Siheyuan, Shazhu: I have both parents in this life

Chapter 176 We want all of your grain exports for the next three years

This time, his backpack wasn't filled with clothes or canned goods, but rather a large bag full of fruits such as longan, wampee, passion fruit, kiwi, pearl plum, guava, and mango. These things simply couldn't be transported to Beijing in this era.

I didn't run into Yan Laokou when I entered the courtyard. After being lectured by Wang Hongxia last time, he has become much more restrained. He may have gone fishing. Summer vacation is almost over, so I have to make the most of my time.

It was hot, and there weren't many adults in the front yard, just a group of children. When they entered the middle yard, they saw Wang Siyu leading a few little ones to play in the water, and even He Yuyan was there.

"Wow, big brother, you're back! What delicious treats did you bring us?" He Yuyao, with her sharpest eyes, saw He Yuzhu and cheered as she ran over to take the bag from his hand.

"Big brother."

"Big brother."

"Big pot!" The remaining children also ran over here. Wang Siyu didn't forget to lead the youngest, He Yuyan, who was still unsteady on his feet.

At this moment, the door to the west wing was also pushed open, and He Yushui ran out first.

"Sister Xiaoman, come out quickly, my brother is back."

"Brother Zhu, you're back!" Xiaoman was only a few steps behind her.

"You're back. Come inside and talk. It's so hot outside." He Yuzhu took two steps forward and picked up He Yuyan.

"Yes, yes, come in, come in!" He Yushui ran over and took the bag from He Yuzhu's hand.

"I'll go call Mom." He Yuxin ran straight to the backyard.

When Chen Lanxiang and the old lady arrived, a group of children were already sitting around the edge of the main room, constantly stuffing fruit into their mouths.

"None of you waited for me." He Yuxin was furious.

“There’s so much fruit, we left some for you, you’re so stingy.” He Yushui pointed to the pile of fruit on the table.

"Zhu Zi, you brought all of these back. What are these things? I've never seen them before."

"Madam, these are all fruits from the South. This is longan, and this is mango," He Yuzhu introduced them one by one.

"These fruits look rather strange."

"It's different from what we have here. Please try it all, Mother, you should eat too."

"You just spoil these kids, don't you? You don't even set aside some for your colleagues or anything?"

"These things won't keep well, let them eat them. I'll send some to Aunt Xia's house later."

"You always waste money."

"Mom, fruit is cheap in the South, it's everywhere there."

"real or fake?"

"Why would I lie to you? Try it!"

"These longans really do look like eyes, and they're incredibly sweet."

I like mangoes.

I like the tartness of passion fruit.

"."

The children all started shoveling their favorite foods toward themselves.

"Put them all back! Why are you taking so much if you can't finish it?" Chen Lanxiang shouted, and the little ones immediately cowered, reluctantly pushing the fruit back to the center of the table.

Then everyone ate and chatted, mainly He Yuzhu talking about his experiences in the south: the lonely rocky mountains, the boundless paddy fields, the terraced fields on the mountaintops, and all kinds of lush vegetation.

The children listened with great interest. He Yuxin said, "When I grow up, I want to do the same job as my older brother so I can travel around and see the world."

"Then you'd better study hard," Chen Lanxiang said.

"I want one too"

"I want one too"

"Alright, alright, you should all study hard."

"No way, it's too tiring. I'll just wait for my older brother to bring it back for me to eat."

"Is that all you've got?" Chen Lanxiang poked He Yushui's forehead.

Xiaoman was thinking to herself, "How wonderful it would be if I could stay with Brother Zhu forever, I'd be willing to go anywhere."

Of course, she knew that this was difficult to achieve. Even if you were in the same department, the probability of going on a business trip to the same place was very small. Besides, He Yuzhu's unit was not one that just anyone could get into.

However, she still encouraged herself, wanting to keep up with He Yuzhu's pace.

She was very happy that He Yuzhu was back so quickly, but the only regret was that school was about to start again.

When He Daqing and the others returned in the evening, they all praised the fruit that He Yuzhu had brought back. Of course, He Daqing preferred the tea that He Yuzhu had brought back.

Xu Damao took the fruit He Yuzhu gave him and went straight to his parents' house.

After dinner, He Yuzhu brought a fruit to Wang Hongxia's family.

The next day, He Yuzhu didn't rush to work. Instead, he and Xiaoman took a group of children out to play for a day. Of course, He Yushui spent most of the time looking after the children, so as to leave space for her brother and sister-in-law to have a date.

She has that much insight; most importantly, she's thinking about how good her brother will eat in the future.

On the third day, He Yuzhu was sent to work by Chen Lanxiang. He was tired of being at home, but staying at home instead of going to work was also annoying.

He Yuzhu didn't bring any fruit, but he did bring some tea. It was very popular at his workplace because fresh tea was hard to find. He Yuzhu also brought a variety of teas; otherwise, flower tea wouldn't be so popular in the north.

The lower-level staff would just take a small portion and call it a day, but the section chief would take a whole pound, which consisted of Da Hong Pao tea and Tie Guan Yin tea.

