Chapter 235 Land Acquisition: Bargaining
After everyone finished their chicken legs and bread, the car continued its journey.
As we drove along, the area became increasingly remote, and we couldn't even see any construction sites anymore; the county town had turned into a village.
There were no construction sites or high-rise buildings; a bare road stretched out in front of it, with only a few scattered farmhouses with black tiles and white walls along the roadside, and the rest of the land was covered with lush green farmland.
Ivanov asked curiously, "Your Majesty, hasn't this land been requisitioned yet?"
Wang Xiao shook his head: "I don't know. Even if it's requisitioned, it might be used to grow vegetables and crops."
Her compatriots, it is in their blood that they absolutely cannot let a piece of land lie idle.
She remembered that before she traveled through time, not far from her home, construction was in full swing, but that didn't stop the vacant land next to her from being filled with all kinds of lush green vegetables.
If the land is cleared, the person who planted the vegetables won't complain or make a fuss; they'll just move to another plot of land and continue planting.
Ivanov was deeply moved: "No wonder there are so many people in China; you always find a way to support yourselves."
Wang Xiao didn't know how to respond to that, and she had a feeling that he would take the opportunity to criticize Russia as well.
Since criticizing Russia didn't give her any satisfaction, she quickly changed the subject: "Manager Zhang, how's the infrastructure here? Is there running water and electricity? What about transportation?"
Don't think she's being presumptuous; this is Shanghai, after all, where basic formalities are expected.
But in early 1994, Pudong was truly a rural area, and a poorly developed one at that. The rural economic development in the southern Jiangsu region, which borders Shanghai, was much better than that of Pudong.
Zhang Junfei immediately perked up: "The development company is incredibly efficient. When I first came here last summer, it was just a road, no water or electricity. Then, in just six months, they drilled a well, built a high-voltage power station and a communications station, and connected telephone lines to the development zone. There are buses, two lines, one to Fudan University and the other to Jiaotong University, which just opened not long ago."
It was precisely because of the efficient and decisive work style of the Science and Technology Park Development Zone that he felt it was worthwhile to invest here, even though the location was a bit out of the way.
Wang Xiao nodded and didn't ask any more questions, only staring at the rapeseed and wheat outside.
Their destination was finally reached when the lush green farmland turned into buildings—well, not skyscrapers, just two-story pharmaceutical factories.
When Wang Xiao got out of the car, he was still looking around, wondering where the development company's sign was. Was this building shared between the development zone and the pharmaceutical factory?
As she discovered, the first floor was a workshop, the second floor was still the pharmaceutical department, and climbing further up, she found the attic!
The science park development company's office space was actually the attic of a pharmaceutical factory!
Wang Xiao now truly believes that the development zone is desperate for money; otherwise, they wouldn't be working in a place like this.
They were personally received by Section Chief Fang of the development company, who apologized as soon as he saw them: "I'm so sorry, our facilities here are too simple, and we have neglected our distinguished guests."
Wang Xiao looked around and said earnestly, "I know that the leaders of your development zone are all people who get things done, and they use their resources wisely, even if it's tough on them. But I still have to say something: if possible, I suggest improving the office conditions. After all, foreign investors don't know much about our country, and they don't know that we Communists always put hardship before enjoyment. They also don't understand the structure of our government agencies, and they might judge us by appearances and doubt whether this place represents the attitude of the development zone government."
Section Chief Fang was a woman in her thirties, petite with fair skin, and two dimples when she smiled.
She clapped her hands enthusiastically: "I knew Mr. Wang treated us like family. Listen to this, you're so honest and straightforward, someone who's not family would never say this to us."
Wang Xiao laughed and said, "The Science and Technology Park Development Zone is bound to take off in the future. We can only benefit from the development zone's success."
"Mr. Wang, you're too kind. A big boss like you is a very important guest to us." Section Chief Fang said with a smile. "What you just said is exactly what our general manager said when he took office last summer. Isn't that a coincidence? Great minds think alike. We're moving now, and today is our last day working here."
Wang Xiao smiled and said, "Then I'd like to congratulate the development zone on its relocation."
After some pleasantries, the two sides finally got down to business and discussed the 750 acres of land.
Section Chief Fang introduced the current situation of the development zone: "You don't need to worry about transportation. The Yangpu Bridge is already open, the Inner Ring Road is already open, and the Pudong Airport is under construction."
