Rebirth 08: Equipment God

Chapter 246 Yueda Annual Meeting
Half an hour ago, a dozen or so classmates who decided to get together before the holiday arrived at "Jufu Restaurant" on foot.

Upon entering, I discovered that the first floor had been booked out.

But college students are generally simple-minded, and it's normal for them to have an annual party at the end of the year, since they were in a private room on the second floor anyway.

The holidays are coming soon, and this time there are a lot of people from the class, especially the girls from both dormitories who all came out, and there are also countless boys responding.

In general, it's easy for one or two couples to form among freshmen, but the situation in the Materials Science and Engineering class is somewhat special. Firstly, the male-to-female ratio is unbalanced, and secondly, the presence of "big shots" has raised the bar for the girls.

It's not that all girls like Zhai Da; he's not a hundred-dollar bill. It's just that after seeing outstanding men of the same age, looking around at those around them, they feel tasteless and unappetizing.

When you shine brightly, without begging, someone will naturally see you as their ideal, even if you don't care or know it yourself.

Inside the private room, Ge Shang, who was usually the event organizer, held up the drinks menu: "This 500ml glass is 16 yuan. So expensive? What's craft beer?"

The waiter subtly rolled his eyes: "It's just premium beer, everyone drinks this now. How about a whole keg? The big keg is cheaper."

Ge Shang quickly shook his head. The student gathering had a limited budget, and a 10-liter bucket for 288 was still beyond their reach.

"Let's go for 'refreshing' first, two cases, please."

Soon, 15 people and 10 dishes were served, and everyone began to toast and exchange drinks.

Some were discussing exam scores, while others were discussing course selection for the next semester.

"Did you know? Zhai Da has officially announced that he's going to release a new book."

"Really? Where did you see it?"

"It's on the blog, and there's also a new website called Weibo on Xinglang, encouraging everyone to go there. The new book is called 'The Time-Traveling Cohabitation Handbook'."

The name is very catchy, with elements of time travel and cohabitation. The manual is also a very eye-catching description, appealing to young people of all ages and genders.

In the middle of a casual conversation, a girl suddenly perked up her ears: "Wait, be quiet!"

Everyone was puzzled, but no one spoke. After listening for a moment, the girl said, "It sounds like Zhai Da's car."

The group of boys: ???

Is it appropriate for a girl to know so much about cars?
Ge Shang stood up and went to the window. Sure enough, he saw a cool black luxury car parked in front of the restaurant. Zhai Da and a stranger got out of the car and went into the restaurant.

"Who managed to get Zhai Da to come?" she asked in surprise. "Wasn't he supposed to be refusing to come?"

Jiang Jingxuan, the most beautiful girl in the courtyard who was originally sitting at the innermost side, immediately stood up and said, "I'll go to the door to meet him."

Several people then stood up, wanting to go and welcome them as well.

As a result, I witnessed the spectacular sight of two rows of people forming a human wall below.

"Hello, Brother Da!"

The loud clapping startled everyone in the restaurant, and more people came out from the private rooms and looked down.

"ah?!!"

------

Downstairs, Zhai Da and Wu Yue exchanged a glance, then immediately raised their hands to quiet them down: "Keep your voices down, what's all this nonsense?"

He walked forward with a frown, clearly in a bad mood.

But to outsiders on the second floor, he seemed like a stern and unsmiling big brother!

Zhai Da walked halfway and noticed the human wall hadn't dispersed yet, so he immediately said, "Aren't you going back to your positions! Do you want me to bring you chairs?! You're causing trouble for the boss!"

At this moment, the owner of Jufu Restaurant, who was in the corner, quickly said with a smile, "Brother Da is fine, we're all family."

He had never actually met Zhai Da; he dealt more with Wu Yue. But who wouldn't offer some flattery?

The group of men shouted, "Thank you, Brother Da!"

