Chapter 1615

"What did you and Big Brother do in Steel City?"

After dinner, they chatted for a while longer in the courtyard. By the time the couple returned home with the children, it was already past nine in the evening, so they washed up and went to bed.

Li Shu couldn't hold on any longer; she was even worse than her younger brother. She started snoring softly while still in the car, and it was Er Ya who carried her to the bathroom to bathe.

Li Ning still had some energy, but he was dozing off as he got out of the car on his own.

He had played happily for a while while bathing with his father, but as soon as Li Xuewu picked him up, he fell asleep on his shoulder.

Gu Ning glanced at the time on the wall; it was already past ten. She walked to the bedside, sat down, and asked the question she had been worrying about for a long time.

Li Xuewu turned over, took a sip of warm tea, and answered nonchalantly, "Big Brother and I were schemed against by someone."

"Schemed against you?" Gu Ning asked, looking at him in confusion. "Why? And why did they link you two together?"

"Everyone says so—" Li Xuewu leaned against the headboard, looking lazily at Gu Ning, and said with a smile, "They probably want to wipe out our whole family in one go."

Hearing him say this, Gu Ning couldn't help but frown. There was no need to take him too seriously when he said things with a straight face; most of the time, he was just spouting nonsense.

Only when he spoke in this nonchalant, indifferent manner was there an eighty percent chance that what he said was the truth.

"Who wants to do this?" Gu Ning turned her body and sat facing him, adding a hint of annoyance to her tone as she asked, "That's too unreasonable, isn't it?"

"Hehehe—" Li Xuewu chuckled as he looked at his naive wife; the way she wrinkled her nose in feigned anger looked so cute.

Seeing that he wasn't worried at all, Gu Ning couldn't help but glare at him and said, "Will there be danger? Did you tell Dad?"

"This little matter—" Li Xuewu really didn't care. His hand was already wandering into her pant leg, and he tilted his head and said, "I didn't want to let Dad laugh at us for being brave but foolish, lacking brains."

"It's already come to this." Gu Ning continued to stare at him and asked, "If Big Sister-in-law hadn't called, I wouldn't even have known about this."

"I'll tell you when I should." Li Xuewu propped himself up on his elbow and reached out to hug her, but was pushed away by Gu Ning.

"Sigh—" Seeing her persistent expression and gaze, Li Xuewu could only sigh and say, "How do I explain this to you?"

He scratched his head and tried to explain, "It's just that someone wants to scheme against me but doesn't dare to act directly, so they took a detour."

He didn't dare to explain it too clearly to Gu Ning, and even less could he speak too profoundly; she wasn't interested in these schemes and infighting.

"It just so happens that some people have opinions about our unit, so these people betrayed us, curried favor, and deceived their superiors to stir up this mess."

Li Xuewu used several idioms in a row, looked at Gu Ning, and explained, "They are afraid of my retaliation and also afraid of Dad's actions, so they linked Big Brother into it, wanting to drag both of us into the water. That's all there is to it."

"You should tell Dad." Gu Ning frowned and reminded him, "Even if it's just telling Mom, I don't understand what you're saying, but this isn't a small matter."

"Hey—" Li Xuewu stroked her thigh with his large hand and nodded slowly, saying, "I've already said what needed to be said. Let's leave the rest for Big Brother to explain in detail when he goes to Jin Ling."

He emphasized softly, "Whether it's letters or phone calls, you know I don't trust them much, so I can't say everything."

"Mm—" Gu Ning was still worried, but seeing his confident expression, she hesitated and asked, "Has the problem been solved?"

She didn't actually understand what Li Xuewu had just said; she simply asked, "Have you already dragged the person behind this out?"

"Hehe—" Li Xuewu laughed out loud. With his hands behind his head, he lay on his side in front of her, looked up at her, and asked, "Think about it, they dare to act against our unit and even scheme against Big Brother and me. What kind of situation must that be?"

"Don't talk about whether I have the ability to drag him out right now; even if I did, I wouldn't make a big scene, especially at this time."

He looked at his wife, raised his eyebrows, and deliberately emphasized his tone on the last sentence.

Gu Ning understood this sentence, frowned slightly, and said, "You're always worrying about this and that. Aren't you tired?"

"Then what should I do?" Li Xuewu took her hand with his left hand and pressed it against his forehead, saying in a wistful, coquettish tone, "Will you comfort me?"

