Chapter 1616: Cunning as a Fox

Spending the entire morning, the men of the Li family sent their Third Uncle, Li Tong, to the ancestral graves, having him laid to rest according to the arrangements made by the man Li Shun had sought out.

On the way back, Li Xuewu discussed it with his father and decided to write a letter to Li Xuehan, informing him of the situation regarding Third Uncle's burial.

Of course, it was impossible to write everything in the letter.

For instance, after Third Uncle was buried, he and his third brother, Xuecai, burned paper money; the old man whom his father called "Daoist" stood on the ridge with his father, gesturing and talking for quite a while—that sort of thing.

Li Xuewu asked his eldest brother, who was cleaning up the sacrificial offerings, but eldest brother Xuewen didn't know either, and he didn't even believe in those mysterious, superstitious things.

Li Xuewu only found it funny and asked him if the end of science wasn't metaphysics, to which eldest brother replied, "Bullshit, the end of science is mathematics."

It seemed the relatively reticent eldest brother didn't believe in this, whereas the third brother, Xuecai, who practiced medicine, was more concerned with these matters.

Li Xuewu asked him if he believed in such things, and Xuecai remained silent for a moment before recounting several incidents he had encountered in the hospital that simply couldn't be explained by science.

The brothers didn't ask him whether he believed in these things, because they had long known that Li Xuewu didn't believe in them, and even if he did, he wouldn't be afraid.

They were boys of fourteen or fifteen, old enough to know the risks, yet they had gone to the graveyard in the middle of the night with Lao Biaozi and the others to catch bugs.

You could say they were bold, but they didn't dare stir up any major trouble.

It wasn't just that era; how many young people had lost their lives over the years because they stirred up trouble?

It was strange; it was as if the children of any family weren't worth much.

It wasn't that the children of cadres were precious and the children of commoners were lowly, but rather that no one cared much about safety.

Those who fell into ice holes while skating, those who drifted across the road and crashed into cars, those who played by the tracks and were hit or crushed, those who lit firecrackers with their mouths...

Anyway, if you really compiled them, you could probably write a book of a hundred little stories about how people in that era courted death.

Like Li Xuewu and Lao Biaozi and their group, if a ghost really jumped out to scare them, it was hard to say who would be taking advantage of whom.

All fear stems from confusion and anxiety regarding the unknown.

But who among the children who walked through that era hadn't seen a corpse? They were like bundles of corn stalks during the autumn harvest, stacked on carts and piled high, hauled away one cartload after another. If one was accustomed to darkness and death, then what suddenly crawled up to scare people wasn't a ghost, but a living person.

The men of the family didn't go straight home after returning from the ancestral graves; they made a brief stop at the old Daoist's place of cultivation.

Of course, calling it a place of cultivation was entirely for the sake of giving the other party face, since they had helped out.

But in reality?

In this territory of Beijing, there were still "Peking Man" types active even tens of thousands of years later.

The old Daoist claimed he was in seclusion and cultivation, and that if it weren't for his ancestral ties to the Li family, he wouldn't have come out of the mountains to help.

Li Xuewen whispered that he was nearly starving to death, and his father had given him a sum of money to help look after the ancestral graves; to his face, of course, he acted like a "thin donkey pulling a hard load."

What was there to look after at the ancestral graves?

Of course, if someone dared to disturb your family's ancestral graves in later generations, you would certainly know who did it and hack them to pieces.

But in this era, how many times a year could one come?

For a down-and-out old Daoist hiding in the mountains without much activity, this job was enough to provide him with food and clothing; patrolling the mountains was just exercise.

You couldn't say he was a grave robber, but there were many wild animals in the mountains, and some creatures liked to take shortcuts—digging a hole was like a villa with interior decoration; if you didn't keep an eye on it, the ancestors might just come to you in a dream.

After returning home from the mountain, they each washed up and sat down to drink tea.

Liu Yin had long since prepared hot tea and asked for details, leading to another round of sighs.

"Dad, what did you talk to that old Daoist about?"

Li Xuewu asked, but he was truly curious, especially seeing his father's low spirits and even sorrow upon returning.

