Chapter 1599: Break his leg

"Brother Guodong? You're here."

Er Ya was wearing an apron. When she opened the gate and saw it was Shen Guodong, she greeted him with a smile.

"Where's Wu Ge? I'm looking for him."

Shen Guodong had a cigarette in his mouth. He pressed the doorbell twice and saw the gate open. He held the cigarette with his hand and lifted his chin, "He asked me to come."

"Wu Ge is upstairs." Er Ya stepped aside, nodded, and said, "He said you were coming and asked me to listen for any movement."

"Did you eat breakfast?" He flicked the ash off his cigarette, sized up Er Ya with a smile, and said, "Did you get fat again? If you keep going like this, you won't be able to walk."

"No way—" Er Ya also felt she had gained a lot of weight, but this was a happy fatness.

In the village, there were almost no fat people unless they had some kind of disease; that wasn't fat, that was edema.

As for her now, she was truly fat, not only fat but strong, and the strength in her arms was great.

So hearing Shen Guodong's words, she wasn't ashamed of her fatness but embarrassed, as if she had eaten a lot of food but hadn't done enough work.

"Fine, it'll be convenient to find a partner this time."

Shen Guodong came here often and saw her frequently, so he liked to joke around once they were familiar.

"Wait until I ask around later, let's see who wouldn't cherish such a big fat girl."

"Brother Guodong—" Er Ya was truly embarrassed this time, scolded him, and ran into the foyer with a red face.

"Guodong." Li Xuewu heard the conversation in the courtyard and waved from the second-floor window.

"Wu Ge, I'm coming." Shen Guodong responded and quickened his pace.

Although he came here often, the number of times he entered the house was limited; he usually left after delivering the materials.

Whatever was missing, he would come once or twice a month to take care of it, and the rest could be supplemented by Er Ya herself with the food coupons and money.

Li Xuewu wasn't home, and there were women and children in the house. Even if they were as close as brothers, it wasn't convenient.

Besides, he didn't like coming here. Gu Ning liked it clean and tidy, so he had to change into slippers when entering the house.

With him running around all day, no matter how cleanly Chen Xiaoyan took care of things, his feet still had a smell.

The floral cloth slippers neatly arranged on Wu Ge's shoe rack felt awkward no matter how he looked at them when he wore them.

On the second floor, the doors and windows were open, and the cool breeze fluttered a corner of the curtain, much cooler than downstairs.

"Wu Ge?" He poked his head in and asked. He had just greeted him from the window, so why was the person gone?

"Here." Li Xuewu came out of the walk-in closet with several white short-sleeved shirts and complete sets of long and short-sleeved sportswear, throwing them casually on the bed.

"I was just looking for you." Shen Guodong smiled. He sized up the clothes scattered on the bed and said again, "Chen Xiaoyan said you stayed at the courtyard the night before last."

"Yeah, your sister-in-law took the children to Jin Ling." Li Xuewu went back to the walk-in closet to check, and seeing there were no other summer clothes, he walked out.

He glanced at Shen Guodong's expression and asked with a smile, "Did you go to the courtyard to find me last night?"

"Yeah, we waited until seven o'clock before we left."

Shen Guodong looked at the boxes on the floor and asked, "Are these for Steel City?"

"Yeah, don't have enough clothes to wear over there."

Li Xuewu beckoned, signaling he didn't need his help, and explained as he walked toward the study, "Er Ya will come up later to organize these, come."

"This is..." Shen Guodong saw him walk behind the desk and take several bundles of money from the safe, throwing them on the table.

"Four thousand, should be about enough."

Li Xuewu looked at the money on the table, thought for a moment, took out another stack from the safe, and handed it to Shen Guodong, "Four thousand five, then."

"Brother, why are you giving me so much money?" Shen Guodong was stunned, looking at him in confusion, "We're still well-off on the books."

"Wang Yajuan will contact you in a few days."

Li Xuewu picked up the warm tea on the desk, took a sip, and explained bluntly, "Help her buy a house, you're responsible for the renovation and furniture. Just ask her about the style."

Putting down the teacup, he picked up his service pistol and ammunition from the drawer, checked them, and put them into the holster.

