Courtyard House: I Have Countless Bodyguards

Once everyone had arrived, Li Huaide, as the host, warmly invited everyone to start eating the cold dishes. He gave his secretary a look, and the secretary understood immediately and went out to arrange the hot dishes.

At this moment, Section Chief Lu of the Personnel Department fully played the role of "housekeeper". With a big smile on his face, he stood up, picked up the Moutai liquor on the table, and skillfully filled the glasses of each of the leaders present. The atmosphere quickly became warm.

After a round of drinks, Li Huaide pointed to the several cold dishes that had just been served and introduced them with considerable pride:

"Ladies and gentlemen, the taste of today's meal might be a little different from what you usually eat. I specially asked someone to hire a chef from outside, who is said to be a descendant of a genuine imperial chef, and whose specialty is this imperial Tan family cuisine! Please enjoy the meal later and see if it lives up to its reputation!"

Upon hearing this, Factory Manager Chen of the machine repair shop smiled in surprise.

"Oh? Tan Family Cuisine? Director Li, what a coincidence! We also have a chef in our factory canteen whose ancestors worked in the imperial kitchen. He cooks Tan Family Cuisine, and it's very popular in the factory! I never expected to taste the same ancestral craftsmanship at the main factory today!"

Upon hearing this, Li Huaide became even more excited and laughed heartily, "That's truly a fortunate encounter! We must have the opportunity to let the two masters exchange skills and see if the student surpasses the master, or if each has their own unique strengths!"

As they were talking and laughing, Li Huaide's secretary personally carried in an exquisite porcelain bowl and carefully placed it in the center of the table.

He bowed slightly and introduced himself in a clear and respectful tone:

"Distinguished leaders, this is the signature dish of Tan Family Cuisine—'Braised Shark Fin,' truly the 'treasure of this banquet.' The essence of this dish lies entirely in this pot of secret-recipe 'superior broth.' It requires over ten kinds of precious ingredients, including a hen over three years old, a whole duck, top-quality dried scallops, and Jinhua ham, simmered over low heat for over ten hours to create a golden, clear broth with a rich, savory flavor, without a trace of oil. After the shark fin is properly prepared, it is repeatedly simmered in this superior broth over low heat, allowing the essence of the broth to fully permeate every single fin. Distinguished leaders, please enjoy your meal."

The aroma of the dishes filled the air as soon as they were served.

Li Huaide raised his glass first, his face flushed, and said, "Come on, this first glass is a warm welcome on behalf of Hongxing Steel Rolling Mill to the comrades from the Machine Repair Plant for their exchange and learning at the main plant! Cheers!"

"Cheers!"

Everyone stood up, raised their glasses, and drank them down in one gulp.

Immediately afterward, Deputy Factory Director Chen Mingyuan poured a second glass and returned the toast, saying, "Thank you to the leaders of the main factory, especially Director Li, for your hospitality! Thank you for giving us this valuable learning opportunity! This glass is for all the leaders!"

With his third toast, Li Huaide raised his glass again and said, "I wish all the comrades from the machine repair shop a fruitful and successful training program! Cheers to the close cooperation between our two factories in the future!"

After three cups of welcoming wine, the banquet truly began. Li Huaide, as the host, warmly urged everyone to start eating: "Come, come, Director Chen, comrades from the machine repair shop, pick up your chopsticks and try our chef's cooking! This Tan family cuisine is a rare treat even in Beijing!"

He was the first to pick up a piece of braised shark fin with his chopsticks. The golden broth coated the glistening shark fin needles, making it extremely tempting under the light.

He put it in his mouth, closed his eyes slightly, and savored it. A satisfied smile appeared on his face as he nodded to his secretary standing beside him, praising, "Hmm! Perfectly cooked, the broth is rich and flavorful—this is the taste! Let everyone have a taste!"

The atmosphere at the table truly livened up once the leader took the first bite.

Everyone picked up their chopsticks, and soon the sounds of chewing and soft exclamations of praise filled the air. After tasting it, Chen Mingyuan nodded sincerely, "Director Li, you are truly fortunate to have such a delicious meal! This tastes even better than what our factory's master chefs make, with a touch more refined, courtly elegance."

"Haha, Director Chen, you flatter me. It's mainly the ingredients and the thought that count that matter."

Li Huaide smiled and waved his hand, appearing quite pleased. He then raised his glass, this time clearly targeting Chen Mingyuan: "Factory Director Chen, this toast is for you alone. The entire factory has attached great importance to this learning exchange, from logistical support to technical collaboration. If you need anything, just have Section Chief Lu contact me anytime. Don't hesitate to ask!"

These words, though seemingly polite, actually implied that he was the key figure who controlled the resources.

Chen Mingyuan immediately raised his glass with both hands, humbly lowering the rim of his glass to Li Huaide: "Director Li is so supportive of our work! On behalf of all the comrades in the machine repair shop, I would like to toast you again! We will definitely cherish this opportunity and learn well!" The two smiled at each other, drank their glasses, and tacitly completed the first implicit exchange of resources.

Immediately afterward, Section Chief Lu from the Personnel Department followed up, beaming as he toasted Chen Mingyuan and Liu Jianguo: "Factory Director Chen, Section Chief Liu, I salute you both! If you have any questions about personnel files or training arrangements in the future, please let me know!"

He adopted an extremely humble posture, never forgetting to highlight the status of the two powerful figures.

Liu Jianguo also raised his glass at the opportune moment, and in a calm tone toasted Chen Mingyuan and the head of security at the machine repair shop:

"Director Chen, Section Chief, welcome to the steel rolling mill. Regarding security, our two factories should communicate more. If there's anything we need to cooperate on, we'll definitely provide our full support."

His words were brief and powerful, expressing both a cooperative attitude and an implicit warning: "On my turf, I am responsible for safety."

After several rounds of drinks and several dishes, the conversation at the table grew louder.

The conversation gradually expanded from the dishes to production tasks, technical problems, and even some trivial anecdotes.

Li Huaide and Chen Mingyuan exchanged opinions in hushed tones from time to time, while Section Chief Lu made witty remarks, enlivening the atmosphere.

Liu Jianguo mostly listened, only occasionally interjecting with a few insightful remarks.

This banquet was no longer about food or wine, but about interpersonal relationships and power dynamics.

Behind every polite remark may lie tests and exchanges. Every gesture of raising a glass implies a hierarchy of status and signals of alliance.

Li Huaide's face flushed slightly. Getting back to the point, he said to Chen Mingyuan, "Director Chen, this afternoon, have the comrades go to the logistics department to collect some labor protection supplies and learning materials prepared by the factory."

He then turned to Section Chief Lu: "Old Lu, your section should receive and temporarily keep the personnel files of the trainees from the machine repair factory who are coming for further training."

After speaking, he seemingly casually patted Liu Jianguo on the shoulder beside him, but his tone was solemn:

"Jianguo, your security department bears a heavy responsibility for the safety and discipline of the participants in this training program. In particular, the verification of personnel background information must be meticulous; there can be no oversights. We must ensure that this exchange program begins safely and ends successfully."