Returning to Shawei Village, Zhang Hao first went back home, and then transferred to the home of Fan Village Chief.
"Dongdongdong..."
"Lao Zhang? You're off work, come in quickly."
Village Chief Fan is all smiles.
Ever since they got married, their family's little life has been so nurturing. Catherine is beautiful and virtuous, and she keeps the house in order. Although the youngest daughter is not his biological child, it does not affect his love at all.
He is now full of energy, as if he has suddenly become five or six years younger.
Zhang Hao flashed the plastic bucket in his hand: "I brought some milk for Tiantian."
"Hey, it just so happens that the milk your mother sent last time is almost finished." Village Chief Fan happily took the milk.
Catherine is an older mother. In addition, she suffered a lot in the early stages of pregnancy and her body was severely depleted, resulting in a slight shortage of milk. Fortunately, she had milk from the old Zhang family, otherwise it would have been a big trouble.
Zhang Hao smiled and waved his hand, then entered the room and said hello to Catherine. Then he couldn't wait to come to the crib and teased the baby with his fingers.
Xiao Tiantian was very considerate and giggled happily.
Village Chief Fan handed the milk to his wife and immediately came to Zhang Hao: "Tell me, what do you want from me?"
"Uncle Fan, I would like to ask, when will the construction of our village's wall start?" Zhang Hao got straight to the point.
"The foundation has been dug, but the iron fence is not in place yet. I'm afraid we need to wait a few more months."
"Is it because we don't have enough money, or..."
Zhang Hao frowned.
Village Chief Fan shook his head: "There is no shortage of money in the village. The village department can collect a management fee of five points from the apartment rent every month, which can bring in a lot of money in a year.
The main reason is that the small workshop we ordered from has a serious lack of production capacity and cannot deliver the goods in a short period of time. No matter how hard we rush, it is impossible to create a fence out of thin air."
"Can't we find a big factory?"
"It really doesn't work. I heard that the border wall is being built on a large scale in the south, and all the orders have been snatched up by the authorities. It's not that I haven't tried to find connections, but in the end I got nothing." Village Chief Fan said with a helpless face.
"Leave this to me, I'll figure it out."
Zhang Hao did not hesitate and took the initiative to take over the task.
Village Chief Fan was happy on the one hand, and worried on the other. He couldn't help but ask: "Old Zhang, seeing that you are so anxious, has something happened?"
"Haven't you heard the news? There's going to be a war."
"What? Where is the war going?"
Village Chief Fan couldn't help being surprised.
"There is a high probability that it is the Middle East, or it may be North Africa. In short, it is not in our homeland, so there is no need to worry too much." Zhang Hao quickly reassured.
"That wall?" Village Chief Fan expressed confusion.
"Uncle Fan, once a civil war breaks out in the Federation, although we can't reach our homeland, the refugees have legs, and they will definitely flock to our side crazily.
Maybe, the latest wave of refugees is already on the way. Who wants the capital to be right next door? After all, all fools know that the capital is the most benign place and people will never die of hunger."
"You mean the security will get worse?"
"Yeah!" Zhang Hao nodded, "Don't forget that there are police everywhere on the street now, but no matter how many police there are, they can't cover everything. Besides, our village is in the suburbs, so the risk is greater, so we must make preparations in advance."
"I understand, I'll leave it to you to take care of the fence." Village Chief Fan immediately paid attention to it.
…….
After returning home, Zhang Hao immediately took out his mobile phone and dialed a number. The other party was Yao Lei, the general manager of Huicheng Iron and Steel Group. The two parties had met once.
"Mr. Yao, I am Zhang Hao from Southeast Fisheries!"
Compared with the little-known Haotian Group, Southeast Fisheries is undoubtedly much more famous and well-known to people, and even has the reputation of being the first company in Huicheng.
"Dr. Zhang, you are a rare visitor. I thought you had the same name, but I didn't expect you to be the real one."
Yao Lei seemed extremely enthusiastic.
"You are too generous. I am a nobody, I can't afford it..."
Yao Lei interrupted directly: "Director Zhang, please don't be humble. Who doesn't know that your fishing company just returned home with a full load, harvesting 4 million tons of seafood in one fell swoop, which shocked everyone's jaws."
"It's all luck!"
"Director Zhang, I won't talk nonsense to you. Can you do the same as last time and save some seafood for us this time?"
Yao Lei said impatiently.
Some time ago, he had not thought about setting up a relationship with the other party and seeking some small benefits for the group's employees, but later he saw that the TV bosses all failed and returned home. Knowing that the chance was slim, he completely gave up his thoughts.
