Chapter 1548: Eat dinner early

"I bought the vegetables back."

Ran Qiuye opened the door, sniffed, glanced at the kitchen, and said, "So spicy?"

"Just borrowing the flavor." Li Xuewu looked back at her and said with a smile, "If you think it's too spicy, I'll put less chili oil, but the flavor will be worse."

"Don't, just do it as you said."

Ran Qiuye closed the door, changed into slippers, walked to the kitchen, and asked, "Did you cut the meat?"

"Is it okay? A bit of skill."

Li Xuewu held up the plate at hand to show her, raised his eyebrows, and boasted, "Not inferior to a master chef."

Seeing him show off, Ran Qiuye smiled and pursed her lips, saying, "The apron is tied crookedly, and you call yourself a master chef."

"It's because your apron is too small."

Seeing that she wanted to help him tidy up the apron, Li Xuewu stood up straight and let her arms wrap around him.

"The kitchen is so clean, do you usually not cook?"

"Living alone, how can I deal with it?"

Ran Qiuye said to him over his shoulder, "Boil some rice porridge for breakfast, steam a bun, my mother's pickled vegetables, just warm the stomach."

Helping Li Xuewu tie the apron again, she took the vegetables she had just bought out of the rattan basket.

"Eat at the school cafeteria at noon."

She glanced at Li Xuewu and said, "Eat when hungry at night, don't eat when not hungry, easy to fool."

"Did the old couple come back to see you?"

Li Xuewu didn't persuade her to cook for herself, because the food for one person was indeed not easy to make, and even if it were him, he would fool around.

Living alone was lonely enough. If one cooked alone and ate alone, how lonely that would be.

"Mm, came back twice." Ran Qiuye stood by the cupboard and washed the vegetables, replying, "But mostly I still go up the mountain to see them."

"How is the old couple's health?"

Li Xuewu collected the fried chili oil in a bowl, used the hot pot to boil the beef tallow and peanut oil he brought with a small fire, and prepared green onions, ginger, and garlic at the same time.

Watching his unskilled movements, a happy smile appeared on the corner of Ran Qiuye's mouth.

Letting him cook in person didn't count as happiness; two people working together on a meal was happiness.

No matter how bad the meal he made tonight was, she would eat it full.

"Both are quite good. I said it's cold, they said it's comfortable. Even if it's colder, staying in the mountains feels comfortable."

Ran Qiuye smiled at him, lowered her head, and went to wash the vegetables. She spent quite a bit of money today.

"Didn't bring you any green vegetables?" Li Xuewu glanced at her and said with a smile, "Perhaps life in the mountains is really more comfortable than in the city?"

"Hehehe—I heard."

Ran Qiuye knew what he was talking about, raised her head with a light smile, and said, "My mother said every family in the village buckles greenhouses. Not only do they buckle at home, but the village also buckles them. It can't compare to the scale of the vegetable greenhouses in the reclamation area, but they still made a lot of money."

She gestured to the green vegetables in her hand and said, "I spent nearly 1.5 yuan just buying this little bit of vegetables. They said eating green vegetables doesn't cost money, and it doesn't cost money in winter or summer."

"The Red Star Village has been rich in these few years."

Li Xuewu nodded and said with emotion, "It really fulfills that saying: how bold people are, how much land produces. Who could have imagined how poor the mountains were before."

"My mother told me that the poorest family of six only had one pair of pants. Whoever went out wore them."

Ran Qiuye shook her head slightly in agreement and said, "This is something I didn't dare to think about before, never thought it would..."

"This is just what you see, what about what you don't see?"

Li Xuewu put the prepared green onions, ginger, and garlic into the pot and stir-fried them with high heat. The fragrance erupted, mixed with the smoke and fire, covering the entire kitchen.

Ran Qiuye couldn't stand it, squeezed past his body, and opened the kitchen window. The cold air came in, taking away the rich fragrance. I don't know who outside the window benefited.

"Do you need my help?" She looked at Li Xuewu's stiff movements suspiciously. It didn't matter if it was done badly, but don't cause a chemical reaction—

"Rest assured, I also transferred back and entered the security office. If I had been arranged to the cafeteria, I would have been a top master chef long ago."

