Break out of the courtyard

After Director Wang, Liu Yuan, Huang Wenli and driver Xiao Zhou had a meal of dumplings at Zhang's house, he called Zhang Heping out and took a walk around Houhai Lake to digest the food.

"Peace, influenced by the GATT, a consensus has been reached that the 'plan' will not be mentioned again in the future."

Zhang Heping was not surprised to hear Director Wang's words. The market economy was inevitable sooner or later.

Director Wang saw that Zhang Heping just nodded and didn't say anything, so he knew that this guy didn't want to attend the price reform meeting again, so he changed the subject:

"You said before that you would use the money from Peace Investment Company to invest in domestic aerospace, nuclear power, and the Internet. When will the money be in place?"

Zhang Heping looked at the dim Yinding Bridge and slowly approached. "The domestic company is ready, you can contact me at any time. Anyway, it won't cost much money in the early stage of cooperation, so there is no need to wait for all the funds to be in place!"

"Okay, we'll contact each other then!" Director Wang said, and turned the topic to the investment in Shenzhen, Banna and Wucheng.

Huang Wenli took a quick step forward and said, "Heping, are you free tomorrow? My dad wants to talk to you about Wucheng."

Zhang Heping smiled and said, "I must be free tomorrow on New Year's Eve. I've been busy for so long."

Huang Wenli said anxiously, "We can come at 9 o'clock tomorrow morning, is that okay?"

Zhang Heping walked up to Yinding Bridge with his hands behind his back, looking at the popular roadside night market on the south bank, and said indifferently: "It's up to you!"

Zhang Heping walked around and chatted with Director Wang and the others. After taking the three bottles of flowers and three bouquets of dried flowers given by Zhang Heping, they got into the car and left.

The flowers were divided among the family members and there was nothing left. They were all placed in the vases in their respective rooms.

It is a rare thing to see flowers blooming slowly in a vase in the capital in winter. No wonder they were so happy to share them.

When his concubine Chen Shuting saw Zhang Heping sitting down and picking up the newspaper, she came over and asked in a low voice, "Husband, what do Aunt Wang and the others want to talk to you about?"

"Didn't I miss the meeting these days?" Zhang Heping said softly, "Auntie Wang came to convey the spirit of the meeting to me, and then talked about some investment in the mainland."

The father-in-law Tang Ming put down the newspaper and asked in confusion: "Heping, are you planning to invest in a new project in the mainland?"

Zhang Heping replied: "I mentioned cooperation in nuclear power and the Internet before, but I haven't received a response from the higher-ups yet."

"The mainland's policies still need to be further liberalized!" Tang Ming lowered his voice and said, "The CPPCC has been arguing about the issue of planning and the market recently, and it is very likely that the plan will be abandoned."

"Yeah!" Zhang Heping did not say that a consensus had been reached because the matter had not been made public yet and it was estimated that more people would need to be won over to form a unified understanding.

Tang Ming asked again: "I heard that our status as a contracting party to the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade will be officially restored tonight. Have you agreed to cooperate with Magnesium in chip production?"

"I didn't agree!" Zhang Heping smiled faintly, "Maybe the domestic chip manufacturers have the intention to cooperate!"

"Will it be restored tonight?" Concubine Chen Shuting's brows gradually frowned, "Hong Kong Island's trade exports may be affected."

Although Zhang Heping knew that in the early hours of this evening, which was daytime in Magnesium, Europe, Magnesium and other countries would agree to restore the mainland's status as a contracting party to the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade, he had no plans to stay up late waiting for news.

The next day, January 1th, was New Year’s Eve.

After finishing his breakfast, Zhang Heping saw that Lao Zhang was about to go out to open the door of the shoe store. He couldn't help but say to him, "Dad, it's Chinese New Year, why are you still running a shoe store? Don't you see that your two apprentices are not paying attention to the store?"

Zhang Bing, who was walking out, was stunned for a moment, then nodded and said, "I understand. I'll pay them their wages later and close the shop for a rest in the afternoon."

