Chapter 1471: Building a large aircraft?

The aftereffects of that bottle of red wine Zhou Wang Yamei hid away are truly potent. I don't know if I got up too abruptly or what, but I'm even hallucinating.

Why did Zhou Xiaoling go out naked?

Li Xuewu hurriedly closed his eyes and took a good while to recover before opening them again, immediately confirming that it wasn't because he had drunk too much, as she had returned naked once more.

"Second Brother, I have no clothes to wear..."

"Wait a moment, let me sort this out."

Li Xuewu raised his hand to his brow and asked, "Did you have no clothes to wear this morning, or has it been like this since last night..."

"Second Brother..." Zhou Xiaoling glanced weakly at the shredded pajamas on the floor, wanting to explain something.

Was there any need for explanation? There were only three people in this house, and the culprit certainly couldn't be the silly boy downstairs.

"There are my clothes in the walk-in closet."

Li Xuewu sighed helplessly and pointed toward the direction of the walk-in closet.

Lu Xun once said, handsome men suffer, beautiful women suffer. Sometimes he truly felt weary for his own charm that had nowhere to rest; when would it ever end?

Having grown into this appearance, people still took the initiative; could you blame him for this?

"Second Brother, I'm wearing your shirt."

Zhou Xiaoling came out of the walk-in closet, the oversized shirt on her body unable to hide her two slender legs.

Neither too thick nor too thin, healthy and beautiful.

She looked somewhat bashfully at Li Xuewu, who was sitting on the edge of the bed scrutinizing her, her heart filled with mixed emotions.

If you called it fear, that was Li Xuewu; if you called it secret joy, she was afraid he wouldn't take responsibility; if you called it a sore waist...

"Where are your clothes? Washed?"

Li Xuewu composed himself, stood up, walked to the bathroom, and asked, "Are you flying today?"

"It'll be tonight; I can leave in the morning." Very afraid that Li Xuewu would drive her away, Zhou Xiaoling took the initiative to bargain: "I didn't bring a change of clothes, the ones I washed yesterday will be dry by the morning..."

"Mm, I'll come to pick you up at noon today."

Li Xuewu was brushing his teeth, his voice a bit muffled, but Zhou Xiaoling understood clearly.

She had the heart to ask him where he was picking her up for at noon, but she opened her mouth and still didn't dare to ask.

What if? What if...

Glancing at the clothes on the floor, she blushed and squatted down to tidy them up one by one.

Just then, Li Xuewu finished washing and came out of the bathroom, seeing her squatting on the floor, the shirt looking a bit small.

Downstairs, Master Jia, having rested all night, had sufficient energy to prepare a sumptuous breakfast.

Seeing Li Xuewu come down from upstairs, he nodded and greeted, "Uncle Wu, morning."

"Morning, what time did you get up?"

Li Xuewu didn't walk toward the living room; he just stood at the entryway and changed into the rubber-soled shoes he usually wore for running.

Zhou Wang Yamei had bought these for him from the Steel City Department Store, saying they were a special model for athletes and were particularly comfortable.

White sneakers, a fashionable style hyped up by non-mainstream youth in later generations, were the trendiest pairing in this era.

However, natural rubber indeed had its irreplaceable advantages; could this also be considered pure natural?

In a blue and white tracksuit paired with white sneakers, he looked like a young man at this moment.

"I got up at 6:30 and have already run." Bang Geng came out of the kitchen, and seeing him about to go for a run, he hurriedly explained: "I went to the vegetable market."

"Went running? Not bad."

Li Xuewu sized him up; his spirit was indeed very good, so he nodded and said, "Don't wait for me for breakfast, you guys eat first."

After speaking, without waiting for Bang Geng to respond, he pushed the door open and walked out of the courtyard, stretched his arms and legs at the courtyard entrance, and only started jogging after his joints were warmed up.

Zhou Xiaoling stood in front of the second-floor bedroom window, and after watching him run far away, she turned and went downstairs.

Bang Geng saw her come down and just wanted to speak, but seeing her dressed like that, he couldn't help but frown.

"How old are you, don't you know to wear pants?"

"None of your business—" Zhou Xiaoling glared at him and then retorted: "Did I show you? —"

"Tch—" Bang Geng turned his head away disdainfully, muttering with a curled lip: "Who's interested in looking at you."

