Siheyuan, Shazhu: I have both parents in this life

Chapter 411 Fighting between left and right
Xiaoman was conflicted after calling her daughter because she casually asked about her daughter's marriage prospects. She was very dissatisfied with the result; the girl wasn't in a hurry at all. She didn't want her daughter to end up like her sister-in-law, getting married in her thirties, even though her daughter wasn't worried about getting married at all.

However, she couldn't just talk about her daughter, so the following conversation ensued.

"Do you have a plan in mind regarding Yaozong and Ningxue's marriage?" Xiaoman asked He Yuzhu.

“The charter? What charter?” He Yuzhu asked.

"Both siblings turned twenty-seven this year."

"Were you provoked by your daughter?" He Yuzhu asked.

"You noticed it, but you didn't even ask a single question."

"How can I ask? You two have kept so many private things from me, haven't you?" He Yuzhu said.

Xiaoman placed the hot tea in front of He Yuzhu and sat down opposite him in a huff: "Just tell me, are you going to do anything about it or not?"

He Yuzhu rubbed his temples: "How do you expect me to manage this? Yaozong has so many pretty girls at the film academy, but he hasn't brought one back. I don't believe Ningxue doesn't have suitors. You can't force a cow to drink water if it doesn't want to, can you?"

"Then can I borrow some of your men?"

“I have many men under my command, which one do you want to borrow?” He Yuzhu asked.

"Your private detective agency."

"Hey, Comrade Qiao Lingyi, you're not trying to stalk your son and daughter, are you?" He Yuzhu said.

"I need to know some of the details before I can make arrangements."

He Yuzhu hesitated. If his son and daughter found out, it would definitely cause trouble. But if he didn't give it to them, his wife would feel uneasy.

"What are you thinking? Give it to me or not, give me a straight answer!"

“Here, here, here. If I don’t give it to you, you’ll have to ask Lao Bai for it yourself. It’s not easy for his people to run back to China,” He Yuzhu said.

"That's more like it. Go make the call."

"Okay, okay, I'll call right away." He Yuzhu got up helplessly and walked towards the study, with Xiaoman following closely behind.

He Yuzhu went to his study, picked up the phone, and dialed a number. He whispered a few words into the receiver, then hung up and looked at Xiaoman: "They'll come over tomorrow morning. You talk to them yourself. Remember one thing: keep the investigation results to yourself; don't use them to question the children."

“I know what I’m doing,” Xiaoman nodded. “I just want to have a clear understanding of the situation.”

The next morning, a middle-aged man wearing a gray jacket and with an ordinary appearance came to the He family's house.

Xiaoman received him in the study and explained the requirements in detail.

“Mr. Qiao, I understand what you mean.” The man took notes carefully. “We will be very careful and will never let the young master and young lady find out.”

"The key is the people they're currently in contact with, as well as their former close friends of the opposite sex," Xiaoman instructed. "Especially Ningxue; she has a wide social circle, so you'll have to put in extra effort."

"Don't worry, we're professionals at this."

After the man left, Xiaoman sighed softly.

She knew she was going too far, but as a mother, she couldn't bear to leave her two children's marriage prospects.

Those people were incredibly efficient; in less than a week, they sent Xiaoman a thick stack of documents, including not only their resumes, family backgrounds, photos, how they met, and whether they were still in contact, but also other details.

Xiaoman looked at the pile of documents twice, then took them upstairs to find He Yuzhu.

"Nothing special about it!" He Yuzhu said after looking at it.

Xiaoman smiled wryly: "Your He family has always been late to marriage since you were born. Do you really not want to get married?"

"Why are you dragging me into this again!" He Yuzhu said.

"Hmph, I think I learned it all from you. You just didn't want to marry me sooner."

“How can you blame me? I was traveling all over the place those years, and I might not have been able to come back any day. Marrying you would have been a waste of your time,” He Yuzhu said.

"I'm willing to marry him."

"Honey, are you going through menopause?" He Yuzhu asked.

"What period?"

"Is it that you can't seem to control your emotions these days?" He Yuzhu asked.

"Is there?" Xiaoman thought for a moment and asked back.

