Chapter 1585: Good child

"Can't you leave work early today?"

Li Xuewu confirmed again before Gu Ning left, "There's a ballet performance at the Red Star Theater. Do you want to see it?"

"No, my eyes are only on work."

Gu Ning gave the most noble answer and ideal of a worker in this era, leaving Li Xuewu speechless.

Er Ya watched the couple joking and found it amusing, but she didn't dare laugh out loud. She just helped Li Shu pack her schoolbag and quietly reminded her to remember to drink water at school.

"Got it—" Li Shu promised with a smile, then trotted to the foyer, where her little aunt, Zhao Yaping, was waiting for her.

"Aren't you going to say goodbye to Dad?"

Li Xuewu blocked his daughter's way and reminded her, "Do you not miss Dad anymore?"

"Then you have to promise me one condition."

Li Shu seemed to be waiting for this, looking at her father with anticipation, her little head held high.

"Hmm—" Li Xuewu pretended to hesitate and think for a moment before looking at her and saying, "Then tell me first."

"No—" Li Shu emphasized stubbornly, "You have to promise me first!"

"This is hard to do." Li Xuewu pondered, "What if you cause trouble and want me to forgive you?"

"Dad, I'm going to be late for school."

Li Shu saw that things were going badly, turned around, bypassed him, and caught up with her little aunt, urging her little aunt to walk faster.

Li Xuewu held his teacup and stood in the foyer, watching his daughter trot away, shaking his head with a bitter smile.

"Dad, I want to go to school."

Li Ning held his sister's toy submachine gun in his hand, looking at his departing sister with hope, his eyes full of longing.

"Envious of your sister carrying a schoolbag to school?"

Li Xuewu squatted down to look at his son and said, "You're still young. You don't know that once you carry a schoolbag, you're no longer a child, and you'll lose the joy of running wild in your childhood."

"Then what am I?" Li Ning seemed to have transformed into a "ten thousand whys," looking at his father and asking, "What is joy?"

"How does it feel when your sister hits you?" Li Xuewu looked at his son and said bluntly, "Think about it. How does it feel when your sister gives you a toy?"

"Sister is good—" Li Ning didn't dare answer the first question; he was afraid his father would tell on him and his sister would beat him up again when she came back.

However, he had long had a standard answer for the latter question. How could this be difficult for him?

"Once you carry a schoolbag and walk into the school, you are a successor to socialism." Li Xuewu reached out and patted his shoulder, asking, "Do you know how heavy this responsibility is?"

"I don't know—" Li Ning shook his head blankly and asked curiously again, "Then can a successor hit their younger brother or sister?"

"..." Li Xuewu was stumped by his son's question. He awkwardly picked up his teacup and took a sip. Seeing Er Ya really couldn't help but laugh and turned to go to the dining room, he coughed and said, "Your sister hitting you has nothing to do with whether she's a successor. She just wants to beat you up. If you have the ability, why don't you fight back?"

"Dad..." Li Ning really didn't expect that his father was drinking hot tea, but the words that came out were so cold.

"But going to school still has benefits."

Li Xuewu nodded, looked at his son, and said, "She is learning, and you are learning. When you have a conflict, you can argue with her."

"Ah?" Li Ning didn't quite understand the significance of arguing, but he grasped the key point: "What if she can't argue and hits me?"

"Good, this question is well asked."

Li Xuewu stood up, looked at his son, and asked, "Do you like eating cookies? The ones Dad brought back from Liaodong."

"I like eating them—" Li Ning was easily distracted. He followed his father, jumping and skipping, and never mentioned school or whether he would be beaten by his sister again.

"Are you home all day today?" Er Ya finished tidying up the dining room, walked out, and asked, "I need to prepare lunch."

"Don't count me in; I have other arrangements."

Li Xuewu opened the box he brought back, found the tin box of cookies, and handed it to his son.

Li Ning held the tin box and shook it up and down, his eyes wide. "Dad, why didn't I find this yesterday?"

"Because you didn't find it yesterday."

Li Xuewu accompanied his son in saying nonsense with great patience. He reached out, took a can opener from the cabinet, and pried open the tin lid.

"Two pieces a day. Eat more and you'll get beaten."

He reminded his son, "Anyway, I've already told you. The cookies here are counted. If you don't believe me, just eat them."

