Chapter 403: Creating a Night Market Street

Chapter 403: Creating a Night Market Street

3:00 PM

Baoshan Village.

Yanfu and Yanmu, along with the wedding guests, began to bid farewell to the bride.

On this daughter’s wedding night, it’s not very suitable for the parents to stay overnight at the groom’s house. It just so happened that Deng Shirong and others also needed to return to Nanning, so they could ride a convenient vehicle.

Yanmu came before her daughter, holding her hand, and said with some reluctance, “Xiaowen, I and your father will be heading back first. You and Xiaoshi should live well together. Don’t be childish, and don’t bully Xiaoshi, understand?”

Yanshuwen held her mother’s hand, and at this moment, she didn’t feel the sadness of parting from her parents, which suddenly surged up in her heart.

She forced a smile and said, “Mom, how could I possibly bully Xiaoshi?”

Yanmu replied, “In short, live well and don’t make us worry, understand?”

Yanshuwen felt a bit of heartache and responded, “Mom, I understand, rest assured!”

Yanfu wanted to say more but held back and finally only said, “Xiaowen, when you have time, come back to visit us.”

Yanshuwen reached out and grabbed her father’s hand, her eyes red with tears, and said, “Dad, I understand. Take care of yourselves, and I’ll come back to see you.”

The other wedding guests also came to bid farewell, by one and, after the parents and relatives got into a small car, left Baoshan Village. Yanshuwen, who was usually strong, couldn’t hold back her tears and quietly wiped them away.

People often say that having a boy or a girl is the same, but this can only fool others, not oneself.

Let’s not talk about others; on the wedding day, how lively the groom’s house is, up and down, while the bride’s house is cold and quiet, and some parents even cry their eyes swollen from parting with their daughter.

Having a boy or a girl is truly different.

...

Around 9:00 PM, Deng Shirong and others finally arrived at the Nanning city center.

At this time, everyone’s stomach was empty, so they casually found a night snack stall by the roadside and had a meal that tasted mediocre.

Now in Nanning, even the famous Zhongshan Road night market, which is renowned nationwide, was nowhere to be seen. The entire Nanning only had some scattered night snack stalls, lacking the bustling night market formed by region.

While eating the night snack, a thought suddenly sprang in Deng Shirong’s mind: Should he personally create a night market street as famous as Zhongshan Road?

If this were to succeed, let alone the annual rental income alone would bring significant gains.

The famous Zhongshan Road night market in Nanning, one of the top ten food streets in the country, had once been featured in a food documentary, where a vendor had boasted that each stall on Zhongshan Road night market could earn a million a year.

It was evident that each boss running a stall on Zhongshan Road could earn at least a hundred thousand,,, showing the terrifying gold-drawing ability of this night market street.

The more Deng Shirong thought about it, the more he was excited.

Creating such a night market street, Deng Shirong didn’t plan on the Deng family group to do it but intended to invest himself. After all, he now had a substantial amount of money and could receive a large dividend annually from the Deng family group. Keeping so much money idle and depreciating, it was indeed a waste.

Once this night market street was established, he could entrust his four sons to manage it.

His four sons’ home appliance city, opening in Nanning, posed no problem and could earn a fair amount of money. However, with his capability, turning this appliance city into a behemoth like Suning was impossible.

His five sons, the eldest son had a chain supermarket, which already had a promising future.

The second and third sons were in politics and couldn’t touch business.

And the youngest son, who was determined to be a doctor, also wouldn’t engage in business.

Thus, only the fourth son remained, ensure he could manage an appliance city, right?

Although in a few years he could venture into the internet cafe business, from its rise to its fall, it would take about twenty years, with the peak period lasting only ten years.

This could only be used to earn a quick buck, incapable of being a long-term business.

And this night market street, if operated well, could continue for generations, even lasting a hundred years, wouldn’t be surprising.

After all, eating is a necessity in any era. Even if this night market street couldn’t continue in the future, it could transform into something else. As long as this street’s location was good, in a high-traffic area, there would be no worry about these stalls renting out.

In short, building and renting out stalls was absolutely a profitable business.

Thinking about this, Deng Shirong decided to select a good location and work hard to develop this night market street.

...

After finishing the night snack, Deng Shirong took Yanfu, Yanmu, and the Yan family relatives back to Wuyue Square.

Upon reaching the fifth floor and seeing the super mansion, Yanfu and Yanmu were stunned.

