Chapter 1325: Lady-like Image

"First time coming here, right?"

The car turned into the street of the Haiyuncang residential area, and Xiaoxiao earnestly examined the buildings outside the window.

Li Li Xuewu smiled and introduced: "Actually, it's very easy to find. Just go straight into this Jinyu Hutong opposite the Military General Hospital that we just passed."

He pointed his hand forward, signaled toward the corner, and said: "The third street, this courtyard by the roadside is it."

"I really haven't been here before." Xiaoxiao smiled a bit embarrassedly, "Even though I'm a native Beijinger."

"It's all the same, hehe—" Li Li Xuewu chuckled and nodded, saying: "I was quite mischievous when I was little, so I wouldn't dare say I've wandered all over the capital or know everywhere."

"The courtyards here seem—" Xiaoxiao followed Li Li Xuewu's gesture to examine the surrounding courtyards, and when the car stopped in front of the courtyard the leader had just indicated, her words were not yet finished.

"The courtyard walls are very high, right." Li Li Xuewu got out of the car, looked at Xiaoxiao who had gotten out from the other side, nodded, and signaled: "This is an old courtyard received from before, a building from the Japanese puppet era."

"Oh, so that's how it is—"

Xiaoxiao nodded as if she understood, her gaze following the half-open gate to glance into the courtyard, then fearing Li Li Xuewu might mind, she looked elsewhere.

Where the leaders of the Red Star Factory live is generally unknown to ordinary people in the offices, unless they are in the duty room or are secretaries of the committee office.

Why is it that even though the factory has collective expert buildings that they don't live in, these leaders have other places to live?

The reason is very simple: some leaders had already been allocated houses before coming to the Red Star Factory, or they have old family homes.

Or perhaps, like Li Li Xuewu, they were allocated housing in the city after working and are unwilling to move into the collective buildings.

Li Li Huai De came to the Red Star Factory relatively early; when the No. 3 Steel Rolling Factory was merged in, the expert building he was in was allocated to him.

Therefore, in the entire Red Star Factory, only leaders like Li Li Huai De who were at the Red Star Factory early on would live together.

The housing policy of this era is quite special; property rights do not belong to individuals. The characteristic of the collective ownership system is that if you are a leader, you can live there; if you are not a leader, you must vacate it.

Generally speaking, housing follows that leader until retirement.

Some factories will take care of old leaders or retired comrades, retaining their benefits in situations where housing is not so tight.

Only when the leader passes away will their children be notified to move out of the housing so it can be reallocated.

Someone asked, when is housing not tight?

It is indeed like this: when a leader retires, if their successor is their own person, or if they have someone above them, and they have a strong personality and significant influence, ordinary people will not move their housing.

If they are unpopular while in office and have no successor, then when they retire, they will inevitably face some criticism and obstruction.

Some leaders have foresight and care more about their face, so they have already arranged their own housing before retirement.

Before they even retire, they have already moved out, very decisively, not giving the logistics department any chance to look down on them.

If, like Li Li Xuewu, one possesses housing with independent property rights, the factory will provide a certain housing subsidy when the leader's housing benefits have not been fulfilled.

It's not much, just a gesture.

Therefore, at this time, ordinary leaders will still choose to live in housing allocated by the factory because it is more worthwhile.

Why do some people say that the most attractive thing about an enterprise is not the salary, but the benefits? Whether it's leaders or staff, everyone has welfare benefits.

Li Li Xuewu is only the last-ranked factory leader in the leadership team, but the welfare benefits he enjoys already exceed the imagination of ordinary people.

On the surface, one can see official vehicles, office secretaries, housing subsidies, meal subsidies, entertainment quotas, clothing subsidies...

That's right, actually, Li Li Xuewu doesn't even have to spend his own money to order work clothes and administrative suits; there is a reimbursement quota every quarter.

This is not a benefit that only appeared after becoming a factory leader; ordinary staff also have the benefit of receiving work clothes quarterly.

Factory leaders don't need to collect work clothes; they order them directly, and the reimbursement channel is the same as for staff work clothes.

Of course, if you say that what factory leaders wear is different from what factory staff wear, there is really no way to refute or emphasize that.

One can only say that the revolutionary division of labor is different, the positions are different, and the clothing requirements are also different.

Now, the group and branch offices have basically achieved batch ordering of administrative suits, and everyone wears the same thing.

The "White plus Black" started by Li Li Xuewu has finally been popularized.

