Chapter 1648: Countdown

Li Xuewu and the First Master sat for only a short while before Seeing Sha Zhu brought people to the backyard to take over the shift.

Seeing Sha Zhu was there to burn paper, while Liu Guangfu, Yan Jiecheng, Wang Laoqi, and the others were there to keep vigil; they had already prepared a deck of playing cards.

They couldn't stand the cold, so they closed the window of the east room and stoked the stove fiercely before they started playing.

Seeing Sha Zhu first knelt to offer three sticks of incense and added two longevity candles before kneeling down again to start burning the paper.

Li Xuewu couldn't stand the smoke and fire, so he bypassed him and went outside the door to have a few words with the First Master who had followed him out.

The few young men in the east room were playing with gusto, shouting and slamming their cards down, forming a stark contrast to the solemnity before the spirit tablet.

However, the First Master and Seeing Sha Zhu had no intention of reprimanding them; in fact, they were even going to take the initiative to prepare a midnight snack for these young people.

They were not filial sons or grandsons and had no obligation to grieve for the deceased; it was merely custom and etiquette. Otherwise, who would come here to endure this, and it wasn't as if there was no other place to play cards.

Liu Guangfu and Yan Jiecheng came to keep vigil because the First Master and Seeing Sha Zhu had both contributed manpower and effort to their families' funerals, so they couldn't hide when it was their turn.

The other young men were the same; if they didn't come today, who would go to their homes in the future?

Logically speaking, the three Li brothers should also contribute this effort, but who let these three brothers be capable people?

Li Xuewen did not show his face, but Li Shun and Da Lao had been helping all along, while Li Xuewu and Li Xuecai contributed manpower and vehicles.

Etiquette and rules are one aspect, while human relationships and worldly wisdom are another. If one is truly capable, would they lack people coming to help?

To put it bluntly, when the Li family truly has a funeral, I'm afraid people would be lining up to keep vigil before they even had to ask.

"Fine, let them stay here."

Seeing Seeing Sha Zhu come out after burning the paper, Li Xuewu nodded to him and said, "If there's nothing else, I'll go sit in the front yard for a while and then head back."

"Mm, nothing else." Seeing Sha Zhu rubbed the ash off his hands, glanced at the First Master, and said, "You should also go rest in the side room; they are all drinking water over there, and we have to get up early tomorrow."

"Why don't you just make do for the night here as well?"

He said to Li Xuewu, "I've already heated up the kang, and the bedding is all ready, so you don't have to go back and forth."

"I can't stand the smell of the cigarettes they're smoking."

Li Xuewu shook his head slightly and said, "I don't smoke often, and even smelling it makes me feel choked. I'd better find a quiet place to rest."

"That works too. Come over early tomorrow for breakfast."

Seeing Sha Zhu lifted his chin and said, "I've already prepared the noodles; they'll be ready as soon as they hit the pot, and the sauce is already made."

"We'll see. If I make it, I make it."

Li Xuewu patted the First Master's arm, signaled toward the front yard, and instructed Seeing Sha Zhu, "When you're done here, go to the front yard too. Don't go to other houses and disturb the children."

"Got it." Seeing Sha Zhu waved his hand and went back into the room to watch the card game. He also had to keep watch for a while; he couldn't let the candles and incense run out.

It was clear that he was doing his best, and it wasn't all just for the First Master to see; the preparations for the ceremony were very sufficient.

One couldn't compare it to wealthy and noble families, but for a small household, a funeral handled to this extent was considered acceptable.

Not to mention when Deaf Old Lady passed away, even when the Third Master from the front yard and the Second Master's wife from the backyard passed, one didn't see anything overly extravagant.

Every place has its customs, but in this Dongcheng area, weddings are generally more lively, while funerals are more frugal.

As the old saying goes, if you truly have that kind of mourning honor, you don't need to be frugal yourself; the organization will naturally handle it for you. If you don't have that status and try to force it, in the end, you're the one who ends up looking shabby.

"In this courtyard, the old are passing away, and people are leaving. In the future, there really won't be anyone left."

Looking at the desolate courtyard, with more than half of the houses dark, the First Master sighed with his hands behind his back, "Things remain, but people have changed."

"Next year, at the latest next year, there should be people moving into the courtyard." Li Xuewu glanced at the dark houses and nodded, "The Group is holding a meeting to study this issue."