In front of Ran Qiuye, what did Li Xuewu dare not brag about? Even if he made a fool of himself, it was only her alone.

Ran Qiuye pursed her lips and tried hard to hold back her laughter. When he turned his head, she put on an "I believe you" expression, giving him full emotional value.

"Let me tell you, you've seen this recipe, but if it were in the past, I would have had to kill you to keep it a secret."

Li Xuewu scooped another spoonful of bean paste and knocked it into the pot, together with the fried chili oil, and stewed them.

He said it mysteriously, but in fact, this hot pot base was not authentic at all, all substitute materials.

Can Pixian bean paste and Northeast bean paste be the same thing? Red oil and dry fried chili oil are also not the same taste, but he could fool Ran Qiuye who hadn't seen the world.

"You really think I haven't eaten Sichuan hot pot!"

Ran Qiuye smiled and gently punched his back, saying, "Can't I eat hot pot?"

"I'm asking why you were invited to dinner."

Li Xuewu asked with a smile, "My neighbor, I still understand him. He doesn't go to the Three Treasures Hall for nothing. Can he give away a meal for free?"

"What are you saying, can't we have friendship?"

Ran Qiuye smiled and explained, "When my teacher's son got married, he was asked to help."

"I know, I still remember he told me."

Li Xuewu used a colander to fish out the scorched onion segments, and said with a smile, "I know he's a good person, just a bit careless. He is indeed a friend worth making."

Ran Qiuye put the washed vegetables on the dining table, turned around and said, "He came to me to ask for help, to arrange his He Zhuang into the nursery."

"He Zhuang? Into the nursery?"

Li Xuewu looked back at her in surprise and asked, "Why? Is there something wrong with Diliya?"

The conditions for entering the nursery in this era were not difficult. Normal infants from 56 days after birth to children of three and a half years old could be accepted, as long as the mother worked in a unit, the unit's nursery would accept them as usual.

And children from three and a half to six and a half years old needed to enter kindergarten to carry out preschool education.

Li Xuewu was surprised because Diliya was not a factory worker, so how could He Yuzhu have the conditions to handle nursery care.

The welfare and treatment of workers in this era were unimaginable to later generations. They couldn't be mentioned. If more young people knew, their psychology would be even more unbalanced.

Why has the fertility rate of later generations been declining year after year? It's already very difficult for a young couple to work hard in the city. Once the woman is pregnant and gives birth, she has to face the choice of stopping work.

There is life security in the system, but who will take care of the child after maternity leave is a big problem.

Although most of them are raised by both parents, family conflicts are everywhere.

If the parents of both sides are in poor health, or have other difficulties, then the young couple is really in trouble.

You think, the man will work hard to make money to support the family. People's energy is limited, and he will definitely neglect his care and concern for his wife and children.

What about the woman? She works hard for the child and the family, and her resentment can only be nagged to her lover.

After a long time, the relationship between the two will have cracks, and then diseases like postpartum depression will appear.

Actually, no one is wrong; they are all for this family, but the man's hard work achievements are visible, such as promotion and salary increase.

The woman's hard work is reflected in the healthy growth of the child, which is easily ignored.

They have been shouting for gender equality for decades, but they have encountered Waterloo on the issue of having children.

So how did the era with tens of millions of collective economic workers decades ago solve this problem?

In a word, workers are the leading class in socialist China, representing advanced productive forces and production relations.

The factory is collective and also belongs to the workers. Creating labor conditions for workers is a must.

That's why there are conditions for 56-day-old infants to handle nursery care, and the nursery conditions are better. Not only are there full-time medical personnel and childcare personnel, but there is also a supply of special nutritional food. These are the future socialist successors living here. Who dares to ignore and abuse them?

According to Li Xuewu's suggestion, Ran Qiuye added a few pieces of rock sugar to the beef tallow pot he boiled.

Not to mention anything else, the cost of this pot of base material alone could be a hot pot at Langtaosha.

But since he is Li Xuewu, he can cook for himself, so what else is there to be picky about.

"I don't know, I just heard him say his wife wants to go to work and has no time to take care of the child."

"Wouldn't it be that she's pregnant again?"

Li Xuewu raised his eyebrows and said, "I remember their He Zhuang's birthday is in February 1967."

