Siheyuan, Shazhu: I have both parents in this life

Chapter 396 Does Uncle He still remember me?
After much deliberation, Lao Fan ultimately did not dare to implement the "fishing" strategy.

The risk is too great; if it gets out of control, the consequences would be unimaginable.

After being detained and interrogated for about half a month, and confirming that no more valuable information could be extracted, those few "tails" were all blacklisted and deported.

As the year draws to a close, the chill in Beijing is growing stronger.

On the tenth day of the twelfth lunar month (January 7, 1990), a capable-looking middle-aged woman came to the gate of No. 95 Nanluoguxiang, carrying two large net bags in her hands.

He rang the doorbell, and He Yaozong opened the door shortly afterward.

"you are?"

"My surname is Mei. May I ask if this is the He family's residence?"

"Surname Mei? This is the He family. May I ask who you are looking for?"

Is Uncle He home?

"My grandfather is home. Please come in with me."

The middle-aged woman was taken aback when she heard "Grandpa," as she hadn't heard that Uncle He had become a grandfather. Nevertheless, she followed him into the courtyard.

He Yaozong ushered the person into the courtyard and led them into the guest room (the part of the west wing that was added after the back building was demolished). Then he ran to the backyard and shouted, "Grandpa, someone is looking for us up ahead!"

Hearing the sound, He Daqing lifted the curtain and came out. "Yaozong, who's looking for me?"

"I don't know her. Her surname is Mei, and she's a woman."

"I don't know anyone with the surname Mei. Are you sure you're not mistaken?"

"You'll see for yourself when you go there."

"it is good."

When the two arrived at the front yard, He Daqing looked at the unfamiliar woman sitting in the side room with some doubt: "Who are you?"

"Uncle He, hello! I am Mei Suxin, Mei Sheng's daughter." Mei Suxin introduced herself with a smile.

He Daqing was stunned for a moment, then slapped He Yaozong on the back with his other hand. "You brat, you've made a huge blunder right off the bat. This isn't for me, it's for your dad. Go, go, go and call your dad right now!"

He Yaozong scratched his head awkwardly. He knew he had made a mistake as soon as Mei Suxin mentioned Mei Sheng.

"Sister Mei, I'm sorry."

"It's alright, it's just that there's a big age gap between us, and besides, we didn't ask clearly when we came in."

"I'll go get my dad right now!"

He Daqing said, "Miss Mei, please sit down. I'll make you some tea."

"Grandpa He, you don't need to bother, I'm not thirsty."

"It's so cold outside, warm yourself up, please have a seat." With that, He Daqing left.

Mei Suxin looked around the antique-style room and thought to herself, "Uncle He has good taste. I wonder if that guy was Yaozu or Yaozong."

He Yuzhu was in his study looking at the policy documents that had just been issued this year, which Lao Fan had brought him, when he heard a knock on the door.

"Enter!"

The door was pushed open, and He Yaozong entered, calling out "Dad".

"Yaozong, what's up? Aren't you busy with the new script?"

"It's not my business, someone is looking for you."

"Who?"

"Uncle Mei's daughter."

"What about people?"

"Hey, you brat, why don't you come and invite them over?"

"Oh, oh!" He Yaozong turned and ran.

He Yuzhu shook his head. Had this kid gotten so caught up in writing the script that he forgot how to interact with people? He'd have to explain that later.

When He Yaozong brought the person to the study and saw Mei Suxin, He Yuzhu was also taken aback. In his mind, Mei Suxin was still a little girl, quite different from the one standing in front of him now.

"Are you Nannan?"

Mei Suxin smiled and said, "Uncle He, it's me, Nannan! Long time no see!"

"Sit down, sit down, don't be shy," He Yuzhu said, looking her up and down.

Mei Suxin inherited Mei Sheng's features, but with added intelligence and competence. Wearing a navy blue cotton coat and short hair that reached her ears, she looked very energetic.

"Ah, time flies. The little girl from back then is getting on in years now," He Yuzhu remarked.

"Yes, Uncle He, it's been thirty years since we last saw each other."

"Hmm, why didn't you call before you came?"

"I came to Beijing for a meeting, and my dad sent me to visit you!"

At this moment, Xiaoman brought in tea, peanuts, and melon seeds. She looked at Mei Suxin and asked, "Is this the maid from the Mei family?"

