Big Data Cultivation
Chapter 1129: Adaptive Measures

Chapter 1129: Chapter 1129: Adaptive Measures

Michael Lei is of mixed heritage and a second-generation descendant. Despite his black hair and eyes, his fair skin, deep-set eyes, and prominent nose bridge are all indicative of his maternal grandfather’s lineage.

Michael Lei’s wife, Mrs. Qian, on the other hand, is a genuine Funiu local. Approaching her forties, she has maintained her figure and skin remarkably well, and one can tell at a glance that she must have been a great beauty in her youth.

Feng Jun was somewhat surprised by Michael Ray’s choice, as Mrs. Qian epitomizes the aesthetic preferences of Huaxia citizens and doesn’t quite fit the Western aesthetic like Deng Wendi or supermodel Xi, which is favored by Westerners.

Standing beside Mr. and Mrs. Ray was a couple of government workers from the Zhengyang Municipal Government, who vaguely knew how tough it would be to negotiate with Feng Jun and Zhang Weihong, but they had to be present at such an occasion.

After exchanging pleasantries briefly—as there wasn’t much of a relationship—the two parties quickly got to the heart of the matter.

Michael Ray spoke decisively, "Mr. Feng, my wife is very fond of this residence of yours. If it’s a matter of price, I believe Zhengyang officials have already done their best, but I am personally willing to offer an additional three million... in US Dollars."

It turned out there were government subsidies available for their house purchase, in principle covering sixty percent of the market price. That is to say, Michael Ray’s previously mentioned price of three hundred million for the house would be covered by one hundred and eighty million from the city government, while Michael Ray himself would need to pay just one hundred and twenty million.

And it was for this reason that previous negotiations over the house price had been so sticky and peculiar.

One can imagine that though the city was eager to retain Michael Ray, land was something others might not have, but the city itself wasn’t lacking. Spending real money could be tough for them, even with covering sixty percent of the cost.

Now, with Michael Ray willing to add three million US Dollars, the house price was pushed to three hundred and twenty million, with himself paying one hundred and forty million.

The two city officials kept expressionless faces, but inwardly they were likely cursing, thinking how casually an additional twenty million came up. If this offer had been made to us at the start, we surely could have made arrangements to secure it.

However, there was no helping it now; their previous contact had been with Zhang Weihong, who wasn’t the owner of the property. Now that Michael Ray was dealing with the real owner and laying his cards on the table, it was understandable.

Feng Jun smiled and shook his head, "Perhaps my expression was not quite accurate. What I meant to say was this house, from an emotional standpoint, documents my personal struggle and serves as a testament; from a resource perspective, it is a scarce commodity..."

"My business is thriving right now, and cash flow is not an issue at all. The possibility of mortgaging the house for debt is slim, let alone selling it. If you’d like, I can introduce you to a couple of real estate developers to see if they have any designs that appeal to you."

This was not just lip service. Wu Limin, the young boss of Sheng Tang Construction, was Feng Jun’s protege. Sheng Tang, previously a construction company that carried out construction for many residential projects, was now venturing into real estate itself, so the supply of homes was assured.

Before Michael Ray could reply, the male government worker from Zhengyang beside him gave a wry smile, "President Feng, don’t joke with us. You may know many big bosses, but we have also done our prep work; only your property fits the bill."

He spoke politely, but what he meant was, "If we, the Zhengyang government, really decided to look for a house, how could your connections with the developers compare? You can’t underestimate our efficiency, can you?"

Mrs. Qian also nodded, "My parents and sister live nearby, as does my place of work, so this location really is the most suitable."

Once she said this, no one had anything to counter with since the majority of people seek proximity to family and work with fewer issues and more money.

After a moment of silence, Sister Hong spoke up again, "Hasn’t someone filled part of a lake? It’s completely possible to proceed in that way."

The two government workers heard this and fell even more silent, thinking that this was quite the dubious suggestion.

Strictly speaking, Sister Hong’s proposal wasn’t wrong; similar situations had happened in other parks, where a body of water had thwarted real estate development. What to do? Simply fill it in!

This approach wasn’t exclusive to Zhengyang, as even cities with extensive networks of waterways faced ’once-in-a-century’ flooding disasters from time to time due to aggressive land requisitions from their waterways.

While Zhengyang didn’t have much water and most of its park waters were stagnant, filling in some small ponds wasn’t too problematic. However, other cities had already seen the negative consequences, and Zhengyang lacked sufficient wetlands and open water, which contradicted the city’s image.

Thus, Zhengyang had halted the practice of land reclamation by filling lakes and strictly forbade developers from doing so.

Of course, the halt was a declaration by the government. Making exceptional cases in special situations wasn’t a big issue, but this matter was too sensitive for the two workers to decide on their own, and at that moment, they didn’t dare make a peep.

Upon hearing this, Mrs. Qian raised her eyebrows in surprise, "Is that really an option?"

