Wang Qiang chuckled.
"Director Fan, you're right. I do think this idea is a bit too far-fetched. However, Deputy Section Chief Cao's background is quite impressive."
"oh?"
Upon hearing this, Fan Debiao stood up.
"What do you mean?"
During his time there, Fan Debiao read through the files of the leaders of all departments in the factory. He didn't have any particular impression of Cao Wangcai, only that he had been promoted directly from a front-line workshop worker to the position of deputy head of the purchasing department.
Could it be that he really has connections above him that allowed him to rise so quickly?
Seeing that Fan Debiao was unaware of the factory gossip, Wang Qiang told him about the rumors circulating about the factory.
After hearing this, Fan Debiao smiled at Wang Qiang and then said...
"Because of this belt, I'm afraid it won't stay on for that long."
Wang Qiang nodded, but then moved closer to Fan Debiao. "So since we have connections, we don't need to let it expire. Why don't we let Deputy Section Chief Cao give it a try?"
Fan Debiao thought about it and agreed. Anyway, whether there's a chance or not, it's worth a shot.
“I think that’s a good idea. What you said makes a lot of sense. How about this, I’ll assign this task to Deputy Section Chief Cao.”
"There's another task for your purchasing department. The New Year is approaching, and the top leader will be making his last inspection of the factory before the holiday."
"I heard he likes the food that Sha Zhu makes. I asked Sha Zhu today, and the kitchen needs some side dishes. Do you think you could make some?"
"This is a very important matter concerning the entire event, so we must be well prepared."
Wang Qiang recalled that Qin Shouren had mentioned it yesterday, saying that a high-ranking leader would be coming to inspect in a few days. "Director Fan, don't worry about that. Once everything is ready, we can't let our factory down."
Fan Debiao was very happy. This was the first time he had received a leader since taking office. If anything went wrong, he would not be able to have a peaceful New Year.
"Okay, then I'll leave this to you. No matter how much it costs, you'll be reimbursed for everything."
Wang Qiang nodded, turned to leave, but suddenly turned back: "Director Fan, the food is easy to arrange, but the wine is not so easy to come by."
"It's hard to get liquor tickets these days, and it's even harder to buy liquor."
Upon hearing this, Fan Debiao recalled that when Wang Qiang brought Li Weidong over, he had given him a few bottles of wine.
“That day, you weren’t…”
Wang Qiang smiled and said, "Director Fan, this is old stock, it's all gone now. Besides, I heard that the top leaders only drink Moutai, preferably Lai Mao."
"That's a rare treasure; it's not available on the market at all."
Fan Debiao was dumbfounded. Let alone Lai Mao, even Maotai was hard to come by. But in order to make good arrangements for the reception, he had to prepare no matter how difficult it was.
"Wang Qiang, do you think of any way? This is a big deal. Our factory is so big, we can't be so poor that we can't even afford a bottle of wine."
Wang Qiang pondered for a moment, then spoke to Fan Debiao.
"Director Fan, I think there's only one way to solve this problem."
"Go find Director Li Huaide. I heard he has some good wine. If not, we can buy it at a high price."
Fan Debiao slapped his thigh. "That's right, how come I didn't think of that?"
"Alright, I'll handle this personally. You can prepare the rest."
Wang Qiang came out of Fan Debiao's office, took a few steps, and turned around to see Secretary Xia being called in.
After returning to the purchasing department.
Shi Da Kuai has returned and is warming himself by the stove.
"What kind of weather is this? It's raining so heavily. Deputy Section Chief Cao insisted that I go and purchase some spare parts. I asked the workshop, and they said there was no rush at all. Even if I bought them, they would just put them in the warehouse."
Upon seeing Wang Qiang, Shi Da Kuai said, "Wang Qiang, I heard you knocked Lao Cao back. You've got guts."
Yu Xiaobao laughed from the side, "Old Shi, you didn't see Deputy Section Chief Cao's face. He was so angry that it turned into a liver."
"Pah, serves him right. He thinks he's something special just because he's a deputy section chief. He doesn't even think about how he got the position. I think we should unite."
Shi Dakuai harbored deep resentment towards Cao Wangcai.
"Brother Wang, what did Director Fan say?" Yu Xiaobao asked as he saw Wang Qiang return.
Wang Qiang returned to his seat. "It's nothing. It's the end of the year, isn't it? A high-ranking leader is coming to inspect before the new year. Director Fan asked me to buy some things for the reception."
Yu Xiaobao asked curiously, "How was Cao Wangcai's complaint resolved?"
Wang Qiang laughed. "Whoever proposed it should solve it. Since this guy surnamed Cao wants to give everyone benefits, then let him figure out a way."
Yu Xiaobao, Guo Jinshui, and Shi Dakuai burst into laughter upon hearing this.
"That's absolutely right, whoever brought it up should handle it."
"It's about seeing if his wife can get half a pound of pork for everyone."
"What you're saying is true. He can definitely get half a pound of pork, but if there are so many people here, more than 10,000 pounds of pork, his wife's small amount probably won't be enough."
"Ha ha……"
The office was filled with a happy atmosphere.
"I'm in a good mood today, so let's not eat lunch at the factory. I'll treat you to lunch outside."
Shi Da Kuai said with a laugh that he was not like Wang Qiang. Although he was dissatisfied with Cao Wangcai, he did not dare to confront him directly and was inevitably assigned some hard work.
Seeing Cao Wangcai get his comeuppance, Shi Dakuai was secretly pleased and decided to treat everyone to lunch.
"Let's skip it today, it's snowing so heavily outside. We might as well eat at the factory."
After Wang Qiang finished speaking, Yu Xiaobao and Guo Jinshui also felt that he made sense; it would be too difficult to go out for a meal in such heavy snow.
Upon hearing this, Shi Da Kuai readily agreed, "Alright then, let's get together properly another day."
The group chatted for a while before heading to the cafeteria.
They were among the early arrivals; the cafeteria wasn't crowded yet. There wasn't much food available in winter. A serving of cabbage and two steamed buns.
Wang Qiang saw Qin Shouren with a young man, who was in his early twenties, tall and thin. This must be Qin Shouren's nephew.
Unexpectedly, Qin Shouren was quite efficient.
Li Weidong was also standing by. This kid knew how to get things done, and he'd probably become Qin Shouren's confidant soon.
For Wang Qiang, the communal stew was a longing, but unfortunately, the communal stew of that era only contained cabbage, not even tofu, let alone meat.
During the planned economy era, it was extremely difficult to get meat.
He and three other people in the department found a table and sat down, then picked up a steamed bun and started eating. Just then, they saw Cao Wangcai walk in, carrying a lunchbox and looking livid.
Yu Xiaobao chuckled at his expression, "Look at Lao Cao, he's probably about to explode with anger."
Shi Da Kuai slurped down his vegetable soup: "Serves him right. Let him know how hard we work."
Cao Wangcai saw Wang Qiang and his group, snorted coldly, and walked past them.
"Hey, what do you guys think will happen if Lao Cao succeeds this time?"
"That's what Shi Da Kuai said."
"Bullshit, 10,000 catties of pork? At the standard of 2 liang per person per month, you do the math yourself, that's a ration for how many people?"
"Ha ha……"
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