Seeing that Xiaoman looked younger than her, Mei Suxin was unsure how to address her. He Yuzhu smiled and said, "This is your aunt, surnamed Qiao. You can call her Aunt Qiao or Aunt Man."

"Call me Aunt Man, it's been so long since anyone called me by that surname, I'm not used to it," Xiao Man said with a smile.

Mei Suxin quickly stood up: "Hello, Aunt Man, I am Mei Suxin!"

"Alright, alright, your Uncle He has mentioned it a few times, saying that the Mei family's little girl, Zhong Linminxiu, has never had a chance to meet her!"

"Aunt Man, I already have several children." Mei Suxin said somewhat embarrassedly.

"Boys and girls?"

"Two men and two women."

"You're so lucky, you've got two auspicious signs!" Xiaoman said with a smile.

"Sigh, I have no idea how much they've worried about."

"Since you're already here, stay a few days before you leave," Xiaoman said.

"No, I have things to do at work. It's hard to get there, and if I leave too late, I won't be able to get back."

"Your dad has never said what company you work for. Is it inconvenient to get to your workplace?" He Yuzhu asked.

Yes, deep in the mountains.

He Yuzhu nodded and then said, "You've finished your meeting, right? Stay home for one more night before you leave. It won't make a difference."

"Row."

"Then I'll go prepare the ingredients for lunch. You two can chat for a while." Xiaoman said as she walked out. She was perceptive enough to know that the Mei family girl's sudden visit was definitely not just a simple visit.

After Xiaoman left, He Yuzhu said, "Speak, what message does your father want to give me? Do I need you to relay it? You've been to Beijing for meetings before, but I've never seen you come home."

"Uncle He, you've misunderstood. My dad just asked me to pass on a message that he's waiting for you to come drink with him. I'm the one who needs to talk to you!" Mei Suxin said, blushing after He Yuzhu pointed it out. She was actually feeling ashamed.

"Oh, you contacted me yourself? Is it related to the meeting you're attending?"

"Yes, Uncle He has a keen eye."

"Stop flattering me, just say what you have to say," He Yuzhu said with a smile.

"Then I won't stand on ceremony," Mei Suxin said with a smile.

"Tell me, I'm really curious what you want from me."

Mei Suxin's smile faded, and she said seriously, "Uncle He, the unit I work for is an old third-line military factory, mainly producing some basic military parts. Now the environment has changed, and the higher-ups require us to gradually transform, to 'convert from military to civilian,' and to be responsible for our own profits and losses. The factory's technology and equipment are outdated, and the products are limited. Suddenly having to shift to the civilian market, we... we really can't find a direction, and it's very difficult to move forward."

She paused, her face showing worry: "The reason I'm here for this meeting is to discuss the transformation. I've seen some of our other factories succeed and others fail, which makes me even more uncertain. My dad... my dad says you have a lot of experience and connections, and he wants me to come and learn from you whenever I have the chance. I know this is presumptuous, but our factory has thousands of employees, and their families too, all depend on this factory for their livelihood."

After listening, He Yuzhu did not answer immediately, but instead asked, "What is your position in the factory?"

"I am the factory manager."

He Yuzhu began to look at his eldest niece again, and suddenly laughed, "Then you've come to the right person."

"Uncle He, please tell me quickly. You have no idea how worried I am about this. I've lost so much hair!" Mei Suxin said anxiously.

"Wait, I have more questions. Your factory is located deep in the mountains. How is the transportation?"

"Uncle He, I'm sorry, I lied. The factory is near the mountains, and the transportation is okay. There's a railway not far away."

"where?"

Southwest Shanxi.

"Your area produces boiled cakes, right?" "Oh, Uncle He, how did you know?"

"So you didn't bring me any?" He Yuzhu asked with a smile.

"Next time, next time for sure," Mei Suxin said awkwardly.

"Just kidding. How would I know? Just leave it at that. Your company, 541, is a big company. It shouldn't be that difficult, right?"

"Hey, since Uncle He knows our factory, he must know what we make. We tried before but failed."

He Yuzhu nodded, pondered for a moment, and said, "I have a general understanding of your factory's situation. The direction of converting military equipment to civilian use is correct, but we can't be reckless about how to do it. Your previous attempts failed, and the problems probably don't just lie in the products and the market."

He stood up, walked to the large map hanging on the wall, and glanced at the southwestern Shanxi region.

"Here's what I'll do. I'll show you two paths, or rather, a cooperation plan."

Mei Suxin immediately sat up straight and listened attentively.