"Mm, about the same. He told me he's three years old, and he'll stay in the nursery for half a year, and then go to kindergarten in the autumn."

Ran Qiuye nodded and said, "I helped him talk to Principal Wang of the kindergarten. Principal Wang's meaning is that it's easier to coax children when they are older, but after all, it doesn't meet the regulations, so a little more childcare fee was collected."

"Principal Wang?" Li Xuewu frowned slightly and asked, "Isn't preschool education the responsibility of Old Liu?"

"Teacher Liu retired, it was a matter from last year."

Ran Qiuye explained, "Deputy Director Wang of the office took over his shift and is now responsible for preschool education."

"Deputy Director Wang." Li Xuewu thought for a while, raised his eyebrows, and asked, "Is it Wang Han Lu?"

"Ah, do you know her?" Ran Qiuye was very surprised, looked at him, and asked, "Did you know her when you came to inspect?"

"Did you forget? She and her husband taught middle school in Red Star Commune for more than a year."

Li Xuewu explained, "Her husband's grandfather knows me, so I arranged it with your parents."

"Oh—I seem to remember."

Ran Qiuye nodded and said, "No wonder she could come to the United School, it turns out you arranged it."

"What was her partner's name again?"

Li Xuewu straightened his waist, raised his head slightly to think for a while, and then turned his head and said, "Seems to be called Zhao Zhiqiang."

"Your memory is quite good—"

Ran Qiuye smiled and said, "He teaches mathematics, right in our middle school department."

"His grandfather is called Zhao Youkuan, he has some craftsmanship and ability in mounting and appraising calligraphy and paintings."

Li Xuewu didn't say that the junk Ye Erye collected for him was mostly maintained and preserved by Zhao Youkuan.

It counts as owing the other party a favor, and the other party is also very good at being a person, so Wang Han Lu and Zhao Zhiqiang have his care in the unit, it's just that Wang Han Lu has her own ideas.

He and Jing Rong's affair, Li Xuewu had known about it for a long time, but he couldn't mention it, let alone talk about it.

Actually, Wang Han Lu was also scared, or rather stimulated, and wanted to climb up hard, climb to a safer place, and didn't want to suffer the hardships of the beginning again.

Relying on others is not as good as relying on oneself.

The status of the several teaching departments of the United School is not low, which shows that Jing Rong also takes care of her.

Li Xuewu didn't tell Ran Qiuye about this. Even if she knew, she wouldn't gossip about others.

"Are you sure this pot won't poison people?"

Ran Qiuye looked suspiciously at the mud fire stove on the dining table and reminded, "Incomplete burning of charcoal has the danger of carbon monoxide poisoning, which is very harmful to the nervous system."

"With the situation of your room leaking wind, do you still need to worry about carbon monoxide poisoning?"

Li Xuewu smiled, straightened the hot pot, and added the hot pot base he had boiled for half an hour and hot water.

"We only need one spoonful, and I've packed the rest in a lunch box for you. It will solidify and you can take it whenever you eat."

"Ah, it's not for one meal?"

Ran Qiuye looked at the windowsill in the kitchen, turned her head and smiled, "I thought it was for one meal."

"Where would you need so much? This is spicy enough." Li Xuewu put the sliced meat and vegetable segments into the hot pot. The bubbling pot calmed down instantly, which also gave him time to prepare the sesame sauce.

A child who doesn't know how to prepare sesame sauce is not a good child.

You can only stir in one direction, add water while stirring, not too much, not too little.

Li Xuewu had fast hands and great strength. The viscosity of sesame sauce is very tiring for the wrist. Ran Qiuye felt tired just watching, and when she saw him add chili oil, she grinned.

"You really aren't afraid of spicy!"

"The peppercorns are a bit less." Li Xuewu had already tasted the base material, it wasn't numbing, just spicy.

"If it's not numbing and not spicy, this hot pot can't be eaten. The clear soup pot is more troublesome than this."

Li Xuewu prepared the dipping sauce, divided it into two bowls, and went to the dining table.

Ran Qiuye's house in the workers' new village is not small. When Li Xuewu bought it for her, he considered that her parents would also come back to live, so he bought her the largest area.

