Courtyard House: Starting with a 28-inch motorcycle

The Triads have yet to find any connection between He Yuzhu and the mysterious transformation of their dozen or so subordinates into idiots, but they have long harbored resentment towards him and the boxing gym.

Under normal circumstances, the triads would not dare to easily touch the wealthy businessmen of Hong Kong Island—these people have strong backgrounds and wide connections, and can directly connect with John Niu. If they really turn against them, they can throw a sum of money to get the police to come and clear out their strongholds.

But He Yuzhu was different. He was not only rich and powerful, but also had close ties with certain people he "shouldn't get too close to".

The two factories had more than 100 workers, and the boxing gym had more than 40 students who learned boxing for free; all of them were people with connections.

The Hong Kong government may not care, but the triads are getting restless.

He tried to openly challenge them several times, but each time he suffered a crushing defeat, losing several of his capable subordinates and ending up looking utterly humiliated.

As for underhanded tactics? They just made a big move last year, which resulted in a swift and decisive crackdown.

If they dare to cause trouble again this year, they might really be uprooted.

At the beginning of the year, senior police officers had already conveyed the message: if similar incidents occur again, they should immediately apply to the Governor for a complete ban on triads.

In Hong Kong Island, although gangs are deeply entrenched and difficult to eradicate, it is enough to completely eliminate one exemplary gang. By making an example of one, other gangs might even cooperate with the police to crack down on triads.

To put it bluntly, as long as these mad dogs don't cause trouble for He Yuzhu and Lou's father, their business in Hong Kong is going very smoothly.

Lou's father even took advantage of the low price to acquire an office building and then established the "Zhenghe Group".

His name is taken from his courtesy name, Lou Zhengze. Although the character "Zheng" had not been used for a long time, it has now been brought back into use.

The group has a simple structure: Lou's father serves as chairman, and He Yuzhu serves as president, overseeing multiple affairs.

Currently, the group is still a shell company, with its core strength focused on promoting the ginseng and fruit beverage of Zhenghe Beverage Company.

In the blink of an eye, Lou's father and He Yuzhu have been living in Hong Kong for nearly seven months.

For the past seven months, the two of them have barely had a moment to breathe. Although marriage and concubines are permitted in Hong Kong, this father-in-law and son-in-law haven't had a single moment to catch their breath. Even when they're at home, He Yuzhu cooks the meal, and the two of them discuss business while eating.

When he first arrived, he had only HK$1.2 million in his hands, but now his assets have increased nearly twentyfold.

Zhenghe Group's accounts are close to 20 million, with the bulk coming from Zhenghe Shipping Company, but the most profitable part is the Chinese medicine hall.

"Zhu Zi, Leader Zhang has sent a letter urging us to ship the meat back as soon as possible." Lou's father put down the letter. "I've already ordered eight thousand tons of meat from Australia, and we need to get it into the country quickly."

He Yuzhu's eyes lit up, and he immediately said, "Dad, leave this to me. I haven't been back in a long time, so I'll take this opportunity to go."

"Besides, the beverage factory, winery, and traditional Chinese medicine shop are all on track. Once I settle things at the boxing gym, I can get away from this."

Lou's father smiled and tapped his forehead: "I think you want to take this opportunity to go back and hold your wedding, right? Okay, that's fine. Then it's up to you... Sigh, I'm afraid I won't be able to make it to your wedding with Xiao'e this time. Please apologize to your wife for me."

"Dad, Xiao'e understands. We can't do without you here, I'll explain it to her properly."

He Yuzhu readily agreed, a smile involuntarily spreading across his face. No matter how much money he made in Hong Kong, his roots were still in the mainland. The mere mention of "going back" stirred an irrepressible restlessness within him.

Shortly after, a giant ship slowly entered Tianjin Port.

It seemed as if prior notice had been given, and there was no interception. On the contrary, the ship was escorted throughout the journey to prevent other countries' ships from spying on its tracks.

As soon as the boat came to a stop at the port, He Yuzhu stepped ashore from the small boat and spotted several familiar faces.

"Leader Zhang? Why did you come in person?"

The foreign trade manager, Mr. Zhang, laughed heartily: "Who else would we pick up but you? You and Mr. Lou have done a great job this time!"

Eight thousand tons of meat—just in time for the end-of-year storage, enough to last for a while.

While it's impossible for everyone to get a share, those in key positions can always enjoy a few meat meals without having to be frugal.

Just thinking about the joy on everyone's faces when they received their meat made Leader Zhang feel comforted. His initial push to send talented people out to explore the world had clearly paid off. Only by making the best use of everyone's talents can extraordinary achievements be made.

People like Lou's father, if they stayed in mainland China, would eventually become disliked over time. But once they were placed in Hong Kong, with support and free rein, they have given back such a generous gift in less than a year.

"Boss, the crew on the cargo ship are all trusted confidants arranged by my father-in-law. Don't let them disembark. Just let them go after the meat is unloaded. I'll personally speak to them," He Yuzhu added with a smile.

"Oh?" Director Zhang raised an eyebrow. "You're not going back to Hong Kong Island?"