Wang Xiao smiled and asked, "Now that the country is rectifying the economic order, will the planned projects be halted?"
Section Chief Fang shook his head: "Let's not talk outside the circle. The development of Pudong New Area is a major policy set by the state. The state's rectification of the economic order and reduction of infrastructure construction are aimed at places that are not suitable for the times, not Shanghai. For example, there are no abandoned buildings on Hainan Island. The houses are all built, but no one lives in them. But Shanghai will not lack people. The development of Pudong New Area is unstoppable."
Wang Xiao then inquired, "It's still about transportation. Shanghai Metro Line 1 has already undergone trial operation, and I heard it will open this year. I looked at the route map, and it seems unrealistic to extend it to the Science and Technology Park Development Zone. So, is there any plan for Shanghai Metro Line 2? Are there any stations going this way?"
Section Chief Fang was stunned by the question.
Although the Shanghai Metro has been under construction for several years and began trial operation last year, it is still a novelty for people living in Shanghai.
So when the development company's executives talked about transportation, their first thought was buses, then bridges and airports, but they never even considered the subway.
Wang Xiao immediately made a request: "The science park must have a subway. The subway is fast and has a large transport capacity, which will allow the science park to move around quickly."
Section Chief Fang immediately stated, "We will definitely apply for this immediately and try our best to secure it."
To increase investors' trust, she emphasized, "Regarding this, I can personally guarantee you that you can rest assured. Our general manager comes from a ministry in Beijing and was personally appointed by the top leader of the municipal government. Look, in the past six months, we have running water and electricity, and we even have bus routes. You could say that the city attaches great importance to our science park. Whenever our general manager makes a request to the city leaders, as long as the city can meet it, they will grant it."
Fearing Wang Xiao wouldn't believe her, Section Chief Fang gave an example: "President Wang, you just mentioned the banks tightening credit. To be honest, our economy is also very tight right now, and we're having a tough time. Our general manager had to talk to city leaders, and the Party Secretary and Mayor both gave instructions and personally approved the bank's request to secure a loan in exchange for land for construction."
If this were said in another company or in a different era, Section Chief Fang would be violating discipline; saying such a thing would be extremely inappropriate.
However, 1994 was an era in which the power of administrative orders far outweighed the self-regulating capacity of the market economy.
Government-run development companies aren't afraid of running out of money; they're only afraid of not being valued by the leadership.
If you take it seriously, everything else will be much easier.
This is the real strength of a development company.
Our boss has the support of leaders from the central government to Shanghai.
Wang Xiao gave a thumbs up, displaying admiration: "You're really impressive, you're an official after all. Unlike us, we can't get a single penny of loan and have to find ways to raise money ourselves."
Section Chief Fang laughed heartily: "That's different. Mr. Wang, you're rich and powerful. You don't even know how many airplanes you own, and your business is all over the world. You're not short of money."
Wang Xiao shook his head: "That's because there are many places to spend money and few places to make money. We have to spend money everywhere. How about it, Section Chief Fang, can you give us a better price? As you can see, we don't have any other advantages, just one: we don't hoard land, we develop it immediately after we get it. So, we would appreciate it if Section Chief Fang could help us with the land transfer fees. We don't have bank loans, we rely entirely on cash flow, and we want to save some money so that we can use more of it for immediate development."
Section Chief Fang shook his head in distress: "This really won't work. $23 per square meter is already very cheap. We're not selling land to make money; we just want to develop it and make full use of the land. Otherwise, this price wouldn't be possible anywhere else."
Wang Xiao smiled and said, "I know, but look, it's tens of millions of US dollars all at once. According to the Shanghai Municipal Government's regulation that an investment of 200,000 US dollars can solve the problem of a Shanghai household registration, this is equivalent to hundreds of household registrations."
Section Chief Fang was amused by her conversion method and burst out laughing.
Wang Xiao seized the opportunity to press on: "Really, with these tens of millions of US dollars, we can start construction right now."
Section Chief Fang kept shaking his head: "No, no, it's too late. Let me put it this way, if you had come at this time last year, there would still have been hope. Now it's really impossible."
She was about to explain her predicament further when someone knocked on the door and called out, "Sister Fang, have you packed your things? You can move over now."