"Huh? Brother..." Shen Guodong didn't expect this, looked at him hesitantly, not knowing how to ask further.

He was naturally familiar with Wang Yajuan; he used to call her sister-in-law. Was this a rekindled flame, a substitute taking the top spot?

Chen Xiaoyan had mentioned it once, saying that Wang Yamei's sister hadn't found a partner. Later, she met someone and it reached the stage of talking about marriage, but it fell through.

As a result? She was transferred directly to Liaodong, and coincidentally, Wu Ge followed her to Liaodong.

Chen Xiaoyan's original words were that she didn't believe there could be such a coincidence in the world. Wang Yamei's sister must still be thinking of Wu Ge, and Wu Ge didn't refuse her.

He hadn't paid attention to this relationship originally. There were many women around Wu Ge, but none had seen any climate, and they were all tied by interests.

Regarding this kind of relationship, he wasn't without research. Those who could truly be in charge of a piece of the recycling station system were all self-contained "soft ribs."

For example, Yu Li, Zhou Ya Mei, Wu Shuping.

Rather than saying Wu Ge was fickle, it was better to say he used time-saving and labor-saving means to handle the most complex things.

Now seeing Wu Ge make such arrangements, there was no need to think to know that Wang Yajuan must have rekindled an old flame with Wu Ge and returned to the arena.

"Whatever size she wants to buy, let her."

Li Xuewu looked up at Shen Guodong and instructed, "60 is fine, 80 is fine. The money for renovation and furniture is all here. If it's not enough, ask me for more."

"Brother, I have quite a lot of money."

Shen Guodong didn't touch the money on the table, explaining, "For the past two years, it's only been coming in and not going out, and I've saved quite a bit. I'll take it from my side when the time comes."

He really didn't know where the money in Wu Ge's safe came from. For the past few years, Wu Ge rarely took money from him, and never took this much.

Bundles of ten-yuan bills, one bundle of 100 sheets was one thousand yuan. Even if Wu Ge's salary was high, he wouldn't have saved so much money in a few years.

Besides, he had just peeked; there was more than this in the safe. Where did this money come from?

He and Li Wenbiao and others had long calculated that no matter how hard they worked, they couldn't let Wu Ge be short of money, and they couldn't let Wu Ge make mistakes.

Only if Wu Ge took one step at a time, with sesame flowers blooming higher and higher, could their cause be as stable as Mount Tai.

Over the years, except for normal expenses and daily household use, they almost never divided money from the general account, all for the sake of seizing opportunities to develop better.

Another thing, Li Xuewu had long bought them courtyards in the city to settle down, so they had no worries, and they didn't have that many thoughts.

Sharing hardships, they could also share wealth.

Now the last thing he wanted to see was Wu Ge making mistakes because of money; that would be too worthless.

"What are you thinking—" Li Xuewu looked at him amusingly. Seeing his embarrassed and hesitant expression, he knew he had thought wrong, "This is my manuscript fee."

"Manuscript fee?" Shen Guodong was stunned again. He looked at the money on the table in surprise and asked, "You have this much money from manuscript fees?"

"What did you think?" Li Xuewu walked out, took the short-sleeved white shirt hanging on the hanger and put it on, "Otherwise, why would I write books."

"Fame and fortune?" Shen Guodong's smile was both proud and envious.

"Stop talking nonsense, keep the money safe."

Li Xuewu glanced back at the banknotes on the table. He really wasn't at ease with this money in the safe. Gu Ning would never use so much money, and leaving it there was just a time bomb.

It was just right to use it now, so he wouldn't have to worry about it.

"Just use the remaining money as her living expenses. If it's not enough, you add some."

He explained, "I'm leaving in a while. You guys discuss and handle anything that comes up. Contact by phone in special circumstances."

"Brother, this Wang Yajuan..."

Shen Guodong still couldn't hold back. After packing up the banknotes, he walked over and asked with a smile.

Li Xuewu also smiled, reached out and patted his shoulder, saying nothing, everything was in silence.

"Brother Ren? What a coincidence?"

Li Xuewu met Ren Xiaoyu in the train station waiting room. He was the Deputy Director of the Municipal Government Office and the husband of Xie Lan Zhi, the President of United Savings Bank.

