I feel right at home in the world of the courtyard house.

"Da Mao, hurry up! Load all this grain onto the truck and park it in front of the guesthouse!"

Li Jing'an stood in the open space in front of the guesthouse's main entrance and pointed to two bags of grain in the courtyard. Xu Damao quickly responded, bent down, picked up a heavy bag of grain, and strode towards the truck. His cousins ​​immediately joined in to help, and together they steadily carried the bag of grain onto the truck that had been allocated by the steel mill.

Not far away, Li Jing'an's eldest uncle was talking with Li's mother under the eaves. Seeing the two large bags of grain being loaded onto the cart, he looked uneasy and hurriedly stepped forward, his tone apologetic: "Jing'an, how can we accept this? You arranged all our food and lodging for this trip, and now we have to take so much stuff with us. It's really too much of a waste."

Upon hearing this, Li Jing'an stopped giving instructions, smiled, walked up to his uncle, and patted his clothes: "Uncle, please take it with you. This little thing is nothing to me right now, it's not worth worrying about."

"That's right, brother, the child is just being filial, please accept it. Don't make Jing'an feel bad." Li's father walked over from the side and offered his words of comfort.

"Well... then we'll shamelessly accept it." The second uncle pondered for a moment, but ultimately couldn't resist the younger generation's wishes and agreed with a smile.

Li's mother held her second uncle's arm tightly and said gently, "We're all family, no need for formalities, this is how it should be."

As soon as she finished speaking, Qin Huairu walked quickly out of the guesthouse lobby, carrying two canvas bags in her hands. She walked up to Li Jing'an and said softly, "Brother Li, as you instructed, the tobacco and alcohol have been distributed, one bag per person."

Li Jing'an took the cloth bag and handed it to his eldest and second uncles: "Eldest uncle, second uncle, I've divided it up for you. One bag for each of you. It's just some ordinary cigarettes and alcohol, nothing fancy. You can't say you won't accept it."

The two men looked at the heavy cloth bag in their hands, their faces full of hesitation, and waved their hands repeatedly, trying to refuse. Seeing this, Li's mother stepped forward and, without saying a word, forced the cloth bag into their hands, and they finally accepted it. After some refusals, the eldest and second uncles, along with their families, climbed onto the truck bed one by one, waving goodbye to Li Jing'an's family below.

Just then, hurried footsteps came from the guesthouse entrance. Zhou Yufei, carrying two pieces of pork, came running over, beads of sweat on her forehead, her voice tinged with apology: "Coming, coming! The pork just arrived, I almost missed it!"

Li Jing'an quickly stepped forward to take the pork and handed it to his cousin in the truck. Watching the truck slowly start and gradually disappear from the guesthouse's sight, Li Jing'an immediately ordered that a car be arranged to take his parents and sister's family back to their residence.

After settling all his family members in, he turned around and looked at Zhou Yufei beside him.

"All of today's expenses will be recorded under the Ministry of Metallurgical's hospitality account; just follow the procedures."

Zhou Yufei nodded quickly and replied respectfully, "Understood, Brother Li, I know what to do."

After giving his instructions, Li Jing'an turned his gaze to Xu Damao, who had been standing guard at the entrance of the guesthouse, ready to give orders at any time. He raised his hand and called out, "Damao, come here."

Xu Damao immediately stepped forward, his back slightly bent, a smile plastered on his face: "Brother Li, what are your orders?"

"Is everything ready for today's meeting?" Li Jing'an asked in a deep voice.

"Don't worry, Brother Li, everything is perfectly prepared. The venue setup, the placement of materials, and the personnel arrangements are all flawless!" Xu Damao quickly patted his chest to assure him.

"Okay, this is the first important meeting or event we've spearheaded. It's a matter of great importance, and there absolutely cannot be any flaws, understand?" Li Jing'an repeatedly emphasized, his tone serious.

Zhou Yufei and Xu Damao nodded in unison and replied, "We will remember Brother Li's instructions and will not make any mistakes!"

As afternoon approached, leaders and staff at all levels attending the important meeting of the Ministry of Metallurgy began to arrive at the guesthouse. Li Jing'an and Director Huang of the guesthouse stood at the door to greet them.

