Chapter 1406

"Comrade Li Xuewu, this is Li Huai De."

The call was connected from the General Manager's office of the Comprehensive Management Department to the Factory Director's office of the Steel City Metallurgical Plant.

Only after confirming that the leaders of both sides could speak was the call transferred by the secretary to the leader.

Li Huai De and Li Xuewu did not engage in false pleasantries, nor did they put on airs; they spoke directly.

Li Xuewu did not need to guess the reason for Old Li calling from the capital at this hour; he already knew.

"... The Group has already received instructions from the Ministry to actively cooperate with relevant units and departments to complete preparatory work."

He first spoke of the news and directives the Group had received over the past two days, then instructed Li Xuewu: "I have not yet received your report regarding whether Steel City has any other arrangements. I have just received notice that the Third Garrison Regiment is moving north. All special equipment is to be supplemented by the Group. Please communicate with the Third Regiment immediately to make preparations."

"Director Li, the Group's various industrial enterprises and units in Liaodong have not received any explicit tasks or directives; we have only cooperated with the industrial management departments in reporting on enterprise production conditions."

Li Xuewu replied over the phone: "Regarding the Third Garrison Regiment moving north and the need for the Group to supplement their special equipment in Liaodong, I will communicate with them immediately and make comprehensive preparations."

He thought for a moment and added: "On the day the situation occurred, we inspected the flight capabilities of the Steel Flight KH-4 helicopter. The laboratory reported that it is still in the experimental stage at this time."

"However, I suggest adding the KH-4 as a reconnaissance helicopter to the support list as special equipment."

"Hmm, you are in Liaodong; you must understand the situation."

Li Huai De's voice on the phone paused noticeably before he continued: "Do you think it is necessary to include the helicopter as a project in this equipment support?"

"I am considering this from two aspects."

Li Xuewu did not answer Old Li's question with a yes or no, but instead stated his own thoughts.

He said in a composed tone: "First, as a member rooted in Liaodong's development and a part of the national industry, the Group should unconditionally support national defense forces during this crisis."

"Second, it has been over a year since Steel Flight introduced the KH-4 model and production line. After the New Year, Steel Flight reported that they expect to achieve full-scale mass production of the KH-4 model this year."

Li Xuewu's tone suddenly paused, and then he slightly increased his volume: "Whether it's a mule or a horse, it should be taken out for a walk. I believe the products of Red Star Steel Group can withstand the test and seize the opportunity."

"Hmm, that is indeed the case—"

Li Huai De's voice was noticeably much softer, showing a change from his earlier skeptical attitude.

He pondered for a moment before telling Li Xuewu: "Then proceed according to your idea and include the helicopter in this equipment support sequence."

"But there is one point." He emphasized with what seemed like some heartache: "Do not provide too many; be careful not to lose the bait while trying to catch the chicken. After all, our helicopter is still in the experimental stage."

Old Li's petty nature had flared up again; he was afraid that if Red Star Factory's aircraft were sent out, they would be difficult to get back.

This point did not need to be considered; the equipment requested by the higher-ups for support this time would certainly not be returned. What would that even be?

Another aspect of Old Li's pettiness was the fear that the helicopter would be too eye-catching and bring unnecessary trouble to Red Star Factory.

Finally, he was also worried that Red Star Factory's products might not pass muster, causing trouble instead of meritorious service, which would be a huge loss of face.

Losing face was not the main issue; he was afraid that this incident would affect the higher-ups' attitude toward Red Star Steel Group, and toward him.

Old Li's cautious personality was not a flaw; standing in his position, one should consider issues from multiple aspects and dimensions.

He was now the captain of the big ship that was Red Star Steel Group, and it was right to be vigilant about dangers ahead at all times.

Sometimes, danger is not the rocks on the river surface or the solid ice on the sea, but what might exist beneath the calm water.

Li Xuewu understood his caution very well, so during the phone conversation, he patiently explained his thoughts and clarified the risks and opportunities generated during the execution of relevant business work, asking Old Li to think and judge.

Business work is never about right or wrong, let alone excellent or more excellent. You cannot say that after a matter is finished, someone else's viewpoint or idea was more excellent or more executable.

