Chapter 1657: The children

"You're going back to Steel City?"

Gao Yaqin took the initiative to find Li Xuewu. Seeing him reading a document, she frowned and asked, "What about things here in the capital?"

"What about them?" Li Xuewu raised his head, only to see that she had turned and closed the office door upon entering.

"You can't leave at a time like this."

Gao Yaqin didn't pay attention to his raised eyebrows; she had closed the door for better communication, not to do anything untoward.

"You should know that things are far from as simple as they appear."

"Of course, of course—" Li Xuewu leaned back in his chair, looked at her, and asked, "What are your thoughts?"

"What are you still suspecting me of?"

Gao Yaqin was very impatient with his attitude. She frowned and said, "Do you want to watch the leadership team run into trouble?"

She was, of course, dissatisfied with the reserve and affectation Li Xuewu was displaying; it made her feel a bit hurt.

"You don't want to see Old Li suffer, do you?"

"What are you trying to say?" Li Xuewu looked at her and asked, "I don't understand what you mean."

"Of course you understand!" Gao Yaqin braced her hands against his desk, glared at him, and said, "There's no conflict between us, is there? Why can't you just—forget it!"

She was halfway through her sentence when she suddenly felt it was all meaningless. After a deep breath, she looked out the window and said, "I'm meddling in things that aren't my business."

"Am I that intimidating to you?"

Li Xuewu picked up his teacup and said unhurriedly, "You treat me like a petty person who only knows how to play dirty tricks."

Gao Yaqin, arms crossed and eyes full of defiance, turned back to glare at him without speaking, but her expression revealed everything.

That's right; she truly felt that Li Xuewu had planned everything, manipulated everything, and even led everything that happened today.

Before, she hadn't felt that this kind of scheming was all that terrifying, or rather, all that horrifying.

But today, as the dust settled, she found herself in the middle of it, cold sweat running down her spine.

"I know you don't look down on me."

Li Xuewu took a sip of warm tea, lowered his head to set the cup down, and said, "You look down on Director Li, and even more so on Deputy Director Su."

"What do you mean?" Gao Yaqin asked with a frown, "I don't want to listen to your cryptic nonsense."

"Once a person has a prejudice, they can't listen to explanations." Li Xuewu shrugged his shoulders, looked at her calmly, and said, "If I were to say that Deputy Director Su will make a comeback one day, you wouldn't think I was joking with you, would you?"

Gao Yaqin's wide eyes were full of incomprehension; she had understood Li Xuewu's explanation, but she truly didn't understand it.

"Why?"

She tilted her head, looked at Li Xuewu, and asked, "You've already—"

Li Xuewu knew she wanted to ask why, since he had already pushed Su Weide to this point, he didn't just finish him off with one blow.

Why, knowing the other party had a chance to make a comeback, he didn't strike while the iron was hot, and why he didn't extinguish the other party at a time like this.

This was typical subjective thinking; she had decided that Li Xuewu wanted to put Su Weide to death.

She had decided that Li Xuewu had manipulated all of this for some goal she had determined he would never give up on.

But was the situation really as she imagined?

"General Manager Gao, you really are cute."

Li Xuewu examined her bewildered expression and said with a smile, "Sometimes I can't help but think that."

Gao Yaqin's nostrils flared; she was clearly stimulated by his words, but her reason told her that the facts weren't like that.

She had heard rumors about Li Xuewu's romantic affairs, but he wasn't so desperate as to flirt with her.

This sentence sounded off, but what truly stimulated her was Li Xuewu's contempt.

"You think I'm very naive, right?"

She narrowed her eyes slightly and asked with some annoyance, "You are even more treacherous and cunning than I imagined."

"Thank you for the compliment." Li Xuewu raised his eyebrows, not caring at all about her assessment.

He sat up straight, straightened his wool cardigan, and looked at her standing across the desk, saying, "You should have heard of Fu Bin, the former head of the Security Division, right?"

"He was my old leader, and he had a great influence and helped me a lot in my growth and progress."

Li Xuewu tapped his finger and said earnestly, "He once said this to me, and I remember it vividly."

"He said, a friend's praise is a good reputation, and an enemy's slander is an honor."

He said this, looked into Gao Yaqin's eyes, and asked, "General Manager Gao, are you my enemy or my friend?"