"It's better to have some human presence." The First Master sighed, "In the past, it was so noisy that I felt there wasn't a moment of peace, but now that it's quiet, I feel it's too lonely."

He shook his head and said, "Are people all just cheap-skinned?"

"Perhaps it's only after losing something that one learns to cherish it."

Li Xuewu pointed toward his home and said, "Come sit over here for a while, rest your legs. They're playing cards in the side room too."

The roads are hard to walk on snowy days; those whose homes are nearby are fine, but those who have already moved away naturally don't want to run back and forth.

The old neighbors who decided to attend the funeral procession tomorrow morning all decided to make do for the night in the side room.

It had been a long time since they had met, so gathering together suddenly, they were either reminiscing or playing cards, just looking for some liveliness.

Li Xuewu couldn't stand it and didn't intend to go to the front, but seeing his eldest brother at home through the window, he turned toward his house.

"I'm not going; I'm going to the front."

The First Master knew the generation gap between him and the Li brothers and didn't have any common topics; it would be rude to disturb the two brothers talking.

The two parted ways in the front yard, one going forward, the other to the right.

Li Xuewen had heard the commotion in the courtyard; he stood up from behind his desk and came to the living room.

"Mom was in the backyard too. Did you see her?"

"She's at Zhuzi's place, watching the child."

Li Xuewu explained to his eldest brother, peeked into the room, and asked, "No one has come over here?"

"Someone came in the afternoon, but after eating, they all went to the side room." Li Xuewen poured a cup of hot water for his younger brother and asked, "Did you come from home?"

"No, I came straight from work."

Li Xuewu scratched his head and said, "I called home and found out the Old Lady and the others had gone."

"What's there to be afraid of?" Li Xuewen said dismissively, "Birth, aging, sickness, and death are the normal state of human life."

"That's what you think now." Li Xuewu looked at his eldest brother with amusement and said, "You'll believe it when you're old."

"I won't believe in this no matter how old I get."

Li Xuewen was quite stubborn; he handed a cup of tea to his younger brother and said indifferently, "Can they really turn into souls?"

"Who knows." Li Xuewu wouldn't debate this with him; he wasn't a child anymore.

"But it's a culture passed down for thousands of years. If you say there's no evidence at all, it wouldn't have lasted until today, right?"

He was best at spouting nonsense; he couldn't beat his eldest brother at physics, but his eldest brother was no match for him in sophistry.

Li Xuewen curled his lips, looked at him, and asked, "Are you staying here tonight?"

"What? Are you afraid of being alone?"

Li Xuewu looked at him with amusement and teased, "Didn't you say you didn't believe in this?"

"I'm just asking if you're staying here; what does that have to do with whether I'm afraid or not?" Li Xuewen rolled his eyes and said, "If you're not staying here, I'll be spared from having to wait on you."

"Hey, that sounds fresh."

Li Xuewu tilted his head and said, "When have you ever waited on me? I don't remember that."

"Alright, sitting for a while is enough. Hurry up and do what you need to do; don't waste my time."

The two brothers didn't have much to say to each other; they had barely spoken two sentences before Li Xuewen started shooing him away.

The question he had just asked Li Xuewu about whether he was staying here sounded more like he was afraid his younger brother would stay.

Having finally caught an evening with no one to disturb him, he had to enjoy the pleasure of reading.

As he said this, he had already stood up and walked into the inner room with his teacup, without even suggesting the brothers exchange some feelings.

Li Xuewu had become an unwelcome person to his eldest brother; he drank a cup of tea, said a word, and went out the door.

He wasn't used to staying at home; there would be no lack of commotion in the courtyard tonight, so he wouldn't get a good night's sleep with people coming in and out.

He told his eldest brother he was leaving, but didn't even get a response, just a nod signaling him to leave quickly.

The way the brothers' relationship was, one would think they had fallen out.

"What's wrong, are you leaving already?"

Qin Huairu came out of the side room, saw him bypassing the moon gate, and asked with a lift of her chin.

Li Xuewu pointed to the west courtyard and said, "It's too noisy. I'll find a place to make do for the night and come back tomorrow morning."

"Do you have a place to stay?" Qin Huairu asked a question she already knew the answer to, her tone filled with mockery.

Li Xuewu glanced at her and said, "I'm just thinking about it. Should I go to your place? Is Brother Guoyou at home?"

