Chapter 38

Chapter Thirty-Eight: Making a Mountain Out of a Molehill

"Secretary Zhu, this is a common occurrence. When the Party Secretary and the Township Chief are not around, they just want to indulge a bit, right?" Wan Jianhua saw Zhu Daodong with a troubled look and comforted him with a smile. He now understood what Zhu Daodong had been saying. Secretary Chen was indeed concerned about him, which is why he entrusted the alcohol management to Zhu Daodong. Otherwise, the one with a troubled look would be himself.

"Old Wan, why does it have to be like this?" Zhu Daodong said with a bitter smile. When the deputy township chief asked for alcohol in front of the guests, Zhu Daodong obviously couldn't refuse. But when the time came to take responsibility, it would be all on him. Fortunately, he had prepared the display board in advance. As long as these people weren't afraid, he had nothing to worry about.

"If you hadn't put the display board in the canteen for a whole day yesterday, there would have been even more," Wan Jianhua said with a light laugh.

"How many bottles this time?" Zhu Daodong asked. The display board could only scare off some honest people. Those who dared to sit at the table today clearly didn't take his display board seriously, or didn't take him, Zhu Daodong, seriously.

"Five bottles," Wan Jianhua said with experience. Basically, each person would have about half a catty, and with the two people from the Justice Bureau, there were about fifteen or sixteen people, so at least eight bottles were needed.

"I'll help you deliver them." Zhu Daodong took out five bottles of alcohol and accompanied Wan Jianhua to the canteen.

In the office, Zhu Daodong had already figured out which township officials were at the table. He came to the canteen now just to confirm. After all, hearing is not as good as seeing. Comparing the names he had heard earlier, none of them were wrong. Zhu Daodong nodded in satisfaction. Although his hearing had caused him trouble, it could also help him at times. Sometimes, "hearing" was even more accurate than "seeing."

"Old Wan, take two bottles first and put them on the main table. At the same time, bring back the three empty bottles," Zhu Daodong whispered to Wan Jianhua.

"Okay." Wan Jianhua didn't ask more and directly took two bottles of Wuliangye to the deputy director of the Justice Bureau, while also collecting the three empty bottles from the table.

"Wait for me a moment." Zhu Daodong took the empty Wuliangye bottles and also brought back the three unopened bottles to the office.

Back in the office, he first put away the three unopened bottles of Wuliangye, then took out three bottles of Laobai Gan from under the bed. He opened them and poured the contents into the three empty Wuliangye bottles. After everything was done, he took these three "Wuliangye" bottles to the canteen.

"Old Wan, you can take them up now," Zhu Daodong handed over the bottles and whispered.

"This alcohol?" Wan Jianhua immediately noticed something was wrong. There was no packaging, not even a bottle cap.

"It's Laobai Gan, consider it my treat," Zhu Daodong said with a quiet smile.

"You, you." Wan Jianhua looked at Zhu Daodong and shook his head with a bitter smile. Those township officials who managed to get a seat just wanted to drink some good alcohol. If they wanted Laobai Gan, who wouldn't spend 80 cents to buy a bottle outside?

"Go ahead, it's fine. Even if they taste something wrong, they won't say anything," Zhu Daodong smiled. The table with the Justice Bureau had real Wuliangye, but the other table had Laobai Gan. As long as the guests were still there, they wouldn't say anything, and even after the guests left, they couldn't say anything.

"Alright, I'm also curious to see their faces when they realize it's Laobai Gan," Wan Jianhua laughed softly and slowly took the three bottles up.

Sure enough, as soon as the alcohol was poured, someone immediately noticed the taste was off. Compared to Wuliangye, Laobai Gan was much spicier. A rash official was about to stand up and scold, but was quickly pulled back by a quick-witted colleague who shook his head and nodded towards the other table. The official reluctantly sat back down.

Wan Jianhua saw everything and gave Zhu Daodong a thumbs up, thinking, "Let's see if these people dare to come for free drinks again."

"Old Wan, you're busy, I'll leave. Remember to change the number of bottles signed for later," Zhu Daodong whispered and left the canteen. Originally, Wan Jianhua had taken eight bottles, but now, because of the three bottles of Laobai Gan he "contributed," he had only taken five. This needed to be corrected.

Wan Jianhua was quite busy at noon and only had time to find Zhu Daodong in the afternoon. As soon as they met, Wan Jianhua warned, "Little Zhu, you offended some people at noon. After the meal, many were muttering. Be careful at dinner tonight."

"Old Wan, thank you. Managing the alcohol is a job that naturally offends people. How can you do the job well without offending anyone? Help me collect some more empty bottles. Next time someone tries to get a free seat, just serve them Laobai Gan," Zhu Daodong said nonchalantly.

Zhu Daodong, of course, had heard everything that happened in the canteen. The one who was most furious was Yang Kaifeng, the official who wanted to stand up as soon as he tasted the Laobai Gan. Zhu Daodong wasn't very familiar with the township officials, but his memory was excellent. If it were someone else, they might not even remember the names. With his super hearing, Zhu Daodong had gradually matched the breathing sounds of all the township officials with their names.

"But you know, it was really satisfying to see them frown while drinking," Wan Jianhua chuckled. Today's incident was something no one else would have done, and for that, Wan Jianhua had some admiration for Zhu Daodong.

"Actually, I don't think Laobai Gan is any worse than Wuliangye. It's just a matter of personal preference," Zhu Daodong said with a smile. If he had to choose, he preferred Laobai Gan. At least it didn't make him feel guilty, and it was strong enough.

In the evening, when Zhu Daodong went to the canteen for dinner, he happened to run into Yang Kaifeng, or rather, Yang Kaifeng was deliberately waiting for him. Yang Kaifeng didn't dare to go to the office, which was close to Secretary Chen's office. If he raised his voice, Secretary Chen might hear, and if Secretary Chen asked, Yang Kaifeng would be in trouble. Secretary Chen's scolding was direct and harsh, making one wish to find a hole to hide in.

"Some people, just because they've been working for a short time, think they can make a mountain out of a molehill. Managing a bit of alcohol is such a trivial matter, and they act so important!" As soon as Zhu Daodong sat down, Yang Kaifeng's sarcastic words echoed, loud enough for everyone in the canteen to hear.

The canteen immediately fell quiet, and everyone looked at Zhu Daodong, who had just been officially hired. Yang Kaifeng was known for being unreasonable, and many had experienced his temper. Now, this college graduate was facing him, a classic case of a scholar meeting a soldier. It would be interesting to see how Zhu Daodong handled the situation.

"Yang Kaifeng, are you saying that Secretary Chen's words at the meeting are as light as a feather, or that the county's anti-corruption documents are less important than a feather?" Zhu Daodong looked at Yang Kaifeng and asked solemnly.

As soon as Zhu Daodong finished speaking, many people laughed.