Siheyuan, Shazhu: I have both parents in this life

Chapter 296 An Unexpected Reunion

After hanging up the phone, He Yuzhu let out a soft breath.

The helicopter issue has now been officially registered with Lao Fang.

Old Fang acted swiftly. A few days later, a small delegation from the mainland industrial sector arrived in Hong Kong discreetly, led by Deputy Director Qin, who was in charge of machinery and equipment procurement.

After Xu Damao led them on a tour of the aircraft manufacturing plant and a ride on the Yellow River H-1, the delegation decided to place an order. The negotiations took place in a small conference room in the Yellow River Building.

"Mr. He, I've heard so much about you!" Deputy Director Qin stepped forward and shook hands with He Yuzhu.

"Director Qin, you're too kind. Let's get straight to business."

"Haha, okay, let's talk business. I didn't expect Mr. He to be such an impatient person."

"You all arrived so quickly, how can you say I'm impatient?" He Yuzhu said with a smile.

"Yes, yes, let's get straight to the point. The purpose of our trip is to inspect the Yellow River H-1 civilian helicopter produced by your group. We have inspected it and found that this model is stable and reliable, and is especially suitable for tasks such as forest fire prevention, geological exploration, and emergency rescue."

The saying goes, "See through it but don't say it out loud." Among the people who came with this Deputy Director Qin, several were clearly military personnel. According to Xu Damao, they were introduced as clerks. Apart from this Deputy Director Qin, none of them drank alcohol during the reception.

He Yuzhu nodded, gesturing for Gu Yuanheng to hand over the prepared documents: "Director Qin, the Yellow River H-1 is a civilian version that we have optimized and improved based on the Mi-4. Its safety and adaptability have been rigorously verified. Currently, the monthly production capacity is stable at five to six aircraft, and there are about one hundred aircraft in stock."

Deputy Director Qin and the accompanying technical experts quickly flipped through the documents, a look of satisfaction flashing in their eyes.

"I've checked the performance, and it meets our requirements. What about the price?" Deputy Director Qin hesitated, seemingly wanting to say something but then stopping himself.

He Yuzhu did not answer directly, but asked, "Director Qin, what is the approximate unit price for purchasing a Mi-4 helicopter domestically?"

“We’ve stopped purchasing Mi-4 missiles. They’re now being manufactured domestically, and the cost is approximately…” Deputy Director Qin stated a figure.

He Yuzhu smiled slightly: "As a five-ton class utility helicopter, our H-1 has greatly improved in terms of range and payload adaptability, and is also easier to maintain. How about this, I won't ask for too much, I'll just charge the cost price, two hundred thousand US dollars per helicopter, what do you think?"

"Could you offer a slightly lower price? Also, we don't have US dollars," Deputy Director Qin said, sounding a bit embarrassed.

"After Deputy Director Qin arrived, he should have met with President Liang, right?" He Yuzhu asked.

"When I met him, he told me that Mr. He would definitely give me a discounted price."

"Oh, I see. It seems that President Liang is very tight-lipped. Then I won't say any more. Here's the deal: you can settle this transaction with domestic funds."

"Can we use domestic money?" Deputy Director Qin thought he had misheard.

"Yes, we can use domestic money. I'll have someone open an account for us."

"That's great! Can you offer a discount?"

He Yuzhu glanced at Gu Yuanheng sitting next to him, and Gu Yuanheng whispered, "Boss, we still have a little bit of profit left."

"How much?" He Yuzhu mouthed.

Gu Yuanheng made a "one" gesture under the table, and He Yuzhu understood. Then he said, "There is indeed a little room for growth. This is already the floor price, 190,000 US dollars. I can't build it any lower."

Deputy Director Qin was visibly taken aback. He already knew the price was low, but he hadn't expected it to actually be lowered. He quickly said happily, "Thank you so much, Mr. He! You're so generous!"

"I guess this is my way of contributing to my family," He Yuzhu said with a smile.

"Mr. He is truly a model Chinese businessman in Hong Kong!" Anyone can say such free flattery.

He Yuzhu just smiled, but one of the people next to Deputy Director Qin spoke up: "Mr. He, hello, I am from the helicopter operating unit. I wonder if your company can provide complete flight training? We watched your pilots' performance before, and it was simply amazing. After returning, we want to get these helicopters flying as soon as possible."

