Chapter 1276: A Dog

"Deputy Director Gao, Secretary-General."

Li Haiyang came out of the ward carrying a lunch box and saw Gao Yaqin and Li Xuewu walking over from the direction of the stairwell.

He paused while closing the door and reminded the room in a low voice, "Director Li, Deputy Director Gao and the Secretary-General are here to see you."

As he spoke, he stood aside at the doorway, clearing the way for the two who were walking over.

"Has the leader eaten dinner?"

Li Xuewu, who was still carrying things in his hand, asked Li Haiyang with a smile, "How is the appetite?"

"Quite good—"

"I already said don't bother."

Before Li Haiyang could finish answering, they heard Director Li's greeting from inside the room.

"Oh my, you two have had a long and tiring journey."

"Director Li, feeling better?"

Gao Yaqin pushed open the door and asked with concern, "On the way back, Comrade Xuewu was still thinking about it, saying he wanted to prepare some tonics for you."

"Hahaha—" Li Huai De was very pleased with the concern of the two, sat on the hospital bed, gestured to the sofa by the bed for the two, "Sit, sit quickly, everything is fine with me; Haiyang, make tea."

"Specially called my father," Li Xuewu handed the tonics in his hand to Li Haiyang and said to Li Huai De with a smile, "Afraid you wouldn't have an appetite, so specially added some appetizers and tonics."

"Good, good, sorry to trouble you for thinking of me."

Li Huai De said with a smile, "Knowing you were coming back today, I also told Haiyang that if you came back early, go home and rest first; walking this round trip of over a thousand miles is not easy."

"It was Deputy Director Gao who wanted to come see you, saying she was worried, so I just accompanied her."

If you respect me a foot, I will respect you a yard; Gao Yaqin stated her name as soon as she entered the room, and he also used a joking tone to support Gao Yaqin's intention.

The two sang in harmony, which made Li Huai De laugh heartily, his mood comfortable.

"Hahaha—" He pointed at Li Xuewu and said, "This mouth of the Secretary-General, will never suffer a loss; I am relieved—"

"Hehe—I have deep feelings about this 'relieved' of yours this time; I have gained a lot."

Gao Yaqin sat on the sofa by the bed, looked at Li Huai De with a smile and said, "The Secretary-General fought in all directions at the negotiating table without losing ground; it really opened the eyes of our Foreign Economic and Trade Office."

"Declaration in advance—" Li Xuewu stood at the end of the bed, took the teacup from Li Haiyang and handed it to Gao Yaqin, joking, "I didn't bribe Deputy Director Gao to ask her to speak well of me—"

"Hahahahaha—"

The atmosphere in the ward was very harmonious and joyful, not showing any pain or tragic torture.

There was also a smile on Li Haiyang's face, and his admiration for the Secretary-General deepened by a few points.

He admired the Secretary-General's demeanor even more; after entering the room, he didn't have the hypocrisy and flattery of those cadres from the factory who had come in the past two days, but was especially sincere.

This sincerity went straight to the heart; one could tell from the leader's expression and attitude.

Then there was personal moral cultivation, which was a side he was striving to catch up with and learn from.

According to rank and status, Li Xuewu could have completely sat on the sofa to talk under the leader's gesture after entering the room, waiting for him to serve tea.

But the Secretary-General really treated them secretaries as his own people; greeting and talking when meeting was always kind, enthusiastic, and sincere, showing respect.

Li Xuewu, who was waiting at the end of the bed, helped Li Haiyang hand the teacup to Gao Yaqin, then held his own teacup and sat beside Gao Yaqin.

"Leader, Deputy Director Gao, Secretary-General, you talk first, I'll go deliver the lunch box."

Li Haiyang greeted with a smile, and after getting Director Li's nod, he left the ward.

"It's been hard on him these two days too."

After Li Haiyang left the room, Li Huai De smoothed his increasingly sparse hair and said with emotion, "My wife is in poor health and was frightened by this matter, and her blood pressure is high again."

"I was frightened when I heard about this."

Gao Yaqin expressed a serious expression and said, "The Secretary-General didn't even finish his meal before running over to wait for the phone call; that night he was just about to negotiate."

"I know, it's been hard on you, sigh—" Li Huai De let out a long sigh and said, "This matter is also my fault for not handling it well."

