Chapter 1345: Life is Truly Absurd

"What is this? A wedding invitation?"

Li Xuewu smiled and raised his head, sizing up Qin Huairu, who had a somewhat bashful expression, and said, "Finally decided?"

"I wasn't in a hurry, he was the one who was."

Qin Huairu was indeed very uncomfortable. She had hesitated for a long time before facing Li Xuewu.

Whether she should send this invitation to him, or whether she should send it over personally.

What she was hesitating about, what she was struggling with, even her mother-in-law knew, so who could she hide it from?

"Then he should be in a hurry." Li Xuewu's tone was clearly mocking. "A good wife is hard to find."

Who was in a hurry first? Qin Huairu really didn't dare to argue with Li Xuewu here.

Also, pay attention to Li Xuewu's word choice here. He didn't say "a good woman," but "a good wife."

Regardless of whether Qin Huairu was a good woman, as a wife, she was indeed worthy of Jia Dongxu, worthy of Jia Zhangshi, and worthy of the three children of the Jia family.

It had been almost two years. Because of Li Xuewu's relationship, she had repeatedly hesitated and made up her mind.

She was 32 years old. She no longer had the confidence to waste time. Considering the current situation, she wanted to stabilize as soon as possible.

"You only know how to mock me—"

She didn't dare to be too casual with the current Li Xuewu, but she still teased him willfully.

Then she pointed to the invitation on the table and said, "Just in our courtyard, sitting down with familiar neighbors."

"Good, I will definitely be there." Li Xuewu smiled and said, "Wish you a happy marriage."

"Is there anything happy about marriage?"

Qin Huairu couldn't help but smile. She could always hear some fun from Li Xuewu's mouth that others couldn't say.

At this time, congratulating on marriage meant husband and wife unity and family progress, or wishing for happiness and loyalty and unity. There was just no such thing as saying "happy marriage."

Li Xuewu didn't care about her teasing. After she went out, he looked at the red invitation in his hand, shook his head slightly, and put it in the drawer on his right.

After entering November, it was really cold. This year, the factory's thermal energy pipelines were reorganized and rerouted, reducing unnecessary thermal energy loss.

A very obvious change: whether it was the office or the dormitory area, the radiator couldn't bake egg pancakes anymore.

Of course, the damp shoe insoles stuffed into the gaps wouldn't be baked dry and burnt anymore.

In the past, when Peng Xiaoli was his secretary, she was careful, but there were always times when she was busy.

His shoe insoles liked to be made of wool, and as a result, they would shrink a size after one drying.

Now there was no full-time secretary, and Wang Lu couldn't think of so many details of his life, so he had to do everything himself.

Don't blame others, this was his own choice.

"Leader, is it dry?"

It was the "furry rabbit" secretary Wang Lu. She could always ask questions that shocked people, making Li Xuewu a bit nervous.

Don't misunderstand, she was holding black tea and a towel in her hand, asking if the air was dry.

"Put it there, I'll do it myself."

Li Xuewu was reading the proofreading draft of "Defending Industry." This time he still chose the Steel Institute Press. Han Shu told him that the school was also having a hard time now.

On one hand, administrative management was difficult. Although the three-branch representatives and the Workers' Propaganda Team had relationships, they were ultimately constrained and difficult to implement effective actions in policy.

On the other hand, there were financial difficulties, which was a common problem for all universities at present.

Teaching needed money, scientific research needed money, and construction needed money. Even if there was no construction, daily maintenance also needed money.

Han Shu didn't care about logistics, but she could feel the school's hardship from her own welfare benefits.

Li Xuewu's book might not make much money for the school press, but even a mosquito was meat.

After all, he was a student of the school, and supporting the school's construction was his duty.

The Red Star Steel Group also had its own press, and in terms of industrial attributes, it was also a match.

Li Xuewu didn't even need to consider it to know it wasn't very appropriate, as it would lower the gold content of this book.

The press was of course willing to publish books for group leaders. Not to mention that Li Xuewu's book quality and creative ability wouldn't be questioned, even if it were making up the numbers, they were willing to flatter him.

Very unfortunately, Li Xuewu really didn't want to give them this opportunity to flatter him.