Li Shun glanced at his son and, after taking a sip of hot tea, explained indifferently: "Asked about arrangements for the future."

"What arrangements?" Li Xuewu didn't understand and looked at him in confusion.

"Why ask so early?" Liu Yin, however, understood and frowned: "Is there some sort of saying?"

Seeing his mother say this, and looking at his eldest and second brothers, Li Xuewu realized he was the only one who didn't understand, so he didn't dare ask further and just listened.

"There's no saying." Li Shun eased up and explained: "Everyone has their hundredth year; I'd be confused if something happened suddenly."

So it was because he was afraid something might happen to the old Daoist.

The brothers realized their father was asking about whose funeral arrangements?

"Everyone has their time." Li Shun let out a long sigh, his tone filled with desolation: "In the end, there must be proper etiquette."

The etiquette mentioned here wasn't the etiquette between people, but the principles and order of doing things, such as how to respect ancestors during weddings and funerals.

Outsiders didn't know, but the Li family members were clear that the family genealogy was still preserved at home, something Li Shun often worshipped.

In this era, there were heartless people who burned them, or others who didn't want to burn them but were forced to, leaving many descendants unaware of who their ancestors were.

Without respect for ancestors or teachers, where could there be patriotism?

Li Xuewu didn't ask more about this topic; although he was close to Third Uncle, it was nowhere near the sorrow his father felt at losing a sibling.

It was normal to have such worries, seeing his third brother laid to rest first; how could he, as the eldest, not think more about it?

He hadn't intended to eat lunch at home, but coincidentally, his sister-in-law Zhao Yafang brought back pork, saying it was issued by her unit and they would make meat pies for lunch.

"Why did your unit decide to issue pork?"

Li Xuewu was persuaded to stay; Li Shu and Li Ning were also there, and they had to follow their grandfather to recite songs in the afternoon.

Zhao Yafang rolled her eyes and, taking advantage of the fact that the two elders weren't paying attention, explained softly: "It's been almost a month since we've seen meat."

"Ah—" Li Xuewu didn't speak, but expressed enough surprise, raising his eyebrows to show his confusion.

Zhao Yafang didn't explain, just glanced at the inner room, and Li Xuewu knew everything.

It was still because of Third Uncle; his father and mother were observing mourning, and out of respect for Third Uncle, they didn't eat meat.

He hadn't really thought about these things; he knew there were such old customs, but not many people truly observed them after liberation.

If one truly followed the old customs, they couldn't even sleep on a heated kang; he, as a nephew, would have to spread a felt mat on the floor, cover himself with a thin quilt, resign from his job, and eat vegetarian food for several months.

Setting aside whether these living habits were suitable, was it even possible for him to resign?

Others would think he had gone crazy.

Furthermore, in terms of daily life, they young people could manage, but the elderly and children couldn't endure two or three months without meat.

Zhao Yafang had found an excuse to buy pork; now that Third Uncle was laid to rest, it could be considered as taking the initiative to lift the ban for her father-in-law and mother-in-law.

Someone might ask, if a younger brother-in-law passes away, do the older brother and sister-in-law have to observe mourning?

The "mourning" here isn't about filial piety, but about expressing grief; one wears white to express sorrow, though not for as long—of course, that's according to old customs.

If you really bring it up, these things are taboo in this era; according to Li Xuewu's thinking, it's enough to know about them without dwelling on them.

"Who's the little glutton?"

Zhao Yafang gave a meat pie to each of the three children; Li Yue, who was sitting on the kang playing, reached out eagerly.

Counting by the solar calendar, she would be one year old by the end of September; she had just learned to stand up by holding onto the wall and was very eager at the edge of the kang.

"Little sister is the little glutton—"

Li Shu smiled and stuffed a piece of the pie into Li Yue's mouth with her hand, but Li Yue tasted it and spat it out.

"Eat properly." Li Shun glanced at his granddaughter and coughed lightly to remind her; he had wanted to emphasize the "don't talk while eating" rule, but seeing his sons chatting at the table, he didn't say anything more.

Once a person gets old, they must have self-awareness; he hadn't been the head of this household for a long time, so there was no need to put on the appearance of a patriarch.

