Courtyard House: My Wife is Xu Huizhen

Page 266

That's what they say, but right now the cannery only has He Yuzhu as a customer.

To be precise, in order not to violate relevant policies, He Yuzhu contributed a large amount of cash and two cars, but did not acquire any shares in the cannery.

He Yuzhu and Director Li signed a loan agreement, with interest to be paid according to the bank's loan rates for the same period. The specific repayment method will be based on canned food as collateral.

In the future, once these canned goods are produced, they will all belong to He Yuzhu until the loan is repaid.

Even after the loan is paid off, the canned goods produced will still be given priority to He Yuzhu.

Later, He Yuzhu had his own channels to sell to Russia, and the machines and equipment he received in return would be given priority to Director Li. This was a secret agreement between the two parties.

Of course, neither side put this part on paper; it was just a tacit understanding between them.

After all, this matter cannot be written down in detail.

Director Li asked, "Do you have anything to add?"

"No, this is good."

As far as the street was concerned, they only provided the venue and personnel at the beginning, and then used He Yuzhu's funds and technology to set up a cannery.

The profit of one cannery is higher than that of ten glass bottle factories, and the investment cost is relatively low, making it an extremely worthwhile investment for the neighborhood.

What's most reassuring is that He Yuzhu is in charge of quality control. All the products produced are handed over to He Yuzhu, so the neighborhood can just wait to settle accounts and offset the debt. Once the loan is paid off, the neighborhood can just sit back and collect the money.

"Alright, then the meeting is adjourned. Limin Canned Food Factory will focus all its efforts on product production."

After the meeting, Li Hongying asked He Yuzhu to stay. Once everyone else had left, He Yuzhu brewed tea for them again.

"Zhu Zi, are there any difficulties transporting it out this time?"

"There are no problems in Russia. My sister will provide more assistance from our country."

"this is necessary,"

After taking a sip, Li Hongying put down her teacup and said with some emotion, "Your brother-in-law and I talked about you yesterday."

"What did my brother-in-law say?" He Yuzhu said with a smile, "Sis, you didn't say anything bad about me to my brother-in-law, did you?"

Li Hongying's husband is Lin Changzheng, a former soldier who worked in the 5th District Public Security Bureau after liberation, where he was a leader.

He Yuzhu was just joking, which earned him a glare from Li Hongying, who then said:

“Your brother-in-law admires you a lot. He says you are quick-witted, bold, daring, and technically skilled. You are a rare talent.”

He Yuzhu said shyly, "I didn't expect my brother-in-law to praise me like that. Sister, do you think he might have misjudged me? How could I be so good?"

"I'm trying to talk to you about something important, why do you keep interrupting?"

"Okay, okay, I'll listen carefully to my brother-in-law's praise." He Yuzhu straightened his back and puffed out his chest, looking like he was listening attentively.

Li Hongying found it quite amusing; this Zhu Zi was just used to being lazy, and Chang Zheng was even thinking of bringing him into the team, but she always felt he was unreliable.

"You can't hear it anymore. That was your brother-in-law's evaluation of you just now."

"Thank you for the compliment, brother-in-law. Actually, I'm not as good as you say."

"Yes, I think his evaluation of you is a bit too high, especially regarding your private life, which is very annoying. Never mind, I won't talk about this anymore."

When his private life was brought up, He Yuzhu looked even more embarrassed. Li Hongying only mentioned it briefly and didn't continue the conversation.

"Zhu Zi, your brother-in-law is inviting you to dinner tonight."

He Yuzhu quickly said, "No, my brother-in-law works in the Public Security Bureau. Usually, when he invites people, it's for jail meals. I wouldn't dare let him invite me to dinner. I'll cook a few dishes tonight and invite you and my brother-in-law."

"You're too kind. I'm your sister. Come to my house tonight, and I'll cook for you myself so you can taste my cooking."

Since Li Hongying said so, He Yuzhu agreed.

It's still early, and I have to go to work. After get off work, I'll go home, tell my wife, and then take two bottles of Fenjiu liquor and ride my bicycle to Li Hongying's house.

Since he had more money on hand, He Yuzhu began to buy all kinds of cigarettes and alcohol. In addition to the eight famous liquors, he also bought many other brands.

Among them, the most frequently purchased items are Moutai, Fenjiu, and Wuliangye, with hundreds of bottles bought every year.

Li Hongying lived in the compound of the district public security bureau. After registering obediently at the gate, she was allowed to pass.

After knocking twice, Li Hongying opened the door and yelled, "Look at you! Do you look down on your older sister? Why did you bring something?"

"Sister, don't be so polite."

As He Yuzhu spoke, he placed the two bottles of wine he was holding on the cabinet next to him, and then took out a pair of slippers from underneath to change into.

Following behind into the living room, Lin Changzheng put down the newspaper in his hand and greeted him with a smile, "Zhuzi's here."

He Yuzhu agreed and then sat down to chat. Li Hongying brewed three cups of tea and brought them over.

