Restarting life in Siheyuan

"Are you saying that the Hong Kong government has changed its mind and is facilitating a deal for the two shipyards?"

"Yes, boss. Miss Wu asked me to report to you that not only has the port government agreed to transfer the dock, but the steel mill has also agreed to consider the transfer. Also, the Hong Kong government has agreed in principle to the industrial land we want. Now we are entering the process to see if anyone bids."

Zhu Xuefeng was overjoyed. No matter what the reason was for the Hong Kong government to completely change its attitude towards Dongsheng Company and become very supportive, it was a good thing. Hong Kong's business could enter a period of rapid development.

"There are a few more things that I am anxious to report to you..."

Zhu Xuefeng calmed himself down and glanced at the white-collar beauty in front of him.

"Go ahead."

Secretary Chen quickly stood up straight and crossed his hands over his abdomen.

"Boss, there is also news from Boeing that the two aircraft are expected to be delivered in mid-December. Ms. Wu is planning the first flights to Athens and Tokyo. If all goes well, they will be put into service before Christmas Eve, just in time for Christmas."

"Well, very good. It seems that communicating more with George is very effective. And more."

This George is very interesting. I guess he just wants China Eastern Airlines to catch up with Christmas and ask Dongsheng Company to do the favor. You know, Hong Kong and Japan both celebrate Christmas, so this is a business opportunity.

"Mr. George also gave the same blessing, saying that he hoped Santa Claus's gift would make you happy."

"It's quite interesting. This George really thinks he is Santa Claus. Let Miss Wu thank him and return his socks of treasures. There's more."

Miss Chen, who seemed very serious, was almost amused by the boss. She tried hard to suppress her laughter and continued speaking.

"The next thing is just one sentence, saying that things in Lundun are going smoothly. Miss Wu didn't explain the details, just said that you will understand."

"Laugh if you want to, this is not an office."

Zhu Xuefeng was in a good mood and teased the secretary.

I just learned that the Hong Kong government's attitude has changed. I am happy, but also worried about insufficient working capital. Now that things in London are going well, it means that we have a lot of money on hand and it is more than enough to carry out multiple projects at the same time.

"Very good, there is more."

Seeing that the boss had regained his composure, the "very good" evaluation made Secretary Chen realize that this was definitely a big deal. This was definitely a secret between the boss and Miss Wu. Unfortunately, he was not qualified to know, so he perked up again and reported seriously.

"There's news from Kyoto that they've acquired another piece of land in the core area and are proceeding with the discotheque construction and commercial district planning as planned."

This was the third time I received news from the Yakawa sisters. The first time was when the family’s revenge was successful and several wounded were sent to recuperate. The second time was when they successfully opened a disco in Kyoto.

“They didn’t ask for funds?”

Secretary Chen shook her head. She didn't know much about Kyoto. According to her inspection in Kyoto a few years ago, the company had no projects in Kyoto. All funds were invested in real estate and stocks in Kyoto. Although the profits were considerable, the capital occupation was also very serious. There should be no funds to develop in Kyoto, and to acquire land. This was another secret of the boss.

"Miss Wu only gave me these two sentences, nothing else."

Secretary Chen followed Zhu Xuefeng's habit and stopped after speaking, waiting for the boss's response.

It seems that the Yagawa sisters are developing very smoothly and have been able to get a large piece of land. Since they didn't mention that they need help, we'll talk about it later. We still have to clean up the thousands of museums in Fuso when we have time. We don't have the opportunity to visit other countries for the time being, so we should visit them all when we have time.

"You did a great job, keep it up!"

Zhu Xuefeng thought that this was enough good news and would be enough for him to be happy until the next Spring Festival. He encouraged Secretary Chen and prepared to leave, but Secretary Chen quickly called out to him.

"Boss, there are a few more things. Please listen to my report."

"Oh, there's more. That's quite a lot. Tell me about it."

Zhu Xuefeng became interested and sat down. Secretary Chen quickly refilled his glass of boiled water, saying that it was late at night and it was not appropriate to drink tea or coffee.

It turned out that news had also come from Beijing that all the components that were to be developed last time were now ready for mass production. Miss Chen brought the team here this time to sign a formal order. The quantity was far higher than the original estimate, and it was estimated that five to one million sets would be needed throughout the year.

