Chapter 1027: The Magical Fruit of Fate

"Is it colder in the Northeast or in the capital?"

After picking up Han Shu and her child, Shen Guodong entered the room and saw Li Xuecai asking Brother Biao.

He smiled and said, "Wouldn't you know if you went there once?"

After speaking, he gestured toward Old Biaozi and said, "Your Brother Biao says that when you pee, it can freeze from the ground all the way to your little bird; you have to knock it with a stick after you're done."

"Hehehe~"

Li Xuecai had picked up that bit of mischief from being around them, and at this moment, he teased Old Biaozi, "Brother Biao, did that little bird freeze off?"

"What do you think?"

Old Biaozi looked at him speechlessly and said, "Whatever your Brother Guodong says is gospel? Knocking with a stick isn't knocking the bird; it's knocking the urine."

"Oh my—"

Ji Yuxiu came down from upstairs, walked into the dining room, and heard them talking about this; she really couldn't stand it.

She poked Li Xuecai and said, "Can't you learn something decent?"

"Hey! Director Ji, you hit the nail on the head!"

Sha Zhu pointed from the kitchen at the younger generation in the dining room and said, "Take them all away; there isn't a good person among them!"

"Hey! Who's the oldest here?!"

Old Biaozi leaned back on the sofa and said toward the kitchen, "If we're talking about the ringleader of mischief, shouldn't it be you?"

"Don't feel guilty saying that!"

Sha Zhu curled his lips and said, "I'm an honest and upright person, get along well with others, and never learn bad habits."

"Hmm—"

Shen Guodong pulled out a chair and sat by the dining table, letting out a hum through his nose, saying, "You've got that shameless vibe now!"

"That's right!"

Li Xuewu teased, "Our Brother Zhu has seen it all and eaten it all; how much is a face worth per jin?"

"Hey! Bullying the few with the many, are we?"

Sha Zhu laughed, "You brothers are all huddled together; do you really think I'm easy to bully?"

After speaking, he rolled up his sleeves and pointed at them, saying, "Are you coming one by one, or all together?!"

"Ho~ Ha!"

Shen Guodong and Old Biaozi exchanged a glance, both seeing the look of surprise in each other's eyes.

He raised an eyebrow and said to Old Biaozi, "Brother Biao, how many years has it been since we've seen someone dare to say that?"

"That's because you're ignorant!"

Sha Zhu beckoned to them and said, "Come on over!"

"Brother Zhu, you aren't just trying to be lazy and avoid cooking by getting beaten up, are you?"

Old Biaozi stood up, clenched his fists, and said, "If I beat you so you're stuck on the kang for half a month during the New Year, wouldn't that be a bit impolite?"

"Alright, alright, don't be reckless."

Li Xuewu was cleaning a big carp and said to the two, "Beating him so he's stuck on the kang for a week is enough to make the point."

"Also, if you're going to beat him, wait until after he's done cooking, otherwise I'll have to be the one in the kitchen."

"No need! No need to persuade!"

Sha Zhu blocked the kitchen entrance and clamored, "You come one, I'll knock one down; you come two, I'll knock two down!"

He flexed his arms and said, "You guys should go ask around whose world Jiaodaokou used to be."

"Hey! My eyes have truly been opened today!"

Old Biaozi pointed at the dining table and said, "Man, come on then. The space is narrow, but the universe is in our hands."

He stretched his sleeves, sat comfortably in his chair, shook his arms with a grand air, and said, "Let us see the old senior of Jiaodaokou."

"Hmm—you should call him the 'former wave'!"

Shen Guodong egged him on from the side, saying, "The old saying goes: the waves of the Yangtze River push the ones before them, and the former waves end up on the beach."

"Brother Zhu, if they're going to say that, I don't agree."

Li Xuewu put down the scissors in his hand, shook his head, and said, "You're the famous wrestling expert in our courtyard; are you afraid of him in terms of strength?"

After speaking, he waved his hand, raised an eyebrow, and said, "Brother Zhu, keep your spirits up, don't lose face."

Seeing Sha Zhu walk out of the kitchen shaking his shoulders, he added fuel to the fire: "That's the spirit!"

"You guys are really something!"

Li Xue also came down from upstairs, followed by two older children and one younger one.

Dong Wenwen, Zhang Xinmin, and Li Shu.