"You never think of watering the flowers."

Wang Lu put down the teapot and towel in her hand and, with a slightly reproachful tone, picked up the kettle by the tea cabinet to fetch water.

In the group, perhaps only Wang Lu could criticize him so unscrupulously.

Really want to thank her, otherwise Li Xuewu would almost have pride and complacency. It was she who let Li Xuewu know that he could still be like a disobedient child.

Was Li Xuewu wrong to say that her speech always had shocking words?

He was sure Wang Lu was unintentional; she was criticizing his laziness toward the flowers and plants in the office.

But after Li Xuewu heard this, he always felt something was wrong. Did he not water the flowers?

The key was that those flowers weren't raised by him. It was possible to water them in his spare time, but after a long time, not to mention having no free time, his body couldn't take it either.

"Any interesting things recently?"

Li Xuewu was just talking for the sake of talking. He didn't want to be pulled by Wang Lu's left hammer and right stick.

Wang Lu raised her hand, put away the watering pot, turned her head to look at him, and thought, "Mm, interesting things—does everyone waiting for a house count?"

"Just say whatever." Li Xuewu raised his head, looked at her amusedly, and said, "Timely feedback on current events to the leader is the secretary's responsibility and obligation, don't you understand?"

"You didn't tell me to ask—"

Wang Lu shrugged her shoulders and said seriously, "Shall I talk about the house first?"

Seeing Li Xuewu lowering his head and ignoring her, she began to talk on her own, and her hands weren't idle either.

The Secretary-General's office wasn't big, at least not as big as the Deputy Director's office.

It couldn't be compared with Li Xuewu's previous office, so there weren't many green plants that could be placed.

"I don't know who started spreading it, but more than a dozen buildings in the Workers' New Village have been topped out."

She reached out and plucked off the bad leaves, saying casually, "I guess it was the Engineering Division, or the Construction Company, they could come into contact with the first-hand news."

She didn't know if this was talking to herself or a footnote to Li Xuewu's explanation.

"Anyway, everyone is looking forward to it. I heard them say that a batch can move in in December. Now there are decoration plans being made. Anyway, the Construction Company is very busy."

"What are they busy with? Doing private work?"

Li Xuewu was multitasking, busy with his hands, and could still hear Wang Lu's nagging clearly.

Wang Lu turned back and smiled, "Don't listen to the wind and rain. I'm just saying it casually. I don't know what's going on. If you have this murderous and serious look, who would dare to report work to you."

"Mm, I accept the criticism, you continue."

Li Xuewu also followed the trend, nodded amusedly, and said, "I will definitely learn the lesson."

"It's not criticism, anyway, it's—" Wang Lu thought for a while and added, "You have to be more amiable."

"Amiable? Hahaha—"

Li Xuewu laughed helplessly. He didn't know he had reached the age where he needed to use the adjective "amiable."

Wang Lu didn't care about his thoughts and talked on her own, "I heard them say that the Dongfeng Construction Company does interior decoration design very professionally. The guesthouse was done by them, so many people are looking for them to do decoration."

"Mm, Dou Yaozu has learned to be smart."

Hearing this, Li Xuewu couldn't help but think of this vice president of the construction company.

Previously, he had goals and motivation for struggle, but he was born at the wrong time. If it weren't for his protection, he would have been overthrown long ago. Where would there be today's situation of being incorporated?

Of course, Dou Yaozu also learned to be obedient, knowing which money could be earned and which money couldn't.

He wanted to borrow a chicken to lay eggs and play the trick of a snake swallowing an elephant. What he was thinking of was nothing more than the situation of the chaotic world more than ten years ago.

It should be said that this old boy really had thoughts. Without the "heavenly eye," he could actually calculate that there would be a snake-swallowing-elephant opportunity for the enterprise in the future.

It was a pity that his heart was not as good as Li Xuewu's heavenly eye. The time was wrong, and he was destined to fail.

To play snake swallowing elephant, it had to be Li Xuewu playing it. How could a street joint-stock company play it?

"I don't know him, but Manager Dou has a good popularity in the organ, and many people have gotten to know him."