"Just mind your own business."

Zhou Xiaoling walked to her suitcase, tidied up the shredded pajamas, turned a blind eye to the change of clothes in the suitcase, and continued wearing Second Brother's white shirt.

"Here, don't say I'm just bullying you."

Thinking of Bang Geng who was making breakfast, she couldn't keep eating and drinking for free without showing something.

Give it to Second Brother? He wouldn't want anything. There happened to be a water cup issued by her unit in the suitcase, so she picked it up, walked to the kitchen door, and handed it to Bang Geng who was cooking.

Bang Geng rolled his eyes and hummed: "When was I bullied by you? Don't take advantage of me."

"Fine, Big Brother, right?"

Zhou Xiaoling placed the water cup on the cabinet, raised her eyebrows, and said: "The people who are doing best in the capital all have one of these; this is a rare item."

"Do you want it or not? If you don't want it, I'll give it to someone else."

She deliberately teased Bang Geng, making a move to take back the stainless steel water cup she had just placed on the cabinet.

Bang Geng was practical; how could he not want something free? He grabbed it before her.

"Tch, pretending to be reserved—"

Zhou Xiaoling saw the smugness at the corner of his mouth and curled her lips with amusement.

Bang Geng didn't care at all, raised the water cup in his hand, and said to her: "Don't think that just because of this I'll like you."

"Thanks, you'd better not like me."

Zhou Xiaoling raised her eyebrows and said in a tone even more arrogant than his: "I have too many pursuers; I don't know how far back someone like you would be in line."

"Who said I like you!" Bang Geng emphasized angrily: "I'm not talking about that kind of liking!"

"Fine, fine, fine, it's understandable if you don't dare to admit it."

Zhou Xiaoling acted as if she had caught him, turned around pretending not to care, and said: "Just a little boy."

Bang Geng in the kitchen was about to explode with anger; little boys of his age cared most about their reputation.

If his little brothers knew he actually liked an old woman, wouldn't he lose all face?

"Don't think I don't know your evil intentions!" Bang Geng glared and said to Zhou Xiaoling, who was fiddling with the radio in the living room.

Zhou Xiaoling listened to the program from the Red Star United Radio Station coming from the radio, and only then stopped the knob.

She pretended to ignore Bang Geng, tidying up her things while listening to the morning news.

Just as the announcer on the United Radio Station mentioned the news of the completion of the Capital Industrial First Steel Rolling Mill, Li Xuewu jogged to the courtyard entrance.

Bang Geng wanted to go hand him a towel, but when he came out of the kitchen, he saw the old woman was already waiting at the entryway.

"Hmph—dog-leg—"

"Who are you calling a dog-leg?" Zhou Xiaoling was also a bad egg, deliberately digging a hole.

But Bang Geng really didn't pay attention; he was used to bickering with her, so he blurted out: "I'm calling you a dog-leg!"

"Oh—" Zhou Xiaoling elongated her tone and said: "So it was the dog-leg talking about me—"

"According to the relocation progress, the capital side will stop work completely before the end of the month, and the Steel City side must start full-line production no later than the end of November."

Zhang Jing flicked the ash into the ashtray and reported to the Secretary-General sitting on the sofa: "The situation at the Capital First Mill is roughly known; it's said that the equipment and gear transferred from the Capital Steel Rolling Mill are almost debugged."

"Far from it—"

Li Xuewu flipped through the documents in his hand and said indifferently: "The organizational structure and personnel structure of the Capital First Mill are equally complex; just sorting them out will take more than half a year."

"Isn't it said that Capital Industry manages it directly?"

Zhang Jing asked: "Does their progress have any direct relationship with us? Need technical support?"

"Not just that, there's also the production task."

Li Xuewu sighed long and hard, raised his head, and explained to him: "I was the one who handled this matter. In order to allow Capital Industry to accept the workers remaining in the capital, the Group promised Capital Industry to support the production work of the Capital First Mill."

"What kind of support?" Zhang Jing raised his eyebrows and asked: "Could it be subcontracting?"

"That's about the meaning."

Li Xuewu put down the documents in his hand, scratched his hair, and said: "The pressure on the Steel City Steel Rolling Mill this year and next year will be very great."

"No wonder Factory Director Kuang is so irritated."

