Chapter 1155: We are still good brothers

"This sounds fresh—"

Li Xuewu smiled and picked up his daughter who wanted a hug, looked at his sister-in-law who was full of helplessness, and asked, "Is everyone in the family okay?"

"People are fine; fortunately, there were many people in the courtyard at the time."

Zhao Yafang looked at Li Xuewu and asked, "Are you sure there's nothing wrong with this girl's brain?"

"I'm not a doctor; didn't you go to see her yourself? You ask me?"

Listening to Wang Lu's matter, Li Xuewu was not so sure now that there was nothing wrong with this girl's brain.

However, he was good at shifting the blame, pushing it all away, saying Zhao Yafang had already "inspected the goods," and now she still wanted to complain to him?

Zhao Yafang also felt that her ability for so many years had failed, and she muttered, "She looked quite well-behaved at the time, spoke gently and with spirit; who could have thought..."

Yes, who could have thought that such a cute girl would burn down someone's house the first time she visited her boyfriend's home.

"So, Uncle Zhao was really planning to rebuild the house?"

Li Xuewu said with a smile, "It seems he was quite busy last year; now that the new daughter-in-law is visiting, it's time to have a proper look."

"Even if you want to build a new house, you don't have to burn the old one, right?"

Zhao Yafang was also amused by this girl when she thought of this; originally, she felt a bit awkward, as it was introduced by Li Xuewu, and she went to the Red Star Factory to see her in person because she was worried.

And the result?

"My dad was muttering about building a house; many families in the village have built brick and tile houses."

Zhao Yafang introduced, "Especially since it happened to be Yajun's turn to find a partner, his meaning was that he couldn't let Yajun lose face, even if they don't live at home in the future."

"The hearts of parents are truly pitiful—"

Li Xuewu nodded and asked, "Is the money for building the house convenient?"

"They said it's enough; growing vegetables and raising dogs, my grandpa and grandma didn't idle last year, and they finally caught the opportunity to make money."

Zhao Yafang sighed and said, "People in the village are like this; they are afraid of poverty, have suffered a lifetime of crimes, and eaten a lifetime of bitterness; finally, there is a day to see the light."

"My aunt's family also built a brick and tile house this year, saying it's for Yin Qun to marry a wife; just don't know what Yin Qun is thinking, he hasn't started looking for a partner yet."

"You worry about every family's life; just know they are living well—"

Big brother Xuewen came out of the inner room, still holding books and a teacup, obviously thirsty from reading, his hands never releasing the books.

He just has this spirit; these books will never be finished, never enough.

"If you say that, you just want to avoid trouble from relatives, right?"

Zhao Yafang glared at him, patted her hands at Li Shu in Li Xuewu's arms, and said, "Come, let Auntie hug you, let your dad rest."

Li Shu is just annoying; when she couldn't walk, she would crawl on the ground to play, and after she could walk, she wanted to run, and after she could run, she was too lazy to walk on the ground, wanting to be carried whenever she saw an adult.

She naturally has a good relationship with her aunt, having grown up here since she was small; Zhao Yafang also spent a lot of time with her before she was pregnant, and the two were very close.

Zhao Yafang's straightforward personality is very attractive to Li Shu; sometimes the little girl even learns to speak like her aunt, especially the tone and expression.

She only hesitated for a moment when Zhao Yafang hugged her, but then reached out to grab her uncle for a hug; Li Xuewen was also surprised, as he wasn't favored by the child at home.

"You little traitor, Auntie loved you for nothing—"

Zhao Yafang handed her to Li Xuewen, who came to pick up the child, and patted Li Shu's butt with a smile.

Li Xuewen once thought about raising this child; after all, his brother wasn't married at the time, so one could see he liked girls.

Especially the little girl who was cheerful and cute, much better than the naughty boys; even though he doted on his own son, he was still happy to see Li Shu.

"I want, I want Uncle to take me to buy something delicious—"

Li Shu never suffers a loss; "I let you hug me, don't you have to take me to the supply and marketing cooperative to buy something delicious?" Her mind is full of schemes.

"You are so ghostly—!"