That is called Monday-morning quarterbacking—

In the decision-making and execution process of management work, only the strategy and method that are chosen and executed are the best.

This point must be clear, because in actual work, there is no such thing as "if," because "if" will never happen.

Therefore, the thoughts and ideas Li Xuewu reported on the phone only represented his personal viewpoint and judgment; they were not the decision of the Liaodong Industrial Leading Group, let alone the decision of the Group's Management Committee. This required judgment from Li Huai De, who was the person in charge.

If you trust Li Xuewu, then support Li Xuewu's ideas; if you don't trust Li Xuewu, then shelve the ideas and wait and see.

Someone might ask, if Li Xuewu's ideas and thoughts were correct, but the Group did not adopt or execute them, and when the situation became clear, they wanted to execute them, but the timing was missed, what then?

There is no way; missed is missed. Enterprise management cannot look back at business decisions, and certainly cannot determine whether someone was right or wrong based on predictions and judgments.

This is a dialectical way of thinking.

No enterprise management can make decisions based on judgments of the unknown. Scientific decision-making is the foundation of enterprise management and rational administration, and it is an important method and approach for enterprise management.

This is also the fundamental way to put an end to making decisions by shooting from the hip, because when the forest is big, you never know what kind of birds might fly out, and there are those bizarre enterprise managers who make a laughingstock of themselves.

Li Huai De was no fool; his business management ability was average, but his judgment ability was very prominent.

Li Xuewu had broken it down and explained it to him, and he was very clear about what Li Xuewu wanted to do.

Speaking of Li Xuewu's boldness, today was the first time he truly felt the meaning of "the brave have no fear, the wise have no worries."

"An infantry battalion's worth of equipment—are you under pressure?"

Since Li Huai De had already thought of what Li Xuewu wanted to do, he could also guess his true purpose.

At this moment, he also appeared eager to try, because compared to the risks Li Xuewu had just mentioned, he was also looking forward to this opportunity.

"An infantry battalion's worth of equipment is not needed." Li Xuewu explained over the phone: "The Third Garrison Regiment cooperates closely with the Light Weapons Institute, and their equipment situation is excellent; there is no need to supplement too much."

"According to the situation I understand at this stage, automobiles, some weapons, and special vehicles are the priority."

He looked at the materials at hand and said: "Mainly the Tan Tu vehicles; the test vehicles we have already produced can fully support this support mission."

"It can also be used for actual combat testing, right?"

Li Huai De said on the other end of the phone: "Just prepare according to your ideas; I will report your thoughts to the higher-ups."

He paused and said: "If the equipment of Red Star Steel Group can shine in actual combat testing this time..."

Old Li did not continue, leaving only this suspense as he hung up the phone; he trusted Li Xuewu.

An infantry battalion's worth of equipment—what did Li Xuewu want to do?

Nothing much; when he first instilled the concept of a synthetic battalion into Ate, he was already starting preparations.

That's right, although he had forgotten the time node for this incident, the relevant preparations were not missing.

Tan Tu vehicles, lightweighting of existing equipment, mounting heavy machine guns and rocket launchers on vehicles, mounting anti-aircraft machine guns on vehicles, and other projects had always been pushed forward according to the schedule.

In '67, Li Xuewu was already planning the Tan Tu vehicle, planning to use the Tan Tu as a supplement and balance between a jeep and an armored vehicle.

It needed to have the mobility of a jeep, but also the protection and power of an armored vehicle; this was a bold idea.

This project was handed over to the Vehicle Engineering Research Institute, which cooperated with Tsinghua University and Red Star Steel Group; it had been going on for two years, and this vehicle was still in the experimental stage.

Just for the power system, two sets were made, one gasoline and one diesel, just to fully evaluate the vehicle's capabilities.

Now, both the Tan Tu vehicle and the KH-4 (Steel Flight version) are in the blank areas of domestic relevant industries; they can be considered pioneers, and in terms of world industry, they might even be at the forefront.

And for Li Xuewu, whether it was the Tan Tu or the KH-4, they were both an indispensable part of the synthetic battalion he envisioned. Now that there was such a rare actual combat opportunity, how could he let it pass?