Especially after having grandchildren, it was hard for him to maintain that serious image, which actually made his sons and daughters-in-law much closer to him.

"Grandpa, eat a pie." Li Ning knew how to coax people; he kept his eyes peeled, and seeing his grandfather finish one, he reached out and grabbed another for him.

Li Tang, seeing this, followed suit and reached out to grab one, but was stopped by his mother, who gave his little hand a light slap and told him to learn to use chopsticks.

"We really have to send them to school to let the teachers teach them properly." Zhao Yafang glared at her son and then looked at Li Shu, asking Li Xuewu: "Is it too early to send Li Shu to school for a year?"

Li Xuewu looked at his daughter, who had the air of a young lady but was still eccentric, and smiled: "It's good to go early."

"I don't want to go to school with my younger brother."

Li Shu had her own reasons and explained to her aunt: "My younger brother is starting kindergarten when school starts."

According to the plan, school would start in September this year; Li Shu was to go to first grade, and Li Ning and Li Tang were to go to kindergarten, as had long been agreed.

Li Shu was born in May 1965, so she would be just over five years old when school started; that was a bit young, but her learning progress was fast.

She had long finished the knowledge taught in kindergarten; not only that, Zhao Yaping also taught her first-grade elementary school knowledge on weekdays.

Xiaoxiao came to the house several times a week; besides teaching her music and dance, she would also teach her cultural subjects.

Li Shu grew fast and was much taller than other children of the same age in kindergarten; hearing her say she wanted to go to elementary school, Li Xuewu and Gu Ning discussed it and agreed, otherwise Li Shu would have had to stay in kindergarten for two more years.

The admission standard for elementary school should be at least 7 years old; children who were 6 years old were very rare, so Li Shu was a very special case.

If Li Xuewu had to say, he never expected his daughter to become a scientist or a genius; he just hoped Li Shu could grow up happily.

The "happiness" here isn't the American-style "happy education" mentioned in magazines, but true wisdom, the happiness of experiencing life.

If one didn't even know how many seasons there were in a year, could that be called happiness? It should be called mentally challenged.

"Why don't you want to go to school with your younger brother?" Zhao Yafang looked at her amusedly: "Isn't it good to take care of your younger brother in kindergarten?"

"It's not good at all." Li Shu insisted stubbornly: "He's just a little kid; I don't want to go to school with little kids."

"Yeah—" Zhao Yafang looked at her, both surprised and intrigued: "Then aren't you a little kid?"

"I'm a little girl now." Li Shu emphasized very seriously: "When I'm over ten, I'll be a big girl."

"Hahaha—" Li Xuewu laughed: "Ten is a big girl, then what is your little aunt who is twenty?"

"An old maid—" Li Shu looked at her grandmother: "Grandma said it; if you don't find a partner, you'll become an old maid."

"Eat, be good." Zhao Yafang tried hard to hold back her laughter and persuaded Li Shu: "You must never say such things in front of your little aunt."

Liu Yin was the one who was truly dumbfounded; she had been trying to scare her daughter, but she never thought the children would hear it.

It was just that now she didn't blame her granddaughter for her childish talk, but instead was dissatisfied with her youngest son's loose lips and glared at him fiercely.

Li Xuewu had long known he had asked the wrong question; he was eating fiercely at this moment, finished in two or three bites, stood up, said he was going to his unit, and left.

Not only did he ask for leave, but his eldest brother Xuewen also asked for half a day of leave from his unit and had to go to work after lunch.

"We're three and a half." Li Tang and Li Ning were young and ate slowly; the brothers had a habit of playing while eating.

Hearing their sister calculate their age, they also followed suit, counting their age on their fingers.

Li Tang was born in January 1967, and Li Ning in February; counting it up, they were indeed three and a half, just the right age for kindergarten.

"Your sister says you're little brats; aren't you angry?" Zhao Yafang teased them, asking with a smile: "Are you little brats?"

Li Tang and Li Ning looked at their sister in unison; seeing her glare, they averted their eyes and nodded: "We are little brats."

"Hahaha—" Even Li Shun and Liu Yin couldn't help but laugh at the children.