Not long after, the roar of car engines could be heard in the distance, and four black sedans drove into the courtyard of the guesthouse one after another, stopping steadily in front of the main entrance steps. Upon seeing this, Li Jing'an immediately straightened his clothes and hurried forward to greet them, his mind racing.

The car doors opened one by one, and a man in his fifties stepped out of the lead car. He was tall and had a dignified face; he was the current Minister of Metallurgy.

The moment Li Jing'an saw the person who had arrived, he was slightly taken aback—this face was nothing like the high-ranking leader he had seen in movies and TV dramas, the one who was acquainted with Sha Zhu. His gaze quickly swept across the cars behind, and it wasn't until he saw the person getting out of the second car that he suddenly understood: it turned out that the high-ranking leader Sha Zhu knew was now a vice minister, and two other vice ministers got out of the two cars behind, with the last one being Vice Minister Gao, Li Jing'an's former leader.

In an instant, Li Jing'an collected his thoughts, smiled, and took the lead in extending his hand to the minister: "Minister, welcome to our guesthouse! I am Li Jing'an, the director of the guesthouse."

The minister reached out and gently shook his hand, his gaze falling on him with a hint of a smile: "Oh, although we've never officially met, I've heard of you before."

Thanks to the influence of Li Jing'an's father-in-law, the minister had already taken notice of the guesthouse manager.

Li Jing'an quickly bowed, his tone humble: "Thank you, Minister, for remembering someone as lowly as me despite your busy schedule."

"You're still young and have a bright future ahead of you. Take your time. I have high hopes for you." The minister patted him on the shoulder, his tone full of encouragement.

"Thank you for your kindness, Minister. I will do my best to live up to your expectations!" Li Jing'an quickly expressed his gratitude.

He then shook hands with the three vice ministers in turn. When it was Vice Minister Gao's turn, the latter gave him a meaningful smile and gently patted his arm.

The group entered the guesthouse lobby. Considering that the meeting would last for two days, Li Jing'an immediately instructed Qin Huairu beside him: "Huairu, arrange for the waiters to lead the leaders to their rooms to rest and wait for the meeting to begin."

Qin Huairu readily agreed and skillfully beckoned several waiters to come forward, guiding the minister and his deputy ministers to the pre-arranged suites.

The afternoon meeting started on time and proceeded smoothly and successfully. The meeting room was orderly, and Li Jing'an coordinated and ensured everything went smoothly throughout the process, without any mishaps.

After the meeting, the banquet hall at the guesthouse was already set up. The lights were bright, and more than a dozen waiters moved about, serving dishes and pouring drinks.

Li Jing'an strode into the banquet hall from outside, went straight to the main table, and leaned down to ask the ministers and deputy ministers at the table: "Leaders, are the dishes to your liking today? If you have any comments, please let me know, and I will immediately have the kitchen adjust them to improve the quality."

"Jing'an, come here and sit at our table." The minister gestured to him with a smile. "I need to have a drink with you alone."

Li Jing'an was overjoyed and quickly instructed the waiter beside him, "Quickly, add another chair, and bring another set of bowls, chopsticks, and wine glasses."

The waiter, who was specifically responsible for pouring drinks, immediately stepped forward and filled Li Jing'an's glass with strong liquor. Li Jing'an raised his glass, stood up, and bowed slightly to the leaders at the head table: "Thank you all for your kindness. I'd like to offer this toast to you all, to express my gratitude for your trust and support!"

After saying that, he tilted his head back and drank the wine in his glass in one gulp, his movements swift and decisive.

"good!"

The leaders at the table all applauded.

Li Jing'an then drank a glass with each of the ministers.

After several rounds of drinks and dishes, the atmosphere in the banquet hall became increasingly harmonious.

Amidst the clinking of glasses, Li Jing'an maintained a clear head, carefully observing every move at the table. He inadvertently noticed a detail: whenever a waiter came forward to pour wine or serve food to the minister, the minister would always smile and subtly glance at the young waiter beside him.

Li Jing'an's heart stirred slightly: if he could start from these details, perhaps he could get rid of the "deputy" title on his person as soon as possible.