Seeing that it was completely dark, Xu Damao and Wang Minzhi prepared to go to bed and try to conceive.

"Da Mao, you're still awake? Open the door, someone's looking for you," the doorman Yan Fugui called from outside.

"Stop knocking, I'm coming right away." Xu Damao smiled helplessly at Wang Minzhi. They were originally preparing to mount their horses, but now they could only dismount.

Xu Damao came out of the inner room and opened the door.

"Section Chief Xu, I'm sorry to bother you so late at night." Standing outside was Qian Dabao, the team leader, carrying something in his hand.

"Captain Qian, right? Come in quickly. Uncle San, thank you." Xu Damao didn't expect that someone would come to report to him on his first day of work.

Comrade Yan had been staring at what Qian Dabao was holding, but seeing that the two of them had entered and Xu Damao hadn't invited him, he could only take a deep look inside before turning back.

"Captain Qian, why are you here so late?" Xu Damao handed Lao Qian a glass of water.

"Hehe, I'm just worried that I'm coming too early and you haven't gone home yet, Section Chief." Actually, Lao Qian was worried that if he came too early, he would run into acquaintances and that word would get out that he had given a gift on the Section Chief's first day at work.

"Old Qian, how long have you been the team leader?" After chatting about the team's work for a while, Xu Damao asked the question seemingly casually.

"Section Chief, I used to be a truck driver, and then I worked as a team leader for 10 years." Old Qian truthfully reported his work experience.

"Well, you have a lot of work experience and are very capable. It's time for you to be promoted," Xu Damao commented.

Upon hearing Xu Damao's words, Old Qian's gray hair seemed to darken slightly. Power has a strange power.

"But, Lao Qian, there are a few issues you need to consider first."

The first issue is that while becoming a deputy section chief brings subsidies, the total salary will be less than what you'd earn as the team leader. Right now, you drive around, earning a decent amount from your job allowance and other income. But if you really become a deputy section chief, your total salary will be less; would your family be willing to accept that?

Secondly, you are now 50 years old. After becoming a deputy section chief, is there any possibility of further advancement? You are a worker, and even as a deputy section chief, you are only a worker in lieu of a position. It will be quite difficult to become a section chief.

"...In short, Lao Qian, theoretically, among these section chiefs and team leaders, if it were a matter of promoting someone to deputy section chief, it would be your turn. If you really have this idea, I'm willing to recommend you to the higher-ups. However, I hope you'll think it over carefully before answering."

Xu Damao carefully analyzed the situation for Lao Qian. There was no other way; there was only one deputy section chief position, and not everyone could have a chance. Moreover, Xu Damao hoped Lao Qian could stabilize the transportation fleet for him. The transportation department's biggest assets were these drivers and trucks; keeping Lao Qian on board meant half the work of the transportation department was done.

"By the way, Lao Qian, I heard your youngest son isn't working either. Why don't you bring him to the team and let him learn from you? You can bring him in as a temporary worker first, and then give him a permanent position when the opportunity arises." Xu Damao continued to offer incentives.

Old Qian never expected such an unexpected gain today. He has two sons. A few years ago, Old Qian went to great lengths and used many connections to get his eldest son a job at the steel rolling mill, making him a permanent employee. But now his younger son has reached employment age, and no one is willing to help him find a job anymore.

Old Qian looked down on ordinary workers; and he wasn't willing to help skilled workers. He had originally planned to pass on his position to his son after retiring in a few years, but unexpectedly, Xu Damao made him a promise.

He also knew that this promise was not something he could make casually, and that he would probably have to hand over the entire convoy to Xu Damao.

In a daze, Old Qian walked out of the courtyard and out of the alley. In the dim light, he seemed to see a familiar figure also entering the courtyard.

After seeing Lao Qian off, Xu Damao closed the door and prepared to bring the ball back into the goal, but unexpectedly, the door was knocked on again.

Shaking off the slimy residue from his hands, Xu Damao had no choice but to leave. If this happened again tonight, Xiao Xu probably wouldn't be able to hold his head up high anymore.

"Da Mao, someone's still looking for you." Old Yan was getting a little impatient. Today, Old Yan hadn't gotten a single thing; he'd just watched others shower Xu Da Mao with gifts.

When Xu Damao opened the door, he saw that the people who came in were Sun Lan, the director of the dispatch room, and a man, presumably her husband.

"Director Sun, who is this?" Xu Damao asked.

"Section Chief, this is my husband. He works at the textile factory," Sun Lan introduced. It turned out that Sun Lan's husband was a deputy workshop director at the textile factory, considered a skilled worker, and what they brought was a bolt of cloth. Of course, Sun Lan said it was a defective product.

Because Sun Lan is a woman, Xu Damao had to call Wang Minzhi out to chat with her.

"Section Chief, I'm here today mainly to report on the work of the dispatch office and would like to ask you to add a few more people." Sun Lan's words were somewhat unexpected to Xu Damao. She wasn't here for the deputy section chief, but genuinely for work-related matters.

Following Sun Lan's report, Xu Damao gained a deeper understanding of the dispatching work. The transportation department's dispatching office only had five people, yet they were responsible for dispatching all vehicles in the entire steel rolling mill, and someone also had to be on duty at night.

Moreover, sometimes there weren't enough vehicles, or the dispatching wasn't timely, and the workshop staff had a lot of complaints, which even reached the factory leadership. In the end, all the responsibility fell on the dispatching office, or rather, on Sun Lan.

As she spoke, Sun Lan suddenly burst into tears, indicating that she had suffered a great deal of injustice.

“Section Chief, I’ve tried to transfer to another department several times, but I haven’t been able to. Now, I’m thinking, could you perhaps transfer me to another position, or could you please add someone to my team? Otherwise, if I work overtime every day, my husband is really going to divorce me,” Sun Lan said finally.

Her husband wasn't a talkative man, but he clearly explained the inconveniences that Sun Lan's job brought to their family life. Basically, she couldn't take care of her family, and the elderly in the family were very unhappy.

“Your problem needs to be resolved immediately. It not only concerns the personal and family well-being of your dispatchers, but also the achievement of our factory’s production targets. I will report this to the leadership immediately.”

Xu Damao finally agreed to Sun Lan's request. As a former grassroots worker, Xu Damao had a deep affection for those working at the bottom and a great understanding of their work.

Work is for a better life; only when life is good can we talk about ideals. Otherwise, in the end, everyone will just give up.

Sun Lan left, but Xu Damao took a small bag of dried vegetables to Yan Fugui's house in the front yard.

"Bang bang," Xu Damao gently knocked on the door of Lao Yan's house.

"Is this never going to end? I'm going to settle accounts with Xu Damao." Yan Fugui thought it was the sound of the gate opening again, someone coming to deliver a gift to Xu Damao.

That evening, after Xu Damao also gave Yan Fugui some gifts, Old Yan's attitude changed 180 degrees. He even vaguely hoped that someone would come to give him gifts every day, so that he could also get some benefits from it.