Break out of the courtyard

Capital, a certain conference room.

"I just received news that the United States has agreed to allow General Electric to sell LM2500 gas turbines to our country, and General Electric even wants to settle the payment in RMB." An elderly man in a gray Zhongshan suit said as he walked to the empty seat at the head of the table.

The elderly man in a green military uniform on the left at the head of the table smiled and chimed in, "Their gas turbines are outdated. Many countries' navies no longer choose them as their main propulsion system!"

"Besides, we already have a miniature thorium-based molten salt reactor nuclear power plant, so why would we need to buy that outdated equipment?"

The elderly man in gray at the head of the table smiled and said, "There's another piece of news: the US space agency wants to cooperate with us to conduct space capsule experiments."

An elderly man attending the meeting chuckled and said, "These Americans have ulterior motives; they're here to pursue the longevity drug research and development project!"

"They weren't drunk, but they know the Peace Group won't allow them to join the Longevity Drug research and development, so they're trying to sneak in through us," another elderly attendee said. "What a pity! Consultant Zhang is wary even of our people, let alone the Americans!"

"The matter of keeping the Longevity Elixir technology a secret has been discussed in a previous meeting!" The gray-robed elder at the head of the table said solemnly, "It was made very clear at the meeting that if the relevant technology were leaked, there would be a great humanitarian risk!"

"Those who have forgotten the meeting minutes can retrieve them; please refrain from saying anything detrimental to unity!"

The elderly man in a suit on the right side of the head of the table chimed in, "The production of lifespan potions of 120 and 160 involves the sensitive issue of blood supply."

"Put yourself in their shoes. If you were a test subject for the 120-year lifespan drug, would you prefer to donate blood twice a year, once a month, or have your blood drawn every day?"

The gray-robed elder at the head of the table, seeing that the elder who had spoken earlier had lowered his head and remained silent, spoke again: "The purpose of today's meeting is to discuss the RMB issuance mechanism previously submitted by the People's Bank of China."

"This mechanism is based on market supply and demand, and is a single, managed floating exchange rate system. Then, through foreign exchange reserves, RMB is passively injected to offset the inflation risks transferred by the United States!"

"However, since the Middle Easterners successfully used the Lifespan 120 potion, many foreign companies have started to stockpile RMB, which will eventually lead to poor currency circulation in our country."

"However, printing large amounts of money can lead to inflation, rising prices, and even damage the credibility of the RMB!"

"Regarding this issue, the People's Bank of China has consulted with Advisor Zhang. Advisor Zhang believes that the RMB issuance mechanism previously submitted by the People's Bank of China is rigidly linked to the magnesium dollar, which will lead to the RMB's credit being highly dependent on magnesium dollar reserves."

"Advisor Zhang suggested a 'soft connection,' maintaining a certain amount of magnesium reserves while improving the tax content of domestic GDP and the credit of government bonds."

"As for linking the cost of Shouyuan medicine treatment to RMB, it can only be seen as a commercial activity, not as an enhancement of the RMB's credibility."

"Furthermore, maintaining magnesium reserves can prevent foreign companies from dumping large amounts of RMB after accumulating a certain amount, thereby damaging the RMB's credibility!"

……

Dining room of Villa No. 1, Heping College, Shenzhen.

When Zhang Heping returned home for dinner that evening, his mistress Chen Shuting brought him a message: as long as Heping Group reduces its shareholding in its listed companies, Europe and the United States can withdraw their two previous statements.

"Did the Governor's personal secretary call to tell you this news, or did he come to our company to say it?" Zhang Heping asked casually, then picked up his soup bowl and started drinking.

Without hesitation, Chen Shuting replied, "It was said on the phone. I have a recording. Would you like to listen to it, honey?"

“No need!” Zhang Heping put down his soup bowl, his tone still casual. “If foreigners want to infiltrate our company, the only options besides sending in corporate spies are to target the company’s shares.”

"Unfortunately, we are not short of money right now, and we haven't reached the point of selling company shares."

Upon hearing this, Chen Shuting understood Zhang Heping's meaning and did not continue the topic.

"Honey, we've received feedback from Peace Automobile Company that some domestic dealers are saying our car prices are too high and will affect sales," Chen Shuting said, frowning slightly.

“In recent years, the domestic exchange rate has been declining. If Heping Auto continues to price its cars in magnesium yuan, the price of Heping Auto cars in China will definitely double.”

Previously, a Peace brand electric car sold for 34.5 RMB.

This year, due to the continued depreciation of the RMB, a Peace brand electric car sold for 53 RMB.

“There’s no need to lower the price!” Zhang Heping said calmly. “People who can afford our cars can afford them no matter how expensive they are.”

"People who can't afford it will still think it's too expensive no matter how much you lower the price. Even if you give it to them for free, they'll still complain about the car's high electricity consumption, high fuel consumption, and loud wind noise, etc."

