“Boss Collins, Boss Collins!” As soon as Mark Newman walked in, he shouted loudly.

“Coming, coming.” A middle-aged chubby man, a size smaller than Mark Newman, responded and came over. Seeing Mark Newman, he grinned and said, “Fatty, here for a meal?”

“I brought a friend. Ten yuan, pick out the best dishes for us.” Mark Newman handed the ten yuan he had originally planned to give to Henry Carter to Boss Collins, and added, “And bring a bottle of house wine.”

“Wow, ten yuan!” Boss Collins's eyes lit up. Except for official banquets, it was rare for ordinary people to come out to eat with ten yuan. Boss Collins was quite familiar with Mark Newman and his friends; these young men would come here for a feast about once every half a month, and each time they would barely scrape together two or three yuan, ordering one meat dish and one vegetable dish. Such a move—slapping down ten yuan at once—had never happened in Boss Collins's memory.

“So, Fatty, where did you get this friend?” Boss Collins asked curiously.

“My buddy, graduated from the Agricultural Machinery Technical School, just started working at our Qingfeng Factory.” Mark Newman was straightforward and answered every question; by now, he had already introduced Henry Carter several times.

This introduction was of no value to Boss Collins. He nodded and smiled at Henry Carter, then bustled off to the back to start cooking. As soon as he left, a skinny teenage girl came running out, bringing a small plate of sunflower seeds and a small plate of fried soybeans to Mark Newman's table, so they could snack while waiting for the food.

“Sorry to trouble you.” Henry Carter had no objection to Mark Newman's arrangement, just offered a casual word of thanks.

“This is actually your money.” Mark Newman said, “Henry Carter, I really admire you. You're capable and don't care about money. If it were any of the other bachelors in the dorm, let alone ten yuan, even one yuan they'd hold onto tightly. No way would they be like you, not even giving it a glance.”

“That's right, that's right, Henry Carter, you really are generous!” Harold Young and Leonard Miller also chimed in with praise.

Previously, when Mark Newman wanted to pay Henry Carter ten yuan as a reward, Harold Young and Leonard Miller felt a bit reluctant. But later, when Henry Carter insisted on not taking it, they thought even more highly of him. Mark Newman, worthy of being the factory director's son, though short on cash, still had the spirit of treating money like dirt. Since Henry Carter refused the ten yuan, he simply used it to treat Henry Carter to a meal, fulfilling his wish.

As everyone was chatting, a shadow flickered outside the door and another guest entered. This was a middle-aged man in a wrinkled suit, his dark face betraying his true background, making it clear he was no rich or handsome man. He walked straight to a table, sat down, and tossed a heavy woven sack he was carrying onto the floor, producing a clanging metallic sound.

“Xiaofang!” The middle-aged man called toward the kitchen.

The same teenage girl from before came running out, stood in front of the man, and waited for his order.

“A plate of stir-fried dried tofu, a dish of peanuts, half a jin of house wine.” The man said in a slightly tired voice.

“Section Chief Shaw, come join our table, let's eat together.” Mark Newman stood up and called out to the man.

Chapter 7: Don’t Eat Too Messily

“Oh, it's Fatty.”

The middle-aged man called Section Chief Shaw finally noticed Mark Newman and his group. He stood up, walked over to their table, and smiled at Leonard Miller and Harold Young as a greeting. When his gaze passed over Henry Carter's face, Section Chief Shaw paused for a moment, perhaps trying to recall if he had met Henry Carter before. After confirming he didn't know him, he turned his attention back to Mark Newman.

“Fatty, what's your dad doing at home these days?”

Mark Newman curled his lip, “What else could he be doing? Gardening, playing chess. Oh, and if I'm home, he lectures me.”

“That old guy!” Section Chief Shaw cursed Mark Newman's dad affectionately, then said, “So, Fatty, stealing factory materials to sell again, huh?”

“Section Chief Shaw, how can you say that about us?” Mark Newman said, aggrieved.

“If you didn't steal materials, where'd you get the money to come out and feast?” Section Chief Shaw said.

Mark Newman replied, “We earned it ourselves. Me, Harold, and Leonard, we picked up scrap steel the workshop didn't want, made some hoes and shovels, sold them to the old folks, and that's how we made a bit of money to treat our buddy to a meal.”

At this, he pointed at Henry Carter, “His name is Henry Carter, graduated from the Agricultural Machinery Technical School, and has already reported to our factory.”

Henry Carter quickly stood up and said to Section Chief Shaw, “Section Chief Shaw, right? Sorry, I didn't recognize you just now. I just arrived at the factory today. The canteen was out of food, so Mark Newman and the others invited me out to eat.”

Section Chief Shaw nodded at Henry Carter and reached out his hand. Henry Carter hurriedly shook it. After the handshake, Section Chief Shaw said, “My name is Donald Shaw, I'm the deputy section chief of the supply and marketing department at the factory, and I'm well acquainted with all their dads.”

“Oh, Section Chief Shaw, I hope you’ll look after me in the future.” Henry Carter said politely.

“Section Chief Shaw, come join us at our table.” Mark Newman invited again.