Chapter 1081: It

"Leader, could you please tell the factory not to talk about those things regarding me at meetings anymore?"

In Li Xuewu's office, Zhou Yao stood fidgeting before the desk, pleading, "Talk about someone else instead."

"Why? You're not happy about being held up as an excellent model and an advanced benchmark?" Li Xuewu looked at her with a smile and said, "Do you have any idea how many people are fighting tooth and nail for that?"

"Besides, how do you expect me to tell the factory?" He signed a document and joked, "Should I tell Deputy Director Gu and Director Zigui that our Zhou Yao is shy, so they can't talk about her or praise her?"

"Oh, Leader—"

Zhou Yao pouted, "Every time I go out now, people point at me. I feel uncomfortable all over just hearing them whispering."

"The pressure of being this 'model' is truly too much. I'm afraid I won't be able to handle it and will end up ruining the factory."

She took the initiative to refill Li Xuewu's hot water, smiling ingratiatingly, "You should let the factory talk more about Liu Jun and the others; my classmates have all done very well."

"Don't be ungrateful for the blessings you have—!"

Li Xuewu glanced at her and said, "Do you think this 'model' status is something you can just set or swap whenever you want? Is the model status worthless, or are you worthless?"

"That's not what I meant, Leader—"

Zhou Yao wanted to say more, but just then, Peng Xiaoli walked in clutching a document.

"Oh, Li Kezhang Zhou, what's this?"

Seeing Zhou Yao standing before the leader's desk looking like she'd made a mistake, Peng Xiaoli didn't think the leader's expression matched the situation.

He joked, "Did the leader reject your document? How come I didn't know?"

"Perfect, Peng Xiaoli is here. Why don't you ask him if he wants this opportunity?"

Li Xuewu picked up his teacup, took a sip, and tilted his chin to gesture at her, saying, "What Deputy Secretary Gu said wasn't exaggerated. You have nothing to be shy or concerned about."

"Is this about the university student assignment meeting?"

Peng Xiaoli caught the drift; he understood now and said with a smile, "The meeting documents have already been relayed to the Security Group."

He looked at Zhou Yao with envy, "Oh my, we were just talking about it this morning, saying that our Security Group finally has a second person who is capable in both civil and military affairs."

He was referring to the second person; there was naturally no need to mention who the first was—he was sitting right there drinking tea.

"Alright, stop being pretentious. Is this really such a difficult thing for you to handle?" Li Xuewu put down his teacup and said, "Deputy Secretary Gu talking about your advanced deeds is meant to inspire them to take root at the grassroots level, work hard, and cherish opportunities."

"We've barely even started—!"

Peng Xiaoli smiled and reminded Zhou Yao, "Haven't you heard? The factory newspaper's advanced model feature for next week is you."

"I've already seen the title: 'The Growth Story of a Security Li Kezhang'!"

"Who wrote that article? What a lousy title—!"

Li Xuewu suggested with a smile, "It should have been 'Heroines Are No Less Than Heroes, Beauty Surpasses Men'!"

"You're just making fun of me! I'm leaving!"

Zhou Yao pouted and turned to leave; she knew she wouldn't get a satisfactory answer from the leader.

Peng Xiaoli watched her leave with a smile, then handed the document in his hand to Li Xuewu and reported, "Leader, your package has arrived."

Just as Li Xuewu was checking the document, he whispered, "It came from Jinmen along with the United Trade logistics. It's a large item."

"Mm, I entrusted someone to buy it. Tell Han Jiankun to help me deliver it to my home."

Li Xuewu signed his name on the document, tapped it, and instructed, "Help me ask the dispatcher how the shipping fee is calculated."

"Leader, this... does the shipping fee even count?" Peng Xiaoli hesitated, "The dispatcher also receives it according to the United Trade documents."

"It counts, it must count," Li Xuewu said firmly, "I don't care about others, but we are a supervisory unit; we cannot set this precedent."

Li Xuewu pushed the document to him and said, "If I dare to take advantage of this small benefit of a dozen yuan today, tomorrow someone will dare to take advantage of dozens or hundreds of yuan. How will I supervise them then?"

"Yes! I'll go handle it right away!"

Peng Xiaoli nodded seriously and went out with the document. Since the leader requested it, he had to insist on doing it.

