Siheyuan, Shazhu: I have both parents in this life

Chapter 218 Modification is troublesome
Wang Cuiping and her daughter didn't move out after arriving. However, He Yuzhu provided Yu Zecheng with a tenement building very close to Huangzhukeng. Originally, it was supposed to be registered under Wang Siyu's name, but Yu Zecheng and Wang Cuiping refused. Now they rented it first, and of course, He Yuzhu only symbolically charged a small amount of rent.

He had no idea how much land he owned, and it took Ah Lang a long time to find this tenement building.

Now, except for weekends, Wang Cuiping spends most of her time there, partly for convenience in commuting to and from get off work, and partly to take care of Yu Zecheng's needs.

As for the agreement between the two, it's not something that can be accomplished in a day or two. It will take a long time to see results, and its greatest power will only be realized when Yu Zecheng's students take up high positions.

So later on, He Yuzhu still had to help Orian Trench get promoted, willingly becoming a tool. Why not use him? By the time he could go home, the guy would have already retired. At worst, he could just give him some money and let him find a place to enjoy his retirement.

The car factory is still under construction. The R&D building and test workshop are almost completed. Some technical personnel have been recruited, but they are all low-end. Many of them are college graduates who want to try their luck. The main problem is that they are not well-known. The car factory also uses "Yellow River" as its company name.

Huo Sheng had already contacted the north, but the steel couldn't be transported out. It wasn't that they didn't want to sell, but they couldn't, which directly dashed He Yuzhu's hopes of buying it.

However, Huo Sheng gave him some information: Xiao Rizi was currently exporting steel at a crazy low price, and asked He Yuzhu if he wanted some.

He Yuzhu said he would consider it, but Huo Sheng said, "He Sheng, we are businessmen, and we are concerned with how to make money. I know you want to help the country and have a deep anti-Japanese sentiment, but their steel is indeed cheap now. You should think it over carefully. Besides, didn't you start the car factory to compete with the locals for business?"

"Mr. Huo, you have a good eye for things."

"What's this talk about accuracy? A lot of cars in Hong Kong are now small cars, and it's foreseeable that the same will happen in China in the future. Our national industry is still too weak. You're spending a lot of money to bring back equipment, it's not just about grabbing market share, is it? Will we have to compete with them in the future?"

"You have a great eye!" He Yuzhu gave a thumbs up.

"If you don't want to have direct contact with them, I can help you with the purchase. You can treat it as if you're buying it from me. This will also provide some cover for you. Otherwise, if they know what you're going to do with it, they probably won't sell it to you."

"Okay, I'll give you the specifications for the steel we need. See if you can help us buy it. Remember to add your profit margin when you quote a price, so we don't lose money."

"Hahaha, I still need to earn your money, and I also need to support my family."

After the two finalized the agreement, He Yuzhu found the steel materials needed for the next car they were going to develop and handed them to Xiaoman for translation. Xiaoman had also improved her Japanese over those years.

"Brother Zhu, did you bring all these documents out with you?"

"Yeah, it's a waste to leave it there; it might even get damaged or lost."

"You're planning to start a car factory?"

"Yes, I bought the land and the equipment."

"Can I go and help?"

"Okay, you can translate these documents first. You can go over there when they start research and development. Right now, it's a chaotic construction site."

"it is good."

"By the way, don't tell your family yet."

"I know."

The models He Yuzhu identified were mainly targeting everyday cars. Of course, he would also manufacture Mercedes-Benz, right-hand drive models. If everyday cars could penetrate the European market, he refused to believe he couldn't do the same here.

While everyone else was busy, he found himself with nothing to do again, but then Xu Damao came knocking on his door.

"Brother, I want to expand production capacity."

"Expand, how much?" He Yuzhu was a bit of a headache. The water-related issues were making him irritable, and he was starting to regret it.

"At least double. Now we have the land, and new machines are being developed one after another. I also want to open some stores."

"Open a store?"