Li Ning, who was preparing to feast, was stunned. He hesitated, looked at the butter cookie in his hand, frowned, and asked, "So many..."

"Hmm—" Li Xuewu didn't even look. He turned and went to the foyer, changed into cloth shoes, and walked out.

Li Ning watched his father leave confidently, and then looked at his little aunt who wasn't paying attention to him. He tried to take out two cookies from the box.

"If it's two pieces, then..."

His big eyes rolled around, he glanced at the door, and reached out to take another one.

He quickly covered the box lid and placed it on the coffee table.

Only when he trotted to the door to change his shoes to chase his father did he hesitate again.

He looked down at the third cookie in his hand, sighed helplessly, turned around, and put it back into the box.

It wasn't that he didn't want to eat it, but he didn't dare to bet.

Looking at his father's confident look, maybe the cookies in the box were really counted. What if?

What if his sister came back and counted that a cookie was missing? He would have to get a beating for this; it wasn't worth it.

He punched the lid, as if to completely seal this bad thing that kept tempting him, and turned around resolutely.

He only walked three steps before he decisively came back, lifted the lid, and took out two cookies, stuffing them into his clothes pocket.

"What if?" he muttered, covering the lid. "What if sister didn't count?"

"Better to eat it first!"

The little boat is light, drifting in the water, and the cool wind blows on the face—

The melody of this song rang in his ears for some reason, and Li Xuewu sang it to his son.

Li Ning followed closely behind his father, not as naughty as his sister was when she was young, silent like a little adult.

Plop—

Whether it was the soil on the bank loosening and falling into the water, or a frog performing a dive, ripples spread across the water.

The big lake in the early morning wasn't that quiet; it was just that few people came to the lakeside to play.

Those insects, birds, and beasts were still the masters of this big lake, using a special way to welcome guests.

"Didn't see you all winter; thought you had passed into eternity." Li Xuewu greeted Old Zhang from afar, walked up to him, looked at his fish basket, and said, "Another day of feeding the fish?"

Li Ning curiously examined the old man sitting on the bank, as if he could hear a sense of familiarity from his father's words.

Old Zhang had long discovered this father and son, but wanting to move to another place seemed too deliberate, as if he were afraid.

But if you say don't hide from him, his mouth is really poisonous!

"Hmph hmph—" He didn't want to talk and cursed in his heart: None of your business!

"Call him Grandpa." Li Xuewu saw the old man turn to look at his son. He was a bit shy, but still greeted him. "When Mom gave birth to you, Grandpa even sent fish. You drank all that fish soup."

Crucian carp soup helps with lactation, so Li Ning drank it all.

Anyway, Li Xuewu dared to bet his reader's head here that he had never snatched even a mouthful from his son! Never!

"Grandpa—" Li Ning was really obedient. Seeing the old man turn to look at him, he was a bit shy, but still greeted him.

Old Zhang's expression softened instantly. He smiled and nodded, asking, "Is the fish soup good?"

"I don't know—" Li Ning shook his head and said, "I don't think I've drunk it."

"Hehe—" Old Zhang seemed to see it. This little one wasn't as much of a little devil as his sister; he was more obedient.

"Your father is truly rare to have such an obedient son."

"That's a way of putting it. Can a refined, gentle, and humble gentleman like me give birth to a naughty boy?" Li Xuewu reached out, took the stool by the fish basket, sat down, and looked at the lake surface, saying, "My mom even said I was exactly the same as him when I was little."

"Tsk tsk tsk—" Looking at his shameless self, Old Zhang couldn't help but click his tongue and said, "Then you've grown crooked."

"You really don't know how to chat. You deserve it for not catching any fish." Li Xuewu saw the float shaking, reached out, picked up a stone from the roadside, and threw it into the water, saying, "Look, why isn't this fish biting the hook?"

Li Ning stared at his father in surprise. He didn't expect he could play like this?

He wanted to learn from his father, but he was still holding the cookie in his hand. He was afraid of getting his hands dirty, so he was in a bit of a dilemma for a moment.

And Old Zhang, who was unlucky and met a bandit, had no choice but to glare at him and sigh, "Fine, count me unlucky."