At that time, no one expected that the integration of the electronics factory would go so smoothly. In addition, if the industrial land was approved, the production capacity would experience a blowout development. A simple electronics assembly plant could be built very quickly, and the workers were readily available in large quantities. This happened in May and brought a large number of suitable workers to Hong Kong. With Hu Yuhang in charge, it should be very simple.

"We need to remind the research institutes and factories here to speed up follow-up research and development according to our needs. Just like the previous conditions, the launch of our new electrical products is closely related to this. Also, we need to ask them to ensure production capacity and quality. Also, since we are supplying in large quantities, the cost must be reduced. Our goal is to lower it than Fuso. You must argue for these during the negotiations."

Although Miss Wu had already explained it in detail, the boss had proposed a new goal, so she still had to plan it carefully. Secretary Chen took notes very seriously.

Seeing that the boss no longer made any requests, Secretary Chen went on to report on the bizarre operations of the Xiangjiang Motorcycle Assembly Plant in the past month. At first, they refused to ship the vehicles, but finally stated that after checking the product quality issues at the end of the month, they would pay the full amount of 5,000 vehicles for this month, and in a few days they could start shipping out the qualified products in batches.

I know something must have happened at the steel rolling mill. I have seldom visited Lao Yang these days, but have been visiting Professor Xu and the Materials Research Institute. These news are cut off, so it seems I have to get closer to Lao Yang and find out the whereabouts of Director Shao.

"I think I'm done with this."

Zhu Xuefeng drank boiled water but his heart was burning. This Wu Qianqian was really capable. She had achieved this in less than a month. Her communication ability was indeed very strong. Many people were not incompetent. Give her the right opportunity and resources and she would give you a surprise. Wu Qianqian had worked at HSBC for several years. This experience was very important, but without Zhu Xuefeng's resources and stage, she might have ended up being a lobby manager all her life. But now she is already a celebrity in Hong Kong.

Secretary Chen hesitated, as if he really had something to say.

"Just tell me if you have something to say. I'll leave after you're done. Let's go back to sleep early."

"This is it, Boss. Miss Wu doesn't want to tell you, but I still think you need to know."

"Hey, what's the matter? Tell me, Miss Wu won't blame you."

"Then I'll tell you..."

It turned out that Wu Qianqian had appeared on a Hong Kong TV station and was in the newspapers, and then someone came to pursue her. Wu Qianqian was annoyed. Once, after politely sending the person away, she sulked in the office for a long time. She was discovered by Secretary Chen who was reporting to her work, but Miss Wu did not want to tell Zhu Xuefeng.

Zhu Xuefeng remained silent. She was beautiful and definitely rich. Sooner or later, she would be targeted by those with ulterior motives. There was nothing that could be done about it, especially since many families were accustomed to using this method to win over people and form common interest groups to resist the oppression of foreign companies.

Not to mention that her woman is inviolable, even the huge business in Hong Kong, including the business in the autonomous region and Fuso, is coordinated by her, and she will soon take over the grain procurement in North Korea. She is the nerve center of her business, and some things need to be done quickly, as she is still short of people.

"I know, I'm sure she'll handle it!"

I am very confident that Wu Qianqian can handle this kind of thing well, and she has a lot of leverage at this stage.

"Secretary Chen, thank you for telling me this news."

Zhu Xuefeng also stood up, looked out the window at the city area falling into darkness, and spoke again.

"Tell Miss Wu not to worry. If someone doesn't know how to be polite, then don't give him face. Don't put yourself in a difficult position. Don't take a small family seriously. Even if they are white, don't put yourself in a difficult position. No matter what happens, I will cover for her."

Zhu Xuefeng said it lightly, but his tone was firm and unquestionable. Miss Chen secretly envied Miss Wu for finding the right person. "Go back and tell Miss Wu that since there is hope of getting the industrial land, the materials, battery, and biological research institutes I mentioned last time should speed up the talent reserve and start research as soon as possible."

...

"Leader, what happened in our factory a while ago? I heard from my partner that my uncle Xia sighed after he went back home. He wouldn't say anything when asked. When asked urgently, he said there was a traitor in the court. What happened? When did a traitor appear in the factory?"

