Because Bai Lin’s residential real estate market was just beginning to take off in Nanchen, Bai Jinian[footnote]Okay, so, I don’t know if this 柏继年(Bǎi jì nián) is a typo, because for the sake of it, I can’t remember who this guy is. I assume he is Bai Chuan’s grandpa(I forgot if the previous chapter mention his name as I seem don’t have impression of it).[/footnote]had made his fortune selling small general merchandise in his early years. Later, after gaining power, he established Bai’s Department Store. As it gradually developed, it was renamed Bai’s Group. Because it went public, it was renamed Bai Lin Group[footnote]In the few chapters before, it was 柏森集团(bǎisēn jítuán); Cedar Forest Group/Bai Sen Group now it become 柏林集团(bólín jítuán); Bo Lin/Bai Lin group[/footnote].
Because of the booming real estate industry in recent years, Bai Lin Group began to venture into commercial real estate seven years ago. Since Bai Lin was a department store company, this combination proved very successful. In recent years, they have also entered the residential property market, achieving a very successful transformation. This success was also attributed to the solid foundation laid by Old Master Bai, a natural businessman who valued ethics and disregarded fame and fortune. Ironically, it was this very quality that had allowed him to expand the Bai Lin family business so significantly.
Although Bai Lin showed signs of decline after it came into the hands of Bai Ren, it still had a huge foundation, so even if it failed, it would only last for a few years. Moreover, apart from his emotional scandals, Bai Ren was quite capable of playing the role of maintaining the business.
This time, Nanchen City intended to renovate the West District, developing it out of its current state of disrepair and disorder. However, the West District should not have been underestimated. Although it was dilapidated, old, poor, and decadent, local power brokers were deeply entrenched, and one wrong move could have uncovered a powerful force. Therefore, the city was being extremely cautious in developing the West District, insisted on entrusting it to a reputable developer.
Therefore, the Bai Lin Group didn’t even need to bid; they directly secured the project development rights. This wasn’t just due to the Bai Lin family’s financial strength, but also because of the military influence of Bai Chuan’s maternal grandfather’s family. Bai Chuan himself played a crucial role in winning this project. Everyone said that Bai Chuan had seen blood, was not to be trifled with, and was both ruthless and wild. Even Bai Chuan himself was unaware that he had such a notorious reputation.
He signed the contract for this project in Xicheng District himself, and he knew at the time that there were a number of key protected buildings. Those buildings definitely couldn’t be touched, but the surrounding shantytowns had to be cleared. However, the local bullies in the area, relying on being within the protected zone, didn’t want to demolish the shantytowns and wanted to take the opportunity to extort more money, so many holdouts emerged.
These holdouts hung national flags on their makeshift shed; one couldn’t force them, much less demolished them. The only way was to appeal to their emotions and reason with them, but if one encountered a stubborn person, it would be difficult to handle.
The city was worried about things going wrong, fearing that Bai Chuan might act impulsively and cause trouble again. Thus, they kept things under wraps, making things very difficult for Bai Chuan. Therefore, the project manager arranged a simple meal—just a meal—to exchange information and gauged the city’s opinion on how to resolve the issue quickly and effectively without causing any problems.
Such dinners were usually quite formal, so Bai Chuan had no reason to refuse. He nodded and said, “Okay, let’s arrange it for tomorrow noon! By the way, let’s go check out that shantytown area first thing tomorrow morning and see what’s going on.”
Xiao Guo responded and began to write and draw in his notebook, arranging the itinerary.
Bai Chuan glanced at him and said, “I told you to sign up for the class, but you haven’t gone yet?”
Xiao Guo replied, “I’ve been too busy these past few days, so I went to look for the evening class. It will start next Monday.”
Bai Chuan nodded and continued working.
——
After finishing the pest control task, Dai Yao’s panel returned to gray. Seeing that the little radishes had already started to grow roots, Dai Yao was in a great mood.
Because Luo Bei had completed all the preparations, Dai Yao had plenty of free time. He sat down to watch Luo Bei feed the insects. These insects looked plump and soft, quite cute. They were pale green, translucent, and had light brown markings. However, they were quite ferocious when they ate, grabbing the wild grass he had plucked from the radish patch and chewing it with a rustling sound.
Dai Yao fed the insects a handful of fresh grass, which they readily accepted. Soon, the small handful of tender grass was gone. Looking at the pile of grass drying in the sun, Dai Yao said, “Should we put it in the refrigerator? It’ll dry quickly.”
Luo Bei was exasperated and said, “Aren’t you afraid the spirit insect will get diarrhea? Besides, it prefers to eat dried grass. I have more experience feeding spirit insects than you, so you don’t need to worry about it.”
Dai Yao nodded and went to take a nap.
Perhaps it was because he was too tired these past few days, but Dai Yao slept until dark. Since becoming pregnant with Xiao Tangbao, Dai Yao hadn’t had a proper rest. Although he was worried about tiring Xiao Tangbao, he knew deeply that if he didn’t work hard now, Xiao Tangbao would likely have an even harder time later. Fortunately, he had researched various sources and found that as long as the baby’s position was stable, doing some housework was perfectly fine and would actually be beneficial for the fetus.
Dai Yao got up and stretched a bit before starting to prepare dinner. Now that he had money, he wasn’t so careless about nutrition. He went to the supermarket and bought shrimp and fresh chicken, planning to make chicken soup and stir-fry some shrimp for dinner. Uncle Li used to cook these for him often when he was alive; these were just ordinary meals. After Uncle Li’s accident, Dai Yao’s standard of living plummeted.