Xie Lan Zhi was the big sister Xie who took Li Xuewu to see the leader when he joined the job, and Ren Xiaoyu was a childhood friend of Dong Wenxue, who grew up in Gu Ning's house.

So seeing him here, Li Xuewu didn't call his position, but called him Brother.

"Xuewu? You are—" Ren Xiaoyu was also a bit surprised. He extinguished the cigarette in his hand in the ashtray beside him, stood up, and asked with a smile, "Going back to Liaodong?"

"Yeah, the nine-thirty train."

Li Xuewu took the initiative to shake hands with him and asked with a smile, "Are you on a business trip too?"

"Going to Jiaozhou to pick someone up." Ren Xiaoyu pointed to the sofa after letting go, "Sit down and talk."

"You've been doing well recently, right?" Li Xuewu sat down and asked with a smile, "I haven't seen Big Sister for a long time. The last time I saw her was during the New Year."

"Hey, it's just work for both of us." Ren Xiaoyu also sized him up with a smile, "You've been doing well too, right?"

"Except for being too far from home, everything is fine."

Li Xuewu laughed and said, "Thanks to Gu Ning's understanding, she never complained to me about anything."

"A man cannot be without a career, and with a career, you can't avoid running around."

Ren Xiaoyu nodded slightly and said, "You're still doing okay. How about those who can't go home for years?"

"I'm still okay, once or twice a month, depending on the specific situation." Li Xuewu introduced, "It wasn't like this when I first went to Liaodong. I didn't go home for the first two months."

"It's hard to buy, it'll be better in a few years."

Ren Xiaoyu glanced at the secretary following him and said with some envy, "Your enterprise's treatment is still good, unlike us."

"Why don't you come to the enterprise to take a position?"

Li Xuewu teased him with a smile, "Ask Big Sister if she minds. We're family now; you can come to our Group anytime."

"Me? Forget it—" Ren Xiaoyu said amusingly, "Your Big Sister is obsessed with being an official now!"

He waved his hand and laughed, "She's the leader in our house now, busier than me."

"Hehehe—" Li Xuewu joked with a light laugh, "It's time to give Big Sister a chance, it's the work she wants to do anyway."

"Fine, who says women are inferior to men."

Ren Xiaoyu nodded and said, "The country advocates gender equality, why let her sacrifice for this family? I should also contribute."

"The children are all grown up, easy to manage." Li Xuewu lifted his chin, "Unlike us, sigh—"

"It'll be better when they're older. A daughter and a son, how good." Ren Xiaoyu looked at him and said, "Wait a few years, when you come back, they'll all be in school."

"Let's see, the situation is hard to say."

Li Xuewu exchanged pleasantries for a few sentences, and seeing no one around, he pulled the topic toward work.

Ren Xiaoyu knew what he wanted to ask, picked up his teacup, and asked with a smile, "Zhou Wanquan went, you guys aren't very comfortable, right?"

"Comfortable..." Li Xuewu looked into his eyes, slightly hesitant, and said, "How should I describe this? Maybe some people think so."

"What about you?" Ren Xiaoyu wanted to hear his thoughts.

"Me?" Li Xuewu suddenly smiled, "Although he has been here for a while, we haven't had a single communication in private."

"Even speaking is just those few sentences at the meeting."

He said bluntly, "Can't say it's Zhou Deputy Director's problem, there's also the reason that I rarely return to the Group."

"Hmm—" Ren Xiaoyu looked at him, and it was a long while before he said, "He knows your background and connections, you must be careful of him."

"What do you mean?" Li Xuewu raised his eyebrows and asked, "What background and connections of mine does he know?"

"He should know what he should know." Ren Xiaoyu said slightly hesitantly, "I talked about this with Wenxue, he said you were prepared."

"I don't know what you're talking about."

Li Xuewu frowned slightly and asked, "Does he have a target on me in Red Steel too?"

"How should I put it." Ren Xiaoyu carefully weighed his words before saying, "You might have underestimated your influence in your Group."

"I'll put it this way, and you'll understand."

He tapped his finger on the coffee table between the sofas and said, "If he wants to achieve something in your Group, he definitely can't bypass you."

