Siheyuan, Shazhu: I have both parents in this life

Chapter 419 The Road is Long and Difficult
After He Ningxue got engaged, Lao Fang had a private talk with He Yuzhu: "Zhuzi, how much do you know about GPS?"

He Yuzhu nodded; he knew why Lao Fang had asked that question.

"The GPS system in North America is really powerful. Merchant ships and airplanes can't do without it now."

"They can shut it down just because they want to? Our ship is at sea, and suddenly it's blind."

“Well, it belongs to someone else,” He Yuzhu replied.

He understands better than anyone how GPS will permeate all aspects of civilian life in the next ten or twenty years, while the independent BeiDou system still needs to undergo a long period of research and development.

"Yes, ultimately, we are subject to the control of others when it comes to their things."

“This thing is like eyes,” He Yuzhu pointed to his own eyes, “You can’t always borrow other people’s. I heard that China is already developing its own system?”

Old Fang sighed: "The project has been approved, it's called Beidou. But this thing, from the laboratory to being usable, it won't be ready in less than ten or eight years. It's a long-term solution that can't solve an immediate problem."

"Uncle Fang, these things can't be rushed. We're starting now, and although it's late, it's better to take things one step at a time than to be controlled by others."

"Everyone knows that, but the practical problems are right in front of us."

“I believe the comrades working on this are even more anxious than we are. Let’s give them some time,” He Yuzhu said.

Old Fang glanced at He Yuzhu, seemingly wanting to say something but then stopping himself.

He Yuzhu didn't ask directly; he knew what Lao Fang wanted to say. He simply said, "Uncle, do you know how old I am this year?"

"Eh"

"Do you know how old you are?"

"You kid, don't bother me. I'm getting old, but I'm not losing my mind. I won't ask about this anymore."

After seeing Lao Fang off, He Yuzhu sat quietly in his study for a while, then dialed a number in Hong Kong.

"Old Bai, it's me."

"Boss, please speak." Bai Yifeng's voice came through the receiver.

"Let our people in the north try to get anything related to GLONASS."

"Boss, this isn't something we can handle, is it?" Bai Yifeng clearly knew what this thing was.

"Do your best."

"understood."

There was still no news about the matter Bai Yifeng had asked him to handle, but He Yuzhu received a call from Chengdu. It was from people on the Yellow River side of the University of Electronic Science and Technology of China's laboratory.

"Chairman, we need to shut down here."

"Why?" He Yuzhu's tone was unpleasant.

"Um, the R&D funding for Xi'an Aircraft Industry Group hasn't arrived yet."

What about our own funds?

"I've used it all up."

"Three million US dollars gone? It hasn't been that long."

"This"

"What are you babbling about? Get to the point, or don't blame me for sending you back to your old job."

"Xi'an Aircraft Industry Group borrowed two million yuan to leave."

"Why isn't anyone reporting the important matters?" He Yuzhu frowned.

"They originally said they would lend us the money for a month and pay us back once the funds came through, but then they got some new stuff and poured all the money into it."

He Yuzhu almost cursed. Of course he knew what they had received over there; the items were from him. The problem was that it had been so long, and now they were only coming over to talk about funding issues.

"Is this how you supervise projects? Fine, you can go back to your original department. As for your appointment, we'll notify you later!" He Yuzhu said coldly.

"Yes, yes, I'll go back as soon as I've finished the handover here."

The phone went dead in response to his call. He was covered in cold sweat; he didn't know what he would face when he got back.

After hanging up, He Yuzhu called Gu Yuanheng again.

"Yuanheng, it's me."

"boss."

"You should go back to China soon."

"Boss, what's the emergency?"

He Yuzhu explained the situation in Chengdu. Gu Yuanheng cursed his subordinate for being stupid and incompetent. Why didn't he do something about such an important matter earlier? The boss didn't care about the money; he cared about not reporting what he knew.

"Okay, I'll make the arrangements here and then head back."

"If you can't find a suitable person to fill in for me, then you'll have to fill in yourself."

"clear."

After hanging up with Gu Yuanheng, He Yuzhu thought for a moment and then called Director Song of Xifei.

"Old Song, I am He Yuzhu."

"Chairman He, the factory has a new project, and we need funding for it."

"I'm not here to ask you for money, I just want to ask what's going on."

“My factory hasn’t paid anyone for three months. Now I go to help my wife sell noodles after get off work.”

