Break out of the courtyard

Zhang Long and Zhang Hu took the Xie twin sisters shopping and had lunch outside. However, when they returned to their home on the mountain around dinner time, they were scolded by Tang Xin.

The reason for this is that Zhang Long and Zhang Hu, those two simpletons, didn't buy anything for the two girls as a gift.

Seeing Zhang Long and Zhang Hu being criticized, the eldest twin sister, Xie Wan, quickly stepped forward to defend them, saying, "Master's wife, Brother Long and Brother Hu originally wanted to give us gifts, but we thought those clothes and bags were too expensive, so we insisted that they not buy them."

Xie Ting, the younger sister, chimed in, "They later wanted to give us cosmetics and jewelry, but we firmly refused, so they didn't buy them."

Seeing the two girls so protective of Zhang Long and Zhang Hu, Zhang Nan, who was watching the scene unfold, changed the subject, saying, "Mom, is your soup ready yet? When are you going to call Dad for dinner?"

Tang Xin extended her right index finger and pressed it on the foreheads of Zhang Long and Zhang Hu, blaming them for being so dense.

Then, Tang Xin went into the kitchen.

Without their mother Tang Xin's authority, the two simple-minded boys, Zhang Long and Zhang Hu, actually abandoned the Xie sisters and rushed into the stairwell to the basement to check on their father's research progress.

Seeing this, the Xie sisters looked at Director Wang, who was sitting on the sofa with his back to the door, with a sense of helplessness and confusion.

Director Wang seemed to have guessed what the two sisters were thinking, and waved to them with a smile, wanting to ask them where they had gone today.

However, Zhang Nan stood up at this moment and greeted the Xie sisters, "You two haven't played virtual dream games before, have you?"

"Come on, I'll take you to the basement to try it out!"

The Xie sisters, Xie Wan and Xie Ting, were very interested. Seeing Director Wang nodding and smiling at them, they followed Zhang Nan to the basement with expectant faces.

Director Wang also wanted to go to the basement, but she had to wait for Tang Ming and Xu Jiefeng in the living room. The elderly couple had just called to say that they had gotten off the plane and were on their way back.

Over the years, Director Wang has rarely interacted with Tang Ming and Xu Jiefeng; they are usually just nodding acquaintances.

However, the elderly couple had just returned from the United States, and Director Wang Sumei wanted to find out their experience there in order to determine whether Zhang Heping would be influenced by them.

To Wang Sumei's surprise, along with Tang Ming and Xu Jiefeng, came the personnel Zhang Heping had previously arranged to go to Area 51 in the United States to verify the alien hammer.

……

A conference room in the capital city.

Snowflakes were falling outside the window, while smoke filled the room.

The dozens of elderly men and women in the conference room were whispering among themselves, their eyes fixed on Mr. Hua, who was looking at his phone.

A moment later, Hua Lao got up and left, opened the conference room door, called a young guard in from outside, and handed him his cell phone.

Immediately afterwards, the young guard took Mr. Hua's phone and quickly walked to the projector, importing the videos and pictures on the phone into the computer host under the projector.

"Mr. Hua, the data has been copied to the computer desktop," the young guard said, handing the phone to Mr. Hua with both hands.

Hua took the phone and said with a stern face, "We're going to talk about classified information next. You guys guard the outside and don't let anyone else get close."

"Yes, sir!" The young guard saluted and quickly walked out, closing the door behind him.

"Someone go and close the curtains!" After saying that, Old Hua was already sitting on a small stool next to the projector, using his right hand to operate the mouse next to the projector and open a file on the computer desktop.

Seven or eight elderly people sitting by the window got up and drew all the curtains on one side of the conference room in less than half a minute.

"This is the hammer from Area 51 in the United States that is suspected to be from an alien civilization!" Old Hua first displayed a set of pictures on the projection screen, all of which were multi-angle photos of the floating hammer that was said to have been transmitted from a stargate.

After showing the photos one by one, Mr. Hua clicked on a video and said, "The following videos were all taken by reliable personnel sent by Advisor Zhang to the United States."

The video first circles the alien hammer counterclockwise, then films it from top to bottom, and then goes around the bottom of the hammer to prove that the hammer is indeed levitating.

After the second video started playing, the elderly people around couldn't help but move closer to the projection screen.

The video shows two people of Asian descent attempting to move the floating hammer.

Without moving the hammer, they stood directly on the floating hammer and even jumped on it a few times to prove that the floating hammer wouldn't fall.

"These two should be bodyguards from Umbrella Security Company!" Old Hua explained, then clicked on the third video.

