Siheyuan: Starting from the driver

Chapter 729 Drinking Party at Work
The group parted ways and went their separate ways.

Li Kailang and Section Chief Qian were walking together. They remained silent for several minutes. Suddenly, Section Chief Qian stopped and looked Li Kailang up and down.
"You're amazing today, kid. You're incredible."

"Huh?" Li Kailang was puzzled.

"That pile of materials!" Section Chief Qian's eyes lit up, with a hint of disbelief. "There was complete chaos on site! The list said N, but the materials said F. Old Sun was so scared he almost peed his pants, and Old Lin and the others were helpless!"

"You know exactly what Director Yang's attitude is, huh! And you, you just stood up and said, 'This is N,' with a tone as steady as if Mount Tai were pressing down on you! Even I was a little nervous at the time, wondering where you got such confidence?"

He leaned closer and lowered his voice, "Really not a gamble? Tell me the truth, how did you find out? Just by looking at your eyes? I don't believe it!"

Li Kailang said with a hint of mystery and helplessness, "Section Chief, would you believe me if I said I have exceptionally sharp eyesight and can see things very accurately?"

"Nonsense!" Section Chief Qian immediately denied. "The materials are indistinguishable to the naked eye! Even Lao Lin and the others admitted they couldn't see them clearly! Don't try to fool me, do you have some secret trick up your sleeve?"

"The trick." Li Kailang smiled vaguely, naturally not revealing the system's secret. "It's probably just a feeling. Seeing a lot, touching a lot, or maybe just getting lucky and guessing right. However,"

He changed the subject seriously and said, "The one who truly saved the day today is Liu Mantiao!"

Section Chief Qian was taken aback: "Old Liu? Him?"

“That’s right!” Li Kailang emphasized, analyzing seriously, “Think about it, if he hadn’t insisted on asking for documents as soon as he arrived at the scene and checked every single letter, we would never have discovered the problem.”

"If it weren't for his meticulous and 'slow' approach, we might have foolishly inspected it as F material, or we might have been swayed by Captain Sun's vague explanations and only discovered the major problem after the material was delivered to the workshop!"

"At that point, it won't just be a matter of wasting time stuck in traffic!"

Section Chief Qian smacked his lips, recalling the scene when Liu Mantiao, holding the receipt, questioned Captain Sun with a blank expression but words as sharp as knives. He had to admit that Li Kailang was right.

"Tsk, now that you mention it, it's true! Old Liu is usually as quiet as a gourd, but he's anything but clueless when it matters! If he hadn't dug up the truth about F and N, we'd still be in the dark!"

"Now you know why he's called 'Slowpoke Liu,' right? His stubbornness, when used correctly, really works!"

The two chatted as they walked back to the materials science department.

"Alright, stop thinking about it," Section Chief Qian patted Li Kailang on the shoulder, his gesture much more casual, carrying a rare hint of approval.

"No matter what, we've gotten through this hurdle today."

The next morning, sunlight shone through the clouds onto the steel rolling mill, sweeping away the gloom and tension of the previous day.

Factory Director Yang held a short meeting in the morning and once again verbally praised the Materials Department for its quick and professional response to the crisis.

The article highlighted Liu Mantiao's "rigorous work style" in promptly identifying problems.

And Li Kailang's "accurate judgment" and on-site adaptability at critical moments.

Section Chief Qian sat below, his back ramrod straight, his face beaming with an undisguised smugness—after all, he was the head of the Materials Department!
Li Kailang felt that many people in the conference room were looking at him.

After the meeting, I returned to the Materials Science Department.

"Master Liu! You're awesome!" Zhao Xiaohai was the first to approach Liu Mantiao's workstation and gave him a thumbs up.

"I heard the factory manager specifically praised you for your sharp eyes in identifying that letter! You're amazing! Just one letter saved us all, and we still have such a huge foreign exchange quota to meet!"

Liu Mantiao continued reading the newspaper at a leisurely pace. Upon hearing this, he merely raised his eyelids slightly and gave a very slow "hmm": "Act according to the rules, do your duty."

His tone was so calm it sounded like he was praising someone, but upon closer inspection, he seemed to be reading the newspaper much faster.