"Has your school finished the enrollment work?"

Li Xuewu glanced at his sister-in-law; his eldest brother went to work after lunch, and his sister-in-law wasn't busy before school started.

Unlike his eldest brother's dull reaction, his sister-in-law was highly valued at school and even participated in administrative work.

According to his sister-in-law, the school intended to let her take on management positions, and if it worked out, she would transfer from teaching to management.

If one didn't understand this period of history, many wouldn't know what this year meant for Huaqing.

From February 26 to March 12, the 1970 graduating class held a graduation assignment study class, and the graduation assignment work was completed before the end of March.

Note that the 1970 graduating class mentioned here didn't mean they had completed four years of university and graduated smoothly.

According to his sister-in-law, there were 1,651 graduates participating in the assignment who had entered in 1964, 1,614 who had entered in 1965, and 42 students left over from previous years, totaling 3,307.

Think about it, they only recruited three or four hundred people a year; how many university students had Huaqing accumulated over these years who hadn't been able to graduate and be assigned smoothly?

Why was Zhao Yafang able to be promoted from teaching to management? Because Huaqing was an empty shell now; there was no one left.

Among this graduating class, Huaqing kept more than 800 people itself, calling them "new workers," later called "new teachers."

Of the remaining two thousand plus people, their names were still on the list, but many had already been working at the Red Steel Group for two or three years.

The assignment instructions were mostly ignored; many took their graduation certificates but didn't report to the assigned units, choosing instead to stay at Red Steel.

Don't talk about the benefits they enjoyed at Red Steel over these two years; just think about how many university students had already completed the steps of settling down in two years.

The times were moving forward; no one would choose to stay in place and wait.

It was precisely because of the protection of the Red Steel Group that they had the opportunity to receive their graduation certificates today.

Of course, some obeyed the arrangements, and the Red Steel Group released them according to organizational requirements, dissolving their employment relationships.

But at the same time, it also hard-core processed entry procedures for those who chose to stay; without an assignment certificate, Li Huai De took the responsibility.

It could only be said that information exchange in this era was still too slow and too closed; this batch had a large number of assignments, but many went to the border areas.

Without receiving reports from graduates, many units couldn't provide feedback in time, or didn't take the matter seriously at all.

Once the school's graduates were cleared out, there would be room for new students.

"1,032 people were recruited in June." Zhao Yafang introduced: "1,338 people came in this month, all through the recommendation process."

She rubbed her forehead: "I can't evaluate the right or wrong of this policy, just speaking from the actual situation, their cultural levels are uneven."

"Elementary school education accounts for 9.1%, junior high school 68.1%, high school 18.5%, technical secondary school 3.8%, and those who have attended university account for 0.2%."

Zhao Yafang took a sip of hot tea and looked at him: "If it weren't for the fact that Principal Li left a batch of seeds in your factory, it would be truly difficult now."

"Eight departments, fifty-two majors; teachers might not even be able to be gathered, let alone school staff."

"Two thousand plus people?" Li Xuewu raised his eyebrows: "Only studying for two years?"

"Pilot classes." Zhao Yafang explained: "Professional pilot classes recruited 76 people, two-year system, and some classes are three-year systems."

"But most students have restrictions."

She nodded slowly: "First is 'from the factory to the factory,' coming from the factory and returning to the factory after graduation; this is a hard requirement."

"Of course, how this batch of students will be assigned after graduation still depends on the policies at that time; what if there are other changes?"

"Did Li Xue ask you about this?"

Li Xuewu was mainly concerned about his younger sister; he hadn't received a call from Li Xue, who didn't know where she had gone on a business trip these days and wasn't at home.

"She didn't ask, I took the initiative to tell her."

Zhao Yafang shook her head slightly: "She doesn't seem to care much anymore, perhaps it's because I told her about the drawbacks of this batch."

"Actually, if I had to say, there's no need."

She sat up straight, holding a teacup: "Current academic qualifications are enough to use; they are already grassroots cadres, why bother tossing and turning."

"Their batch is bound to be special." Li Xuewu thought carefully: "She didn't ask me, so I'll just pretend I don't know."