"I'm your grandmother—" Gao Yaqin was about to be angered to death by him; she dropped that sentence and turned to leave.

Li Xuewu was also amused by her clawing and scratching; he shook his head slightly as he watched the door slam shut.

Whoever said he led all this just to take down Su Weide was devaluing him too much.

For someone of Su Weide's caliber, if he had wanted to take him down, he would have done it long ago; did he really need to wait until today?

Back then, Zhou Xiaobai was willing to sacrifice herself, and the trap had been dug for him, but Li Xuewu had still let him go.

Did they really think he was kind-hearted and couldn't bear to strike?

If anyone used that sentence to evaluate him, those dead ghosts at the Xishan shooting range who witnessed his meteoric rise with their lives wouldn't agree.

At his position, one could see the murderous intent of life and death in a single move; if he were like that, he would have been struck by lightning long ago.

After sending Fu Bin away, he knew he had to restrain his edge and learn to solve problems with political thinking.

Otherwise, wouldn't all the books he'd read have been in vain?

It's truly funny to say, but Gao Yaqin listened to the secretary's report and cursed Li Xuewu eight hundred times over in her heart.

But after thinking about it, she still had to calm down and consider that the organizational ecology of the Red Steel Group needed internal balance.

Her going to Li Xuewu's office to claw and scratch wasn't for her own sake, and it certainly wasn't groundless worry.

This case didn't involve her at all, but it had already affected her.

At the leadership meeting Li Huai De had just presided over, he demanded that the members of the leadership team state their positions.

State what position?

Naturally, it was to firmly support the organization's decision, actively draw a line with Su Weide and others, and actively report and expose relevant issues.

In her view, Li Huai De's impatience was somewhat incomprehensible.

Su Weide was taken away for investigation, not fucking taken away to be shot; was this the time to pop champagne and celebrate?

She didn't oppose Li Xuewu standing up to clear out trash like Su Weide, but she didn't think highly of Li Huai De's current performance.

Gao Yaqin took the initiative to find Li Xuewu just to get him to persuade Old Li not to be too carried away.

Didn't he see that the leadership team members' statements at the meeting were somewhat insincere and forced?

These people certainly didn't sympathize with Su Weide; everyone knew about those dirty deeds, they just hadn't said anything until now.

But with such a big show, what was Li Huai De trying to do?

Everyone knew what he was trying to do; it was nothing more than using Su Weide's incident to stir up something big.

Because of the expansion of the leadership team, the management authority of the group was inevitably dispersed, which made Old Li somewhat panicked.

It was certainly understandable for the Group General Manager to handle personnel, finance, and business, but there was no need to be so urgent and tight about it.

Su Weide went down today, but who would go down tomorrow? This was what everyone was worried about.

No one wanted to see Li Huai De get carried away and act recklessly; any slight change in the organizational ecology required enough time to repair and balance.

Once Old Li was allowed to mess around, no one would have an easy time; only a stable ecology provided the time and energy to create achievements, and achievements and influence were the ladder to their advancement.

Those above looked at achievements, and those below looked at influence.

But Li Xuewu's attitude made her somewhat frantic; everyone else said Li Huai De was sitting on the mountain watching the tigers fight.

But in her view, she couldn't find Li Xuewu's shadow in this tiger-fighting drama no matter how she looked.

On the contrary, Li Huai De, who was thought to be sitting on the mountain, had actually appeared in the coliseum.

Wasn't this strange situation enough to make people nervous and tremble? Who exactly was playing the chess game?

"Leader, Director Li criticized General Manager Deng Yuanneng of the Jin Ling branch of the Sales Corporation at the study session."

The secretary took the opportunity of pouring tea to report in a low voice: "He said his work was ineffective and the situation hadn't opened up for a long time."

"What was he thinking about earlier!" Gao Yaqin was annoyed by Li Xuewu's attitude, and hearing the secretary's report, she snorted unhappily and said, "Just talking nonsense is all he's good at."

The secretary knew that this wasn't about him, and it wasn't even about Deng Yuanneng.

Actually, thinking about it, he felt that this government office wasn't all that interesting; he had heard too much, and his previous filters had shattered all over the floor.

Perhaps in the eyes of most grassroots cadres and workers, the group's government office was busy, wise, and the elite of the entire group.

But in reality?

Under the bright and beautiful exterior, it was a mess.

