Chapter 759: The Old Expert

Chen Xueru moved extremely quickly; within a few days, she had produced samples of all the new clothing styles designed by He Yuzhu. A portion was sent directly to Liushi Trading Company for export, while the other portion was released into the domestic market.

Unexpectedly, the new products became incredibly popular as soon as they hit the shelves, becoming a trend in every street and alley, with many stores selling out completely. The Xueru Garment Factory, which had originally been quiet and lacking work, suddenly became bustling with activity, with machines running day and night.

On Sunday, He Jia took Fang Deng, who was home for the holidays, to stroll through Xiushui Street. The two enjoyed themselves thoroughly, their hands already full of bags, and were just preparing to head home when He Jia's gaze suddenly sharpened, fixing on a stall not far away.

It was actually the brothers Liu Guangtian and Liu Guangfu, openly selling women's lingerie and silk stockings there.

The two had even hired two pretty-looking young women to stand by and explain and demonstrate, and the stall was surrounded by people, with business booming.

He Jia took a few extra looks, then hurriedly grabbed Fang Deng and turned to leave, unable to help muttering, "Fang Deng, don't you go looking at these things! They're only worn by indecent women, specifically to hook men." After saying this, she giggled herself, "For grown men to sell this, it's truly shameful; you must never touch these in the future."

Fang Deng looked clueless, opening her eyes wide to ask, "Sister, what exactly are they selling?"

He Jia curled her lip, looking disgusted, "It's all stuff worn by bad foreign women."

Fang Deng asked again, "Are they... people from Grandpa Liu Haizhong's family?"

He Jia nodded, her tone even more disdainful, "It's them! They never learned to be good since they were little. Their father is almost too poor to put food on the table, yet they don't bring a single cent home after earning money; their consciences are completely rotten."

As soon as the two returned home, they told He Yuzhu and Chen Xueru everything about Liu Guangtian and his brother selling women's undergarments at the market.

At first, Chen Xueru had the same mindset as He Jia, feeling that the two men were not attending to their proper duties and were truly indecent.

But after hearing this, He Yuzhu's eyes suddenly lit up, and he turned to Chen Xueru and said, "Xueru, I actually think that since you are in the clothing business, you could expand in this direction. Since He Jia said they are selling like hotcakes, why shouldn't we take a bite of this fat piece of meat?"

Chen Xueru was somewhat disdainful, frowning as she said, "Which girl or wife from a decent family would wear this?"

He Yuzhu laughed, "What does clothing have to do with whether a family is good or bad? In the future, clothing all over the world will be integrated. Who in our country wore suits before? Don't young people now all dress in a stylish way?"

Chen Xueru had always been obedient to He Yuzhu; after pondering it slightly, she nodded, "What you say is also true. If we don't do this market, it will all benefit others; we can indeed try launching an underwear series."

No sooner had she finished speaking than the home telephone suddenly rang urgently.

He Yuzhu picked it up and listened; it was actually Tian Dan calling.

"Zhuzi, you need to come to the factory immediately!"

He Yuzhu's heart tightened, "Dan, what happened?"

Tian Dan's voice was very low, "While verifying the identities of newly hired employees, we found two people who are very suspicious; they are likely spies sent by foreign countries..."

He Yuzhu immediately interrupted, "You mean someone outside has set their sights on us?"

Tian Dan was silent for a moment, then said in a deep voice, "We cannot rule out this possibility. We have recruited dozens of people from overseas recently; it is hard to guarantee that the news hasn't leaked."

He Yuzhu agreed immediately, "I'll be there right away."

Before long, He Yuzhu arrived at the Chip Factory.

Tian Dan took out two photos and handed them to him, "These two people are both graduates of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, their ancestors were descendants of the Bald Party, and they have long-term backgrounds of studying in the United States. Their expertise happens to match our project, so they were hired. My intuition says something is wrong; they are nine times out of ten spies."

He Yuzhu was direct, "Dan, just tell me what you want me to do, so I don't have to rack my brain."

Tian Dan said, "Can you disguise yourself as a senior Expert, get close to them, and secretly observe if they have any secret contact with the outside world?"

"A small matter. Do they live in the Expert Building?"

Tian Dan nodded, "It just so happens that a two-bedroom apartment is still empty across from them; you will live there."

"Fine. Then I will dress up properly, use my remaining energy, and be an old Expert for once."

Tian Dan couldn't help but laugh, "It would be best if you could actually produce some research results. You must be careful; these two people have come with ill intent, and there might even be accomplices hiding in the shadows."

He Yuzhu's tone was firm, "Rest assured, give me a month, and I guarantee I will pull out their fox tails."

Tian Dan patted his shoulder, sighing, "We are going to fight side by side again, just like in the early fifties."

He Yuzhu smiled confidently, "I may be older, but my body and my brain haven't aged a bit!"

Tian Dan teased, "I believe in you, old Expert!"

The next day, He Yuzhu carefully applied makeup and changed his appearance; even acquaintances at the factory couldn't recognize him.

Under Tian Dan's arrangement, he completed the full set of fake hiring procedures, publicly claiming to be an Expert retired from the Liu Siman Laboratory and rehired to be responsible for communication software development, and moved into the Expert Building in a dignified manner.

This Expert Building was designed by He Yuzhu himself, with several layouts including one-bedroom, two-bedroom, three-bedroom, and four-bedroom apartments; those with families were assigned larger units, while singles lived in smaller ones. He referenced the minimalist modern decoration style of later generations, which looked fresh and trendy.

After living there for a few days, He Yuzhu discovered that the two suspicious individuals only went to the cafeteria for meals every day and never cooked for themselves.

He Yuzhu simply left his door wide open every day after work, stir-frying and cooking in the room, with the aroma drifting all through the hallway.

At first, the two held out without making a move, but they couldn't resist the enticing aroma of the food every day, and after a few days, they couldn't hold back anymore and took the initiative to knock on He Yuzhu's door.

After the three chatted, He Yuzhu also figured out their backgrounds.

One was named Wang Qiaozhi, thirty years old, ancestral home in Guangdong Province, his parents moved to Hong Kong in 1948, and he later went to the United States to study, worked at IBM, and was introduced to the Chip Factory.

The other was named Zhou Kai, whose whole family immigrated to the United States in 1949; he was a standard second-generation Chinese-American.

At first, the two were highly vigilant, taking turns probing He Yuzhu and asking a bunch of professional questions.

But He Yuzhu's computer level was absolutely world-class for that era; after a few rounds of exchange, Wang Qiaozhi and Zhou Kai were completely convinced, determining that he was a genuine, senior old Expert—whether in terms of knowledge base or practical experience, he was far above them, just a bit older in age.

The two were tempted by He Yuzhu's cooking, and He Yuzhu was happy to cook and entertain them; the three often gathered to eat, drink, and chat, and their relationship quickly became familiar.

Later, two other bachelors on that floor joined in, one named Lou Zhijun and the other Sun Xiaohu.

Wang Qiaozhi loved red wine, Zhou Kai preferred white liquor, and Lou Zhijun and Sun Xiaohu were not picky; the group gathered together, living their days in a lively manner without arousing any suspicion.