This wasn't the first time he'd encountered Li Xuewu insisting on principles and refusing to take advantage of the public.

There were several times when Li Xuewu took him out for fieldwork and they didn't make it back in time for meals, forcing them to eat out.

Other leaders would basically ask the restaurant for receipts to be reimbursed as travel expenses upon return.

But Li Xuewu never once reimbursed those expenses. Even the office supplies and materials were often brought from his own home.

Everyone knew he had good tea in his office and really thought Li Xuewu bought it with public funds for his own enjoyment, but in reality, it was all from home.

Peng Xiaoli was in charge of these things, so how could he not know? Even after the leader quit smoking, he hadn't taken few cigarettes back from here.

Having worked at the Red Star Factory for three or four years, he could be considered a seasoned veteran in the bureaucracy.

But among all the leaders he had come into contact with, he had truly never met one who was as principled as this.

What was commendable was that Li Xuewu was strict with himself but lenient with others.

He held himself to strict standards but was very lenient with his subordinates. It was almost impossible to see him scolding or lecturing people, especially after he took full charge of the Security Group; it was even harder to see him lose his temper.

Sometimes when Security Group employees encountered difficulties, even if they didn't find him, as long as he heard about it, he would take care of it within a reasonable scope.

Comrade Ge Shuqin, who came here to work last time, had already been coordinated by him to transfer from logistics to the duty room. Not only was it convenient for her to take care of her children, but it could also be considered a favor to her personally.

The steel mill possessed its own internal telephone communication system and even its own communication squad.

Every department had contact phones and duty phones to prevent problems from occurring without communication and transmission channels.

The Security Group's duty phone was open internally; as long as it wasn't a direct call to an office or a specific leader, it would basically be routed to the duty room.

The duty room would transfer the call to the corresponding section based on the caller's needs and identity.

In fact, this work was somewhat dull and tedious, especially since one could not leave their post without authorization; being drunk on duty, sleeping on duty, or abandoning one's post were even more serious problems.

Li Xuewu was a leader with a sense of responsibility; he knew every department like the back of his hand, especially key positions, which must be filled by reliable people.

The factory saw that after he took over from Dong Wenxue, the Security Group didn't seem to have any major movements.

But inside the Security Group, it was understood that not only were departmental powers changing and work systems being innovated, but even personnel were constantly moving.

Of course, this wasn't the kind of "mixing sand" transfer where section members moved from one section to another; it was a proper management personnel transfer.

If you could do it, you stayed; if not, you left. Those with problems were gradually eliminated and cleared out of the bureaucracy, and even if they went to the front line, they were in insignificant corners, making it hard for them to get ahead again.

In Li Xuewu's domain, there were two red lines of principle that were particularly serious; touching them meant death.

One was gambling, and the other was opium.

Gambling didn't mean you couldn't play cards or mahjong for entertainment; small bets for fun, spending an afternoon with a few cents, he wouldn't even look at.

It was just that if he were to use you, he would definitely not promote you, because if you had time to gamble instead of studying and working, it meant you had no sense of responsibility.

Opium, of course, didn't refer to cigarettes like Daqian Sect, but to poppy, poppy husks, addictive stuff; these things still existed now.

The previously banned opium would always circulate in secret as medicine to treat diarrhea, and some ignorant people even planted this ghostly thing themselves.

What for?

One was for smoking, the other for eating.

Smoking, of course, wasn't the paste cut from the stem, but the seeds inside the poppy husk.

Everyone knew the paste was harmful, highly toxic, and impossible to quit, but they didn't know the seeds were also quite toxic; sooner or later, something would go wrong.

The seeds were crushed and mixed into tobacco leaves. Old farmers or manual laborers would think that smoking it gave them strength to work, not knowing how serious the harm was.

Some city cadres would feel exhausted from writing materials and copy, feeling their brains weren't enough, so they used the local methods brought from the countryside.

Eating wasn't putting it directly into their mouths, but using it as a seasoning; when stewing meat or marinating meat, they would put a few grains in, and it would taste fragrant.

Damn, how could it not be fragrant? It was numbing!

Why did Li Xuewu know about this? Because Li Shun had treated many such aftereffects.

You see the old lady smoking dry tobacco, but she absolutely never touched this stuff. In the past, there were countless examples of families ruined because of poppy husks.

