Chapter Fifteen: The Development of the Southern City

Zhou Xuan cleared his throat, looked at his youngest uncle and aunt, and began to analyze, “I’ve based my thoughts on several aspects.”

“First: Since the beginning of the economic reforms, people’s living standards have been rising, and more and more people are moving to cities for work and life. This means that the urban population will only continue to grow, and the number of city dwellers will certainly increase. In the long run, the rise in housing prices is an inevitable trend.”

The increase in housing prices in the 21st century is, on one hand, a natural result of the economic reforms, and on the other, a main source of government revenue. Not only has this developed the real estate sector, but it has also provided ample funding for other economic growth.

“Second: Speaking of South City, it was built along the Yangtze River, stretching from upstream to downstream, from west to east. As for the downstream East Gate, there’s nothing much to say—it’s a sand collection area along the river, with a martyrs’ cemetery standing hundreds of meters higher than the county in elevation, blocking any expansion eastward. Development downstream is impossible. To the west lies a stretch of small hills covering over a dozen square kilometers—just slopes, really, nothing more. Ten kilometers further west is Luotong Town, which serves as the central hub connecting the city and NC County. In the future, the city will surely build expressways and major roads to connect the city center with H County, making the West Gate the prime area for development.”

“Based on these two points, I believe that buying a house in the West Gate will certainly be a great investment. But there’s no rush to buy now—you can do something else first, save up some capital, and then buy in two or three years. Oh, and let me tell you something: I’ve heard that the top county high school is planning to build a new campus in a few years, and it will definitely be located right next to the West Gate. Just think—NC County is already famous for its education, and now with the Fourth High School here and the new campus of Number One High School moving in, this area will become incredibly popular.”

Zhou Xuan finished his explanation in one breath, then took a few bites of food and watched as his youngest uncle and aunt digested what he had just said.

His aunt was very much in agreement after listening. “See, I told you that buying a house here in the West Gate can’t be wrong. Why are you still hesitating? If you miss this chance, you won’t get another. The family living above us, diagonally across, wants to sell. It’s an old place, but it’s a hundred square meters, and the price is so cheap—just thirty-eight thousand. If we borrow some money, we can buy it now. Whether we live in it or sell it later, we won’t lose. And if things go as Zhou Xuan says, we might even get lucky and have it demolished for compensation. Buying a house now means we won’t have to move all the time, and Su Yang needs to go to school—it’s a hassle otherwise.”

Zhou Xuan knew all too well about the constant moving; in his previous life, his uncle’s family had relocated several times. He remembered that at first, they lived near the North Gate, then moved here in the second year of middle school, moved again to the farmer’s market area in the first year of high school, and again near Central Garden in the third year. After Zhou Xuan started college and then work, they moved two or three more times. It wasn’t until 2015 that they finally bought a place several kilometers outside the county seat.

Zhou Xuan had visited—it was a complex near the highway. Not bad, but not very convenient either.

A house costing thirty or forty thousand was truly affordable, especially considering that his uncle's rented place was right next to the Fourth High School. In a few years, the new campus of the county’s Number One High School would rise just a few hundred meters from the Fourth High, and soon after, commercial housing would spring up like bamboo shoots after the rain.

By 2005, with the formal establishment of the Western Development Strategy in NC County, the relocation of the new transport station, and the construction of the five-hundred-million South City Old Street project, the entire focus of South City’s development shifted westward.

The People’s Square, five-star hotels, 5A-rated Old Street, Yonghui Supermarket, and so on—all made what was now farmland around the West Gate flourish beyond imagination.

One could say that his uncle’s current home was now on the very edge of the old city; a few hundred meters away would be the new high school campus, and beyond that, the future transport station and Old Street.

Hearing Zhou Xuan's words, his uncle also found the analysis logical and insightful regarding the county’s future. Still, he was considering carefully whether to buy a house, because despite Zhou Xuan’s convincing arguments, there was always the risk that things might not go as predicted.

If it had been the old Zhou Xuan, he wouldn’t have believed him so easily. But today, Zhou Xuan had performed well. Over lunch, he’d admitted his past year was wasted on fun and promised to work hard to catch up this year.

Today, Zhou Xuan seemed suddenly much more mature, speaking like an adult, which inspired an inexplicable trust.

His reasoning was clear and left no room for rebuttal, proving that he wasn’t just making things up but had thought it through carefully.

Seeing Zhou Xuan, who had just started middle school, with such vision was truly impressive—he was destined for a bright future.

His uncle then recalled Zhou Xuan mentioning there were other business opportunities besides buying property, and so he asked, “Zhou Xuan, it seems you and your aunt really have an eye for this. By the way, you just said that if we don’t buy a house now, there are other businesses we could try. Are you thinking that housing prices won’t rise much in the next few years, and that development here is still a few years away?”

Zhou Xuan gave his uncle an approving nod—he’d finally gotten to the main point. Zhou Xuan replied, “Buying a house now isn’t a bad idea either. According to my analysis, the future development of NC County will be to the west. If you buy here, you certainly won’t lose—prices could easily multiply tenfold.”

Thinking back to later, by around 2010, his high school classmates had bought homes near the Old Street for over three thousand per square meter.

His uncle was intrigued, “But this area is still all farmland. Who knows when it will actually be developed?”

Indeed, development on the West Gate wouldn’t begin until after 2000, when the new high school campus project started, and the real boom would come after 2005.

But if they didn’t act now, by 2000 everyone would know the value of land at the West Gate, and no one would be foolish enough to sell early.

Alas, even knowing all this, Zhou Xuan couldn’t do much—he had no capital.

What mattered now was helping his uncle find a better project and change their fate from his previous life.

With confidence, Zhou Xuan suggested, “It’s true that development here won’t really start until after 2000. People’s living standards aren’t high yet, and the government lacks both funds and the ambition to develop the West Gate right now. But buying a house now is a sure bet for future appreciation. It’s really up to you. If you’d rather not buy property, you could use that money for something else—like a general store, a video rental shop, or a clothing franchise. All of these have great potential.”