Siheyuan, Shazhu: I have both parents in this life

Chapter 214 Layout
A week later, Orian Trench came again, wanting to buy a batch of cars and asking He Yuzhu if he could deliver them to the ship.

What surprised He Yuzhu was that he needed mostly jeeps, a total of 100, while only two Q100 sedans were needed.

He Yuzhu does have that many, but he's curious where to sell them. It seems like not many people in Hong Kong like this type of car.

"Orion, where are you going to sell this car?"

"Hey, I won't lie to you, this truck is being delivered to Australia. You have some cargo, right?"

"Australia, you're not planning to build up your military, are you? I'm not selling to you." He Yuzhu recalled that it seemed like the ugly ghost was fighting with the monkey, and the big kangaroo was helping the ugly ghost.

"Do merchants even care what they're going to do with the goods they sell?"

“I roughly know where it’s going to be used, but this batch won’t do.” He Yuzhu wasn’t sympathizing with the monkeys, but this vehicle was made entirely of domestic materials, and it would be a big problem if the big kangaroo used it and the monkeys confiscated it.

"What about the car?"

"Is it for use in Hong Kong?"

"Yes."

"That's no problem."

"He, you're being too cautious."

"Two cars, right? When do you plan to pick them up?"

"No, four, including two Mercedes Z100s."

"You have that much money?"

"It's not like I'm paying for it myself. It's 460 million in total, right? Can you give me a discount so I can buy a Mercedes M100? You know I don't take money from people, I'm very poor."

"Your discount is pretty good."

"Is that too much? Then I'll personally contribute another 100,000, but that's all I can do."

"No, but I need your help."

"What kind of favor is worth 100,000 yuan?"

"Help me get in touch with a few car production lines. If it works out, I'll reward you handsomely."

"Are you planning to go back to your old ways? You're quite well-informed; how do you know about the situation in our country?"

"Of course, I know cars best, so you don't need to worry about the source of the information."

"Even obsolete production lines aren't cheap. Do you have that much money?"

“I don’t want the obsolete ones. I want the ones that are out of production capacity and no workers want to use them. I just sold a few Mercedes Z100s a while ago.”

"Okay, you really do know. Let me ask around for you. This car is ridiculously overpriced. I know it's definitely not this expensive in China."

The question is, can you even buy it?

"No, exclusive business is easy to do. Since you want to buy the production line, let me ask you one more question: do you buy land? I have connections."

"I'd definitely buy some if it's cheap, but land prices are hitting new lows every day. You're not going to make me lose money by buying them, are you?"

"How could that be? Industrial land, only a few dollars per square foot, do you want it or not?"

"where?"

"Of course it's Kowloon. Other places are too far away. What would you want to come here for?"

"Are there any near the dock?"

"I'll have to go ask about that."

"Okay, let me know once you've asked around. How do you plan to pick up the car?"

“460 million in cash. Give me a warehouse address and I’ll have someone come and get it.”

"Okay, I'll call you when I'm ready." He knew from the cash that it was for those corrupt officials. But this kid was cautious. What did it matter if he didn't want a nice car? They all looked the same.

Now that he had asked someone to inquire about the production line, He Yuzhu felt that he didn't have enough money. Lei Luo was known as the "500 Million Detective," and he had only managed to get back tens of millions. He would have to dig deeper into the rest.

As for exchanging gold for money, it's not the right time yet. If you dare to deposit a large amount of gold now, the foreign government will freeze it in no time.

After Ah Lang completed the paperwork for the mineral water company, He Yuzhu assigned him a new task: the locations of all the large underground casinos in Hong Kong.

Ah Lang's first reaction was, "How did the boss get involved in gambling? This won't do. I need to talk to him about it."

"Boss, gambling will ruin your whole family. Why don't you try something else? Maybe bet on horses, go dancing, or something?"

"Don't worry about it. Do I look like that kind of person?"

"People change when they have money. Boss, you made quite a bit of money before."

"That money will soon be invested in the factory."

"I won't go. If you force me, I'll tell the old lady and the great-grandmother."

"You've gone too far!" He Yuzhu kicked him, but he was secretly pleased. He wouldn't mind having a dozen more subordinates like him.

