Chapter 1448: This dog-leg is better off discarded

Seeing Sha Zhu, who had never in his life drunk two and a half jin, was already dead drunk before he'd even finished one.

Diliya was furious, and Yushui was so angry she gave her brother a hard pinch.

But no matter how angry they were, what could they do? He was their own man, their own brother; the two of them still had to get him home, they couldn't just leave him here to lose face.

Actually, there was no need to worry about losing face; most of the people sitting at the banquet today were old neighbors and old acquaintances from the courtyard—everyone knew everyone else.

It was just that after the Red Star Factory workers' new village was built, the factory employees on this street had moved away one after another, but everyone's feelings hadn't changed.

Everyone could still see each other in the new village, but it just didn't feel as intimate as it used to.

For some reason, gathering together again and sitting in this old courtyard, everyone had so many reflections, and it felt much more intimate.

When drinking with a soulmate, a thousand cups are too few. In the past, when everyone lived in the same courtyard, there wasn't a single person who didn't have their share of friction, but now, few people remembered those old, trivial, rotten matters; what they could remember were all good things, happy events, and joyful moments.

When people are happy, they become sentimental, and when they become sentimental, they drink a few more cups. Today's food and wine were very sumptuous, so everyone drank and ate to their heart's content.

Seeing Sha Zhu was drunk, and he was crying, hugging the shoulders of the First Master and the Second Master while wiping away tears.

Seeing the First Master and Second Master being stirred up by him to the point of wiping away tears as well, Diliya hurriedly went over to pull him away, and had to offer a word of comfort to the two masters.

"People are holding a happy event here, what are you doing—"

Having only been in the capital for three or four years, Diliya's accent had changed, and her personality had changed too.

In the past, she was shy, or perhaps timid, but now she had quite the air of authority to suppress Seeing Sha Zhu.

She gave Seeing Sha Zhu a poke from behind to sober him up, and then, together with Yushui who had come over, supported him as they left the table to head home.

"Didn't I tell you before the banquet started to drink less, drink less? Look at you—"

As a younger sister, she naturally couldn't resort to violence, but Yushui didn't let her brother off easy with her words either.

As biological siblings who had relied on each other for survival, both were straightforward, and whatever they thought was on their lips.

"I didn't drink too much, where did I drink too much?"

Seeing Sha Zhu was still arguing, standing up unsteadily, swaying as if he were about to fall.

While insisting he hadn't drunk too much, he reached back to hug the Second Master, intending to give him a kiss.

"Second Master, you tell me, did I drink too much?"

"Your drool is already dripping on my neck, you tell me if you drank too much or not!"

"Hahahaha—"

The sorrowful and sentimental mood everyone had been in was dispelled by this joke from the Second Master.

It was better this way; today was a joyous day, and it was also a day for everyone to reunite on old ground. They should be happy, and even more so, hope for more gatherings in the future.

"What's going on here?"

Li Xuewu had been accompanying his younger brother to toast a round, and was just chatting with his in-laws when his mother, Liu Yin, patted him lightly and gestured behind him.

He apologized to Fu Caining and stood up to head toward Seeing Sha Zhu's side.

When it came to his own family's affairs, he had to be the one to step forward to maintain order; letting his older brother handle it wouldn't work.

Because his older brother, Xuewen, was also drunk.

He was a bit better than Seeing Sha Zhu, in that when he was drunk, he was quiet and just slept in a daze.

His sister-in-law, Zhao Yafang, was heavily pregnant, so she had only come to the front to take a turn during the meal, and had returned to the back courtyard after eating.

After his older brother got drunk, he had been supported back by his brother-in-law, Zhao Yajun, and had long since started snoring.

Seeing that Seeing Sha Zhu was also about to collapse, Li Xuewu hurriedly walked over and asked with a smile.

As he asked this, he had already reached out to support Seeing Sha Zhu's arm.

His strength was immense; Diliya and Yushui combined couldn't compare to him.

"Quickly support your brother home."

Diliya was truly embarrassed and said softly to Li Xuewu, "I'm sorry."

"What are you saying, let me."

Li Xuewu put his arm around Seeing Sha Zhu, braced his arm, and walked out, joking with a smile, "How does that saying go in the Northeast? If you can't drink, then don't drink."

"I might not be able to outdrink you, but can't I outdrink them?" Seeing Sha Zhu was drunk, but his mind was still clear; he knew who he could outdrink.

"That's all the ambition you have."

Diliya, walking behind them, poked him, feeling both angry and amused.

