After entering the office, Ye Yaodong set everything on the desk, removed the cloth covering the basket, and, without trying to hide anything, took out the two bottles of Moutai and emptied the remaining cigarettes from the mesh bag.
He had been in a hurry, and the shop hadn't had enough of any one brand of cigarettes, so he had gathered up everything in roughly the same price range and spent every last bit of money in his pockets.
Now that he saw both officials were there, he felt too embarrassed to pick out just two packs, so he put all the remaining ones on the desk.
"Hehe, just a little token of appreciation. A few pieces of steamed sponge cake for you two to take home for your families to try. Something sweet."
There was actually quite a bit left-over a dozen pieces of cake in the basket. A Qing had prepared plenty, afraid there wouldn't be enough to go around and things would get awkward.
He didn't mention the two bottles of liquor or the remaining cigarettes. They were already out on the desk, anyway. Those who knew, knew. He would leave them to divide everything themselves; he felt too awkward to portion it out for them.
"You're quite thoughtful, young comrade, coming all the way to the Border Defense Station to hand these out."
The speaker was probably the Station Chief. He had an upright face and looked rather imposing. This was probably that official air people talked about.
"Of course, of course. We'd already ordered some cakes in advance, since it's customary to give them to friends and relatives. The comrades here at the station have worked hard too, so I certainly had to show my appreciation. It's only a few pieces of cake-a small gift,