Zhang Jing understood the inside story and reminded him softly: "Shenfei is still waiting for your reply. If the production capacity of the Steel Rolling Mill can't keep up and the parts production capacity is affected, then the cooperation between the two sides..."

"Let's look at the actual situation first."

Li Xuewu stood up, walked to the desk, picked up a manuscript to look at, and put it aside.

"This is all I can help with regarding the assistance application from the Liaodong Branch of the Research Institute."

He instructed: "You go over in a while, see what actual difficulties they have, and solve what can be solved. Don't send the problems to the Group for a round trip."

"Wang Xin from Shenfei invited me to dinner at noon; if you have time, come along."

"Go to Fengcheng? At this time?"

Zhang Jing looked at his watch in surprise; it was almost ten o'clock, wouldn't it take three or four hours to get to Fengcheng?

"He came to Steel City for a meeting."

Li Xuewu tapped the manuscript on the desk, turned back, and sat down behind the desk.

"The Vice President of the Capital Automobile Company will arrive in Steel City this afternoon. You go pick him up; he's coming to talk business with Steel Auto."

"Then I won't go at noon."

Zhang Jing stood up, took the documents from the desk, and said: "I'll ask Comrade Enyuan in a while; if he's free, let him go with you."

"I'll handle this matter in the morning and prepare for the reception work at noon, otherwise I won't be able to handle it."

"Mm, that's fine, don't make it too lively."

Li Xuewu picked up his teacup, took a sip, and instructed: "The specific cooperation plan has already been negotiated by the Group; it was President Li who negotiated with their President."

"What is the direction of cooperation...?"

Zhang Jing raised his eyebrows and asked curiously: "Are we selling cars or buying cars?"

"Neither buying nor selling; it's operating vehicles."

Li Xuewu put down the teacup and explained simply: "They want to introduce several of our Steel Auto models to be used as city taxis to improve their service image."

"Taxi operation?" Zhang Jing widened his eyes and said with a smile: "That's fresh."

"What's so fresh about it."

Li Xuewu looked at him with amusement and said: "The capital has had taxis for a long time, and Yangcheng has had them even longer."

If you asked Li Xuewu when the capital started having taxis, he really couldn't say for sure.

Because it's said that there were taxis even before the liberation, that is, just after the Qing Dynasty collapsed. However, that car company called Feiyan was opened by the French, which could be considered the ancestor of taxis in the capital.

At that time, those who rented cars were foreigners and domestic upper-class people, and the price was so expensive that ordinary people were deterred.

Later on, Li Xuewu only knew about the Capital Automobile Company, which was also a document from the Group, so he carefully checked the other party's history.

Established in April 1951, the initial operating vehicles were requisitioned from various departments.

The Russian cars like ZIM and ZIS that he remembered running on the streets were under the Capital Automobile Company's name.

Later on, private individuals could also operate taxis; those with ability would get new models like Tatra and Skoda, and the taxi industry in the capital was quite hot for a while.

Li Xuewu remembered that these taxis used to be called "pheasant cars" because they didn't have fixed stops and no specialized management agency.

It wasn't until after the public-private partnership, that is, starting from the 1950s, that the taxi industry cooled down.

How many ordinary people could afford to use taxis in the first ten years? Even taking the bus felt expensive.

At that time, taxis mainly served important meetings and foreign affairs activities; ordinary people could see them but couldn't sit in them.

Anyway, Li Xuewu hadn't used a taxi since he was a child, and even until today, for fear that people would say he was showing off.

At this time, the charging method for taxis was based on segments, and drivers received a fixed salary; the income wasn't high, not as glorious as everyone imagined.

In the first ten years when our relationship with the Northern Russians was still okay, the taxis in the capital were generally Russian and Eastern European, such as Warsaw and Volga.

Lou Yu also bought an imported Volga at that time, feeling that if he had money he couldn't spend, he had to enjoy it.

Over the years, import and export trade has been restricted. Although some individuals could continue to enjoy high-end imported cars, it was really not easy for the Capital Automobile Company to replace its taxis.

Even if the number of taxis operating at this time wasn't large, it wasn't easy to achieve a vehicle replacement with the current volume.

The more restricted it was, the more expensive the import price; after all, it wasn't through regular channels.

It's said that the income and treatment of taxi drivers in the capital were average, but taxi drivers in Yangcheng were different.