Zhang Weiye was filled with admiration. He never expected that Liu Mantiao, who was so unassuming, would be so capable. He had thought that Liu was just looking at the account books.

Section Chief Qian listened for a couple of minutes at the office door, cleared his throat, and walked in: "Alright, alright, stop flattering Old Liu, get back to work! Today's tasks are heavy, so hurry up and finish up the backlog from yesterday!"

"Zhao Xiaohai and Zhang Wei, how did things go yesterday at the warehouse? Did you manage to avoid any mishaps?"

Zhao Xiaohai immediately stood up, puffed out his chest, and reported: "Reporting to the section chief! Zhang Wei and I were in the warehouse with Squad Leader Wang and the others, carefully checking the warehouse entry number, brand number, and visual inspection according to the procedures taught by Deputy Section Chief Li. We didn't dare to be careless at all!"

"The batches of materials that were put into storage yesterday have all been inspected and recorded clearly! Foreman Wang even praised us for getting the hang of it quickly!" He was a little excited.

Zhang Wei added, "There was a batch of materials in the middle with a slightly blurry label. We couldn't see the last digit clearly, so we weren't sure. We were worried about a repeat of yesterday's letter-related issue, so we immediately consulted Master Lin."

"Yes! If we're unsure about something, we definitely won't act rashly; we'll ask questions if necessary!" Zhao Xiaohai nodded quickly, looking very serious.

Section Chief Qian nodded in satisfaction: "Hmm, you know to follow the procedures and don't act recklessly, that's very good! It shows you haven't wasted your time learning. Remember this: in the Materials Department, don't be afraid to ask questions, just be afraid to pretend you know and make mistakes!"

He looked around and said, "Just one letter is enough to give us a run for our money!"

He then looked at Li Kailang: "Deputy Section Chief Li, the batch of materials yesterday went smoothly into the workshop and the furnace was started. This afternoon, keep in touch with the workshop to ensure everything goes perfectly."

"Understood, Section Chief," Li Kailang replied.

Section Chief Qian stroked his chin, looking like he had learned a painful lesson: "This incident with the letters serves as a reminder to everyone that no link—the order form, the label, the actual product—can be flawed!"

"Especially the processes of warehouse material issuance and transportation receipt! The processes, contingency plans, and experience sharing you've developed over this period have been extremely useful, but this matter cannot be left unresolved."

"That booklet on sharing experiences and the emergency plan need to be improved! Add those risk points like misplaced letters and improper signatures! Treat them as typical cases for key prevention! This is your job, get it done right away!"

“Yes! That’s exactly what I was thinking.” Li Kailang immediately agreed.

This was already part of his plan, and yesterday's thrilling experience provided the perfect material for process optimization.

Suddenly, an unfamiliar voice rang out.

"Hello, is this the Materials Science and Engineering Department?"

Everyone looked toward the doorway in the direction of the voice, and saw a man carrying a cloth bag, peering out and asking questions in a low voice, his face full of ingratiating smiles.

He was none other than Captain Sun of the convoy who was quite frightened yesterday.

Upon hearing the voice, Section Chief Qian instinctively frowned, but seeing his quail-like appearance, most of his lingering anger subsided.

"Captain Sun, what brings you here?"

Captain Sun shrank in, his face all smiles, and said, "Section Chief Qian, Deputy Section Chief Li! As for what happened yesterday, it was my mistake, I was too careless!"

"We didn't check properly, which almost caused everyone harm and delayed important matters at the steel rolling mill! I'm truly sorry. This is just a small token of my appreciation to help you calm your nerves."

Seeing the burly transport team leader's comical, embarrassed, and eager-to-show-off manner, Section Chief Qian almost burst out laughing.

He deliberately put on a stern face and drawled, "Alright, alright! Captain Sun! Stop with the act!"

"If you change an 'N' to an 'F' again next time, you can't fool me even if you send a truckload of abalone!"

Although the words were harsh, the tone had softened.

After all, the matter has been resolved, and it's wise to be forgiving when possible.

"No, no! Absolutely not!" Captain Sun shook his head vigorously.