How many grand mansions were ruined just like that? It didn't even take three years before families were broken and people died.

Li Xuewu had this awareness since he was a child; no one in the Li family touched these two things.

If you want to talk about family tradition, the Li family was top-tier, except when it came to Li Xuewu; Li Shun could only say he was young and ignorant, and having many objects of affection didn't count as being lecherous.

Li Xuewu truly didn't take dating seriously; even now, if some young men were a bit cheeky or loved to play around, he would just watch and be amused.

But if he really found out someone had touched his bottom line, they would definitely have to get out.

Coming home in the evening, just as he entered the courtyard, he heard Li Shu's chattering voice coming from the foyer, like a swallow in spring.

"Come, don't be a stranger," Li Xuewu said with a smile, letting Liu Haizhong, who had followed him in, enter, "You're at our house now; it's the same as being in the courtyard."

"Hey, hey!" Liu Haizhong carried his tool bag, looking at this small Western-style courtyard, unable to help but feel nervous, revealing caution in every move.

"Oh, Second Uncle is here. Why aren't you coming inside?"

Liu Yin was coaxing her grandson; hearing the movement in the courtyard, she stood at the doorway to look, only to see Liu Haizhong standing in the courtyard with restraint.

The foyer was piled with many wooden crates; they were the refrigerators Li Xuewu had entrusted Ji Wang Weidong to help him purchase from Hong Kong.

Someone might ask, how big of a refrigerator is it to have so many crates? A cold storage unit!

Of course not. Li Xuewu entrusted Ji Wang Weidong to buy a refrigerator, but this kid ended up doing a massive appliance shopping spree for him.

You tell me, isn't he a brat? He didn't dare buy them for his own home, and even less dared to let his mother-in-law's family use them, fearing they would show them off and invite disaster.

But he wasn't afraid of trouble at Li Xuewu's place. As a result, not only did he buy refrigerators, but also washing machines, televisions, and sound systems—and surprisingly, even air conditioners!

When he saw the list in the office, he couldn't help but frown, but what could he do?

This brat had already mailed them home; could he have the ship transport them back?

Just seeing how Peng Xiaoli carefully handled them away from others, one knew they hadn't been unpacked, let alone let outsiders know; Li Xuewu was even less willing to make a fuss.

Unlike the appliances sent by the Japanese merchants last time, that time it was public; he wasn't willing to accept them, so giving them away to others didn't feel like a pity.

This time was different; this was his own money, and that brat Ji Wang Weidong must be secretly laughing!

"I'm here to help install the air conditioners."

Seeing Liu Yin here, Liu Haizhong felt a completely different mood than when he met her in the Sihe Academy; even his tone of voice was much more cautious.

In the Sihe Academy, the Li family didn't put on airs or show off, so everyone didn't really pay much attention to them.

But here, it was different. Not to mention this exquisite small courtyard and the independent Western-style house, even standing in the courtyard and looking into the foyer, one felt an oppressive sense of nobility.

In the Sihe Academy, Liu Yin was Li Shun's wife, but here, Liu Yin was the mother of Deputy Director Li; could that be the same?

"Don't be a stranger, come inside and have a cup of water first."

Li Xuewu let him in with a smile, saying, "I don't understand this stuff. In a while, I'll have Jiankun help you as an assistant; he knows where the tools at home are."

"Good, good, I brought them all," Liu Haizhong still didn't dare to step into the house, just looked at the crates over there and said, "Whatever needs to be installed, I'll help you install them all together."

"Second Uncle, why are you being so formal? Put down your bag first and come inside for a cup of water!"

Liu Yin wouldn't let an old neighbor come to her son's house and leave with the impression that they didn't recognize people.

Moreover, since he was invited by her son to help install those appliances, she couldn't neglect him in terms of hospitality.

She believed that with Liu Haizhong's brain, he would absolutely not tell people in the courtyard about things here.

However, one never knew if he might accidentally let something slip to his family one day, saying he was treated poorly here; wouldn't that invite the neighbors to poke the Li family's spine?

Li Xuewu thought the same; the only person who knew air conditioner installation and knew the bottom line was Liu Haizhong; he was on duty during the last air-conditioned train trip.

So, before getting off work, he had Peng Xiaoli help him invite him to help, and after work, he used a car to bring him home together.

