Chapter 632: The Storm Subsides, the Journey Begins

He Yuzhu carried that old cloth bag, which contained the tape recorder, and walked straight into the courtyard of the Discipline Inspection Commission.

Section Chief Mei poured him a cup of tea.

He Yuzhu had no heart to drink and got straight to the point: "Section Chief, how is your investigation into Zhou Hao going?"

Section Chief Mei's expression was somewhat complex; he pondered for a moment before speaking: "I spoke with Comrade Liu Weidong. He insisted that it was Xu Damao who took the initiative to find him. He said that once, while walking on that street in Nanluoguxiang, he heard a young man constantly saying he wanted to find someone to file a complaint. So he started chatting with this young man. After hearing what the young man had to say, he felt he should stand up to seek justice for someone who had been bullied for over a decade, and at the same time, dig out the worms in our cadre ranks."

He Yuzhu listened without a ripple on his face, simply nodding, and then asked: "Then, how much do you believe his story?"

Section Chief Mei smiled: "Regarding this matter, since your Ministry has already given its opinion, determining that you have no problems, then the person who exposed you has quite serious problems. As for Comrade Liu Weidong, it can only be said that he committed an error of empiricism, blindly slandering your reputation without conducting an in-depth investigation!"

He did not spell it out, but the meaning was already very clear. He wanted to push everything onto Xu Damao.

He Yuzhu did not press further, simply reaching out to place the cloth bag on the table and unzipping it.

"Section Chief Mei, let me play a recording for you."

Section Chief Mei was taken aback, his gaze falling on the small, oddly-shaped machine.

He Yuzhu pressed the button, and a slightly noisy sound came from the speaker—it was the conversation between him and Xu Damao, from how Liu Weidong found him, to how Liu Weidong introduced Xu Damao to Zhou Hao... and even the promises Zhou Hao made to Xu Damao, all stated clearly.

Section Chief Mei's brow furrowed tighter and tighter. After the recording finished, although he tried his best to maintain his composure, his eyelids twitched twice.

"This evidence of yours is very important. Comrade He Yuzhu, can you leave this machine with us?" Section Chief Mei asked.

He Yuzhu nodded: "Call a few more people over, have them listen to it collectively, record it in writing, and sign it together; then I will hand over both the tape recorder and the cassette. Otherwise, I cannot trust you."

A flash of strangeness crossed Section Chief Mei's eyes, but he quickly calmed down and smiled: "Comrade Xiao He handles things very reliably; I agree with your approach."

After everything was handled, He Yuzhu returned home, and the sky was already darkening.

He hadn't been sitting for long when the phone rang. It was Secretary Liu calling from Guangdong Province.

On the other end of the line, Secretary Liu's voice carried a hint of reproach: "Zhuzi, you are too distant with me. If a friend of mine hadn't called me, I wouldn't have known you suffered such a great grievance! With such a big thing happening, why didn't you tell me?"

He Yuzhu smiled: "Hey, Secretary Liu, this matter was stirred up by a bad kid in our courtyard; it's nothing major, I was afraid of troubling you."

"I don't think this is a small matter," Secretary Liu's tone turned serious. "I just confirmed it with Comrade Tian Dan. Ever since Zhou Hao returned to Si Jiu Cheng, he hasn't been idle; he has been constantly targeting you and Comrade Tian Dan."

He Yuzhu sighed: "I just gave Section Chief Mei of the Discipline Inspection Commission a recording; it's Xu Damao saying it himself, everything from beginning to end was recorded. This time, I estimate Zhou Hao will definitely be affected."

Secretary Liu's voice suddenly rose: "I heard you developed a new gadget again."

"It's not really new; there should be similar tape recorders abroad. Maybe the materials used are different from mine. I've been working on computers all these years, so this thing is just a byproduct," He Yuzhu said dismissively.

Secretary Liu laughed: "Zhuzi, as soon as I heard the report, I became very interested in that tape recorder of yours. Can you come over here and guide us in producing this kind of small tape recorder? I think this thing will have a very bright future."

For a moment, He Yuzhu felt a bit dazed, feeling that Secretary Liu's thinking was a bit ahead of its time.

Tape recorders were indeed something that would become extremely popular in the coming decades. He was actually so sensitive that he grasped this immediately.

He Yuzhu didn't think much and agreed immediately: "Fine, since you, Secretary Liu, have asked, I have no objections."

It was very late when Chen Xueru returned, looking dejected.

He Yuzhu went to greet her and heat up her food: "What's wrong today? You look so unhappy."

Chen Xueru shook her head and sighed: "The Liushi Trading Company cut the orders for the stretch jeans and tight jeans in half. They said Europe has now placed restrictions on Hong Kong, and it seems like some 14K is causing trouble, reporting those factories under Jin Hai for malicious competition, only labeling but not producing... The Hong Kong government has been investigating."

He Yuzhu frowned: "That really is a troublesome matter." He knew in his heart that these goods couldn't open up a market domestically for now and ultimately had to rely on the foreign market to sustain them.

He pondered for a moment and said: "I have something to tell you. Secretary Liu wants me to go to Lingnan to guide them in developing a new product. This trip will likely take a few months."

Chen Xueru was startled: "Then... are you going to Hong Kong to find Liu Rusi?"

He Yuzhu knew she didn't want him to see Liu Rusi, so he explained: "Come to think of it, I haven't been there in several years. This time, I'll help you solve the clothing sales issue and also go to get some things back."

Chen Xueru reached out to wrap her arms around him and said softly: "Zhuzi, if the clothing factory earns a little less, so be it. Our business is actually fine now; those work uniform orders are enough for us to live on. Don't go to Hong Kong and offend people; I'm afraid something will happen to you!"

He Yuzhu patted her back: "Don't worry, I have a sense of proportion."

Chen Xueru looked up and, seeing that He Yuzhu was determined to go, stopped trying to persuade him: "If you leave, our son won't recognize you again when you come back."

He Yuzhu couldn't help but laugh; her excuse was too childish: "That kid is really hard to coax. Now he only listens to his little aunt."

Chen Xueru nodded: "Isn't that so? He's just like his little aunt, He Yulu, two little foodies."

He Yuzhu was amused: "This shows that the genes of the He Family cooks have long since melted into the bones."

The next morning, as soon as He Yuzhu arrived at his unit, he mentioned this to Secretary Wang, and Secretary Wang nodded on the spot.

Afterward, he went to the Computer Laboratory—nowadays, Man Yatou was in charge there.

Last year, she obtained her master's degree following Expert Li, and He Yuzhu promoted her to the director of the laboratory.

It was mainly because the original director, Wang Zhigang, was juggling teaching duties at Huaqing University and was a bit overwhelmed, so he had Wang Zhigang serve as Deputy Director.

Hearing that He Yuzhu was going to another province, Man Yatou's eyes lit up: "Brother Zhuzi, I want to go too!"

After all, Man Yatou had been away from Guangdong Province for four or five years; it was time to go back for a visit.

He Yuzhu said with a smile: "You can hand over the laboratory matters to Senior Brother Wang Zhigang!"

Upon hearing she could go along, Man Yatou was so happy she almost jumped up.