Siheyuan, Shazhu: I have both parents in this life

Chapter 402 Experts and Professors (Sorry, only one chapter today; I was planning to ask for a break)

After only a few days of peace, He Yuzhu received another call from He Yuxin.

"Brother, do you have any tunnel boring machines in stock?"

"Yes, what's wrong?"

"That's how it is."

He Yuxin gave a brief explanation: the tunnel boring machine they had built for the subway in Shanghai broke down. The German factory had some problems, and with the current Western blockade, the tunnel boring machine was essentially rendered useless.

Then they searched around and found Zhou's father, who then introduced the person to He Yuxin.

"What did Mayor Shen say?"

"They need it quite urgently; it seems they've encountered some excavation difficulties."

"What's the price?"

"They asked if they could settle the payment in domestic currency, and the price was much lower than the international market price."

"They're trying to take advantage of us. Tell them it's impossible."

"Just like that? Won't that be good?"

"They're the ones in a hurry, not you. Your project needs funding, doesn't it?"

“No.”

"Then why are you in such a hurry?"

"I'm worried about Uncle Zhou's side."

"What are you afraid of? Uncle Zhou is just introducing you, he didn't say anything to you."

"That's true."

"Then tell them to wait to get the goods and that the price can't be lower. What are they thinking? Look at the situation outside. It's good enough if they don't raise the price for them."

"Okay, what if they need to buy spare parts?"

"Same here. Why don't you tell them to wait until our heavy industry plant is built before we talk about it?"

"Brother, you're a bit..."

"Why should we have to suffer losses when we open a business? This is not like ten years ago, when we really didn't have money. Now, although we are also short of money, it depends on the location and the company."

"Okay, I understand."

After hanging up the phone, He Yuzhu immediately called his daughter.

"Snow Condensation!"

"Dad, why are you calling me? It's always Mom who calls!"

"What, can't I ask you for something?"

"What is it that you need to personally give me instructions?"

"Your marriage."

"Dad, I'm still young, I'm not in a hurry. Marriage is free in China now, you can't arrange it for me, I'll run away from the wedding."

"You silly girl, for every one thing I say, you'll have ten more to say in return."

"Hmph, I'm your precious daughter, you can't ignore my happiness, can you?"

"Alright, I was just kidding. I have something important to tell you."

"Phew, how can you scare your own daughter like that? You have to make it up to me."

"Compensation? Then I'm serious. Tomorrow I'll have your grandma go to your Hongxia grandma. She knows a lot of people."

"No, no, please get down to business." He Ningxue panicked. If her grandmother were to get involved, things would become a serious mess.

You know Shanghai Metro Line 1, right?

"I know, what's wrong?"

“You should investigate all the vacant plots along Line 1, select a few that are suitable for the CBD, and assess their value.”

"Don't we mainly develop residential properties in Shanghai?"

"Can't we change it yet?"

When do you need it?

"The sooner the better."

"understood."

Following He Yuzhu's instructions, He Yuxin rejected the other party's request for a low price settlement and made it clear that there was no room for negotiation on the price.

After being turned down, the other party was very unhappy but did not give up. They went to find Zhou's father again. After Zhou's father called He Yuxin, he learned that it was He Yuzhu's idea. He asked a few questions about why, but did not say anything more. They used to purchase so many things from the Yellow River, and they basically purchased them at low prices.

To be honest, he only spoke up about this because the person who came to him was the son of a comrade-in-arms; otherwise, he wouldn't have been able to bring himself to do it.

After Zhou's father told them the results, the negotiating representatives from Shen City came to visit again, their tone much more conciliatory than before.

"Mr. He, we will try to negotiate the price. But the deadline is fast approaching, so we would like to inspect the goods first and assess the condition and technical level of the equipment."

This time, He Yuxin did not refuse. "Inspecting the goods is fine; we can arrange it at the Hong Kong warehouse. However, before inspecting the goods, we have a new idea for cooperation that might solve the payment issue."

"Please tell me."

"We can accept land as partial or full payment for the goods." He Yuxin sent over information on several plots of land along the subway line with great development potential, which He Ningxue's team had initially selected. "You may consider this proposal."

The other party's representative took the documents, looking troubled.

"We need to go back and study this. It involves urban planning and is not something our subway company can decide on its own."

"I understand. We can arrange to inspect the goods at any time."

The inspection team quickly flew to Hong Kong.

In a warehouse of the Yellow River Group, when they saw the brand-new tunnel boring machine with technical parameters far exceeding expectations, the chief engineer leading the team could not hide his excitement.

He carefully inspected the equipment and asked many questions. After returning to Shanghai, the technical team immediately submitted a detailed report, highly praising the advanced nature of the equipment and its applicability to the current engineering challenges.

The report was quickly submitted to the top levels of the municipal government.