Take Deng Yuanneng, who had just taken office in the Jin Ling branch for half a year; would you say his work ability was okay or not?

Was there any reason for Li Huai De to criticize him at the study session meeting?

This kind of thing couldn't be said publicly, but everyone had a ledger in their hearts; the most direct thing was Deng Yuanneng's background.

Many people knew that Deng Yuanneng was the position Deputy Director Su had fought for at the meeting.

You could say he was Deputy Director Su's confidant, or you could say they had unspeakable secrets between them.

But looking at the problem fairly, Deng Yuanneng had made achievements in the Jin Ling branch.

In just half a year, the group's sales business had spread across the Jiangnan region; you could say this was the natural result of the Red Star brand's influence, but you couldn't deny his efforts, right?

If Deng Yuanneng had no ability, could he have been examined by the Organization Division and listed as a candidate for appointment?

But returning to the question of background, everything was wrong; what Gao Yaqin was actually angry and complaining about was Li Huai De.

The investigation team hadn't given a definitive notification, and he had already started clearing out Su Weide's direct subordinates; he was too anxious.

Although it was said that when people leave, the tea gets cold, there were also unwritten rules; you couldn't pull everything up by the roots, right?

If there were truly problems involved, no one would say anything, but judging a cadre's success or failure based on personal subjective judgment wouldn't convince anyone, no matter where it was placed.

In any case, Gao Yaqin was very disgusted with the current Li Huai De, and even complained about Li Xuewu, who was ignoring it.

It was as if Li Xuewu had raised a dog that was biting people everywhere, and the dog owner was standing by, ignoring it; wouldn't you be angry?

Li Xuewu hadn't properly handled the issue with the Sanhe Corporation, which also caused the stagnation of the cooperation projects between the two sides.

But this wasn't something he could decide; Nishida Kenichi was gone, and no one could talk to him directly.

The two clerks Sanhe left in the capital also received notices of summons, and the Foreign Affairs Division reminded them not to leave the country.

This tense investigative atmosphere directly forced a halt to the new cooperation content between the Red Steel Group and Sanhe.

Li Xuewu didn't know how Sanhe would respond and react next, or whether they would arrange for Nakamura to visit.

But he couldn't keep waiting in the capital; with the end of the year approaching, he still had a lot of work to do.

Li Huai De had Liu Bin help him book a flight, which could be considered a reward for this mission.

The time was set for Monday.

And on Sunday, Li Xuewu came to Zhou Wang Yamei's home in the capital as promised; he had promised to take his godson out to play.

"It's too cold, you'll catch a cold again."

Zhou Wang Yamei looked at her son with some reluctance and said, "How about Mom accompanies you to the library to read?"

"I want to go out and play with Uncle."

Fu Zhidong also looked at his mother pitifully, then looked expectantly at his uncle sitting on the sofa.

"Don't look at me, you're already a big kid." Li Xuewu shrugged his shoulders and said, "You have to convince your mother."

"Mom—" Fu Zhidong took his mother's hand and said, "It wasn't easy for me to wait until Uncle had time."

He looked at his mother and said, "I promise, I'll come home after dinner, I definitely won't be greedy for play, and I'll be obedient."

Zhou Wang Yamei touched her son's little head, smiled, and said, "Go ahead, dress warmly."

"Okay!" Fu Zhidong finally got his mother's permission and jumped to the door to put on his coat; he had been ready for a long time.

"You don't mind them making a racket."

Zhou Wang Yamei glanced at him and said, "No work or social engagements today?"

"If you promise someone something, you have to do it, otherwise don't promise." Li Xuewu smiled and looked at Fu Zhidong, who was eavesdropping at the door, and asked, "Right, son?"

"Hehe—" Fu Zhidong smiled and said, "Uncle is the best."

"I'm almost done with my work." Li Xuewu then turned back to Zhou Wang Yamei and explained, "I'll handle the rest when I get back to Steel City."

He examined Zhou Wang Yamei and asked, "Are you two going back to Steel City for the New Year this year?"

Although the Rolling Mill had moved away, the Liangma River Industrial Zone still had industrial boilers, which were the power source for the light industry side.

Tuanjie Lake was still a cooling pond, but it had gradually lost its function because the scale of the Workers' New Village was expanding.

Take the heating in Zhou Wang Yamei's house, for example; Li Xuewu hadn't been in the room for ten minutes before he felt he was going to sweat.