"It's my responsibility, knowing clearly—"

Li Xuewu came to the hospital as soon as he got off the ship and arranged the inspection group, just to state his position.

But before he could finish his words of taking responsibility for the mistake, he was interrupted by Li Huai De raising his hand.

"Comrade Wang Xiaoqin came to see me today and mentioned that you called her."

Li Huai De nodded slowly and said, "This matter is purely accidental, and also inevitable; don't blame yourself, and there's no need to elevate it to a higher level; it's really unnecessary."

He was talking about Li Xuewu communicating with Wang Xiaoqin, as the person in charge of the security group, to be responsible for this attack on Director Li.

The reason was very simple and sufficient: he currently held the positions of Secretary-General and person in charge of the security group, which was irresponsible to both sides.

Therefore, he was prepared to voluntarily resign from the position of person in charge of the security group and hand this work completely to Wang Xiaoqin to be responsible for, avoiding such problems from happening again, which could be considered giving an account for this matter.

"First of all, it's still my problem for not properly handling the funeral arrangements for Comrade Nie Chenglin."

Li Huai De said seriously, "Secondly, paralysis and carelessness occurred in thinking, being overly optimistic about the results of the great learning activity, and ignoring the voices of the organization's grassroots and comrades."

"Finally, Comrade Wang Xiaoqin also told me about her difficulties, hoping you would help her one more time," he looked at Li Xuewu and said, "This is also the main reason I mentioned this matter today."

"Don't blame anyone; since the matter has already happened, summarize the experience and lessons well before setting off again."

"Thank you for your understanding," Li Xuewu nodded seriously, "I will help Comrade Wang Xiaoqin complete the work handover as soon as possible."

"Just follow the procedure, don't rush—" Li Huai De pressed his palm, looked at the two of Gao Yaqin, and a smile appeared on his face again, asking, "I heard that the results of the inspection, visit, and negotiations this time are all very good?"

"Yes, we came today to report the results of the inspection and negotiations to you as soon as possible."

Gao Yaqin nodded with a smile and said, "The Secretary-General was afraid you would be anxious, so—"

"You haven't eaten dinner yet, right?"

Li Huai De looked at the two with a smile, interrupted Gao Yaqin's words, and said, "You are here, the good news is here, what else is there to worry about, and what is there to be anxious about?"

"Comrade Wenxue already told me some on the phone; the specifics don't need to be rushed for a moment, and you have both worked hard," he waved his hand at the two and said, "I won't keep you today; go back, rest well."

"Then thank you, Director Li," Gao Yaqin stood up with a smile, shook hands with Li Huai De, and said, "You should rest well."

"This is the inspection and negotiation summary report; take a look when you have time," Li Xuewu took a document out of his bag and placed it by Li Huai De's hand, saying, "I'll come see you again tomorrow."

"Go, don't worry about me."

Li Huai De patted the report by his hand and said to Li Xuewu with a smile, "You didn't even have time to rest on the weekend; spend some time with your family."

He was very satisfied with Li Xuewu's work; not only did he know how to conduct himself, but he also knew how to do things.

Some situations can be understood through conversation, while some situations need to be judged through text to understand the essence of the problem and the contradictions in the relationship.

Regarding the inspection and negotiations, Li Huai De had already understood everything clearly while sitting in the ward.

Gao Yaqin and Li Xuewu coming over without eating dinner reflected their importance and respect for him.

Of course, he also had to understand and care for both of them; this is mutual respect and mutual understanding.

Some cadres just don't understand; they think that being surrounded by people is support.

Wrong, completely wrong; when the pomp is there, the hearts of the people are lost; Old Li is only good at calculating the hearts of people.

"Daddy—Daddy is back!"

When the car arrived at the gate, Li Xuewu hadn't even entered the courtyard before he heard his daughter calling him.

"Don't let you go, just don't let you go."

At the same time, there was also a rough, hoarse voice, as if he was deliberately teasing Li Shu.

"Ah—I'm biting you—"

Li Shu was clearly anxious, and her anxious voice became sharp.

Qin Jingru opened the courtyard door, saw it was Li Xuewu, and asked with a smile, "You are back."

"What is this shouting about? Killing a pig?"

Li Xuewu looked at the direction of the foyer amusedly; his daughter was struggling hard to break free to welcome her father home, but a bad person was stopping her.