Section Chief Fang opened the office door and asked the young man outside with a puzzled look, "Aren't we moving tomorrow?"
"There's no time," the young man explained. "The city leaders are going to attend our flag-raising ceremony tomorrow morning, so we need to move everything we can today."
Section Chief Fang was in a dilemma: "Look, I still have guests here. Why don't you go over first, and I'll bring the rest of the things over later when I arrive tomorrow?"
Wang Xiao immediately rolled up his sleeves, offering to help carry the things: "No, no, no, Section Chief Fang, don't let us delay your development company's important business. Luckily, we have a car, so we can help carry some things. Section Chief Fang, could you also show us the way so we can recognize which direction the new gate of the development company faces?"
Section Chief Fang chuckled, "Then I'll have to trouble you."
To be honest, since she took the initiative to contact Zhang Junfei, she must have hoped to sell those 750 acres of land smoothly.
Pudong is undergoing development, and the Science Park isn't the only development zone. There's competition among them as they all strive to attract reliable investors.
This investor not only needs to have money and be able to put real money into development, but more importantly, the investor needs to be able to bring projects, generate economic benefits, provide jobs, and drive local economic development.
She thought the fish market project was excellent; it was clearly destined for prosperity.
Now, although Zhang Junfei's boss is trying to lower the price right away, it is the one who is dissatisfied with the goods who is the one who will buy them. The fact that the other party is actively bargaining proves that she really wants to acquire the land.
All the heavy equipment was loaded onto a large truck and transported by Uni-President to the development company's new office address.
Along with Section Chief Fang, two boxes of documents got into Wang Xiao's car.
Then came the shocking inside story that Pan Shiyi discovered the average living space per person in Hainan in 1992 was only 49 square meters while eating five kilograms of oranges.
You're overthinking it.
In fact, nothing happened inside the car.
Neither Wang Xiao nor Ivanov gave the two boxes a second glance.
Even when the car arrived at its destination and they got out to help carry the documents, neither of them thought of opening the lid of the cardboard box.
Their attention was mostly focused on the development company's new office space.
Good boy.
Wang Xiao pointed upwards: "Isn't that a high-voltage power line?"
What a talent! Building an office building right under high-voltage power lines—that certainly takes guts.
But to be honest, Wang Xiao didn't really feel like going in.
Within her knowledge system, high-voltage power lines generate a certain amount of electromagnetic radiation; it's a pity she died young.
Section Chief Fang said helplessly, "We can't do anything about it. There's only so much land, and we can't compete with you for it. This is the only land we can use right now. This building looks pretty good, doesn't it? It's a quick-assembly on-site office building. It's to save costs and also to save time."
I must say, although it's a prefabricated house, the design is quite nice, like a roc spreading its wings, or an airplane about to take off.
Both its appearance and its symbolism are quite good.
The interior decoration is even more impressive. The bronze relief sculpture in the lobby showcases the theme of five thousand years of Chinese civilization. Further inside, the four meeting rooms are distinctly designed in the style of Versailles, France, with a backdrop of Japanese cherry blossoms, a view of California beaches, and the traditional Suzhou-style gardens of China.
Without saying a word, Zhang Junfei picked up his camera and started snapping pictures.
He thought it looked great and felt he would definitely be able to use it in the future.
Section Chief Fang couldn't help but chuckle. He stopped tidying up his office and invited them to sit down in the conference room so they could discuss the land transfer price in detail.
She showed the blueprints to Wang Xiao: "The location of this land is really good. I'm showing it to you now, so to put it bluntly, you've gotten a bargain. There are a lot of people who want to get this land."
Wang Xiao was indeed quite satisfied with the 750 mu of land.
Firstly, the terrain here is flat, so building here requires less extra effort.
Secondly, this area is located at the intersection of the Science Park and Lujiazui.
Actually, Wang Xiao, despite being a time traveler, wasn't aware of the future direction of the science park, as she hadn't worked in Shanghai before her time travel. Therefore, she was unaware of many details.
But even those unfamiliar with Shanghai know that Lujiazui is an international financial center and one of the world's top ten CBDs.
To put it simply, it boils down to two words: money.
Wherever there is money, how to spend it must be arranged clearly so that you can spend the money you worked so hard for.
