Before long, Sun Zhengguo and his group returned to the courtyard house.
The courtyard house was filled with a rich aroma, and many people had come, making it even more lively than during the Spring Festival.
Sun Dajiang and his wife, who had returned home earlier, were checking for any omissions or deficiencies and making sure everything was in place.
Sure enough, when Sun Dajiang saw his daughter, he did realize her shortcomings and quickly gave her instructions.
"Zheng Hong, you're back just in time. We're still missing an accountant, so I'll put you in charge."
Upon hearing this, Sun Zhenghong looked surprised. "Dad, is it appropriate to entrust this to me? Aren't accountants usually the older gentlemen? Can I handle it?"
"Why not? You're an accountant at a big factory. Can't you handle this little thing? Besides, there's no rule that says who has to be the bookkeeper. Hurry up, we've already wasted a lot of time."
"Okay!"
Sun Zhenghong didn't continue with the pretense. He went to the front yard near the entrance and asked his cousin to help him move a table and chairs. He then took on the work of an accountant.
Yan Bugui felt a pang of heartache upon seeing this scene, his lips twitched a few times, but he ultimately dared not utter a single word.
With the accountant in place, the neighbors, relatives, and friends began to contribute their money one after another.
An older woman from the courtyard was the first to step forward. "Zheng Hong, I'll give you five yuan as a wedding gift."
"Okay! Thank you for your support, Aunt Li."
...
Once there was a first, there was a second, and gradually more and more people joined. Sun Zhenghong kept collecting money to register.
Because the Sun family usually has a lot of social obligations, the residents in the courtyard are expected to give at least five yuan as a gift.
Sun Dajiang's in-laws all gave 20 yuan each, while his maternal grandfather and his family were a bit different, with all of them giving 60 yuan.
The residents of the courtyard house were astonished, feeling that just by hosting a banquet, they could become rich.
"Goodness, how much money will they collect as gifts for this banquet?"
"What do you know? No matter how many favors you have, you still need to repay them. Do you think it's a one-off deal?"
"That's true. If it were me, I would just run away after receiving the money and never have to pay it back."
"Hahaha!"
The neighbor's joke drew a burst of laughter from everyone.
...
Gradually, as the end of the workday approached, Liu Haizhong, Xu Damao, and others who worked at the steel rolling mill returned to the yard.
At the same time, they also took the initiative to help maintain order, hoping to have a chance to show their faces when the leaders arrived.
People like Sun Dajiang and his wife, Sun Zhengguo and his brother, Zhou Weimin, and others had already arrived at the door to welcome guests.
Before long, several cars arrived at the door, and the first group of guests had arrived.
Sun Zhengguo took a closer look and realized that, as expected, it was his own people who were giving him face; all the cars were filled with people from the research institute.
"Old Li, Old Zhang, Old Chen... welcome to our home."
"Director Sun, you're too kind. We came uninvited, please don't take offense. On behalf of everyone, I wish the baby good health, happiness, and all the best," Li Shengli said, cupping his hands in greeting.
"Thank you, thank you! Please come in and have a seat."
After a few polite exchanges, Sun Zhengguo instructed Zhou Weimin to lead the group into the courtyard.
The arrival of Li Shengli and his entourage was like a signal, and the guests followed one after another.
The second group of people who came were from the machinery factory, represented by Director Li. After another round of pleasantries, Sun Zhengguo politely welcomed them into the courtyard.
Following closely behind Director Zhou and his entourage from the power supply bureau were received by Sun Dajiang.
Director Yang and his entourage from the steel rolling mill were welcomed into the courtyard by Lin Wencui.
Director Xia and his team from the tractor factory were handed over to Sun Zheng'an for management.
A group led by Director Qian from the Subdistrict Office, Director Tang and Wang Lefeng from the Iron and Steel Research Institute, Zhao Guoping from the Ministry of Metallurgy, Engineer Zhang and Director Wu from the Ministry of Machinery Industry, and others...
As the number of guests gradually increased, several unexpected guests arrived.
Such as Director Gao of the First Steel Rolling Mill, Director Wu of the Second Steel Rolling Mill, the District Head of Dongcheng District, and Director Li of the former police station, who is now Deputy Director Li of Dongcheng District.
Adhering to the principle that all visitors are guests, Sun Zhengguo also politely and courteously welcomed them into the courtyard.
They were busy until almost midnight when the representatives of the two ministers from the Ministry of Machinery and the Ministry of Metallurgy, Secretary Wang and Secretary Hu, finally arrived right on time.
After a few polite exchanges, Sun Zhengguo welcomed them into the courtyard.
The two men acted like old friends as soon as they entered the courtyard, each offering a gift.
However, instead of money, they gave him exquisite gifts, which made it difficult for Sun Zhengguo to refuse.
"You two secretaries are too kind. Please come inside."
"Of course, of course. It's just a small gift for the child. I wish him a healthy and happy growth so that he can become a pillar of the nation in the future."
...
After the two secretaries exchanged some auspicious words, Sun Zhengguo led them into a side room.
Just as Lin Wenjun had guessed, those who were able to enter the private room for dinner today were all people of extraordinary status.
Let's not say they're all department-level officials; there are only one or two division-level officials mixed in.
Of course, the two secretaries are not included, but they represent two ministerial-level officials.
"Zheng'an, everyone has arrived. Let's begin the feast!"
"Alright, big brother!"
As he spoke, Sun Zheng'an walked out the door and went to the central courtyard to find He Daqing.
"Uncle He, the feast can begin."
"Alright! Get busy, everyone, let's serve the food!"
With a shout from He Daqing, several helpers picked up trays and began shuttling back and forth between the courtyards, busy serving dishes.
Sun Zheng'an then approached his uncle, asking him to take care of the Intermediate People's Court. Lin Wenjun readily agreed.
Since someone was looking after him in the middle courtyard, he would definitely need to find someone in the back courtyard as well. So Sun Zheng'an went to the back courtyard and found Liu Haizhong.
"Second Uncle, I can't take care of things in the front, so I'll trouble you to look after the backyard."
"Don't worry, Zheng'an, leave the backyard to Second Uncle. Go and do your work!"
Liu Haizhong happily accepted the task, feeling very proud.
"Alright! Thank you, Second Uncle."
Finally, Sun Zheng'an returned to the front yard, and the person in charge of the front yard was, of course, handed over to Zhou Weimin.
After arranging all this, Sun Zheng'an went to the side room to begin entertaining the table he was in charge of.
Some might ask, why go to the side room? Aren't there two side rooms?
That's because so many officials came that two more tables were urgently added, one outside and one in the side room.
At this moment, the guests in the Sun family's side room were the most important, and they were personally accompanied by Sun Zhengguo.
Those who can sit in this room are all important figures. The two secretaries, of course, represent the minister.
In addition, there is District Chief Wu from Dongcheng District. His main purpose in coming here today is to win over Sun Zhengguo in order to promote the development of the entire district.
Who knows when they might build a few more large factories, solving many employment problems, so it's worth the trip.
Director Zhou of the power supply bureau, several steel rolling mill directors, Director Xia of the tractor factory, Director Li of the machinery factory, and others all had a simple goal: they all wanted Sun Zhengguo to help their respective units develop machines.
The last one was Director Tang of the Iron and Steel Research Institute. His purpose was the simplest: to explore how to improve the quality of steel.
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