“We don’t make money from Peace Motors, so there’s no need for us to start a price war in the mainland.”

"Moreover, if Peace Motors lowers its prices, those small car manufacturers in the mainland will have no way to survive!"

Chen Shuting said "Oh" and then focused on eating.

The reason she brought up these two issues today is mainly because countries like the EU and the US are preventing the import of Peace Group products and raising tariffs on related pharmaceuticals, health products, cosmetics, and other products, restricting the inflow of Peace Group derivatives, which has led to a 6% drop in Tingmei Trading's profits.

She planned to take advantage of the surge in Hong Kong stocks to exchange some of her shares for foreign financing, first getting countries like Europe and the United States to lift restrictions, and then buying back the shares she had previously given up after the Hong Kong stock market crashed.

This practice of buying low and selling high is common among many listed companies in Hong Kong.

However, as Zhang Heping said, Heping Group has a large amount of cash in its accounts and has not reached the point of selling company shares.

Chen Shuting was only tempted by the Hong Kong Governor's secretary because she felt she had lost out on several hundred billion US dollars in earnings, which led her to consider giving up shares in her company.

As for Heping Automobile, Chen Shuting believed that the low cost of the cars would allow them to seize the domestic market. She planned to acquire the smaller car manufacturers once they were no longer viable, and eventually dominate the domestic car market.
However, she never expected that Zhang Heping's way of thinking was completely different from hers, which made her reflect on whether her recent thoughts had become out of touch with her husband's!
Therefore, after the meal, Chen Shuting followed Zhang Heping to the top floor of the biological gene laboratory building to learn about Zhang Heping's recent research and his future ideas for the longevity drug.

Tang Xin, the first wife, will be in charge of Zhang Nuo's studies and taking care of little Zhang Hao, so she naturally can't go with them.

However, ever since her parents received the Life 120 injection and became more than twenty years younger, Tang Xin has become more open-minded about many things.

She will no longer worry about Chen Shuting managing assets that are dozens of times more than hers, nor will she worry about whether her children will fight over the inheritance in the future.

Because of the longevity potion, their lifespan has been extended by at least double, making the amount of wealth they possess irrelevant.

Of course, there were still things that bothered her.

Sure enough, when she saw her eldest son, Zhang Bei, leading his two twin brothers and trying to slip away, she immediately called out to them, "Where do you think you're going?" "Mom, um..." Zhang Bei stood there, scratching the back of his head with his right hand, momentarily flustered and unable to think of an excuse.

On the contrary, the fifth brother, Zhang Long, could lie without batting an eye. "Mom, we're going for a walk to digest our food. Do you want to come along?"

Tang Xin sat at the dining table and said in a low voice, "Have you forgotten what I told you when you came back this afternoon?"

In this family, who are the children afraid of?

Zhang Heping was the strongest fighter, but that didn't frighten the children, because he had almost never hit them, except when they were practicing martial arts as children and Zhang Heping had dislocated their limbs.

Chen Shuting would never scold or beat her child, after all, Tang Xin had given birth to six children, and she only had her second child after a nine-year gap. She usually relied on Tang Xin to help take care of the child, so how could she dare to offend the first wife's children?

Therefore, Tang Xin became the family's enforcer of force, and she broke several rulers.

Sometimes, Tang Xin also reflects on whether she is too strict with the children, making it impossible for them to bring home a girlfriend or boyfriend!
Just as Tang Xin finished speaking and looked towards the living room with a sullen face, the three Zhang brothers, Zhang Bei, Zhang Long, and Zhang Hu, lowered their heads and helplessly sat back down on the living room sofa.

"What are you laughing at!" Tang Xin turned around and saw Zhang Nan, Zhang Nian, and Zhang Feng snickering. She immediately dropped her trump card, "Your Grandma Wang said she'll introduce you to potential blind dates in a few days!"

"I don't need blind dates!" Zhang Nan, the second daughter, stood up with a smile. "With just a snap of my fingers, the men who want to date me could line up from my doorstep all the way to Central on Hong Kong Island."

Tang Xin said irritably, "Then please beckon with your finger and let me see how many people are chasing after you at the door!"

Zhang Nan was speechless for a moment, and her third daughter, Zhang Nian, quickly smoothed things over, "Mom, you don't want us to marry the wrong people, do you?"

"They say a man's greatest fear is choosing the wrong career, and a woman's greatest fear is marrying the wrong man. We should keep our eyes open and choose carefully, for our own happiness, don't you think?"

Zhang Feng, the fourth daughter who had just graduated this year and had been staying at home, originally didn't want to express her opinion. However, seeing her second and third sisters giving her meaningful glances, she couldn't help but chime in, "Mom, it's all your fault for making us so beautiful. It gives us too many choices. If only you..."

