The golden age began in 1977

Chapter 208 Brother Qian, you're just too kind.

The weather is great tonight; the night sky is filled with twinkling stars, and they are exceptionally clear.

As the sun sets, the wind blowing through the streets and alleys carries the scent of early autumn, and the air begins to grow chilly.

The lights from the state-run No. 2 Hotel shone through the windows onto the street, attracting the longing gazes of many passersby.

Sun Jian pushed open the carved wooden door of the East Sea Hall, and the unique aroma of jasmine tea mixed with the smell of food from the State-owned Second Hotel wafted out.

The crystal chandelier illuminated the Donghai Hall, and the Mao Zedong slogan "Serve the People" on the wall was framed in a gilded frame, making the brass buttons on the chests of the waiters standing against the wall gleam.

Sun Jian rubbed his leather shoes against the red carpet again and again, but still left a half-spot of yellow mud.

There was no way around it; there was no red carpet on the way here, so the soles of my shoes were bound to get a little dirty.

Qian Jin was a little surprised to see him arrive, but then he smiled and said, "Oh, Team Leader Sun is here? You're a bit late."

Sun Jian clasped his hands in a fist salute to him and his colleagues who had already sat down and started eating: "I'm sorry, comrades, I have elderly parents at home who can't move around. Every time I get off work, I have to serve them a meal before I can do my own thing."

Upon hearing this, Qian Jin was immediately filled with respect and personally stood up to pull out a chair for him: "This is my apology, my apology as the leader."

"I'm not making excuses. It's true that I didn't know my colleagues' family and personal situations before I rashly organized this dinner. Team Leader Sun, I've put you in a difficult position."

Sun Jian glanced at him in surprise, then smiled and said, "Director Qian, why are you saying this? As the old saying goes, every family has its own troubles. I should apologize. I can't let my family situation interfere with our work, and I certainly can't let it interfere with my work in the future."

"What are you all standing there for?" The door opened again, and Guan Dabao came over to serve the dishes. "Brother, I heard you got promoted? Hahaha, I'm so happy, I've come over to toast all of you leaders."

Sun Jian took the opportunity to sit down.

Looking closely at the dishes laid out on the round table, he secretly swallowed his saliva.

This is truly a delicious dish that looks and smells amazing; it's a real treat you definitely can't find in street restaurants.

Dongpo pork is bright red in color, soft, tender, and sweet.

The braised pork knuckle has a glossy, oily skin that melts in your mouth.

The fried meat is golden and crispy, with a wonderful aroma.

The fried fish is crispy on the outside and tender on the inside, with a delicious aroma.

The saltwater prawns are large and plump, with a white color tinged with pink.

Sun Jian felt he made the right choice coming here!
At this point, Qian Jin introduced Guan Dabao's identity.

Upon learning that it was the head of the kitchen at the state-run No. 2 Restaurant who had come to offer a toast, the young people, whose mouths were already greasy from eating, hurriedly stood up.

After finishing a beer, Qian Jin and Guan Dabao invited everyone to sit down.

A few girls huddled shyly between the carved chair back and the tablecloth, staring intently at the wheat ear pattern embroidered on the tablecloth.

The waiters moved about silently, their small celadon dishes clinking against the silver-plated spoons.

Eight-treasure tea simmers in a glass pot, with goji berries and malva nuts bubbling inside.

"This braised pork knuckle should be eaten while it's hot." Guan Dabao personally delivered the large pork knuckle.

This pork knuckle is the biggest and fattest in the restaurant; it's not something you can get even when entertaining guests in official circles, unless you're being very influential.

Qian Jin's chopsticks pierced the trembling skin of the pork knuckle, and the amber-colored oil immediately soaked into the tender bamboo shoots at the bottom of the plate: "This pork knuckle is both fatty and tender, it must be thanks to your skill, Brother Guan."

Guan Dabao laughed heartily: "This pork knuckle was taken from the hind leg of a pig that was slaughtered this morning at the meat processing plant. It's very fresh. I braised it this morning so you can eat it tonight. The taste will definitely be amazing."

Sun Jian's throat moved.

It does indeed smell wonderful.

Qian Jin urged him to start eating, and personally picked up a piece of meat skin coated in caramel coloring and placed it on the small plate in front of him.