"Training? Don't you have pilots?"

"Those belong to the military; we can't borrow them." This is clearly a lie.

He Yuzhu didn't expose the truth, and nodded, saying, "Providing training is fine, consider it a free service from us, and it will only be offered once!"

"Mr. He, thank you so much! This has solved a huge problem for us! I wonder if your training instructors could go to the mainland?"

"Where will the training take place specifically?"

"I'm sorry, but I can't disclose that," the man said.

Is there a limit to the number of people allowed?

"Of course, the more the better."

"Still don't know how to address me?"

"You can just call me Officer Song."

He Yuzhu nodded. This person was probably not an officer, but a staff officer.

"Director Qin, when do you plan to order the goods?"

“If Mr. He is willing to accept money from the mainland, it will be very quick, at the latest within a week.”

"Where would we deliver the goods to?"

"Huacheng, please."

"I understand. Here's what we'll do: I'll have someone arrange a ship today to load the goods and send them over as soon as possible. We'll hand them over whenever the money arrives."

"Mr. He is very decisive. Shall we sign a contract first?"

"Of course, I've prepared the contract. You can take a look and see if there are any problems."

The contract was signed quickly, and a training agreement was also added as a supplement.

He Yuzhu provided twenty instructors to go to the mainland to help with training for two months.

Then these people hurriedly returned to China. Of course, Deputy Director Qin still asked President Liang why He Yuzhu accepted money from China.

President Liang only briefly mentioned that He Yuzhu would be investing in China, without specifying what the investments would be. However, Deputy Director Qin understood what was going on once he heard this news.

Next came the aircraft delivery, but He Yuzhu faced some difficulties. The Hong Kong government would definitely not allow the export of helicopters, especially to the mainland.

Therefore, He Yuzhu's packing list at the shipping company was all for cars, and based on the volume, they were all five-ton trucks.

A team of installation and maintenance personnel and a batch of equipment also went with the ship, because the propellers had been removed and needed to be installed first.

They were quite surprised when they received the goods. They were overjoyed when they learned that the equipment was included. There are such equipment in China, but they all need to be disassembled and reassembled, and it takes time to ship them over.

In mid-January, all the helicopters were assembled at a training base in Guangxi Province, and the instructor team was on its way.

What they didn't expect was that He Yuzhu also went along, because he was the best instructor. Of course, there was another reason: He Yuzhu was afraid that his boys might cause some trouble.

After all, most pilots come from the 'Wolf Fang' unit. If they get carried away with their passions when they get to the military, it could cause some trouble.

Since none of the people who came to pick them up were the ones who had gone to Hong Kong before, no one recognized them. When they arrived at the training base, He Yuzhu and the others got out of the car and were stunned when they saw the people who came to greet them.

The person on the other side was also stunned, and tried to shout several times but couldn't make a sound.

"Wanli? It's you?"

"It really is you, Brother Zhu! Where have you been all these years?" Wu Wanli, with red eyes, ran over quickly and gave He Yuzhu a big hug.

"It really is you, kid. How are your brothers doing?"

“Good, everything is fine. My parents ask about Xiao He every year. Have they heard anything from him?”

"The elderly couple are worried about us."

“My parents said that if it weren’t for the food you sent, they wouldn’t have survived those few years. My brother and I were both away from home and couldn’t be taken care of at all. You are our family’s benefactor.”

The two of them were catching up at the gate, which confused everyone else, especially those from the military. How could they possibly have a connection?

The members of 'Wolf Fang' are all fine; they know that their boss used to be a soldier in China, and if he hadn't transferred to civilian work, he would be a high-ranking officer now.

"Wanli, why are you taking so long to pick someone up? Why are you chatting with them?" A loud voice came from behind.

He Yuzhu turned around abruptly upon hearing the voice, and the person who came saw him almost fell to the ground.

Pointing at him, she trembled and said, "Pillar, Pillar, you're still alive?"

"Even if you, the guy who's masturbating on this mountaintop, die, I won't die," He Yuzhu said irritably.

"It's been so many years, why are you still making fun of me about this?" Yu Congrong said angrily.

"You've already cursed me to die, and I can't even say anything to you?"