Zhao Yafang pointed at her little hand with a smile and said, "No, Auntie says so; your uncle has no money."

She pulled Li Shu's little hand and said, "You tell Auntie something nice, and Auntie will take you, okay?"

"I... I..."

Li Shu hesitated, looked at her aunt, then looked at her uncle, and asked her uncle in his ear, hiding from her aunt: "Uncle, do you really have no money?"

A child less than three years old knows that you need money to buy delicious food, and even knows to hide and ask questions; this little girl can be considered the smartest one in the courtyard.

Li Xuewen teased her on purpose, nodded seriously, and said, "Yes, Uncle has no money in his pocket; it's all in your Auntie's pocket."

"That—that—that what should we do!"

Li Shu clenched her little hands, frowned in worry, and said, "Uncle, you are too poor—"

"Hahaha—"

Li Xuewen couldn't help laughing, coaxing Li Shu, "What can we do; the money Uncle earns is all taken by your Auntie, and I have to raise your little brother Li Tang."

"Li Tang is still small—"

Li Shu picked at her fingers and whispered, "He can't go to the 'little shop' yet."

"Ah, Li Tang is small, can't go to the little shop to buy food, so save the money to buy for you first?"

Zhao Yafang pointed at her little feet and said, "You are too smart; who did you learn this from!"

Grandma taught her; the supply and marketing cooperative isn't called a supply and marketing cooperative, but a "little shop."

Actually, it should be called a "small store," but Li Shu found it convenient to call it that, and her mouth felt comfortable, so she gave it such a name.

"Hehehe—"

Li Shu didn't speak, hugging her uncle's neck, whispering, not knowing what she said; Li Xuewen wanted to laugh the more he listened; this child is really fun.

Zhao Yafang pulled her little hand and pursued, "You say it, you tell Auntie, why do you want your uncle to take you to the little shop?"

"Hahaha—"

Li Shu didn't answer, but Li Xuewen explained with a smile: "She told me that her aunt wouldn't buy her firecrackers, so she wanted me to buy them for her, hahaha."

"Okay—it must be the naughty kids like Banggeng who teased her; she remembered this thing."

Zhao Yafang explained to Li Xuewu: "Last time in the courtyard, she saw those kids playing with firecrackers; she was scared, but turned around and ran to ask them for firecrackers to play with, wanting to light them and hear the sound."

"I took her to the supply and marketing cooperative; I don't know how her eyes were so sharp; I didn't see it, but she stared at it at a glance, insisting I buy it for her."

She patted Li Shu, who was hiding from Li Xuewu's gaze, and said, "You little girl, sooner or later you'll be like a naughty boy, even naughtier than a boy; see how your dad manages you then."

"It's almost unmanageable; she can run and jump, and she disappears in a flash—"

Li Xuewen held Li Shu and walked around the room, thinking of the experience of their brothers growing up, and sighed with a smile: "Li Tang is also fast; in a few months, he'll be able to run on the ground, and then our family will have three naughty bags."

"I'm not a naughty bag; I'm a little flower cat—!"

Don't know who taught her; she knows "naughty bag" isn't a good word, but she treats "little flower cat" as a good evaluation.

"Good, good, good, you are a little flower cat, hahaha—"

Zhao Yafang smiled and put on her little flower cloth shoes, took the child from Li Xuewen's hands, and said, "Auntie will take the little flower cat to the little shop to buy something delicious; tell Auntie, what delicious thing do you want to eat?"

"Auntie—"

Li Shu saw her aunt doting on her, and now she knew how to be close, hugging Zhao Yafang's neck and asking coquettishly: "I want to eat firecrackers!"

——————————————————

"Why are you three at home?"

Li Xuewu brewed a cup of tea for himself, turned to gesture the teacup to his big brother, and asked casually: "Where are Grandma and the others?"

"In the backyard, I guess; they took a nap, and as soon as they woke up, they all went out."

Li Xuewen yawned; it looked like he was sleepy again from the heat; he hadn't worked for a year, and this kind of "master fat, dog fat, girl fat" life made him look a bit lazy.

"Where did you come back from? Did you go to the club?"

