Siheyuan, Shazhu: I have both parents in this life

Chapter 362 There's never been a smooth journey.

After the family photo was taken, people came to offer New Year's greetings.

On the second day of the Lunar New Year, He Yuyan and Zhou Baige went back to Old Zhou's house together.

On the fifth day of the Lunar New Year, the entire He family went to the temple fair in a lively atmosphere.

The temple fair was packed with people, filled with shouts and laughter. Children, holding candied hawthorns and windmills, excitedly weaved in and out of the crowd; adults watched acrobatics and listened to operas, immersing themselves in the festive atmosphere of the New Year.

Happy times always fly by, and before we knew it, it was the Lantern Festival.

After eating glutinous rice balls and watching the lantern festival, the New Year celebrations are considered over.

The warmth of reunion has not yet faded, but the sorrow of parting has already quietly spread.

Apart from He Yuxin and Gong Xue, who stayed in Beijing due to work arrangements, He Yushui also stayed behind, while the others were all returning one after another.

He Yuzhu and Xiaoman took the children back to Hong Kong first, while He Yuyao and Cherie Chung also returned to Hong Kong Island to continue their work in the police force and their acting careers.

He Yuyan and Zhou Baige's vacation ended, and they returned to their unit.

The huge courtyard suddenly became deserted. Chen Lanxiang looked at the house, which was much emptier now, and felt as if a piece of her heart had been ripped out. She sat on the veranda for a long time without saying a word.

Before returning to Hong Kong, He Yuzhu visited Lao Fang's courtyard.

"Is everything arranged?" Old Fang asked, taking a sip of tea.

"Yes, the flight is tomorrow." He Yuzhu nodded.

"Zhu Zi, from now on, I'm completely living a carefree life. If anything happens over there, or if you need anything, just contact Lao Fan directly. I've already told him everything. Lao Fan and you have a life-or-death bond, so don't be polite with him."

"Okay, I understand. Uncle Fang, please take care of yourself. When you have time, go out for a walk and visit my house more often."

"I know, stop nagging," Old Fang said with a laugh.

"You're going to think I'm being long-winded now?"

"You boy!"

"He's not a kid anymore, he'll be holding his grandson in a couple of years!" He Yuzhu said with a smile.

"That's true. Come back more often when you have time. Hong Kong is such a small place, how can it compare to the mainland?"

"Will do!"

Upon returning to Hong Kong, He Yuzhu instructed Xiaoman to set aside other matters and focus on one thing: the Japanese yen.

Life is progressing really fast these days. They've recovered quickly from several setbacks, which is quite frustrating for He Yuzhu. It's just the inertia of history.

Xiaoman asked curiously, "Yen? Something big is going to happen on this day?"

"Keep an eye on it for now, and let your subordinates handle the rest."

“Alright, I also need to test the people I’m training.”

A few days later, Xiaoman found He Yuzhu with a stack of analysis reports.

"Brother Zhu, reports from the North American and European offices have come back. The pressure on the yen to appreciate is increasing, and the North American side is constantly putting pressure on us."

"What do you think?"

"Are we really going to get involved? That's quite risky."

"It's not about participating, it's about going with the flow. Besides money, there are many things we need in our daily lives."

"Then what are we going to do?"

"I won't go into stocks, futures, and foreign exchange; you're more familiar with those than I am. Have your men work with Wilson and his team to do an analysis on what the impact would be if the yen were to appreciate sharply, how feasible it would be for our group to acquire technology and equity in high-quality companies, and where the risks lie."

"Okay, how much time do we have?"

"There's still some time, until the middle of the year."

"I see."

"What stage has mobile phone development reached?"

“A one-to-one replica is no problem, but if we want to sell it, there will definitely be patent issues.”

"Then let them put in even more effort."

"Yes, I'll tell the telecommunications company to keep a close eye on it."

Just after the Lunar New Year, Xu Damao received a call urging him to deliver the goods. He Yuzhu had already handed over all the finished products of the program-controlled switchboard and the space to Xu Damao, but he didn't expect them to sell so quickly.

"Brother, think of something quick, I can't hold on any longer!"

"Didn't you say before the New Year that you could hold out for a few more months?"

