Break out of the courtyard

After the fighting broke out in the Middle East, Zhang Heping actually had more free time and no longer had to go to meetings every day.

Since Zhang Heping was unable to leave the capital for the time being, Chen Shuting simply changed the venue for the Heping Group's annual meeting to the Great Hall of the People next to the Capital Square.

The Great Hall of the People began renting out its auditorium, conference hall, and banquet hall to the public as early as six years ago. However, an application requires submitting a letter of introduction, an event plan, and other materials, and it is generally not available to the public.

For Mr. Hua and Mr. Li, it was just a matter of making a phone call.

On the afternoon of Sunday, January 27th, the 2nd Annual Meeting of the Peace Group was held at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing.

Zhang Heping opened the show by singing "Believe in Yourself," and then talked about the No. 1 life-extending space capsule launched last year, as well as the research and development progress of related life-extending drugs.

Finally, he reiterated future plans such as the Tiangong space station, space cloud computer, and space cloud server.

Tang Xin went on stage and mentioned the "Peace Investment Plan" that she had mentioned last year. Unfortunately, there were too few people who resigned to start their own businesses last year, and there are no cases of them taking off and making a lot of money.

Next, Chen Shuting took the stage and talked about the group's achievements last year and its development goals for this year.

Finally, following Zhang Heping's request, Chen Shuting announced the plan to teach in impoverished areas of mainland China for one year.

Teaching in rural areas is entirely voluntary and is not included in individual performance evaluations, but employees who have already participated in rural teaching will be given priority for internal promotion.

In addition, a poverty alleviation program has been added, requiring each company to implement at least one poverty alleviation project each year. This will be included in the company's overall performance evaluation and will affect the amount of the year-end bonus!
The poverty alleviation project is not limited to the domestic market, because the Peace Group is already conducting overseas business.

If the Peace Group wants to become a multinational corporation, it cannot limit itself to a single region.

Finally, we had a grand finale of singing "Unity is Strength" together!
After the meeting, everyone went to the banquet hall to gather, and it wasn't until 10 p.m. that the Peace Group members dispersed and returned to their hotel.

The next morning, Director Wang, along with investment representatives from Qinghai, Gansu, and Xinjiang provinces, as well as the head of the State Grid Northwest Region, arrived at Zhangjia Village on the north bank of Houhai Lake to discuss a solar photovoltaic power generation project with Zhang Heping and Chen Shuting.

These investment promotion representatives had previously heard about solar photovoltaic power stations from Zhang Heping at Shenzhen Peace College and had the idea of ​​giving it a try.

However, when they approached the Peace Group and its renewable energy company, neither side had any intention of cooperating on the project.

But Zhang Heping was the one who first proposed this project, and the relevant technology was also on his side. The fact that Heping Group was not cooperating was puzzling to them.

Don't say they don't understand; even Director Wang and Liu Yuan haven't figured it out.

Then, on a whim, they approached Southern Power Company in Shenzhen.

Although China Southern Power Company also rejected the project, after learning that the solar photovoltaic power station was proposed by Zhang Heping, the person in charge of China Southern Power Company gave them two suggestions: to ask the State Grid, or to establish a Northwest Power Company to cooperate with Heping Group.

Initially, the investment promotion representatives from these provinces all wanted to establish the Northwest Power Company because they had heard that the Southern Power Company only provided land and personnel, while the money and most of the technology were provided by the Peace Group.

In other words, all they need to do is offer a piece of worthless wasteland, which will not only attract investment but also solve the employment problem for a number of people!

However, when they approached the Peace Group individually, on a provincial basis, they were still rejected.

The Peace Group isn't so rich that it doesn't know what to do with its money; how could it possibly let them fight their own battles?

The key point is that after they did that, the public relations department had to maintain relationships in multiple provinces, which was expensive, laborious, and thankless!
It was only after they approached the State Grid that the deadlock was broken.

After hearing their purpose, Zhang Heping said, "I can license the relevant technology to you, and you won't need to pay any licensing fees."