Counting the two upstairs, plus Wen San's son from the Sihe Academy and Sha Zhu's son, how many children will be playing together in the future?

"Look at you guys, the children are watching, and you're just playing around, not even cooking!"

"I want to see, I want to see!"

Li Shu didn't care what her little aunt was saying; she only knew it was lively over here.

She circled the dining table, climbed onto the sofa, and lay on the backrest to watch the adults joke around.

Seeing Uncle Biao and Grandpa Zhu arm-wrestling, she thought they were fighting and opened her big, excited eyes wide, afraid of missing any exciting details.

"Fight!"

When she saw that the two were just exerting strength against each other without throwing punches, she became impatient first, jumping up and down and shouting for them to fight.

It made Sha Zhu and Old Biaozi so amused they didn't even have the strength to arm-wrestle anymore.

"It has to be my daughter."

Li Xuewu smiled and praised, "She's just so peace-loving, afraid that her uncle and grandpa will fight."

Li Shu blinked, not understanding what her father was saying; was that what she meant?

In the end, Sha Zhu, who wields the big ladle, had stronger wrist strength and was as smug as could be.

"I don't want anything from you!"

He pointed at Old Biaozi and said, "When we get to the table later, you punish yourself with three cups first, and I'll consider it settled."

After speaking, he pointed at Shen Guodong and asked, "What about you? Do you want to try? You were the most arrogant just now."

"I'm afraid of you?"

Shen Guodong lost the contest but not his spirit; he dodged backward, but his mouth remained sharp.

"I'm just afraid you'll get hurt and won't be able to wield the ladle later. Let's go outside and air it out after we've eaten and drunk our fill."

"Hey, man, you said it yourself!"

Sha Zhu pointed at him and said, "We have to bet something."

"You name it, I'll take it!"

Shen Guodong acted tough, "As long as it's not gambling money, whatever you want!"

"Look at your lack of ambition!"

Sha Zhu curled his lips and said, "Are you still a man? You don't even carry money when you go out. Yanzi keeps you on too tight a leash!"

"Brother Zhu~"

Chen Xiaoyan heard from outside, walked in, and asked chidingly, "How much does your wife leave you every month?"

"Hey! Look at how you ask that!"

Sha Zhu patted his chest and said, "Do you know the status of the head of the household? Do you know what a man who earns money is called?"

"Cut the crap!"

Shen Guodong saw him dodging the question and asked amusedly, "I don't believe you have more than me!"

"I don't care how much it is."

Sha Zhu walked toward the kitchen nonchalantly, muttering as he went, "I don't care about money, I don't like money, I have no interest in money..."

"I knew it!"

Shen Guodong raised an eyebrow and said, "Your pockets are cleaner than your face, yet you have the nerve to talk about me!"

He patted his pants pocket and said boldly, "At least I've got five or eight yuan in my pocket to keep my waist down."

"Hmm, that's not bad."

Li Xuewen suddenly interjected from the side, "That's more than my pocket money."

"Hahaha!"

The men working in the room compared how strictly their wives or partners controlled them, how clean their own pockets were, comparing their misery and grievances, making everyone laugh.

Li Xuecai looked at them amusedly and turned to look at Ji Yuxiu.

Ji Yuxiu wrinkled her nose and gave him an expression that said, "You'll be like this in the future too."

Just a moment ago he was watching the fun, but now Li Xuecai was instantly unhappy.

We are all fellow sufferers; laughing at others is laughing at oneself.

Li Xuewu didn't know how many dishes were prepared today, only that Qin Huairu had Han Jiankun move out quite a lot of stock.

It was all stuff sent by others before the New Year, or stuff Li Xuewu had brought back.

With only this many people in the family, even if Han Jiankun and his wife ate here, they couldn't finish it.

Chicken, duck, fish, beef, mutton, pork, seafood, and local specialties—now that it's thawing outside, things can't be kept in the cellar either.

So when there are many people, eat it quickly; not wasting is also a form of thrift.

Li Xuewu cleaned three big carp alone, Li Xuewen cleaned a chicken, and Old Biaozi cleaned a duck.

As for the seafood, it was already frozen in ice blocks and had been taken out by Han Jiankun to thaw early on; Chen Xiaoyan and Ji Yuxiu came in to clean it together.

Li Xue wasn't idle either; the three children were chattering, and looking at her, she wanted to work in the kitchen more than take care of the children.