"Are you trying to complain to me? I told you I didn't come here to ask you for money."

"Then this is you."

He Yuzhu sighed and said, "Old Song, after I went to your Xi'an Aircraft Industry Group, I felt that your mind should have changed, but why are you still so stubborn?"

"I admit that. Just tell me what's wrong and I won't argue. After all, I was in the wrong first," said Factory Director Song.

"Aren't you afraid of going to jail if you borrow that money?" He Yuzhu asked.

"I don't care, as long as the project can continue."

"You're so foolish. I understand you're having financial difficulties, but the rules can't be broken. You know that better than I do."

On the other end of the phone came Factory Director Song's heavy breathing, tinged with helplessness: "I understand, but Lao He, I'm really struggling. I've been going to help my wife sell noodles after get off work, otherwise I won't have anything to eat."

"Alright, stop complaining about being poor. Here's what you're doing: sort out your factory's civilian technology transfer operations, such as precision machining and special material processing. Is there anything you can outsource? Or, is there any non-core component processing service you can provide to external parties? Yellow River Heavy Industry or Jinggong might have some needs. We can place an order directly, and you can consider the money you borrowed as a deposit."

Factory Director Song was taken aback for a moment, then reacted, his voice filled with excitement: "Yes! Yes! We have some precision milling machines and heat treatment equipment, which are very accurate, but we're not always fully booked. We also have some experienced craftsmen whose skills are unparalleled! It's just that we haven't taken on many jobs outside the factory before."

"I don't care about that. You apply yourself. Once you have the list, I'll find someone to liaise with you."

"Okay, okay, I'll go arrange it right away. Old He, this is a real lifesaver!" Director Song's voice trembled slightly.

"Don't thank me so soon. Whether it will work out or not is still uncertain. If it doesn't work out, hmph!"

"It will definitely work. If it doesn't, I'll go to Beijing and wait outside the leader's office every day."

"Hurry up and get this done. I'll inject another sum into the lab project; it can't stop there."

"I'm so sorry, I'm really so sorry."

"That's it, I'm hanging up."

He Yuzhu hung up the phone and rubbed his temples.

Factory Director Song must be in a real hurry to take such a big risk. This kind of lending practice has crossed the line, and if someone wants to get rid of him, they can easily file a lawsuit against him.

He took the phone and notified the finance department of the mainland group to allocate another special fund to the Chengdu laboratory to ensure that the project continued. At the same time, he emphasized that all subsequent fund flows must be strictly approved according to procedures.

A few days later, Gu Yuanheng rushed back from Hong Kong and went directly to Chengdu. After understanding the situation, he replaced the person in charge of project supervision, temporarily took charge himself, and began to explore the possibilities of subsequent technical cooperation with Xi'an Aircraft Industry Group.

Xi'an Aircraft Industry Group (XAC) acted swiftly, delivering a detailed list of precision machining capabilities and services available for external contracting to He Yuzhu's desk. He Yuzhu forwarded it to the heads of Precision Engineering and Heavy Industry, instructing them to assess and identify suitable needs.

Precision Machinery quickly responded that they were very interested in Xi'an Aircraft Industry Group's capabilities in precision milling and special heat treatment of large aluminum alloy components. They happened to have several orders for structural parts with high technical requirements, and their own production capacity was somewhat tight. They could allocate some of these orders to Xi'an Aircraft Industry Group for trial production.

After Director Song submitted a report and then went silent, the old man got anxious and came to Beijing without a second thought.

He would just squat outside the supervisor's office every day, without making a fuss, but would take every opportunity to report on the factory's difficulties and show off his "self-rescue" plan. If they disagreed, he would give them funds.

The leader was worn down by his persistence, and given that Xi'an Aircraft Industry Group's situation was indeed special, after several small-scale meetings, it was finally decided to handle the matter as a special case. In principle, it was agreed that Xi'an Aircraft Industry Group could undertake some external precision processing business to a limited extent, provided that its core tasks were ensured, but the procedures had to be standardized and the finances had to be clear.

The day the approval was granted, Factory Director Song called He Yuzhu. His voice was hoarse, but it carried a sense of relief and joy: "Old He, it's approved! Thank you so much this time!"

He Yuzhu could almost picture his bloodshot eyes on the other end of the phone. His tone was calm: "It's good that it's approved. Are you in Beijing? Come over and I'll treat you to a meal!"