"If your technique is bad, say you're unlucky—"

Li Xuewu stood up, broke off a branch from the big willow tree by the road that was neither long nor short, neither thick nor thin. After cleaning it, he took apart the fishing line and hook from Old Zhang's toolbox and made a simple fishing rod. Under Old Zhang's disdainful gaze, he hung the bait and took his son's hand to teach him how to fish.

Li Ning wasn't a novice; he had fished a lot with his sister at home, just at the big fish pond at the entrance.

He heard his sister say that she had even taken a bath and swam in the fish pond when she was little, but his little aunt watched him closely and wouldn't let him run wild.

How could a small fish pond raise an old angler? Today was his first day of riding the wind and waves and setting sail.

It was almost his father holding his hand, casting the rod, just like the grandpa next to him.

"Watch carefully. We'll only teach you this once."

Li Xuewu's mouth was like it had been smeared with poison, mocking others while using their line and hook.

Old Zhang had already become immune to his poisonous tongue. He just snorted and turned to look at the lake, not wanting to pay attention to him.

"Dad..."

"Shh—"

Li Ning's patience was limited. He had been sitting in his father's arms for less than three minutes and already couldn't hold on.

He wanted to eat the cookie in his pocket and wanted to look at the insects in the grass. He couldn't just stare at the lake surface where there was nothing.

Even if there was a loach in the fish basket next to him, he could divert his attention.

"You have to have patience; this is a contest." Li Xuewu hugged his son, his voice gentle, "The water surface separates you and the fish. It hides under the water wanting to eat the bait you cast, while you hide on the bank wanting a whole fish."

"Dad, will the fish bite the hook?"

Li Ning listened to his father, nodded as if he understood, and asked, "How can I make it bite the hook?"

"Although you can't see it, the fishing rod is in your hands. The bait you move is the key to tempting it."

Li Xuewu taught his son softly, "It's useless to just put the bait in front of them without moving. You have to make them feel more natural, more like a normal hunt."

Old Zhang had long pricked up his ears, listening to the words he used to teach the child, and couldn't help but curl his lips.

He was teaching these things to such a small child. No wonder his son said he was deep in schemes and couldn't be underestimated.

Look at that yellow-haired girl Li Shu, who was as clever as a little adult. Looking at her, you knew she wasn't born by him, but why did it feel like she was? Otherwise, where did she get so many schemes?

"Use your eyes, feel it with your heart."

Li Xuewu didn't care about Old Zhang's thoughts. He held his son's hand, moved the fishing rod slightly, and said, "You control not only the fishing rod but also the key to this contest."

"As long as you have patience, perseverance, and determination, you will definitely be able to win this contest..."

"Dad!" Li Ning suddenly shouted, because the float on the water surface suddenly moved, and then sank.

This was what his father had just taught him. The float shaking meant a fish was eating the bait, and the float sinking meant the fish had bitten the hook.

Li Ning, who was fishing by the lake for the first time, was extremely nervous. There was even fine sweat on his forehead. His little hands were clenched into fists. Just at the moment the fish bit the hook, his father had already raised the fishing rod.

"Hey—" Li Xuewu's arms were strong. Even if the fishing rod was crude, the willow branch that had been stripped of leaves wasn't something a fish could easily snap. They won this contest.

Old Zhang was shocked beyond measure. Was it this bastard who brought Li Shu to the lakeside last time to teach him how to fish?

Again?!

Using me as a stepping stone to coax a child?

"Cough cough—" He was also very vengeful. He took out scissors from his toolbox, wanting to cut the fishing line.

He had been sitting all morning; why did he catch a fish as soon as he came? This wasn't fair.

However, before he could stand up, he saw a pair of black, rolling big eyes watching, calm and focused.

"..."

He was careless. This child was smarter than Li Shu!

Old Zhang smiled awkwardly, looked at the fish Li Xuewu pulled out of the lake, and said, "I shouldn't have come—"

"Wow! It really is a fish!"

Li Ning's expression was surprised enough. Looking at the fish that was still unconvinced at his feet, he exclaimed, "It's really big."

"Hehe—" Li Xuewu looked at his son with amusement. Is the size of a palm called big? He was just too excited.

"Give the fish to Grandpa, okay?"

Li Xuewu was truly wicked to the bone. He took the crucian carp off the hook and looked at his son, gesturing, "Grandpa hasn't caught a fish for a long time."

