Chapter 34: Colleague Dinner

Following the directions, Dapeng arrived at Zhoujiazhuang.

“Hey there, is this Zhoujiazhuang?” Dapeng asked a villager who was working.

“That’s right! And you are?”

“I’m Zhou Yimin’s childhood friend—we grew up in the same courtyard. He asked me to let you all know that the parts you needed are ready. You should head into town to pick them up. Oh, and there’s also a tricycle for him to bring back.”

Hearing that he was Yimin’s friend, the villager immediately regarded him as a friend of Zhoujiazhuang and hurried to offer him a place to rest and a drink of water.

The village elder quickly arranged for a few young men to go into town and bring back the tricycle from the steel factory.

Everyone had already decided where to place the hand pumps, and they were just waiting for the parts to arrive. There had even been some disputes over placement, with each family wanting the pump to be as close to their home as possible.

That afternoon, Zhou Dafu and the others went into town, found Zhou Yimin, handed him the tricycle, and then used an ox cart to transport the hand pump parts back to the village without delay.

The entire village was waiting to build the hand pumps! Zhou Dafu and the others knew their priorities well.

Zhou Yimin told them to pass on a message to his grandparents, letting them know he would be staying in town for a colleague dinner and would return the next day.

Once the parts arrived in the village, nearly everyone pitched in, determined to complete all four hand pumps before nightfall. Having participated in the previous installation, they were already familiar with the process.

Meanwhile, Zhou Dafu made a trip to their great-granduncle’s house to inform them that Sixteenth Uncle wouldn’t be coming home that night.

Grandmother was a little disappointed, but Grandfather was understanding. Socializing with colleagues and building good relationships was important.

As dusk approached, Zhou Yimin finally strolled into team lead Wang’s courtyard, carrying a basket with five pounds of beef.

Hotpot called for good beef!

Of course, meatballs, sausages, and other ingredients were also great for hotpot, but he couldn’t exactly explain where he’d gotten those, so he decided to stick with beef.

“Sir, is Wang Weimin in this courtyard?” Zhou Yimin asked an old man at the gate, offering him a cigarette.

The old man accepted the cigarette with a smile. “You must be one of Weimin’s coworkers? A few others have already arrived. Go on in! He’s in the back courtyard; you’ll see him as soon as you enter.”

“Got it! Thanks, sir!”

As Zhou Yimin walked away, the old man’s gaze fell on the basket, and he couldn’t help but envy Wang Weimin. It wasn’t the first time he had seen Weimin having dinner with his coworkers.

Compared to others in the courtyard, Wang Weimin’s family ate quite well.

No wonder—he worked in procurement.

When Zhou Yimin reached the back courtyard, he saw his colleagues smoking outside the Team lead’s house.

Noticing him, they immediately called out, “Yimin, over here!”

“Yimin, want a cigarette?” someone offered.

Everyone’s eyes were drawn to the basket in his hand. That was tonight’s main dish.

Hearing the commotion, Team lead Wang stepped outside. “You just got here? I was starting to think you got lost.”

Zhou Yimin handed him the basket. “I went to pick up some meat, but I could only get five pounds.”

Only five pounds?

His colleagues were at a loss for words. This guy was something else!

Team lead Wang took a look and grinned.

“Wow! This beef is perfect for hotpot. Alright, just wait to eat!” He carried the beef inside.

Zhou Yimin followed, greeting the Team lead’s wife.

“Good evening, sister-in-law!”

She had short hair and looked quite capable. Despite having given birth to three children, she still had a full figure.

“So, you’re Yimin? Old Wang has been mentioning you a lot these days. Make yourself at home, no need to be formal,” she said, instructing her children to greet him.

Zhou Yimin took out a few coconut candies and handed them to the three kids.

Yes, all three were boys.

Others envied Wang Weimin, but he secretly wished for a daughter.

The children were well-mannered and didn’t take the candies immediately. Instead, they looked at their mother.

Mrs. Wang was surprised—she had never seen this kind of candy before. In fact, coconut candy had only been produced in the past couple of years, and many people had never encountered it.

“Yimin, this is the first time I’ve seen this candy.” Then, she nodded at her children. “Go on, thank your Uncle Zhou.”

“Thank you, Uncle Zhou!”

The eldest took the candies and distributed them fairly.

One of the younger brothers noticed that his candy wrapper was slightly crumpled and insisted his brother trade with him.

Zhou Yimin chuckled. “This is coconut candy from the south. I heard it’s only been produced in the past couple of years. It has a coconut flavor—it’s pretty good. You should all try some.”

As he spoke, he took out another handful of candies.

Hearing that it was from the south and had a coconut flavor, everyone was curious and grabbed a piece to taste.

“So, this is what coconut tastes like—so fragrant!”

Coconuts were a southern specialty. People in the north had never even seen one, let alone tasted it.

Outside, more than a dozen children were lingering nearby. Though they didn’t come closer, their eyes kept darting toward the group. It was clear what they wanted.

Zhou Yimin wasn’t stingy. He waved them over. “Come here, all of you.”

Then, he gave each of them a candy.

He had bought a pack at the store—40 pieces in total. After handing them out, he had a few left and gave them to Team lead Wang’s three sons.

Before they could celebrate, their mother took the candies away, saying they couldn’t eat too many at once. She put them aside for later—an old parental tradition. Some candies would sit for so long they would melt.

It turned out Team lead Wang was quite skilled in the kitchen.

He sliced the beef into thin, even pieces, perfect for hotpot.

With all the ingredients ready, they brought out the hotpot stove and got ready to eat.

Team lead Wang took out two bottles of Xifeng liquor—one of the top brands at the time.

Two bottles wouldn’t be enough, but others had also brought alcohol, though not as high-quality as the Xifeng.

“Come on, let’s have a drink. A toast to Yimin—” Team lead Wang led the cheer.

Everyone followed suit, showering Yimin with compliments.

After all, thanks to him, they were enjoying a beef hotpot. Naturally, they wouldn’t hold back on praise.

Mrs. Wang quickly ate with the kids and then left them to it.

The drinking and feasting lasted about two hours before the gathering finally ended. Everyone left full and satisfied.

As Mrs. Wang cleaned up, she couldn’t help but ask, “Old Wang, does Yimin have a girlfriend? How about introducing him to my cousin?”

The more she looked at Zhou Yimin, the more she felt he was a rare catch. Better to keep him in the family!

Zhou Yimin was good-looking and generous—bringing five pounds of beef and sharing candy with everyone. On top of that, he was talented. Though he had only recently joined the factory, he was already recognized for his skills, had made an invention, and had even been promoted two levels beyond normal.

A man like that was hard to find. If they waited too long, someone else would snatch him up!

“Suqin? With her personality, I’m not sure Yimin would be interested.” Wang Weimin smiled bitterly.

He had met his wife’s cousin before—strong-willed and assertive. Most men couldn’t handle her.

“How do you know if you don’t try? What if Yimin likes that kind of woman?”

“Fine, I’ll ask him another day.”