Gu Ning couldn't stand his shameless look and wanted to pull her hand back, but she felt sorry for his hard work, so she could only let him act out.

"Big Brother... what about him?"

"Didn't Big Sister-in-law call you later?"

Li Xuewu took the opportunity to shift his body and lie on her lap, covering his eyes with her hand. Lying sideways on the bed, he caught his breath and explained, "Big Brother is preparing to go to the academy for a few years of advanced study."

"Is that so—" Gu Ning didn't know what it meant for a brigade commander who had only been in office for a year to voluntarily go for advanced study. She thought it was a good thing, or perhaps she didn't feel there was any loss in it.

She really didn't think much about it, but nodded and said, "If he comes back to Beijing to study, Big Sister-in-law can also be transferred back."

"That's what I said too." Li Xuewu smiled lightly and said, "But Big Brother said he doesn't want to return to Beijing; he wants to take Big Sister-in-law to Jin Ling."

"Go to Jin Ling? Oh, that's fine too."

Gu Ning hesitated only slightly before nodding and saying, "Living near Mom and Dad can make things a lot easier for Big Sister-in-law."

"Big Brother said the same." Seeing her pull her hand away, Li Xuewu tilted his head to look at her and said, "He said he is the eldest son and hasn't fulfilled his filial duties for a long time, so he wants to make up for past regrets."

"Oh—" Gu Ning could understand the emotion in his words, but she just gave a flat "oh" to show she knew.

Li Xuewu looked at his wife's expression, smiled, and said, "Do you want to go to Jin Ling? Should we go again during National Day? Maybe Big Brother and Big Sister-in-law will have moved there by then."

"We'll see—" Gu Ning shifted her thighs uncomfortably and said, "My vacation days are almost all used up; I can't get any more time off."

Having lived independently for these past few years, she could understand her parents' love and no longer resisted communicating and connecting with them.

It was just that she was still lazy and didn't want to make phone calls or write letters.

Even when he worked in Liaodong for such a long time, he rarely received a call initiated by her, and there hadn't been a single letter.

Even if he could come back once or twice a month, they had only been married for three or four years; their feelings shouldn't have faded, right?

Gu Ning was just too lazy to use such forms to express affection and love.

You see, she cared about and asked about things at home, but she just wasn't that proactive, and certainly not that enthusiastic.

The Gu family children actually all had relatively simple personalities. Don't look at Gu Haitao and Ding Fengxia, where one was deep and the other shrewd; in terms of child-rearing, they always insisted on excellence in character and learning, not allowing the children to go astray.

There's no need to mention the eldest brother-in-law, Gu An. Having been in the military for so many years, he had long been accustomed to a relatively simple work and life environment. The games Li Xuewu played were simply too complex and brain-draining for him.

Not to mention Gu Ning's special situation; Gu Yan was young and liked to play, but this kid also had his own principles.

There were few kids in their courtyard who didn't cause trouble, but as for Gu Yan, there had really never been a time when he had to call his parents or cause trouble for them.

Even when getting along with this brother-in-law of his, he never played tricks or acted sly. He liked to play, that was true, but he was mature enough and his work was also excellent.

However, being relatively simple didn't mean being stupid.

In Steel City, Li Xuewu had analyzed the essence of this matter clearly with his brother-in-law and explicitly told him who the mastermind was.

After all, the brother-in-law was different from Gu Ning. Li Xuewu didn't dare tell Gu Ning the truth about this matter for fear that she would let something slip and worry unnecessarily.

The brother-in-law worked in the flight brigade and belonged to the air traffic control sequence, which was considered within the scope of that person's influence. How could he dare to let him remain vague?

Gu An was actually a tough character. When he learned that the mastermind scheming against them was that person, he was naturally unwilling to accept it and felt unconvinced.

But Li Xuewu's judgment and analysis of the situation gave him enough inspiration, especially the father's attitude toward his brother-in-law, which made him calm down.

The brothers hadn't spent that time in Steel City for nothing. It was a rare opportunity to be together; why not speak plainly and clearly?

To put it bluntly, their fathers' generation all fought for the country with their lives on the line. For the sake of the nation and the country, who was superior to whom, and who had more confidence than whom?

However, the situation was as it was; he couldn't act on impulse.