He took the teacup, yawned again, and sat down at the eight-immortal table, casually flipping through the book he had put down earlier.

"Hmm, there is work to handle," Li Xuewu didn't mind the hot tea, blew on it, and took a small sip; it made his forehead sweat from the heat, but the summer heat instantly dissipated, and he felt much more energetic.

"Told them over there, if you want to go over and play, you can go anytime."

He pulled the stool opposite the eight-immortal table, held the teacup in his hand, looked at his brother, and said: "You are stuck in a pile of books all day; don't you feel bored and dull?"

"What is boring is life; what is dull is interest."

Li Xuewen rested his arms on the table, one hand with a teacup, one hand with a book, and said very casually: "For putting limited life into infinite knowledge learning, what is boring about this?"

"Eh—"

Li Xuewu twitched his mouth, glanced at his brother very boringly, and asked, "If you were asked to go back to teach now, would you still be willing?"

"What do you mean? Did you hear any news?"

Hearing his brother mention this, he put down the book in his hand and looked at his brother in surprise: "Didn't the newspaper say..."

"No news at all; I'm just asking casually," Li Xuewu smiled and said: "If you ask me, you can't let go of this profession; why don't you accept the invitation from the Vocational and Technical College?"

The office of the Red Star Factory Vocational and Technical College sent an invitation letter to Li Xuewen, but he declined it, saying it wasn't convenient; he didn't say what wasn't convenient, but Li Xuewu understood.

The reason it wasn't convenient was him; his brother works in the factory, and the big brother felt that this invitation couldn't be separated from him.

Typical intellectual's little arrogance; Li Xuewu found it very funny when he heard the report from the college office.

He didn't say anything, because sending an invitation letter to his brother wasn't his idea, and he didn't greet anyone; Jing Rong is the President, so he didn't need him to greet her.

If you talk about understanding his brother, Jing Rong was the office director of Huaqing before; doesn't she understand his brother's teaching level better than him?

Whether this invitation letter has anything to do with him actually isn't important, but Li Xuewen knew very well that as long as he came, people would talk.

His situation with Li Xue is different; Li Xue is younger and a girl, so it's only natural for her brother to take care of her, no matter who looks at it.

But he is the big brother, and a university teacher, so he must have some "backbone."

It's not like he doesn't have his own job, nor is he begging for food; he knows his current state very well—it's nothing more than a scholar's arrogance, moaning without an illness.

Therefore, facing his brother's question, Li Xuewen thought for a moment and answered straightforwardly: "Don't want to go, and don't want to cause you trouble."

Before Li Xuewu could speak again, he emphasized: "I know you aren't afraid of trouble; I just feel it's unnecessary."

He spread his hands and said: "The money I earn now is much more than before; why force it?"

"Wait; I don't believe universities will never resume classes, and I don't believe I won't have books to teach."

"Wait how long? Three years? Five years? What if it's eight years?"

Li Xuewu moved the teacup in front of him, looked at his brother, and asked seriously: "You can wait, but don't you feel like you're wasting your life?"

"Do you have something going on?"

Li Xuewen had already seen it; his brother went around in circles and didn't come to persuade him to teach.

"Just say it if you have something; anyway, I won't do anything that makes things difficult."

"Hehe—" Li Xuewu laughed softly: "It seems Huang Gan gave you too much; you don't have to bow for five pecks of rice anymore."

"Have you ever thought about doing scientific research?"

Without giving his brother time to think, Li Xuewu asked directly: "Physics, it's just right for your current state."

"What project? Your factory's, or..."

Li Xuewen looked at his brother hesitantly; seeing him speak vaguely, he reminded him: "The scope of physics is very large; you know what I understand, yet you let me do scientific research."

"It doesn't matter; you are already a university teacher; you can learn from scratch—"

Li Xuewu pursed his lips and said casually: "Physics is a circle; no matter how you turn this mill, it's within this range; how difficult can it be?"

"You can consider it; anyway, there are no books to teach for a while, so it's better to do some practical work."

Looking at his brother's hesitant appearance, he shrugged his shoulders again and said: "Of course, if classes resume, you can come back to teach."

