Winter sunlight, even when shining on the body, didn't feel very warm.
Tan Jincheng stood at the factory gate, waiting for Gu Qingqing's arrival.
Company employees passed by him from time to time, some from the new factory, some from the old factory.
Those who recognized him all stopped to greet him.
For a moment, the factory gate seemed a bit crowded.
"It's so cold today, everyone go inside and find a seat, there are sunflower seeds and peanuts to crack, don't crowd here."
Only then did everyone disperse, yet they whispered to each other, wondering who the boss was waiting for, and even having the boss personally welcome them at the gate.
Could it be some important leader coming to our annual meeting?
About five minutes later, the "important leader" arrived.
Gu Qingqing, in a long down jacket and carrying a backpack, stepped gracefully out of the taxi.
Tan Jincheng hurried forward and embraced her.
Since Yongcheng University went on holiday, the two hadn't seen each other for over a week.
Tan Jincheng didn't care if people would talk.
"Let go of me quickly, there are too many people at the gate."
Although Gu Qingqing also missed Tan Jincheng very much, there were really too many people at the gate, and she couldn't stand everyone's gazes.
Some people even took out their phones, ready to photograph them.
"Haha, what are you afraid of? Let's go in."
Tan Jincheng laughed heartily.
Having not worn much clothing, he had just felt the sunlight wasn't warm enough and it was a bit cold while standing at the gate, but now he didn't feel it anymore.
Holding Gu Qingqing's hand, the two walked towards the annual meeting venue.
Gu Qingqing's eyes seemed unable to leave Tan Jincheng, but she still stubbornly said,
"Why do I have to come to your company's annual meeting? I'm not an employee of your company."
"You're the boss's wife, of course you have to come. That kid Zhang Xupeng has the nerve to come, why can't you? Besides, didn't you say you were bored staying at home?"
"Hmph, who knows how many 'boss's wives' there are. I'm not the boss's wife."
"Whether you're the boss's wife or not is not up to you. And by the way, there's a punishment for being needlessly jealous tonight."
Tan Jincheng playfully scratched her nose.
This matter stemmed from the last night before the holiday, when Liu Yifei called Tan Jincheng, actually just to discuss the Shanghai exhibition in April.
Gu Qingqing was right beside him at the time.
Logically, regarding the itinerary, Liu Yifei didn't need to discuss it personally with Tan Jincheng; her mother or agent could decide directly.
Tan Jincheng also didn't know why this young girl would personally talk to him about it, and at night.
In short, in Gu Qingqing's view, it was a bit strange; well, actually, in Tan Jincheng's view, it was also a bit odd, but he didn't think too much of it, just taking it as the young girl suddenly getting bored and looking for someone to chat with.
"It's not certain who will punish whom yet,"
Gu Qingqing said softly.
She was no longer the little girl who knew nothing before.
"By the way, do your family know you've come over?"
"Yes, my dad didn't want me to come over. The weather is too cold, and it's the Spring Festival travel rush, so traveling by car is inconvenient. Oh, right, I brought you a gift."
With that, Gu Qingqing took off her backpack.
Both sets of parents were aware of their relationship; although they hadn't met, they both knew of each other's existence.
"What is it?"
Tan Jincheng asked, looking curiously at the backpack.
Gu Qingqing took out a light gray scarf from her backpack; judging by its style, it appeared to be hand-knitted.
Taking the scarf, Tan Jincheng smiled,
"Did you knit it yourself?"
Gu Qingqing said somewhat shyly,
"Mm, it's not knitted very well. This is my first time knitting a scarf."
"My Qingqing is amazing! You knitted it so well for your first time. Help me put it on, I'm a bit cold right now."
Tan Jincheng smiled and lowered his head.
It seems that couples among university students these days especially popularize knitting scarves, gloves, and such.
He hadn't expected to enjoy this kind of treatment himself.