"What if the policy remains the same next year?" Zhao Yafang glanced at him: "If she wants to go to university, will you support her?"

"I don't suggest she study at this time."

Li Xuewu thought about it and added: "If she wants to go, I will support her unconditionally."

"That's what it means to be an older brother." Zhao Yafang nodded with a smile: "Then let's wait until next year to see what she thinks."

"Actually, it wouldn't be too late to study next year; she's only 20, and if she studies university next year, she'll only be 24 when she graduates, and her starting point will still be very high."

"Well, let's see what she thinks." Li Xuewu smiled: "When she comes back, you tell her that I support her in everything."

"Hahaha—" Zhao Yafang saw him stand up to leave and asked: "Don't you need to report to your unit in the afternoon?"

"During the holiday, work is strictly prohibited."

Li Xuewu waved his hand gracefully and went out.

Returning to the group at this time, he didn't mind, but he was afraid of startling the snake and losing more than he gained.

Bang—

At the club, although the weather in August was very hot, people were still shedding sweat, writing their youthful beauty on the tennis court.

"Hoo—" Li Xuewu controlled his breathing and looked at Guliaisha, who was constantly wiping sweat: "Are you tired? Should we rest for a while?"

"I'm okay." Guliaisha smiled and explained: "I've been practicing recently, and even my arms have strength."

"You must control the degree." Li Xuewu shook his racket, gestured toward the rest area under the trees, and said with a smile: "Girls should still maintain their figure; don't get thick arms and thick legs."

"Ah? Will that happen?" Guliaisha really didn't know that playing tennis would cause that, her eyes full of surprise.

"It's fine if it's not excessive, but the body will definitely change over a long period."

Li Xuewu walked to the side of the court, picked up a teacup and took a sip, then put it down and gestured to Guliaisha, who had walked over, about the muscles on his arms.

She wasn't as reserved as a young girl and even smiled and reached out to pinch them, which made Li Xuewu feel embarrassed.

"Will I become like a man?"

Guliaisha gestured with her arms, imitating Li Xuewu's display of muscles, but it was more about youthful exuberance.

She was a sophomore when she met Li Xuewu; although she had long since entered the Red Star Factory, she only received her graduation certificate this February.

Unlike other university students, she went through proper procedures when she met Li Xuewu, and was recruited directly from school by the Red Star Factory.

So she received her graduation certificate and also received the Red Steel Group's assignment certificate.

Of course, the assignment certificate was useless; her position and rank remained unchanged, only the university graduation certificate was added to her personnel file.

"It's really possible." Li Xuewu gestured like a strongman to remind her: "If you use your right hand for a long time, it's very likely to be thicker on one side."

"Ah?" Guliaisha thought he was joking, but now she was scared and looked at the racket in her hand, wondering if she should continue playing this.

Actually, tennis was fun; don't think about its origin—the origin of sports was too complex; anything that could exercise the body or entertain life was a good sport, even playing mahjong, playing games, or reading novels.

"Hahaha—" Li Xuewu raised his chin, looked at her distressed face, raised his eyebrows and smiled: "Actually, if you want a good figure, running is fine, and normal stretching movements are also fine."

"If that's the case, is dancing okay?"

Guliaisha figured something out, raised her head to look at him, her smile bright: "I'll just practice dancing more, and I don't have to give up tennis."

What was she still struggling with? Did she really like tennis at the beginning? To be honest, if it weren't for Li Xuewu, she might not have even been exposed to tennis, let alone liked it.

It was he who liked playing tennis, and it was he who brought her here to play, giving her the qualification to enter, so she was just catering to his preferences.

It was just that she often came to exercise, thinking there would be a chance to play together, but she didn't expect to wait for more than a year; he had rarely come to the club to play in the last two years.

Heaven rewards the diligent; today she finally waited for him.

There was no sweetness comparable to an unexpected encounter.

Tennis was a habitual preference; if he cared more about her figure, then dancing was not impossible, although she was now a broadcaster.

"Are you still dancing?" Li Xuewu sat in the chair, crossed his right leg, and looked at her: "Are you training in the dance troupe?"