"Murder..." Old Zhang gritted his teeth and looked at Li Xuewu, "And you're killing the heart?"

"Okay—" Li Ning first looked at the fish in his father's hand with reluctance. This was the first time he had caught a fish.

But hearing his father's meaning, it seemed like this grandpa hadn't eaten for ten years and was relying on this fish to continue his life. How pitiful.

He very warmly helped his father put the fish into Grandpa's fish basket, squatted on the side, and watched it, feeling sorry for Grandpa.

"..." Old Zhang's breathing became a few points rougher.

"Let's go, son." Li Xuewu didn't care at all and reminded his son, "Fishing is too simple; it's boring."

Creak—creak—Old Zhang gritted his teeth and looked at the fishing rod in his hand, took a few deep breaths to comfort himself: "You're how old, and you're still arguing with him? Don't be angry, don't be angry. Getting sick from anger is no substitute for anyone..."

"Don't you have class?"

Li Xuewu met the youthful Zhou Xiaobai at the club. She was like a blooming rose.

And Zhou Xiaobai looked at him like a majestic mountain, but not out of reach; she could reach it if she stretched out her hand.

"Do you think I look like the kind of student who would skip class?" She rolled her eyes, squatted in front of Li Ning, and said with a smile, "Call me Little Aunt."

"Dad—"

Li Ning raised his head and looked at his father, unsure if the woman who suddenly walked over was a good person or a bad person.

Until he saw his father nod, he looked at the woman in front of him and greeted her, "Hello, Auntie."

"Wow, he can even say hello!"

Zhou Xiaobai had big nerves and didn't care at all whether Li Ning called her Little Aunt or Auntie.

It was precisely because of her fussiness that Li Ning felt she was somewhat unreliable; at least he couldn't call her Little Aunt.

If there was a standard for the title of Little Aunt, it had to be like Little Aunt Zhao Yaping.

"Tell Little Aunt, how old are you."

Zhou Xiaobai didn't know how to coax children, nor did she know how to tease them; she just learned how others teased her.

Li Ning had long been familiar with their set. He answered generously, "I'm three and a half."

"Ah, you're three and a half—"

Zhou Xiaobai took a milk candy out of her pocket, shook it, and asked with a smile, "Do you want it?"

"Mom said I can't take other people's things."

Li Ning's answer was impeccable, but his eyes couldn't help but drift to the milk candy in her hand. That was his favorite White Rabbit.

"I'll give it to you if you answer me one more question." Zhou Xiaobai asked with a smile, "What's your name?"

Li Ning hadn't planned on getting this candy anyway. He thought she would ask a question that was hard to answer. After all, it was a White Rabbit in her hand. He didn't expect the question to be so simple.

However, he wasn't stupid. He looked at the milk candy in her hand, then raised his head to look at his father, and then answered, "My name is Li Shu."

"Heh—" The smile on Zhou Xiaobai's face froze, and then she raised her eyebrows with amusement, asking, "Are you sure?"

"Mom doesn't let me eat candy—"

Li Ning nodded and said, "If she asks you, just say the candy was given to Li Shu."

"..." The expression on Zhou Xiaobai's face was strange and she wanted to laugh. She raised her head and glanced at Li Xuewu. What she thought was that like father, like son; they weren't different at all.

"Pretending to be your sister, aren't you afraid Li Shu will hit you?"

Li Xuewu pulled his son's little hand and said, "If she asks you who ate the milk candy, I won't help you."

"Then I don't want it." Li Ning refused decisively, "My sister is very fierce."

"Is that so—" Listening to his milky voice, Zhou Xiaobai's heart almost melted. If it were her, could she also give birth to such a smart and cute child?

"Then Little Aunt will secretly give the candy to you, and you don't tell Mom and Sister."

"That's not very good—" Li Ning looked at the White Rabbit in his pocket and hesitated, saying, "What if you tell on me?"

"Brother, is your family atmosphere so tense?" Zhou Xiaobai raised her head with amusement and asked, "Do you have to guard against being told on just for eating candy?"

"He's almost getting cavities." Li Xuewu explained helplessly, "The whole family is watching him."

"So that's how it is." Zhou Xiaobai reached out and pointed at Li Ning's little hand, saying, "If you eat too much candy, bugs will grow in your teeth, and they will eat all your teeth, and you won't be able to eat White Rabbit ever again."

