Chapter 1478

"... jointly establish a taxi joint venture; what I proposed to him was to settle at least 70% of the employees."

Li Xuewu held the phone and introduced: "There is no need to participate in the operation; they are the professionals."

Li Huaidong on the other end of the phone thought for a moment and asked: "Do you think this joint venture has room for profit?"

"Hehe, that depends on how it's operated."

Li Xuewu chuckled and said: "If the purpose is to settle employees, then whether it's profitable or not depends on our needs."

"However, Shouqi doesn't seem to be counting on this joint venture to be profitable."

He said pointedly: "Shouqi pays more attention to influence and image; in this regard, we can make a fuss; we are the professionals in image management."

Li Huai De understood what he meant; there is no need for the Group to intervene in this business; Shouqi's roots are very strong, so it's better to cooperate for a win-win situation.

The Group's main focus is to settle employees; the cost of one Aries car is only over four thousand yuan, which is nothing compared to solving the employment problem of employees.

Moreover, by forming a joint venture, the cars and assets are still the Group's; Li Xuewu is best at doing this kind of business that benefits without cost.

Furthermore, the Aries has been slow to open up the market in the interior; this time is just right for advertising.

If all the taxis in Beijing are replaced with Aries, and they use white as the standard color, paired with taxi-specific logos and advertising spaces, the effect...

"Then do it according to your plan."

Li Huai De made the final decision after hesitation: "Wait until you come back to have a meeting to pass it; you get ready."

"Shouqi doesn't want the Hongyun vans." Li Xuewu reminded: "My opinion is that if they don't use them, they don't use them; we will form a small-scale urban freight network through a logistics company later."

"I have no objection." Li Huai De replied: "You prepare a plan for this as well."

"Regarding the fuel oil guarantee work, it can be handed over to the Energy General Company and the Sales General Company to coordinate."

He thought for a moment and said: "Recently, news from Steel City has appeared in the newspapers frequently, and the leaders called to ask."

"You must properly handle the conflict between the Northern Industry Daily reporter and the employees." Li Huai De pinched his brow with his hand, thought of something, and asked again: "What's this about them saying you are learning to fly a helicopter?"

It really is Old Li; cunning and sly, he determined that Liu Hongmei being hit was a personal grudge between a reporter and a worker, unrelated to the Group.

"I will properly handle this matter."

Li Xuewu first responded to his request, then explained: "Last time Ate came to purchase helicopters, I realized that I didn't have a sufficient understanding of the related business."

He gave a wry smile and said: "Working on the front line, if I don't understand any business, how can I do management?"

"Sigh—thank you for your hard work—"

Li Huai De finally understood what he meant; it was completely different from the "neglecting work for play" written in the newspaper.

Li Xuewu had a very determined attitude when he went to Liaodong to do things; in less than half a year, he had sorted out the situation of the Group's industrial enterprises in Liaodong and made adjustments.

Subsequently, he launched personnel and technical reform work for various industrial enterprises, consolidating the Group's business management and disciplinary supervision of various professional factories.

This Secretary-General is ambitious, strict with himself, and the same with others.

Selling helicopters is not something that requires him to do it himself, but he still needs to master this kind of technology.

Li Huai De felt this way because he couldn't do it himself; he didn't even dare to sit on a plane.

"You must pay attention to safety." He knew he couldn't persuade Li Xuewu, but still emphasized with concern: "Business can be mastered slowly; safety is the most important thing."

"Yes, I will definitely pay attention to safety."

Li Xuewu answered very seriously; this was a positive response to Old Li's concern.

There is no sincerity in the workplace, but there should be true feelings; among comrades, there is order between superiors and subordinates.

"We'll talk about the Tadong Airport matter when you come back; other comrades also want to hear your plan."

Li Huai De took the initiative and said: "The Steel Rolling Plant must complete the overall relocation this month; Liaodong must make all preparations, and there must be no problems."

He didn't care about Li Xuewu learning to fly a plane, but the work in Liaodong could not be chaotic; this was his bottom line.

That female reporter from the Northern Industry Daily wrote that Red Star Steel Group Secretary-General Li Xuewu was so carefree in Steel City, flying planes and taking people up the mountain to hunt.

To be honest, Old Li didn't envy either of these; he couldn't do either flying a plane or hunting.

He liked dancing and eating very much.

Li Huai De emphasized this mainly because on the 6th of this month, all mechanical equipment at the Beijing Steel Rolling Plant would stop work and production, and according to the established plan, workers would go to Steel City in batches.

