Chapter 1441: I will be back!

Li Xuewu decided to run away after hearing that the International Hotel construction project continued to ferment, and he rushed back on the 18th without staying for an extra day.

It is worth mentioning that Gu Ning, who was so busy with work, still managed to get leave and took the children with her to Steel City to stay for a few days.

Li Shu and Li Ning were of course very happy. If going to grandma's house counted as a long trip, what did going to Steel City, thousands of miles away, count as?

"Dad, look quickly, a little bird!"

Li Ning stood on the bunk, leaning against the window and looking outside. The train sped by, and he could still see the novel world.

Li Shu stood on the opposite bunk, pretending to understand, and pointed out to her younger brother what was outside.

It didn't matter if Li Ning believed it or not; what mattered was that the sister and brother could talk to each other.

This was very novel. The focus of Li Shu and Li Ning's concern was different, and even the direction they looked was different, completely unrelated.

But even if they were unrelated, their topics would always collide together.

Because no matter how far the topic was, it would eventually return to the long-distance journey.

"Is the little bird flying faster, or is the train running faster?"

Li Xuewu, who was reading, looked up, responded to his son's reminder, and asked with a smile.

Li Ning looked at him very seriously first, then thought about it and turned his head to look out the window.

After a good while, just when Li Xuewu thought he had forgotten this question or didn't want to answer, he said, "The train is faster."

"Why?" Li Xuewu didn't dwell on whether the answer was correct or not, but looked at his son and asked with a smile, "How did you discover it?"

"We are on the train now—"

Li Ning's little brain was still running at high speed. Every sentence he said was very loud, but he would pause for a few seconds after speaking.

"I saw the little bird didn't catch up with me!"

He withdrew his gaze from the window, looked at his father, and said earnestly, "Our train left the little bird far behind."

A two-and-a-half-year-old child could say such a long sentence and had a certain thinking ability; Li Xuewu was already very satisfied.

The answer to the question was not important; what was important was that Li Ning was thinking seriously.

"So that's how it is—"

Li Xuewu nodded with a smile and said, "You observe so carefully."

"I saw it too—" Li Shu chattered on the side, "I saw the little bird being left behind by us."

There must be a mentality of comparison and competition between children, especially in situations where there are many children in the family.

Li Xuewu's sister and brother were still okay. Although the age difference wasn't big, Li Shu had the dominance of an eldest sister, and Li Ning had the attitude of a younger brother.

As long as they didn't hold the intention of fighting for the eldest, the children in this family wouldn't fight.

Gu Ning was also reading. She was disturbed by the two children and raised her head to look out the window, asking Li Xuewu, "How long until we arrive?"

"Heh, we just passed Tianjin—"

Li Xuewu handed the fruit he brought from home to her and said, "Want some?"

Gu Ning glanced at him, her eyes full of helplessness at being deceived.

Li Xuewu told her that Steel City wasn't the destination, and there was scenery on the road, but no matter how beautiful the scenery was, it wasn't as beautiful as the whole family being together.

If it weren't for seeing that he sincerely hoped she and the children would go to Steel City to accompany him, Gu Ning would never have come out to suffer.

During the university study activities in the past two years, quite a few backbone forces were sent down or transferred to other hospitals, and the general hospital was in urgent need of manpower.

Why did she, who had only been working for a few years, have the opportunity to study for a master's degree? It wasn't just because of her background.

Surgeons in this era belong to high-quality talent, unlike later generations where many surgeries can be treated through interventional surgery.

Cardiac surgery, neurosurgery, etc., are all key care objects in the hospital.

Gu Ning had only been working for a few years and didn't have a specially selected specialty.

It was because the hospital needed her to master the ability of cardiac surgery, so her master's courses for the past two years were cardiac surgery.

The old professor who led her was a professional expert. Work needs, organizational emphasis, and studying with tasks—how could she not learn well?

During Gu Ning's master's study, she still didn't stop her work at the hospital, belonging to studying while working.

The old professor basically let go, from leading them to perform surgeries to guiding them to perform surgeries, unless there were difficult and complicated cases.

You ask how such a young attending physician can perform cardiac surgery?

Later generations might be a bit suspicious, but now there is a lack of medical environment and conditions; it is already lucky to have someone who can perform surgery.

Besides, there are very few medical-patient disputes in this era, doctors can still focus on their profession, and there are no such worries.

