Chapter 1372: Jin Ling

A case involved five group class members; in one day, the above gave five group leaders the punishment of appointment talks and admonition talks, which could be called severe.

After the case was closed, Li Huai De had to come forward to clean up these messes. To show fairness and justice, he even had to give up part of the personnel power in his hands to Jing Yunong, which was truly a great loss of face.

Gu Weijie, Xue Zhifu, and Zhang Jinsong were successively deterred, no longer daring to have arrogance or selfishness, and even less daring to violate the discipline of unity and engage in malicious competition in the organizational ecology.

With the dust settled, Li Xuewu sat in the office and was also doing a review; it seemed like he had missed someone.

Who was it?

Even Gao Yaqin and Xu Sinian were on the "List of Conferred Gods," accompanying him to take a walk at the management committee meeting.

These two had been whipped more than once; how could Deputy Director Cheng Kaiyuan, whom he had long been eyeing, be safe and sound?

That's right, this time the storm was the only one that Deputy Director Cheng didn't participate in, and even less suffered any impact; is it normal?

Some people say that Jing Yunong wasn't impacted either; why didn't Li Xuewu calculate Deputy Director Jing?

Who said he didn't calculate...

Ahem, can this be called calculation?

This is called care!

This is called protection, this is called repayment, this is called support!

Li Xuewu's repayment was a sudden attack in Jing Yunong's eyes; whenever she thought of it, she was so angry that her teeth itched.

This bad guy not only pushed her to the front desk but also forced her to make a choice. Even more, he let her take over personnel work, which would inevitably anger Old Li, but it was helping Li Xuewu block a gun.

Her ability to master the initiative in personnel work didn't also represent that Li Xuewu had an indirect influence on personnel work?

But as of now, did she have a choice?

She couldn't just hand over the personnel power she had in her hands to others for fear of others' jealousy, right? Wouldn't she, a group leader in charge of personnel work, become a decoration?

Could things in hand still be sent out?

Li Xuewu wanted to cut off one hand of these leaders of the group before leaving, so how could he let Jing Yunong go.

No matter how Jing Yunong chose, it would isolate her from the class members; if she wanted to ensure her personal influence while striving for more, she could only seek cooperation and lean toward Dong Wenxue and Li Xuewu.

Mm, this wasn't just a matter of helping him block a gun.

Jing Yunong wanted to scold people, scolding Li Xuewu for not doing human things.

A few days ago, she was still rushing to worry about him, but looking back, she was tricked by him.

Having cooperated with him to act for so long, but the food she got in her hands was hooked; do you think she could be satisfied?

Even if Li Xuewu took the initiative to use his own sister as a hostage by her side, what was the use? Could she really take a black hand against Li Xue?

Not only could she not take a black hand, but looking at Li Xue's cuteness and progress, she had to cultivate her well.

She wasn't a cruel person, otherwise she wouldn't have arranged for Li Xue to serve as the deputy section chief of the finance section.

To say that Jing Yunong stood out first at the management committee meeting to support Li Xuewu, would it have messed up the drama between her and Li Xuewu before?

At that time, the atmosphere of swords and shadows in the venue was already a mess; even Zhang Jinsong and Chairman Xiong had entered the field, so even if Old Li reflected on the relationship between her and Li Xuewu, it was ambiguous.

Besides, supporting Li Xuewu to go to Liaodong as Secretary-General was a direct competition for some people, and a reverse competition for others.

People who wanted to seek influence in Liaodong industrial management naturally didn't support Li Xuewu. But Jing Yunong's situation was different.

As a leader in charge of personnel and finance, she was already beyond her reach regarding industrial and economic construction work.

Not to mention that even if the competition was given to her, she wouldn't go.

On the contrary, Li Xuewu remaining in the group as Secretary-General caused constraints on some of her work and influence.

Therefore, supporting Li Xuewu to go to Liaodong was completely in line with Jing Yunong's personal appeal thinking.

Even if Old Li suspected, he only suspected her motivation. This time she stood out in a high profile, which was to drive Li Xuewu away.

Old Li wouldn't suspect that Jing Yunong had a connection with Li Xuewu; would he suspect that Zhang Jinsong had fallen to Li Xuewu?

Naturally not; who is Zhang Jinsong? He's a stubborn donkey!

Even he couldn't conquer him; Li Xuewu, just a section-level Secretary-General, how could he have the ability, and how could he exert influence to conquer this stubborn donkey.