"Daddy—Daddy—"

Li Shu reached out with one small hand, while the other small hand pulled at the bad person beside her, shouting, "Bad uncle, bad uncle, I want Daddy."

"Haha—" Gu Yan held her and wouldn't let go, squatted in the foyer and laughed wickedly, "Your dad came back empty-handed, didn't bring you anything."

"You get away—I don't want you—"

Li Shu was a small person; where would she have the strength of her uncle? She couldn't push him away, so she lowered her head and bit.

"Hehehe—you little dog—"

Gu Yan was bitten, and seeing his brother-in-law walk to the steps, he let go of Li Shu.

"Daddy—woo woo woo—"

Li Shu was really angry; as soon as she broke free from her uncle's hand, she rushed into her father's embrace.

"Uncle is bad—he bit me—"

"Hehehe, Uncle bit us?"

Li Xuewu was amused by his daughter who was complaining, held her and went up the steps, and asked Gu Yan, "When did you come back?"

"The night before last, arrived at Beijing Railway Station at seven o'clock," Gu Yan raised his hand and patted his niece's small feet, pretending to be dissatisfied, "Why are you complaining? Who bit whom?"

"Hmph—" Li Shu wiped away the tears she had cried for a while, snorted proudly, hugged her father's neck and wouldn't let go, but her eyes looked outside the courtyard.

Over there, Han Jiankun and Qin Jingru were busy moving things down; they were some local specialties Li Xuewu bought from Steel City and Yingcheng, and some were sent by others.

"I was just saying, waiting for you to come back."

Li Xuewu held his daughter and entered the house, saying to Gu Yan, "Did you meet Zhou Yao?"

"Met, met in the park yesterday."

Yesterday was the weekend, today is already Monday; the Jilixing rested in Tianjin before returning to Beijing, otherwise this boatload of people would be exhausted.

Gu Yan wore a white shirt on his upper body, green trousers on his lower body, and a leather belt on his waist.

A year later, the whole person looked much more mature, and the childishness on his face was almost gone.

"What's wrong with your throat? Shouting?"

Li Xuewu changed his slippers and invited him into the house; Qin Jingru saw him wanting to help, but also refused, only saying there weren't many things.

However, Gu Yan still left the foyer and went to the car outside the courtyard to help Han Jiankun and the others move the boxes.

Every time Li Xuewu came back from a business trip, he would bring some local specialties or trendy things for his family.

There were toys for the children, books or musical instruments for Gu Ning, fabrics or characteristic clothes for family members, and some novel things.

Actually, more were dried fruits or foods with local characteristics that were hard to find in Beijing.

Besides Li Shu, there really wasn't anyone in the family who was particularly greedy; some were for snacks, some were distributed to the courtyard, and sister-in-law and Ji Yuxiu both liked to eat dried fruits and preserved fruits.

"Leading troops, training every day, shouting every day."

After moving for a while, the entrance was piled up, and Gu Yan finally entered the house after clapping his hands.

He hadn't forgotten his brother-in-law's concern and took the initiative to explain, "Smoking also has some relationship."

"The more tired I am, the more I want to smoke, especially in spring; my throat is dry, don't know how it got hoarse."

"Smoke less, drink more hot water."

Li Xuewu had already changed his clothes upstairs and come down; Gu Ning was also in the living room, coaxing the unhappy Li Ning to tidy up the toys scattered on the ground.

"Little brother, I'll help you tidy up—"

Li Shu saw her father was back and was very good at acting cute; without being told, she went to tidy up the toys.

Gu Yan liked to tease her and asked her across the sofa, "Aren't these all things you played with—"

"No—it's what little brother played with!"

Li Shu glared at her uncle, looked at her father with concern, and tidied up even harder.

"My daughter is the best; otherwise, how could Daddy think of buying you delicious food and new toys every time he goes on a business trip, right?"

"Hee hee—" Under her father's praise, Li Shu's mouth gradually lost control, and finally, she couldn't help but laugh out loud.

She was really hardworking; without her mother reminding her, she tidied up the toys neatly in every basket under the cabinet.

Li Ning saw his sister busy and was no longer annoyed, so he followed to tidy up, but he was a bit powerless and helped his sister with trouble every time.