And Zhou Wang Yamei, who was at home, was only wearing a light pajama, her hair tied up, possessing a kind of homey, relaxed charm.

She took a sip from her teacup, nodded, and said, "It doesn't have to be for the New Year; let's wait until Zhidong's winter break."

Saying this, Zhou Wang Yamei looked at her son at the door and said, "Take him back to see his grandmother and grandfather."

"Are the old man and old lady still in good health?"

Li Xuewu examined her and asked, "Didn't they say they wanted to come to the capital to see you, or come here to live?"

"No, and I didn't bring it up."

Zhou Wang Yamei lowered her head and said faintly, "We don't even get in touch once a year."

Actually, she didn't say that her parents didn't contact her because she didn't contact her parents.

Or to be precise, ever since Fu Haibin had his accident and the house arranged for her parents was taken back, they had had much less contact.

There was the awkwardness of the two sides meeting, and the pushing and pulling of her younger brother and sister-in-law; her family knew a bit about her situation.

Her parents knew she had found a man, and a powerful one at that, and were somewhat dissatisfied with her behavior.

Zhou Wang Yamei wasn't hard-hearted; no matter how much emotion her parents had, as long as they were alive, they were her roots.

So, although she had come to live in the capital these past two years, she would sometimes still take her child back to see them.

She wasn't willing to deal with her younger brother and sister-in-law, nor did she care about their veiled criticisms; she had long been disgusted with this kind of infighting.

Her younger brother and sister-in-law had come to her to ask for money, believing that she could maintain her initial decency after Fu Haibin's accident because she must have relied on a powerful patron.

Her sister-in-law still had some reservations, but her younger brother opened his mouth and asked for money, talking about how their parents were old and how much they needed to spend.

Back then, she managed personnel for the recycling station, but relied on the living expenses Li Xuewu gave her; how could she have so much to give them to spend recklessly?

The first time she didn't give it, the second time went without saying, and the third time she went home, she didn't have a good face.

Even her parents were like that.

So, because of the unhappiness last year, there was no contact this year; it was only because Li Xuewu asked that she remembered.

Fu Zhidong had put on his clothes and changed his shoes; he quietly called his uncle, and Li Xuewu turned back to look at him and blinked.

"If you go back to Steel City, let me know in advance, and I'll arrange for someone to pick you up." Li Xuewu stood up and instructed, "If your parents have anything going on, you can also contact Yu Li for help."

"Got it, there's nothing going on."

Zhou Wang Yamei stood up to see them off, and at the door, she exhorted her son again before watching them go down the stairs.

The stairwell echoed with the laughter of the two, which sounded so cheerful and tacit, making her unable to help but smile.

Sometimes Zhou Wang Yamei also wondered if he really liked her, otherwise why would he be so good to her son?

Later, she discovered that wasn't necessarily the case; he just had a pure side, purely liking to be with children.

Of course, she believed he liked her, because he was truly very good to her.

"Uncle, Mom actually doesn't want to go back to her hometown."

After leaving the unit door, Fu Zhidong raised his head to look at him and said, "My uncle's words are very harsh."

"Oh, is that so?" Li Xuewu asked, "Do you want to go back to your hometown?"

"No, not at all."

Fu Zhidong followed him to the car, tilted his head, and explained, "My eldest cousin at my uncle's house uses dirty language and curses people, and my younger cousin at my uncle's house is delicate and cries at the drop of a hat, and Grandma hits me."

"Have you told your mom about these things?"

Li Xuewu used his key to unlock the car door and looked at him, asking, "About your grandma hitting you."

Fu Zhidong lowered his head, shook it, and said in a low voice, "I don't want Mom to worry, and I don't want her to argue with Grandma."

"Hmm, you've grown up." Li Xuewu patted his godson on the shoulder, opened the car door, and signaled for him to get in.

It was still that Cruiser; Li Xuewu, with his build, felt that big cars were easier to drive.

Fu Zhidong sat in the passenger seat, honestly fastened his seatbelt, and looked at the decorations in the car with some novelty.

"If you don't want to go back to your hometown, you can tell your mom directly." Li Xuewu got into the driver's seat, started the car, and said, "She's afraid you miss your grandmother and grandfather."

"I don't miss them at all."