But unexpectedly, in a twist of events, the other party actually took the initiative to contact him. This was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.
"Mr. Yao, you are making things difficult for me. The WFP is keeping a close eye on you. I am really helpless."
Zhang Hao pretended to be very embarrassed.
Yao Lei ignored it and begged again: "Director Zhang, please help me. The Spring Festival is next month. At least I can get some decent New Year goods for the employees below."
"Well, just this time, it won't happen next time!"
In fact, Zhang Hao had already been mentally prepared.
"Thank you, thank you so much!"
Yao Lei was instantly overjoyed. Success came so easily. He was able to accomplish something that even the TV boss couldn't do. No one believed him even if he told him.
Zhang Hao quickly added: "Let me state in advance that I can at most help you purchase some whale meat from your employees. The quantity won't be too much, about ten tons."
To be serious, he did purchase a batch of whale meat from his employees, but the quantity was only two or three tons, and most of the employees were unwilling to sell the whale meat.
As for the remaining part, it was transferred to him privately by the Ministry of Energy. Although he said he did not want to participate in it, his arms could not twist his thighs and he had to give in.
Yao Lei calculated secretly and found that there were more than 2,000 employees in Huigang Group. On average, each person could receive ten kilograms, which was not too little.
Of course, it would be great if we could win more, but even if we couldn't win, it would just be a waste of saliva and there would be no loss at all.
"Director Zhang, ten tons is indeed a little short. Can you add more? We have two to three thousand people in our group, and ten tons is really not enough."
Zhang Hao shook his head on the spot: "Ten tons is the limit I can raise. The WFP is not a good person. Once they find out, these ten tons may not be able to be saved."
"Oh, it seems that I am too greedy. Ten tons is just ten tons. Director Zhang, please tell me a price, and I will never counter-offer."
"Whale meat has a lot of fat, which is not comparable to ordinary seafood. How about three hundred yuan a pound?"
Zhang Hao quoted a relatively low price.
He is not short of money, and this bit of whale meat can't be sold for much, so he might as well use it as a favor.
"Okay, ten tons is six million. Director Zhang, please leave an account and I will transfer it to you personally later."
Yao Lei nodded with satisfaction.
Six million is not much. Huigang Group’s monthly bonuses are more than this amount.
"It's not urgent, I can change it anytime."
Zhang Hao responded with a smile.
Next, the two discussed a specific trading plan, the most important of which was to move the delivery time to the 23rd of next month, which is the day of the Southern New Year.
This is done not only to avoid suspicion, but also to avoid attracting the attention of WFP.
After all, it is a traditional practice to distribute benefits before the Spring Festival. It is a normal thing and no one can find fault with it.
After the deal was settled, Zhang Hao stopped being polite and stated his requirements directly.
Yao Lei agreed directly without any hesitation. Compared with the scarce resource of whale meat, iron fences are not worth mentioning at all.
"Director Zhang, our group just received an order for the border wall. Your village doesn't need much. I'll just transfer a batch to you. What do you think?"
"Border wall?"
"Yes, the border walls are all of the same specifications, seven or eight meters high, and there is a barbed wire fence on the top. Most people can't climb over it. They are much more reliable than ordinary fences."
Zhang Hao thought for a while and declined: "Let's forget it. The border wall is too high-profile. Isn't this clearly telling others that we are using public affairs for personal gain?"
"Don't worry, Mr. Zhang. The products we provide you are all 'defective' products that have been repaired and have undergone formal procedures. You are not afraid of inspection at all."
"Mr. Yao, don't go to such trouble, just the fences on both sides of the highway will be enough. Our village is not on the border, so we can't use such high standards."
Zhang Hao still thinks it’s better to keep a low profile.
Yao Lei did not try to persuade him any more and promised on the spot: "Okay, we can definitely deliver the goods before next Wednesday."
"Thanks!"
"Director Zhang, you are too polite!"
……
Time flies and it soon arrives on December 24th, which is Christmas Eve in the West.
At dinner time, Old Angel's family was having a big meal. Thanks to Old Angel's huge year-end bonus, their family's living conditions have been greatly improved, and the family is planning to buy a house and settle down in Huicheng. p>
"Dad, since our family is not short of money, why don't you quit your job?"
Little Angel doesn't want his father to risk his life again.
Being able to come back safely the first two times is just good luck, but it doesn’t mean it will be the same in the future.
Old Angel shook his head: "This is the last time I will go to sea. I heard from people in our company that next year's year-end bonus will only be much larger. It would be a pity to give up like this."
"Didn't you say three years? How..."
Little Angel was full of doubts.