"No rush. I haven't seen my family in a long time, and I miss them. Besides... I'm getting married soon, so I'll stay home for a while before leaving."

He scratched his head, sounding a little embarrassed, as if his words made him seem petty. Actually, he had only planned to stay in Hong Kong Island for a few months at first, but his father's business had snowballed, and he really couldn't do without him.

"Haha, you rascal!" Boss Zhang laughed, patting him heavily on the shoulder. "Alright, I'll definitely give you a generous gift on your wedding day!"

A young man who wasn't blinded by the glitz and glamour of Hong Kong Island, and still remembered his roots—that's a truly reliable person.

By this time, the dockworkers had unloaded the last batch of frozen meat from the ship, neatly stacked it onto trucks, and headed straight for the train station, ready to be transported to the capital and then distributed to various places.

After explaining the matters to the captain, He Yuzhu disembarked and got into the car with Leader Zhang.

This trial shipment yielded results far exceeding expectations. Over 8,000 tons of meat were transported, surpassing the total annual import volume of the mainland. Crucially, this was the first official return payment from Mr. Lou since he set sail, with prices near cost and no freight charges whatsoever.

Going forward, they could use washing machine parts to settle the debt, and incidentally export them in exchange for rubber, steel, aluminum ingots, oil... The resource chain would suddenly be revitalized. They could even secretly take on some industrial orders from Southeast Asia through Lou's father.

As the year drew to a close, He Yuzhu felt restless and eager to get home as soon as the train started moving. However, before entering the city, he still had to deal with a barrage of questions from Leader Zhang—mainly regarding Lou's father's upcoming plans.

He also shared his secrets: with the manufacturing and shipping industries in Hong Kong Island currently booming, Lou's father plans to accelerate the pace of building factories and expanding production lines.

Once these two industries are established, they can not only generate profits but also serve as a cover, facilitating the covert opening of import and export channels.

Leader Zhang nodded repeatedly as he listened, and finally couldn't help but exclaim, "You two, father and son, are truly like two hidden dragons emerging from the sea, soaring into the sky!"

With almost no support provided, yet in less than a year, Lou's father had acquired two factories, a traditional Chinese medicine shop, and a 10,000-ton cargo ship on Hong Kong Island. The fixed assets were estimated to be close to 20 million, though Zhang, the leader, wasn't entirely sure of the exact figure and could only make a rough estimate.

However, there was a clever misunderstanding here—Lou's father always thought that the medicinal materials provided by He Yuzhu came from mainland China; while Leader Zhang believed that it was from Lou's father's old network of connections he had made in Hong Kong in his early years, after all, he had visited Chen Yizhong shortly after landing and quickly entered the business circle.

No one has revealed this. The secret remains a secret precisely because it's tacitly understood. Digging deeper? There's no need.

As soon as He Yuzhu returned, he was immediately called in by Director Zhang for a chat. The director didn't ask anything important, just casually inquired about how long he planned to stay and when he would leave for Hong Kong next time.

He Yuzhu told the truth that he hadn't decided on a specific time yet, but he would stay here for at least half a year—he hadn't seen his family for too long, and he had to spend some time with them.

If there is any urgent matter in Hong Kong, Lou's father will naturally send a message, and Lou will take the train there. It will only take a day or two to get there, so it won't be a problem.

The steel mill had been keeping a position for him, and the higher-ups had already given instructions, so even if Director Yang wanted to replace him, he couldn't do it.

Although Qian Shih-hu and Mu Chang-zheng took over the kitchen after He Yu-zhu left, and their skills were passable, they were still far inferior to He Yu-zhu's. The taste was consistent, but it lacked that wow factor.

For ordinary people, the meals are still filling and comparable to those in restaurants; but those who have tasted He Yuzhu's cooking feel that the current meals lack something to look forward to.

After finishing their business, Leader Zhang, seeing He Yuzhu's restless state, couldn't help but laugh out loud: "Alright, alright, seeing how eager you are to go home, let's talk about these things after the New Year. But Yuzhu, if you're free, you have to come to my house for a visit, let's have a good chat..."

"Hehe, boss, you've got your eye on my food, haven't you? No problem, right after the New Year, I'll come over and treat your taste buds!"

When his little scheme was exposed, Manager Zhang immediately feigned anger and waved his hand, saying, "Get out of here! Get out of here now!"

"Alright, I'm off then."

He Yuzhu smiled and waved, then followed Director Zhang out the door. As soon as they got into the car, Zhang Tianyang asked, "Director He, where are you going?"

He thought for a moment: "I haven't finished get off work or school yet, drop me off near Nanluoguxiang first."

After collecting the rainwater, I'll go to the Lou family's house again and visit Chen Xueru along the way... Running around like this, life won't be easy.

"Understood, no problem."

Zhang Tianyang stepped on the gas, and the car nimbly weaved through the streets and alleys, soon stopping at the entrance of Nanluoguxiang.

"Director He, is this alright?"

"All done, thank you for your hard work, Director Zhang." He Yuzhu smiled and got out of the car. "Go on your way, and I wish you a happy new year in advance."