Wang Lu leaned in front of his desk and whispered, "Is this called drilling?"

"Mm, you're right." Li Xuewu raised his head and glanced at her, "Don't learn from him."

"How is that possible? I don't have this opportunity. He is the vice president of the construction company."

Wang Lu straightened her body, shook her head slightly, and said, "Even if I had this status, I wouldn't have that brain."

"What's wrong with your brain? Isn't it quite bright—" Li Xuewu smiled and said casually, "Everyone says you are the matchmaker in the organ."

"Pfft—" Wang Lu was a bit embarrassed, her face slightly red as she said, "It's not like singing 'The Western Chamber'."

"That's fine too, quite a few pairs have been made."

Li Xuewu smiled and looked at her, praising, "You are about to surpass my achievements."

"How can I compare with you." Wang Lu said humbly, "I focus on quantity, not quality."

Two people from the Comprehensive Management Department actually discussed the work of the labor union and were humble to each other.

"How have you and Yajun been recently?"

Li Xuewu was still quite concerned about this pair and reminded her, "When you are matching others, don't ignore your own happy life."

"We are quite good—" Wang Lu said matter-of-factly, "No pressure, happy every day, it's just that he is relatively hard-working sometimes."

In front of Li Xuewu, only she dared to say this, but she really had no pressure.

In her life, the biggest pressure didn't exceed 30 yuan, because if there was a consumption or difficulty requiring more than 30 yuan, her parents would lend a helping hand.

The whole family had only one precious daughter, so how could they let her suffer any grievances?

Why do people say that silly people have silly blessings?

"Don't plan to buy a house in the Workers' New Village?"

Li Xuewu glanced at her and reminded, "The houses here are new, the construction quality is guaranteed, the layout is also novel, and more importantly, the geographical location."

He pointed to the small map of the Liangma River Industrial Zone pressed under the glass of the desk and signaled to her, "The Workers' New Village has a superior location to schools and hospitals, no commuting pressure to work, and the environment here is better. It will be more convenient when you have children in the future."

"You make me feel moved."

Wang Lu leaned over to look at the map at his hand, and hesitated again, "The house we live in now was prepared by my parents. It's not easy to say we're changing it."

"You can take out a loan to support a medium-sized unit, or a small unit." Li Xuewu pointed out to her, "The houses here will become scarce resources in the future."

"What do you mean? Scarce resources?"

Wang Lu wasn't a silly child. Hearing Li Xuewu talk about this, her eyes were bright, "You mean, the houses here can be bought and sold, and have property rights certificates?"

"What do you think?" Li Xuewu sat up straight with a smile, "How did you get your current house?"

"Oh—" Wang Lu seemed to understand, and simply sat in the chair, preparing to chat with him for a long time.

"If I don't buy it now, will there be no such opportunity in the future?"

She looked at Li Xuewu and asked, "I see that not many people are signing up to buy commercial housing."

"How did you see that?"

Li Xuewu smiled and said, "Do you know how many people are pulling relationships and walking through back doors, hard-pulling relationships to buy houses here?"

"It's not that not many people are buying commercial housing, but they don't have this qualification, and the group doesn't dare to open the restrictions."

He shook his head and explained, "Using asset operation, according to existing collective land construction commercial housing for sale to workers, is already the limit of policy."

"I understand." Wang Lu raised her eyebrows, "Once this restriction is opened..."

"Hehe—" Li Xuewu couldn't help but smile; who said this girl was a fool?

Wang Lu didn't finish the second half of her sentence because she already knew.

Once the policy is relaxed, the housing here will become a commodity listed for circulation.

Of course, the housing prices at that time won't be the current prices.

Just as Li Xuewu mentioned earlier, this place is close to the best schools, the best hospitals, the richest commercial districts, and the garden city of the capital.

The key is that she is a group employee, and her future life will revolve around this job.

The more workers integrated here, the more developed this industrial satellite city will be in the future.

It is very obvious; one can tell from the trend that city citizens now like to come here to play.

"Then I'll go home and discuss it with Yajuan."

Wang Lu was already tempted and blinked, saying: "If he doesn't object, I'll go tell my mother."

"Loans are impossible; I will never owe anyone money in my life."