Although the Beijing Steel Rolling Plant had begun to stop, dismantle, move, and adjust since the middle of this year, with workers and equipment being dismantled and divided, none of those times were as concentrated as this one.

The original mechanical equipment of the Steel Rolling Plant would all be handed over to the New Beijing No. 1 Factory, and the Steel City Steel Rolling Plant would only need some employees.

The New Beijing No. 1 Factory had already begun trial operations, and this time more than half of the employees would be transferred to work at the Beijing No. 1 Factory.

The original workshops, warehouses, office buildings, etc., of the Beijing Steel Rolling Plant would be handed over to the Group for unified organization and rectification, whether for repair or reconstruction, and finally handed over to the Light Industry and Research Institute.

Some buildings and equipment facilities in the Steel Rolling Plant area would be re-planned and construction would break ground next year.

The shutdown of the Steel Rolling Plant meant that the total number of Group employees would shrink to 70,000; as of now, the total number of employees diverted, settled, and transferred by the Group exceeded 28,000.

According to the Group's overall requirements for personnel reform, the number of employees could only decrease, not increase.

That is to say, when graduates of the Vocational and Technical College enter the factory next year, there will definitely be employees retiring or being diverted, either going to tertiary industries or other factories.

A major goal of personnel reform is that the Group's personnel structure must be younger and more professional overall. Those who cannot keep up with the requirements and pace of the times will be eliminated.

Looking at it this way, the personnel reform formulated by the Group is quite cruel, but in order to be able to cope with the upcoming integration with the international market and accept the tests and challenges of the new era market, the Red Star Steel Group has to make choices and sacrifices.

Don't think that the domestic technological development in this era was backward to the extreme and had no competitiveness.

If it were really that backward, how could it have accumulated such massive power in the next thirty or forty years and burst forth with world-renowned achievements?

Just from what Li Xuewu learned from the newspaper, there were multiple breakthroughs in inventions in early November alone.

The first self-designed and manufactured control computer for the oil refining industry was born and successfully trial-produced; the first 120-horsepower hydraulic control plow-type cable laying machine was successfully trial-produced; the first 80-ton heavy-duty vibratory road roller was successfully manufactured; the first new electric rock drill for metal mining was successfully trial-produced...

Industrial technological development is like spring grass; you don't see it growing, but it grows a little every day.

Bang—

Li Xuewu put down the hunting rifle in his hand, looked ahead, and spat in dissatisfaction.

"Can you keep the dog on a leash?"

He turned his head and glared at Ji Weidong, saying: "Is the gun in your hand a fire poker?"

"You can't beat the dog, so you're blaming me?"

Ji Weidong's mouth is also unforgiving; he reached out and touched the head of the thin dog that brought back the pheasant, laughing and praising: "Good dog, good dog, good boy—"

"If I were half a centimeter shorter, it would be a dead dog—" Li Xuewu twitched the corners of his mouth, turned his head to continue searching for prey, and muttered: "I shouldn't have brought you today."

"Do you think he's reasonable?" Ji Weidong didn't argue with him either, turned his head to Wang and raised his eyebrows, laughing: "He can't hit a pheasant himself, so he blames my dog, and even blames me for coming along."

"Hehehe—" Wang Xiaonan didn't dare to get involved in the jokes between the leaders, just laughed.

Zhang Jing was even worse; he held his hunting rifle and gestured for a long time without even seeing a pheasant feather.

The autumn wind swept across the treetops, taking away the last few leaves that didn't want to fall, and scattered Ji Weidong's dog hair... that is, the dog hair of the dog Ji Weidong brought.

"Are there really that many pheasants on the mountain?"

Li Haiyang was really using the hunting rifle as a cane; he stood on a big rock by the stream and looked out at the mountain stream.

"It's Qianshan, after all; even if there aren't a thousand mountains, there are hundreds, with peaks upon peaks and rich products."

Li Xuewu changed the bullets for the hunting rifle in his hand, turned his head to look at him, and asked: "Are you okay? If you really can't walk, just take a rest; there's plenty of time; we're out to play."

"I'm fine, I just don't exercise enough."

Li Haiyang glanced at Zhou Xiaoling, who was following Li Xuewu, and straightened his back hard.

A man, how can he say he can't do it?

"Then continue walking forward?"

Li Xuewu's gaze swept past him and looked at the others, saying: "If anyone can't walk, just say so; don't force yourself."