Fu Zhidong turned his head to look out the car window and said, "They are different to me than before, my eldest cousin at my uncle's house said I was a..."

"Next time you see him, beat him up."

Li Xuewu didn't comfort him, nor did he advise him to be magnanimous, but said very directly, "Whoever dares to bully you means they aren't being reasonable, so just reason with them with your fists."

"You remember the moves I taught you, right?"

He turned his head to look at his godson and said, "Except for that 'monkey steals the peach' move, don't use too much force; for the others, just go for it."

"I remember, I've even used it."

Fu Zhidong couldn't help but grin, looked at his godfather, and said, "When I first came to this school, some upperclassmen bullied me, and as soon as I reached out, they started yelling 'ouch, ouch'."

"Use it cautiously; a martial artist shouldn't be reckless." Li Xuewu looked at him with a smile and said, "While protecting yourself, you must also learn to convince people with virtue."

"Understood, convince people with virtue; if they aren't convinced, then fight."

Fu Zhidong was a child after all; in a few sentences, his mood had shifted, and he no longer thought about those sad things.

Li Xuewu turned the car and drove toward the courtyard; since they were going to have a good time today, he would take all the children along.

Li Yue couldn't go; although she could run, jump, and say a few words, Li Xuewu couldn't take her alone.

He went to the courtyard to pick up Li Tang.

"Take him away quickly, don't let me see him."

Eldest sister-in-law Zhao Yafang's attitude didn't look like that of a biological mother; it was even more vicious than a stepmother.

"Let's go, your mom doesn't want you anymore."

Li Xuewu smiled, touched his eldest nephew's little face, and asked, "How did you make your mom angry?"

"It was all Little Sister's fault, I'm a good child." Li Tang, small but precocious, emphasized earnestly, "It wasn't my fault."

"You're still talking—" Eldest brother Xuewen pointed at his son and reminded him, "Your mom's patience has a limit."

Li Tang looked at his mother, knowing it wasn't the time to explain to his second uncle; it would be better to fool him after they went out.

"You keep an eye on him." Liu Yin put outdoor clothes on her eldest grandson; she was very afraid Li Tang would freeze in the cotton-padded jacket and trousers.

"That's not certain," Li Xuewu joked, "How about I save some trouble and don't take him out to play?"

"Don't! If you said it, you have to do it!"

Eldest sister-in-law Zhao Yafang was the first to disagree; she walked out from behind the desk to help, as if she were afraid Li Xuewu wouldn't help take the child.

"Are you his biological mother?" Liu Yin laughed and patted her, saying, "How can you drive your son away like that?"

"I'm annoyed to death—" Zhao Yafang glared at her son and took the opportunity while putting on his cotton trousers to pinch Li Tang.

"He's been making a racket since morning, until now; when has he ever been quiet?"

Li Tang had also reached the age of being naughty; even though his mother pinched him, he only felt it was fun and giggled.

Li Yue sat in her grandmother's arms watching the excitement; seeing her eldest brother put on clothes, she also got anxious.

"I want to go too! I want to go too!"

She pointed her little finger at her brother and said in a milky voice, "Out! Go outside!"

"You're not going, your brother is going to get a shot."

Zhao Yafang used both trickery and intimidation, but took the opportunity while the old lady was coaxing her daughter to look at Li Xuewu and ask, "How about you take them all?"

"So that's what a stepmother looks like." Li Xuewu laughed and said, "Aren't you afraid I'll sell them?"

"That would be even better, remember to share the money with me."

Zhao Yafang skillfully knocked her son down, put on his cotton shoes, and said unhappily, "A little less is fine too."

"You really are unlikable."

Li Xuewu tapped his eldest nephew's little face and said, "Is it okay if I sell you?"

"Okay!" Li Tang was miserable and learned to reply like his mother, "Just share the money with me, a little less is fine too."

"Hahaha—" Li Shun, who was lying on the kang, was amused; he sat up and looked at his grandson with eyes full of love.

"No need for a long time, just today." Zhao Yafang pointed at Li Xuewu and said with a smile, "Don't send them back early, see if you want to be a stepfather."

"That depends on how you raise children."

Li Xuewu tilted his neck and joked, "It's because you don't know how to raise them that you feel tired; look at me."

He said to his nephew, who had put on his shoes and got off the ground, "Take your little schoolbag, let's go."