She said very confidently: "Since you said that this place will become a scarce resource in the future, then buying a house here is equivalent to an invisible investment."

"It's both safe and value-preserving; if we buy, we'll buy the best and biggest one, so we can live on both sides."

What else could Li Xuewu say to such a little rich woman? Now you know why rich people are always rich.

When facing opportunities, they don't lack the capital and ability to take action.

Making a million is hard, but after having a million, making the second million is very simple.

"Alright, the flowers are watered, the tea is drunk, and the channels for getting rich are there; hurry up and take action."

Li Xuewu waved his hand and said to her: "If you have time this weekend, go back to the compound with Yajuan for a meal."

"Okay, Second Brother—" Wang Lu smiled, stood up, packed the teapot on the table, and left.

Li Xuewu looked at her lively back and couldn't help but think of his younger sister, Li Xue.

Counting the time, she would be back in more than half a month; the training class in Hong Kong should be finishing soon.

Hong Kong has no worries, Li Xue has no happiness.

Li Xue's ability to perceive happiness has increased countless times in the past six months.

In the entire training class, no one is more special or more carefree than her.

Every weekend, a high-end "Rolls-Royce" car comes to pick her up for training and internships.

Don't ask; if you ask, the counselor's answer is just this.

Accompanying the president of the Oriental Era Bank to participate in social activities, sitting in on high-level bank meetings, participating in charity auctions, contacting real estate enterprise mergers and development...

The classmates in the training class are still desperately absorbing the precious knowledge of capitalism, while she has already started learning capital operation; the financial knowledge learned at school has been fully tempered.

Is there anyone who is envious, jealous, or hateful?

Of course there is, but classmates have different fates; Li Xue is with them during class on weekdays, but once class is over, she goes to the library or the study room.

She is nowhere to be seen on weekends, and she has little communication with her classmates, so where could there be any possibility of intensifying conflicts?

Besides, they are all group employees; who doesn't know Li Xue's background?

It's just that they are a bit unwilling, or rather, unconvinced.

Why is it that when Li Xue was in the group, she was doted on and personally taught by Deputy Director Jing, and when she arrived in Hong Kong, a top bank president suddenly appeared to personally teach her?

Is this really just a clerk?

Relying on these qualifications and what she has learned, after going back, without counting on her second brother, just relying on Deputy Director Jing's support, she will have a place in the financial system.

Not to mention anything else, just interning at a top Hong Kong bank, interning at a real estate company, participating in various types of economic activities, and participating in organizing the construction and service work of the Andrew Buyers Club.

You tell me, who in the training class can compare to her?

It really is: compare people and you'll die, compare goods and you'll throw them away.

Is there anyone spreading gossip?

Of course there is; at the beginning, some male classmates privately said that Li Xue had already been corrupted by capitalism and that the mysterious top bank president was an old man.

Perhaps Li Xue will violate regulations and stay in Hong Kong; anyway, her second brother is overbearing...

It wasn't until that mysterious president appeared that the rumors were self-defeating.

A young woman who is not very tall but has a unique temperament and charm is actually the president of a top Hong Kong bank consortium.

Li Xue's rumors are gone, but the speculation about this president is rampant.

Many people say that this is the mistress of some big shot, perhaps the concubine of some big Hong Kong boss.

Li Xue has heard similar rumors, but she has never actively explained them, let alone gotten angry.

Because she is indeed a bit guilty.

When her feet first landed in Hong Kong, someone came to tell her that they would come to pick her up on the weekend.

Li Xue naturally didn't dare to go out until that person personally appeared in front of her.

At first, she didn't dare to recognize her because the President Lou in front of her looked so much like the Lou Jie from the compound before.

Even if Li Xue were a fool, she could guess how the other party came to Hong Kong.

No need to mention Second Brother's name; she had actually heard about Lou Xiaoe from her mother's mouth long ago.

It was about the matter between Lou Xiaoe and Second Brother.

Back then, Second Brother used Wen San's house by the lake to keep her, and the family silently pretended not to know.

In fact, except for Li Shu, everyone else knew.

Second Brother's clothes and shoes weren't all made by Yu Li, so where did the others come from?

