I'm back in 1990

Chapter 279: Unlimited Potential

My maternal grandmother is a Buddhist, and on the first day of the Lunar New Year, the whole family accompanied her to Jing'an Temple to burn incense.

At this time, Jing'an Temple was not yet complete. The Mahavira Hall was built in 88. Scaffolding was erected on both sides of the three gates, indicating that a new temple was under construction. However, construction was temporarily suspended due to the Spring Festival. Even so, it did not affect the devout men and women who came to offer incense and worship Buddha.

The Jing'an Temple, which stands firmly in the heart of Shanghai's commercial district, is a magnificent and resplendent building complex that has become a landmark in the area. It is known as the most expensive temple in China. Some have estimated that the land occupied by the Jing'an Temple is worth 3 billion yuan, and the cost of its buildings is 2.8 billion yuan. It is truly deserving of the title of the most expensive temple in China.

After Huang Xiaochuan finished offering incense, he waited outside the main hall. There were too many people inside. Just then, his cell phone rang.

After the call was connected, it was from Wu Duo, who was far away in the United States.

Happy New Year, Ogawa!

Happy New Year! Happy New Year! You're back? Or are you still in America?

"Go back my ass! Foreigners don't celebrate our Spring Festival. I called you at the exact time; it's 9 PM here, which is 13 hours behind China."

"Are you alright? I heard that college students in the US have it easy. How do you feel about it?"

"Easy my foot! I don't know which bastard is spouting nonsense. I don't know about other places, but the students at my school are all incredibly hardworking, none of them are easy to deal with! I was planning to go on a trip this weekend, but now I can't even keep up with my classes, what's the point of having fun!" Wu Duo complained.

Huang Xiaochuan smiled and said, "I bet you've made a long list of phone calls already, haven't you?"

"You're absolutely right! They say 'the holidays make you miss your family even more'! I really am homesick right now. Before calling you, I called my family and my girlfriend."

Huang Xiaochuan comforted Wu Duo: "It's temporary, it'll only last a few years. Besides, you have holidays too. You don't need to work during your holidays to earn tuition. Just buy a plane ticket and come back quickly."

"That's a must. I'll buy a plane ticket and fly back to see you as soon as I have a holiday."

This book was first published on 2009.com, providing you with a reading experience free of errors and disordered chapters.

"How's Old Zhang?"

"We talk on the phone at least five or six times a week. He's even more unaccustomed to it than I am. He told me himself that he's lost more than ten pounds. I'll go back with him during spring break."

Huang Xiaochuan joked, "Well! So Lao Zhang went to America to lose weight."

"I've lost weight too. When I first came here, I thought steak and burgers were pretty good, so I ate a lot of them. Now I feel like throwing up when I see those things. I cook for myself in my dorm now, and it's actually helped me improve my cooking skills."

Wu Duo talked to Huang Xiaochuan on the phone for more than ten minutes, until Huang Xiaochuan's mobile phone battery died before the call ended.

Huang Xiaochuan quickly changed the battery, and as soon as he put it in, the cell phone rang again.

This time it's Zhang Gaolei. Did he and Wu Duo plan this together?

After talking to Zhang Gaolei for another five or six minutes, I just hung up when my elderly mother, Zeng Lijuan, and my aunt came out with my grandmother. They were praying to every Buddha statue they saw and had stayed in the temple for a while.

Old Huang and his uncle, growing impatient, went outside the mountain gate to smoke.

After Grandma and the others came out, Uncle and Lao Huang went back home, while Huang Xiaochuan took a taxi to Grandpa Wang Deyi's house to wish him a Happy New Year.

Huang Xiaochuan originally wanted to invite his grandfather to his home for the New Year, but the stubborn old man refused. So Huang Xiaochuan had to split himself in two. Yesterday afternoon, on New Year's Eve, he took some vegetables to his grandfather's house, cooked a New Year's Eve dinner for him, and after eating with him, he rushed back to the old house to have another New Year's Eve dinner with his family.

When Huang Xiaochuan arrived downstairs at Wang Deyi's house, the old man was watching the children set off firecrackers, laughing like a child.

Huang Xiaochuan quietly sidled up to him: "Is it fun?"

"good!"

"Want to play?"

Wang Deyi, who was laughing heartily, was just casually agreeing when he heard this. He realized something was wrong and turned around to see that it was Huang Xiaochuan, that wicked disciple, grinning and teasing him.

If the old man hadn't been so well-mannered, he would have given Huang Xiaochuan a good whack on the head long ago.

Upon arriving home, Huang Xiaochuan arranged for the old man to sit facing south, and then respectfully bowed three times at a 90-degree angle to the old man, offering his New Year's greetings and performing the grand ceremony!

"Happy New Year, sir! May you enjoy boundless happiness and longevity."

"Alright, alright! Stop with the formalities, have you had breakfast?"

"I've eaten!"

Seeing that Wang Deyi had not made a move for a long time.

Huang Xiaochuan walked over to Wang Deyi and rubbed his fingers together to remind him to give him a red envelope.

Wang Deyi turned his head away, pretending not to see.

Huang Xiaochuan grew anxious and bluntly reminded him: "Red envelope!"

Wang Deyi then took out a red envelope from his pocket and handed it to Huang Xiaochuan, asking with dissatisfaction, "Are you the only one here to get a red envelope? Where's your Yu Xiang?"

Wang Deyi had a very good impression of Yu Xiang. When he was hospitalized, Yu Xiang visited him many times, so he was a little unhappy that he didn't see her today.

"She went to visit relatives with her parents today and couldn't come, so I'm representing her."