"By the way, your comrade Huang Xuemin will be here this morning." After Zhang Heping said this, without waiting for Lao Zhang to react, he went upstairs to wake up those lazy pigs.

Around 8:40 in the morning, Huang Wenli came with her father Huang Xuemin, carrying four bottles of Wucheng Fenjiu and some cakes.

"Old Zhang!" Huang Xuemin had learned from his daughter that Zhang Bing opened a shoe store, so he did not go into the hospital, but went directly to the shoe store to win over his comrades-in-arms first.

Although his relationship with Zhang Bing is not very close, he cannot escape the fact that they were once in the same company and can recall some of their youth in the war.

“Old Huang…” Zhang Bing saw the gift in Huang Xuemin’s hand and stood up hurriedly, “Come here if you want, you have to take the things away.”

"It's just a specialty of Wucheng, not worth much!" Huang Xuemin said with a smile: "Besides, with my salary, I can't afford an expensive gift."

Zhang Bing approached and found that Huang Xuemin was carrying wine, so he said, "It's okay if you don't want to take it back. I'll call two more comrades over and we'll drink it at noon today."

"This..." Huang Xuemin was secretly happy in his heart. This comradeship was indeed reliable.

Zhang Bing did not give Huang Xuemin a chance to refuse. He turned around and said to his two apprentices, "Yonghua, Wentao, go pick up your grandfather... Forget it, I'll ask Heping to send someone to pick him up."

After he finished speaking, Zhang Bing led Huang Xuemin into the yard and told Zhang Heping about picking him up.

The eight bodyguards were unfamiliar with the routes around the capital, and neither was his cousin Ma Yonghu. The key point was that he had only been driving a car for less than a month, and it was not safe in the ice and snow.

Zhang Heping looked around and wanted to ask his second brother-in-law Zhang Yong to drive to pick up the people, but the guard at the door said he could drive, so Zhang Heping gave him the car keys and asked the two shoe store apprentices to lead the way.

Huang Xuemin was not in a hurry to ask about the investment. He came here today mainly to build relationships and secondly to find out Zhang Heping's opinion on Wucheng.

After all, Wucheng's policies are indeed not as open as Shenzhen's.

Zhang Heping roughly guessed what Huang Xuemin was thinking, so he simply took him upstairs for a walk.

Then, he left Huang Wenli at the mahjong table on the third floor and took Huang Xuemin to the lobby on the second floor to play table tennis.

Zhang Heping fed more than a dozen ping-pong balls and couldn't help but smile: "Uncle Huang must have played a lot of ping-pong in Wucheng! Your skills are comparable to those of professional players."

Huang Xuemin smiled and said, "I can't play basketball, so I can only rely on table tennis to keep fit."

"What do you think about Wen Li?" Zhang Heping said as he fed the ball to her: "If you don't arrange a job for her in the Mainland, I will really keep her in Hong Kong Island. It won't be a problem to get her a Hong Kong Island identity."

Huang Xuemin was distracted by these words and hit the ping-pong ball off target.

While Zhang Heping was picking up the ball, Huang Xuemin thought for a moment and said, "Does this girl have a boyfriend in Hong Kong Island?"

"Hmm!" Zhang Heping bounced the ping-pong ball on the table with his left hand, not in a hurry to serve. "Why don't you organize a Wucheng inspection team to go to Hong Kong Island to investigate the market? I'll introduce you to a few real estate developers, and you can also take a look at her partner."

"Real estate developer?" Huang Xuemin's focus was a little off.

Zhang Heping was not surprised. This man was a bit obsessed with power, and his words just now were somewhat tentative.

"What kind of political achievement do you want to achieve?" Zhang Heping handed the ping-pong ball to the other party and said with a faint smile, "Build roads? Build bridges? Build factories? Build houses to expand the urban area?"

"I suggest you go to Hong Kong Island to see how prosperous it is outside, then go to Shenzhen to understand the local openness, and finally go to Huadu to compare the policies of several places."

"If you have time, you can fly to Banna. The airport in Banna was opened in November last year, and the tourism facilities there are being improved."

