CHAPTER 34: CHAPTER 34: INQUIRING ABOUT DESERTED ISLAND PROPERTY DEALS

"One, two, three, four, five... one hundred thirty-five! There are one thousand three hundred and fifty yuan here." Lin Qin excitedly bundled the money separately.

Then she picked up some five yuan notes.

The five-yuan notes were clearly double the amount of the one-yuan notes, but together they might not add up to 1,300.

Lin Qin lowered her head and counted carefully.

Chen Wenjun had just finished sorting the ten-cent coins into piles of ten; several rows stretched across the floor, and he wasn’t done yet. He looked up to see Lin Qin had tied up the five-yuan notes and asked quickly, "How much?"

Lin Qin beamed, showing eight teeth, and said joyfully, "About two hundred fourteen or fifteen notes, totaling one thousand two hundred and twenty-five yuan, plus one thousand three hundred and fifty, we already have two thousand five hundred and seventy-five yuan here."

After speaking, she noticed the floor covered with ten-cent coins, "What have you been up to?"

Chen Wenjun was almost in tears, "There are too many ten-cent coins, I can’t finish counting them!"

Lin Qin hurried over to help. The two of them sorted out the ten-cent coins, which could fill a large bag, and despite the large number, they only amounted to three hundred seventy-eight yuan.

The one-yuan notes totaled four hundred and sixty-one, the two-yuan notes one hundred and twenty-two, the fifty-cent notes one hundred and thirty-five, and the coins amounted to four hundred thirty-nine yuan and seventy-six cents.

Altogether, they had four thousand one hundred sixty-five yuan and seventy-six cents in their hands.

When they calculated the total, even Chen Wenjun was shocked, "That much?"

Lin Qin also found it unbelievable, "How much do we earn in a day from selling fish?"

Chen Wenjun shook his head, "I haven’t calculated it in detail. You and Yaya are so lucky with your catches. Just the fish you catch every day can sell for sixty or seventy, and the catch from the traps amounts to about forty per day.

Occasionally catching a turtle or eel earns a bit more. I didn’t think it would add up to so much, but it turns out we’ve saved over four thousand."

Before Lin Qin and Lin Yi boarded the boat, he had already saved a few hundred yuan, thinking he was saving quickly, but compared to this mother-daughter duo, he couldn’t compete at all.

Lin Qin was delighted, "This is perfect, we can buy some land!"

If they only had a few hundred yuan, she might feel insecure, but with four thousand, it was different. Even if they couldn’t buy an entire abandoned island, they could surely buy at least a dozen acres of wasteland!

Chen Wenjun thought the same.

The two of them, with burning ambition, walked out of the rear cabin and told Lin Yi about going to the Land Bureau after selling fish the next day.

Lin Yi was particularly serious and said solemnly, "Go without worries, leave the house to me. I’ve almost recovered enough to move around a bit, and I can take care of two children, no problem."

The next morning, Chen Wenjun and Lin Qin went to set up their stall on Tan Cai market road as usual.

After a month of setting up stalls here, they had a spot that was tacitly theirs. Seeing their fish sell well, recently, there were two more fish stalls on the street.

However, those stalls didn’t have as much stock as Chen Wenjun’s, nor were the fish as large. Most regular customers still preferred buying from Chen Wenjun, including Zhang Youren, who liked to get a good deal.

With so many supporters, the fish sold quickly. Shortly after 8 a.m., Chen Wenjun and Lin Qin packed up their stall and went to Guoxing Restaurant, selling the remaining stock to Zheng Guoxing and took the opportunity to ask for directions to the Land Bureau.

Zheng Guoxing and the couple Chen Wenjun were old acquaintances, and he was a bit surprised when he heard they were going to the Land Bureau.

"What are you going there for? Looking for someone?"

Chen Wenjun shook his head quickly, "Boss Zheng also knows we’re Dang people. We’ve saved some money, want to buy a piece of land to build a house, move the whole family to the mainland. We’ve set our sights on a piece of wasteland on an abandoned island, want to ask about it."

"Oh, that’s easy then. My brother-in-law works at the Land Bureau; he’ll be here for lunch and tea at noon. If you’re not busy, wait for him to arrive and ask him. If you just run over there blindly, they might not even pay attention." Zheng Guoxing kindly reminded them.

Chen Wenjun and Lin Qin hurried to thank him and stayed at the restaurant to wait as suggested by Zheng Guoxing.

By ten o’clock, people started coming for meals one after another.

Those dining at a place like this were either wealthy or influential.

Chen Wenjun and Lin Qin felt out of place in their attire.

The two felt uneasy, so they hurried to the kitchen to help out Zheng Guoxing.

At first, Zheng Guoxing tried to persuade them to leave, but seeing their insistence, he let them be.

By nearly twelve o’clock, Han Dongcai, the brother-in-law Zheng Guoxing had mentioned, finally arrived.

Seeing him enter through the service window, Zheng Guoxing immediately turned off the stove, put down the large ladle, and urged Chen Wenjun and Lin Qin to step outside.

He also hurriedly followed, "Dongcai, you’re finally here! My friends need to ask you something!"

As he spoke, he pulled Han Dongcai to a corner table, simultaneously seating Chen Wenjun, "This is Chen Wenjun, I get a lot of fish for the restaurant from him. Didn’t you praise those fresh shrimp cakes before? Those shrimp were delivered by him!"

Chen Wenjun awkwardly smiled, feeling like his toes could dig a plot of land.

Lin Qin was at a loss for words.

Han Dongcai nodded with a smile, "Just tell me what’s the matter."

Zheng Guoxing wasn’t embarrassed at all and quickly explained about Chen Wenjun’s situation, "My friend here is part of the Dang people, living on a fishing boat. They’ve saved some money and want to buy land to build a house. The couple has their eyes on a piece of wasteland on Nanxi, but they have no clue who to approach. Don’t land matters fall under your department? Could you help inquire?"

Han Dongcai burst out laughing, secretly relieved, and shot Zheng Guoxing a large eye roll, "I thought it was something major, just buying land! That’s great news! The city issued a document this year to vigorously develop the economy, and it specifically mentioned land development. Last month the city approved a plot for commercial housing. Do you know what commercial housing is?"

Zheng Guoxing shook his head, and Chen Wenjun and Lin Qin imitated him, also shaking their heads.

Han Dongcai took a sip of water and explained carefully, "Commercial housing refers to buildings developed by real estate companies that rent land use rights from government agencies for terms of 40, 50, or 70 years, approved by the relevant authorities. Once built, they can be sold or rented on the market, basically houses can be traded like goods.

Of course, this is the first project in the city and I have no clue what the developer will come up with, but it’s a signal that the government is encouraging companies or individuals to develop land, making it much easier for you to buy wasteland now."

Chen Wenjun and Lin Qin exchanged smiles, it was good news!

After hearing this, Zheng Guoxing eagerly asked, "Are commercial houses expensive?"

Han Dongcai nodded, "At least eight or nine hundred per square meter."

Zheng Guoxing was taken aback, "That’s over thirty thousand for forty square meters! Who’s going to buy that?"

"It’s not for you to buy!" Han Dongcai was speechless, "Besides, don’t you make money running this restaurant? Stop crying poor to me!"

Zheng Guoxing laughed awkwardly and quickly changed the subject, "What about wasteland? It wouldn’t be eight or nine hundred per square meter too, right?"