At seven o'clock in the evening, the welcome banquet officially started.
Zhang Hao took the stage first and delivered a short speech of ten minutes. It is no wonder that the governor's residence has a special secretariat. Speeches are given every three to five. It is really too frequent.
At the end of the speech, there was warm applause.
"Pa bang bang..."
Zhang Hao raised his wine glass casually: "Everyone, you are not allowed to drink during special periods. I will offer you a toast with tea instead of wine."
The wine glass is filled with hawthorn water.
A daily drink second only to chrysanthemum tea.
The current diet structure is simple, and in order to fill up the stomach, many people have to add indigestible crude fiber to their staple food, such as vines and straw. This is why hawthorn water has become so popular.
"cheers……"
"cheers!"
After the opening drinks, it was time for the buffet. Compared with the official guest house, the food quality of the private banquet was much better, at least you could see big meat.
The initiator of the banquet, the president of the Federal Chamber of Commerce, and the chairman of Tangshan Iron and Steel Group, Yang Siqun, an old man who was almost seventy years old, accompanied Zhang Hao throughout the whole process.
"Consul, the seafood just delivered this afternoon is absolutely fresh. You might as well try it."
Zhang Hao raised his eyebrows and asked on the spot:
"President Yang, can I ask where these seafood come from?"
Yang Siqun immediately understood the other party's concerns, so he quickly explained: "Consul, you can rest assured that all seafood is bought from employees of surrounding farms. They receive performance rewards every month. The sources of these seafood are absolutely compliant.
legitimate."
The so-called "performance rewards" exist and are allowed in both state-owned and private enterprises. Otherwise, everyone will be the same whether they do good or bad work, and that would be the worst thing.
It is precisely because of this that various planting factories and breeding farms are always the most popular industries to join, even as much as ordinary official employees.
"With so much seafood, you must have put a lot of thought into it, right?" Zhang Hao showed an intriguing expression.
He just estimated that the seafood he saw alone weighed thousands of kilograms, which was definitely a big deal.
"Consul, you are a distinguished guest, and there are so many colleagues here. As hosts, of course we cannot be too rude." Yang Siqun explained with a smile.
"I see, it cost you money."
Zhang Hao pretended to be suddenly enlightened.
In fact, everyone understands this tacitly.
No matter how severe the current situation is, it has nothing to do with the rich. No matter how bad the situation is, the rich will not go hungry because they can always get luxury ingredients.
Unless it comes to a life-or-death situation, there will be no absolute fairness.
Yang Siqun waved his hand, then pointed to the small plate of fish in front of him and said, "Consul, this is a sturgeon that was successfully bred just last year. It is rare on the market. It is said to be very delicious. Do you want to try it?"
"Really? Then I want to have a good taste."
Zhang Hao became interested.
Although there are many farms around Huicheng, they only breed fast-growing fish, and high-end fish like sturgeon are indeed relatively rare.
"Please." Yang Siqun extended his hand to signal.
Zhang Hao took the tableware from the staff, then picked up a half-palm-sized piece of fried fish fillet, dipped it in a little soy sauce, and took a bite.
The chef's cooking skills are very good. The sturgeon meat is charred on the outside and tender on the inside. It melts in your mouth and leaves people with endless aftertaste.
"Well, it's delicious. It tastes really good."
Yang Siqun followed up and introduced: "There are also sashimi here, do you want to try it too? Although these sturgeons are farmed, they are very clean and have no parasites."
"Forget it about sashimi." Zhang Hao quickly waved his hand, "I've had a bad stomach these past few days, and I really can't bear it."
Whether it was before or now, he has never been too cold about sashimi.
"It's okay. Actually, I don't like sashimi very much, but it is very popular among young people."
Yang Siqun agreed with a smile.
…
After briefly tasting a few seafood dishes, Zhang Hao, accompanied by President Yang, held a wine glass and greeted everyone present one by one.
Theoretically, these people are his base.
Pay attention to it no matter what.
After going around a lot, Zhang Hao met a lot of new friends. Before, he basically lived in the three cities of Huicheng, Zhucheng and Minde, and rarely went to other places.
Most people at the scene were not familiar with it.
After taking a short rest, Zhang Hao called his brother-in-law over: "Boy, where did you run just now?"
"Brother-in-law, this world is too small. I just met a college classmate. We found a place with few people and sat down to chat."