Who was sitting at the table with Seeing Sha Zhu?

Let's put it this way, there's no need to ask who was there; at this table, in terms of age, he was the young man.

People like the First Master and Second Master were considered normal; there was no one younger.

Yet among these "old folks," Seeing Sha Zhu hadn't outdrunk any of them; he was the first to get drunk.

"What's wrong with having this much ambition?"

Seeing Sha Zhu turned his head to look around and asked, "Where is my son? I have to teach him how to drink."

You tell me, was he drunk or not?

To say he wasn't drunk would be impossible; he was tripping over his own feet as he walked.

But to say he was drunk, here he was saying to Li Xuewu, "I can't outdrink you in this life, but if I raise my son right, he'll definitely be able to outdrink your son."

"Stop talking nonsense—"

Diliya glared at him hard and pushed him to walk home faster.

He Yu Shui, following behind, also found it amusing; Li Xuewu, with his tall stature, carrying her brother along, looked like he was carrying a little chick.

The middle courtyard wasn't much quieter than the front courtyard; neighbors who had finished eating were sitting there chatting.

Jia Zhangshi stood in front of her original house, looking around, occasionally peeking through the window, making clicking sounds with her tongue.

"What are you looking at, Mother Jia?"

Seeing Sha Zhu babbled, "You're back at your own home, why aren't you going inside?"

"I'd like to, but you open the door for me first." Jia Zhangshi turned to look at him and muttered, "Is he drunk and confused?"

Among the first batch of residents after the workers' new village was completed was the Jia family; Qin Huairu had discussed it with her mother-in-law and traded this ground-level house for an apartment.

The group's logistics department, along with the finance and personnel departments, had conducted a unified survey and statistics of the exchanged properties, registering and filing the status of all houses in the process, and handing them over to designated personnel for protection and management.

The obvious signs that the group had officially taken over these houses were the iron locks and seals on the doors.

When they had just moved, Jia Zhangshi would come back to take a look when she missed home, but now she could only stand at the door and reminisce about her lost youth and the suffering she had endured.

"Come sit at our place, I'll brew you some tea." Seeing her lingering at the door, Diliya took the initiative to invite her.

After all, they were old neighbors, and when she married in, the relationship between the two families was already very good.

Of course it was good; Qin Huairu didn't provoke Seeing Sha Zhu, and Seeing Sha Zhu had his own family, so what conflicts could the two families have?

Jia Zhangshi waved her hand and said, "No need, we'll go back once Huairu finishes eating."

Did the sun rise from the west?

If it were in the past, if someone invited Jia Zhangshi to sit at their place, she wouldn't be polite at all.

Why be polite? Just gossip about this and that, they could chat for an entire morning.

But not today; before they left, Qin Huairu had already reminded her not to go visiting just anyone's house; this wasn't the past anymore.

Do you think Jia Zhangshi was afraid of her?

That's right, she was afraid of Qin Huairu, even more afraid than before; she was afraid Qin Huairu would just walk away.

Don't look at how she squabbles with Qin Huairu; the more she squabbles, the less she can afford to make mistakes, otherwise, it would just give Qin Huairu a chance to deal with her.

Qin Huairu lived across the hall from Liu Guoyou; they were a couple now, so once the door was closed, who was she?

If she really angered Qin Huairu, would she go drink the northwest wind?

If those two still acknowledged her, she would have someone to care for her in her old age; if they didn't acknowledge her, she could starve to death at home and no one would know.

She still had to guard this family business for her grandson; if she really acted out and ruined her grandson's inheritance, how could she face her son a hundred years later?

Seeing that she wouldn't enter the house, Diliya didn't insist, and followed Li Xuewu into the main room.

"Off you go—"

Li Xuewu threw Seeing Sha Zhu onto the kang, gave a word of advice to "not catch a cold," and walked out.

Passing by He Yu Shui, he received a punch, landing right on his back.

It wasn't light or heavy, unclear and ambiguous; Li Xuewu saw her dissatisfaction, but he didn't know exactly what she was dissatisfied about, nor did he want to know.

He couldn't exactly take revenge for her brother, could he?

Seeing him grimace and walk out the door, Yushui just glared and huffed, with no other reaction.

Diliya saw all of this, but as a sister-in-law, what could she say?

Why did He Yuzhu drink so much today?

He didn't say, but she could see it; when Li Xuecai and his wife came to toast, she clearly saw the word "envy" in his eyes.