Daddy is back, the two children are happiest, but Li Shu could chase to the foyer to wait for Daddy, while Li Ning was stopped by his mother, so how could he not be annoyed?

In a good family atmosphere, the emotions and state shown by children are different.

At least Gu Yan could tell from the children's faces that the relationship between his sister and brother-in-law was very harmonious.

"Just wanted to ask you, what's the situation after meeting? How is it? Did you like her?"

Li Xuewu sat on the sofa and waved his hand at Qin Jingru who wanted to make tea for him.

"Busy with your own things, I'll do it myself."

"Dinner will be ready soon," Qin Jingru responded with a smile and turned to ask Li Shu, "Li Shu, do you want to eat steamed egg custard with raisins?"

"Yes! Little brother wants it too—"

Li Shu was a little foodie; hearing there was something to eat, she raised her head from the "busy" toy organizing work and responded, "Thank you, little aunt!"

"You're welcome—" Qin Jingru said with a smile, "As long as you are obedient, there will be delicious food—"

Couldn't calculate the time Li Xuewu would arrive home, so Qin Jingru cut the vegetables, just waiting for him to come back to put them in the pot; the rice was ready long ago.

Qin Jingru went to the kitchen, and Han Jiankun was still busy with the pile of things he brought back at the door.

Sorting and classifying, some could be put in the snack cabinet in the living room, some had to be put in the kitchen or refrigerator, and some had to be put in the cellar.

Almost every time Li Xuewu came back from a business trip, there would be such busyness; Li Shu would also run over to wait for her gift after tidying up the toys.

Toys, snacks, new clothes...

"I think it's okay, quite a straightforward person," Gu Yan sat on the sofa and said to his brother-in-law, "We strolled in the park for a while, chatted about each other's situation, and agreed to keep in touch often."

"Any feeling of heart-throb?"

Li Xuewu joked, "Your sister was also worried that your personalities were both straightforward and you wouldn't get along."

"It's okay, no feeling." Gu Yan glanced at his sister suspiciously, looked at his brother-in-law, and said, "Aren't blind dates all like this?"

He knew his brother-in-law was very good at handling interpersonal relationships and handled family relationships very well, but saying his sister cared about this was really a bit fake.

Gu Yan had long been used to his sister's arrogance and independence, often telling the family that this was a fairy from heaven, how could she care about his younger brother.

But what surprised him was that after his brother-in-law finished this sentence, his sister didn't have an unusual expression.

Did his sister really change?

"What are you looking at me for?" Gu Ning coaxed Li Ning over, and just sat down when she saw her brother's eyes, "Do you need someone to teach you how to date?"

"Hehe, I'm familiar with dating," Gu Yan didn't expect his sister to really change, so he couldn't help but laugh, "But this is my first blind date."

He looked at his brother-in-law playfully, "I was thinking of asking you for advice."

"Then you asked the wrong person," Li Xuewu raised his eyebrows and said, "I only went on one blind date in my life, which was the one with your sister."

He looked at Gu Yan amusedly and asked, "I don't need to share this little experience with you, right?"

"Then forget it," Gu Yan said amusedly, "Thinking about it makes me feel awkward."

"What do you mean?" Gu Ning was looking at her son in a daze, suddenly raised her head and stared into her brother's eyes, asking, "What does awkward mean?"

There's killing intent—

Gu Yan was startled; he was just joking with his brother-in-law and forgot the person involved was here.

"No, no meaning," he explained with a dry laugh, "Blind dates, they are all like this."

"Did you feel very awkward at the time?"

Gu Ning turned to look at Li Xuewu and asked.

Li Xuewu's expression stiffened, and he blamed his brother-in-law: It's all the trouble you caused!

Gu Yan frantically gave his brother-in-law a wink; whether he lived or died depended on his brother-in-law's thought.

Li Xuewu didn't care about his life or death; he courted death himself and wanted to pull him in as a cushion?

"No, what's there to be awkward about," he said calmly, ignoring his brother-in-law's expression of wanting to die, "I just met an old friend and saw a literary girl who had taken off her white coat."

Gu Yan: (? д??!!!)

I was just joking, why are you two feeding me a mouthful of dog food to my face!

"Everyone's situation is different, and the feelings are different..."