"I'm fine, don't worry about me."

Zhou Xiaoling saw her second brother's gaze finally land on her and said with a smile: "I exercise often."

"Hehehe—" Ji Weidong laughed and looked at Li Haiyang, as if these words were said about him.

Li Haiyang couldn't help but blush and took the lead in walking along the path ahead.

Banggeng took the dog leash from Ji Weidong's hand and followed along, calling the thin dog.

Li Xuewu really didn't think about bringing Ji Weidong, and didn't even think he could come back.

"Why did you come back again?" He was too lazy to say this sentence; he could run back eight hundred times a year.

Every time he asked, it was because he missed his son; Li Xuewu almost cursed his ancestors for eight generations; why come to him if he misses his son?

Autumn is the harvest season; even though Reporter Liu wrote in the Northern Industry Daily that he was "holding a yellow dog on the left, holding a falcon on the right, thousands of riders rolling over the flat hills," in reality, this was his first time out to play; since the other party had already written it, he felt it would be a loss if he didn't go out to play once, so he organized a group and went out.

One Land Cruiser, one Tundra, and two Red Star Antelopes, a small motorcade of four cars killed their way into the mountains.

It's too convenient to go into the mountains to play in Steel City; you couldn't finish playing in a year.

The Land Cruiser and Tundra were both test vehicles, but all their functions were already complete, just not officially released yet.

If it were up to Li Xuewu, three Antelopes would be just right; small jeeps are more flavorful for off-roading.

It was Ji Weidong who insisted on driving the Cruiser and Tundra parked in the courtyard, making his hands itch as soon as he saw them.

Li Xuewu originally only invited helicopter flight instructor Wang Xiaonan and a few idlers from the office.

Zhang Jing and Zhang Enyuan hadn't rested during their vacation a while ago, just busy dealing with the Furnace No. 4 problem.

Even an emperor doesn't starve his soldiers; rewards should be given, and for them, personal friendship with the leader is the need that can provide the most emotional value.

As for Ma Baosen and Yu Zhe, these two came to provide service, called by Zhang Enyuan.

Captain Jia had been a bit depressed recently, walking at the crossroads leading to a dead end in life; Li Xuewu called Zhou Xiaoling from home and brought him along by the way.

Banggeng got along much better with Zhou Xiaoling this time; it was Zhou Xiaoling who reminded Li Xuewu to bring him, so he helped her carry the water bottle like a lackey.

He even showed off his water bottle to Li Xuewu when he came; it was from Sister Zhou.

Sister Zhou is naturally Zhou Xiaoling, not Zhou Wang Yamei; he wouldn't dare call Zhou Wang Yamei Sister Zhou.

Ji Weidong was a coincidence; why did Li Haiyang come too?

If you want to talk about coincidence, I'm afraid even the dog Banggeng was walking wouldn't believe it, but when Li Xuewu decided to go out to play, he happened to call to invite him to dinner.

What could Li Xuewu say? He could only say he was going out to play and asked if he wanted to come along; as a result, he had his hunting rifle ready the next morning; can you say this is a coincidence?

Buying a hunting rifle in the middle of the night? Or buying it early in the morning? Which store could be open at either of these times?

He just didn't want to miss any opportunity to get close to Li Xuewu; even Zhou Xiaoling could see this point.

On the way, Zhou Xiaoling quietly told Li Xuewu that Deputy Factory Director Li didn't have much contact with Director Li.

Li Xuewu asked her how she knew, and she smiled and replied: "Zhou Miaomiao told me."

Why did she smile?

Because she felt that her second brother asking this meant he was jealous, thinking she had some close relationship with Director Li.

Actually, Li Xuewu really didn't think in that direction, just felt she knew too much.

As for Zhou Miaomiao and Director Li's relationship remaining the same, Li Xuewu had known for a long time; Han Lu didn't even need to be mentioned.

He had heard plenty of gossip about the two recently, and didn't know how it spread to his ears.

Li Haiyang's active approach to him was not without realistic and long-term considerations; this kid is cunning.

He had been Li Huai De's secretary for so many years; it was impossible for him not to know any secrets.

If Old Li doesn't have any trouble within three years, once Old Li has trouble, he won't be able to run.

Furthermore, Old Li is the one standing at the top of the tower now, and could be struck by lightning at any time; does he dare to stand too close?