"I'm also going to tell the old lady and the great-grandmother that you hit me." Ah Lang staggered back a few steps.

"come here."

"I won't."

"Who taught you all this?"

"The old lady told me to keep an eye on you."

"You've become a traitor."

"No, I'm doing this for your own good, and also for everyone's good."

"Okay, come here and I won't hit you anymore. I'll explain what I'm going to do."

"However, I can hear you saying that."

"Fine, you're something else, kid. You actually brought up my mother and the old lady to pressure me."

"hey-hey."

With a "thud," Ah Lang sat down on the ground.

"Didn't you say you wouldn't hit me?"

"Your smile is so smug."

"Still want to run?"

Ah Lang didn't dare to say anything more, afraid of being beaten again. He got up and wanted to run to complain, but He Yuzhu grabbed his ear.

"I won't run anymore, I won't run anymore, please tell me, please tell me!" Ah Lang cried out in pain.

“I asked some foreigners to help me purchase a batch of equipment a few days ago, but I don’t have enough money.”

"Ten bets, ten losses."

"I need to find where Lei Luo laundered his money."

"Boss, what do you want?"

"Why not take it if it's free? Who knows who will own that money in a while?"

“I understand, I will send out all the brothers.”

"Take some money."

"Boss, I don't have any cash."

"Aren't you going to report us this time?"

"I'm not going. As long as the boss doesn't get addicted to those things, that's fine."

"Wait for me to get you the money." He Yuzhu released A Lang's ear, went to the safe, and took out 500,000 yuan for him.

"Boss, this money might not come back once it's gone."

"If you're not even willing to spend money on bait, what kind of fish are you going to catch? Just give orders to your subordinates; you're not allowed to do anything yourself."

"understood."

"Also, don't hire those from within China; they can tell right away."

"Understood, boss. This is also an opportunity for us to see people clearly."

"You handle this yourself. Don't use the people from the villa. Aunt Ping is not someone to be trifled with."

"Okay, I'm leaving." Ah Lang found a newspaper, wrapped up the money, and left He Yuzhu's study.

Getting into an underground casino isn't easy; you need an introduction. Ah Lang and his group went through a lot of trouble, spending over 100,000 of the 500,000 yuan they were supposed to use for bribes, before they finally managed to sneak into the casino.

Once inside, these guys were really impressed. Tens of thousands of yuan was nothing special; it was only enough to get by on the streets.

The result was obvious: more losses than wins. Those who won were honest and handed over their money to continue using it separately. Ah Lang was very satisfied with this, realizing he hadn't chosen the wrong person.

These people had no idea why they were being asked to gamble; they thought their boss was up to no good, since it was a quick way to make money.

After Ah Lang finished organizing the information and gave it to He Yuzhu, He Yuzhu put on makeup and went to scout the location himself. In the process, he became a sucker, but his luck wasn't on that side, and he lost hundreds of thousands of yuan.

Upon his return, he assigned a limited order, and in the following week, Hong Kong casinos suffered a terrible fate, with each casino's due date being wiped out.

You can't report this to the police; if the gangs investigate on their own, they'll basically assume it's something their adversaries are doing.

While the triads were negotiating and investigating, He Yuzhu backed down. Lei Luo had been a detective for over a decade and had accumulated a 500 million dollar fortune. He Yuzhu was a little surprised that Hong Kong was so rich, or that it was simply a matter of printing a lot of money.

This money doesn't just belong to the gangs; a lot of it was sent over by others to launder. For a long time to come, those gangsters, corrupt police, and greedy foreigners will be strapped for cash.

After all that fuss, it was 1967 when the water dispenser was successfully developed. However, its size and appearance were rather unappealing, almost the size of a refrigerator. Because there was a water tank on top, the height was reduced. This thing was made into a square 120cm*100cm*100cm, and someone who didn't know better might mistake it for a safe.

"Couldn't this thing be any smaller?" He Yuzhu was speechless after looking at the sample. It was so big, how could an average family possibly want it? Housing in Hong Kong is already tight, with many families crammed into apartments of only a few hundred square feet, housing three generations.