In this video, it's the same two yellow-skinned bodyguards from before, except one of them has taken off his black suit and laid it under the floating hammer.

Then the two bodyguards grabbed the sides of the suit jacket from the left and right, scooping the hammer up from the bottom, and tried to use the suit jacket to pack the hammer away. But the hammer didn't budge, as if it were nailed to that space.

The following videos showed people of Asian descent trying to move the hammer, with occasional glimpses of foreign faces in the footage, seemingly to prove that the filming took place abroad.

……

Director Wang carried the pictures and videos that Zhang Heping had sent her, as well as the photos and videos of the hammer that Zhang Heping had repeatedly watched on the computer after the Xie sisters left.

"Dad, do you think this levitating hammer is real?" Zhang Bei leaned forward, his head tilted forward, and stared intently at the hammer in the video, still somewhat incredulous.

“I just checked!” Zhang Heping frowned and said, “These photos and videos show no signs of being modified.”

"Besides, it's impossible that all those bodyguards lied to me!"

Zhang Long squatted in front of the desk, his hands resting on the table, the backs of his hands supporting his chin. "Let's assume it's real. How is this hammer fixed in mid-air? Even a jack can't move it an inch!"

“Time! Space!” Zhang Heping frowned and replied, “I suspect that this hammer fixed in mid-air involves space technology.”

"Space technology..." Zhang Long thought for a moment and asked, "Dad, does the United States' stargate teleportation technology involve space technology?"

"Could it be that the Americans developed space technology and then staged this whole thing to lure you to the US?"

Zhang Heping nodded slightly, "That possibility cannot be ruled out!"

Standing at the back, Zhang Nan frowned as he looked at the videos playing on the screens in front of him. He said, "Dad, you have research projects on brain-computer interfaces and longevity potions, and you haven't even looked at the Sanxingdui data in Shenzhen. You don't need to worry about this hammer!"

"Even if you want to study this hammer, you can contact the US General Manager and send some researchers over."

“I think that as long as you don’t go to Area 51 in the US yourself, no matter how many conspiracies the Americans have, they can’t do anything to you.” Zhang Heping didn’t respond to this, because he was thinking, if this hammer really is Thor’s hammer, then after Thanos snapped his fingers, did he wipe out half of the life in Thanos’s universe, or half of the life in all parallel universes?
Putting aside those chaotic thoughts, Zhang Heping finally decided to wait and see how things unfolded.

If that hammer truly is Thor's hammer, Thor Karl will inevitably come and take it away.

If not, then it's a whole different universe story!

In the following days, Director Wang would bring the Xie sisters over every morning, and Tang Xin would cooperate by dragging Zhang Long and Zhang Hu out of the underground laboratory and having them take the Xie sisters out on dates.

Meanwhile, in the capital, because Zhang Heping has not yet authorized the production of the Shouyuan 120 drug next month, the list of trial patients for next month has been delayed. Hua Lao has already held more than a dozen meetings on this matter.

During a break in the meeting, Hua Lao approached Zhang Zhaodi to ask if she wanted to be transferred to another department or location, but Zhang Zhaodi refused.

According to Zhang Zhaodi, once the arrow is released, there's no turning back!

Now that she has already submitted her resignation, transferring her to another location would be seen as using her resignation to blackmail for a transfer.

However, in Hua Lao's view, Zhang Zhaodi's worries were not a problem at all, because her resignation application was rejected.

Even if Zhang Zhaodi didn't go to work for several days, her company would just consider it as a leave of absence, and she would just need to submit a leave slip later.

As for threatening to resign to force a transfer, that's simple!
With Hua Lao's mediation, one deputy director and two second-level inspectors from the Department of Taiwan, Hong Kong and Macao, where Zhang Zhaodi worked, were transferred to other departments.

As a result, their Department of Taiwan, Hong Kong and Macao will only have one director, one deputy director, and one vacant deputy director position, giving Zhang Zhaodi room for advancement without her being transferred.

The reason for doing things this way, instead of directly promoting Zhang Zhaodi to deputy director, is ostensibly because Zhang Zhaodi was only promoted to her current position as section chief last year; but in reality, it is a compromise among all parties and the final bottom line.

To put it bluntly, it's still limited by Zhang Heping's status as a capitalist!
Zhang Zhaodi's position as a division chief is, in essence, just a grassroots manager, not even a middle manager.

When Zhang Zhaodi looked at the end of the road, she realized that she would only be a section chief by the time she retired, and at most she could climb to the deputy director level in terms of retirement benefits.

The thought of this outcome made her determined to withdraw from their family's promotion plan ahead of time and give the opportunity to other family members.