Li Xuecai got his wish and was watching the stove fire the whole time; all three stoves in the house were utilized.

Not only that, the firewood for the heating boiler and fireplace was also his responsibility.

He was busy inside and out for a while, carrying wood and adding to the furnace fire.

Here, one must mention Sha Zhu's skills and ability: using three woks, three stew pots on the heating boilers, and a steamer simultaneously, he was relaxed and at ease.

Perhaps this is the basic skill of a chef: observing everything and being nimble with hands and feet.

Chen Xiaoyan's knife skills were still decent, and with Ji Yuxiu's help, she could fully meet his needs.

For things requiring special knife skills, he would pick up a kitchen knife and prepare the ingredients in a few swift strokes.

While he was stir-frying, the few who had finished their work put on their coats and stood outside the foyer to smoke.

There were too many restrictions in this house, and with many small children, he might smoke one when he was home alone.

But with so many people smoking, he absolutely wouldn't dare to puff away inside.

Even when Gu Ning wasn't feeling well and moved downstairs, the smell of the old lady's smoke in that room still hadn't dissipated.

The smell of smoke is more overbearing than the smell of a fart.

If you don't believe me, just savor it: someone smokes, and people upstairs and downstairs can smell it, but a fart doesn't necessarily affect things that far.

Secondly, as long as someone smokes in a space often, the smell there won't dissipate for a long time.

But I've never heard of a bedroom always smelling like a fart.

Secondhand smoke isn't just the white smoke emitted while smoking; it includes the smell that drifts eight or nine meters away, and even more so, the kind that lingers for a long time.

So Li Xuewu has to learn a lesson from now on: he cannot smoke in front of the children, and even more so, the smell of smoke cannot affect the children.

It doesn't matter for adults, but children affected by the smell of smoke can have slow intellectual development.

Of course, if you say that in the old days, the old lady in the house had a big pipe, and we didn't see any fools in the house, Li Xuewu won't argue with you about that.

Using individuals to flaunt skepticism of science is itself a form of ignorance.

Persuading people to quit smoking is like killing them; they'll still argue that so-and-so got lung cancer after quitting, or something like that, but they don't see the people whose health improved after quitting.

Why?

Because smokers have the hardest mouths; even though they know it's a matter of probability, they insist on looking at the paranoid side of their hearts.

Li Xuewu's smoke consumption is quite high, but it's not because he smokes; it's because he distributes it.

He is still young, not addicted to smoking, and controls it well; except for meetings or social occasions, he basically doesn't smoke.

Of course, intentional ones don't count.

If he wants to be mischievous, he can keep smoking, without even taking it into his mouth, puffing it out, puffing it out, just like a smoke bomb.

Standing at the door puffing away were only the three brothers: Li Xuewu, Li Wenbiao, and Shen Guodong.

Smoking was incidental; the main thing was to talk about Steel City.

They usually had radio or secret letters to communicate, so key business didn't need to be detailed.

Especially since Li Xuewu had Old Biaozi as the supervisor for expanding business in the Northeast, he wouldn't place restrictions on him regarding specific business.

Micromanagement had already proven to be a failed management style; Li Xuewu didn't have the grand talent and bold vision of the Captain, and even less could he do those willful things of his.

The three brothers were still talking about strategic issues.

"I went to Fengcheng before the New Year and contacted some connections, mainly to cultivate agents."

Old Biaozi took a puff of his cigarette and shook his head slightly, saying, "There are many who are bold, but few who are serious."

"Normal."

Shen Guodong stood at the foot of the steps, looked at Old Biaozi, and said, "In this day and age, how many serious people dare to engage in speculation?"

He looked around and said, "Those who live in peace and contentment probably won't risk their heads for a few pennies."

"Another thing."

Shen Guodong hesitated for a moment and said, "You have to be careful yourself. Don't have the heart to harm others, but don't lack the heart to guard against them. Compared to the capital, the Northeast is much more savage."

"Hmm, I've experienced it."

Old Biaozi pointed at his own forehead, then gestured with his thumb and smiled, "A hunting rifle this thick was pointed right here, and the first thing they said was five thousand yuan."

"Damn it, what he said made me want to get into this line of work; it's too easy to make money."

"Whose connection?"

Li Xuewu frowned slightly; he hadn't heard about this matter. If he had known, he wouldn't have let Old Biaozi do such a dangerous thing.

