Qi Bajiu grabbed his nephew and niece and waited until the Jing family's car and armed guards had crossed the street before leading them through the main road and into the tree-lined lane.
"Second Uncle, I want skewers!"
"Second Uncle, I want to buy a pinwheel!"
"Second Uncle, I want dragon's beard candy!"
"Second Uncle, I want some too!"
Qi Bajiu said cheerfully, "Buy, buy, we'll buy everything!"
He was now the supervisor of the Grace Lock factory under the Ting family. Although he had not received his share of the first month's profits yet—and there might not be much of it—his overdue wages had already been paid in full. His money pouch was bulging, and his elder brother and sister-in-law had both advised him to save some money. In a few months, he might even be able to build a house.
Today was the founding meeting of the union. Qi Bajiu had no idea what it was about, but every factory supervisor had to attend, and the workers could go too. There would be free sour plum soup at the venue, and all the factories in the prefecture were taking half a day off.
Hey! Free sour plum soup! Who wouldn't go?
It wasn't just the workers who went—they brought their families too. Qi Bajiu's elder brother and sister-in-law ran a street stall and had no time to look after their children during the day, so they usually entrusted them to the neighbors. Qi Bajiu happened to be free today, and he doted on these two little rascals, so he took them along to broaden their horizons.
The meeting was being held at an old factory in the outer city. The space inside was enormous. When Qi Bajiu arrived, he saw that it was already packed with people. Groups