Listening to his brother-in-law's analysis, he knew he should pretend not to know and should endure it. Just as his brother-in-law said, wait for the other party to meet their own misfortune.

If Heaven wants someone to perish, it must first make them go mad.

He not only had to pretend not to know, but also had to take another step back, voluntarily resign from his post, and exile himself, to see if the other party still had the face to continue scheming and forcing them.

Li Xuewu also told his brother-in-law that even though they were acting covertly, those who should know already knew, and perhaps many people were watching.

They had done what they could with a clear conscience and even considered the overall situation. Everyone had a scale in their hearts to judge right from wrong, and when the time came, someone would naturally stand up to judge who was superior.

Knowing that his brother-in-law was going to do this, Li Xuewu finally dared to tell Gu Ning.

Gu Ning was actually more concerned about him. She used the desk lamp to examine his eyes, and her hand brushed over his chin unconsciously as she asked, "Are you tired?"

"Hehe—" Li Xuewu gave a wicked smile and winked, saying, "If you kiss me, I won't be tired anymore."

"Hmph—" Gu Ning wouldn't listen to him. She pinched his chin with a little force, and seeing him pout, she couldn't help but laugh.

"Mm—" Li Xuewu was pouting on purpose, just wanting a kiss, but was rejected and avoided by Gu Ning.

"Time to sleep, we have to get up early for work tomorrow." She dodged very quickly, and seeing Li Xuewu about to get up, she quickly pulled the quilt over and lay down.

How could Li Xuewu let her have her way? He pounced on her like a black bear, feigning ferocity to scare her, saying, "Wife, you'd better submit to me—"

"Ah—" Gu Ning couldn't help but feel ticklish. She just wanted to scream, but seeing the open window, she swallowed her voice back, her face turning bright red.

"Shame—shame—shame—"

Early in the morning, Li Shu, who had finally slept well, ran upstairs. She still remembered that her father had returned and ran all the way to the bed to tease her father for sleeping in.

"Waaah—" Li Xuewu had long been awake but was pretending to sleep on purpose. He waited until his daughter ran over before deliberately scaring her.

Li Shu screamed in fright, accompanied by laughter, adding infinite joy to this slightly sultry morning.

"I don't want to get up—"

Li Xuewu scared her, but then turned over, lay flat on the bed, stretched, and said, "I want to sleep a little longer."

"It's almost time to eat, Dad!" Li Shu pushed his arm and reminded him, "You promised me last night that you'd take me to the park to play!"

"Did I say that?" Li Xuewu asked feignedly, "I don't think so. Didn't I say I'd take you to the backyard garden to play?"

"No!" Li Shu was anxious. She climbed onto the bed, knelt by the side, pushed his stomach, and emphasized, "It's to go to the park to play, take me and my younger brother to play on the slide!"

"Sigh—" Li Xuewu looked at his daughter helplessly and asked, "When does your school start? Why are there things like summer and winter vacations?"

"Dad—" Li Shu looked at him aggrievedly and asked, "Are you annoyed with us? You don't want to take us out to play anymore..."

"How could that be—" Seeing she was about to cry again, Li Xuewu quickly sat up and coaxed her, "Dad was just preparing to take you to eat ice cream."

"Mm—" Li Shu was too smart; she didn't fully forgive him at this moment and wanted more conditions.

Li Xuewu didn't dare agree to too much. He quickly moved her aside, got out of bed, put on his shoes, and went to the bathroom to wash up, while telling his daughter to go downstairs to prepare for breakfast.

Having gained an advantage, Li Shu didn't press the issue. She trotted downstairs, saw her younger brother come out after washing his face, and whispered to remind him to remember to ask for ice cream.

"Eat it now?" Li Ning was a little glutton. He licked his lips and asked, "What if Mom doesn't let us eat it?"

"Dummy, I already told you to ask Dad when we go out to play." Li Shu glanced at her dummy brother helplessly and reminded him, "You ask!"

"I know." Li Ning was a punching bag at home; his sister was the good person, so he wouldn't take the initiative to ask his father for ice cream.

Of course, he also wanted to be a good person, but unfortunately, he couldn't beat his sister.

"Don't you have to go to the unit today?"

Gu Ning was all packed up. Seeing him come down from upstairs and listening to his daughter's chattering, she asked curiously.

Li Xuewu was lazy; he wasn't wearing his usual work clothes, just a set of loungewear, and shuffled into the kitchen in slippers.