Washing machines, refrigerators, and sound systems were all easy to install, just requiring some effort and time.

But televisions and air conditioners were troublesome.

For the television, one mainly had to install an antenna. That show-off Ji Wang Weidong bought him a color television; you tell me, isn't that a fuss?

Searching all over Beijing for a signal, it was all black and white; color signals wouldn't arrive until the seventies.

What? Wait until the seventies to use it directly?

Stop joking. By the time there were color signals, the Steel City Electronics Factory would have long since produced excellent televisions; this thing was purely bought by Ji Wang Weidong to tease him.

The air conditioner was also different from the integrated type used in the factory guesthouse; it had separate indoor and outdoor units.

In this big Western-style house, Ji Wang Weidong bought him three air conditioners; you tell me, could he use them?

It was fortunate that before getting married, he tidied up the house and had Master Dou replace all the electrical wires with copper ones.

If it were the aluminum wire popular now, with the way their family used electricity, wouldn't there be a fire every three days and a tripped circuit breaker every two days?

Liu Haizhong didn't recognize the foreign characters on the packing crates, but under the invitation of Liu Yin and Li Xuewu, he entered the house with great embarrassment.

Seeing the furniture and decorations in the house, he felt even more that this place was worlds apart from his own home.

He had been to many leaders' homes to help, but he had never seen such a magnificent layout.

It wasn't to say that the furniture and decorations in Li Xuewu's home were particularly precious or rare.

It was just that this style of layout made one feel high-class and tasteful just by looking at it.

Especially since there were green plants in appropriate corners of the room, and a goldfish pond at the entrance; it was truly smooth sailing and luxurious.

"Second Uncle is here, I'll pour you some water."

Qin Jingru came out of the kitchen and, following Aunt Liu's words, greeted Liu Haizhong.

When she lived in the Sihe Academy, she didn't have any grudges or awkwardness with the Liu family; even among the young people, there was nothing.

So seeing him come, and knowing he was invited by Li Xuewu to help, she greeted him with a smile.

Liu Haizhong knew Qin Jingru was helping at Li Xuewu's house, but he rarely saw her.

One reason was that Qin Jingru basically didn't go to the Sihe Academy, and the other was that when she did go back, they couldn't catch each other.

But seeing Qin Jingru becoming more and more beautiful and generous now, he secretly regretted it; if he had been ruthless back then and arranged it for his son, wouldn't he have settled down too?

"Good, good, thank you, Jingru!"

Liu Haizhong thought to himself, but his words were very polite. He didn't dare to sit fully on the sofa, accepting the teacup with both hands and sitting there very awkwardly.

Li Xuewu handed his bag to Qin Jingru, changed into slippers at the entrance, and gave her a few instructions, telling her to prepare two more substantial dishes.

When Han Jiankun came in, he arranged, "Help Second Uncle as an assistant, and at the same time discuss how to place the air conditioners."

Hearing the leader's instructions, Han Jiankun understood; he knew he didn't want to make a fuss.

He first nodded to Liu Haizhong with a smile, then whispered to Li Xuewu, "I looked when I came back this afternoon; the side courtyard is more convenient."

"You decide; as for how to install them, discuss it with Second Uncle."

Li Xuewu looked at Liu Haizhong, who had already stood up, and said, "You've worked hard."

"Not hard, not hard, it's nothing," Liu Haizhong put down the teacup he hadn't taken a sip from and gestured outside, "Let's start, while it's still light."

He followed Han Jiankun outside and happened to meet Gu Ning coming home from work. Han Jiankun greeted her, and he learned to greet her as well.

Gu Ning looked at him with some surprise, hearing him call her Doctor Gu just like Han Jiankun, nodded and said, "Second Uncle, you're here."

"The appliances Ji Wang Weidong helped buy have arrived. Jiankun can't install them alone, so I invited Second Uncle over to help."

Li Xuewu stood at the doorway and explained to Gu Ning, "I thought that asking anyone is not as good as asking our own people in the courtyard."

"Yes, yes, as it should be, hehe~"

Liu Haizhong rarely saw Qin Jingru, let alone Gu Ning; he only knew she was the daughter of a high leader and very noble.

Now that she had called him Second Uncle without Li Xuewu or Liu Yin introducing him, he suddenly felt he had a lot of face.