He Yuzhu had been puzzled all day, unable to figure out why Lin Changzheng had invited him to dinner.

However, since they were already there, they didn't rush to ask what the matter was, but instead just chatted about the business of the cannery and the braised meat shop.

As a chef, the hardest thing is having to cook for others when they invite you to dinner.

After exchanging a few polite words, Li Hongying's apron was taken by He Yuzhu, leaving her only able to do some washing and cleaning.

In no time at all, four dishes—shredded pork with sweet bean sauce, stir-fried beef, Kung Pao chicken, and braised pork knuckle with five-spice sauce—along with an egg and spinach soup, were ready.

Lin Changzheng and his wife praised He Yuzhu's cooking skills. The three of them ate and chatted, and finished a bottle of baijiu. Fortunately, Lin Changzheng did not urge them to drink more, and they were all a little tipsy.

After Li Hongying finished cleaning up the dishes and went to the kitchen, the two of them went back to the living room to brew a pot of tea.

“Zhu Zi, your cannery is really doing very well lately, and it has created a lot of jobs for the neighborhood.”

"It's all what I should do," He Yuzhu said politely.

"The higher-level leaders have conducted a comprehensive summary of the pilot program of joint public-private ownership and are determined to fully implement it next year, transforming all private enterprises into joint public-private enterprises to eliminate the exploiting class."

He Yuzhu nodded. He understood this trend better than anyone else and had long been prepared for it, waiting for this day to arrive.

“I understand. This braised meat shop has already undergone a pilot program of public-private partnership, which I think is great.”

"It's already commendable that you have this awareness. Many people say they welcome you, but they're not happy inside."

"They can't see the situation clearly, but I'm more open-minded."

Lin Changzheng nodded, not continuing the question, but instead asked, "So what are your plans after the public-private partnership?"

He Yuzhu was taken aback by the question, as he hadn't really thought about what he could do before.

The public-private partnership began in 1955, was piloted, and was fully implemented in 1956. By 1957 at the latest, all private factories, mines and handicraftsmen across the country had completed the transformation to public-private partnership.

No one in society is allowed to do business privately anymore; anyone caught doing so will be required to undergo education and rehabilitation.

He Yuzhu had previously worried that he was in his prime, in his early twenties, and that he would soon be unable to do business, and that all he would do in the future would be doing accounting, as if he were about to enter retirement.

He has his family in a courtyard house in Beijing; he can't very well go to Hong Kong to do business again, can he?

"I haven't thought it through yet. Since I can't do business anymore, I can only stay at home to take care of the children, do some accounting, and work as a private manager."

"Then what's the point of your life?"

Lin Changzheng's question left He Yuzhu speechless.

When I first came here, I enjoyed grinding for experience points. Seeing the obvious progress every day made me very happy.

However, after reaching the maximum level, He Yuzhu gradually became complacent.

Although I'm still thinking about doing international trade, I can only do this business once or twice a year.

The rest of the time was free.

Although He Yuzhu didn't understand what Lin Changzheng was thinking, he now knew why Lin Changzheng had come to him to talk about something.

I had secretly wondered if they wanted a piece of the pie in the canned food export business, but it seems I was just being petty.

"Brother-in-law, what are your thoughts?"

“I told your sister before that you are quite intelligent and have a wildly imaginative mind. You even came up with a path in international trade.”

He Yuzhu chuckled and said, "That was just a coincidence. I happened to learn Russian from Elena, and then somehow the business deal was made."

If it were an ordinary person, even if they dared to do it, they would be intimidated by the unknown risks.

Even if you grit your teeth and engage in international trade, you can easily be swallowed up completely once you reach Moscow.

If He Yuzhu hadn't had special abilities, he would have had nowhere to cry back then.

When we left China, we met a few shopkeepers on the train who were escorting the goods. They simply transported the goods to the border, and once they crossed the border, the transaction was completed. They would never transport the goods to Moscow for sale.

"This business is not sustainable; the risks are too great."

Originally, when they opened the cannery, they wanted to do international trade with He Yuzhu, but later the neighborhood committee held a meeting and rejected the proposal.

The street has become like this, only responsible for production, steadily making profits, and then directly wholesaling canned goods to He Yuzhu, letting him go out and make his own way.

Both parties agreed that the cannery would give priority to meeting He Yuzhu's needs whenever he needed to purchase goods.

He will only sell it to the supply and marketing cooperative if he no longer wants it.

"Yes, this business won't last more than two years."

Currently, relations with Russia are close, but as the saying goes, "Man proposes, God disposes," and soon relations between the two sides will drop to a freezing point.

When that time comes, He Yuzhu will no longer be doing this business.

"Zhu Zi, it's such a waste to just sit around doing nothing all day. Have you ever thought about coming to work at our police station?"

Lin Changzheng had long been paying attention to Zhu Zi, especially since he was agile and skilled in martial arts, and most people would not be his match.