Siheyuan: Happy life of veteran drivers

Time flies, and it's the weekend in a blink of an eye.

That day, Li Huaide organized a group and called Chief Liao from the Security Department, Director Zhang from the Supply and Marketing Cooperative, and Director Xu from the Grain Station out for dinner.

They had organized a few games before, but Wang Hongtao always played the role of standing aside and pouring wine. Today he finally got promoted and was qualified to sit down.

Of course, although he was sitting, he was still the one at the door helping to serve dishes, tea and wine.

This arrangement had already been made without Director Li saying anything. In terms of age and status, he was the last one at the table. If he didn't do it, who would?

The place was found by Director Li, an ancient house with a quiet environment. The dishes are relatively simple, but the chef's skills are good. Just by looking at the dishes, you can tell that his skills are much better than Sha Zhu's.

Steamed mandarin fish, braised prawns, Dongpo pork, braised Chinese cabbage, spicy and sour shredded potatoes, plus a few cold dishes to go with wine, the combination of meat and vegetables is very good.

Wang Hongtao opened the bottle of Fenjiu and filled the small wine glasses on the turntable before sitting down.

After Director Li briefly exchanged a few words with everyone, he introduced Wang Hongtao to everyone.

After just two sentences, Director Zhang interrupted cheerfully:

"Mr. Li, you haven't even started drinking yet, why are you so confused?"

"Xiao Wang? Your driver! Didn't I introduce him to you last time?!"

"You, Old Zhang, are you pointing at me?!"

Li Huaide said cheerfully, "Last time I introduced my driver Xiao Wang, this time I'm introducing Xiao Wang, the deputy section chief of our factory's labor and wages department, an 18th-level cadre. Can it be the same?"

"Oh? This is my negligence. It's my fault. I'll pay you with a glass first!" Director Zhang was a smart man who reacted quickly. He immediately picked up the glass and said, "Xiao Wang is already an 18th-level cadre at such a young age. It seems that he has a bright future!"

"Come, I, Lao Zhang, will drink with you!"

Wang Hongtao quickly stood up with his glass in hand, lowered his head and acted terrified: "Director Zhang, you are too polite. I am where I am today thanks to Director Li's care. I don't deserve your praise."

"This is a toast to you. I'll drink it. Please do as you please!"

After saying that, he picked up the wine glass and drank it all, and waited until Director Zhang put down his glass before sitting down.

Then he took advantage of the break to toast everyone at the table, starting with Li Huaide.

After the pleasantries, they began to drink, eat and chat.

It was not the first time that the several of them met. This time they just wanted to reminisce and keep in touch, so the atmosphere at the table was particularly relaxed.

Li Huaide likes to talk about his past in his early years, starting from when he was Mr. She's orderly, all the way to his current conflict with Yang Weimin. After all, everyone present is his own person, so there is nothing to hide.

Director Zhang and several other large factory directors talked in much the same way, talking about the past and the present.

Section Chief Liao talked mostly about his experiences on the battlefield.

Maybe it was because the truth came out after drinking, in this secluded private room, Wang Hongtao gained a lot of knowledge and broadened his horizons.

Standing next to this group of old hands, Wang Hongtao looks like a rookie entering the world.

Only then did he realize that the real world was far more difficult and cruel than he had imagined or learned from online TV.

Also, as an online writer, Wang Hongtao has no chance to witness those real scenes. Most of what he wrote was based on his own asking and checking, which inevitably deviates from the reality. His cognition is there, and naturally he cannot touch the truth of the times.

……

The banquet was halfway through and everyone was probably drunk, so several factory directors left one after another, leaving only Factory Director Li, Section Chief Liao, Wang Hongtao and Director Zhang in the small private room.

Li Huaide asked the waiter to come and remove the banquet and replace it with tea.

After changing to tea, the atmosphere of the conversation became much more lively.