"No, I'm on vacation." He touched their little heads as he walked past his daughter and son, and greeted them with a smile.

For the siblings, their father not going to work was perhaps the best news they could think of.

"If you're on vacation, you should have the attitude of being on vacation."

He sat down at the dining table, made a face at the children, making them giggle, and then started eating breakfast.

Gu Ning ignored him, just reminding the children to eat carefully and not choke, while she herself hurried to eat breakfast; she had to go to work today.

"Dad, younger brother wants to go boating."

Halfway through breakfast, Li Shu suddenly raised her head and suggested to her father.

Li Ning, who had been represented, raised his head blankly, looking at his father and mother who were looking over, not knowing what to say.

It wasn't until his sister turned her head to look at him that he passively nodded and then continued to lower his head to shovel rice into his mouth.

When would these days of being represented ever end!

Grandpa and Grandma were planning to find a partner for Little Aunt to marry off; couldn't they just as easily find one for Big Sister?

"It might rain today." Li Xuewu pointed to the weather outside the window and reminded them, "Boating isn't a good choice."

"But—" Li Shu wanted to say something else, but seeing her mother look over, she quickly stopped herself and compromised helplessly, "If we can't boat, then we won't."

"Boating is too dangerous." Gu Ning reminded her daughter patiently, "Didn't you hear the kindergarten teacher say that last summer, some children who fell into the water never had the chance to see their mom and dad again?"

"Dad knows how to swim." Li Shu emphasized a bit defiantly, but she didn't have much confidence, and her voice was weak.

"Not today. Even if you know how to swim, it won't work if it rains heavily."

Li Xuewu wouldn't blindly spoil his daughter, but he offered another suggestion, "If you want to go swimming, this weather is just right."

"Won't it be very cold?" Gu Ning looked at him and asked, "Children can't stand being soaked in cold water for a long time."

"Let's find an indoor swimming pool."

Li Xuewu took a bite of rice porridge, thought for a moment, and asked, "Is the swimming pool in your courtyard indoor or outdoor?"

"Outdoor, it's all outdoor."

Gu Ning reminded him, "Unless you go to the August 1st Club, there's a small swimming pool there, but I don't know if it's open."

"Forget it, let's go to our group's swimming pool." Li Xuewu said helplessly, "Going to the August 1st Club is too troublesome; if we run into acquaintances, we'll have to exchange empty pleasantries."

"Don't you not want to go to the unit?"

Gu Ning glanced at him, turned to Li Shu and the other, and suggested, "How about going to the park with Dad, or going to the zoo to see the elephants?"

"I've already been to the zoo twice." Li Shu explained in a low voice, "I want to play in the water."

"Alright, let's just go to the swimming pool."

Li Xuewu raised his eyebrows at his daughter and said, "But you can only play for the morning; in the afternoon, you have to go to Grandpa's house to continue your lessons."

I don't know what he was thinking, but Father Li Shun actually made such a big determination to take out an afternoon during the summer vacation to teach the children.

He didn't care about the morning, but they had to go to class in the afternoon. If he hadn't come back, both children would have been at Grandma's house all day, and all three children would have been playing together.

However, the old lady wasn't at home; she had already been picked up by the second aunt to go to Ji City. Seeing that Li Xueli's wedding date was approaching, it was an opportunity for the old lady to relax.

Li Xuewu's return this time also had the purpose of handling the funeral arrangements for his third uncle. According to his father's suggestion, he didn't even let Li Xuehan come back.

There would be even less trouble with the third aunt's side. Li Shun was angry and wouldn't mention this younger brother's wife, and Li Xuewu wouldn't look for trouble either.

Having enjoyed glory in life, one should have peace in death.

He and his father had agreed that if the weather was still good tomorrow, they would go to the funeral home to request the third uncle's ashes and have them buried discreetly by the person they had found.

It couldn't be anything but discreet. Since his father believed in this and wanted that person to preside over the arrangements, it wouldn't be appropriate for more people to know or see.

Because the old lady was still around, there wouldn't be a tombstone for the third uncle immediately. Only after everything was complete would one be added.

Things in the world are often impermanent, and nothing ever goes exactly as one wishes.

"Hahaha—ah!"

The two children were playing wildly. Because it was a workday, the swimming pool on the top floor was empty, with only the two children frolicking in the shallow area.