In his opinion, there was only one possibility for Zhang Jinsong to support Li Xuewu at the meeting: interest exchange.

Don't think that Li Xuewu had nothing and couldn't give Zhang Jinsong anything. Don't forget, Dong Wenxue was coming back.

Even if Li Xuewu couldn't give Zhang Jinsong anything when he left, Dong Wenxue, who was coming back, would go further.

Besides, the big housekeeper of the entire group, Li Xuewu, who was the Secretary-General, wasn't "clean and white," right?

Dong Wenxue was coming back, but Li Xuewu wasn't going down naked this time; he still had the status of Secretary-General.

This Secretary-General's work might be handed over within a year or two, but Li Xuewu still had influence over the group's work before that.

More importantly, Li Xuewu would inevitably serve as a deputy position in the group after handing over the Secretary-General's position. Even if the ranking was low, he still had voting rights.

Who could guarantee that their opinions were always correct and always supported by all votes? This was impossible.

Therefore, Zhang Jinsong's move this time didn't mean anything in Li Huai De's eyes, at least compared to Xiong Bencheng.

Director Li hated Chairman Xiong, hated him to the point that just after the management committee meeting ended, Chairman Xiong "got sick" and returned to the hospital.

Thinking about Chairman Xiong's body, it was truly not very good; either he would retire due to illness in his term, or he could only recover after Director Li left.

So Li Xuewu didn't let anyone go this time; to say he let them go, it could only be that he missed them.

Calculating Deputy Director Jing wasn't anything; at most, he would put in more effort in "action" to make up for it.

But how could he let Deputy Director Cheng escape?

It was truly a mistake in a hundred.

Back in Tianjin, the pit of Zhou Xiaobai had already been dug, just waiting for them to jump down.

He had clearly seen Su Weide take the initiative to find Cheng Kaiyuan, and the two talked happily; why was there nothing afterward?

According to the original plan, even if Deputy Director Cheng didn't take the initiative to help, he should have pushed the boat with the current and inserted a foot when Zhou Zechuan started the investigation of the Zheng Xudong case, right?

Pushing the case to develop upward, involving Su Weide, Zhang Jinsong, Gu Weijie... and a long list of others, and also letting Old Li be unable to attend to one thing and lose another, and freeing up power space within the group, wasn't that good?

If Deputy Director Cheng could act according to the script designed by Li Xuewu, then Li Xuewu wouldn't need to take the account book and materials in Zheng Xudong's hands, and the intensity and impact of the case would be just right.

Especially Li Xuewu wouldn't need to take the initiative to reach out, just coordinate and knock on the side, which would be even less likely to let Yang Jun catch his handle.

Deputy Director Cheng was just so naughty; was the principle of "a fall into the pit, a gain in your wit" remembered so firmly?

This knife of Li Xuewu only grazed Deputy Director Cheng and dodged it; this dodge couldn't be called not precise.

It was just a bit heartbreaking to be cautious.

Asking himself, am I that scary?

Old Cheng, speak!

"I want to take this—"

Li Shu ran out holding a machine gun, standing at attention in front of Gu Ning, looking at her mother with full hope.

Gu Ning only glanced at it, still like when she just refused her daughter's request to take the family's little white rabbit out, shaking her head and denying her proposal, "No, the suitcase can't fit it."

"Oh—" The hope on Li Shu's face disappeared, and she walked back with her head drooping in disappointment, but her heart was thinking about going back to the inner room to see what else she could take.

"We are going to take a plane to see your grandfather and grandmother." Li Xuewu just came back from work, touched his daughter's pigtails, and smiled to appease her, "Passengers are not allowed to carry weapons on the plane."

"Is this not allowed either?" Li Shu raised the machine gun in her arms and tried to ask, "I won't shoot randomly."

"This is the rule." Li Xuewu raised his eyebrows and said seriously, "Have you seen Dad carry a weapon?"

Li Shu really looked carefully at her father's waist, and there was indeed no holster, so she helplessly returned to the room on the first floor.

There were too many toys in the house, so many that the living room couldn't hold them, and Er Ya had to face a messy scene every day.

So after asking Li Xuewu for instructions, she specially cleaned up the guest room on the first floor into a toy room for Li Shu and Li Ning.

