Nan Yi was staring at the pigeons not just out of curiosity, he had previously thought about earning some money for his hard work.
It's nonsense to arrange snipers, but there are ways to slow down the flying speed of a pigeon, such as stopping it and forcibly hanging the flag of the pigeon country around its neck.
Whether it is pigeons or rubber, they are actually just fantasies. One is related to gambling, which Nan Yi will not touch. The other cannot be dealt with cleanly without using the power of the Nan family, which would be a case of losing the big picture for the small.
A day later, Lin Guangwei came again and brought 1 million yuan. Qu Li's matter was settled, and Zhong Jilong asked for 20,000 yuan, which was paid by Lin Guangwei first.
After getting 1 million from Lin Guangwei, Nan Yi did not use it to pay the balance of Shengchen Pharmaceutical. Seeing that the second payment was about to be made, he had no way of making more than 10 million. He gave in and called Yang Kaiyan. After some negotiations, Nan Yi asked her to borrow 36 million for a period of half a year, and to repay 40 million including principal and interest.
In the next two days, Ruan Zhiping sent a team member who was from the Marine Corps and had experience in maritime rescue to take Nan Yi and Nan Wuwei to spend two days on Golden Sand Beach. They took a intensive course on self-rescue in case of distress at sea. Then they went to Zhoutouzui Wharf and boarded the Magnolia ferry bound for Coconut City.
The Magnolia does not have standing or sitting tickets, only sleeping tickets. There are three floors above the main deck. The first and second floors are first to third class guest rooms, and the third floor is the top deck. There are two more floors below the main deck, which are home to fourth and fifth class guest rooms.
The fourth-class cabin has a small window through which you can see the sea, but the fifth-class cabin has no window.
Although it has been in service for many years, the hull of the Magnolia is well maintained and does not look too old.
For safety reasons, and because Nan Yi wanted to experience the feeling of a seafarer, the group bought fifth-class tickets. The full price for adults was 16.20 yuan, and the half-price for children was 8.10 yuan.
The fifth-class cabin is equipped with two-layer iron beds. Except for a few beds close to the cabin wall, the others are two beds put together. There is a luggage rack about 30 centimeters high under the bed, where luggage can be placed.
Since the 1960s, the Magnolia has been the main passenger ship transporting passengers from Guangzhou to Yecheng, traveling back and forth across the Qiongzhou Strait. It has witnessed the historical scene of countless seafarers going to Qiongzhou Province, and has carried batch after batch of seafarers to Qiongzhou Province to pursue their dreams.
After the 100,000 people who went to sea last year, there is still a steady stream of people going to Hainan Province, and there are more and more people with high cultural level. Shortly after the assignment season, many people just visited the assigned units and then boarded the Magnolia.
Nan Yi was standing on the lower bunk and was taking away the straw mat on the upper bunk. The girl next to him who was also packing her things accidentally dropped some odds and ends from her bag, including a graduation certificate, an honor certificate and the like.
After taking a look, Nan Yi continued to do his own thing. He put away the straw mat and replaced it with the one he brought with him, put a new pillowcase on the pillow, put away the thin quilt and put a blanket instead.
The girl next door put the dropped things back into her bag, and then looked at Nan Yi's actions in surprise. She thought that the guy opposite was too pretentious.
"Hello, excuse me."
Nan Yi packed up his things and said hello to the girl next to him.
"Is there something wrong?" the girl asked.
Nan Yi smiled slightly, "It's like this, my son will sleep with me at night, which may disturb you. If you mind, you can move to the lower bunk. The two bunks below are also with me. Or, I can help you find someone else to change."
"It's okay, I don't mind."
The girl didn't mind at all. She was just thinking it was awkward to sleep next to a grown man, but now she felt more at ease with a little child sleeping in between.
"Thanks."
Nan Yi thanked them, jumped to the ground, and put the luggage of several people on the luggage rack.
After everything was packed up, the Magnolia's whistle had already sounded, so Nan Yi took Nan Wuwei to the deck to get some fresh air. The fifth-class cabin was a relatively sealed space with many people, so it was inevitable that there would be one or two people with body odor or foot odor, and the air was a little turbid.