"Yes, it's an ice cream shop. There are many herbal tea shops and dessert shops in Hong Kong, but we don't need as many staff."

What do you sell? Coffee? Cold drinks? Iced water?

"I also want to develop different flavors of soda."

"You're a smart kid, but we don't have the equipment and manpower to do this right now, do we?"

"That's why I've come to you for help."

"Do you want money or..."

"As for the money, I'll figure out the rest myself."

"How many."

"Two million, or one million if that's not possible."

"Just two million. I'll give you an idea. You don't necessarily have to make soda. You can make ready-to-eat products too. There's no shortage of fruit here. Fruit tea, fruit shaved ice, fruit jam smoothies, milk tea."

"Wait, wait, let me write this down. There are too many to remember." Xu Damao took out his notebook and started taking notes. He has now developed a habit of carrying a pen and notebook with him because he encounters too many problems.

"I'm just providing an idea; you'll have to experiment with it yourself. You could upgrade your beverage maker, and check if you have an ice maker. If you do, bring it back and study it."

"Slow down, slow down, I have a few more questions. Is milk tea made with milk and tea? Is fruit tea made with fruit and tea?"

"That's probably what it means."

"What about a fruit shaved ice? Fruit and ice?"

"You'll have to find someone to research this yourself. There must be other things in it, otherwise how could it have a flavor?"

"Oh, oh, Brother Zhu, how did you come up with this? How come I didn't think of that? I was thinking of imitating those sodas, and all of these require a shop, right?"

"Yes, you should find someone to test it first, then bring it to me for a taste. If it works well, then we can figure out how to launch it on the market."

"Okay, when will the money arrive?"

“I can give it to you right now,” He Yuzhu said, taking out the promissory note and writing a check, which was deposited into Qin Quan’s account.

"Thank you, brother. I'll do my best."

"Keep it up, your idea is great, it proves you've been learning."

"Hehe, I just didn't want to embarrass you."

"Would you like to have a meal before leaving?"

"No need, I have to go back to work." Xu Damao put away the check and was about to leave.

"I'll get you a car in a while. Have you gotten your driver's license yet?"

"I took the test. It's still convenient to have a car here. I plan to buy one myself after a while."

"Will a Jeep work?"

"can."

"Then you wait here, I'll have someone deliver it to you when it's done."

"Thank you bro!"

After Xu Damao left, He Yuzhu went to the car factory. The Jeeps in the space were not selling well, so they needed to be modified a little, such as the color.

He found Gu Yuanheng and asked He Yuzhu, "Old Gu, can we do spray painting at the factory now?"

"Sure, boss, you want to modify the car?"

"Yes, I have a batch of Jeeps that I want to paint in different colors. You guys can research and see what colors would look good."

"Where are the cars? I'll have someone bring a few back to test them out."

After giving an address, He Yuzhu added, "Take some people to pick it up tomorrow."

"Okay, this is a good opportunity for me to see how the workers I've found are doing. By the way, boss, can you make any other changes? This equipment is just sitting idle anyway."

"You can decide on the modifications yourself. If you don't like them, you can buy it and drive it yourself."

"No problem. By the way, should we change the brand name to our own?"

"Let's make changes and consider this the first batch of cars. By the way, has the car logo been designed yet?"

"It's been designed. Let me show you."

"Is this a waterfall on the Yellow River? And what kind of bend is it?"

"Yes, Hukou Waterfall."

"Was the designer from China?"

"Boss, how did you know?"

"I haven't gone to see who can design it, but it's a bit too complicated. It's fine as a company logo, but it's too difficult to recognize as a car logo."

"I'll call the designer over."

"Row."

Soon, the designer was brought over; he was a middle-aged man around forty years old.

"Boss." He was a little reserved when he saw He Yuzhu.

"Don't be nervous. I really like both of your designs, but they're too complicated for a car logo. Do you have any better ones?"