"Let's eat later, it's on me. I need to rush back to handle some orders."

"Okay, be careful on the road."

"Thanks!"

Soon, Huanghe Precision Machinery's first batch of trial orders was sent to Xi'an Aircraft Industry Group.

These are large aluminum alloy structural components used in communication base station frames, requiring extremely high dimensional accuracy and geometric tolerances.

Xi'an Aircraft Industry Group (XAC) has assigned its best technicians and the most stable equipment, and the technical personnel in charge of this part practically live and work in the workshop.

The resulting samples were so flawless that even the acceptance engineers at Seiko couldn't find any fault with them, saying that their level was much better than that of many professional outsourcing factories.

The cooperation was thus on track.

Although the initial order volume was not large, it did inject some fresh funds into Xi'an Aircraft Industry Group's accounts. Most importantly, this path of "using civilian resources to support the military" has been pioneered.

Thanks to the additional special funds provided by He Yuzhu and the personal involvement of Gu Yuanheng, the laboratory project in Chengdu has stabilized again, ensuring the progress of research and development.

Factory Director Song called again to express his gratitude. He Yuzhu asked them to sort out other matters and look for cooperation opportunities, and Old Song agreed.

Back home, He Ningxue and Gu Zhixing's wedding was officially on the agenda.

The two families discussed it and decided that since they were already engaged, they should strike while the iron was hot and hold the wedding.

Choosing a date, sending out invitations—a series of mundane tasks were carried out efficiently and without disorder.

The two mothers, Xiaoman and Lin Xiaojun, grew closer and closer, often getting together to discuss details and occasionally meeting up to check on the progress of the new house renovation.

Gu Zhixing remained busy with his architectural design and museum project, but now he visited the He family more frequently. Sometimes he would bring design drafts for He Yuzhu to review, and sometimes he would simply come to have a meal and chat with the elderly.

After observing him several times, He Yuzhu saw that he was calm and steady in his dealings with people and that he was also very considerate towards Ningxue. The subtle sense of loss in his heart caused by his daughter's upcoming marriage was gradually replaced by relief.

He Yaozong finally sent Lu Shuyi back to rest during her pregnancy, as he was too busy to take care of her.

Lu Shuyi's belly was already quite noticeable, and her face had the round glow typical of pregnancy.

"Dad, Mom. Shuyi just finished her prenatal checkup in the Special Economic Zone, and everything is normal."

"Alright, alright, sit down and rest." Xiaoman quickly invited.

"I'll be troubling my family during this time."

"What trouble or not? Shuyi is our daughter-in-law, shouldn't we care?"

"Hehe, by the way, when is Ningxue's wedding set? I'd like to make arrangements."

"May 20th in the Gregorian calendar, April 10th in the lunar calendar, is an auspicious day for: marriage, betrothal, sacrifice, and praying for blessings."

"Okay, I'll make sure to come back at a different time to attend my younger sister's wedding."

"Mom, is there anything I can help with?" Lu Shuyi asked.

"Just focus on your pregnancy, we have plenty of help with this," Xiaoman said, holding Lu Shuyi's hand.

"My belly is fine, just tell me what to do," Lu Shuyi said, touching her belly.

"There's no need for so much trouble, you just need to rest," Xiaoman firmly refused.

Lu Shuyi's peaceful pregnancy at home lasted only a couple of days before she became restless.

Seeing that Xiaoman was looking at the group's financial report in the study when she had a moment, she brought in a glass of warm milk.

"Mom, take a break and have something to drink." Lu Shuyi placed the milk next to the desk.

Xiaoman took off her reading glasses and laughed, "Why didn't you lie down for a while longer?"

"I'm so lazy from lying down." Lu Shuyi sat down in the chair opposite Xiaoman, her eyes sweeping over the financial statements spread out on the table. "Mom, I see that the group's import and export business has been growing very fast recently. Is the foreign exchange settlement process much more complicated than before?"

Xiaoman nodded and rubbed her temples: "Yes, after the exchange rate was unified, it became easier to settle foreign exchange, but the fluctuations were also greater. A few days ago, a batch of equipment shipped to Eastern Europe almost went to waste because of the exchange rate fluctuations."

Lu Shuyi pondered for a moment and said, "When I was working in North America, I came into contact with some foreign exchange hedging tools, such as forward exchange contracts. Although it may not be fully liberalized in China, operating overseas through a company in Hong Kong may be able to hedge some of the risks."