"Go to hell—" Someone came out of the side room to use the restroom. Qin Huairu was quite open when joking, so she glared at him, "I'm not even home, what are you going there for?"

"Hahaha—" Wang Laoqi's wife laughed and teased, "If Liu Guoyou finds out, he'll beat you!"

Li Xuewu just walked past without chatting with them, went to the west courtyard to get his car, and headed out.

Did he lack a place to stay?

The world is his home; he has a home everywhere.

Qin Huairu was just talking nonsense; if she really wanted to do that, she wouldn't be joking in front of others.

However, the mockery in her words also carried a hint of regret; she no longer had the qualifications to invite him to her home.

Some time ago, Zhang Songying came to find her to go shopping during her time off, and the two talked about each other's lives.

She was the one who took the initiative to ask Zhang Songying if she was still in contact with him, but Zhang Songying just shook her head with a bitter smile.

After the New Year, Qin Huairu was 35 and Zhang Songying was 33; in her words, one must know when to advance and when to retreat.

To say they have no contact is incorrect; due to work, Zhang Songying still sees him a few times a year.

But to say they have a connection, the meeting no longer carries that kind of relationship; having reached this position and this age, why still fight over those trivial things?

If Li Xuewu were older, it would be one thing; after all, they shared a bond, and even as they aged, they would still think of each other.

It's just that Li Xuewu is ten years younger than them, so why dwell on that? Could he possibly be lacking young women by his side?

So, even when passing through Steel City, Zhang Songying had no intention of staying over; what's in the past is in the past.

Furthermore, Li Xuewu had no intention of asking him to stay.

However, when the two sat together and spoke of this, neither blamed nor complained about Li Xuewu's coldness.

Not to mention Zhang Songying, even Qin Huairu has to admit, if it weren't for Li Xuewu, could their family have the life they have now?

If she hadn't served as the director of the reception center, could she have gained the favor of a cadre like Liu Guoyou? Widows can't even get a hot meal.

So both of them have a scale in their hearts; one side of the scale holds past memories, and the other side holds "parting on good terms."

For the past few months, Tong Huimei has been obsessed with embroidery; the sewing basket on the square table is fully stocked with needles and thread.

On the silk fabric held by the bamboo hoop, a pair of plump magpies are embroidered, their feet stepping on winter plum branches; this embroidery has a pleasant name: "Joy on the Eyebrows."

"This duck is really plump—"

Jin Jiaojiao walked over with a thermos to refill her teacup, leaned in to take a look, pursed her lips to suppress her laughter, and "forcefully" offered a compliment.

Tong Huimei rolled her eyes at her and scolded: "I'll leave it for you to use as a pillowcase, so you can sleep with a plump duck under your head."

"That sounds great." Jin Jiaojiao didn't mind at all, smiling and saying: "I don't mind."

"I'll poke you with a needle—" Tong Huimei couldn't stand her mockery and gestured with the needle she was pinching between her fingers to scare her.

Jin Jiaojiao pretended to be scared and dodged, saying coquettishly: "Oh, sister's heart is so cruel—"

"If I were cruel, I'd poke you with an awl!"

Tong Huimei glared at her with amusement, but then seemed to hear some movement and raised her neck to look outside.

Seeing this, Jin Jiaojiao couldn't help but take a look, then smiled and teased: "Stop looking, are you that impatient? You've checked how many times already."

"You talk too much—" Tong Huimei wasn't embarrassed by her teasing; they had even slept in the same bed, so why would she care about this?

However, just as she turned her gaze back to the embroidery, the sound of a door opening came from the direction of the main gate.

"It must be him—"

Tong Huimei put down her work and hurried toward the door, but Jin Jiaojiao called out a reminder: "Put on your coat! Hey! Don't catch a cold!"

Reminded by her sister, she turned back to grab her coat, putting it on as she walked, truly as impatient as her sister had said.

She didn't care that Jin Jiaojiao was laughing at her behind her back, as if she weren't anxious herself.

If she really weren't anxious, why did she rush back to tidy up the room, boil water, and change the bedsheets as soon as she got the phone call this afternoon?

"You... walked here?"

Seeing him close the main gate without parking the car inside, Tong Huimei asked in surprise.

Li Xuewu turned back, saw it was her, and nodded, explaining: "It's cold, it's inconvenient, so I left it at the club."

It was true that he was afraid the car would be hard to start in the cold, but he didn't go to the club to bother anyone; he just put it away.