Director Zhang said half-jokingly and half-seriously: "Hongtao, we old guys just told you so much about your past, so don't hide it. To be honest, I'm also curious about how you went from being a poor country boy to where you are today so quickly."

Although Wang Hongtao looked drunk, he was actually pretending. His mind was extremely clear and he knew what he could say and what he could not say.

It feels like I have traveled through time from the future, and this system is something I have to keep for the rest of my life and take with me to my grave.

So Wang Hongtao half-truthed about some of his past experiences, such as how he had been hiking in the mountains with his father since he was a child, and then he met an extraordinary person who taught him skills, and he had a good physique and knew how to maintain his health.

When asked again, he would not say anything and just smiled, because he knew that talking too much would lead to mistakes.

Director Zhang had no intention of digging into the matter, he just asked casually.

Li Huaide also found that what Wang Hongtao said was very similar to the information he had obtained. He guessed that the mysterious old Chinese doctor should be the extraordinary person Wang Hongtao mentioned. No wonder he could come up with such a miraculous pill.

Wang Hongtao thought for a while and then said, "Well, Director Zhang, I have something I want to ask you for help. There is a little girl in our hospital who was assigned to your Dongcheng Supply and Marketing Cooperative a few days ago. The little girl is quite pitiful. She has been without parents since she was a child..."

"Stop, just tell me whether you have any relationship with that girl. If not, I won't help you!" Director Zhang, an old hand, has experienced too many similar things. Wang Hongtao understood his intention as soon as he opened his mouth and interrupted him.

Birds of a feather flock together. Since these two people stayed with Li Huaide until the end, it was expected that they were the same type of people as Li Huaide, so Wang Hongtao dared to expose his weaknesses in front of them.

Sure enough, after listening to Wang Hongtao's words, Li Huaide and Liao Youzhi looked at each other and then smiled knowingly.

It is normal for people like them who are in high positions to have some romantic past. They are not afraid of you having shortcomings or loopholes, they are just afraid that you are the kind of person who is flawless and upright.

"Hehe, Director Zhang, you have a sharp eye. You saw through it at the first glance!" Wang Hongtao scratched his head in embarrassment.

Director Zhang was delighted when he heard this. He pointed at Wang Hongtao and said with a smile, "Haha, good boy, you are quite capable! Well, it's rare that you trust me and don't treat me as an outsider. I will arrange this matter for you."

"Tell me, which girl is it and what's her name?"

Wang Hongtao told Director Zhang about He Yushui's information.

"Okay, I've got that in mind. He Yushui, right? I'll make sure everything is arranged for you."

Li Huaide came closer and said, "If I remember correctly, Hongtao, you and that idiot from the cafeteria are from the same courtyard, right? Could it be that..."

"Director Li, you guessed it right. He Yushui is Shazhu's sister, and she is his biological sister with the same father and mother."

"But the two of them are not alike in appearance or personality. Director Li, don't you think this is strange?"

Li Huaide did not answer Wang Hongtao's question, but only warned him: "Shazhu has a bad temper, you have to be careful."

"I know Director Li. His sister has had a bad relationship with him since they were young. She is much closer to me than to Sha Zhu. Nothing will happen."

"How can I help Director Li if I can't even deal with a fool?"

Wang Hongtao said half-showing off and half-flatteringly.

That night, the group chatted until around ten o'clock. After a drink and a pot of tea, their relationship became much closer.

Before the show ended, Wang Hongtao handed over all the "stomach medicine" he had accumulated during this period to Li Huaide at once. He even secretly slipped a small bottle to Director Zhang as a "bribe" in front of Li Huaide, but Li Huaide pretended not to see it.

"I'll give you the money when I go to work tomorrow. You don't have it with you now." Li Huaide greeted him solemnly, declaring that Wang Hongtao was his man.

Afterwards, Wang Hongtao refused the ride from Li Huaide’s driver and rode his bicycle back by himself.

……