"Well, boss, the Yellow River can actually be visualized as a dragon; there has been such a legend since ancient times."

"A dragon? Okay, then it'll be a dragon. You design it first, and then have Director Gu show it to me."

"I have the manuscript now, but I didn't dare to show it before."

When the designer took a look at it, He Yuzhu immediately said, "This is it. Lao Gu, can we make it ourselves?"

"Boss, it's possible to make it, but for the gold color, use an alloy and experiment a few more times."

"it is good."

"By the way, register this mark in all the countries that can, so that no one can imitate us in the future."

"understood."

After leaving the factory, He Yuzhu went to the warehouse he had told Gu Yuanheng about, left behind two South China Leopard 1 trucks and ten Type 2 trucks, locked the warehouse, and went home.

Two weeks later, He Yuzhu received a call from Gu Yuanheng, asking him to go and look at the car. He Yuzhu drove to the factory.

Upon seeing the Jeep with its new paint job, new logo, and hydraulic power windows, He Yuzhu immediately abandoned his Mercedes-Benz M100 and drove it back, attracting 100% attention on the road.

Gu Yuanheng had his driver take M100 back to He Yuzhu, and then they were surrounded by security guards once they entered the villa's courtyard.

"Boss, when can we get this car too? It looks really cool, especially the emblem." "In a while."

"real."

"Of course it's true."

"Great."

That wasn't the end of it; He Yuxin and He Yuyao also came over that evening to ask questions.

"Brother, when are you going to send us one of these cars? It's much nicer than the old ones. Is this emblem made of gold?"

"What gold? Even if it's pretty, it's not for you. We'll talk about it when you're 18. You don't even have driver's licenses yet, what do you need a car for?"

"Oh, some of my classmates don't have driver's licenses but they still secretly drive their family cars out for a spin."

"You're not allowed to do that, do you hear me? Or I'll break your legs."

"Understood." The two boys were still quite afraid of their older brother. Their mother would at most scold them, and their father would just punish them by making them do some chores, but this older brother really did hit them.

After all the cars were modified and the paperwork was completed, He Yuzhu had one delivered to Xu Damao. The kid was so happy that he drove it to the beach for a spin that very day.

Lou Xiao'e was still pregnant, so he dared not take her out to play.

The rest were all equipped by He Yuzhu for security personnel. In the past, they would always use trucks when they went out, but after using them once, they felt that they were low-class.

Ah Lang, who was in charge of security, was overjoyed. Now that the security company was affiliated with him, he showed off even more. When he went to discuss business, he would drive a Yellow River Dragon 1 off-road vehicle (a modified South China Leopard 1), wear sunglasses, and be dressed in camouflage. People who didn't know him would think he was from the military.

With the security company acting as a living advertisement, the car factory received a few small orders. Fortunately, He Yuzhu had enough inventory, otherwise they would have just been watching the orders without making any money.

He Yuzhu, who wasn't in a hurry to get the steel, called Huo Sheng and was told that the steel had been stolen.

"Mr. Huo, who has the audacity to make a move at sea?"

"Who else could it be but pirates?"

Are there still pirates on the outskirts of Hong Kong?

"Yes, although not as many as before, but the scale is larger. It must have been swallowed up and integrated by someone."

What kind of organization hijacked your ship?

"Those who escaped reported that there were several hundred people in about ten boats, carrying the banner of 'skyrocket'."

What kind of equipment do they have?

"There are two gunboats, the rest are fishing boats, all armed with long guns. I didn't hire any of your people for this voyage; I have a security company that specializes in long-distance voyages. I should have hired you."

"A gunboat? How big is it?"

"Yes, it weighs about a thousand tons. It has small cannons and torpedoes on it, but the people down there aren't sure. They don't know where it was bought from."

Have you contacted the police?

"I contacted them, and the water police told me to wait. If you need it urgently, I'll go and buy another batch."

"Don't rush to buy it, let me ask someone."

"Okay, I'll wait for your message."