Yes, He Yuzhu envied the young couple; it wasn't that he had a change of heart toward her, he just envied their happy union, while his sister was still alone.

Especially when Li Xuewu brought Li Xuecai and his wife to toast, He Yuzhu was even more filled with emotion.

Wine enters the sorrowful heart, making the sorrow even deeper.

How could a brother not feel heartache for his sister, but being anxious was useless.

To put it bluntly, the emperor isn't anxious, but the eunuch is; who could guess Yushui's thoughts?

She was already an old maid of twenty-five, yet there was no sign of her wanting to find a partner.

If you were to say there was something between her and Li Xuewu, she, as a sister-in-law, knew that in reality, there was nothing between them.

Whether He Yu Shui was still a maiden, she couldn't tell, but couldn't outsiders tell?

No matter how much outsiders gossiped, in reality, no one dared to say He Yu Shui was indiscreet.

Even if there were rumors, there would be sensible people who would curl their lips and deny those words.

She's still a maiden, how could she be indiscreet?

But if you were to say there was nothing between her and Li Xuewu, as a sister-in-law, she was just as anxious as her brother.

If it were in the past, Li Xuewu was just a clerk in the security department, then it was nothing; if they wanted to be together, they could.

But who could have imagined that in just three or four years, Li Xuewu would have risen rapidly and started a family.

She and He Yuzhu didn't approve of Yushui being so awkward, but they didn't dare to say it out loud.

He Yuzhu was depressed; he had taken Chinese medicine last year, but if the root of the illness wasn't gone, how much medicine could cure it?

If there really was nothing, why would Yushui's eyes always be on him, and why would she always be joining in the fun at the Red Star Factory?

In these few years, watching her sister-in-law rise in the world, from a textile factory union cadre to the general manager of the International Hotel, she was also puzzled.

If Li Xuewu really didn't like Yushui, or didn't want Yushui, why would he support her in going so far?

To speculate, if he really didn't have that intention, he would have cast her aside long ago where he couldn't see her, saving the sister-in-law from pining day and night, lingering in sorrow.

Just that punch earlier, ask anyone sitting at the banquet in this courtyard who would dare to play around like that.

It was unclear and ambiguous; Diliya even had the illusion that Li Xuewu was doting on her sister-in-law?

"The Second Master's wife is not going to make it; I heard it when I was buying vegetables."

Seeing Qin Huairu still talking with Jingru, Yu Li, and the others, Jia Zhangshi found some old neighbors in the shade and started chatting.

There were quite a few old ladies who, like her, had moved to the workers' new village with their children, and there were also street neighbors who still remained in the old courtyard.

When everyone gathered together again, there were always endless topics to discuss; after all, they had accumulated half a year's worth.

If you were to ask Jia Zhangshi if she was happy moving into a spacious and bright apartment?

She would definitely want to answer:

Happy? I'm about to suffocate!

Every day, besides housework, buying vegetables, cooking, and washing clothes—she didn't have to wash Qin Huairu's, but didn't she have to wash her own and the children's?

She felt even more tired than when she lived here, and the key was that there was no one to gossip with.

The First Master, Second Master, and Wang Laoqi's families from the courtyard weren't in the same building, and weren't even close by; how could they get together?

For the first two months, everyone would visit each other, but later it became truly inconvenient.

If you were to say they lived upstairs and downstairs, they weren't old neighbors, but they were new neighbors.

No, no, Jia Zhangshi couldn't chat with these people, and they wouldn't chat with her.

It wasn't that there weren't old ladies, but once the doors were closed, they couldn't see or hear each other, and there were no more opportunities to greet each other across the windows like before.

If it were that kind of residential building where the kitchen was in the hallway and the toilet was shared, it would be fine; everyone spent more time together, but the Red Star Factory didn't have that.

Even if they did, it would be that kind of old dormitory building waiting to be demolished; they didn't have that opportunity anymore.

The smallest apartment size in the workers' new village was 40 square meters, and it already had a kitchen and bathroom reserved; you want to occupy the hallway space? Keep dreaming.

The property management of all residential buildings in the workers' new village was uniformly managed by the group's logistics department.

Let's put it this way, anything you put in the hallway would be confiscated, and you wouldn't even know where to go to find it.

When Li Xuewu was working in the group, he had taken the leaders in charge of safety to inspect the hallways of the new village residential buildings once, emphasizing fire safety.

In such a strict management environment, it was as difficult as ascending to heaven for Jia Zhangshi to develop a gossip network.

Today was finally a chance to seize the opportunity; she had to talk about the topics she had accumulated over the past half year.