He let Zhang Jing go to Steel Flight and personally called the research institute just to confirm these two points.

Li Xuewu wanted to send these two products, which were still in the experimental stage, into an actual combat scenario to see the results.

Even if flaws were exposed, there would be an opportunity to modify them; after all, only under such circumstances could they get the best test.

Furthermore, if it were truly as Li Huai De said, and the synthetic battalion equipment prepared by Red Star Steel Group performed brilliantly in this situation, then it went without saying that the process of group-based development would accelerate by another step, and at the same time, the Group's depth would increase.

Li Xuewu was more willing to let others who were paying attention to this conflict see the participation of Red Star power, because the more brilliantly Red Star power performed, the easier it would be to do foreign trade work in the future.

Ate and the others did not come this year, but instead took a turn around Hong Kong and left without placing many orders.

It could be said that Ate had prepared all the goods for the next two or three years; coming to Hong Kong was just to supplement, but one also had to see the deficiencies in domestic advanced equipment design and production.

If Red Star Steel Group flashed in international attention, Ate would definitely turn around and come to the mainland for large-scale procurement.

Flies don't land on seamless eggs; only with money can you make ghosts push the mill. If there's no money, why would they come? To make friends?

Li Xuewu believed that as long as the Tan Tu and KH-4 made an appearance, they would attract the attention of relevant parties; this point was beyond doubt.

Moreover, this time Li Xuewu intended to empty his pockets to conduct experiments. He wouldn't dare say he would blind their dog eyes, but he could make their eyes light up. Combined with the battle results of the Third Garrison Regiment, then...

"Leader, how many helicopters should we set?"

Zhang Jing held the project list and stood beside Li Xuewu's desk, checking the quantities one by one, thinking very carefully.

"Prepare three, use two."

Li Xuewu thought while answering: "Tell the Third Garrison Regiment that I will only give them a margin of one."

"Understood." Zhang Jing knew Li Xuewu's relationship with the Third Garrison Regiment, but he couldn't figure out why the leader didn't come forward directly to contact the Third Garrison Regiment this time, but instead let him come forward to handle the handover procedures for the relevant equipment.

The Third Garrison Regiment was scheduled to depart from the capital tonight, leaving Steel City only one day and one night to prepare.

The Third Garrison Regiment's train would pass through Steel City; these pieces of equipment needed to be boxed and prepared, then directly hooked to the train to move north together.

On the list in Zhang Jing's hand, the items he could see were basically all newly developed by the Light Weapons Institute and were weapons and equipment produced by the Red Star Steel City Hardware Tool Factory.

The soldiers of the Third Garrison Regiment were generally familiar with the new weapons of the Light Weapons Institute, so getting started was not a problem.

There was only one thing: the aircraft were to be piloted and operated by professional personnel. Qi Yaowu called to say that he had already requested pilots, and it just depended on how many aircraft Li Xuewu could give.

Nonsense. Li Xuewu dared to bet that the pilots in his hands definitely didn't exceed five; giving him more would be a waste.

Pilots in later generations were so precious, let alone in this era; how many could a regiment support?

"The new weapons that the Hardware Factory can provide include the 66-6 sniper rifle, the 67-type light and heavy dual-purpose machine gun, the 68-type 60mm light mortar, the 68-type 120mm mortar, the 68-type anti-aircraft machine gun..."

Why were the finalized years all after '66?

'66, '67, '68...

'66 had the fewest, only that sniper rifle, because that year was the beginning of the cooperation between Red Star Factory and the Light Weapons Institute.

Over the past few years of multi-party cooperation, profits were maximized. The Light Weapons Institute was not short of money, absorbed more and more researchers, and did not worry about R&D funds for launched projects. The weapon weight reduction and optimization projects proposed by Li Xuewu progressed very quickly.

How fast?

They screened through all the weapons and equipment equipped domestically and listed those with optimization value for R&D.

Those without value were not considered. Now, the items that the Light Weapons Institute and Red Star Steel Group could bring out were definitely high-quality products.

Don't talk about domestically; just talk about the international evaluation standard for a good gun. Don't think about what gun; they all count.

The answer is uncertain because it depends on how you look at it.

If you talk about the essence of a weapon, it must be excellence. Weapons custom-built by weapon experts must be the best.

