Chapter 171 Turning Point in Life
At 2:30 p.m., Lao Xiao arrived as scheduled and rang the doorbell. Xiao Lin and I had already washed up. When he heard the doorbell, Xiao Lin went to open it.
Lao Xiao smiled and said, "Teacher Wan, here's the plan for the afternoon: first, look at the house, then look at Taiyi Mountain. You don't have to drive; we can take a commercial vehicle."
Sure enough, a seven-seater Mercedes-Benz was already parked in front of the car. A woman who looked like a tour guide stood at the door to guide everyone in. Xiaolin and I sat in the middle row, while Lao Xiao and the tour guide sat in the front row.
The car drove into a community called "Left Bank Sunshine".
Lao Xiao introduced the property as one of the buildings developed by his company. One of the buildings was specifically designed to provide housing for the group's management staff, with some buildings being free and others being half price.
Entering the Zuoan Sunshine Community, there is an independent courtyard inside the community. Some people coming in and out knew Lao Xiao and greeted him.
After entering the independent courtyard, a staff member was waiting for us with a bunch of keys and then led us to the 22nd floor.
Opening room 2201, Lao Xiao explained that it had five bedrooms, two living rooms, three bathrooms, and front and back balconies. He showed us around. I looked at Xiao Lin. Xiao Lin nodded and said, "The design is reasonable, and the materials are acceptable."
Lao Xiao said, "You can rest assured. I live in Unit 2, which is a little smaller than yours, just over 160 square meters."
I laughed and said, “If you come, I’ll fight your neighbor.”
Lao Xiao said, "If you come, you must come. The housing conditions Mr. Chen offers you are equivalent to those of a vice president."
After looking at the house, Lao Xiao said, "Let's go see Taiyi Mountain now. I am responsible for the development of Taiyi Mountain."
As the car drove out of the city, the tour guide stood up:
"Dear Mr. Wan Shanhong, I'm your guide, Xiao Liu. Now, I'd like to introduce you to the Taiyi Mountain Scenic Area. Near Shangzhou lies Taiyi Peak. Legend has it that when the Jade Emperor was refining elixir, he mistakenly dumped a pot of fine elixir into the human world, spilling the fruit onto this mountaintop.
The mountaintop bears a kind of fruit called Dan Guo, which is an excellent medicine for treating unknown swellings and infections. There is a Taoist temple on the peak, which has been neglected for decades and is in a dilapidated state. According to research, the temple was originally called "Taiyi Temple."
In the tenth year of Hongwu, Taoist Master Zhang Qian, the 32nd generation successor of Taoist Master Zhang, presided over the "Taiyi Temple". He was a kind person with profound Taoism. He distributed porridge and medicine to benefit the local people. The temple has always been popular. During the Anti-Japanese War, China suffered and the provincial capital fell. People fled and Taiyi Temple fell into decline. Now only broken walls and tiles remain.
To promote traditional culture and develop tourism, the Sunrise Group decided to restore the Taiyi Temple. We initially built a small villa halfway up the mountain to serve as an office space for the restoration and tourism development efforts. This work was overseen by Mr. Xiao, who is in charge of the group's tourism development.
As Xiao Liu explained along the way, with Lao Xiao occasionally adding his comments, I understood the group's intention: first, build the Taiyi Temple, then develop surrounding tourism. This scenic area, only twenty kilometers from Shangzhou, could be transformed into a sacred site of southern Taoist culture.
The car reached the middle of the mountain and entered the "Sunrise Villa". Everyone got off the car and Lao Xiao said:
"Let's take a look here. Let the Master understand our determination."
I nodded, and suddenly saw that the five-story house in the villa had a big hole in the middle. I smiled and said, "The villa must have asked an expert for advice."
Lao Xiao nodded. Then he said, "Let's not go inside the villa, let's go to the top of the mountain."
We got back in the car. In the car, Xiaolin asked me quietly, "What did you mean by that sentence just now?"
I whispered to her, "Hong Kong is a land of precious metals, especially for HSBC, Bank of China, and the Cheung Kong Building. The HSBC Building, situated where the "dragon vein" meets the sea, is known for its excellent feng shui. The Bank of China Building next door is designed in a triangular shape to disrupt HSBC's fortune. HSBC had no choice but to install two cannon-like exterior walls on the top floor, aimed at the Bank of China.
Li Moucheng's Yangtze River Building was unfortunately located between the two. To avoid being attacked by sharp knives and cannons, its outer wall was designed to be in the shape of a shield. All the glass in the building was replaced with bulletproof glass.
Xiao Lin smiled and said, "I still don't understand what you mean."
"This means that when building a house, one must pay attention to feng shui and avoid obstacles. The villa is built on the dragon vein of Taiyi Peak, leaving an opening so that the dragon can drink water from the Wujiang River below."
Oh—she let out a long sigh.
The road was newly built, and a bit bumpy, but it wasn't far, and we reached the top of the mountain in no time. After getting off the car, I saw a large square. Although there were many weeds growing among the blue bricks, it still showed how magnificent this blue brick square was in the past.
There is a temple in the distance, leaning against the mountain. When you get closer, it looks dilapidated.
Lao Xiao said, "This is the place. What do you think?"
I stood there and looked ahead, seeing the direction of the mountains ahead clearly, then looked from another place, and finally returned to the center to look again.
Lao Xiao asked: "In this direction, what do you think..."
I ignored him.
Lao Xiao waved to the others. No one dared to breathe.
Five minutes would have been enough for me, but I stood there for ten without moving.
No one spoke and everyone remained silent.
I said, "Get in the car and go back to talk."
The group got back on the cars, and the two cars meandered down the mountain.
Return to the hotel, take a short rest and have dinner.
After dinner, we rested for an hour. At 8 o'clock sharp, Lao Xiao came in. The waiter came in, made tea, and set out the fruit platter.
Lao Xiao asked: "Do you think that place is okay?"
"You've asked an expert to take a look. Of course it's OK. But is the road from halfway up the mountain to the top a temporary construction to repair the Taoist temple? Or do you plan to reinforce and widen it in the future to make it a direct road to the summit?"
"Is there any mystery in this?"
"From a feng shui perspective, there's no mystery, but from the perspective of the believers' psychology, there is a mystery. I think we should build new stone steps from halfway up the mountain, no wider than one meter."
"One meter? Isn't that too narrow?"
I said, "It has to be this way. At the beginning, we have to create a situation where people are shoulder to shoulder and give way to each other so that they can pass through. As for later, we can build a few more stone steps."
Lao Xiao said, "That makes sense. You've seen all the places, so let's get straight to the point. Are you willing to cooperate? Let's stop beating around the bush between us brothers."
I glanced at Xiaolin.
Xiao Lin said, "Mr. Xiao has been your friend for many years. I think you should come to the provincial capital to develop your career. There will be more space and you will make friends of a higher level. In the end, it's up to you to decide."
I said, "Lao Xiao, let's settle it."
Lao Xiao patted my shoulder and said, "I've been waiting for you to say that."
"Five days later, we'll hold a small signing ceremony," he said, and high-fived me.
After walking Lao Xiao to the corridor, I said, "I'll introduce a beautiful woman to be your secretary for your planning office."
He laughed out loud.
"Really, I promised her."
"As long as it's you who introduced me, I agree unconditionally. I don't want a secretary, just run the office."
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