"Got it—" Li Ning sighed like his sister and said, "Everyone says so—"

"Hahaha—"

"Wow! Who is this? So cute." Zhou Wang Yamei heard the movement and walked over from the office direction, looked at Li Ning with a smile, and asked, "Do you still recognize me?"

Li Ning looked at her and felt she was familiar. He nodded and said, "Auntie."

"Hehe—" Li Xuewu was certain his son didn't remember who Zhou Wang Yamei was. Calling her Auntie was a bit guilty.

Zhou Wang Yamei didn't care. She walked up to them, reached out, picked up Li Ning, and bounced him, coaxing him, "Tell Big Aunt, what did you come here for?"

"Came out to play with Dad—"

Li Ning replied in a milky voice, but his hand reached into his pocket and pinched the White Rabbit, very afraid it would be snatched away.

"Ah, came out to play with Dad."

Zhou Wang Yamei raised her eyes to gesture toward the flower hall, letting them go in to talk, while she coaxed Li Ning and walked in front.

Beijing in early May was already full of flowers and greenery. The flowers and plants in the flower hall had almost been moved away, leaving only the bonsai on the small table. As the cool breeze blew, people felt a bit lazy.

"Back yesterday?" Zhou Wang Yamei held Li Ning in her arms, coaxed him, and asked Li Xuewu.

Seeing Li Xuewu nod, she gestured for Zhou Xiaobai to get the thermos from the tea cabinet to make tea for Li Xuewu.

Li Xuewu sat behind the tea table, picked up the teapot and tea leaves, and simply introduced his itinerary.

"You didn't come back in April?" Zhou Wang Yamei asked in surprise, "Then weren't the courses delayed?"

"Called to ask for leave, and the courses were moved to May." Li Xuewu tidied up the tea set, took the hot water from Zhou Xiaobai, and explained, "I have classes tomorrow and the day after."

"What's your salary as a professor?" Zhou Xiaobai asked curiously, "Is it higher or lower than your salary as a division head?"

She had long since ceased to be the high school student she was back then. The tempering and experiences of these few years were not just about understanding the ways of the world.

However, in front of him, she was still willing to be the ignorant little sister.

"Why ask about my salary?" Li Xuewu glanced at her and said, "It's not for you to spend."

"Pfft—" Zhou Xiaobai curled her lips and said, "Don't I have my own allowance?"

She raised her chin and said, "I'm just very curious. I haven't come into contact with a relationship like a professor yet."

"Not much, 4th-level senior teaching staff, salary 207 yuan." Li Xuewu brewed the tea, one cup for each, and said casually, "It's more than the 14th-level division head."

"This isn't more; it's a lot!"

Zhou Xiaobai raised her chin and said, "Okay, they don't treat you badly. Does this count as compensation?"

"What are you thinking about all day?" Li Xuewu glanced at her and said, "What compensation? This is work."

"I didn't say anything else—" Zhou Xiaobai blinked her eyes mischievously and said, "You just steal joy."

"Otherwise, should I cry openly?"

Li Xuewu smiled, took a sip of tea, and shook his head slightly, pouring a cup of white water for his son to cool down.

His salary wasn't low before. He took the same amount in the Guard Third Regiment as he did in the Red Star Factory, adding up to less than three hundred.

The 14th-level salary standard was 138 yuan. Now, adding the 207 yuan for associate professor, he got 345 yuan a month.

High-income group—in the current country, it definitely counted as a very high-income group.

Of course, he was doing two jobs.

"Almost three hundred and fifty a month."

Zhou Xiaobai calculated for him and said, "How much money do you save a month? And you're still stealing joy."

"Don't I have to support a family?" Li Xuewu glanced at her and said indifferently, "The nanny is 25 a month, not counting food and drink. Li Shu is in school, and this little one will be in kindergarten in the second half of the year. I'm in Steel City; where isn't money needed?"

"You're still crying poor to us—"

Zhou Xiaobai laughed, "How much do you need to spend? And you still can't support a family? You're making me sour."

"Hehe—" Li Xuewu smiled.

If it came to crying poor, he couldn't compare to that sour cucumber. He was just playing around; that person was serious.

"Any arrangements for the evening?" Zhou Wang Yamei found a toy Fu Zhidong had left here from the drawer, coaxed Li Ning, and looked at him, saying, "If you're free, I'll have the restaurant prepare some food."