There was no one in the alley in the freezing weather, and he wasn't afraid of being seen; it was just for convenience.

"Are you cold?" After bolting the door, Li Xuewu walked over, took her hand, and asked with a smile: "Why aren't you staying inside?"

"I heard movement at the gate."

Tong Huimei enjoyed his closeness and explained somewhat shyly: "I just knew it was you."

"An elder in the compound passed away, so I sat over there for a while and didn't dare come straight over."

Li Xuewu led her toward the courtyard, explaining as they walked: "Then I went to the club for a turn."

"Oh—" Tong Huimei looked at him in surprise and asked: "Was it your neighbor?"

"Yes, from the old compound." Li Xuewu didn't explain too much, fearing she would be scared.

Seeing Jin Jiaojiao waiting at the door, he asked with a smile: "Are you two not afraid of the cold?"

"I'm terrified of the cold—" Jin Jiaojiao covered her mouth and laughed, glanced teasingly at her sister, and said: "My sister isn't afraid of the cold."

Tong Huimei didn't want to bother with her; this girl loved to use her as a source of amusement, so she lifted the door curtain to let Li Xuewu into the room.

"Wow, how much did you burn? It's so warm."

Li Xuewu felt the heat rushing toward him, looked at the stove with its glowing grate, and reminded the two: "You must be careful, don't catch a chill when you go out."

It was twenty degrees above zero inside, and ten degrees below outside; how could they handle that? They'd definitely catch a cold.

"She was afraid you'd think it was cold in here."

Tong Huimei glanced at her sister and said with a smile: "Not just the stove, even the heated brick bed is burning until it's smoking."

"What? You even built a heated brick bed?"

Hearing her say this, Li Xuewu looked into the inner room; indeed, some furniture had been moved out of the east room, and a heated brick bed had been built facing south—it really felt like a big bed in the Northeast.

However, this main room only had three sections, and it had been partitioned into east and west rooms and a central living room; even if they spread out, how long could it be?

But it was more than enough for three people to sleep.

"She remembered how warm the heated brick bed in the backyard was after seeing it at the club, and begged Brother Guodong to help set it up."

Tong Huimei introduced with a smile: "We've been living here since autumn; it's really much more comfortable than a frame bed."

"It just has a bit of a musty earth smell."

Jin Jiaojiao wrinkled her nose and said: "I suggested using cloth to make cushions to wrap around it, but she insisted it was useless."

"It is pretty useless." Li Xuewu walked into the inner room and tested the temperature of the bed with his hand; it was indeed hot enough to burn his hand.

"Unless you don't use yellow mud, there's no way to avoid the musty smell." Li Xuewu sat on the bed mat and felt it; it really was much more comfortable than a hardwood bed.

Don't say that people only like a warm bed when they get old; actually, young people like it too, it just depends on whether you're used to it.

If you're not used to sleeping on a hot bed, you definitely can't stand it; not only do your bones feel bruised, but your throat will also be swollen and uncomfortable when you wake up in the morning.

"I told you—you didn't believe me!"

Tong Huimei glanced at Jin Jiaojiao, handed him a cup of hot tea, and said: "Have you had dinner? Do you want me to make you a bowl of noodles? Everything is ready."

"No need, I ate at the club."

Li Xuewu took off his shoes, leaned back on the bed with his hands supporting him, and said lazily: "Wang Xiaoqin from the Third Guard Regiment happened to be there, so we chatted for a while while eating."

"We came back in the afternoon, she was already there then." Jin Jiaojiao explained: "Her child was learning calligraphy from the old gentleman at the club, so she comes over often."

"Her workplace is nearby, so it's naturally convenient."

Li Xuewu rested one arm on his forehead, closed his eyes slightly, and said: "If I were in Beijing, I could come over often too."

Jin Jiaojiao looked at her sister and covered her mouth to giggle.

She didn't know what was up with the sisters; they seemed to have some little secret.

Tong Huimei didn't speak, but bent down to pick up Li Xuewu's leather shoes, took them to the door, and brought back a pair of slippers.

"Soak your feet, you've been tired all day."

Jin Jiaojiao brought in the hot water she had prepared, but Li Xuewu waved his hand and said: "Let me wash my face first."

He didn't want to reject their kindness, so he braced himself to get up, stepped off the bed, and went to the outer room.

Jin Jiaojiao nimbly helped him take off his outer clothes and found pajamas for him to change into.

