The night passed silently.
The next day, Qin Chuan took Qin Gang on their old, beat-up three-wheeled motorcycle and headed straight for the county town.
This was because Li Ya had called early that morning, informing him that she had found a way to secure a loan and urging him to come over quickly.
Upon arriving in the county town, the brothers met Li Ya.
"Qin Chuan, I've pulled some strings. The bank says the funds can be disbursed within three days at the earliest!"
Li Ya got straight to the point, updating Qin Chuan on the latest progress with the loan.
"How much can we borrow?"
Qin Chuan asked.
"Eight hundred thousand!"
Li Ya made a gesture with her hand.
A spark of pleasant surprise flashed in Qin Chuan's eyes. Eight hundred thousand might not seem like a lot, but in this era, it was substantial.
Especially in a small county town like Yongnan, eight hundred thousand was enough to buy many things.
"Sister, you've done a fantastic job!"
"Leave the rest to me. I'll handle everything from here!"
Qin Chuan exuded strong confidence.
"What... what are you two talking about? I don't understand any of this, what's eighty thousand?"
Qin Gang, standing nearby, was utterly bewildered. He had no idea what was going on.
"It's like this, Second Brother. Li Ya and I are planning to invest in some real estate, and we're about to borrow eight hundred thousand from the bank!"
Qin Chuan explained. As soon as he finished speaking, Qin Gang's eyes widened, and his mouth hung open, unable to close for a long time.
"Third Brother, you... you..."
Qin Gang was truly shocked!
Although he had a rough personality, a quick temper, and a fondness for fighting, it was all within the realm of minor scuffles. He knew his limits.
Eighty thousand was a sum he had never even dreamed of. To think that his younger brother was now planning to partner with someone and directly borrow that much from the bank.
"Third Brother, you're crazy!!"
"If we lose such a huge sum, even selling all of us in the family wouldn't be enough to cover the loss!"
Qin Gang was completely panicked.
While he had sensed his younger brother had some abilities recently, he never expected things to escalate to such an astonishing figure of eighty thousand.
"Don't worry, Second Brother, I know what I'm doing!"
Qin Chuan patted his second brother's shoulder with an air of nonchalance.
"But just so you know, don't tell Mom and Dad. If they find out, I won't forgive you!"
"No... you're going too far..."
Just as Qin Gang was about to say more, Qin Chuan raised his hand to stop him. He turned to Li Ya and said, "Sister, can I borrow your Santana for a couple of days? My second brother and I need to scout the area."
"Sure, no problem!"
Li Ya agreed readily. She dared to mortgage all her shares for the loan, so lending a car was a small matter.
Soon, Qin Chuan drove off, heading for their destination.
The destination, of course, was the newly constructed county government building. This would be the battleground for Qin Chuan's first fortune, and his rise or fall depended on this venture.
Along the way, Qin Gang sat in the passenger seat, looking dejected, clearly still reeling from the shock of Qin Chuan borrowing eighty thousand.
It wasn't until Qin Chuan called him to get out of the car that Qin Gang seemed to snap back to reality.
"Third Brother, why did you bring me here?"
After getting out of the car, Qin Chuan gazed at the uneven, bumpy road and the dilapidated houses of varying heights on either side.
This area was arguably the most backward part of the county. Apart from its large size and open land, it had no other advantages.
The people living here were ordinary folks. Those with a bit of capability almost all lived on the main street, looking down on this area.
The only notable feature was the newly built county government building, a few hundred meters away, though it was currently just a shell.
Many residents were still unaware of the purpose of the three-story building that had suddenly appeared.
"The location I've chosen for real estate investment is right here!"
Qin Chuan explained to his second brother.
"Here?"
Qin Gang's eyes widened again.
"Yes, right here!"
Qin Chuan nodded affirmatively, then lowered his voice and pointed to the three-story building not far away. "Second Brother, do you remember what Liu Long said when we came here to find him last time?"
Qin Gang pondered for a moment. "He said something about this being the new county government office building!"
"But what does that have to do with us?"
"You idiot!"
Qin Chuan chided him, frustrated. "The county is so big, why did the higher-ups choose this spot for the new office building? If I'm not mistaken, Yongnan County is in for some major changes!"
"They're preparing to develop this barren area! To transform the urban landscape! To attract investment!"
"If we don't seize this opportunity to get rich, are we just going to wait for others to do so?"
"If my instincts are correct, this place will soon attract the attention of others. We need to quickly buy up the houses and land here first!"
In his previous life, Qin Chuan had occasionally returned to his hometown for business and saw how prosperous this street had become. Upon inquiring, he learned that it was a new urban area developed with special funds from higher authorities.
He also heard that a new county magistrate with significant backing had been appointed, and all of this was orchestrated by that new magistrate.
Calculating the time, that new county magistrate with powerful connections seemed to have been appointed within the last two years. Could they have arrived already?
Qin Chuan felt he needed to make some inquiries. If his business grew larger in the future, he would definitely need to interact with such important figures.
In the entire Yongnan County, this particular area was the flattest and most expansive. With a little modification, filling in the nearby ditches, and clearing the obstructing small hill, it could accommodate many residents.
Moreover, based on his memory, Qin Chuan knew that after the welfare housing allocation ended, a trend of people moving from rural areas to urban centers would truly begin, and this trend would only intensify in the future.
Decades later, many villages would be virtually nonexistent, with almost all young adults having moved to cities, whether for work or for their children's education.
Only elderly people would remain in the villages, living aimless lives.
"Stop dawdling, let's go! Our task today is to first get a feel for the situation, see if the local residents are willing to sell their houses, and what the prices are!"
Recalling the jumbled thoughts in his mind, Qin Chuan led Qin Gang towards the nearest houses by the roadside.
Under the eaves of the houses, several elderly people sat on small stools, basking lazily in the sun and chatting. Each of them had a dry pipe hanging around their neck, and some were puffing on them noisily.
Seeing the sudden appearance of two young men, the elders instinctively stopped their conversation, their eyes showing a mixture of caution and curiosity as they stared at the Qin Chuan brothers.
In fact, they had noticed the two strangers long ago.
This place was quite deserted, and vehicles rarely passed through. Even when they did, it was usually just passing by. Now, two young men had driven and stopped, making it impossible not to be curious.
"Good morning, sirs!"
Under the gaze of the elders, Qin Chuan took the initiative to greet them. As soon as he spoke, Qin Gang beside him was once again confused, looking strangely at his brother.
What accent was his younger brother using? It sounded so peculiar.
"What are you doing here?"
Hearing that Qin Chuan was an 'outsider,' the elders became even more curious.
"Sirs, please don't be nervous. We're just passing travelers. We've run out of water in the car and were hoping you might let us have a cup. Is that possible?"