After hanging up the phone, He Yuzhu immediately called Orian.

"Hey, you rarely call me. What's up?"

"Do you have any influence with the marine police?"

"Marine police? You want to get into shipping?"

"No, a friend of mine had his goods stolen by pirates."

"Which friend?"

"Huo family?"

"Is it the Huo family I know? What are they transporting?"

"Probably. There's also that Huo guy in Hong Kong. He helped me transport the steel."

"Your goods? Oh right, part of your car factory should be able to start production now."

"Yes, we need it urgently."

"This can't be done. Their family situation is very complicated. Are you on good terms with them?"

"It's purely business dealings, so what?"

"They're getting too close to the north; someone must be deliberately targeting him."

"Deliberately? Do you know something?"

"This should be common knowledge in the business world, right? Are you even in business? Last year, he lost more than 20 million on a property, and his freight company requires him to guarantee 200,000 boxes of goods per year. The west side won't sell goods to him at all."

"It's so serious, how come I've never heard him mention it?"

"Your business is just starting out, and people assume you already know."

"Is the steel really that important? If it's not that important, just consider it lost. At worst, we can just pay some compensation."

"Can't you even go and deliver a message?"

“I can’t pass this message on; it crosses a line. In the early years, he transported too much stuff to the north, which displeased the higher-ups.”

"okay, I get it."

"Hey, I know you're tough, but don't do anything reckless. Those pirates are suicidal."

"I understand. Let's have tea together sometime."

"Drinking tea is not as practical as going to your house for a drink."

"Okay, whenever you come, there's plenty of alcohol."

"No need for lots of alcohol, I can't outdrink you. Just serve good food, your cooking is excellent."

"No problem, that's settled then, bye."

"Wait, let me remind you again, don't do anything reckless. You're very capable on land, and your men are well-trained, but this is in the sea."

"Okay, I understand. Thanks for reminding me."

"Beep beep beep," He Yuzhu hung up the phone immediately.

"Hey, he actually hung up. I wonder if this guy will listen to advice or not," Orian muttered.

He Yuzhu hung up the phone and began pacing in his study. He could handle the pirates, though.

But the Huo family being targeted was not a short-term issue; it involved political matters, which he simply couldn't resolve.

Giving the Huo family more business is no problem, but he has nothing to transport right now.

"Forget it, let's deal with the immediate problem first," He Yuzhu muttered to himself.

Then he dialed Huo Sheng's number again.

"Mr. He, how is it?"

"Mr. Huo, my friend advised me to leave it alone."

"Yes, your friend is a true friend."

"Are you having a hard time right now?" He Yuzhu asked.

"No, it's alright."

Are we still friends?

"Of course forget it."

"Then you're not telling me the truth."

"My problem is very complicated, so please don't get involved. I can handle it."

"Okay, let's put your problem aside for now, lend me a boat."

"what are you up to?"

“I’m waiting for the materials to start production. Under your current circumstances, it’s definitely impossible to get any more materials in. I’ll go talk to them.”

"No, that's too dangerous and not worth it. Let me think of another way. If that doesn't work, we can ask another company to help with the transport."

“My volume won’t be small in the future. It’s not just coming in, but also being shipped out. Are you going to keep asking others to help you with the shipping? How will you make money then?”

Things will get better.

"If you won't lend it to me, then I'll buy your boat, it doesn't have to be too big."

"Why are you so stubborn? I can afford to lose a thousand tons of steel."

What else do you have on your boat?

"Some electrical appliances and cars."

He Yuzhu knew immediately that the goods were worth at least several million Hong Kong dollars. He wondered how long they could hold on like this.

“If you can’t hold on, you can tell me,” He Yuzhu said in a deep voice.

"Thank you, Mr. He, I'm used to it."

"I'll hang up now. I'll think of another way to get the steel."

"Okay, if you can't find a way, you can come to me again. I still have some friends."

"Okay, bye."

"Goodbye."

(End of this chapter)