The Sea Queen of 1985

Chapter 526: Chapter 526: White Crane Immortal Residence

Xu Cheng was deeply impressed. After leaving Han Xiaorui’s home, he went to find the designer.

When the designer saw Han Xiaorui’s suggestions, they were greatly inspired.

How had they never thought of building small garages on the ground floor before? They could be used for storage or for things like bicycles.

If a family ran out of rooms, a garage of over ten square meters could even be converted into an extra bedroom!

The outdoor children’s play area and recreational zone were also very well-reasoned.

The inspired designer also added elevators to the plans.

Xu Cheng was taken aback. ”Elevators? That’ll drive up the cost again! This... it’s too expensive. People might not be willing to buy them.”

The designer smiled. ”With elevators, we can build taller and bigger. If you’re worried they won’t sell well, we can just build one or two as models.”

”I’ve been to the Overseas Chinese District and those big hotels—they all have elevators. Why can’t our buildings have them? Don’t underestimate the people of White Crane Village and Jinshan Bay.”

”Alright!” Xu Cheng agreed. They were going to build quality apartment buildings, and they had to try new things.

When Xu Cheng showed the blueprints to the White Crane Village officials and villagers, everyone thought the layouts were excellent.

The White Crane Village officials and villagers all trusted Han Xiaorui, so they readily agreed to the demolition and relocation.

They didn’t want money; they wanted apartments in exchange.

Once the buildings were finished, they would draw lots among themselves to decide who got which unit.

Due to the demolition, the residents of White Crane Village had to rent places to live nearby.

However, the Jinshan Bay Real Estate Development Company said they would be able to get their new homes in a year.

They had the land and the funds, and the construction company was their own.

All the applications and designs were complete, so work began immediately.

Han Xiaorui instructed Xu Cheng, ”Brother Xu, you must prioritize quality. Don’t ever cut corners and use substandard materials. Just maintain a reasonable profit margin. Don’t chase high profits by sacrificing quality.”

Hearing this, Xu Cheng quickly replied, ”Xiao Rui, don’t worry. These are houses we’re talking about, not just some random things. We’re by the sea where the winds are strong, so of course, we have to build them to be sturdy and solid.”

”If something goes wrong with the houses, it’s no joke—as the legal representative, I’d be the one going to jail. Rest assured, I will personally oversee the quality. My own brother-in-law wanted to be in charge of procurement, and I turned him down.”

”I’m handling all the procurement myself. I won’t allow anyone to mess with the materials we purchase. Whatever the designers and the planning bureau specify, that’s what I’ll buy, with no compromises.”

”When it comes to construction safety, I take it more seriously than anyone. I, Xu Cheng, am not just building one building, but many. I’m not in this business for just one year; I want to make this a long-term career.”

Han Xiaorui nodded. ”Mm, alright then. Brother Xu, I believe in you. If anyone discovers that the wrong materials are being used, or that substandard materials are being substituted for good ones, they can report it directly to you. Offer a reward for reporting to stamp out any corner-cutting.”

Xu Cheng made a note of it. ”Right. Better to investigate a false claim than to let a real one slip by.”

This was the Jinshan Bay Real Estate Development Company’s first project.

It also had a nice name.

It used to be called White Crane Village, but now it was called White Crane Immortal Residence.

Speaking of which, Xu Cheng had specifically asked Yao Ziqian to help choose the name. He had also invited Yao Ziqian to the construction site to improve some of the feng shui issues.

When the people from White Crane Village heard it, they thought it sounded beautiful and had an ethereal quality.

The construction team was expanded, poaching many capable and highly skilled people from state-owned enterprises, ensuring they fully met all standards.

The first phase of the White Crane Immortal Residence project consisted of sixteen buildings in total.

Two of them were elevator buildings, twelve stories high with an attic on top.

Of these, the two elevator buildings and four of the six-story multi-family buildings belonged to the Jinshan Bay Real Estate Development Company. The remaining ten were all relocation housing for the original residents of White Crane Village.

After a year of construction, the project was completed on time, meeting all quality and quantity standards.

The area of the new apartments they received was based on the area of their original properties at the time of demolition.

In recent years, everyone had noticed.

Housing prices changed every year, rising rapidly, which was why the people of White Crane Village had all opted for new homes instead of cash compensation.

As a result, the converted square footage was quite substantial.

Some families received four or even six apartments; even the families that got the least received three.

The storefronts on the exterior were reserved for the villagers of White Crane Village to purchase first. This focus on prioritizing the original residents made everyone very satisfied.

For some, their savings were not nearly enough.

Those who wanted to buy a commercial property could do so.

Each family was allotted one spot.

If they didn’t have enough money, it was no problem—they could use their village dividends and apply for a bank loan.

Nowadays, who didn’t know that commercial properties were even more valuable than residential apartments?

The shops at White Crane Immortal Residence might not be as expensive as those in Jinshan Bay, but everyone knew they were valuable.

No one wanted to give up their hard-won spot.

Those without enough cash would borrow from others, and those who couldn’t borrow would take out a loan.

In any case, the annual dividends from White Crane Village were substantial now, so they could afford the loan repayments.

If they missed such a good opportunity, on the other hand, they’d never get another one.

Xu Cheng recouped a large sum of money from the sale of the commercial properties.

The two elevator buildings and the other commercial apartments were also put up for public sale.

These buildings were all constructed by Xu Cheng’s own employees, so of course, they knew that only the best materials had been used.

Some of the senior managers had already followed Xu Cheng’s advice, bought homes in the area, and moved their families over.

Now, Xu Cheng was persuading the mid-level managers. Those who already owned a home locally didn’t have to buy one.

But those without a home were strongly encouraged to purchase one.

After all, rents were starting to increase every year, and the money spent on rent could be used for mortgage payments instead.

Besides, with incomes increasing annually, that small mortgage payment was really nothing.

As a result, a large portion of these apartments were sold internally. Another portion was made available for purchase by the staff at the investment company under Han Xiaorui’s name.

Employees who had worked at the company for two years with a good performance record could have the company issue a proof of income for their loan application.

Many people wanted to buy the property outright with cash, so they borrowed money.

Those who really couldn’t borrow enough took out a loan.

They were anxious about buying a home with a loan at first, but when they realized that only a portion of their salary was deducted and it didn’t affect their quality of life, everyone felt relieved.

This also served as a pilot program for the district’s banks to expand their mortgage lending services.

The floor plans were practical, there were small garages, there were elevator buildings, and the landscaping outside was also well done.

Many peach trees were planted in the residential complex, some of which were two-year-old saplings grown from cuttings from Han Xiaorui’s own peach trees.

There were also camphor trees, evergreens, and other shrubs and landscape trees arranged to create a varied and pleasant green space.

The children’s play area had facilities like a slide, seesaws, and swings.

There was also a small plaza for people’s leisure and recreation.

Many new housing developments nowadays were built very close together. They had no landscaping to speak of—just paved-over concrete, which was considered pretty good.

But the buildings here were different. Not only were the walls painted white, but the small attics on the top floor were finished with blue-gray tiles.

In addition, the outdoor walkways were paved with blue-gray square bricks, giving them a high-end look. Of course, the plaza area was still concrete.

Everyone has relatives, after all.

Soon, these homes became well-known not only in the district but also gradually earned a good reputation throughout Shencheng.

The homes at White Crane Immortal Residence completely blew up in popularity.

People who do things conscientiously tend to have good luck.

And just like that, the district’s Power Bureau came knocking. They wanted him to build houses for them.