From this point of view, weapons coming off an assembly line absolutely cannot compare to these custom-built pieces of equipment.

But from the perspective of war readiness, weapons that are good quality and inexpensive are the best weapons, because custom-built equipment does not have universality, and its own limitations are really too many.

If you stand from this angle, it is not surprising that the AK47 can be called a good gun.

The Light Weapons Institute and Red Star Steel Group recommended their products to the General Armament Department more than once, but never received a reply. Why? Could it be that the products were not excellent enough?

No, it was that the products were too excellent.

The metals used by the Light Weapons Institute when developing weapons and equipment were mostly special materials provided by the Metallurgical Plant.

And the Hardware Factory, relying on the advantages of the Metallurgical Plant, did not need to overly consider production costs during the weapon production process.

As long as the equipment produced by Red Star Steel City Hardware Factory was placed together with equipment produced by other factories, the advantages and disadvantages could be clearly seen. The characteristics of the metal must have affected the performance of the weapons.

Who didn't know the advantages of weapon weight reduction? But weapon weight reduction was a major topic, and optimizing materials was an important aspect.

The Metallurgical Plant could provide lightweight alloys; how could other weapon factories do it? Not everyone had such a complete industrial chain.

The General Armament Department also knew that Red Star Factory's weapons were good and of high quality, but Red Star Factory did not have the advantage of being good quality and inexpensive.

Furthermore, Red Star Factory could not complete extra-large batch production capacity. This was not determined by the production capacity of the weapon industry, but by the production capacity of the metallurgical industry.

Weapon production itself did not have much technical content; given enough materials, engineers could hand-craft them.

The Hardware Factory was not afraid of other factories imitating, and was even willing to provide material lists, but what about the metallurgical formula?

Steel City Metallurgical Plant was a subsidiary of Red Star Steel Group. Since it was an enterprise, it had to have technical barriers.

Although technical barriers in this era were as good as non-existent, it was not the case at Red Star Steel Group.

All technical data were in an independent and confidential state, would not be shared, and certainly would not be given away to whoever asked for it.

Even if Red Star Steel Group selflessly contributed these technologies, how many enterprises in the country could achieve normal production?

Build a metallurgical plant for one gun? Are you kidding?

Weapons were produced to be sold, right? If the General Armament Department didn't procure them, wouldn't they pile up like a mountain in the warehouse?

Wrong. The Hardware Factory's warehouse was very small and could not achieve a situation of piling up like a mountain. The procurement orders signed last year and the year before hadn't even been completed yet; where would there be inventory backlogs?

Even this support was moving delivery quantities; otherwise, there was basically no inventory.

The replacement of weapons and equipment was never achieved overnight, but a process chosen by the era.

It must be this theory: the weapons in the hands of soldiers are two eras behind the research projects in the laboratory.

Red Star Factory's products were ahead; don't worry. When quantitative change accumulates to a certain degree, qualitative change will occur, and qualitative change will affect quantitative change.

In other words, Red Star Factory's equipment currently has an advantage over other factories' equipment, but it is not too big, at least not a gap that has attracted enough attention, and not yet a gap that makes replacement mandatory.

But when this gap continues to update and grow, one day a situation of large-scale procurement will appear.

What is qualitative change?

The new vehicles provided by Red Star Steel Group this time: the Hongxing Lingyang, Tan Tu, Saber-toothed Tiger, and modified Hongyan, were absolutely things that other units had never used before, nor had they ever seen.

When these pieces of equipment demonstrated their strength, they would let those who should see them see their performance that could not be ignored.

By then, these pieces of equipment would startle the enemy and also startle our own people. You tell me, shouldn't they be procured?

Comparing to the 212, the Hongxing Lingyang had many aspects that were inferior, but it was cheap, right? Just as sturdy and durable, why not?

Changing direction, the 212 compared to the Tan Tu was not worth looking at, so how could your 212 compete with my Tan Tu?

Not to mention the Saber-toothed Tiger, which was more professional after market segmentation; this thing was a light armored vehicle, extremely sturdy.

The logistics support part was all handed over to the Hongyan, including medical rescue, emergency support, transportation, etc.