Being neighbors from the same courtyard, they inevitably had to talk about the Second Master's wife.

"Her health used to be so good!"

Wang Laoqi's wife clicked her tongue and said, "I'm not even sure if I'm sturdier than her."

"Who's to say otherwise—"

Jia Zhangshi curled her lips, gestured with her eyes toward Liu Haizhong, who was drinking at the table, and muttered, "This is what they call bringing disaster upon oneself."

"Sigh, what does it have to do with her."

Hou Qinghua tilted her head and said, "If you ask me, the one who should be suffering is someone else."

"Forget it, don't talk about this."

Wang Laoqi's wife touched her arm and said, "Today was supposed to be a happy occasion."

"What are you doing at home, Third Master's wife?"

She looked at Hou Qinghua and asked, "I haven't seen you for a long time."

"I can't get out, even buying vegetables has to be done in a hurry." Hou Qinghua shook her head and said, "I'm too busy with housework at home, where would I have time to go out wandering? I'm not like Mother Jia."

Old ladies' words were always sharp; if you didn't listen carefully, you'd be insulted by them.

But who was Jia Zhangshi? She just hadn't found an opponent for half a year, it didn't mean she had lost her skills.

"Yo—that's a way to put it, it's just that the Third Master's wife is good at taking care of the home, and her family is lively too."

Jia Zhangshi curled her lips and said with a sideways glance, "Her two sons can earn money, and her daughter-in-law is working too; life is much better than ours."

It would be fine if she didn't mention the sons and daughters-in-law, but once mentioned, everyone couldn't help but recall the stories between the younger brother-in-law and the younger sister-in-law.

You watch, even if people didn't look at Hou Qinghua's eyes, they would still steal a glance.

Had there been few shameful things the Yan family had done in these years? If they hadn't moved, their family would still be the talk of the courtyard.

Especially the commotion Yan Fugui made before he died; who wasn't watching their family's joke?

Hou Qinghua's words just now weren't without a sense of showing off; not only did she have two sons earning money, but her daughter was also involved in transportation—wasn't that earning money too?

Counting Comrade Ge Shuqin, four out of the six people in the family could earn money; it was just she and the eldest granddaughter who were eating for free.

The eldest granddaughter was eating for free, but her meals weren't exactly free; without her, the family wouldn't even have meals to eat.

In these two years, Yan Jiefang had taken his younger brothers and sisters to endure hardship, and they had truly earned money.

Not even twenty years old, and the family had two vehicles; if it weren't for the fear of something going wrong, a third vehicle would have been bought.

A family might only welcome rebirth and change after encountering setbacks and trials.

The Yan family originally had three sons, and Yan Fugui and Yan Jiecheng could both earn money to support the family, but the family became poorer and poorer, and in the end, the family was broken and people died.

With fewer people, the family became united again; Yan Jiefang being the head of the household was actually much better than his father.

Would you say Yan Jiefang is stingy or not?

He couldn't bear to spend an extra cent on himself, but he was very generous toward his wife, children, and family.

Even when going out to handle affairs and make friends, he was generous; it was truly different from before.

His younger sister, Yan Jie Di—it was originally his idea for the three siblings to run transportation together; the other reason the third vehicle wasn't bought was the fear that his younger sister wouldn't be able to drive it.

The vehicle wasn't bought, but the money was given to Yan Jie Di.

Yan Jiefang had endured hardships and understood life; the money earned from transportation was all pooled together, and sooner or later, there would be friction between the siblings.

Either the second brother in charge of the money was greedy, or the brothers and sister felt they were being shortchanged.

Before the younger brothers and sister could think of this, Yan Jiefang had already considered it and made it clear.

Since the three of them could earn money together, they could earn the same amount working separately.

Yan Jiekuang had to get married, and Yan Jie Di would eventually marry into another family; they would eventually have to live separately, so why not separate while the sibling bond was still deep?

He set a time: two vehicles, three people; the sister's vehicle money would be her dowry, and after earning enough for a house for Yan Jiekuang, they would split the family.

By then, the sister would still live with them until she married into a husband's family.

Calculated this way, everyone was fair; only Yan Jiefang had to work a few more years.

This idea of his received Comrade Ge Shuqin's support, and naturally, it was recognized and appreciated by his younger brothers and sister.

Yan Jiekuang was about to have a family foundation with a house and a vehicle before even getting married, and Yan Jie Di would marry with a huge dowry, so she wouldn't be bullied in any family.