"I believe you?" Li Xuewen curled his lips: "This project is likely confidential; if I can't come back by then, can I still beat you up?"

He stared at his brother's eyes, asking with an expression of "you even pit your own brother": "Tell me the truth, is it a confidential project?"

"Actually... you know... my meaning is..."

"Alright, no need to say it; I understand everything!"

As soon as Li Xuewu hesitated, Li Xuewen waved his hand; he understood everything.

Brothers for so many years, he knows best what kind of virtue his brother has when he's playing tricks; he doesn't want to talk about it at all.

Too much; a steel factory, always engaging in big projects, it's fine to cooperate with Huaqing to engage in scientific research; after all, Huaqing's metallurgy major is still okay.

However, engaging in cars, ships, electronics, food, and all kinds of messy things—it's all coming up.

You say these are just business richness that enterprises must experience in the process of development, which is understandable, but what is it to engage in weapon production and imitate the SVD?

This isn't even too much; a steel factory engaging in aircraft manufacturing—you say if it's too much or not?

It's just what he heard; the Red Star Factory is getting bigger and bigger, getting more and more cutting-edge.

Listening to his brother's hesitation just now, he already knew, and had long guessed, that the Red Star Factory's industrial development to this stage must inevitably touch confidential projects.

And he, who is naturally lazy and keen on reading, how could he be willing to engage in confidential projects? That's pushing himself into a fire pit.

"Not going, not going; the First Supervision Institute is preparing to launch a new project, and I have to be responsible for the technical part; I can't get away."

"Hehe—"

Li Xuewu spread his hands indifferently: "Whatever; if you are afraid of being restricted, then stay at the First Supervision Institute; it's just right for your habits."

"Don't play tricks on me; I said I won't go, so I won't go."

Afraid that Li Xuewu would continue to hook him, or afraid that his willpower wasn't that firm, Li Xuewen just left a sentence of "not going," took his teacup and book, and got up to go to the inner room.

Li Xuewu picked up his teacup, looked at his brother's back, and smiled.

No one saw it; if they did, they would say his smile was like a fox.

Really, even pitting his own people!

——————————————————

"Why are you back again?"

Li Xuewu was in the inverted room as soon as he returned yesterday; Shen Guodong and the others were pulling him to talk, and he didn't have time to pay attention to his brother Li Xuecai when he saw him return.

When he woke up in the morning, he came to the front to eat breakfast, and was pulled by Sha Zhu to talk again; when he got home, Li Xuecai disappeared again.

Last week, he told him that if there was any movement at school, he would contact him, so he didn't need to worry about things down the mountain.

Li Xuewu also told Ji Yuxiu not to let Li Xuecai come back; this kid's temperament was still very jumpy, and although he had some understanding and prevention of things in society, he still had no experience.

Ji Yuxiu naturally understood the second brother's meaning and agreed with and supported his point of view.

So seeing the third brother, he frowned a bit.

Li Xuecai is afraid of this second brother; he was afraid before, and he is afraid now.

He was afraid before because the second brother was willing to beat him; now he is afraid because the second brother is willing to beat others.

It was fine when they were laughing and joking on weekdays; even if he didn't dare to make random jokes, he wouldn't be nervous as soon as they met.

It's just that now the second brother glared, and he stood there without even daring to move.

"That... I went to see a classmate..."

Li Xuecai looked at the second brother hesitantly, then looked at Ji Yuxiu beside him, and then continued to explain: "Zhao Xia was injured."

"Injured?"

Li Xuewu looked at his brother and asked, "Is the injury very serious?"

Naturally, it was serious; otherwise, Li Xuecai wouldn't have risked the second brother's scolding to come down the mountain to see him.

And Li Xuewu also thought of this, so his tone softened a bit.

Li Xuecai's relationship with Zhao Xia wasn't very close, just that their fathers were in the same unit, and they were classmates in the same university.

Saying the relationship was much closer was only on the mountain, where young people gathered together, inevitably having friendship.

No matter from which aspect, it was appropriate for him to come down to see him.

"Yes, broke an arm and a leg."

