After getting to know Xiao Ding for a long time, Jiang Huashu finally understood his current situation. Not only was he in his thirties still doing odd jobs, but his job position in the company was not even as good as that of Xiao Bijia, who had just been working there for less than two years.

It would be a lie to say that Xiao Ding didn't want to make progress, but if he continued like this, it was hard to say when he would be able to move up. In a few years, when Xiao Ding's master retired, Xiao Ding would take over his job. If he wanted to make any changes then, it would not be so easy.

To what extent is Xiao Ding unwelcome at work? During the Chinese New Year, he brought his wife and children to visit Jiang Hua's calligraphy home, and the hairtail he brought even surprised Professor Dong.

The petite figure was clearly underage, and after asking, he found out it was issued by his employer. Jiang Huashu looked at Xiao Ding's wife, who looked as if she was used to it. He thought, "Ah, the couple are the same. What a mess."

In fact, Xiao Ding has everything in his mind, but he is as dumb as a gourd with a sawed-off mouth and can't speak. Although Jiang Huashu looks at Xiao Ding with anger, after all these years of contact, it's hard to say that Xiao Ding's actions are really similar to Jiang Huashu's.

He has unique insights into people and his way of thinking about things is different from others.

Take the selection of a workshop director at a machinery factory as an example. Jiang Huashu never thought about what Xiao Ding might be thinking.

But Xiao Ding said he had considered competing, but after thinking about the tiring work, he decided not to do it. The night shift required exemplary leadership, so sneaking in a nap? Impossible.

If I make a mistake in my daily work, it will be magnified infinitely, so it's a heavy burden to do anything. The salary is only one level higher than that of ordinary workers, which is not cost-effective and really meaningless.

If he were chosen, he'd go to an outreach department like Sales or Reception, where he could interact with outsiders and exercise his brain. But Jiang Huashu shut him down with one sentence: "This job requires communication with the outside world." That was the end of it.

A year later, Jiang Huashu had established himself in the ministry. Occasionally, he'd drive directly to the factory to meet Xiao Ding, and the two of them would dine at a state-owned restaurant. Back then, there were no such things as drunk driving checks. They'd drink a couple of glasses of wine and chat about their recent affairs. Xiao Ding would open up to him almost anything, like a brother, and Jiang Huashu found this particularly comforting.

Later, Jiang Huashu tried to get Xiao Ding to interact with the outside world more, and whenever there was a suitable occasion, he would take Xiao Ding along. As China gradually relaxed its foreign investment policies, more and more foreign investors came. Foreign businessmen often invited Jiang Huashu to get together, and even if it was a minor occasion, such as a family gathering or a dinner with friends, Jiang Huashu would take Xiao Ding along.

Later, with the encouragement of his family and the guidance of Jiang Huashu, Xiao Ding gradually dared to speak up, and not only did he dare to speak up, he also developed a thick skin. More than three years later, Xiao Ding, who took the position of director, finally became Old Ding.

This year, Jiang Huashu was thinking about developing a domestic instant noodle business. After much deliberation, he thought of Lao Ding. Lao Ding wasn't the same person Jiang Huashu had just met, ten years ago. Not only was he as thick-skinned as an ox, but he also took on tough challenges.

In the 1980s, the trend of working as a migrant worker began to spread from the south to the north, and at the same time, it led to the development of many industries.

The bicycle industry's sales began to grow rapidly at this time. The machine tool factory was now being squeezed out by the opening of many private enterprises and was often unable to pay wages.