Siheyuan: Why does your brother beat you up every day, Shazhu?

He lowered his posture and sat down.

After Li Huaide took his seat, He Weiguo did not rush to interrupt. He was mainly responsible for pouring tea and wine, and occasionally made a few appropriate compliments during the conversation between the two leaders.

Zhou Zhenbang had already ordered the dishes, so he didn't bother doing anything else.

In order to break the ice, Zhou Zhenbang and Li Huaide first started talking about the current situation, such as American imperialism and Soviet revisionism, domestic construction, and "grasping revolution and promoting production". They talked about topics that were of concern to them at this level, and soon found common ground.

After chatting for a while, Zhou Zhenbang changed the subject and said with a smile:

"Director Li, your steel mill is an important enterprise of ours."

"As the Director of the Logistics Department, you're a support soldier! The workers' good food and drink, and the proper dispatch of production materials are all thanks to you. You've made a huge contribution!"

Li Huaide felt very comfortable with this compliment, but he still said modestly:

"Minister Zhou, you're too kind! We're all serving the people! The production and development of our steel mill couldn't be further from the support and protection of our comrades in the armed forces!"

The conversation between the two was flawless.

After chatting for a while, the waiter started serving the dishes.

Today's dishes are all solid goods:

Bright red nine-turn large intestine, delicately cut deep-fried crispy dishes, tender and smooth fish fillets in fermented rice wine, crispy skin and tender meat of roast duck, and some refreshing seasonal vegetables.

The whole banquet looked quite sumptuous and decent.

After all the dishes were served, Zhou Zhenbang raised his chopsticks and signaled:

"Director Li, come on, pick up your chopsticks! Let's eat and talk at the same time, take your time."

He Weiguo immediately stood up and filled both of their glasses.

The atmosphere at the table was harmonious. After three rounds of drinks, the dishes were almost finished.

He Weiguo seized this opportunity and winked at Sha Zhu, who was sitting below and seemed a little reserved.

Sha Zhu then took a deep breath, stood up with his wine glass, his face flushed with nervousness and alcohol.

He walked up to Li Huaide and mustered up the courage to speak:

"Director Li! Today... today it was me, He Yuzhu, the bastard! I hit you, and it was my fault!"

"I... I'll drink three cups as an apology! Please be magnanimous and don't be so mean to me!"

After saying that, he really tilted his head back and drank three glasses of white wine in a row.

Although the spiciness made him grimace and bare his teeth, his boldness in admitting his mistakes and apologizing was genuine.

Li Huaide was already very satisfied with the meal today.

Whether it was He Weiguo's attentive service or the pleasant conversation with Zhou Zhenbang, the value of this meal far exceeded expectations.

Now Sha Zhu comes to apologize on his own initiative,

He stood up and patted Sha Zhu's shoulder generously:

"Hey, Comrade Yuzhu! Young people are hot-tempered, that's understandable!"

"He who admits his mistakes and corrects them is a good comrade!"

"This matter is in the past, it's over! Work hard in the cafeteria from now on!"

Li Huaide is indeed a shrewd man. Having said this, he added seemingly casually:

"Comrade Yuzhu, I know your cooking skills well!"

"Honestly, cooking a small meal or hosting a dinner is totally fine!"

"I think we should consider raising your chef level during the next assessment!"

When Sha Zhu heard this, he just stood there in a daze, with his mouth open, not knowing what to say for a moment.

He didn't expect that what his elder brother said was actually true!

Li Huaide agreed to this upgrade so lightly?

He Weiguo looked at his stupid look, and was really disappointed with him. He whispered a reminder:

"Zhuzi! What are you daydreaming about? Hurry up and thank Director Li!"

Sha Zhu finally woke up from his dream and nodded quickly, his words becoming a little stammered with excitement:

"Thank you...thank you Director Li! Thank you so much!"

"From now on, in the cafeteria... no, at the factory, if you need anything, just let me know!"

"I, He Yuzhu, don't have much else but a lot of strength and this little bit of skill! If your family needs to entertain someone, or if a friend needs any help, just give me a word and I'll be there at your beck and call, and I guarantee I'll do it beautifully!"

These words were quite realistic and to the point, and Li Huaide found them quite useful.

He smiled and nodded.

"Alright! Comrade Yuzhu, just your words will do the trick! If I need your help, don't refuse!"

"Don't worry! Director Li! Whatever you arrange is my responsibility! I will definitely not shirk my responsibilities!"