Liu Yin held the child and stood to the side, also praising Liu Haizhong a couple of times, giving the old neighbor even more face.

Perhaps because installing air conditioners and appliances was in his professional field, he became confident, and his speech became more relaxed.

Li Xuewu didn't watch them, nor did he go upstairs to read, but sat downstairs.

He had accumulated quite a bit of academic homework recently and had to hurry to finish it.

Although the professors wouldn't criticize him, he couldn't pass his own hurdle of laziness.

Gu Ning just went upstairs after greeting them, and Liu Yin also coaxed the child and followed.

Qin Jingru called Li Shu to come inside and play, but this little girl had great curiosity and followed behind Han Jiankun, watching them work.

First, they dismantled the packing crates; they were wooden crates, sealed tightly, filled with rags inside, without a single bump.

Two people, each holding a claw hammer, spent quite a bit of time just prying out the nails, prying and smashing.

After dismantling all the appliances and placing them in the foyer and courtyard, they cleaned up the packing crates to make room for installation.

Even the furniture in the room had to be moved to make space for the air conditioners.

The washing machine was moved to the first-floor bathroom, connected to the water inlet and outlet, and could be used once plugged in.

Qin Jingru was afraid Li Shu would get bumped while they were moving things, so she held her and watched together.

Hearing the washing machine humming, she smiled and said, "This sound is much smaller than the one in the mall!"

She had gone to the big mall with her cousin and had seen this kind of washing machine; it was too expensive to buy, and she only saw a salesperson demonstrating it.

There were many people in the mall at that time, and the noise couldn't cover the sound of the washing machine; it was like a tractor.

The one in front of her, although it had a sound, wasn't that noisy; closing the bathroom door, she could barely hear it.

Seeing Han Jiankun and the other move the refrigerator into the dining room and install it, she was even happier because this thing was for her to use.

Nothing else, everything in the kitchen was her tool, including this refrigerator.

Even if Li Xuewu's original intention for entrusting Ji Wang Weidong to buy the refrigerator was to store breast milk for his son.

Because the television and sound system needed to move furniture, they weren't in a hurry to install them, so they busied themselves with the air conditioners first.

Only then did Qin Jingru dare to press the naughty Li Shu beside Li Xuewu, warning her that if she dared to run around, she would tell her mother later.

Li Shu was afraid of this trick, especially when Gu Ning was at home; she absolutely didn't dare to resist.

But she didn't dare to disturb her father who was reading; her grandmother had told her that she couldn't make noise or fuss when her father was working.

So she could only sit on the sofa, stretching her neck to look outside, watching Uncle Han and the other busy themselves.

Three air conditioners, from threading pipes, determining positions, drilling holes, to installation and debugging, kept them busy until it was pitch black outside.

Qin Jingru had everything ready, just waiting for them to finish so she could start cooking.

It had to be said that Han Jiankun had strength and Liu Haizhong had technique; they finished the work outside around 7:30.

Not just the air conditioners, but even the television antenna was installed; both worked very neatly, not needing Li Xuewu, who was idle in the living room, to help at all.

When the two entered the house, only the television and sound system remained.

Qin Jingru greeted them, saying she was going to stir-fry, telling them to hurry up, wash their hands, and eat, otherwise they would be busy until midnight.

The television was easy to handle; it was placed on the low cabinet opposite the sofa. A 17-inch television looked particularly large—compared to televisions at that time, of course.

The sound system was a bit troublesome. Second Uncle knew a little about sound layout; he had done many private jobs and learned some skills.

He tried a few suitable positions before installing the sound system, connected the wires, and connected them to the back of the television and radio.

It was a very clever design with a switch; if you wanted to listen to the television, you connected it to the television; if you wanted to listen to the radio, you listened to the radio.

Qin Jingru had finished cooking, but they were still busy, so she urged them to finish quickly.

Seeing the meal was ready, Liu Haizhong carried his tool bag and wanted to leave; he never stayed for meals when helping at a leader's house.

"Second Uncle, don't slap my face."

Li Xuewu stood up with a smile and chased after him, grabbing his arm and saying, "Hurry, put down the bag; you can't leave."

"Wash your hands and come to the table to eat. You've worked hard today. Jiankun, the three of us will have a drink; I have good wine stored."