"The first path is relatively simple. You can use your existing machining capabilities to transform into the production of civilian machinery parts, such as agricultural machinery parts, small diesel engines, and even some civilian construction machinery. This path is safe, but the competition is fierce and the profit margin is thin. It won't be easy to support thousands of people."

"The second path is riskier and requires higher investment, but once it succeeds, the prospects are broad. I can establish a domestic company, and under this company's name, we can cooperate deeply with your factory to form a new company. I will provide capital, technology, and market channels, while you will provide existing factory buildings, equipment, and skilled workers. We can jointly develop new products, such as advanced civilian bulletproof materials, special vehicle modifications, or even extend into the field of precision instruments and high-end equipment manufacturing based on your foundation."

Mei Suxin's heart raced as she listened, especially the directions He Yuzhu mentioned, which were clearly not just figments of her imagination, but rather hit the nail on the head regarding their factory's potential advantages.

"Uncle He, what exactly do you mean by in-depth cooperation?" she asked cautiously.

He Yuzhu turned around and looked at her sharply: "I hold a controlling stake, at least 51%. The management will initially be led by this newly established company, and you can participate. I will decide the product direction, technology research and development, and market expansion of the new company. Of course, the new company will give priority to the old employees of the factory who are willing to stay and can keep up with the requirements, and their treatment will only be better than before, not worse."

Mei Suxin gasped.

He Yuzhu is trying to swallow up the core of Factory 541!
This step is not just big, it's revolutionary.

For her, it was almost unimaginable that a factory with a military background would be controlled by private capital.

"Uncle He, this... I'm afraid..." she said, her face showing difficulty. "This is a huge matter; I can't make a decision on my own. We must go back to the Party Committee meeting and report it to the relevant authorities."

“I understand.” He Yuzhu waved his hand, interrupting her. “You don’t need to answer me right away. Go back and convey my words to your factory leadership and the higher-ups in charge. Tell them that these are my conditions, He Yuzhu’s conditions. If they are willing, we can sit down and talk in detail; if they are not, just pretend I never mentioned it, and you can think of other solutions yourselves.”

“But Uncle He, it’s hard to get approval for foreign controlling stakes and management rights,” Mei Suxin said worriedly.

"Don't worry, it's not a foreign company; it's a genuine domestic enterprise."

"But my dad wasn't talking about you."

"Does your dad know everything?" He Yuzhu winked at him.

"Then may I ask how much you can invest, so I can have a better idea?"

"The first installment of ten million should be enough for you to go back and give me an explanation, right?"

"hiss"

“You’ve been working in that kind of company for too long. You should go out and travel more to broaden your horizons,” He Yuzhu said with a smile.

“Weren’t there no opportunities before?” Mei Suxin said softly.

"You don't even need to go anywhere else. Just have your father take you around the special zone, and I guarantee you won't say that anymore."

"Fine! I'll stay in the Special Economic Zone for a while after the New Year. If my dad doesn't take me with him, I'll cry in front of him," Mei Suxin said through gritted teeth.

“You silly girl, if your dad didn’t care about you, he wouldn’t have let you come to me.”

"Uncle He, could you give me a receipt or something? You know that words alone are not enough."

"I'll give it to you before you leave."

"That's great, thank you Uncle He! I'll definitely do my best to push it forward when I get back. Whether it succeeds or not, thank you!"

Mei Suxin said excitedly that she knew this was probably the best opportunity that Factory 541 could seize, and possibly the only chance to turn things around completely.

"We're family, no need for formalities." He Yuzhu smiled. "Alright, now that we've finished the business, you can stay for dinner now. I'll show you my cooking skills later so you can taste your Uncle He's culinary skills."

"Then I won't stand on ceremony. My dad said it's too difficult to get a meal cooked by you."

After finishing their business, Xiaoman came over and led Mei Suxin to introduce her family members one by one.

Mei Suxin then learned that the entire He family had returned.

She felt incredibly awkward the whole way, especially when she was with Gong Xue and Zhong Chuhong, who were clearly younger than her, yet she had to call them "auntie."

After the introductions, the women finally started chatting privately, each discussing their own thoughts, and that's when they really got down to business.

Mei Suxin was forced to stay overnight before leaving. When she left, she tightly clutched the briefcase He Yuzhu had given her, which contained the future lives of thousands of people.

After Mei Suxin left, Xiaoman came over and asked, "Brother Zhu, are you really planning to take over Factory 541? It can't be that simple, can it?"

