Chapter 104: 2/2

On the thirteenth day of the first lunar month, Zhou Zhongcheng and Zhou Siguo went to H University together.

H University wasn’t the best school, but it wasn’t bad either, having been established for many years.

“These two ginkgo trees have a history of over a hundred years.” The old professor introduced H University to the father and son.

H University hadn’t started classes yet, and the campus was quiet. The slightly warmer weather indicated the arrival of spring.

Zhou Zhongcheng quite liked the school.

As they wandered around, they came near the cafeteria and encountered Feng Yi and others having a meal.

Feng Yi was called back by the professor for help, and Lu Haijun and Shao Chengdong naturally followed suit.

Although working part-time at Charles Hamburg could earn them a good amount of money, education was undoubtedly more important.

Lu Haijun and Shao Chengdong didn’t hesitate to give up their part-time jobs and returned to school to assist the professor.

Since they were back at school, they had their meals on campus, but unfortunately, the cafeteria hadn’t opened yet.

Three people pooled money and joined others at school to share meals. The students staying at school had modest financial backgrounds, so today’s dish was just vegetables stewed with tofu. Shanghai bok choy is stir-fried, then added to tender tofu with a dash of soy sauce and MSG. surprisingly tasty.

Despite previously eating meat daily at the hamburger shop, the three didn’t mind and enjoyed their meal happily. Zhou Chongcheng asked his friend, “Isn’t the school still closed? What’s happening?”

The professor from H University replied, “Some students live far away, and going home during winter break takes too much time and money. I heard these students even took part-time jobs outside to earn a living.”

Zhou Chongcheng felt a pang of guilt for judging a waitress at the hamburger shop who turned out to be a university student working for a living.

“These students are commendable,” Zhou Chongcheng remarked.

“Yes, Feng Yi, he’s a favourite student of a professor at our school,” the H University professor pointed to Feng Yi.

Zhou Chongcheng, upon hearing “Feng Yi,” had no immediate reaction, but inwardly, he was taken aback. He didn’t expect his father to have actually encountered Feng Yi!

Fortunately, his father showed no reaction after meeting Feng Yi. Feng Yi had changed his surname, so his father shouldn’t guess Feng Yi’s background. Zhou Chongcheng told himself to relax, but on the way back, his father said, “Sigu, let’s allocate funds to establish a scholarship at H University to help those needy students.”

Zhou Sigu asked his father, “Dad, why this sudden idea?”

Zhou Chongcheng said, “I just feel those students have a tough time. Did you notice? That student named Feng Yi looks a lot like me; I find him familiar.”

Zhou Sigu’s heart trembled.

Zhou Chongcheng continued, “Supporting university students has its benefits; these graduates can join our Zhou family business; consider it talent acquisition.”

Zhou Sigu, hearing this, became even more reluctant.

He even started blaming his uncle.

During the chaotic times, why didn’t his uncle eradicate the roots and directly kill Feng Yi’s grandmother and father? If they had died back then, he wouldn’t need to worry about a kid trying to compete for family property now!

Zhou Sigu initially didn’t plan to deal with Feng Yi, but now, with Feng Yi appearing in front of them…

Zhou Sigu felt uneasy, wishing Feng Yi would disappear completely.

Unaware of Zhou Sigu’s thoughts, Feng Yi busied himself with the professor and swiftly absorbed various pieces of knowledge. Time passed quickly, and H University started its new semester.

Around this time, the school announced that financially struggling students could apply for the Zhou Group’s scholarship.

Feng Yi, being well-off, didn’t apply, but he mentioned it to Jiang Liyun when he returned home.

Jiang Liyun said, “The Zhou family seems ready to make a big move on the mainland.”

“Probably,” Feng Yi said. “By the way, Sister Liyun, the professor said I can finish the credits for sophomore, junior, and senior years ahead of schedule, then stay at the university or go abroad for further studies.”

Today, their professor discussed some matters with them. Currently, there’s a shortage of talent in the domestic computer field, and if Feng Yi accelerates his learning, he can graduate early and stay at the university.

In a way, their professor, with his limited computer skills, might be surpassed by Feng Yi and Shao Chengdong before long.

If Feng Yi is willing, he can also study abroad. At this time, studying abroad is considered very prestigious for many people. Some even sell their houses to finance their overseas education. Returning from studying abroad becomes highly valued.

“Do you want to study abroad?” Jiang Liyun asked Feng Yi.

“I don’t want to,” Feng Yi replied without hesitation. “But I want to finish the courses for sophomore, junior, and senior years quickly.”

“Then go for it!” Jiang Liyun said.

Feng Yi smiled.

During the following time, Jiang Liyun read newspapers and came across many news stories related to the development of Pudong. The brick and tile business in Hongxing Township thrived, with ships carrying bricks and tiles quickly being sold out in Shanghai.

This led some people in Hongxing Township to buy their own ships, transporting bricks and tiles to Shanghai to make money. In the entire 1980s, the domestic economy wasn’t great, with fluctuating policies. However, in the 1990s, economic development improved, reflected in the increasing wages of workers.