Wang Xiao sighed strategically again: "It's good, that's why I want to take it."
Before she could continue using her powers, a noisy commotion arose outside.
At first, everyone thought that the relocation team had grown larger, which was why there were so many people and so much noise.
But upon closer listening, something seemed off; it sounded like they were arguing.
Section Chief Fang made a quick decision: "It's alright, there are people outside to handle things, let's talk about our business."
Wang Xiao stood up without hesitation, showing great understanding and righteousness: "How can that be? We can't let your development company's important business be delayed because of us. I hear something wrong with the voice. I'll go see if there's anything I can do to help."
What a joke! What do you mean it has nothing to do with them?
She still hasn't managed to lower the land price, and she desperately needs an opportunity to turn things around.
She had no idea what was going on outside.
But any change means that new opportunities may arise.
However, if one seizes the opportunity fully, it is not impossible to turn the tide.
Wang Xiao charged forward, and Ivanov, his bodyguards and assistants, and Zhang Junfei naturally followed.
As they left the conference room, more employees came out of their offices upon hearing the commotion. They marched in a large group toward the main gate, but apart from Wang Xiao and a few others, very few were willing to come out.
Why?
Of course, it's because the crowd standing outside is a major headache for the development company.
What exists? Farmers, farmers whose land is being demolished.
Before the science park development zone was planned, it was a rural area with farmhouses and farmland everywhere.
Now that development is underway, land acquisition is definitely required.
The farmers who came to protest against the development company today are there because of the land expropriation issue.
Their compensation hasn't even arrived, yet they've already started demolishing the buildings. The homeowners absolutely need an explanation.
"You just demolish it like that, without caring about people's lives at all!"
Several men in woolen overcoats tried to stop the farmer and calm him down, but to no avail.
Wang Xiao narrowed his eyes, looking for an opportunity to step in.
She's very familiar with the tactic of starting demolition before the compensation is paid.
Before she could find an opportunity, a black sedan pulled up in front of the building. A middle-aged man wearing a wool coat got out, looked up, and asked with a surprised expression, "What's going on?"
The developers tried to step forward to report the incident, but the farmers whose land was being expropriated surrounded them first: "You haven't even paid us, and you're already demolishing our houses. Are you bandits or tyrants? Even the landlords and rich people of the old society weren't this unreasonable!"
Seeing that things were going badly, the crowd rushed forward, fearing that the enraged farmers would tear their leader apart.
But the general manager is the general manager after all; he's seen it all. Even being surrounded by indignant farmers in front of his car, unable to get in or out, didn't stop him from slaying the whole scene.
Which village are you from?
The farmer immediately became alert: "What are you doing? Are you trying to kidnap someone?"
The general manager shook his head: "Of course not. We've found out the details and will resolve the issue of your demolition compensation."
The farmers glared at him warily: "You better keep your word. Reason prevails everywhere. We are not afraid of you! We are from Hongxing Village, Huajiang Township."
The general manager nodded, then raised his voice and asked, "Who's in charge of the demolition here?"
A young man in a jacket cautiously poked his head out, trying to defend himself: "Mr. Hu, it's me, but about the Hongxing Village matter..."
"Just tell me, is it true?" the general manager interrupted him. "Did they start demolishing before the compensation was paid? Is it true or not?"
The young man opened his mouth, but could only answer with a single word in dejection: "Yes."
Without saying a word, the general manager said, "Alright, you're dismissed."
An uproar erupted at the scene. Not only did the people from the development company look at each other in disbelief, but even the farmers who had been burning with anger were dumbfounded.
An elderly farmer asked incredulously, "Sir, you really dismissed him? Oh dear, this..."
In this era, having a secure job in a government-affiliated institution is still quite attractive to ordinary people, especially farmers.
Just because the demolition issue wasn't handled properly, is it too harsh to make that little guy, who finally managed to put on a suit and leather shoes, immediately take off his clothes and leave?
A young farmer who bore a striking resemblance to him immediately interrupted him: "Dad, you can't fall for their tricks. What good will it do to take off his clothes? Our house has already been demolished; who cares about our lives?"
"Of course we'll manage it," the general manager assured him on the spot. "I can say this right now: the demolition will stop immediately, and we won't move an inch until the compensation is in place. This compensation work will be our top priority from now on, and we'll follow up and implement it immediately. Don't worry, I keep my word. If I can't do it, you can demolish our office building, and I won't have any objections."