Because Gu Ning had a simple mind, high focus, and steadier hands, her technology improved very quickly.

Technological progress and high success rate of surgery also made the hospital increasingly value cultivating her.

How are good doctors cultivated?

Speaking of it, it is a bit cruel; it requires handling a large number of cases, through summary observation, and even massive surgical training.

Her master's degree hadn't graduated yet, and her surgical volume had risen linearly. The hospital's meaning was that practice makes perfect, feeding her surgical volume.

Basically, during the days when Li Xuewu wasn't at home, she had two surgeries every day.

If calculated by an average duration of 3 to 4 hours per surgery, her daily workload was very high.

Young, focused, and having children—with these three superimposed, she became the main force.

Someone asked, young and focused are important, what are the conditions for having children?

This era still attaches great importance to carrying on the family line, and the concept of DINK has not yet appeared.

If you don't have children, people will be picky about your health, or where you are not good.

Not having children won't work, and even the organization will talk to you.

This can be considered a task in life.

Gu Ning not only completed the task but also gave birth to a boy, which made the leaders even more at ease.

Since she had already given birth to a boy, the family wouldn't urge her to continue giving birth, right?

As long as female doctors don't take maternity leave, they can absolutely guarantee the continuity of technology.

Another reason why Gu Ning is valued by the hospital is Li Xuewu.

This era attaches great importance to personal life, and work and promotion will focus on the family. If the family composition is complex, then it's over.

Conversely, if the family is stable and the couple is harmonious, then work can be done well.

Why do such an investigation?

Some people say this investigation method is not humane at all, too subjective.

Actually, it is not, especially for Gu Ning's profession, she will receive special tasks in the general hospital.

How special the task is, I won't talk about it. Without excellent technology and psychological quality, and the family background investigation not passing, how can the organization dare to use her?

Those who can be specially cultivated must have their reasons.

It's just that this kindness of cultivation is a bit too heavy, and some people really can't bear it.

Think about Gu Ning going to work; how many people serve her family? Where does an ordinary person have such excellent and focused learning conditions?

Gu Ning's salary is not low, but in the general environment, it is not at the billionaire level.

It is because of Li Xuewu's support that she has the superior condition of arriving at the unit as soon as she leaves the house, and has the life where children don't need to be watched, meals don't need to be cooked, and clothes don't need to be washed.

Devoting herself wholeheartedly to learning, how could her knowledge structure and technology not improve rapidly?

Thinking that half of the military merit medal belongs to Li Xuewu, Gu Ning took the initiative to ask for leave.

The hospital also considered that Gu Ning was still very young, had a family, and the children were small, and Li Xuewu worked in other places all year round.

A couple can't always not see each other; for the sake of work, they can't forget the family.

So, when Gu Ning asked for leave, the leader thought about it and agreed, and also exhorted her to have a good time.

Have a good time? Play what?

Gu Ning had psychological preparation when she decided to ask for leave, but she didn't expect that she would feel a bit regretful after getting on the train.

She asked for a week's leave, and the journey back and forth would take four days. If she considered the adjustment time after returning from vacation...

This vacation is so boring.

If Li Xuewu had discussed it with her earlier, could they have taken a vacation together in the capital?

Where is it not good to play, but they have to spend it on the train, crowded in a soft sleeper compartment and making a fuss.

"I worked in the factory before and felt fresh when I went to Steel City on business, but I didn't care."

Li Xuewu saw that she didn't eat, so he took it back and said faintly, "It's a day and a night, right? I don't sit often, but I feel fresh when I sit once."

"At first it was a hard seat, then it was a hard sleeper, and now it's a soft sleeper."

He smiled and continued, "Sometimes when I'm tired of sitting or lying down, I'll find someone to chat with."

"It's just that as work gets busier and busier, this kind of mentality is getting less and less."

Li Xuewu raised his head, looked at the environment in the compartment, and said, "Especially working in Steel City, two round trips every month."

"Before, I could still enjoy the joy of travel, but now I've forgotten how the time passed; it was all used for reading books and documents."

He picked up the big book in his hand and said helplessly, "Sometimes I also think, when can our whole family travel together, and my journey is no longer alone."

"With you, with the laughter of the children, and also the time in a small space."

"Are you doing it on purpose?"