Old Biaozi shook his head and said, "It's in the past. When you go out to do business, how can everything be smooth sailing? I'm seeking wealth; I can't just play rough at every turn."

He waved his hand and said, "I know. If I told you, it could be settled easily, but what about later?"

"We can't always use our connections and status to suppress people, right?"

Old Biaozi took a puff of his cigarette and said, "The underworld has its own rules. If I want to earn this money, I have to follow these rules of the game."

He knew Li Xuewu was concerned about his safety and reminded him with a smile, "This is what you taught me."

"I didn't teach you to risk your life."

Li Xuewu glanced at him, then took a puff of his cigarette and said, "Hurry up and coordinate the local connections, both on the surface and behind the scenes."

"Hmm, I'm already doing it."

Old Biaozi nodded and reported, "The ones on the surface are easy to handle; connections link to connections, and you can always find someone."

"As for the ones below, I'm still screening."

He shook his head slightly and said, "I'm still thinking about that wealth-creation plan you told me about; I want to be more cautious and add another layer of insurance."

Saying this, he explained to Li Xuewu his plan to implement an agent mechanism and a model of separating money and goods in accounting.

He even chose to handle things in different locations and convert everything to public-to-public transactions, leaving no future trouble.

Of course, if you ask where so many public-to-public transactions come from, it's actually simple.

Company to factory is called public-to-public, commune to company is also called public-to-public, and cooperative to factory can also be called public-to-public.

In this day and age, there's no electronic system verification; as long as you do it covertly, no one knows what you're operating.

Unless they catch the financial personnel on your line and get your account books.

Otherwise, why would people say that for a period in later generations, inspectors would fight for their lives to grab account books when executing tasks?

Later, of course, it wasn't needed; all operations within the territory are checked and traced by the system, and there will always be something that doesn't match up.

Especially invoices; they'll lock you down directly.

Don't believe the various channels telling you whether you need top-account invoices; if they don't investigate you, it's fine, but if they do, no one can protect you.

The people selling invoices will of course tell you it's fine; if I were selling you something, I'd also say my stuff is fine—good, very good.

"Maybe I'm thinking too complexly."

Old Biaozi squatted on the ground, smoking and saying, "But there's still time; if I look slowly, I'll always find a smart one."

"Don't let the snake bite your hand."

Shen Guodong reminded, "Don't just think you're the only smart person in the world; they might be treating you like a fat pig."

"Playing mind games, that's normal."

Old Biaozi looked back up at Li Xuewu and said, "Brother Wu, when can the first batch of electrical appliances come out?"

"By the end of the year."

Li Xuewu flicked the cigarette ash and looked at Old Biaozi, saying, "You still have time; you can ship loose goods, but at the earliest, it won't be until the middle of next year."

"But the shipbuilding speed in Yingcheng is fast, like dumping dumplings."

He reminded, "Shipbuilding equipment is already being installed, and fiberglass equipment is also starting to be placed; supporting industries are rushing for time one after another, basically ensuring installation and debugging can be completed before the end of June."

"Your factory is really something, risking lives to race against time."

Old Biaozi shook his head and sighed, "To finish installing equipment in half a year and have production capacity—many factories wouldn't dare to think of it."

"After all, technology and equipment have a lead-time advantage."

Li Xuewu explained to him, "Another thing is that the installation and debugging of the equipment are handled by a professional engineering team."

Here, one must mention that Li Xuewu clearly avoided pitfalls when creating the contract initially.

The installation of the equipment was entirely handed over to himself to do, but it was required that the other party provide installation guidance personnel.

And the installation time and production quality directly determined the subsequent production rate.

Produce one day earlier, earn money one day earlier; the power of capital is immense. You can see how anxious the foreign businessmen are by the equipment and engineers arriving at Yingcheng Port one after another.

"The manpower and material resources sacrificed are not worth mentioning, provided the mechanical equipment is installed and production is completed."

Li Xuewu flicked his cigarette butt away and said, "The simplest example: fiberglass cannot be produced according to the usage volume of the shipyard; it will definitely exceed the standard."

"Why?"

He raised his eyebrows and said, "As long as the Steel Mill wants to sell, there will be units that need it; this is a necessity for technological leadership."

"Of course, these products must first satisfy the Steel Mill's own industrial needs."