The moment Sun Jian's tongue touched the fatty meat, he smacked his lips, and the skin melted without him even having to chew. The sweet, oily fat slid down his throat, so delicious that it made him want to smile.

Delicious food always brings people a pleasant mood.

"To be honest, Director Qian has a lot of influence," Sun Meijuan said after Guan Dabao left. "I heard that the Donghai Hall can only be used to receive provincial and even central leaders."

Her two canine teeth appeared and disappeared as she spoke, revealing a smile with dimples that made her very cute.

Others immediately followed suit:
“Absolutely. If I were to tell my neighbors or old classmates that I ate at the Donghai Hall of the State-run No. 2 Restaurant, they would definitely say I was bragging.”

"You also have to tell them that the head chef of the state-run No. 2 Restaurant came to toast you personally."

"Haha, this meal is definitely Chef Guan's doing. The taste is absolutely amazing. I've never had this kind of flavor before..."

Everyone ate happily and drank quickly.

Qian Jin waved, and the waiter brought over two cases of beer one after the other.

The green glass bottle gleamed with an emerald light under the chandelier. She used a copper screwdriver to pry open the cap, and foam immediately gushed out, overflowing the bottle opening.

Qian Jin poured himself another glass of wine, raised it, and said, "This glass is to say that everyone is here. So, we should all be here by now, right? Let's have a reunion drink."

Sun Jian quickly counted the number of people present.

Only about half of the people came.

Neither Cheng Xia nor Liao Chunfeng came, and their faction members obviously did as well.

This made him secretly gasp in amazement.

Goodness, there's going to be some excitement in the back of the department.

Director Qian doesn't seem like the kind of person everyone bullies. Cheng Xia and Liao Chunfeng didn't give him any face, so Director Qian will probably retaliate later.

He felt that the two lacked strategic thinking, and since there was no direct conflict of interest or overt contradiction between them, why should a subordinate lose face for his superior?

It's important to know that his lateness was indeed due to his parents' poor health, and he has a clear conscience about that, so he's not afraid of Qian Jin investigating him privately.

In other words, his lateness to the meal was understandable and he had no intention of saving face by paying money.

The others dared not say anything and could only raise their glasses in response.

Amidst the clinking of glasses like the Eight Immortals crossing the sea, several girls choked and coughed.

Li Xiang stared at the plate of salted shrimp on the turntable, each one curled up into a red crescent the size of her palm.

Zheng Jinhong, sitting next to me, used the tip of her chopsticks to poke open the shrimp's back and deftly pulled out the translucent shrimp vein, her movements as skilled as a mother pulling a thread from a ball of yarn.

"Try this." Zheng Jinhong put the peeled shrimp meat into Li Xiang's bowl, and then unabashedly put her fingers in her mouth and sucked on them.

"You can't buy shrimp this big in the market. I heard that you can only buy them if you have connections with the captain of a fishing boat that goes out to sea."

Li Xiang took a bite of the shrimp meat, which was fresh, sweet, and crisp.

Sun Jian dipped the fried fish tail into the salt and pepper sauce on the plate, and golden crispy crumbs fell onto the embroidered tablecloth.

Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Qian Jin take out a pack of Peony cigarettes, tear open the foil, and he immediately took out a lighter.

The lighter was lit, and the blue flame hissed.

Qian Jin looked at the lighter in his hand with surprise: "What model is it?"

Sun Jian chuckled: "I asked a friend to buy it for me. I bought it on the black market. It's supposedly a foreign product."

"To be honest, Director Qian, this thing is of very high quality—hey, I see you don't have a lighter, would you like to take this back with you?"

He lowered his voice on the last sentence.

Qian Jin smiled and waved his hand, handing the cigarette to Sun Jian: "I don't smoke, what do you need a lighter for?"

Moreover.

This is the copper-cased windproof lighter he tinkered with, a purely online product, but unexpectedly it ended up in his own team.

The waiter then handed over a matchbox with the restaurant's logo.

Qian Jin offered cigarettes to the young man.

These days, almost no young man doesn't smoke; he's an exception in that respect.