"Let's go!" Li Tang was truly happy; being able to go out and frolic in the middle of winter, who wouldn't be happy?

Li Yue was anxious; she stood by the window and cried, pointing at her brother who was leaving, feeling so wronged.

Li Xuewu really couldn't take her, otherwise he would have definitely taken her along; the moment Li Tang, who got in the car, and Fu Zhidong, who was waiting in the car, met, it was like Mars hitting Earth.

"This is Fu Zhidong, 8 years old, this is Li Tang, almost 4 years old." Li Xuewu didn't care; he sat in the driver's seat, gave a simple introduction, and then drove Fu Zhidong to the back to let the little brothers get to know each other.

Li Tang was used to being naughty in kindergarten; seeing Fu Zhidong's nice schoolbag, he reached out to touch it, but was slapped away by Fu Zhidong.

"Ouch! You're quite arrogant!"

Li Tang's living environment was different from Li Ning's; Li Ning had a Great Demon King at home to suppress him, but Li Tang didn't.

Not only was there no Great Demon King in the courtyard home, but there were also his great-grandmother, grandmother, and grandfather doting on him; he was the Great Demon King.

So compared to Li Ning's cleverness, he was more unruly.

Fu Zhidong glanced at his uncle who was driving; seeing Li Tang being naughty, he reached out and used a 'monkey steals the peach' move.

"Ah!" Actually, it didn't hurt, but he was scared.

Li Tang was suppressed by a hero of the pugilistic world for the first time, especially when his soft spot was pinched; he huddled in the seat and didn't dare to move.

"Who are you calling arrogant?"

Fu Zhidong narrowed his eyes; looking closely, he looked especially like Li Xuewu, especially the eyebrow-raising action, which scared Li Tang so much he didn't dare to speak again.

Li Xuewu saw it in the rearview mirror but didn't interfere; little boys had to experience these things, otherwise wouldn't they become Jia Baoyu?

The car drove directly to Haiyuncang; when he went out, he had exhorted Li Shu and Li Ning to be ready.

At this moment, as soon as the car arrived, the two children ran out excitedly, each carrying a small schoolbag.

Er Ya followed nervously, wanting to exhort them not to run fast, lest they fall, but the two children had already reached the door.

"Dad—"

Li Shu called out with a smile and climbed into the car along the passenger seat her father had opened.

Li Ning was a little shorter, so it was a bit difficult to get in the car; Li Xuewu carried him up.

The three little boys were in the back seat, and the biological daughter naturally enjoyed the passenger seat exclusively; this wasn't Li Xuewu's decision.

For Li Ning, as long as he wasn't sitting with his sister, anywhere was fine; the roof of the car was fine, the bottom of the car was fine, and the trunk was fine.

And for Li Tang, when Li Shu wasn't around, he was the sky, he was the king, but as long as he saw his sister, he was Li Shu's number one lackey.

"Sister, I brought fruit candy."

Li Tang, as if offering a treasure, took out candy balls from his schoolbag and handed them to Li Shu in front.

But Li Shu waved her hand impatiently and said, "Don't bother me, I think you're dirty."

"Okay!" Li Tang, as if he hadn't understood his sister's answer, turned to look at his younger brother, then looked at the martial arts big brother who had a ruthless hand, and decided to share his candy balls anyway.

"Do you want to eat?"

He first offered it to the martial arts big brother, because he couldn't beat the other party, and even wanted to learn a move or two.

Fu Zhidong glanced at him, but still gave him face and took a piece of candy.

Li Ning didn't need his little brother to offer; the two were very familiar, getting into trouble together, getting beaten together, and getting bullied by Li Shu together.

It could be said that in this family, only the two brothers lived through thick and thin under Li Shu's shadow.

"Li Shu, don't you remember Fu Zhidong?"

Li Xuewu drove out, signaled to the back, and introduced him to his daughter, "The little brother who came to our house with Aunt Zhou."

"I remember Aunt Zhou." Li Shu then looked back at Fu Zhidong and said, "I seem to remember."

"I remember you." Fu Zhidong smiled and said, "Little snot-nose."

"You're the little snot-nose!"

Li Shu was like a firecracker that had been lit; she glared at Fu Zhidong and turned back to say to her father, "I don't remember him."

"Hahaha—" Li Xuewu smiled and said, "Didn't you two agree back then to meet again soon?"