In order to conform to the characteristics of the era, the office logistics department specially ordered badges and pins unique to the Red Star Steel Group.

The badges and pins are about the size of an adult's thumb cover, chic when worn on the chest and not affecting work.

What Li Li Xuewu is wearing now is the private custom version of the administrative suit, while Xiaoxiao is not qualified to wear an administrative suit.

A white short-sleeved shirt, a pale yellow long skirt, white leather sandals—she looks ethereal.

Just as she was examining this elegant and chic Western-style courtyard, laughter and greetings came from inside the courtyard.

"Proprietor, I said I wouldn't come."

A man with a slightly dark complexion, looking honest and thin in the sunset, greeted the Secretary-General awkwardly with a Northeast accent.

And standing next to him, a young man wearing a summer administrative suit who didn't look like a cadre patted his arm.

"If you blame me, that won't do." Shen Shen Guodong feigned dissatisfaction: "It was Brother Wu who asked me to bring you over to recognize the door."

"I don't have any urgent matters either, I'm just here to drop someone off."

This dark and thin man Xiaoxiao saw was Zhou Zichang, who had just left the capital a few days ago.

Li Li Xuewu was also a bit surprised when he received Shen Shen Guodong's call, thinking he had some urgent matter, so he let them pick up Li Ning and come to Haiyuncang to talk.

"Come, Xiaoxiao."

The doorway was not a place for talking. Li Li Xuewu first raised his hand to signal them to enter the courtyard, then greeted Xiaoxiao who was standing behind him.

Nie Nie Xiaoguang knew he couldn't leave for the time being, so he parked the car in the garage and wandered into the courtyard early to help.

Li Li Xuewu treated him very generously, and he was also a person who got familiar quickly; he didn't feel at all that he should be reserved at the leader's home.

From the bottom of his heart, he didn't think of Li Li Xuewu as his leader; he regarded Li Li Xuewu as a big brother in the underworld, a god-like figure among the tough guys.

So, holding the horse and dropping the stool was him, driving and coaxing the baby was also him; he did the same things as Han Han Jiankun, but his mindset was even more loyal.

Being a person of the underworld, his temperament was manifested in his behavior, so he had a bit of a "henchman's" self-awareness.

Han Han Jiankun working hard for Li Li Xuewu was, to a certain extent, for his career, and even more for his own future.

What future did Nie Nie Xiaoguang want by working hard here? He wanted Li Li Huai De's life, only hindered by Li Li Xuewu's loyalty, he couldn't take it for the time being.

So, feeling helpless and having long regarded Li Li Xuewu as a big brother, he didn't feel reserved about doing anything in this home.

A mixed-up kid who dared to call Gu Ning "Sister-in-law" on the first day he visited, do you think he could have any self-awareness as a driver?

Shen Shen Guodong saw Nie Nie Xiaoguang, who didn't treat himself as an outsider, but Li Li Xuewu didn't say anything, so he couldn't say anything more.

Although Li Li Xuewu pointed to the courtyard to let them enter first, like Zhou Zichang, they waited until Li Li Xuewu brought the girl he didn't know inside before the two followed him inside, one on the left and one on the right.

"This is Xiaoxiao, a talented girl from our unit's art troupe." Li Li Xuewu didn't neglect Xiaoxiao while entertaining them, and frankly introduced her simply, "A tutor for Li Shu."

"This is my friend from Jincheng, Zhou Zichang." He patted Da Da Qiangzi's arm, then pointed to Shen Shen Guodong and introduced: "Shen Shen Guodong, my childhood friend, works at the Jiaodaokou Street Office."

"Hello everyone, my name is Xiaoxiao."

Xiaoxiao performed very gracefully, not stage-frightened at all; even though she didn't know the two, she took the initiative to smile and greet them.

Someone who could be called a friend by the Secretary-General and invited to be a guest at home, that dark and thin man must not be simple.

There's no need to mention the Secretary-General's childhood friend; she hadn't seen Shen Shen Guodong himself, but she had heard of this person's name.

Coincidentally, the person in charge of the factory's main distribution channels was him, and some effective products not produced by the factory were all provided by him.

From this, one could see that Xiaoxiao was very smart; being a dancer by profession didn't mean she didn't have a brain.

She couldn't compare to Zhou Zhou Miaomiao, who dared to fight and charge, regardless of her own safety, nor could she compare to Han Lu, who was explicit and uninhibited.