Sha Zhu patted his chest so hard that it made a loud noise.

He Weiguo watched from the side and felt a little relieved.

He was afraid that this silly boy would do something stupid again and say something nonsense, but fortunately the last few sentences made sense.

Now that the message has been delivered, no matter whether Li Huaide will use him in the future or not, it will definitely do no harm to put this attitude and commitment here first.

Judging from the original drama, Sha Zhu was highly appreciated when he cooked for the big boss. Maybe he could really get closer to Li Huaide through cooking.

Then there is hope for the position of canteen director.

I don’t know if he suddenly got the idea or was drunk, but Sha Zhu poured himself another full glass of wine, and then refilled the glasses of Zhou Zhenbang, Li Huaide and He Weiguo.

Then he stood up again, his face even redder, but his tone was much more sincere:

"Today... today's incident was all my fault! I'm sorry for causing trouble for everyone!"

"I... I'd like to offer a toast to everyone! Thank you, Brother Zhou! Thank you, Director Li! And thank you, my brother! I... I'll drink it!"

After saying that, he tilted his head back and drank the wine in the glass clean.

Zhou Zhenbang looked at Sha Zhu's clumsy yet sincere toast, smiled, and raised his glass:

"Hey, not bad! Zhuzi, you've made progress! Come, big brother will drink with you!"

Li Huaide also looked at He Yuzhu with satisfaction and nodded:

"Comrade Yuzhu, I see that your ideological awareness has indeed improved!"

"Good, good! Keep it up!"

"Our steel mill needs comrades like you who are willing to admit their mistakes and actively improve themselves! Let's work together and make progress together!"

He Weiguo also picked up the wine glass and looked at Sha Zhu with a hint of imperceptible relief in his eyes, but he didn't say much, just drank the wine in one gulp.

Sha Zhu held the empty wine glass, his face as red as a piece of cloth, and nodded heavily:

"Brother Zhou, Director Li, don't worry! I... I will definitely work hard to improve! I will strive to become even better!"

(P.S.: In the next plot, we'll go to Baoding to deal with He Daqing, and add up the bookshelves! I saw many people didn't even add a bookshelf after watching the end!!! Again, it's worth investing!)

Chapter 121 Li Xiulan

The next morning, He Weiguo woke up at daybreak.

The meal last night ended successfully, but there was a problem left - he drove Zhou Zhengbang's jeep to the restaurant yesterday, and later returned the car, but his own bicycle was still left in the food factory.

This morning I had to walk to work, so I got up earlier than usual.

Because Sha Zhu was severely beaten yesterday and drank some wine at night, he was suspended from work for three days to reflect on his actions at home. Now he is still sleeping soundly on the bed.

He Weiguo washed his face with cold water, sobered up, changed into his clean but pale work clothes, and went out.

In the early morning of autumn, there is a refreshing coolness in the air.

He Weiguo bought a hot bun from a roadside stall and ate it while walking slowly towards the food factory.

After walking for about forty minutes, the familiar gatehouse of the food factory came into view.

At this moment, a slightly hesitant yet familiar female voice came from behind him:

"Good morning! Comrade He... Comrade He?"

He Weiguo stopped and looked back.

He saw a female comrade with two long, shiny black braids, wearing a floral top and blue pants, pushing a women's bicycle, walking towards him from behind.

She looked clean and neat.

When the female comrade saw He Weiguo turning around, a faint blush appeared on her face and she smiled a little embarrassedly.

He Weiguo recognized her as the female clerk from the Finance Department who had helped him buy meal tickets yesterday.

He also responded with a smile:

"Good morning, Secretary Li. You're up early too."

He only knew that the head of the Finance Department called her "Xiao Li" and did not know her full name.

Xiao Li - Li Xiulan, saw that He Weiguo still recognized her, and the smile on her face became more obvious.

She pushed the cart and took a few quick steps, walking side by side with He Weiguo.

"Master He, I saw your back from a distance and it looked a bit like you. I didn't expect it to be you." She paused and naturally tried to find something to talk about:

"By the way, Master He, do you usually...walk to work?"

He Weiguo shook his head and explained:

"No, no. The car was parked at the factory yesterday, so I had to walk here today."

"It's okay. It's good to walk around and stretch your muscles."

"Ah, that's right."

Li Xiulan nodded and naturally moved her bicycle closer to her, as if this would make more room for He Weiguo.

The two fell silent for a moment, and walked side by side in silence for a short distance, with only the slight creaking of the bicycle wheels making the sound.