Year-End

Time flew by, and before they knew it, it was the twenty-seventh day of the twelfth lunar month.

There were only three days left until the New Year. The festive atmosphere in the streets and alleys grew stronger by the day, with decorations and lanterns everywhere.

Firecrackers sounded now and then throughout the city as mischievous children played, chased one another, and ran about.

Adults went out to buy all kinds of food, fruit, snacks, couplets, and other things needed for the New Year.

One thing worth mentioning was that Jiuzhou Minis were becoming an increasingly common sight in Jiangzhou City.

It was now quite common to see people driving them to the market to buy supplies.

Everyone was getting ready for the approaching New Year, celebrating the biggest holiday of the year.

At Jiuzhou Automobile Factory, the workers diligently doing their jobs were also looking forward to the holiday.

Most of them had only been with the company for less than a month.

In the assembly area, several employees gathered around a half-finished vehicle. As they carefully installed parts inside it, they chatted with their coworkers.

"Only two or three days until the New Year. I wonder what the factory's plans are."

A worker beside him finished the task in his hands and replied without looking back.

"I wonder if we'll get any time off."

Once the topic came up, several people nearby couldn't help joining in to discuss something they all cared about.

"I don't think so. Most of us haven't even been here a month. How could they give us such a long holiday?"

"Life at the factory is great now. A good company like this is hard to come by, so it'd be a little much to ask for time off as soon as we get here!"

"Working eight hours a day isn't tiring. After work, we can eat and go home to celebrate with our families, or skip the meal here and go straight home to celebrate with our relatives and friends. It's not bad, really. It doesn't get in the way of anything."

"That's true, but I'm still kind of hoping we'll get some time off."

"I don't mind either way. A holiday would be great, of course, but if we don't get one, that's fine too. I'm staying at this factory no matter what. The pay's good, the benefits are great, and it's close to home. I can't ask for more!"

"The factory's orders are already backed up for a month. If we shut down and take a few days off now, when are we supposed to get anything done? There's no way we're getting a holiday!"

The new workers chatted quietly while carrying out tasks they had already become proficient at.

Their group leader, a veteran employee responsible for managing their work, turned a blind eye.

As long as their work didn't suffer and they weren't doing a dangerous job that required their full attention, it was fine to chat while installing the speakers.

But when it came to their conversation, the veteran employee only smiled.

Whatever happened, all they had to do was trust the company!

At some point, he had come to feel confident in the factory. Was it when the pay kept going up, or when he was promoted and his benefits improved?

Even if they didn't get time off, the company wouldn't let everyone down!

There was an hour left until the end of the shift. He could go into town later to buy some New Year goods and take them home.

He'd earned a decent wage working at Jiuzhou this year, and now that he was a group leader, he also received an allowance. He could look forward to a very good New Year.

As the group leader worked and thought about what New Year goods he needed to buy, a hurried set of footsteps approached from nearby.

In the blink of an eye, Zhou Fengyan, the manager of production, was right in front of them.

"Let everyone know that we'll be getting off half an hour early today. After work, all the group leaders should bring their team members to the cafeteria for dinner."

"The factory's holding a year-end banquet today. There'll be plenty of food, and the director will also announce the holiday schedule and some New Year subsidies."

Zhou Fengyan spoke loudly. The group leaders didn't even need to pass on the news—the employees assembling the various parts of the same vehicle had already heard him!

"We're actually getting a holiday!"

"I'd already prepared myself for no time off. What a surprise! Long live Jiuzhou!"

"I haven't even finished my probationary period. I'd feel bad taking time off!"

"The factory is my home!"

A small cheer went up among the workers, and happy smiles spread across their faces.

Zhou Fengyan hurried over, then hurried away to notify the other nearby teams.

Meanwhile, at the factory gate.

A security guard was using a megaphone to notify another group of workers who had just arrived to take over the shift.

"Attention, everyone! The company's holding its year-end banquet today. Please head to the cafeteria and wait there.

"Those about to start work should sit on the right side of the cafeteria. Employees who are on shift must not drink alcohol.

"Anyone who wants a drink can have one with dinner in the cafeteria after their shift. That's all!"

The announcement blared over and over, drawing the attention of the employees who were about to start work.

"Huh, the company's having its year-end banquet? We can even drink? Jiuzhou Factory is amazing!"

"Too bad we can only drink after work. The food should be good, though."

"As long as it doesn't taste like the food we used to get, haha. It probably won't."

Amid the chatter, everyone headed toward the cafeteria.

In the factory cafeteria kitchen, the chefs worked frantically, preparing dish after delicious dish.

Golden, glistening braised prawns.

Sweet-and-sour carp.

A large plate of chilled pig's ears.

Taro chicken stew, steaming hot.

The chefs carefully prepared more than ten hearty dishes, along with several vegetable dishes, and arranged them on large plates.

They also plated fruit such as apples and bananas, then carried everything into the cafeteria.

The dishes were neatly arranged on the tables, and bowls and chopsticks were set out.

The dishes were the same for everyone. The tables on the left, for employees finishing their shifts, also had beer and assorted soft drinks.

The tables on the right, for employees about to start work, had orange juice, cola, and soy milk.

The meal was lavish, and the dishes had been changed up a little from the large platters they'd had before.

The head chef kept an eye on the time. As he set the last cold dish on the table, the employees began arriving one after another.

On an ordinary workday, everyone usually arrived at the cafeteria half an hour early, ate, and then went to relieve the previous shift.

The employees who had just finished work would then come to the cafeteria to eat. Once they were done, they could leave the factory.

Since work was ending half an hour early today, the incoming and outgoing shifts had the rare chance to eat together.

With the exception of one group on the night shift, nearly four hundred employees were there, filling the entire cafeteria.

Xu Yifan walked in from outside and felt a little moved by the scene before him.

The factory had undergone a complete transformation since he'd first taken it over a few months earlier.

Now, this small factory was running at full capacity. If they wanted to expand further, they would need to build new dormitories and a new cafeteria, as well as more workshops and warehouses!

Things would only get better from here. After the New Year, he would have to start thinking about expanding the factory.

Once all the employees had arrived, they sat by team at the tables, as instructed by their group leaders.

They didn't start eating yet. Instead, they waited for the factory's owner and director to arrive.

When Xu Yifan walked into the cafeteria, whispers rippled through the crowd.

"The director's here! The director's here!"

"I've been here for ages, but this is the first time I've seen him."

"He's pretty handsome. So young, too!"

"Everyone knows those luxury cars parked at the factory, right? They all belong to our young director. I heard his family is incredibly rich!"

"He's not just rich—he's capable, too. Everyone knows what the company was like a few months ago. It could barely afford to pay wages.

"It's all thanks to the director that things are the way they are now!"

As employees of Jiuzhou, they understood all the more how difficult it was to turn around a company that had been operating for years without making a profit in just a few months.

"Speaking of which, I have a younger sister who's beautiful. I wonder if she'd have a chance."

"Keep dreaming. A super-rich man like him must have met all kinds of beautiful women."

"Besides, isn't your sister nearly two hundred pounds? And you still have the nerve to bring her up!"

"What do you know? Fat people are full of potential. She'd be gorgeous if she lost weight!"

"All right, all right. Stop talking, everyone. Listen to the director," the group leader cut in.