The chef, dressed in a white uniform, personally served the grand finale, a mixed hot pot, with sea cucumber and abalone soaking in the bubbling chicken broth in a copper pot.

Qian Jin turned his head and saw that it was Lou Xiaoguang who was bringing him vegetables this time.

Lou Xiaoguang met his gaze and smiled, "Chief Qian, please arrange for the comrades to try this. It's a new main dish that our restaurant just launched in the second half of the year."

"Our Director Qian has connections; he can even order this kind of new, fancy dish." A young man, emboldened by alcohol, slammed his fist on the table. "If we follow Director Qian from now on, we're guaranteed to have meat every meal!"

Amidst the laughter, Qian Jin waved his hand.

He stood up and said, "Colleagues, our Foreign Investment Office has just been established, and there is still a lot of work to be done in the future. We need everyone to work together."

"I don't intend to make this a formal get-together. I just hope everyone can relax, get to know each other better, and make more friends."

"So tonight we won't talk about directors, deputy directors, team leaders, or employees. We're all young people, all friends. Come on, cheers!"

Everyone responded enthusiastically, raising their glasses.
Taking the opportunity to flatter, Sun Jian stood up and said loudly, "Come on, let's all respond to Director Qian's call and drink another glass! May our Foreign Investment Office prosper under Director Qian's leadership!"

"Comrades, if I may add something, we must unite as one and do our work well! Let's make our department a force to be reckoned with in Haibin City and the national supply and marketing system!"

"cheers!"

The crisp sound of glasses clinking filled the hall, making the atmosphere more relaxed. People began to chat and toast each other privately.

Qian Jin was quite pleased to see his subordinates exchanging ideas with each other.

He picked up a piece of Dongpo pork, put it in his mouth, and chewed it slowly, a satisfied expression on his face.

Guan Dabao's cooking skills are far superior to both his own and Wei Qinghuan's.

These days, the quality of food depends entirely on the ingredients and the chef's skill. There's no technology or fancy tricks involved, and the taste is definitely different.

Take Dongpo pork as an example: it's fatty but not greasy, and melts in your mouth. This assessment is official yet very accurate.

After seeing him nod after eating the Dongpo pork, Sun Jian took a bite and praised it as delicious.

Lou Xiaoguang, standing next to him, smiled and said, "This Dongpo pork is one of our restaurant's signature dishes. It's made with top-quality pork belly, simmered in a special sauce for several hours to achieve its unique flavor..."

"boom!"

The door to the private room was kicked open suddenly.

Ma Dehua barged in, a cigarette dangling from his lips, followed by five or six shady-looking young men.

They were all dressed in tight-fitting polyester shirts, but the most eye-catching one was a tall, thin man wearing sunglasses and a bright brass whistle around his neck.

"Director Qian! Sorry to keep you waiting!" Ma Dehua sat down in the head seat with a swagger, his leather shoes landing directly on the seat. "I ran into some buddies on the way here. They heard that our foreign trade office's big boss is hosting a dinner party, and they insisted on coming to see what this dinner party is all about!"

Qian Jin looked at him with a smile. This Ma Dehua is very brave.

Cheng Xia and Liao Chunfeng might at most dare to be absent, but he dared to lead the way in causing trouble.

But this is normal.

You can tell from the name that Ma Dehua is related to Ma Defu, whom he had dealt with.

He couldn't see any resemblance between the two from their appearances, but he had read the files and knew that Ma Dehua should be a cousin of Ma Defu's uncle.

In this way, it becomes understandable that the other party dislikes you.

Ma Dehua must have investigated him privately and found out that he was the one who dealt with his cousin.

Therefore, he naturally had to find an opportunity to oppose Qian Jin.

This is an opportunity.

"Waiter! Bring the drinks!" Ma Dehua slammed his fist on the table and yelled, "I want high-proof ones!"

The young man wearing sunglasses plopped down next to Qian Jin, his breath reeking of cigarette smoke in his face: "Boss, I heard that the foreign investment office is quite lucrative?"

As he spoke, he reached for Qian Jin's briefcase.

Lou Xiaoguang didn't leave.

Upon seeing this, his expression changed drastically, and he slammed his hand on the table, glaring as he stood up.

Qian Jin grabbed his shoulder, still smiling.