"Then what about this?" Li Shu's disappointment seemed to have been left in the toy room, and she bloomed with a smile again. At this moment, she rode an iron-framed tricycle out, full of expectation.

"Ah? Don't tell me this isn't allowed either?"

Seeing that her mother's eyes no longer had patience and tenderness, Li Shu very consciously stepped on the handlebars and pedaled hard, turned a corner, and rode back.

"Why is nothing allowed..."

Although she was still complaining, the turning movement was as smooth as it could be.

Although her father and mother had never hit her, her mother's eyes were already very scary.

"Daughter, we are only going for three or five days." Li Xuewu shook his head helplessly with his arms crossed, reminding Li Shu, who wanted to pack all the toys into the bag, "This time when we go to Grandma's house, we can also see the big uncle and the little uncle—"

Li Shu was carrying a children's iron shovel and a tin bucket, and when she heard her father say this, her expression looked at him with some doubt.

"Big uncle? The big uncle who flies a plane?"

"That's right, the big uncle who flies a plane and the little uncle who drives a tank."

At the end of the year, he just got the news that the regiment where Gu Yan was located was going to carry out a mechanized pilot reform, and he had also advanced from running on the ground to being carried by wheels.

Li Xuewu didn't know what the situation was with this change; he didn't come into contact with these in his previous life, and didn't know how many pilot experiments the country had carried out. Maybe it was stimulated by something, and there was action at this time.

Li Xuewu raised his eyebrows and said, "If you bring a lot of toys, then how can the uncles buy you new toys?"

"Ah? That's right—"

Li Shu seemed to have just understood, looked at the beach set in her hand, and decisively turned back to the room.

Gu Ning glanced at Li Xuewu who was full of pride, curled her lips, and didn't bother to pay attention to him. It was just fooling the daughter, what was there to be proud of. This bit of scheming still had to be taught to the daughter?

The itinerary for the whole family to go to Jin Ling for the solar New Year at the end of the month had long been set, for which big brother Gu An had also asked for these few days off.

They hadn't gathered properly for three years; for the Gu family, this was a rare opportunity.

Especially in the past two years, the state Gu Haitao showed to the outside world was that his physical condition was not good and he needed to recuperate.

If the filial children didn't ask about handing over work and power, it would seem fake.

Besides, Gu Haitao and his wife truly missed the children; they saw the big ones rarely, and missed the small ones even more.

Gu An and his wife got what they wanted and had children; Gu Ning and her husband were successful in their careers and had a harmonious family; the third brother Gu Yan also had a partner and set a wedding date. Happy events followed one after another, and it was time to gather.

Knowing that they had to go far, they had to prepare early, but Gu Ning was truly busy. To ask for these few days off, she was even busier, wishing she could split 24 hours into 48 hours.

With Gu Ning's background, it would be no problem to ask for leave directly from the leader. Even if the department director didn't give leave, Deputy Dean Zhang would rush to give her family visit leave.

After all, she wasn't an eighteen or nineteen-year-old young person. Influenced by Li Xuewu, a lover who had more schemes than a honeycomb, and after her personality became more cheerful, she took the initiative to learn, so the coldness on Gu Ning's body decreased a bit, but maturity and steadiness increased by more than a little.

Before asking for leave from the department director, she had already discussed with her colleagues to change shifts, not wanting to owe anyone.

Whether it was the department director or the dean, the resources they could give Gu Ning were all in place, plus the efforts and dedication Gu Ning had made since her marriage were all seen by the leaders. This time, the responsibility and maturity she showed made the leaders very gratified.

Without responsibility, how can one be cultivated and reused? Even if they valued the influence behind Gu Ning, they had to be cautious in testing.

Fortunately, Gu Ning wasn't the A Dou who couldn't be helped, and the leaders gladly approved her leave application and didn't stop her from changing shifts with her colleagues.

Just like this, until the day before the trip, the couple started to pack their luggage, which was inevitably chaotic, but there were also two little bad guys, Li Shu and Li Ning, making trouble on the side.

Sister Li Shu challenged the couple's bottom line time and time again, while younger brother Li Ning didn't care, taking out whatever his mother packed in the bag.

"Mom—I want to take this!"

Just as Gu Ning was going to settle Li Ning who was pulling clothes, Li Shu dragged a large wooden box out of the inner room with great effort.

"Mom, are the toys bought by big uncle and little uncle enough to pack? If not, there's a basket in my room."