Don't even mention it, if he hadn't bought the largest one, they wouldn't know where to move the books that filled the wall.

It's still okay now. When decorating, Li Xuewu arranged for her to prepare a study room. Now it's cleaned up, and it has more of a life atmosphere.

"I wanted to paste the windows, but every time something happened, and later I gave up."

Ran Qiuye picked up her chopsticks and tasted a piece of Chinese cabbage. It was so hot that she stuck out her tongue, calling it spicy again and again.

"Drink some water, don't rush to eat."

Li Xuewu handed her the hot water he had prepared early. Hot water can relieve spiciness better than cold water.

"Why is it so spicy—"

Ran Qiuye, who didn't eat spicy food often, truly felt the thick malice from the hot pot, and tears came down.

"You'll feel spicy when you start eating, but you won't be able to stop after two more bites."

Li Xuewu smiled and put the vegetables and meat on the plate, so it would be easier for her to eat when it was cooler.

Actually, he didn't eat hot pot often either. This thing wasn't friendly to the throat and stomach, but eating hot pot in the cold winter always felt like it was missing something.

"Sweat is coming down."

Ran Qiuye wiped her forehead, tears in her eyes, and said, "This is the first time I've eaten something so spicy."

"Do you want to rinse it in hot water?" Li Xuewu smiled and taught her another trick, but the taste was gone.

Ran Qiuye shook her head slightly, picked up a piece of meat with fat and lean, dipped it in sesame sauce, and ate it. This time she didn't call it spicy, only her nostrils fanned more frequently.

"If the old couple wants to come back, let them come back."

Li Xuewu said while eating, "It's nothing, the environment of the United School is relatively closed."

"I've already given up, I don't want to persuade them anymore."

Ran Qiuye stood up, went to the bathroom to wash the towel, and wiped her face to relieve the heat of the numbness and spiciness.

"Actually, it's quite good in the mountains. No need to deal with human relationships, it's just right for their personality."

She sat down beside Li Xuewu again and said, "Actually, they were like this when they were abroad. They didn't go out much, just huddled at home reading books."

"I actually envy this kind of spiritual realm." Li Xuewu looked at her and said, "Living in an ivory tower, no need to worry, how happy."

"You? You can't live that kind of life."

Ran Qiuye shook her head slightly and said, "You were born to do big things, books can't trap your heart."

"Is that so, you understand me so well."

Li Xuewu smiled, ate a bite of vegetables, and said, "Tell you something you wouldn't expect, I've also become a teacher."

"Mm, mm?" Ran Qiuye, who was eating wide vermicelli, looked up blankly and asked, "Become—a teacher? Your current work... that's not right! Has your position in the group changed?"

"Not the group's position." Li Xuewu put meat for her and explained, "It's the work relationship in the original Garrison District. I originally wanted to resign, but they wouldn't let me go and arranged for me to be a teacher at the Political and Law College."

"Ah, so that's how it is—"

Ran Qiuye looked at him curiously and asked, "What did they arrange for you to teach? Management?"

"Hehe, psychology." Li Xuewu glanced at her and said with a light smile, "Criminal psychology."

"Oh, it's the book you wrote."

Ran Qiuye looked at the study room. She had all the books he wrote, and she had read them more than once in the nights she missed him.

"Mm, it's that book." Li Xuewu explained, "Maybe there are other work arrangements."

"You have this ability and enough experience. I believe you can fully handle it."

Ran Qiuye said with a smile, "At first I thought you were going to be a teacher at the United School."

"Oh, it's that book you wrote."

Li Xuewu looked at her and teased, "How about I go to your middle school to work? Teaching Chinese is still okay."

"Forget it, you're not qualified."

Ran Qiuye smiled and ate a bite of vegetables, panting with heat, and said, "Have you heard of 'specialization in academic subjects'."

"You're even looking down on me—"

Li Xuewu said amusingly, "My articles have been in the newspaper, and I'm not qualified to teach Chinese?"

"Writing articles and teaching are two different things."

Ran Qiuye explained very seriously, "Writing articles well doesn't mean high teaching quality. There are many Chinese teachers who can't write articles, but there aren't many writers who are Chinese teachers. I'm not talking about you."

