PCJ – Chapter 348 Doubt

All the delegation members from the province participating in this World Food Quality Evaluation Conference gathered in the provincial capital. In Zijiang City, there were only two tea factories. The Zijiang City Tea Factory sent five people: Director Lu Yingxiang and his wife, Ding Shuzhen. The third spot went to Pan Yicai, the son of the city’s Party Secretary, Pan Yongyu. The other two spots were given to the newly appointed Quality Control Director, Sun Qibin, and the Sales Department Head, Dong Suolin.

Coincidentally, as soon as they arrived at the hotel where the provincial delegation was gathering, the three people from Meizi’ao Tea Factory ran into the group from the Zijiang City Tea Factory.

Ding Shuzhen pointed at Zhang Jiaohua and said, “Look, look! Didn’t they say no kids were allowed? But look, they’re openly bringing a child along. You, on the other hand, are useless! It’s just a trip abroad. What’s there to be afraid of? This is supposed to be a benefit for the leadership.”

Ding Shuzhen had initially planned to bring her own child as well, but Lu Yingxiang was worried about how it would look. Still, he brought his wife along since she was an employee of the tea factory and had now risen to a mid-level management position. So, it wasn’t something others could easily criticize.

“I’ve just gotten promoted; making waves now wouldn’t look good… Huh? Is that them?” Lu Yingxiang’s expression changed when he saw Zhao Jinyuan and Shen Jinmao.

Only then did Ding Shuzhen notice that the two people next to the child were old acquaintances—Zhao Jinyuan and Shen Jinmao! At first, she felt a bit uneasy seeing Zhao Jinyuan. She was fully aware of how Zhao had left the city tea factory. However, that brief sense of guilt quickly vanished.

“Hmph, wasn’t Zhao Jinyuan always bragging about being upright and honest? Yet here he is, abusing his position to bring his own kid along,” Ding Shuzhen sneered.

Lu Yingxiang scratched his head. “That’s not right. Zhao Jinyuan only has one daughter. She’s in her twenties now and is attending university. Remember? When she got accepted into college, he even treated a few of us leaders to dinner.”

“Maybe he has an illegitimate son hidden somewhere? That might explain why he chose to work at a rural factory,” Ding Shuzhen’s imagination ran wild, as if she had stumbled upon some great discovery.

“That’s impossible. I know about Meizi’ao Tea Factory’s situation. Zhao Jinyuan only got acquainted with people in Xintian County last year when he went to the province for a tea evaluation. Before that, he had never even been to Xintian,” Lu Yingxiang countered. It seemed that no one knew a person better than their rivals.

“You and your blockhead! What do you even know?” Ding Shuzhen refused to believe it.

Zhang Jiaohua, unfamiliar with the place, simply stuck close to Zhao Jinyuan and Shen Jinmao.

“Before we go abroad, the province will likely organize a session for us to learn a few things. Mostly, it’ll cover things to watch out for after we leave the country, along with some diplomatic etiquette. They’re worried we’ll make a joke of ourselves overseas,” Zhao Jinyuan, though traveling abroad for the first time, had heard friends talk about it.

“Director Zhao, long time no see. I didn’t expect to run into you here,” Ding Shuzhen walked over, haughtily looking at Zhao Jinyuan.

“Oh, it’s Little Ding. Are you also attending the exhibition? I thought you were in finance,” Zhao Jinyuan, of course, knew that she was using this opportunity to travel abroad for leisure.

“I’m now a mid-level manager at the factory and a key figure in the tea factory’s operations. Why can’t I go?” Ding Shuzhen was annoyed, forgetting that she had originally come over to mock him.

Zhao Jinyuan smiled. “You? A key figure? You don’t understand tea, nor do you know the business. Besides sightseeing, what else can you do? Isn’t this just a joke, wasting state funds?”

Ding Shuzhen gritted her teeth. Just then, she noticed Zhang Jiaohua standing beside them. “And you, Zhao Jinyuan! You think you’re so virtuous. What’s with this child, then?”

“Don’t underestimate him. The famous bamboo-tube black tea was created by him. He’s the real owner of Meizi’ao Tea Factory,” Zhao Jinyuan said.

“Are you trying to fool me, Zhao Jinyuan? If this child can make bamboo-tube black tea, I’ll take off my head and let you use it as a football!” Ding Shuzhen sneered.

“Well, you might just have to take off your head. The bamboo-tube black tea really was made by him. Think about it: if it’s such a great tea, why hadn’t we heard of it in Zijiang City for so many years? It suddenly emerged last year and started winning awards left and right. Forget it, there’s no point explaining it to you. Lu, you haven’t changed at all—no real skills, but plenty of devious tricks,” Zhao Jinyuan jabbed at Lu, alluding to the fact that Lu had used tea from Xintian County’s factory and passed it off as tea from Zijiang City’s factory.