Xiaoman's eyes lit up slightly: "Tell me in detail."

The mother-in-law and daughter-in-law discussed the financial statements, one explaining domestic practices and the other adding international experience, for nearly an hour. He Yuzhu returned to retrieve some documents and heard the discussion inside the study. He paused to listen for a while before pushing the door open and going in.

"What are you talking about? You seem so engrossed."

When Lu Shuyi saw him come in, she was about to get up, but He Yuzhu waved his hand to signal her to sit down.

"Dad, I was just asking Mom about foreign exchange management in China," Lu Shuyi said somewhat embarrassedly. "I'm just showing off my limited knowledge."

"I wouldn't call it asking for advice, but I think the ideas Shuyi mentioned are quite innovative," Xiaoman said with a smile. "We can definitely be more flexible in managing our funds overseas."

He Yuzhu picked up the report Xiaoman had just been looking at, flipped through it, and said to Lu Shuyi, "Since you're interested, don't just talk about it. I happen to need a temporary helper to handle some documents that don't require going out and translate some foreign language materials. If you're feeling alright, why don't you come over and lend a hand occasionally? Just think of it as a change of pace, it's better than being bored."

Lu Shuyi paused for a moment, then happily agreed: "I can do it! Translating and organizing documents is no problem, I promise it won't delay our business."

So, Lu Shuyi began to "take up her post" in He Yuzhu's study.

The work He Yuzhu assigned her was initially simple: mainly translating summaries of English reports from overseas branches into Chinese, or classifying and organizing technical data according to his requirements.

She is meticulous, has a solid foundation in English, and handles documents in a clear and organized manner, highlighting the key points.

A few days later, He Yuzhu asked her to try processing a quarterly operating data report from the North American company "NetLink".

Lu Shuyi not only organized the data into a comparison table, but also added a few brief analyses of user growth trends and bandwidth costs in pencil on the side.

After reviewing the documents, He Yuzhu didn't say anything. However, he gradually handed her more and more documents, and would occasionally ask, "Shuyi, what are your thoughts on this data?"

On one occasion, He Yuzhu held a conference call with Hong Kong to discuss the currency selection for an overseas loan.

The other party insisted on using US dollars, arguing that the interest rate was slightly lower. After hanging up the phone, He Yuzhu remained silent for a moment.

Lu Shuyi, who was tidying up the notes beside him, spoke softly: "Dad, I've noticed that the yen has been appreciating against the dollar recently. If this money is mainly used to purchase precision instruments from Japan, we should consider using yen as collateral for a loan. Although the interest rate is a few tenths of a percentage point higher, we might be able to make up for it in terms of exchange rate and avoid the risk of having to exchange currency twice."

He Yuzhu glanced at her, tapped his fingers on the table, then picked up the phone again and dialed the financial director of Hong Kong: "Recalculate how the overall cost compares to the US dollar if we use yen for the loan."

After hanging up the phone, he nodded to Lu Shuyi: "Good idea. You should attend these kinds of meetings in the future, listen and observe more."

Lu Shuyi felt a warmth in her heart, knowing that this was her father-in-law's approval.

As she became more involved in various tasks, although she was titled "temporary secretary," she mostly handled auxiliary work related to core business operations.

She has a very good sense of propriety, only offering suggestions in areas where she is truly confident, never overstepping her bounds, and never showing off.

Xiaoman sometimes comes over and sees her daughter-in-law deep in thought about the documents. She feels both gratified and sorry for her, and always tells her to take a break.

Lu Shuyi always agreed with a smile, and her spirits were much better than when she first came back. She felt it was all worthwhile to learn from her parents-in-law and gain their approval.

Once, when He Yuzhu was playing chess with Lao Fang, Lao Fang asked with a smile, "I heard that your daughter-in-law has become your secretary? Does Yaozong know? Don't tell him that his wife is pregnant and still has to work."

He Yuzhu placed a piece on the board and said calmly, "She's interested and capable. Using her brain is better than keeping it bottled up and overthinking. As for Yaozong, he knows Shuyi's personality."

"You certainly know how to use people," Old Fang said with a smile.

“We’re family, so it’s not a matter of whether she needs it or not.” He Yuzhu looked at the chessboard. “It’s a good thing for this family if she can grow up.”

(End of this chapter)