"How dare you say that!" Tang Xin suddenly turned her gun on Fourth Sister, staring at her angrily, "If you went out more like your two older sisters, I wouldn't worry about you!"

Zhang Bei, Zhang Long, and Zhang Hu chuckled in the living room, while Zhang Nuo and his younger brother Zhang Hao watched the commotion with wide eyes from the dining table. Zhang Feng looked helplessly at her two older sisters, which made Tang Xin very anxious.

Fortunately, Director Wang Sumei and Liu Yuan quickly brought over photos of more than a dozen girls and a dozen documents, successfully shifting Tang Xin's attention from the girls to her sons.

……

In this world, everyone's worries are different, even those of a family.

Just as Tang Xin was forcefully demanding that each of her three sons choose a girl's photo to prepare for blind dates in a few days, Tang Ming and Xu Jiefeng were also worrying about their children's affairs at their eldest son Tang Ren's home on Victoria Peak, Hong Kong Island!
To be precise, it was the mother of Tang Ren's fifth concubine and the parents of his sixth concubine who were also in need of the 120-year lifespan potion.

On the contrary, Tang Ren's first wife, second wife, third wife, and fourth wife all had parents who died early, so they had less trouble in this regard.

Tang Ming frowned at his eldest son, Tang Ren, "The Lifespan 120 potion that Heping sells to the public costs 120 billion RMB per vial. How much are you planning to offer?"

Tang Ren naturally didn't want to spend the money; otherwise, he wouldn't have come to his father, Tang Ming, but would have found his fourth sister, Tang Xin, much more conveniently.

“Even close brothers should keep clear accounts, let alone him who is just your brother-in-law!” Tang Ming frowned and said, “Just ask Heping for a price and when the medicine will be available, then tell your wives!”

As Tang Ming said, even brothers should keep clear accounts!

Tang Renruo asked Zhang Heping for the price. Although there was a possibility of a discount and that the medicine would be available soon, Tang Renruo did not want to pay the money.

Tang Ming asked him to tell the six wives that the first four wives would pressure the fifth and sixth wives to find their own way to pay for their parents' medicine.

After all, Tang Lie, Tang Qiang, and their children and grandchildren already have their own families and careers. Although they haven't officially separated their families, they are actually doing their own thing.

Tang Ren hesitated for a moment before speaking, "Dad, what do you think about letting them use the Lifespan 100 Potion?"

Tang Ming shook his head, "Only they can bring up these kinds of things themselves; you can't say a single word!"

Xu Jiefeng, who was standing next to her, interjected: "The Lifespan 100 potion has many side effects, one of which is that the new Lifespan potion cannot be used."

"In other words, even with the Lifespan 100 potion, you can only live to around 100 years old at most!"

"In addition, the Lifespan 120 drug cannot be mass-produced, and the necessary production materials are very difficult to obtain. Moreover, there are so many powerful and influential people who want to use the drug."

Xu Jiefeng spoke cryptically, but Tang Ren understood.

If the parents of the fifth and sixth wives were given a longevity potion, what would they think of Tang Ren's decision when they saw Tang Ming and Xu Jiefeng still alive and kicking after they passed away?

Even if living to a hundred is a good thing, and even if passing away at a hundred is considered a happy occasion, it all seems pale and powerless in the face of Tang Ming and Xu Jiefeng.

Then there's the Longevity 120 Potion. So many powerful and influential people want to use this medicine, so why should the parents of the fifth and sixth wives be allowed to cut in line for it?
The key point is that among the Tang family's relatives, there are not only the three elderly people from the maternal parents of the fifth and sixth branches, but also the elderly people from the families of Tang Ren's children and in-laws.

Therefore, when Zhang Heping received Tang Ren's price inquiry call, he quoted an astronomical price of 120 billion RMB without hesitation!
"Peace, these are all relatives, can you lower the price a bit?" Tang Ren's voice was a little soft, clearly speaking on speakerphone.

Zhang Heping replied calmly, holding his phone, "The raw materials for Lifespan 120 are hard to find. The price has remained the same for the past few years unless I can develop a new Lifespan potion that can be mass-produced."

Tang Ren was silent for a moment before asking, "You mean the Lifespan 120 potion will be cheaper in a few years?"

"We'll know for sure in a few years, after all, I've issued so many longevity potion advance cards." Zhang Heping didn't give a direct answer, instead offering an ambiguous response.

Zhang Heping did not mention the Lifespan 100 drug until the two hung up the phone.

Just as Tang Ming and Xu Jiefeng worried, if there is a drug that can make others live longer, why persuade others to use the 100-year lifespan drug?

In a few years, wishing someone a long and healthy life might become an insult!

If even Tang's relatives have such difficulty getting medicine, then countries like the US, South Korea, India, and Vietnam, which have been blacklisted by the Peace Group, truly have no hope at all!
So, would these people be content to die of old age in their fifties or sixties?
...(End of chapter)