This wasn't Li Shu joking; what she just dragged out was the big box for toys in her room, which was specially made of solid wood by Li Xuewu's big grandfather.

You can imagine how many toys she had, and how big the box used to hold toys was.

The basket she said she wanted to take was also woven by her big grandfather with willow branches in the spring, and it was also used to hold toys.

Now the solid wood box was empty, and the toys inside were all gone; her little schemes couldn't be more obvious.

Gu Ning was truly stunned this time, turned her head to look at Li Xuewu, wanting to ask, who exactly did the child's "not being an outsider" follow?

Li Xuewu liked his daughter's nonsense, nodded with a smile, and instigated her, "Good, let's take this big box with us; if the toys of your big uncle and little uncle can't fill it, then we'll just stay and not leave."

"Stay and not leave—" Li Ning loved to join in the fun the most; seeing his father and sister joking, he also ran over to learn to speak.

Li Shu rarely had her father's support, and she was even more radiant, her eyes full of excitement as she looked at her mother.

I'm truly smart—

"Aren't you going to pack your own things?"

Gu Ning couldn't handle this pair of father and daughter, so she could only take another path, driving Li Xuewu upstairs to pack, so she could have space to pack Li Shu and Li Ning.

Li Xuewu didn't care about his daughter's strong desire to keep him, pointed at her little forehead, and said, "Look, Mom said, do your own things yourself, and Dad can't be an exception."

Saying this, he walked up the stairs, and didn't forget to instruct his daughter, "So, you take this big box yourself tomorrow; Dad can't move it."

Li Shu: "Ah? —"

"Hello, Secretary-General, welcome to board the Red Star No. 1 official aircraft, I am the chief attendant Zhou Xiaoling."

A Volga M24 and a GAZ 69 were parked near the boarding ladder. The Volga was Li Xuewu's car, and the GAZ 69 was driven by Shen Guodong.

As soon as Li Xuewu got out of the car, he was welcomed by the flight service personnel wearing overcoats. The emotional value was given very well.

This is the characteristic of the Labor Service Company's aviation service team, especially the operation of official aircraft, and the service quality was pulled to the top.

When the aviation service team was established, Li Xuewu specially emphasized several points, one of which was service etiquette standards.

Han Yating specially organized excellent etiquette training personnel from the International Hotel to come and guide the aviation service construction work.

This wasn't the first time Li Xuewu had enjoyed flight service, but it was the first time he had brought his family to enjoy it.

"Thank you, this is Gu Ning, my wife."

Li Xuewu first shook hands with chief attendant Zhou Xiaoling and the captain, and then introduced Gu Ning beside him to the other party.

The captain's gaze held a bit of understanding, and when he greeted Gu Ning, he became a bit more cautious and serious.

The pilots of the Red Star Aviation Service Team were all arranged and introduced by big brother-in-law Gu An, so it was normal for the captain to show strangeness when facing Gu Ning.

In this era, mountain-topism was still very common; the family members of the "Chief" would often be respected, unless they were disloyal or blind.

Of course, the "Chief" here refers to Gu An and Gu Haitao; Li Xuewu, this old land-based person, didn't have such a big face with the captain.

Zhou Xiaoling maintained her consistent elegance, smiling politely and greeting Gu Ning, but the address used was "Mrs. Li."

Mrs. Li?

Gu Ning was truly hearing someone call her this for the first time outside; friends who were familiar with her and Li Xuewu would mostly call her Dr. Gu, or a closer address.

Hearing the chief attendant call her Mrs. Li, she wasn't angry, but rather felt a bit novel. When boarding the plane, she took another look at Zhou Xiaoling, nodded, and didn't correct or emphasize other addresses.

Li Xuewu didn't care either. At this time, Er Ya got off the car, holding Li Ning and boarding the plane with Gu Ning.

Li Shu stood beside Zhou Yao, carefully examining the behemoth in front of her, as well as the elegant and decent service personnel.

Gu Yan and Zhou Yao gathered at home early in the morning, preparing to take the plane with brother-in-law's family to Jin Ling.

As for when Gu Yan came back, Li Xuewu didn't ask, and Gu Ning didn't have the heart to pay attention to him.

The couple was in their honeymoon period, especially since Gu Yan's return wasn't convenient, so the two were always sticky for a while when they were together.

Zhou Yao took Li Shu to watch the plane for a while, and also boarded the boarding ladder with Gu Ning. It was sunny this morning, but the wind was strong, so it was still a bit cold.