He Yuzhu took Xiaoman's hand and patted it gently. "I think Yaozong and Ningxue are both aware of their own abilities and are not the type to act recklessly. If you push them too hard now, it will only make them more rebellious."

“I’m just worried that they’ll miss out on the best years of their lives.” Xiaoman sighed. “Look around you, kids around their age are already old enough to run errands.”

“Times have changed. Their generation has seen more of the world than we have, and their ideas are more diverse. Ultimately, marriage is a matter of their own choice,” He Yuzhu advised. “As parents, we can help them, but we can’t live their lives for them.”

Xiaoman was silent for a moment, knowing that her husband was right: "Then let's see. But you have to promise me that you'll have a heart-to-heart talk with them when the time is right."

“Okay, I’ll find a chance to talk to them.” He Yuzhu nodded in agreement.

Seeing Xiaoman's puzzled expression, He Yuzhu put down the documents in his hand and explained gently, "It means that women may experience some changes in their bodies and emotions as they age. If you've been feeling easily irritable or having trouble sleeping lately, we should go to the hospital to see a doctor and get some treatment."

Xiaoman paused for a moment, then nodded thoughtfully: "Now that you mention it, it does seem a bit true. But let's get down to business first. What are your plans regarding the children's situation?"

He Yuzhu picked up the investigation report and flipped through it again: "I'll have a formal talk with them, okay?"

"Okay, but you can't fool me."

“How could that be? As for this report,” He Yuzhu shoved it into the drawer, “it’s unnecessary. The children are all grown up and have their own ideas. Ultimately, let them decide their own marriages.”

Xiaoman sighed, "I don't mean to interfere, I'm just worried."

He Yuzhu patted her hand: "Children and grandchildren have their own blessings. Let's go, it's time for dinner, your parents must be waiting."

Next, He Yuzhu spoke with Yaozong and Ningxue separately.

He didn't directly mention marriage, but instead inquired about their career plans and needs in life.

He Yaozong said that he is currently making every effort to promote GSM-related work, while He Ningxue is busy inspecting new real estate projects in several southern cities.

Both of them were satisfied with their situation. He Yuzhu mentioned it from the side, and they both became alert, as their father rarely said such things.

After talking with his children, He Yuzhu did not reveal too many specific details to Xiaoman, only reassuring her that the children knew what was going on.

Seeing that her husband had expressed his opinion, Xiaoman had no choice but to suppress her eagerness for the time being.

The siblings spoke on the phone again privately.

"Second brother, none of your classmates or alumni have any preferences?"

"Ningxue, what's wrong with this little matchmaker?" He Yaozong didn't hold back this time.

"Hmph, I was just saying I'd introduce you to one."

"You'll introduce me to someone?"

"Yeah, I have a lot of pretty girls working for me. How about coming over and taking a look?"

"Forget it, you should worry about your own affairs."

"He Yaozong, do you have a girlfriend? I'm not going to tell Mom."

"Don't talk nonsense, I don't have time to talk."

"Hmph, don't let me find out, or else..."

"Hey, what's wrong with you? Aren't you supposed to be incredibly shrewd and resourceful?"

"Hey, second brother, why is it so hard to find someone like Dad?" He Ningxue said.

He Yaozong was speechless. "You can go find someone like your father," he thought, not optimistic about his sister's marriage prospects.

The brother and sister joked around for a while, agreed on a time to go home together, and then hung up the phone. In late spring of 1992, the exhibition center of an international communications exhibition in Europe was bustling with people.

NeoComm, a shell communications company under the Yellow River Group, held a brand launch event. The brand booth had minimal decorations; the simple white background featured a huge projection screen that played a series of demonstration videos.

In the glass case in the center of the booth, several sleek mobile phone prototypes lay quietly.

NeoComm CEO Wilton Lewis stood at the booth, facing operators, distributors and media from across Europe, his voice clearly carried throughout the area via microphone.

"Ladies and gentlemen, today, NeoComm is honored to present to you the future of next-generation mobile communications – digital cellular network solutions based on the Global System for Mobile Communications (GSMC) standard."

The screen behind him lit up, displaying a clear network architecture diagram and performance parameters.

"Our base station equipment adopts a highly integrated design, allowing for flexible deployment and easy maintenance, while reducing power consumption by 30% compared to existing analog equipment. And our mobile phones..."

