Break out of the courtyard

After the number of people from Zhang's side decreased, some experts and professors from the college couldn't help but come over. Unfortunately, Zhang Heping ignored their academic questions and only accepted chatter about family matters, making it a point to not discuss work during the holiday.

On the morning of the third day of the Lunar New Year, Zhang Heping, Tang Xin and their group went to the airport to see off Elder Hua, Elder Li, Elder Zheng and Director Wang before returning to Hong Kong Island.

Their family's trip back to Hong Kong Island this time was not only to fulfill their promise to Tang Xin regarding the new brain-computer interface replacement, but also to attend the annual meeting of the Chinese General Chamber of Commerce on the fifth day of the Lunar New Year.

With the number of people receiving the Life-Generating 120 injection exceeding 12 last month, more and more Chinese, especially older Chinese, are eyeing the opportunity to try the drug for free in mainland China, hoping to confirm with Zhang Heping whether Hong Kong residents will enjoy the same treatment after the handover.

It is said that after the Hong Kong Government Office obtained the support of Cheung Ho-ping, it gained an advantage in the issue of dual citizenship legislation. However, the current recognition of dual or multiple citizenship in the United States conflicts with this.

In other words, if Hong Kong only implements dual citizenship, many people from the United States who have dual or multiple citizenships will not be able to obtain Hong Kong identity cards.

So the Hong Kong government pulled a stunt: it prepared to abandon dual citizenship legislation and then persuade all parties to agree to a multi-citizenship bill.

However, those hawks overlooked one thing: Hong Kong's legislative power is always less than that of the mainland's constitution, so even if dual or multiple citizenship is passed in Hong Kong, it will be useless.

Of course, whether or not to provide the people of Hong Kong Island with the Lifespan 120 medicine free of charge ultimately depends on whether Cheung Ho-ping agrees.

……

After returning to the capital, according to the plan she had discussed with Wang Sumei, Old Mrs. Zheng first invited the Xie family to her home to confirm their wishes.

The relationship between Old Lady Zheng and the Xie family actually stemmed from He Fang's uncle.

To be honest, Old Mrs. Zheng was closer to the He family.

So, on the day Zhang Heping replaced the brain-computer interface for his wife and children, Old Lady Zheng invited members of the He family to accompany them.

Xie Jia and his wife, along with their eldest son, had to work that day, and it wasn't convenient for them to take leave at the beginning of the year, so they could only ask Xie Wan, Xie Ting, their sister-in-law, and nephew to come and help out first.

So, Old Mrs. Zheng managed to get some information out of the two maids, Xie Wan and Xie Ting, and roughly understood their family's thoughts.

In the Zhou family kitchen, Xie Ting was picking vegetables while gossiping, "Sister Xirou, how are things going between you and Brother Bei?"

Zhou Xirou shook her head. She didn't want to say much, but she couldn't resist Xie Wan and Xie Ting's persistent pleading, so she said helplessly, "He seems like a block of wood. He's not even as easy to talk to as Uncle Zhang."

“That’s how all researchers are!” Xie Wan comforted her. “When we first met Brother Long and Brother Hu, we couldn’t say more than a few words. In the end, we had to help them out and get to know their research before we found some common ground.”

Zhou Xirou whispered, "When I went to their brain-computer interface lab, I noticed that two female researchers were looking at me strangely. They must have something in common with Zhang Bei."

“It’s Xu Ning and Li Tong!” Xie Wan and Xie Ting exchanged a glance, then laughed and said, “If you were talking about other people, we might not know, but in the brain-computer interface lab, only those two pursued Brother Bei, but he explicitly rejected them!”

Zhou Xirou asked curiously, "What was the reason for your refusal?"

"Tiger said their motives are impure!" Xie Ting whispered back.

Sister-in-law Cheng Bei laughed and said, "Their family is so rich, anyone who actively pursues them would probably be seen as having ulterior motives!"