Dating in this era is still inexpensive, unlike later generations where a random lipstick costs hundreds, and a date involving a movie, a meal, and a hotel room would easily cost several hundred yuan a day.
"Don't dislike it,"
Gu Qingqing said as she put the scarf around Tan Jincheng and patted it.
"How could I? But I haven't prepared a New Year's gift for you, what should I do?"
Tan Jincheng said, winking at her.
Actually, he had prepared one, but it was at home.
He had originally considered that if Gu Qingqing didn't come today, he would make a detour to Yiwu to give it to her during his journey home for the New Year.
"It's okay, you've already given me many gifts."
"Let's go, let's head in. I guess everyone should be here soon."
"Mm."
Entering the annual meeting venue, a dense crowd had already filled the entire workshop.
Six or seven hundred people in one room felt a bit crowded, but it was precisely this that made it exceptionally lively.
For this annual meeting, due to the approaching New Year, besides some employees from Jinpeng Trade and Jinyi Industry, Tan Jincheng only invited suppliers from around Yongcheng and customers from terminal stores with outstanding performance.
Those from far away were not invited.
Passing through the crowd, Tan Jincheng saw Zhang Mingcan sitting in the front row, cracking sunflower seeds while watching the non-mainstream performance on stage with a look of disdain yet obvious enjoyment.
"You tell me, why do young people nowadays like to mess up their hair like a bird's nest? You, the boss, don't even manage it."
"Are you kidding? How can I manage this? You can't even manage your daughter skipping classes to chase celebrities, and you want me to manage other people's hair?"
Tan Jincheng casually sat down beside him, then turned to Zhang Huining, who was brought along by her doting father to join the fun, and said,
"Right, little chubby girl?"
"Uncle Tan, you're so mean! Don't call me little chubby girl,"
Zhang Huining said, displeased.
Then she sweetly called out to Gu Qingqing:
"Sister Gu, you're here too! Please tell Uncle Tan off, he always calls me little chubby girl, don't I have any dignity?"
"Oh wow, you want me not to call you little chubby girl? Your Sister Gu and I are boyfriend and girlfriend, so calling me Uncle Tan messes up the generational order, doesn't it?"
"He really should be reined in. Little Gu, you should manage him. My daughter isn't fat, this is called healthy,"
Zhang Mingcan also said, displeased.
After a year of hard work, everyone was very relaxed today, and so were the employees, chatting loudly with familiar faces, eating fruits, drinking beverages, watching the performances on stage, and waiting for the main meal to arrive.
This table was mainly occupied by acquaintances, including Zhang Mingcan and Zhang Xupeng.
Zhang Xupeng immediately noticed the new scarf around Tan Jincheng's neck and couldn't help but glance at Gu Qingqing sitting beside him, but he didn't point it out.
At this moment, he was also chatting with Zhang Xuhui, discussing what to buy to take home.
"What was your sales revenue last year? How much money did you earn? I heard your company became a 'above designated size' enterprise, and the district even gave you a plaque?"
Zhang Mingcan changed the subject, thinking the "little chubby girl" would get angry if he continued.
"As for money, well, we earned some, but it's all spent. As for revenue, it's pretty good, over 60 million yuan, still a bit less than Director Zhang's Jinpeng,"
Tan Jincheng said with a hearty laugh.
Zhang Xupeng, being mentioned, also looked pleased.
When it came to making money, none of the bosses present had a company as capable as his.
Although Jinyi Industry also engaged in import and export business, it was still in its initial stage this year, somewhat similar to Jinpeng Trade last year.
In 2005, Jinpeng Trade's annual export volume exceeded 22 million US dollars, with a net profit of over 77 million yuan.
Jinpeng Trade was also a major taxpayer in the district, receiving a plaque just like Shanchi Technology.
"Not at all, just earned a small amount of money, thanks to you, Director Tan,"
Zhang Xupeng said modestly.
"Haha, you two, just keep praising each other. I'm the one who benefited from both of you!"