Regarding this super mansion at Wuyue Square, Yanfu and Yanmu had heard about it from their son, Xiaoshi. At the time, Xiaoshi had used every praise to describe it, making it sound even more beautiful than an ancient palace.

At that time, Yanfu and Yanmu didn’t fully believe their son-in-law’s praises, but they knew that a mansion that could receive such praise must be very beautiful.

However, they never expected it to be this beautiful.

Their son-in-law’s uncle truly lived up to his reputation as a multi-millionaire; he was indeed amazing!

Even Yanfu and Yanmu, who had some mental preparation, were stunned. The other Yan family relatives, who had no mental preparation at all, were utterly amazed when they saw this luxurious mansion. They couldn’t believe that a house could be decorated like this.

That night, due to the shock of the super mansion, Yanfu and Yanmu didn’t have time to feel sad about their daughter’s marriage. They spent a long time discussing their son-in-law’s uncle before finally going to bed.

...

The next day.

After having breakfast, Yanfu, Yanmu, and the other relatives who came to send off the bride bid farewell to Deng Shirong.

Yanfu smiled and said, “Uncle, thank you for your hospitality. We’ll head back now!”

Deng Shirong tried to persuade them to stay, saying, “Relatives, you don’t come often. Stay in Nanning for a few more days. I can easily provide you with food and lodging.”

Yanmu smiled and replied, “Thank you, Uncle. But Xiaowen left the clothing store for us to manage. It’s not good to keep it closed for long, so we need to go back early. When you come to Guilin next time, we will treat you properly.”

Deng Shirong nodded and said, “Alright, if that’s the case, I won’t keep you. Guilin’s landscapes are the best in the world. Last time, I only saw a part of it, and there’s still much more to see. I will definitely come back when I have the chance, and it won’t be a bother to you.”

Yanfu said with a smile, “It won’t be a bother. It will be our honor to host you.”

After some polite exchanges, Deng Shirong escorted the Yan family to the station and watched them leave. Then, he rode his motorcycle around the city center, looking for a suitable location to create a night market street.

Actually, Zhongshan Road was a good location, and its future development proved that it was indeed suitable for a night market street. However, there were many old houses on Zhongshan Road, and buying and demolishing them all would require an unimaginable amount of time and money. It would be better to choose a suitable place and build a brand new night market street from scratch.

After wandering around for a while, Deng Shirong finally found a partially undeveloped area between Chaoyang Road and Gonghe Road. In the future, this area would be quite popular, but it was still on the outskirts of the city center in the early 1990s, with only a few scattered old buildings.

After finding the location, Deng Shirong rode his motorcycle back to Wuyue Square.

...

In the afternoon.

Chen Donglai and his wife brought carefully selected gifts and were invited to their niece’s home.

As soon as they entered, Gu Caiwei greeted them with a smile, “Uncle, Aunt, you’re here, please come in and have a seat.”

Chen’s wife handed the gifts to her husband and asked Gu Caiwei, “Caiwei, how’s your health? Early pregnancy can be tough. Have you been feeling nauseous or having trouble eating?”

Gu Caiwei smiled and replied, “Thank you, Aunt. I had a bit of a rough time earlier, but my appetite has improved, and I can eat and sleep well now. I’m feeling much better!”

Chen’s wife smiled and said, “I’m relieved to hear that.”

While Chen’s wife was chatting with Gu Caiwei, Chen Donglai and Deng Shirong greeted each other and placed the gifts on the nearby table.

After some polite exchanges, the eldest daughter-in-law served the tea. Deng Shirong took a sip and then got to the point, “Uncle, and Aunt, I asked you here for dinner because I have something to ask.”

Chen Donglai said, “Uncle Jiu, feel free to ask. I’ll tell you everything I know.”

Deng Shirong said, “Here’s the thing. I want to create a food street in Nanning, located between Chaoyang Road and Gonghe Road, about 1,500 meters long and 100 meters wide. I want to buy the land there. Do you think it will be difficult?”

Chen Donglai was taken aback. Although he knew the Deng family was wealthy, the scale of this project still shocked him.

Even though land in Nanning wasn’t very expensive in this era, buying 200 acres of land would still require a huge sum of money.

“Uncle Jiu, the city is very cautious about the sale of state-owned land. Just having money isn’t enough; you need a convincing development plan to persuade the leaders. Otherwise, the deal will be very difficult to close.”

Chen Donglai took a sip of tea and carefully said, “Uncle Jiu, creating a food street is a novel idea, but I wonder what benefits this food street would bring to the city’s development?”