When he got on the deck, Nan Yi saw several young people holding musical instruments and playing "Katyusha". A middle-aged man who looked to be in his fifties was humming in Russian with standard pronunciation. The middle-aged man was most likely an older generation of intellectuals who had studied in the Soviet Union in the 1950s.
Not every intellectual who returned from studying in the Soviet Union had a good life. In fact, many of them wasted most of their lives. There was one of Nan Huaiqiu's subordinates who worked as a boiler operator for more than ten years. It was not until the 1980s that he picked up his profession again. Unfortunately, he had passed the best age for achieving results, and it was difficult for him to make any achievements.
"Have you ever been to Qiong Island?"
"I haven't been to Qiongdao, but I know about it. I saw it on TV, right?"
“No.”
"Yes or no?"
"How can you know what Qiongdao is like if you haven't been there?"
"Let me tell you, the sky of Qiongdao is very transparent blue, the water of Qiongdao is very green, the sand of Qiongdao is fine and white, and the coconut trees of Qiongdao are everywhere."
Several young people who should be strangers gathered together and yearned for Qiongdao, with longing written all over their faces, as if they could accomplish something great once they arrived on Qiongdao.
In fact, for most of the seafarers, Qiong Island has no meaning. They are cannon fodder and demographic dividend. It does not have to be Qiong Island, but they can be moved to any other small area. As long as these seafarers are crammed in, business opportunities and successful people will naturally be born.
Going to sea is a game in which outsiders come to Qiongdao to make money from outsiders. Qiongdao is just a prop. Those who are not tenacious and take root here cannot appreciate its significance at all.
Nan Yi stood on the deck for a few minutes, and a weird idea popped into his mind. He planned to open a few companies and recruit a large number of people. Anyone could be hired and the salary would be high. He would cooperate with the hospital to conduct pre-employment physical examinations and get kickbacks, and cooperate with the garment factory to provide work clothes and get kickbacks. To be hired, they would need to pay a deposit of 500 yuan, and then sign a labor contract.
With a series of combined punches, he earned millions.
Then, instead of closing down and running away, the company took the new employees to the countryside to cut sugarcane, plant crops, and move bricks in brick kilns. They called it an induction test, and they had to work as hard and tiringly as possible. By the way, the company did not have work meals, so if you wanted to eat in the countryside, you had to pay for your own meals, and the company could make some money from the food.
It will be easy after that. Those who can’t bear it can run away. If they can really handle it, they will be converted to full-time employees and become real white-collar workers who sit in the office with a fan.
Every step is arranged rigorously, the contract is formal, and there is a group of people who really become high-paid white-collar workers. They are not afraid of being sued for fraud even if there are people who run away with the money.
"Who said it was a scam? We explained it clearly to you before you started working. You had to take the entrance test, and we told you where you were going and what you were going to do. Lawyer X also explained the terms of the labor contract to you in detail. It's you who couldn't bear the hardship. Don't accuse the company of scamming. If you keep talking nonsense, I'll sue you for defamation."
The routine that Nan Yi came up with is basically feasible. He estimates that someone in Coconut City has already done this, but the routine is not too rigorous.
You know what, this routine never goes out of style.
Even decades later, many people will be fooled by the high-paying recruitment information for car attendants on "38 Different Cities". No academic qualifications are required, the work is not hard, and the salary is several thousand yuan a month, with food and accommodation provided. Capitalists change their careers and become Bodhisattvas.
After graduating from junior high school, I spent a few years in Internet cafes and felt that I couldn't continue to be so decadent. Once I cheered myself up, I found that God helps those who help themselves. God immediately sent me a good job. After some work, I happily ran to the next big city to apply for the job.
After the song "Katyusha" ended, Nan Wuwei said to Nan Yi: "Dad, I want to hear you play the trumpet."
"Dad only brought a harmonica. Can I play it for you?"
"No, I want to listen to the trumpet."
"All right."
Nan Yi responded helplessly and walked towards the person holding the trumpet in the crowd.
The other party was very easy to talk to and lent it to Nan Yi as soon as he asked. This made Nan Yi a little embarrassed. If he was not easy to talk to, he would pay to "rent" it. In that case, his identity would become that of a customer, and he could openly take off the mouthpiece and wipe it.