In 1956, in order to cooperate with Yangcheng's increasingly developing commerce, foreign trade, and tourism, and to welcome the first Import and Export Commodity Fair to be held in Yangcheng, Yangcheng established the Yangcheng Automobile Company based on the suggestions of superiors. This was one of the earliest companies in the country to operate rental cars after the Capital Automobile Company in the capital.

Commerce and foreign trade could be understood, but why was there tourism? Was there a tourism industry at that time?

The answer is yes, just like the characteristic tourism projects in the North in later generations, the difference is that there weren't so many NPCs, and even fewer artificial landscapes.

"Yang Auto" only had more than 60 operating vehicles at the beginning of its establishment, about the same as the start of "Capital Auto," just about the same in quantity, but much higher in quality.

Those 60-plus cars of "Yang Auto" were all European famous brand cars imported from abroad, such as Volga and Morris, among which the most high-end was the only Mercedes-Benz car in Yangcheng at that time, and only guests of sufficient level were qualified to ride in it.

Every time they delivered passengers to hotels or restaurants, drivers could enjoy a driver's meal standard of 40 cents for 1 dish and 1 soup, with unlimited rice, and could also receive a meal allowance of 30 cents each time from the company.

Therefore, in this era, rental car drivers were a respected and longed-for profession, known as one of the "Three Treasures" of Guangdong (drivers, doctors, and pork sellers).

Why did Li Xuewu need to understand the taxi market and operation situation in the capital and Yangcheng in such detail?

The Vice President of Capital Auto who came this time was actually aiming for him. Li Huai De had already negotiated the cooperation with the head of Capital Auto, and the remaining details still had to be handled by him.

This matter should have been handled by Gao Yaqin, but there was an important cooperation meeting in Hong Kong, and she had flown to Hong Kong a week ago and wasn't home.

He never fought a battle without preparation; the other party had already let out word that they wanted to learn from him.

Who in the capital's industrial circle didn't know that the Red Star Steel Group had the youngest leader named Li Xuewu.

Besides the legend of being able to drink a thousand cups without getting drunk, there was also the mythical achievement of him supporting and helping Li Huai De establish today's Red Star Steel Group.

Using "mythical" here wasn't an exaggeration at all; it wasn't a conclusion for formal occasions, but like the "thousand cups without getting drunk," it was all pulled out while chatting in private.

To engage in taxi operation, Steel Auto was the best cooperation partner for Capital Auto, because Steel Auto had many cars.

Look, if you want jeeps, there are Red Star Antelope and Gemini; if you want sedans, there are Aries; if you want motorcycles, there are Red Bull and Comet; if you want vans, there are Hongyun; if you want buses, there are Hongtu and Honghai. There were really too many models to choose from.

Just say the Hongyun van had three models: 7-seater, 9-seater, and 12-seater, not to mention special vehicles.

The matter of cooperative taxi operation was actually very simple: Steel Auto provides the cars, Capital Auto provides the people, cooperation for mutual benefit, making it bigger and stronger. The rest was nothing more than personnel and financial distribution issues in joint management, all of which could be negotiated.

But this time he was waiting for the other party to come to Steel City, not just to talk about providing cars, he also wanted to provide people.

"Second Brother—"

Although Li Xuewu had already told her in the morning that he would come to pick her up at noon, Zhou Xiaoling was still very anxious when she received his call, very afraid that he would arrange for her to "fly far away" and never come back.

The car was parked at the entrance of the small courtyard. Li Xuewu lowered the car window and beckoned to her as she jogged out: "Get in the car."

"Won't I be causing you trouble?"

Zhou Xiaoling said carefully after getting in the car: "I'll just eat something casual at noon."

Bang Geng wasn't at home; she didn't know where he had gone. He had left after Li Xuewu went to work in the morning.

Zhou Xiaoling was an enemy of his; they would start arguing in less than two sentences, so there was no point in talking.

Actually, Li Xuewu had given Bang Geng a holiday, didn't require him to read at home, and didn't force him to go to the pier to work. Returning from Yingcheng was to give him time to think carefully.

Which path to take was for him to choose himself.

Don't let Qin Huairu complain that he didn't care about old feelings, and Bang Geng hate him for leading him astray.