Gu Ning stared into his eyes, her voice a bit emotional, but familiar with his virtue, she was afraid of being cheated of tears by him.

Li Xuewu is not good at persuading people, but he is a good hand at sensationalism, and he is very good at cheating tears.

"Doesn't it all follow your wishes now?"

"Of course, I am very happy."

Li Xuewu smiled, patted his son's bottom, looked at his daughter, and finally his gaze fell on Gu Ning's face, "Thank you."

"Annoying—" Gu Ning still couldn't help it, and the corners of her eyes were moist.

Li Shu and Li Ning listened to their father's words and didn't understand, but they could feel the atmosphere in the compartment changing, and looked at them blankly.

Li Xuewu smiled, put the fruit on the small dining table, held his son, looked out the window, and asked, "Tell Dad, where are we now?"

"Mountains—so many mountains—"

Li Ning turned back to look at his father, then looked out the window, and pointed with his little finger.

Li Shu glanced at her father and brother, turned around, leaned into her mother's arms, and looked up at her mother who was wiping tears.

"Mom—"

"Hmm, Mom is fine." At this moment, Gu Ning also felt Li Xuewu's definition of family, smiled, looked at her daughter, and said, "Shall we watch the mountains with Dad and brother?"

"Good—"

There are many mountains on the road, and there are even more mountains in Steel City.

Li Shu and Li Ning, the sister and brother, were held by their father and mother, one each, and walked onto the platform.

Zhang Enyuan and Yu Zhe had long been waiting there, and hurried over to help at this moment.

Because they were afraid the children would be shy, they didn't go to pick up the children, but picked up the luggage that the train conductor and train attendant helped to carry down.

This was a train from Beijing Railway, and the conductor and attendants were very polite and enthusiastic all the way.

"The car is outside the platform. There are many people today, so it's not easy for the railway side to put the car on the platform."

Yu Zhe explained softly, and ran to the exit carrying a large bag of luggage.

The Red Star Steel Group has face in Beijing Railway because both sides have cooperation.

Li Xuewu has face in Steel City because the temple is small and the demon wind is big; the Red Star Steel Group is considered a top big unit in this place.

You ask if there are many big enterprises in Steel City? But Red Star Steel Group is different. If you take one factory out, it doesn't count as anything, but if you combine them, it's amazing.

Besides, the industrial enterprises of the Red Star Steel Group are representative and technical.

Steel Automobile, Steel Flying, Electronics Factory, etc., are completely in line with policy needs, and are mainstream.

Even the deputy director in charge of industry in Liaodong can meet him; he has even more face in Steel City.

His car is not the best in the capital, but it is very unusual in Steel City, especially the license plate of his car; cars from the capital are still very rare in the local area.

According to Yu Zhe's jumping personality, he would have driven the car onto the platform to wait for people long ago.

But Li Xuewu emphasized again and again that he was not allowed to play beyond the standard.

Normal use and work are no problem, but he is firmly not allowed to violate rules and discipline.

When it is necessary to go on the platform, go up; when it is not necessary, you cannot go up.

This sentence of Yu Zhe's explanation was a bit redundant; actually, it wasn't said for him to hear.

This kid has grown a lot in the past half year, at least in terms of emotional intelligence.

He was afraid that the Secretary-General's wife would complain, so he explained.

Zhang Enyuan understands human feelings better than him, and can also see the eyebrows and eyes.

Where is there such a complaint on the Secretary-General's wife's face? There is only the fatigue of the journey.

"The food has been ordered."

He carried two bags of luggage and walked beside Li Xuewu, reporting softly, "We can have it delivered as soon as we arrive home and rest for a while."

"Did you see that kid Jia Geng?"

Li Xuewu nodded, asking while holding the child and walking, "Is the house tidy?"

"It's quite good. When we arrived, he was washing clothes at home."

Zhang Enyuan responded with a smile; he knew about Bang Geng.

It's hard to say how the leader arranged it. He had to pick up and drop off Li Xuewu to work every day. He couldn't see who lived in that house for a day, right?

Besides, Li Xuewu had things brought back, and it was he and Yu Zhe who moved them in.

He hadn't figured out whose house that was, but the people in the house changed batch after batch.

He naturally had seen that half-grown kid Jia Geng, and also knew that the director of the Group's reception house, Qin Huairu, was Jia Geng's mother.

