The Sea Queen of 1985

Chapter 530: Chapter 530: Do Everything Possible

Ye Feng replied, ”This time, I’ve invited many experts over—some in semiconductors, others in various fields. It’s all quite rushed, and I don’t have many properties on hand. Even the research institutes here in Shencheng lack decent housing. It wouldn’t be appropriate to have these experts live in shared dormitories; I’m afraid they’d be put off.”

Hearing this, Han Xiaorui was taken aback for a moment and said with some hesitation, ”But these apartments aren’t renovated yet, are they?”

Ye Feng thought for a moment. ”It doesn’t need to be too complex; a basic renovation will do. Liu Xiangnan’s decorating company is very experienced now. They can finish everything within a month. Can it be done?”

Han Xiaorui thought for a moment. ”A month is a little tight, but a month and a half should be doable! This development has plenty of buildings with elevators, and the landscaping is excellent. It’s no worse than residential communities abroad!”

”It’s possible if we do standardized renovations without too many special requests. But the key is having the funds ready. You know how it is when we Hua Country people do business, especially with private companies—the speed of delivery depends on the speed of payment.”

Ye Feng burst out laughing at her words. ”Great! In that case, I’ll take all several hundred apartments! Since they’re foreigners, we can put up a wall to section off their area within the community. It’ll make management easier.”

Han Xiaorui nodded. ”That won’t be difficult! I even had a kindergarten built right here in the complex! They could even run their own school there!”

Ye Feng’s eyes lit up. ’Thank goodness for this new development,’ he thought. ’Otherwise, I really wouldn’t have been able to find a suitable place.’ ”That’s fantastic! But the renovation materials must be high-quality. We absolutely cannot cut corners.”

Han Xiaorui nodded. ”Of course!”

Xu Cheng quoted Ye Feng the price, and Ye Feng didn’t even try to negotiate; he transferred the funds directly.

Not that Xu Cheng had quoted a high price. After all, they were former army buddies, and this project was beneficial to the country and its people.

Although Xu Cheng was a businessman now, he hadn’t forgotten the pride he felt defending his homeland.

Not only that, but he also discussed a plan with Ye Feng.

The property management staff for the second phase of White Crane New Residence wouldn’t be just anyone—they would all be military veterans.

This would not only improve the quality of service but also ensure the safety of the new residents.

Liu Xiangnan, for his part, had never expected to land such a massive project.

He immediately recruited two hundred workers, pairing experienced staff with new hires for rapid training, and began the renovations at top speed.

There were options for mid-range and high-end renovation materials; Ye Feng had requested the high-end option and already paid a 50% deposit.

The remaining balance would be paid after the work passed inspection.

Liu Xiangnan took this major project very seriously, and his workers put in several hours of overtime each day.

Although the work was grueling, the overtime pay was generous, and their take-home wages were high.

A month was too tight, so in the end, Liu Xiangnan took a month and a half to finally complete the renovations on all 546 apartments.

At the same time, the furniture from the factory was ready and was delivered and installed in stages.

The cabinets, beds, tables, and chairs were all in a simple, natural wood style.

Knowing the foreigners were fond of carpets, they even sourced a batch from a carpet factory to be laid in the living room area in front of the sofa.

There was also a shoe cabinet by the entrance.

On a cabinet in the living room sat a round fish tank, about a foot in diameter.

Inside, it was aquascaped with green plants and filled with a variety of brightly colored ornamental fish.

Additionally, several pots of Devil’s Ivy were placed around to purify the air and fill the room with life.

The curtains were a European style, as was the four-piece bedding set.

Some of the younger people from Mao Bear didn’t hold positions in critical government departments, so they were able to travel abroad under the pretext of doing business.

After more than a decade of Reform and Opening Up, Shencheng’s economy had developed rapidly, and the city had changed immensely.

The streets grew wider, the buildings taller, and the number of cars on the road increased, while the people themselves displayed an ever-greater diversity in their spirit and appearance.

When they arrived at the complex for the second phase of the White Crane Immortal Residence, they were stunned by the amount of greenery inside.

To be honest, it was much better than the residential communities back in Mao Bear.

They had originally worried that this place would be backward and their lives uncomfortable.

But Ye Feng had visited them often and they had grown familiar with him, so they felt it would be rude to refuse his invitation.

Their original plan had been to take a brief tour of Hua Country, then use its supposed backwardness as an excuse to decline the offer and move to a better-developed Western country instead.

They never expected this place to be so far beyond their imagination.

The building actually had an elevator, and the apartment’s interior was simple yet elegant, making one feel instantly comfortable.

Alyosha looked at Ye Feng. ”Ye, are these apartments really for us?”

Ye Feng smiled and nodded. ”Of course. This entire section of the community will be for the experts we’ve invited to live in. We’re only three kilometers from the coast, so it’s very convenient if you want to go sea-fishing or take a boat out.”

”There’s also a bustling commercial street nearby! It can meet all your daily needs, and you might even find opportunities to do business here!”

”There’s a kindergarten on-site, and you could even run your own. There are also primary, middle, and high schools nearby, all staffed with our best teachers. I’ll take you to see them later.”

Alyosha walked around the room, his gaze landing on the lovely, colorful ornamental fish. ”They’re truly beautiful! Thank you for arranging all this for us.”

Ye Feng smiled. ”We respect all experts and talented individuals with knowledge and skills. We welcome their arrival.”

Though Alyosha was happy, he also felt a pang of disappointment.

His own country had no respect for its scientific and research talent anymore, and many were seeking opportunities to develop their careers abroad.

The first choice was Europe and America, but some wanted to come to Hua Country.

His father, for instance, had come to Hua Country as a technical advisor in his younger days and had felt a strong socialist atmosphere here.

Since he had to leave his home, he wanted to come here to start over.

Next, Ye Feng personally took Alyosha and a few of his friends to explore the commercial street.

The dazzling array of goods lining the streets left them all in shock.

The various amenities were indeed comprehensive. They were also astonished when they saw the facilities at the Jinshan Bay Primary and Middle School and high school.

They had visited schools in Europe and America before, and the ones here were already on par with them.

Finally, Ye Feng took them out on a yacht, and they spent two days enjoying the sea.

Alyosha returned home with countless developed photographs and many gifts.

Of course, he was accompanied by staff members sent to help the other experts with their paperwork.

Everything was heading in the right direction. Despite a few hiccups, the process was generally smooth.

Finally, in early 1992, Shencheng welcomed over 500 experts, all of whom were desperately needed.

The apartments were allocated based on family size; larger families were assigned larger units.

Smaller families received smaller units.

The arrival of so many experts allowed Ye Feng to finally breathe a sigh of relief.

Among them were over two hundred experts in semiconductors, who either joined Ye Feng’s company directly or became professors at Shencheng University.

In that era, most technicians in their forties and fifties had studied Russian, so communicating with these experts was not a problem at all.