If one were to talk about villas in Dongjiang, Chen Pingjiang's first thought would be the golf villa area at the foot of Zijin Mountain.
It had already opened in 2007, with an average price of 10 to 20 million per unit.
Actually, when it comes to renovation and property management, Zhongshan Villas are still far behind other villa areas that opened later.
But when it comes to environment and location, in front of Zhongshan Villas, all others are mere "younger brothers".
Zhongshan Mountain is Zijin Mountain.
Because Zhongshan Villas are located at the foot of Zijin Mountain, where every inch of land is precious, and boast the nation's first golf course.
Most importantly, the Phoenix Avenue not far from the community, in Chen Pingjiang's impression, was simply breathtakingly beautiful.
Driving on Phoenix Avenue in summer, the sunlight couldn't penetrate, creating a serene and peaceful atmosphere, with towering plane trees on both sides resembling neatly lined up soldiers.
"Mr. Chen, our Zhongshan Villas are the most fitting villas for your distinguished status; such a match cannot be found anywhere else in Dongjiang. The golf course before you was built during the Republic of China era for social and leisure activities of various dignitaries and high-ranking officials in Kyoto at that time."
"On clear days, you can see the lingering white clouds at the summit of Zijin Mountain, and also the artificial lake resembling a dragon's claw. Surrounding amenities include Chinese restaurants, Western restaurants, swimming pools, saunas, book bars, multi-functional conference rooms, and more."
"Phase One's Zitan Garden features a total of 18 purely detached villas, distributed sporadically in the middle section of the golf course, alongside the 8th and 9th fairways. It's close to the hotel and clubhouse, making leisure and entertainment more convenient, and near the scenic Huanling Road, ensuring convenient transportation and pleasant ecology.
Architectural styles include Italian, Spanish, and American Wright styles. The exterior facades of the 18 villas exhibit rich and varied designs, well-arranged, primarily using three color tones: beige, off-white, and dark red, giving a grand and generous feel, echoing the hotel and clubhouse, and largely achieving a perfect blend of villa style with the terrain and landform.
We maintain the original integrity of the topography, hydrology, and vegetation, creating a unique landscape of swaying tree shadows, fragrant flowers and chirping birds, and rolling hills."
"Now, in Phase One, we only have 6 units left, and previous buyers were all business elites."
The beautiful saleswoman suddenly leaned closer to Chen Pingjiang and the others, saying,
"The residents here own more than just one house; what they're buying is a location and a status symbol. This is because our Zhongshan Villas are a rare sight nationwide, being detached villas built on a dragon's vein and simultaneously located within the main city."
Chen Pingjiang chuckled,
"Nonsensical."
Seeing Chen Pingjiang didn't believe her, the beautiful saleswoman still explained,
"Don't disbelieve me. The Ming Tombs and Sun Yat-sen Mausoleum are both here, and the Meiling Palace is also nearby."
At this moment, Li Yuhua also nodded with interest,
"Li Bai wrote in 'Song of Prince Yong's Eastern Tour: Dragon Coiling, Tiger Crouching, Emperor's Prefecture': 'Dragon coiling, tiger crouching, Emperor's Prefecture, Imperial son visits ancient hills in Jinling.' He was referring to Zijin Mountain."
Chen Pingjiang was not superstitious, but this didn't prevent Xu Fangjuan and Li Yuhua from agreeing with the idea of a dragon's vein.
Zhongshan Villas were developed by Suning's Zhang Jindong's real estate company.
He himself lived here, and in the future, Dongzi and Milk Tea Sister would also own property here.
If it was really that miraculous, why did Zhang Jindong end up the way he did later?
"What do you think of this place?"
Chen Pingjiang turned to ask Yan Yan, who was following Xu Fangjuan and Li Yuhua.
Yan Yan nodded, and after a satisfied glance around, said,
"I really like Huanling Road, and it's nice to occasionally climb Zijin Mountain for a rest."
The beautiful saleswoman in front didn't recognize Chen Pingjiang.
Seeing the female owner speak, she immediately praised,
"Your taste is really excellent."
The group was led to a villa, and the beautiful saleswoman introduced,
"The plot ratio of our Phase One is only 0.14. This courtyard alone is 1200 square meters, the total building area is 1700 square meters, and the entire villa occupies a total area of 2900 square meters, with three floors including upstairs and downstairs."
Chen Pingjiang thought it was okay, but both sets of parents' eyes widened.
Although Yan Liming and Li Yuhua were worldly, villas of such a large scale were rare in Dongjiang in 2008, and they had never seen anything like it.
Not to mention Xu Fangjuan and Chen Guangming.
"This isn't 4 mu of land, it's huge."
"Yes, Auntie, I'll take you inside for a look."
To be honest, from Chen Pingjiang's future perspective, this villa was not built very well.
In short, it felt a bit rustic.
Young people always prefer modern styles more, and Chen Pingjiang wasn't keen on the Spanish style before him.
Not to mention the small doors and windows, the exterior walls were a light yellowish-brown, and the courtyard wasn't particularly impressive either.
"This villa has a front yard and a backyard, plus a 400-square-meter sunken courtyard."
After Chen Pingjiang walked around, he realized it was indeed damn big.
Given current housing prices, this villa would fetch at most 20 million, but the renovation alone would cost at least that much.
The cost of renovating a villa is much higher than for a large apartment, and this doesn't even include subsequent maintenance fees.
Renovation includes not only interior but also exterior work, and things like rockeries and ponds in outdoor landscaping cost a lot.
The most daunting part is the subsequent upkeep costs.
