C156 – Planted a Coconut
Seeing President Chen’s weary appearance, Su Ming immediately realized the old man hadn’t rested at all the previous night.
President Chen had come to express his gratitude to Su Ming, and his timing couldn’t have been more perfect.
Su Ming allowed himself a smile when he noticed President Chen’s excitement had somewhat subsided.
“President Chen, there’s something I’d like to inquire about,” Su Ming said with a serene smile.
“I’ll share everything I know, and if I don’t know, I’ll make sure to find out for you!” President Chen replied, his spirits lifted even higher than before, as if he’d been invigorated with a surge of energy.
He was thrilled at the prospect of finally being able to handle a significant task for Mr. Su!
Hadn’t he been eagerly anticipating this very moment? He was determined to respond thoroughly and make a good impression, to show Mr. Su that he was indeed valuable.
“Take a look, this is the Guoxing Building, and there are two more office buildings behind it. If I wanted to purchase and demolish them, how much would that cost?”
This was a topic Su Ming had not previously considered in depth.
“Su Ming?” President Chen was momentarily taken aback.
He wondered if he had misunderstood. The office buildings were in fine condition; why would anyone want to tear them down?
But President Chen was quick on the uptake. He soon grasped the situation.
Was Su Ming planning to convert the area into farmland?
“You’ve guessed it,” Su Ming confirmed. “I feel that five acres isn’t sufficient. Including these two office buildings should make up the difference. I’m not considering demolishing the Guoxing Building just yet. Could you help me figure out the total cost?”
Su Ming’s tone remained even as he proposed this astonishing plan.
President Chen felt a whirlwind of emotions. He himself would never consider such an action if he owned a piece of prime city center land.
The audacity of Su Ming’s plan astounded him!
President Chen managed to speak, despite his shock: “Mr. Su, you must realize that Eastsea is a top-tier national city, and downtown land comes at a premium. These two buildings occupy a significant area. To acquire them, you’d be looking at a minimum of 20 billion.”
President Chen blinked, adding, “And if you plan to purchase and then demolish them, the cost could be substantially higher, perhaps by several billion more.”
If he came across another windfall like the Body-stretching Pill, sharing a bit with President Chen was the least he could do.
At those words, President Chen felt a lump in his throat.
To him, not even the world’s largest bank could compare.
No amount of money could outweigh the importance of Mr. Su!
His health had been failing, but after taking the Body-stretching Pill, he felt revitalized.
His family’s health had improved dramatically too.
And that handful of fennel? It brought back the vigor of his youth.
“Mr. Su, I won’t keep you from your rest any longer. I’ve got things to attend to.”
President Chen set his clothes aside and got down to work. With Old Wang absent today, he was on his own.
Su Ming blinked, his mind turning over ways to make money.
He still had a large collection of antiques that hadn’t been sold at auction.
Together, the proceeds should suffice.
But Su Ming gave it some more thought.
Their approach made sense; this cycle was likely to be a lengthy one. After all, flooding the market with antiques all at once would depress prices across the industry.
Su Ming wasn’t worried. The fence around the adjacent three-acre plot was nearly complete. He needed to decide what he would plant there first.
He rose and strode to the nearby warehouse, swung the door open, and surveyed the seeds within.
The usual array of fruits and vegetables no longer piqued Su Ming’s interest.
Then something caught his eye.
Coconuts!
A moment of realization struck Su Ming.
He could plant coconut trees right there in the soil.