He picked up a silver-gray mobile phone from the glass cabinet. "It's not just a communication tool, but a key to the digital world. Clearer call quality, longer standby time, SMS support, and endless possibilities for future applications."

He demonstrated making a call and sending a simple text message on the spot. The smooth operation and clear display elicited whispers and flashes of camera flashes from the audience.

“We’ve named it ‘NeoLink 1.’ It, along with our complete GSM system solution, will be available for order from our European partners starting this month.”

There was no noisy hype, no exaggerated promises, only solid technical parameters and a composed presentation.

But this calm confidence caused an even greater stir among the professional audience.

Astute operators immediately realized that this was not just another new phone, but a mature and advanced system that was poised to change the market landscape.

The news spread like wildfire.

Nokia headquarters in Finland.

An emergency meeting was held in a somber atmosphere. On the table were NeoLink 1 mobile phones and technical documents that had been urgently sent back from the exhibition.

“They’re moving too fast,” a technical director said grimly. “Our GSM project is still in the final testing phase. Their chip integration, power consumption control, and especially this SMS function, are at least six months ahead of our original plan.”

"Six months? In today's market, what does six months mean?" The marketing director's voice rose eight octaves. "It means they'll sweep up the first batch of orders from major operators! It means the influence of standard setting will tilt in their favor!"

There was silence in the conference room.

Their first GSM phone, which they had planned to launch in the fourth quarter and which carried the company's hopes for transformation, now appears somewhat unprepared in the face of their competitors' preemptive strike.

“We must adjust our plans.” Finally, the CEO spoke in a deep voice, his fingers tapping on the NeoLink 1 on the table. “Release our product ahead of schedule, and get it to market before the third quarter no matter what. Performance parameters can be adjusted appropriately, but the core functionality must keep up. We cannot afford to fall behind completely at the starting line.”

He looked around at everyone and said in a resolute tone, "From this moment on, the war has begun, except that our intended opponent has changed from motorcycles to NeoComm."

He paused, then added, "No matter where this company came from, beat them."

"Yes."

A month later, Nokia hastily announced that its first GSM phone would be released earlier this summer, and released some optimized performance metrics.

A week after Nokia's release, Huanghe Communications held a new product launch event in the Northern Special Economic Zone.

Xu Damao stood on the stage, with a large screen behind him displaying Huanghe's first GSM mobile phone, "Damai 1". The name was given by He Yuzhu, and only he knows what it means.

Unlike the streamlined design of the NeoLink1, the Longteng No.1 has more rugged lines and a slightly different keyboard layout, although some parts are still the same after disassembly.

Then, under He Yuzhu's orders, NeoComm pulled some dirty tricks, joining forces with Nokia to suppress Huanghe in various ways, including patents, in order to prevent Huanghe from entering the Western market.

Then Wilton, along with his technical and legal teams, went to the west coast of North America.

After landing, instead of going to trade shows, they went directly to a local established company called "Western Union Telecom," but got stuck at the hurdle of converting analog signals to digital, as they didn't have GSM technology.

The two sides sat in the conference room and talked for three days.

Western Union wanted the technology, and NeoComm wanted the distribution channels. They quickly came to a conclusion: a joint venture, "NeoTel Americas," was established. NeoComm contributed the technology and $4000 million, holding a 51% stake and leading the network construction; Western Union contributed the physical stores and local qualifications, and was responsible for user promotion.

Once the agreement was signed, the technical team immediately moved in.

North America uses a different frequency band than Europe, so they disassembled the previous base station, replaced the radio frequency module, and remodeled NeoLink 1 into "NeoLink 1N". A small "1N" logo was added to the bottom of the screen to support the local signal.

At the same time, a user management system was customized from Vision to take over Western Union's offline payment system.

Three months later, NeoTel Americas held its launch ceremony in a city on the West Coast.

There was no fancy stuff; they simply invited local councilors and several media outlets to demonstrate cross-city calls on the spot—calls from the venue to test sites on the East Coast. The sound was much clearer than the analog signal, and the reporters, holding recorders close to their phones, all nodded in agreement.

The ceremony also announced a package deal: $25 per month for 300 minutes of talk time, a free NeoLink 1N phone upon signing up, and an additional $5 off the first month.