While he was washing his face, Tong Huimei had already laid out the bedding at the end of the bed.

The head of the bed was impossible; the little girl had burned it too much, and it was completely impossible for anyone to lie there; if it got too hot, it could burn the quilt.

Every time Li Xuewu came here, he would have a "landlord-like" enjoyment; someone would hand him soap and a towel to wash his face, and someone would bring him a water cup and squeeze toothpaste for him to brush his teeth. This life was too sweet; he could only enjoy it occasionally, or he'd definitely get diabetes if it lasted too long.

"Who embroidered this?" After washing up, he glanced at the item on the square table and only then discovered the embroidery.

Jin Jiaojiao smiled and glanced at the inner room, but Tong Huimei walked out in a hurry with a blushing face and tidied it up in a flurry.

"I was just embroidering for fun."

She stuffed the sewing basket into the west room, and didn't forget to glare at Jin Jiaojiao, who was giggling at her, when she came back.

Li Xuewu smiled and complimented her: "It's quite good. My grandmother loved to embroider this. The shoe uppers for all four of us children when we were little were embroidered by my grandmother; she had so many patterns."

"It's just that later her eyesight wasn't good, and my mother wouldn't let her embroider anymore, but we still have those items at home."

"Really—" Tong Huimei finally received affirmation and said with a little joy: "I'm just starting to learn too."

"Take your time, it's a very good hobby." Li Xuewu complimented her, then went to the inner room to soak his feet.

Having received the compliment, she glanced at her sister with a bit of pride, raised her neck, walked quickly a few steps, and went into the room to help him take off his socks and wash his feet.

Li Xuewu wasn't so noble as to deserve this, so he waved his hand to do it himself, but he still couldn't win against her.

"Practicing martial arts is hardest on the feet," she said while kneading Li Xuewu's feet in the water: "When we were little, we helped each other. The master's wife said if your feet are ruined, don't even think about getting on stage."

"It's all the same. When I was a soldier in the south, I would soak my feet whenever I had the chance; if I didn't have the chance, I had to wrap them in foot-binding cloths."

Li Xuewu looked down at her and said with a smile: "There were new recruits who didn't take this seriously, and after one day, they couldn't walk; their feet were covered in big blood blisters."

"The kind that wraps all the way to here?"

Tong Huimei gestured to his ankle and asked: "Isn't that the same as the old ladies?"

"To here." Li Xuewu pointed to his lower leg and explained: "It's two different things from the old ladies' foot-binding. This is because I was afraid the calf muscles couldn't take it after walking too much, leading to varicose veins."

"If we didn't have this during the Long March, we definitely wouldn't have made it." Li Xuewu braced his hands on the edge of the bed and wiggled his toes: "The rain in the south was heavy, and some people had their toes rot off."

"Ah!" Tong Huimei exclaimed: "That serious?"

"There were things even more serious than that: amputation."

Li Xuewu pursed his lips and said: "At first it was just blood blisters, then they rubbed raw and got infected with the local water and soil inflammation."

"Because the front line lacked the corresponding medicine, we didn't take it seriously at first, but didn't expect it to get worse and worse."

He paused, then said helplessly: "The conditions were just like that. There are many reasons for non-combat attrition, and this was the most common one."

"On the first day we entered the mountains, the veterans emphasized that protecting your own feet was the most urgent task."

"Then how did you all pull through?"

Jin Jiaojiao was also curious about his story and leaned in to ask: "Just by luck?"

"Luck?" Li Xuewu raised an eyebrow and said: "Luck has to be fought for by yourself."

He shook his head and said: "When you're desperate, who cares about that? As long as you can survive, you'll dare to do anything."

He didn't say anything deeper; after all, this kind of thing shouldn't be publicized. The process isn't important; the result is.

Neither of them had been exposed to these things, so they were quite curious and kept asking him about his past.

Until the lights were out and they were lying on the bed, Jin Jiaojiao was still wondering why the White Elephant insisted on actively starting this war.

However, hearing her sister's breathing beside her, she realized that she herself still had a tough battle to fight.

After a heavy snow, there is often a strong wind, and the window shutters rattled in the wind at night.

However, Li Xuewu had spent a lot of money to renovate this courtyard, and the windows were reinforced with glass, so there was no danger of them being blown open.

Moreover, the sisters had long since learned to live through the bumps and bruises, and had even learned how to paste the windows, so it wasn't cold in the room at all.