Assistant Liang also went to see He Yuzhu, and He Yuzhu went as well, with the same setup.

"Xiao He, you even went to Wuyishan? Da Hong Pao tea! I've only had it a few times, but I'm really lucky this time. How much is it? I'll pay you."

"I went to see my comrade-in-arms and stopped by on the way. Assistant Liang, it really didn't cost much. Tea from the production area doesn't fetch a price like it does here."

"Really? You're not kidding me? I've never seen you travel so fast before."

"Really, it's not much money, and you don't need tickets, otherwise I wouldn't have been able to buy so many."

"That's good. How's your old unit doing?"

"It should be similar to other units in terms of training."

"Too."

"Old Fang, you should stay. He's asked about you several times since you weren't here."

"Stayed."

"Okay, you go ahead and get busy. I have a meeting to attend."

As He Yuzhu left, Assistant Liang thought to himself, "I didn't expect this kid to be so good at handling things. This tea will last a long time, so I'd better put it away properly. But I can't just take this tea for free; I'll have to compensate him sometime."

He just didn't expect the opportunity to come so quickly.

Team Leader Fang didn't really want to go, but he did have a phone number; that department used a non-confidential line for external communications.

One phone call later, Lao Fang came straight over, not only taking away what he had prepared to give, but also confiscating the drinks that He Yuzhu had left at the workplace for himself.

In Lao Fang's words, "Young people should drink less tea and not follow our example."

He Yuzhu was utterly helpless, but Lao Fang's next words made him take note.

What are your thoughts on this trip to the South?

"What do you think?"

"Agriculture, food, I heard that's a grain-producing country over there."

"Oh, doesn't the inspection team give a report upon their return?"

"Go ahead and do it. Isn't this just asking you, the expert in procurement?"

"I'm not an expert; I've only ever bought some steel and equipment."

"You're being modest with me. Tell me."

"I really don't know what to say."

"Tell me, is it appropriate to exchange industrial goods for food? And what exactly is the situation in our own South?"

He Yuzhu stared at Team Leader Fang for a long time before saying, "Is it appropriate for you to ask me that? Shouldn't you be asking the experts?"

"Expert my ass, just say what I tell you to say."

"Do you have some news? Give me a heads-up first, and I'll tell you."

"Don't ask me about this. It's top secret. Just tell me what I'm told. Do you expect me to have your superiors question you through the proper channels?" "Then let your superiors ask me. I promise to tell the truth."

"You, you, you don't trust me."

"I didn't say that."

"Can you tell me?"

"No, there are so many people in the inspection team, you can ask them anything, why do you have to ask me, someone who's just passing by?"

"Because you have a unique perspective, is that alright?"

"How did you figure that out?"

"Steel, steel mills, technical data on steelmaking, technical data on tractors, do I need to say anything else?"

When asked this, He Yuzhu was basically certain that it wasn't the team leader who had said something to the higher-ups, but rather that Lao Fang genuinely believed he had a unique perspective. Furthermore, He Yuzhu was 70-80% certain that the old man in front of him had received his telegram.

"Okay, actually, I think we can change it, just in case."

"Stop trying to fool me. Tell me what you actually saw and what you really think."

"Let's prepare for disaster."

"Is it really that serious?" Team Leader Fang stood up abruptly.

"Hmm, you've probably been to the South. It hasn't rained there for a long time, don't you think?"

"All places?"

"I've traveled through Guangxi, Jiangxi, Hunan, Fujian, Zhejiang, Jiangsu, and Shanghai. I can't say about other places while I was on the bus."

"If I didn't know you were going to visit your comrades, I would have really thought you went on an inspection tour."

"This situation doesn't occur in Cambodia?"

"It seems like there's no such thing as favorable weather for crops."

"Our country has suffered so many disasters," Team Leader Fang sighed softly.

He Yuzhu didn't respond to that question, and Team Leader Fang stared at him and continued, "If we trade industrial goods for grain, are you confident you can get more in return?"

"I can't guarantee that, I haven't talked to them about it."

"Then do you dare to go again?"

"I have to follow the instructions of my superiors. Going there isn't something you can just do casually. Besides, shouldn't this be something that the higher-ups discuss?"

"No, only people at your level can talk to us."

He Yuzhu understood. If countries were to sign an agreement, the whole world would know. By using a company procurement method, even if others found out, it would be too late.

"I'll give it a try, but can you guarantee I'll have control?"

"I'll apply for it, but it shouldn't be a big problem, considering your past academic record."

"Okay, then I'll wait for your news."

"What are you waiting for? Shouldn't you be getting ready?"

"What are you preparing?"

"You don't even know what we have, how can you talk?"

"I know, I participated in their entire meeting."

"How could I forget about that? But we still need to prepare the specific documents. You go... or if that doesn't work, have them send them to you."

"Oh."

Then Team Leader Fang left, in a hurry, but of course he didn't forget to take all the tea leaves with him.