Li Xuecai said with a low voice: "He is recuperating in the hospital; his mom said..."

Speaking of this, he paused, and then continued: "It might not be possible to restore the necessary functions; keeping the limb and not doing amputation is the last effort."

"Half and half?"

Li Xuewu thought about his words, split his palm, gestured, and asked: "One side is wasted, or left and right are wasted?"

"Uh—"

Li Xuecai was in the sadness of "feeling sorry for his own kind," and didn't expect the second brother to ask such a question.

He paused and answered: "Right arm, left leg."

"Said he went to fight for territory with others, fought in a group, and he was left alone, and was beaten by others with a hoe handle."

"He deserves it himself; he even came to incite you to go bad last week!"

Ji Yuxiu said with disgust: "I said long ago that he would harm himself sooner or later, and he would also harm others."

"He just likes this; he liked to join in the fun when he was in school."

Li Xuecai explained embarrassedly: "Actually, he is not a bad person; if he really had any evil deeds, I wouldn't pay attention to him."

"Still need any evil deeds?"

Ji Yuxiu glanced at him and frowned: "Do you know what these people have done in the city?"

"Even if he is not the mastermind, even if he didn't reach out, isn't it evil to stand on the side and shout, to build momentum?"

She pointed at her object and criticized: "You are just inexperienced; you will never see the sinister human heart in society in the ivory tower."

Li Xuecai knew his object was right, and with the second brother watching on the side, he didn't dare to refute, just lowered his head and didn't speak.

"Be careful; you can't see good or bad people, but you can always hear good or bad words, right?"

Ji Yuxiu poked him and warned: "He dragged you into the water, and you still came back to see him; this favor is considered over; don't pay attention to him in the future!"

"Ah—what he wants to do, I don't know yet."

Li Xuecai carefully glanced at the second brother; he understood why Ji Yuxiu scolded him just now—this was not wanting the second brother to open his mouth to scold him, which was considered giving him face.

Actually, it didn't matter if the second brother scolded him or not; he didn't have the guts to learn bad things.

"Even if he dragged me, I wouldn't dare—"

He twitched his mouth and said aggrievedly: "I went to see him because Dad allowed it; we are classmates, and Dad and his dad are colleagues."

"You just say, I heard this news, can I pretend I didn't hear it?"

Li Xuecai stood up, poured two cups of warm water, handed one to Ji Yuxiu, poured one for himself, wiped his mouth, shook his head, and continued: "There are projects on the mountain; if there is no such human favor, Dad's face won't look good either." 【1155

"But didn't you see it yourself? Even when I went to visit him, I brought you along with me."

"Just understand it yourself—"

She had already explained these principles to Li Xuecai once on the way back.

She was not opposed to Li Xuecai associating with his classmates; even regarding someone like Zhao Xia, she hadn't said anything harsh.

It was just that Li Xuecai's situation was different from hers; she maintained clean social relations and wasn't afraid of failing in her workplace.

Whether it was the care from his second brother or the connections of her own brother, absolutely no one dared to provoke her, but Li Xuecai was different.

The only connection the Li family had in the medical sector was their father-in-law, Li Shun, but he was merely a doctor, equally dutiful in character, and possessed no significant connections.

If Li Xuecai wanted to develop in this system in the future, he inevitably had to build the right connections, and his classmates were the only suitable opportunity he could grasp and develop at his current stage.

However, Ji Yuxiu's warnings and demands to Li Xuecai were not unreasonable; she worked in the security sector and had a clear understanding and grasp of the current situation and social conditions.

Someone like Li Xuecai—if he really wasn't kept under watch, he'd be sold and still end up counting the money for the other party.

Not to mention the influence of Li Xuewu, which meant no one dared to sabotage him; the one thing this city of Beijing did not lack was conspiracy.

What kind of ability does he, Li Xuecai, have? What is he worth? These open and hidden arrows were clearly aimed at their home, at the second brother, and perhaps even deeper—at her family, her second sister-in-law's family...

Therefore, don't say she was strict with Li Xuecai; it could only be said that, coming from a cadre family, she understood these deceptions and schemes all too well.