"Forget it, I'm afraid of getting greedy."

Li Xuewu waved his hand and said, "If I miss home, I won't find this taste in Steel City."

"Look at what you're saying, pretending to be pitiful?"

Zhou Wang Yamei glanced at him and said, "I don't believe you're living a life of eating chaff and swallowing vegetables in Steel City."

It was possible that his food wasn't stable before, after all, she had tasted the canned food stir-fried with canned food that Banggeng made.

But now that Yu Li had gone, could he be treated badly?

"It's not eating chaff and swallowing vegetables; it's a familiar taste."

Li Xuewu took a sip of hot tea, looked out the window, and asked, "Is it this quiet even on holidays?"

"You're not unaware." Zhou Wang Yamei sighed helplessly and said, "Who dares to come out for gatherings now?"

As she said this, Li Ning wanted to get down to play. She held Li Ning and placed him on the ground, reminding him not to leave the flower hall.

"Sometimes you can receive orders for banquets, but it depends on the time." She shook her head slightly and said, "Sometimes I wonder what these staff members will do; they can't just be idle forever."

"Just be idle; can you dismiss them?"

Li Xuewu put down the teacup and said, "Keep them, find something for them to do—study, exercise, anything, but you can't fire them. As long as they are willing to stay, keep them."

He didn't care about money. Whether it was the recycling station system or the Oriental Shipping, there were always gains from other scattered channels. Keeping twenty or thirty people was easy, right?

He didn't care about money, so he really cared about people.

After experiencing that storm, those who could still insist on staying at the club to work definitely had cohesion.

In this era, which unit wasn't living a cautious life? Li Xuewu knew that winter was about to pass.

"You make it sound simple—"

Zhou Wang Yamei looked at him and said, "The club is heavily in debt; you can't keep living by borrowing money, right?"

"It will be profitable." Li Xuewu didn't care much and gave a perfunctory reply.

"Profitable?" Zhou Wang Yamei knew that he had never set up this club for profit.

Tens of thousands of yuan were thrown in every year, and there wasn't even a splash.

However, the relationship network he wove at the beginning was gradually expanding and spreading.

The activity of developing new members every year continued, and the equipment and certificates for new members this year were still sent out by her.

It looked like a pool of stagnant water, but it hadn't broken its flow. On this big web supported by Li Xuewu, who knew how many people were continuing to weave it.

Not to mention anything else, the north, south, east, and west winds had blown over and over in the last few years, and the wind and snow had blown countless times, but the club was still stable here, and no one had ever come to find trouble.

Those signs at the door were useful, and the influence that spread vaguely was even more useful. Who didn't know the benefits of this big web?

It was just that the threshold for this web was really a bit high. If you weren't a deputy division head, don't even think about it, making some people shrink back.

However, Zhou Wang Yamei's complaints were just to let him know the current situation of the club, not that she was really anxious.

Anxious about what?

He wasn't anxious, so there would always be a way.

Just right, the work in the club was less, and the service quality was higher. She could also free up time to handle office matters.

Actually, the club had been in this state since before Yu Li took over. The fewer members came, the more lively it would be only at night, but it was also quiet, and very few people were ostentatious.

Perhaps as he said, these winds would eventually blow over, and one day the dust would settle.

"I haven't gone to school yet—"

Li Ning looked at his grandfather with some effort and emphasized with eager eyes, "I don't know characters."

"It doesn't matter. Follow Grandpa to learn the formulas. Grandpa says one sentence, you remember one sentence, and you have to memorize it."

Li Shun didn't care about Li Ning's explanation. He reached out and pointed at Li Tang's little hand sitting next to him, signaling him to pay attention.

"The Four Gentlemen Soup is harmonious and righteous..."

"Four..."

"Listen to me finish." Li Shun had just said one sentence, and the two little brothers Li Tang and Li Ning were about to follow, but were interrupted by their grandfather, who reminded them that he hadn't finished speaking.

"The Four Gentlemen Soup is harmonious and righteous; Ginseng, Atractylodes, Poria, and Licorice compare."

Li Shun looked at the two little grandsons with anticipation, signaling that they could follow along.

Li Tang and Li Ning were both vague; they didn't know what their grandfather was teaching, but they still followed along obediently.

