Chapter 794

~17 min read 3,338 words

Only to see that two servings of the standard four dishes and one soup were brought to the cafeteria table.

Why two servings? Because there are many people, and they were worried there wouldn't be enough.

His concern wasn't about the quantity; the problem was that this so-called four dishes and one soup was downright miserly.

One dish of boiled potatoes, one of stir-fried pork liver, one of hand-torn lettuce, and finally a cold platter consisting merely of shredded potatoes, cabbage, broccoli, and the like.

To be frank, if this were served at an ordinary household to entertain guests, it would be acceptable. Especially for relatively poor families, it shows genuine sincerity.

What place is this? It's the cafeteria of the county Party committee and government! Forget about entertaining these important investors; even the county government's leaders normally wouldn't eat something like this. It's clearly intended to sicken them.

Before he could speak, Chen Bo smiled and said, 'Director Tian, gentlemen, I know you think our food is rather crude, but in fact, although it looks plain, it is not lacking in nutrition.'

Let me tell you: nowadays, the food in most hotels is mostly greenhouse-grown and often contains heavy pesticide residues. As for meat, you know the situation.

But our vegetables are all home-grown, pure and natural, pollution-free, and you can't get them outside. As for this pork liver, it's from a pig slaughtered today by a local villager; we bought it directly, so it's freshly slaughtered.

As for the potatoes, they are genuine local specialties. Although potatoes are sold elsewhere, ours taste different, and you'll notice it right away.

Zhou Yanzhu and the others stared wide-eyed. Although Chen Bu is the organization department head, he also handles publicity well; his eloquence is exceptional, making this meal they normally wouldn't even eat sound fragrant and delicious. Moreover, he constantly links it to local specialties, freshly slaughtered, pure and natural, so even if they were the ones speaking, they couldn't refute.

Teng Huayuan chuckled and said: 'Well, well, we've been eating in restaurants all these years; we don't even discuss how the ingredients are grown, let alone whether the back kitchen is clean. Being able to enjoy such delicious food here is truly our blessing. Especially the potatoes—I won't stand on ceremony—I'll have one first.'

He was very easygoing, reaching for a potato, peeling it, taking a bite, and said with satisfaction: 'Indeed, it's different from the potatoes we buy outside; you all hurry up and eat. When I was a child I also grew up in the northwest; eating this potato gives me a real sense of home.'

After his greeting, everyone also started eating. Needless to say, the cafeteria chef is still capable; with just these few simple dishes, he managed to make them truly color, aroma, and taste perfect.

Seeing everyone start to eat, Chen Bo said with a beaming smile: 'Gentlemen, we can't just eat; you've come from afar, we should toast you.'

She then personally filled everyone's glasses and looked at Su Yang. According to custom, the person with the highest rank should be the first to propose a toast.

Originally, the highest-ranking person present should have been Zhou Yanzhu, but in fact the person overseeing overall work is Su Yang. Moreover, in this setting, even if Zhou Yanzhu were to propose a toast first, he would absolutely refuse. Su Yang, meanwhile, smiles at everyone, wondering what he's scheming.

Tian Xiaofei leaned back, narrowed his eyes, preparing to manipulate Su Yang during the toast. Having been disgusted so many times earlier, he thought striking a pose during the toast wouldn't be too much, would it?

As soon as Su Yang proposes a toast and lifts his glass, I'll say I've recently caught a chill, am taking cephalosporin, and can't drink. If Su Yang and the others truly want to show respect, then each should first drink two liang.

Thinking of this, he suddenly felt delighted; the feeling was wonderfully refreshing.

However, Su Yang seemed to have anticipated his anticipation. Seeing Su Yang lift his cup, he said to everyone: 'Gentlemen, you've come from afar; we should fulfill our duty as hosts. But considering we still have work this afternoon, and our county has recently issued an alcohol ban, drinking during work hours is not allowed.'

As cadres of the county Party committee and government, we cannot lead by violating the rule. Therefore I propose we clink glasses; when the opportunity is right, I will certainly invite you all to enjoy a good drink of our Shuanggou Daqu.

As soon as the words fell, Zhou Yanzhu, Chen Bo, and Hou Junli all raised their glasses. Tian Xiaofei still wanted to make things difficult for Su Yang, keeping a stern face and unwilling to reach out, but Teng Huayuan and the other two had already lifted their glasses.

Seeing this, Su Yang said with a smile: 'If Director Tian is feeling unwell, we shouldn't force him. Come, let's raise our glasses together and once again welcome all the bosses to invest in our county.'

Saying that, he drank it all in one go, and the others followed suit, downing their drinks in one gulp. Only Tian Xiaofei's face alternated between green and white.

At this moment, what he hates most is not Su Yang, but the two Teng Huayuan who came with him. If those two were as stern-faced and unwilling to give face as he is, Su Yang would today be utterly humiliated and ruined.

Yet Teng Huayuan and the other two completely disregard him; he now wishes he could kill those two old fogeys—if it weren't for Jia Guolong's face being at stake.