Gu Yan looked at his sister's gaze and really wanted to lift the sofa and drill into it.

"By the way, speaking of blind dates, we also caught a big show, 'All-Out Martial Arts'."

Because of historical reasons, when liberation entered the city, the four-nine city couldn't accommodate so many government units, and even less could it accommodate so many people.

Therefore, outside the Xicheng, which is outside the Second Ring Road, became the settlement location for some large courtyards.

I won't say specifically which large courtyards, just talk about Zhao Weidong, whom Zhang Jianguo met secretly a few days ago; he lived in Baiwanzhuang.

South of Baiwanzhuang is Yuyuantan Park, where the famous Diaoyutai State Guesthouse is located.

East of Yuyuantan Park, there is a piece of land belonging to the railway, and further east is Yuetan.

The children in those large courtyards, especially those in this area, all like to come to these two parks to play.

The scenery is beautiful, of course, not comparable to the Summer Palace, but it's close to home.

Skipping stones, running, catching fish and shrimp, dating—all in this area.

Out of habit, Gu Yan called Zhou Yao according to the phone number Li Xuewu left him, and after talking, he casually made an appointment to meet at Yuetan Park.

After hanging up the phone, Gu Yan regretted it; his brother-in-law lived in the Dongcheng, why make an appointment in the Xicheng?

But the phone was hung up, so he could only hold on.

When meeting at Yuetan, he was embarrassed and told this as a joke to Li Xuewu.

Zhou Yao didn't take it seriously either, thinking Gu Yan lived in the Xicheng, so they laughed and talked and let it pass.

But coincidences make a story, and it was precisely because of Gu Yan's muddle-headedness that they caught the excitement.

And as a "senior" in the circle, Gu Yan knew both sides of the "All-Out Martial Arts".

He told Li Xuewu about the day's events at the dinner table; it was truly thrilling and fascinating.

Time back to March 30th, which was the weekend, around three o'clock in the afternoon.

Zhang Jianguo and his party rode their 28-inch bicycles to the vicinity of Yuetan Park.

This was the time and place for the meeting with Zhao Weidong and others that had been agreed upon long ago.

What a pity, what he waited for was not peace talks, and even less respect, but a bloody battle.

Almost without any reaction, countless old soldiers holding scrapers surrounded Zhang Jianguo and the others from both front and back directions.

According to the situation Gu Yan described at the time, the old soldiers coming from the front were a large black mass, squeezing and walking over on the narrow road.

The leader shouted: Who is Zhang Jianguo? Beat him to death! Then, the old soldiers rushed over as if playing with their lives.

"I saw it; Zhang Jianguo should have been injured, and he ran away with his people," Gu Yan said, "That Li Kuiyong was injured."

"Who specifically was who, I didn't pay attention; it's also your security section chief who likes to meddle in other people's business."

He smiled and said, "I told her this matter didn't need her to manage, but she insisted on calling the police."

"Quite a few people at the scene were taken away for investigation, among whom I recognized Zhao Weidong."

"Delayed you from watching the excitement?"

Gu Ning stared at her brother dissatisfiedly and reminded him, "Pay attention to your identity."

"I know, don't worry, sister."

Gu Yan smiled without caring and said, "In that kind of occasion, even if the police came, they would have to wait for them to finish fighting before going up to arrest people."

"Haven't seen him for quite a while; Zhao Weidong is still as sincere and talkative as ever."

He chuckled and said, "He told the police that he had carefully inspected the terrain several times before determining to set the dating location there."

"I can see it now; this Zhang Jianguo has really become a climate; a ruffian can force them to lay out plans and play schemes."

"Where did you hear about Zhang Jianguo?"

Li Xuewu glanced at him and asked, "Zhou Yao told you?"

"Mm, she is really brave."

Thinking of the scene at that time, Gu Yan couldn't help but want to laugh, "She told me to help her, to find a way to catch that Zhang Jianguo."

"Even she dared to think about catching that ruffian, but those old soldiers were as fearful as tigers."

Speaking of this, Gu Yan shook his head regretfully and said, "This circle has no hope."

"The words Zhao Weidong said, I felt my face flush when I heard them."

He looked at his brother-in-law and said, "He said that the old soldiers view Zhang Jianguo as a tiger, and it is inevitable to fear battle when facing the enemy."