But he couldn't figure out why the director's son lived in the Secretary-General's house.

Do the two have any relationship?

This time the master came, and the Secretary-General's wife brought the children for vacation and lived here, which really made him confused.

Could it be that the woman who lived here before, who was used to coiling her hair and wearing gold-rimmed glasses, was the Secretary-General's temporary nanny? Or a relative?

"That's fine, as long as he can take care of himself." Li Xuewu laughed and said, "I didn't dare to stay at home for too long, for fear that he would starve to death at home."

It must be said that Bang Geng is really bold. This time Zhou Ya Mei didn't come back, and Li Xuewu went back to Beijing for vacation, and he was the only one at home.

An ordinary fourteen-year-old child wouldn't dare to live in such a big house, but he dared.

Why did Li Xuewu ask him if he wanted to go home together before he came out? He wanted to use this fearful psychology to scare him and force him to return to Beijing once.

But Bang Geng didn't care at all. Looking at Zhang Enyuan's meaning, his little life was still quite good?

Li Xuewu didn't dare to let Bang Geng be at home alone, so he arranged for Zhang Enyuan and Yu Zhe to take turns to see if he was at home, for fear that he would set the house on fire.

Starving to death is impossible. Knowing in advance that Wu Shu was coming back, and bringing his family together, he had to perform, right?

Bang Geng didn't see Gu Ning many times, and talked even fewer times.

Meeting was also in the Sihe Academy. Gu Ning went home to eat with Li Xuewu, and he just called her Aunt when he saw her.

Gu Ning knew him, but she was a person of few words, so how could she talk too much to a child.

Over time, Bang Geng extended his awe of Li Xuewu to Gu Ning.

Wu Shu is so powerful, the Aunt who can marry Wu Shu and live together must also be powerful.

Can she not be powerful? Aunt Ning is a doctor; giving injections must be very, very painful.

He didn't know that his Aunt Ning rarely used needles, but used knives, which were the powerful ones.

Bang Geng's active performance in housework and hygiene made Li Xuewu feel different as soon as he entered the door.

"Yo, it's rare, young master—"

Li Xuewu saw Bang Geng walking out of the kitchen with an apron and joked, "The house is tidy enough."

"That's—" Bang Geng greeted Gu Ning with a smile, "My Aunt is here, so I can tidy up well."

"This is brought to you by your mother, and this is bought for you by your Wu Shu."

Gu Ning nodded, took the bag handed over by Yu Zhe, and handed it to Bang Geng.

Bang Geng's eyes had a moment of emotion, and then he thanked her earnestly before taking the two packages.

The thread in the mother's hand, the clothes on the traveler's body.

Sewn tightly before leaving, fearing a late return.

The thick autumn and winter clothes that Qin Huairu asked Li Xuewu to bring him were all newly made.

No need to think, just looking at the neat corners of the clothes, one knew it was Qin Huairu's craftsmanship.

To make such a set of autumn and winter clothes, I don't know how many nights Qin Huairu had to stay up.

Daytime work couldn't be delayed, and there were many things at home; how could Bang Geng not think of it.

Besides, looking at Li Shu and Li Ning frolicking in the new environment, he really missed home and his mother. 【1441-174

Anyway, everyone wanted to live in clean, tidy, and hygienic apartments, where going downstairs meant the riverside garden, and it was very convenient for adults to go to work, children to go to school, and the elderly to go shopping for groceries.

Think about it, everyone says this courtyard is good, but what's good about it?

It's windy and rainy without a moment of peace; it rains lightly outside, and it rains heavily inside the house.

Li Xuewu's courtyard was still okay; there was a Great Uncle managing things, and the brick floor was repaired every few years, while other courtyards didn't even care about hygiene.

This Sihe Academy had a toilet early on, but would the old man of a wealthy family take his servants to a public toilet?

It was because housing was tight that even the location of the early toilet was modified, and the neighbors all used the public toilet not far from the gate.

But there were those who found it far, or disliked the cold at night in winter. Those with a chamber pot could still be decent and pour it into the public toilet, but if it was a urinal, they would just splash it at the door when no one was looking.

In winter, everyone just curled their lips at the yellow ice shards at the door and said nothing, but in summer, they couldn't stand it; it was smelly when it rained.

Don't go out! If you go out, you'll step in mud, and who knows what it is.