Li Xuewu had changed into his swimsuit and swam in the deep area for more than ten minutes before sitting by the pool to watch the children play.

Both the big and small ones were wearing swimming rings, but now they were dog-paddling over, wanting their father to teach them how to swim.

"How can you learn in one day?"

Li Xuewu looked at his daughter and son with a smile and said, "How about you learn when you're a bit older? Or Dad can find a teacher to teach you?"

"Can't we learn in one day?" Li Ning looked at his father innocently, tilted his head, and emphasized, "I can already count from 1 to 100."

"Hahaha—" Li Xuewu reached out and touched his son's little face; time spent with children was always joyful.

He jumped into the pool, stood in the water, supported his daughter's body, and taught her how to move her arms, how to tread water, and how to breathe—it was a rough introduction.

They couldn't learn; how could such young children learn to swim in just one morning?

Don't talk about him; he didn't even know when he had learned. Anyway, he grew up by the side of the lake, and just by watching, he learned.

"Hey—the three of you are having a good time."

Before long, the corner door of the swimming pool opened, and Cheng Kaiyuan walked in with his secretary. He greeted them from a distance.

Li Xuewu had swum a lap while supporting his daughter and was correcting his son's posture. Seeing him enter, he let the siblings play in the shallow area.

"Your news is quite well-informed."

Li Xuewu propped himself up and sat on the edge of the pool. He turned to look at him and the secretary, He Miao, who was holding a fruit platter and a teapot, and asked with raised eyebrows, "Are you here to comfort me?"

"Do you really think you can make yourself invisible?"

Cheng Kaiyuan walked to the edge of the pool and stood there, looking at the two children playing in the pool. He waved his hand with a smile and said, "Li Shu, is it Li Shu?"

He looked at the little one and asked, "What's your younger brother's name?"

Li Shu looked at him, then at her father, not understanding the situation. She pursed her lips and didn't answer.

Li Ning, however, wasn't afraid of strangers. He looked at the other person and took the initiative to say, "My name is Li Ning."

"Why are you so quick to speak?" Li Shu had the air of an eldest sister. She poked her younger brother and whispered a reminder, "How did Mom teach you?"

"Hehe—" Cheng Kaiyuan pointed to the tea table and let his secretary, He Miao, set things down. He then coaxed the siblings, "Your father is here, what are you afraid of? Come and eat some fruit."

"Call him Uncle." Li Xuewu looked at his daughter, very satisfied.

"Hello, Uncle—" Hearing her father's words, Li Shu finally pulled her younger brother along to greet him.

Cheng Kaiyuan smiled and responded, looked at Li Xuewu, nodded, and said, "You are blessed; the children are so well-educated."

"Thank you, Uncle—"

After being picked up by her father onto the pool deck, Li Shu didn't immediately go to get the fruit after landing, but waited for her younger brother.

Upon hearing the other person's praise and seeing her father look over, she took the initiative to be polite, making Cheng Kaiyuan laugh out loud.

He Miao took the initiative to let them go eat fruit and set up tea on the tea table on the other side before going to coax the siblings.

Li Xuewu sat down at the tea table with Cheng Kaiyuan.

It wasn't that there were no waiters in the swimming pool. Seeing them sit down, a dignified-looking young woman holding a bath towel came over and handed it to Li Xuewu.

"Are you that free today?" Li Xuewu took the bath towel, covered himself with it, turned his head to look at Cheng Kaiyuan, and asked, "No work?"

"Hehehe—" Cheng Kaiyuan examined him and said, "I wanted to ask you that same question. You didn't even report to the group after coming back."

He glanced at the siblings eating grapes, turned his head, raised his eyebrows, and asked, "Did you really give yourself a vacation?"

"Otherwise? What else could I do?"

Li Xuewu leaned back in the lounge chair and said indifferently, "I can't just go looking for trouble, right? Isn't it normal for me to keep my head down at this time?"

"Hehe, are you that kind of person?"

Cheng Kaiyuan looked at him with amusement. He looked at the swimming pool in front of him, crossed his arms, and said, "The way you look now is more like you're trying to prove something."

"Do I need to?" Li Xuewu looked at him suspiciously, smiled indifferently, sat up straight, and said, "I really don't have any other thoughts. It's just that I couldn't find an indoor swimming pool for a moment, and the children wanted to play in the water."