He is in Liaodong and works in Steel City; if he doesn't actively lean towards the number one, does he want to set up another stove and establish another mountain?

Even if he has Old Li as a backer, how much longer can he rely on this big mountain? By the time he really needs to use the Group's resources, Old Li might have been retired for who knows how many years.

Li Xuewu is different; he is young, not even as old as him, but his qualifications and achievements are sufficient, and he has absolute say in the Group.

Don't say that the Group is yours, it's also ours; in the end, it's still yours.

Don't say, the Group's next ten or twenty years must be Li Xuewu's.

Even if Li Xuewu progresses further from the Group, his influence on the Red Star Steel Group is absolute.

Just think, Old Li is 50 years old; how many more years can he jump around if he tries hard? Li Xuewu is only 23 this year; he has a proper thirty or forty years to develop.

No one dares to say what will happen in the next thirty or forty years, but the only future he can see is this one; if he doesn't actively lean towards Li Xuewu at this time, is he waiting for others to soar into the sky before going to flatter them?

Li Xuewu likes flying planes, which he can't keep up with, but he can't fall behind in hunting.

He bought the best hunting rifle from the biggest mall in Steel City after hearing the news from the office; this is called workplace investment.

You say he is a weak scholar who can't carry a gun?

Can't he hit a wild boar if he can't hit a rabbit!

Everyone knows the three-point-one-line; just aim and boom; if you hit it, you show off; if you don't, you sigh.

So you just watch; the team Li Xuewu brought is like a puppet army going into the mountains to sweep; they don't know where the bullets went, which makes him laugh and cry.

You say Ji Weidong's marksmanship can't be blamed?

In Li Xuewu's opinion, it's just average; this kid is good at playing with pistols, but he really has no level with long guns.

His father and mother never taught him these things since he was a child, and there was no military influence in his family; all his current combat skills were learned after he started working.

At that time, he cooperated with Li Xuewu to handle a case for the first time, rushing forward with a group of people, and was knocked down by others.

Li Xuewu concluded at the time that this guy definitely hadn't experienced any decent combat, and his survival to this day was all thanks to God's blessing.

That time was blocking the pencil factory to catch Hu Zhengquan; Hu Zhengquan ran from the window, and his accomplices rushed out from the security room, sweeping them with a light machine gun.

Li Xuewu had such rich experience that he didn't even need to look with his eyes; he knew what the situation was on the opposite side just by listening to the sound.

So he blocked the people from the Guard Team and Security Section and hid in the alley without going out, using the long gun as a machine gun, only hitting the car passing by.

Ji Weidong was different; he raised his pistol and said, "Brothers, follow me," and rushed up like a fool.

He almost shouted, "Your time to make contributions and receive awards has come," and Li Xuewu almost laughed to death.

But thinking about it now, whether it was then or now, he couldn't laugh; it was that time he used a long gun to kill the other party's key figure, the man who almost became his brother-in-law.

From then on, lovers became strangers.

Li Xuewu could tolerate Ji Weidong to this day because he saw that this guy was stupid to the extreme and easy to pit.

The woolen coat hanging at home now was a gift from Ji Weidong, the 55-style that is already out of print.

Ten people and one dog walked up along the stream and really encountered plenty of prey, but with this group of bastards messing around, Li Xuewu didn't really hit any decent prey.

You have to aim when you see prey; you can't just lift your gun and kill it; you have to aim at the eyes, right? That's the fun of hunting; otherwise, just mount a machine gun on the Tundra; nothing can escape it.

The meaty part of a pheasant is only the size of a fist; if you aim at its stomach and fire, hitting it is equivalent to shattering it, so what kind of wild game is there to eat?

Foxes, roe deer, and deer that bring skins also have to be shot in the eyes to maximize the integrity of the original skin.

Otherwise, the leather peeled off will be full of holes, and you won't be able to make leather shoes; even leather sandals would be too leaky.

You say Li Xuewu doesn't rely on this little money to live, so there's no need to be so careful, but isn't hunting just this little fun? As a result, he is the only one who follows these rules, while others don't care about this matter.

Whenever he lifts his gun to aim, there is always a series of firecracker-like gunshots ringing out beside him.

Let's put it this way, even a mammoth wouldn't be enough for these people to blast; if Li Yunlong had this kind of firepower back then, he would have dared to attack Taiyuan.

Li Xuewu has to stand upwind, otherwise the gunpowder smoke can block his vision; you know how amateurish and playful these people are.