The municipal government is also anxious about this matter, as this is a project they have already applied for, and the higher-ups are keeping a close eye on it.

After an emergency meeting and careful consideration of various factors, taking into account the urgency of the subway project, the advanced nature of the Yellow River Group's equipment, and the possibility of purchasing other equipment at this stage, the plan to exchange land for equipment was agreed upon.

He Yuzhu received a report from He Yuxin.

"Brother, the people in Shanghai have agreed and are willing to discuss land swaps. They hope to start formal negotiations as soon as possible."

“Okay. Let Ningxue lead the negotiations, and you will be responsible for assisting and making the final decision. Tell her that we only want those core plots of land that we have already identified, especially the subway-connected properties planned for the future. We will not give up an inch of land.”

"clear."

He Yuxin paused, then couldn't help but ask, "Brother, how are you sure they'll eventually agree? Our quote for this equipment isn't low; just think about the value of that land."

He Yuzhu chuckled on the other end of the phone.

"Actually, they'd love for us to make this exchange. Of course, they have to put on a show, right? At this stage, money is far more useful than land. Where isn't there a shortage of money?"

"That's true."

"Another reason is that they can't afford to wait, and they can't find a better option. What we provided wasn't just a machine, but the key to their entire project proceeding on schedule. Remember, business is business. We offered something that solved their urgent problem, so naturally we should get something of equal value in return."

"It seems I still have a lot to learn about business."

"You just haven't figured out the key point, or you've been blinded by the pressure from White Dove's father."

"Ah."

"Alright, go and do it."

Soon, the Yellow River Group's negotiation team, led by He Ningxue, sat down at the negotiating table with representatives from the Shanghai Municipal Government and relevant departments.

He Ningxue displayed a maturity and assertiveness beyond her years. After several rounds of negotiations, Shanghai ultimately accepted the Yellow River Group's terms, taking into account the extreme urgency of the project and the advanced nature of the Yellow River equipment.

An agreement has been reached: Huanghe Group will provide advanced tunnel boring machines and subsequent technical services to the Shanghai Metro project in exchange for the state-owned land use rights of specific core plots along Metro Line 1.

After the signing ceremony, He Ningxue called her father.

"Dad, it's all done. It went even more smoothly than we expected."

“Well done. With this land acquisition, our foothold in Shanghai is even more solid. We need to immediately follow up with the subsequent development plans.”

"Don't worry, I already have some initial ideas for the design."

After learning about Shanghai's cooperation model, the Special Administrative Region also showed great interest.

Mei Sheng, representing the city, called He Yuzhu.

“Zhu Zi, we also need the land-for-equipment swap scheme from Shanghai. Our special economic zone's subway project is also in the planning stages, but the conditions from the MTR are quite stringent. Do you think we could discuss this model together?”

He Yuzhu said, "Old Mei, I'm not a professional in building subways. If you need equipment, we can talk to you. If you can't reach an agreement with them, you can find a domestic metallurgical construction company."

"You've built such a huge port, but you can't build a subway?"

"It's not a matter of whether it can be built or not, it's a matter of whether it's professional or not. You don't want a bunch of problems after it's built, do you?"

"That's true. Do you have any suggestions?"

“I think you shouldn’t be tied to the MTR. Let them design it, supervise it, and do the construction yourself. Once this line is completed, you can do the next one or extend this one yourself.”

"I'll submit this report. What about the equipment?"

"I'll have Ningxue go to the special economic zone to take a look."

"Aren't you coming by yourself?"

“I’m not going. If my daughter goes, you’ll pamper her. If I go, you’ll just exploit me.”

"Why are you like this? Are we that bad?"

"Have."

"Hey, look how badly you've been bullied by Lao Wu and Lao Xiong. I have to talk to them. We need to take things slowly and steadily."

"Hmph, you old geezer, you're really wicked."

"Hey, hey, why are you swearing at me?"

"I was just praising you. Once Ningxue arrives, have her contact you. Bye."

Afterwards, He Yuzhu contacted He Ningxue and asked her to go south. Naturally, he was scolded for treating his own daughter like a beast of burden and for verbally agreeing to several unequal treaties before sending his daughter to the special zone.

A few days later, He Yuzhu received a phone call. He thought it was news from He Ningxue and was about to tease his daughter, but it was a man's voice. The call brought bad news: the project to develop a new radar in cooperation with the Southwest Aircraft Factory, after several months of smooth progress, was suddenly put on hold.

The caller was naturally Factory Director Song.

"Mr. He, the situation has changed somewhat. An investigation team has arrived and believes that our deep technical cooperation with the Yellow River Group, which has a complex foreign investment background, may pose risks of technology leakage and security. They have requested a re-evaluation of the entire project. All data exchange and joint experiments have been temporarily suspended."

"Investigation team? Which department?"

