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It was getting dark.
The green spider plants in the office stood steadfast at their posts.
Dinner time.
The downpour had turned into a drizzle, the flow resembling the urination of a successful man: a spurt here, a stop there, never quite ending, and no telling when it would cease.
The party committee members of the Ningtai County Bureau were collectively hosting a banquet for leaders from the city bureau, the provincial department, and the ministries.
The head chef of the county bureau's canteen pulled out all the stops too!
Just for the cold dishes, he served up an assortment of creations: mustard duck feet, savory eggplant, snowflake beef tongue—all featuring exquisite ingredients and pronounced flavors that were the star dishes in his arsenal.
If it weren't for today's occasion, as a chef with a formal position, the head chef would not have gone to such lengths. On regular days, he would casually whip something up for the buffet, and that would be that.