One Hundred and Forty-Five: Reuniting with the Crown Prince's Faction

You can rest assured about that! We will definitely handle the confidentiality work properly. Only a few leaders from the Central Committee and our Military Commission know about this, and no one else does. We will also pay special attention to security and secrecy issues, Director Xie assured Weihua. Weihua's nephew, Stone, was going to leave with the Navy comrades, and Director Xie informed Weihua that Stone would serve in the Bohai Fleet. Weihua's entire family accompanied Stone quite a distance when seeing him off.

After Director Xie left, Weihua returned to his relaxed and leisurely routine. The houses of Weihua's elder sisters had all been completely rebuilt and renovated, and they had already moved into their new homes. Weihua's nephews had also returned to live in their respective homes. Because they now had their own rooms, Weihua had not made many major alterations to the ancestral home, but the same was not true for his sisters' houses. Since several of his sisters had quite a few children, Weihua had expanded the architectural floor area of their homes so that his nephews and nieces each had their own rooms. Next came the rebuilding of the houses for Weihua's married nephews and nieces. Again, these required no worry on Weihua's part; with his brothers-in-law and Ding Peng handling things, Weihua did not have to lift a finger. Weihua treated all his nephews and nieces equally.

In the blink of an eye, a month had passed since Weihua returned home. On the morning of this particular day, a few unexpected guests suddenly arrived at Weihua's home. When these individuals stepped out of their cars, Weihua was still wondering how they had found out he was back home. The arriving visitors were none of the others than the scions Weihua had met at the Rong family residence. The leader, Young Master Zhao, greeted Weihua politely upon seeing him:

"Mr. Weihua! We few have come uninvited, I hope you won't blame us! We came here to show you some local hospitality. No matter what, your current status is that of a Hongkonger, while on the mainland we are considered the hosts, so we ought to treat you warmly. By the way! This is something Mr. Rong asked me to pass along to Mr. Weihua a few days ago. He said you will know what it is once you take a look at it. However, Mr. Rong mentioned that this item can only be used with some limitations for now; if you want to use it freely, you'll still have to wait a little longer."

With that, he took an object from the bag he was carrying and handed it to Weihua. Weihua took it, and with a single glance, recognized it as a satellite phone. Weihua pondered for a moment—it was now August 1984. According to the schedule, Iridium's communication satellites were set to complete their launch in November of this year, and system debugging had already begun. Satellite phones could now be used within certain geographical regions. Weihua took the phone, expertly powered it on, and began making calls. Fortunately, the region where Weihua currently was permitted the use of such a device.

Weihua first called his four wives, and then made a call to Rong Zhijian. However, Rong's secretary informed Weihua that Rong was not in the office, having gone out to play golf with some friends, so Weihua had no choice but to drop the matter for the moment. While Weihua was making his phone calls, Young Master Zhao and the others chatted with Ding Peng off to the side. After finishing his calls, Weihua said to Young Master Zhao and his companions:

"I really didn't expect you all to come. Since you've arrived at my door, you are guests! Come in and rest for a bit!"

With that, he led the group into his courtyard and sat down on the stone stools beneath the large tree in the yard. After Ding Peng served tea, Weihua took a sip and asked:

"Was it Mr. Rong who told you I had come back home?"

"Yes! Last month, Mr. Rong went back to Beijing on business, and that was how we found out that Mr. Weihua had returned here to visit relatives after the reception meeting in Beijing. Since we didn't get to see Mr. Weihua after the reception, we assumed you had been busy and returned to Hong Kong," Young Master Zhao explained.

"The money you entrusted to me has already been invested in Britain! I believe you'll see returns in just a few months!" Weihua took a sip of tea and continued speaking to the group.

"Invested in Britain? But I heard that Britain is in a lot of chaos right now, something about British coal miners staging a massive strike. Will our investment there end up..." Miss Li asked with some concern.

"Miss Li! You can rest easy, you won't lose money! You probably don't understand financial investment very well. Whether in the current stock market or the futures market, money isn't only made when prices rise; sometimes you can actually make money when they fall. This is called short selling. This time, I've invested one billion US dollars in Britain, and I won't let my money go down the drain, so you can set your mind at ease. I estimate the return on this investment will be between two hundred and three hundred percent. Just sit back and wait to collect your money," Weihua told Miss Li.

Hearing Weihua's words, Miss Li smiled somewhat sheepishly and said nothing more. Young Master Zhao, sitting nearby, chimed in:

"Mr. Weihua! We apologize! Hongmei was just a bit worried and didn't mean to question Mr. Weihua's judgment at all. The few of us came here specifically to check in on Mr. Weihua. Our work is quite leisurely and we don't really need to go into the office, so we took the opportunity to come see Mr. Weihua and find out if there's anything we can help with. After all, Mr. Weihua's influence in the mainland doesn't quite match ours, especially in this region. This place can truly be considered our own turf."

Hearing this, Weihua felt a stir in his heart and asked, "Oh? How so?"

"Hongmei's grandfather is currently the Deputy Commander of the Shenyang Military Region, and her eldest uncle is the Vice Governor of Jilin Province, in charge of industrial construction. You tell me whether this counts as our own turf. In the three northeastern provinces, our influence is much greater than it is in Beijing. My eldest uncle is the Deputy Secretary of the Liaoning Provincial Party Committee, Dongzi's father is the Director of the Organization Department of the Heilongjiang Provincial Party Committee and a member of the Standing Committee, and Erkui's old man is the Secretary of the Harbin Municipal Party Committee. Our roots are all in the Northeast, so our influence is extraordinary. If there's anything you need help with, just say the word—as long as it's not some monumental issue, it's no problem at all. Things like recruiting workers or transferring household registration can all be easily arranged!" Young Master Zhao explained to Weihua.

"Then, if I want to build a highway within the territory of the Northeast, can the few of you help me resolve government-related issues?" Weihua asked.

"Build a highway? Does the domestic market need highways built? There are very few vehicles in the country right now; there's no need to build expressways yet, is there? Besides, Mr. Weihua, what kind of return could you possibly get by building a highway in the country?" asked Young Zhang, who had accompanied Young Master Zhao to Hong Kong last time.