It was just that after Second Brother got married, Lou Xiaoe suddenly disappeared, and the family was also very puzzled.

Second Brother didn't explain, and they didn't ask; they just felt that it was a good thing Lou Xiaoe had left.

Never expected that Lou Xiaoe hadn't left, but had "reborn" with another identity.

Upon meeting, Li Xue hesitated for a long time before asking softly what she should call her.

Lou Xiaoe didn't know either, but she still laughed and told her to call her whatever she wanted.

If she felt awkward, then just call her by her name.

Li Xue naturally wouldn't be so impolite; although she couldn't call her Second Sister-in-law, she wouldn't call her by her name either.

She knew very well that her treatment here with Lou Xiaoe was entirely because of Second Brother.

It was because of the extraordinary relationship between Second Brother and her that the other party seeing her was a case of "love me, love my dog."

Li Xue thought for a while and chose to call her Lou Jie.

Lou Xiaoe had no regrets and no loss; from Beijing to Hong Kong, Li Xuewu had given her everything he could, including this trust.

His own sister coming to Hong Kong, Li Xuewu didn't hide anything and sent her a message directly.

She couldn't be called sister-in-law openly, but this was her sister-in-law; how could she not dote on her?

So from the first day, Li Xue was different from the others because she had power in Hong Kong.

Li Xue had grown up; she wasn't as shy as before, and she had her own ideas and thinking.

She accepted Lou Xiaoe's kindness and concern with peace of mind; it was for the other party.

Why else would one say she had grown up? She knew how to think for others and also understood how to handle emotions.

If she stubbornly refused Lou Xiaoe's kindness, it would only make the other party embarrassed and sad.

Since Lou Xiaoe took the initiative to find her, it meant she had obtained Second Brother's permission and also bore a certain amount of pressure.

She wasn't a bad child, let alone a picky little princess; the adult world is always complex.

So, after half a year of getting along, Li Xue had understood and come to terms with Lou Jie and her relationship with Second Brother.

Perhaps in her life, who knows when another noble person might suddenly appear to help.

As long as it's a woman, as long as she's young and beautiful, no need to think, no need to doubt; basically, that's it.

About to finish and return to the mainland, Lou Xiaoe began to frequently take her shopping and buy things.

The things bought were piled up in box after box; she didn't have much of a reaction, but it scared her roommates.

Everyone was from the same group, and such crazy shopping had already exceeded their salary capabilities.

Li Xue couldn't explain it clearly either; fortunately, the team leader helped her think of a reason: that president was thanking her for her efforts.

Fart—

No one would believe such nonsense, but everyone had to believe this explanation.

While enjoying this treatment, Li Xue had actually made contributions and provided help to the other party.

Getting the other party's thanks was naturally normal.

Hmm, five big boxes of thanks; with the team leader's endorsement, everyone naturally chose to shut up.

They were going back to be assessed and reassigned to positions; who dared to say that the Secretary-General wouldn't participate in personnel work?

It was very likely that the Secretary-General would preside over their work reassignment and selection, so it was better to play dumb.

"I thought you weren't coming."

Seeing Sha Zhu came out of the inverted room with a cigarette in his mouth, smiling and winking at Li Xuewu.

Li Xuewu also looked at him amusingly and asked back: "Why couldn't I come?"

After speaking, he gestured toward the inside of the inverted room and asked: "Are there many people here today?"

"Just our neighbors; Qin Huairu didn't really organize much." Seeing Sha Zhu shook his head slightly and introduced: "There should be people in the unit who heard the news; I don't know if they'll come."

He turned back to gesture toward the room and said: "Anyway, six tables were prepared; if they can sit, they sit; if they can't, they squeeze in; it looks like their family doesn't really want it to be lively."

"Is her family's old lady unwilling again?"

Li Xuewu didn't have any emotions; Qin Huairu, this wild flower, had strong vitality; he hadn't watered it much, yet it bloomed so brilliantly.

Besides, it wasn't like he hadn't watered other people's flowers; he had no psychological obstacles.

Originally, the two were just pure neighbors, completely unrelated to any emotional disputes or problems.