Hou Qinghua looked at her children being united and promising; why wouldn't she be proud?

But her pride encountered Jia Zhangshi, whose daughter-in-law was a section-level cadre and equally proud.

Wang Laoqi's wife's eyes brightened, and she reminded the surrounding neighbors not to speak, clearing the scene for these two; she hadn't seen this kind of excitement for a long time.

Argue! Make a move! Get some spirit!

"Xuewu is still as elegant as ever, successful in his career; he looks even more mature than last year."

Fu Caining knew how to compliment people; she spoke with a slow rhythm, but every word was a gem.

Sitting with her, Liu Yin felt a lot of pressure; it was better to be with Ding Fengxia.

This wasn't to say Liu Yin was closer to Ding Fengxia and looked down on Fu Caining; they were both mothers-in-law, and she wouldn't compare the two in her heart.

Fu Caining was a big leader of the Hong Kong company, and Ding Fengxia was a big editor of the newspaper; there was no comparison between the two.

If one really had to make a comparison, one could only say Fu Caining was more independent, and Ding Fengxia was more family-oriented.

Both women had made contributions to their respective careers and families, just a little more or a little less.

After the banquet, Li Shun took Liu Yin and invited the in-laws to the back courtyard, avoiding the commotion in the front courtyard.

Li Xuewu also came along; he was afraid his parents wouldn't be able to handle Fu Caining's side.

His mother-in-law, Ding Fengxia, was very close to his mother; one could tell from the expression on their faces when they spoke.

There was definitely a barrier with Fu Caining, this mother-in-law; they met few times, and were just newly formed in-laws, so naturally, there were few topics.

At this time, he had to step forward to preside over the situation and serve these mothers-in-law well.

"I wouldn't dare to claim success in my career in front of you; even if I have made some progress, it is just the care and love of my elders and leaders."

He looked at Li Xue, who was brewing tea for everyone, with a smile and said, "My sister is the one who has gained a lot this year, with progress in her career."

"I haven't had time to thank you for taking care of Li Xue; we have always wanted to thank you."

Liu Yin saw her son's eye signal; mother and son were of one heart, so speaking naturally had a tacit understanding.

Li Xuewu had just provided the opening, and she picked it up, just right.

She held Fu Caining's hand and said politely, "I heard she was going to such a far place, and her father and I were worried; we didn't sleep all night."

"We are in-laws, why say thanks." Fu Caining patted Liu Yin's hand and said, "Since you can treat Yuxiu as your own child, why can't I treat Li Xue as my own child?"

"If the child goes to my place and I don't take care of her, then what kind of in-laws are we?"

She said with a smile, "I also like this child Li Xue; she is smart, steady, generous, and polite, more excellent than many young people I have seen."

"Li Xue told us when she came back that you have always taken good care of her."

Li Shun also said gratefully, "And said you gave her many clothes and gifts."

"In-laws, please don't be polite anymore."

Fu Caining gestured to Ding Fengxia, who was sitting on Liu Yin's other side, and said, "Don't let Sister Ding laugh at us for being so polite over such a small matter."

"How could I laugh? I'm just saying that my in-laws are simple and kind, and it's too late to be harmonious."

Ding Fengxia's career might not compare to Fu Caining's, but her eloquence was not bad at all.

She was an editor at a newspaper office, so she had a foundation in both writing and linguistic art.

Seeing Fu Caining push the topic to her side, she also said with a smile, "I am the old in-law, and you are the new in-law; we are also real relatives."

"Even if we don't discuss it from Yuxiu and the others' perspective, we should still be close."

Fu Caining said with a smile, "Xuewu and Wang Weidong are very good friends, and even my daughter-in-law was introduced to Wang Weidong by Xuewu; if we talk about gratitude, I should be the one thanking him."

"He, he just loves to make trouble—"

Liu Yin looked at her son with a smile and said, "Sometimes I tell him, he's so young yet loves to play matchmaker for others."

"But not just for others, the bridge for my own family was also built by me."

Li Xuewu held the teapot and refilled the teacups on the coffee table with hot water, saying with a smile, "If I hadn't introduced Yuxiu to him, Xuecai would still be a bachelor."

"Hahahaha—"

Everyone sitting in the room was their own people, so this joke didn't sound awkward at all.

Everyone felt it was interesting to chat about this, especially the interaction with Ji Wang Weidong; for a long time, they didn't know Ji Wang Weidong and Ji Yuxiu were siblings.

Speaking of this, everyone felt it was even more amusing.

