Chapter 337

When Fu Guowei saw a big, juicy chunk of fatty pork, he originally wanted to choose that one. Who would’ve thought the staff would just grab a random piece from in front of him, then hand it over along with pre-weighed peanuts and sunflower seeds?

Fu Guowei tried to argue, “Comrade, I want that piece,” while pointing to the chunk he had just been eyeing.

But the staff member ignored him and simply handed over the goods.

Fu Guowen noticed the security department personnel standing nearby like stone-faced gate guardians, motionless.

Not wanting to get dragged away, he had no choice but to reluctantly accept what the staff handed him. After signing his name on the receipt form, he left without looking back.

The others watching the scene began to feel uneasy.

They had thought they could choose their piece, but it turned out it all depended on the staff’s mood. If they were in a good mood, maybe you’d get a fattier chunk. If not, you might end up with a slab of nothing but lean meat.

Some people took a look at the person distributing the gifts and tried to remember if they’d ever offended them. If they had, they’d have no choice but to switch to a different line, or else they might get stuck with a whole pound of lean pork and get scolded once they brought it home.

Zhou Dafu and Zhou Dazhong were also lined up. Since they had queued early, it didn’t take long for their turn to come.

The staff clearly recognized the two as being connected to Zhou Yimin. At first, they picked out a piece of pork with mostly lean meat, but then they swapped it for one that had a good amount of fat. They also handed over the peanuts and sunflower seeds together.

The others looked on with envy, wishing they had connections like that too, so they wouldn’t have to worry about ending up with lean meat.

Just then, many people saw the old master workers coming out from another area, each carrying a large slab of fatty pork—so fatty that you could barely see any lean parts at all.

Looking at that pork, several people practically drooled. Sure, everyone got the same “gift,” but the quality was clearly not the same.

Not that there was anything to complain about. Those masters had earned it fair and square—no use making a fuss.

One by one, the employees who had received their gifts began to head home, eager to share the good news with their families.

As for the gifts given to the leadership? Those were even better, of course.

To avoid being seen by regular factory employees, leadership gifts weren’t handed out at the factory but at a nearby warehouse. It also helped keep things separate.

As the workers walked out the factory gates, the security staff didn’t check anyone today—just stood there for show. The steel factory workers all walked tall with pride.

They were carrying their meat and other goods with the confidence of someone who had earned it.

Word was that only the instant noodle factory had gifts on par with the steel plant’s—but still a bit inferior. As for the other factories? Not even a scrap of meat to be found.

Some people took a ten-minute walk and stretched it into half an hour.

There were even those who passed by their own homes three times without going in.

Zhou Yimin couldn’t help but laugh at the sight. It reminded him of modern-day fishing addicts.

At this time, nearby factories were also letting their workers go home for the holidays. When they saw the steel workers carrying pork—just one pound each, but still pork—they felt ashamed by comparison, since their own factory’s gifts were hardly worth showing off.

Wang Weimin and Zhou Yimin headed to the warehouse where leadership gifts were being distributed.

When they arrived, they found each gift neatly packaged. Every bundle was the same: five pounds of pork, one pound of strawberries, and a coconut.

Wang Weimin was overjoyed to receive the gifts. It meant they could have a good New Year. He hadn’t eaten strawberries in ages.

The coconut was the rarest of all.

These days, fruit wasn’t something you could buy just because you had money. Even if you had coupons, it didn’t guarantee anything. Transportation was still so underdeveloped that fruit which was common in the South became a rare delicacy in the North. Even with money, you might not be able to get it.

Zhou Yimin didn’t feel much about it. In fact, it felt a little weird. After all, he was the one who had sold this stuff to the factory in the first place—only to have a portion handed back to him.

With their gifts in hand, Wang Weimin and Zhou Yimin were ready to leave. It wouldn’t be good if regular employees saw them lingering there too long.

Zhou Yimin returned to the siheyuan with his goods. He didn’t store the gifts in his shop’s inventory—after all, these were factory-issued, what was the point of hoarding them?

Even though his were different from the workers’, who would report something like that?

Leaders are leaders. What, should they be eating gruel and wild herbs like the rest of you? That’s just not realistic.

When the residents of the courtyard saw what Zhou Yimin was carrying, they all shot him envious glances.

The courtyard was already filled with the sounds of laughter and joy as everyone busied themselves preparing for the New Year.

It was as if Zhou Dazhong and Zhou Dafu had sensed Zhou Yimin’s return.

The moment he stepped into his house, he felt the cold and quickly grabbed some coal to light a fire. In no time, the place warmed up.

Just then, there was a knock on his door.

From the sound of it, he could tell it was Zhou Dafu. He said, “Come in.”

Seeing the two of them, Zhou Yimin knew they were up to something.

They were probably here to show off. It was their first year on the job, and they’d already received so much. They had to brag a bit when they went back to the village for the holidays.

“Uncle Sixteen, you’re back with the leadership gifts already?” Zhou Dafu greeted.

Zhou Dazhong was also curious, “Yeah! Uncle Sixteen, what did you get?”

He worked in the purchasing department, so although he’d heard a few rumors, he didn’t know the exact contents.

“Just five pounds of pork, a pound of strawberries, and a coconut,” Zhou Yimin answered casually.

Both Zhou Dafu and Zhou Dazhong were mildly surprised.

The pork wasn’t a big deal—leaders getting a bit more pork was normal.

But strawberries and coconuts? Especially the coconut—they had never even seen one before.

Zhou Yimin looked at the two of them. Clearly, they wanted something. Otherwise, they wouldn’t come over right now. So he said, “Cut the nonsense. Just tell me—what do you want?”

“Uncle Sixteen really lives up to the name.”

Then he turned to Zhou Dafu and teased, “Dafu, I told you there’s no fooling Uncle Sixteen. Just wag your tail a little and he’ll know whether you need to pee or poop.”

After that, Zhou Dazhong told Zhou Yimin that Dafu wanted to buy a good bottle of liquor to gift to his master. But he didn’t have any liquor coupons and had to come ask for help.

Zhou Dafu looked at him eagerly and asked, “Uncle Sixteen, is that okay?”

Zhou Yimin thought for a moment. He knew Dafu had just taken on a master, so it made sense to show some respect. Still, he wasn’t about to give it away for free. He said, “Since it’s for your master, you can have a bottle of Moutai for three yuan.”

Even though Moutai was already a fine liquor at the time, it wasn’t as insanely valued as it would be in later years.

Giving Moutai as a gift was still very respectable.

Anything pricier would be unnecessary. After all, Dafu didn’t earn much yet. No need to bankrupt himself to save face.

As for this era’s Moutai, Zhou Yimin had a large private stash, planning to let it appreciate in value over the decades.

(End of Chapter)