Yang Haoxuan answered truthfully.
Zhang Hao couldn't help but raise his eyebrows and blurted out immediately: "Male classmate? Or female classmate?"
"The male classmate is the monitor of our class."
"I brought you here to let you go on a blind date, not to reminisce about old times. Besides, two grown men have nothing to talk about. Such a good opportunity was wasted."
Zhang Hao said with helplessness on his face.
"I'll go." Yang Haoxuan couldn't help but swore, and then complained: "Brother-in-law, we are in the same group, how come you have become like my mother and the others?"
"You think I do? Your sister asked about you on the phone last night. Don't take it seriously and find a girlfriend quickly." Zhang Hao said angrily.
"My girlfriend is not a figurine, how can I say she is there?" Yang Haoxuan said with a wry smile.
Zhang Hao stood up directly after hearing this, then reached out and patted his brother-in-law on the shoulder: "Okay, come with me, I will take you to meet a real Bai Fumei. If you can win over others, you will never have to do anything in this life."
I’m worried.”
"Who is it? Can you not go?"
Yang Haoxuan was a little reluctant.
Compared to Bai Fumei, he hopes to get to know more celebrities. It is best to take a few group photos and post them on WeChat later, which will give him more face.
"Stop talking nonsense, people may not be attracted to you yet!" Zhang Hao adjusted his tie casually.
Yang Haoxuan followed helplessly and asked persistently: "Brother-in-law, you are talking so mysteriously, who are you?"
"Qu Wan." Zhang Hao said the name gently without any further pretense.
"Qu Wan? Who? Why haven't you heard of it?"
Yang Haoxuan frowned.
"The only daughter of the owner of Changxiang Group, the only successor of Director Qu, will be worth hundreds of billions in the future. The key is that she is very beautiful. You are lucky."
"Imagination Group? The one who makes clothing?"
"That's right, it's their family. Imagination Group is the largest clothing manufacturer in the Federation. Their family has a strong background and has received orders for military uniforms for ten consecutive years."
Zhang Hao introduced casually.
Yang Haoxuan was not much surprised, but instead had a smile on his face: "No matter how powerful you are, you are not as powerful as you. Brother-in-law, you are now worth 500 to 600 billion, and now you are the federal governor. This is unprecedented."
"Don't flatter me, it won't work." Zhang Hao paused, then warned: "This opportunity is really good, if you take your fancy..."
"Brother-in-law, do I want to travel around the world with you?"
Yang Haoxuan quickly interrupted.
"There are plenty of opportunities to travel around the world. Your most important task now is to find a girlfriend first."
While chatting, Zhang Hao soon discovered the target, so he immediately walked over with his brother-in-law:
"Dong Qu, Miss Qu, what are you talking about?"
"Consul." Qu Dong quickly stood up from the sofa and replied with a smile: "We were just talking about the bidding for oil fields in the Middle East. I don't know if there is a chance to get a share of the pie this time."
As we all know, Changxiang Group is engaged in the clothing production industry. Under the current serious shortage of cotton, chemical fiber has become the only choice.
So they want to put some thought into raw materials.
"There must be a chance. There are many oil fields being tendered this time." Zhang Hao said casually, then pointed to his brother-in-law and introduced: "Two of you, this is one of my staff members, and he is also my wife's brother."
"Dr. Qu, Miss Qu, hello! My name is Yang Haoxuan." Yang Haoxuan greeted immediately.
After speaking, he looked at the father and daughter in front of him openly. Qu Dong had nothing to say. He looked to be in his sixties and had white hair.
As for Qu Wan, wearing a red evening dress, she was not as beautiful as her brother-in-law said. She could only be considered average at best, giving people a cold feeling.
"Xiao Yang is really young and promising!"
Qu Dong said politely.
Qu Wan nodded slightly: "Mr. Yang, this is the first time we meet, please take care of me!"
After some pleasantries, Zhang Hao took the initiative and suggested:
"Miss Qu, my brother-in-law has just arrived in this treasure land and is not familiar with Shanghai. You are from Shanghai and you are about the same age. Can you do me a favor and show him around?"
"Consul, I have no problem here."
Qu Wan agreed on the spot.
Regardless of emotions or reasons, it was hard for her to refuse.
"Thank you. I'm sorry to trouble you. I'll treat you to dinner when I get the chance later."
Zhang Hao couldn't help but breathed a sigh of relief.
