Courtyard House: Initial Donation of 50 Million

The day after He Daqing returned to Beijing and settled down in No. 95 Courtyard after eight years, just as dawn was breaking and the morning mist still shrouded the streets of Beijing, He Yuzhu got up early, tidied his work clothes, and rushed to work at the Red Star United Industrial Corporation.

The first thing he did at work today was not to go to the canteen kitchen to work, but to go straight to the factory office building to find Li Huaide, the deputy factory director who was in charge of all logistics affairs of the company.

As the core leader in charge of logistics support at the head office, Li Huaide understood better than anyone the importance of a top chef in a large industrial plant, especially the Hongxing General Plant, which undertakes national-level scientific research and production tasks. The canteen is not only related to the food and clothing of tens of thousands of employees, but also to the morale of the plant, official receptions, and the reputation of the food and accommodation of visiting experts. It is a key link that most easily reflects the soft power of the plant.

Today, the logistics and catering system of Hongxing General Factory is well-equipped with talent. He Yuzhu is in charge of the general factory canteen. His solid cooking skills and excellent reputation have ensured the food supply for the general factory employees. The newly appointed Nan Yi is stationed in the Hongxing Automobile Factory canteen. He is meticulous and offers a variety of dishes. He manages the branch factory canteen in an orderly manner and has won widespread praise.

But Li Huaide still had a top talent on his mind – He Daqing.

As early as He Yuzhu's wedding banquet, Li Huaide had thoroughly investigated He Daqing's background. This master chef, who had left Beijing many years ago, was no ordinary cook. In his early years, he was a proper canteen foreman at the Hongxing Steel Rolling Mill, possessing profound skills and exquisite techniques. He was not only proficient in the two major mainstream cuisines of Northern Shandong and Sichuan, but also had mastered the extremely rare Tan Family Cuisine, which was exclusively served at banquets for the powerful and wealthy. He was a true national treasure-level culinary talent, worthy of being served in high-class settings and capable of handling top-level receptions.

Such rare, top-notch culinary talent would be a pillar of any large state-owned factory, so Li Huaide had naturally been longing for and concerned about him for a long time.

Earlier, when He Daqing was hospitalized after being attacked by enemy agents at Sha Zhu's wedding banquet and suffering a gunshot wound to his back, Li Huaide personally visited him in the hospital to offer his condolences and took the opportunity to extend an olive branch, reserving for him the core position of director of the canteen at the newly built Hongxing Electronics Factory. He could take office directly as soon as He Daqing returned to Beijing.

At that moment, He Yuzhu strode into Li Huaide's office, behaving politely and getting straight to the point: "Deputy Factory Director Li, I have some news for you. My father, He Daqing, has returned to Beijing from Baoding and will be settling down here from now on, never to leave again."

Upon hearing this, Li Huaide, who was working on official documents at his desk, immediately looked up, a flash of joy in his eyes, and a hearty smile appeared on his face.

The top chef, whom everyone had been waiting for, finally returned to his post. Without any hesitation, he immediately pulled out a formal appointment slip, quickly wrote down his name, stamped it, and completed the formalities in one go, handing the appointment document for the canteen director of Hongxing Electronics Factory directly to He Yuzhu.

Not only that, Li Huaide then opened his desk drawer, took out several scarce living ration coupons, and counted out a full twenty yuan in cash, stuffing them all into He Yuzhu's hand.

"These receipts and twenty yuan are my personal resettlement allowance for Master He. It's not considered public expenditure. It's for him to settle down in Beijing." Li Huaide's tone was friendly and without any airs of a leader. He then thoughtfully instructed, "Go back and tell Master He that he doesn't need to rush to meet the deadline or report to the factory immediately. Give him three days' leave to settle down, tidy up his home, and adjust himself. He can come to the electronics factory to start work after three days."

Twenty yuan in cash plus rare receipts, along with a specially approved three-day paid leave for accommodation—such exceptional and generous treatment instantly shocked He Yuzhu, who was truly astonished by Li Huaide's generosity.

Previously, He Yuzhu was straightforward and stubborn, harboring prejudices against many leaders in the factory, and he also held rather rigid views about Li Huaide. However, Wang Huanbo had previously given him a thorough analysis of Li Huaide's character and way of handling affairs, allowing him to see clearly the deputy factory director's pragmatic, steady, and talent-conscious nature. He had already changed his previous prejudices and gained more recognition for him.

Today, Li Huaide's actions, which were exceptional and showed genuine consideration, were a sincere effort to win over and treat his father well. There was not a trace of bureaucratic pretension or perfunctory attitude. This completely transformed He Yuzhu's approval into heartfelt gratitude.

He clutched the approval slip and money notes tightly in his hands, bowing repeatedly to Li Huaide in gratitude, his attitude sincere and heartfelt, his heart overflowing with thanks.

Watching He Yuzhu leave with heartfelt gratitude and sincere thanks, Li Huaide leaned back in his chair, a gratified smile on his face.

He Yuzhu was no longer the impulsive, reckless, and socially awkward canteen cook he once was. His childhood friendship with Wang Huanbo alone made him the most formidable connection in the entire Red Star General Factory. Now that He Daqing had returned to Beijing and joined the logistics system under his jurisdiction, with both father and son now under his command, Li Huaide had secured a reliable network that would greatly benefit his work and career advancement. Naturally, Li Huaide felt a sense of relief and immense satisfaction.

After calming down, Li Huaide suppressed his smile, focused his mind, and recalled the top-secret message his father-in-law had passed on earlier.

Of the 300 Soviet experts who traveled from afar to provide assistance to China, more than 30 are core experts in various fields, and they will be stationed at the Red Star United Industrial Corporation to participate in technical assistance, equipment upgrades, and project breakthroughs.

This group of Soviet experts was highly qualified and technically proficient, and they came with a secret mission. The reception and support work could not tolerate the slightest mistake and had to be done perfectly without any oversight.

Li Huaide carefully reviewed all the details of the reception and support arrangements and quickly finalized a plan in his mind.

The most reliable option is accommodation. The second phase of the Hongxing General Factory's residential complex has already been completed, although the units have not yet been allocated to individual households. There are ample units available, the environment is clean, and the facilities are complete. He only needs to designate a separate detached building as the exclusive dormitory for the Soviet experts. This would ensure their independence, tranquility, and controllable security, guaranteeing their comfort while allowing for centralized management and mitigating potential risks, thus perfectly solving the accommodation problem.

And now, the most crucial and essential aspect—food security—is completely guaranteed.

Previously, the factory already had two top chefs, He Yuzhu and Nan Yi, both household names in Beijing, overseeing the canteens of the main factory and the automobile factory respectively. Their culinary skills were superb, and their dishes were exquisite. They had long understood the needs of employee meals and routine official receptions. Now, He Daqing has returned to the team. This veteran top chef, proficient in Shandong cuisine, Sichuan cuisine, and the rare Tan family cuisine, directly fills the last gap in the factory's high-end reception capabilities.

With three renowned chefs working together, each fulfilling their specific roles and complementing each other, they were able to perfectly handle both high-end banquets and everyday meals. Not to mention providing catering services for just over thirty Soviet experts, they were more than capable of handling even higher-level international receptions and state-level banquets.

With this in mind, Li Huaide felt confident and had no more worries about the entire support mission for receiving the Soviet experts. He was now fully prepared and brimming with confidence.