Therefore, the neighbor sister had a happy event, so he naturally had to come and express his congratulations.

Qin Huairu's marriage was quite awkward; not holding a banquet wouldn't give the neighbors an explanation, which would easily leave room for gossip and make people talk.

If you say hold a banquet, it's embarrassing to invite too many people; after all, the three children and the mother-in-law are right there.

If this widow were a bit purer, there would be no problem with a glorious marriage in this era.

The problem still lay in her identity.

"Entertaining in this room, using your craftsmanship?" Li Xuewu glanced at the east room, waved his hand, refused Seeing Sha Zhu's gesture to let him enter the room, gestured toward the direction of his home, and said: "I'll come back in a while."

"Everyone is waiting for you."

Seeing Sha Zhu raised his eyebrows and reminded: "This compound is about to face relocation; there must be someone to preside over the overall situation, at least someone to be the backbone for everyone."

"You overestimate me; I don't have that ability."

Li Xuewu smiled at him and instigated: "I don't live in the compound all year round, but you're different; I'll talk to First Uncle in a while; I should suggest you stand up and preside over the situation."

"Me? Of course I'm willing—"

Seeing Sha Zhu was duty-bound, but he also knew his own weight; he smiled and said: "If I have your support, I will definitely be able to preside over this situation."

"What does that have to do with me—"

Li Xuewu scolded him with a smile, pointed to the west courtyard, and said: "My grandfather will come over in a while; tell him I'm back."

"Hmm, Li Shu and Li Ning didn't come; can Great Uncle still come to see you?"

Seeing Sha Zhu followed Li Xuewu's lead and called him that; he teased: "If you go to the back courtyard, you might be able to see Qin Huairu's partner."

"Seeing him is fine too." Li Xuewu said indifferently: "Like a pipa held in arms, half-hidden; after a thousand calls, she finally comes out; she hid this partner of hers very deeply."

Time entered November, and it wasn't just because of the snow; one could clearly see a kind of restlessness and decadence in the compound.

In this complex environment, there was also a yearning and longing for a new life.

Returning home, he learned from his mother's nagging that the Yan family living across the door, the Lao Qi family in the middle hall, the Jia family in the middle courtyard, and the Liu family in the back courtyard had clearly decided to move.

Among the employees in the Red Star Factory, except for Li Xuewu and He Yuzhu, all other residents chose to have apartments.

Even First Uncle took out his savings and, together with He Yuzhu, used the back courtyard old lady's house to exchange for a 60-square-meter apartment.

So looking at it this way, more than half of the dozen households in the compound were moving away at once, and the front courtyard was left with only Li Shun's family.

The few households in the middle hall and the back courtyard side rooms were not Red Star Factory employees, so they were jealous but had no way.

They wanted to discuss with the neighborhood office, either waiting for these residents to move away so they could move into their houses.

Or coordinate with the Red Star Factory to give them a chance to exchange for apartments, but the neighborhood office didn't agree.

The reason was simple: the Red Star Steel Group had already communicated with the Dongcheng District during this real estate operation and determined the property rights of these houses.

That is to say, the discount for workers using houses to offset the price actually had no real value.

The houses didn't belong to the workers, but to the Housing Management Bureau.

But they enjoyed the right to rent and live, so the Red Star Steel Group still had to pay a house purchase fee.

Fortunately, housing prices at this time were not high, which was convenient for the group to carry out real estate operations.

Of course, housing property rights at this time were also very complex; households like the Yan family, the old lady, the Liu family, and First Uncle's family all had housing property rights.

They didn't have house deeds, but these houses were allocated to them after liberation.

That is to say, this history was very complex and vague; for those where property rights could not be determined, they would all be communicated and confirmed according to the existing regulations of the Red Star Factory.

"These old neighbors are all moving away, making me feel empty inside."

Liu Yin sat on the edge of the kang, looking at the bustle outside the window; that was the Jia family holding a happy event.

But such a happy event, perhaps for the old neighbors, was just the last time.

"Qin Huairu is really spirited; she won't get married if she doesn't buy a house, and she's been dragging it out."

She nagged to her son and told him some of the things she had heard.