But now, Nan Yi could only take the opportunity to turn around and call Nan Wuwei, use his body to block the sight of the trumpet owner, and quickly wipe the part where the mouthpiece touched his lips with a T-shirt.
Holding the trumpet in his hand, the song Nan Yi wanted to play most was of course "The Sun Also Rises". Unfortunately, the time, the place and the audience were not right. After thinking for a while, Nan Yi put the mouthpiece to his lips and played "Lambada".
As Nan Yi's tune started, a man in a sailor shirt and holding an accordion came in, followed by the woman playing the violin next to him, and soon the saxophone and flute also joined in the fun.
Next to her, a woman wearing glasses, a hollow sleeveless top and a light green long skirt joined in while turning around. She started speaking in standard Portuguese with Mandarin pronunciation. Although her pronunciation was not accurate, her singing was pretty close to what was on the tape.
The post-1960s generation is a generation of singers. Many of them have good singing voices, and many can play musical instruments. No matter where they are, they can form a band to sing at any time.
After the woman sang a few lines, more people gathered around her, adding harmonica to the blended music. The confident ones sang along with the woman, while the less confident ones hummed the harmony softly.
You don't need to know Portuguese to learn to sing. Those who can read music can read the music score. Those who can't can learn one sentence at a time by following the tape recorder. You can also transliterate the lyrics into Chinese and recite them by heart.
The chorus has arrived, and the dancers will naturally not be absent. On the small deck, everyone put aside their expectations and anxieties about Qiong Island, threw away their burdens, and opened their hearts together, humming, singing, and dancing.
After the song "Lambada" ended, I don't know who took the lead, but the music seamlessly switched to "The Little Girl Under the Streetlight".
At this moment, countless Deng Jie Yi appeared on the deck, and a majestic and soft music floated on the Pearl River.
Finally, everyone sang "Please Come to the Ends of the Earth" together.
This song is neither majestic nor passionate, but it can resonate with everyone on the deck. Yes, haven't we all come from the northeast, northwest, and southwest to the ends of the earth?
At the Mudanjiang River, Yalu River, Tumen River, Songhua River, Nen River, and Wusuli River, many brave men from the Northeast finished a bowl of white wine, threw the bowl to the ground, looked up at the sky and shouted: "Go south, plant the flag of the Northeast at the southernmost tip, and rebuild the four eastern provinces."
"Friends, we come from all corners of the world, and we all come here with the same belief that we want to realize our ambitions on Qiong Island, on this newly reclaimed virgin land. It is our fate to be on the Magnolia together. I propose that we hold a party in the ship's dining room tonight."
A man wearing glasses, who might be a political cadre, said in an impassioned voice: "No matter what we will face after we get off the ship tomorrow, let's have a thorough revelry before we set out on our journey. Long live the Magnolia!"
"Long live!"
"Long live the Magnolia!"
The slogan was quickly echoed, and everyone shouted out their anxiety from the bottom of their hearts, hoping to drive it away with the shouting.
When everyone gathered together to elect members of the party organizing committee, Nan Yi returned the trumpet and walked back to the side of the ship with Nan Wuwei.
The woman in the next bunk was also there. As soon as Nan Yi got close to the side of the boat, she said, "You play the trumpet very well."
"Thanks."
Nan Yi thanked her and did not take the opportunity to chat with the woman. Instead, he started chatting with his son.
The ferry sails out of the Pearl River, circles around Shencun, overlooks Xiangkeng in the distance, and heads towards Qiongdao against the waves of the South China Sea.
The evening party was very lively. Passengers in the cabins all flocked to the large dining room, and even many people who were seasick staggered over to participate.
People walked to the middle of the restaurant, some recited lyric poems aloud, some hummed Soviet revisionist songs, and others bravely talked about their vision for the future of the Qiongdao Special Economic Zone.
Many people complain about their lack of opportunities to realize their talents and express complaints about their previous working and living environment. They all hope to have the opportunity to start all over again in Hainan Province.