If such a large courtyard isn't maintained, it will become dirty and dilapidated after a year.
After a tour, everyone felt quite satisfied.
Although Chen Pingjiang thought the house was average, the location was indeed excellent.
"How much is this villa?"
Fearing to scare Chen Pingjiang, the beautiful saleswoman hemmed and hawed,
"Would you like to see other villas? Other villas are slightly smaller in area, and their prices are lower; the most affordable ones are just over ten million."
Chen Pingjiang shook his head,
"Just this one."
"This one... because it's the 'king of villas,' it costs twenty million."
"Alright, let's go to the sales office to sign the contract and make the payment."
As soon as Chen Pingjiang spoke, the beautiful saleswoman was startled.
So straightforward, so decisive?
She had originally expected to engage in "Tai Chi" with the adults, but unexpectedly it was Chen Pingjiang who spoke up.
"Why are you just standing there?"
Chen Pingjiang urged.
"Oh, oh, okay."
It wasn't the saleswoman's fault; who would have thought that among so many people looking at a house together, a young man would be the one making the decision?
Xu Fangjuan couldn't help but ask,
"Aren't you going to look anywhere else? You're buying a house like you're buying groceries."
"No more looking. The environment here is indeed good, and besides, Yan Yan likes it. It'll be nice for you all to move here and climb the mountains later."
Anyway, it was Chen Pingjiang's money, and now that he was so rich, no one said anything more.
In the past, Xu Fangjuan would certainly have nagged Chen Pingjiang a few times, but recently, she had grown more accustomed to and accepting of Chen Pingjiang's identity.
Upon arriving at the sales office, the saleswoman had already rushed over with the contract.
Everyone gathered around the sand table, pointing and chatting.
Selling the 'king of villas' was no small matter.
Soon, various sales agents gathered and lingered not far from Chen Pingjiang and the others, curious to see who this esteemed buyer of the 'king of villas' was.
Who wouldn't love a decisive big client like Chen Pingjiang?
A man of few words, but ruthless in action, he paid in full immediately.
When it was time to sign, Chen Pingjiang nudged Yan Yan, signaling for her to sign.
Yan Yan hadn't reacted yet when Li Yuhua waved her hand first, saying,
"No, Xiao Chen, this is too valuable; Yan Yan's name cannot be put on it."
Yan Liming was also startled; such a villa, once renovated, would cost at least thirty to forty million.
The most crucial point was that Chen Pingjiang paid for the house, so he couldn't possibly be asked to pay for renovations as well.
But if Yan Liming were to pay for it, even squeezing him dry wouldn't be enough.
Although the old couple had decent benefits, they were both salaried workers.
"Don't argue. It's just a villa; it's nothing to me. Consider it a token of my affection,"
Chen Pingjiang said.
Yan Yan's eyes were almost misting over as she looked at Chen Pingjiang.
Even though she wasn't very concerned with material possessions, what girl at this age could resist such a declaration of affection from her loved one?
This was proof of Chen Pingjiang's love for her.
Chen Guangming, with a good sense of self-awareness, stood aside, watching but saying nothing.
Xu Fangjuan, on the other hand, pursed her lips and muttered in a voice only she could hear,
"Brat, so generous to a wife who hasn't entered the door yet."
Seeing Yan Yan sign her name under Chen Pingjiang's urging.
Yan Liming and Li Yuhua were also helpless.
In the end, they could only exchange glances, with an expression that said,
"What now?"
This was a mindset difficult to articulate.
Their daughter Yan Yan was dating Chen Pingjiang and would eventually marry him.
As Yan Liming and Li Yuhua held some social standing, they didn't wish to heavily rely on Chen Pingjiang's wealth; they still had some integrity.
They also didn't want Yan Yan's status in the Chen family to be low after marriage.
Otherwise, why would those wealthy families give such large dowries when marrying off their daughters?
It's all about family status.
Now that Chen Pingjiang had given Yan Yan a house, Yan Liming and Li Yuhua could neither pretend not to see it nor did they have the financial means to provide such a large dowry or pay for the villa's renovation.
It was indeed a cause of great distress for them.
If Chen Pingjiang were just an ordinary businessman, it would be fine, but Yan Liming was, after all, a government official.
The problem was that as a district chief, he couldn't help Chen Pingjiang, and to some extent, he was benefiting from Chen Pingjiang.
The astute Chen Pingjiang smiled as he looked at Yan Liming, whose forehead had furrowed into a '川' shape, and said,
"Uncle Yan, what are you worrying about? Don't trouble yourself unnecessarily."
Yan Liming sighed,
"Alas!"
......
That evening, back home, Yan Liming sat on the sofa, looking glum:
"This kid is really something; he just gave away a twenty-million villa. I won't be able to stand tall in front of him anymore."
"Indeed, I always feel undeserving and uncomfortable. But then again, this is Xiao Chen's sincere gesture, not bribery or corruption, so don't overthink it."
"You don't understand. The more he does this, the more I want to compensate him in other ways, so our daughter can be strong after she marries into his family. But I can't compensate him in other ways! I'll just feel inferior."
An outsider seeing Old Yan's appearance might find it laughable.
Shouldn't he be secretly delighted that someone gave his daughter a villa?
But in reality, any parent with some social standing, life aspirations, and broad enough vision wouldn't think that way.
Compared to some vulgar parents in society who demand the man buy a house before marriage and then insist on writing their daughter's name on it, these two sets of parents are not on the same level.
And such vulgar parents usually demand a bride price of hundreds of thousands, while giving only ten quilts as a dowry, symbolizing wholeheartedness.
(End of chapter)