He Yuzhu laughed and cursed behind his back, "This old comrade has a surprisingly good memory."

Team Leader Fang's words sounded so convincing that He Yuzhu took them seriously and was still waiting.

After half a month, He Yuzhu still hadn't received any information or even a phone call. He felt there was no hope left and decided to do his best and leave the rest to fate. But things had gone astray by the time he arrived.

Then He Yuzhu resumed his regular life, occasionally going hunting and catching some fish.

He also did something else: he went to check on the courtyards he had acquired before, and they were all occupied.

This thwarted one of his little plans, which was to use it as a place to cook.

Winter has arrived in the blink of an eye, the weather is getting drier and drier, and there is no snow.

Although the Spring Festival looks lively, it is actually quite desolate. Not only do various organizations distribute fewer gifts, but there is also very little in the market.

He Yuzhu didn't make a big fuss about getting half a pig or anything like that anymore. Of course, he still got meat for making dumplings, but when he went to Wang Hongxia's house, he brought cured meat instead.

After the Spring Festival, spring plowing began, but it still didn't rain.

At the end of April, He Yuzhu suddenly received an order to be temporarily transferred to a department he had never heard of. He was given a new office, a very large one, and was also assigned some new staff, some from his own department and others from other places.

He Yuzhu thought to himself, "At least I'm not completely blind and deaf!"

After everyone had introduced themselves, He Yuzhu realized they were all from various industries, much like the people he had worked for in the Fourth Department back then. Of course, their purposes were different; back then, he had gone to exploit others.

These people are now to be used as technical support staff.

Importantly, all of these people are members of the organization, and they have been there for quite some time.

As for the information, Lao Fang didn't keep He Yuzhu waiting long. Information about the products that various factories, such as textile mills, match factories, steel rolling mills, and steelmaking plants, as well as construction investments and the support that my country could provide, were all sent to He Yuzhu's new office.

After the data arrived, He Yuzhu got busy. He needed to familiarize himself with it, at the very least he needed to know the data.

Before they knew it, it was May. After Labor Day, He Yuzhu was first taken by Lao Fang to meet with some big shots, and then he was given some authorization.

In mid-May, their department received orders to head south.

This time, He Yuzhu led the team. In addition to the people from their department, Team Leader Fang also sent a lot of people over.

Before leaving, Team Leader Fang privately told He Yuzhu that this trip south had bypassed many people, and that the higher-ups were under great pressure, urging He Yuzhu and his team to make sure it went well.

He Yuzhu only replied with one sentence: "I guarantee I will complete the mission!"

Team Leader Fang patted him on the shoulder: "The country needs young people with courage and determination like you. Keep up the good work!"

He Yuzhu didn't say anything but turned around and boarded the plane.

The plane took off from a military airfield, which demonstrates the level of secrecy involved.

Because this mission was highly targeted, the Cambodian personnel involved were mostly professionals.

Sihanouk, who made an appearance last time, did not show up this time, but He Yuzhu knew that he had been paying attention. With his keen insight, he knew that someone was listening in on many meetings.

The negotiations lasted for a month. Because there were too many industries involved, He Yuzhu tried his best to participate in every project, but of course that was impossible because he couldn't schedule it.

During this time, He Yuzhu also sent several telegrams to Team Leader Fang to report on the situation.

Before the negotiations ended, another group of people came from China, this time from major import and export companies.

This included the two deputy managers from the import and export corporation and the grain import and export corporation whom He Yuzhu knew. Whether it was intentional or not, no one from the hardware sector came; instead, someone from Minmetals came.

When it was time to sign the contract, 'Sihanouk' appeared. He was there to put pressure on He Yuzhu and his team, as they needed to negotiate a lower price.

The reason for purchasing grain is probably known only to a very few people, and these people all tacitly understand it.

As for Cambodia, He Yuzhu's approach was to provide aid in the same way as other countries—or rather, semi-aid, since they needed to collect food.

He Yuzhu's demand is that Cambodia reduce all of its grain exports over the next three years.

To be honest, this made the Cambodian side a little hesitant, after all, they rely on this to exchange for foreign exchange, and how can they import without foreign exchange?

He Yuzhu then presented a draft contract covering a wide range of projects, including bridges, railways, highways, steelmaking, agricultural machinery, and textiles. This time, the discussion was not about the scope of the projects, but about the specific projects themselves.

He slammed the table down and asked, "Can you buy these?"

The Chinese side looked at the young man with great surprise, wondering where he got the courage from, and what if he messed it up?

The Cambodian side, however, did not see it that way, because He Yuzhu not only negotiated, but also took them to see many, many places, including factories, railways, bridges, grain-producing areas, and so on.

They said they were going to look into it, but less than half an hour later, they decisively came back and signed the contract.

The signing of the contract brought a sigh of relief to everyone on the Chinese side, as did the Cambodian side. The negotiations over the past month had been quite intense.

After signing the contract, He Yuzhu and his team received a lavish banquet, which should be considered a state banquet in their country.

.

(End of this chapter)