Red Star Steel Group this time put wheels on the Third Garrison Regiment, giving this team, which was not yet a synthetic battalion, a form and a spirit. Although it was not in a complete state, it was enough to use.

Want to see the Tan Tu mount a cannon to fight a tank?

Want to see the Dragonfly carry missiles to fight a tank?

Want to see the 120mm mortar after lightweighting fight a tank?

"Daddy, I miss you—"

When Li Xuewu heard his daughter's childish and spoiled voice, his originally somewhat tired expression instantly dissolved.

He was still on duty at the unit tonight, even though he would set off for Fengcheng tomorrow, even though the work of docking with the Third Garrison Regiment had been completed, and even though the Group's industrial enterprises in Liaodong were operating steadily and had not been affected, he still had to be on duty.

This was the meaning of being on duty; if the problem was not solved, one could not leave the post, let alone be absent.

It was just that Yang Zongfang was not accompanying him today; he was going on a business trip tomorrow, and the other vice factory directors were on duty in pairs.

The call came suddenly, to his office, and there were not many calls that could reach his office.

Li Xuewu thought it was an emergency call from some unit, but after connecting, he was left between laughter and tears.

"Hmm, Li Shu, Daddy misses you too."

He held the phone, looked up, signaled to Zhang En Yuan who had walked into the office, and continued: "Did you eat well? You've had dinner by this time, right?"

"I ate well—"

Li Shu's voice was somewhat urgent, which was particularly evident on the phone, "Daddy, both my brother and I miss you."

It seemed Li Ning was also by her side, but that kid perhaps didn't know how to talk on the phone, or didn't understand why Daddy's voice could come out of the receiver.

"Good, good, I heard you."

Li Xuewu said with a smile: "Daddy knows Li Shu and Li Ning miss Daddy. If you have time, ask Mommy to bring you here to see me, okay?"

"Okay—" Li Shu agreed readily, and then hesitated: "But—I still have to go to school."

She said somewhat embarrassedly: "The teacher also asked us to prepare a program for the new semester; I'm afraid I'll be too busy to have time."

"Hahaha—" Li Xuewu was amused by his daughter's little-adult tone, "Yes, yes, our Li Shu is the most excellent. Then Li Shu must be the most excellent student in the class, right?"

"Hehehe—that goes without saying—"

Li Shu responded with a smile and said very confidently: "The teacher praised me and said I performed the best."

"Daddy is so happy—" Li Xuewu asked, imitating his daughter's tone: "How is your brother doing at home?"

"Brother is good too, just naughty."

Li Shu had the demeanor of an older sister, showing her love for her brother without hiding the truth about him from her father.

"Second Aunt took him to take a bath and he wouldn't go; he's greedy for play. Little Aunt took him to study and he wouldn't study either; Mommy scolded him today."

"Oh, is that so? Then you have to teach your brother." Li Xuewu said persuasively: "Daddy can't go home because of work and can't teach your brother; you have to help Daddy."

"That goes without saying—" Li Shu said proudly: "I am the older sister; I should teach my brother to set a good example."

She chattered on about how she taught her brother to read and recognize characters, and how she performed excellently.

Li Xuewu could hear laughter outside the phone, Er Ya's, and also a stranger's.

No need to guess, it must be Zhao Yaping who came to the house, and the other one sounded like Xiaoxiao, who was Li Shu's tutor.

"Daddy, I have a performance at the kindergarten next Thursday. Can you come back to see my performance?"

Li Shu finally requested: "The teacher said to invite parents to come and watch the performance together; it's very lively."

"Is that so? This is Li Shu's first performance." Li Xuewu first praised his daughter with surprise, then pretended to be serious: "But let Daddy think about whether I have work those days..."

He pondered for a few seconds before answering on the phone: "I'm sorry, daughter, Daddy has work to do next week; I have to go to Yingcheng to see the situation at the shipyard."

"To see them build big ships?" Li Shu was indeed attracted by his words, and even the disappointment in her tone lessened by a few points.

Li Xuewu had always attached great importance to his daughter's education, including hiring an extra tutor for her.

When talking to his daughter, he also showed enough respect and understanding, and did not just make up excuses to push her away.