He looked at the two children and said, "I have to send them to class after lunch, and I have an appointment with friends to play billiards in the afternoon."

"Quite carefree." Cheng Kaiyuan nodded slowly, thought for a moment, looked at him, and asked, "And you have no thoughts? About the investigation team."

"I have no thoughts at all." Li Xuewu just looked at the children and responded indifferently, "What should come will eventually come, and what should go will eventually go."

Cheng Kaiyuan didn't understand this sentence. He frowned slightly for a moment and said, "The spouse of the engineer from the metallurgical plant came to the group. You should know about this, right?"

He paused and continued to ask, "Since you're back, why don't you go talk to Director Li?"

"Talk about what?" Li Xuewu asked back, looking at him, "Talk about trust? Say I'm innocent? Hehe—"

He shook his head with a smile, took a sip of tea, and said, "You've been taken away twice in an unclear manner; still don't understand such a principle?"

"Sigh—" Perhaps because Li Xuewu had touched a sore spot, Cheng Kaiyuan sighed long and looked ahead, saying, "You are different from me after all."

"Forget it, I won't deceive myself." Li Xuewu put down the teacup in his hand, looked up at him, and said, "Want to ask me about the arrangement for the person in charge of Steel Auto?"

He spoke bluntly, "I wanted to promote Yang Zongfang. He is meticulous in his work and has no other thoughts. In my opinion, he is the most suitable."

"Who could have imagined—"

Li Xuewu gave a cold laugh. He didn't say anything more; he felt disgusted just thinking about it.

Cheng Kaiyuan looked at him and nodded, saying, "I knew you had other thoughts when you were vague about this matter the last time you came back to talk."

"What do you call this? Man proposes, Heaven disposes?" Li Xuewu looked at him with amusement and asked, "Do you think Xu Ning was arranged by me?"

"I'm not stupid—" Cheng Kaiyuan glanced at him sideways and said, "And I don't think you're stupid either."

"Hahahaha—" Li Xuewu laughed, lay back in the chair, waved his hand, and said, "In the end, everyone was played for a fool."

Cheng Kaiyuan watched him laugh. After a while, he also gave a light laugh, turned his head, and said indifferently, "That's all the means he has."

As he said this, he turned his head back to look at Li Xuewu and asked, "You didn't expect that you would be balanced again, did you?"

"Are you talking about Director Li?" Li Xuewu didn't know how to be subtle at all. He shook his head slightly and said, "I'm not afraid of being balanced."

Cheng Kaiyuan stared at him deeply once more before trying to ask, "You did it on purpose, right?"

When Li Xuewu looked over, he also stood up bluntly and said, "He is really stupid to have fallen into the same pit twice."

After saying this, he didn't give Li Xuewu a chance to answer, waved his hand, and left with his secretary.

Li Xuewu sat there watching his back, cursing the old loach under his breath. Is he trying to be the one that got away again this time?

Why doesn't he believe that he is going to lose?

Li Xuewu wouldn't wrong himself, and he certainly wouldn't wrong his daughter and son, so he had to arrange a big meal for lunch.

"Little Aunt—"

Li Shu took her younger brother's hand and greeted Yushui when she saw her.

Yushui was incredibly fond of them. She picked them both up, and even though it was strenuous, she insisted on not letting go until they walked into the lobby and she put them down.

"Your dad is really something, taking you out to play on such a rainy day."

She found a towel at the front desk and wiped the few raindrops off the children's faces, complaining a bit.

She wasn't concerned about the children's father at this moment. Li Xuewu didn't feel sad at all. He left the key at the front desk and took his daughter and son toward the restaurant; he was here to spend money today.

Paying for Western food at the International Hotel out of his own pocket—only someone with his wealth would be willing to do so. The two children didn't feel that there was anything different about this place.

Because they saw Aunt Yushui, it felt as natural as greeting someone in the courtyard, so they felt this place was quite ordinary.

It was nothing more than being gilded and having attentive service.

Li Shu climbed onto the stool like a little adult and sat down, looking at the menu like her father. At this moment, she had enough reasons to look down on her younger brother.

Li Ning also wanted to look, but unfortunately, he only recognized numbers and simple characters, and didn't really understand when they were put together.

"How come you're free today? And the three of you came out together."

Yushui helped them organize their tableware, glanced at Li Xuewu, and asked, "Why are the children's hands all wrinkled?"