Listen to the sound, listen to the gongs and drums.

After all, Huang Xuemin has been in the officialdom for many years, so he naturally understood the key point of Zhang Heping's words, local policies!
"I'll apply for the inspection when I get back!" Huang Xuemin picked up the ping-pong ball on the ground, then walked to the table and said seriously, "However, I'm not sure whether I can go to Hong Kong Island. Wucheng's funds are tight!" Zhang Heping shrugged, "The Heping Group can fund an invitation for you to go to Hong Kong for inspection, but do you dare to accept this kind of sugar-coated bullet?"

Huang Xuemin put down his racket, took out a pack of Huanghelou cigarettes and wanted to give it to Zhang Heping, but Zhang Heping took the cigarette and handed it to Lao Zhang who was sitting nearby watching the game.

Huang Xuemin lit cigarettes for Lao Zhang and himself, took a deep breath, let his mind clear up a little, and then said: "I have to take this sugar-coated bullet of yours back to Beihu Province and ask the relevant leaders."

"How many years until Uncle Huang retires?" Zhang Heping asked a sad question.

Huang Xuemin frowned, exhaled, and said in a muffled voice: "Next November!"

Zhang Heping smiled and said, "If Uncle Huang wants to continue to build Wucheng after retirement, he can consider joining the Heping Group after retirement and be responsible for the investment in the Beihu area in Wucheng."

As soon as these words came out, many thoughts flashed through Huang Xuemin's mind!

Zhang Heping thinks he is too old?
Do you think he doesn't have two years left to work?

Or was it to remind him to transfer his children to Wucheng...

"Take your time to think about it. I'll have Wen Li send you the invitation letter from the Peace Group after she returns to Hong Kong Island." Zhang Heping put away his racket and ping-pong ball and said with a smile, "I'll go see what to have for lunch."

After saying that, Zhang Heping went upstairs to get three bags, put some cigarettes and alcohol in the bags downstairs, and waited to give them to Huang Xuemin when he left.

Not long after, Lao Zhang's two comrades arrived.

"Uncle Li, Uncle Tang, long time no see!"

Zhang Heping greeted Old Li who had broken both arms, and Old Tang who had lost his fingers and calves, and then shouted to Old Zhang who was on the second floor.

After arranging the two old men upstairs, Zhang Heping continued to teach Zhang Nan and Zhang Nian’s six roommates how to cut vegetables and cook on the first floor.

On ordinary weekends, dozens of classmates and employees of Zhang Bei and Zhang Nan would have dinner at Zhang's house. Ma Xiuzhen definitely couldn't take care of them all, as Zhang Zhaodi, Zhang Pandi and others still had to go to work.

So, when these students eat here, they take turns to prepare their own meals.

Among them, the food cooked by Zhang Nan and Zhang Nian’s six female roommates is the most delicious.

As dinner time approached, Ma Xiuzhen, who had won money playing mahjong on the third floor, went downstairs with her relative Xu Jiefeng.

"Heping, have you made the paste?" Ma Xiuzhen glanced at the stove and the dining table in the living room.

"What's the point of making paste?" Zhang Heping wondered, recalling some bad memories.

"Make paste to paste Spring Festival couplets!" Ma Xiuzhen said as she went to get a bowl to fill it with flour.

Zhang Heping smiled and said, "Xiaobei and the others have already glued the Spring Festival couplets on. Or did you tell him this this morning? Did you forget?"

Ma Xiuzhen thought about it and it seemed to be true, so she smiled and said, "I was playing mahjong just now and forgot about it."

Zhang Heping saw that all the people who were playing mahjong on the third floor had come down. He couldn't help but glance at his watch, then asked everyone to wash their hands and take their seats.

It was cold in winter, so the dishes that the six girls had just cooked were kept warm in the steamer on Zhou's stove until everyone was present.

"Cousin, I'll toast you, please do as you please!" Ma Yonghu, who works as a driver at the Heping Automobile Experience Store, picked up a glass of Wucheng Fenjiu, clinked it with Zhang Heping's glass next to him, and drank it all.