Old Yang quickly stopped him, "Don't talk nonsense, this Old Xia is the same, he can also talk nonsense like this without any brains."

"Tell me what happened, please."

Old Yang seemed a little serious. After thinking for a while, he finally spoke.

"It's not really a secret. A few days ago, a document was downloaded from above..."

Zhu Xuefeng was stunned. Was it such a big deal? No wonder Li Huaide was so confident. Fortunately, adjustments were made in time and no major harm was caused, otherwise the steel mill would have suffered a great loss.

Dongsheng Company also had to suffer a loss. You know, the maintenance of the sales channels in North America and Europe and the personnel expenses are not a small number. Suddenly there is no goods to sell, and the channels that have been painstakingly established cannot be abandoned directly. They can only maintain them. Fortunately, timely adjustments can be made later.

"How can this document be so sloppy without any research? But this matter is quite strange and a bit weird."

In order to get more information, Zhu Xuefeng tried to use conversation skills. He had never used them before and was not very skilled. Unexpectedly, Lao Yang was quite cooperative. After listening to what Zhu Xuefeng said, he also asked.

"What's weird? What's strange?"

"Boss, isn't it strange that the documents came to you for no apparent reason? And you took them back so quickly, isn't that a bit too serious? Isn't that weird?"

"Who is helping us? If he hadn't helped, according to the documents, our factory would have suffered heavy losses in the past few months. We would have lost all our foreign exchange and would have had to find ways to bring the cars back for domestic sales. We might even have to pay the Hong Kong government. We would have suffered huge losses from everything."

Old Yang seemed a little proud. "That's right. If the steel mill is to go through this, the annual target will definitely be ruined, and it will be a disaster."

Old Yang talked for a long time and only said that the steel rolling mill was lucky, without mentioning anything else. Zhu Xuefeng understood that Old Yang must know something, but it was inconvenient for him to say it in front of a young man like him. So he let go of the idea and just wanted to know what it was. He then turned the topic to Director Shao through the motorcycle project.

"You said Lao Shao, he was also a poor man. His case was not tried in public, but Lao Chen and I still went to the trial. Although we did not intend to leak secrets, it actually caused the leakage of secrets. The court also took the actual situation into consideration and gave a very light sentence."

Old Yang recalled the trial process with great pain. Taking into account Director Shao's contributions over the years and this unintentional mistake, he was sentenced to three years in prison, but Old Yang was not sure where the sentence was.

"This should be considered an internal people's issue, not an enemy-enemy conflict or a major criminal case. Three years is not a light sentence. Why didn't they send him to reeducation through labor?"

Zhu Xuefeng remembered that Jia Dongxu was a labor camp sentence at that time. As far as he knew, this was considered a lenient treatment for an internal conflict, and Lao Shao must have been considered dereliction of duty in his work among the people.

Old Yang smiled at Zhu Xuefeng. This kid finally had something he didn't understand. He liked to look up information on everything. It seemed that Zhu Xuefeng hadn't even checked the requirements from above.

"Xiao Zhu, I need to tell you what kind of situations are suitable for reeducation through labor."

It turns out that according to the regulations of 1957, the purpose of re-education through labor was to transform those who were idle, violated laws and regulations, and had no proper job into new people who could support themselves. The application had to be submitted by the original unit or street, and the public security could handle it without a trial.

Lao Shao's crime of leaking state secrets was not included in this category at all. The reason he was only sentenced to three years in prison instead of life imprisonment or execution was because of his identity and the fact that he had no subjective will. The steel mill's request also played a big role.

"It's a pity for Lao Shao. He was a senior college student who had devoted his whole life to revolution. In the end, he made such a big mistake and now his family is broken up."

Lao Yang, who had worked with Lao Shao for many years, felt very sorry for Lao Shao because he was sentenced. The studies of his two sons and one daughter were interrupted and they had no classes to attend, so they could only pick up scraps on the streets and do odd jobs.

"I've been to their home to visit. His wife does sewing and mending, washing and starching for others. His two sons are 16 and 13, and his daughter is 8. They can't stay in school, so they all drop out. The family still has some savings, which is enough to get by now, but not in the future. There is no fixed income, and even if they are old enough, they can't come to the steel mill. The difficulties are yet to come."