He certainly knew he was going to Yingcheng next week, but he still had to think for a few seconds to let his daughter know he was thinking seriously.

Likewise, he also told his daughter the specific content of his work on the phone so that she would have enough reason to believe him.

This way, even if Li Shu was very disappointed that Daddy couldn't come back to watch her performance, she also knew that Daddy was truly busy.

This kind of regret would run through Li Shu and Li Ning's entire student career in the future, but Li Xuewu did not want to lose the opportunity to communicate with his children, let alone refuse this channel of communication.

It could be busy, it could be no time, but there could not be no explanation, no surprise.

Zhou Ya Mei said it well: if you treat him like a child, he is a child; if you treat him like a friend, he is your friend.

If you cannot fully trust him, he will not do things that make you trust him.

Toward Li Shu, Li Xuewu never treated her differently, but as the older sister, Li Xuewu wanted to cultivate her strong character and quality.

"It is building big ships. Do you still remember Uncle Xu?"

Li Xuewu explained to his daughter very seriously: "It is the uncle who gave you the black and white big ship model."

"I remember! It's Uncle Xu—" Li Shu responded: "He is building big ships, right?"

"That's right, I'm going to your Uncle Xu's place." Li Xuewu told his daughter: "We are going to build more ships this year, bigger ships, to carry more cargo, and make the ships run faster and further."

"Wow—" Li Shu's disappointed tone had been replaced by surprise and pride. She knew that Daddy was doing such excellent work, and she had more desire and confidence to share it with the other children.

She indeed changed to a firm attitude and said: "Then Daddy, you go to Uncle Xu's place. When you come back, I will perform for you alone. Remember to help me ask Uncle Xu for another ship."

"Brother wants a big ship too—"

Perhaps someone reminded her not to talk on the phone for too long; Li Shu ended it somewhat hurriedly.

Li Xuewu smiled and agreed to his daughter's request, and talked to Gu Ning who answered the phone for a few sentences.

Gu Ning had an introverted personality; with people at home, how could she talk about private matters with him? So after saying a few words about the situation at home, she ended the call.

Li Xuewu thought of his daughter's art performance, so he asked her to hand the phone to Xiaoxiao.

"Hello, Secretary-General, I am Xiaoxiao."

Xiaoxiao was very surprised to receive the phone from Gu Ning; she really didn't understand why the Secretary-General would come to talk to her after talking to Gu Ning.

"Hello, Xiaoxiao." Li Xuewu's tone was very soft, "Thank you for taking care of Li Shu; I heard everything from her."

"You're welcome, Secretary-General—"

Xiaoxiao explained somewhat flattered: "This is what I should do; no need to thank me."

"Li Shu's performance is very good; you have a share of the credit."

Li Xuewu praised her with a smile, and then stated his request.

He remembered a song, very modern, but full of positive energy; hearing children sing it could touch people's hearts.

So since his daughter liked art, he wrote the lyrics of this song on paper, checked it carefully, and after feeling there was no problem, talked to Xiaoxiao about it.

Xiaoxiao was also very surprised; she had never heard that the Secretary-General could write songs... no, it was writing lyrics.

This explained it, because she knew the Secretary-General's literary talent was very good, and he was a rare intellectual among the Group's senior management.

You could say Deputy Director Gao and Deputy Director Jing were both very cultured, but neither of them had published books, while the Secretary-General had already written three, plus a professional skills book promoted nationwide.

Her brain turned around in an instant, and when she heard the Secretary-General tell her the lyrics and hum the song to her, she didn't feel surprised anymore, thinking that this was composed by someone else for the Secretary-General.

The lyrics were not very simple, but catchy enough; it was just a bit difficult to put the tune the Secretary-General hummed into a score.

Xiaoxiao asked the Secretary-General to hum it three times before she simply recorded the score, and it wasn't even the most standard one.

She could tell that although the Secretary-General couldn't be said to be tone-deaf, he couldn't be considered a professional singer either.

Even the three times the Secretary-General hummed it, she felt there were differences in individual positions, so she didn't find it difficult to refine it later.

Li Xuewu asked her for help, which was to turn this song from his mouth into a song that could be formally sung.