"The specific reason is unclear. It may be that overfishing has aggravated the collapse of the ecosystem. In the Southern Ocean, both whales and other fish are dying in large areas.
Among our harvest this time, at least a quarter are whales that died accidentally. If this trend continues, the entire ocean will be empty in a few months."
After Old Angel finished speaking, he couldn't help but sigh.
Upon hearing this, Mrs. Angell quickly drew a "ten" on her chest.
Little Angel's wife Kate couldn't help but ask: "Dad, after your company is dissolved, will there be any arrangements for you old employees?"
"No, I heard that it is direct severance. The reason why our company has such a good salary package is also based on this consideration. The severance pay has long been added to the salary."
Old Angel put down his fork and shook his head.
This is also the reason why he doesn't want to quit midway. Wouldn't it be better to save more money while there is still a chance? Don't wait until the job is gone. You won't have a chance to work hard.
The most important thing is that he just received a year-end bonus of 10 million yuan not long ago. If he gets another 10 million yuan next year, his children and grandchildren will not have to worry about their lives.
You can even spend another amount of money to support relatives and friends.
Kate felt a little regretful: "What a pity. How could such a good company be disbanded just like it was disbanded?"
"It was originally a one-time deal, so there is nothing to regret. Our family is now dependent on others, and we are extremely lucky to have such a good job opportunity."
Old Angel said a Daxia dialect.
Usually at home, they speak a mixture of the two languages. This is also to exercise the oral language skills of the three children, which is of great benefit to them.
Seeing that the atmosphere was a little strange, little Angel quickly changed the subject: "Dad, tomorrow morning, the hometown association organized a walking activity. Do we want to participate?"
"What do they want to do?" Old Angel asked curiously.
"It's not just about the food stamps. They want to force the officials to cancel the three-year restriction. They even thought of a slogan, called 'We don't want to starve to death.'"
Little Angel sighed.
"The superiors will not agree." Old Angel shook his head and then explained: "This is the East, not the West. The local residents are originally very xenophobic. If the restrictions are really lifted, conflicts will break out in the next second." "But there is no solution if we continue like this. With the food stamps issued now, we won't be able to eat enough, let alone the 25% discount. If we don't get some food from the black market, we will really be hungry.
Of the dead."
Kate couldn't help but complain.
Although their family has been successfully naturalized, they are still restricted by this regulation, and I don’t know if it is an immoral policy thought up by that idiot.
Mrs. Angel then echoed: "Yes, at the resettlement site, it is said that hundreds of people have starved to death, and more than a dozen families have directly chosen to commit suicide."
"The walking operation is too extreme, there must be other ways." Old Angel frowned unconsciously, "What they do will only aggravate the xenophobic sentiments of the locals, which is equivalent to dragging everyone into the water, and it will not help at all.
."
"What else can we do? Locals can't find jobs, let alone immigrants. In the job market, people like us are generally discriminated against."
Little Angel shook his head helplessly.
He has been unemployed for more than half a year. Apart from occasionally doing odd jobs, he has no other options.
"Isn't the Federation recruiting troops? It's better than waiting to starve to death, right?" Old Angel reminded.
"Too few. A total of more than three million people will be recruited. There are only more than 10,000 places in Huicheng. They are allocated to various resettlement sites. There are only a few hundred people, which is a drop in the bucket."
Little Angel couldn't help but complain.
In addition, people like their family who choose to leave the resettlement site on their own initiative are not even eligible to apply.
Old Angel thought for a while and suddenly whispered: "I heard that there will be a war next year. By then, whether it is to enter the factory or go to the battlefield, I will not worry about not having a chance."
"Dad, wait until next year, to use a Daxia proverb, the day lilies will be cold."
Kate smiled bitterly.
"Okay, stop talking." Old Angel patted the table: "After all, these things have nothing to do with our family. You just stay at home and don't go out and mess around."
"Dad, tomorrow's walking operation will be very big. All the cities in Zhuwan District will launch it together. Isn't it appropriate for us not to go?" Little Angel said worriedly.
He is afraid that he will end up not being human inside and out!
"Just let your mother show up and say something. The three of us don't go out, and Allen and the others, please go to school. If anyone dares to skip class, be careful I'll whip him." p>
Old Angel warned solemnly.
Orientals don’t celebrate Christmas, and tomorrow happens to be Wednesday again, so school will be in session as usual.
"Grandpa, we don't dare!"
The three little guys shook their heads in fear.
Little Angel took a sip of red wine: "Dad, we'd better find an excuse to avoid being..."
"Can't find an excuse? Just say that I'm not feeling well. You two accompanied me to the hospital for a check-up. Let's go directly to the hospital tomorrow morning."