The farmers were skeptical and could only repeatedly emphasize, "You'd better keep your word."
With great difficulty, this group of farmers was persuaded to leave.
The remaining employees of the development company looked at their colleague who had been sacrificed, their expressions all subtle.
Ivanov reached out and nudged Wang Xiao: "Hey, Wang, is he really going to be used as an example?"
Poor thing, what a loser.
Wang Xiao also felt that he was incredibly unlucky.
He shouldn't have taken the blame for this.
Almost all frontline workers are taking the blame for the decision-makers.
Take this young man for example. Why is he in such a hurry to demolish Hongxing Village? Most likely, it's because his superiors put pressure on him.
This is extremely common in demolition and relocation work.
On the one hand, higher-level leaders repeatedly emphasized that they would never resort to violent demolitions.
On the other hand, they put pressure on frontline workers, setting deadlines and requiring the demolition of certain areas to be completed by a certain time.
Look, all the good guys are the leaders.
If something goes wrong during the demolition process, or if the task is not completed on time, the responsibility falls entirely on the frontline staff.
Section Chief Fang sighed and beckoned Wang Xiao and the others back to the conference room: "Let's continue our discussion."
As Wang Xiao passed by the young man, he was surrounded by colleagues comforting him. His eyes were red, and he was still trying to defend himself: "I just want to finish my work as soon as possible. In the last report, our progress was the slowest among the several development zones, and the leaders said we need to catch up!"
As a result, no one praised him despite his hard work. And when something went wrong, he was the first to suffer.
Wang Xiao wanted to pinch the bridge of her nose, but since the other person wasn't under her command, she couldn't control them; she was just trying to make a good connection.
"Comrade, it's just a dismissal, not an expulsion or a reduction in your administrative rank."
She swallowed the rest of her sentence: "What the hell are you crying for!"
Removing officials from their posts is practically a magic bullet for every organization to protect its own cadres.
Of course, it's also possible that they're just strategically crying to emphasize the grievances they've suffered. After all, it's not a sin for men to cry, and crying isn't the exclusive domain of women, children, or the elderly.
So Wang Xiao tried to salvage the situation by saying, "Your boss will definitely see and appreciate your hard work, and will surely make new and better arrangements for your work."
The others immediately echoed his words, offering words of comfort: "That's right, Xiaolin, calm down, don't be sad anymore."
Wang Xiao pressed on: "Besides, given the situation just now, if your leaders didn't find a way to let the farmers vent their anger, they might have really torn down your office building in a fit of rage. Why did your leaders choose you to speak first? It must be because they know you, that you are righteous and broad-minded, and that you wouldn't get emotional over such a small matter as losing face in public."
Section Chief Fang found a tissue and wiped the young man's face: "That's right, Xiao Lin, what kind of mind do you have? How can the leaders not see how you do things? Wipe it off, it's alright."
Someone ran down and shouted, "Xiao Lin, General Manager Hu is calling for you."
The crowd then dispersed, each going about their own business.
Section Chief Fang invited Wang Xiao and the others to the conference room again, and took the opportunity to flatter Wang Xiao: "Oh, President Wang, look, you really are a big boss. You successful people are so insightful, you can understand my intentions right away."
Wang Xiao explained, "Hey, I just thought your General Manager Hu looked kind and capable."
What she was really thinking was that the demolition and relocation process had just begun, and you hadn't seen much of it yet, so you didn't understand the intricacies involved.
Twenty years later, no one from the demolition team took this seriously.
She knew a captain of a local law enforcement team who would frequently appear in court as a representative of his unit to be the defendant in cases of forced demolitions. Yet, this didn't prevent him from getting promoted or receiving his performance-based pay as usual.
This time, upon entering the meeting room again, Wang Xiao had something to say: "Section Chief Fang, I don't mean anything by it, I'm just a little worried. Do the farmers have any objections to this land acquisition? I'm a little worried that if I take the land and start building houses, what if the original owner of this land is dissatisfied and comes to cause trouble?"
She frowned slightly. "After all, they are the local bigwigs, born and raised here, with connections in all sorts of ways. I can't very well just arrest and beat them up."
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