So this alley, the street, and even the East City—as long as they were Red Star Factory workers or could find connections, those who could buy houses bought them, and those who could swap swapped.

Move! No matter what, they had to move!

They were crazy about moving upstairs; who cared about a couple being intimate while the whole courtyard listened for fun?

Old Wang and his wife finally had a bit of romance, but the next morning they squatted by the water pool to brush their teeth, and Old Zhang walked over with a toothbrush cup, smiling and saying good morning, talking about strengthening exercise and traditional Chinese medicine health care. You tell me if that's annoying or not?

Moving is moving; Red Star Factory has tens of thousands of people scattered all over the city, so how much influence can it have? At most, it just makes people envious.

But in Jiaodaokou, especially in several areas where Red Star Factory workers were initially settled, after the workers moved away, this courtyard and this alley had a feeling of being empty.

Looking at Li Xuewu's courtyard, it had to be said that there were several families who were not from Red Star Factory and couldn't move away, otherwise it would have been truly emptied.

The three families who didn't move away were also living in the back courtyard and were Li Xuewu's neighbors.

There was no one else in the middle courtyard; Sha Zhu's family was the only one, enjoying the entire courtyard alone.

The front courtyard was even more so; after the Yan family and Old Seven's family moved away, Li Shun's family enjoyed the front courtyard alone.

The inverted rooms were the same; the Second Uncle took his boys and moved to the big warehouse.

Shen Guodong was already married, and only the grandfather lived alone.

There were still many people during the day; after all, there was the recycling station in the west courtyard, which was still considered lively.

Once night fell, it became quiet, and even the young people who played cards at the gatehouse, who were the noisiest last year, were gone. Some went to the countryside, some went into factories; anyway, there was no one left.

Yu Li in the east courtyard didn't come home often; it was rare for her to come back once, and that was just to tidy up the house.

Later, she was even too lazy to tidy up the house and asked Xiao Yan to help look after it.

Ji Yuxiu's side was prepared for people to live in; it was tidied up as a bridal chamber.

She and Li Xuecai would get married soon, and after marriage, they would live in the east courtyard.

Yu Li wasn't at home, so the east courtyard became their exclusive enjoyment, even more spacious.

"I was just looking for you; where did you go?" Li Xuewu, who was eating on the kang, heard the movement outside the window, turned around, and asked, "Have you eaten? Come have a drink."

"You didn't say hello in advance."

Sha Zhu waved his hand and thanked Li Shun, who had let him in with Li Xuewu.

He also knew that Li Xuewu had returned and the Li family was having a lively reunion.

It was just that his relationship with Li Xuewu was deep, and there were only these few families left in the courtyard, so their feelings were deeper than before.

He sat by the windowsill, separated by the fine gauze window, and said to Li Xuewu, "My brother-in-law said the day before yesterday that we should get together, so I went to his place today. If I had known you were back, I would have prepared in the inverted rooms and let him come too."

"Is everything good at home?" Li Xuewu turned back to look at him and asked, "I heard Wang Yamei is pregnant? Is she still working?"

"How could she stay idle—"

Sha Zhu said with a smile, "My brother-in-law wanted her to rest, but she wouldn't do it herself, and isn't she still here?"

"Actually, there's nothing wrong." He lit a cigarette himself and said, "It's just one person at home during the day; it's better to have more people here, and it's more convenient to take care of her."

Just now, he had brought Diliya and the child back. Because he was afraid of mosquito bites, Diliya only said hello, thanked them for the greeting, and hugged the child home.

Sha Zhu had nothing to do; he was just worried about having nothing to do in the evening, so he wouldn't chat to his heart's content after catching Li Xuewu.

"Isn't that it? We said we'd get together in the evening, and we got off work and came home together."

He introduced the situation of Wang Yamei and Pazile, and the Li family naturally listened, while Liu Yin and Li Xuewu also asked about family matters.

Pazile was Li Xuewu's comrade-in-arms and also a soldier he had brought up himself.

Pazile and his sister followed Li Xuewu from the foot of the Tianshan Mountains to the capital. He married Wang Yajuan's sister, Wang Yamei, and Sha Zhu married Pazile's sister, Diliya.

If you really had to count the relationship between Li Xuewu and Wang Yajuan, or the relationship between his sister He Yushui and Li Xuewu as Sha Zhu thought, the two families really couldn't be called distant.