This work was not easy, at least for him, it was an impossible task because he didn't know the staff notation.

It was funny to say; he had received complete primary and secondary education, and the teaching content included music-related knowledge, but he didn't have this talent and had long ago returned what he learned to the teacher.

Xiaoxiao recorded the lyrics and music and let him hang up the phone, then excitedly went to refine it.

She was very excited inside; from the tune the Secretary-General hummed and the content of the lyrics, she could feel the charm and power of this song.

At the same time, she was also amazed by the Secretary-General's talent. What kind of rich inner man could write such lyrics, especially the contrast with his appearance, which really made her fall into this admiration and unable to extricate herself.

Li Xuewu didn't care too much about the charm of this song. Catching up with his duty tonight, thinking about the situation in the north, plus his longing for his daughter, and the new semester art performance...

Multiple factors superimposed, which made him suddenly have this idea. Since professional matters were handed over to professional people, he didn't think about these things anymore.

It was just that when Xiaoxiao asked him for the name of the song before hanging up, he hesitated.

It wasn't that the original name wasn't good, but he had forgotten the name of this song. This song was one of the few complete songs in his memory, and it also fit the characteristics of this era.

Sometimes people are like this: they say they can't sing, but when they hear a familiar melody, they can sing along; they say they know the song and can sing it familiarly, but they can't remember the name of the song.

Li Xuewu didn't dwell on this, just told Xiaoxiao to use "A Letter to My Daughter" as the title of the song.

Xiaoxiao didn't feel that there was anything inappropriate about this name; it was originally a song written by the Secretary-General for Li Shu.

She could feel the deep fatherly love and true feelings of the Secretary-General as a father for Li Shu from this song.

True feelings are the most touching; she was now in a state of self-moving, so it was rare that she wasn't obsessed.

On the contrary, Li Shu was a bit resentful that Daddy was meddling; she had long been preparing for this art performance. Did she have to spend time preparing another program?

Is it tiring? She is so busy.

"Secretary-General Li, long time no see—"

Hu Ke was quite giving face; hearing that Li Xuewu was coming to Fengcheng, he actually brought people to the intersection to pick him up.

This was not the treatment he could enjoy. Li Xuewu got out of the car to shake hands and exchange greetings with him, and there was a hint of joking resentment in the politeness.

"Director Hu, you shouldn't do this."

"Hey—" Hu Ke smiled and tilted his head, saying: "You are a guest when you come from the capital to Liaodong, but you are one of our own when you come from Steel City to Fengcheng. Why be polite with one of our own—"

He patted Li Xuewu's hand and said: "Mountains and seas have feelings, the sky is vast and the land is peaceful; Liaodong welcomes your joining."

"Hahaha—" Li Xuewu shook his hand and said: "You Director Hu also speak in sets; you've left me speechless."

His mouthful of Northeast dialect exchanged greetings with the people Hu Ke brought, and everyone seemed to have really matched the code, drawing closer to each other.

Actually, Li Xuewu didn't have that many accents when he spoke; the old lady spoke with a pure Northeast flavor, and she was still like that after living in the capital for so many years.

It was normal for Li Xuewu and his brothers to be influenced by her, but after all, they were the new generation of the capital, so there were more er-sounds.

It was just that after arriving in Liaodong, Li Xuewu deliberately deepened his Northeast accent when communicating with Northeasterners.

Doing this had an advantage, which was being able to quickly integrate into this circle.

No need to doubt the ability and charm of dialects to help you integrate into a certain circle. Exclusionary phenomena exist to varying degrees everywhere; this is very normal and is human nature.

Why do Northeasterners recognize fellow townsmen when they go to other places? It's not that fellow townsmen can help them much, but that it can relieve homesickness and make it easier to gain recognition and a sense of security.

Northeasterners might be the region with the least sense of security in the country, because they treat everyone from the three northeastern provinces as fellow townsmen, which is unique in the country.

Hu Ke highly recognized Li Xuewu's accent, feeling intimate when hearing it. After letting go of his hand, he wrapped his arm around him.

If you say that in the south, two men, or a man and a woman pulling and dragging like this would make the other party feel there is no sense of proportion or distance, but it doesn't exist in the Northeast.