Li Xuewu only accompanied them for a while before coming to the front with his father to see off the guests.

Everyone had eaten and drunk their fill, so it was time to say goodbye and leave.

Just a moment ago, Shen Guodong was accompanying Li Xuecai to handle things, but now that so many people were leaving, they couldn't handle it.

Furthermore, there were many elderly neighbors who had to leave, and Li Shun couldn't not show his face.

"First Master, Second Master, you're heading back already? Sit a while longer."

Li Xuewu took the initiative to walk to the vicinity of the hanging flower gate to be polite to the neighbors who were coming out.

Yi Zhonghai waved his hand, gestured outside the door, and said, "There are still many things at home; we'll sit again when there's an opportunity next time."

Liu Haizhong wanted to leave with him, so he also shook hands with Li Xuewu and left.

The men had left, and the women had to follow, except for those who stayed behind to help.

Hou Qinghua had fought another battle with Jia Zhangshi; it was hard to say who won or lost, but in her view, not losing was equal to winning.

Just as she called her granddaughter to wait at the door and was about to find Comrade Ge Shuqin to go home together, Yan Jiefang walked over and asked Comrade Ge Shuqin to stay and help.

"The daughters-in-law in the courtyard have all stayed, so you don't leave either; go back later."

Yan Jiefang gave Comrade Ge Shuqin a soft instruction, "When Qin Jingru leaves, then you leave."

"Is there anything else?"

Comrade Ge Shuqin looked at the wedding tent; the number of people helping was indeed a bit small.

This couldn't be said to be because the Li family had no one to help, but at this time, there were few young men left at home, as they had all gone to the countryside.

Just this banquet today had few tables, and it was only because Shen Guodong called people to help that it could be managed, otherwise, it would truly be too busy.

"Nothing much, just clearing the tables and washing the bowls, and there's also the cleaning work."

Yan Jiefang said softly, "Everyone hasn't left, it wouldn't look good if you left."

"What wouldn't look good? Their family isn't lacking people to wash bowls and sweep the floor."

Hou Qinghua chimed in from the side, and even mentioned Qin Jingru.

"She earned their money, so she's used to selling their favors; we don't need to suck up to them!"

"Go ahead, I'll wait a while before going back."

Yan Jiefang didn't pay attention to his mother's words, nor did he let Comrade Ge Shuqin pay attention to this.

His mother was short-sighted and only saw the small place in front of her; he was too lazy to explain.

After all, this was the entrance, and there were so many people coming and going; it would be meaningless to say too much.

Comrade Ge Shuqin knew what he said was reasonable, so she gave her daughter a few instructions, telling her to obediently follow her grandmother home and wait for her, then rolled up her sleeves and went to help.

Yan Fangnian had learned to read people's expressions and speak accordingly at a young age; she was gentle and weak, and didn't dare to say she wanted to stay and accompany her mother.

Actually, she wanted to stay; she could play with the other children until her mother was finished.

It was just that her grandmother's voice was stern, and she looked like she had nowhere to vent her anger, so she didn't dare to speak.

"You go back first, let Jiekuang send you."

Yan Jiefang gave an instruction and was about to turn and leave, but his mother wouldn't let him.

"What are you staying for? There's really no one left, you even have to order people around?"

"Stop making noise, that's not it." Seeing her shrill voice, Yan Jiefang frowned and explained, "Shen Guodong is organizing a gathering this afternoon to talk about the transportation business; don't worry about it, take the child and go home early."

He was the head of the household now; even his mother had to listen when he glared.

Hou Qinghua muttered as she pulled Yan Fang out the door, not daring to argue with her son anymore.

She didn't dare to talk about her son, but she dared to talk about her daughter-in-law; her mouth was full of words like "sucking up" and "fawning," and her face looked very bad.

Li Xuewu was seeing off the First Master and the others at the main gate, and when he turned back, he saw her cold face.

"Third Master's wife is heading back."

"Hmm, cough, cough—"

Hou Qinghua heard his greeting and habitually wanted to mock him, but this time her brain beat her mouth, and she realized in time who this was.

"That, Jiekuang is in a hurry to go home for something, we just happened to go back in one car."

She was a bit incoherent, but she finally managed to turn around the words she had been holding in her throat.

If she had really said those words, she was afraid their family would return to the liberation era overnight.

"Then I won't keep you; come back to the courtyard to play more often, my grandmother still misses you."

Hou Qinghua felt a sense of absurdity upon hearing this; Old Mother Li would miss her?

Is she thinking of slapping her?