"Hehe—" Li Xuewu shook his head and smiled bitterly. If this isn't talking about himself, who is it talking about? Who isn't a writer?

"You wouldn't be angry, would you?" Ran Qiuye sized him up carefully and said, "I just said it like that. Besides, the group still needs you to steer the ship. Where would they need you to teach in middle school? What a waste."

"Teacher Ran, you've changed—"

Li Xuewu looked at her and sighed with emotion, "Not only are you smoother in dealing with people, but even your speech is so pleasant. You wouldn't want to be the general principal, would you?"

"Hahaha—" Being with him was always happy, and there was never a lack of laughter.

"I don't want to make progress in this life."

After laughing, she looked at Li Xuewu frankly and said, "Being able to contribute my own strength in my current position is not living in vain."

"Then the cadres of the middle school department are in trouble."

Li Xuewu said amusingly, "You can't bypass you to promote them. If you don't move, they don't want to move either."

"What kind of logic is that—"

Ran Qiuye didn't agree first, and teased, "I don't want to make progress, does that mean I don't allow others to make progress?"

"Mm—the common sense is like this."

Li Xuewu nodded and said, "Unless you make the middle school department bigger and bigger, just like the group."

"What logic, how can a school be made bigger?"

Ran Qiuye sighed and said, "Or I just won't be the principal. I'm very satisfied with teaching."

"Why? Don't want to contribute to the cause of education?" Li Xuewu reached out to tease her, lifted her chin, and said, "Have some ambition, okay?"

"You want me to be like you?" Ran Qiuye looked up at him and said, "Busy all the time?"

"If you say that, I might cry."

Li Xuewu smiled and held her hand, saying, "I don't want you to be like anyone. I only hope you live happily, have ideals, and have goals."

"Thank you." Ran Qiuye shook his hand movedly and looked at him deeply.

This hot pot was eaten for a long time, and the two talked about many topics, even talking about Qin Huairu.

Ran Qiuye said that she met Qin Huairu on the street when she went downstairs, and was urged by the other party to ask about marriage.

Li Xuewu lay on the bed with his arms around her shoulders and said amusingly, "She still wants to introduce you to a partner?"

"Said it's from the logistics department, two years younger than me, and also a cadre." Ran Qiuye turned over and leaned sideways in his arms, which gave her more sense of security.

"She can't even manage her own family's affairs, and still has the leisure to be a matchmaker." Li Xuewu closed his eyes and said, "Do you see each other often?"

"Very rarely, we can see each other once every two or three months."

Ran Qiuye raised her head, found a more comfortable position, and said, "Although we live in the same courtyard, it's not easy to see acquaintances."

In three years, the Red Steel Group built more than a hundred buildings on this land, and thousands of workers moved in. The original neighborhood relationship of the big compound had long been broken and rebuilt. If they lived far away, they wouldn't necessarily see each other for a long time, unless they worked in the same unit.

"When are you coming back from Steel City?"

After a long silence, Ran Qiuye held his hand and asked, "I mean work transfer back."

"Mm, there is no such plan yet."

Li Xuewu seemed to be falling asleep, hummed and said, "What's wrong? Missed me?"

"I miss you every day." Lying in the same quilt, what words couldn't she say?

At this moment, she leaned back and tried hard to get close to his body, even though the two were already stuck together.

"I heard people say you might be transferred?"

Speaking of this, Ran Qiuye turned around, lay on his side, looked up and asked, "Is it true?"

"Fake. I have never received any relevant notice, let alone received organizational talk."

Li Xuewu said indifferently, "With my current rank, it's not enough for cross-enterprise transfer."

"Then what about taking another step forward?" Ran Qiuye asked curiously, "Are you going to make progress this year?"

"Not necessarily, the time is too short." Li Xuewu opened his eyes and looked at her, explaining, "You heard about the production accident of the No. 4 furnace in Steel City, right?"

"Ah, I was worried about you."

Ran Qiuye propped herself up, revealing a piece of white, but didn't care, looked at him and asked, "Will it involve you?"

"It's unavoidable." Li Xuewu held her in his arms. The heating in the room was hot, but the window leaked wind, and after the two neutralized, it was neither cold nor hot.

"That project was presided over and built by Deputy Director Dong during his time in Steel City. I have to handle it properly."

