Siheyuan, Shazhu: I have both parents in this life

Chapter 395 It's even harder to make a contribution

Throughout the second half of 1989, certain Western forces believed they had successfully constructed technological barriers, intending to slow down the pace of development in the East.

However, the actual impact of this move on the domestic market was far less than they had anticipated.

Since 1987, amidst various fluctuations in the international market, the Yellow River Group, with its forward-looking vision and strong capital, has quietly stockpiled an astonishing amount of strategic materials.

From special materials and key components in the fields of aviation and guidance to core components and high-end consumables required for precision manufacturing, everything is categorized and stacked in the Xiangjiang warehouse of the Yellow River Group. If the list were made up, it would be enough to astound industry insiders.

When external channels suddenly tighten and the prices of related products in the market soar and there is no market for them, the huge reserves of Yellow River Trade immediately show their irreplaceable value.

After November, Yellow River Trade released some information saying that they had sources of goods. Since learning that Yellow River Trade could purchase these items domestically, many departments and units that originally relied on imports have turned their attention to Yellow River Trade.

Almost overnight, the Yellow River Trade Office's phone was ringing off the hook, and a constant stream of customers came, crowding the reception area.

Orders poured in like snowflakes, reaching unprecedented levels in both the amount of money involved and the variety of goods.

As the person in charge of Yellow River Trade, Xu Xiaohui instantly felt immense pressure.

Although she is highly capable, the overwhelming workload and complex relationships she had to manage still left her somewhat overwhelmed, and even with her team working non-stop, they were still struggling to keep up.

After working at high intensity for a week, with dark circles under her eyes, Hui Siu-wai returned to Hong Kong in person to ask Ho Yu-chu for help.

"Chairman, the current situation is that we don't lack goods, but we are severely short-handed, especially in terms of key personnel who are proficient in technical parameters, can accurately connect with customer needs, and are absolutely reliable. In addition, the pressure on warehousing, logistics, and security is also enormous. There are quite a few people watching our warehouse right now." Xu Xiaohui would never call He Yuzhu "Brother Zhu" in the office; she was much more proper than his brother.

He Yuzhu listened quietly and then said, "I understand the situation. There are a few things you need to pay attention to."

"You say!"

"First, you need to coordinate with customs to ensure that the customs clearance documents don't include any goods banned by the West, otherwise it will cause a lot of trouble in Hong Kong. Second, you also need to differentiate between the people in China who want these things. Tell anyone who wants to profit from them that you don't have the goods, and only give them to those who truly need them. You can coordinate with the Special Administrative Region to see if they can help you identify them. If not, call this number and tell them I told you to contact him." As he spoke, He Yuzhu wrote a phone number on a sticky note on the table and pushed it to Xu Xiaohui.

"Ok."

"Remember this number. Only call it when the local authorities can't coordinate." He Yuzhu gave Lao Fan his phone number.

"understand!"

“Then let’s continue. The scale of the third inland warehouse needs to be expanded. We can rent it first. Considering security and other factors, you can go to your brother and ask him to ask the army if there are any suitable ones.”

"Yes, I've thought about that too, but I didn't do it before because I was afraid of the hassle."

"Don't be afraid of trouble; being safe is the most important thing."

"I understand."

"The final issue of transporting the goods can actually be entrusted directly to the military's transportation company. High-value and special items can even be transported by air, as long as the freight cost is paid. You can discuss this when you go to negotiate the warehouse."

"What about the staffing shortage on my end?"

"Go find your sister Lingyi and your sister-in-law and ask them to help you solve the problem."

"Yes, then I'll do it now."

"Go ahead, we can keep in touch by phone later, there's no need to make a trip. Also, take care of yourself."

"Thank you, Chairman," Xu Xiaohui said with a smile.

After Xu Xiaohui left, He Yuzhu picked up the phone and connected to Bai Yifeng's line.

"Old Bai, arrange for some reliable people to keep an eye on the trading company's warehouses and transportation. In these extraordinary times, make sure everything goes smoothly."

"Understood, boss. I will send two more teams to take turns on duty, and I will also arrange backup plans for the routes."

"And you know what to do with customs, right?"

"I know. I've already taken care of things when Xu Xiaohui asked for the goods. We won't charge them any extra tariffs, so we'll just turn a blind eye."

"That's good. There are too many people watching us, so we must be careful."