This wasn't anything new; who hadn't played in the rain when they were young? After a long time, everyone's fingertips would wrinkle.

"Dad took us swimming."

Li Ning was quick to speak because he was truly happy today, especially now that he smelled the creamy sweetness wafting through the restaurant, making him feel even happier.

"Is that so—" Yushui touched his hair with a smile and asked gently, "Was it fun?"

"Fun." Li Ning nodded vigorously and said, "Dad even taught us how to swim."

"I want this, this, and this." Li Shu feigned reserve as she pointed to three dishes on the menu and looked at the waiter beside her.

Of course, the waiter knew Li Xuewu. Seeing the general manager's attitude, how could he not know the situation? He also smiled and agreed.

Li Xuewu didn't care what she ordered. After asking his son a few questions, the father and son finished ordering and waited for the food to be served.

Yushui finished tidying up the two children and wanted to help him, but was refused by Li Xuewu, who signaled for her to sit down, saying he was treating.

"When did you get back?" Yushui didn't stand on ceremony. She went to get a bottle of juice, walked back, sat on the other side, and filled the two children's glasses.

"Delicious—" Li Ning took a sip like a little glutton, licked his lips, smiled, and kept staring at his sister to see how she was drinking.

"Just this one glass." Li Xuewu reminded his son, "You already ate a lot of fruit at the swimming pool; be careful of a stomachache."

"We know, Dad—" the two children replied in unison.

Li Shu looked at her younger brother, reminding him not to forget what they said in the morning, but Li Ning had long since thrown her instructions to the back of his mind.

Seeing his sister winking, he didn't know what was going on. He blankly moved his glass aside and said carefully, "I can finish it."

"Hmph—" Li Shu felt frustrated; her younger brother was truly a dummy!

Looking at their cute appearance, Yushui's maternal instincts overflowed, the smile on her face became much gentler, and her eyes were full of envy.

"You're not busy with work lately, right?" Li Xuewu didn't want to drink alcohol, and even less did he want to drink juice. Yushui, familiar with his habits, brought him a cup of hot water.

He took the hot water and asked casually.

Yushui turned to look at him, raised her eyebrows, and asked, "How long has it been since you cared about the construction progress of the International Hotel?"

"Hm? What's wrong?" Li Xuewu looked at her in confusion and asked, "Isn't it still being built?"

"Besides, do you need me to care?"

He said with amusement, "In terms of organizational structure, the International Hotel has long been under the property management side, and there are supervisors watching the project."

"But don't you also have management authority?" He Yu Shui twitched the corner of her mouth and said, "Does the Comprehensive Management Department no longer manage service departments?"

"Theoretically speaking, it doesn't."

Li Xuewu explained seriously, "It's not like before. Management used to be vague, but now there's no need for that."

"The Comprehensive Management Department can coordinate any department; there's no need to bundle everything together. Wouldn't that become a burden?"

He explained casually before looking at her and asking, "Why? Did you encounter difficulties?"

"No—" Yushui narrowed her eyes as she looked at him and replied with dissatisfaction, as if he had done something wrong.

Li Xuewu ignored her. When the food was served, he taught the children how to eat Western food. Hearing there would be dessert, both little ones were very expectant.

"Auntie Yi's health isn't good. Have you heard about this?"

Yushui asked him while serving Li Ning his meal.

Li Xuewu looked at her with great surprise and said, "I haven't heard. I was just eating in the courtyard yesterday."

"It's been quite a while." Yushui explained indifferently, "When it was severe, she couldn't even get out of bed. My sister-in-law wanted to go take care of her, but she wasn't allowed."

"She's about to give birth soon, isn't she?"

Li Xuewu thought about Diliya's due date, which was in September. It was a joke to ask someone to take care of others at this time.

"Did she ask you to take care of her?"

"No—" Yushui arranged the small pieces of beef, letting Li Ning fork them one by one to eat. Her eyes were fixed on him, afraid he would hurt himself, while she continued to speak, "I went to see her a few times; Sister Qin was there sometimes."

She sighed and said, "But Uncle Yi won't let us go over; he's watching her himself."

"Neither of them is in good health; they've both been exhausted." Li Xuewu frowned slightly and asked, "Why didn't they think about returning to the courtyard?"