"The Four Gentlemen Soup is harmonious and righteous; Ginseng, Atractylodes, Poria, and Licorice compare."

"Benefiting with Summer Chen, the six gentlemen, dispelling phlegm and tonifying Qi, bait for Yang deficiency."

Li Xuewu glanced at the grandfather and two grandchildren by the eight-immortal table; memories of his childhood welled up in his heart.

Actually, he should have been the one to study traditional Chinese medicine; his father had originally hoped he would inherit the mantle because he was sharper.

These words weren't something he heard from his father's mouth, nor were they heard back then, but rather later, when he reached his rebellious phase.

The old lady once told him that when he was little, his father taught his eldest brother to recite the Tangtou Song formulas. His eldest brother would forget two sentences for every one he recited, but he, playing on the side, could recite them before his brother.

Even though his father hadn't taught him, and he hadn't studied, he just played on the side, listening until he could recite them.

That was why his father had been full of hope for him back then; even the birth of the third child couldn't change that fact.

However, from the time he could remember, these complex formulas became his nightmare. He didn't want to recite them, but his father forced him to memorize them by rote.

And the more his father forced him, the less he liked it, to the point where his father, hoping for his son to succeed, would often resort to force.

The more anxious Li Shun became, the more he resisted. In the end, that bit of natural talent vanished, and he wished he could burn the medical books.

Watching his father now sitting before his grandchildren, teaching them patiently with a gentle and patient tone, stopping to repeat himself whenever there was a part they couldn't keep up with, until both children could read along clearly.

Teaching them sentence by sentence, leading them sentence by sentence, Li Xuewu was certain he had never enjoyed such treatment as a child.

Even his eldest brother and sister-in-law, who had just returned from buying groceries, were surprised to see this scene.

It wasn't anything else; the eldest brother had also been beaten.

"Will they be able to remember it?"

Li Xuewen didn't have the guts to question his old father's decision to teach his grandchildren the basics of traditional Chinese medicine; that had to be the eldest daughter-in-law, Zhao Yafang.

However, Zhao Yafang didn't mean to question her father-in-law either; she just doubted the children's patience and ability.

Li Shun shook his head slightly, looked at Li Tang and Li Ning, and said, "It doesn't matter if you can't remember; recite it every day, and you'll eventually remember it."

"Okay—" Li Tang saw his mom and dad return and was eager to rush over, but it was Li Ning who took the initiative to answer his grandfather.

This made Li Shun unable to help but raise his eyebrows, but thinking of the pity of the second son back then, he didn't dare to show his joy too obviously.

"Ahem—" He cleared his throat, reached out to touch the little heads of his two grandsons, and said with a smile, "From now on, follow Grandpa and learn to recite the songs, and Grandpa will buy you good things to eat."

"Good things to eat—" Li Tang heard this and turned his head to look at his grandfather; his expression seemed to be saying: If there's such a good thing, why didn't you say so earlier!

"All you know is eating—" Zhao Yafang walked over, smiled, and tapped her son's chubby cheeks, saying, "Where's your sister?"

"With Grandma in the backyard—" Li Tang replied, "Sister is sleeping."

"Is that so." Zhao Yafang looked at Li Xuewu and asked, "Are you eating here at noon? I'm cooking noodles."

"Put in plenty of sauce, otherwise it won't be tasty," Li Xuewu said with a smile, "I came specifically for the noon meal."

"Gu Ning doesn't even rest on Labor Day?" Zhao Yafang raised an eyebrow and asked, "Is she on duty or does she have surgery?"

"On duty, it's already scheduled, can't be changed."

Li Xuewu walked to the cabinet, took a thermos, and poured hot water into his father's teacup, but didn't pour any for himself.

He had already drunk some at the club; when he got home, he just poured a cup of plain water, which was prepared for Li Ning.

"Then what time do you get off work in the evening?" Zhao Yafang said while tying on her apron, "Can you come over for dinner?"

"Don't know what time I'll get off," Li Xuewu waved his hand and said, "No need to include us; we won't be coming over in the evening."

He explained, "If it's early, I'll take her to see the ballet; if it's late, we'll just rest at home."

"Ballet?" Zhao Yafang asked curiously, "Where? Does your unit have this?"

