Super Rich by Doing as You Please

"President Xu, President Lin."

Yu Jiaming stepped forward, greeting them warmly. "So, what are you in the mood for?"

"This is your Xiangjiang. Of course, we’ll follow your lead."

Xu Yun said, "We’ll eat whatever you recommend."

"President Xu, you’ve got that wrong."

Yu Jiaming chuckled. "Even though I was born and raised here in Xiangjiang, Xiangjiang has never really belonged to us locals."

"Then who does it belong to?"

"It’s a Xiangjiang for rich people like you."

Yu Jiaming explained, "The ones who enjoy life and control the wealth here are all so-called ’outsiders.’ Most of the real locals are just working-class folks, like me.

"I don’t know if you’ve heard the saying, President Xu, but this place is a paradise for the rich and a hell for the poor.

"And most of us locals are poor. We can’t even afford a decent, spacious home."

"Is it that bad?"

"Yeah."

Yu Jiaming explained, "Our Xiangjiang has too little land and too many people, so there’s just not enough living space. The average is less than five square meters per person. Many families of five are crammed into old, tiny, run-down apartments of twenty to thirty square meters."

Xu Yun was speechless.

Lin Wanzhou, who was listening, asked in confusion, "But doesn’t television say Xiangjiang is a major economic metropolis? That the average salaries are really high?"

"The salaries are high compared to the Mainland, but property prices are even higher."

After leaving the hotel, Yu Jiaming led them through the streets of Xiangjiang, explaining, "Because space is so limited, any old, run-down apartment here costs over a hundred thousand per square meter.

"A single apartment can easily cost several million, or even tens of millions.

"That’s why most people live in public housing.

"If an ordinary person can manage to own an apartment over a thousand square feet—that’s about ninety square meters—in a place like Hong Kong, it’s considered a bona fide luxury home."

Lin Wanzhou was speechless.

So was Xu Yun.

’What the hell? The average salary in Xiangjiang is tens of thousands a month, but it turns out the housing here is smaller than what I had back when I was just a grunt making a few thousand a month.’

’Let alone the massive single-story apartment and the duplex penthouse I got later.’

Xu Yun also had a sudden realization. His hotel suite, which cost over a hundred thousand a night, was only about 170 square meters. He now understood that in Xiangjiang, this was already considered a huge space.

No wonder Yu Jiaming said this place was a paradise for the rich and a hell for the poor.

He looked again at the street they were on and the surrounding buildings.

To Xu Yun and Lin Wanzhou, everything looked narrow and old. There weren’t even any asphalt roads; they were almost all concrete.

And the little eateries on either side of the street... they were all...

’How should I put this? What’s the difference between these and the street-side food stalls back in the Mainland!’

Honestly, seeing it without the movie-and-TV filter, Xu Yun felt this was completely different from the Xiangjiang he had always imagined.

Lin Wanzhou said bluntly, "How is this any different from a third or fourth-tier city in the Mainland?"

But it had its merits too.

The overall city planning was actually quite good. Pedestrians and vehicles were separated, and there was none of the usual roadside greenery—it was all steel and concrete.

He recalled the panoramic view of Xiangjiang he’d seen from the plane; the forest of high-rises was indeed incredibly dense.

The gaps between buildings were tiny. Aside from some surrounding green spaces, it was truly a modern kingdom of steel and concrete.

Xu Yun asked curiously, "So have you bought a house?"

"No, and I can’t afford to."

Yu Jiaming said, "My girlfriend and I are planning to settle down in Shenzhen and buy a house there. It’s not too far from here, anyway."

"That’s a pretty smart idea."

Xu Yun teased, "Earn a high salary here in Hong Kong, then buy a cheaper house in Shenzhen."

"President Xu, property in Shenzhen isn’t cheap either."

Yu Jiaming said awkwardly, "A nice, big place still costs several million."

"That’s true."

’Now that he had money, Xu Yun had, without even realizing it, started to get the mistaken impression that a few million was cheap!’

’His old self would have been just like Yu Jiaming, thinking that a multi-million-dollar home was something he could never afford in his entire lifetime!’

As they talked, Yu Jiaming led them to a place called Fang Rongji Restaurant.

The three ordered the specialty satay hot pot. The main ingredient was basically beef, with each portion costing over 300.

Finally, they ordered a portion of Jook-sing noodles to cook in the pot. They were delicious!

After finishing their meal, the trio moved on to the next stop.

Since President Xu wanted to sample the local cuisine, Yu Jiaming’s plan for the day was to take them on a tour of all the best Hong Kong-style delicacies before nighttime.

The second stop was a bakery.

Before they even got close, they could see a long line of people queuing to buy pudding buns.

Naturally, Yu Jiaming wasn’t going to make Xu Yun wait in line.

He went to the front, paid someone to give him their spot, and quickly bought two. They were smooth, tender, and delightfully springy.

Xu Yun and Lin Wanzhou each took one, had a single bite, and then threw them straight into a trash can.

It wasn’t that they were bad, they just weren’t to their taste.

Next, they tried a place that served cart noodles. The flavor was just okay, they thought.

Finally, they arrived at Enji Tea Restaurant.

Yu Jiaming said, "Brother Fa and a lot of other celebrities eat here all the time. If we’re lucky, we might even run into them."

Xu Yun looked over and, sure enough, the restaurant’s walls were covered with photos of Brother Fa and other stars.

Just as they were about to head inside, the sharp-eyed Yu Jiaming spotted a celebrity couple eating there as well.

He quickly said to Xu Yun, "President Xu, looks like we’re in luck today. We’ve spotted some celebrities."

"Celebrities?"

"Yeah."

Yu Jiaming glanced to the side and said, "I think that’s Zhang Jin and his wife, Cai Shaofen."