Last time she chatted with Zhou Zhou Xiaoling, she had the intention to jump out of the dance troupe to develop, but she couldn't bear to leave herself.

Colleagues in the dance troupe had already paved a few paths for her, but she didn't want to walk any of them.

It was Heaven looking after her; she who never fought or grabbed, was quiet and natural, and liked to read, was suddenly sought out by Wang Wang Yajuan.

Wang Wang Yajuan got straight to the point and told her about the Secretary-General's family affairs, asking if she had time to tutor the Secretary-General's daughter.

How could Xiaoxiao miss such an opportunity? Although she didn't agree immediately, she only asked a few questions about the situation before nodding.

Why was it Wang Wang Yajuan who talked to her? What was the relationship between Wang Wang Yajuan and the Secretary-General? Was Wang Wang Yajuan taking the initiative to share the Secretary-General's worries, or did the Secretary-General take a fancy to her and ask Wang Wang Yajuan to find her to talk? She knew none of this.

Actually, she didn't want to know so clearly; she only needed to know that this was an opportunity.

She didn't need to negotiate conditions with the Secretary, let alone say what she wanted; as long as she did the tutoring job well, everything would fall into place.

If he couldn't even see through this little bit of her mind, then the Secretary-General wouldn't be the Secretary-General.

"Come in and sit. We don't have any special rules in our home, just feel free."

Li Li Xuewu smiled and greeted them, saying politely: "I might not be able to entertain you well today. Originally, there was a relative taking care of the home..."

His polite words were only half-spoken when he saw a little girl standing with her head down between the foyer and the living room.

Li Shu was standing beside her, mischievously examining her, and Li Ning, who had entered first, also learned from his sister to stand on the other side with his head raised.

"This is—" He looked at Shen Shen Guodong with some doubt, then looked at Zhou Zichang with some understanding.

"This is my cousin, Zhou Er'ya." Seeing Li Li Xuewu ask, Zhou Zichang took the initiative to introduce her: "I'm here to drop her off."

"I mentioned her to you on the phone."

Shen Shen Guodong explained softly from the side: "I also chatted with Da Da Qiangzi about family matters unintentionally, and he sent someone over."

"Oh, oh, so that's how it is." Li Li Xuewu didn't express his stance immediately, examined the little girl standing timidly at the door, nodded, and asked: "Are you from the same village? How old is the girl?"

Zhou Er'ya kept her head down and didn't speak, looking at the cloth shoes her mother had newly made for her when she left home, seeming very attached and reluctant to part with them.

"A village girl, hasn't seen much of the world." Zhou Zichang introduced her a bit embarrassedly: "This is my second uncle's younger sister, sixteen years old. I watched her grow up from childhood; she's trustworthy."

This last sentence was the key point, but I don't know who he was referring to as trustworthy.

"Only sixteen? Not in school?"

Li Li Xuewu didn't mind the little girl's timidity, let alone Zhou Zichang's initiative, signaled to the living room, and invited them to sit over there.

From the moment she entered the door, Xiaoxiao's gaze fell on the doll standing in the foyer, guessing that this must be the Secretary-General's daughter, the student she needed to tutor.

Regarding Li Shu, on the car ride over, the Secretary-General had already made some introductions regarding her personality and living habits.

The Secretary-General said very frankly that he didn't want his daughter to have any high achievements or development in art, only needing her to grow up happily.

Honestly, Xiaoxiao was a bit envious of this little girl named Li Shu. Being able to have such a family environment, receiving artistic influence from a young age, and not needing to rely on art to survive—isn't that just like a little princess?

"You must be Li Shu." She responded to the Secretary-General's greeting, squatted down in front of Li Shu, took the initiative to greet her, and said: "My name is Xiaoxiao, can we be friends?"

Li Shu was looking at the big sister who had suddenly appeared in her home; now another one had appeared, and her eyes were full of curiosity.

Li Ning didn't know what was going on; whatever his sister did, he followed, and seeing his sister looking at the new sister, he also walked over to earnestly examine her.

"Secretary-General, you go ahead and get busy, Li Shu and I have already met."

Xiaoxiao didn't get a response from Li Shu, but she didn't mind, turned her head to the Secretary-General who was greeting her to sit in the living room, and said: "Having her entertain me is enough, let's go see the piano, okay."

Her second half of the sentence was directed at Li Shu, with sunshine-like gentleness in her tone.