If Bang Geng were really his own son, he would have long since been willing to temper him as much as possible; how could he be so casual? Boys need to experience more things, otherwise he would never know what the second and third floors of Red Romance were for.

"Someone invited me to dinner at noon."

Li Xuewu folded his legs, his hands resting on his knees, sizing up the girl beside him and explaining: "You don't need to worry about him, just eat your fill."

"Got it, I'll listen to your arrangements."

Zhou Xiaoling returned to the lively appearance she usually had in front of him, not caring at all about what happened last night.

She had already thought it through; she didn't have the ability to keep Second Brother for herself, so she would be content just being a good friend.

Watching Zhou Miaomiao rise to prominence and Han Lu being arrogant and favored, she didn't have a bit of envy or jealousy.

Zhou Miaomiao loved power, Han Lu loved wealth, she only liked following Second Brother to see the world and see his prestige.

This was her inner thought at this moment, but don't say she was a love-brain; she also had a realistic side.

Think about Second Brother's living conditions; as long as you calculate the expenses, you can know that he must have other sources.

Several leaders of the Group had higher salaries and better treatment than Second Brother, so why weren't others as carefree as Second Brother? Was it just because their partners were more outstanding?

How could that be? Second Brother's partner was outstanding, but what did that have to do with the Li family? She was very close to Li Xue.

Don't look at Li Xuewu, just look at Li Xue's life. Someone used to pursue her, but now who would dare.

Most people couldn't even name the clothes and shoes Li Xue wore, or the backpack and fountain pen she used.

A girl who had just started working for a few years, the watch on her wrist, and the bicycle she used to commute were all complete.

If it weren't for knowing who her Second Brother was, perhaps someone would have started rumors that she was climbing the social ladder.

After interacting with Li Xue, although Zhou Xiaoling hadn't heard Li Xue talk about her Second Brother's source of income, she had a rough idea from mentioning names like Shen Guodong in their conversation, combined with the situation she understood.

Who was Shen Guodong?

Not many people in the Group might know him, but almost everyone wore the clothes and equipment he operated.

Zhou Xiaoling was a smart person, otherwise she wouldn't have played the "curve to save the nation" game, failing to take down Li Xuewu and changing to taking down Li Xue first.

This success couldn't be called a coincidence; it could only be said that it was a combination of circumstances, and Second Brother had relaxed his vigilance toward her.

If she raised any conditions at this time, or was arrogant because of favor, then she wouldn't be far from flying far away.

Can't ask for things, can't raise demands, and even more so can't use this relationship to talk about things; the simpler, the better.

The smarter she was, the longer it would last.

Li Xuewu could see her little thoughts and little cleverness. She said she didn't bring a change of clothes, so where did the set on her body come from? She said she didn't need to be taken out to eat specially, but who was the light makeup on her face for?

However, he wouldn't point these out; he liked smart people, especially girls who wouldn't be too smart.

In the car, Zhou Xiaoling secretly sized him up, and also looked at the driver, as if she were a thief with a guilty conscience.

What if Second Brother held her hand?

In fact, she thought too much; Li Xuewu didn't say much along the way, and the driver was even more like a mute.

The car entered the city and stopped in front of a guesthouse, where someone was already waiting.

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

Wang Xin was very enthusiastic; after seeing Li Xuewu get out of the car, he took the initiative to give him a hug.

He was indeed a student taught by the Russians; not only did he learn to build airplanes, but he also learned social etiquette.

Li Xuewu wasn't used to the Russian way of greeting; he preferred the politeness of the little devils.

Of course, he liked the politeness of the little devils bowing like that, but he wouldn't do it himself.

"Saying 'long time' is a bit too far-fetched."

Li Xuewu shook hands with him with amusement and said: "Counting it fully, it hasn't even been fifteen days."

"Hahaha—" Accused of hypocrisy by Li Xuewu, Wang Xin didn't care, laughed, patted his arm, and said: "A day without seeing is like three autumns."

"If you say so, I have no way to refute."

Li Xuewu let go of his hand, beckoned Zhou Xiaoling to come closer, and introduced her to the other party: "This is our most outstanding flight attendant in aviation, Comrade Zhou Xiaoling."

He also gestured for Wang Xin to introduce himself and said: "This is Vice Factory Director Wang Xin of Shenfei; you can call him Factory Director Wang."

