Chapter 60 It's Easy to Be a Monday Morning Quarterback.
"Brother Ye, the old man's words may sometimes sound a little harsh, don't take it personally!"
"Also, let's keep it a secret the fact that I took 20 million to help you operating the shares of the Sihai Group. Because I claimed I wasn't part of it!"
"In addition, the old man worked an official before, so, he tends to patronize people a bit over talking, please just ignore it!"
Driving in the bright red Porsche Palamella,
while drawing closer to Zhang's yard,
Zhang Jingshan stepped up the reminders for Ye Chen.
"I got it already. You've said it several times."
Ye Chen, in the co-pilot seat, laughed.
"Uh, several times already? Sorry, I'll stop now."
Soon,
the Porsche Panamera pulled in outside Zhang's yard.
Ye Chen got out of the car and followed Zhang Jingshan in.
There was nothing luxurious about this yard inside.
But undoubtedly priceless was the atmosphere which calms and pleases whoever set foot in.
Occupying the left and right sides of the yard, many kinds of green plants and potted plants were almost all over the place.
An old man was bending over at this moment, carefully trimming the potted green plants with scissors.
"Grandpa, Ye Chen is here!"
As soon as he entered the yard, Zhang Jingshan notified Zhang Weimin of their arrival, who was bowing and trimming.
"Ah, okay, well. Ye, please wait a moment. Just make yourself at home!"
Zhang Weimin turned around and greeted him with a gentle smile.
Though one could clearly tell the distinguished temperament of the old man who had been in charge of Jiangzhou politically all his life was different from an ordinary folk's,
one hardly feels the slightest trace of arrogance the way he behaved.
If it weren't for the high-ranking noble quality in him that had accumulated over the years which couldn't be easily hidden away,
judging from the way he appeared, people might not relate him to the former secretary of the municipal party committee who was highly praised and respected.
"Brother Ye, after my grandfather's retirement, he found dealing with flowers and plants quite appealing. Now he puts those potted plants, not worth much in the markets, above almost everything. So please allow him a few minutes to finish his work." Zhang Jingshan explained in a low voice.
"It's nothing!" Ye Chen shook his head and smiled understandingly.
But he did not take the initiative to flatter Zhang Weimin,
instead, he watched the busy figure of the old secretary with such a slight smile.
A few minutes later.
"Done!"
Zhang Weimin glanced at the scissors with satisfaction.
Turning around to look at Ye Chen, he suggested with a smile, "Ye, the sun is starting to heat the ground, so come get under the grape trellis. After I wash my hands, let's chat over tea!"
"Alright, old secretary!"
Ye Chen walked under the grape trellis without hesitation
and sit down on a stone bench.
Zhang Weimin, who returned to the grape trellis after washing his hands, suddenly asked Zhang Jingshan.
"Wait, what are you doing here? Why haven't you headed to work?"
"Ah, grandpa, I... You don't need me here?"
Zhang Jingshan was caught off guard.
Was his grandfather getting rid of him?
Because of the content of their chat?
"What need do I have for you? Hurry up and do your job. I'll just ask Lu Cheng to send Xiaoyou Ye back later!" Zhang Weimin said.
"I, this... that, that... Then off I go?" Zhang Jingshan stammered, looking confused.
"Go now!" Zhang Weimin shook his hand.
"Brother Ye!" Zhang Jingshan looked at Ye Chen.
"Do as you're told!" Ye Chen laughed.
"All right then!"
Zhang Jingshan left in confusion.
He was rather curious about what the old man wanted to talk to Ye Chen.
But now that he had to leave, there's nothing he could do about it.
The moment Panamera's engine sounded,
Zhang Weimin, the old secretary under the grape trellis, served tea.
"Come, have a sip. Although it is not top-notch, it leaves the light sweetness in your mouth. That's always nice to have. Haha!"
Zhang Weimin poured the tea into the teacup in front of Ye Chen.
"Thank you, old secretary!"
Ye Chen smiled and held up the teacup,
without demonstrating his profound knowledge in the tea ceremony.
After a cup of tea into his belly,
Ye Chen started the conversation first.
He cut to the chase. "Old secretary, I learnt from Jingshan that you always want to chat with me. If you have any questions, I am an open book!"
"Okay, then I'll be straight with you here. Ye, I heard from my grandson Jingshan that you were sure that the house price of Jinling Mansion was going to go up. What made you so sure about it? The fact is known to few that the government had planned the urban village around Jinlin Mansion to be the first pilot unit for relocation, reform and development. And even if someone knew about it, no one dares to let the cat out of bag!"
Zhang Weimin started his test for Ye Chen.
He had been pondering over it for a long time and couldn't figure it out.
Because no matter how sophisticated, one would never have predicted so accurately what the government planned to do.
So Ye Chen either really knew the inside story, or he was a prophet.
But both were equally ridiculous.
"Old secretary, if I told you that it was my analysis, would you believe it?" Ye Chen said with a smile, neither humble nor arrogant.
That calm look, relaxed tone,
surprised Zhang Weimin a bit.
Although he had been retired for many years, he would still strike most people as formidable man because of his prestige and status. It was the first time he had seen a young man who could stay so calm in front of him, except for those were higher than him in the political ladder.
"Um? Tell me more? How exactly?" Zhang Weimin responded.
"After the rapid development these years, Jiangzhou has hit a plateau. Either we make ourselves content with the status quo, or we should take drastic measures to change it. But from my perspective, based on Jiangzhou's superior geographical location and city status, the former option is out of the question. So that leaves us with the drastic measures which are only operable in the urban villages."
"Go on!"
Zhang Weimin pursed his lips and nodded.
"After all, the reform of urban villages is a fairly new idea in Jiangzhou. I believed that the government would not make it hasty. As a result, it should choose to have a try on a small scale. Actually, the answer is in your question. The pilot unit! This is a bold attempt, and it should be carried out in an urban village which allows for errors!"
Hearing only part of Ye Chen's analysis,
Zhang Weimin's expression became solemn.
Because it didn't sound like something a young man in his twenties would've considered.
Even those business tycoons who had been immersed in business world for years might not have such a unique and insightful view!
Ye Chen continued.
"Take a look at Jiangzhou, you will find that not many urban villages meet the demands. And the one around the Jinlin Mansion is a perfect choice. Because the mess around there has seriously damaged the city image of Jiangzhou. So even if the trial fails, there would be no harm. It would be interpreted as a large-scale rectification of the mess!"
"On the contrary, once the government made it, it will be a great achievement, and it will also set off a wave of reforms in urban villages, uplifting Jiangzhou's development to another level. With everything considered, I was sure that the government would definitely do it in the urban village around Jinlin as I imagined. Not to mention the fact that officials from provinces and cities went checking things there in the name of an inspection about a month ago."
"This not only confirmed my previous analysis, but also made me be sure that the government's order to relocation, reform and development will be issued pretty soon. That's why I paid the deposit in Jinlin Mansion in advance. But the fact that the price of house in Jinlin Mansion skyrocketed to five or six times overnight is beyond my imaginations. It would be a bonus for the price to go up just two or three times. So, it seems that I have underestimated the determination of the government, haha!"
Ye Chen had long planned this convincing speech beforehand just in case.
After all, it's easy to be a Monday morning quarterback!