However, in Li Shu's eyes, this was a bit deliberate. In the picture book stories, the bad guys who tricked children seemed to look just like this.

If this big sister hadn't been brought back by her father, she would have run back to find her machine gun.

Bad guy, rat-tat-tat you—

"Come, sit first." Seeing that Xiaoxiao had started talking to Li Shu, Li Li Xuewu let them be.

He greeted Zhou Zichang and Shen Shen Guodong to sit in the living room, took the teacup from the table, and said: "I don't know if the water in the thermos is hot enough. Since Qin Jingru left, the home is a mess."

"Hehehe, I heard from my godmother."

Shen Shen Guodong didn't sit down immediately, took the thermos, and brewed hot tea for the three of them, "I boiled hot water when I came."

"Hmm, if I had known, I would have let you come take care of the home." Li Li Xuewu joked: "Why be so chaotic."

"Hahaha, I'd be very willing." Shen Shen Guodong also laughed and joked: "But I'm afraid Chen Xiaoyan wouldn't be willing; she orders me around every day."

"You got the benefit and are still acting coy."

Li Li Xuewu pointed at him, looked at Zhou Zichang, and asked: "What's different about life after marriage compared to before?"

Zhou Zichang didn't expect the proprietor to ask such a high-difficulty question; he really couldn't think of an accurate answer for a moment.

"Clothes are clean?" He said hesitantly, then smiled and said: "The quilt is clean, and the person is clean too."

"Hahaha—" Li Li Xuewu laughed loudly, obviously agreeing with Zhou Zichang's answer and finding it very interesting.

After marriage, it's not just clothes and quilts that are clean, but also the soul.

"Your name is Zhou Er'ya, right." He turned his head, looked at the little girl still standing by the foyer, and asked with a smile: "Come over and sit for a while. Your big brother didn't bring you here to stand in the corner as punishment, did he?"

"This girl, I clearly told her everything when we came out."

Zhou Zichang stood up a bit awkwardly, walked over to pull his sister over, and pressed her shoulders so she sat on the sofa.

"Don't mind her. She grew up in the village and hasn't even been to the county seat. This is her first time going far from home."

"I don't mind, she looks quite introverted." Li Li Xuewu already understood Zhou Zichang's intention, smiled and examined the little girl, and asked: "Did you come to the city willingly, or did your big brother force you?"

When this was asked, Zhou Zichang wanted to answer, but was stared at by Shen Shen Guodong, and didn't dare to speak.

Three gazes in the living room converged on the little girl. From the side, one could see her side profile was very red, and her head was hanging even lower.

After being quiet for a good while, Li Li Xuewu heard a mosquito-like voice, which was her own saying, "I... I'm willing."

Northeast dialect is more profound than standard Chinese; just this one sentence spoken with different tones doesn't mean the same thing.

Saying "I'm willing" in a tough way means "I just like doing it this way, none of your business"; saying it weakly means she is truly willing.

Li Li Xuewu was a master of Northeast dialect, so he naturally understood the little girl's answer and could see Zhou Zichang finally relaxing.

Since she is his own cousin, it doesn't seem like she was forced. Giving money is possible, which is very normal.

He was really afraid that his sister would have a momentary lapse in judgment and say "I want to go home," and Li Li Xuewu would have to send him to the execution ground.

"My second uncle was putting up a beam for a neighbor's house and wasn't careful, fell down, and broke his waist. Although his life was saved, he can't do heavy work anymore."

Zhou Zichang got the chance to speak, and only then explained: "My second aunt is pulling a whole family by herself, it's really too hard."

"You know the situation in our village; the land on the mountain doesn't produce grain, and usually we rely entirely on the harvest from the forest to maintain life."

He sighed when he reached this point, and continued: "She is one of three sisters, and there are five younger brothers. My second aunt was forced with no other way and wanted to marry her off. I really couldn't bear it."

"If you say I have the ability not to take care of my family, may Heaven strike me down, but the old saying goes, save the emergency, not the poor..."

"My dad—" Hearing her big brother talk about this, Zhou Er'ya, who had just been hanging her head, suddenly had some courage and stammered: "My dad went to the hospital—it was my brother who spent the money—"

She had courage, but not much.

Zhou Er'ya just wanted to raise her head to speak, but looking at the magnificence in the room and the soft sofa under her bottom, the confidence she had gathered was exhausted, her voice became lower and lower, and finally, she was silent.