"When I get back, I'll go through everyone on our team one by one! Next time, don't even mention a single letter; if we don't understand something, we'll have to ask clearly! I promise there won't be any more mistakes!"

He patted his chest, making a loud thud.

"That's more like it!" Section Chief Qian's expression softened completely. "Just leave the things here."

"Okay! Alright! Thank you, Section Chief Qian, for your magnanimity! Thank you! Thank you everyone for your understanding!"

Captain Sun felt as if he had been granted a pardon. He bowed deeply with gratitude and left, almost tripping over the threshold as he went out.

The office was immediately filled with barely suppressed laughter.

"Oh my, this Captain Sun, he's so big and burly, but he looks like a wronged little wife!" Zhao Xiaohai laughed so hard he covered his stomach.

"He looks just like my son when he failed his exam and came home!" Accountant Wang couldn't help but laugh.

Section Chief Qian laughed and shook his head: "Hmph, this old coward Sun is a master at transportation, but he's just too rough around the edges!"

He walked to the table with his hands behind his back and poked the dusty cloth bag left by Captain Sun: "Tsk, what did that roughneck Sun stuff in there?" "Section Chief, open it and take a look!" Zhao Xiaohai immediately perked up and went over.

Accountant Wang also looked curious: "It can't really be gold bars, can it?"

Of course, everyone would just be joking when they hear that.

Section Chief Qian and I carefully took the contents out of the bag.

Instantly, a faint, rich, and intoxicating sweet fragrance filled the air.

First up are two bottles of sorghum liquor with bright red "Fu" (福, meaning good fortune) labels. Judging by their rough appearance, they must have been aged for quite some time.

There were also a dozen or so twisted dough sticks coated with sesame seeds.

"Wow!" Section Chief Qian was genuinely surprised. He picked up the sorghum liquor, opened it eagerly, and took a deep drag.

"It's delicious!"

Nowadays, the only common liquor on the market is sweet potato liquor; it's very difficult to find sorghum liquor, baijiu, or any other kind of liquor.

Section Chief Qian had been forced to drink a lot of sweet potato liquor in the past two years, and now he could smell sorghum liquor and immediately felt refreshed.

"Captain Sun has really gone all out this time! This wine must have been aged for at least five or six years!"

Even the usually slow and deliberate Liu Mantiao was drawn to the sorghum liquor, staring at it intently and swallowing hard.

Zhao Xiaohai was the same; his eyes widened in astonishment.

"What are you looking at! It's working hours!" Section Chief Qian deliberately glared at him, then glanced around. "These things are here with me; consider them our Materials Department's 'soothing provisions'! But!"

He paused for a moment, and the office immediately fell silent. Even Liu Mantiao shifted half of his gaze from the newspaper.

"Given everyone's hard work yesterday and this morning, especially Comrade Liu Mantiao and Comrade Li Kailang who turned the tide, this afternoon, well,"

Section Chief Qian struggled to find the right words, "The work pace can be maintained at a steady pace. After we finish dealing with the most urgent tasks, when there's still about an hour before the end of the workday, we can meet in the office."

Before he could finish speaking, Zhao Xiaohai excitedly whispered, "Long live Section Chief Qian!"

"Ahem!" Section Chief Qian interrupted him impatiently. "Keep it down! Don't make a fuss! I mean, let's have a small-group discussion about the profound lessons learned from yesterday's crisis!"

"By the way, destroy the 'evidence' that Captain Sun sent over, to avoid waste, understand? Nobody is allowed to tell anyone!"

A series of suppressed, knowing chuckles and murmurs of agreement filled the office.

Even Liu Mantiao nodded slightly, and made a rare joking remark: "Yes, destroying evidence is our inescapable duty."

The atmosphere immediately became lively and relaxed.

For the next few hours, everyone worked with extra enthusiasm.

While humming a little tune, Zhao Xiaohai quickly checked the newly arrived warehouse receipts, and occasionally shared with Zhang Weiye some of the "Wang Squad Leader's Little Tips" he had learned in the warehouse yesterday.

Zhang Weiye listened attentively, occasionally jotting down a few sentences in his small notebook.

Li Kailang sat at his desk, organizing his thoughts and beginning to refine the contingency plan.