"And that location's road was narrow; even if someone wanted to retreat, there were people blocking behind, and no one could retreat."

"Who was blocking behind?"

Qin Jingru asked curiously, "Is this arranging troops?"

"You can't imagine how damaging Zhao Weidong is."

Gu Yan glanced at her and said to his brother-in-law, "The police asked him, who is blocking behind? Could it be you leaders?"

"He told the police: Women. He brought all the most beautiful girls in the large courtyard."

"He even shamelessly asked the police: Do you know what this is called? This is called sharing hatred for the enemy!"

The atmosphere at the dinner table became silent because of Gu Yan's tone, and even Qin Jingru, who was listening to the story, frowned.

"It's damaging enough," she asked Gu Yan, "Don't the police care?"

"They cared, they were all taken away."

Gu Yan smiled and said, "But how many can be dealt with?"

"Haven't you heard the principle that the law doesn't punish the masses? They even think they are heroes eliminating harm for the people, each one boasting."

Li Xuewu remembered Nie Xiaoguang's confession about the situation when they met that night, and only sighed in his heart that the water in the Jianghu is really muddy.

On that night of the meeting, Zhao Weidong kept saying that everyone was a victim, don't kill each other, be friends.

But what was the result?

The police asked Zhao Weidong for details, why Zhang Jianguo believed his words and wanted to be friends with him; Zhao Weidong's answer was: He's stupid. I can't be friends with him, because he's a bad person! I'm a good person!

April 1st, Tuesday.

After Li Xuewu went to work, he took time to call the club and asked Zhao Lao Si to tell him about the situation at Yuetan Park that weekend.

Although Zhao Lao Si hadn't asked, he knew very well that Li Xuewu had been intentionally or unintentionally watching the ruffian and old soldier circles.

Even when he was "still connected" with the ruffian circle, he didn't care; when Zhou Changli came back to recruit workers, he even met those ruffians, and he didn't reprimand him.

He didn't dare to guess what Li Xuewu wanted to do, but he had always been paying attention to these things, just afraid that one day Li Xuewu would suddenly ask.

Once you enter the door of the club, you are a person of the club.

Zhao Lao Si had long ago determined that he was a person of the club; now he wore leather shoes and couldn't possibly go back to the old path.

He was very clear about his positioning; he was the club's big housekeeper, and he had to think for the club and the leaders in everything he did.

Since Li Xuewu was concerned about the situation on both sides, he was concerned; it was to serve Li Xuewu, and also to learn the tricks inside.

Some knowledge can never be learned from books, such as Li Xuewu's way of doing things and layout, changing in an instant, accurately grasped.

After Li Xuewu hung up the phone, he rode his bicycle from the club and rushed to the Red Star Factory without stopping.

Others couldn't enter or leave the Red Star Factory area at will, but Zhao Lao Si, who had a proper job, didn't count as "others"; this was the identity he was most proud of.

Relying on the work permit of the Security Li Kezhang of the Dongcheng East Wind No. 1 Club in his hand, he registered at the gate and came to Li Xuewu's office.

"Speaking of which, it's all later, but he had to break out at Yuetan Park, and the situation was extremely tragic..."

Li Xuewu was very busy, listening to his report while working.

Zhao Lao Si didn't dare to be too polite, so he stood beside him and told the story of that day clearly in a low voice, from another perspective.

"Thirteen people followed Zhang Jianguo to Yuetan that day, including Yan Shengli and Li Kuiyong, riding eight or nine bicycles."

In this era, bicycles could be considered bulk assets, more valuable than human life, especially since some cars were borrowed from friends; losing them would be impossible to explain.

"Yan Shengli discovered the situation was wrong first; seeing the enemy approaching, it was too late to run."

Zhao Lao Si introduced, "Afraid the other party was coming to grab their cars, so the formation for battle was a very loose ring."

"That is, putting the bicycles in the middle, thirteen people stood in a circle around the bicycles."

"After figuring out that the other party was specifically looking for Zhang Jianguo, Li Kuiyong's first reaction was to cover Zhang Jianguo behind him."

"But when he looked back, on the road behind, a large mass of old soldiers lined up in a dense formation, also pressing over step by step."

"After the two groups of people approached, they quickly stretched out to both wings and closed in, tightly surrounding the thirteen of them in a small circle."