Li Li Xuewu looked at her, then looked at Zhou Zichang, and asked: "Why didn't you think about arranging a job for her in Jincheng? Coming to the capital is too far from home, she's only sixteen, she'll miss home."

"I did want to arrange it, but it wasn't too easy." Zhou Zichang looked at his sister with heartache and explained: "She has always been very good at studying since she was little, but how many can test out of that big mountain."

"There are three sisters in the family, and she is the most sensible. The jobs I can arrange for her in Jincheng all require suffering; I just couldn't bear it."

"You have to suffer in the capital too." Li Li Xuewu said indifferently: "You saw it yourself, she doesn't want to stay long."

"I am me, I'm just a country bumpkin." Zhou Zichang looked at Li Li Xuewu earnestly and said: "My second sister is different, she has a clever heart, just hasn't seen much of the world."

"Sending her to you, feel free to order her around, feel free to educate her." He said sincerely: "I told my second aunt, I don't want anything else, just want her to grow a few more years and gain some experience."

"If she can learn a thing or two by your side, it will be enough for her to benefit for a lifetime after she goes back."

"Da Da Qiangzi, you've become slippery." Li Li Xuewu glanced at him amusedly, turned to Shen Shen Guodong, and asked: "Did you teach him?"

"I couldn't teach such an apprentice."

Shen Shen Guodong smiled, signaled to Zhou Er'ya who was hanging her head, and said: "I chatted with Er'ya, she was quite good when we were in the courtyard. Maybe she's a bit unfamiliar with you, so she's embarrassed."

"I look a bit scary." Li Li Xuewu joked, then looked at Zhou Er'ya earnestly and said: "Your big brother is a good friend of mine. Are you afraid of living in my home? Do you miss home?"

Zhou Er'ya might have received her big brother's instructions and emphasis when she left home, so she was naturally prepared in her heart.

She first shook her head, then nodded slightly. Li Li Xuewu didn't guess what she meant, but he understood her mood.

Coming out of the village, first to Jincheng, then taking the train from Jincheng to the capital—this journey was dazzling enough.

Never mind a child who grew up in the village; even young people from Jincheng would be unaccustomed to coming to the capital.

She didn't speak, and Li Li Xuewu couldn't test her character, but he could trust Zhou Zichang and Shen Shen Guodong's guarantee.

Shen Shen Guodong's words just now were explaining why he brought someone directly to the home. If she hadn't passed his test, there wouldn't be today's arrangement.

Zhou Zichang only heard a little, then took his sister to the capital on his own, which counted as recommending himself.

Shen Shen Guodong also understood his mood; on one hand, it was to take care of his sister, and on the other, it was to protect himself.

If there really was a sister taking care of the home by Li Li Xuewu's side, the trust and benefits he would get would be immense.

Of course, people shouldn't be too direct or too utilitarian when getting along. Once things are said and done, that's enough.

"Shen Guodong might have told you about my family situation." Li Li Xuewu found it a bit difficult to communicate with Zhou Er'ya, so he spoke to Zhou Zichang, "It's just this family of four. Your sister-in-law and I both have to go to work. The children are one big and one small; the big one is at the kindergarten at the door, and the small one has just started talking."

"The housework is simple: three meals a day. Your sister-in-law and I only eat breakfast and dinner at home; she and the children eat lunch."

"Usually washing, cleaning, not to mention the hygiene upstairs and downstairs, there are also a few vegetable patches in the courtyard."

When Li Li Xuewu was saying these things, Zhou Er'ya knew they were for her, so she unconsciously raised her head.

Seeing that she was listening, Li Li Xuewu's speaking speed slowed down, and his tone became more and more easygoing.

"If you ask me about these chores at home, I don't know either." He spread his hands with a smile, "I didn't care about anything before either."

"But I can ask the sister who used to help at home to come back and bring you for a few days to get familiar slowly."

He looked at Zhou Er'ya and said: "If you feel the vegetable patch is too busy, you can leave it, let it go fallow."

Actually, the vegetable patches and orchards in the front and back courtyards were all actively managed by Qin Qin Jingru. According to Gu Ning's idea, they should all be planted with flowers and plants.

She has a literary girl's heart, but this earthy Qin Qin Jingru didn't give her this opportunity.

If it weren't for Li Li Xuewu's active discussion, that flower garden under the big tree in the west courtyard wouldn't have been left for her.

