Chapter 338: A Mentor and a Friend

Tong Xiao drove the car, looking for a place to eat, and unknowingly arrived opposite the distillery, parking in front of that lamb soup restaurant.

She got out of the car and entered the lamb soup restaurant. "Boss, bring me a bowl of lamb offal soup and a steamer of shumai."

"Coming right up!" The boss agreed, and soon the lamb offal soup and shumai were served.

Tong Xiao took out a spoon, placed it on the table, then picked up the soup bowl, took a slurp, put the bowl down, and squinted her eyes slightly, looking very satisfied.

If anyone familiar with her saw this scene, their jaws would surely drop. Tong Xiao used to never eat lamb, let alone drink lamb offal soup. But now, she was not only eating and drinking, she had no image at all, simply like a different person from that arrogant eldest daughter of the Tong family.

Tong Xiao dawdled until it was past three o'clock after her meal. After paying the bill, she sat in the car, her eyes fixed on the distillery gate, lost in thought.

"Ring..."

The distillery's bell for the end of the shift rang. Tong Xiao came back to her senses, hesitated for a moment, and finally gritted her teeth, pushed open the car door, and got out. She jogged across the road, bought a bottle of soda in front of the distillery gate, and waited while drinking it, her eyes full of anticipation.

"The blue and white porcelain is outlined with a sketch, the peony on the bottle is like your initial makeup, the slowly rising sandalwood incense passes through the window, I understand my worries, the brush on the rice paper stops halfway here..."

Familiar singing came from the distillery's loudspeaker. A hint of a smile appeared on Tong Xiao's face, and the image of that boy appeared in her mind.

He wrote the lyrics; she should have been the first person to see them. She bought over twenty tapes of this song at once, and they were right there in her suitcase now.

Distillery workers surged out. Tong Xiao's eyes stared at every face that came out, very afraid of missing something.

But by the end, when everyone had left, she still didn't see the figure she wanted to let go of but could never bring herself to.

Tong Xiao wandered at the distillery gate for a long time, finally looked at the distillery with disappointment, turned around, crossed the road, and got into the car.

Less than two minutes after Tong Xiao left, a minivan sped over and stopped at the distillery gate. Zhou Andong and Gu Bing got out of the car.

"Finally home." Zhou Andong stretched.

Gu Bing said, "Tonight I can finally have a comfortable, sound sleep."

"Yeah!" Zhou Andong said with emotion, "A golden nest or a silver nest is not as good as one's own dog kennel. No matter how good it is outside, it's not as good as one's own home."

"Factory Director, Secretary, you're back." Old Zhao, the gatekeeper, ran out from the guardroom.

Zhou Andong said with a smile, "Slow down, don't fall. With your old arms and legs, if you fall and get hurt, the factory will have to pay for your medical treatment."

"It's fine!" Old Zhao patted his chest. "My body is sturdy; I can still contribute to the factory for another twenty years."

Zhou Andong said, "We'd be happy if you could contribute for thirty years."

"Factory Director, Secretary!" Two more security guards walked over.

Zhou Andong asked, "Has your section chief gone home yet?"

One security guard said, "He's on duty today and went home to eat."

Zhou Andong nodded and walked toward the factory office with Gu Bing. Once inside the office, Zhou Andong sat in the comfortable boss chair, leaned back, and let out a very comfortable sigh.

"Home is still the best."

Gu Bing said, "You're back, go report to the leader."

Zhou Andong picked up the phone and dialed Cheng Zhanjun's office.

"Leader, I'm back."

Cheng Zhanjun's laughter came through the receiver. "How was it? Any harvest?"

"Yes!" Zhou Andong said, "The harvest is huge. Not only did I find a way out for the electronics factory, but there's also a big surprise I'm preparing to give you, old man."

Cheng Zhanjun said with a wry smile, "I'm only in my early forties, in the prime of my life. How am I an old man?"

Zhou Andong said as a matter of course, "Compared to me, aren't you an old man?"

"Hahaha..."

Cheng Zhanjun laughed loudly. It was clear he was very happy, which made Gu Bing, who was listening on the side, curl his lip. Zhou Andong was the one who said that; if it were him, he'd be guaranteed a scolding.

"Tell me, what big surprise are you giving me?"

Zhou Andong checked the time. "Are you in the office or at home?"

Cheng Zhanjun said, "In the office!"

Zhou Andong said, "I'll come find you."

"Come over!" Cheng Zhanjun said, "I'll wait for you."

Zhou Andong hung up the phone, opened his bag, took out more than ten micro-videotapes, and then asked Gu Bing, "Are you going?"

"Yes!" Gu Bing said, "I have nothing to do at home anyway."

Zhou Andong asked, "Aren't you afraid of getting scolded if you go?"

Gu Bing rolled his eyes. "I'm not provoking him, why would he scold me?"

Zhou Andong advised very kindly, "Listen to me, you'd better not go."

"Why?" Gu Bing said unconvinced, "I'm going!"

"You really are stubborn." Zhou Andong said helplessly, "Then let's go!"

The two left the factory office. Gu Bing didn't see his 212; he guessed An Jing had driven it away.

Zhou Andong's car keys were in the dormitory, and he was too lazy to go back and get them, so the two simply took a taxi.

Cheng Zhanjun thought Zhou Andong wouldn't come over so quickly. After finishing the documents on hand, he stood up to go out for a walk and stretch. But just as he left the office, he saw Zhou Andong and Gu Bing appear at the stairwell.

"So fast!" Cheng Zhanjun said.

Zhou Andong said, "I'm bringing a gift to you, old man; I have to be fast."

Cheng Zhanjun reached out and pointed at Zhou Andong, smiled helplessly, and then looked at Gu Bing. "Did you gain anything from going out this time?"

Gu Bing blinked. Didn't you already ask Zhou Andong? Why ask me? But he didn't dare say these words and could only look at Cheng Zhanjun with a blank face.

"Look at you, you went out just to play?" Cheng Zhanjun's face darkened immediately. "You followed Zhou Andong, didn't you learn anything?"

Gu Bing opened his mouth, not knowing what to say, but the expression on his face was very obvious—he was very unconvinced. What should I learn from him? Disco dancing? Picking up foreign girls?

"Hmph!" Cheng Zhanjun snorted coldly. "What do you want me to say? With such a good mentor and friend by your side, why don't you know how to improve..."

Cheng Zhanjun scolded Gu Bing for a while before letting him off. "You're in your thirties; follow Comrade Zhou Andong and learn well. Have some ambition, did you hear me?"

Gu Bing said with a mournful face, "Understood!"

Cheng Zhanjun then turned and returned to the office. "Come in!"

"I told you not to come, but you wouldn't listen, and you were stubborn with me. Got scolded, didn't you." Zhou Andong tried hard to hold back his laughter, his face turning red. "Not listening to the old man's words, suffering is right before your eyes—that's exactly your type."

Gu Bing gritted his teeth and squeezed three words out of his throat: "Get lost!" ===== CHAPTER 339 =====