"Plans can't keep up with changes! Everyone's upgrading their communications systems right now, and orders are pouring in like snowflakes. Bro, think of something, if we can't buy them, they'll just go buy them from Xiao Rizi!"

"We don't have finished products. If we provide you with the parts, can the electronics factories in the special economic zone assemble them?"

"this."

"What do you mean by 'this' and 'that'? If you don't know, just ask. All those technical people under you are just sitting around doing nothing. After implementing so much equipment, they should have some experience, right?"

"Okay, I'll go right away."

"Wait, since we're on the topic, let's get to the bottom of this all at once."

"Brother, tell me!"

"Isn't your electronics factory going to expand? Set aside one-third of it to build a separate switch production line. Set up a separate laboratory as well, and remember, this technology is not shared."

"Where did the equipment come from?" Xu Damao asked.

“You don’t need to worry about the equipment. And if there’s no time to deliver, just buy the equipment from Hong Kong. The tariff difference will be enough for you to make a profit. Don’t worry about making any other money for now,” He Yuzhu replied.

"clear."

"If you understand, why are you asking me?"

"Isn't it because the equipment you provided was cheap?"

"So you just want to help outsiders take advantage of me?" He Yuzhu said irritably.

"No, no, no, brother, you can't say that. I'm just expanding my business," Xu Damao hurriedly said.

"Alright, I got it. Go ask the technical questions right away. If possible, I'll send a batch of parts over, which should last you until the end of the year. As for the factory, you need to speed things up. I'll take care of the equipment."

"Okay, okay, I'll go ask right away."

After hanging up the phone, Xu Damao rushed to the electronics factory. Once there, he immediately gathered the factory's key technical personnel.

The technical lead was an engineer in his forties, surnamed Liu, who had some bald patches on his face.

"Mr. Xu, assembly is no problem! We've thoroughly understood the modules, circuit boards, and wiring of those machines we repaired before. As long as we have qualified parts and blueprints, we can make it exactly the same."

“Okay, you said it. If you can’t do it, don’t blame me for throwing you out to be an installer!” Xu Damao said.

"I guarantee this: I'll provide everything, and if I can't make it, I'm out."

"Okay, what else do you need?"

"Just give us the smallest workshop available."

"No problem, I'll free up a workshop for you to work on the tape recorder. You can arrange the staff, just submit your application and I'll approve it."

"it is good."

After the meeting, Xu Damao immediately called He Yuzhu, "Brother, I've confirmed it, they can assemble it! Our people are fine!"

He Yuzhu on the other end of the phone didn't seem surprised: "I understand. The parts will be sent over as soon as possible, as well as some small equipment. You can arrange them as you see fit."

"Great! I'll keep an eye on things at the factory and make sure the production line is set up as quickly as possible!"

"You don't need to make promises to me, go make promises to your clients."

"hey-hey!"

A few days later, batches of crates labeled in English and German arrived at the warehouse of the electronics factory in the special economic zone.

The workers opened the boxes, which contained neatly categorized precision electronic components, integrated circuit boards, modules, and connectors.

Engineer Liu and his technical team immediately began to check and test the items, referring to the thick Japanese/English bilingual technical manual that came with the package.

"Mr. Liu, are those devices useful?"

"These are so useful! They're specifically for assembling this equipment. Where did you get them?"

"Don't ask where it came from. Just finish this batch of goods first. If you do a good job, I'll give you an even more important task."

"What mission?"

"We'll talk after we've finished." With that, Xu Damao left.

Xu Damao's excitement hadn't even subsided when news from his subordinates poured cold water on his enthusiasm.

"What? You don't want them anymore? How many families don't want them?"

"Mr. Xu, are we canceling all the previous orders?" the sales manager asked. "Why?"

"A document was just issued, saying that they should purchase equipment from Shanghai Bell, because our equipment is not qualified and cannot be connected to the network."

"MLGBD, then what am I doing all this for? They're just going to throw away the deposit like this."

"That sounds like it."

"Alright, you can go now. Let me think about it."

"Mr. Xu, how about we apply for the necessary qualifications and get registered with the network?"

“If it were that easy, our clients would have warned us long ago.”

