With the deal settled, Gu’er and the others walked out of the main gate of the City Governnt building.
Looking back at the stately building, Gu’er felt a wave of elation wash over her. ’So I can have a day like this too, a day to finally hold my head high.’
"Let’s go. We still have to head to the district."
Gu’er said to Sun Jiaming and Li Zhi. The two of them were also looking back, probably just as moved as she was.
The three of them got in the car and headed toward Yonghong District. They could only sign the contract with the district authorities.
When they arrived at Yonghong District, Gu’er and the others found Lin Shan, who then took them to see the Secretary. Unlike their visit to the City Governnt, the Secretary was very warm, treating them like his own nieces and nephews.
In truth, the Secretary had his own considerations. He was retiring this year, so Gu’er signing a contract with the district to establish a large private shopping center—which would boost Yonghong District’s economy and create jobs—could be considered one final political achievent of his tenure.
That wasn’t all. He was retiring, but Lin Shan was still young. He had heard that Lin Shan had connections in the higher-ups and was likely to be promoted after a couple of years of gaining experience at a lower post. Lin Shan had a bright future, one that would take him much further than the Secretary had gone. His relationship with Lin Shan was already good, but as the saying goes, "once a person leaves, the tea grows cold." If he was a little kinder to Lin Shan’s people now, it would be much easier to ask for a favor in the future.
As a result, the contract signing and negotiations went quite smoothly for Gu’er’s group. The Secretary told them the Yong Jian building would be handed over next month, at which point they could take possession and begin renovations. The staff would be assigned to Gu’er one month before the grand opening, giving her ti to arrange for their training so they would be ready to work on day one.
In the anti, Gu’er and the others could also complete all the necessary paperwork.
After they finished discussing business, the Secretary smiled and started making small talk with Gu’er.
"Ah, Gu’er, your father truly has a wonderful daughter. I’m so envious of him. You have no idea, my wife gave two boys, but not a single girl. She’s always complaining about not having a sweet, caring daughter. Your dad is the lucky one!"
Lin Shan laughed heartily. He understood the Secretary’s intentions. He got along well with this Secretary, who was a decent man. Since the other party was extending an olive branch, he was happy to accept it.
"You’re a lucky man too, Uncle. When your two sons get married, won’t you have gained two daughters?"
Seeing how friendly he was, and with no objection from her father, Gu’er happily engaged in the casual chat.
"That’s true. A good daughter-in-law is just like a real daughter. Gu’er, Li Zhi, when you have your grand opening, don’t forget to invite . If you wouldn’t mind, I’d be happy to co and cut the ribbon for you."
The Secretary said this knowing that by the ti their shopping center opened, he would likely be retired. While he was in office, people would jump at the chance to have him cut a ribbon for them, but things would be different after he stepped down.
"We’d be honored to have you! I’m taking that as a promise, Uncle. If you don’t show up that day, I won’t let you hear the end of it!"
Gu’er knew the Secretary would likely be retired by then, but she wasn’t a snob.
"Alright, alright. I’ll definitely be there. Definitely."
The Secretary nodded repeatedly, a wide, pleased smile on his face.
After Gu’er and her group left, the Secretary was still marveling at what a fine daughter Lin Shan had. ’Even though he didn’t raise her himself, she didn’t turn out badly at all.’
Lin Shan remained silent. ’The one I raised myself is the one who’s gone astray,’ he thought. ’Even with her teachers being so strict, Lin Sui’er still has so many bad habits she can’t seem to break. When I get ho from a long day at work, I supervise her studies whenever I have a mont. But even with watching her, her grades are still abysmal. I can tell her heart isn’t in it at all. She’s completely distracted when she does her howork, and there are so many problems she just doesn’t understand, which obviously ans she isn’t paying attention in class. When I try to explain them, the words don’t sink in. When I try to reason with her, it goes in one ear and out the other. This daughter is a real source of worry for .’ But these were thoughts he could never voice to an outsider.
When Gu’er’s group returned, they told Liu Yuan and Dingzi the news. They asked Liu Yuan to start looking for a renovation crew and book them in advance. The work would begin next month as soon as the building was handed over. They couldn’t afford to wait until the space was free to find a crew; that would cause major delays.
"The crew that built our furniture last ti also does renovations," Sun Jiaming chid in. "They do good work, though their team is a bit small. How about Liu Yuan and I take charge of the renovations? I can go find them and ask them to recomnd so other workers. They’re honest, their prices are fair, and their materials are reliable. It’s better to work with them than to hire strangers."
"Okay, then Brother Jia Ming and Brother Liu Yuan can be in charge of that," Gu’er said. "When the ti cos, I’ll et them as well to explain my requirents."
Although Gu’er had rarely visited shopping malls in her past life, she had been to a few. She may not have ever bought anything inside, but she rembered what they looked like. She planned to borrow so of those design ideas, but since she couldn’t draw blueprints, she would have to explain her requirents to the renovation crew and have them follow her instructions.
"Deal."
Sun Jiaming didn’t see any problem with that.
"No problem for , either."
Liu Yuan nodded as well. If Gu’er had tasked him with renovating a five-story building all on his own, he honestly felt it would have been too much for him to handle. He was instantly relieved that Sun Jiaming had volunteered to help. With two of them, they could talk things over whenever they ran into issues.
"Alright, then Liu Yuan and I will take care of the renovations," Sun Jiaming said. "I’ll also use this ti to get all the necessary permits filed, so Gu’er won’t have to worry about that. As for the Soviet Union trips, I’ll go when I have ti. If I get too busy, the three of you can go without ."
Sun Jiaming knew his own capabilities. Dividing the labor this way would make everything go faster.
"Deal," said Li Zhi. "We’ll handle the Soviet Union, and you two can manage things here at ho. Thanks for taking on the hard work. When this is all done, we’ll celebrate with a good round of drinks."
Li Zhi found this to be a reasonable arrangent. Sun Jiaming had a steady personality, so everyone felt at ease leaving the dostic affairs in his hands.
Dingzi was the type to follow orders, so he was happy to do whatever the group decided.
Even though they had divided up the work, there were still ten days left in the month. They decided to make one more trip to the Soviet Union to bring back another load of goods. This ti, Liu Yuan asked to go along. However, he made it clear to everyone that he didn’t want any paynt. He just wanted to help carry things, as a form of interest on the money they had lent him.
Gu’er and the others didn’t argue. They knew Liu Yuan felt indebted and that he would only feel at ease if he could help out and repay them more.
After arriving, Gu’er went to see Marina as usual, bringing her so fun new gifts. She had moved beyond just costics; now, whenever Gu’er found sothing fun or interesting, she would bring it for her.
"Oh, Lin, you’re the best! This is so much fun! I’m so happy!"
In truth, Marina’s happiness wasn’t just about the gifts. It was also because Gu’er continued to visit her, just as before. She hadn’t been cast aside after her help was no longer needed. It proved that Gu’er ant what she said and truly saw her as a friend.
"I’ll bring you sothing fun every ti I co from now on."
Gu’er was happy to see how much Marina liked the gifts.
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*(Not at ho, so this is an automatic update. Have a great weekend, dears!)*
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