And "come back to the courtyard more often"—just this one time cost five yuan; how much would she have to eat to break even?

Yan Jiefang didn't tell her when he wrote the gift money; she had found out by asking at the accounting office.

It was truly infuriating; the money earned from transportation was so hard, and five yuan was gone in one go!

What kind of relationship would require a gift of five yuan in this day and age? Even close relatives wouldn't give that much; this wasn't going to kill them?

She was depressed in her heart, but didn't dare to say it, because there were quite a few people who wrote five or ten yuan in the account book; Yan Jiefang's five yuan didn't look conspicuous here.

Where did all these suckers come from? Even if they were sucking up to Li Xuewu, there was no need to suck up here; this gift money wouldn't go to Li Xuewu.

When their family held an event, Li Xuewu didn't say he would give five yuan; he was truly stubborn.

Just now at the banquet, she ate hard, ate hard, but no matter how she ate, she felt she had lost out.

At this time, she actually envied Jia Zhangshi a little; a family of seven coming to eat, even if they gave five yuan, it was worth it.

She didn't think about it; their family had six people including the children, while Jia Zhangshi's family had more children.

Some people can only see what they want to see, and don't understand the proper principles.

"Brother Li, I can't say congratulations, right?"

Pei Pei came out of the courtyard with Ou Xin, accompanied by Zuo Jie and Yu Zhe.

Ou Xin said with a smile, "If I were to say that, it would seem like you were about to hold another happy event."

"This girl, what nonsense are you talking about."

Pei Pei bumped her with her shoulder, and only then explained to Li Xuewu, "She's drunk."

"Eating well and drinking well is very good."

Li Xuewu didn't mind her joke; he didn't know if Ou Xin was drunk, but he saw that Ou Xin's face only started to turn red after seeing him.

"Are you heading back to the club? Did Zuo Jie drive here?"

"I'm the driver, and also security."

Zuo Jie explained with a smile, "I just told them, don't sleep on the road, if you sleep, I'll throw you on the road."

"You dare—" Ou Xin raised her fist and glared at him.

"There are too many people today, so I won't keep you; we'll gather again when there's time."

Li Xuewu said to them with a smile, "Be careful on the road back, don't catch a cold."

"Thank you, Brother Wu—"

Ou Xin looked at him reluctantly and was pulled away by Pei Pei, who had a headache.

After the sisters who came together went their separate ways, only the two of them remained.

Even if it was just buying a horse's bones with a thousand gold, Shen Guodong and Yu Li had to be worthy of their trust.

So now Pei Pei was the general manager of the Jinmen Shunfeng Trading Joint Venture, and Ou Xin was in charge of the clothing business; they were both considered mid-level in the recycling station.

Pei Pei's general manager position was just in name; like Zhou Xiaobai in the beginning, it was all for learning.

Zhou Ya Mei was in the capital, together with Wu Shuping and Shen Guodong, and was in the process of transferring most of the recycling station's functions to Jinmen Shunfeng; how could she have the ability to be in charge of such a large company?

The general manager of Shunfeng Trading had always been in name; Zhou Xiaobai and she were equally in name.

It was just that Zhou Xiaobai had been trained, so even if she went to the army, she wouldn't suffer.

Now that it was Pei Pei's turn to be the manager, at least it proved she had stepped into this circle.

Who could say for sure if their choices were right or wrong? The little sisters were all heading toward their own futures; perhaps in ten or twenty years, one could tell who was right or wrong, or perhaps one would never be able to tell in this lifetime.

"Yu Zhe, you stay, I have something to ask you."

Seeing that Yu Zhe was also about to leave, Li Xuewu pointed at him and told him to stand aside and wait.

Yu Zhe had no bottom in his heart, because he knew what the leader was going to ask him.

Li Xuewu sent off Yin Mancang, Zhao Gen, and the others before calling Yu Zhe aside to talk.

"Leader..." Yu Zhe started awkwardly, but before he could finish, he was stifled by Li Xuewu's gaze.

"You don't intend to go back to work in Steel City?"

Li Xuewu looked him up and down and asked, "How is the matchmaking going?"

It was he who told Yu Zhe not to return to Steel City until he found a partner, and it was also he who asked this; Yu Zhe was in a difficult position.

"I'm in the middle of it..." He lowered his head and scratched his neck, saying.

Li Xuewu looked at him suspiciously and asked, "How many have you already met?"

"Three... five... seven or eight, I guess..." Yu Zhe stammered, "I kind of forgot how many it was."