Nan Yi also joined in the conversation. Through the conversation, Nan Yi learned that most of them were from Hubei Province, Funan, and Jiangxi Province. Some were from border areas, and there were very few people from the southeast and south China regions.
Nothing special happened when they slept. There was no charm, no ambiguity, no such thing as opening their eyes to find two people hugging each other.
This kind of thing could not possibly happen to Nan Yi. If it happened, it would only mean that he did it on purpose.
The next day, at 11 o'clock, after a bumpy 26-hour journey, the Magnolia was about to dock at Xiuying Port in Coconut City. Standing on the deck, a thin green line appeared in front of us where the sea and sky met. That was Qiong Island.
The ferry docked and Nan Yi and his group got off. After taking a few steps, a can of coconut juice appeared in front of Nan Yi.
"Brother Nan, welcome to Coconut City."
"Get out of the way. You're not the local boss here. What's the point of welcoming me? Where's the car?" Nan Yi slapped Lai Huri's hand away and glanced at the crowd around him.
"It's outside, the crown." Lai Huri pointed in a direction and said proudly, "It's new, I just got it a few days ago."
"Well, let's go, fill your stomach first, and then take me to the Talent Center and the East Lake Talent Wall."
"Okay, let's go to Wanghailou, the best hotel in Coconut City."
Lai Huri showed the way and the school beauty drove the car, and they soon arrived at Haixiu Road, where Wanghai Tower stood.
In 1984, a 12-story hotel was built on the east side of Daying Mountain, next to Haixiu Road. It was named Wanghai Tower because one can have a panoramic view of the Qiongzhou Strait in the distance when standing on the top of the building.
"Wanghailou is the most magnificent and high-end hotel in Hainan Province. All the powerful bosses in Coconut City live here, and overseas Chinese who return home also like to stay here."
While listening to Lai Huri's introduction, Nan Yi's eyes were also looking around. The lobby of Wanghai Tower was spacious, bright and magnificent, with a glass ceiling and a large bronze fish statue embedded in the blue sea background wall, symbolizing "abundance every year".
"There's everything here, but there are too many people, just like a wet market. There's a shopping mall on the first floor, where the clothes sold are the most fashionable. There are many entertainment venues upstairs, and singers often come to sing in the karaoke bar. The rent here is very expensive, and you have to bid if you want to rent a room here as an office."
"Bidding? Opening a company here doesn't necessarily mean you have the strength, right?"
"Most of them have no financial resources at all. They are engaged in reselling business. After paying the rent, they may even have trouble eating," said Lai Huri.
“Is there morning tea here?”
"Yes, people in Coconut City like to come here for morning tea and also like to come here for wedding banquets. It is a very glorious thing for people in Coconut City to hold wedding banquets here."
"Um."
After having dinner at Wanghailou, Nan Yi and his friends went to Building 3, No. 3, Datong Heng Road, the Talent Building.
Nan Yi mentioned the Talent Building several times in the newspaper. Unlike rental houses and guesthouses that are temporary accommodation for those who come to Qiong Province alone to start a business, this Talent Building on Datong Heng Road is specially allocated for "talents" to live in.
Only high-level talents who hold the recruitment quota of Coconut City can live here. Many people who go to the beach envy those who can live here. It is just a 6-story dormitory building consisting of 4 units, but it has attracted many people to visit.
Next to Nan Yi and his companions, there were several people carrying bags on their backs, looking at this ordinary building like pilgrims.
After visiting the Talent Building, Nan Yi and his party went to the guesthouse of the Organization Department of the Administrative District. The Talent Center was located on the second floor of the guesthouse.
The talent center has four offices and a conference room. People registering for jobs are crowded in the corridor, waiting for the people in front of them to come out of the conference room so they can squeeze in.
Carrying Nan Wuwei on his back, Nan Yi squeezed in among the job seekers and secretly observed them for more than an hour.
After leaving the Talent Center, Nan Yi and his party wandered around various guesthouses in the city and waited to check in at Wanghai Building. It was already 8:30 in the evening when they sat down in the room.
In the next three days, Nan Yi went shopping in the morning and soaked in Xixiu Beach in the afternoon. He fulfilled his promise to Nan Wuwei.