"Why? Want to go see it?" Li Xuewu smiled and raised an eyebrow, saying, "Say something nice."

"Ah~~~" Zhao Yafang understood, pointed at him, and said, "You came to give us tickets, right."

"That's not necessarily true." In front of his father and eldest brother, Li Xuewu didn't shy away from joking with his sister-in-law.

A sister-in-law is like a mother; don't look at the fact that they are similar in age, but Li Xuewu respected her, and she also respected Li Xuewu.

The two of them in this family, one inside and one outside, were both characters who could take charge, and they had great tacit understanding.

"What nice thing do you want to hear—"

Zhao Yafang said with a smile, "Do I need to call you second brother, or should I beg you?"

"You really can let go of your pride—"

Li Xuewu amusedly took the performance tickets out of his pocket and handed them over, saying, "Is it really necessary?"

"It is!" Zhao Yafang snatched them away and said with a smile, "How long has it been since I've seen a performance."

She glanced at Li Xuewen, who was coaxing their son, and chided, "Your eldest brother would never think of this."

"I can't get tickets either," Li Xuewen wasn't romantic at all, nor was he hypocritical; he said very bluntly, "Even if I knew, I wouldn't have a way, not to mention I didn't even know."

"You only care about your own little plot of land!"

Zhao Yafang waved the tickets in her hand, turned to knead the dough for noodles, and said, "Go to the backyard and check on the old lady and the others; they must be hungry."

"When will Mom and the others be back?" Li Xuewu held the teacup to feed Li Ning water and asked, "Where did the two of them go shopping?"

"Don't know, said Wangfujing."

Zhao Yafang explained, "Li Xue wants to buy sandals, and Mom wants to buy quilt covers; the old lady's quilt covers are too old."

"Didn't ask Guodong for them?" Li Xuewu turned his head to look at the stack of quilts, then looked at his sister-in-law and said, "Is the luggage over at Grandma's side still okay?"

"Still need you to worry about it?" Zhao Yafang replied, "If it weren't for the old lady insisting, we would have changed it for her long ago."

"It was Li Shu who was acting up, uncovering the quilt stack and stepping on it to play; it wouldn't be broken if it couldn't be changed."

"It wasn't me—" When Li Xuewu's gaze fell on his son's face, Li Ning quickly cleared his name, saying, "It was Sister who wanted to play."

"Brother wanted to play too, that's why I played."

"I didn't!" Li Tang struggled out of his father's arms and shouted at his younger brother, "It was Sister who wanted to play first."

"Enough, it's all Li Shu's fault then."

Li Xuewu raised an eyebrow, looked at the two of them, and said, "Then when Li Shu comes back from school, you two repeat what you just said, and I'll discipline your sister."

"..." Both little guys stopped talking and looked at each other, as if they both knew where the problem was.

"You are not allowed to speak like that, do you understand."

Li Xuewen touched his son's head and educated him, "You were playing with your sister, so you should take responsibility together, instead of blaming your sister."

"Also, you are the older brother, you should take care of your younger brother, you cannot shout at him, and even less so, scare him."

"Oh—" Li Tang looked at his younger brother, lowered his head in his father's arms, and didn't dare to argue anymore.

Li Ning listened to his uncle's words, looked up at his father, and also knew where he had gone wrong.

"Dad, I was wrong—"

His attitude in admitting his mistake was sincere and proactive, which made Li Shun, who was sitting on the side watching, even more satisfied.

Not to mention the future of the two grandsons, whether they were smart or not, this sensitivity and character were very rare.

What was even more rare was the maturity of his sons; harmony wasn't something blown out of proportion, nor was it acted out; it was life.

He had never overly educated his sons to be harmonious. When the eldest daughter-in-law entered the family, the two younger ones were still in school, and the second son wasn't home; there hadn't been any arguments in the first half year.

When the second son, Li Xuewu, returned, he thought the eldest daughter-in-law's outburst would cause the second son to flip out, but he didn't expect that without him and Liu Yin saying a word, this conflict and turmoil were resolved.

The second son's approach really made him look at this "troublemaker" son with new eyes, and it was from that moment that he truly faced the fact that his son had really grown up.

Looking at his grandsons today, even if they don't inherit his mantle, they are still good children.

Not peeing into the wine jar makes them good children; peeing in it makes them good children too.