what to do, so he simply said, "Let me go back and think about it."
The man with the instrument returned like he was clearing landmines, stopping at the base of the tree. He held a metal rod in one hand and a tablet in the other, clicking his tongue and repeatedly saying, "Impossible, impossible."
His colleague next to him asked, "How did it go?"
He said, "This root system in-situ detector is definitely broken, and it's supposed to be an imported product! Look at the results it gave us, the depth of this tree's roots has exceeded the instrument's detection limit, and what's even more outrageous is that its root system spans the entire street, meaning the ground for miles around is covered with its roots!"
Another person clicked their tongue in amazement and said, "Is this something that has become a spirit?"
That's why I said the instrument was broken!
"Let's go, let's go! Who cares if the equipment is broken or it's become sentient? Our mission is complete, let's go back and report."
Huang Ziqiang looked up at the tree, then at Bi Shenghua, and suddenly a thought struck him, sending a chill down his spine.
He looked away and said, "I do have an idea, but..."
"What idea?" Bi Shenghua asked.
"If this area can be transformed into a distinctive garden, then these trees will be completely saved," Huang Ziqiang said.
Bi Shenghua's eyes lit up. "Great, let's call it Mulberry Garden."
Huang Ziqiang paused, opened his mouth, but swallowed back what he wanted to say. Transforming it into a garden is no easy task! There are plenty of gardens in Wuzhong. Why would the government approve your project? Unless you're willing to spend billions of yuan for nothing, without expecting any return, and you also have to find or fabricate enough reasons to build a garden from the local historical anecdotes.