"Deputy Director Li, I'm covered in dirt. Let's talk about it another day."

Liu Haizhong said embarrassedly, "I didn't help much, so I'll go back now."

"Second Uncle, what are you doing!"

Hearing the movement downstairs, Liu Yin came down from upstairs and greeted Liu Haizhong, "Stop fussing, hurry up, you're at our house!"

Liu Haizhong had his bag snatched by Li Xuewu and had no choice but to smile and go to the bathroom with Han Jiankun.

When Qin Jingru saw them at the table, she started bringing dishes out from the kitchen.

The Li family didn't have those old-fashioned rules, and Liu Haizhong wasn't a special guest.

So wine and food were placed on the dining table, and Gu Ning and Li Shu also joined the table.

If it were other families now, the men would eat at the main table, and only when the men finished eating would it be the women and children's turn.

This phenomenon still existed even in the nineties of later generations.

In the Sihe Academy, although it wasn't that backward, women and children wouldn't eat at the same table as guests.

Most would prepare a separate table or eat by the stove.

Don't even ask about the dishes; they couldn't possibly be the same as those on the guest table.

The Li family was more enlightened; the dishes for the women and children were mostly the same, and eating at a separate table was just to show family style.

"The wine at our house was brought back from outside the pass by Biaozi and the others; I rarely drink it myself."

Li Xuewu didn't let Qin Jingru get the bottled wine from the cabinet; thinking Liu Haizhong wouldn't be comfortable drinking it, it was better to be down-to-earth.

He asked Qin Jingru to prepare two substantial dishes—those were real substantial dishes, not a few grains of meat hidden in a plate of vegetables.

Braised meat, stewed fish, Mapo tofu, shredded potatoes, braised eggplant, and a radish stewed mutton with plenty of soup.

This table alone was at the level of New Year's or entertaining distinguished guests in any household.

Seeing Li Xuewu holding a wine pot to pour him wine, Liu Haizhong quickly stood up to be polite, but was pressed down by Li Xuewu with a smile.

Seeing he was uncomfortable, Han Jiankun took the wine pot to fill his and Li Xuewu's, and poured himself a glass.

"You drink yours, don't mind us," Liu Yin said while feeding Li Shu, greeting Liu Haizhong with a smile, "If you keep acting like a stranger here, you really aren't treating us as neighbors."

Liu Haizhong watched Li Xuewu call him Second Uncle, and this first glass of wine was also toasting him; all the bitterness and resentment in his heart dissipated.

Who else could he blame? He could only blame himself for being a bastard and his sons for not being promising.

The only thing to talk about might be the third son in his family; Li Xuewu had sent him in with his own hands, and he knew how much he suffered inside.

At the time, he resented Li Xuewu, but a year had passed, and hearing who died today and who was exiled to the Great Northwest tomorrow.

Many young people in the neighborhood were gone; no one knew where they went, and their families didn't know if they were dead or alive.

Just based on the way his Liu Guangfu was acting back then, if he didn't die, he would be disabled, and he would have caused trouble for the family.

Now at least he could be sure where his son was and if he was safe.

These weren't important; what was important was Liu Guangfu's growth inside, which was very surprising to him, especially the last few times he visited his son.

He could clearly feel that this third son in his family was different from before.

"Guangtian wrote back, saying he became a squad leader, hehehe—"

Hearing Li Xuewu ask about his second son Liu Guangtian, he was also proud.

Back then, to keep his son from going to the Northeast, he had found Li Xuewu, wanting to stop him.

But Li Xuewu told him that the household registration wouldn't move, he would just go there to work, and there would be holidays and commuter trains; what else did he want?

Even if he stayed in Beijing, when the steel mill moved three years later, could he not move? He would have wasted three years of development time in the Steel City.

That place had just been established and needed young people to work hard and train; it was the perfect time to get ahead.

Now Liu Haizhong knew that the second son who became a squad leader wrote to him immediately to tell him the good news.

"I'm re-processing my identity documents on the 10th of next month to lift the punishment order; I confirmed it with the personnel section a few days ago."

Once Liu Haizhong opened the conversation, with good wine and food, he couldn't stop.

He had nothing to hide from Li Xuewu, and no need to be embarrassed; Li Xuewu knew the situation.

"They said there would be a re-assessment and re-determination of positions and grades; I don't care anymore."