"It's quite complicated, involving both science and technology departments and security departments." The other person's voice was very low. "Someone submitted materials saying that you have deep overseas connections and are involved with the West and some sensitive regions."

He Yuzhu wasn't surprised; the timing was indeed a bit odd. So he asked, "What did the investigation team say?"

"They said they needed to verify it, but the lab couldn't start operations until the verification was completed."

"Okay, that's settled then. Let me know if you have any updates."

"Mr. He, aren't you in a hurry?"

"The issue now isn't about rushing things, but about figuring out exactly what happened. I'll also ask around to see which powerful figure we've offended."

"Ok."

After hanging up the phone, He Yuzhu thought about it and felt something was off.

The approval process went so smoothly before, why is someone suddenly taking charge of this matter?

Behind this, it's probably not just a matter of envy; there may very well be external forces pulling the strings.

He called Lao Fan and briefly explained the situation.

Old Fan cursed on the other end of the phone, then said, "I'm annoyed by this too. Damn it, they criticize our own people when they're doing their jobs, but they're not so eager to hold outsiders back!"

"You don't have the final say in your department?"

"You overestimate me. You think it's like when Lao Fang was around."

"Alright, do you know who's behind this?"

"We want to know too. It's an anonymous letter, and not just one. It was sent to multiple departments. I won't tell you the specifics. Just be careful during this time. I think they probably don't know about Xi'an Aircraft Industry Group. They're just affected by their cooperation with you. Their focus should be on targeting Yellow River."

“Then I understand. You should investigate yourselves. We at Huanghe will cooperate. I will also investigate who is making things difficult for me.”

"Okay, if you find anything domestically, give me the information. Don't do anything yourself; this is a matter of principle."

"I know."

He Yuzhu put down the phone, his eyes calm.

He walked to the study window and looked at the old tree in the yard, its branches swaying gently in the evening breeze.

Xiaoman walked in carrying a cup of ginseng tea. Seeing his solemn expression, she asked softly, "What happened?"

“Some people are getting restless.” He Yuzhu took the teacup. “Xi’an Aircraft Industry Group’s radar project has been halted, citing safety concerns.”

Xiaoman frowned slightly: "Are they here for us?"

“Not only that.” He Yuzhu took a sip of tea. “They’re trying to cut off our path.”

"Then let's..."

"We certainly won't sit idly by and wait to be killed! Since someone has made a move, we'll just have to accept it."

He pondered for a moment, then picked up the phone and connected to Hong Kong.

"Old Bai, check if there's any recent activity targeting us outside, no matter who it is."

Bai Yifeng responded on the other end of the phone, "Understood, boss. What measures should we take?"

"Let's find out the details first and see who our opponent is."

"it is good."

After hanging up, he called Lao Fan again: "Uncle Fan, do you know about the situation at Xi'an Aircraft Industry Group?"

A whole week passed before Bai Yifeng finally sent word.

"Boss, there are quite a few people targeting us. I've done some screening, and it's probably still those foreign intelligence agencies causing trouble."

"Which?"

"The CIA, the Sixth Division, and others should all be involved. They're all just using their own methods."

"Did you manage to grab a few threads?"

"Only one suspected case has been found; the others are still under investigation."

"Tell me what you find, and keep digging for the rest."

"clear."

Then Bai Yifeng sent a fax, and He Yuzhu handed the document to Xiaoman after reading it.

Xiaoman took the documents, quickly glanced through them, and frowned: "These people, on the surface, are all university teachers and technical elites."

Are you sure they are the elite?

"This can be faked?"

"I'm not referring to things like academic qualifications. Forget it, you'd better stay away from these things. I'll handle it."

“Alright, I’ll help you stabilize things within the group,” Xiaoman said.

He Yuzhu simply faxed the information to Lao Fan, who was also shocked. However, he told He Yuzhu that this matter should be treated with caution.

Then He Yuzhu gave Lao Fan some time to investigate and wait for the results.

As a result, Lao Fan searched for a long time but found nothing, or rather, no one was willing to care about what he found, or more likely, they thought these people were still useful and let them go.

Upon hearing this result, He Yuzhu recalled the textbooks, food, and medicine incidents from his previous life, and a fire burned in his heart that he couldn't quell. The most crucial reason was that the Jidong project was now also under investigation, and if it weren't for Jidong's strong resistance, construction would have stopped long ago.

There are also various negative news reports about the Yellow River circulating in society; some people talk about it in class, and others say it in newspapers.

He directly asked Bai Yifeng to transfer a group of people to him. This group was definitely elite, including lawyers, journalists, and all sorts of people. He Yuzhu set up a company and had these subordinates work as private investigators, digging into the backgrounds of those people according to the list, including their papers, articles, public speeches, study abroad backgrounds, financial transactions, especially overseas academic funding, consulting fees, and their children's situations, etc.

In the following period, the Yellow River Group's vast business intelligence network and legal and public relations teams operated efficiently.

