As soon as the young man stepped out of the car, he was taken aback by the lively scene before him.
"Wow, there are so many people here! It's like a festival or something," he muttered to himself.
Liu Yong must have really made it big if he could attract such a crowd.
He looked at the impressive Cullinan parked nearby and confirmed that the rumors about Liu Yong's success were indeed true.
A familiar voice called out to him as he approached the bustling crowd.
"Xiao Zhou, come and find Liu Yong!"
It was an enthusiastic old friend from junior high school, Zhou Jingkang.
"Hey, I heard our old classmate was back, so I came to check it out," Zhou Jingkang explained.
Zhou Jingkang and Liu Yong used to be good friends in junior high, but they had lost touch over the years.
It had been at least a year or two since they last saw each other. When Liu Yong saw Zhou Jingkang entering his home, he was initially surprised, but his face lit up with joy.
"Zhou Jingkang! It's been so long since we last saw each other. What brings you here?"
"I heard you were back, so I came to say hi," Zhou Jingkang smiled.
The two old friends happily caught up on each other's lives. Liu Yong even offered Zhou Jingkang a pack of Zhonghua cigarettes, which he readily accepted.
As Zhou Jingkang lit up, he couldn't help but notice the luxurious Cullinan parked outside.
Follow on NovᴇlEnglish.nᴇt"Hey, is that your car, Brother Yong?"
Liu Yong shrugged modestly.
"It's just a car. So, what have you been up to all these years, Zhou Jingkang?"
Zhou Jingkang revealed that he had been working on building houses for people in the countryside. Liu Yong's ears perked up at this news.
He had been thinking about demolishing his old home and building a villa, and Zhou Jingkang's expertise would be helpful for this project.
"Zhou Jingkang, I'm considering building a villa on this land. Would you be interested in taking on the project?"
Zhou Jingkang grinned.
"Of course! I don't usually build villas for others, but for you, Brother Yong, I'll make an exception. You can trust me to build you the best villa you've ever seen."
The conversation between Liu Yong and Zhou Jingkang continued as they discussed the former's requirements for the villa.
"I want a villa that follows the traditional Chinese architectural style, with front and rear courtyards, rockery, pavilions, pools, and gardens," Liu Yong said.
Zhou Jingkang carefully wrote down all the details that Liu Yong mentioned, ensuring every detail was noticed. "Okay, got it. What about the size and area of the villa?" Zhou Jingkang asked.
Liu Yong paused momentarily, "I think the main body of the villa should have three floors, and each floor should be more than 200 square meters. The bedroom and living room should be as large as possible, including the kitchen."
Zhou Jingkang listened carefully to some of Liu Yong's requests, pondered for a moment, and reminded,
"Brother Yong, there is no problem with the main body of the villa being more than 200 square meters on each floor. There may be a problem with the front and rear courtyards, as the area is not enough."
Liu Yong looked disappointed. "Is that so?"
Zhou Jingkang nodded, "Yes, we might need to come up with some creative solutions."
Liu Yong looked around the property, trying to think of a solution.
"Looking at my old house, there is enough space on the left and right. Behind the house is a vegetable field of my own, which can be used, and the area is enough, but the front of the house is not enough," he said.
Zhou Jingkang nodded, "I see what you mean. Let's brainstorm some ideas and see what we can come up with."
The area designated for the construction of the villa was limited due to the existence of a cement floor.
Liu Yong expressed that he desired to create a garden-style front courtyard, complete with pavilions and an area for parking. To achieve this vision, the courtyard gate needed to be as spacious as possible, requiring substantial space.
Standing before my house, I observed a family residing on the adjacent property. The head of the household was Liu Wei, who appeared to be in his forties and had two sons.
Liu Wei and his wife started a small business in the county seat to accompany their son, who was studying in high school.
As a result, they rented a small house, which was quite cramped, and today, Sunday, the couple had just returned.
Liu Wei's greatest aspiration was to purchase a house in the county, even if it was just a two-bedroom house. It was enough to satisfy his needs.
On the other hand, Liu Yong, who wished to build a villa, was constrained by the limited space on his property. At this moment, Liu Jianping became intrigued and said,
"Liu Wei, come here."
Liu Wei, who was smoking a cigarette and engaged in a lively conversation with everyone, quickly approached where Liu Jianping was standing.
Liu Jianping suggested, "Mr. Liu since you don't have sufficient space to construct a villa, I have an excellent idea. You could purchase Liu Wei's property, including his homestead, given that the couple mainly resides in the county."
Liu Yong's eyes gleamed with excitement upon hearing this suggestion.
Follow on Novᴇl-Onlinᴇ.cᴏmIf he purchased Liu Wei's homestead, he would have enough space to construct his desired villa, extending it to the main road directly in front of Liu Wei's house.
Liu Yong exclaimed, "Uncle Jianping, your idea is brilliant!"
Liu Jianping took charge of the transaction and said,
"I'll be the middleman. Liu Wei, how much are you asking for your property, and are you willing to sell it to Liu Yong?"
Liu Wei had repeatedly expressed that he was eager to sell his old house, primarily to gather enough funds to purchase a home in the county. Owning a place in the countryside was considered a significant achievement and prestige.
However, Liu Wei's attempts to sell his old house had been in vain, as potential buyers had yet to show interest in purchasing it.
Being an old house, it had a low market value, making it unappealing to most people.
But everything changed when Liu Yong unexpectedly expressed interest in buying Liu Wei's old house.
Liu Wei was thrilled and immediately quoted a high price of 500,000 yuan.
On the other hand, Liu Jianping felt that a more reasonable price would be around 200,000 to 300,000 yuan, mainly because of the value of the land.
Before Liu Jianping could express his opinion, Liu Yong swiftly agreed to the proposed price. This came as a surprise to Liu Jianping as he believed that the house was not worth such a high price.
To Liu Yong, 500,000 yuan was merely a trivial amount, akin to buying cabbage in a vegetable market.
He was not interested in the old house itself but was more intrigued by the value of the land it was built on.
For Liu Yong, spending half a million yuan was a mere drop in the bucket, and he eagerly closed the deal without hesitation.
So Liu Yong said: "It is just like a piece of cake and there is nothing worry much!"
..................