Chapter 9

"Is he okay?"

Watching Xiao Dongping leave, Qin Hai asked Ning Mo and the others worriedly.

"It's fine, Old Xiao can drink a lot," Ning Mo said nonchalantly. "People in the supply and marketing department are always at the dinner table. When my father was in charge, the factory had a lot of business, and Old Xiao would get drunk two or three times a week. I'm just worried that when he gets home, Mrs. Xiao will see him reeking of alcohol and punish him again."

"Ha ha ha ha." Yu Haitao and Miao Lei both laughed with schadenfreude, clearly finding Xiao Dongping's fear of his wife a well-known joke in the factory.

"By the way, Ning Mo, what's really going on in our factory? You guys tell me," Qin Hai said. After his conversation with Xiao Dongping, he realized that the situation at Qingfeng Factory was not optimistic and the internal relationships were quite complex, so he decided to get a preliminary understanding of the situation.

Leaving aside how Ning Mo and the others introduced the factory's interpersonal dynamics to Qin Hai, let's talk about Xiao Dongping. After leaving the People's Restaurant, he stumbled home. As soon as he entered the door, his wife, He Yumei, smelled the strong alcohol on him, and her phoenix eyes narrowed. "Where have you been drinking again!"

"At the People's Restaurant," Xiao Dongping threw the things in his hand aside and sat down on a rattan chair. "Yumei, get me a cup of tea."

"Drinking again! Did you save money by not taking the bus in Hongze and use it to buy alcohol secretly?" He Yumei, while pouring hot water for Xiao Dongping, angrily questioned him. She was the typical tough-talking, soft-hearted type. She was angry at her husband's secret drinking but also felt sorry for his usual craving for alcohol. Seeing Xiao Dongping reeking of alcohol and looking exhausted, she naturally couldn't bear to ignore him.

Xiao Dongping waved his hand. "I saved fifty cents, but I didn't use it to buy alcohol. Today, the fat man from the Ning family treated me to a meal at the People's Restaurant. He was hosting a welcome dinner for a new technical school graduate who just joined our factory. I got to tag along. Wow, six dishes, three meat, three vegetables. The fat man really went all out."

"What technical school graduate is worth the fat man spending so much money on?" He Yumei's curiosity was piqued. Hearing that her husband had saved money and didn't use it to buy alcohol, her anger towards him lessened.

"I don't know his background, but this young man is quite capable. I need to go to Old Leng's place and talk to him about the rotary tiller blade issue..." Xiao Dongping said, getting up to leave.

He Yumei stopped him. "You're reeking of alcohol. What are you going to do at someone's house in the middle of the night?"

"You're right." Xiao Dongping sat back down and called out to the inner room, "Xiao Jun!"

His son, Xiao Xiaojun, came out at the call. Xiao Dongping instructed him, "Go to Uncle Leng's and Uncle Xiang's places and tell them to come here. I have something to discuss with them."

"Is it that urgent? Can't you wait until tomorrow at work?" He Yumei asked.

Xiao Dongping said, "It's an urgent matter. Once we're at work, we won't have time to discuss it. Xiao Jun, go quickly."

Xiao Xiaojun glanced at his mother, seeing that she didn't object, and ran out to find the others.

After a while, the head of the technical department, Leng Yuming, and the head of the production department, Xiang Jiyong, arrived at Xiao Dongping's house one after the other. Seeing Xiao Dongping's face, they both laughed and scolded him, "Old Xiao, are you drunk again and trying to drag us into a chat? Go to sleep when you're drunk. Are you afraid of being scolded by Xiao He and trying to get us to plead for you?"

Xiao Dongping, Leng Yuming, and Xiang Jiyong were about the same age and were three key figures under the old factory manager, Ning Zhongying. They worked closely together and had a good personal relationship. Both Leng and Xiang knew about Xiao Dongping's drinking habit and that he would be scolded by his wife when he drank, so they often joked about it.

He Yumei was used to such jokes. She poured water for Leng Yuming and Xiang Jiyong, invited them to sit down, and said, "Old Xiao was treated to a meal by the fat man from the Ning family today. There was also a technical school graduate. Ask him about it."

"Ning Mo treated you to a meal?" Xiang Jiyong was surprised. "What's going on?"