Li Xuewu explained, "Including shipbuilding, car manufacturing, motorcycles, equipment, packaging, etc. —this is a future material."

"I told you to prepare early. While the yacht is under construction, the Yingcheng Shipyard is going to launch a speedboat project."

He emphasized, "When the time comes, open up the shipping lanes and connections first, then start with small commodities; don't go straight to dumping home appliances."

"Saving face, right? Hehehe."

Old Biaozi laughed, "I say so too. Just started cooperating to build a factory, and then turning around to pit them—that's truly not decent."

"Saving face, my ass. Doing business, can you still talk about benevolence and righteousness?"

Li Xuewu curled his lips and said, "We can't dump electrical appliances at the beginning because there's no market for this category of appliances."

He explained to the confused two, "Don't you have to wait for the foreign businessmen to cultivate the market? Let the people on the other side feel that this kind of thing is profitable, and then they will cooperate with you; otherwise, how can you make money?"

"Oh my, high! Truly high!"

"I'll propose one!"

Sha Zhu stood on one side of the dining table, holding a wine glass, and said to everyone at the table, "Those who are married and have children sit at the dining table; they count as adults."

After speaking, he swept a glance at Li Xuecai and Shen Guodong, curled his big mouth, and laughed, "The rest go to the children's table."

"Hahaha!"

Except for Gu Ning, who was sitting in confinement upstairs, and Zhao Yaping, who was taking care of the children, along with the pregnant Mai Qinglan, who were eating in the small living room on the second floor, everyone else had come down to the dining room.

The old lady and the old grandmother sat in the main seats, Ding Fengxia and Liu Yin sat next to the old lady, and Li Shun sat next to the old grandmother.

Han Shu, Ji Yuxiu, Chen Xiaoyan, and Li Xue sat at one end, and the men sat at the other.

The children had another table set up at the coffee table in the dining room, including the ones upstairs; the dishes for the three tables were the same, just with differences in portion size.

This gathering was for the New Year, and also to celebrate that there were successors in this small circle.

Ding Fengxia had rarely come into contact with such street-level youth, but she could see a different kind of youth and freedom in their jokes and liveliness.

Although they were all ordinary people, their eyes were full of hope and spirit for life.

Men with careers and men who cherish their families express different temperaments.

Especially in conversation and exchange, there was a unique elegance amidst the vulgarity, appearing both proud and independent.

Even He Yuzhu, who was a chef, possessed a different kind of confidence and high spirits.

Worker status, a specialized skill, a harmonious family, marriage, and children—for the younger generation raised in the hutongs, this is considered the peak of life, the top of the hutong.

In Li Xuewu's home, he might not be the most outstanding, but he is definitely among the happiest group of people.

Happiness does not depend on how much you possess, but on how much you see.

Some people say how big their circle is, how wide their connections are, and who they know.

Useless!

The men of the Four Nine Cities, even if they know someone through twists and turns, would dare to claim kinship with the one above.

You have to say what you do yourself!

Oh, you say there's a big brother in our circle who is a cadre, there's a younger brother in our circle who does business, and there's a scientist in our circle.

Ask yourself, I'm unemployed at home.

Then you are not a person in this circle; even if you have mixed into this circle, you are just an appendage, a foil in this circle.

Circle culture has existed since ancient times; a more high-end one was in the Song Dynasty, the struggle of powerful ministers, and people like Wang Anshi—those who left their names in history are numerous.

A more ordinary one, writing "Song Dongyang Ma Sheng Xu," a poor child, but crowned with talent, listed alongside Liu Ji and Gao Qi as the "Three Great Poets and Prose Writers of the Early Ming Dynasty."

You think that's the end of it?

No, a model of grassroots counter-attack; the reason this article has circulated for a long time also has to do with his identity.

He and Liu Ji and Fang Xiaoru are collectively known as the "Three Great Prose Writers of the Early Ming Dynasty," and he was also Fang Xiaoru's teacher.

You might not know who Liu Ji is, but you must have heard his courtesy name: Liu Bowen, Zhu Yuanzhang's right-hand man.

What about Fang Xiaoru?

A great thinker, transferred to the capital to be Zhu Yunwen's teacher when Zhu Yuanzhang died.

Just imagine, how difficult it must have been for a poor child to cultivate a student as famous as himself and to be on par with Liu Bowen in history.