At the end of the first month, the backend data came out: the number of users exceeded 10. Most of them were people who used analog phones before, and they came for the clear call quality and the free phone. There were also some enterprise customers who came specifically for the SMS function—before, they had to make a phone call to send a business notification, but now they can just send an SMS, which saves a lot of trouble.

Western Union's physical stores also helped, setting up NeoLink 1A display stands at each location, where staff would teach seniors how to use text messaging.

Nokia is also making moves.

They sent a regional director to the ceremony, who clinked glasses with Wilton and said, "Looking forward to future equipment cooperation." He then immediately issued instructions to his North American team to speed up the delivery of base station equipment and even reduced the price of equipment to Western Union by 5%—clearly, they didn't want NeoTel America to monopolize the market.

Wilton didn't try to compete with Nokia; instead, he called Ho Yiu-chung.

Less than a week later, Ho Yiu-chung flew over, and the two talked for a long time behind closed doors in NeoTel's Americas office.

The next step in the plan was set: first, expand coverage to five cities on the west coast, then send a team to South America to discuss cooperation with the local "South American Telecom," still using the joint venture operator model.

After returning, He Yaozong went back to Beijing and told He Yuzhu, "Dad, your move was brilliant. Not only in Europe, but we've also made great strides in the American market, and we haven't fallen behind in the domestic market either."

"You still have a lot to learn, keep up the good work!"

"know."

"Your younger sister will be back in a few days, so don't rush off."

"Ah."

He Yaozong only stayed in Beijing for two days before being summoned away by an urgent phone call from the south.

Before leaving, Chen Lanxiang held his hand and sighed, "Yaozong, once you leave, I don't know when things will settle down. Your sister is the same, always flying around, you can't even catch a glimpse of her."

He Yaozong could only force a smile and say, "Grandma, once the project is on track, I will definitely take a good rest and spend time with you."

"What's the use of just accompanying me..." Chen Lanxiang muttered, but didn't say anything more, only stuffing a lot of food into his suitcase.

Two days after He Yaozong left, He Ningxue returned in a flurry of activity.

She had gotten a bit tanned, wore a long ponytail, and a well-tailored suit skirt, making her look very capable.

The night she returned, Chen Lanxiang and Wang Cuiping couldn't sit still.

At the dinner table, Chen Lanxiang kept putting food on her granddaughter's plate, her gaze lingering on her face.

"Ningxue, how many days will you be staying this time?"

"We'll see, Grandma. Several plots of land in the south are going to be put up for tender, and I need to keep an eye on them," He Ningxue said.

“Work is important, but personal matters also need to be considered.” Wang Cuiping took over the conversation, her tone gentle. “Look at your Aunt Ping, when I was your age, your Aunt Siyu was already running around everywhere.”

He Ningxue paused, holding her chopsticks, then looked up and smiled, "Aunt Ping, times have changed. I think this is fine now."

“What’s so good about it?” Xiaoman put down her bowl and said to the woman seriously, “A woman, in the end, still needs a place to belong. You’re out there all day long, you need someone who cares about you and loves you.”

He Ningxue put down her bowl, took a tissue to wipe her mouth, and said seriously, "Grandma, Grandma Ping, Mom, I know you mean well. But I'm really not in a hurry. What I'm doing now is very challenging and meaningful to me. As for relationships, it's all about fate; you can't force it."

"Fate, fate, you have to go out and find it!" Xiaoman said anxiously. "You're either at the company or on the construction site all day long, where are you going to find fate? Why don't you ask your Aunt Xiaohui to keep an eye out in Hong Kong? There are a lot of outstanding young people there."

"No way!" He Ningxue quickly waved her hand. "Mom, don't worry about it. I know what I'm doing."

Seeing that the atmosphere was getting a bit tense, He Yuzhu spoke up to smooth things over: "Mother, Aunt Ping, Xiaoman, Ningxue just got back, let her catch her breath first. This can't be rushed, let's take it slow."

After the meal, He Ningxue was called to the study by He Yuzhu.

"Dad, you're not going to give me a lesson too, are you?" He Ningxue stood behind He Yuzhu and patted his shoulders.

(End of this chapter)