In Qin Qin Jingru's words, although that side isn't suitable for planting vegetables, planting some sunflowers is much better than planting those flowers that can only be looked at.

Isn't it fragrant to beat some sunflower seeds to eat in the autumn?

The previous Gu Ning was naturally angry, but she couldn't overcome the straightforward Qin Qin Jingru.

After getting along for two years, perhaps she matured, perhaps she was busy with work, but Gu Ning didn't have the mind to manage flowers and plants anymore.

She let Qin Qin Jingru and her husband manage the front and back courtyards; they could plant whatever they wanted. If they really planted all flowers and plants, she would be a bit unaccustomed to it.

Honestly, Qin Qin Jingru's pregnancy and departure gave Gu Ning a shock; she was most unwilling for her living environment to change suddenly.

No matter how nagging, straightforward, or flawed Qin Qin Jingru was, they had already smoothed things out over more than two years.

But there was no way; Gu Ning couldn't stop people from having children. She had to let go even if she was reluctant.

When she came back from work, she saw the house was lively. The first thing she saw when she entered the living room was Li Shu sitting on the piano bench, with a girl teaching her and Li Ning to recognize the structure of the piano.

While changing her slippers, Li Shu had already seen her mother, took the initiative to jump off the piano bench, and ran over.

"Sister-in-law—" Shen Shen Guodong took the initiative to stand up from the living room and greeted her.

Zhou Zichang might have been seeing Gu Ning for the first time; he followed and stood up a bit reservedly, not knowing what to call her for a moment.

Looking at him standing there awkwardly, and the little girl standing to one side with her head down, Gu Ning just nodded, said a word to Li Shu, and went upstairs.

Feeling the coldness in her attitude, the temperature in the living room dropped by several degrees, and both Zhou Zichang and Xiaoxiao felt a bit nervous.

Zhou Zichang was worried that Li Li Xuewu's wife didn't take a fancy to his sister, while Xiaoxiao was worried that the Secretary-General's wife didn't take a fancy to her.

Both of them were a bit uneasy, which Li Li Xuewu noticed.

"It's okay, your sister-in-law is just this kind of personality." Li Li Xuewu waved his hand with a smile, signaled them to sit down, and said: "You'll know after getting along for a long time; she doesn't have much of a temper."

Although Li Li Xuewu said so, Zhou Zichang was inevitably nervous, and Zhou Er'ya even more so.

Seeing the male host of this house looked fierce but spoke gently, and the female host looked gentle but had a cold personality—this combination was a bit strange.

Shen Shen Guodong had long been used to it. After hearing Li Li Xuewu's explanation, he also comforted them with a smile: "Sister-in-law is a very good person, don't worry."

"Hmm, what do I have to worry about with Er'ya here at the proprietor's place." Zhou Zichang smiled and said: "Being able to be taken in by the proprietor is our good fortune."

"That's enough, Da Qiangzi." Li Li Xuewu glanced at him amusedly, then asked Shen Shen Guodong: "I asked you to bring food, did you bring it? I didn't cook at home."

"I brought it, but I didn't bring our own share."

Shen Shen Guodong smiled and pointed at Zhou Zichang, saying: "It's settled, we'll go to the club to have a drink tonight. You're busy, so we won't disturb you."

"Didn't I say it was settled." Li Li Xuewu patted his arm amusedly, looked at Zhou Zichang, and said: "You're acting like a stranger too."

"Not acting like a stranger, I'm of one heart with you." Zhou Zichang smiled, stood up, and said: "I'll leave Er'ya here. If there's anything you need me to do, just order me, I won't have two words."

"It's me who should thank you for helping me solve a big problem." Seeing he was about to leave, Li Li Xuewu didn't stand on ceremony, stood up, shook hands with him, and said: "When are you going back? I'll arrange it."

"Absolutely not, the train is tomorrow morning." Zhou Zichang waved his hand: "Precisely because it's urgent, I didn't want to disturb you today."

"I'll arrange it for him." Shen Shen Guodong took over the conversation with a smile, supported Zhou Zichang's arm, and said: "We'll be more comfortable eating outside."

He signaled to himself: "We're all rough people, shouting and drinking, it's not very elegant."

"You're acting like strangers with me." Li Li Xuewu smiled and sent them out the door, turned his head to look at Zhou Er'ya standing in the foyer, and asked: "Don't you want to say a few words to your big brother?"