“I’ve also arranged for people to keep an eye on things outside. I’ll report to you if there’s any trouble.”

"Alright, go ahead and make the arrangements. I expect the volume of goods shipped will increase."

"it is good."

Fortresses are always breached from within. Within a month of Xu Xiaohui's return, Huanghe Group's overseas business ran into trouble.

First, the North American branch reported that two thousand Yellow River cars were detained indefinitely at the port on the grounds that "additional security checks are required."

Immediately afterwards, the European agent called urgently, saying that the container of color TVs that had just arrived had been seized by the local customs. The other party had a thick list and checked each item one by one, not even letting go of the technical parameters in the instruction manual.

"Chairman, I've asked around, and they've made it clear that any goods from the Yellow River, whether for export or import, will be inspected at the highest level from now on." Chen Sheng's voice on the overseas phone was filled with suppressed anger.

Did they say why?

"They said it was contraband smuggled from the Yellow River."

He Yuzhu frowned. "Can't you find out where the news came from?"

"I asked, and they said it's a high level of confidentiality."

"Alright, I understand. Let's use other channels. We won't ship anything on their embargo list anymore."

"it is good."

The phone call had barely ended when there was a knock on He Yuzhu's office door.

"Tuk-tuk-tuk."

"Enter!"

Bai Yifeng hurried into the office and handed over a briefing.

"Boss, three shipments of our goods at Kwai Chung Wharf were stopped by customs. They opened the containers for inspection, saying they received a tip and suspected the smuggling of contraband. The same thing happened at Lo Wu Control Point; our convoy was stopped."

Do you know why?

"The people below said that the inspection team consisted mostly of unfamiliar faces."

He Yuzhu asked, "Where's the goods?"

"They're being held, but this time the loss is quite significant. They contain precision instruments and special alloys that were intended for research institutions in mainland China."

"I understand. Stop shipping. I'll make a call and check the situation."

"it is good."

After Bai Yifeng left, He Yuzhu called a high-ranking official at the customs office, who said they couldn't help him because it was an order from above.

He Yuzhu hung up the phone with a dark face, thought for a moment, then picked up the phone again and dialed Xu Xiaohui directly: "Xiaohui, the mainland trading company has suspended shipments, and the goods in the warehouse have been sealed up."

On the other end of the phone, Xu Xiaohui was clearly surprised: "Chairman, we have so many projects waiting for us."

"Make them wait. Our business at Huanghe is almost at a standstill. I told you to find someone to investigate the buyers, did you?" He Yuzhu's tone was very unpleasant.

"Investigate, investigate, investigate everything." This was the first time Xu Xiaohui had heard He Yuzhu speak to her like this, and she was so frightened that she stammered.

"Who did you ask to investigate?"

"Mei Sheng, Brother Mei!"

"Alright, the trading company has suspended shipments and cancelled all orders. They'll just say they're out of stock. I'll figure things out first."

"Yes, yes, Chairman!"

After hanging up the phone, Xu Xiaohui patted her chest: "My god, Brother Zhu is terrifying when he gets angry."

He Yuzhu then ordered He Yuxin to stop the Jidong project and Xu Damao to stop shipments from domestic electronics factories. As for the Huanghe automobile factory, although he had management rights, stopping shipments would be troublesome, so He Yuzhu did not issue that order.

Both men were taken aback when they received He Yuzhu's order. He Yuzhu explained, "I've been doing my best to help the country, but now someone is digging up the roots of the Yellow River. Just wait for news. If anyone comes looking for you, just tell them to come to me, no matter who it is."

The two then realized what was going on and knew that He Yuzhu was really angry, so they naturally carried out He Yuzhu's orders with all their might.

After going through all that, He Yuzhu had a general idea of ​​what was going on, but he still had to do what needed to be done. He called Bai Yifeng and said, "Old Bai, have the people inside go through it first, and then let me know the results."

"Yes, boss."

The actions of several domestic companies had barely taken hold before someone approached them.

The first call came from Mei Sheng, whose voice was filled with anxiety: "Zhu Zi, what's going on? The heads of several key projects in the Special Economic Zone came to me early this morning, saying that your trading company suddenly unilaterally suspended shipments, even holding onto the goods that had already arrived at the port? They're waiting for their rice to cook!"