He took a sip of wine, pursed his lips, and said, "As long as my identity is restored, I won't starve to death on the day I retire."

"Are there any difficulties?" Li Xuewu picked up a piece of food and looked at him, asking, "The personnel side didn't make things difficult for you regarding the conditions, did they?"

"That didn't happen. I have the documents from the Security Department, and no one has bothered me."

Liu Haizhong spoke about this matter with a bit of calmness and relief, "Come to think of it, wasn't it just us being muddled, hehehe."

"Everyone makes mistakes; as long as you decide to change, there's always an opportunity."

Li Xuewu toasted him and nodded, saying, "You're an old technician; the factory won't forget you, nor will it waste your skills."

"Hi~ I don't think about those anymore," Liu Haizhong smiled and drank the wine, saying, "Whatever grade I'm assigned, it's all the organization taking care of me; they didn't abandon me."

"If it were really like our Guangfu, my life would be over, and the children would be implicated!"

He shook his head slightly, "When I met our third son last time, he told me he must learn well and must be a good person."

"It seems he doesn't resent me for sending him in, hehehe—"

Li Xuewu smiled and said, "I have seen him a few times; it was when I went to the First Detention Center to handle things, and I heard he was performing very well."

"Resent what? It's all his own doing!" Liu Haizhong nodded and said, "That kid from the Sun family in the front courtyard, same character as Guangfu; guess what happened a few days ago?"

"Sun Deli's eldest son?"

Liu Yin took over the conversation and asked, "Is it the one who looks very handsome?"

"That's him! In this street, he's the best-looking, the most handsome!"

Liu Haizhong pursed his lips and shook his head slightly, "He went out to fight, and when they carried him back, he was already stiff; his mother almost howled to death."

"And the Lu Zhanfu family's second son in the courtyard at the end; he was also in the same class as Guangfu, playing together every day, and they were still causing trouble together last year!"

He pursed his lips and gestured, "He was lucky; he didn't lose his life, but his two legs can't stand up; he's permanently disabled, and he's only sixteen!"

Once he started talking, he shook his head with emotion, "You sent him in early; if it were any later, I would have been an old man sending off a young one, and I wouldn't even know how to cry."

"He's coming out next month, right?"

Li Xuewu accompanied him for another glass; Han Jiankun only drank one glass because he had to drive, and he was coaxing Li Shu after finishing his meal.

He looked at Liu Haizhong and said, "I saw him at the First Detention Center last time, and I asked him when he was coming out; it seems to be next month."

"Yes, next month!"

Liu Haizhong nodded and said, "This time he's learned his lesson, and it saves me from having to beat him to make him listen."

"It's good that he's coming out; as long as he has the heart to learn well, he'll have a future no matter what he does."

Li Xuewu ate a piece of food and signaled Gu Ning and the others to leave the table and go about their business after they finished eating.

"Find a job first, or do something yourself; you always need a livelihood, then find a partner to arrange a marriage, and live with you two old folks; there will always be a good life."

"Yes, that's what I think too."

Liu Haizhong nodded and said, "The day before yesterday, Yushui brought her partner back; the neighbors all found it fresh, and I think the young man is okay."

"Is that so—Yushui has a partner; this is truly great!"

Hearing the good news in the courtyard, Liu Yin was also happy, "Her brother was almost anxious to death."

"It's from her textile factory; I heard he's a cadre, the conditions are good, and he looks decent, but I don't know about his family."

Liu Haizhong didn't drink much, but he was very comfortable; he was just with the Li family and didn't hold back anymore.

"But I think, based on Yushui's conditions, plus her brother's ability, it can't be wrong, absolutely can't be wrong."

"It's a good thing; she was almost becoming a difficult case!"

Li Xuewu nodded with a smile, "If she didn't find a partner, her brother would have taken a rope and tied one up on the street."

"Hahaha—!" Liu Haizhong laughed, "Sha Zhu has that heart, absolutely!"

After laughing, he talked about his own family, "I don't care about the eldest anymore; whether he's good or bad, it's up to him."

"I don't need to care about the second one either; he's capable now, saying he's dating someone from a factory in the Northeast, and he's bringing her back on National Day."

"Oh my, this is another good thing!"

Liu Yin smiled, "Second Aunt must be overjoyed; the daughter-in-law is coming to the door."