Starting work in her teens, her family was at ease, only entrusting her to the care of her brother, who was like a night-wandering god. It wasn't that they didn't love her; it was simply because they knew she had the ability to distinguish right from wrong.

"Alright, just knowing how things are is enough. If there's a vehicle tomorrow morning, hurry back."

Li Xuewu said this to him, which served as a conclusion to the matter and also saved Ji Yuxiu from scolding Li Xuecai further.

"What does this count as? Dying before achieving success?"

Thinking of Zhao Xia, who was like a fluffy rabbit, hanging around behind Nie Xiaoguang and the others in a slovenly manner, he knew that this kid would get into trouble sooner or later.

A university student, having such a good family, not studying culture or researching technology properly, but riding a bicycle into the city to mess around with those people and getting involved in such turmoil—isn't that just asking for bad luck?

With their background and their caliber, they were nothing to those street toughs and veterans; they would be knocked down in a single encounter.

Without the training experience the veterans had from childhood, and without the grit of children raised in the alleys who had crawled through the mud and lived cheap lives, they threw away their books to compete with these two groups—would you say his brain is sick?

Of course, it was because Zhao Xia had a connection to Li Xuecai that Li Xuewu said these few words. If one were to investigate, fools like Zhao Xia were a common sight.

If you don't believe it, just ask: how many university students were there before classes were suspended, and how many returned after classes resumed? Where did those who went missing go?

Goodness, they had already finished half of university; if there was real news and a real opportunity, could they not return to continue their studies?

One can only say that a person's fate is destined by heaven; even a star of literature descending to earth sometimes has to turn back halfway.

"Remember, after you go back, tell Dad and ask him not to ask about this matter proactively."

Li Xuewu instructed his younger brother: "If Zhao Xia's father wants help, he will speak directly to me."

"If he doesn't speak directly to me, you shouldn't agree to anything."

"Understood, Second Brother, I'll tell Dad when I get back."

Li Xuecai's greatest strength was being obedient; he knew how to maintain a humble and cautious attitude in areas where he wasn't skilled. Although he was a bit naive, he wasn't stupid; he knew to listen to the adults in the family and knew even better that his brothers were doing it for his own good.

After finishing these instructions, Li Xuewu stood up and walked outside.

While he was talking just now, he had seen He Yu Shui pass by the entrance twice. If he didn't go out now, she would be coming to find him in a moment.

"Didn't you go on vacation?"

Li Xuewu looked at the haggard He Yu Shui and frowned slightly: "Don't tell me you've been squatting in your room raising pigs all these days."

"Vacation? I wanted a vacation, preferably a vacation for a lifetime—"

He Yu Shui stared straight at him and asked: "Aren't you the role model for the young people in this courtyard? Aren't you the representative of the youth in the factory? Aren't you the 'smart person' they all talk about!"

"Don't you understand my feelings?"

She gave Li Xuewu a push, her eyes filled with complex emotions, and pressed him: "Do you know that I like you?"

"I know, but what does that have to do with me?"

Li Xuewu glanced around. In this courtyard, not only were there ears behind the walls, but there might even be eyes. He was unwilling to make things difficult for Seeing Sha Zhu, make Yushui embarrassed, or let his family be affected by this inexplicable turmoil.

Therefore, he pulled Yushui and pushed her toward the East Courtyard, entering Yu Li's room.

When the East Courtyard was built, it didn't follow the traditional layout of a Sihe Academy, but instead faced south to enjoy the sunlight.

Likewise, although the windows here were open, the main courtyard couldn't hear the movements inside. No wonder Ji Yuxiu was satisfied the moment she saw this house.

Even though they lived in a multi-story building, she had moved over; she knew that this was her future home.

Closing the door, Li Xuewu looked at Yushui, who was sitting on the kang with tear-filled eyes, and asked with a frown: "You clearly know I'm not a good person, so why are you fixated on me?"

"I cannot delay your life, nor do I want to destroy my relationship with your brother, and I certainly don't want people in this courtyard to curse me."

He pulled up a chair, sat opposite Yushui, softened his tone, and advised: "Yushui, didn't we agree on everything? You have to consider others, don't you?"