"Boss, don't let its size fool you, it's really useful. It can handle both cold and hot water, and it's fast at both cooling and heating."

So, does that mean our customer base consists entirely of wealthy people?

"That should be the case for now." "Can't you make it look nicer? If you put this in the living room, people will think it's an altar."

"Boss, don't worry, this is just a test first. The outer shell is easy to handle; we'll have the factory that used to supply refrigerator shells make a new mold for us, and we'll make sure it looks good."

"How long will it take to start mass production?"

"It'll probably take another month or two. Our refrigerator production line needs to be modified. Should the boss recall a batch of workers?"

"Just do it as you see fit, as long as there's no waste."

"That's for sure."

"Could you help me with something else? Can our factory weld water tanks ourselves?"

"Boss, what size and material do you want?"

"Ten cubic meters or more, made of stainless steel or ductile iron."

"We can't do this. Boss, you should go and find another factory."

"Okay, you guys improve the water dispenser first."

Turning around, He Yuzhu called A Lang over and asked him about the glass bottle and bucket. A Lang went and got the bottle and bucket directly.

"Is this a large soda bottle? Is this container safe?"

"What kind of security?"

"It's about whether it's poisonous or not."

"poison?"

"Forget it, I can't explain it to you. Go and find out if there are any testing agencies that can test whether this plastic bucket is toxic, especially after filling it with water, to see if the water is toxic."

"Oh." Ah Lang didn't understand, but could only do as instructed.

"By the way, you can delegate the work to your subordinates, and you can also advertise and help me recruit professionals in finance, trade, and the like."

"Does the boss think I'm not doing a good job?"

"I'm afraid you'll work yourself to death. We're only at this scale now. In the future, we'll be divided into many industries. Are you sure you can handle it all?"

"No, I'm learning a lot of things on the spot, and I can't keep up at all," Ah Lang hurriedly shook his head.

"That's it."

"Boss, your wife studied economics, and she speaks excellent English."

"It's not appropriate for her to show her face in public right now. You know it's not safe outside at all."

"That's true."

“You’re doing me a favor. Just let your subordinates do it. You’re responsible for supervising and reporting to me. I see you’re doing everything yourself. You need to learn to delegate.”

"I'm just worried they won't handle it well!"

“If you don’t let them do it, they’ll never do it well. You got to where you are today by taking things one step at a time, and they did a pretty good job with the casino business.”

"I understand, boss. By the way, it seems like Ah Feng is a bit upset."

"You're not blood brothers, can't you handle this?"

“It’s precisely because they’re brothers that he feels resentful,” Ah Lang said.

"I'll arrange some things for him, so you don't need to worry."

"Yes, boss. By the way, you said you had any instructions for me?"

"For water tanks and containers, those over ten cubic meters should be made of stainless steel or ductile iron."

"Where should I put it?"

"Have someone make it first, even if it's bigger, and once it's done, take it directly to the factory."

"Boss, have you found a water source?"

"Okay, let's build the water storage first."

"Great! I was worried about what we should sell."

"Try it first." He Yuzhu took out a military water bottle from under the table, which was actually taken from his spatial storage.

"Dun dun dun," Ah Lang took a sip and then started chugging it down.

"Alright, it's like you haven't drunk any water."

"This water is so delicious, boss, can we sell this water from now on?"

"It will be on sale for a while, we'll talk about it later."

"Ok."

After Ah Lang left, He Yuzhu called Ah Feng over.

"Ah Feng, I heard you haven't been in a good mood lately."

"No, boss, who's talking nonsense? I'll go find them."

"Alright, you're just bored. I have something for you to do."

"Yes, boss." Ah Feng was a little excited.

"Go find Huo Sheng and ask him if he needs security. If he does, then follow his lead."

"Boss, are we about to take on a business?"

"That's right. With so many people in the security company, I can't afford to support them if I don't take on business."

"Okay, I'll go in a bit. By the way, boss, can we also take on business from other companies?"

"Of course, but we must act within our means. We only provide security; we can't do business with gangs or pirates."

"Yes, boss."

"Okay, go ahead."

"Ok."

After Ah Feng left, He Yuzhu looked at the pile of cash in the space and was a little worried. He definitely couldn't use cash to buy equipment from the foreigners; he had to exchange Hong Kong dollars for their money.

