“Director Niu,” Lao Sun declared, his smile unwavering, “I have nothing to do at the moment. I just came to your office for a chat. Let’s go.” He clung to Lao Niu like a stubborn burr.
Lao Niu’s face instantly hardened. “Director Sun, I’m busy right now. I don’t have time to chat with you. Please go back first, and we’ll talk another day.”
“That won’t do!” Lao Sun retorted, utterly unreasonable. “I finally made it here. How can you just drive me away? I’ll wait for you in your office. We’ll chat when you’re done.”
Lao Niu, fuming, watched Director Sun follow him into his office. He walked to the phone and dialed. “Hello, Minister Lin, this is Lao Niu.”
Lao Sun, still casually sipping tea, immediately perked his ears at the mention of Minister Lin. Why had Minister Lin not called him about the food factory’s foreign order, but had called Lao Niu first? A simmering anger began to brew within him. He shifted uncomfortably on the bench, making a few restless noises.
Lao Niu shot him a sharp glare, then continued his conversation with Minister Lin. “Yes, yes, no, isn’t it? That girl, Xiao Xu, is truly amazing. If it weren’t for her, our textile factory wouldn’t even be in the newspaper!”
Minister Lin, at this moment, was beaming. He had never imagined his factory would one day be featured in newspapers and even bring in foreign exchange. The higher-ups had even hinted at a diplomatic conference after the Chinese New Year, to him suggesting his county’s factory might participate. Minister Lin knew the immense difficulty of securing a diplomatic quota; he’d never even dared to dream of such an opportunity before . They hadn’t earned a single penny from it, and even the major food and textile factories in other provinces hadn’t participated in the diplomatic qouta . A small county like his knew its place. But now, both the food and textile factories of his county had delivered such a monumental surprise. For the past few days, Minister Lin’s face had been perpetually wreathed in smiles.
“Work hard,” Minister Lin encouraged, dangling a tantalizing carrot, “maybe we can also try for foreign exchange.” Lao Niu, however, was utterly stunned. “Minister Lin, I understand! I will definitely continue to work hard!”
Minister Lin, having delivered his brief instructions, was about to hang up when Lao Sun could no longer contain himself. He blurted out, “Minister Lin, Happy New Year!”
Upon hearing Lao Sun’s voice, Minister Lin launched into a series of fervent praises. “Old Sun, you truly have excellent vision! If you hadn’t, with your sharp eyes, chosen Xiao Xu, how could our food factory and textile factory be enjoying such prosperity? If we do well this time, perhaps we can even participate in the next diplomatic conference!”
Lao Sun felt as if he’d been injected with a powerful stimulant, his face alight with disbelief. “Minister Lin, are you joking with us?” Although he often fantasized about attending diplomatic conferences, it had always been a whimsical thought on his end , a distant dream. Now, with those words emanating from Minister Lin’s mouth, he felt an immediate, profound shift in his mood . If Minister Lin said it, it truly meant their food and textile factories might actually achieve it.
“Who’s joking here?” Minister Lin chuckled, his voice brimming with unbridled joy. “What your two factories have done recently has become quite the buzz in our commercial department. Ministers in other places are so envious of me! Tell me, how are the people under me so powerful? They negotiated business with gringos without a word!” Minister Lin was utterly delighted, feeling a profound sense of satisfaction.
Lao Sun puffed out his chest, an arrogant smirk on his face. “This is all due to Xu’s brilliance, but don’t worry, Minister, we will definitely continue to
work hard this time.” With the topic already on the table, Lao Sun couldn’t resist lodging a complaint, immediately launching into the tale of the Xiangxian duck meat factory. Minister Lin, upon hearing the story, exploded in fury, vowing to confront the Minister of Xiang County.
Lao Sun, however, quickly interjected. “Don’t worry, Minister Lin. Fortunately, we have Xiao Xu this time. She has recently developed a new braised pig product. We discussed it with those foreigners and exchanged half of the braised duck product for braised pig. We will definitely be able to open up a new market again!” Minister Lin’s smile stretched from ear to ear.
While Lao Sun was busy spinning his tales, Xu Ying, unable to find that unreliable old man, headed towards Zhou Yi and Yang Nan.
“Director , why are you here on your vacation?” Yang Nan exclaimed, his face alight with joy at the sight of Xu Ying. He genuinely admired her beauty and talent.
Zhou Yi, however, shot Yang Nan a warning glare, his own face etched with worry. “The director of the factory sent you here. That duck meat factory director went too far! We clearly signed a contract, and now it’s broken. Director , we must not let him get his way and take advantage of us.”
Xu Ying raised an eyebrow, looking at Zhou Yi. “Then what do you think we should do?”
Zhou Yi was surprised that the Director Xu would actually ask for his opinion. After a moment of thought, he replied, “If we look for cooperation with other duck factories now, we won’t be able to produce in time, even if we assume they’d cooperate. Otherwise, let’s launch new research and development. Yang Nan and I have recently developed a new food. Since braised duck can be braised, then braised chicken can also be braised. You can also braise pigs. Anyway, it’s all done in water. As long as the braising is good, it will definitely be well received.”
Xu Ying gave him a thumbs up. He truly was a college student with advanced studies; his mind worked quickly. She smiled. “That’s what I came here to talk about. I’ve already made an agreement with those foreigners to send them half braised duck and half braised pig.”
Zhou Yi’s face lit up with a smile, his eyes sparkling as he looked at Xu Ying. “Then Yang Nan and I will go to the production workshop now to make arrangements for everyone.”
“It’s not urgent,” Xu Ying replied. “The required materials will probably be delivered tomorrow, so you can start then. I’m just here to give you a heads-up. After the Chinese New Year, I plan to take you to other provinces for a tasting event to promote our products. You should prepare in advance.” With that, Xu Ying turned and left.
Zhou Yi watched her retreating back, his heart pounding. Yang Nan, observing the scene, smirked playfully. “Yo, yo, yo, our iron tree is blooming!”
Zhou Yi’s face flushed crimson. He glared at Yang Nan. “Don’t talk nonsense!”
Qian Yuanyuan from the Human Resources Department happened to be passing by and overheard their conversation. She suppressed a surge of anger. “What iron tree is blooming?” she demanded.
Upon seeing Qian Yuanyuan, Yang Nan instantly fell silent, casting a quick, secret glance at Zhou Yi before swiftly retreating to his workstation, leaving Zhou Yi to face the music alone. The moment Zhou Yi saw Qian Yuanyuan, his expression reverted to its usual coldness.
Qian Yuanyuan’s suspicions were confirmed, and she seethed with anger, recalling the brief glimpse of Xu Ying. She turned to Zhou Yi, a sweet smile plastered on her face. “Zhou Yi, aren’t you going back for New Year this year? You’re all alone. My dad asked you to come to my house for dinner.”
Zhou Yi politely declined. “Thank you, Deputy Director Qian, for your kindness. Our R&D department has been very busy recently, so I won’t trouble you.” With that, he turned and re-entered the room, not forgetting to close the door behind him.
Rejected at the door, Qian Yuanyuan’s jealousy towards the woman she’d just seen intensified.