"Do I have such a big influence?"

Li Xuewu raised an eyebrow, his heart firm. The feeling when the two looked at each other at the beginning was right; the other party was malicious toward him.

"Hehe—" Ren Xiaoyu laughed lightly and said, "That's why I said he knows you very well, very well."

"I haven't offended him, have I?" Li Xuewu asked suspiciously, "Why does he see me as a stumbling block?"

"The bystander sees clearly—" Ren Xiaoyu nodded with a smile, "You think your Group's organizational ecology is very healthy, but in fact, it's full of loopholes."

"Before he went, he had already explored your bottom line. Who has what relationship with whom, he was prepared long ago."

"I didn't hear this from Teacher Dong."

Li Xuewu narrowed his eyes slightly, his chin shaking, "He has no need to hide this."

"He thinks you are calculating and prepared." Ren Xiaoyu glanced at him and asked, "Didn't expect such a person to go to your place?"

"I had no intersection with him before." Li Xuewu shook his head slightly, "Can't say it's calculation, I have no contradiction with him."

"Let's not hide anything between us brothers." Ren Xiaoyu smiled and said, "Your Group can have today, it can't do without you."

He tapped his finger on the coffee table and said meaningfully, "These words aren't from me, they're from the leaders in the city."

"Do you know how many people recommended you to be the head after the first factory in Beijing was built?"

"Hmm—" Li Xuewu nodded slowly, "I have heard some rumors, I didn't take it seriously."

"That wasn't a rumor, it was just a little bit."

Ren Xiaoyu pinched his fingers and said, "Beijing Industry coordinated with the First Ministry of Machinery on this matter. It was Director Du of the First Ministry of Machinery who rejected this application."

"The opinion was also very substantial: you are too young."

"Don't know, this situation is the first time I've heard of it." Li Xuewu shook his head slightly and asked, "Does Teacher Dong know about this?"

"Maybe, he doesn't care about this."

Ren Xiaoyu sighed and said, "Your Teacher Dong does things by the book, doesn't like to take unconventional paths, and looks down on these unconventional means."

"Whose connection is he?" Li Xuewu asked bluntly, "I mean Zhou Wanquan."

"Him? Very complicated." Ren Xiaoyu thought for a moment and said, "I can only say that Deputy Director Liu talked to him before he went to your Group to take office."

"Liu Qianjin?" Li Xuewu tilted his head and asked, "Isn't this normal?"

"Normal, and also not normal." Ren Xiaoyu said with a smile, "It depends on how you understand it. I only know this much."

"What does he want to do?" Li Xuewu's eyebrows moved, "What task did Beijing give him? Or any special instructions."

"I can't say this well." Ren Xiaoyu also said very bluntly, "The reason I am so cautious in answering your questions is that I don't want to give you a wrong judgment."

"He treats you as an opponent, it's you facing him." He looked at Li Xuewu with a serious expression and emphasized, "What he wants to do, you have to knock it out yourself."

"This can really be called an unprovoked disaster—"

Li Xuewu's chin shook, "He doesn't need to be a pawn for Liu Qianjin, right?"

"Then are you admitting you have a contradiction with Deputy Director Liu?" Ren Xiaoyu sized him up, his expression a bit strange, "Think again, is the position you are in the same as his."

"Ma Qianzu?" Li Xuewu shook his head amusingly, "You should know me, I am very disciplined."

"That's not necessarily true." Ren Xiaoyu said firmly, "You think you are very disciplined, but standing from the other party's perspective, you might be a stumbling block."

"Then let him bring the horse over." Li Xuewu said domineeringly, "Let's see if he is hard, or I am hard."

"In the end, it's hard against hard, the lowest move."

Ren Xiaoyu thought about it carefully, shook his head slightly, and said, "I really can't help with this. His background and connections, even if I tell you, you won't be able to use them."

"He does things more directly than Wenxue, but he is definitely not low-down."

"Does this count as me being forced to fight?"

Li Xuewu suddenly smiled, "Really can't figure out why he's provoking me."

"You're already facing off, aren't you?" Ren Xiaoyu picked up his teacup, looked at him, and said, "Don't be discouraged, be bolder. The city is watching."