Now that he had money, his standard of living should be improved, and he should give Xiao Tangbao some extra nutrition.
The supermarket was quite crowded, and Dai Yao couldn’t resist taking a stroll through the baby section. The little clothes, hats, and blankets for children softened his heart. He inexplicably bought a whole bunch, and the cashiers were giving him strange looks at the checkout. He could only awkwardly try to save face: “This…is for my newborn nephew.”
The cashier just smiled and let him pay his bill.
After returning home, Dai Yao folded and put the things away, then began preparing dinner. Having worked in various small restaurants, Dai Yao’s cooking skills were actually quite good. He made braised shrimp with scallions and a clay pot of chicken stew with white radish. Luo Bei smelled the rich aroma from inside the room and couldn’t wait to peek into the kitchen, asking three times in a row, “Is dinner ready yet?”
Dai Yao ladled the chicken soup into a soup bowl and said, “It’s ready, come and help!”
Luo Bei quickly went to serve the food. The main dish was multigrain steamed buns, which Dai Yao had bought from the supermarket. Luo Bei drank three large bowls of chicken soup, and Dai Yao also drank two bowls. The chicken soup stewed with white radish was especially fragrant, nourishing the lungs and relieving constipation.
Dai Yao added white radish leaves to the shrimp; he’s gotten into the habit of adding them to his cooking now, to cut the greasiness and enhanced the flavor. After the meal, both of them were completely stuffed. Luo Bei patted his round belly and said, “Yao Yao, you cook so well, I don’t want to leave you. I’ll work for you for the rest of my life, you just provide the meals, okay? I won’t charge you, how about that?”
Dai Yao wiped his mouth and said, “Okay! Go wash the dishes!”
Luo Bei: …This is really exploiting labor.
However, these tasks were a piece of cake for Luo Bei, after all, he was the fastest demon in the world. He finished a few bowls in just a few minutes. After washing the dishes, he and Dai Yao squeezed into the small room to watch “Empresses in the Palace.” While watching, he complained about how pitiful the women in the palace were. But it was also quite realistic, since as the Crown Prince’s personal jade pendant, he had witnessed many palace secrets.
After watching TV for a while, Dai Yao went back to his room to sleep. Such leisurely moments were something he wouldn’t have dared to dream of in his previous life. Dai Yao cherished them, which was why he was determined to live life to the fullest.
——
If Xicheng District has any advantages, it was probably the lack of traffic jams. Most people relying on public transportation, though it could be a bit crowded. Guo Yao drove smoothly to the undeveloped area of Xicheng District. The shantytowns were practically deserted, with “demolition” signs painted in bright red everywhere. A few shantytowns, some high and some low, had national flags flying on them; these were probably holdouts who refused to move.
Bai Chuan observed the situation and said, “It’s better than I expected. What are these people saying?”
Guo Yao said, “They just want more money. The tricky thing is that the local bullies are stirring up trouble and organizing the villagers to collectively refuse to relocate. Those who are still flying the national flag are still cooking.”
Bai Chuan had a general idea of what was going on and knew roughly how to deal with it.
They arrived early today; it was not even seven o’clock yet. Guo Yao said, “This area around Daijiayao is a mixed bag. The village is a bit better, but this shantytown is where things often go wrong. There are always a few murders every year, and there’s nowhere to investigate. Many of the people here are unregistered; their deaths went unresolved[footnote]Raw is 死了也是白死( sǐle yěshì bái sǐ); “dying in vain” or “meaningless death”. I go with “unresolved” to fit the context[/footnote].”
Bai Chuan asked, “What place do you say this is?”
Guo Yao glanced at him and said, “Daijiayao Fourth Village is a group of four urban villages located in the southeast, northwest, and southwest of the city, collectively known as Daijiayao. The original residents are all surnamed Dai, and they rent their houses to migrant workers. The shantytown has been growing larger and larger, and Daijiayao has become a well-known synonym for dirt and disorder. Now that the shantytown is being demolished, many residents have gone to rent houses in the villages. The security there is stricter, and tenants are required to provide photocopies of their ID cards and household registration books. The situation is much better than in the shantytown.”
Bai Chuan seemed to be deep in thought when he asked, “Is there… a place here that sells particularly delicious steamed buns?”
Guo Yao smiled and said, “You mean the steamed buns that Sister Qingqing brings you every day? I heard they’re in Daijiayao. Why don’t we go over there and ask around?”
Bai Chuan nodded and said, “Okay.”
——
After collecting the money, Dai Yao called out to Luo Bei behind him, “Bei Bei, it’s time to cook the chive filling!”
Luo Bei responded and immediately scooped the steamed chive-filled buns into a pre-prepared basket. Those buying the buns no longer cared about the filling; as long as they were from Dai Yao’s family, the taste was guaranteed to be good. A long queue formed, and Dai Yao deftly handled the buns and collected the money.
A discreet black sedan was parked nearby. Guo Yao rolled down the window and said, “Boss, there are too many people. Should we join the queue?”
Bai Chuan looked out the car window and indeed saw quite a few people. He thought for a moment and said, “Never mind, I have other things to do.” But at that moment, a voice came from outside the car window: “Dai Yao!”
Bai Chuan frowned and looked up at the window, just in time to see a soft and cute boy looking up at him at the same time. The boy raised his hand and waved at him, saying with a look of surprise, “Xiao Yuan? What brings you here? Come in, come in and sit down!”
Finally! He met the real Dai Yao~
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