"She's been talking about it, saying she needs to prepare; she can't let the daughter-in-law be embarrassed."

Liu Haizhong smiled, "The family assets are just these; if they want to settle down in the Northeast, we'll support a portion."

"If they want to come home and settle down, they have to wait for the factory to distribute a house, or use our current house to exchange."

He looked at Li Xuewu and said, "I've decided, give one set to the second one, and your Second Aunt and I will live with the third one!"

"As it should be, Guangfu is not a bad child."

Liu Yin nodded, "When the time comes, pick a good daughter-in-law, one with a good personality, and you're still working; it will always be a good life."

"Oh my, isn't that what I think? Who am I living for!"

Liu Haizhong raised his hand and wiped his face; he didn't know if it was sweat or tears, and pursed his lips, "Jobs are hard to find now, so let the third one learn to work first, and I'll take care of him more."

"When I retire one day, I'll leave this opportunity to him and let him take over."

Speaking of this, he looked at Li Xuewu and asked, "They say the factory is going to reform in this area and arrange new policies, right?"

"Possibly; there will be new measures for the employment of employees' children."

Li Xuewu explained, "You might know that the construction of the new steel mill has been approved, and they've already started laying the foundation in the Northeast."

"The machinery and equipment of the new factory are completely new and high-standard, requiring higher quality from workers who operate the machinery."

"Therefore, it is highly likely that new workers will be recruited directly from schools, rather than absorbed from society, unless it's a special situation."

"Sigh—take it one step at a time."

Liu Haizhong felt discouraged when he heard this; employees' children who were of appropriate age all received notifications this year.

In June, a unified examination was organized; those who met the recruitment standards could enter junior high, high school, technical secondary school, and vocational college to continue their studies.

Employees' children who didn't enter the factory in the previous batches were given another opportunity, which was to go to school and take the school recruitment path.

The factory clearly required that there would absolutely be no situation of replacing parents to enter the factory in the future; all would be cultivated from schools.

Employees' children must study and go to school; if their factory's school couldn't even finish technical secondary school, then get out early, and the employees wouldn't have the face to ask the factory for placement.

But situations like Liu Guangfu's were troublesome because he was someone who had been in the detention center and was not within the scope of school investigation.

Even if he signed up, even if the new steel mill school re-established his student status, his household registration carried the stamp of having come out of the detention center.

He couldn't pass the three reviews, so how could he enroll, let alone enter the factory?

Li Xuewu saw his low spirits, toasted him, and said, "You have to believe in Guangfu, and you have to believe in yourself."

"Think about it, Yan Jiefang can be self-reliant and support a piece of sky for Comrade Ge Shuqin and her daughter; should a big guy like Liu Guangfu worry about life?"

"Yes, what you said is right!"

Liu Haizhong nodded at his words and said, "Yan Jiefang is growing fast, and he doesn't look at people with his nostrils like before when he sees them."

He shook his head and smiled, "When he sees me, he knows to call me Second Uncle and takes the initiative to greet me."

"As long as you come into contact with society, you grow fast," Li Xuewu said, "It's better than tormenting his father at home."

"Don't talk about it; Yan Lao Kou's life is hard enough; if it were me, I would have died early—!"

He shook his head slightly, "I still have to say that Yan Jiefang has some responsibility, whether it's moving out of the house or setting up his own fire."

"If he hadn't stood up to speak for that mother and daughter at home, Yan Jiecheng's child wouldn't have been kept, and Comrade Ge Shuqin would have run away even if she didn't die."

"Sigh, living a good life but not doing it, it's not worth it!"

Liu Yin sighed; she didn't know who she was talking about, but Liu Haizhong knew she was talking about Yan Jiefang's mother.

Yan Fugui stopped causing trouble, but now she was capable, clamoring to separate the family from Yan Jiefang; now it was good, they really separated.

"That kid is also tough; he took the household registration book and tore it in half at the street office!"

Liu Haizhong nodded, "Not only was the marriage certificate handled, but the grain book and non-staple food book were also his own."

He raised his eyebrows and gestured, "Don't go back for a while; their family in the courtyard is very lively right now, chaotic!"

"Let them make trouble; when another one makes trouble and leaves, their family will be almost wiped out!" ===== CHAPTER 1082 =====