Sour Plum Drink

By May, Future Technology had been as silent as a stone sinking into the sea since the start of the year. If users had not been using Future Technology's Intelligent Assistant every day, Li Zhou would have suspected that people had long forgotten the company existed.

Though there was little news about Future Technology online, every department within the company had been exceptionally busy ever since work resumed after the New Year.

In particular, the 150 Han Language developers personally coordinated by Li Zhou had been working at full intensity for more than three months, ever since early February.

Everyone only knew that they were taking part in the development of an enormous system. The code each person wrote had to undergo cross-checking by three people before it could be confirmed as error-free and finally submitted to the code repository.

Every development task module was personally assigned by the boss, Li Zhou.

Although discussions among colleagues had led to some speculation about what this super system might be, no one yet knew exactly what kind of system it was.

As for major events at Future Technology in May, the company's new headquarters was about to be completed.

The lower half of the building's main structure had already been fully renovated a month earlier, while the upper half was now 90% complete. Once the main structure was topped out, the interior finishing could be completed within a month at most.

All employees knew that their boss attached enormous importance to the headquarters. Ever since May began, he had been visiting the construction site every few days to personally oversee its progress.

At noon on May 20, Li Zhou returned from the construction site in high spirits.

The moment he got out of the car, Li Zhou spotted an urban management officer newly assigned by the county to patrol the area around Future Technology, sitting beneath a large tree.

Across from the officer was a young mother holding a baby, her eyes full of worry.

Li Zhou gestured for Zhou Song and the others not to make a sound, then quietly walked over.

As he approached, Li Zhou heard the conversation between the officer and the young mother.

"So, what are you selling?"

"Cold drinks."

"Cold drinks?"

"Yes, I made them myself."

"Oh, this is your own exclusive recipe?"

The officer chatted amiably as he took out his phone and photographed the bag after bag of Sour Plum Drink inside the white foam cooler.

"Yes."

"Your idea is good, but our county finally has a high-tech company like Future Technology, and the county places great importance on the image of the surrounding area. You know how much change Future Technology has brought to the area since it settled here. This concerns the whole county, so selling things here isn't allowed."

Hearing this from behind them, Li Zhou frowned.

The young mother holding the baby immediately choked up.

"Oh, I didn't know. My husband has nephritis, the kind where he has to take medicine every day, and he also has high blood pressure."

Seeing the young mother choke back tears, the officer found himself in a difficult position. They were all from the same county, after all.

The young mother said through tears, "Then just fine me a little. It's not like I don't understand reason."

"No, no. How many bags do you have in total? Here, I'll buy them all."

"Give me those. Don't cry, don't cry."

Seeing this, Li Zhou stepped forward and patted the officer on the shoulder.

Since the officer was buying everything this time, Li Zhou guessed that the young mother carrying the baby would not come again next time.

And if she did not come back, it might mean losing her source of income. In this small town, aside from Future Technology employees, Li Zhou could not think of many locals who would buy Sour Plum Drink they could make themselves.

Shao Yang felt someone pat his shoulder. When he turned around, he nearly jumped out of his skin.

"Li... Director Li."

"Mm."

Li Zhou rummaged through the Sour Plum Drink in the white foam cooler a little more and found that it had been chilled. It felt wonderfully cold to the touch.

Looking at the young mother holding her baby, who seemed frightened of him, Li Zhou took out a bag of Sour Plum Drink. Smiling warmly, he asked, "Which village are you from, sis? I don't think I've seen you before."

Li Ting looked fearfully at the young man before her. Li Zhou, the owner of Future Technology—who in the nearby villages did not know him?

"I... I'm from neighboring Wangjia Village. I'm Wang Kai's wife."

Li Zhou raised an eyebrow. Wang Kai—he vaguely remembered him.

"Why didn't you ask your village chief to organize a fundraiser? Don't you know the situation in our town?"

Though Li Zhou's town was rural, everyone was more or less connected by kinship. Whenever someone had a young family member stricken with a serious illness and urgently needed money they could not afford, everyone would lend a hand and donate a little.

At Li Zhou's question, Li Ting's tears immediately began falling nonstop like raindrops.

"I wanted to, but my husband refused."

"Hmph! For the sake of his so-called pride? Is his pride more important than his own illness and his wife?"

Li Zhou shook his head and added, "Forget it. Every family has its own troubles."

He unscrewed the cap and took a sip of the Sour Plum Drink.

As Li Zhou drank it, the people beside him did not dare say a word.

Li Zhou raised his brows. "The taste is decent. Tomorrow, bring four hundred servings of Sour Plum Drink to the company cafeteria and see how many you can sell. The cafeteria's Sour Plum Drink business is yours now. But you must guarantee food safety. Otherwise, even if I know Wang Kai, I won't go easy on you."

Li Ting froze for a moment. Once she understood, she repeatedly bowed to Li Zhou while holding her baby, thanking him over and over.

"Alright. The company employees have picky tastes. How much you can sell will depend on your own ability."

After paying for one bag of Sour Plum Drink, Li Zhou turned to look at the urban management officer.

Being stared at by Li Zhou, who was younger than him, made Shao Yang feel uncomfortable all over.

"Li... Director Li."

"Mm. A civilized image is indeed important, but this is the countryside. Street vending has always been perfectly normal here. Setting up a stall here won't cause traffic jams or leave behind trash. There is absolutely no need to change the locals' original way of life. It's a good thing for people to set up stalls at the company entrance—it makes things convenient for the employees. Tell your leaders I said so."

"You did very well too."

Li Zhou held it in for a long time but still could not think of any suitable words of praise.

"You're a good person."

Watching Li Zhou leave, Shao Yang felt inwardly devastated over the good-person card personally handed out by Future Technology's boss, while Li Ting watched Li Zhou's retreating figure with gratitude in her eyes.

"Alright, miss. Pack up the remaining bags for me. They'll be perfect for quenching the thirst of a few brothers. I reckon us guys will be called back to the county by our leaders tomorrow."

Xiong Kexuan stood in the second-floor corridor and called down to Li Zhou with a smile.

"Boss, I didn't expect you to be so kind-hearted."

Xiong Kexuan suppressed a laugh. "Boss, you're a good person."

Downstairs, Li Zhou, who had also received a good-person card, made a dismissive gesture at Xiong Kexuan.