"Whether he stepped on you, or you picked him, it's all your own ability." He said meaningfully, "Your empty city strategy, he is already beating the drums, this first fire, if he can't burn it—hehe—"

"How about it?" Li Xuewu glanced at him, the sharpness in his eyes carrying banditry.

Ren Xiaoyu wouldn't say the words behind, he only told Li Xuewu that not only him, but many people were looking forward to this duel.

"Consider it a test for you."

"Test?" Li Xuewu was still thinking about this on the train. He had long been prepared, not just for Zhou Wanquan, anyone would be the same.

He never hoped that every paratrooper who came down would be a good friend, so not being prepared would be brain-dead.

From Ren Xiaoyu's tone, he also saw that many people were watching from the sidelines, or had long known about this, waiting to see his reaction.

Paying so much attention to the Red Steel Group, even seeing his methods clearly, this had to make Li Xuewu feel a numbness in his spine.

What are they doing? Raising Gu?

The materials on the small table were basically not flipped through. He looked out the window, thinking about the reality and falsehood behind this.

Liu Qianjin wasn't necessarily the "behind-the-scenes mastermind." Don't listen to Ren Xiaoyu saying this; he didn't give any definite news.

He was the Deputy Director of the Government Office. To say he didn't know Liu Qianjin's movements was impossible.

Of course, if there was real danger, Zheng Shusen wouldn't have no reaction, and he would give him a message in advance if it wasn't convenient to do it himself.

This confirmed the content revealed by Ren Xiaoyu. Someone was watching them, watching if Zhou Wanquan could pass his test, or if he could persist in this battle.

Zhou Wanquan wanted to gain a foothold in the Red Steel Group, either by bringing enough resources or by using means to take away the influence of the existing people.

Li Xuewu knew after serving as the Secretary-General of the Management Committee that at this step, work performance wasn't that important; influence was.

Zhou Wanquan was a newcomer, and he should be low-key, cultivate enough prestige, and show enough strength before making a move.

Now he was in a hurry, very anxious, wanting to quickly master a certain right to speak, so he could only step on someone and climb up.

Li Xuewu really wanted to curse. When did he become a soft persimmon? Was it because he was too low-key? Let people think he was young and easy to bully?

He was young, but was he easy to bully?

"Leader, the newspaper you want."

Li Xuewu had just sent Zhang Enyuan to ask the train attendant for today's newspaper, regardless of which one it was, just to pass the time.

He couldn't read the documents; his heart was in chaos. He wanted to understand some important news from the newspaper in order to more fully grasp the changes in the situation.

"Good, put it here first."

Li Xuewu pointed to the small table, turned his head back and asked, "No news from Liaodong these days, right?"

"I left the unimportant ones for you to handle when you go back." Zhang Enyuan reported, "The secretary of Deputy Factory Director Yang at the metallurgical plant has been reporting the dynamics of the factory to me."

"Hmm—" Li Xuewu let out a long breath, pondered for a moment, and looked at him again, "What do you think of Yang Zongfang?"

"Deputy Factory Director Yang?" Zhang Enyuan was stunned, hesitated, and replied, "I admire his work ability very much, you also know..."

"Hmm, hmm, I understand what you mean."

Li Xuewu smiled slightly and said, "What about others? Style of conduct, etc."

"I really don't know much about this." Zhang Enyuan couldn't help but smile and said, "I'm just a secretary for you, otherwise I wouldn't even be able to contact such leaders."

"Hehe—" Li Xuewu also laughed.

"However, the comrades in the metallurgical plant organs have a very good evaluation of him. He is very upright in style and very steady in doing things."

Zhang Enyuan was Li Xuewu's secretary. When the leader asked a question, no matter what kind of question it was, he couldn't be vague or modest; he had to give an answer directly.

It was the same just now; he first told what he knew, and then expressed what he heard.

"He is the Executive Deputy Factory Director now."

Li Xuewu turned his head to look out the window again, "For the current metallurgical plant, this is also a test for him."

"The metallurgical plant has a good foundation." Zhang Enyuan said cautiously, "Plus your combing and rectification, the technical transformation is going very smoothly."