"I just want to know, how much is the State Grid Corporation of China prepared to pay for each kilowatt-hour of electricity?"

The Southern Power Company sells electricity cheaply; one kilowatt-hour of electricity now costs only a few cents.

At the banquet following yesterday's annual meeting, the head of Southern Power Company also spoke with Chen Shuting, saying that industrial electricity prices in the Pearl River Delta had risen to 35 cents per kilowatt-hour, and they wanted to raise the electricity price appropriately.

Unfortunately, Chen Shuting did not agree!

In order to promote the construction of more thorium-based molten salt reactor nuclear power plants, Zhang Heping will not change his strategy of large-capacity, low-price, low-profit, high-volume sales.

"The pricing issue still needs to be discussed at the meeting!" The head of the State Grid Northwest region explained somewhat apologetically, "There are relatively few factories in the Northwest, so the purchase price per kilowatt-hour should not be too high."

"Moreover, the initial investment in solar photovoltaic power generation equipment is not a small amount, and we also need to consider the cost recovery."

"You guys give it a try first!" Zhang Heping shook his head slightly, not very optimistic about the power cooperation between the State Grid and these three provinces.

Without subsidies, it is difficult to promote solar photovoltaic power generation under the low electricity price model!
After seeing these people off, Zhang Heping was called to a short meeting by phone.

There are F-117 stealth fighters deployed in the Middle East, and we need Zhang Heping to go there and help analyze the situation.

During a brief rest, Hua Lao suddenly asked Zhang Heping, "Heping, what do you think about letting Xiaolong and Xiaohu join the army?"

Zhang Heping was looking at satellite maps when Hua Lao asked him this question. He turned to look at Hua Lao and frowned, saying, "This matter should be discussed with both of them. I respect their choice."

Respect my ass!

How could a father not know whether his own son wanted to join the army?

Zhang Heping's words were already a veiled refusal.

But Hua Lao did not give up and continued, "Don't worry, we will recruit them, but we will not send them to the front line. They will be trained as scientific and technological elites."

"This time, seeing the various electronic warfare aircraft and precision-guided weapons from the United States, the higher-ups have also realized the importance of new equipment and electronic information warfare."

Zhang Heping pretended not to hear and went to check the satellite map on his computer.

Meanwhile, at the Shenzhen Peace Academy, Zhang Long and Zhang Hu, who did not return to the capital, became unusually angry after being repeatedly asked by several experts and professors whether they wanted to join the army. They complained that the experts and professors kept asking them, even though they had already refused!

Although Zhang Long and Zhang Hu do not own a company, they have been receiving dividends from their family trust fund and have hundreds of millions of dollars in their bank accounts, more than their older brother Zhang Bei and second sister Zhang Nan, who are currently starting a business and squandering their money.

Besides, what these two kids are pursuing now is to develop a virtual reality gaming device as soon as possible!
……

Winter vacation has started, and the children are all grown up and busy with their own lives.

This time when we returned to the capital, Zhang Bei, Zhang Nan, Zhang Long, and Zhang Hu did not come back with us, nor did Zhang Nian, the third girl from Shanghai.

The Zhang family was still debating where to spend the Spring Festival this year, because Zhang Heping didn't know how long the meetings would last.

However, after Zhang Yi, Zhang's nephew, took his wife Luo Yi and father-in-law Luo Wen to Shenzhen to visit the controlled nuclear fusion device, the Zhang family became more inclined to spend the Chinese New Year in Shenzhen.

In particular, when Chang Le said he would be working overtime at the aerospace base during the Spring Festival, with the support of her three grandsons, one granddaughter, and two grandsons-in-law, Ma Xiuzhen finally decided to spend the Spring Festival in Shenzhen.

Then, something funny happened: Ma Xiuzhen took Zhang Bing, Tang Xin, Chen Shuting, and Zhang Feng back to Shenzhen first, leaving the three siblings Zhang Heping, Zhang Zhaodi, and Zhang Pandi in the capital.

A few days later, Zhang Heping suddenly understood why his mother, Ma Xiuzhen, had gone to Shenzhen for the Chinese New Year.