Tong Huimei lay on her side beside him, her voice carrying a hint of exhaustion: "She's become lazy. She used to practice martial arts early in the morning, but after it got cold, she just hides in the quilt and won't get up."

"I encountered a bottleneck period and needed rest to adjust." Jin Jiaojiao lay in his arms and argued coquettishly: "I'll start practicing again once I've adjusted."

"You've been adjusting for a whole autumn, and I haven't seen you adjust well yet." Tong Huimei reached out, pinched Jin Jiaojiao through him, and said: "When will you ever grow up?"

"Ouch—" Jin Jiaojiao shrank her body from the sudden attack, dodged her hand, and scolded: "Aren't you slacking off too? Don't say it's because you're influenced by me!"

"If it's not you, then who—"

The sisters still had the energy to bicker, but Li Xuewu forced himself to sleep early, otherwise he wouldn't be able to get up tomorrow.

That was his habit: staying up late was fine, but getting up early was difficult, and besides, he had just expended physical labor.

Seeing he wasn't moving, the sisters chatted and laughed until they fell asleep.

The days are long in winter; don't talk about getting up at four o'clock, even at five-thirty, it's not certain the sky will be bright.

Li Xuewu checked his watch before sleeping; getting up at four o'clock meant he had only slept for six hours.

He was a young man with a strong body, after all; eating the egg noodles Tong Huimei cooked for him, he only yawned twice.

"Getting up too early makes you sleepy."

Jin Jiaojiao had also gotten up to help him prepare the wash water, and she was also yawning with fatigue.

Li Xuewu raised his chin, signaling her to go back to the room for a nap, and she was obedient.

Tong Huimei was helping him find his socks and leather shoes, and Jin Jiaojiao's little snoring sound could already be heard from the inner room.

"Does she usually snore?"

Li Xuewu and Tong Huimei were quiet for a few seconds, listened carefully, and then asked with a smile: "How come I didn't notice?"

"She must be tired." Tong Huimei pursed her lips and giggled; last night, she was the one who kept shouting for more.

"Don't come out, you'll catch a chill."

Li Xuewu was full and warm, put on his coat, and signaled to her: "I can go out by myself."

"I'll just see you to the gate." Tong Huimei looked at him with reluctance, hating to see him go.

Li Xuewu touched her pretty face and smiled slightly: "I'll be back in Beijing at the end of next year."

"Hmm—" Tong Huimei knew she had no right to beg him to do anything for her, so she just responded obediently.

Li Xuewu nodded and said: "If you get tired of staying in Beijing, buy a train ticket and come to Steel City to find me. You know the address."

"Hmm, I know." Tong Huimei just responded, but she had never planned to leave here, let alone go to Steel City.

She and Jin Jiaojiao were equally timid; Li Xuewu arranged the path from here to the club for them, so they walked that path; he arranged the path for them to perform at the theater, so they took one more step.

Without further arrangements from Li Xuewu, they just guarded their own path and refused to take another step.

If they were truly flexible, they had a house and a salary; why not find a boyfriend while they were young?

Even if they headed toward a new life, Li Xuewu probably wouldn't make things difficult for them, and might even send his blessings.

But the sisters had never mentioned this thought; he didn't know what they were thinking, but they definitely hadn't done it.

Actually, the profession of an actor is the most prone to this kind of complex situation—too deep into the role, or too worldly-wise.

Neither of these things is a good thing for a girl.

Actors are heartless; how many who fall in love with their senior or junior brothers end up with a good ending?

It's nothing more than a husband and wife continuing to sing, then becoming independent to take on apprentices and forming a new troupe to continue singing.

And being worldly-wise, pursued by dignitaries off-stage, they become arrogant and look down on others, and look down on themselves.

They look down on those with poor conditions, and can't climb up to those with good conditions, ending up empty-handed.

These two situations are still considered good, at least they still believe in love; what's scary is the kind that plays both sides and treats singing as a side job.

The threshold for this industry is high and low, messy and mixed; singing as a side job for prostitution is the norm.

Even worse, on stage they are women, off stage they are men, and in bed they are neither men nor women.

Precisely because they have seen too much filth, the two had long since lost confidence in life, so they just wanted to go on like this.

They were only twenty years old this year, and their lives had just begun; there was still plenty of time to consider complex problems.