"Maybe they want to be closer to the hospital." Yushui looked at him and said, "The old people in the courtyard are gradually passing away. How fast time flies."

"My grandma is still in good health!" Li Xuewu glared at her feignedly and reminded her, "Bang Geng's grandma is also lively and active; it's not like what you said at all."

Yushui had been feeling depressed because of the rainy day and the sad things she was thinking about, but she was almost made to laugh out loud by his "lively and active" comment.

Especially since this term was used to describe Bang Geng's grandma; every time she thought of Jia Zhangshi's personality, she couldn't help but want to laugh.

"My mom and the others probably don't know." Li Xuewu thought for a moment, took five yuan out of his pocket, placed it on the table, and raised his chin to signal, "You go buy something suitable to bring over."

"You want me to buy it for you?" Yushui looked at him strangely but didn't rush to take the money on the table. Her tone seemed to carry surprise.

Li Xuewu, however, had a selfless and open-minded look. He said indifferently, "Pick something appropriate. I won't go over; it's too much trouble for them."

"You're all talk—" Yushui didn't get the attitude she wanted, but she still took the money.

"What does your brother think?" Li Xuewu glanced at her and said, "The funeral arrangements need to be prepared, right? Did you find anyone to discuss it with?"

This was a subtle way of putting it. If they were preparing for a funeral, they had to decide where the person would be sent off.

It would be convenient if it were in the Workers' New Village; the person would be taken away directly to the funeral home to handle the funeral arrangements.

But if it were in the courtyard, there would have to be more preparation, because Diliya was about to give birth. Even if she could hold on, if the dates were too far apart, it wouldn't be easy to handle.

When they bought the house in the Workers' New Village, Uncle Yi left a backup plan. He didn't use the property exchange in the courtyard, but bought the house purely with money.

So he must have been thinking about coming back to send her off. This matter had to be prepared in advance.

No one hopes for Auntie Yi to die early or late; it's best if she doesn't die at all. But everyone must die eventually, and those who are alive must think of a way to have the best of both worlds.

Uncle Yi and Auntie Yi have no children. He Yuzhu had long ago promised to provide for their old age and funeral, so naturally, he would be the one to arrange it.

Likewise, having received the kindness of the old couple, He Yu Shui also had to help out.

Why else would one say that Li Xuewu felt nothing when hearing this news, while Yushui was feeling depressed? Living in the front and back courtyards in the past, the Li family and Uncle Yi's family had ordinary private relations, not reaching the level of intimacy of those two families.

Uncle Yi could think of taking care of He Yuzhu and his sister for the funeral, but there were no interest-related entanglements with a "big family" like the Li family in the front courtyard.

Especially at that time, no one in the Li family worked at the rolling mill, so there were only social interactions of seeing each other every day in life.

The one yuan Li Xuewu gave wasn't just a relationship between old neighbors, but also a concern and condolence from a superior to a subordinate in the same unit.

It wasn't that he didn't value friendship; it was just that if he went over when he had time at home, it would be too much trouble for them.

When they were recuperating, the leader came. They didn't treat Li Xuewu as a leader, but the cadres in the workshop had to recognize him, right?

Li Xuewu went, so could they not go?

After all this trouble, it would be better to be practical and let Yushui buy something to bring over.

As for why he let Yushui bring it, first, she mentioned it now, and it would be troublesome for Li Xuewu to mention it to his parents again when he got home.

Second, Yushui lived in the Workers' New Village, so it was convenient for her to go see them.

Hearing him ask this, Yushui felt a tug in her heart and sighed, "My brother won't let us mention it, saying he's afraid it will affect Auntie Yi's lifespan."

"What a fool." Li Xuewu sighed at He Yuzhu's filial piety while still having to scold him for being a fool.

"I'll ask him again when I go back." Yushui turned to look at him and asked with concern, "I heard some rumors. Are you okay in Steel City?"

Li Xuewu ate quickly, put down his knife and fork, picked up his water glass, glanced at her, and said indifferently, "Do I look like someone who has something wrong?"

He raised his chin and signaled to Takahashi Seiko from the Sanhe Stock Company sitting not far away, asking, "Does she often come here to eat?"

"Why do you care about others?" He Yu Shui looked back with slight dissatisfaction and said, "She has reimbursement; she can eat wherever she wants."

"Help me keep an eye on her." Li Xuewu curled his lips and said, "Don't let her run away before I close the net."