Xiao Dongping recounted the drinking session to Leng Yuming and Xiang Jiyong, emphasizing Qin Hai's extraordinary abilities. Leng Yuming and Xiang Jiyong looked at each other, both finding it hard to believe.

"Really? A technical school graduate... When did Old Long's students become so capable?" Xiang Jiyong muttered. He himself was a graduate of the agricultural machinery technical school, though that was back in the 1960s. The current head of the agricultural machinery technical school, Long Changsheng, was Xiang Jiyong's classmate, and he knew very well what the school's graduates were capable of.

"Old Xiao, did Qin Hai say he could improve the quality of our rotary tiller blades to above the industry average? Did he mention any specific processes?" Leng Yuming was concerned about the technical details.

Xiao Dongping shook his head. "I'm not a technical person. I wouldn't understand what processes he mentioned, so I didn't ask. I share a similar view with Old Xiang. I don't think a technical school graduate could have such capabilities."

"But you said he used a quenching process that can make 65# manganese steel tools sharp enough to cut bricks without dulling. I can't even do that," Leng Yuming said.

Xiao Dongping replied, "That's what Miao Lei said. I didn't see it with my own eyes."

Xiang Jiyong said, "I know Miao Lei. He doesn't lie much. Besides, Ning Mo and the others spent so much money treating Qin Hai to a meal, it must be because Qin Hai helped them solve a problem. This confirms that what you said is true."

"You said he has already reported for duty. Where does he live? I'll go find him now," Leng Yuming, eager to see Qin Hai's skills, planned to talk to him immediately about improving the quality of the rotary tiller blades.

Xiao Dongping shook his head. "I think it's better to observe him first. If we take his words too seriously, we might end up making a fool of ourselves. My suggestion is that you two find an opportunity to test him tomorrow, to see if he really has the skills or is just boasting. If he does have the skills, we can then listen to his ideas on improving the blade quality. Isn't that better?"

Xiang Jiyong pointed at Xiao Dongping and laughed. "Old Xiao, you've become so suspicious from working in supply and marketing. You even need to test him for something like this. But you're right. If we show too much eagerness to a new technical school graduate, it might have the opposite effect. You're not drunk, your thinking is quite clear."

Xiao Dongping laughed. "I, Old Xiao, have always been clear-headed even when drunk. Otherwise, I would have been taken advantage of in business."

Qin Hai and Ning Mo and the others drank at the People's Restaurant until nine o'clock at night, finishing every dish to the last bite. They patted their full bellies and returned to the agricultural machinery factory satisfied. In the residential area, Ning Mo and the others went back to their respective homes, while Qin Hai, relying on his memory from the day, found his way back to the single dormitory.

"Have you just finished eating?"

Hearing Qin Hai open the door, Wang Xiaochen, who lived opposite, poked her head out and asked. Smelling the alcohol on Qin Hai, she frowned slightly and said, "Xiao Qin, you just graduated. Don't follow the fat man and the others in their extravagant lifestyle. Otherwise, your salary won't be enough."

"Thank you, Xiaochen," Qin Hai replied gratefully. Although Wang Xiaochen's reminder was unnecessary for Qin Hai, her concern was genuine. In fact, Qin Hai and Wang Xiaochen had only met briefly in the afternoon, but she had already opened up to him.

"You must be from the countryside, right? I'm from the countryside too. We can't compare to those city people. Their families are all connected to Qingfeng Factory, and they rely on their parents for everything," Wang Xiaochen said seriously to Qin Hai.

"Thank you for your advice, Xiaochen. I just arrived, and Ning Mo and the others were so热情, I couldn't refuse. In the future, I won't go out with them for big meals," Qin Hai said, making a resolution.

Wang Xiaochen nodded in satisfaction and added, "You came from Hongze, and you must have sweated a lot. Go to the washroom and clean up. The water is a bit cold at night, but I have some hot water in my thermos. You can take it."

"No need, I'm used to cold showers," Qin Hai said, then added with a smile, "It seems I can't call you anything but 'sister' now. You really treat me like a younger brother."

Wang Xiaochen smiled. "Didn't you say, 'Distant relatives are not as helpful as close neighbors, and close neighbors are not as helpful as next-door neighbors'? If you need anything, just come to me. Don't be shy."