"So much fun—"

Zhou Xiaoling held the hunting rifle in her hand and laughed at Li Xuewu, raising her hand to tidy up her scattered hair.

Li Xuewu glanced at her and only found it funny; she hadn't hit a single hair and was still shouting that it was fun.

"Too damn brutal—"

Ji Weidong pulled the pheasant, which was already in a shattered state, from the mouth of the thin dog and showed it to everyone, the smile at the corner of his mouth not matching the words in his mouth.

"Are you still human—"

He said in a righteous tone, comically: "This pheasant just went out for a walk; what crime did it commit to deserve being executed by you like this!"

"Hahahaha—"

Zhou Xiaoling is heartless; she found Ji Weidong's words funny and really laughed.

Li Haiyang also felt embarrassed; this pheasant's miserable state probably couldn't be separated from his contribution.

Zhang Jing, Zhang Enyuan, and others don't need to be mentioned; they are all people who hold pens; I don't even know if they had ever fired a gun before.

Yu Zhe's performance was okay; he could fire two shots in the gaps of carrying and handing bullets to Li Xuewu.

"Alright, throw it away." Li Xuewu looked at the pheasant, which was too miserable to look at, raised his head, and said to Ji Weidong: "Even the dog won't eat it; there are at least three bullets inside, otherwise it wouldn't be so shattered."

"Did it commit a heavenly crime—"

Ji Weidong regretfully held up the shattered pheasant and looked at it, then threw it into the bushes.

"Let's take turns firing when we see prey next time."

Zhang Jing scratched his head in embarrassment and took the initiative to suggest.

Zhang Enyuan, Li Haiyang, and others nodded in agreement, but Ji Weidong, who was being funny, didn't care at all.

"Are you really planning to get some meat to eat? This thing might carry diseases."

He pointed his finger at the surrounding mountains and reminded everyone: "Some animals carry viruses."

"Then why did you touch it just now—"

Li Xuewu glanced at him and didn't pay much attention to his words.

That's right, wild animals are very likely to carry unknown lethal viruses, and eating them can easily lead to lying on a board.

But they didn't drill into the deep mountains and old forests, and didn't hit bats, rats, or anything like that; they weren't that unlucky.

They weren't going to eat it, and there were no conditions for cooking on the mountain; it's easier to get a stomachache from eating a belly full of wind.

"Hey, is that girl from your unit?"

Ji Weidong fell behind a few steps, walked side by side with Li Xuewu, leaned in, and pointed ahead to ask.

Li Xuewu glanced at him and didn't respond, because there was nothing good coming out of this kid's mouth.

"Why? Your favorite?"

Sure enough, Ji Weidong's next sentence started flirting, blinking his eyes and asking with a smile: "Your taste is okay!"

"Your taste isn't bad either—"

Li Xuewu twitched the corners of his mouth and said: "One Fen isn't enough, and now there's Cui'er and Laura."

"Damn! You investigated me!"

Ji Weidong seemed to have been stepped on his tail, almost jumping up, staring with his eyes, and almost biting him.

Li Xuewu sneered and looked him over, reminding him: "Don't forget what Han Yating's background is; she participated in those few cases back then."

"Impossible! Absolutely impossible!"

Ji Weidong waved his hand and said with certainty: "How could she possibly know what I did in Hong Kong."

"Yeah, so how did she know?"

Li Xuewu said with a smile while walking: "Could it be that she knew through some channel?"

"It was you who betrayed me!"

Ji Weidong pointed his finger at him and whispered: "You, you're really not righteous, even selling your brother!"

"I have the leisure to care about your little mess—"

Li Xuewu turned his head and said: "Think about it yourself; if you can't even find out this much, then don't mix in the Investigation Department; it's too shameful."

"I damn—it must be you!"

Ji Weidong, standing in place, pursed his lips, and it took a while before he caught up, chattering about his connection with the interior, which couldn't possibly be wrong.

"You only remember your good brother, but forgot your good colleague." Li Xuewu lifted his gun and was about to aim, but seeing Zhou Xiaoling and Banggeng lift their guns and fire, he gave up.

He turned his head to look at Ji Weidong and said: "Don't you have a few enemies in the unit? Or colleagues who don't want to see you do well? Impossible, right?"

"Damn it—"

Ji Weidong finally reacted, cursed hatefully, and then looked up at Li Xuewu, frowning and asking: "Did Han Yating tell you this?"