"No way—" Guliaisha sat beside him, holding her racket, and explained with a smile: "The art troupe moved to an independent training ground, which is far from where I work and live now."

She held up her teacup with both hands and took a small sip, pursing her lips: "I practice at home by myself, but that's also very rare."

"Where do you live now? Staff dormitory?"

Li Xuewu leaned back in his chair very relaxedly, feeling the breath of youth, chatting casually.

Guliaisha was very serious, nodded and said: "The environment is okay; I live with a colleague from our unit."

"Oh—double room." Li Xuewu nodded knowingly and asked again: "Is work tiring? How does it compare to being in the dance troupe?"

"Of course the dance troupe is more tiring."

Guliaisha smiled, lowered her head and said: "Now there is more pressure; we are not allowed to make mistakes in real-time broadcasting."

She glanced at Li Xuewu: "Our station manager stipulated that a 2-mao deduction for reading a character wrong in a formal broadcast, and internal notification criticism for more than three times a week; if it can't be rectified, the broadcast will be stopped; I'm under a lot of pressure."

"Hahaha—" Li Xuewu couldn't help but laugh at her pretending to be nervous, and nodded: "Yu Haitang knows how to manage."

Speaking of Yu Haitang, he followed this topic and asked: "How is she now? Does she have a child?"

Yu Li never mentioned these things in front of him; just Yu Zhe, if he weren't driving for him, he wouldn't say much more.

Yu Haitang was just a cousin, and after that incident, he naturally wouldn't mention the other party's situation.

Don't look at Li Xuewu and Yu Haitang being in the same group, but they weren't in the same unit, especially after the organizational structure was built; the publishing house was equivalent to an independent company, only under the unified management of the group.

"I haven't heard that she wants a child." Guliaisha thought about it, frowned and said: "Anyway, I haven't heard it; maybe she doesn't want one now?"

"Well, you know her partner, right?" Li Xuewu nodded slowly and explained: "That's Peng Xiaoli, who used to be my secretary."

"I know." Guliaisha nodded: "I also know Section Chief Peng; he sometimes comes to our unit to pick up Station Manager Yu."

"It seems their relationship is very stable."

Li Xuewu said with a smile: "That's good; they are both very young, and it's fine to have children a few years later; they are both in the rising period of their careers."

Guliaisha didn't know why he cared about Yu Haitang and Peng Xiaoli; if it was a former secretary, that made sense.

While they were talking, Shen Guodong walked over with a cigarette in his mouth; seeing them resting, he pushed open the iron mesh door and walked into the court.

"Have you been playing for a while?" He looked at Guliaisha and nodded with a smile: "You really can persist."

"Hello, Brother Shen." Guliaisha stood up when he came in, and seeing him speak, she took the initiative to greet him.

Shen Guodong waved his hand, signaling her to sit, and said casually: "Don't be polite, I'll just say two words and leave."

"Are you not busy today?" Li Xuewu raised his head slightly and looked at him: "Didn't you say you went to Jinmen?"

"Came back last night." Shen Guodong sat down opposite, refused Guliaisha's tea, blew a puff of fairy air after putting out the cigarette butt, and explained: "Third Uncle came to Jinmen and chatted with me for a long time."

"Hmm?" Li Xuewu raised his eyebrows: "What did he come for?"

"Said he wanted to order ships, and it's an urgent job."

Shen Guodong didn't care that Guliaisha was by his side and introduced very straightforwardly: "Forty thousand-ton cargo ships, three fifteen-thousand-ton container cargo ships."

"What for?" Li Xuewu asked amusedly: "Did the wind blow money?"

Guliaisha was still very smart; she hadn't sat down just now, and seeing that Shen Guodong didn't need her to pour water, and that they were talking about serious business, she took her racket and went to the court to play by herself.

Smart girls always have good luck, don't they?

"News from Hong Kong says that shipping business has developed very fast in the last two years, and orders have appeared to be backlogged."

Shen Guodong looked at him and asked: "I don't understand this, is it possible? Could it be a misjudgment?"

"It doesn't matter; if they pay, let them order."

Li Xuewu took a sip of tea and asked: "Are you placing the order at Yingcheng Shipbuilding?"