"I know about the business. Last year's annual steel production increased by 47%. This data is already very good."

He picked up the thermos to refill Li Xuewu's teacup and reported, "Deputy Director Dong didn't have such results when he was in Steel City."

"I'm also standing under the tree to enjoy the shade."

Li Xuewu nodded and said, "If it weren't for the foundation laid by Deputy Director Dong, I wouldn't be able to be so relaxed now."

"That's what you say." Zhang Enyuan smiled and said, "The changes in the metallurgical plant over the years have been great. You can tell from the mental outlook of the employees."

"Our Group's full coverage of the employee welfare system alone can exceed the vast majority of brother units within the system."

He put down the thermos and continued to report, "I asked in the Group, the expenditure for the employee welfare system construction last year accounted for 21.7% of the total budget."

"Anyway, I haven't heard of any unit with higher welfare benefits than ours."

"There is a reason for being so high."

Li Xuewu picked up the teacup, took a sip, looked at him and explained, "Didn't you ask how many percent the total number of employees decreased last year?"

"Without the total number of workers not decreasing, this expenditure would have to increase by another fold."

He raised his chin slightly, "Technical innovation, equipment replacement, tertiary industry construction, promotion to the Group, all are real high budgets."

"Even if the welfare system construction expenditure is high, a part can be recovered from the material security and supply and marketing system."

Li Xuewu put down the teacup and said, "It will start to show from this year. Just a workers' new village, a living area for 100,000 people, how much value can it create?"

"This..." Zhang Enyuan asked hesitantly, "Under the current management system, can service and security units create real value?"

"That depends on how you manage it." Li Xuewu looked at him and said, "Management dominates service, service creates value."

"The construction of the entire Liangma River ecological industrial zone will eventually be filled by this part of the income. Tertiary industry will become more and more independent in the next few years."

He let out a long sigh and said, "It's not easy to manage when there are few people, and it's not easy to manage when there are many people—"

"Hello, Comrade, I'm looking for Factory Director Li."

"Comrade, which unit are you from?"

The security of the metallurgical plant is not responsible for reception work. Even if there are outsiders visiting, they still stand straight on the post with steel guns in their hands.

The security office at the gate also functions as a mailroom, with three male comrades in their fifties on duty, commonly known as "Mailroom Grandpa."

When the Group's organizational structure changed, the responsibilities and functions of security were adjusted, no longer handling general affairs, but focusing on security work.

Such reception and mail work were handed over to gatekeepers or clerks, all of whom were cadres and employees screened out during the organizational structure change process.

They were old enough, about to retire, couldn't keep up with the rhythm of technical transformation, lacked necessary learning ability and energy, and lost the value of cultivation.

But this group of employees had excellent pacesetters, advanced workers, and objects of preferential treatment who had made great contributions to the Group.

The Group couldn't sweep these people out of the door, so it could only place them in such positions.

These people had undergone organizational talks and training and learning, and gradually accepted this adjustment, playing their remaining heat in the gatekeeper positions.

They had thoughts, principles, no family burdens, and could stick to their posts for a long time, which was also the best choice for these positions.

To talk about being serious and responsible, who could compare to the old comrades who had worked in the factory for decades and had long regarded the factory as their own home.

Cooperating with the security guards holding guns, all gate posts of the Red Steel Group were solid as a rock.

Any visiting guest needed to go through registration procedures at the gate post before they could contact internal units to come and pick them up, or send them.

Today is Tuesday, and the entrance is very quiet. Suddenly a young man with a tall posture came. The old man sitting at the entrance sized him up carefully, his gaze like a scanner.

"My name is Qi Yan, and I'm here to report to Factory Director Li." The young man took out his introduction letter and handed it over, introducing himself, "This is my material."

"Driver?" The old man looked at the material, was stunned for a moment, looked into the mailroom and asked, "Isn't the Secretary-General's driver Yu Zhe?"

"Don't know." A old man inside leaned over the window to peek at the material, looked at Qi Yan and asked, "Are you just retired?"

"Yes, the organization arranged for me to report to Factory Director Li." Qi Yan's answer was simple and clear, emphasizing that he wanted to see Li Xuewu.