Yu Zhe and Shen Guodong helped Gu Yan move the luggage from the Volga M24, as well as the gift boxes moved down from the GAZ 69, into the cabin together.

Zhou Xiaoling was very sensible and accompanied Gu Ning and the others onto the plane first, and organized personnel to help Yu Zhe and the two store these packages and boxes.

Since it was an official aircraft, there was no reason for private use; Li Xuewu's trip to Jin Ling this time wasn't entirely a private matter.

After a year of development and construction, the Group Sales General Company decided to focus on opening up several key cities in the south and connecting these points into pieces to form the Jiangnan Area Branch.

And the preliminary opinion of the management committee was to place the office in Jin Ling.

This is not only the capital of Jiangzhe (although the other 12 cities don't want to admit it), but also the old capital of the Republic of China.

Whether it is economy or commerce, placing the area branch here has very important significance.

South Jin Ling, North Jinmen, to form a situation of north-south commercial integration and two-handed grasp of sales work.

The commerce that had formed a mature sales system in major northern cities in the past two years would all expand to the south within the next two years. And the distribution experience and materials summarized from several southern cities would also penetrate and transfer to the north.

Even the export ports and trade ports were chosen in two places. One is naturally the Yingcheng Port Area currently under construction in Yingcheng, and the other is Yuezhou.

Yuezhou itself has a port, but it is an inland river port, and the distance to the export port is very close, sharing one with Qiantang.

Why choose Yuezhou as the Red Star Steel Group's southern economic export trade port? The reason is that it is very small.

The smaller the volume, the easier it is to be mastered in front of Red Star Steel. And the group's strong desire to master the port is that the direction of the resource-rich raw materials exported from southern sea ports is to the north.

That is to say, the production base is in Liaodong and the capital, and the raw materials needed for production are mostly shipped from the south.

Taking railway transportation is actually the most suitable, but the railway lines and transport capacity in this era are very tight, so choosing water routes is more practical.

Raw materials are transported to the northern production base along the coastline through the thousand-ton cargo ships of Dongfeng Shipping. The products obtained from production are shipped from the Yingcheng Port Area through ten-thousand-ton large ships to Jin Ling, Yuezhou Port, Gangcheng, and Southeast Asia.

Placing the Jiangnan Area Branch in Jin Ling, the golden trade line of the Yangtze River water route is connected with the Qiantang and Yuezhou export ports, which sandwiches the trade zone of Modu in the middle.

The Red Star Steel Group doesn't dare to rashly extend its claws to Modu, fearing to attract fire, but it doesn't want to let go of the economic city with the fastest and best economic development in the country.

Therefore, focus on the layout and long-term planning.

To the outside world, naturally, it is said that market research and organizational construction work are the main things, and taking family members to Jin Ling to visit relatives is secondary. Internally, there is no need to be vague; it was his scheduled itinerary, and even his father-in-law Gu Haitao didn't say anything.

In fact, some people in the Red Star Steel Group wish he would leave at this critical moment, to avoid causing trouble again.

Group organizational ecology and structure reorganization, power and political resources reshuffled and redistributed; there is one person who should take the initiative to stand far away, and that person is Li Xuewu.

In order for Dong Wenxue to return to the capital smoothly, Li Xuewu not only broke the stability of the organizational ecology but also created several partners for himself and had the opportunity to practice in Liaodong.

Others lost soldiers and generals, so why is he rising step by step and proud?

Li Xuewu stopped when he saw it was good; next, it should be Jing Yunong and Dong Wenxue playing the leading roles. To fulfill everyone's wishes and make time, it is just right to go out to avoid the limelight.

Even if his scheming is extraordinary and he has calculated so many people, he has also fallen into a treacherous reputation.

The group still needs unity; at this time, he should also retreat when he is brave and avoid the limelight.

So he arranged for the official aircraft to be responsible for the round-trip itinerary, not only did Zhang Jinsong, who is in charge of service and logistics, say nothing, but even Old Li took the initiative to find him, asked about Gu Haitao's current situation, and even asked him to bring some thin gifts.

How could Old Li's gift be a thin gift? A painting or calligraphy, you can't tell if it's true or false, and you can't tell if it's good or bad; this is the sophisticated way of returning courtesy.

In this era, slightly older celebrity calligraphy and paintings are not that valuable, and they dare not be publicized with great fanfare.

