Future Pet Shop

"After you left, Director Qin came by twice. He said all the paperwork is done, and we can start construction anytime." As he spoke, Wen Yuan brought over a thick stack of blueprints. "I’ve finished the blueprints on my end, too. If there are no issues, we can find a construction crew and get started right away!"

"Let me see!" ’Well, looks like no workout for me this morning,’ Shen Yibin thought. He waved his hand, letting Hah’Er, Xiaoliu, and the others continue playing by the pool. He then carried the blueprints upstairs and began to look through them seriously. The last set of blueprints had just been rough sketches, but this time, all the details were finalized, making the project look even more desirable. The design was grand yet intricate, blending perfectly with nature at every turn. After looking them over, Shen Yibin wished he could move in immediately.

"Wow, I really got a great deal this time," Shen Yibin praised sincerely. Based on the quality shown in the blueprints, a seven-figure design fee wouldn’t have been too much for Wen Yuan to charge. Shen Yibin felt a bit embarrassed.

"It’s nothing, really!" Wen Yuan waved his hands dismissively. "If I hadn’t seen Bald Qiang and the others building their villa here, I never would have been able to create such a good design. Besides, if it weren’t for you, Mr. Shen, and Director Kong, I wouldn’t have been able to get such a prime piece of land. Mr. Shen, you’re making me feel like an outsider by saying that!" Wen Yuan refused to take credit, humbly deflecting the praise. And he was right. Never mind the inspiration Bald Qiang had given him; just considering this auspicious plot of land, he probably couldn’t have bought it for any amount of money on his own without Director Kong and Shen Yibin stepping in. Given all that, providing the two sets of blueprints was only fair.

"Alright then, next step is to submit this to the relevant departments for approval, and then find a construction crew to start building!" Shen Yibin said excitedly. He really wanted to move in with Hah’Er and the others as soon as possible.

"You don’t need to worry about the approval process. Director Qin already said last time that my design is fine. We’ll just have to go through the motions, and he’ll put in a good word with the relevant departments." Qin Qing was a rising political star in Yunzhong City, and Wen Yuan’s design was fully up to code, so the departments would definitely give him that much face. "As for the construction crew, if you don’t mind, I’d like to recommend a couple of companies I’ve worked with before. There’s one from the provincial capital that’s very capable with solid technical skills. They can definitely build it to spec, and their quote won’t be too high."

Wen Yuan had dealt with many developers and construction companies before and had connections in the provincial capital. He just sent over a few renderings, and they were immediately interested. Construction companies also want good projects to win awards and build their reputation. For that, they are willing to sacrifice a bit of profit. As long as their reputation grows, they can earn back that profit several times over sooner or later.

"Since you’ve already made the arrangements, Mr. Wen, let’s go with your plan. Have them draw up a budget, and I’ll send it to Director Kong to look over. If there are no issues, we’ll make the first payment and get the construction started as soon as possible!" Shen Yibin said immediately. It was best to leave professional matters to the professionals, and he trusted Wen Yuan’s character.

"Great, I’ll have them get on it right away!" With that matter settled, Wen Yuan made a couple of calls. Before long, the detailed figures were sent over. Shen Yibin forwarded the budget proposal to Director Kong, who had a few experts from Xiangjiang review it. They found the quote to be very reasonable, so he approved it immediately.

"Bin, the experts from Xiangjiang also said they’ve heard of this construction company. There’s definitely no problem with their capabilities. So let’s start construction as soon as possible. I’ve also had a Fengshui Master select an auspicious time to break ground. I’ll send it to you later. I’ll probably be in Spain by then, so I’ll have to trouble you to preside over the ceremony for me!" Director Kong entrusted everything to Shen Yibin and Wen Yuan.

"Okay, no problem." Shen Yibin hung up and called Qin Qing. Following his instructions, he went to the relevant departments to handle the paperwork. Qin Qing had already put in a word, so every procedure was handled smoothly and efficiently. It took only three days before the project could officially begin construction.

The construction company also arrived at the site with a large amount of machinery and workers. Once the auspicious date and time selected by Director Kong arrived, Shen Yibin led Hah’Er, Xiaoliu, and the others in offering incense. And yes, Hah’Er once again grabbed the fruit from the offering table and started munching on it. Hopefully, just like during the film shoot, this would bring good luck to the construction project.

Firecrackers crackled on the construction site. Hah’Er drove his little toy excavator and dug up the first scoop of dirt. Afterward, the construction company’s workers all got to work, and the project officially began.

According to the construction plan, they first had to clear the trees and rocks from the land and level the ground. Then, they would start digging the foundations and erecting the various buildings. Additionally, they needed to alter the course of the stream so that it would flow evenly through the manors of all three families.

"Boss Shen, according to the official approval from the relevant departments, there are no protected tree species on this land. This means we can fell them as long as we replant an equivalent number elsewhere. The felled trees will also belong to you. Would you like to hire someone to cut them down, or should we handle it for you?" the construction manager asked as soon as the opening ceremony was over.

"Er, we’ll do it ourselves! You guys can work on other things for now!" Shen Yibin said, glancing at Bald Qiang and his partner. ’Those two have been cooped up for so long without felling any trees, it’s about time they had some fun! Besides, hiring people to cut trees costs money. Letting these two do it will save a lot on construction fees. It would be a waste not to use free labor!’

"Bald Qiang, Gao Lujie!" Shen Yibin beckoned them over. Pointing at the large trees in front of them, he said, "All the trees here are yours! You’ll be counting on them to build your own houses later! Get to work!"

"SQUEAK! SQUEAK!" Bald Qiang and Gao Lujie’s eyes lit up when they heard this. They had been stuck in the store sharpening their teeth on molar sticks for days and were completely fed up. Now that such a great opportunity had presented itself, how could they not charge right in?

The moment Shen Yibin finished speaking, the two critters zipped forward, hugged the thickest tree they could find, and started gnawing. The construction manager and his workers were dumbfounded. ’You can do it that way?’

"Mr. Shen, isn’t it going to be a little slow having these two little guys do the logging?" the manager asked, looking at Bald Qiang and Gao Lujie, unable to hold back his concern. ’We have to wait for the trees to be cleared before we can start construction. With the tiny size of these two, how long is that going to take? We can’t afford any delays in the schedule!’

The words had barely left his mouth, and before Shen Yibin could even respond, a CREAKING sound came from over there. The thickest tree was already slowly toppling over!

’Holy crap, these two are that efficient?’