He rubbed his forehead and said, "Now several forces want to make an issue of this matter, and it's very noisy."

"I'm worried about you—" Ran Qiuye reached out her arm and hugged him, saying, "Will there be anything?"

"It won't be good if it gets too big." Li Xuewu looked at her and said, "There must be an explanation, right?"

"Those people have an excuse to stop you?"

Ran Qiuye hadn't been a principal for nothing these years. She just didn't want to worry about such things, not that she didn't have the ability.

"Mm, maybe." Li Xuewu let out a long breath, but there was no regret or disappointment in his emotions.

Ran Qiuye knew he was meticulous and steady in doing things, and also knew that her worries were all superfluous.

"I'll wait for you in Beijing."

Her face was against his chest, feeling the surging power in his chest, full of pride.

"Don't worry about me, this is also the result I want." Li Xuewu smiled and stroked her hair, explaining, "If a person walks too smoothly, they won't last long. They have to experience several hardships to show their extraordinary talent."

"Mm, you are the smartest person."

Ran Qiuye firmly believed in this point. She always believed that Li Xuewu was the smartest person she had ever met.

After seeing many hardships, she knew what was sweet and what was happiness.

Even if she couldn't be with him often, she wouldn't find a so-called suitable person to marry.

She hadn't thought about this in her whole life. Thinking of him, and him thinking of her, was enough.

"Do you have a problem?"

Jing Yunong was almost driven to neurasthenia by him. Knocking on the door early in the morning almost scared her to death.

"Is your husband at home?"

Li Xuewu could really do things, and asked with a smile, "Is it not a good time for me to come?"

"Do you want me to call him back?"

Jing Yunong was also a ruthless person, daring to say anything, even sacrificing her husband.

Li Xuewu didn't dare to play so stimulatingly. After entering the door, he skillfully changed into slippers and said, "Get some breakfast, I'm hungry, haven't eaten breakfast yet."

"No—" Jing Yunong snorted with dissatisfaction and said, "Do you want to eat yesterday's dinner?"

Li Xuewu looked at the dining room. Good heavens, four dishes and one soup, the kind that hadn't been touched at all.

"You—don't tell me you waited for me all night?" 【154

"How about I call him and tell him to come back?"

Jing Yunong was also a ruthless person; she dared to say anything, and she was even willing to sacrifice her own lover.

Li Xuewu didn't dare to play such a stimulating game. After entering, he skillfully changed into his slippers and said, "Fix me some breakfast. I'm hungry; I haven't eaten yet."

"There isn't any—" Jing Yunong hummed with dissatisfaction and said, "Did you eat last night's dinner or not?"

Li Xuewu glanced toward the dining room. Goodness, four dishes and one soup, and they hadn't even been touched.

"You—you couldn't have been waiting for me all night, could you?"

Jing Yunong didn't want to engage with him, and even less did she want to answer this insulting question; she just squinted at him.

"Heh heh, Old Li called me to play mahjong."

Li Xuewu found a random excuse and explained, "I told him I had things to take care of at home, but he insisted on dragging me to play a few rounds. Once we started, it lasted for most of the night."

Jing Yunong still didn't speak; she even crossed her arms and leaned against the dining room doorway, just watching him.

The meal was prepared, but the person hadn't shown up; could she not make a phone call to find him?

Of course, she wouldn't go directly to Li Xuewu, but rather to the people who might have held him up.

She had called the duty room and asked around; do you think she didn't know what Old Li had been doing last night?

If she couldn't even find out this little bit of information, then her year-plus of personnel work would have been for nothing.

Li Xuewu hadn't thought he could fool her in the first place, and he certainly wasn't going to continue lying to trick her.

No amount of nonsense was as real or as reliable as actual action.

Uh—don't misunderstand; he just took off the apron hanging on the wall, preparing to heat up last night's food.

What was it that men looked forward to most?

Food in the pot, person in the bed, right?

Looking at Deputy Director Jing's attitude, if he didn't eat this meal well, the next step would be trouble.

"Yo, it looks, smells, and tastes great."

Li Xuewu buttered her up, saying, "I didn't expect you to have this skill; it's a real surprise."

"What are your plans for Steel City?"