So what is the role and significance of a circle to a person?

According to Li Xuewu's circle analysis and his definition of this culture of friendship, it should be that each has its own merits and progresses together.

Simply put, each must have a career and the motivation to advance, and also have a love and interest in life.

Old Biaozi is carefree and never has a serious moment.

But when he is doing things and working, he is more motivated and serious than anyone else.

He knew that presiding over the recycling station work in the Northeast was not a thankless job, and that it required assuming a lot of work and responsibility.

But when Li Xuewu asked, he stood out voluntarily, taking his wife and going there without looking back.

The Northeast at this time is different from later generations; there are some customs that are dangerous, and because of survival and other reasons, the remote, low-end areas or certain corners where the sun doesn't shine are full of unstable factors.

Of course, if you follow this standard, the whole country is the same; there are such dark corners everywhere.

But just as Old Biaozi himself said, when you go out to do business, how can everything be smooth sailing?

If you find this place dangerous and that place troublesome, should you stop doing business?

Willingness to assume responsibility and courage to be responsible is the most common understanding in this small circle.

Even Shen Guodong, who is lazy by nature and doesn't like to fight for things, will show a ruthless side in his work.

At the age of eighteen or nineteen, each has their own bitter tears; walking out, standing up, bearing the pressure imposed by the era and the family.

Meeting again, each has their own achievements, talking about the hardships, it's another kind of feeling.

Li Xuewu hopes everyone is well, wishes everyone is well; when they raised their glasses together, he was very emotional.

The happiest thing in a person's life is to be loved, to have someone to love, and to dare to love others.

Whether it's biological brothers or childhood friends, being able to gather together, do a common career, and have a common life goal—one glass of wine is not enough.

Sha Zhu clamored happily and drank a lot, refusing no one, draining the cup, laughing loudly, and being unrestrained.

If he went to someone else's house, he might have to be reserved and take care of his image.

But here, the only thing he doesn't need to worry about is his image; if you still have to put on airs in front of friends, how boring must life be?

He and Old Biaozi were evenly matched in drinking capacity; when they were together before, they were the ones who could drink together.

The old grandmother and the second grandfather also drank, but they drank slowly, winning in taste.

While Sha Zhu and Old Biaozi belonged to the type who were bad at drinking but addicted to it, pecking at each other like chickens, competing in momentum, and always falling over after drinking.

The dining table at Li Xuewu's house is very large, and usually only one end is used for meals.

It wasn't that he hadn't thought about changing to a small table, but moving it out was too much trouble.

Even Li Xuewu and Han Jiankun couldn't lift it; it was a pure solid wood table.

It came in handy for the gathering; more than a dozen people sitting at one table wasn't crowded at all.

All the bowls and plates in the house were used, and there were still dishes that couldn't be served, so they were finally put in basins.

A table full of food, everyone talking and laughing, urging each other to drink and eat, talking about a year of separation.

Even someone as quiet as Li Xuewen raised his glass and drank silently with everyone.

Li Xuecai was curious about everything; unlike his eldest brother's steadiness, he raised his glass and learned to drink boldly like Sha Zhu and the others.

The wine at his second brother's house was all good wine, and it felt comfortable to drink, but his face turned red and his head felt dizzy without him realizing it, making Ji Yuxiu, who was sitting at the other end, just glare at him.

The children worshiped their fathers and followed suit, each holding a small cup with soda, learning to toast like the adults.

The adults' table was lively, and they were even livelier than the adults.

Li Shu was very happy today; a brother and an uncle both came to her house to play, her little mouth chattering non-stop.

She was still too young, couldn't speak clearly, and when she spoke fast, her tongue would get tied.

Just listen; Dong Wenwen and Zhang Xinmin couldn't understand what she was saying, and she couldn't understand herself either.

Li Shu was so anxious, holding her wine glass, and in the end, she could only shout.

"Don't shout, don't shout."

Old Biaozi, whose face was red from drinking, turned around with a smile, took his wine glass, and taught Li Shu, "Daughter, use a cup for drinking, blow for talking; let's have one, you and me."

"Cheers~"

Seeing someone respond to her, Li Shu was even happier, holding her little cup and seriously having one with Uncle Biao.

That wasn't all; after clinking glasses with Uncle Biao, she circled out from the side of the sofa, holding her wine glass and going to toast everyone at the dining table one by one; at such a young age, she had already learned to make the rounds.