Many people who confiscated these things just put them at home, or even hid in the quilt to appreciate them properly. On the surface, they have to seriously criticize that these things are dross and garbage.

Mm, they are all garbage collectors.

On December 31st, Li Xuewu and Gu Ning took the children, took the brother-in-law and the brother-in-law's fiancée, as well as the nanny at home, and took the official plane to Jin Ling.

Gu An and Mu Hongyan took their children to fly from Xijing to Jin Ling. The whole family wanted to spend a reunion solar New Year in Jin Ling.

"Oh, let Grandma kiss."

Just getting off the car, Li Shu was still sleepy and hadn't seen the situation outside clearly, when she was hugged by Grandma and kissed again and again.

"Missed Grandma to death, good grandson, missed Grandma?" Ding Fengxia just liked the liveliness of her granddaughter, coaxed her and asked, "Do you still recognize Grandma?"

"Recognize, Grandma—"

Li Shu had a set of ways to coax people; she was sleepy on the plane, but at this moment, her little hands tightly hugged Grandma's neck and took the initiative to MUA~, which almost made Ding Fengxia shed tears.

It was Gu An who had arrived early and was picking up the plane with her, who saw his mother's excitement and took the initiative to take Li Shu, holding her in his arms to tease her, which resolved his mother's excitement.

Just after putting Li Shu down, Ding Fengxia hugged Li Ning who had just gotten off the car.

Taught by his father on the plane, Li Ning's little mouth also learned to call Grandma, Grandma, which made Ding Fengxia's heart melt, and she wouldn't let go of her big grandson.

"Flew for a few hours?" Gu An smiled and looked at his sister and brother-in-law, asking with concern, "Tired, right?"

"It's okay, slept on the plane."

Li Xuewu smiled and shook hands with his big brother-in-law; since he got married, the number of times they met could be counted on one hand.

Gu Ning didn't bother to pay attention to her younger brother Gu Yan, but she respected her big brother, though it was relatively speaking.

It was just that this time she heard her sister take the initiative to call out a big brother, and her face also carried a smile, which surprised Gu An.

Early at home, his sister was cold to him, and only his mother could communicate more with her. Just such a sister, and having experienced such danger when she was young, as a brother, he only felt heartache, so how could he blame her.

As he grew up and joined the army, and his sister went to university, the number of times they met was even fewer, and the relationship was inevitably alienated.

Gu Yan had returned home many times in the past two years, and every time he lived at his second sister's house, so he could naturally feel his second sister's changes.

It was just that seeing her many times, Gu Yan didn't feel that his second sister's changes were that great, only knowing that she had become cheerful. But she still looked down on him, and she still looked down on him.

Gu An hadn't seen his sister for two years, so the change in feeling was much greater, and his heart was truly gratified and happy.

There were drivers and secretaries coming to help move the luggage, and the flight crew was also helping, so they didn't need to spend effort or energy.

Looking at the small imported official aircraft behind Li Xuewu, and then looking at his sister's changes, Gu An was even happier.

Like his mother, he hoped that his younger brother and sister would live well, have a happy life, and had a strong sense of responsibility as a big brother.

Li Xuewu also felt that this big brother-in-law was broad-minded and approachable to him, and his speech was mature and steady, worthy of respect.

Of course, to say that his relationship with his little brother-in-law wasn't good, that naturally couldn't be. He had feelings of care and doting for Gu Yan, but there was little communication and resonance in serious matters.

Although Gu Yan had matured a lot in the past two years, in his eyes, he was still not mature, at least much worse than Gu An.

Seeing his brother-in-law and big brother standing together talking and laughing, and even having a feeling of cherishing each other, Gu Yan raised his eyebrows at Zhou Yao, his mouth carrying a smile.

Zhou Yao rolled her eyes at him, walked to Li Xuewu, and after Li Xuewu introduced her, she asked how he was.

"Good, good, Mom told me all about your goodness."

Gu An was the eldest son, so he naturally thought his brother-in-law and sister-in-law were good, and then looking at the younger brother standing behind, he had a bit of pickiness.

It was just that at this time, joking was okay, but it wasn't the time for instructions and lessons, so he said a few words of idle talk about work.

Only after Ding Fengxia had enough of her granddaughter and grandson, and the luggage was loaded into the car, did everyone get into their cars and go to the Jin Ling Military Academy together.