"Hmm, where else could I go." Shen Guodong explained: "Third Uncle said he would keep an eye on it in Yingcheng and get the ships out as soon as possible."

He cautiously reminded Li Xuewu: "Our accounts might need to be done well; nothing can go wrong."

"Hmm, go talk to your sister-in-law."

Li Xuewu didn't care and instructed him: "She happens to have time recently; you might not be able to find her after school starts."

"I was just about to say this." Shen Guodong took out his cigarette case and asked hesitantly: "Should we increase some accountants at the First Supervision Office?"

"Hmm, what's wrong?" Li Xuewu looked at him: "Too busy?"

"Been too busy for a long time." Shen Guodong lit a cigarette, put down the cigarette case while smiling bitterly: "Those old men have complained more than once, saying that if they continue to be so tired, they'll just wait for someone to collect their corpses."

"Aren't they all living well now?"

Li Xuewu was also amused by him, picked up the teacup and asked: "Do you have suitable candidates? Or should I help you find some?"

"No need to trouble you; I discussed it with Hearing Da Lao and Erye, and we came up with an idea."

He hesitated and looked at Li Xuewu: "Huang Gan said he could find some people who are proficient in accounting, but there are some troubles."

"Huang Gan said that?" Li Xuewu raised his eyebrows and curled his lips: "The ones he's talking about wouldn't be prisoners in the supervision office, would they?"

"Hahaha—" Shen Guodong nodded with a dry laugh: "That's it; he said he had tried it long ago, and their work ability is quite high."

He glanced at Li Xuewu, and seeing that Wu Ge didn't have any special emotions, he continued to explain: "These people not only have strong work ability, but also strong work discipline; as long as the living standards are appropriately improved, they will definitely do a good job."

"Why does he ponder people from this aspect?"

Li Xuewu was both angry and amused, looking at Shen Guodong: "Have you seen the people he mentioned?"

"Not yet; I'm here to ask for your opinion." Shen Guodong grinned and explained with a smile: "Huang Gan said that if we are willing to use these people, he will come forward and transfer them to the First Supervision Office to serve their sentences."

"We can use these people to do some basic work, or manage the accounts, and then have those old accountants do management review work."

He raised his eyebrows: "Huang Gan said the relationship at the First Supervision Office is very good; as long as we are willing, just give a little bit."

"You should go see those people."

Li Xuewu didn't make a conclusion arbitrarily, but cautiously reminded him: "If they didn't come in for special reasons, possessing this ability, they must have done something ruthless in that field."

"People like this generally can't be handled by ordinary means; they are the ones doing the accounts; you can't check the accounts every day, can you?"

He tapped the armrest of the chair with his finger: "Even if it's for special reasons, their character is trustworthy, what means do you want to use to handle them?"

"Improve their living standards?"

Li Xuewu smiled and said: "That's fine, of course, but have you ever thought that once they adapt to a better living standard, will they have more greed?"

"You can't just rely on this to maintain their enthusiasm, just because of a mouthful of food, just because of the living environment?"

He put down the teacup in his hand: "You're a bit taking it for granted; I advise you, go see them first, look at their character, and ask about their situation; those with actual difficulties can be used."

"Brother, your meaning is—"

Shen Guodong understood immediately, raised his eyebrows and asked: "Still need to work from the family members?"

"Otherwise?" Li Xuewu looked at him: "Or do you want to tell them that if they perform well, they can continue to work for you after they come out?"

"That works too." He nodded and said with a smile: "I never discriminate against people of this background, as long as they really have the ability."

"That's my idea too." Shen Guodong emphasized: "Huang Gan said it was amazing; he said those inside were all god-like people."

"If they can really be utilized, it's also a considerable wealth."

"A knife that has killed people is naturally sharp." Li Xuewu still cautiously reminded him: "But you must have the ability and vigilance to hold the handle tightly."

"I know this." Shen Guodong puffed on his cigarette and thought for a while: "Then that's it; I'll go back and contact Third Uncle, then go see Huang Gan and handle this matter clearly."

He stood up and said with a smile: "He also asked me when you would be back; he wants to get together with you."

