Chapter 31: Township Party Committee Inspects the City

Acquaintances are easy to handle!

I didn't spend much effort preparing the office. Signed a contract with the tax bureau brother, I called a few migrant workers to decorate the storefront, especially separated a small bedroom, although not big, enough to sleep three people.

Set off a few strings of firecrackers, placed a few flower baskets, my company was officially settled in the city. The one from the grain bureau also came

My company mainly deals in edible oil, all of it top-quality Suxi tea oil. Thanks to the Grain Bureau, Suxi tea oil has gained some fame in the city recently. This was something I hadn't anticipated, and I should thank the brothers at the Grain Bureau. Now that I've struck out on my own, this is something they didn't expect either, so they were nitpicking when they gave me the mirror, joking that they wanted to collect a market development fee from us. I just laughed off these tall tales. My company has government backing, after all; even if it's not a big government, it's still a level of government.

Before the company opened, I transported all the tea oil I had acquired to the storefront and transferred Xiaoqin up here. In the township, I arranged for Hongyan to take primary responsibility. Because Jinling was having a baby and couldn't work, I had Hongyan find someone else to help; it's said she's also a family member of a township leader, about fifty years old, and very capable.

After setting off firecrackers and drinking the opening toast, we opened the doors, and business came knocking.

The person who came was the purchasing manager of the Lin Yin Restaurant, and as soon as he entered, he demanded to see the manager. I heard him shouting and hollering in the storefront, full of the air of someone rich and overbearing. I told Meizhu to go out and say the manager wasn't in, and that if there was anything, she was the one to talk to.

Meizhu has been running around with me for a while now, and the young girl has accumulated quite a bit of experience. Seeing my instruction, she turned gracefully and went out.

I sat in the small room that served as both office and bedroom, smoking my Fine Baisha cigarettes and listening to them talk outside.

"I want five hundred catties of tea oil!" The Lin Yin Restaurant manager saw Meizhu and assumed she was the manager, hurriedly handing over a business card. Meizhu smiled and handled it with ease, greeting Xiaoqin to take him to the warehouse to inspect the goods before paying.

After the restaurant manager left, Meizhu came into the room, reached out, and gestured exaggeratedly, saying, "Can't you smoke one less?"

This little girl's tone when talking to me lately has been a bit off. Especially in front of Xiaoqin, she always intentionally tries to boss me around. I think it's necessary for me to find an opportunity to make her sober up.

I said, "You're even going to manage my smoking? It's my body that's being harmed; it has nothing to do with you!"

Meizhu looked very displeased; she shot me a look: "It may not have anything to do with me, but the room is so small—look, it's already full of smoke."

I am a veteran at blowing clouds and puffing mist, so my requirements for air quality are naturally not high, and I truly didn't feel that the room was filled with smoke.

Stubbing out the cigarette, I said, "You go back to the township tomorrow. Handle two main things: first, increase the acquisition efforts to absolutely ensure we have a sufficient supply of goods. Second, tell Secretary Liu that our company is inviting the township leaders to the city for an inspection, and you are responsible for the arrangements."

Meizhu stared at me with wide eyes, the message in them being: What is wrong with you?

I pretended not to see and, walking to the door, turned back and said, "Hand over the storefront matters to Xiao Pan and Xiaoqin; she will be in charge during this time."

Meizhu bit her lip and said nothing. She seemed so aggrieved that tears were about to fall. I hurried out, not daring to look into her eyes. This little girl's eyes seem to be able to speak; I've almost fallen into them a few times.

Meizhu returned on the eighth day after going back, bringing Secretary Liu and several township Party Committee members. Township Head Hao didn't come due to illness, Hao Qiang couldn't get away and didn't come, and Hongyan had to handle acquisitions, so she didn't come either.

I had Meizhu arrange for Secretary Liu and the others to stay at the hotel.

In the evening, I brought Xiaoqin to the hotel, first accompanying Secretary Liu to Lin Yin Restaurant for dinner. Now, I don't need cash to eat at Lin Yin; I just sign the bill.

After dinner, I arranged for Meizhu to take Secretary Liu to see a show. It's very popular in the city now to go to karaoke halls to watch performances; this kind of culture is very prevalent in our area. A variety show with seven or eight acts—singing, dancing, skits, crosstalk, acrobatics, and magic—all thrown together, full of laughter and scolding, is quite carefree.

After the show, we had a late-night snack. Secretary Liu was completely dizzy, leaving everything to my arrangements and no longer having any opinions of his own. He just kept muttering about how much money this was going to cost!

I comforted him, saying, "Don't worry! This money isn't coming from the company; I'm paying for it out of my own pocket!"

Several of the township Party Committee members were a bit unhappy, saying they came because the company belongs to the township and they were here to provide guidance; if I paid for it personally, they would leave immediately.

I tried to persuade them, but they were still uneasy. In the end, Meizhu stepped in. A few words helped me out of the predicament!

Meizhu said that the company belongs to the state and Manager Chen is a state cadre. Everyone is Manager Chen's leader, so everyone is also of the state. Since everyone is of the state, there is no need to distinguish between yours and mine; in the end, it all belongs to everyone!