"In the middle of the circle were those few bicycles."

Zhao Lao Si paused here, looked at Li Xuewu's complexion, and seeing the pen in the leader's hand didn't stop, he continued to speak.

"It could be seen at the time that the old soldiers were really too nervous," he said, "After the encirclement closed, they didn't move immediately, but had a short pause, and both sides started to confront each other."

Anyone who has fought knows that the more it is at this time, although the number of people on both sides is very disparate, the side that dares to move first can still strive for a certain initiative in an instant, or even turn defeat into victory.

On this point, the old soldiers exposed their lack of practical experience and personal courage.

"Zhang Jianguo said later that what was needed most at that time was a dog that didn't know death, rushed up and bit."

Zhao Lao Si said quite approvingly, "At that time, the old soldiers didn't have such a leading dog."

Zhang Jianguo moved first.

He held a scraper in his hand, without any hesitation, and rushed straight at the crowd in front of him.

Unexpectedly, that scraper smashed onto the face of an old soldier, and immediately red sprayed out.

The crowd was in chaos, many people fell in the squeezing and pushing, rolling into a ball.

Yan Shengli was a bit panicked at the beginning, his brain was blank.

But observing that the other party was even more nervous, he immediately became exceptionally clear and calm.

He made a judgment; the only correct choice at this time was to follow Zhang Jianguo closely,

Either die together; or, break out from the knife forest.

The scene was too chaotic; Yan Shengli called his brothers to follow behind Zhang Jianguo, stepping on the bodies of those who fell on the ground, squeezing and bumping their way out of the crowd.

In this process, Yan Shengli was tripped twice by people on the ground.

The second time he fell, perhaps because he was too panicked, plus the squeezing and pushing of the crowd, Yan Shengli couldn't get up for a long time.

In the end, it was Zhang Jianguo who pulled him out of the pile of people by his clothes.

Breaking out of the encirclement, running wildly along the road toward the city, the real danger started at this time.

After the initial chaos passed, the old soldiers organized quickly, and among them, the most fierce and brave group rode bicycles and chased Zhang Jianguo and the others for their lives.

Of course, this was only known later.

Following behind Zhang Jianguo and rushing out were Yan Shengli, Li Heping, and Li Kuiyong.

Li Heping was running at the back; after being caught up, the lead

Next to be caught was Yan Shengli.

The whistling sound of the steel wire lock swinging through the air echoed incessantly in his ears, and the lead head landed behind him, time and again, almost grazing the back of his head.

In a panic, Li Kuiyong performed a sudden stop, turned around, and raised his knife to thrust; the person following closely behind him jerked the handlebars to dodge, and both bike and rider went tumbling out.

This bought Yan Shengli a little time, but before he could catch his breath, as he reached Fuchengmen, more people from behind caught up again.

At the very front was a tall man wearing a dark brown tussah silk outfit, thick-set and valiant.

Yan Shengli dashed from the road onto the sidewalk, and this guy nimbly lifted his handlebars, leaped onto the sidewalk as well, and swung the steel wire lock toward his head.

At this point, let alone fighting back, even a slight hesitation would mean being knocked to the ground instantly.

Besides, there were too many pursuers, and their speed was extremely fast; even a collision would send you flying.

At this moment, Zhang Jianguo was running in the lead, about four or five paces away from him.

In the crisis, Yan Shengli subconsciously shouted for Zhang Jianguo.

Zhang Jianguo stopped abruptly, let Yan Shengli pass, then raised his left arm to protect his head, and with his right hand, he thrust a spear into the tussah silk wearer's buttocks...

By the moat, Zhang Jianguo and Yan Shengli stood their ground.

The pursuers also stopped far away; no one dared to chase them anymore.

"There's no way to talk about the others' fates, sigh—"

Zhao Lao Si sighed, silently reciting to himself: Jianghu matters are settled in the Jianghu; Jianghu people grow old in the Jianghu.

Once you step into this Jianghu, without great fortune, you can only grow old in the Jianghu.

The "old" here doesn't mean becoming an old man, but rather, while still young, you...

"Zhang Jianguo's arm is injured, Yan Shengli is fine," Zhao Lao Si introduced, "Li Kuiyong's situation is a bit special..."

Speaking of this Li Kuiyong, Zhao Lao Si also didn't know what to say.