"understood."

Even so, after the sales manager left, Xu Damao still called his old clients in Huacheng and the Special Economic Zone to ask them to inquire about qualifications and network access.

The reply came quickly: it couldn't be done. Although Xu Damao was mentally prepared, he still felt bad.

So he called He Yuxin to discuss countermeasures.

"Brother Mao, can we make small ones, like the kind with hundreds or thousands of lines?"

"I'll have to ask about that. What are your thoughts?"

"We help so many industrial and mining companies with equipment, why don't we promote our services to them? They probably need our phone numbers too."

"Yeah, why didn't I think of that?"

"I think you're only focused on the big orders."

"What about our large equipment? We have quite a lot of it, and most of it hasn't been assembled yet."

"I'll go ask about it. If all else fails, we can just sell it elsewhere."

"The equipment is a minor issue, but we're asking you to set up a factory and a laboratory. What will happen to the factory and the laboratory if things continue like this?"

"If all else fails, we can use smaller equipment, what else can we do?"

“Small labs can’t afford to maintain.”

"Then call my brother and ask him if you can sell those big pieces of equipment."

"it is good."

Xu Damao hung up the phone and paced around his office eighty times before daring to call He Yuzhu. He had urged He Yuzhu so urgently before, and He Yuzhu had done it for him. Now, he really couldn't bring himself to ask.

"Brother, I'm in trouble!"

"What trouble?"

Xu Damao recounted the story about the switchboard, and He Yuzhu said, "I thought it was a big deal. You've been making too much quick money, haven't you? You can't even handle this little setback."

"Brother, this is a huge business opportunity. There are so many people in the whole country."

"Even the biggest business deal requires you to have the ability to secure it. What, do you think we can take a big slice of the pie from them?"

"Brother, this isn't like you."

"Heh, what kind of style do I have? I'm tough and headstrong. In the end, only one factory went bankrupt and you couldn't sell a single unit."

"Is it that exaggerated?"

"I'm being mild, but Yuxin's suggestion is good. Enterprises and institutions can't be regulated by post and telecommunications. He didn't say who he should ask?"

"I didn't say it."

"Okay, I understand. The lab still needs to be built. We'll prioritize developing small equipment. As for large equipment, I'll have the lab in Hong Kong handle that."

"it is good."

"Don't be so resentful. You basically snatched all the first batch of orders. You've already helped the group earn its first pot of gold. What more do you want? The market for small equipment is also very broad, it's just that the profit margin is a bit lower."

"I see."

"By the way, you should also be careful. I think someone might approach you about a joint venture for the factory. Don't agree to it."

"Joint venture? Why not agree? Then we can get the license."

"Ha, you've wasted your time in China. Do you think you have any say in this kind of joint venture? It's questionable whether you'll even get any equity."

"So exaggerated?"

"If you don't believe us, we'll wait and see."

"I still don't quite believe it."

"We'll see."

Sure enough, they found them not long after.

The air in the conference room of the electronics factory in the special economic zone was somewhat stagnant.

Xu Damao and two factory managers sat on one side of the long conference table, while three colleagues from relevant departments sat on the other side.

The leader was a cadre in his fifties with a neatly parted hairstyle, surnamed Li, and with a serious expression.

"Mr. Xu, we understand your factory's situation. It has the technical capabilities and a considerable production scale. However, communication equipment is a vital sector for the nation, and not just any factory can handle it. Qualifications, standards, and network access permits are all strictly regulated," the other party said formally.

Xu Damao tried to sound sincere: "Director Li, we understand that there are national regulations. We are also wholeheartedly committed to contributing to the country's communications infrastructure development. As you can see, we have made significant initial investments, and our technical team consists of highly paid experts; the product quality is absolutely top-notch."

Li, the cadre, raised his hand to interrupt him: "High quality is one thing, but regulations are another. The current situation is that your equipment does not meet the current network access requirements. Moreover, as far as we know, your core components are also sourced from outside, right? It's just an assembly plant."

Xu Damao's heart sank, knowing that there was something more to the other party's words.