This makes the "big brother" vibe even stronger. Some people can't even tell if he's calling him "Brother Da" or "Big Brother".

Zhai Da and Wu Yue sat down at the round table inside. At the same table were Xu Xuejun, the core technology manager; Song Wu, the core craft brewer; and Wang Xiaolong, the delivery team leader—the company's only three A-level employees.

Aside from Xu Xuejun calmly eating peanuts without even moving his butt, Wang Xiaolong and Song Wu were the loudest clapping.

According to the profit-sharing plan reviewed yesterday, Zhai Da and Wu Yue each received 100 million yuan. This investment return has already doubled in just three months.

The three Class A members shared one million yuan in a 40/35/25 split, in the order of Xu Xuejun, Song Wu, and Wang Xiaolong.

The remaining fifty employees will share 150 million yuan based on their performance and length of service.

It wasn't evenly distributed; some, like Qin Yang, who was a vice-captain, a minor leader, and a veteran, received over 120,000.

The "veteran" employees generally earn over 30,000 yuan, while those who have been with the company for a month earn 10,000 yuan. Some who haven't even been with the company for a month have received two extra months' salary.

It's not that people are afraid of running away; if this thing can still run, it must have something wrong with its head. The sooner it runs away, the better.

For smaller amounts, issue the payment directly; for larger amounts, keep them on the books and get invoices. Legal tax avoidance is still necessary.

The total revenue was 4.5 million, and the remaining 3 million will be used for expansion next year.

Of course, by next year, after the Spring Festival, the number will probably be different. As long as the craft brewing equipment keeps running, the money will keep flowing.

Zhai Da and Wu Yue never thought that "employees would not work hard if they had money." If someone became lazy because of this, they would urge them on, make corrections, and impose restrictions.

If you haven't used it yet, then goodbye. The company is kind, but it's not a charity.

But after attending the annual meeting today, I felt it was heading in the direction of a "disgraceful hall." Everyone's eyes were burning with desire, as if they had seen their own "sun."

Zhai Da felt this was inappropriate, especially since he had a speech scheduled before the official start of the event. Zhai Da gestured for everyone to be quiet.

Then the first floor immediately fell silent.

Zhai Da suddenly recalled images from several old movies. "Won't Brother Crow flip the table soon?"
With a strange expression, he took the microphone handed to him by the waiter and walked onto the stage.

"Today is the company's annual meeting, but I have a few things to say before we begin, so listen carefully."

"We are a legitimate catering company. Please don't bring bad social practices into our company!"

Below, six neat and uniform "clap clap clap clap clap" sounds were heard.

Then repeat three times.

No more, no less; many people immediately put their hands back on their knees after taking the picture and sat up straight.

Zhai Da wiped his face. Is that right?
Wait a minute, it seems this kind of "trend" can't really be called a bad trend.
That's excellent, such a fine work ethic!

Alright, let's stick to the original plan.

"Everyone has worked very hard this year and made great progress, but there are still many challenges and unknown difficulties waiting for everyone next year. We must continue to work hard."

Some of the students below, who weren't very well-educated, asked in a low voice, "What does Brother Da mean by this?"

Another person smirked and said, "Does that mean you'll take us to conquer more territory, uh... markets, next year?"

The last sentence is quite important. Zhai Da silently opened the equipment menu and saw the effect of the [Pure Gold Secret Staff].

"Finally, it's the end of the year and you all have some money in your pockets. Don't spend it recklessly. Think about your family and your future plans. Buying a house, getting medical treatment, or finding a wife are all fine, but I'm telling you, hard work and diligence are the only way to have a future. Indulging in pleasure and debauchery is a dead end. You are not allowed to mess around!"

Of the fifty or so people, none of whom were highly educated, Zhai Da's biggest worry was not that people's hearts would change after they got rich, but that they would become unruly after they got rich.

How employees spend their money is their own business, but that doesn't mean they can't advocate for the right values.

