Traveling back to 1966, starting by living in a cowshed.

Chapter 170 Renovation of the Small Courtyard House

In Lin Zhou's top-floor office at the headquarters of Zhonghua Group, the cool air from the central air conditioning kept out the outside heat. Lin Zhou was looking down at the documents in his hand, his gaze sweeping over the renovation progress schedule of Zhonghua Cinemas on the paper. His eyebrows were slightly raised, and there was a hint of satisfaction in his eyes.

Two stacks of documents were neatly arranged on the desk. One side was a progress report on the renovation of the cinema, from the bustling Causeway Bay to Tsim Sha Tsui, and then to Kowloon Tong.

The renovation projects of more than a dozen cinemas are progressing steadily according to plan. The progress of each item, from soundproofing the walls and installing the seats in the theaters to debugging the projection equipment, is clearly recorded with the completion time and the person in charge.

On the other side was the recruitment list. The resumes of hundreds of employees selected by the human resources department were categorized into different groups, from cinema managers to ticket sellers, from projectionists to cleaners. After layers of assessment, all of them were experienced or had great potential. The red marks marked for acceptance stood out on the white paper.

Preparations for Zhonghua Cinemas are in full swing, with a determination to carve out a niche for itself in Hong Kong's cinema market.

Lin Zhou put down his pen, leaned back in his office chair, and rubbed his temples. The busy days had left him feeling a little tired, but he was also filled with a sense of novelty from this unconventional entrepreneurial experience.

Business competition in Hong Kong has always been fierce, and the cinema industry is surrounded by giants. However, he insisted on using Zhonghua's strength to break through the Golden Princess Cinema chain and then follow up with another one. And now everything is developing in the direction he expected.

Just then, there was a gentle knock on the office door, three even knocks—a rule set by Secretary Chen Man—that he would never disturb the office unless it was an emergency. Lin Zhou looked up and said, "Come in."

The door was pushed open, and Zhou Jianming appeared in the doorway. He had been busy looking for a movie theater location these past few days, so he had been busy for a while.

He's here now, most likely because his investment in the mainland has made some progress. At this moment, a few beads of sweat glistened on his forehead, and he carried a folder in his hand as he hurried into Lin Zhou's office, clearly having just rushed back from outside.

As the head of Zhonghua Real Estate, Zhou Jianming has been shuttling between two places lately, keeping an eye on real estate projects in Hong Kong while also following up on projects in Beijing. He's been incredibly busy, but he's never slacked off. This is what Lin Zhou values ​​most about him—his meticulousness, reliability, and thoughtfulness in everything he does.

"President Lin."

Zhou Jianming walked to the desk, placed the folder on it, bowed slightly, and said in a clear, though slightly hoarse voice from his journey:

"I have two pieces of news to report to you, both concerning the city of Beijing in mainland China."

Lin Zhou sat up straight, tapped the table lightly with his fingertips, signaling him to continue, a hint of anticipation flashing in his eyes.

The Sijiucheng project is a key and crucial step in Zhonghua Group's expansion into the mainland. From land acquisition to planning and construction, he personally contacted the mainland leaders to understand the situation at every stage. Now, almost a year later, it has finally reached the final stage.

Zhou Jianming opened the folder, took out a project acceptance report, and handed it to Lin Zhou, saying:

"The Zhonghua Building, which our Zhonghua Group invested in and built in the Dongzhimen area of ​​Beijing, was officially topped out this morning."

The construction team just faxed over inspection photos; all indicators meet the design requirements, and the topping-out date is even half a month ahead of schedule.

"Is it finished?"

Lin Zhou took the report and his gaze fell on the photo. In the picture, a high-rise building stood tall against the skyline of Beijing!

The steel structure at the top has been completed. Red ribbons are wrapped around the tower crane on the roof, fluttering in the wind. Workers stand on the roof with simple smiles on their faces. Against the backdrop of the azure sky, it looks particularly magnificent.

His gaze fell on the building in the photo, a smile unconsciously creeping onto his lips, and a wave of emotion washed over him.

This Zhonghua Center, with a total height of thirty floors, is a building that combines a star-rated hotel and business offices, which is part of Zhonghua Group's investment in mainland China. It is also a landmark building in Beijing.

From the start of construction last year to the completion of the building today, it only took eight short months. Such speed is truly astonishing, even to someone as experienced as him who is accustomed to the efficiency of infrastructure construction in later generations.

Looking at Lin Zhou's expression, Zhou Jianming added:

"There's one more thing. As you asked me to do before, the renovation of the small courtyard house left by the old lady is now all done."

The renovation team, following your request, preserved the original layout and charm of the courtyard house, only renovating the walls and roof, replacing the plumbing and electrical wiring, and adding some modern furniture. It retains the old-fashioned feel while making it comfortable to live in. I've already had photos taken; please take a look and see if you're satisfied.

As he spoke, Zhou Jianming took out another folder and handed it to Lin Zhou.

Lin Zhou casually flipped through the pages, and a series of photos came into view: gray tiles and white walls, vermilion wooden doors, carved window frames, and the fruit trees in the courtyard were still lush and verdant.

In the living room of the main house, there is a Chinese-style solid wood sofa, and several calligraphy and paintings by famous people are hanging on the wall. The furniture in the bedroom is simple and warm, without being overly luxurious, yet showing thoughtfulness in every detail.

Looking at the familiar courtyard house in the photo, Lin Zhou felt a warmth in his heart, and his eyes welled up with tears.

That small courtyard house was a memento left to him by his mother, and also his only root in Beijing.

Before he transmigrated, the original owner of this body had lived there for more than ten years, and every plant and tree in the courtyard was etched deep in the original owner's memory.

However, after he followed the Lou family to Hong Kong, that courtyard house was occupied by someone and no one has bothered to repair it properly for so many years.

The walls were mottled and the roof had several leaks. After he got the house back last year and returned to Hong Kong, he handed it over to Zhou Jianming to find someone to renovate it. Now it's finally done.

He closed the photo album, leaned back in his chair, and remained silent for a moment before slowly speaking, his voice tinged with a hint of regret:

"I didn't expect it to be done so quickly. Zhou Jianming, you did a great job."

"It's all I should do, Mr. Lin," Zhou Jianming said respectfully.

Lin Zhou looked up at Zhou Jianming and sighed softly:

"Hong Kong's infrastructure development is fast enough, but it still lags behind the mainland."

"It hasn't been long, and the building has been topped out, and the courtyard house is finished. It seems that the mainland's infrastructure-building prowess is already kicking in."

This wasn't just a casual remark; it was a genuine feeling.

While Hong Kong's construction projects are standardized and meticulous, their speed is always limited by factors such as land area and labor costs. It is simply impossible for a building of more than twenty stories to be completed in less than a year and a half.

Meanwhile, the mainland is vast and rich in resources, with abundant labor. More importantly, everyone is determined to improve their lives and build more beautiful cities. This united spirit has translated into an unstoppable pace of infrastructure development.