Another younger manager chimed in, “President Xu, we have a suggestion. For a sole proprietorship like yours, developing independently can indeed present many difficulties. Why not consider having us take the lead and bring in a strong state-owned enterprise for cooperation? That way, qualifications and market channels won't be issues, and you can focus more on production.”

Xu Damao pursed his lips and tentatively asked, "You mean a joint venture? How would that be legal?"

Li, the cadre, said, "We can designate a unit to hold the controlling stake, and you can contribute your existing factory buildings, equipment, and technical team as shares. We can discuss the specific shareholding ratio and management methods later. This way, your products can legitimately be included in the procurement list."

"Could I ask what the shareholding percentage you previously discussed was? And who will manage the factory?"

"We can discuss this further if you are interested."

Xu Damao remembered He Yuzhu's previous reminder and understood the situation.

He forced a smile: "Thank you for considering our needs. However, this matter is of great importance and cannot be decided by me alone; it needs to be reported to the group headquarters."

Li, the cadre, nodded, seemingly expecting this answer: "Sure. But Mr. Xu, you need to explain the implications to your group as soon as possible. The telecommunications industry is highly policy-driven; without qualifications, you can't move an inch. It's not just the program-controlled switches; I heard you're also involved in paging station business? That also requires strict approval and management."

These words sent a chill down Xu Damao's spine.

He managed to maintain his composure: "Yes, yes, we understand. We will definitely give the leadership a reply as soon as possible."

After seeing the cadres off, Xu Damao returned to his office, closed the door, and his face immediately darkened.

He paced around the room a few times, his mind in turmoil. The other party had come prepared.

The other party spoke very politely, but the meaning was very clear: either be incorporated into the company, or forget about continuing in this industry; even the paging business that had already been launched might be affected.

He picked up the phone, intending to call He Yuxin, but hesitated for a moment before finally dialing Hong Kong's number directly.

After the call was connected, Xu Damao briefly explained the situation, especially the hints the other party gave when mentioning the paging service, which he then told He Yuzhu.

On the other end of the phone, He Yuzhu was silent for a few seconds, his voice devoid of any emotion: "I see, it's not what you expected, is it?"

Xu Damao said with some frustration, "Brother, I underestimated things. What do we do now? They're clearly..."

He Yuzhu interrupted him: "Don't panic. They're only interested in the factory's equipment and initial capabilities because they're interested in a joint venture. Just stall for now and say that headquarters is studying it and needs time to evaluate it."

"What if they really target the paging service?" This was Xu Damao's biggest worry. The paging station was just a platform; the pagers were the real business.

"The paging service license is complete, they won't find any major problems. At most, they might cause you some minor trouble with base station construction and frequency band usage. Let them find out, just deal with it according to the rules. Remember, they are just testing the waters now, they won't take any real action easily. Stay calm and don't panic."

He Yuzhu's words reassured Xu Damao somewhat.

"Okay, bro, I'll listen to you. Let's stall according to the rules for now, and at the same time hurry up and get the small switch working."

"Okay. Let me know if there are any new developments."

He Yuxin found He Yuyan's father-in-law and explained the situation. Zhou's father gave several suggestions, saying that with Huanghe's current reputation, the factory and mine didn't need him to make connections at all.

Most importantly, Zhou's father could ask the military for help with the Yellow River Group. They also have a significant communication gap. If they can reach an agreement, it will be a long-term deal. Of course, there will be many requirements, as it is different from the local situation. The factory will also be classified as a military-owned enterprise and subject to supervision. Zhou's father reminded He Yuxin to make sure the Yellow River Group considers this carefully.

He Yuxin took Zhou's father's advice to heart and called He Yuzhu as soon as she returned home.

"Brother, that's the situation. Uncle Zhou's meaning is very clear: the military has needs, but the threshold is not low. Most importantly, the factory will be subject to supervision in the future, and it may lose some autonomy."

"Regulation is inevitable, but in return, it brings stable orders and entry qualifications. The pros and cons are obvious. What do you think?"

“I think we can talk. The civilian market is temporarily blocked, but the military is a way out. Moreover, once we cooperate, the technical standards and reliability requirements will force us to improve our capabilities.”

"Well, actually, you asked a very good question this time. We couldn't get in before, but now that we have the chance, you should seize it."

(End of this chapter)