He Yuzhu said, "It's definitely not that easy, but we have to try, right? Besides, let's just say we're helping Old Mei's daughter out."

"Hmm, do you value this factory highly?"

"It has to be you, you know me so well. It's like someone bringing me a pillow when I'm sleepy."

"I knew it, you were so enthusiastic."

"Ha ha ha ha."

He Yuzhu explained to Xiaoman that acquiring 541 was not just a business deal, but also an extremely important piece in the Yellow River Group's domestic strategic layout.

This "military industry badge" and the potential it holds are worth far more than money.

Of course, there are countless hurdles and challenges ahead for him and the Yellow River Group to make this happen.

In the afternoon, He Yuzhu dialed Mei Sheng's office phone. Mei Sheng's voice came through the receiver: "Hello? Who is this?"

"I am He Yuzhu."

"Hey! Zhu Zi! That's rare. You haven't called me in a while. What's wrong? Did my daughter bother you?" Mei Sheng's tone was relaxed, clearly knowing exactly where his daughter was.

"Stop trying to fool me!" He Yuzhu said irritably. "Mei Sheng, Mei Sheng, you really know how to cause me trouble! Sending your daughter to me with such a hot potato, what are you up to?"

Mei Sheng chuckled on the other end of the phone: "What are you saying? My daughter was desperate, that's why she went to you, a big capitalist, for advice. What, did she upset you?"

"Don't give me that!" He Yuzhu snorted. "Your factory's affairs are a murky mess. If you send her to me, aren't you just pushing me into a fire pit? I already have a ton of troubles to sort out."

"The capable should do more!" Mei Sheng chuckled. "Besides, don't I know you? If you didn't have any ideas, would you have talked so much with my daughter? And you even asked for ten million right off the bat. Tell me, what do you see in 541?"

“I see it as a burden, okay?” He Yuzhu said jokingly. “Old Mei, you know the policies better than I do, so don’t beat around the bush with me. Do you think there’s any hope for this? Have you gotten your approval from above? Don’t let me go through all the trouble of putting together a plan, only to have the higher-ups say ‘we’ll study it’ and then nothing more.”

Mei Sheng's voice became more serious: "Zhu Zi, to be honest, there are indeed obstacles to this matter. But it's the general trend. The factories need to survive, and thousands of people need to eat. We can't just wait and rely on subsidies. The higher-ups are eager for you, He Yuzhu, to revitalize these factories."

"It can't be that simple, can it?"

"So, you really think you can run a domestic company?"

"Do you need me to show you my ID card?" He Yuzhu asked with a smile.

"It has to be you, kid, you're as cunning as a devil!" Mei Sheng on the other side was obviously stunned for a moment before speaking.

"Get lost! You dare to curse me? Believe me or not, I'll find someone else and let your daughter play by herself," He Yuxin said with a laugh.

"No, no, look at you, you can't even take a joke anymore." Mei Sheng laughed too.

“Let’s get serious. Do you think that after the cooperation is finalized and the market is operating, some clueless person from above will come and interfere? If so, then it’s better to back out now. I’d rather donate that ten million than fill this bottomless pit,” He Yuzhu continued.

“There’s no precedent for this. I think there must have been some beforehand. What, are you scared?” Mei Sheng said.

"I don't actually know the word 'fear,' and I just don't want to bother with it."

“I’ll talk to my daughter about this later and see what the situation is. We’re just feeling our way across the river, so I can’t give you a definite answer,” Mei Sheng said.

"Alright, there are some things I can't say to my niece, so you can do it for her."

"Don't worry, I'll make things clear. Since they're going to transform, they should be prepared for this; there will definitely be a gap," Mei Sheng said.

"Hmm, no wonder he's someone who's lived in the Special Economic Zone."

“That still can’t compare to you, a big capitalist in Hong Kong,” Mei Sheng laughed.

"Come visit Beijing sometime, I'll host a banquet for you," He Yuzhu extended an invitation.

"Alright, I'll bring Lao Wu and his whole family then, let's see how you entertain them," Mei Sheng teased.

“I can still manage a company,” He Yuzhu said with a smile.

“Knowing you’re rich and powerful, let’s go on a big-spending spree together,” Mei Sheng said.

“A warm welcome!”

"Let's leave it at that for now? Wait for my news," Mei Sheng said.

"Well, hung up."

(End of this chapter)