"Tell him I don't have time." Li Xuewu curled his lips: "Too lazy to bother with him."

"Hehehe—" Shen Guodong looked back at the tennis girl in a white short-sleeved shirt and white skirt, and nodded: "I won't disturb you either."

"Be careful." Li Xuewu knew what he was thinking, but didn't mind; they were all brothers, and this point could still be understood.

"You can discuss the ship ordering with Xu Sinian, or let Third Uncle go find Xu Sinian; you can place the order first, and do the accounts bit by bit."

He reminded Shen Guodong: "Placing the order together, this tonnage is a bit scary; it's not good if the target is too big."

"Shunfeng Ocean is going to do something big this time." Shen Guodong nodded excitedly: "According to Third Uncle's account, Ji Wang Weidong confirmed that after the ship arrives, it will pay for itself in less than two years, and the rest is pure profit."

"Are you stupid—" Li Xuewu glared at him: "This is a ship, not a money printing machine; who said it's pure profit?"

"There are many risks in shipping; no one dares to guarantee that they will always make money; if you see him, tell him to be careful, don't float."

"Got it, I'll remember." Shen Guodong smiled: "I'll go make a call now; when are you going back to the Steel City? Or should I tell Sister Zhou when I have results, or should I..."

"Just tell Zhou Wang Yamei." Li Xuewu waved his hand: "I'll ask Wen Saner what's going on later."

"Understood." Shen Guodong also had a lot of things on his plate; he knew he was back, so he found time to report and ask for instructions.

In fact, Li Xuewu had long stopped managing general work; he only understood the situation of the recycling station through the briefings reported by Zhou Wang Yamei and Yu Li.

If he really had to make decisions on everything, he wouldn't have time to sleep; he wouldn't have a moment of leisure every day.

These little brothers had also been trained, each taking charge of one side, fully capable of supporting a stall.

It was precisely because the children and dangerous goods they picked up could all contribute that he had time to relax.

As for the expansion of the fleet, it was very surprising to him.

The Dongfeng Shipping leased by Shunfeng Ocean already had three ten-thousand-ton container cargo ships; if these three were counted, that would be six.

Originally there were 27 thousand-ton cargo ships; this time an additional 40 were ordered, which was considered to have been purchased successively over the past few years; just thousand-ton cargo ships numbered seventy.

Good heavens, six ten-thousand-ton ships, seventy thousand-ton ships; most of these ships were in the hands of Shunfeng Ocean; Ji Wang Weidong was really going to do something big.

In fact, it was normal; as far as Li Xuewu knew, the "hardware" business had exploded this year; Ate seemed to be like a debt collector, not vague at all, hitting the account of the Oriental Era Bank in Hong Kong, and then wanting "hardware" equipment.

What is hardware equipment?

Do gas cylinders count? Li Xuewu couldn't imagine how Ate had suddenly become like this, even more ruthless than ordinary arms dealers.

Ji Wang Weidong was the kind of person who loved to watch the excitement; he cooperated fully with Ate, not even needing the other party to come to Hong Kong, handling everything properly.

Ship after ship of weapons passed through Hong Kong, got the prepared procedures, went straight to Ate's designated port, and then brought a ship of ore back from there.

Li Xuewu dared to assert that if they continued to do this, Ji Wang Weidong would have to go to sea; he had never seen such a profitable business.

Of course, the one making big money wasn't the Red Steel Group, nor was it Ji Wang Weidong; it might be the terminal Ate, or maybe not even Ate.

The weapons ordered by Ate were all basic versions, the simpler the better, the more durable the better, which was the Red Steel Group; they could suppress production costs to death, and there were no special tariffs, so they could achieve the purpose of profit.

If it were any other arms supplier, they would have run away long ago.

Don't underestimate the influence of a ship of weapons; a thousand-ton cargo ship could hold 72 standard containers; how many rifles could a container hold?

Change the calculation, how many gas cylinders could a container hold?

What was the effect of a container of gas cylinders?

Li Xuewu could only say that Gaddafi had provoked the wrong object; Ate was fiercer than a dog, and Ji Wang Weidong was "dogger" than a dog.