In the 1980s, though wages did increase, the increments were small. In the 1990s, wages started to rise significantly. Jiang Liyun remembered from her past life that in 1990, some people in Jiuku Town earned only a hundred yuan a month, but by 1999, some people were making over a thousand yuan, and most had salaries exceeding five hundred.

Entering the 21st century, hearing someone earn only five to six hundred would be considered very low. In a small town like Jiuku, not to mention a big city like Shanghai.

Jiang Liyun noticed hopeful faces among the people, and they were willing to spend money, leading to Chels Hamburgers doing exceptionally well.

Around this time, Jiang Liyun noticed an increase in houses for sale. In the 1970s and 1980s, the per capita housing area for urban residents was very small. When Jiang Liyun first came to Shanghai, she saw people living in makeshift shacks.

Additionally, it wasn’t uncommon to build houses on top of original single-story homes.

At that time, urban residents lived in cramped conditions, with families of seven or eight squeezing into small houses of only thirty to forty square meters. Jiang Liyun had seen programmes about renovating old houses in her past life, showing how small those houses were. Currently, most people still live in such homes.

People naturally aspired to better living conditions, so when houses were available for sale, some bought them and moved out. Shanghai’s property prices at this time were relatively high compared to average wages.

Well-located houses cost two to three thousand yuan per square metre, and even remote houses cost a thousand yuan per square meter. Buying a hundred-square-metre house would cost a hundred thousand yuan.

Considering the low wages at this time, most people couldn’t afford large houses. Usually, people bought slightly smaller and cheaper houses, but there were options.

Jiang Liyun had visited those so-called remote houses, which seemed remote to people at present, but in twenty or thirty years… It would become prime real estate.

She also noticed that it was now possible to take out loans to buy houses. However, few people did so; many still waited for the allocation of housing by their workplace. People were reluctant to buy houses themselves, let alone take out loans.

Jiang Liyun was different. Taking out a loan to buy a house at this time meant paying a few hundred yuan per month. which, after ten years, wouldn’t be much.

When she first arrived in Shanghai, Jiang Liyun’s money was insufficient, so she lived frugally in a small one-bedroom apartment. But now, the situation is different.

After a year, her savings added up to two hundred thousand yuan. She planned to take out loans to buy two newly built, high-quality houses, one for her and one for Feng Yi.

Buying two houses with loans wouldn’t deplete her savings, and the remaining money Jiang Liyun intended to keep for future investment opportunities.

On weekends, Jiang Liyun told Feng Yi about her plans to buy houses and took him to see some properties.

If it were in Jiuku Town or her hometown county, Jiang Liyun knew where the best houses were. But this was Shanghai!

She wasn’t very familiar with Shanghai and didn’t know which areas had significant appreciation potential. As for some well-known places in Pudong… They hadn’t been developed yet, so buying property there was not an option.

However, the houses Jiang Liyun chose wouldn’t be too bad. She selected houses near excellent primary and middle schools.

“By buying houses like these, our future children can attend good schools.” Jiang Liyun had already spent money to transfer her household registration to Shanghai. As for Feng Yi, his household registration was with the school. Nowadays, it’s not easy to transfer household registration, but with connections, it could be done.

If a few more years passed…

She remembered that during the development of Pudong, there was a policy of obtaining a household registration when purchasing a house. Having a local household registration made buying a house easy. After checking, Jiang Liyun bought a house in a newly built community on the third and fourth floors.

At this time, the houses didn’t have elevators, only staircases, typically five stories high, with some having a small attic, equivalent to six stories. In the humid south, living on the ground floor wasn’t comfortable, and the second floor was a bit better but not much. That’s why the saying “gold in the third and silver in the fourth” existed; third- and fourth-floor apartments were considered the best.

The best part about the house Jiang Liyun bought was that the ground floor had been converted into a garage.

Despite being an old-style walk-up building, only wealthy people could afford such houses at that time. Even if they didn’t have cars, they might have motorcycles, and having a garage showcased their status.

The community was positioned as high-end, but for people at this time, it seemed a bit ahead of its time. People were buying houses, but few were buying garages. Even if they had cars, they could park them outside, right?

Jiang Liyun, being different, not only bought two houses but also two garages. Houses with garages would be easy to sell in the future.

Moreover, the current garage prices were almost like getting them for free. In her hometown in the past, parking spaces in some communities reached tens of thousands, but in Shanghai, a garage was only two thousand yuan.

No, it wasn’t just a parking space; it was a garage!

A garage that could be converted into a livable space!

The total price for the two houses was two hundred thousand yuan, but Jiang Liyun only paid the down payment. This meant she would have to pay the bank around a thousand yuan per month in the future. For ordinary people at that time, it was a substantial amount, but for Jiang Liyun, it wasn’t much.

She even considered buying two more.

However, she needed to keep some money on hand. Jiang Liyun ultimately refrained from doing so.

Jiang Liyun’s purchased houses were already completed, with water and electricity installations in place and the walls freshly painted.

They were ready for furniture, and she could move in directly.

Jiang Liyun wasn’t picky about her living space and immediately decided to go buy some furniture and then move in.