Just as he was furious and didn't know what to do, Teng Huayuan still smiled and said: 'County Magistrate Su, over the years we've invested in many places and seen many big and small officials, but your boldness is worthy of my respect.'

Under the current system, they constantly engage in various receptions and extravagant waste, and governments at all levels owe hotels and local restaurants hundreds of thousands, even millions, in meal bills.

In such places, even if we were to invest our money, we wouldn't feel at ease. Think about it: if a government unit can even owe meal money, what credibility does it have? If we truly invested our money there, wouldn't we be subject to their extortion and watch our enterprise go bankrupt?

In your Lieshan County, however, it's different. These past two days I've seen nothing but a scene of earnest work; even if there are diners in the hotels, they're all paying out of pocket. This is great—I like investing in such an environment, at least ensuring my money is secure.

Tian Xiaofei was instantly furious: 'Aren't you on my side? Why are you now sucking up to Su Yang? This time, wasn't I the one leading? If I hadn't brought you here, could you have found Lieshan County? Fine, I'll wait; later when I go back I'll see how I deal with you lot!'

Now translate each.

We must keep each translation on a single line after 【N】.

Let's produce translations.

【1】 Only two servings of a standard four-dish, one-soup meal were brought to the cafeteria table.

【2】 Why two servings? Because there are many people, worried there wouldn't be enough to eat.

【3】 But his concern isn't about the number of servings; the key is that this so-called four-dish, one-soup meal is really shabby.

【4】 One boiled potato, one stir-fried pork liver, one hand-torn lettuce, and the last is a cold platter—nothing but shredded potato, cabbage, broccoli, etc.

【5】 Honestly, if this were served at an ordinary household to greet guests, it would be passable, especially for relatively difficult families—it shows full sincerity.

【6】 What place is this? This is the cafeteria of the County Party Committee and County Government! Not to mention entertaining these important investors, even the county government leaders normally wouldn't eat like this. It's clearly meant to disgust them!

【7】 Before he could speak, Chen Bo said with a smile: "General Manager Tian, everyone, I know you think our food is rather simple, but although it looks simple, it certainly isn't lacking in nutrition."

【8】 "Let me tell you this: nowadays, the food in most hotels is mostly greenhouse-picked, often containing strong pesticide residues. As for meat, needless to say, you all know that."

【9】 "But our vegetables here are homegrown, pure and natural, pollution-free, and you can't get them outside. As for this pork liver, it's from a pig slaughtered today by a local villager; we bought it directly—it's freshly killed."

【10】 "As for the potato, no need to say more—it's a genuine local specialty. Although potatoes are sold elsewhere, ours taste different; you'll know as soon as you try it."

【11】 Zhou Yanru and the others stared wide-eyed. Although Chen Bo is the Organization Department Head, he's also skilled at publicity; his way with words is exceptional, making this meal they'd normally not eat sound deliciously fragrant and tasty. He constantly links it to local specialties, freshly slaughtered, freshly killed, pure and natural, pollution-free—so even if they were here, they couldn't refute him.

【12】 Teng Huayuan chuckled and said: "Great, great. For years we've eaten only in restaurants, never mind how the ingredients are grown—we don't even know if the kitchen is clean. To be able to enjoy such delicious food here is truly our blessing. Especially the potato—I won't stand on ceremony; I'll have one first."

【13】 He acted very easygoing, reaching out to pick up a potato, peel it, take a bite, and said with great satisfaction: "Indeed it's different from the potatoes we buy outside—you all should hurry and eat. I also grew up in the northwest; eating this potato gives me a thorough sense of home."

【14】 Having been greeted by him, everyone else also started eating. Not to say, the cafeteria chef is still capable; with just these few simple dishes, he managed to make them truly complete in color, aroma, and flavor.

【15】 Seeing everyone start to eat, Chen Bo beamed and said: "Everyone, we can't just eat—you've come a long way, we should toast you."

【16】 Saying that, she personally filled everyone's glasses, then looked at Su Yang. By convention, the highest-ranking person should toast first.

【17】 Although the highest-ranking person present should have been Zhou Yanru, in fact the one overseeing overall work is Su Yang, and even if Zhou Yanru were asked to toast first, he would absolutely refuse. Su Yang, meanwhile, smiled at everyone, wondering what he was scheming.

【18】 Tian Xiaofei leaned back, narrowed his eyes, prepared to pin down Su Yang during the toast. Having been disgusted so many times earlier, taking the opportunity to strike a pose during the toast—is that too much?

【19】 As soon as Su Yang opens his mouth to propose a toast, as soon as he lifts his cup, I'll say I've recently caught a chill, am taking cephalosporin, and can't drink. If Su Yang and company really want to show respect, then each should first drink two liang.

【20】 Thinking this, he suddenly felt delighted, this feeling simply wonderfully refreshing.