"Call Secretary Zhang." The old man in the window sized up the young man.

Very quickly, after the phone report, someone came out of the courtyard office building and waved at this side.

"Go in, take the materials."

The old man on duty at the gate handed the materials to Qi Yan and pointed to the office building direction, "Secretary Zhang is waiting for you."

"Thanks, goodbye." Qi Yan took the materials and walked into the courtyard.

The three old men at the gate all sized up the young man who walked with a specific rhythm, nodding knowingly.

"Looks like the Secretary-General is changing drivers?"

"Otherwise?" The old man in the window curled his lips, "That kid Yu Zhe is also too unreliable."

"Hahaha—" This laughter carried a bit of color. There were no walls that didn't leak in the world, not to mention Zhang Meili's coquettishness could be smelled from two miles away.

"How do you think he thinks—"

Another old man clicked his tongue, "Not liking good girls, but focusing on old women, is it not tight?"

"Damn, watch your mouth—"

The squad leader reminded him with a smile, "No matter what, they are serving the leaders, don't talk nonsense, be careful of disaster coming from the mouth."

"Isn't he leaving anyway—"

The old man outside the window curled his lips, "If he doesn't leave, he'll become a big joke. Everyone knows about their business."

"I heard that kid is married."

The squad leader explained, "The family also has some strength, otherwise he wouldn't be able to find a partner after acting like this. Looking at him, he hasn't suffered."

"Fart, it's just that the family is used to it—"

The old man outside the window curled his lips, "What kind of goods is Zhang Meili? She used to be the one who wiped the butt for Luo Jiaping, seeing money and opening eyes. He treats her like a treasure, and he hasn't seen the world."

"Forget it, what kind of old sesame and rotten grains is this." The squad leader reminded him, "Just talk about this privately, don't talk nonsense."

Luo Jiaping was the former head of the steel plant, taken down by Yang Yuansong and Li Xuewu.

They said they pulled it out by the roots, but there were always one or two fish that slipped through the net. Such sordid things, smelly fish and rotten shrimp, who would care about them.

Filthy characters will eventually be hidden in the dust of time, unable to withstand the writing of pen and ink.

"Secretary-General, Comrade Qi Yan is here."

Zhang Enyuan walked into the office with the person, reported with a smile, "I've brought him to you."

"Oh." Li Xuewu looked up, looked at the door, then stood up and greeted with a smile, "Come, Little Qi, hard work on the road."

"Not hard." Little Qi put down the luggage in his hand, gave a standard salute, "Leader, Qi Yan reports to you."

"Don't be polite, everyone is a comrade here." Li Xuewu reached out and shook hands with him with a smile, sizing him up and asking, "Haven't changed, very spirited."

"Thanks, Le..."

"In the unit, just call the position, or leader is fine." Li Xuewu saw he was embarrassed, nodded with a smile, let go of his hand, and said, "Call me comrade in private."

"Then I'll call you leader." Qi Yan smiled and said, "Dr. Gu asked me to bring a message, saying everything is fine in Jin Ling, don't worry."

"Hmm—" Li Xuewu nodded slowly, his hand lightly on his arm, signaling him to sit on the sofa.

"You came from Jin Ling, right?"

"Yes, leader." Little Qi was about to stand up again, but seeing him wave his hand, he sat down with both hands on his knees and reported, "Leader and Director Ding are all well."

"That's good, that's good." Li Xuewu had a few more smiles on his face, looked at him and asked, "Did you come back with Gu Ning and the others?"

"Yes, I was entrusted by Director Ding to send Dr. Gu and the children home, and then I came to report to you."

"Hmm, good." Li Xuewu looked at him with great appreciation. After Han Jiankun, he finally had a decent person as his driver.

"Enyuan, take him to handle the procedures."

Seeing Little Qi had no concerns, he looked at Zhang Enyuan and instructed, "Settle him down, tell Yu Zhe, do a good job of handover in the next few days."

"Okay, leader." Zhang Enyuan nodded, looked at Qi Yan, who had already stood up to salute and say goodbye.

"You've arrived, no need to salute for enterprise work." Li Xuewu patted his arm with both hands, said with a smile, "Adapt to the role as soon as possible, work hard."