Young people will hook shoulders and back; this is a manifestation of closeness.

If you talk about putting shoulders, Northeasterners won't feel anything. Look at those old photos; many were taken with shoulders put on.

If you take photos with such a posture in Jincheng, people will think you are GAY.

"Let me tell you, brother, for this meal of yours, we prepared and prepared; not a bit of nonsense."

He had just called Li Xuewu "Secretary-General Li," but now he grabbed Li Xuewu's arm to talk "privately," appearing more emotional, and even the address changed.

Li Xuewu also nodded and responded: "You see, I am also someone people like; there are good big brothers thinking of me wherever I go."

He said to Hu Ke: "It was really a coincidence last time I came to Fengcheng; you were busy and I was busy, so we just ate that meal in a hurry."

"I have been keeping your invitation in my heart."

Li Xuewu patted the hand he put on his arm and said: "Especially on Deputy Director Lu's side, I have been thinking that I must find time to visit him as soon as possible."

"Look, you said it—"

Before getting in the car, Hu Ke turned his head and said to the people around him: "Wasn't this what Deputy Director Lu said before we came out?"

He turned back and said sincerely to Li Xuewu: "I'm really not lying to you; Deputy Director Lu also really wants to see you."

"You said it was a coincidence last time; actually, Deputy Director Lu was also very helpless. He really wanted to find time to see you."

Hu Ke personally opened the car door for Li Xuewu, invited him into the car, and sat in himself.

Li Xuewu had changed cars; he came in his own Volga M24, but after the greetings just now, Hu Ke insisted on pulling him into his car so they could talk together.

This was very normal; Li Xuewu was prepared for this when he came as a guest. He just didn't expect the other party to come to the intersection to pick him up, and from such a long distance.

His original plan was to rush to the Red Star Fengcheng Machinery Factory first, repair and adjust simply there, and then go to the city.

It was just that plans couldn't keep up with changes. Xiao Zihong was in the team that came to pick up Li Xuewu; it seemed he was persuaded by Hu Ke.

After the group of people stood at the intersection and exchanged greetings, they got back in the car and drove to the city. Li Xuewu started talking to Hu Ke in the car.

Hu Ke could really talk; his mouth was very smooth.

He said to Li Xuewu: "The time you came with Director Li, actually Director Lu really appreciated you. I'm telling the truth; I'm really a bit jealous of you."

"Deputy Director Lu even pondered applying to transfer you to work in Liaodong."

The person sitting in the passenger seat was Deputy Director Lu's secretary. This sincerity was really full, and Li Xuewu couldn't refuse.

As for whether what this secretary said was true, Li Xuewu didn't want to guess, just listen to it as half-true and half-false.

"Deputy Director Lu's thick love, I am really flattered." Li Xuewu joked: "Then I must be careful about this meal today; I must make true friends with wine."

He turned his head to look at Hu Ke and said: "We must drink well today; it was Deputy Director Yu last time. He was too smart, saying he wanted to stay behind, not giving me a chance to toast him."

"Oh my, who dares to drink with you—"

Hu Ke smiled and dodged, saying: "Those people you knocked down last time, they had no face when they went back."

He sat back properly, lightly touched Li Xuewu's arm with the back of his hand and said: "Don't worry, there is wine for this meal today, but we are all mentally prepared, so don't think about anything else."

"Hahaha—" Li Xuewu smiled and patted his knee, saying: "Obviously not giving me a chance to perform."

"Not giving, and can't give—"

Hu Ke raised his hand to signal the car behind and said: "Old Wu is considered the best drinker here. He was the last one to fall that day, and he didn't recover for three days. Now his drinking capacity has decreased."

"Is this my fault then?"

Li Xuewu looked back and didn't determine who it was, but still joked: "It doesn't matter; have a drink today, and your drinking capacity will come back."

"I've only heard of drinking capacity increasing, never heard of it decreasing. We Northeasterners are all real people."

He shook his head and said with a smile: "I, Li Xuewu, came to Fengcheng this time to be a real person and do real things."

"Okay, with these words of yours—"

Hu Ke was satisfied in his heart, and said righteously: "Old Hu will accompany the gentleman to the end! Not drunk, not return today."