Chapter 1937

Chapter 1937

Seven o’clock.

The dishes were served.

The banquet hall immediately became lively.

Several county leaders greeted each other and took their seats, with Dong Xuebing sitting at the first table's main seat. As the leaders took their seats, other government officials and their families also took their seats.

One dish.

Three dishes.

Five dishes.

Plates of food arrived one after another.

Seven or eight waiters carried the plates to serve them, announcing each dish’s name as they did so. However, due to the accent, Dong Xuebing couldn’t make out the names of the dishes, but they looked appetizing, making his stomach growl.

Dong Xuebing found the dishes looked good, but others didn’t share his view. This was not just good; it was extravagant! The dishes were so lavish that many hadn’t heard of them before. Seeing those golden plates, even an idiot could tell they were not cheap. One official who had dined here before pointed out a dish of lion’s head that cost nine hundred and ninety-eight RMB. He whispered to his colleague beside him, and everyone murmured in disbelief. Just for a few meatballs costing a thousand RMB! Although Dong Xuebing had pretended to say he would save a bit before, saying he was worried his wife might check, these dishes didn’t save money. There wasn’t even a typical home-cooked dish; they were all expensive signature dishes from the hotel. The situation got even more intense when the beverages were served.

Moutai.

All Moutai.

Not the cheaper version, which costs around a hundred RMB, but the Flying Moutai at forty-three degrees, which costs around seven to eight hundred RMB per bottle.

The hotel’s waiters brought in seven or eight boxes.

Dong Xuebing ordered the dishes and drinks through Su Yan, who arranged them in the afternoon. So, nobody else knew.

At this point, Zhang Dongfang couldn’t sit still. “Secretary, why did you order such expensive stuff?”

Zhang Dongfang’s wife stood up and told the waiter, “Take away the drinks. Replace them with something else. We don’t need this.”

Wei Zhixuan and other county leaders said, “Yeah, it’s too expensive. Just get another drink. We have plenty of good local wines.”

Dong Xuebing waved his hand. “It’s already ordered. No need to be polite with me.”

Zhang Dongfang said, “It’s not about being polite. No need to spend so much money.”

Dong Xuebing smiled. “Everyone’s been working hard for so long, it’s necessary. Just listen to me. No one else said a word.” He addressed the waiter, saying, “Don’t change the drinks. Just go according to the order we placed earlier. You can open the bottles now and pour them for us. Thanks.” Today, Dong Xuebing was paying. As the head of the county, if he decided on something, everyone else had to listen.

“Okay.” The waiter immediately went to open the bottles.

The women who didn’t drink and just had Pu’er tea, which wasn’t cheap either.

Chang Lin joked, “Secretary, can we even afford this? We’re not helping you explain when your wife comes later, haha.”

Everyone, including the county leaders and their spouses, laughed.

Dong Xuebing laughed, “It was just a joke. My wife might get upset with me if the celebratory banquet is too shabby. Come on, everyone, dig in.”

Zhang Dongfang’s wife, a gentle middle-aged woman with nearly half her hair turning white, looked a bit older. She said, “Secretary Xuebing, your wife hasn’t arrived yet. Why rush to eat? We should wait for her so she doesn’t have to eat the leftovers.”

Dong Xuebing said, “Sister-in-law, it’s okay. We don’t know when she will arrive; there might be traffic. Let’s eat without waiting for her.”

“No, Secretary Dong.”

“Yeah, let’s wait.”

“We can’t listen to you on this.”

“Your wife hasn’t arrived; how can we start eating?”

Not only did the lower-level government officials and their families hesitate to pick up their chopsticks, but even the county leaders at the first table didn’t move.

Meng Hanmei, sitting with her husband, blinked and said, “Secretary, why don’t you say a few more words?”

Chang Lin’s wife chuckled softly.

Dong Xuebing also slightly curled his lips, saying, “Okay then.” As the drinks were poured, those who could drink had their glasses filled with Moutai. Dong Xuebing stood up, holding his wine glass with one hand and the microphone that Su Yan handed him with the other. The banquet hall was quite large, so it was easier to use a microphone. “Since the dishes aren’t fully served yet, I’ll just say a few more words. Today is the success banquet for the County’s investment and culture festival. You all have heard about the excellent, beautiful, and perfect results of our county’s investment achievements. This is the result of collective effort and everyone’s hard work. Here’s a glass of wine; I toast to all of you. For those who can drink, just down it; for those who can’t. No need for too much fuss.” After saying this, Dong Xuebing raised his glass and drained it in one gulp.

“We should be toasting you.”

“Yeah, thank you, Secretary Dong, for the hospitality.”

Seeing this, everyone stood up and drained their glasses.

Zhang Dongfang and Wei Zhixuan were among them. Everyone drank with gusto.

Dong Xuebing put his empty glass down, and Su Yan poured more wine. Dong Xuebing continued, “I’m taking charge today. Apart from the one-month overtime bonus everyone deserves, all overtime pay from the other day will be calculated at five times the usual pay, to be paid on time next month.”

