Reborn in 1981, the first to get rich start with dairy cows.

It's the fourth day before the New Year in 1982. Today is the last day of work for the dairy factory. Tomorrow, they will officially start their holiday.

As soon as Lao Huang rode his bike to the factory gate, he found that there were already people waiting to open the gate.

He rubbed his eyes, surprised, and asked, "What's going on, everyone? Why are you here so early?"

"Old Huang, isn't today supposed to be a big clean-up? Everyone discussed it yesterday and decided to come early today to do a good job cleaning, so here we are."

It was Tong Na who spoke, and she laughed as she spoke.

As her income increased, she received more attention in her husband's family, and her mental state improved. She was sincerely grateful to the dairy factory.

"Alright, open the door now!"

The weather wasn't good today; a northerly wind was blowing, stinging our faces, but it didn't dampen everyone's enthusiasm.

Before long, everyone had arrived.

With Hu Weidong in the workshop, the tasks were quickly assigned. Zhou Wuyang was in the kitchen, but since it was New Year's Eve dinner, Hu Aiping and Tao Guiping only did a little cleaning before getting to work.

There's a lot of food today, so they have a lot to do.

After finishing the pre-Lunar New Year procurement, Li Hu went to the industrial park to help out; he couldn't skimp on his efforts.

Old Huang happily took a basin, filled it with water, and wiped the bulletin board at the factory gate.

"Sir, let me do it, you rest!" A young man ran out from behind, snatched the rag from Old Huang's hand, and started wiping.

"Okay, make sure you clean it properly. They'll be posting documents here today, so make sure it's spotless."

The young man was someone he brought from his hometown. His nickname was Gouwa. He was honest, hardworking, and reliable.

"Let's all work harder and finish all the work this morning, then we can have some fun this afternoon," Shen Dong said with a smile as he wiped the windows, sleeves rolled up.

It was soon noon, and the aroma of food wafted through the cafeteria.

Everyone got up early today. After working in the morning, they were all very hungry, and this smell immediately whetted their appetites.

Everyone laughed and joked with each other, and finished their work in no time.

Following Shen Dong's instructions, everyone was already starving, so they rushed to the canteen, got their food, and started eating heartily.

Because there was a big dinner that night, the cafeteria didn't serve much extra food at lunchtime, but everyone still enjoyed their meal.

The last time the factory had a New Year's Eve dinner was in 79. Although it was held in 80, the scale was no longer up to par. There was only one meat dish, nothing else. So even if there was no meat dish at noon, no one doubted that they would have a good dinner.

After lunch, everyone rested for half an hour to recharge.

The auditorium had been cleaned in the morning, and in the afternoon everyone started decorating. First, they put up a red paper banner on the wall that read "Baotashan Dairy Factory 1982 Annual Summary and Commendation Meeting", and then they covered the table on the stage with a red cloth.

Simple yet festive.

"Everyone, please be quiet. Our dairy factory's annual meeting is about to begin." Shen Dong blew the trumpet, and the scene quieted down.

Holding a notebook in his hand, Shen Dong said calmly, "Everyone has worked hard these past few months. On behalf of the factory, I thank you all!"

As he spoke, Shen Dong bowed to everyone.

Someone immediately shouted, "Factory manager, it's no trouble at all, we should thank you!"

"Yes, thank you!"

Shen Dong smiled slightly, sat down, and continued speaking.

"From traditional yogurt to milk skin, to new flavors of yogurt, and New Year's gift boxes, the factory's product line is expanding, and everyone's wages are increasing."

When it came to salary, Shen Dong paused for a moment, "February is just after the New Year. As I've said before, February is the time for salary increases every year, and next month will be no exception. Let's start our summary meeting with the salary increase."

"Good!" Li Hu shouted, leading the applause.

Others were not to be outdone.

Once the atmosphere calmed down, Shen Dong continued, "Actually, there's not much to summarize. Everyone's probably more interested in what prizes will be given out and how much money they'll make. You're probably even wondering, 'When is this kid going to leave? We want to see the prizes, right?'"

He laughed as he spoke.

"Hahahaha!" The crowd burst into laughter.

Shen Dong didn't mince words. "As you all know, we'll have five outstanding employees and one top employee of the year this year. There aren't enough spots. Next year, when our business is better, we'll add more spots so everyone can have some fun."

"The selection criteria are your daily work attitude and contributions to the factory. Now there is a piece of paper in front of you. Please write your names down. If you don't know how to write it, you can come up and tell me, and I will help you write it."

"Just one more reminder, this doesn't include me, so please don't count me in."

The people below picked up their slips of paper, thought about it carefully, and wrote down their choices.

"Hey, Team Leader Tang, who did you write about?" Liu Zhenghua looked around, trying to see what everyone had written, but everyone was covering their eyes with their hands, so she couldn't see.

Seeing that people were already submitting their names, Liu Zhenghua's eyes darted around, and when no one was paying attention to her, she wrote down her name while hiding behind a screen.

After everyone submitted their votes, Tang Yue and Tong Na were responsible for counting and recording the votes.

"Hu Weidong, Qiu Xiaoqin..."

"..."

"Liu Zhenghua, Shen Dong, Hu Weidong, Tang Yue..."

Within minutes, the list was completed.

Looking at the list on the blackboard, Shen Dong announced with a smile: "After everyone's vote, this year's five outstanding employees are -- Li Chenfeng, Hu Weidong, Tang Yue, Zhou Wuyang, and Huang Changhe."

"But because Li Chenfeng was the best employee of the year, there was a duplicate on the list, so Qiu Xiaoqin, who was sixth, filled the spot. The final list of best employees is Hu Weidong, Tang Yue, Zhou Wuyang, Huang Changhe, and Qiu Xiaoqin."

The five people whose names were called looked surprised and shy. The hall erupted in applause as everyone congratulated them.

Just then, Li Meiyu walked in, carrying five small boxes in her hands. The boxes were beautifully packaged, and everyone's eyes were drawn to them.

"Outstanding employees, please come to the stage to receive your awards. The prize is a Shanghai brand all-steel mechanical watch and a 30 yuan bonus!"

A buzz erupted below. A watch! Some people even stood up to look.

Shen Dong shook hands with them, smiled, and said, "Work hard next year!"

Next came the annual employee award. We already knew it was Li Chenfeng, so everyone ran over and patted him on the shoulder to congratulate him.

Li Chenfeng hadn't expected to gain everyone's approval. After thinking about it, he figured it must be because the two new yogurt products had brought more revenue to the factory, and everyone was grateful to him.

"Please invite the outstanding employee of the year to come up on stage to receive the award. The prize is..." Shen Dong dragged out the last syllable, deliberately observing everyone's reaction.

"Factory manager, stop keeping us in suspense, just tell us!"

Shen Dong said with a smile, "I know everyone is anxious, but don't rush! Tiger, Gouwa, go help Aunt Li carry it in!"

The two of them rushed over and carried in a wooden box.

Everyone craned their necks, unable to see what was inside, and asked each other what kind of treasure it was.

Shen Dong walked over, opened the wooden box, and announced loudly, "One Butterfly brand treadle sewing machine, and a fifty-yuan reward!"