"Hahaha~"

Li Shun and the others looked at their eldest granddaughter's boldness and couldn't stop smiling; even when Grandma Ding Fengxia wanted to hold her and not let her toast, it didn't work.

When she toasted Shen Guodong, he picked up Li Shu, calling her daughter, and taught her the toasting words word by word, teaching her the whole set of drinking etiquette.

Liu Yin laughed heart-achingly and snatched Li Shu away, even giving Shen Guodong a slap.

"Our family has never produced a drunkard; if you teach her to be one, I'm not done with you."

"Hahaha!"

Shen Guodong smiled and toasted Li Shu, who was staring with wide eyes, teasing her, "Grow up fast, okay? Drink with your old uncle."

Li Shu, in her grandmother's arms, nodded as if she understood, her little hand shaking the wine glass that had long been empty of soda, shouting, "Cheers!"

"Hahaha!"

Happy gatherings are always short, and parting is always reluctant.

This meal lasted a long time; everyone sat together and didn't want to leave the table, all having various kinds of reluctance.

Old Biaozi, who came back from Steel City, knew that this return might be the last relaxation before busy work.

When Xilin handed over to him, she had already told him Li Xuewu's instructions to her, as well as his thoughts and vision for the work of the recycling station in the Northeast.

Although Li Xuewu didn't say it clearly to him this time, the pressure on him was becoming heavier.

Steel City, the capital, and Hong Kong will serve as the three main pillars of the recycling station's trade-linked economy in the future.

With the Northeast as the industrial production and sales base, the capital as the operation and transshipment base, and Hong Kong as the export and high-profit base.

Multi-regional interaction and connection, coordinated progress, and common development—if any side develops slowly, it will affect the others.

Even though Li Xuewu repeatedly requested steady progress, the development speed of the three regions was still accelerating.

This trip back was to meet the brothers in the capital again, and also to say goodbye to the previous stage of his life.

He was no longer the Old Biaozi who hung around the hutongs without pursuits; he was the Biaozi, Brother Biao, who was somewhat famous in Steel City.

Behind success is bitterness; this trip back wasn't entirely satisfactory either.

Mai Qinglan was pregnant and had urged him to return to the capital to visit home.

Not to visit Mai Qinglan's parents, but his own parents.

Old Biaozi had also told her about his family situation and his relationship with his parents.

But Mai Qinglan had said, if one day the child asks where Grandpa and Grandma are, how will you answer?

This was one of the few difficult problems Old Biaozi encountered after going to the Northeast—very, very difficult.

In the end, taking advantage of the New Year and the opportunity to return to the capital to report, he still wanted to go home and see.

He didn't take Mai Qinglan with him; he didn't want her to face his parents' embarrassment and be humiliated.

And when he walked into that former home, what he saw was brothers enjoying the family's happiness and parents enjoying their twilight years.

It was just that they were surprised, strange, and even embarrassed by his sudden return.

They didn't ask how he was doing outside, nor did they ask how Mai Qinglan was doing, as if a stranger had broken into the house.

The old father was silent, and the mother took a long time to ask where he was now.

Old Biaozi didn't answer, but looked at his younger brother, then at his younger sister-in-law who was a bit cautious, left two hundred yuan, urged them to take care of their health, and walked out of the house.

This time he wasn't disappointed, or sad; it was like a kind of relief.

They didn't even know where he was, let alone know about his current life.

In other words, since the recycling station was in the same Nanluoguxiang, they hadn't even asked about him.

Unknown whereabouts, unknown life or death, not asking if he was good or bad.

Therefore, he had no interest in sharing his success or his experiences with his parents and family, and even less interest in showing off his life in front of them.

For him, this wasn't a relief from hatred, but rather a trauma to his soul—not worth it.

The two hundred yuan wasn't something he wanted to give; it was Mai Qinglan who insisted he must leave it, regardless of whether the situation of this homecoming was good or bad.

She only had one sentence: you can have bad parents, but you cannot have unfilial children.

If being together is a burden and you are tired of each other, then don't see each other, but don't hold grudges in your heart.

This grudge punishes yourself and affects your children.

Old Biaozi knew that Mai Qinglan cared more about the health of her father-in-law and mother-in-law and also had the intention of supporting them in their old age.