"Just call me Brother Wang; today is just an old friend reunion, don't be so serious."

Wang Xin didn't care that Li Xuewu brought a beautiful girl to the banquet; he knew the other party had precautions.

He smiled and shook hands with Zhou Xiaoling, saying: "We should have met; the time we went to the capital as guests, it should have been you who provided the service."

"Thank you for still remembering me."

Zhou Xiaoling had undergone professional training, and her social skills had almost reached the level of adaptability.

Her smile and temperament couldn't be called grand, but they weren't the reserve of a small-family girl either; they were very comfortable.

Wang Xin nodded with a smile, greeted the two to enter, and introduced while walking: "This is the guesthouse of the Air Construction; I stay here every time I come, and the food tastes very good."

He accompanied Li Xuewu to walk to the restaurant and emphasized: "You can taste it; if you think it's okay, come here often to support their work in the future."

"Is the restaurant here also open to the public?"

Li Xuewu looked at the surrounding environment; it was still too closed here. Only personnel from the unit could come here to eat, and there were also relationship holders like Wang Xin.

Actually, calling them relationship holders wasn't accurate. Wang Xin was a cadre under the Third Ministry of Machine Building system and could stay in guesthouses related to the "Air" character wherever he went; it was considered work needs.

"Open to the public, just that ordinary people can't find it."

Wang Xin turned his head to look at him, and his smile already explained everything.

People with Li Xuewu's status naturally had open access, but others... not necessarily able to get in.

Wang Xin had the intention to treat, and even the dining table was prepared. As soon as they entered, they started serving dishes.

It had to be said, they hadn't tasted the flavor of the food yet, but the service quality was indeed okay.

It couldn't be compared with the guesthouse hotels and international hotels of the Red Star system, but it could also beat ordinary hotels.

At least there were smiles on their faces, and the tone of their speech was gentle, not like masters.

"Have some white liquor at noon? Is it appropriate?"

Wang Xin gestured to the white liquor on the table and asked for Li Xuewu's opinion.

Li Xuewu waved his hand and said indifferently: "I have nothing to do in the afternoon, it's up to you."

"Then let's have a few small drinks."

Seeing him accept the move, Wang Xin smiled, picked up the wine bottle, and said: "I know your drinking capacity; we're just reminiscing about the past and chatting."

This was the first sentence of yielding he said today; he was really afraid that Li Xuewu would misunderstand his meaning and drink him to death.

Li Xuewu wouldn't die no matter how much he drank, but he would be finished.

"What would Comrade Xiaoling like to drink?"

Wang Xin not only took care of Li Xuewu but also actively cared about Zhou Xiaoling who was sitting on the side.

Li Xuewu said he had nothing to do in the afternoon, which was not rejecting his face; he intended to talk to him.

But he also brought Zhou Xiaoling, which meant he didn't hope for him to talk too officially or too hypocritically.

Since they were meeting in private, then talk about what could be said; don't be too high, and don't be too low.

If it was too high, he couldn't take care of Zhou Xiaoling and would lose etiquette; if it was too low, it wouldn't be good for Zhou Xiaoling to hear clearly.

So you know why some leaders like to bring female comrades when they go out to socialize; it's not all because they have evil intentions.

Of course, there are more who have evil intentions.

"I'll just drink tea."

Zhou Xiaoling smiled and said politely: "You don't need to be polite, I don't drink alcohol."

"Then have some fruit wine; the fruit wine here is produced in Liaodong, it's sweet."

Wang Xin didn't wait for her to be polite again and asked the waiter who came in to serve dishes for a bottle of fruit wine.

"Thank you, Factory Director Wang—"

"Don't be polite, just call me Brother Wang."

Listening to Zhou Xiaoling's sweet politeness, Wang Xin smiled and looked at Li Xuewu and said: "Is it okay to call me that?"

"Just don't ask me to call you that."

Li Xuewu looked at his meaningful smile, knowing he was doing it on purpose, and made a joke without caring.

Regardless of whether Li Xuewu had that kind of relationship with this girl, Wang Xin would use an ambiguous look to narrow the relationship between each other, so that he could start today's topic.

There was no extravagance or waste; the three people only ordered four dishes and one soup, the portion was sufficient, with both meat and vegetables.

Zhou Xiaoling kept Second Brother's instructions in mind; after they started talking, she only ate delicately and didn't speak if not asked.