"They say he has a daughter but no son, and she doesn't want to give birth for him anymore; isn't this just looking for trouble?"

"Who did you hear that from?"

Li Xuewu asked with a smile: "Can the affairs of their family reach the ears of outsiders?"

"You tell me." Liu Yin glanced at her son and said: "If they didn't say it themselves, how could outsiders know?"

Goodness, it turns out this Jia Zhangshi was a two-faced person; on one hand, she agreed that her daughter-in-law could remarry, and on the other hand, she spilled all her situation to the neighbors.

Perhaps Qin Huairu was already used to it, or perhaps she had expected it long ago and didn't want to waste her breath.

Her son was also growing up; she had to think about the future; perhaps it was out of this psychology that she took the initiative to give up her fantasies about Li Xuewu.

"She really bought two apartments; one was exchanged with her current house and given to her mother-in-law."

Liu Yin introduced: "She said it was to let the children live with her mother-in-law, and they would live across the door."

"So she bought a place across the door?" Li Xuewu raised his eyebrows and asked: "Can the other party's daughter be willing?"

"What if she's not willing?" Liu Yin curled her lips and said: "If there's a stepmother, there's a stepfather."

"The other party must be extremely satisfied with her conditions; otherwise, he wouldn't have hung on for so long without letting go."

She also felt it was funny and told her son: "She really is good-looking and has a good job; even with her current conditions, she's still picky when looking for someone."

"Looking for someone with equivalent conditions, who doesn't have a son, and is willing to buy a new house—tsk tsk—"

Speaking of Qin Huairu's affairs, Liu Yin was also amazed, feeling it was strange enough.

It is not easy for a widow to remarry in this era; it is easy to be discriminated against.

Just look at Qin Huairu holding a quiet banquet now, and you'll know; she herself has no joy for this marriage.

Perhaps it's just that she's middle-aged and needs a reliance, needs a living person in the quilt.

"Has Second Uncle contacted the family recently?"

Li Xuewu had already learned enough about Qin Huairu from Seeing Sha Zhu and his mother and didn't want to mention it again, so he asked about the problem he was concerned about recently.

Ever since his cousin Li Xueli returned from Jicheng to return the watch last time, there had been no news from Jicheng.

Second Uncle had an open-minded personality, but Second Aunt was very strong-willed, especially in family affairs.

Li Xuewu could be successful, and Second Aunt was naturally happy, but she also felt that her own children were not bad either.

Li Juan was the eldest daughter in the family; born into a family like theirs, she should have married into a good family and set an example for her younger brothers and sisters in life and work.

And the result?

She flipped the car...

If she had just made a scene at home, that would be fine; they were far apart, so even if it was embarrassing, relatives wouldn't say anything.

Who could have expected that Li Juan would be so ignorant and dare to come to the capital to swindle Li Xuewu?

If she were just not smart, that would be fine, but she also did things like petty theft; with Second Uncle's personality, he probably wanted to whip her with a belt.

Second Aunt wouldn't hit anyone, but this belt felt like it was whipping her face.

Raising a daughter to such a state—if people were to be critical, wouldn't they say she, the mother, was bad?

Failing to educate her children, she had lost all face.

Li Xuewu didn't embarrass Second Uncle and took the initiative to lay things out, trying his best to save their face.

But the matter had already happened; how could Second Uncle still have the face to contact him, and it wasn't easy to contact the eldest brother's family either.

"After that incident, your Second Uncle and Second Aunt must be furious; who knows how sad they are."

Liu Yin sighed and, thinking of her eldest niece Li Juan, shook her head helplessly.

"Back then, your Second Aunt said she had found a partner she liked; how did it end up like this in a blink of an eye?"

"My eldest sister doesn't have any schemes."

As a younger brother, Li Xuewu couldn't criticize his sister, so he could only say this.

"Since childhood, Second Uncle and Second Aunt never let her suffer any hardships, let alone let her come into contact with society."

"Sigh, isn't that so—" Liu Yin nagged: "She was determined to get into the railway; back then, our family didn't even dare to think about such treatment."

Li Xuewu knew where Second Aunt's disappointment and sadness lay; a strong-willed heart, but she encountered a daughter who couldn't handle things.