Deng Shirong had dealt with officials a few years ago when he bought 30 acres of land for Wuyue Square, so he understood that local governments strictly controlled land sales. It wasn’t just a matter of having money; the main issue was the ongoing debate between capitalism and socialism, and local leaders might not be willing to take the risk.

At that time, if he hadn't proposed the concept of supermarkets, which impressed the leaders, it would have been very difficult for him to acquire that land.

Now, although several years have passed, and those supporting reform have taken the upper hand, there are still quite a few old-school leaders who are resistant to the sale of state-owned land. It wasn't until Deng Xiaoping's Southern Tour and his subsequent speeches that this resistance was completely suppressed.

Currently, it's still over a year before Deng Xiaoping's Southern Tour. To acquire the land he has his eyes on, he needs to present a convincing argument to the leaders.

Deng Shirong replied, "The food street I plan to create will gather famous snacks from all over the country. I intend to turn it into a well-known food street nationwide, which will serve as a calling card for Nanning.

Moreover, having hundreds of individual vendors concentrated on one street will make management easier and bring in significant tax revenue for the city. This is a win-win situation, and I believe the leaders should support it."

Chen Donglai said, "Uncle Jiu, I will report this to the leaders and see what they think."

Deng Shirong nodded, "Alright, you can probe the leaders' opinions first. If they think it's feasible, we can proceed with further discussions. If not, we'll drop it."

After all, there's only a little over a year left before Deng Xiaoping's Southern Tour. If the leaders don't agree now, they can revisit the matter in a year or two. By then, buying the land should be much easier.

If his memory serves him correctly, the Zhongshan Road night market wouldn't form until the late 1990s.

He still has plenty of time.

As long as he can create a night market street and establish its scale before the Zhongshan Road night market forms, he can gain the upper hand. By then, whether the Zhongshan Road night market will even exist is a big question.

Chen Donglai smiled, "Uncle Jiu, with your status as the chairman of the Deng Family Group, I believe the leaders will seriously consider your proposal."

Deng Shirong said, "There's no need to rush. If the leaders have objections, we can put it on hold for a couple of years."

"Understood, I won't rush it."

"Alright, it's getting late. Let's go downstairs for some hotpot."

...

Three days later.

Chen Donglai brought Deng Shirong good news: the authorities agreed to sell him the 222 acres of land.

Deng Shirong was very pleased. Although the land could still be acquired a year or two later, getting it now was definitely a good thing.

After negotiations, Deng Shirong bought the 222 acres of land at 88 yuan per square meter, spending a total of over 13 million yuan.

Deng Shirong was extremely satisfied with this deal. Six years ago, when he bought the 30 acres of land for Wuyue Square, the price was 66 yuan per square meter. After six years, a 22-yuan increase per square meter was very reasonable.

After acquiring the land, Deng Shirong immediately went to the Nanning Architectural Design Institute and met with the familiar Huang Dean.

After exchanging pleasantries and having a couple of sips of tea, they began discussing the matter.

Huang Dean smiled first, "Mr. Deng, you don't come without a reason. What business do you have for us this time?"

Deng Shirong smiled, "Dean Huang, I do have a business proposal for you."

Huang Dean perked up, "Mr. Deng, please tell me."

Deng Shirong said, "I have acquired a long strip of land between Chaoyang Road and Gonghe Road, about 1,500 meters long and 100 meters wide. I plan to turn it into a night market street and would like you to help with the design."

Huang Dean was surprised, "A night market street?"

Deng Shirong nodded, "Yes, a night market street, specifically for evening business. My idea is to gather famous snacks from all over the country on this street and turn it into a nationally renowned food street."

Huang Dean was excited, "Mr. Deng, this is a great idea. What design style do you prefer?"

Deng Shirong said, "We will go with an ancient style. I want this street to be unremarkable during the day but become the shining star of Guangxi at night."

The Zhongshan Road night market's status as one of the top ten food streets in the country is proof that Guangxi's culinary scene is among the best in the nation.

Even a spontaneously formed food street can achieve such recognition. With Deng Shirong's deliberate efforts to create a nationally renowned food street, he is confident it will surpass the chaotic Zhongshan Road night market.

Deng Shirong had carefully considered the ancient style design. Compared to modern architecture, ancient-style buildings, crafted with modern techniques, are undoubtedly more beautiful and elegant.

Huang Dean enthusiastically agreed, "Mr. Deng, I'll take this project. When is it convenient for you? I would like to visit the site immediately."