"Yes." Forcing himself to endure the habit of not saluting again, Qi Yan's response still carried a unique firmness.

"Sister—" Seeing the leader go upstairs, Yu Zhe slipped into the kitchen and said embarrassedly, "I didn't want to be transferred back so early."

"You want to?" Yu Li glanced at him, "I don't know what you want?"

"I haven't had enough—" Yu Zhe emphasized stubbornly, "Following the Secretary-General, I can learn so many good things."

"I didn't see that." Yu Li glared at him and asked, "What haven't you had enough of?"

"Stop talking nonsense, hear me?"

Yu Li pointed at her younger brother and emphasized, "I don't have time to argue with you. Do what you should do, handle the handover procedures that should be handled, and go back early."

"I don't want to go—" Yu Zhe played the rogue, "If you don't let me drive for the leader, doing something else is fine."

"You go to heaven—" Yu Li said blandly, "You can't even fit on the ground

"I don't want to leave—" Yu Zhe acted shamelessly: "If you won't let me drive for the leader, I can do something else."

"Why don't you go to heaven—" Yu Li said irritably: "The ground can't even hold you anymore, you might as well go to heaven."

"You're not my leader." Yu Zhe muttered: "Why are you so controlling."

"You're saying this to me, right?" Yu Li was holding celery in her hand and turned to swing at him, but Yu Zhe dodged it.

If he hadn't dodged, that handful of celery would have left welts on his face.

"I'm telling you, Yu Zhe, I'm your sister, not your mother." Yu Li pointed at her brother unceremoniously and said: "Even taking care of you has its limits."

"You really think you're lawless and no one can control you, right?"

She glared and said: "Do you believe I can make you go back to the village to farm right now?"

Yu Zhe didn't dare to be tough with his sister. He didn't know that the whole family relied on his sister to live. "Times have changed" referred to his sister, not their family.

He still had a conscience; even if he wasn't satisfied with his marriage, he knew that most of the wedding scene was supported by his sister.

So even if he was hit today, he didn't dare to complain, and he certainly didn't dare to take any insults to heart; he could only listen.

"Go home and live a quiet life."

Yu Li turned back to continue picking celery, emphasizing: "You are not allowed to live in the city. Wherever Xiaomin lives, you live."

"Sister—"

"Don't call me sister." She turned back to glare at her brother and emphasized: "If it weren't for Mom and Dad, do you think I'd really want to deal with you?"

"With your attitude, where else would you find such a good partner?"

She was also losing patience and said: "Don't be ungrateful. If you push me too far, I won't even care about Mom and Dad. You can go home and farm to support them in their old age."

"Get lost—"

Seeing Yu Zhe didn't move, she didn't leave any room for sentiment and said irritably: "I'm giving you three days to leave Steel City. I don't want to see you for even one day longer."

"What's going on? It's time to eat."

As soon as Li Xuewu went downstairs, he saw Yu Zhe walking out with his head hanging low. He raised an eyebrow and asked, looking toward the kitchen: "Did you have an argument?"

"I didn't bring his share—" Yu Li's words were filled with anger, and Yu Zhe's footsteps quickened.

Li Xuewu reached out and patted his shoulder, took twenty yuan out of his pocket, handed it to him, and said: "Take this."

"Leader..." Yu Zhe raised his head and said embarrassedly: "I have money."

"Don't give it to him, he's not a child."

Yu Li shouted from the kitchen: "He's already married but still acting muddled, he doesn't have a brain at all."

"Alright, if you want to scold him again, you'll have to go to the capital to do it."

Li Xuewu stuffed the money into his pocket, patted it, and said: "Say goodbye to your friends properly. A man must have true character, be open-minded, and don't be petty."

"Why are you giving him money—" Yu Li chided after seeing her brother leave: "He doesn't have any decent friends. Who knows where this money will end up..."

"Oh—" Li Xuewu raised his chin and said: "He's already a grown man, give him some face."

He walked into the kitchen to comfort her: "Relationships that can be handled with money are better than him being genuinely involved, right? Aren't you really afraid he'll bring that Zhang Meili home?"

"He dares—" Yu Li frowned: "My dad would break his legs."