Li Xuewu knew what he wanted to talk about and didn't stretch or hang him; there was no need to do that with Shenfei.

Seeing him like this, Wang Xin also breathed a sigh of relief and gradually led the topic to serious business.

"After returning from the capital last time, our Director Zhou thought for two full days and summarized the trip and what he saw and heard in detail."

He picked up his wine glass and drank with Li Xuewu before continuing: "He told us, sitting in a well and looking at the sky is not acceptable. In the past, we said the Northern Big Brother was the industrial technology benchmark, but now the management ability is lagging far behind, and industrial technology also cannot achieve transcendence..."

"Generalizing, aren't you." Li Xuewu smiled, put down his wine glass, and looked at him: "I'm saying the Red Star Steel Group is good, don't say I'm selling melons and praising them myself."

Seeing him shake his head, Li Xuewu continued: "We are just casting off the burden and running forward for a while under the permission and support of the policies above."

"This period doesn't represent the overall strength of the capital's industry; the Northeast is still the Big Brother in the industrial system."

He rested his fingers beside the wine glass, let the other party fill it up, and said: "Otherwise, we wouldn't have moved all the industrial enterprises to Liaodong. Don't you think so."

"That's also because there is soil to cultivate advanced things."

Wang Xin really knew how to speak; after filling his wine, he smiled and said: "We are also thinking, being able to nurture an enterprise like the Red Star Steel Group, then in the South where management ability is more excellent, will enterprises like the Red Star Steel Group appear constantly like bamboo shoots after a spring rain?"

"The times are developing, and society is progressing." Li Xuewu smiled and said: "You can't hope that the industrial layout of the whole country will always be like this."

"How dare I think so—"

Wang Xin smiled bitterly: "You should have received the notice, right? Liaodong industry is worrying; supporting the third-line construction, I don't know where to start."

"Who can accept the pain of cutting meat."

He shook his head with emotion, ate a bite of vegetables, and continued: "We also want to take advantage of this opportunity to develop as quickly as possible without leaving."

"Still want to sell us the airport?"

Li Xuewu looked at him with amusement and asked: "Just want to sell the airport to exchange for development funds?"

"Indeed want to, and this is the only way."

Wang Xin looked at him and nodded, saying: "We have technology, have production capacity, but can't cash it out."

"This is still because of the cooperation with you; in the past, this kind of cooperation was unthinkable."

He smiled and said: "But opportunity waits for no one; technical conversion requires a certain amount of time, we can't wait, we can only sell land for money first."

"Let me be blunt." Li Xuewu looked at him and nodded: "Although I haven't been to that airport, I can understand from the data that, judging by the current domestic aviation market, it is absolutely going to lose money."

"Regardless of whether this airport belongs to the Third Ministry of Machine Building or Liaodong, we can't compare with them; this is determined by the volume. If the appropriation isn't in place, it has to be abandoned."

"You can also cooperate."

Wang Xin indeed wanted to facilitate this cooperation and explained patiently: "Just like the United Energy Corporation."

It could be seen that Wang Xin had sufficient understanding of the Red Star Steel Group, and Li Xuewu had to admit it.

"The energy industry can cooperate, the construction industry can also cooperate, and even the manufacturing industry can."

Li Xuewu spread his hands and looked at him: "Is the airport something that can be cooperated with outsiders? At least I haven't heard that airport operation can introduce external forces."

Wang Xin was stumped by his question because this was a realistic problem; in this era, who would dare to introduce foreign capital to operate an airport.

Besides, foreign capital wasn't a big fool; would they throw money into the domestic aviation market?

This wasn't a matter of one or two years; it might not be profitable in ten or twenty years.

Airport operation in this era wasn't the kind of close connection in later generations; now airports are responsible for the operation of airplanes, still following the company management set.

Airports must have their own airplanes to carry out operation work; just relying on passenger planes on the route would lose money to death.

"Cooperation? Have you thought about it?"

Li Xuewu's eyebrows moved, and he said softly: "You take the airport as a cooperation condition; we can provide management and service teams, let's discuss it, it's better to talk than a one-off deal, right?"

"We take the airport as a cooperation condition?" Wang Xin thought and said: "Does that mean we still have to buy airplanes."

"Well, that's for sure."