He Yuzhu calmly said, "Old Mei, it's not that I don't want to release them. But Huanghe's goods are being seized and investigated in Kwai Chung, Lo Wu, and European and American ports, as long as they have my Huanghe label on them. My legal goods that I sell abroad can't get out, but everyone knows about the 'special materials' I send in. Tell me, how am I supposed to do business?"

There was a moment of silence on the other end of the phone, then Mei Sheng's voice deepened: "You mean there's a mole? Is it an internal problem, or is there a problem on our side?"

"I'm already investigating on my end, but I don't know about your side. However, I doubt you can handle this on your own."

"If I can't handle this, can't I ask someone else? Can you get Da Mao to ship the goods first? We urgently need them here."

"You know my personality, Lao Mei. I won't ship the goods unless I find the root cause. Otherwise, I'd rather let the goods rot in the warehouse."

"Why are you still so stubborn?"

"It's not a matter of being stubborn or not. There are always people who think I'm easy to bully and who are jealous of my Yellow River. What do you think I should do?"

"Alright then, don't do anything rash, I'll go find someone right now."

"Hmm." Mei Sheng was the first. Then Zhao Xingbang, Zhao Zhenhua, and the logistics staff called one after another. He Yuzhu gave the same answer, but of course, the wording was different for each person.

When Zhou's father called, after hearing He Yuzhu's explanation, he slammed his fist on the table, saying, "What's the difference between this and someone selling information about a supply convoy to the enemy during a war?"

“Zhu Zi, I’m not forcing you. You’re right. If things continue like this, Huang He will face a survival problem. We will give you an explanation for this.”

"Uncle Zhou, you can just report this matter. Don't get involved. After all, the events of the first half of the year haven't completely passed."

"Do you think your Uncle Zhou is that stupid? Besides, what am I afraid of?"

"Better safe than sorry!"

"Okay, fine, I'll do as you say. I reckon other people will come looking for you, so you should think it over."

"it is good."

After three days, Lao Bai completed his internal investigation. "Boss, our own people are fine. We don't know what the delivery guys are actually transporting. The shipping guys are all old brothers supervising each other. We also checked the mainland trading company. Xiao Hui personally handled most of the important goods. The others were just checking the goods."

"Have you gotten the shipping manifest back yet?" He Yuzhu asked.

"We've retrieved all the copies."

"Have someone investigate those who received the goods. It's best to use Da Mao and Yu Xin's men. Don't bother with your own people," He Yuzhu said.

"clear."

In late December, Lao Fan personally went to Guangdong Province, wanting to meet with He Yuzhu.

He Yuzhu did not return to China; he met with Lao Fan at sea.

"Pillar, you're really cautious!"

"We can't afford to be careless. Who knows if someone is watching me and wants me dead?" He Yuzhu said.

"Is it that serious?"

"What do you think?" He Yuzhu asked.

"Should I send someone?"

"No need, my people can handle it, of course, that applies to external matters. For domestic matters, we'll have to rely on you," He Yuzhu said.

"I came here to talk about this. Our people went to the trading company, got the list, checked it one by one, and found out the truth."

"A unit or a person?" He Yuzhu asked.

"There's more than one person, sigh, these black sheep."

“You guys should be more careful in the future. It’s time to shift your focus,” He Yuzhu said.

"I've come here to learn from you."

“I’m not the Buddha, and you, Lao Fan, aren’t Tang Sanzang. I can’t help you with this,” He Yuzhu said.

"You're being modest. You're still holding back from me."

"I can only tell you that it's impossible to guard against," He Yuzhu said.

"How can it be so impossible to defend against?"

"Never mind, I'll give you the case study in a while," He Yuzhu said.

"That's great. By the way, we've got those people under control. See if you can help them out."

“No, you’re missing one step in the procedure,” He Yuzhu said.

"what?"

"We at Yellow River can't do the qualification verification, but you can, or rather, other regions can do it. We'll check the qualifications before shipping the goods," He Yuzhu said.

"Oh dear, this matter is being taken very seriously by higher-ups. It has had a very negative impact and disrupted many plans. Several major projects really can't wait. Zhu Zi, aren't you afraid?"

"What do you mean by forcing me?" He Yuzhu asked.

"No, don't think like that. What I meant was, for those special units, we'll vouch for you and see if we can ship the goods first."