"Didn't you tell Pazile?"

Li Xuewu gestured to the opposite door and said, "The Group is easy to operate here. If he wants to buy a house, this courtyard is convenient."

"I told him, but he doesn't want to." Sha Zhu smoked a cigarette, shook his head slightly, and said, "He's quite honest. His father-in-law and mother-in-law only have two daughters. Wang Yajuan definitely won't come back to support them in their old age; they're all counting on Wang Yamei and him."

"He also said that no matter how close he is to us, it's not as good as Wang Yamei's parents taking care of her and the child. He has to pursue his own career."

"That's fine; it's right for him to think that way."

Li Xuewu nodded, said something to the grandfather and father, and then put down his rice bowl.

"When you want to buy a house later, you can go to the new village and ask; there should still be new houses."

"Wang Yamei's family is big enough."

Sha Zhu nodded and said, "That was a house allocated early on; the area is enough."

"When are you going back to Steel City?"

He saw Li Xuewu get off the kang after eating. It wasn't convenient to talk at home, and since the family was finally reunited, how could he stay here and waste time?

"If you're not busy, how about tomorrow evening in the inverted rooms? I'll make a few hard dishes."

Sha Zhu said with a smile, "Old Shang has been thinking about you; he says he wants to thank you."

"He's too polite."

Li Xuewu came out of the room and offered Sha Zhu a cigarette from his pocket again.

"It wasn't me who took care of him. Where isn't good food popular? You tell him."

Old Shang was the medicinal cuisine chef Li Xuewu had sought out by riding a bicycle early on.

In '66, he lost his job, and no one dared to use him, so he sought out Sha Zhu.

Li Xuewu also knew his situation. Although the Red Star Factory was tightening recruitment indicators, it was open to high-quality talent.

You ask if a good chef isn't high-quality talent?

You have to ask Old Li about this question; Li Huai De has ten thousand reasons to tell you that the Red Star Factory is always short of good chefs.

"I'm not leaving tomorrow, but I have things to do."

Li Xuewu waved his hand, signaling him to smoke, while he didn't smoke himself.

"I haven't been back for a long time; I have to move around some connections in the capital."

He looked at Sha Zhu and explained, "Especially my father-in-law's side. After my brother-in-law's wedding, all the human relations were handed over to me."

"Oh, oh, I heard."

Sha Zhu smoked, nodded, and said, "Then wait for next time?"

"It'll be soon; there's nothing else."

Li Xuewu looked at him and smiled, "Isn't it because the third one is also going to handle things."

"That's settled then."

Sha Zhu was also easygoing; he knew Li Xuewu didn't have as much time as before.

Even if he came home on vacation, he couldn't stay idle; either the Group was looking for him or acquaintances were looking for him.

He prided himself on his unusual relationship with Li Xuewu; they were his own people, so of course he couldn't delay his time. They were all in the same courtyard, so everything was easy to talk about.

After sending Sha Zhu away, Li Xuewu returned to the room, but Liu Yin talked about Sha Zhu's family.

"Should I say he has the foolish luck of a fool, or should I say it's better to be confused?"

At this moment, basically everyone in the family had put down their chopsticks, and only the children were still making a fuss.

Liu Yin sat by the kang and nagged to Li Xuewu and the others, "How old was he then? He Great Qing left the two children and ran away with someone."

"Later, his life was lived in a muddle. Everyone knew he wasn't worried about finding a partner, but everyone also said he couldn't find one and would be a bachelor for life."

She leaned against the dining table and said, "But who would have thought, he has a good wife and a fat son, and it's only been three or four years."

"He doesn't worry about Yushui's affairs anymore. With his brother-in-law by her side to take care of each other, they can all get by..."

These words were all clichés; they all knew the situation.

They all knew what their mother wanted to say, which was nothing more than an attitude toward life.

When they returned from the Sihe Academy, Li Shu and Li Ning had already fallen asleep.

The little fatty Li Tang was the most able to stay up; he had stubbornly kept Li Ning awake until he fell asleep, then snatched the tin toy from his younger brother's hand and followed his father back to the room to sleep.

Li Xuewu held Li Shu, and Gu Ning held Li Ning. When the family of four returned home, Er Ya hadn't slept yet; she was waiting for them to return.