This wasn't Li Xuewu's first time attending a funeral in the compound, and he was familiar with the process, but this time, according to the First Aunt's last wish, they chose burial.

The difference from cremation is that it saves the steps at the crematorium.

Taught by the elder who often presided over funerals on this street, everyone worked together to shroud the First Aunt.

After the filial son Seeing Sha Zhu, wearing mourning clothes with his wife, completed a series of procedures, eight young men worked hard to carry the coffin out of the compound and onto the truck.

Don't look at the fact that it was only five o'clock in the morning; the neighbors who loved excitement were already standing at the door in their cotton clothes, shrinking their necks and waiting.

Everything was kept simple, as they were afraid of causing gossip, so there was no funeral music, but someone lit a string of firecrackers.

Seeing Sha Zhu carried the banner and got into the truck bed with a group of young men, while the others got into the cars that had been prepared.

When the firecrackers went off, the truck serving as the hearse started slowly, and the other cars followed one after another.

This motorcade looked quite luxurious, but it was also very complex.

There were four-wheeled and three-wheeled vehicles, which gave this funeral a point worth discussing.

Li Xuewu drove in the middle, with his father and three neighbors in the car; these three had been waiting to ride in his car to see something new.

The domineering exterior of the Cruiser was quite eye-catching, and many people were staring at the car and discussing it.

Compared to the common Antelope II, this car was only equipped in some important departments, even in the Red Steel Group.

Seeing Sha Zhu chose a cemetery not too far away for the First Aunt, which was also a burial ground that allowed burial.

The grave pit had already been dug; it was dug by a machine in the middle of the night yesterday, as human labor was really difficult at this time of year.

Seeing Sha Zhu had some face in the cafeteria and restaurants, and also had connections with people from the engineering company.

Asking for a backhoe not only required a ticket from the finance department, but also giving the driver some benefits.

After all, this wasn't as simple as digging a cellar at home; most people really wouldn't want to do this.

The motorcade arrived at the cemetery in a grand manner, and with the concerted efforts of the young men and under the command of the elder, it was steadily placed in the grave pit, followed by a series of procedures.

Li Xuewu had deliberately worn a lot, but he still couldn't help but sneeze while carrying the cold wind of the open cemetery.

The boys were the first to be unable to hold on, so they cleaned up the firewood left over from digging the grave last night and relit it; the enthusiastic flames finally dispelled the biting cold of winter.

Under the illumination of the car lights and the flames, reflecting the morning sun, Seeing Sha Zhu shoveled the first shovel of earth.

Amidst the elder's chanting, it was finally the young men's turn to go on stage, and with a shovel each, they soon piled up the grave mound.

There was still some loose soil around, but it was prepared for rounding the grave in a few days, so they couldn't use it all.

Seeing Sha Zhu was very generous in releasing a rooster and pouring two bottles of white liquor, making everyone present sigh at his filial piety.

It was called a godmother, but no one had ever heard Seeing Sha Zhu really call her that, nor had they heard the First Uncle really call her a godson.

Anyway, they knew it in their hearts, and everyone else understood it; that was the relationship.

Without children, this arrangement was considered acceptable.

Limited by old rituals, the First Uncle didn't come to the grave, but was waiting at home.

If Seeing Sha Zhu hadn't stepped up, what old rituals would there be, and where would today's grand scene come from?

Not to mention anything else, just these cars and three-wheeled motorcycles, at least more than half of them came for Seeing Sha Zhu.

After inserting the banner and covering it with wreaths, everyone patted the dust off their bodies and got into their cars to leave.

Someone used a shovel to put out the fire, and the sun had already risen, red and bright; the deceased had gone, and it was a brand new day.

The motorcade returned the same way, leaving behind a person's life; birth, old age, sickness, and death are just a cycle.

Today everyone sent off the First Aunt, and in the future, descendants will come to send them off; isn't that how everyone has come through?

It was already past seven o'clock when they arrived at the compound, and hot water had been prepared at the gate; everyone washed their hands and rinsed their mouths, ate the candy distributed by He Yu Shui, and after thanking her with a smile, accepted a box of cigarettes.

This was all prepared by He Yuzhu; although it was a gesture of friendship, he couldn't let people come for nothing, so he gave cigarettes to everyone who should have received them.

Because Li Xuewu provided the car, he was also given a box of cigarettes by He Yu Shui, even though she knew he didn't smoke.