"I'm just asking you, do you like me?"

He Yu Shui's tears fell one by one. Maintaining the same expression, she stared at Li Xuewu and asked: "I just want to know, do you like me or not?"

"Heh, I like you. As long as it's a young girl, I like them all."

Li Xuewu looked at her frankly and said: "If I said I didn't like you, I couldn't deceive you, and you wouldn't believe me either. So, since you want to ask, I will speak openly and honestly with you. Let's make it clear today."

"Everything I'm telling you is the absolute truth. You see how many lovers I have, but do you know how many you haven't seen?"

He spread his hands and said: "You want to play with emotions with me; do you think you can win?"

"Wuwuwu—"

Hearing him say this, Yushui suddenly burst into tears, unable to stop herself from sobbing out loud.

Li Xuewu did not stop her. At this moment, she needed to have a good cry and drain the water that had entered her brain.

"Why are you crying? Feeling wronged? Feeling that love is realistic?"

He curled his lip and said: "You wouldn't be naive enough to think that I'm with all these girls because of love, would you?"

"Men are just like this; they always like pretty ones, they always like eighteen-year-olds."

Li Xuewu stood up, walked to the tea cabinet, tested the temperature of the thermos, poured a cup of warm water, and handed it to Yushui, saying: "So don't keep life, death, and love on your lips, and don't listen to that nonsense about 'life is short, love if you want to love'."

"I love all young, pretty girls. Can I marry them all home one by one? Isn't that just nonsense—"

He sighed and said: "Love is not the Bible; you don't have to hold it in your hands to praise life. Living a good life is the true essence of life."

"Alright, let's end this scene. I gave you the vacation you wanted, and I've accompanied you through your tears. We'll still be good buddies in the future."

He took a towel from the rack, rinsed it in hot water, and handed it to Yushui. Seeing she didn't take it, he shoved it into her hand and said: "You're older than me, why are you more childish? What era is this, and you still believe in love?"

"You bastard—!"

Yushui cried and threw the towel at Li Xuewu. Her bitter tears were filled with despair for love.

"I just like you! I just like you! So what! Wuwuwu—"

"Alright, alright, alright, you like me. Tell me clearly, what exactly do you like about me?"

Li Xuewu placed the towel by her hand and said: "If you can name even one thing, I'll change it immediately!"

"Go away, go away—!"

Yushui was infuriated by his words, pushed him hard, and said: "Stay away from me, I never want to see you again!"

"That's what you said!" Li Xuewu pointed at her and emphasized: "You're a workshop director now, if these words don't count..."

Before he could finish his sentence, he hurried out just as Yushui was about to bite him. But as soon as he stepped out, he saw Seeing Sha Zhu standing at the entrance.

"You did that on purpose, didn't you—"

Li Xuewu was startled, frowned, glared at him, and asked: "Did you come because you heard the noise? Or have you been there the whole time? Why didn't you go in? What were you standing there listening for?"

What else could he be listening for? He had heard everything his sister said and everything Li Xuewu said clearly; he understood everything.

He stood there with a bitter face, sighing. Li Xuewu looked at him, and they were both speechless. What a mess this was.

Seeing Sha Zhu didn't blame Li Xuewu; he couldn't blame him. He had heard clearly what Li Xuewu said just now. This brother was truly worth the friendship; he was truly righteous.

It wasn't Li Xuewu's fault; it was his silly sister who had hit a dead end, fixated on Li Xuewu's bad-boy charm. She had set her standards too high, and no man she met could compare to Li Xuewu. So, every time she took a step out and looked back, she retreated, never able to escape Li Xuewu's circle.

Li Xuewu patted Seeing Sha Zhu's arm and gestured toward the room, telling him to go comfort Yushui. At this moment, the siblings should be able to talk more easily.

After all, he had already played the villain and splashed dirty water on himself. Just think about it: he was the most pure and upright person, what a sacrifice he had made for Yushui!

Seeing Seeing Sha Zhu nod, he turned to leave, but was suddenly grabbed by the arm by Seeing Sha Zhu.

"That, can you..."