In addition, to develop automobiles, supporting facilities are needed. Hong Kong doesn't have any decent steel mills. He inquired and found that there are a few that mainly produce steel for construction, but their technology and equipment are relatively rudimentary, and they mainly rely on scrap steel recycling and smelting.

Let them make special steel and wait; even making the mold is a long shot.

He Yuzhu was thinking, "Am I really going to build a steel plant? That's a bit far-fetched. Raw materials are a huge problem. I'll wait for Orian Trench to come and ask about the situation in Australia. They have abundant iron ore resources there."

During Christmas, the younger children asked how the family was going to celebrate, but He Yuzhu wasn't interested in celebrating Western holidays and simply declined.

But he still managed to avoid it. Orian Trench invited his family to dinner, but he only brought Xiaoman with him.

It wasn't a cocktail party, just a family dinner. Orian Trench complained to He Yuzhu about why he didn't bring his child along. He Yuzhu said he was afraid of causing trouble for others. Orian Trench told He Yuzhu to bring the child next time, and He Yuzhu reluctantly agreed.

Orian Trench's family isn't large; he has a wife, three children, the eldest of whom is already in middle school, and the youngest will soon be in elementary school. They employ a Filipino maid.

This was the first time his wife had ever seen her husband invite a Chinese person to their home for dinner, even though that person had saved his life.

However, the house was specially cleaned, and the meal on the table was very plentiful, all for the sake of appearances.

Once the conversation started at the dinner table, Orian Trench's wife put away her disdain. This couple was no ordinary people. He Yuzhu was knowledgeable and experienced, and Xiaoman was fluent in English, well-educated, and experienced in raising children. This made Orian Trench's wife and Xiaoman get along very well. After all, Xiaoman had nearly twenty years of experience raising her younger siblings and two daughters.

After dinner, Orian Trench's wife and Xiaoman chatted for a long time, and she said that they could keep in touch often in the future, and that she hoped Xiaoman could attend any gatherings they would have.

Xiaoman did not answer directly, but said she would ask He Yuzhu.

He Yuzhu went to the study with Orian Trench and talked about the car factory, land, and steel.

Orian Trench was astonished. Did He Yuzhu really have that much wealth? He even began to suspect that He Yuzhu might have been sent from the north.

He subtly probed, and He Yuzhu indicated that he was now just a businessman and did not participate in politics. If Orian Trench did not believe him, they could choose not to cooperate.

Orian Trench told He Yuzhu to keep a low profile, but of course he would help He Yuzhu pull some strings so that He Yuzhu would think this guy was a real idiot.

After the conversation, Xiaoman told He Yuzhu about Mrs. Orian Trench's request. He Yuzhu immediately said that as long as Mrs. Orian Trench and the others didn't mind the trouble, Xiaoman would definitely be there.

When he left, Mrs. Orian Trench gave him some homemade cookies and the like.

Time flies, and the Lunar New Year of 1967 is here in the blink of an eye.

He Yu went to the factory and had a meal with the factory workers and the security guards, and then she was given a holiday.

Of course, Ah Lang, Ah Feng, Gu Yuanheng, Xu Damao and the others all gave a big red envelope.

Xu Damao felt uneasy accepting the red envelope because he had been extremely idle lately and hadn't done anything at all.

"Brother Zhu, can you help me find a new job after the new year? Otherwise, I'll go somewhere else to work. It's too unbearable to be idle in a factory."

"Okay, I'll think about what might suit you. By the way, how's your English coming along?"

"It's alright, this is much simpler than Russian."

What about Cantonese?

"They can understand spoken language, but their spoken language is so-so. However, they can understand English and our language."

"Okay, I got it. Let me see where it suits you."

"Well, otherwise I would really feel embarrassed to stay. My father-in-law has also approached me; he needs someone from his side."

"If you want to go, then go ahead. I'm not stopping you."

"I don't want to go. I'll feel uncomfortable there."

"Then I'll give you more responsibilities during the New Year."

"no problem."

　I fast-forwarded through it; there's a lot I can't write about in the middle!
　　
　
(End of this chapter)