He didn't object; people must have family connections in the end, otherwise, they wouldn't be living like animals.

Perhaps his father-in-law and mother-in-law had never received this from Mai Qinglan's hands; insisting on giving it to his father and mother was also a kind of explanation.

When mentioning it to the children in the future, he could only say that he had done his duty and could face it calmly.

After the meal, everyone found a place to sit and chat to sober up. The young brothers sat on the sofa in the dining room, listening to Old Biaozi recount these things, watching a grown man cover his face and cry, and none of them felt good.

Shen Guodong's parents died early, and when his grandmother passed away, his home was gone, so he felt it deeply.

Erhai wasn't there; when Erhai mentioned his parents, he couldn't even remember what they looked like.

Wen San'er became a lowly wild dog after his parents died, begging for a living everywhere and receiving cold eyes.

Sha Zhu—mother died early, father alive was no different from being dead; in his words, it would have been better if he had died back then.

Li Xuewu had a family, and his parents' care for him was sufficient; it was just that he didn't understand it back then.

Now sitting with his brothers, listening to Old Biaozi crying in a low voice, watching Sha Zhu also wiping tears on the side.

Perhaps men only have reason to show their weakness or speak of their grievances after drinking.

Everyone was persuading each other, and only one sentence was said the most: look forward.

Life cannot stand still, and even more so, one cannot live in the past, letting sad things constantly torture oneself.

Mai Qinglan heard the commotion and came down from upstairs; seeing Old Biaozi's eyes red, she walked silently to his side and wrapped her arms around his shoulders.

A man's tears don't fall easily; it's just that he hasn't reached the point of heartbreak.

If someone else had bullied him, he might have wanted to retaliate and vent this anger.

But for such parents, he could only suppress it, endure it, and cut it off.

Especially since the brothers were gathered today, and with his wife's comfort and solace, it further highlighted the grievances of the first half of his life.

Finally, Li Shun and the old grandmother came to the dining room; they didn't preach any grand principles, nor did they persuade him to be broad-minded, only saying that the courtyard was home, and all children who walked out of the courtyard could come home.

The old grandmother also nodded silently; for the young people, the recycling station was a harbor for the soul and a sustenance for emotions; for him, why wasn't it also a place that could be called home?

Shen Guodong, who had sobered up, drove the command vehicle to send people away one trip after another, and Li Xuewu sent them out the door time and time again.

When seeing off Mai Qinglan and Old Biaozi, he patted his brother's shoulder, urging him to live well and live out a life for the world to see.

Old Biaozi hugged him, and then was shoved into the car by Shen Guodong; also dizzy in the car was Sha Zhu, who was still crying, but no one knew how to comfort him.

If one were to use his current situation to comfort him—married with children, successful career, car and house, parents both "dead"... it seemed like his own life was not as comfortable as his.

In Shen Guodong's words, it's fine for this kind of person to cry more; emptying the water in his brain helps him recover his health.

Before getting in the car, Li Xuewu said to Mai Qinglan: be more tolerant, be more understanding, live a good life; he is a strong man, but has a heart of tofu.

Mai Qinglan also knew what he meant and nodded seriously; how could she not know the man she chose?

When she chose to marry him, it was nothing more than liking him, and also because she was more miserable than Su Qing and needed his help more.

This time back, she knew Li Wenbiao wanted to see Su Qing, but she could be sure he didn't go.

Maybe because she was pregnant, maybe because she had him give the two hundred yuan she saved to his father and mother.

Maybe the couple had learned to tolerate and understand each other, and had forgiven the life the era had bestowed upon them.

Where in this world are there so many talented men and beautiful women, and well-matched families? More are the twists and turns of fate and the mistakes of time.

Even the sweetest love, after experiencing marriage, will leave a mess of feathers, mutual disgust, and destroy the initial beauty.

Meeting such a man who is carefree on the surface but kind and filial at heart, she felt it was a magical fruit that fate had compensated her with.

Looking at the exterior, it is wrinkled, extremely ugly, and unbearable to look at, but the flesh is sweet and mellow, with an endless aftertaste.

The "be more tolerant" Li Xuewu said to her was a brother's entrustment and also a promise; the "be more understanding" was a comfort and also a wish.

Lovers eventually becoming spouses is a matter destined in a previous life; don't miss the marriage. ===== CHAPTER 1028 =====