On the fourth day, Lai Huri came with documents to disrupt the family happiness of Nan Yi and Nan Wuwei.
"Boss Nan, I have the information you requested."
With a "bang", Lai Huri threw a thick yellow leather file bag on the beach chair.
Nan Yi, who was buried in the sand by Nan Wuwei with only his head exposed, glanced at Lai Huri and said, "You're still waiting for me to read it. Read it to me with the key points."
bite!
Lai Huri lit up the lighter and lit the cigarette in his mouth.
"Boss, I'm not your secretary."
"It wasn't before, but it is now. Hurry up."
"Okay, okay, I'll be a secretary."
Lai Huri waved his hand, threw away the cigarette in his hand, picked up the file bag, took out the documents inside, unfolded a page and began to read: "In 1978, the area of ​​Coconut City was 18 square kilometers, the city's population was 2,306,311 , of which 157,085 were non-agricultural population, the city's housing construction area was 1,608,000 square meters, and the average urban living area was 2.5 square meters.
From 1980 to 1987, the city's total building area reached 5,736,634 square meters, the completed housing area was 2,201,819 square meters, and the completed residential area was 670,234 square meters.
From the founding of the People's Republic of China to the establishment of the province, the area of ​​Coconut City District expanded from 1.5 square kilometers to 20 square kilometers, and the urban population grew from 138,900 to 311,733, of which the non-agricultural population grew from 82,155 to 227,918.
The urban housing construction area increased from 531,410 square meters to 6 million square meters, among which the per capita living area in cities increased from 1.5 square meters to 5.7 square meters, a 2.8-fold increase.
In 1988, the urban area of ​​Coconut City was 25 square kilometers, with a population of 334,046, including 247,070 non-agricultural population.
The city's actual building area is 6.35 million square meters, of which 3.34 million square meters are residential areas, and the average per capita living area in the city is 5.5 square meters.
During the year, the city invested 500.68 million yuan in new housing construction, with a completed construction area of ​​393,676 square meters, of which 123.26 million yuan was invested in residential buildings, with a completed construction area of ​​262,000 square meters..."
"Get to the point."
Nan Yi interrupted Lai Huri's reading.
Lai Huri said aggrievedly: "Boss, how do I know what the main point you want to hear is."
"Tell me the number of households lacking housing, the number of people with an average living area of ​​less than 2 square meters per person, and the area of ​​dilapidated houses in the city."
"Wait, let me look for it." Lai Huri searched the documents for a long time before saying, "There are 6,950 households without houses, and 2,981 households with an average living area of ​​less than 2 square meters. There is no data on dangerous houses in the city, only the data on houses directly managed by the Real Estate Bureau, which is 30,000 square meters.
"Wuwei, don't put it on my face." Nan Yi wiped his forehead, wiped off the sand Nan Wuwei had put on it, and said to Lai Huri, "This number is perfunctory. How many people are there in a household, the age distribution, the age of marriage, and the number of people who have an urgent need for housing in the past two years? These are not reflected?"
"Boss, just make do with it. I have finally gotten this information."
"Okay, keep going."
"This year, Coconut City has opened up the Binhai Financial and Trade Zone, Jinpan Industrial Zone, Haidian Island East Development Zone, Hong Kong-Macao International Industrial Zone, Xiuying Industrial Zone and Meihe River Development Zone, with a planned development area of ​​50 square kilometers, of which less than 10 square kilometers have been developed.
Except for Jinpan Industrial Zone and Hong Kong-Macao Industrial Zone, which are mainly based on processing industry and supplemented by real estate industry, other development zones are mainly based on real estate industry. They are the areas where real estate investment is relatively concentrated in Coconut City.
I then went on to talk about the assignment and transfer of land use rights..."
"Wait, there's no need to talk about the management regulations. I'll just take a quick look at it later. Tell me how much money has been invested in real estate development this year."
Nan Yi interrupted Lai Huri again.
"It's less than 200 million, including our 15 million."
“What are the current house prices?”
"The cheaper ones are more than 700 but less than 800, and the more expensive ones are around 1,400."
"Well, you just said that the per capita housing area of ​​5.5 square meters is the data from last year?"