Zhou Er'ya finally had the courage to raise her head, but her eyes were slightly red, looking like she was about to cry.

"Hold it back, you have no ambition—" Zhou Zichang acted like the head of the family, scared his sister, walked over to wipe her tears, and whispered: "Be good, you know?"

"Hmm—" Zhou Er'ya nodded, tears finally fell from her eyes, and Li Li Xuewu also saw her appearance clearly.

Her face was small, just like her. Perhaps because of malnutrition since childhood, she hadn't grown into her features even at sixteen.

Her skin was a bit dark, but not too dark. It could be called a healthy wheat color, but Li Li Xuewu knew she might have really planted wheat.

"Alright, I'll settle things at home." Zhou Zichang found it inconvenient to say more to his sister here, comforted her, and turned to leave.

He had long discussed with Shen Shen Guodong that he wouldn't stay to eat here, and even less would he disturb Li Li Xuewu too much.

Zhou Zichang knew very well how much he weighed; he had no status to stay here to eat.

Even if Li Li Xuewu sincerely asked him to stay, he had to save some face for himself and leave some tolerance for his sister.

Besides, even if he stayed, he wouldn't be able to eat well. His sister saw the magnificence here, while he saw the majesty everywhere, carrying pressure that was disharmonious with his status.

So it was more convenient to go out and eat with Shen Shen Guodong, and he would be full.

"Do you want to watch for a while longer?"

Li Li Xuewu sent Shen Shen Guodong and the others away and was about to close the gate when he saw Zhou Er'ya still standing in the courtyard wiping her tears.

Seeing her second brother leave, Zhou Er'ya seemed to have lost her backbone, looking a bit cold and disappointed.

Hearing the male host's teasing words, she seemed even more at a loss and panicked.

"Don't you understand the principle of 'when you arrive, settle down'?"

Li Li Xuewu closed the gate after all, and when he walked past her, he said harmoniously: "I forgot to ask your brother, how many years of school did you finish?"

"Pri... primary school." Zhou Er'ya answered with a squeezed-out voice.

Li Li Xuewu nodded and said: "That should count as an intellectual. A few years ago, you could have been a primary school teacher."

This wasn't teasing, let alone mockery. In the countryside, graduating from primary school could make you a primary school teacher, and graduating from junior high could make you teach junior high.

If you graduated from high school, then that's it; you could even be a principal.

Li Li Xuewu's primary school principal in his previous life was a high school graduate.

Zhou Er'ya couldn't figure out what his words meant for a moment, and looked up at him in surprise.

Li Li Xuewu had already passed by and headed to the foyer.

"Your brother was in a hurry to leave, and I didn't ask. Did he teach you how to address me?"

As if he had eyes in the back of his head, just as Zhou Er'ya looked up to sneak a peek at him, he suddenly turned around.

"Don't worry about what your brother taught you. Call me Big Brother, and you can call the lady you just saw Big Sister or Sister-in-law."

This wasn't Li Li Xuewu being polite; it was the way of addressing people in Northeast rural areas. You walk from the east end of the street to the west end, and you can call a dozen Big Brothers and Big Sisters.

Zhou Er'ya was very familiar with these two titles, but she stammered and couldn't call them out. This person didn't look like the Big Brother at the head of the village.

Li Li Xuewu didn't mind her, walked into the foyer, and looked at his daughter and son who were learning the piano.

Li Shu saw her father return, turned her head, and revealed a brilliant smile; the teacher had just praised her.

Being able to make Li Shu recognize her as a teacher so quickly, Xiaoxiao also had some level of skill; at least she could coax children completely.

Li Ning rarely didn't make trouble, lying on the piano bench, curiously watching his sister learn the piano.

"Li Shu is learning very well. Has she learned before?"

Seeing the Secretary-General was busy, standing to one side with his arms crossed watching them, Xiaoxiao asked with a smile: "She is so obedient, so beautiful."

"Heehee—" Before Li Li Xuewu could answer, Li Shu couldn't help but laugh.

She had tried her best to maintain a lady-like image and even covered her mouth with her small hand, but she just couldn't help it.

"Li Shu is naturally obedient." Li Li Xuewu was also good at educating children; praise was always better than blame. "Li Ning is also obedient."

"Hehehe—" Perhaps because she heard her own name, or perhaps because she understood her father's words, Li Ning also laughed.

At this moment, Gu Ning came down from upstairs, changed her clothes, and combed her hair; it looked like she had taken a bath.

