Break out of the courtyard

"I noticed some names on the newly added blacklist on their hospital's website that look familiar. I'm wondering if they're just duplicate names?"

"If it weren't for the shared name, I'm afraid..."

He kept pressing on the question, which was somewhat impolite, especially since Old Lady Zheng was unwilling to answer directly. However, it concerned Xie Jia's judgment of Zhang Heping's character, so he had to ask one more question.

Even though Xie Jia asked the question tactfully, Old Lady Zheng still understood his meaning, and then smiled and said, "We can all be replaced, but Consultant Zhang cannot!"

"So, do you think it matters who is behind the pilot program for the Lifespan 120 drug?"

Although Grandma Zheng still did not give a direct answer, her response was more direct, including herself in the conversation, all to highlight Zhang Heping's irreplaceable role.

Having said all that, there was no point in asking any further questions, so Xie Jia quickly changed the subject.

……

Compared to Xie Jia's evasive questioning, Elder Hua and Elder Li's conversation was much more direct, naming all the people involved.

"There's no need to discuss the blacklist anymore!" Old Hua looked at the people on the sofas around him and said in a deep voice, "With the blacklist out in the open, everyone at least knows who Consultant Zhang has a problem with."

"If you remove the blacklist, how do you know that Consultant Zhang doesn't have other blacklists?"

Hua's words immediately reminded everyone present of countries like Japan, South Korea, and India on the Peace Group's blacklist.

Compared to this, the blacklist on the Peace Hospital's official website is nothing.

Mr. Li chimed in at the opportune moment, "The World Institute of Advanced Technology is expanding the production line for Shouyuan 120 medicine, and it is expected to reach a maximum output of 450,000 doses per month by July this year."

"At the current rate of aging, this production capacity is sufficient to meet demand; however, when considering the cancer incidence rate, this production capacity is slightly insufficient."

Mr. Qin, who had visited the pilot program for the Shouyuan 120 drug in Guangdong Province, interjected, "If we want to lower the injection age to 80, or even 70 or 60, the monthly production capacity would probably have to double."

The words of Elder Li and Elder Qin were undoubtedly a reminder to others that there is a great demand for the Lifespan 120 drug in China, and to make those who still have ulterior motives think carefully about the consequences before acting.

"Increased production means increased costs. If we distribute the injections across the country, the transportation costs will be substantial," the old man, who had once questioned Zhang Zhaodi's abilities, said earnestly.

"I suggest that the medical insurance system cover a portion of the costs!"

Take appropriate responsibility!

That sounds nice, but its true intention is not so simple.

Zhang Heping dared to directly halt the production and injection of Shouyuan 120 drug not only because he possessed the core technology, but also because he bore all the costs.

As the saying goes, "He who takes a man's money is bound to be grateful."

Things that Zhang Heping gives away for free are not easy to ask for back, but he can decide not to give them away at any time!

This old man wanted to use a small fee to break Zhang Heping's free scheme, so that others would feel more justified in receiving the Lifespan 120 injection.

In the future, if production is halted or injections are stopped, we can confidently say, "Our medical insurance pays for these injections, why shouldn't we be allowed to get them!"

This is a landmine!

There's another, even more insidious trap: medical insurance costs!

"No need!" Elder Hua said calmly. "Peace Group is preparing to operate a large logistics company in China, which will undertake the delivery of Lifespan 120 medicine free of charge."

"The only problem is that they need two armed police officers to escort them each time they deliver medicine."

Upon hearing Mr. Hua's refusal, others spoke up to object, "If that's the case, why not have the postal service cooperate with the armed police to escort him?"

……

Zhang Heping prefers to be a hands-off manager because only in this way can he free up more time to do other things.

Therefore, after establishing the pilot work process and system for the Lifespan 120 drug, he handed it over to Secretary Chen for management.

Only when Secretary Chen encounters a problem she cannot solve will he step forward, take all the responsibility, and let Secretary Chen do it.

Just like this blacklist incident, Zhang Heping did not allow Secretary Chen to publish it directly to the public. Instead, he posted it on the official website of Heping Hospital and attributed it to Zhang Heping before allowing Secretary Chen to find a newspaper to reprint it without any worries.

With this approach, those working under Zhang Heping naturally had less to worry about. In addition, Zhang Heping was willing to pay wages, bonuses, and benefits, so the work efficiency of his subordinates was also quite impressive.

On holidays, Zhang Heping would force his subordinates to take leave and spend time with their families.

However, this means that Zhang Heping must shoulder all the burdens in order to ensure that his team can overcome all obstacles and continue moving forward.

On the fifth day of the Lunar New Year, Zhang Heping was attending the annual meeting of the Chinese Chamber of Commerce and was preparing to take his family back to Shenzhen overnight when Hua Lao called to ask if the armed police could cooperate with the postal service to escort the Longevity 120 medication.