On February 2nd at noon, both my sisters and their husbands ate at the company cafeteria.

When Zhang Heping was having lunch with the Zhou family and four bodyguards, more than a dozen relatives from Zhangjiakou arrived at the door.

Zhang Heping initially didn't pay much attention, and had his bodyguard explain that Zhang Bing wasn't there, hoping to get rid of the person just like that.

As a result, those people stayed outside the door and refused to leave, even wanting the people inside to provide them with food and lodging! "Brother Heping!" Zhou Lao Er saw Zhang Heping frown as he walked out of the courtyard gate and hurriedly stepped forward to report, "In the past few years, they would come a week before the Spring Festival, ask Uncle Zhang for money, and then go back."

Zhang Heping patted Zhou Lao Er on the shoulder and walked out the door without saying a word.

"What is it?" Zhang Heping asked indifferently, looking at the dozen or so men, women, and children in front of him.

The clothes these people wore looked like old clothes from Zhang Zhaodi and Zhang Pandi's families, half-new and without patches; the fur shoes on their feet were the style from Old Zhang's shop; when they were given to them, they should have been new shoes.

When these people saw Zhang Heping in person, along with the four burly bodyguards behind him who looked like bears but were actually very afraid of the cold and were wrapped in multiple down jackets, no one dared to speak for a moment.

Zhang Heping glanced indifferently at the group of relatives he had never met before, then turned to go back inside to read.

"That Sanwazi!" A small old man wearing a black leather jacket and an orange down jacket was tidied up by the others and nervously called out Zhang Bing's nickname.

Unfortunately, Zhang Heping was also the third child, and he was called back by him.

Under Zhang Heping's frowning gaze, the old man who had just spoken felt a pang of panic. Recalling the scene at Zhang Yi's wedding banquet where he had seen Zhang Heping chatting and laughing with important figures like Elder Hua and Elder Li, he became too nervous to speak again.

"We're here to see Third Grandfather!" a young man in a long black down jacket said from behind the crowd.

"He went to Shenzhen!" Zhang Heping replied casually, then turned and walked towards the courtyard gate.

"Forget it, stop talking!" A middle-aged woman whispered to the people next to her, "Didn't you hear what Zhang Cuiya said? Zhang Xiaosan looks down on us farmers. We'll talk to Da Ya and Er Ya when they come back."

"Are Aunt Zhaodi and Aunt Pandi rich?" a young woman asked in a low voice. "I heard from the village chief that officials don't earn much these days."

"They all have cars to drive, how could they not be rich?" someone whispered. "These days, which official doesn't have a way to make money?"

"Besides, even if they don't have money, wouldn't they ask Zhang Xiaosan, who has money?"

Zhang Heping originally only wanted them to stand in the snow for a while to freeze, and then give up.

Unexpectedly, these people who were trying to take advantage of him ended up targeting him indirectly!

Zhang Heping took out his phone, thought for a moment, and then gave up the idea of ​​calling the police himself.

Then, he called a bodyguard in and gave him detailed instructions.

Afterwards, the bodyguard went to an internet cafe in Nanguan Hutong, found Biaozi, handed him a roll of magnesium, and then explained Zhang Heping's request.

Biaozi politely returned the roll of money, but the bodyguard refused to accept it, saying it was just the rule of procedure.

Upon hearing this, Biaozi stuffed the money into his pocket, took out three cartons of Zhonghua cigarettes, and gave one carton to the bodyguard, but the bodyguard still refused to accept it.

"Company policy dictates we can't accept it!" The bodyguard shook his head and said bluntly, "Just help our boss get things done."

"Alright!" Biaozi didn't insist, because he hadn't seen the bodyguards smoking when he spied on them in the past few days, so he decided to just assume they didn't smoke.

After leaving the house, Biaozi asked the bodyguard again, "Brother Heping means we just need to send them back as vagrants, right?"

"Okay!" The bodyguard, hands in his pockets and clutching his clothes, said, "Find the police and 'red-sleeve aunties' you know, and send them back to Zhangjiakou as vagrants. If they have any letters of introduction or ID cards, confiscate and destroy them!"