To this end, they went to great lengths to set the tone.

With just that one sentence, Zhai Da then turned off the equipment effects, signaled the boss to start serving the dishes, and said they should eat first.

It was past eight o'clock, and everyone was hungry, including himself.

The atmosphere gradually returned to what an annual meeting should be like, rather than a mere gathering.
The restaurant is full of men, so the dishes are naturally hearty: beef shank, lamb chops, braised pork knuckle, braised pork belly, stewed fish, and pork stew. The large barrels of craft beer are a real treat, and if two bottles of baijiu aren't enough, they'll ask for more.

Amidst the noise and fervor, each place reveals its own unique ecosystem.

After witnessing a shocking entrance, the students in the Materials Science class upstairs inexplicably felt guilty and started to think like voyeurs, squatting down to watch.

He stopped eating his own meals and kept peeking at the screen, which is why Zhai Da didn't notice.

After watching for a long time, I returned to my private room, feeling as if I had witnessed some earth-shattering secret.

Zhai Da is Brother Da, and Brother Da is the eldest brother!
The atmosphere below gradually warmed up, and people began to come to the main table with their glasses to toast. Zhai Da had no intention of taking on 50 people at once, and he would only take a sip of beer no matter who came. Wu Yue was similar, but he would grab one or two people and chat with them for a while.

Of the other three at the main table, Song Wu was completely ecstatic. He had made money, realized his self-worth, and regained his confidence and happiness. It would be quite an achievement if he could even walk out standing up tonight.

Wang Xiaolong has already developed a bit of a "boss" vibe. Managing the largest delivery team, he needs to project a certain aura.

The most unique one among them is probably old man Xu Xuejun.

Xu Xuejun doesn't drink alcohol; he's just here to eat.

This trip to Harbin was quite magical for him. He originally came simply to help Zhai Da reverse engineer equipment and take a look around Harbin, but the demand here was particularly large, and he ended up staying for several months.

Eventually became an employee.
He often jokes about himself: "I'm getting worse as I get older; I'm working for young people now."

But deep down I didn't think it was a big deal.

After all, they gave too much.
Among all the employees, Xu Xuejun is more important than Song Wu, the "master craft brewer". After all, it is not difficult to find other people in China who know how to brew craft beer, but it is really hard to find someone who knows how to make craft brewing equipment.

If we exclude Zhai Da, who is too busy, Xu Xuejun alone is the "core competitiveness," which is why he received the most among the three A-level personnel.

It far exceeded Xu Xuejun's expectations before he came. Originally, he planned to charge 1000 yuan for each set of equipment, make 30,000 yuan, and then leave.

As a result, they received 40.
He was amazed that Zhai Da always made money in business, and also amazed that his master's grandson had carried on the "utopian" spirit of those students during the summer vacation to Harbin.

Or rather, wherever they go, a "utopia" may emerge, because these are all sparks.

Zhai Da and Wu Yue are the most important people among them.

The old man may not love money, but that doesn't mean he doesn't want it. He wants to earn more so that his daughter, who has married far away, can stand taller, and his grandson can receive a better education. Why not?

Unbeknownst to him, Old Man Xu had resolved his inner conflict.

He followed his master's teachings and persisted in learning advanced knowledge even though his hands had serious aftereffects.

Day after day, in that small room, he quietly turned the pages of his book.

Thirty years ago, he thought that an engineer with trembling hands was doomed, so he opened a small shop to make a living and live a peaceful life.

Thirty years later, with the development of equipment and technology, a pair of trembling hands can ruin a technician, but it is far from ruining an engineer.

His perseverance has allowed him to maintain an extremely high level of skill at this age.

His inner turmoil, however, was locked away in that small room filled with books.

Until Zhai Da appeared
It marked the beginning of a second spring in my career and a new stage in my life.
Xu Xuejun couldn't help but think: I'll have to come back next spring, and bring the cat with me then.
(End of this chapter)