Donald Shaw waved his hand and said, “You young people go ahead and eat, why should I join in your fun? I just got back from Hongze, so I’ll just have a quick meal here and rest for a bit.”

Hongze is the capital of Anhe Province, about 60 kilometers from Pingyuan. Donald Shaw is the deputy section chief of the supply and marketing department, so business trips to Hongze are a common occurrence for him. Judging by the time, he must have just gotten off the long-distance bus from Hongze and come to the Weimin Restaurant for a meal and some rest.

“Section Chief Shaw, just sit down.” Mark Newman and Donald Shaw seemed to have a good relationship; he grabbed Donald Shaw’s hand and made him sit down.

Donald Shaw struggled twice but couldn’t break free from Mark Newman’s bear paw, so he had to give in, saying, “Alright, alright, I’ll go get my things.”

“I’ll help you with that.” Mark Newman stood up, picked up Donald Shaw’s snakeskin bag, and tossed it at Donald Shaw’s feet. “What’s in here? It’s so heavy.”

“Rotary tiller blades,” Donald Shaw said in a frustrated tone.

“Do you still want your stir-fried dried tofu and peanuts?” The waitress named Little Fanny followed behind Donald Shaw and asked.

“No, tell your dad to bring us another half a jin of loose liquor for our table,” Mark Newman instructed. From the way he said it, it seemed that Little Fanny was the daughter of Boss Kong.

“Hey… If I’m eating with you, how can I let you pay? This meal is on me.” Donald Shaw declined politely, though not sincerely.

Mark Newman chuckled, “Section Chief Shaw, stop pretending. We may be poor, but the little money we earn is our own. Your monthly salary is tightly managed by Mrs. Shaw, so how could you have money to treat us? Every time you come out for a drink, you only get a piece of dried tofu as a side, and you can’t even bear to order a meat dish. You think we don’t know? If you spend money to treat us, you’ll have to kneel on the washboard when you get home.”

Donald Shaw’s face turned a bit red, obviously because Mark Newman had hit the nail on the head. He loved to drink, but just as Mark Newman said, his salary was tightly controlled by his wife, and he had no spare cash. On this trip to the provincial capital, he saved a few cents on bus fare, which gave him the chance to buy some loose liquor at the restaurant to satisfy his craving. Every time he secretly drank, he was taking a risk, and when he got home, he would inevitably be scolded by his wife.

“Fatty, Little Carter just started working at our factory, why are you saying all this in front of him?” Donald Shaw complained to Mark Newman in a low voice, then smiled and explained to Henry Carter, “Little Carter, don’t listen to Little Mark’s nonsense. My wife just cares about my health, she doesn’t want me to drink too much…”

“Mm, I understand.” Henry Carter secretly laughed, “Mrs. Shaw is really virtuous. At Section Chief Shaw’s age, he should pay attention to his health. But since Section Chief Shaw has worked hard on his business trip, it’s necessary for him to have a little drink to relax his muscles. That way, he can sleep well when he gets home.”

“Exactly, exactly.” Donald Shaw quickly nodded, wanting to resolve the awkwardness as soon as possible.

At this moment, Boss Kong had already started bringing out the dishes one after another: stir-fried pork with chili, stir-fried pork liver, braised fish pieces, stir-fried dried tofu, stir-fried water spinach, and stir-fried tofu—six dishes in total, filling the table.

“How come there are so many dishes?” Donald Shaw’s eyes widened.

“We’re welcoming Henry Carter, how could we have so few dishes?” Mark Newman said with pride. Being able to spend ten yuan to treat everyone gave him a sense of accomplishment; he had always valued face more than money.

Donald Shaw turned his gaze to Henry Carter, secretly guessing at Henry Carter’s identity. In his view, someone who could receive such a high level of hospitality must be quite extraordinary.

Henry Carter noticed Donald Shaw’s confusion. He smiled lightly and said, “Mark Newman is being too polite. I just helped them with a small favor, but they insisted on being so courteous. But having Section Chief Shaw here puts my mind at ease.”

Donald Shaw laughed heartily, “Little Carter, you really know how to talk. So today, I’m the one benefiting from your good fortune.”

At this point, Boss Kong came over carrying a plastic jug. As soon as the lid was opened, a strong aroma of liquor wafted out, intoxicating everyone. Henry Carter knew that the jug contained locally made loose baijiu, about 40 to 50 percent alcohol, distilled from pure grain, with a taste and kick no less than those famous liquors that would later be advertised on CCTV’s prime time.

Smelling the liquor, Donald Shaw’s interest shifted completely away from Henry Carter. He almost snatched the jug from Boss Kong’s hands and immediately began pouring drinks for everyone.

“I’ll borrow this first glass of wine from Little Mark to welcome Little Carter to our Qingfeng Factory.”

After pouring the drinks, Donald Shaw didn’t wait for Mark Newman, the host, to speak. He raised his glass first and offered a toast.

“Thank you, Section Chief Shaw, thank you, Mark Newman, thank you, Harold, Leonard.” Henry Carter also raised his glass and saluted everyone.

Donald Shaw tilted his head back and drained his glass, squinting his eyes as if savoring the taste of the liquor. Then he picked up a piece of pig’s trotter with his chopsticks, put it in his mouth, chewed vigorously, and showed a look of happiness on his face.

Sigh, you’re an uncle after all—can’t you eat a little more gracefully?