Chapter 61

"Personally picked by me, the biggest one inside," Zhang Xiangyang gestured, "What a monster, it almost pulled me into the water. We had a hard time getting this guy out..."

It's done!

With such a super-large fish head, this dinner is settled. Chen Geng was completely relieved and casually asked, "Is Brother here yet?"

"He's here," Zhang Xiangyang nodded, "I just met him when I delivered the fish to the kitchen. He came with a chef, who said such a big fathead carp is quite rare."

A chef? That means Brother Song Yuhang and the canteen chef Ma from the regional administration office came together. Sun Dacheng is really giving us face. Chen Geng finally breathed a sigh of relief and patted Zhang Xiangyang's shoulder, "Old Five, you've worked hard. Go to the canteen and tell Chef Ma that this fish head will be the main dish tonight. We'll leave tonight's dinner to him."

"Old Three, you can rest assured."

……………………

At 4:30 PM, the assets of the Third Military Equipment Repair Factory's tertiary industry office were finally calculated.

Deputy leader of the military enterprise reform team, Ding Yuemei, announced the results to everyone: "After the final evaluation, the total asset value of the Third Military Equipment Repair Factory's tertiary industry office (registered as China Resources Industry Development Co., Ltd.) is 400,000 yuan, including 200,000 yuan for land, 30,000 yuan for vehicle repair equipment, 20,000 yuan for 20 rooms, and 30,000 yuan for purchased but undelivered production equipment...

After careful consideration and discussion, the share distribution for the reform of the Third Military Equipment Repair Factory's tertiary industry office (registered as China Resources Industry Development Co., Ltd.) is as follows: Comrade Chen Geng holds 45% of the shares, and the Third Military Equipment Repair Factory holds 55% of the shares. This share distribution is only for clarifying the equity structure and does not involve business operations, profit distribution, management, etc. Any disputes regarding business operations, profit distribution, and management can be resolved through communication between both parties. Do you have any objections to this plan?"

"Our side has no objections," Liu Qianjin, as the factory manager of the Third Military Equipment Repair Factory, first expressed the factory's stance.

"Our side has no objections either," Chen Geng also nodded.

"Very good, then it's settled... Comrade Chen Geng, write a report for me later," Guo Haijun casually instructed Chen Geng.

"Sure."

Looking at his watch, Guo Haijun stood up and said, "The matter is settled, comrades, let's go. We can still catch dinner if we head back now."

Peng Guangming hurriedly stood up, smiling, "Comrade, are you criticizing us? You've worked hard to guide our work, we should at least have a simple dinner before you leave. Otherwise, all the comrades in the military region will laugh at us... Xiao Chen?"

Chen Geng stood up and smiled, "Comrade, we found a fathead carp weighing over 40 pounds. We plan to make it into a spicy fish head. You must try it."

Chen Geng's guess was right. Guo Haijun, with a slight Hunan accent, immediately became animated when he heard about the super-large fathead carp: "Really? Such a big fathead carp is quite rare. How did you find it?"

"Caught from the reservoir less than two hours ago," Chen Geng smiled, "I like spicy fish head, and I have a good relationship with the reservoir management. If they catch a big one, they usually save it for me. Today, by coincidence, they caught a super-large fathead carp that they haven't seen in years..."

Peng Guangming continued, "We live next to the reservoir and have never encountered such a big fish. A big fish appeared as soon as you came. We are really lucky today."

"Ha ha ha ha..." Guo Haijun laughed heartily. A fish was just a fish, but a 40-pound super-large fathead carp was extremely rare. Even though he worked in the reform committee, he had never eaten such a big fathead carp. Fathead carp is known to be more delicious the bigger it is. Guo Haijun, who had a particular fondness for Hunan cuisine, couldn't resist the temptation. He smiled and said, "Alright, we won't leave today. Let's enjoy this nearly 20-pound fish head. Comrades, I've eaten fish heads for most of my life, but this is the first time I've encountered such a big one..."

For a gourmet who loves fish, especially fish heads, the opportunity to eat such a large fathead carp was a delightful surprise. Even in the capital, which has the Guanting and Miyun reservoirs, a 30-pound fathead carp is extremely rare, and a 40-pound one is legendary. Hearing about a legendary super-large fathead carp, how could a gourmet resist?

As for whether Chen Geng was telling the truth, who would care?