Deng Shirong laughed heartily and said, "Of course, Dean Huang, please follow me!"

"Please!"

...

Twenty minutes later.

Deng Shirong brought Dean Huang and his assistant to the site, pointing to the land in front of them and saying, "Dean Huang, this is the location, from here all the way to Gonghe Road."

Dean Huang nodded and then walked around the area with his assistant, who was responsible for measuring and recording various data.

After a thorough inspection, Dean Huang asked, "Mr. Deng, do you plan to build these structures as individual buildings or connect them into one piece?"

Deng Shirong countered, "Dean Huang, which do you think would look better, individual buildings or a connected structure?"

Dean Huang replied, "Each has its own advantages and disadvantages. If you want to save money and effort, you can connect them into one piece. If you don’t mind spending more and want a more distinctive look, you can build them individually. Of course, you can also combine both, where some of the shops are connected and some are individual. What do you think, Mr. Deng?"

Deng Shirong nodded and said, "Let's combine both approaches!"

Dean Huang said, "Alright, let's go back and discuss the design in detail."

...

Wuyue Square.

Seeing Deng Shirong return, Deng Yunzhu greeted him, "Dad, Uncle Zhou called earlier and said he has found a suitable location for the hotpot restaurant in Guangzhou. He suggested we go there to check it out if we have time."

Deng Shirong smiled and said, "Finding a good location with a large area isn't easy. It seems Uncle Zhou and his family are quite dedicated to this matter."

Deng Yunzhu asked, "Dad, should we go and check it out?"

"Of course, I'll call Uncle Zhou back and pick a time to go."

Deng Shirong then looked at his youngest daughter and asked, "Aizhu, be honest, what do you think of Zhou Haidong?"

Deng Yunzhu blushed and said, "Dad, I've only met him once, and we haven't spent much time together. How can I answer such a question right away?"

Deng Shirong said, "That's true. Although I think he's a good match, it's best to get to know him better before making a decision."

Deng Yunzhu asked, "Dad, I haven't even set up the second branch in Nanning yet, and now I have to open another one in Guangzhou. I'm afraid I won't be able to manage both."

Deng Shirong said, "As the boss, your job is to direct your subordinates, not to do everything yourself. If you try to do everything, it will take a long time for the hotpot chain to truly grow."

Deng Yunzhu said, "I understand that, but I don't have a truly reliable assistant yet."

Deng Shirong said, "If you need more help, hire someone. I know you want your good classmate to help after she graduates. You can keep the manager position open for her and hire a few deputies in the meantime."

Deng Yunzhu nodded and said, "Alright, I understand. I just feel a bit hesitant about trusting people from outside. The management system is also not yet complete. Once my classmate graduates next year, she can help perfect it, and then I can trust the people I hire."

Deng Shirong said, "They say you can learn throughout your life. Managing a chain of hotpot restaurants is something worth learning. As long as you put your heart into it, you will definitely gain something."

Deng Yunzhu said, "Yes, I will work hard to learn."

...

A residential area in Wuhan.

During breakfast, Gu's mother said, "Old Gu, Weiwei has been pregnant for more than three months now. I want to go and see her."

Gu's father nodded and said, "We should go and see her. Unfortunately, I can't take time off right now. You should call Xiaoxiao and ask her to go with you."

Gu's mother nodded and said, "I'll call Xiaoxiao later. We might stay for a while, so you need to take care of yourself at home."

Gu's father said, "Don't worry, I'm not a child. I'll have Secretary Ge book the flight tickets for you."

Gu's mother said, "Alright!"

After Gu's father left for work, Gu's mother called her eldest daughter.

Her daughter-in-law answered the phone, and after some polite exchanges, the call was handed over to her eldest daughter.

Gu Cai Xiao asked, "Mom, why are you calling so early? Is there something special?"

Gu's mother said, "Yes, Weiwei has been pregnant for more than three months now. I want to go and see her. Do you want to come with me?"

Gu Cai Xiao's spirits lifted, and she quickly said, "Mom, I'll come with you."

Gu's mother smiled and said, "Alright, pack your bags and come over. Dad has already asked Secretary Ge to book the flight tickets for us."

Gu Cai Xiao said happily, "Okay, I'll pack my bags and call you once I'm out."

"Alright, I'll call Weiwei to let her know we're coming."

"Okay!"

...

PS: Thank you to all the readers for your support with the monthly votes.

(End of Chapter)

Chapter end