“Oh.”

“Five times?”

“Thank you, Secretary Dong.”

Hearing this, everyone was overjoyed. Many had just helped out of friendship, such as people from the county office or the cultural bureau, but they didn’t get the same bonuses as the investment bureau staff. The investment bureau staff received a standard bonus for bringing in investments. People had quietly complained about this in the past. When Dong Xuebing announced five times the pay, there were no complaints. Everyone had worked extra shifts for at least a month, most without any rest days. Calculating five times the pay plus bonuses meant they were getting an extra two to three months’ salary for free. They didn’t have the luxury like the leaders. This was a significant amount of money.

The atmosphere in the banquet hall became jubilant.

It became evident that money was the real motivator.

“Alright, let’s—” Before Dong Xuebing could say to start eating, the door to the banquet hall suddenly opened.

Zhang Dongfang’s secretary came in. He quickly walked over to Zhang Dongfang and whispered a few words in his ear. Zhang Dongfang nodded slightly, then addressed Dong Xuebing and the others, “Secretary Qian from the City Party Committee and a few City officials are also dining here. I think they’re in the adjacent private room.” Zhang Dongfang has always had a good relationship with Secretary Qian from the City Party Committee. Still, since a few incidents recently, there seemed to be a shift in Secretary Qian’s attitude towards Zhang Dongfang. This situation made Zhang Dongfang feel helpless; he’s been trying to find a way to mend fences, but hasn’t had the opportunity. He also doesn’t know what Secretary Qian’s real intentions are.

Dong Xuebing said a soft "Oh," then added, “Then I’ll go over later to offer a toast.”

“Sure.” Zhang Dongfang nodded, knowing that a toast would be expected with the city leaders nearby. Suddenly, he thought that even city leaders rarely ate here, so he looked at his secretary, “Is it a family gathering or…?”

The secretary replied, “It seems they invited some guests. I just overheard something about an inspection exchange with ‘Xia Xing City’ when I passed by; I wasn’t paying attention.”

Xia Xing City

Inspection exchange

Dong Xuebing was sweating. He checked the time and couldn’t help but excuse himself, saying, “I’ll make a phone call; you guys go ahead and eat.” After saying that, he walked a little distance away and dialed Xie Huilan’s number. The banquet hall was huge, with a separate smoking area at a distance, so no one could hear what Dong Xuebing was saying.

Beep beep, connected.

“Hello, where are you?” Dong Xuebing asked.

There was a lot of noise on Xie Huilan’s end, “Already at the hotel.”

Dong Xuebing could guess, “Then you should come; everyone’s waiting for you here.”

“Just didn’t get away earlier. Alright, alright, I’ll go now, hehe.” Xie Huilan hung up the phone.

Dong Xuebing knew she must have been brought directly from the airport by the city’s pickup vehicle to meet Mayor Qian from the City Party Committee and host the guests from Xia Xing City. That’s why she hadn’t come to their banquet hall for so long, instead dining with Mayor Qian and the others. Dong Xuebing couldn’t help but feel helpless; every time, Huilan was like this. If you’re running around to socialize elsewhere, at least let me know, will you? Here I am, waiting for you like a fool. Sigh, my wife’s just not reliable when handling things.

After coming back, Dong Xuebing sat down.

Zhang Dongfang’s wife asked, “Is your sister-in-law almost here?”

“Yeah, she should be here soon.” Dong Xuebing spoke, just as the door to the banquet hall was opened again.

Instantly, a face so beautiful it seemed out of this world appeared in front of everyone, making everyone who saw her gasp in awe.

This woman, dressed in black trousers and a white shirt, looked to be in her early thirties. Her lacy blouse was tucked into her trousers, and a set of brown leather belt cinched her waist, making her look exceptionally capable and mature. The sound of her stiletto heels clicking on the ground was pleasant. Due to local conditions, beautiful women were rare in Jiaolin County, and those who were even moderately good-looking were rarely seen, so almost everyone present was struck by this woman’s beauty, some even staring in disbelief.

The woman glanced around inside.

“Who are you?” asked a close-by cadre from the investment bureau.

This was their reserved place in Jiaolin County; letting an outsider in was not ideal.

In the next moment, Dong Xuebing waved his hand at the woman in everyone’s astonished gaze, “Huilan, over here. You’re half an hour late.”

The woman smiled, “There were some things over there; hmm, why hasn’t anyone started eating yet?”

Dong Xuebing said, “They were all waiting for you. I told everyone to start eating, but they insisted on waiting for you. Look at the trouble you’ve caused.”

The woman said, “Oh, sorry for troubling everyone. I’ll pour a drink for myself later.” After saying that, she walked over and sat in the seat Dong Xuebing had saved for her next to him.

Now, everyone understood.

Damn, this is Dong Xuebing’s wife!

Damn, she’s so beautiful!

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