Although they were bickering, they ended up hugging each other tightly and patting each other's backs.

At this moment, those who had come out with Wu Wanli to greet the others walked up to him, and someone whispered, "Commander, could this be the legendary company commander of the Seventh Company?"

"It's him, otherwise who would dare to talk about your political commissar like that?"

"Of course there are, the division commander and the chief of staff." The man stopped halfway through his sentence because neither of them had ever said that; at most, they called Yu the Big Guy.

"I'm not going to waste my breath on you anymore. Hurry up and bring the instructors in and make arrangements."

"Yes."

While He Yuzhu and Yu Congrong were talking, Wu Wanli went to the duty room and picked up the phone.

"Help me take over the division headquarters."

"Hello!" "I'm looking for my division commander."

"I am Wu Qianli, what is it?"

"Commander, I am Wu Wanli, the regimental commander of a certain regiment. I have something to report to you."

"Wanli, what's up? Weren't you supposed to pick up the training team today? Did you get them?"

"I did receive the call, but bro, guess who I saw?" Wu Wanli whispered.

"Who? Could it be someone we know? But wait, I haven't heard of anyone going to Hong Kong!"

"Yes, the person you talk about every day."

"The person I talk about every day? You mean He... He Yuzhu?" Wu Qianli lost his composure and shouted on the other end of the phone.

"He Yuzhu, where is Zhuzi? Lao Wu, did you just say He Yuzhu? Where is he?" Another loud voice came from the phone.

"Old Xiong, I was just asking a question when you interrupted me."

"You ask, you ask"

"Wanli, are you telling the truth?"

"Reporting to the division commander, it's absolutely true. He's right here at the entrance of our camp, talking to Political Commissar Yu." Wu Wanli glanced outside.

"Tell him to wait at your regimental headquarters, I'll be there right away."

“Me too, me too, I’ll go call Old Mei.”

"go together."

"toot toot"

After Wu Wanli left the duty room, Yu Congrong asked, "Wanli, who did you call?"

"Who else could it be?"

"Are the division commander and the others coming?"

"What's wrong? Why are you panicking? It's not like we're here for a surprise inspection."

"Commander? Qianli or Xiong Jie?"

“My brother is the division commander, Brother Xiong is the chief of staff, and our political commissar Mei.”

"You guys get promoted pretty quickly," He Yuzhu teased.

"No one can be as fast as you. You manage tens of thousands of people." Yu Congrong teased.

"Can that be the same?"

“Of course it’s different. You’re a big boss now. Those helicopters must be worth a fortune, right? I never would have guessed. I never would have guessed that Mr. Ho from Hong Kong would actually be you. Life is truly unpredictable!” Yu Congrong said.

"Alright, let's go to the regimental headquarters and wait. My brother and the others will be here soon. By the way, Brother Zhu, how long are you staying this time?" Wu Wanli asked, picking up He Yuzhu's luggage.

"At most a month, there are still many things to do over there."

"So fast? I thought you were going back with the instructors," Yu Congrong said.

"There are indeed many things to do, and I can't leave Hong Kong for too long."

"Is someone causing you trouble?"

"Whether it counts as causing trouble or not, it's certain that some people will disapprove."

“It’s a pity that you’re not in the country, otherwise,” Yu Congrong said.

"Alright, you think they're all enemies on the battlefield? You're a political commissar now, and your ideological awareness isn't high enough." He Yuzhu patted him on the shoulder.

"Go away, go away! It's only now that I've seen you that I realize your thinking needs to be corrected. You've definitely been corrupted by the bourgeoisie."

"Hahahaha!"

The group walked toward the regimental headquarters, chatting and laughing. The soldiers they encountered along the way looked at the three of them with curiosity, knowing that their regimental commander and political commissar were usually very serious and no one in the regiment was afraid of them.

Today is like the sun has risen in the west; his face is all smiles.

Upon entering the regimental headquarters, He Yuzhu rummaged through his luggage and then took out several packs of cigarettes.

"Come on, try some foreign goods."

“Wow, those from Hong Kong are definitely different.” Yu Congrong didn’t stand on ceremony and tore open a pack, then took out two packets and threw one to Wu Wanli. He then tore open another packet, pulled out two sticks, and handed one to He Yuzhu.

