Siheyuan (courtyard house): My name is Shazhu!

After the meeting, the others gathered together to chat about what they had seen and heard. They didn't seem worried or scared at all, and some even talked about investing in and building factories here.

The situation here is much better than they imagined; it's not completely impoverished. At least the number of universities here surprised them.

Eighty-one universities is eleven times the number in their area, and this is only after Sir Ho built six universities in a row; otherwise, the proportion would be even smaller.

A large number of university graduates also indicates a high level of corporate culture, and a wider range of industries where graduates can find and join the workforce.

At least the new one won't suffer the same fate as Sir John Ho back then, who had no one available and had to postpone the construction of his factory by four or five years.

When they heard that the average annual wage here was less than 500 yuan, they secretly cursed their workers for not working hard enough and for only wanting a raise.

Unfortunately, the only downside here is that exports are still restricted, which prevents large-scale factory construction. But even if they are available, it's not a problem; we can simply use OEM (Original Equipment Manufacturer) products.

I'll go and ask around these next few days to see if it's possible to build a factory here, whether the costs are low or the benefits are greater. The port city is no longer suitable for handicrafts and some manufacturing industries.

Sir John Ho was right back then: costs rose sharply, the factory lost its competitiveness, profits plummeted, and it eventually had no choice but to close down!

Just from the staff's introduction, they felt it was a good place, with enough space that even Dongda Group wouldn't be able to use up one ten-thousandth of it.

They're even less capable; it's just that this place is big, so it seems like they can't do real estate.

Unfortunately, they didn't know that the real estate market here would also have a glorious twenty years in the future; the future is unpredictable.

A few close contacts know what they're here for. As for whether they want to do business, they'll have to wait and let things get ready here.

In any case, you won't miss out on the first bite of meat here.

He Yuzhu spoke with them for a while before saying goodbye, as he was going to his mother-in-law's house. They expressed their understanding, saying that since his second wife's hometown was here, it was only right for her to visit her elders.

This time, He Yuzhu went to Qin Huairu's house because she was already his second wife, a formally married woman, something everyone knew, and she was no longer nameless and without status.

In Qin Family Village, Qin Huairu's parents and fellow villagers were overjoyed to see He Yuzhu, a man who had helped them through their most difficult time and was a great benefactor who had saved their lives.

When Qin Huairu's parents saw He Yuzhu come to visit them, they knew that this man had already taken their daughter as his official wife, and they were very content.

Although his daughter looks to be only in her early thirties, she is already forty-six years old. In the past, she would have been an old woman. The fact that she was not abandoned shows that He Yuzhu is a sentimental person.

The five children had a great time playing here, with other children their own age leading them in games like catching fish.

The five children have southern accents, but they speak standard Mandarin, so there won't be any "Tony Leung Ka-fai" version of Mandarin, and there are no communication problems.

It wasn't until after dinner that He Yuzhu and Qin Huairu reluctantly left with their five children.

The activities here are different from what they did in the port city. There are also many children of similar ages here, so they have a lot of fun.

He Minghui and He Mingzhi also felt that the people here were simple and unpretentious, and that being with them was a comfortable experience without having to scheme against each other.

As for those who frequently peek at them, they are ignored; there are too many people who have been peeking at us since they were fourteen or fifteen.

I'm already immune to that, young lady!

"Zhu Zi, thank you for coming to see my parents. They're almost seventy, they're really old. We've told them to go to the port city to retire, but they won't go. They're determined to stay here on this small plot of land."

"It's only right that I came; I'm more than twenty years late. There are a few people who want to leave their hometowns when they have no other choice."

"In three years at most, business will be allowed here, and you and your elder brother can come back. Everything will be alright; those two old folks are in good health."

"Within three years? It's not a long time, I can wait. The five children behaved very well today, they had a lot of fun playing outside."

"They're curious because the stay is short, but if we left it here for a year, not a single person would want to stay."

"It's still poor here, not as good as the city, much worse than the port city. Many children are still unwilling to study more."

"There's no good learning environment!"

"Although this place is also in Yanjing City, it is still a rural area. It's already quite good that there's a primary school here, and there's also a middle school in the township."

"These things are not important. What's really important is the lack of upward mobility. They don't see a future and believe that no matter how well they study, they can only spend their whole lives toiling in the fields!"

If you want them to do better, let the children study more, tell them that if they get into high school, our Dongda Group will hire them to work in our factory.

"Is that alright? It's quite far from our company, are they willing to go there?"

"It's not about going to the port city company. The company here will be built within three years. It's certain that several labor-intensive enterprises will be built in Yanjing."

This is our hometown, and I want to do my part to help build it better!

"Working here shouldn't be a problem."

.......

He Yuzhu and the others stayed here for five days, mostly accompanying him on his sightseeing trips.

He Yuzhu returned to the courtyard house and saw Tan Guilan and the grown-up Junjun and Jingjing. After more than 20 years, Tan Guilan was so happy that she cried.

When Qin Huairu came back last time, she gave him a set of home appliances. Junjun gave them the appliances when he got married, and He Yuzhu gave him another set.

I also know that Junjun and Jingjing, who are thirty years old and have children, are very filial. They both started working after graduating from junior high school at the age of sixteen. They are not highly educated and it is fortunate that they did not experience the rural education system.

The third son of the Yan family is still in the countryside and has not returned. Most of the younger children born in the courtyard who did not get into university went to the countryside.

Xu Damao was removed from his post less than six months after he started as an official, and now he works as a worker.

Three months after Qin Huairu returned, Jia Zhangshi went berserk and used a knife to attack Liu Haizhong and Shi Xiaoxiang.

Liu Haizhong is not in serious condition, Shi Xiaoxiang is seriously injured and her right arm is crippled, and Jia Zhangshi is sentenced to death. She was laughing when she was arrested, which means she didn't want to live anymore.

A year ago, Shi Xiaoxiang passed away. None of Liu Haizhong's three sons came back to take care of him in his old age. He became very taciturn and his back became hunched. At sixty-three years old, he looked like a seventy or eighty-year-old!

Hearing these things from Tan Guilan, he had no reaction. There were few people and things left here that he could cherish, including Xu Damao, who was too ashamed to come and see him.

The two people who loved and hated each other in their past lives, their relationship ended right at the beginning of this life, and from now on they would just be people from two different worlds.

After leaving the courtyard house, we arrived at Master Qi Tianfu's home. Master Qi Tianfu was retired and lived alone with his wife.

Upon seeing He Yuzhu return safely, she was still moved to tears, holding He Yuzhu's hand and repeatedly saying, "It's good that you're back safe and sound."

At my master's house, I kept talking to him about what would happen after we went to the port city. During mealtime, I took the elderly couple to the State Guesthouse for dinner.

As they ate and chatted at the dinner table, Qin Huairu and her five children sat with them. "Master, Mistress, are you both in good health? Come back to Hong Kong with me for a few months this time, and then come back."

"Zhu Zi, can we go? Staying at home is boring, all we do is play chess every day. If we go to the port city, will we be able to come back?" Master was still a little worried.

"Huai Ru was able to return a few years ago, but now it's much better. She can come back anytime she wants. You're only sixty-six years old, so treat it as a trip."

My dad owns eight restaurants and two wives in Hong Kong. He also gave birth to a younger brother for me. He lives a very carefree life. I'll go visit him there.

I'll handle the paperwork for going to the port city, you don't need to worry about it. Next time, I'll bring my older brother and the others along.

"If it's convenient, go and see your dad. He's over sixty and still has two wives!"