Chapter 167: Work Hard—I Have High Hopes for You

"Whatever you say, Jianjun."

Chen Huajiang smiled and said.

He had merely brought it up; whether the other man cared to listen was up to him. You can lead a horse to water, but can you force it to drink?

Seeing Chen Huajiang back down, Chen Jianjun let out a cold snort, his expression relaxing slightly.

Seeing this, the others naturally leaned toward believing Chen Jianjun.

Soon, the waiter served the food, and amid Chen Jianjun's boasting and the flattery of the others, the glasses began to clink.

"I'm not bragging to you guys, but even if the stove-warming business goes under, so what? Brother here knows plenty of big bosses."

"We're all brothers. If any one of them gives me a hand up, it'll be more than enough for me to live comfortably. Do you know who the richest man in Sanhe Town is? Zhao Sanquan!"

"People who don't know any better might think the owner of this Fortune Restaurant is rich, given how expensive the food is and how well the business does. But those who truly know the industry and understand the inside story know that this is small potatoes. Zhao Sanquan has seven or eight shops in Sanhe Town and two more in the city. And as for yours truly, Chen Jianjun, I'm sworn brothers with Zhao Sanquan."

Halfway through the meal, Chen Jianjun boasted with a flushed face, gilding his own lily by dropping names.

Yet this was remarkably convincing. Chen Long, Chen Hu, and the others immediately started showering him with flattery upon hearing this.

"I actually happen to know this Zhao Sanquan. When I came to the town market, I saw shops bearing the 'Sanquan' brand all the way here."

"Right, right, I remember now too—Sanquan Wholesale, Sanquan Hardware, Sanquan Sundries, and so on."

"I never imagined Brother Jianjun would know such a big shot. Truly extraordinary! Let me propose a toast to you."

Recalling Zhao Sanquan's influence, the others raised their wine glasses and looked at Chen Jianjun with admiration, offering him a toast.

Chen Jianjun downed his drink in one gulp, looking even more smug.

The commotion and shouting from their table dissatisfied several guests at surrounding tables, and quite a few people cast frequent glances over.

However, seeing that Chen Jianjun's group was large, consisted of young men, and that they were all heavily drunk, no one dared to step forward to warn them.

At that moment, the noise and clamor from the second floor grew even louder.

"Hahaha, just a small business! What's the big deal? Can an income of a thousand yuan a month even be called a business?"

"Let's go, let's change places and keep the party going! It's the New Year, how can we not celebrate properly?"

The speaker was a middle-aged, chubby man in his forties, whose face was flushed red from drinking. He walked unsteadily, nearly missing a step on the stairs.

Yet he was surrounded by people who fawned over and flattered him on one side while supporting him on the other, creating quite an impressive entrance.

"Boss Zhao! It's Boss Zhao!"

Chen Jianjun also recognized the man and said excitedly to the others.

"Is that Zhao Sanquan? He really does look prosperous, truly living up to his reputation as a rich man."

"A real man should aspire to be like this! Moving about with crowds of followers like clouds and rain, walking with that swagger—truly extraordinary bearing."

"As expected of the richest big boss in Sanhe Town. That suit of his is of a much higher grade than Brother Jianjun's."

Following Chen Jianjun's words, the group looked over at the fat man descending the stairs, their expressions filled with envy and jealousy.

Chen Huajiang glanced at the chubby man as well, then dismissed him indifferently and continued eating his food.

By his aesthetic standards, that fat man was utterly mediocre. What kind of fat men hadn't he seen in later generations? Many people were just "poorly fed fat"—chubby due to poverty. Weight was hardly a sign of wealth; on the contrary, most wealthy people had the time to work out and were not overweight at all.

As for the suit, it was at best tailored to fit. In later generations, didn't crowds of people rushing back and forth on city streets all wear suits?

With the memories of future generations, he had seen plenty of this long ago, so Chen Huajiang naturally felt no surprise.

"Boss Zhao, I'm Zhao Daliang from Daliang Grain and Oil. Wishing you a brand-new atmosphere for the New Year and immense wealth every year."

"Boss Zhao, I'm Ma Yuan. You visited my shop last time."

"Boss Zhao, thank you for supporting our family's business. This drink is a toast to you."

As Zhao Sanquan stepped down from the second floor, many guests on the ground floor stood up, walking over to fawn and flatter him while offering toasts.

Zhao Sanquan nodded proudly and slightly in acknowledgment. As for the wine, he had already had too much to drink and naturally wasn't going to drink any more.

"I appreciate everyone's kind intentions, but my stomach isn't feeling too well, so I'll substitute tea for wine and share a cup with you all."

With that, Zhao Sanquan took a thermos cup handed to him by a subordinate, opened it, gestured to the crowd, and took a hearty gulp of tea.

Although he was just brushing them off, everyone still felt that he had given them plenty of face.

Chen Jianjun also stood up, feeling conflicted and hesitant.

Earlier, he had been boasting before everyone, forcefully tying himself to Zhao Sanquan.

Now that Zhao Sanquan had appeared, his heart was filled with trepidation because his relationship with Zhao Sanquan was nothing like what he had claimed.

He was merely working under Zhao Sanquan as a subordinate and had no personal connection to him whatsoever—at most, they had met a few times.

Suddenly, Zhao Sanquan walked in their direction.

"You are?"

Zhao Sanquan looked curiously at Chen Jianjun because the fellow in front of him had been staring intently at him, making him think they knew each other.

Yet, try as he might, he couldn't figure out who the man was or what business dealings they had.

"Boss Zhao, I'm Chen Jianjun, I work under you."

"Chen Jianjun from Hedong Village, helping your subordinate Brother Ergou with installing heating stoves."

Chen Jianjun hastily said, bowing and scraping.

"Oh, so you're with Ergou. No wonder you looked a bit familiar."

Zhao Sanquan finally placed him—just some fellow working for his subordinate Ergou.

Normally, he wouldn't bother with such people, but since it was the New Year and harmony was valued, Zhao Sanquan still managed a smile and extended his hand.

"Keep up the good work. I have high hopes for you."

At Zhao Sanquan's words, Chen Jianjun nodded and bowed excitedly, extending both hands to firmly grasp Zhao Sanquan's hand and shake it vigorously.

He felt a tremendous surge of pride. Now, the boasts he had made earlier in front of everyone actually held water.

Zhao Sanquan recognized him and even shook his hand—wasn't this the best possible proof?

The gazes of Chen Long, Chen Guang, Chen Zongguang, Chen Zongqiang, and the others toward Chen Jianjun grew even more admiring. They hadn't expected Chen Jianjun to actually be working directly under Zhao Sanquan!

This instantly fired everyone's enthusiasm. It meant Chen Jianjun hadn't been lying, and working under him next year would definitely bring great wealth!

"Boss Zhao, I propose a toast to you. Wishing you happiness as vast as the Eastern Sea and longevity surpassing the Southern Mountains."

Letting go of his hand, Chen Jianjun picked up the cup on the table and drained it in one gulp.

However, Zhao Sanquan frowned with dissatisfaction, which put him in an awkward spot.

He had just taken a large gulp of tea and no longer felt like drinking any more.

"Not bad, you can hold your liquor. Keep up the good work."

Too lazy to keep up the characture, Zhao Sanquan nodded and turned to leave.

Just as he turned around, however, he caught sight of Chen Huajiang and froze in his tracks.

After all, the whole group here had been standing, looking at him with excitement, while Chen Huajiang was the only one sitting down and eating his food—making him stick out like a crane among chickens.