He took a look; it wasn't the cheapest kind, but it wasn't very expensive either; He Yuzhu was really generous for this funeral.

However, last night in the inverted room, he also set up a gift table, acknowledging the relationship with the First Uncle.

Today he received the gift money for the First Aunt's funeral, so in the future, the gift money for the First Uncle would have to be returned by him.

Actually, people who handle these things know that it's all about human favors and money, and no one is left with anything.

Cigarettes, alcohol, tea, and sugar all have to be prepared, and if the banquet is shabby, it's his own face that's lost.

Li Xuewu ate the candy, threw the cigarettes to Wang Laoqi, walked around the compound, and went to work.

Actually, the funeral ended here, and the rest was handled by the family themselves.

Like Li Xuewu, many people who were in a hurry to go to work took advantage of this time to go home and change their clothes.

Breakfast was eaten in the inverted room before the funeral; Li Xuewu didn't want to join the fun, which was why he had Tong Huimei cook the noodles.

It was also his idea for the old lady and the others to stay at home for a few days, to avoid them feeling sad when they saw the traces in the compound.

He didn't care about these things before, but after the old lady encountered that incident, the family had been very cautious.

Even the second uncle had called many times to ask about the old lady's health, and knowing that Hong Min had come to make a scene, he almost wanted to go to Yangcheng to find trouble with the other party.

Li Xuewu didn't want to deal with those useless things and had warned the other party not to come to the Li family again; his words were deterrent enough.

Others might not be clear about his ability, but Hong Min was.

To prepare for the meeting in the middle of the month, as soon as Li Xuewu arrived at the group, he was notified by the office to prepare to participate in the discussion meetings of the industrial group and the economic group.

Others only participate in one, unless they are core group members, but here he had special treatment again.

Li Xuewu was impatient to stand out, but he couldn't stand Old Li not discussing it with him and giving the order directly.

If he went to argue with Old Li, it would seem too pretentious.

So after the office secretary notified him, he just nagged a few words and sent the other party away.

Zhang Enyuan had rested in the office building last night, but not in his room.

This kid was a bit hardworking, also to perform well in this meeting.

He knew that Gu Cheng had come to talk to the leader; time flew by, and he had already been working by Li Xuewu's side for two years.

If nothing unexpected happened, whether the leader returned to Beijing or returned to the group to work next year, he would be arranged to be sent down.

Compared to Gu Cheng's situation, he still had many choices; after all, he had grassroots work experience.

And he was much older, so he didn't need to be like young people like Gu Cheng who needed to go down to temper their temperaments.

Li Xuewu was not someone who could be fooled; although the leader was very loyal, he also had to look at his performance.

Over the past two years, he didn't know how the leader evaluated him, or if he could be considered satisfied.

But he couldn't miss every opportunity in the future.

This meeting was very important to the leader; one speech, two meetings, he was the leader's text work service and support force.

If he couldn't be relied upon, then don't expect the leader to be merciful with future arrangements.

"Are you having opinions about this?" Seeing Li Xuewu was a bit dissatisfied, he asked softly: "Or is it that the proposal you made to establish the Northeast General Company in Liaodong made Director Li not very satisfied?"

"What does that have to do with this?" Li Xuewu shook his head, sat behind the desk, looked at the documents on the table, and said: "It's just that there are too many people."

He snorted and said: "It would be better if there were only three people in the group who could make decisions; they could get the work done while playing poker."

Zhang Enyuan found this funny, but still suppressed his laughter and reported: "General Manager Gao came to talk to you, and seeing you hadn't arrived yet, he said he would come back to find you later. I said you had asked for leave this morning for something."

"Hmm, it's okay, he probably heard the news."

Li Xuewu pushed the documents the secretary had just sent over helplessly, sighed, and said: "Economic work, who can't talk about it? Why must I participate?"

This wasn't Li Huai De deliberately making things difficult for him, but not wanting Gao Yaqin to dominate.

The only person in the group who could restrain Gao Yaqin in economic work was him, and he was suppressing the other party firmly.

Gao Yaqin also had to be convinced; coming early in the morning meant she had received the news early.

Otherwise, she would have said it when she came yesterday, and wouldn't have waited until now.

Li Xuewu actually wanted to participate in the discussion of organizational work more, but Li Huai De and Gu Weijie didn't give him this opportunity.

However, this also confirmed Gao Yaqin's words yesterday; it seems that Gu Weijie's time in the group had really entered the countdown.