The male government worker twitched his mouth slightly and, mustering his courage, cautiously replied, "This practice has been stopped by us. However, considering the special talent recruitment involved, we should still report to the higher-ups... This would be after a meeting, with official documentation in place."

"That would be quite the effort, thank you," Mrs. Qian replied with a happy smile, though in reality, she was not particularly satisfied with Feng Jun’s villa. Having spent a long time in Merrick, she preferred a larger house.

Feng Jun’s lot was a little over an acre, which she found somewhat small. What mattered most was that the house was not designed in the way she had imagined. When it came to her own residence, she definitely preferred to have her own designs.

That’s why she had no initial interest in the cost of Feng Jun’s house—she was just making do with living there. How could she be expected to have a high opinion of Feng Jun’s place?

So when she heard there was an opportunity to acquire another plot of land nearby to design as she wished, she couldn’t hide her excitement.

Seeing the difficulty faced by the staff, she solemnly said, "If this matter can be properly resolved, I will definitely persuade Michael to stay in Zhengyang. If he still hesitates despite the sincere efforts of the hometown folks, it wouldn’t reflect well on me either."

With her position clearly stated, the tasked staff members internally breathed a sigh of relief: With you saying this, our efforts to strive for you are not in vain.

Michael Ray, who clearly indulged his wife, chuckled and then turned to Feng Jun, "I heard that Mr. Feng has another manor in the suburbs, which is really rare. Is the jade business that lucrative?"

Feng Jun’s main business was jade, this much was common knowledge among those familiar with Luohua Manor. As for how much he could earn, that was not something the average person would know.

Michael Ray grew up in Merrick, a country that does not recognize the value of jade; he knew nothing about it. His question was perfectly normal.

But Sister Hong was a bit anxious when he asked that question: Your question seems a bit unkind.

As Feng Jun’s reputation grew in Zhengyang, many gossiped behind closed doors—that his jade trade was tax-free.

It’s said that those who complete their initial accumulation of capital always have an original sin, and Feng Jun’s original sin was tax evasion.

Several people said this, but it was just background noise as nobody dared to say it openly.

However, this was something Feng Jun still worried about. And as Sister Hong, the operator of his jade business, was particularly concerned about such topics, she unhesitatingly answered, "The jade business is not that easy, President Feng has some other businesses as well."

Michael Ray, intrigued, tilted his head and asked, "Oh, what other businesses?"

Sister Hong wasn’t surprised by his question; people from Mai Nation think straightforwardly and unreservedly. Moreover, Michael being in the headhunting business, his sensitivity to business opportunities and outstanding industry talents was part of his job.

So she smiled and said, "That would involve some trade secrets, which I’m not at liberty to disclose. But I can assure you, you will find some opportunities—do you know any major grain traders, for instance?"

A headhunting company is never just about headhunting; without an in-depth understanding of various industries, how could they dare claim to recruit elite talents? The higher the level of the headhunting company, the more this holds true.

Thus, a top-tier headhunting company is necessarily comprehensive. In addition to analyzing industries and networking, they monitor various social phenomena and even take on the role of think tanks.

Michael Ray, being a top player in the field, was well aware of this and casually replied, "No problems with the information channels. What are you buying, import, re-export or transit?"

Sister Hong had been intensely studying this area recently—after all, with her cultivation transcending planes, she had plenty of time on her hands here.

She earnestly responded, "We can’t reveal our purpose, but one thing is certain: cash for goods. We’re buying grain, not weapons, so there’s no need to disclose the destination to the sellers."

Michael Ray was momentarily taken aback, then spoke with a smile, "We’re all insiders here, and I consider myself a Huaxia Citizen, so I’ll speak plainly. Huaxia is a major grain-importing country. If you purchase grain in large quantities, it’s bound to raise questions. You could significantly impact the world grain prices, and if used in unexpected ways, grain companies could suffer losses and caught off guard."

Self-proclaimed Huaxia Citizen, yet constantly saying ’you’? Sister Hong thought that didn’t seem quite sincere, but it didn’t bother her—when in Rome, do as the Romans do. They were going to settle in Huaxia, how could they not show goodwill?

She smiled nonchalantly, "Mr. Thunder, you’re exaggerating a bit. Capital cares about profit. As long as the price is right, grain isn’t such a big problem. Didn’t Merrick once use grain sanctions against the Soviet Union... what effect did that have?"

Michael Ray had initially underestimated Sister Hong’s information capacity, but upon hearing her reasoned response, ceased to treat the conversation lightly, and with a smile said, "Since you know all this, let me be clear: it’s mainly because the price difference in such operations is huge, and it’s difficult for me to explain."

Sister Hong just smiled, "What’s so difficult to explain? This kind of thing... it’s easy to do in places like Argentina or Brazil. It’s normal if it’s a bit more expensive—how could it possibly be much more?"

(Update complete, requesting monthly votes.)