Zhang Haiping laughed heartily.
Since Tan Jincheng founded Shanchi Technology, his business ties with Zhang Haiping were severed, but they remained friends privately.
Occasionally, Zhang Haiping would drop by the old Shanchi Technology factory.
This year, Zhang Haiping benefited from the significant increase in Jinpeng Trade's orders.
As the most important OEM factory, he also earned a considerable amount, recovering his investment costs in less than half a year and getting an Audi A6 even before Zhang Mingcan.
When businessmen gather, it's usually about bragging, talking about women, and national affairs.
However, today's occasion was clearly not suitable for talking about women.
While bragging, the conversation gradually shifted to the recent serious milk powder incident.
In fact, this incident had occurred in 2004.
In 2004, Yingzhou experienced the "big head baby" incident, and 45 unqualified milk powder companies were blacklisted, with "a certain three" also among them at the time.
However, for unknown reasons, Yingzhou CDC later publicly apologized to "a certain three" in the media and removed them from the blacklist.
Two years later, this incident reappeared in the public eye, once again causing a huge stir.
"What milk powder does your sister drink?"
Gu Qingqing asked Tan Jincheng softly, while listening to the conversation of the others, her eyes showing concern.
"Don't worry, my sister's milk powder is carefully selected by me, brought back from abroad and Hong Kong. It's not any of these brands."
"Oh, that's good then."
Approaching 12 o'clock, an administrative staff member found Tan Jincheng, asking him to go on stage and say a few words, after which dinner could be served.
Tan Jincheng then ended his bragging, clapped his hands, and walked onto the stage.
"Hello everyone, I am Tan Jincheng, your boss. You've all worked hard in 2005. First, I hope everyone eats and drinks well today, and I wish you all a Happy New Year. Oh, right, everyone received their year-end bonuses, didn't you?"
"Received them, thank you, Boss!"
Zhang Xupeng chimed in.
Tan Jincheng glanced at him; this kid still understood him.
He was helping him out.
As soon as he shouted, everyone below simultaneously shouted "received" and similar responses, and the venue became exceptionally noisy for a moment.
He pressed his hands down, signaling for everyone to be quiet.
"Due to the year-end rush, I know everyone has worked incredibly hard these past few months. But no matter what, the hard work is worth it. Our company's overall salary level exceeds that of our peers and even other factories by at least 20%, and we provide excellent accommodation and living assurances.
Additionally, we've paid social security for everyone. Don't underestimate this; as long as you continue to pay it, you will definitely thank me in the future."
"Of course, you probably don't understand this now, but just remember: if everyone works hard, I, as your boss, will certainly not treat you unfairly. Your income will be higher than most people's!"
"Furthermore, we are also building a new industrial base. I believe some of you already know about it; it's in the Daqi area. If you have time, you can go and take a look. Once the industrial base is completed next year, I will select a group of veteran employees from both factories to serve as grassroots managers there. I hope everyone seizes this opportunity."
"Our company has also rented two residential apartment buildings. In the future, veteran employees like you will be given priority in being assigned to employee dormitories in these residential communities. Again, you won't be charged rent, only utility fees."
"In short, the company will create all conditions to allow hard-working and capable employees more opportunities to demonstrate their abilities and also earn more money. I hope that one day in the future, you will be able to buy your own house and car in Beicang."
"Oh, and the performance just now was excellent. Employees who performed on stage should find the administrative department later; I will personally give each of them a 200 yuan red packet. It's not a lot of money, but it's a token of appreciation."
"Alright, enough talk, everyone dig in! Today's dishes are excellent, I spent quite a bit on them!"
As Tan Jincheng finished speaking, thunderous applause erupted in the venue, and some young people even whistled.
Zhang Qingliang, who was applauding with the crowd, looked at his nephew on stage, spontaneous and full of vigor, and remarked to his wife sitting next to him,
"Jincheng has truly made something of himself."
(End of Chapter)