“It’s different!” Xie Ting argued. “If it’s about money, they won’t say much.”

Zhou Xirou asked thoughtfully, "Could they be a hidden agent?"

While the maids were gossiping, they didn't neglect preparing dinner. By the time Xie Jia and He Fang arrived with their eldest son, Xie Qiang, the Zhou family had already steamed all the food in the pot, just waiting for everyone to arrive before serving.

After exchanging pleasantries, Grandma Zheng invited everyone to the dining table.

"I was just telling Xiaofang's uncle about what I saw and heard during my trip to Shenzhen," Grandma Zheng said with a smile. "They're developing very fast there. You should really go and see for yourselves when you have time!"

Xie Jia and He Fang exchanged a glance, thinking to themselves that they had indeed been called to discuss marriage.

"I heard they're trying to catch up with Shanghai, but judging from their current tax revenue, they seem to be far behind!" Xie Jia chimed in with a smile.

"The taxes are indeed quite low, mainly because of the generous tax incentives over there." Grandma Zheng picked up her chopsticks and said, "Let's eat first!"

"This plate of shredded pork with garlic sauce was cooked by Xiao Wan; this plate of sweet and sour pork ribs was cooked by Xiao Ting; I heard them learn these skills from Consultant Zhang in Shenzhen."

Grandma Zheng picked up a shredded piece of meat, put it in her mouth, chewed it a few times, swallowed it, and laughed, "I've already mastered 7% of the true teachings, and there's still room for improvement!"

"Xiao Wan and Xiao Ting can consult with Consultant Zhang again after the New Year when they go to Shenzhen."

He Fang tasted a piece of sweet and sour pork ribs and said with a smile, "Don't laugh at me, but this is the first time I've ever tried their stir-fried dishes."

"These two girls are so lazy at home, they won't even pick up the broom if it falls over!"

"No way!" Xie Wan and Xie Ting wrinkled their noses in dissatisfaction.

Since Old Madam Zheng had made it so obvious, Xie Jia couldn't pretend to be confused, unless he really didn't want to marry off his daughter.

But if he didn't want to marry his daughters into the Zhang family, why would he agree to let his two daughters go south to Shenzhen?

So, Xie Jia took a bite of the shredded pork with garlic sauce, put down his chopsticks, and laughed, "Those two brats have been back for so long, and they haven't shown any cooking skills at all. It's a waste of raising them all these years."

"But you just said that they learned their skills from Consultant Zhang. Does Consultant Zhang cook at home himself?"

Grandma Zheng smiled and replied, "I don't usually know, but in the past two years, every New Year's Eve dinner I've had in Shenzhen has included two or three dishes prepared by Consultant Zhang, and the taste is no worse than those of chefs who cook for state banquets."

Xie Wan interjected, "When Uncle Zhang isn't busy, he goes to the kitchen to teach the nanny how to cook. That's when we secretly learned."

Xie Jia glanced at the two girls and sighed inwardly. Girls are so outgoing; they haven't even married into the family yet, and they're already speaking up for their in-laws.

"Old Zheng!" Xie Jia's smile vanished, and he asked seriously, "I heard that during the Spring Festival, someone offended Consultant Zhang, causing the pilot program for the Longevity 120 drug in Guangdong Province to be suspended for two days. Is that true?"

Grandma Zheng explained with a smile, "Although the pilot program for the decentralized injection of Shouyuan 120 medicine has only been going on for a short time, the employees responsible for production and the medical staff responsible for injection have been working around the clock for several months."

"So, Xiao Chen gave all of them a holiday on New Year's Eve and New Year's Day."

Xie Jia asked in confusion, "Who is Xiao Chen...?"

"Hua Lao's former secretary, Xiao Chen, is now managing a whole bunch of things in Shenzhen," Old Mrs. Zheng said with a smile. "You should have met him before."

Xie Jia nodded, indicating that he knew who Secretary Chen was, but this was clearly not the answer he wanted to hear… (End of Chapter)