The concept of commercial housing was actually piloted in some cities in China as early as 1978.
However, the results were generally unsatisfactory.
Back then, most people were still eagerly waiting for their work units to allocate them housing.
Moreover, the price of commercial housing is simply too high, making it unaffordable for ordinary families.
But times are changing, and after years of development, the concept of commercial housing is gradually spreading across the country.
The leadership of Funing County is ambitious and wants to upgrade the county-level city to a prefecture-level city, so naturally they need to keep up with policy trends and achieve political success.
Therefore, Funing County also began to try developing commercial housing two years ago.
The result was obvious—no one paid any attention.
Ordinary people can't afford it, nor are they willing to bear such a huge burden to buy it.
Even if leading cadres within the system have some money, they dare not spend it easily, for fear of giving others cause for criticism and affecting their future prospects.
As for middle-class people with stable incomes working in public institutions, they don't need to buy any; they can just wait for their employers to allocate them welfare housing.
Zhou Qiyuan, as the director of the purchasing department of the county people's hospital, should theoretically be entitled to priority in purchasing commercial housing.
But he faces a very real problem—no money.
Because of this, he received a lot of complaints and nagging from his wife.
The purchasing department is widely recognized as one of the most lucrative departments in the hospital.
Unfortunately, Zhou Qiyuan was the type of person who had the desire to steal but lacked the courage.
He's willing to accept small favors; but he's afraid of getting into trouble if he's asked to use his power to make a fortune.
Given his cautious nature, he might just live a life of quiet, uneventful existence.
However, things can change unexpectedly.
Some time ago, during a meeting at the institute, the leadership team subtly expressed some dissatisfaction with him.
Zhou Qiyuan then belatedly realized that he was occupying a position without doing anything, blocking the way for some people, and getting in the way of others.
That's why he made an exception and agreed to his niece Liu Yihan's request, deciding to attend the dinner tonight.
He wanted to personally assess just how much of a "surprise" this young man named Zhang Cheng could bring him.
Zhou Qiyuan lowered his eyes, his fingers unconsciously stroking the wine glass, and pondered for a moment.
He raised his head, his gaze returning to Zhang Cheng's calm face opposite him, and asked, "The price you set is outrageously high. Can it really be sold?"
Zhang Cheng smiled confidently: "Director Zhou, practice is the sole criterion for testing truth. Why don't we give it a try?"
"How do we test it?" Zhou Qiyuan asked.
“Here’s what I’ll do,” Zhang Cheng suggested. “In a couple of days, I’ll prepare a few sample boxes for you. You can try them out and see if you can sell them.”
"Is it really that simple?" Zhou Qiyuan frowned slightly, clearly feeling that this method was not direct enough.
Zhang Cheng met his slightly questioning gaze and shook his head almost imperceptibly. This Director Zhou was still too conservative.
He then adjusted his strategy: "Or, Director Zhou, could you give me a list of recently hospitalized patients? I'll go to the wards and personally promote it so you can see for yourself how effective it is."
“Okay!” Zhou Qiyuan agreed readily this time. He would personally go and promote the product, leaving the risks to Zhang Cheng; he was happy to observe.
Seeing that the two had almost finished discussing their business, Liu Yihan took the opportunity to lighten the mood, smiling and saying, "Oh dear, you've been so busy talking that the food is getting cold! Try it, I must say, Guoyun Hotel is truly the best restaurant in Funing County, the food is absolutely delicious and visually appealing!"
"Come, come, Director Zhou, without further ado, let me toast you again!" Zhang Cheng raised his glass.
"You're too kind, Xiao Zhang. Please make yourselves at home!" Zhou Qiyuan picked up his glass, his attitude noticeably more relaxed than when he first arrived.
A dozen minutes later, Zhang Da Nao, carrying a pack of Hua Zi cigarettes that he had just "accounted for" at the supply and marketing cooperative, jogged and, panting, pushed open the door to the private room.
Zhang Cheng took the cigarette, smiled, and placed it on the empty chair next to Zhou Qiyuan, his movements natural.
The meal finally ended after Zhou Qiyuan drank a few more cups and Zhang Da Nao finished a large bowl of mutton noodles.
Zhang Cheng politely saw Zhou Qiyuan and Liu Yihan off.
He returned to the front desk of the Guoyun Hotel and paid the extra eight yuan for the meal, which was beyond the budget.
When he returned to the private room, he saw Zhang Da Tou holding chopsticks, meticulously scraping the remaining sauce off the plate. His movements were skillful, clearly not wanting to waste a single drop.
He even picked up the thermos on the table, poured some boiling water into the empty Moutai bottle, shook it, and then carefully poured it into his own water bottle...
Zhang Cheng watched this scene with a mixture of amusement and exasperation.
He probably drank about three ounces of baijiu, not much, but perhaps because of his excited mood, his thoughts were somewhat unfocused and excited.
This left him quite helpless. Back in the army, he could drink two jin of strong liquor without batting an eye.
It seems this body still needs proper training to adapt.
He walked over and patted Zhang Datou's shoulder.
The two walked side by side out of the brightly lit Guoyun Hotel and headed towards the simple guesthouse.
Zhang Da Nao clutched the rinsed Moutai bottle like a precious treasure, intending to take it back to the village and display it on the kang (heated brick bed) as a rare ornament.
"Er Gouzi..." Walking on the dimly lit street, Zhang Da Nao finally couldn't help but lower his voice and say, "I know you're capable now, but the speed at which you spend money is making me anxious!"
"What's the rush!" Zhang Cheng laughed and cursed, but his tone was full of confidence. "Believe it or not, in less than half a month, I'll show you with my own eyes that I've earned ten thousand yuan!"
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