A courtyard house, equipped with a fishing system, living in an era.

After all the dishes were taken away, Fatty Wang strolled back.

He was also holding a bottle of Fenjiu liquor in his hand.

"Where's our dinner? Bring it out quickly!"

"What do you mean 'our share'? This isn't the factory!"

"Hurry up, what kind of cook would starve himself? And get me a bite too!"

As he spoke, he showed off the bottle of liquor in his hand.

"See that? The boss swiped ten-year-old Xinghua Village liquor..."

Although Xu Pingan wasn't addicted to alcohol, he could still have a couple of sips of good wine.

"Dude, can you at least put some effort into lying? There are clearly two words on it... 'Distribute the wine'..."

Fatty Wang: ...

"Not bad, you've learned one character!"

Wang Pangzi sat down, opened the wine bottle, and was taken aback when he saw the dishes Xu Ping'an had left behind.

"Braised pork wasn't on the menu, was it? And it wasn't among the dishes served!"

Looking up at Xu Ping'an, Fatty Wang was truly impressed.

"Don't look at me like that. A little girl came over and said she hadn't eaten, so I made some food for her."

"A little girl?"

Fatty Wang knew who it was as soon as he heard it, poured Xu Ping'an a glass, and clinked glasses with him.

"He's a pitiful person too. He used to live with Tan... and his wife at No. 17 Laozhong Hutong. They only moved here a few months ago!"

Upon hearing this, Xu Ping'an's first reaction was that Lou Bancheng was finished.

How dare you give such a big mouth a big job?

Even if Fatty Wang knelt down and kowtowed ten times to Xu Ping'an, Xu Ping'an wouldn't take him as a confidant.

But then I thought about it again, and there are advantages to being talkative.

"Come on, drink! We can't let this fine wine go to waste!"

"You know what, Ping An, your braised pork is really good. How come I've never had it before?"

"When has our factory ever provided such good ingredients?"

"That's true..."

There were four pieces of braised pork in total, and before Xu Ping'an could react, Wang Pangzi ate three of them.

He was too embarrassed to eat the last piece, so he could only drink a few glasses of wine in frustration.

After a few drinks, Fatty Wang became even more talkative.

"Do you know who all these people are today?"

Wang Pangzi lowered his voice and started talking to himself before Xu Pingan could answer.

"They're all Boss Lou's friends, business people. Let me tell you, before Liberation, just this room full of people could shake the whole of Beijing with a stomp of their feet..."

"You have no idea..."

"Oh?"

"Whoa!"

"Is that so?"

Xu Pingan listened to Fatty Wang's rambling while keeping an eye on the movements outside the door.

Xu Ping'an was sweating bullets for Lou Bancheng after hearing what Wang Pangzi, with his big mouth, had just blurted out.

"What missing? No, he's not missing! Young Master Lou is probably already a capitalist in Hong Kong, living the life of the elite..."

"Let me tell you, when we left, we had a whole trunk full of gold and US dollars..."

"Cough cough... Brother Wang, you're drunk!"

"I'm not drunk! How could I be drunk on such a small amount of alcohol..."

For a moment, Xu Ping'an even began to doubt whether the wine was really given by Lou Bancheng or whether he had stolen it himself.

Did Lou Bancheng know that his trusted subordinate had such a poor alcohol tolerance?

When Lou Bancheng came to the kitchen with a smile after the banquet in the main building ended, Wang Pangzi was already drunk and unconscious.

Seeing this scene inside, Lou Bancheng could barely maintain his smile.

"Ping An, you must be embarrassed by this..."

"Director Lou, you flatter me!"

"Alright, we're at home today. Why call me 'Factory Director Lou'? Just call me Uncle Lou!"

As Lou Bancheng spoke, he took an envelope out of his pocket and handed it to Xu Ping'an.

"Thank you for your hard work today. Here's a small token of my appreciation; please accept it, don't think it's too little!"

Xu Pingan took the envelope, but without opening it, he put it directly into his pocket.

The money and goods were settled, which was the best state for his relationship with Lou Bancheng.

Lou Bancheng glanced at Fatty Wang, who was sleeping like a log.

"Okay, I'll arrange another driver to take you back. If you need anything else in the future, I'll have Lao Wang come find you!"

"No problem, I'll be there whenever Uncle Lou calls!"

However, you must report to the factory before coming.

In the short term, there shouldn't be any problems.

In the long run, he, as a cook, won't have any problems...

Around 10 p.m., the car that was taking Xu Ping'an stopped at the gate of the compound.

He knocked on the courtyard gate, offered Yan Bugui a cigarette when he opened it, and successfully calmed him down.

"Ping An, I hear that sound. Did a car bring you back? Did you go cook for your boss?"

"Teacher Yan, since you're so curious, how about I tell you where the leader lives?"

"Hey kid, what are you saying... We were just chatting casually while smoking, weren't we?"

"Sorry, there are rules in this industry, chatting is not allowed!"

Xu Pingan returned home, washed his face with cold water, and opened the envelope Lou Bancheng had given him.

There were four bills inside, each worth 50,000 yuan!

It has to be said, capitalists are really rich...

……

It will be the 29th of the twelfth lunar month in just two days.

Cooking at Lou Bancheng's house was just a minor incident. After returning home that day, I started slacking off at work.

The leaders are all busy these days at the end of the year.

However, Secretary Han, who is usually rarely seen, has made two appearances at the steel rolling mill these past two days.

Wang Pangzi later came to see Xu Ping'an, subtly inquiring whether he had said anything incoherent after getting drunk that day.

Xu Pingan laughed it off and brushed it off.

Whether he genuinely blacked out or was faking it, he probably wouldn't dare say those things again, let alone complain to Lou Bancheng.

This morning, the company released its first New Year's holiday notice since the joint venture began.

In the past, Lou Bancheng could decide on holidays and work schedules on a whim.

That's definitely not possible now; everything has to comply with relevant regulations.

In those days, the Spring Festival holiday in factories was stipulated by the "National Holidays and Commemorative Days Regulations" issued by the State Council in 1949.

It clearly states that there will be a three-day holiday for the Spring Festival, specifically the first, second, and third days of the first lunar month.

Of course, subordinates won't be so rigid when carrying out orders.

Most factories will pretend to work for half a day on the morning of the 30th, and then give employees a day off.

That's the rule at the steel rolling mill!

Since meals are not provided on Lunar New Year's Eve, the cafeteria staff don't need to come after closing on the evening of the 29th!

Around 2 p.m., Wang Jianxing arrived at the second canteen.

"Ping An, the factory has distributed New Year's goods. You can send someone to collect them now!"

Wang Jianxing stood smiling at the back entrance of the cafeteria.

Xu Pingan gave Cui Qiang and Liang Guangming a look.

Upon receiving instructions from their superior, the two of them dashed off towards the logistics warehouse.

"Boss, what kind of benefits are included?"

"One and a half pounds of pork, five pounds of flour, one pound of candy, and one fish per person!"

"So generous?"

Wang Jianxing looked around.

"You also have an extra allowance, which is Director Li's private subsidy. It's not in the warehouse; you can pick it up at the logistics office later."

"If I had to say, it has to be our old boss. He really cares about his subordinates! To be honest, my family is really looking forward to these benefits for the New Year!"

Wang Jianxing certainly didn't believe that.

But saying these words is itself an attitude.

At 3:10 p.m., Xu Pingan went to the logistics office and took two more pounds of pork belly with alternating layers of fat and lean meat, three ribbonfish, and ten eggs.

Before leaving, I must first go and thank Li Huaide.