Lu Yingxiang, however, maintained a magnanimous smile. “Director Zhao, I never expected to see you here. You really made things tough for me when you left and took two of the factory’s top talents with you. My work became quite difficult after that.”

“Spare me. You know exactly why they left. I, Zhao Jinyuan, don’t have that kind of power. In fact, everything turned out just the way you wanted, didn’t it?” Zhao had never liked Lu, who had been forced into the leadership role at the tea factory by the higher-ups.

Shen Jinmao, clearly uninterested in speaking with Lu, stood by impatiently. “Let’s go, Old Zhao. Why bother talking to people like this?”

Zhang Jiaohua turned to Ding Shuzhen and said, “Don’t provoke me, or you’ll regret it for the rest of your life!”

After saying that, Zhang Jiaohua walked away, leaving Ding Shuzhen stunned. It took her a while to regain her composure. “That child has no manners at all!”

“Don’t mind her, Jiaohua. Some people just have no class,” Shen Jinmao said, pulling Zhang Jiaohua along.

“This isn’t over!” Ding Shuzhen, however, wasn’t ready to let it go.

Lu Yingxiang quickly tried to calm her down. “Let’s not make a scene. We’re all from Zijiang City. If this gets out of hand, we’ll be the ones at a disadvantage. They’re a private business; even if something happens, the city won’t do much to them. But I’ll be in trouble. Even if the city doesn’t take action, they might stop trusting me in the future.”

After weighing the pros and cons, Ding Shuzhen finally relented. After all, they were the ones with more to lose. But she still felt unsatisfied. “Yingxiang, what if someone reports that members of the delegation brought family members on the trip? What do you think would happen?”

“Are you crazy? If someone reports it, the province will investigate everything. They’ll definitely uncover our situation too. At that point, we’ll be in the same boat. And reporting something like this would offend more than just one or two people—it could make everyone hate us. Don’t even think about it,” Lu was startled by her idea.

“I was just saying. Why are you so panicked?” Ding Shuzhen retorted. She wasn’t foolish enough to risk her own interests to harm others.

However, that evening, provincial leader Shi Guoshu lost his temper when he saw Zhang Jiaohua.

“What’s going on? Didn’t I emphasize that no family members were allowed on this trip? Yet here we are, with someone bringing a child!” Shi angrily demanded.

Zhao Jinyuan quickly stepped forward. “Director Shi, this child isn’t a family member. He has every right to be here. Meizi’ao Tea Factory is a private company, and they’re here because of the bamboo-tube black tea. This bamboo-tube black tea was created by this child.”

“Are you joking with me?” Shi was furious, thinking someone was trying to bluff their way through.

“Bamboo-tube black tea was indeed made by me!” Zhang Jiaohua, also angry, stepped up.

“You? And what proof do you have that the bamboo-tube black tea is your creation?” Shi asked.

“I’m the only one who can make it. Why don’t you find someone else who can?” Zhang Jiaohua confidently retorted.

Shi Guoshu couldn’t think of a rebuttal. “But you’re just a child. How could you possibly create bamboo-tube black tea?”

Shi had tasted bamboo-tube black tea before; the tea brewed wasn’t black but a vibrant green.

“If you give me fresh tea leaves, I’ll make it for you,” Zhang Jiaohua said.

Fresh tea leaves could easily be found in the suburbs of the provincial city, so Shi quickly arranged for a few pounds of fresh tea leaves to be sent over.

“What other tools do you need? I’ll prepare everything. But if you can’t make bamboo-tube black tea, not only will you be barred from leaving the country, but your entire factory’s participation will be canceled,” Shi warned.

“And what if I do succeed?” Zhang Jiaohua asked.

Shi’s face twitched as he thought, “This kid is really bold!”

But he replied, “If you manage to make it, then I’ll admit my mistake and apologize to your Meizi’ao Tea Factory.”

“Alright. Here’s a list of things I’ll need,” Zhang Jiaohua calmly listed the necessary items. None were particularly rare, and Shi had the hotel staff prepare them immediately.

Shen Jinmao, worried, whispered to Zhao Jinyuan, “Why didn’t you stop him? If this goes south, we won’t be able to leave the country. Everything you’ve worked for will be ruined.”

“Don’t worry. Jiaohua made the tea in the first place. Let him prove himself, and people will stop gossiping,” Zhao wasn’t worried at all.