Jing Yunong didn't want to pursue where he went last night; he wasn't her man, just someone who broke an appointment, not someone running away from a wedding. A mature woman wouldn't do childish things.

So getting angry was useless; it was better to talk about something substantial. She really wanted to know Li Xuewu's next plan.

"Make it big, make it strong, and create brilliance."

Li Xuewu's cooking technique was average, but he definitely had no problem heating up food.

He tossed the cold dishes into the pan, stirred them around, and poured them back into the plates; in a few moments, the meal was ready.

Dinner can be eaten in the morning, and last night's person can also be eaten in the morning; eat slowly, no rush.

"And then?" Seeing him set a bowl of rice in front of her, Jing Yunong didn't pick up her chopsticks. She wanted to know what kind of tricks he was really pulling in Steel City.

"Why drag out the matter of the No. 4 furnace?"

"This eggplant is really delicious—"

Li Xuewu shoveled rice into his mouth, pointed at the plate of eggplant, and commented, "It tastes even better than my mom's."

"How about you call me Mom, and I'll make it for you every day?" Jing Yunong squinted her eyes and said huffily.

"Hmm? You like playing this game?" Li Xuewu was so wicked; how could he let her take advantage of him? He raised an eyebrow and said, "Then let's try swapping roles in a bit."

"Can't you be serious for once?"

Jing Yunong was truly defeated. How could this bastard be so thick-skinned? Like a piece of tough meat.

"Haven't you heard this saying?"

Li Xuewu looked at her and said, "The more you know, the more dangerous it is. I'm doing this for your own good."

"I just knew that holding it in for too long wouldn't lead to anything good."

Jing Yunong glared at him resentfully, picked up her chopsticks, and said, "You aren't going to deal with Dong Wenxue, are you?"

"In your heart, am I that untrustworthy?" Li Xuewu ate a piece of braised pork knuckle and said, "Or have I done something to wrong you?"

"You've wronged me plenty of times—"

Jing Yunong rolled her eyes at him, picked up a piece of egg with her chopsticks, and said, "Where did you go last night?"

"Didn't I tell you? I was playing mahjong; Old Li organized the game." Li Xuewu stuck to the same story.

Jing Yunong, however, twitched the corner of her mouth and looked at him playfully, saying, "Oh, playing mahjong, huh? Who was there?"

"What's wrong? You still don't trust me."

Li Xuewu could talk nonsense, but he didn't hold back on the meat dishes on the table. Everything Deputy Director Jing prepared was what he liked to eat. When did she find out his preferences?

"It's not that I don't trust you; it's that I'm worried about you." Jing Yunong smiled meaningfully and said, "Director Li invited Zhou Miaomiao to play mahjong last night; does that have anything to do with you?"

"Hmm? —" Li Xuewu suddenly raised his head, looked at her, and asked, "Really? You're bluffing me."

"Heh heh—" Jing Yunong chuckled, revealing a confident expression. She lowered her head, her chopsticks holding a piece of food, and said, "Why don't you call and ask Zhou Miaomiao if she's up yet? You two have a good relationship, after all."

Li Xuewu stared at her for a few seconds, then smiled and said, "Let's forget it. My relationship with her isn't as good as you say, and I'm not going to be the bad guy."

"Besides, if someone calls to ask if you're up later, I'll be unhappy too."

"Hmph—" Jing Yunong didn't listen to his smooth talk and returned to the topic of Steel City.

"If you don't tell the truth, don't come looking for me if trouble happens later. If the flood destroys the Dragon King's temple, I won't be held responsible."

"What do you want to know?" Li Xuewu was full, put down his chopsticks, and said, "The No. 4 furnace is just a small matter; what's there to be suspicious about?"

"What I think isn't important; what others think is." Jing Yunong ate very slowly, in a measured and charming way. She raised her head, looked at Li Xuewu, and said calmly, "You always want to swallow a fat man in one bite."

She said with a hint of reproach, "You miscalculated last time; do you want to grab everything in one go this time too?"

"Sigh, who could have expected that—"

Hearing her say this, Li Xuewu wanted to stand up and find some wine. The way Cheng Kaiyuan dodged that last time was indeed something he hadn't expected; he had even prepared the cold arrow to pierce his heart.