Seeing Sha Zhu looked at him with a bitter face, wanting to say something but finding it hard to speak.

He didn't need to say it; Li Xuewu understood everything. What he wanted to say was written all over his face.

"Are you sick? She's hitting a dead end, and you're following her?"

Li Xuewu brushed his hand away and said sternly: "We are brothers. Could I take Yushui? What kind of person would that make me?"

"Do you still want to live in this courtyard in the future? If you don't care about my feelings, you should at least think about yourself, right?"

"But look at her now..." Seeing Sha Zhu looked worriedly into the room and sighed: "I can't get through to her anymore. Whatever she wants, I won't force her anymore. She's my sister. I can't let my sister be miserable for a lifetime just for my own sake."

"You transfer her away, I'll let her move out, so she won't see any acquaintances..."

"Get lost—"

Li Xuewu was amused by him, pointed at him, and said angrily: "Look at your brain! You don't use it for serious matters, but you can really think of such improper things!"

"Should I send her to the moon so no one can see her—"

After saying this, he couldn't be bothered to deal with this pair of siblings with such strange logic and turned to walk toward the main courtyard.

Seeing Sha Zhu stood at the door, watching Li Xuewu leave, and really wanted to slap himself. What kind of nonsense was that?

When he entered the room and saw his sister still crying on the kang, he felt a deep sense of sadness.

"He doesn't want you, why are you crying? You've given up hope now, right?"

"Ah—wuwu—"

Well, as soon as Seeing Sha Zhu finished his sentence, Yushui's sobbing went up several octaves, her throat almost going hoarse, which scared Seeing Sha Zhu into stopping his nonsense immediately.

"Alright, alright, alright, you're my aunt, I surrender to you!"

Seeing Sha Zhu patted his sister and advised: "I won't bother you anymore. Didn't you hear just now? I won't bother you anymore. Whatever kind you want to find, I'll go along with it."

"Even if it's him, it's fine. As long as everything is good, as long as you are happy, I don't care. What's some damn reputation compared to you?"

He took the towel Li Xuewu had left by the kang and wiped his sister's tears, saying with heartache: "He is a man; I heard and saw everything he said and did."

"If you like him, I won't oppose it, as long as you're happy."

Seeing Sha Zhu helped his sister up, sighed, and said: "Don't wrong yourself, and don't live for others."

"Brother—wuwuwu—"

Yushui hugged her brother, and all the grievances in her heart poured out. The depression of these past days and her past worries all turned into tears.

She lay in her brother's arms, crying so sadly and heartbrokenly.

It is said that there are no airtight walls in this courtyard; someone still heard the commotion between Yushui and Li Xuewu.

Combining this with the fact that Yushui's blind dates had failed one after another these days, these people finally understood the reason.

So it turned out she had been bewitched by Li Xuewu again. This wasn't news in the past, but could the Li Xuewu of the past be the same as the Li Xuewu of today?

Of course, even if they knew, they only talked about it privately and secretly; they would never dare to let it reach the ears of the Li family. This matter couldn't be blamed on Li Xuewu either.

Regarding how Li Xuewu treated Seeing Sha Zhu and Yushui, who wouldn't say he was a decent person? He was truly worthy of being a cadre.

He had explained things so thoroughly; what else could people expect from him? No one could find fault with Li Xuewu.

And as for the infatuated Yushui, while everyone talked about it, no one held any contempt or gossip; there was mostly just sighing.

Although no one said it publicly, one could still see from the looks they exchanged behind her back that the matter had spread.

No matter how much they sympathized, the neighbors' eyes when looking at Yushui were tinged with a bit of color—perhaps sadness, or perhaps the feeling that it shouldn't be this way.

The infatuated are always sorrowful and heartbroken; it is a fate from a past life that remains unfinished, and in this life, there must always be more sorrow and heartache.

Whether it's saying it shouldn't be or saying it's deserved, such is life. This kind of thing is seen today and tomorrow; it will never be a rare sight.

Perhaps only when there are no more infatuated young men and women in this world, and it is filled only with those who are dissolute and chasing fame and fortune, will people find this incomprehensible and unreasonable.