The verified materials were compiled into a booklet.

He Yuzhu did not choose to make it public immediately; he was waiting for the crucial evidence from Lao Bai's side, because to strike a snake, you must strike its vital spot.

When Lao Fan received the second set of materials, he was waiting for a call from the petition office in his office. He asked the petition office to help him find the source of the historical letters.

The fax machine clicked out the last page, and as he casually flipped through it, his face instantly fell.

Overseas account statements, school admission letters, rental contracts, and even credit card statements were all neatly printed out by date.

He didn't dare ask anyone else; he checked everything himself, one by one. After he finished, cold sweat beaded on Lao Fan's forehead.

He's very familiar with this kind of thing; he did it quite a bit back in the 1960s and 70s, and it even caused some big trouble. It's just that in this era, the person who's paying for it has changed.

This time, Lao Fan didn't tolerate them. He sent their department to take them back, and naturally, he used some underhanded tactics.

A professor who had previously made scathing criticisms of the Yellow River Group for its "unclear technological background" suddenly suspended all public activities citing "health reasons."

Another university quietly launched an internal investigation into the overseas financial dealings of a department head.

Others include newspaper editors, company technicians, and so on.

Old Fan called again: "Zhu Zi, the things you sent were very useful and have attracted attention. Someone from above has spoken out, saying that we need to distinguish between legitimate business cooperation and real security issues. We can't throw the baby out with the bathwater, and we can't be used as pawns by people with ulterior motives. The investigation into the Xi'an Aircraft Industry Group project should be over soon."

"I hope so," He Yuzhu said calmly.
"Stop causing trouble lately and be mindful of your limits. Sometimes, it's better to leave things unsaid."

"I know."

A few days later, Director Song from Xi'an Aircraft Industry Group called: "Mr. He, the investigation team has withdrawn! The conclusion is that the cooperative project complies with regulations, no safety issues have been found, and it can continue! The only requirement is that subsequent data exchange be conducted in a designated environment."

“Good thing,” He Yuzhu said. “Then let’s follow the new rules and resume the experiment as soon as possible.”

"Understood! I heard you've encountered quite a bit of trouble this time!" Director Song said meaningfully.

"It's all been mostly resolved. They're just a bunch of clowns," He Yuzhu said calmly.

"That's good. You can let us know if you need our help."

"Your task is to focus on research and build better aircraft. Don't worry about these things. This applies not only to the Yellow River project, but also to any other projects you will be working with in the future."

"Understood, thank you!"

"Need not."

The troubles in eastern Hebei were also resolved, the "concern" from certain departments quickly disappeared, and the project was able to continue.

The storm seemed to have subsided for the time being, but He Yuzhu knew that the opponent hiding in the shadows would not give up easily.

He instructed Bai Yifeng to continue providing information on similar individuals. Since they'd already set up a private investigation company, they could keep going, just needing to operate more covertly.

The involvement of the Yellow River Group has put unprecedented pressure on the MTR Corporation in the Shenzhen Metro project.

The MTR boss made several requests to meet with Ho Yu-chu in person, but in the end he only met Ho Yiu-cho at the Yellow River Group headquarters in Hong Kong.

In the reception room, He Yaozu handled the situation calmly.

“My father has been handling business in mainland China recently, so I am temporarily managing the group’s daily operations. We can discuss the Shenzhen Metro project in detail.”

The chairman of MTR Corporation said bluntly, "Mr. Ho, we had already reached a preliminary consensus with the Special Administrative Region. Huang He suddenly proposed this plan. Have you considered the order of precedence?"

"Why don't you talk about the order of arrival? First of all, we did not steal your Shenzhen Metro project. This was specifically instructed by my father. Do you want Huanghe to completely interfere in the metro project? I'm not just talking about the domestic market."

"you"

"Secondly, your equipment and technology are indeed outdated. Shouldn't you learn some new ones?"

"I"

"Finally, such cooperation should be a win-win situation, so how come in your mouth it's like we, the Yellow River, are competing with you for business?"

"Chairman He has a fine son. Let's not talk about the subway project, let's talk about the land on the surface."

"I see. That requires fair competition, doesn't it? Since both of us are cooperating with the Special Administrative Region, let's rely on our own abilities. What do you say?"

"Humph"

The meeting naturally ended unhappily. As for relying on each other's abilities, MTR really couldn't compete with Huanghe. There's nothing that can be done about it. Huanghe took root too early, while MTR had other options in the Special Administrative Region.

Even the construction company of the Huacheng Army came to ask if they could do the project. They are no longer small-scale operations; in terms of numbers, they have a division of people, mostly workers.

As for construction experience, people will just ask, "What's the difference between building bridges, paving roads, and culverts and building a subway? Is it the two extra rails, or the overhead line? If not, we can learn from them."

(End of this chapter)