Er Ya sat in the car a bit constrained; before getting in the car, she wanted to hug Li Shu, but Li Shu was held by her big uncle. She wanted to hug Li Ning, but Li Ning was loved by his grandmother.

Gu Ning saw her nervousness, and from the time she boarded the plane, she found her face was a bit white, afraid that she was scared. Ultimately, she didn't say what would happen if the plane fell from the sky.

When getting in the car, Gu Ning called Li Xuewu and arranged for Er Ya to sit with them, while she went in the same car as her big brother.

When the four cars drove from the airport and into the academy gate, the sky had dimmed a bit.

In winter, the sky gets dark early, and the motorcade drove to the family area courtyard, which looked like it was wearing

Although Gu Haitao did not go to the airport early to pick up his grandson and granddaughter, he managed to leave work early today, which is a rare treat.

This time, it wasn't just his grandson and granddaughter who came, but also his eldest son and eldest grandson; he simply couldn't get enough of Gu An's son.

The saying that the bond between grandparents and grandchildren is the closest is absolutely true.

"Grandpa, Grandpa—"

Li Shu ran out of the bedroom laughing, having changed into a thinner set of clothes, and she was playing to her heart's content.

Although it was a new environment and she hadn't seen her grandparents many times, she could still feel the love they had for her. Less than half an hour after entering the house, she had already lost her sense of strangeness, and she had grown accustomed to calling for her eldest uncle and aunt.

Watching Li Shu running in front, Li Ning following behind, and then a little tag-along, Gu Yunzhi, behind them, the smile on Gu Haitao's face—who was always serious and rarely smiled even at home—never faded. Looking at him like this, he didn't seem like someone who disliked children or lacked a lively personality at all.

When they first met, his mother-in-law, Ding Fengxia, had laughed and said that her husband disliked children the most, and disliked noise even more. Earlier, when he worked from home, the children would all hide away.

And now? Did his mother-in-law lie?

The oldest, Li Shu, is three and a half; the second oldest, Li Ning, is almost two; and the youngest, Gu Yunzhi, is 21 months old, also nearly two.

Children of such similar ages who can run, jump, talk, and chatter—aren't they at their most adorable age?

Li Shu was the first to run toward her grandfather, throwing herself into his arms. The two younger ones followed suit, climbing on the sofa and tugging at his clothes, wanting to ride on his shoulders like little monkeys clinging to an old monkey; it was incredibly rowdy.

Ding Fengxia watched her husband, who was caught between laughter and tears and didn't know how to coax the children, and felt very amused. She even wanted to call her secretary to bring a camera to take a picture, as it was a scene rarely seen.

Gu An was startled when he saw his son "climbing all over his grandfather" wanting to ride on his neck. He wanted to pull his son down, but after being glanced at by his father, he didn't move again.

He just watched the little ones laughing and playing, and then looked at his father's kindness and compliance, his eyes full of surprise.

How could the father before his eyes be the stern father from his childhood memories? Are these grandsons and granddaughters really that good?

And aren't they just that good? At dinner, only Li Shu could eat by herself, while the other two had to be fed.

As a result, the old couple took one each; Li Ning was held by Grandpa, and Gu Yunzhi was held by Grandma, and they ate with great relish.

Mu Hongyan and Gu Ning tried to take them several times, but were refused by the old couple, who only said they should let them enjoy the blessing too.

Isn't playing with grandchildren a blessing? It is a rare family reunion, and this kind of tiredness is not really tiredness.

Compared to the capital, this property is larger, and the old couple usually find it a bit cold and quiet living here.

Today, with all the children and grandchildren back, the two-story building finally has life, and the liveliness and laughter at the dinner table seem to be melting the ice and snow outside the window.

After the meal, the family naturally wanted to have a long talk, but after sitting in the living room for a while, Gu Haitao called his two sons and son-in-law upstairs.

Upstairs, in the study.

After entering the room, Li Xuewu glanced at his father-in-law's study, but his gaze remained on the desk.

It wasn't because there were many documents or antiques on the desk, but because of a small painting placed on it.

At Gu Haitao's age and position, it wouldn't be easy to say that obtaining masterpieces from famous people is simple, but it isn't difficult either.

It's just that this "masterpiece" he saw was a bit special; he had mailed it to his father-in-law himself. It was a casual doodle Li Shu made when she was a year and a half old while accompanying her father and mother in the study.