"They didn't take a bath in the evening, so just let them sleep like this; wash them when they get up tomorrow morning."

Er Ya tidied up the place for the two children to sleep with nimble hands and feet, nagging softly in her mouth.

She seemed to have adapted to life in the city; she had long since lost the panic and unease she had when she first arrived, and she was still as serious and careful as ever when doing work.

"I said I'd be back early, but once I started playing, I couldn't stop."

Li Xuewu smiled, put down his daughter, and went to take his son from Gu Ning's hands.

Two and a half years old, just the right time to have fun.

Li Xuewu didn't spend much time with his son, but every minute and every second was worth cherishing.

Being able to watch him grow up little by little was also a kind of practice in life.

"Go wash up; I'll do this."

Gu Ning let Li Xuewu go, and she herself, together with Er Ya, took off the children's clothes and covered them with a quilt.

Li Xuewu bent down and kissed his daughter and son on their little faces before returning to the master bedroom.

When he came out after washing up, Gu Ning had already returned, and she had even changed into her pajamas.

"Aren't you going to wash up? You've been tired all day."

"I washed when I got off work."

Gu Ning was perhaps a little tired; she leaned against the bed and looked at him, listless.

Li Xuewu wiped his body dry, changed into pajamas, and got into bed along the edge.

"Take a few days off; take advantage of the fact that the children haven't started school yet and come with me to Steel City for a few days."

He touched Gu Ning's slightly thinner face and said, "Anyway, there's nothing going on at home."

"There's a pile of things in the courtyard—"

Gu Ning had concerns; she lay back on the pillow and said, "There are surgeries every day."

"Can't you even get a week off?"

Li Xuewu leaned over, hugged her in his arms, and comforted her softly, "You have to know how to regulate your body, mind, and emotions."

"If you're really tired, really feel exhausted, that's a signal from your body that it needs rest. You can't wait until you're really sick to know you need rest; that's not worth the loss."

"You understand medicine better than I do."

Gu Ning looked at his appearance of earnestly caring for her, smiled, and raised her hand to touch his face.

Hmm, the same, thinner.

Li Xuewu raised his hand, held her hand, and pressed it against his face.

"I don't understand medicine; I understand health preservation, understand how to enjoy and rest."

He pressed Gu Ning's hand and rubbed it on his face, saying, "The hospital needs you, but the children need you, I need you, and this family needs you even more."

"Promise me, don't work too hard."

"Hmm—" Seeing that he was serious, Gu Ning also responded earnestly.

She was like this; if she really promised to do something for someone, even if it was just a soft "hmm," she would earnestly do it.

Li Xuewu let go of her hand and hugged her tightly to his chest.

Feeling the surging love from him, Gu Ning couldn't help but narrow her eyes; she thought this must be the enjoyment he was talking about.

"Do you still need me to go?" Li Xuewu frowned while holding the phone, "No need, right."

"Please ask General Manager Gao to talk to Director Li."

He instructed just like that, "Sign when you should sign, entertain when you should entertain; don't be stingy, but don't be stupidly generous either; grasp the scale well."

The call was from Bu Qingfang, asking if he would attend today's signing ceremony.

The Santa Ya Group had already agreed to the final cooperation plan, and they were signing today.

It was hard to say whether the Red Star Steel Group was in a hurry, or the Santa Ya Group was rushing.

Or, just as Li Xuewu said, the two sides had a deep foundation for cooperation, and any project they cooperated on could reach an agreement very quickly.

What is the most critical thing in cooperation?

It's not profit, nor investment, but trust; this is the most critical thing.

Without trust as a foundation, no matter how generous the investment return or how huge the investment, it would all be in vain in the face of a trust crisis that could collapse at any time.

From Chantelle talking to Li Xuewu about this project in Steel City in May to the formal finalization of the cooperation plan in August, it couldn't be said to be fast, but it couldn't be said to be slow either.

"The United Industrial News side needs to do a good job of publicity, and it needs to form a unified caliber with the Red Star United Broadcasting."

Li Xuewu finally exhorted, "Since the project cooperation has been finalized, there is nothing that needs to be kept secret; publicize it openly and honestly."

"But don't be too arrogant; still, pay attention to the scale and rhythm."

Bu Qingfang did things very steadily; it wasn't that she was steady, but that she had to be steady in this position.