"What do you think?" Li Xuewu looked at him with a smile and asked back: "Do you think Han Yating would tell me these things? Doesn't she understand the principle that family shame shouldn't be spread?"

"Impossible—" Ji Weidong still looked at him suspiciously and said: "She didn't have any strange expressions when she went home these few times; she didn't look like she knew these things."

"You're really innocent; how did you live until now?" Li Xuewu looked at him, shook his head with a smile, and said: "Don't you know that a woman's heart is a needle at the bottom of the sea?"

"You're playing around outside now; when you're old and in a wheelchair, she'll push you to play with other old men; there are plenty of ways to retaliate against you."

"Damn—" Ji Weidong looked at him speechlessly and said: "You're making me a little scared."

"Be a good person and do some serious work."

Li Xuewu advised him sincerely: "A man who starts a family and establishes a career should think more about his wife and children."

"You should learn from me too; how can I be so clean and unpolluted?"

"You can stop—"

Ji Weidong glanced at him, his mouth also curled, and said: "You're very comfortable soaking in the mud, right?"

"Look at you, what kind of person do you take me for?"

Li Xuewu pointed to Zhou Xiaoling, who was laughing constantly ahead, and explained: "We are just pure comrades; she came to Steel City to visit friends."

"Visit who? Could it be you?"

Ji Weidong looked at him and asked: "Do you dare say you haven't slept with her? Swear!"

"Do you remember Wang Yajuan?"

Li Xuewu raised his eyebrows, looked at him, and explained: "They were both from the dance troupe originally."

"Oh—no wonder—"

Ji Weidong understood and nodded, looking at Zhou Xiaoling ahead, and said: "I just said her figure was so good; it turns out she's a dance actor."

"Hey, by the way, Wang Yajuan, right?"

He suddenly reacted, turned his head to look at Li Xuewu and asked: "Your ex-girlfriend? Transferred to Steel City?"

"She came before me." Li Xuewu reminded him helplessly: "Can you have some normal thinking?"

"I'm even more serious than you!"

Ji Weidong glared at him and pointed to the girl ahead, saying: "Since you are pure comrades, then it won't hinder me from getting to know her, right?"

"If you don't mind being shameful, then go ahead."

Li Xuewu said casually: "Han Yating can tolerate you playing around outside, but she might not be able to tolerate you having affairs in the interior."

"You'll definitely report me, right—"

Ji Weidong pointed his finger at him and said: "You're really not righteous; this is my only hobby."

This kid is also bad enough; his eyes rolled, and he looked at Li Xuewu with a smile and said: "Li Xuewu, you provoked me this time; don't blame me for not being righteous."

After speaking, regardless of what Li Xuewu said, he chased after Zhou Xiaoling ahead.

The two of them were laughing and talking together for the half day they were on the mountain, as if they had really connected.

As a result, on the way back, without waiting for Li Xuewu to ask, Zhou Xiaoling smiled and said: "Second brother, Brother Ji wants to introduce me to a partner, and said I can choose at will until I find one I'm satisfied with."

"Then that's a good thing—"

Li Xuewu also smiled and replied: "But this form of address of yours... did he let you call him that?"

"Hee hee—" Zhou Xiaoling covered her mouth and laughed: "He should mind; every time I call him that, the corner of his mouth twitches, as if he's enduring it."

"Hehehe—" Li Xuewu emphasized with a light laugh: "He actually isn't much older than you; don't call him too old next time; just call him Little Brother Ji."

"You're so bad—" Zhou Xiaoling's eyes were on him, and seeing him tease Ji Weidong, she couldn't help but cover her mouth and pat his shoulder lightly.

A girl who knows how to act spoiled and understands everything; can this be considered a treasure girl?

"Damn, don't mention it—"

Ji Weidong poured half a glass of bitter wine into his mouth and complained: "Ate is a pig without a brain."

"Why? Did you lose the goods?"

Li Xuewu picked up a peanut to eat, glanced at him, and asked: "I said why you came back so fast; it turns out you were cooked by others."

"The goods weren't lost, but I almost lost my life."

Ji Weidong picked up the wine bottle, poured himself a full glass, opened his shirt collar, and showed Li Xuewu: "See? Shrapnel scratch; a little deeper and it would have hit my heart."

"Yo, it really is—"

Li Xuewu raised his eyebrows in surprise and asked: "You weren't delivering weapons, right? This is damn going to die?"

"Pretty much; I almost died over there."