"Food is best eaten at the right time and in the right setting. If you eat dinner cold in the morning, reheating it doesn't bring back the same flavor, don't you think?"

Jing Yunong was only half-full; she was afraid that if Li Xuewu worked too hard later, it would make her stomach uncomfortable.

This bastard never knew how to be gentle; he had plenty of tricks up his sleeve, but he was just too strong.

If she really let him go through his whole routine, she wouldn't be able to do anything else today; she'd be lying in bed all day just to recover.

"When do you think is the most appropriate time to integrate the industrial resources of Liaodong?"

Li Xuewu crossed his hands under his chin, looked at her, and asked, "This year is definitely out."

"I knew you had this in mind."

Jing Yunong squinted her eyes, looked at him, and said, "You want me to step forward and cut off Old Li's retreat, and now you want to scheme against Dong Wenxue to cut off his path forward too?"

Seeing the fierce light flashing in Li Xuewu's eyes, she helplessly reminded him, "He will fight you to the death."

"Heh heh—" Li Xuewu didn't confirm her guess, but he didn't deny it either; he just chuckled lightly and said calmly, "I was just asking."

"If you really want to do it, then play however you want after I leave."

Jing Yunong knew that once he made a decision, he wouldn't easily change it. Since he was willing to reveal his heart to her today, it meant the plan had long been set in stone.

This bastard always looked ten steps ahead for every one step he took. If she could understand this step today, it meant he had already calculated the next ten steps; how could it be changed?

"Who said you were leaving?" Li Xuewu said amusingly, "Everyone is saying I'm the one who's leaving."

"Nonsense—do you believe that?" Jing Yunong curled her lip, stood up, and said, "Don't make it difficult for yourself; I'll be the one to go. Consider it me owing you."

"I've never said you owe me anything."

Li Xuewu stood up and followed her, not stopping even when she walked toward the bathroom.

"Do you have some kind of plan? Why don't you tell me, and I'll help you think it through?"

"Don't doubt me, ever."

Jing Yunong turned around, reached out, and poked his chest, emphasizing, "Otherwise, you'll regret it."

"Is that so—" Li Xuewu didn't walk toward the bathroom anymore, but stood at the doorway and said, "When do you think is the best time to resolve the No. 4 furnace incident?"

"No need to ask me; I don't have any opinions or plans." Jing Yunong calmly unbuttoned her pajamas and walked into the bathroom, with no intention of having him close the door and get out.

"I actually think dragging it out isn't a big problem. Perhaps there might even be unexpected gains."

Li Xuewu stood at the bathroom door with his arms crossed, admiring Deputy Director Jing's figure, which she worked hard to maintain.

It must be said, in this day and age, for a woman in her thirties to still have this kind of appearance is truly rare.

It's not that he had too much to eat and liked to compare; even at thirty-something, Qin Huairu had changed so much over the past few years.

Of course, it also had to do with him not having had contact with Qin Huairu for over a year; the perspective was different now.

He generally didn't touch food that already had an owner, but wild food like Jing Yunong was worth taking a bite of.

"Anyway, I've warned you; do whatever you want. I'll stick to what I said."

Coming out of the bathroom, Jing Yunong didn't mind his admiring gaze; she was happy inside, but her face remained calm as she said, "If you want to sweep across the board before leaving Steel City, you must be prepared to face the backlash and lose everything."

"Well, I can't have spent these three years for nothing." Li Xuewu raised an eyebrow and said, "When I first went to Steel City, they all guarded against me like I was a thief."

"You are a thief—" Jing Yunong held her bath towel with one hand and pointed at Li Xuewu's forehead with the other, emphasizing, "You're a big thief, stealing from the family!"

Li Xuewu squinted at her, his smile gradually turning wicked, and said, "Actually, you don't need to provoke me; you should know my strength."

"Then you'd better have the brains to control that strength." Jing Yunong naturally understood his double entendre. She didn't hide the bit of white skin revealed, pushed him aside, and walked toward the bedroom, saying, "I don't like the feeling of being schemed against."

"But why do I feel like you're addicted to it?"

Li Xuewu glanced at the time on his hand and walked toward the bedroom, saying, "How about we discuss it—you go first?"