"So many?" Li Xuewu raised his eyebrows and said, "Are you choosing a concubine?"

He looked at Yu Zhe again and asked, "You've met so many and haven't found a suitable one?"

"Is it that you didn't like them, or they didn't like you?"

"Uh..." Yu Zhe scratched his head again and stammered, "The ones who liked me... I didn't like them; the ones I liked... they didn't like me; that's the situation."

"What about your ability from before?"

Li Xuewu raised his eyebrows and said, "Weren't you getting along quite well with those older sisters in the office? You need to stand tall."

"I... I'm trying hard to stand tall."

Yu Zhe shook his head with a bitter smile, looked at him, and said, "Leader, let me go back to work first; I promise I'll definitely look, I'll look slowly."

"Go tell your sister; did she agree to let you look slowly?" Li Xuewu's mouth curled slightly, "Didn't she say she would introduce a partner to you?"

"My sister, she..." Yu Zhe lost his confidence again, lowered his head in embarrassment, his voice getting smaller as he spoke, "She said if I keep messing around with married women and older women, she'll break my dog-leg..."

"That's ruthless enough—" Li Xuewu nodded in understanding and said, "What do you think?"

"Me?" Yu Zhe raised his head to look at him, then looked left and right, and joked, "If I were to say that this dog-leg is better off discarded..."

"Good lad, you've got guts—"

Li Xuewu knew he was joking, and also nodded with a joke, "A high degree of persistence toward ideals and hobbies is also an excellent quality."

"You really have a dirty mouth—"

Yu Zhe curled his lips, shook his head with a bitter smile, and said, "I promise to go back to work as soon as possible."

He also knew that begging Li Xuewu was useless; his sister was the one who made the decisions.

Furthermore, his sister had also told him that messing around with those women in the office would also affect Li Xuewu's reputation.

Of course, it had the greatest impact on his own reputation, and even delayed him from finding a partner and getting married.

Who would marry a lecher?

"As long as you understand the situation yourself."

Li Xuewu nodded at him and said, "It's not about forcing you to get married, nor is it about an arranged marriage, but about persuading you to walk the right path."

"I'm just making friends, I didn't do anything for real."

Seeing him say this, Yu Zhe explained, but Li Xuewu just found it amusing.

"You know what you did yourself; think about it carefully before saying that sentence."

Li Xuewu reminded him, "Do you not know how deep the topics women chat about can be?"

"Let me tell you, those women in the office will share the fine grains they've eaten in private."

"What!" Yu Zhe wasn't a fool; he understood Li Xuewu's words as soon as he heard them.

He was that fine grain!

Young, handsome, healthy—a treasure in the hearts of wealthy aunts.

Yu Zhe wasn't handsome, but he wasn't ugly either; not yet twenty, he was naturally in his prime, and with no shortage of money to spend, he was dressed slick and smooth; how could the aunts not be moved when they saw him?

There were too many constraints in this era, but under the constraints, there would inevitably be even bolder illicit affairs.

It wasn't that the man had feelings and the woman had intentions, but that the parched land had encountered a lecher.

Li Xuewu wasn't blind or deaf; Yu Zhe's debauchery was thought to be a secret by himself, but in a certain small circle, he was already a supporting character in their stories.

What Yu Zhe could think of now was that in the past, many older sisters in the office looked at him with strange eyes, seemingly carrying teasing and some inexplicable meaning; he didn't understand what was going on at the time, but now he understood.

His face was as red as a piece of red cloth, and he couldn't defend himself any further in front of Li Xuewu.

"Alright, everyone has a time of youthful recklessness, but you need to pull back from the brink."

Li Xuewu reminded him, "You have reached the age where you need to take responsibility and fulfill obligations to the future; bury these things in your heart, do things well, and be a good person."

"I'm sorry, Leader."

Yu Zhe said shamefully, "I shouldn't have lied to you, and I shouldn't have..."

"Talk to your sister properly, find a suitable one; even if that girl doesn't like you, you can still try hard, right?"

Li Xuewu said with a smile, "In the future, when you see those older sisters, just be open and aboveboard; what's past is past, just don't mention it again."

"Yes, I know, I wasn't thinking of anything else." Yu Zhe scratched his head and chuckled, "They might feel they earned something, but I definitely didn't lose out."

"Young man, sometimes not losing out is losing out; don't be blinded by illusions."

Li Xuewu said with amusement, "If you eat more fine grains, you won't like eating leftovers." ===== CHAPTER 1449 =====