These words were clearly not what Hua Lao meant, because Zhang Heping had already discussed them with Hua Lao.

Furthermore, Hua addressed Zhang Heping as "Advisor Zhang" on the phone, which makes it obvious that Hua had the phone on speakerphone and that there were other people listening nearby.

"Old Hua!" Zhang Heping raised his right hand and gestured to his wives, who were packing their luggage, indicating that they didn't need to pack anymore. "I had Heping Express Company deliver the Lifespan 120 potion so that they could use the name of the Lifespan 120 potion to make a name for themselves. Therefore, the transportation costs will be borne by Heping Express Company."

"If you want to arrange for the postal service to deliver the Lifespan 120 potion, firstly, I will not pay for the transportation; secondly, the postal service must insure each Lifespan 120 potion for 120 billion RMB."

"If the postal service can do it, it's fine to have them deliver the Lifespan 120 potion."

There was a moment of silence on the other end of the phone. "Consultant Zhang, what did you mean by 'insurance' just now?"

Zhang Heping wasn't surprised and casually said, "If one Lifespan 120 potion is lost during delivery, I'll be compensated 120 billion; if two are lost, 240 billion, and so on!"

"The postal service definitely can't afford that much compensation, so a third-party guarantee is needed."

"That way, I won't be afraid anymore."

Although Zhang Heping put it tactfully.

"I think this insurance is feasible!" Old Hua's voice came from the other end of the phone. Although it was a little soft, it was still clear. "As long as the driver and the armed police do their duty, apart from natural disasters that are unavoidable, the only thing we need to guard against is armed hijacking."

"By the way, Consultant Zhang!" Old Hua's voice rose again, "For losses caused by force majeure events like natural disasters, is it possible to waive compensation?"

"Sure!" Zhang Heping said slowly, "Each 120-year lifespan potion has a location and is stored in a specially made safe. It can be recovered even if lost due to ordinary natural disasters."

"Alright, I'll talk to the others and see which third-party guarantee to choose." After saying that, Old Hua hung up the phone, clearly intending to use the third-party guarantee issue to pressure those who proposed postal escort.

Those people who want to use postal escorts are simply trying to create loopholes in the delivery process so they can profit from it!

Zhang Heping responded with a massive insurance premium of 120 billion yuan per unit. If this works, he can only wait for the compensation.

"We're not going back to Shenzhen for now!" Zhang Heping said to the two women beside him. "There are some dissenting voices over there again. Let's give them a few days' rest!"

"It's good that you're not going back!" Tang Xin, the first wife, laughed. "I was just thinking about who to ask to help buy a gift for Xie Wan and Xie Ting's parents. Now I can take my time shopping with Shuting."

"Don't choose anything too expensive, lest it cause unnecessary trouble!" Zhang Heping reminded them. "Given their parents' age, the probability of them taking another step forward is very high; we can't hold them back!"

……

The following day was the sixth day of the month, a Saturday.

Director Wang Sumei waited two days until Xie Wan and Xie Ting's parents were on holiday before visiting the Xie family.

When Xie Jia was with Wang Sumei, he was much more relaxed and not at all as reserved as when he was with Old Lady Zheng.

After exchanging a few polite words with Wang Sumei and leading her to sit on the sofa by the window, Xie Jia asked directly, "Aunt Wang, what do you think about the blacklist for Longevity Elixir?"

Wang Sumei was clearly prepared, and with a smile, she countered, "On one side are well-established rules, and on the other are people with ulterior motives. If Xiao Xie were in Consultant Zhang's position, how would he handle it?"

"I will hand over the technology of the Lifespan 120 potion to the country!" Xie Jia's answer, on the surface, seemed to be the right stance, but in reality, it was a foil to Zhang Heping's refusal to hand over the Lifespan 120 potion.

As if she had anticipated this answer, Wang Sumei smiled and said, "Let's put aside the question of whether gene-editing technology will be leaked. What do you think the price should be set for one dose of the Lifespan 120 drug after it's handed over? When will it be available to all 90-year-olds in the country?"

Before answering, Xiao Xie might consider the current situation of the Lifespan 100 potion both domestically and internationally!

Looking at the smile on Wang Sumei's face, Xie Jia's thoughts quickly turned to the production and sales of the Longevity 100 medicine.

Several years ago, Zhang Heping announced the relevant technology of the Life 100 drug to the world. However, almost all the companies and countries that could make this drug did one thing: sell it to foreign companies at high prices!

Even though the price of the domestic version of Shouyuan 100 medicine is less than one percent of that of the export version, it is still as high as 1 RMB per dose.

1 yuan a piece!

Even those who got rich first along the coast hesitated over this price, let alone ordinary people.

Compared to those expensive Lifespan 100 potions, the free Lifespan 120 potion seems all the more precious.