【21】 However, Su Yang seemed to have anticipated his anticipation. See Su Yang raise his cup and say to everyone: "Everyone, you've come a long way; we ought to fulfill our host's duty. But considering we still have work this afternoon, and our county has just issued an alcohol ban, drinking during work hours is not allowed."

【22】 "As officials of the County Party Committee and County Government, we can't set an example of breaking the rule. So I propose we clink glasses; when the opportunity is right, I will certainly invite everyone to enjoy our Shuanggou Daqu properly."

【23】 After the words fell, Zhou Yanru, Chen Bo, and Hou Junlai all raised their cups. Tian Xiaofei still wanted to give Su Yang a hard time, keeping a stern face and unwilling to extend his hand, but Teng Huayuan and the other two had already lifted their cups.

【24】 Seeing this, Su Yang smiled and said: "If General Manager Tian is feeling unwell, we can't force him. Come, everyone raise your cups and drink together, welcoming once more the investors to our county."

【25】 Saying that, he drained his cup in one gulp, and the others followed suit. Only Tian Xiaofei's face alternated between green and white.

【26】 At this moment, the person he hates most isn't Su Yang, but the two Teng Huayuan who came with him. If those two were as stone-faced as he is and gave no face, Su Yang would today be utterly humiliated and overturned.

【27】 But Teng Huayuan and the other two simply don't put him in their eyes; he now wishes he could kill these two old fogeys—if it weren't for Jia Guolong's face being here.

【28】 Just as he was fuming, not knowing what to do, Teng Huayuan still smiled and said: "County Magistrate Su, over the years we've invested in many places and seen many big and small officials, but your boldness is worthy of my respect."

【29】 "Within the current system, we constantly have receptions, constant extravagant waste, and moreover, all levels of government owe hotels and local restaurants huge sums—hundreds of thousands, even millions."

【30】 "In such a place, even if we were to invest our money, we wouldn't feel at ease. Think about it: a government unit that can even owe meal money—what credibility does it have? If we truly invested there, wouldn't we be at their mercy, watching helplessly as our business is ruined?"

【31】 "But in your Lieshan County, it's different. These past two days I've seen nothing but a scene of earnest work; even if the hotels have diners, they're all paying out of pocket. That's great—I like investing in such an environment, at least my money will be secure."

【32】 Tian Xiaofei exploded with rage: "Aren't you on my side? Why are you sucking up to Su Yang? This time, wasn't I the one leading? If I hadn't brought you here, could you have found Lieshan County? Fine, I'll wait; when we go back, I'll see how I deal with you!"

Now we need to output each line as 【N】 translation.

Is this a welcome banquet?

Then

Even Tian Xiaofei, who always wore a grim face as if his own father had died, couldn't help but take a few more bites of the stir-fried pork liver. I have to say, the taste of freshly slaughtered meat is simply different; this kind of freshness really can't be found in big hotels.

Seeing everyone start to pick up their chopsticks, Chen Bo said with a beaming smile: "Gentlemen, we can't just eat; you've come all this way, we ought to toast you."

Originally, the highest-ranking person present should have been Zhou Yanru, but in practice the one overseeing the overall work was Su Yang, and in such a setting, even if Zhou Yanru were asked to make the first toast, he would absolutely refuse. Meanwhile, Su Yang smiled and watched the crowd, unknown what calculations he was making in his mind.

Whenever Su Yang opens his mouth to propose a toast, whenever he lifts his glass, I would say I've recently come down with a chill, I'm on cephalosporin, so I can't drink. If Su Yang and his party truly wish to show respect, then each of you should first drink two taels.

However, Su Yang seemed to have anticipated his anticipation. Seeing Su Yang raise his wine cup, he said to everyone: "Gentlemen, you've come all this way; we ought to fulfill our duty as hosts. But considering we still have work this afternoon, and our county has just issued another alcohol ban, drinking is not allowed during work hours."

Seeing this, Su Yang said with a smile: "If General Manager Tian is feeling unwell, we shouldn't force him. Come, everyone, raise your glasses and drink together, and once again welcome all the gentlemen to invest in our county."

At this moment, the person he resents most is not Su Yang, but rather Teng Huayuan, who came with him. If these two were to put on a stern face and deny him face just as he did, Su Yang would today be utterly humiliated and lose face.

Just as he was fuming and at a loss, Teng Huayuan still said with a smiling squint: "County Magistrate Su, over the years we've invested in many places, and we've seen no shortage of big and small officials, but your boldness is worthy of my respect."

In Lieshan Xian it's different; these past two days all I've seen is a scene of earnest work. Even if there are people eating in the restaurant, they're all paying for themselves. That's great—I like investing in such an environment, at least the money I put out is secure.

Tian Xiaofei was instantly furious: Aren't you with me? What's the meaning of you sucking up to Su Yang now? This time I came, wasn't I the one leading? If I hadn't brought you guys, could you have found Lieshan Xian? Fine, I'm waiting; later when I go back I'll see how I deal with you all!

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