He included yesterday's "letter controversy" as a core case study, detailing key information and risk points such as problem discovery, on-site response, and follow-up handling.

He also referenced some of the established practices of warehouse worker Lin and others, and plans to integrate the standardized inspection process of the warehouse into it.

Section Chief Qian paced back and forth, looking at this and that, the smugness on his face not yet completely gone, now replaced by a sense of reassurance.

When Director Yang used the word "professional" at the meeting, although he didn't directly praise him, every word sounded like a compliment!
He returned to his office with a smug look on his face and pretended to look at the reports.

Liu Mantiao then resumed his usual rhythm.

He slowly flipped through the ledgers, occasionally scribbling on the paper with his old fountain pen.

However, upon closer inspection, one could see that he kept glancing at Section Chief Qian's office, as if afraid that Section Chief Qian might drink the wine.

By a little after four in the afternoon, most of the important work had been mostly completed.

Section Chief Qian poked his head out from his cubicle, cleared his throat, and spoke in a low voice that instantly drew the attention of the entire office.

"Accountant Wang, check if the warehouse entry registration for yesterday is finished. If it is, bring it over."

"That's about it, Section Chief, I'll get it now." Accountant Wang got up and went to the filing cabinet.

"Deputy Section Chief Li, how's your contingency plan coming along? Bring me your draft over, we'll go over it with everyone during the 'discussion' later."

"Yes, Section Chief," Li Kailang replied, tidying up his densely written manuscript.

"Xiao Hai, go and sort these fried dough twists," Section Chief Qian said, pointing to the oil paper packages on the table. "Be careful about hygiene!"

"Guaranteed to complete the mission!"

Zhao Xiaohai happily accepted the twisted dough sticks, then pulled out a small knife and a stack of old newspapers from some drawer, ran to the spare table in the corner, and started acting like a "chopping master".

Once everyone had almost finished their business, Section Chief Qian's office was temporarily transformed into a makeshift "roundtable conference center."

Zhao Xiaohai laid out the small portions of twisted dough sticks. A large, clean enamel mug and several cups of various styles were also added to the table.

Section Chief Qian personally took out the two heavy bottles of sorghum liquor from the drawer.

As soon as the bottle was opened, the rich aroma of grain liquor mixed with the savory scent of braised meat and the sweet fragrance of fried dough twists instantly filled the small office.

"Alright, everyone find a place to sit! Come over here!"

Section Chief Qian poured a shallow layer of liquid into everyone's enamel mugs.

"Let's get this straight, this is all we're offering! Just a token gesture! Those who need to go home tonight, go home; those who need to be on duty, go on duty. Nobody's allowed to delay anything!"

The family members, all smiles, moved their chairs and gathered around.

"Don't rush, I brought some other things with me," Liu said slowly.

As he spoke, he pulled out several slices of large steamed buns from his pocket as if he were a thief.

"When did you bring it?" Section Chief Qian asked.

"I brought these back at noon. There are only a few twisted dough sticks. It's not enough for us," Liu said slowly.

"I brought some too." Zhao Xiaohai also took out a handful of fried peanuts from his pocket.

Seeing this, the others also took out the food they brought from home at noon. Li Kailang naturally couldn't be stingy; after all that, how could he eat without meat? So he took out the braised meat.

"Deputy Section Chief Li, such a huge hemorrhage!" the group exclaimed in shock.

Li Kailang smiled and said, "Don't just stand there, eat!"

Section Chief Qian picked up his teacup, looked around, and his earlier joking tone softened, replaced by a more sincere expression: "Today's meal... well, it's a special discussion meal, mainly for three things!"

"First! Let's celebrate our Materials Science Department's successful mine clearance yesterday! We didn't cause any major trouble for the factory!" Everyone nodded and smiled.

"Secondly! Special commendation to our two heroes!" Section Chief Qian looked at Liu Mantiao and Li Kailang, "Old Liu! You single-mindedly pinpointed the key issue."

"Come on! Let's get this over with for our materials science department! And to avoid making the same mistakes in the future! Let's finish this small bite!"

"Dry!"

"For the materials science department!"

"For Section Chief!"

(End of this chapter)