Zhang Heping picked up the wine glass but didn't drink it. He said casually, "Yonghu, if you want to be a driver for a big boss like Uncle Huang and have a stable job as a civil servant, you have to think more about how to drink this wine!"

Huang Xuemin laughed and said, "What kind of leader am I? Heping, please don't embarrass me!"

"Uncle Li, Uncle Tang, Uncle Huang, Dad, I'd like to toast you!" Zhang Heping stood up and held out the wine glass with both hands.

Zhang Bing had a smile on his face, but his tone was a little serious, "You usually have to perform surgery on patients, so drink less. Just a little for your sake!"

Zhang Heping said with a smile: "It's rare for you old comrades to get together. I will drink a drink with you today and promote blood circulation."

"I heard that Heping is a very skilled doctor and he cured the old company commander's youngest son. Is that true?" Huang Xuemin asked with a puzzled look on his face. In fact, he had known about this for a long time. Speaking it out now was just to praise Zhang Heping.

"Old Huang, you didn't see how miserable the old company commander's youngest son was at that time..." Old Zhou shook his head, holding the wine glass and drinking it down.

Zhang Heping drank the wine in his glass with a smile, then picked up the bottle and filled Uncle Li's small wine bowl.

Uncle Li had both his arms broken on the battlefield, so he could only drink from this shallow bowl. He would bite the edge of the bowl with his teeth and drink it all in one gulp with his head tilted back.

"Damn it!" Uncle Li cursed, but of course not at Zhang Heping.

"When I saw that child, I thought of Gu Qiang and the others. It was all caused by the incendiary bombs!" Old Li was very angry, but he had no way to vent his anger with his hands, causing his upper body to twist a lot.

Huang Xuemin saw that the situation was not right, so he quickly diverted Lao Li's attention, "Didn't he get cured later?"

"All right!" Old Tang, whose fingers were gone, held up the wine glass with both hands and moved it forward a little to make it easier for Zhang Heping to pour him wine. He did not forget to reply, "It took Heping a year to heal those burned kids."

Old Li nodded. "At the beginning of the year, I met that youngest boy once. He said that the man's thing was also repaired and he even got married."

"That thing can also do that?" Huang Xuemin was stunned and couldn't help but look at Zhang Heping.

Zhang Heping coughed, and despite the gossiping looks from the girls and women next door, he said calmly, "It's mainly because the injury to the vital parts was not serious, so it was cured. Otherwise, even a god wouldn't be able to cure it."

After pouring the wine, Zhang Heping sat down, glanced at Ma Yonghu whose face was flushed, shook his head and thought to himself that this kid was not suitable to enter the system.

I don't know who told this kid that, asking him if he was interested in joining the company as a driver, but this kid really thought that such a good thing had happened to him, and he didn't even think about his own capabilities!

...

Qianmen, Loujia Restaurant.

Lou Wenjun frowned as he looked at this nephew named Zhang Xin, and asked in a cold voice, "Are you really not going to your third uncle's house to give gifts?"

"No!" Zhang Xin sat behind the cashier counter, reading the novel in his hand, and didn't even look at this cheap uncle!
"Brother, if you ask Xiaoxin to give a gift, it will have the opposite effect!" Lou Xiao'e tried to ease the atmosphere and changed the subject, asking, "Why did you suddenly come back today to give a gift to Zhang Heping?"

"The Peace Group will invest HK$2 billion in the Hong Kong stock market before February 27!" Lou Wenjun frowned as he looked at Zhang Xin, whose hands were shaking.

"Now, everyone in Hong Kong wants to know which stocks Peace Group is going to buy. You understand what this means!"

Lou Xiao'e was in the capital, where she was somewhat isolated from the news. She didn't read newspapers and often missed TV news. As a result, she didn't even know about the stock market crashes in Europe, Japan, Hong Kong and other places.

However, she still understood what her second brother meant, and bought the Hong Kong stocks that Heping Group wanted to buy in advance, and then waited for the stock price to rise before selling them.

...(End of chapter)