At that critical, chaotic moment, this brother insisted on not abandoning the old bicycle he had borrowed from a relative.

When breaking out, he had followed along, but later, as if possessed, he turned back to push that bike.

As a result, he was stabbed in the thigh by a spear.

Struggling to crawl up from the ground, he still wanted to push that bike, and was stabbed again.

In the end, covered in blood, he rode the bike back into the city.

"The wounds on his leg and buttocks aren't deep, but they just won't heal."

Zhao Lao Si sighed and said, "He doesn't dare go to the hospital, and the white medicine from home doesn't work either; the pain is so bad that even gritting his teeth doesn't help..."

Li Xuewu actually knew about this situation; Gu Yan had mentioned it last night.

Zhao Weidong and the others truly regarded Zhang Jianguo and his group as mortal enemies. Before the action, they had made full preparations; the scrapers and spearheads were all coated with medicinal powder.

Their fathers had done the same thing back when dealing with the Japanese invaders.

If a wound doesn't heal for half a year, you're disabled for life.

"Don't worry about Zhang Jianguo."

After listening to Zhao Lao Si's account, Li Xuewu waited a long while before instructing: "Go ask Li Kuiyong whether he wants loyalty or his life."

"If he wants his life, go to the branch bureau and surrender to Ji Yuxiu, then you take him to my father's place and tell him he cannot come down from the mountain for half a year."

"Understood—" Zhao Lao Si responded softly, then hesitated and asked, "If he doesn't go to surrender... Understood."

He only asked half of that question, but in the gap of Zhao Lao Si's hesitation, seeing that Li Xuewu had no intention of answering, he nodded knowingly and went out.

Want loyalty? Does that even need to be asked?

Why did he ask Zhao Lao Si about Zhang Jianguo?

Because Zhang Jianguo was in Nie Xiaoguang's confession.

Li Xuewu hadn't expected that Nie Xiaoguang would dare to move against Li Huai De, and that Zhang Jianguo and others were involved; this was no small matter.

An isolated incident could be tolerated, but a premeditated one was a challenge to his bottom line.

Li Xuewu had already met Nie Xiaoguang; the kid was quite frank, saying everything as soon as he saw him, including the motive for retaliating against Li Huai De.

Li Xuewu didn't lecture him on any grand principles, just asked a few questions.

The last one was about Zhang Jianguo.

Because he knew Nie Xiaoguang hung out with Zhang Jianguo and the others, and he didn't have the brains for scheming, he was afraid someone had given him ideas.

So Li Xuewu asked him if it was Zhang Jianguo who incited him to retaliate against Li Huai De like this.

But Nie Xiaoguang said no.

Nie Xiaoguang confessed that just as he was heading to Li Huai De's house, he passed through Jiaodaokou on his bike and happened to see Zhang Jianguo leading people past; the two sides didn't even greet each other.

Since that meeting, Nie Xiaoguang and Zhang Jianguo had been drifting apart.

Nie Xiaoguang confessed that he knew during this time, Zhang Jianguo had been busy socializing and networking; he had befriended many old soldiers with noble bloodlines.

He said Zhang Jianguo must have been very proud at that time, must have thought he had received respect and become one of them; he believed these connections and social engagements brought him friends of a noble class.

You can hand a knife to a friend, but was the person he handed it to really a friend?

Zhao Weidong told the old soldier circle that actually, Zhang Jianguo had a third path, which was to endure and believe that society would surely progress.

In the future, background and status would no longer draw boundaries, people would treat each other with sincerity, and there would be no more ideological or consciousness-based struggles.

Hearing about Zhang Jianguo, Nie Xiaoguang had nothing to say.

After hearing Li Huai De's forgiveness, Nie Xiaoguang was silent for a long time.

He had received an extremely absurd result today, proving that his hot-bloodedness was all ridiculous.

At the end of the conversation, Nie Xiaoguang frankly stated that the person who incited him was actually Zhao Weidong, because Zhao Weidong hated Li Huai De for stealing his woman.

PS:

Do you still remember who the "femme fatale" is?

Do you still remember how Nie Xiaoguang came into contact with Zhao Weidong?

Do you know why Li Xuewu wants to pay attention to the conflict between the old soldiers and the street toughs?

(End of chapter)