At the time, Li Xuewu just thought it was very childlike and wanted to share this fun with his parents-in-law to ease the old couple's longing. He just didn't expect his father-in-law to treasure this painting so much, even framing it and placing it on his desk.

Placed together with this doodle was a family portrait, a photo from Li Xuewu's wedding, and photos of his children receiving awards for merit, including one of Li Xuewu.

Perhaps discovering Li Xuewu's unconcealed gaze, Gu Haitao looked at the doodle with deep emotion, his eyes full of kindness. His gaze swept over his children's heroic and spirited appearance, and the pride in his heart was more intoxicating and heady than the fine wine of the evening.

Gu Yan took the tea brought by the waiter and placed it on the coffee table, serving his father, eldest brother, and brother-in-law.

Gu Haitao's gaze then fell on his youngest son, and he waved his hand to signal his eldest son and son-in-law to sit on the sofa.

"Dad, strong tea helps with the alcohol." Gu An pushed the teacup toward his father and asked with concern, "Are you alright?"

"It's no trouble, I didn't drink much."

Gu Haitao waved his hand and sat down on the sofa, his eyes fixed on his two sons and son-in-law.

Although this era emphasizes gender equality, those who could enter his study were still men. Especially since he was a professional soldier, he believed even more in the idea that the battlefield is a man's world.

That was why he called his sons and son-in-law upstairs to the study to talk, leaving the living room for the women and children to play.

"When I came, my father asked me to send you his regards. He is very worried about your health, so this time he asked me to bring you some more medicinal wine."

Li Xuewu, as a son-in-law, took the initiative to speak, showing concern for his father-in-law's health and bringing his parents' regards.

Gu Haitao nodded slightly and said in a very gentle tone, "Thank you to your parents for their concern. Thanks to your father all these years, my health is still good. Is everything well at home? Is the old lady still sturdy?"

"My grandmother is doing fine; she has to take care of her great-grandchildren at home." Li Xuewu introduced with a smile, "Sometimes when we are busy, we send Li Ning and Li Shu over to ask her and my mother to help look after them."

"The old lady is blessed to have four generations under one roof; it is truly rare." Gu Haitao looked at his son-in-law and asked with concern, "Have your eldest brother and third brother resumed their work and studies?"

"My eldest brother has returned to school to work, and my younger brother is currently interning at the Traditional Chinese Medicine Hospital where my father works, and he will graduate next year."

Li Xuewu introduced the situation at home and also roughly talked about how he and his family had coped with the turmoil over the past two years.

At first, Gu Haitao listened with a gentle expression, but by the end, he had become quite serious and emotional.

Li Xuewu's family situation was no longer ordinary, especially with signs of the younger generation rising. But even with such a family situation, they had to be so careful and cautious in the capital, which showed how tense and complex the situation had been over the past two years.

"Your factory is developing very well; I've heard about it."

After hearing his son-in-law finish talking about the situation at home, Gu Haitao nodded, offered a few words of comfort and affirmation, and then turned to work.

He looked at his young yet steady son-in-law and asked with concern, "Do you have any plans for the future?"

"I still want to develop in the enterprise." Li Xuewu also shed his previous casualness and reported to his father-in-law with a very serious attitude. "I have been gradually fading out of my work in the Garrison District, but there has been no news from that side. So for the time being, there is no other way, and I can only keep it hanging."

"Things are fine here at Red Star Steel Group. A few days ago, the Management Committee just passed a resolution to arrange for me to go to Steel City to manage the group's industrial, trade, and economic construction work in Liaodong."

"Go to Steel City?" Gu An frowned slightly and looked at him, asking, "Haven't you already entered the group's management?"

"Yes, I am going as a leader of the group."

Seeing his brother-in-law's misunderstanding, Li Xuewu took the initiative to explain, "Because we need to coordinate and control the overall construction, our group is going to lay out several key projects in Liaodong. This includes port construction and operation, metal and coal mine development, trade and economic construction, and so on."

"That really is..." Gu An was at a loss for words. He only knew that his brother-in-law was developing very well in the capital and was already a leader of the group. But he was called the Secretary-General, so how did he end up in charge of a region?

PS: Sorry, I've had things to do at home these past two days, which delayed me. I might not be able to update tonight, but I will definitely make up for the missed chapters, either tomorrow or the day after.

(End of chapter)