Second Uncle went to the Northeast to make a living; Second Aunt took a fancy to him, and Second Aunt's family conditions were very good.

Although it wasn't considered marrying into the family, Second Uncle borrowed a lot of his father-in-law's light, and Second Aunt could be considered the head of the family.

No matter how far apart the sisters-in-law were, after inquiring about each other, there were vaguely a few comparisons.

As a mother, comparing food and clothing is not worth it; of course, it's comparing which child is more successful.

Back then, the eldest family was the most difficult, but now the eldest family is the most successful.

"Don't hold a grudge against your eldest sister; let the past be the past, and there was no loss anyway."

Only Liu Yin in this family knew about that incident, and she had never told the old lady.

How could she tell the old lady about such family shame? The old lady had long stopped caring about family affairs.

Every day she coaxed her great-grandson and enjoyed her old age; these trivial matters of the family were all for the children.

Second Uncle refused to contact the family, perhaps because he was worried that the old lady would know something was wrong.

"How could I hold a grudge against her? One stroke cannot write two 'Li' characters; after all, she is my eldest sister."

Li Xuewu nodded understandingly and said to his mother: "Find time to call Second Uncle, or wait for Dad to come back and have him call to ask."

"Second Uncle doesn't want to answer my call; it's better for you to ask."

"Hmm, that's what I thought too."

Liu Yin hammered her legs and thought: "It's not a solution for the family to be like this."

"Your Third Uncle wrote a letter a while ago asking about the situation of the children in the family; your father was worried about how to reply and only picked what could be said."

It is difficult for an honest official to judge family affairs; this "judge" not only means judging a case but also means distinguishing right from wrong.

Relatives of the same generation, it is inevitable that there will be various colors when getting along; how to handle this relationship is a science.

Excessive tolerance and compromise will only lead to heartbreak; people must always have an attitude and be picky.

Only when you are picky and show an attitude will the other party care about your attitude.

"Yo, what a coincidence."

Li Xuewu came out of the house and happened to meet Qin Huairu's family walking out, a large group of people.

It was mainly neighbors who had just seen the "groom" at the Jia house.

This groom was also calm; he actually brought his own daughter to the bride's house to hold a banquet.

Banggeng suddenly had an extra sister and a younger sister; he was truly troubled and haggard.

When he saw Wu Shu, he wanted to complain a little, but he remembered his grandmother's instructions.

Before he could figure out how to tell Wu Shu about his youthful troubles, Wu Shu seemed to know the stepfather.

Sure enough, he knew him; he was familiar with him.

Qin Huairu was also very surprised; the partner she found was neither a neighbor nor a colleague.

She had thought about how to introduce him when she saw Li Xuewu, but she didn't expect them to know each other.

"Brother, you live in this compound?"

Liu Guoyou was really surprised, smiled and shook hands with Li Xuewu, saying: "We haven't seen each other for a few years."

"From '65 to now, you tell me how many years it's been."

Li Xuewu smiled and looked at him, then looked at Qin Huairu and said: "This is truly fate."

"You know each other?" Qin Huairu's expression was full of absurdity and panic; she looked at Liu Guoyou.

"He went to the Northeast on a mission, and it was exactly that train I was on." Liu Guoyou shook Li Xuewu's hand again and asked: "Thanks to you being there that time."

"By the way, is the child okay?"

"Her name is Li Shu, and she is our eldest daughter."

Li Xuewu introduced with a smile: "She's already in kindergarten and is so naughty; bring her to see her later."

"That's great, truly fate—"

From Li Xuewu's words, one could hear that the child was living well back then, and he also breathed a sigh of relief.

The people watching the fun also understood; it turned out that the two knew each other from the time Li Xuewu brought Li Shu back.

The people in the compound naturally knew about this; Li Xuewu was still a security section cadre back then.

Liu Guoyou didn't know about Li Xuewu's changes over the years; he patted his shoulder and asked kindly: "Brother, are you still in the security section?"

Qin Huairu saw Liu Guoyou's big hand patting Li Xuewu's shoulder and her eyelids jumped, as if it had hit her nerves.

She felt for the first time that life was truly absurd.

(End of chapter)