Chapter 78: The Director's Audience

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"Weiguo, what are you doing in there? I've been knocking for ten minutes and you still haven't responded. Are you up to no good in there or something? You really ought to find yourself a wife soon," Shi Guanglin joked, craning his head to peer inside, sniffing exaggeratedly, a mysterious smile on his face.

"What are you talking about, Brother Lin? I was just sleeping. I've been exhausted from fishing for the commune lately, so I slept like a log and didn't hear you," Xiao Weiguo replied, ushering Shi Guanglin inside and opening the window as he did.

Why does it feel like Brother Lin is always so improper when he talks?

Hearing Xiao Weiguo mention how tired he'd been, Shi Guanglin immediately remembered the young man's recent contributions to the factory and their team—truly among the best in the third group, carrying a heavy share of their workload.

So he patted Weiguo on the shoulder and said, "You've really worked hard lately. Once this is all over, take a few days to rest. By the way, is the fish stock in the commune's lake almost gone? I notice that lately, all the fish brought in are small ones."

"That's right, Brother Lin. I was just about to mention it. There are no more fish to catch—we'll have to give up fishing at the commune," Xiao Weiguo replied.

Shi Guanglin thought for a moment before saying, "Then from now on, Weiguo, you’ll be stationed in town. We'll call an end to the fishing for now. You've really given a lot to the factory's production effort."

He paused, then continued, "Oh, and about the discovery at the munitions depot today—it's drawn in quite a few departments. The factory leaders are holding an emergency meeting to discuss how to reward us. Who knows, maybe you'll get something out of it this time, haha."

Xiao Weiguo also hoped some benefit might come his way. He quickly asked, "Brother Lin, what kind of reward do you think we'll get this time?"

He fixed his large eyes intently on Shi Guanglin.

"It's hard to say. This time, it was just firearms and ammunition. If there had been gold bars or antiques, the value would be much higher, and so would the rewards. The country's going through major construction right now and money is very tight. So, don’t set your hopes too high," Shi Guanglin replied after a pause.

That matched Xiao Weiguo’s own expectations—but something was better than nothing.

"Right, I came to get you for dinner. Everyone else at the factory has probably already eaten. Let’s see what’s left, and if there’s nothing, we’ll buy something at the store," Shi Guanglin added.

The two of them grabbed their meal tins and headed straight for the cafeteria. Tonight, the canteen was serving fish soup with tofu—most likely from fish caught by Xiao Weiguo himself—along with a couple of coarse flour steamed buns.

As luck would have it, there was just enough food left. The two got their meals and ate every last bite.

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When they returned to the dormitory, Xiao Weiguo, as usual, made his bed on the floor. Both of them were exhausted and soon fell into a deep sleep.

Xiao Weiguo actually thought about sneaking into his space while going out to use the restroom, but after trying, he found he still couldn’t enter. He’d have to try again tomorrow.

The night passed uneventfully.

The next day, Xiao Weiguo, after a long absence, arrived at the third group’s office. It felt like a lifetime had passed—ever since joining the procurement department, he hadn’t spent a full day at the factory.

Seeing Sister Ling and Xiao He again, he felt a surge of warmth.

The other procurement officers weren’t in the factory, as it wasn’t Monday; they were all out in the countryside for purchases.

Sister Ling soon noticed Xiao Weiguo and greeted him excitedly, "Weiguo, you’ve been amazing lately! You’ve already completed 100% of your quota for the first three months. And you brought back such a huge pig yesterday! By the way, there’s a lot of reconciliation work to do from these past weeks. I’ll help you check it all, so we can get your wages and procurement funds sorted out."

Xiao Weiguo greeted Sister Ling and Xiao He cheerfully. While reconciling accounts with Sister Ling, he found his mind wandering, wondering what rewards he might receive this time.

At that moment, Shi Guanglin came into the office and quickly called Xiao Weiguo over, his face full of excitement. "Weiguo, get ready—the head of logistics wants to see us in his office. Looks like there’s finally some news about yesterday’s incident."

He asked Sister Ling and Xiao He to carry on with their work.

Xiao Weiguo felt a rush of anticipation and followed Shi Guanglin to the director’s office.

When they arrived, the door was open. Shi Guanglin stood outside and knocked.

The director saw them and quickly invited them in.

Xiao Weiguo closed the door behind him.

The director looked to be in his fifties, his hair streaked with gray. His face was kindly, his eyes crinkled into a smile as he looked at them.

"This must be Comrade Xiao Weiguo, the one who discovered the weapons and ammunition cache. Such talent at a young age! The file says you’re only sixteen?"

"Come, sit—let’s talk sitting down. I should introduce myself first: I’m Shi Changzai," said the director of logistics.

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Hearing the director address him, Xiao Weiguo quickly stood up and replied, "Hello, Director. I am Xiao Weiguo, and yes, I’m sixteen this year."

Shi Changzai nodded with a smile and motioned for him to sit. He asked his secretary to bring them tea.

Afterwards, the conversation lingered on trivial matters—family, life, everything except the main topic. Xiao Weiguo grew a little impatient, but seeing Shi Guanglin’s calm and easy manner as he conversed with the director, he couldn’t help but admire him—he still had much to learn.

Finally, after they’d exhausted the small talk, both Shi Changzai and Shi Guanglin fell silent.

Shi Changzai turned to Xiao Weiguo and said, "I’ll be brief. Yesterday, Guanglin praised you in front of me—said that in just over ten days, you completed all the procurement tasks for the first three months, demonstrating exceptional ability. And now, with your recent contribution, the factory committee held an emergency meeting last night and decided on the following rewards for you:

Weiguo, you will be promoted ahead of schedule to a full-time position, without having to wait the usual three years. Your salary will be set at Level 26, with a monthly wage of thirty-three yuan. Additionally, you will receive a bicycle voucher and a cash reward of one hundred yuan."

Hearing this, even though Xiao Weiguo had guessed as much, he was still overjoyed.

He was finally promoted—and not at the bottom Level 30, but Level 26. Plus, a bicycle voucher and a hundred yuan in cash. That was no small reward.

To put it in perspective, the reward for successfully researching the detonation of explosives later on was only twenty yuan.

It must be because the textile factory was a frontline production plant with more funds, so the rewards were this generous.

Learning that Level 26 was the rank for procurement officers, Xiao Weiguo realized that meant he was now considered part of the management track; with future promotions, he could eventually move into administrative roles.