"Yes."
“What month’s data?”
"October."
“Is there any change now?”
"The change is not significant, and the increase will not exceed 0.02 square meters."
"Is this average value of reference value?" Nan Yi thought for a while and asked again.
Lai Huri nodded and said, "It makes sense. The difference in housing area between people in Coconut City is not that big."
"Well, tell me, do you often go to nightclubs or karaoke bars?"
"Boss, I don't need to explain my private life, right?" Lai Huri said awkwardly.
"Who is interested in knowing about your private life? I want to know the consumption level in Coconut City. The consumption level of such consumption places in a city cannot reflect the income level of ordinary people, but it can reflect to a certain extent how many rich people there are in the city."
Lai Huri thought for a moment and said, "I don't think that's quite accurate. The cost of living here is much higher than in Shencun, but how could there be more wealthy people here than in Shencun?"
"Every boss is different. How can a real estate agent and a clothing seller be the same? Forget it. I'll go and experience the nightlife of the rich one night."
"Boss, you are so mean."
"Haha." Nan Yi smiled faintly, "I'll go to the company tomorrow and we'll have a good talk."
"Okay, boss. Then I, as the secretary, will leave first." Lai Huri said with a smirk.
"Let's go quickly." Nan Yi said unhappily.
After Lai Biao left, Nan Yi climbed up from the sand pile, shook off the sand on his body and lay down on the beach chair, quietly watching Nan Wuwei building a castle there, and from time to time he would glance at a bonfire not far away.
Next to the campfire, a man was turning a roast suckling pig.
The man's name was Bianzui. He was an expert at cooking Lingao suckling pig and worked as a waiter at a nearby restaurant. Nan Yi hired him to cook a hot Qiong dish for the father and son on the beach.
As the sun sets, Bianzui has prepared a table of delicious food. Nan Yi took Nan Wuwei to the restaurant where Bianzui worked to wash up. They were walking back to the beach to enjoy their meal when they saw a man and a woman staring at the delicious food that was about to go into their stomachs, with their eyes fixed and tears rolling down their lips.
Nan Yi frowned. He knew both of them. The woman was the one who slept next to him on the ferry, and he had met the man at the party and they had chatted for a few words.
"What's wrong with these two people? They have only been on the island for a few days, and they have become like this."
After muttering something, Nan Yi walked towards the two of them.
"What a coincidence, why are you two here?"
"It's you? Why are you here?"
When the woman heard Nan Yi's call, she struggled to shift her gaze from the suckling pig to Nan Yi's face.
Nan Yi pointed at Nan Wuwei and said, "I am playing with my son on the beach. I haven't introduced myself on the boat yet. Hello, my name is Nan Yi."
"My name is Su Meng, and his name is Cheng Hainan."
Nan Yi greeted Cheng Hainan and said to Su Meng, "You haven't eaten yet, let's eat together?"
"OK."
"No need, we have already made an appointment with someone at Wanghai Tower and will be there soon."
Su Meng agreed subconsciously, but Cheng Hainan's self-esteem got the better of him and he made up a plausible excuse.
"Oh, Wanghailou..." Nan Yi dragged out his words and said, "Since you two are going to have a big meal, I won't be too sentimental. It's hard to get a taxi here. You can go to the intersection to see if there are any tricycles. Excuse me, my son and I are going to eat first."
Nan Yi ignored the two of them after he finished speaking and took Nan Wuwei to his dinner. Cheng Hainan was neither his father nor his son, but Cheng Hainan had such a noble sentiment that starving to death was a minor matter while losing one's chastity was a major matter, and Nan Yi was happy to oblige him.
Watching Nan Yi walking away from her, Su Meng's stomach felt empty. She was hungry, very hungry. She really wanted to follow him to eat roast suckling pig. It must be delicious.
But she couldn't, she couldn't lose face for Cheng Hainan, she had to protect Cheng Hainan's self-esteem. If it weren't for Cheng Hainan the day before yesterday, not only would all her money have been robbed, but she might have also lost her innocence.
"Su Meng, let's go." Just as Su Meng was daydreaming, Cheng Hainan patted her arm and said.