He Yuzhu, who doesn't usually smoke, took the cigarette, then pulled a lighter out of his pocket and lit it with a "click".

Before the cigarette was even lit, the lighter was in Yu Congrong's hand the next second. "Nice lighter, confiscated!"

"When did you learn to take advantage of others, you old rascal?"

"He's become stingy since he got married," Wu Wanli bluntly pointed out.

"What's wrong? Are they being strict?" He Yuzhu asked gossipy.

"Hehe, he's now getting free cigarettes and alcohol too, what do you think?"

"It's not that my family has a lot of people."

"By the way, his family now has six people, no, it should be seven, and Sister-in-law Yu is pregnant with another one."

"Old Yu, you're something else." He Yuzhu leaned over, lit a cigarette, and patted Yu Congrong on the shoulder.

"Hehe, hehe!" Yu Congrong kept laughing foolishly.

"Wanli, how many children do you have?"

"His family is quite large, with three kids, all boys."

"Not bad, not bad." He Yuzhu nodded.

As the group was chatting, they heard a shout coming from the corridor: "Zhu Zi, where's Zhu Zi? Come out and greet your old friend!"

The people inside exchanged smiles; Old Xiong was still the same as always.

He Yuzhu strode out, and as soon as he stepped out, he was given a bear hug, followed by a series of slapping sounds.

"Cough cough cough, I say, Old Xiong, are you trying to kill me?" He Yuzhu laughed.

"Hahaha, you're still so strong, dressed like a real man. You must have struck it rich?" Xiong Jie released He Yuzhu, grabbed his arms, and looked him up and down.

"Go away, you can't expect anything good to come out of a dog's mouth. Zhu Zi, I've missed you so much!" Wu Qianli, who was a few steps slower, pulled Xiong Jie away and then gave He Yuzhu a bear hug, followed by another series of "bang bang bang" sounds!
Behind him was Mei Sheng, who was watching this scene with a smile. Wu Qianli released He Yuzhu, and Mei Sheng repeated the action.

"Zhu Zi, you've finally deigned to come and see your old friend."

"I had no choice in the matter!!!" He Yuzhu said.

"Come on, come inside and tell us what happened, let's see how you ended up having no choice in the matter." After Mei Sheng let go of He Yuzhu, Wu Qianli and Xiong Jie each grabbed one of his arms and led him into the regimental headquarters.

Then Yu Congrong started handing out cigarettes, whole packs at a time. Xiong Jie looked at the cigarette packaging and exclaimed, "Wow, Yu the Big Guy, you've struck it rich! You're even smoking foreign cigarettes now?"

"You don't even know if I've made a fortune or not. If I were rich, would I be able to mooch cigarettes from you at the division headquarters? This was brought by Zhu Zi." Yu Congrong pointed at He Yuzhu.

"It seems our great hero He has really made a fortune."

"Let's do some small business," He Yuzhu said with a smile.

"Don't listen to him. This isn't a small business for him. Guess who sold us this batch of new helicopters?" Yu Congrong directly exposed his argument.

"No, it can't be him, can it?" Xiong Jie's mouth dropped open.

Yu Congrong and Wu Qianli nodded at the same time.

"Good heavens, what have you been doing all these years?" Xiong Jie asked.

“I’m also very curious. We haven’t heard from you since 1960. Later, when we passed through Beijing, we even went to your house, but it was empty. The people living in your courtyard had no idea where your family went,” Wu Qianli said.

"When did you go?" He Yuzhu asked.

"Not many years, maybe 1976."

"Weren't you in Hainan Province? How did you end up here?" He Yuzhu asked curiously.

"The garrison was transferred a long time ago."

“You still haven’t told me where you’ve been all these years,” Wu Qianli said.

"It's a long story."

"Then just get to the point, stop keeping us in suspense. Can't you see we're all getting impatient?" Xiong Jie said, exhaling a puff of smoke.

“Yes, Zhu Zi, just tell us already,” Mei Sheng added.

“Then I’ll start from 1965.” He Yuzhu began by talking about the car factory, of course, only about what he could talk about. He talked for over an hour without anyone interrupting him, but the smoke filling the room indicated their unease.

(End of this chapter)