He said to the young man wearing sunglasses, "Comrade, please have some self-respect. This is an internal company dinner. Unauthorized personnel should leave now..."

"Oh, so high and mighty, huh?" another young man said sarcastically.

Ma Dehua chuckled strangely, a cigarette dangling from his lips, eyes squinting. He grabbed a bottle of liquor from the table and poured it into a glass he'd grabbed at random: "Come on, let me toast the leader!"

"If you're going to offer a toast, use your own glass. Why are you taking mine?" Xu Desheng, who was standing next to him, snatched the glass back.

Ma Dehua looked at Xu Desheng with surprise.

Xu Desheng showed no weakness, his gaze fierce.

Ma Dehua then looked away from Qian Jin and raised the wine bottle, saying, "Boss, I'm one of our department members, right? Is it okay for me to toast you? Is there anything wrong with me attending this gathering?"

"Come on, boss, let me toast you."

Zheng Jinhong smelled the strong odor of alcohol on him and said, "Comrade Ma Dehua, you're drunk. Don't cause trouble."

Ma Dehua glanced at her sideways: "What are you doing here, woman, getting involved when we're men drinking?"

Zheng Jinhong, with a fiery temper, slammed her wine glass on the table and said sternly:

"The leader said that women hold up half the sky. Who are you, Ma Dehua, to dare to go against the leader's will?"

"Want a drink? No problem. It's not your turn to toast Director Qian now. You toast me first. If you're a real man, get me drunk before you talk!"

Ma Dehua never expected that someone would actually be willing to risk their life for money.

This was beyond his expectations.

Judging from their performance in today's meeting, my colleagues should not be afraid of this leader.

Qian Jin stared at Ma Dehua and then waved to Zheng Jinhong: "Xiao Zheng, sit down. Since Comrade Ma Dehua wants to toast me, I have no reason not to."

But before he could even pick up the glass, Ma Dehua flicked his wrist, splashing the strong liquor from the bottle onto his face.

The icy liquid trickled down his chin, making his white shirt instantly transparent as it clung to his chest.

"Oops! My hand slipped!" Ma Dehua exclaimed dramatically, but a sinister smile was on his face. "I've had too much to drink, boss, please don't take offense!"

The box suddenly became quiet.

Sun Jian led the college students to stand up.

The thugs grabbed bottles and pointed them at them, shouting, "This is none of your business, get out of here!"

Qian Jin picked up a napkin and slowly wiped the spilled drinks, saying, "Today is Corey's first gathering, and it's turned into this mess. Ma Dehua, you and your cousin who's in jail are just like each other!"

"But based on my understanding of the Ma family, you wouldn't do something so audacious. Someone must be behind this, right? If you're so tough, tell me, who's behind you?"

Upon hearing this, Ma Dehua's expression changed instantly. He kicked over a chair and said, "Stop talking nonsense. Do I need to be told what to do? I just don't like you!"

"Does a country bumpkin who just came back from the countryside even deserve to be the director of the foreign investment office?"

The thugs behind him started shouting.

The young man wearing sunglasses tapped the edge of the table with the bottom of a bottle: "I heard you were pretty powerful in Zidian Commune, huh? Damn it, you're the one who sent Brother Defu to jail?"

He slammed a beer bottle against the solid wood table, shards of glass flying everywhere: "Let me tell you, kid, in the city, even if you're a dragon, you have to coil up..."

Lou Xiaoguang, unable to bear it any longer, shouted, "Chief Qian, you can't stop me!"

Qian Jin nodded.

Lou Xiaoguang slapped the man with a big slap across the face of the man with the gaiter.

The large pair of sunglasses were flung away.

Lou Xiaoguang then grabbed the thug by the collar and punched him hard.

The other thugs, including Ma Dehua, were stunned for a moment, then quickly turned around and ganged up on Lou Xiaoguang.

Upon seeing this, the waitress pushed open the door and ran out.

Sun Jian and the others rushed over to help Lou Xiaoguang fight.

Qian Jin pointed at them with one hand to stop them, and with the other hand, he grabbed a beer bottle and swung it at the shouting young thugs: "It's my own business, you sit down and watch!"

The melee did not escalate.

The door to the private room was suddenly pushed open again.