During this period, most families had many children. Since Lao Shao was arrested, there was no way his children could take over the business.

"If Lao Shao is released from prison, can he return to the steel mill?"

Lao Yang threw a cigarette and the two lit it. Lao Yang took a long puff and said dimly, "If I'm sent to labor reform, there's still a chance to arrange it. If I'm released after serving my sentence, in principle the steel mill won't accept me again. My life is ruined. That's why I always say that drinking makes things go wrong, and it really does!"

The new equipment for the steel rolling mill should be available in another month. By then, the precision of the products will be greatly improved, and the steel rolling mill will continue to have a technological advantage, but Director Shao can't come back.

"I came up with this crappy method. Logically speaking, if we trace it back to the source, it's all my fault. Director Shao is also... Forget it, factory, I have a favor to ask of you."

"Go ahead, what can't we talk about? Without the secretary, you don't come here often, and it's hard for me to find someone to talk to."

"I would like to ask you to check where Director Shao is serving his sentence, and encourage him to serve his sentence well and strive for a sentence reduction. Also, please take care of his family. If you are free, please take me to see them sometime. I collapsed at the aluminum factory last year, and it was Director Shao who found someone to rescue me. I have to repay this favor."

Zhu Xuefeng's excuse made did make some sense, but it was also far-fetched if you look into it in detail. However, Lao Yang didn't take it seriously and was very happy.

"In fact, I have been looking for help from his family, but this job is difficult to find. His wife is illiterate. It was arranged by the family back then, and it is difficult to find a temporary worker for her."

"Leader, let's put it this way. As you know, I've been busy these past two years and have received a lot of rewards. I'll give them some money every month to support their family of four. You can go with me to send the kids back to school. See how it goes."

"That's impossible. You mean well, but this is not your fault at all. If you do this, you will cause gossip. You are still young, so it is more appropriate for me to do this."

As for Lao Shao's family, his brother-in-law has also been put in jail, and the two families have lost their harmony. They hardly visit each other anymore, and they cannot survive without help. Zhu Xuefeng wants to recruit Lao Shao, so of course he has to start with this. However, Lao Yang is worried that it will affect Zhu Xuefeng's future, so position is very important.

"Leader, don't talk about this. You are a leader, and people will pay attention to you wherever you go. It will have a huge impact. I am a young man, but I will not attract attention. It is much more convenient. Besides, I have little brothers who can run errands for me. Please don't get involved in this matter."

"How about this, I'll pay for it with you, and you'll be responsible for running errands. Don't bother me anymore. You're an unemployed person with a little savings, so you can't do this. If you agree, I'll take you there after get off work."

Old Yang put out his cigarette and directly rejected Zhu Xuefeng's suggestion. Zhu Xuefeng had no choice but to nod in acceptance.

"That's right, but this burden is still not small for you, is it necessary?" Old Yang was really worried that Zhu Xuefeng would spend all his money. Although the slap just now was not bad, there were three students in his family and no one was working. Old Yang regretted that he had agreed too hastily.

"Don't worry, leader. I won't be put in jail if I help their family. Wait, I have another idea that's better than paying money."

Zhu Xuefeng suddenly thought of the age of their eldest brother and quickly spoke to Lao Yang.

"The eldest son is sixteen years old. With something like this happening, there is no hope for him to go to college. I wonder if I can help him find a temporary job. If so, it seems more suitable."

"Do you still have this ability?" Old Yang still remembered the last time Zhu Xuefeng stuffed two female students into his office, who were also temporary workers.

"I don't have it, but someone else does. Don't worry, I won't ask you this time. Besides, it's easier for them to accept finding a job than giving money directly."

Daya will have to leave sooner or later. Director Shao's eldest son is sixteen, so he must be able to read and count. There should be no problem in letting him be an apprentice in the furniture factory and help with the accounting. This is more appropriate than giving people money directly. Not everyone can accept donations and help as brazenly as the Jia family. People of this period have strong self-esteem.

Seeing that Zhu Xuefeng was so confident and what he said made sense, Lao Yang had no choice but to believe him and confirmed this assistance plan.

"After get off work, the family quarters are full of factory workers. Since they don't have work to do, we go there now, so it won't attract attention." (End of this chapter)