"I forgot, who remembers him."

Li Shu crossed her arms and looked out the window, but couldn't help but peek at Fu Zhidong in the back through the rearview mirror.

Back when Zhou Wang Yamei came to the capital, she lived in their house for half a year, and the two children played together every day.

At that time, Li Shu was only a year old, so it was normal that she couldn't remember, but Fu Zhidong remembered her.

"It's agreed then; going out to play today is to be happy, no arguing, no crying, no making a racket."

What do children like to see?

It was too cold this season, so they couldn't go to most places, and it was too early to eat, so it was really not easy to find a place to play.

The best place to go was the museum.

But at this time, very few of the fifteen museums in the capital were open for normal exhibitions.

The Palace Museum, the Museum of History, the Military Museum, etc., had all undergone a certain degree of renovation and were open to the public under certain conditions.

Li Xuewu didn't choose these places with more serious and heavy content, but came to the Beijing Museum of Natural History.

Fu Zhidong was in the 2nd grade, Li Shu in the 1st grade, and Li Tang and Li Ning were both in kindergarten; looking at fossils and specimens was more intuitive.

This age group was just right for looking at these, and they didn't even need professional explanations.

Like other museums, the Museum of Natural History had also undergone renovation, and there were many iconic propaganda posters on the walls.

Li Xuewu didn't pay attention to these; he took his work ID to queue up for tickets, and then took the little beans into the museum to visit.

Today's weather was considered good, with plenty of sunshine, but it was a bit cold, so he didn't dare let them stay outside for too long.

The interior of the museum had heating, and there were many plants and specimens on display here, which required a suitable temperature.

Li Xuewu gave the four children requirements: the two older ones were to take care of the two younger ones, and he would buy them something delicious after it was over.

Li Shu naturally chose her younger brother Li Ning, and Fu Zhidong could only choose the little brat Li Tang.

The four children formed two teams, holding hands, walking and looking at the novelty with the sparse crowd of visitors.

Sometimes they would stop to discuss what the stones and specimens were, or judge what the flowers and plants should be called.

Actually, these contents were all written on the cards; those who could read corrected the mistakes of those who couldn't, and the two who couldn't read emphasized their own judgment basis, making it quite lively along the way.

Li Xuewu taking care of the four children wasn't easy, but it couldn't be considered hard either; just keep an eye on them, and as long as they didn't run around, it would be fine.

And in this era, there were few child abductors; people couldn't even feed their own, so why go out and find trouble for themselves?

The four children chirped and argued without results, and would turn to ask him; Li Xuewu said what he knew, and for what he didn't know, he could only let them write it down and check the information after going back.

This actually established a correct learning concept for the children: say what you know, and don't say what you don't know.

The whole morning was wasted in the museum, especially in the Plant World, one of the four classic permanent exhibitions.

The temperature and humidity here were very suitable for plant growth, and walking in it felt like coming to a rainforest world.

The glass dome looked more technological, at least it received good reviews from the children.

The four children talked all morning and didn't feel tired; not only did the four of them argue, but they also argued with other children.

There were nothing but children at this exhibition today.

It wasn't easy to wait for a weekend, so the children naturally cherished such an opportunity.

"Are you hungry?" Li Xuewu asked with a smile after getting in the car, and the four children sighed.

"Hahaha—" This was the effect he wanted; it wasn't that they liked to talk, and it wasn't that they had too much energy to put nowhere, so let them release it all at once.

"Target restaurant, eat and sleep!"

Li Xuewu drove to the club; he had agreed with Zhou Wang Yamei to prepare a table of delicious food at noon.

The beautiful food for children was different from what adults liked; if it wasn't prepared in advance, it wouldn't be presentable.

Going to the club had another advantage, which was that it was spacious and warm; there was also a flower hall there, as well as a library.

He had arranged everything; after eating at noon, he would take the children to a warm kang to take a nap and watch a movie in the afternoon.

After the movie was over, he would take them to the shooting range to learn how to shoot, both civil and martial.

If there was still time, they would go to the flower hall or entertainment hall to play chess, waiting to go home for dinner.

Dinner wasn't at the club, but arranged at home.

He had also told Er Ya to prepare beautiful food to entertain the children.

"Let's go!"

Even Li Shu, who was usually like a little adult in front of her younger brothers, was moved by them to become cheerful.