Ding Yuemei smiled and said, "Comrade Guangming, you've really caught our leader's stomach. Let me tell you, our leader doesn't like anything else, just fish heads. Even I, who don't like fish heads, have come to love them after eating them a few times with our leader."

Peng Guangming immediately looked delighted and continued, "Really? That's... ha ha ha... such an honor. I'll contact the reservoir and send any big fish we catch in the next few days to the military region."

Leader Guo likes fish? The several officers of the East China Military Region were both excited and regretful: Damn! Why didn't we notice this earlier?!

Fish need time to grow, and they are in the water. Only large bodies of water can produce big fish, but finding a big fish in a large body of water is as difficult as finding a submarine in the Pacific. Even though the East China Military Region covers a large area, it's not easy to find a big fish. Moreover, the officers of the East China Military Region might not know the personal preferences of the leaders of the military reform team. Even if they did, it would be hard to find such a big fish in a short time. Using fish to make the leaders of the military reform team less harsh in their reforms is a challenging task, but at least they now have a direction.

Chen Geng continued, "To avoid wasting this fish head, we invited a chef from the regional administration office to help us. He specializes in Hunan cuisine. However, he said that with such a big fish head, it would be a pity to cook it in just one way. So, half of the fish head is made into spicy fish head, the other half into fish head with pancakes, and a smaller fish head is made into fish head and tofu hotpot."

Pausing, Chen Geng added, "Please rest assured, we won't have a lavish feast. We're just inviting you to try the fish head, which will be the main dish."

"Ha ha ha ha..." Guo Haijun laughed even more heartily, nodding, "That's right, cooking it in just one way would be a waste. Fish head with pancakes is good. Alright, comrades, we won't go back tonight. Let's stay and eat the fish head!"

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Chen Geng was right; the dinner was very simple, just four dishes and a soup, but the portions were generous: a large basin of spicy fish head, a large basin of fish head with pancakes, a large basin of braised pork ribs, a large basin of fish head and tofu hotpot, and a large basin of bamboo fungus and old hen soup. This was a standard four dishes and a soup, but each basin was as big as a washbasin. In terms of quantity, Chen Geng felt it was enough to make everyone full to the point of not being able to walk.

There were no private rooms in those days. When higher-ups came to inspect work, they ate in the canteen. Before coming to the canteen, Peng Guangming and Liu Qianjin were a bit worried about the food Chen Geng had arranged, but seeing the "four dishes and a soup" on the table and the reactions of the leaders, they were immediately relieved.

Especially the bamboo fungus and old hen soup, which emitted a rich and fresh aroma, made the two of them drool uncontrollably. Bamboo fungus, one of the "eight delicacies of the grass," was only artificially cultivated a few years later. At that time, all bamboo fungus was wild, and its taste was unforgettable once tasted.

Rubbing his hands, Peng Qianjin humbly said, "Please forgive us, the conditions are a bit simple..."

Looking at the huge fish head, Guo Haijun's mouth was already watering. He waved his hand to interrupt Peng Qianjin, "Simple? This is not simple at all. Hmm... the spicy fish head is authentic. Come, come, comrades, sit down, don't be shy..."

Then they all started to eat heartily.

Chen Geng thought there would be some leftovers. After all, they were all high-ranking officials who didn't lack for food. Even with more people, the portions were still large. But he was mistaken. While high-ranking officials didn't lack for food, the living conditions of middle-level officials were not that good. The dishes were made with high-quality ingredients and cooked by a skilled chef. The result was that the dishes were almost completely finished, leaving only the bottom of the basins.

After a satisfying meal, everyone chatted happily. Ding Yuemei, who was enjoying the post-meal satisfaction with her eyes half-closed, suddenly spoke to Chen Geng, "By the way, Comrade Chen Geng, I have a suggestion for you."

Chen Geng was taken aback and quickly nodded, "Please speak, I'm all ears."

"There's already a company called China Resources in our country. You should rename your China Resources Industry Development. Having the same name is not good," Ding Yuemei said with a smile.

Ding Yuemei spoke casually, but Chen Geng immediately became nervous.

Chen Geng had never heard of a company called China Resources, otherwise, he wouldn't have named his company that. But that wasn't important. What was important was that if the company he hadn't heard of was small, would Ding Yuemei have warned him so seriously?

Of course not!

This China Resources company was not only not small, but it might have deep roots.