Therefore, even though a deputy director position was opened up in the Taiwan, Hong Kong and Macao Affairs Department, giving those below hope for promotion, Zhang Zhaodi still insisted on resigning.

"Elder Hua!" Zhang Zhaodi said calmly to Elder Hua, who had come to her door again as a mediator, "I heard some of the dissenting voices during your meetings."

"Since they don't want me to be a spokesperson for capitalists, then I'll go into business and become the evil capitalist they all talk about!"

"I'm curious to know, when there are no workers in a fully automated factory, does the concept of exploitation still exist?"

"A factory owner who doesn't exploit workers, can he still be considered a capitalist?"

Unmanned factories and one-person companies are future trends that Zhang Heping once discussed with Hua Lao.

Naturally, the concepts of future exploitation and surplus value were also discussed.

Although Zhang Zhaodi put it simply, Hua Lao immediately understood what she meant: she wanted to put into practice a one-person company or a one-person factory.

"Zhao Di, have you ever considered that if you really resign, you'll just be fulfilling those people's wishes?" Old Hua slowly advised.
"If you view your work and career as a battle, and look at this battle from a different perspective, have you become a deserter who wants to run away when faced with difficulties?"

Seeing that Zhang Zhaodi remained silent, Hua Lao continued to persuade her, "You resigned, but Chang Sheng, Pan Di, and Chang Wen did not. To outsiders, this doesn't really mean much."

"To put it bluntly, if your whole family resigned and moved to Hong Kong Island, risking immigrating abroad at any time, that might scare away those who oppose your promotion!"

“Mr. Hua!” Zhang Zhaodi said with a smile, “I have already discussed it with my family. If needed, they can resign at any time.”

"Therefore, my resignation this time is serious and will not change!"

"I must use my resignation to tell those who treat my family as an enemy that this is the choice they forced me to make!"

"Sigh..." Old Hua sighed deeply, "This path isn't one you can choose to follow!"

"This is a thorny mountain path full of compromise, exchange, and forbearance!" Old Hua frowned, looking at Zhang Zhaodi who seemed indifferent, and continued to persuade her:

"Don't just see the glamorous side of those people; you also need to think about the various efforts and compromises they make behind the scenes."

Zhang Zhaodi seemed determined to resign, refusing to heed Hua Lao's advice, and instead changed the subject, saying, "I just heard that Xiao Nian has gone to work in the Economic Division of the Chief Secretary for Administration of the Hong Kong Government!"

"I wonder if, after Hong Kong's return to China, she will be affected because of her parents' capitalist background..."

"My mom's back!" Zhang Zhaodi suddenly stood up and said as she walked downstairs, "Mr. Hua, our flight to Hong Kong Island is this afternoon, so I won't chat with you any longer. I still need to pack my luggage."

Old Hua was still thinking about the aftermath of Zhang Nian's entry into the Hong Kong government, but unexpectedly Zhang Zhaodi suddenly said that their family was going to Hong Kong Island.

But then she thought about it again. It was approaching New Year's Day 1994, which was Zhang Heping's 44th birthday. According to the usual practice, Zhang Bing and Ma Xiuzhen would go to their third son Zhang Heping's house to celebrate his birthday.

However, if Zhang Zhaodi goes to Hong Kong Island at this critical juncture, she may not return to the capital for a long time!
Unable to persuade him otherwise, Old Hua simply stood up and began to think of other solutions.

Just as Director Wang told him, what Zhang Heping lacked was a powerful backer who could protect him!
If the Zhang family can't stand on their own two feet, then they can only rely on outsiders to provide them with a protective umbrella.

The key point is that this protective umbrella is a just umbrella for the development of domestic science and technology, and Mr. Hua has a clear conscience.

Therefore, Hua Lao decided to take a two-pronged approach: first, to work with Chang Sheng and Zhang Pandi, and second, to find allies from other sources.

Old Hua felt that Zhang Zhaodi was right about one thing: they shouldn't have treated their family as enemies to be guarded against.

Zhang Heping has invested so much technology, funds, and time in China, which is evident to all. He shouldn't be treated as an outsider by those with rigid mindsets; instead, we should strive to unite with him.

Downstairs, Ma Xiuzhen was still talking to Zhang Zhaodi about shopping and didn't notice that Hua Lao had come downstairs.

"Now that I can buy more things, I'll have presentable gifts when I go to Hong Kong Island, so I bought a bit more."

"Mom, you didn't just buy a little too much, you bought so much stuff, how are we going to get it to the airport?"

...(End of chapter)