She sat in the passenger seat, but turned back to continue discussing what she saw in the museum with the three, chirping quite happily.

Although many people looked at her this morning, she also knew that these people were looking at her hair and appearance.

Having become sensible, she could feel kindness and malice, but with her father and younger brothers around, she didn't care about these.

"Cheers!"

The heavy snow that fell a few days ago hadn't melted completely, and after night fell, a little more was added.

It was snowing outside the window, but the Octagonal Restaurant was as warm as spring.

After a day, the children were already familiar with each other, especially Fu Zhidong, who had re-acquainted himself.

He was the oldest and had the deepest impression of this place, because that was the period of his childhood when he lacked the most sense of security.

Returning to this place, receiving the hospitality of Aunt Ning and Uncle, and seeing Li Shu again, he was very happy.

Also, he had met Li Tang and Li Ning, the two little brothers; although they were both naughty, they were also very cute.

Gu Ning examined the children, then looked at Li Xuewu, and asked curiously, "You had a very happy time playing today."

"That's for sure." Li Xuewu smiled and asked the children, "Answer me, did you have a happy time playing today?"

"Happy—" Li Shu smiled and said to her mother, "The museum was so much fun, there were live butterflies."

"And dinosaur fossils!" Li Ning gestured and introduced, "Just like this, it was so scary."

"What's there to be afraid of about stones."

Li Tang habitually raised his chin again and emphasized, "That big snake was scary, and it was crawling!"

"What did Zhidong gain?"

Li Xuewu smiled and looked at his godson, asking, "What was your deepest impression today?"

Fu Zhidong looked at his godfather, hesitated, and said, "Being able to play happily is the gain."

He looked at Li Shu and the two little brothers again and said, "Being able to re-acquaint myself with Li Shu is a gain, and getting to know the younger brothers is also a gain."

"Hehe—" Li Ning smiled and said, "You even learned how to shoot."

"Right! And shooting!" Li Tang excitedly looked at his second aunt and said, "I learned how to shoot, just, bang!"

He gestured with his hand and said, "Second Uncle taught me, it was so powerful!"

Gu Ning looked at Li Xuewu somewhat speechlessly and asked, "You took them to the shooting range?"

"No, at the club's training hall."

Li Xuewu explained indifferently, "Just playing around, it's still very safe over there."

"How old are they." Gu Ning glanced at him, then looked at her daughter and son.

It was just that Li Shu and Li Ning were both very excited discussing this topic, without the slightest bit of fear.

Especially Li Shu, who raised her little head and looked at her father, waiting for his active praise.

Li Xuewu looked at Gu Ning with amusement, then praised, "Li Shu is the most powerful, she hit the target on her first shot."

"It was a long gun, oh!" Li Shu was afraid her father's introduction wasn't comprehensive, so she looked at her mother and emphasized, "I wasn't afraid at all."

"You really are something." Gu Ning glanced at Li Xuewu again, then said to Li Shu, "Don't go to school and tell your classmates and teachers that you learned how to shoot today, do you understand?"

"Why?"

This wasn't asked by Li Shu, but by Li Tang, who had long been ready to go to class and brag.

Although he hadn't shot independently, his second uncle took him to play together, so that counted as hitting the target.

"This isn't worth showing off."

Gu Ning's tone wasn't serious, and her attitude was gentle, but she could make the children listen to her obediently.

"You are still too young, it's not time to learn these things; Uncle took you there just for fun."

She also knew she couldn't explain the reason to the children, so after saying it, it counted even if they knew.

Li Xuewu, however, raised his eyebrows and said, "As long as you don't tell anyone, then I'll take you to play again next time."

"Okay!" The four children looked at each other and agreed in unison.

The atmosphere at the dinner table became lively again; the children continued to report on their play that afternoon, and even mentioned the nicknames they had given each other.

This was the norm in elementary school and kindergarten; the names might be wrong, but the nicknames would definitely not be wrong.

Things like 'big snot-nose', 'little shrimp', etc.; Li Shu gave Fu Zhidong a nickname she couldn't understand, because he didn't know anything he saw, and only knew to turn back and ask his father.

Fu Zhidong gave Li Tang the nickname 'little candy ball', because this kid had been eating candy since he got in the car, and kept eating until he got off. ===== CHAPTER 1658 =====