He Yuzhu thought for a moment, then sighed and said, "Well, what can I do? I'm Chinese, so I agreed. But Lao Fan, you have to remember one thing: if something like this happens again, my approach might not be the same."

Old Fan said seriously, "It's not just you, we'll investigate other places too. If you really can't continue working here, don't worry, I won't stop you no matter what you do."

"That's good," He Yuzhu said.

"By the way, your losses might be compensated in China, but of course, China doesn't have the money to cover them all, so you should be prepared for that."

“It’s good enough if we get some compensation. And once this is over, the only market for my Hong Kong-made goods in the short term will be the domestic market. I just hope no one will complain that I’m stealing their business,” He Yuzhu said.

"I only know a little about business. It's a dog-eat-dog world. Go ahead and do it. The country can still handle your little bit of business."

"Would you like some seafood and a couple of drinks?" He Yuzhu asked.

"No, I have to go back and report. My head hurts whenever I hear the phone these days."

"Okay, then I won't see you off. I'm going back too," He Yuzhu said.

"Be careful. If you need my help, just let me know." A stern glint flashed in Old Fan's eyes.

"Come on, I saved your life from the north, hurry up and go." He Yuzhu patted his shoulder.

He Yuzhu returned home very late. Xiaoman noticed the weariness in his eyes and handed him a cup of hot tea.

"How did the talks go?" Xiaoman asked softly.

"It's been resolved for now. The domestic authorities will give us an explanation and have agreed to strengthen the review process. The goods can be shipped first, but the rules have been set." He Yuzhu took a sip of tea.

"That's good. You haven't been getting enough rest these past few days, so take a break."

"It's not the right time yet. Let's wait until everything is over."

The next day, He Yuzhu made a series of phone calls back home, announcing that the goods could be shipped and the rules had been explained. In addition, the trading company added special steel, automobiles, and other goods.

Subsequently, He Yuzhu convened a meeting of the group's core team.

"This incident has served as a wake-up call for us. We underestimated the West's resolve and have now returned to the state we were in a few years ago. But don't be discouraged, things will get better."

“Boss, we’ve never been worried. We’ve weathered the tough times before, so what are we afraid of now? But shouldn’t we try to find a way to deal with the seized goods?” Gu Yuanheng said.

"Wilson, you should have someone handle this. If they ask for an exorbitant amount, consider those things as a gift to them for their funeral expenses."

"it is good."

"Hahahaha." Everyone burst into laughter. If the boss could still joke, it meant that what they were facing now was not a big deal.

He Yuzhu then made some more arrangements, and everyone's focus shifted to other tasks after the meeting.

After New Year's Day, He Yuzhu took his family back to Beijing, leaving He Yuyao behind in Hong Kong. Before leaving, He Yuzhu told He Yuyao that it would be best to stay with the police force if she had nothing to do.

The reason was that Lao Bai reported that the Sixth Division, CA, and some other random people had their eyes on the Yellow River.

Bai Yifeng was instructed to strengthen the protection of core members, and He Yuzhu decisively returned to the mainland.

He wanted to see if these people dared to follow him in.

Bai Yifeng wholeheartedly supports He Yuzhu's return to the mainland, admitting that the mainland is indeed much safer.

Surprisingly, some people were bold enough to use their business identities to follow them.

He Yuzhu immediately sold them to Lao Fan, who was overjoyed. They used to deal with escorts, but now they had them delivered right to his door.

After He Yuzhu's family returned to Beijing, Chen Lanxiang's smile never faded.

He Yuzhu was bombarded by Lao Fang and Lao Fan, who said things like they stopped telling them anything after they retired, and that they thought they were too old.

In reality, it was the two old men's concern for He Yuzhu. He Yuzhu could only appease them, saying that he would definitely let them know if anything came up in the future.

Old Fan acted swiftly, and the few "tails" that He Yuzhu "sent" were dealt with cleanly and efficiently, without causing any immediate disturbance.

However, He Yuzhu knew that this matter was definitely not over, so he reminded Lao Fan.

Old Fan was truly doused with ice water. A few years ago, this would have been enough to send him straight to target practice, but now...

"Old Fan, do you know how to fish?"

"I've seen Lao Fang fish here a few times."

"Then you can choose a few to use as bait."

"You mean?"

"Just like you think, these kinds of people will never have a permanent place. Let's see if there are any, but don't let them develop their own power, or that would be your mistake."

"I know this."

(End of this chapter)