Even now, Ji Weidong was still cursing Ate for having no brain.

"Did he and the other party join forces to set a trap?"

Li Xuewu frowned and asked: "Don't look at his few purchases in the interior; after all, the contact isn't much, and goods don't represent character."

"I know this, of course, but he definitely wasn't intentional; I can tell."

Ji Weidong let go of his clothes and said with certainty: "The injury I suffered doesn't count for much; he was the one who was hit hard; he was shot three times in the stomach and shoulder."

He gestured to Li Xuewu: "If I hadn't kicked him, that shot from the other party would have hit his heart, and he would have died without a life."

"I didn't think there was any play when you came."

Li Xuewu took a calm sip of his wine, looked at him, and said: "Since it's a weapon purchase, why do it secretly? It's not smuggling."

"Anyway, looking back now, I still can't find what was wrong." Ji Weidong shook his head, poured himself another glass of wine, and drank it with a sigh.

"Do you think Gaddafi is sincerely wanting to buy our weapons?" Li Xuewu raised his eyebrows and asked: "Didn't you inquire about who supported him to power?"

"You mean—" Ji Weidong suddenly thought of a possibility, looked at Li Xuewu with wide eyes, full of disbelief, "He actually dared to deceive people!"

"So what if he deceived you?" Li Xuewu shrugged his shoulders and said: "What can you do to him?"

"He didn't come to our house to cheat; he just connected with Ate, this international arms dealer."

Li Xuewu picked up the wine bottle and filled it for him and himself, saying: "He must also know that free is the most expensive, but now he has to choose the most expensive; this is the condition and significance of his coming to power."

"So—" Ji Weidong said hesitantly: "Ate is a big fool—"

"It's fine, you came back safely, didn't you." Li Xuewu raised his glass and signaled: "I wish you three lives of luck for picking up a dog's life."

"Damn, they used a light machine gun to hit me before I even got off the car; luckily my legs were fast."

He drank the wine in his glass in one gulp, burped, and then said to Li Xuewu: "It was only when the bullets flew past my eyes that I realized there were still many things I hadn't done in my life."

"Li Bai's poem is well written; one should enjoy life to the fullest when one is proud, and not let the golden goblet face the moon empty."

Ji Weidong reached out and patted his arm, saying softly: "A man only gets to be carefree for a few years; once it's gone, it's gone; if you want to experience it again, you can only reminisce."

"Are you that weak now?"

Li Xuewu looked him over and reminded: "Be moderate; it will cost lives."

"Go—what am I weak for—"

Ji Weidong waved his hand with a red face and said to Li Xuewu: "At that time, my definition of life changed; following the rules won't make you rich."

He pointed his finger at the table and said: "I have to be proud, I have to enjoy it to the fullest; I should enjoy what I should enjoy."

"But you don't have to eat a year's worth of food in a month." Li Xuewu snorted: "Looking at you now, it's like you've eaten a lifetime's worth of food."

"Stop it—" Ji Weidong drank a bit too fast and was a bit tipsy; he waved his hand and said to Li Xuewu: "Keep this understanding of yours; wait until you're seventy or eighty to find an old lady to enjoy life to the fullest."

"Do you know that there are no girls who are forever eighteen, but you don't know that there are always eighteen-year-old girls?"

Li Xuewu patted his shoulder with a smile and said softly: "Once you pass thirty-five, your kind of guerrilla warfare will only be able to sigh at the ocean."

"Damn, you even want to compare this with me!"

Ji Weidong said impatiently: "You are better than me in everything, even your taste in picking up girls is better than mine."

"Not necessarily; I stopped a long time ago."

Li Xuewu saw that he was about to get drunk, stood up, and waved to the driver waiting for them at the door.

Ji Weidong brought his own driver; the driver was a strong man who was already used to his drunkenness.

"Secretary-General Li, I'll send the leader back to the reception house."

The driver carried Ji Weidong on his shoulder, not caring whether Ji Weidong would vomit, greeted Li Xuewu, and turned to leave.

Banggeng poked his head out from the room to look, and seeing that Uncle Ji had really left, he came to the restaurant to clean up the mess.

Zhou Xiaoling didn't come tonight; she also knew that Li Xuewu was entertaining friends, so she went to find Wang Yajuan.

Good sisters, after all; it would be too embarrassing not to meet when coming to Steel City, and even if they met, they had to say it was for her that they came.

PS: Wish you all a Happy Mid-Autumn Festival~