There is no such thing as a temporary ID card now. If you lose your ID card, you won't be able to buy a ticket or take a train at the station for at least a month.

“Okay! Leave it to me!” Biaozi said, and then led the bodyguard and two henchmen to another courtyard house.

Not long after, the four of them followed a lively, energetic middle-aged woman in red sleeves out the door.

After the group turned left and right, and after they left a trail of cigarette smoke, ten more middle-aged women in red sleeves joined the group.

Then, they split into two groups. One follower, carrying a pack of cigarettes, went with an older woman in red sleeves towards the police station; the others walked onto Yinding Bridge and quickly reached the Zhang family's gate on the north bank.

Despite the freezing weather, there were still quite a few people setting up stalls and strolling around.

When Biaozi and his group arrived, they didn't immediately spot the group of poor relatives who were trying to freeload off them.

Fortunately, the three bodyguards at the door kept an eye on them and pointed out a few people browsing the roadside stalls around them.

Biaozi was quick-witted. Instead of letting Aunt Hongxiu catch the thief, he sent his henchmen up first, pretending to catch the thief.

Sure enough, the henchman grabbed the young man in the long black down jacket and shouted, "Stop thief! He stole my money!"

The shout immediately attracted the attention of those around, and those who had come from Zhangjiakou quickly gathered around.

"I didn't steal your money, don't talk nonsense!" The young man in the down jacket's face turned bright red, whether from anger or embarrassment at being watched by so many people, it was hard to tell!

"What are you doing?" The Zhang family members who came with them quickly stepped forward to help, "Let go first, let's talk this out!"

The others who came with him chimed in, "That's right, our Erdan would never steal your money, don't wrong an innocent person!"

"It was him!" The henchman, wearing a green military overcoat, wiped his nose with his sleeve and said with red eyes, "He just bumped into me, and the ten yuan I had in my pocket to buy medicine for my mom was gone!"

"Young man, don't talk nonsense. How could Erdan possibly steal your money!" Zhang's family members chimed in, but they didn't notice that more and more people were gathering around them.

"These people are probably all in cahoots!" Biaozi stirred up trouble in the crowd. "The New Year is almost here, and thieves are even teaming up to look for New Year's money. Everyone be careful with your wallets!"

"Judging from their accents, they must be from out of town!" A middle-aged woman wearing a red armband (not wearing one) chimed in, "Tell them to hand over their ID cards and have the police station check if they are habitual offenders who have moved here!"

"No! We're not thieves, we're visiting relatives at the Zhang family's house!" A middle-aged woman reacted quickly, hurriedly using the Zhang family's house next door as a shield.

"Are they really relatives of the Zhang family?" someone asked doubtfully, and the people around also looked suspiciously at the four bodyguards in black standing outside the Zhang family's courtyard gate.

"Heh, if you were relatives of the Zhang family, those bodyguards would have been here long ago!" Biaozi corrected the crowd's opinion. "No matter who you are, to prove your innocence, show your ID cards first!"

"And you just said you're here to visit relatives, so you must be from out of town. Show us your letter of introduction!"

"If you can't produce it, it means you're vagrants, and you can't clear your name of the theft!"

"ID card and letter of introduction, we have those!" The old man in the leather jacket hurriedly pulled out a black wallet, trying to prove his innocence. "I specifically asked the village chief for a letter of introduction!"

Other members of the Zhang family followed suit, taking out their wallets one after another.

Some observant people noticed that the wallets looked like items from Zhang Bing's shoe shop.

These days, not many people own a wallet, especially a leather one.

In addition, the down jackets and leather jackets worn by these dozen or so people really do resemble the Zhang family's attire.

Just as some were speculating that these people might really be relatives of the Zhang family, someone outside shouted, "The police are here!"

However, just as everyone around looked out of the crowd, waiting for the police to arrive, Biaozi, who had wrapped his scarf around his face, stepped forward and collected the ID card and letter of introduction from Zhang's poor relative... (End of this chapter)