Li Xuewu didn't preside over the daily work of the Group, and now it was Chen Shouzhi, who was transferred from the Ministry by Director Li, who was responsible for this work.

If her work had loopholes, or even left handles, it wouldn't just be Li Xuewu's loss, but her career would also end there.

But as long as Li Xuewu could make the decision, or could be the master, she would take the initiative to report.

Even if she couldn't get Li Xuewu's reply in time, or didn't get a reply at all, she didn't care.

As long as it was reported to Li Xuewu, Li Xuewu would definitely be able to see it; if he really emphasized which matter, she would just handle it.

After hanging up the phone, Li Xuewu handed the paper airplane that flew into his arms to his son and asked with a smile, "Who folded this?"

"Mom taught me to fold it—"

Li Ning took the paper airplane, turned around, and ran toward his sister, asking expectantly, "Sister, shall we go to the courtyard to play with the airplane?"

"No, don't you see how sunny it is outside—"

Li Shu was only four and a half years old, but she spoke with reason, especially toward her younger brother.

Li Ning really listened to her. Li Xuewu hadn't seen the consequences of not listening to his sister, but he firmly believed that his son would definitely not get depression.

"Come, Dad will teach you to fold a paper airplane that flies back by itself."

Li Xuewu could see that his son had the intention of being close to him, but he was always reserved.

There was no other reason; he was only a few years old, his memory was limited, and he couldn't see his father for a long time, so he would always have questions in his heart.

What Li Xuewu could do was to give his son more memories during his childhood as much as possible.

"Can it fly to the sky?"

Li Ning spoke very smoothly, thanks to the tireless guidance of Er Ya and Zhao Yaping, as well as the emphasis of his sister Li Shu.

Li Ning ran over from under the coffee table, took the hard paper, and handed it to his hand, looking very expectant.

It was just that at the beginning, his son's wishes were still very normal, but later they became more and more outrageous.

"How far can it fly? Can it fly a hundred meters away? Can it carry people?..."

A hundred meters was the limit of the distance he could think of; this was just the limitation of his expression, not his cognition.

In his world, even from the house door to the courtyard door was a long distance, and from home to grandma's house was considered a long journey.

Children's worlds are small, but their imaginations are rich, and their inner worlds are very large.

Li Xuewu sat on the ground, held his son in his arms, and taught him to fold a paper airplane hand in hand.

Gu Ning came down from upstairs with her bag and was moved when she saw the father and two children like this.

"I'm going to the unit."

"We'll wait for your good news of victory—"

Hearing her words, Li Xuewu smiled, raised his son's little hand, and waved it.

What Gu Ning told him last night was what she was going to handle at the unit today.

Li Ning and Li Shu didn't know; Li Xuewu didn't want to tell them.

One reason was for the surprise, and the other was that he was afraid Gu Ning wouldn't be able to get away, which would disappoint the children for nothing.

Li Shu and Li Ning had long been used to their mother leaving for work and wouldn't cry or make a fuss to follow.

"I want to fly a plane when I grow up!"

Li Ning watched his father throw the airplane he had folded differently, and it flew back. He laughed, jumped, and shouted his ideal.

Li Xuewu listened with a smile; whatever his son said at this time was good, even if he said he would drive a Didi when he grew up, it would be fine.

He didn't expect his son to stand on the podium, and he hoped even less that his son would stand on the rooftop. ===== CHAPTER 1440 =====

"Don't talk nonsense, where is Li Huai De?"

The person on the other end of the phone asked very impolitely: "Did he go up the mountain to worship Buddha, or find a cave to cultivate?"

How could Li Xuewu answer this question? What could he say? The other party was Deputy Director Zhang from the Ministry, in charge of planning and docking.

"Director Li went down to do research, right."

He was really good at lying; this lie came out of his mouth without any hesitation.

"I returned to Steel City today. I heard a word when I came out, it seems so."

"Bullshit research, why don't I believe it." Deputy Director Zhang curled his lips and said: "Listen to yourself, does that sound reasonable? When has he ever gone down to do research!"

"..." Li Xuewu was also a bit helpless. This reason seemed impractical, but in reality, Old Li really did go down to do research.

Of course, Old Li's purpose in going down to do research was to hide from these people.

"If you can contact him, tell him what I said, and ask him if he has expanded." Deputy Director Zhang said on the other end: "If there's a problem, solve it; where can he hide?"