Immediately afterwards, Yang Haoxuan and Qu Wan added each other as WeChat friends. They chatted for more than ten minutes and then separated.
After all, tonight's occasion is inappropriate.
Returning to the lounge, Zhang Hao immediately asked: "How was it? Did you fall in love?"
"Brother-in-law, don't push me into the fire pit."
Yang Haoxuan shook his head wildly.
"How could it be a fire pit? Please speak clearly." Zhang Hao suddenly frowned.
"Isn't it obvious? Qu Wan is not only older than me, but she also looks like a strong woman. She doesn't match my personality. We are not suitable."
"I'm only three years older than you, so it's not a big deal. As for your personalities, you two complement each other, so I think they're a good match." Zhang Hao said unfazed.
"Where is the match? I don't want to be controlled by others every day." Yang Haoxuan has a very clear mind.
Zhang Hao took a sip of tea and quickly reminded: "You kid, don't be ignorant of your blessings. I think Director Qu is quite satisfied with you, so don't miss the opportunity."
"Brother-in-law, you'd better stop messing around with me. I really don't like Miss Qu."
Yang Haoxuan shrugged.
"Then what do you want?"
Zhang Hao let out a long sigh, feeling tired.
"I haven't thought about finding a girlfriend yet. Brother-in-law, please don't worry about it. If I find the right one, I won't need you to push me. I will pursue her myself."
"Tell me honestly, are you still thinking about your first love in college?" Zhang Hao asked tentatively.
"No, no." Yang Haoxuan denied repeatedly, "She got married a few years ago, and it is said that she gave birth to a daughter. I have long since given up on this relationship."
"Then why don't you find a girlfriend?"
Zhang Hao followed closely and asked.
Yang Hao
After saying that, he showed an expression that every man would understand.
Since the eruption of the Yellowstone volcano, a particular industry has achieved unprecedented development. Not only has the price been reduced, but there are also more options.
"Tsk, tsk, I didn't expect you to be a bad boy. No wonder you don't want to get married."
Zhang Hao shook his head helplessly.
"Brother-in-law, I didn't say I won't get married, I just don't want to get married so early." Yang Haoxuan defended, "Actually, it's not just me. As far as I know, less than one-third of the people in our class have actually gotten married so far."
"So few?" Zhang Hao was slightly stunned.
"There is no way. The environment in recent years has been bad. Everyone is generally under a lot of pressure, and we don't know if there will be a tomorrow. Of course, we have to make it as comfortable as possible."
Yang Haoxuan explained roughly.
"How can you have children without getting married?"
Zhang Hao said worriedly.
Yang Haoxuan said in surprise: "Why have children? Even animals know that if there is less food, they have to reduce the number of births, let alone us humans."
"It is a fallacy that the reason why humans are not animals is because they are rational enough and have lost their animal instincts."
Zhang Hao retorted strongly.
If this trend of thought is allowed to spread, the consequences will be absolutely disastrous. This does not mean that the population cannot decline, but at least it cannot decline so drastically.
"Brother-in-law, it's useless for you to tell me the truth. Anyway, my classmates basically think this way. If their parents hadn't forced them, even fewer would have gotten married."
Yang Haoxuan responded lightly.
Zhang Hao finally realized the seriousness of the problem and asked further: "Where are your junior high school and high school classmates, are many of them married?"
"Brother-in-law, you should know more about this issue than me. My junior high school and high school classmates are basically from Shawei Village..."
Yang Haoxuan reminded.
After graduating from college, he spent most of his time in Zhucheng, returning to Huicheng only during the Chinese New Year.
Zhang Hao patted his head: "I really didn't pay attention to this matter. Ask your sister later, she should know this better than me."
In fact, their family belongs to a "prominent family" in Shawei Village. No matter who has a happy event in the village, they will never forget to invite their family, and their family will also send a big red envelope.
Yang Huaqing is usually responsible for this kind of thing.
"Brother-in-law, why do you care about this?"
Yang Haoxuan asked casually.
"Fertility rate is a big deal. As a consul, I must pay attention to it. If everyone is like you and doesn't get married or have children, what's the point?"
"The population has decreased...isn't it a good thing? There's not enough food to eat now anyway..."
Although Yang Haoxuan graduated from a prestigious university, his academic qualifications are similar to those of the twins. He was admitted only through connections, so he is still essentially a scumbag.