Wang Deyi then let Huang Xiaochuan go and gave him another red envelope.

"This belongs to your wife, so don't you dare keep it for yourself."

"Don't worry, sir! I've entrusted even this copy to her for safekeeping."

After the New Year's greeting ceremony, Huang Xiaochuan chatted with the old man for a while. During this time, many school leaders came to wish the old man a Happy New Year. Huang Xiaochuan acted like a tea server, helping the old man to welcome and see off the guests. Then there were New Year's greeting calls from various places, most of which were from senior students Huang Xiaochuan had never met.

Seeing that it was almost time, Huang Xiaochuan went into the kitchen and prepared eight dishes. He also opened a bottle of Wuliangye liquor, which he had found in his grandfather's house. There was a lot of liquor in the house, all kinds of famous wines. It was probably a gift from someone to his grandfather in the past. However, his grandfather rarely drank and had forgotten that he had wine at home. Now, it would definitely benefit Huang Xiaochuan.

"Grandpa, I'll have a drink with you at noon, but please don't have too much."

For many years, Wang Deyi had spent the New Year alone. But ever since he took in this wicked disciple, the New Year was no longer lonely. Wang Deyi felt as if he had made the right decision in his life.

He smiled and nodded, "It's New Year's Day today, so let's have a little drink."

After lunch, Huang Xiaochuan felt a little dizzy and dozed off on the recliner. Wang Deyi, worried that he would catch a cold, moved the heater next to Huang Xiaochuan and covered him with a blanket. Then he made himself a cup of tea and went into the study.

More than half an hour later, Huang Xiaochuan was woken up by his mobile phone. After answering the call, he found out it was Ding Yi calling.

After getting into Ding Yi's car, Ding Yi excitedly told Huang Xiaochuan, "There are some shops for sale on Huaihai East Road, let's buy a few!"

Huang Xiaochuan isn't really interested in storefronts right now. He'd be more interested in larger properties in residential areas, at least he could open a supermarket there. The storefronts on Huaihai East Road aren't big enough for a supermarket.

"Buy it if you want!"

"Aren't you going to buy it?" Ding Yi was somewhat surprised by Huang Xiaochuan's reaction.

"I don't want to!"

"If you won't buy it, I will. I'll buy it and rent it to you."

Huang Xiaochuan didn't understand what Ding Yi meant at first.

"???"

"I'll buy the house and rent it to you to open 'Baijiali'! It's a win-win situation. I collect the rent and you run the shop. Perfect!" Ding Yi thought his idea was brilliant.

"Holy crap, so that's what you were planning!"

To be honest, Ding Yi's words reminded Huang Xiaochuan that he had always operated the Baijiali brand overseas, mainly because there was no such purchasing power in China at the time. Originally, according to his plan, he would open Baijiali stores in Guangzhou and Shanghai by 95 at the latest, and then in major northern cities.

However, what Ding Yi said is worth considering. There are already quite a few international brands in Shanghai. Many Shanghai residents have made money from treasury bonds, stamps, subscription certificates, and stocks, becoming the first wave of people to get rich. They have the purchasing power, and Shanghai residents are particularly particular about their clothing, so the market potential is still huge.

Ding Yi didn't care whether Huang Xiaochuan agreed or not, and drove him to Huaihai Road to look at those shops.

On the way, Huang Xiaochuan asked him, "Where did you get this information?"

"I was so busy selling stocks before the Lunar New Year that I forgot about this. The newspapers on the day we came back from Hong Kong carried the news that it would be auctioned off, which means the highest bidder wins! I heard someone mention it again today, and that's when I remembered it, so I came to find you right away."

Huang Xiaochuan nodded: "It's a good opportunity, you can buy it."

Upon hearing this, Ding Yi became even more smug: "Then let's make it clear first. I'll buy these shops, and you can have your men open Baijiali in Shanghai. Don't worry, I'll give you a discount on the rent."

"So you're not losing money? I estimate it cost you a lot of money to buy these houses. If you offer a discount on the rent, when will you ever break even?" From a business perspective, Huang Xiaochuan still considered Ding Yi's situation.

"Money is nothing! Just have someone get me a card, and I'll just pick up twenty or thirty pieces of clothing every year." Ding Yi finally revealed his true colors.

"I want to get off!"

"No! We're almost there, I was just kidding."

"I've figured it out now! You're not doing this for me at all! You're doing it for your Qi Huan, aren't you? You're treating my Baijiali like Qi Huan's wardrobe, aren't you? You damn Ding Gungun, you're really cunning!"

"We should be civilized during the Chinese New Year; we shouldn't swear!"

"I insulted you, so what? If we weren't classmates, I'd want to punch you!"

"We should be civilized during the Chinese New Year; we shouldn't swear!"

"I insulted you, so what? If we weren't classmates, I'd want to punch you!"

The two arrived at their destination amidst their bickering. After getting out of the car, they looked at the shops and their surroundings. Ding Yi viewed the shops from his current perspective, while Huang Xiaochuan viewed the place from his past life's perspective.

It's really a great location, a prime spot for the future. To be honest, Huang Xiaochuan was tempted after seeing these shops in person.

He asked, "There are five rooms in total, right?"

Ding nodded slightly: "Yes! Five rooms."

"Are you confident you can take them all?"

Ding Yi scoffed, "Pshaw! It's just money! I have plenty! I'll just knock them out!"

"Alright, we'll split the five shops, you take three and I'll take two. You take all of them, and I'll pay for my two!" Huang Xiaochuan made a decision immediately.

Ding Yi readily agreed, but he had one condition.

"No problem, but Baijiali will be opening here in the future."

"make a deal!"