Wang Sumei accepted the tea offered by He Fang and then chatted with He Fang about trivial matters, letting Xie Jia think for himself.

"I heard that the old lady got angry and slammed her fist on the table at the meeting yesterday. Does Aunt Wang know about this?" He Fang asked tentatively.

Wang Sumei nodded slightly. "Old Zheng's desire to have urban schools lift household registration restrictions and admit the children of migrant workers has encountered significant resistance!"

"Why would the old lady bring this up?" He Fang asked疑惑地问道, "She never used to get involved in these kinds of things!"

"Xiao Wan and Xiao Ting have actually heard about this before, so it's fine to tell you about it." Wang Sumei glanced at Xie Wan and Xie Ting, who were preparing lunch. "Advisor Zhang believes that, given the current economic development situation, more and more farmers will be migrating to cities for work."

"As a result, the demand of migrant workers for their children to receive education in the cities where they work will increase year by year."

"At the same time, the number of students in rural towns will decrease year by year, and rural schools will gradually fall into disrepair."

"This kind of thing..." He Fang frowned and said, "If we allow the children of migrant workers to study in the city, it will probably accelerate the loss of students from rural areas!"

Wang Sumei nodded. "This seemingly contradictory issue has actually been quite evident in Guangdong Province."

"There are many factories over there, and young people have all gone to work in the city. The children at home are taken care of by the elderly, and the land is also cultivated by the elderly."

"The local workers in Guangdong are actually doing alright; the transportation there is very convenient..."

Xie Jia thought for a while, then gradually became engrossed in the conversation between Wang Sumei and He Fang.

"They won't agree to this in the next ten years; at most, they'll conduct pilot programs!" Xie Jia interjected. "The loss of students from rural areas means job instability for rural teachers, and the impact is too widespread!"

The greater the impact, the greater the responsibility!

Who is willing to take responsibility?

Who can take responsibility?

Wang Sumei smiled and said, "Old Zheng can certainly think of these things. We just need to wait and see."

Xie Jia and He Fang exchanged a glance, then He Fang laughed and said, "It seems Old Zheng has ulterior motives!"

Wang Sumei smiled and changed the subject, "The main reason I came here this time is to ask you about your impressions of Zhang Long and Zhang Hu."

"Consultant Zhang has mentioned to Xiaowan and Xiaoting a few times, and also to me a few times, that he would like to invite you to visit Shenzhen or Hong Kong Island."

"If you look at the timeline, Xiaowan and Xiaoting have been dating Xiaolong and Xiaohu for almost three years now. Continuing this will only damage their reputations!"

"If you both think it's a good idea, the two families can find a time and place to have a meal and settle their marriage arrangements."

Xie Jia and his wife had clearly discussed this matter, as He Fang said, "Aunt Wang, let me tell you the truth!"

"We have a very good impression of Zhang Long and Zhang Hu. They are well-mannered, articulate, and good at interpersonal relationships, but..."

He Fang looked at her husband, and then heard Xie Jia say, "Aunt Wang, do you think there's a high chance the Zhang family will immigrate abroad?"

Wang Sumei was taken aback; she hadn't expected the Xie family to still care about this!

However, considering Xie Jia's age and his current position, Wang Sumei felt somewhat relieved.

Why would someone who doesn't want a promotion send their two daughters to Shenzhen!

Why would someone who doesn't want a promotion consider the influence of outsiders on them?

"Xiao Xie, Xiao He!" Wang Sumei frowned and said, "Do you know what the position of the director of the World Advanced Technology Research Institute represents?"

"Xiao Wan, Xiao Ting, and I have to abide by confidentiality regulations, so there are many things we can't tell you. However, I think with your understanding, you should be able to see through this!"

"I'll ask you one question: What makes Consultant Zhang qualified to be the dean? What makes him so respected by experts like Qian Xuesen and Deng Xiaoping?"

"Once you understand the ins and outs, you should know whether Consultant Zhang and his family will immigrate, under what circumstances they won't immigrate, and under what circumstances they will immigrate!"

Xie Jia certainly knew how important the position of president of the World Advanced Technology Research Institute was, but Zhang Heping's previous puzzling behavior of leaving for Hong Kong and buying real estate overseas made many people think that Zhang Heping would immigrate abroad.

After a moment of silence, Xie Jia and his wife exchanged glances before He Fang said, "Aunt Wang, we really have too many concerns about this matter!"

"How about this: our two families arrange the marriage first, and then we'll get married, register our marriage, and hold the banquet after Hong Kong Island returns to China!"

Wang Sumei glanced at Xie Jia and He Fang with a hint of helplessness. "I need to ask Consultant Zhang's family for their opinion on this matter."

"Also, when do you plan to meet with Consultant Zhang and the others?"

……