Li Xuewu tilted his head and said: "It can also be determined according to the negotiation results; if you take money, you take shares, whoever has more shares has the final say."

"Like this—" Wang Xin drank a glass of wine by himself and said: "I really haven't done it like this before."

"The future is an era of cooperation for mutual benefit."

Li Xuewu smiled, patted his arm, and said: "Just looking at industrial enterprises, who can live more freely without the supply chain?"

"The supply chain controls the operating costs of enterprises and greatly increases product competitiveness..."

"I can understand this; I'm thinking about the money." Wang Xin looked at him and said: "According to your meaning, after cooperation, we have to pay to buy airplanes, and we have to hand over the management rights of the airport to you, right?"

"If you count it like this, we've taken out the land, and we have to take out a sum of money..."

He looked at Li Xuewu and asked: "Are you trying to wrap me into it? What I just said was opportunity, we are waiting for money to catch up with this wave of opportunity."

"Isn't the airport an opportunity?"

Li Xuewu raised his eyebrows and said: "Instead of developing in other unfamiliar fields, it's better to down-to-earth cultivate technology and build large airplanes."

"You just said you have technology and production capacity; you can even build fighter jets, why don't you research passenger plane manufacturing?"

He moved the wine glass away, looked at Wang Xin, and emphasized: "With the advantage of the airport and the advantage of airplane manufacturing, combined with our operation and management ability, isn't this cooperation for mutual benefit and seizing opportunity?"

"You mean, our opportunity is in the airport, in passenger planes?" Wang Xin frowned and asked: "But the current aviation market can't rise; even if we can build passenger planes, so what? Can't sell them, and even if sold, few people can afford to sit in them. It's a dead cycle."

"Two opinions." Li Xuewu looked at him seriously and said: "First, airport operation relies on appropriation; this point gives you development time and opportunity."

"Second, who said that passenger planes built can only be sold to domestic airports? Can't they be sold abroad?"

He waved his hand, signaling Wang Xin not to speak first, and continued: "Even if the passenger planes you build can't compare with developed Western countries, don't countries like Southeast Asia like affordable and high-quality goods?"

"Not afraid of bad goods, just afraid of bad sales."

Li Xuewu looked at him seriously and said: "My opinion, you can go back and think about it; this is just a discussion at the dinner table today, no other meaning."

"Already very content—"

Wang Xin recovered, knowing this wasn't the time to think about problems. The topic had a conclusion, and he also persuaded him to drink.

Li Xuewu didn't come for real with him; he himself had nothing to do. If he really drank Wang Xin too much, he wouldn't remember today's conversation, and he would have to drink another meal later.

Zhou Xiaoling had long been full and sat on the side, watching them talk; she couldn't understand the content anymore.

Don't say it's simple; it's all Chinese, what's there not to understand. Look at the manuscripts and formulas of Qian Lao decrypted in later generations; they are nothing more than numbers and symbols. Can you say it's simple to understand and see?

Her eyes looked at Second Brother who was talking eloquently from time to time, full of worship and pride.

He could always simplify complex problems and find the most suitable path in a complex environment.

From the mouth and eyes of this Vice Factory Director of Shenfei, she could see the other party's respect for Second Brother.

What is going out to see the world for?

Of course, it's not to listen to how complex their work is, but to see the dialogue attitude of the two.

"Then that's it for today?"

Li Xuewu said what he had to say, looked at Zhou Xiaoling, stood up, and said to Wang Xin: "Comrade Xiaoling still has to work in the afternoon, flying to the capital, and I have a guest from the capital, let's chat again when we have time."

"Good, next time let's go to Fengcheng."

Wang Xin also stood up with them and said enthusiastically: "Our factory isn't as big as your Group, but there are also many places that can entertain distinguished guests."

"If you have time to go to Fengcheng, you must call me; I'll take you around."

"Then it's a deal."

Li Xuewu knew he wasn't talking about a fun place, but that airport.

What they could take out, what they could decide independently, and what they could sell for money was only that airport.

Li Xuewu also wanted to go and see what their bottom-of-the-box airport was like.

Having an airport meant being able to set up international routes, which was too important for the Red Star Steel Group. ===== CHAPTER 1472 =====

Having an airport means the possibility of establishing international routes, which is truly too important for the Red Star Steel Group.