Xiaoxiao stood up reservedly and greeted her again.

"You don't need to be polite." Gu Ning's expression was still the same, but her words were very gentle, "The piano hasn't been used for a long time."

"Li Shu has learned the piano from her mother." Li Li Xuewu looked at Xiaoxiao's surprised expression and explained with a smile: "But she didn't learn it very systematically. Her mother is busy, so it will be hard for you next."

"You are too polite, Secretary-General." Xiaoxiao saw the Secretary-General's wife only had a cold face, but her words weren't harsh, so she relaxed a little, "The reward you gave me is not low."

"Hehehe—" Li Li Xuewu could see she was a bit nervous, smiled and waved his hand, signaled toward the dining room, and said: "First time coming home, not entertaining you well, just eat a simple meal, don't be polite."

"This—it's really too embarrassing." Xiaoxiao could guess that she would be asked to stay for a meal after following the Secretary-General home after work, but looking at the situation just now, the Secretary-General's home had just changed nannies.

Staying for a meal at this time, isn't it a bit bad?

Li Li Xuewu was very polite. After greeting her, he looked at Zhou Er'ya standing reservedly at the door.

"We have to do it ourselves, ample food and clothing."

He said with a smile: "You'll get familiar with the environment slowly in these few days. The heavy responsibility of the home will be handed over to you next."

"I—" Zhou Er'ya wanted to say something, but she was clumsy and couldn't say it, only silently following at the end into the dining room.

Xiaoxiao was also here for the first time. Looking at the decorations in the Secretary-General's home, although old-fashioned, they weren't worn out at all.

One could vaguely see the characteristics of the Republic of China era from the decoration style, carrying a bit of luxury without losing restraint and low-key.

I don't know what kind of wood the dining table is, but it looks very heavy, and the dining chairs are also very sturdy when moved.

Only the dining chairs used by Li Ning and Li Shu could be seen to be new; others such as the wine cabinet, cupboard, sofa, etc., were all in the Republic of China style.

This... Xiaoxiao hadn't heard that the Secretary-General's family were big figures in the Republic of China era. She was surprised in her heart, but very calm on the surface.

Following Li Li Xuewu's greeting, she took the initiative to sit beside Li Shu, while the little girl named Zhou Er'ya sat at the farthest end.

Li Li Xuewu looked at her with a smile and asked: "The dining table is so big, how can you eat sitting so far away?"

The food brought by Shen Shen Guodong was "takeout" from Qinyuan Chun, packed in thermal food boxes, and when opened, they were box by box.

It was Li Li Xuewu's first time eating such luxurious takeout. It could be seen that Qin Qin Huairu was determined to win this time in catering, even considering the details of the takeout so thoughtfully.

Of course, this thoughtfulness should be for someone like him; ordinary people shouldn't be able to take away such good food boxes.

Six dishes, sufficient fruit-core steamed buns—Xiaoxiao couldn't see any "not entertaining well."

Qin Qin Huairu knew there were two children in Li Li Xuewu's home, so she specially prepared steamed egg custard and rice porridge.

Li Shu's eating style followed Li Li Xuewu's; she wasn't picky about anything, daring to put whatever the adults gave her into her mouth.

Li Ning was a bit special, only eating flour-based food since childhood—vegetable pancakes, steamed buns, flower rolls were all fine, as long as it wasn't rice or noodles.

"This can be considered a small reunion for us."

Li Li Xuewu passed the plate of steamed buns to Zhou Er'ya and signaled her to take them herself.

"From now on, we'll eat this meal in the evening together. If you have any dietary restrictions, tell us in advance so it's convenient for mutual tolerance."

Gu Ning examined Xiaoxiao and Zhou Er'ya without speaking, but it could be seen that she was also actively getting to know them.

"Eat some vegetables, how can you just eat steamed buns."

Seeing Zhou Er'ya only holding a steamed bun and eating it in small bites, she took the initiative to greet her and moved the dining plate toward her.

Xiaoxiao, who was sitting beside Zhou Er'ya, saw it: the little girl was shedding tears, not knowing what had happened.

Gu Ning was also surprised and asked softly: "What's wrong with you?"

"No, nothing..." Zhou Er'ya hung her head, wiped her tears with the back of her hand, and said with a sobbing voice: "The steamed buns are delicious."

(End of chapter) ===== CHAPTER 1326 =====