A burly man wearing an oil-stained apron blocked the doorway, holding a cleaver in his hand, the blade gleaming coldly under the bright lights.

The head of the kitchen team, Guan Dabao, has arrived.

He didn't come alone; behind him were more than a dozen chefs, trainees, and male waiters, all carrying cleavers, boning knives, or other ruthless weapons.

"You bastard!" Guan Dabao brandished his dagger as he rushed in, grabbing the man and preparing to strike. "You dare cause trouble in the state-run No. 2 Restaurant? You're tired of living!"

More than a dozen sharp knives gleamed coldly under the light, and several more were ready to strike at any moment.

Another burly man roared, "You fucking dare to cause trouble at a state-run restaurant? Chop me up and dispose of me like rotten pork!"

The others echoed, "If they cause trouble in the East Sea Hall, killing them would be pointless; we can't let them get away with it!"

Ma Dehua and his gang immediately chickened out.

The young man with the aviator glasses dropped his brass whistle on the ground, making a crisp sound.

They didn't know if Guan Dabao and his gang would actually dare to kill people, but they knew that since they were causing trouble in this area, if the state-run No. 2 Restaurant insisted on attacking them, the Public Security Bureau would definitely not hold the chefs responsible.

"It's a misunderstanding! It's all a misunderstanding!" Ma Dehua shrank into the corner. "We were just joking with Director Qian..."

Lou Xiaoguang raised a kitchen knife and was about to rush forward when Qian Jin stopped him.

Lou Xiaoguang was so angry he was trembling: "Brother Qian! They poured wine on you!"

Qian Jin wiped the wine stains off his face and shook his head.

He lowered his voice and said, "I know what they did, and I'm definitely going to get them, but not now, and certainly not here!"

"You recognize these bastards. Go to the commando unit and get them all. Catch as many as you can. I want to see them again tonight!"

Lou Xiaoguang immediately calmed down upon hearing this.

He sheathed his cleaver and grinned menacingly at Ma Dehua and the thugs, his eyes piercing them like knives.

"Master Guan, let them leave," Qian Jin said calmly. "Don't let it affect the restaurant's business."

Guan Dabao suspiciously made way for Ma Dehua and his gang, who immediately scurried out.

Before leaving, the young man with the sunglasses tried to say something harsh, but Guan Dabao glared at him, scaring him so much that he almost bumped into the door.

"Brother!" Guan Dabao was unwilling to give up. "Are we just going to let it go like this?"

Qian Jin didn't say anything, but bent down and picked up the copper whistle from the ground.

The words "Loyalty Team" are engraved on the brass surface.

He handed the brass whistle to Lou Xiaoguang and winked at him: "Xiaoguang, go get me some clean clothes."

"Brother Guan, could you please cook a few more dishes so my colleague can take them to go?"

"Now that things have escalated to this point, we can't eat here anymore."

Guan Dabao sighed, picked up the cleaver, and walked back: "Brother, you're just too kind..."

The private room fell silent again.

Li Xiang silently picked up the overturned chair, while the three college students hurriedly cleaned up the broken glass.

"Please sit down," Qian Jin said, turning to the remaining people. "The food will be here soon, and it's all good. We can't waste it. Everyone, please divide it up and pack it up to go home first."

"It's getting late, so Ma Dehua did a good thing by reminding us that it's time to go home."

Everyone forced a smile.

Then he became worried about the future of himself and his department.

Qian Jin seems like a good leader, but he's too young. Can he really keep things under control?
Will this new department in the Foreign Investment Office be able to operate stably?
Guan Dabao said Qian Jin was benevolent and righteous.

In fact, he was more benevolent.

He came over personally to serve the dishes, his face as gloomy as a dark cloud: "Brother Qian, are we just going to swallow this insult?"

Qian Jin smiled calmly and said, "Brother, a true man takes revenge without rushing."

"When I was working in the countryside, I heard a saying that fighting with a dog will only leave you covered in fur. Either don't fight it and just scare it, or if you decide to fight, you have to beat it to death with a stick!"

Sun Jian and the others all heard this conversation.

They thought this made a lot of sense.

But what does Qian Jin mean by saying this is here?
(End of this chapter)