Chapter 342 – The Dinner Gathering

When Zhou Yimin arrived at the cafeteria on his bicycle, he saw Secretary Liu already waiting at the entrance.

“Team Lead Zhou, why are you carrying so much stuff?” Secretary Liu noticed the large bundle strapped to the rear seat of Zhou Yimin’s bike.

Zhou Yimin responded mysteriously, “Good stuff!”

He then proceeded to unload the burlap sack from the back of his bicycle. He hadn’t felt it was particularly heavy before, but now, trying to lift it down, it seemed a lot heavier than he expected.

Fortunately, Secretary Liu, being the attentive type befitting his role, quickly stepped forward to help when he saw Zhou struggling.

As expected, with the two of them working together, it wasn’t nearly as difficult.

Still, Secretary Liu was curious. “Team Lead Zhou, what exactly is in here? It’s so heavy.”

“They’re gifts for Factory Director Hu and the others,” Zhou Yimin replied truthfully this time.

That only piqued Secretary Liu’s curiosity further. After all, what could there possibly be that Director Hu and the others didn’t already have?

Once they carried everything into the private dining room, Zhou Yimin quickly took out a few items and handed them to Secretary Liu while no one else was around.

Zhou Yimin understood very well what the old saying meant: “The servant at a Prime Minister’s door holds the rank of a seventh-grade official.”

It refers to how even the servants or doormen of a prime minister’s household held a status akin to that of mid-level officials. Since the prime minister had enormous power, with almost every important matter passing through him, even his household staff, by virtue of proximity, could wield some authority.

For instance, if someone wanted to meet the prime minister, they had to go through the gatekeeper first—highlighting the gatekeeper’s clout.

In ancient times, a seventh-rank official typically held a position like that of a county magistrate, equivalent to a modern-day county mayor. So, the servants and doormen in the prime minister’s household had social influence on par with those local leaders, reflecting their unique status and power.

Secretary Liu instinctively wanted to decline the gift. He wasn’t fond of owing people favors—repaying them later could be a hassle. But the moment he saw what Zhou Yimin was handing over, he couldn’t bring himself to refuse.

Right before him was a ham weighing at least seven or eight jin, a small bag of apples, a few coconuts, and some fresh fruits and vegetables.

These were items that, even if you had the money, you wouldn’t necessarily be able to buy outside. He simply couldn’t resist. Zhou Yimin had brought far too much.

Unable to turn it down, Secretary Liu accepted the items. He planned to report it to Factory Director Hu later, just in case. As a secretary—someone extremely close to leadership—transparency was key.

Some leaders even saw their secretaries as family. If something like this were hidden and later discovered, it could create distance and distrust, essentially signaling the end of one’s role as secretary.

After storing the gifts away, Secretary Liu headed into the kitchen, which was why he’d arrived so early—he was in charge of overseeing the meal preparations.

“Master Huang, how’s the food coming along?”

Master Huang replied, “It’s all ready. Just tell me when the leaders arrive, and I’ll finish off the dishes and serve them right away.”

Everything had already been prepped. Since this was a private meal, the rest of the cafeteria staff had the day off. Master Huang had only called in one apprentice and another person familiar with serving food. Everything was ready and waiting on Secretary Liu’s command.

“Good.” Secretary Liu felt relieved.

Checking the time, he saw there were still about fifteen minutes before the meal.

He stepped outside the cafeteria and waited at the entrance for the arrival of the leaders.

As the minutes passed, Director Ding and the others arrived first, followed by Factory Director Hu and his group.

Upon entering the private room, they saw Zhou Yimin already waiting.

Zhou Yimin immediately stood to greet them as they entered.

After everyone took their seats, Director Ding, who had sharp eyes, noticed something and asked, “Who brought all those things by the door?”

He pointed at the bundle Zhou Yimin had brought in.

Zhou Yimin came forward and admitted, “I brought those—some gifts for the leaders.”

He then began unpacking the sack, laying out the items one by one.

Each package had been portioned out ahead of time, with equal amounts for each recipient—no one got more or less than the others.

The leaders, including Factory Director Hu, graciously accepted the gifts. After all, maintaining a good relationship with Zhou Yimin was certainly beneficial. The factory’s performance this year had a lot to do with him.

Factory Director Hu examined the vegetables and noticed that many were out-of-season varieties—like tomatoes, cucumbers, and baby bok choy.

They looked exceptionally fresh and juicy—quite tempting.

Everyone was delighted with their gifts.

Zhou Yimin, tactful as ever, brought out a bottle of Maotai and poured a glass for each of the leaders.

“Yimin, this is some good liquor!” Director Ding remarked.

Factory Director Hu chimed in as well, “Maotai really is the good stuff!”

The first toast was proposed by Factory Director Hu. “Here’s to Yimin—may you invent even more next year, and help our factory double its performance again!”

With Hu leading the way, the others followed suit, raising their glasses to Zhou Yimin.

“Thank you, leaders, for your confidence in me. I’ll do my best to continue contributing to the factory,” Zhou Yimin responded modestly.

Everyone chatted freely—about factory matters, about distant places, anything and everything that came to mind.

After a few drinks, the group finally began eating.

This meal was by no means simple—six dishes in total, three of which were meat dishes.

But none of the leaders were lacking in food or luxury, so there was no overeagerness; instead, they ate slowly and drank at a relaxed pace.

After more than an hour, the dinner gathering came to a close.

As the others began to leave, Factory Director Hu noticed Zhou Yimin also getting ready to go. He quickly called out, “Yimin, stay a moment. I’d like to have a word with you.”

Though a bit puzzled, Zhou Yimin stood to the side and waited patiently.

Only once everyone else had left did Factory Director Hu speak up: “Yimin, where did you get those fresh vegetables? Is it possible to get more? I want to gift some to an old superior. He’d definitely love them.”

After all, anything Director Hu had, his superior likely had access to as well. To make a gift stand out among many, he had to put some real thought into it.

“I can still get a bit more, but probably not much,” Zhou Yimin replied after thinking for a moment.

He could get as much as he wanted, really—but he couldn’t say that. Otherwise, how would he emphasize how rare and valuable they were?

Greenhouse vegetables were already a thing, but because of the cost, they hadn’t been widely adopted yet. So fresh vegetables in the winter were still incredibly scarce and precious.

If a high-ranking leader were to ask for them, plenty of people would trip over themselves trying to provide—but those who had endured hardship to reach that level rarely made such requests. And truth be told, life was pretty comfortable now, with no lack of food or clothing.

(End of Chapter)