Chapter 31

When Zhao Bingnan heard Director Sun call him over, he was both flattered and surprised. Just now, Sun had called over Xiao Yuanhang and two others, who were the top performers in their respective groups. He was only the third in the train conductor group, so he didn’t think it was his turn to join Director Zhang for a drink. But Sun had indeed called his name, so he happily stood up and walked over.

Zhang Chaorong looked at Xiao Yuanhang, who was like a child, and felt very fond of him. He beckoned and said, "Xiao, come, sit next to me."

Originally, Deputy Director Tao Hong of the sub-bureau office was sitting next to Zhang Chaorong. Upon hearing the director’s words, she immediately stood up and said, "Xiao, you sit here." After Xiao Yuanhang walked over, she quietly moved to an empty seat nearby.

With the director’s order, Xiao Yuanhang couldn’t refuse. He smiled and said, "Thank you, Director Zhang," then walked over and sat down next to him.

By this time, most of the dishes had been served, and the waitstaff had filled everyone’s glasses with liquor. The glasses were seven-tael cups, and the liquor was Fenjiu. Whether one could drink or not, everyone was served white liquor. Since the director was drinking white liquor, even those who couldn’t drink had to follow suit.

Zhang Chaorong was clearly in a good mood today. He raised his glass and said, "Everyone here is a technical expert and a key player in our sub-bureau’s train system, selected from the sub-bureau’s technical performance competition. To achieve good results in the railway bureau’s technical performance competition and bring glory to our Tongshui sub-bureau, the passenger transport department and the vocational education department have jointly arranged this pre-competition training to significantly improve your technical and business knowledge. I’m here today to encourage and support you. The training starts tomorrow, so you can relax and enjoy yourselves tonight. Tomorrow, everything will be more formal and intense. I wish you all the best in this competition. Let’s all raise our glasses!"

After Zhang Chaorong finished speaking, he raised his glass and drank it in one go, then showed the empty cup to everyone. With the director leading the way, everyone, whether they could drink or not, followed suit, also showing their empty cups.

Seeing that Director Zhang was in high spirits, Sun Haiping, the head of the passenger transport department, immediately followed up with a toast. He first emphasized the sub-bureau leadership’s emphasis on the railway bureau’s technical performance competition, though he didn’t directly say it was Director Zhang’s emphasis. As the deputy director in charge of passenger transport, everyone understood it was Zhang’s emphasis. He then explained the significance of the competition and encouraged everyone to focus and use this training to significantly improve their technical and business skills, aiming for a historic breakthrough.

Songjiang Railway Bureau had five sub-bureaus, and Tongshui sub-bureau was one of the more remote ones. In past technical performance competitions, its results were generally below average. The best historical result was a third-place team score, and the best individual results were a second place in the train conductor group and a second place in the train attendant group. When Sun Haiping talked about a historic breakthrough, he meant surpassing these records. He knew that aiming for first place was unrealistic, so he didn’t make overly ambitious statements.

After everyone drank the toast proposed by Sun Haiping, Li Mingran, the head of the vocational education department, stood up and raised a glass. He expressed his commitment to fully cooperate with the passenger transport department in organizing the training, aiming to impart as much relevant knowledge and regulations as possible to the participants and achieve the most significant results.

By the time everyone had finished this third toast, they had already drunk three glasses of liquor without touching any food. Even those who could drink were feeling the effects of the alcohol on an empty stomach. At this point, Deputy Director Li Changjiang of the passenger transport department stood up to propose another toast, but Zhang Chaorong waved his hand in dissatisfaction and said, "No more toasts. Let everyone eat some food first, and then we can take turns toasting."

"Director Zhang is right, Director Zhang is right!" Li Changjiang’s face turned red, and he nodded and bowed, sitting down awkwardly. Those who couldn’t drink were inwardly relieved.

"Come, come, everyone, eat some food, eat more!" Sun Haiping, a trusted and favored subordinate of Zhang Chaorong, was adept at reading his superior’s mind. When Zhang said this, Sun understood his intention and smiled, encouraging everyone to eat.

Seeing that everyone had eaten enough, Sun Haiping said, "When Director Zhang said to relax and enjoy the drinks, he didn’t mean to get drunk, but to drink well. Most of our participants are women, and some can drink while others can’t. Some have a high tolerance, and others have a low tolerance. Those who can drink should drink more, those who can’t should drink less, and those who can’t drink at all can switch to soda. In short, drink well, but don’t drink to the point of passing out!"

Zhang Chaorong had noticed that a few women were already flushed after the three toasts, knowing they couldn’t handle the alcohol. That’s why he stopped Li Changjiang from proposing another toast. As a sub-bureau leader, he couldn’t give the impression of forcing people to drink, so he only said a few words to that effect. Sun Haiping’s words aligned with his intentions, and he nodded with a smile.

Seizing this opportunity, Xiao Yuanhang stood up, refilled Director Zhang’s glass, and then his own. He raised his glass and said, "I’d like to toast Director Zhang. As a train attendant from the grassroots, I feel very honored to be able to toast you. I’m deeply grateful for your concern and care for us participants. I will not let you or the other leaders down and will strive to achieve the best results to repay your kindness!"

Xiao Yuanhang, with his years of experience in the railway, was adept at making such speeches. He continued, "Director, to show my sincerity, I’ll drink this glass. You can drink as you please!" He then drank the glass in one go.

"Ha ha ha, Xiao, you’re really challenging me!" Zhang Chaorong was very pleased. He pointed at Xiao Yuanhang and said, "Alright, since you, the technical champion, are toasting me, I can’t refuse. But I hope you bring back the technical champion title. Even if I drink a lot, it will be worth it!" He then drank the glass in one go, showing his generosity.

"Great!" Everyone immediately applauded enthusiastically.

"Thank you, Director, thank you, Director!" Xiao Yuanhang, seeing Zhang Chaorong’s support, hurriedly expressed his gratitude.

Zhang Chaorong waved his hand and said, "No need to thank me, Xiao. I have high hopes for you!"

Xiao Yuanhang quickly responded, "Director, I’ll do my best to bring back the technical champion title!"

Zhang Chaorong laughed heartily and said, "Good! That’s the spirit and confidence we need!"

After Xiao Yuanhang’s toast, Tang Jing, Wang Xue, and Zhao Bingnan also took turns toasting Director Zhang. Zhang was very generous and drank three more glasses. However, soon after, he cited other commitments and left with Deputy Director Tao Hong. Everyone saw him off to the door of the small guesthouse before returning to continue drinking.

After Zhang Chaorong left, the highest-ranking officials at the table were Sun Haiping, the head of the passenger transport department, and Li Mingran, the head of the vocational education department. Since the training was primarily organized by the passenger transport department, Sun took the lead. Sun, with his background in passenger transport, was outgoing and generous, and he kept the atmosphere lively with frequent toasts.

By the end of the banquet, those who couldn’t drink were dizzy and disoriented, those who could drink were also tipsy, and even those with a high tolerance were swaying. Everyone left in high spirits.

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PS: With the support of my readers, I’ve been on the list all afternoon, but the competition is tight, with only a 30-point gap, which is just a few recommendation votes. I kindly ask everyone to give it one more push and cast your recommendation votes for me. We can’t let all our efforts go to waste. Thank you!