Chapter 1670: The Wolf is Coming

"Li Ge, you're back."

Er Ya draped a coat over her shoulders and came out to open the door; she greeted him as soon as she saw him.

Qi Yan lifted two boxes out of the trunk. Seeing Er Ya reach out to take them, he warned, "They're a bit heavy."

"Let Brother Qi carry them."

Li Xuewu understood what Qi Yan meant. He waved his hand nonchalantly and gestured toward the courtyard.

Er Ya was used to this. Back when she first started working here, Qin Huairu had taught her not to let people into the courtyard easily.

Even if it were Li Ge's driver or secretary, unless Li Ge spoke up, it was understood that she should take the items.

Qi Yan was a cautious and respectful person by nature; having worked for the Gu family for so many years, he had long since forged excellent qualities.

When the little nanny reached out to take the items, he wouldn't overthink it, but he would offer a reminder while waiting for the leader's instructions.

The devil is in the details.

If Li Xuewu felt it was late and inconvenient for him to enter the courtyard, he wouldn't say anything, and the little nanny would naturally take over.

But if the leader felt it didn't matter if he entered, then he saved himself a step.

In truth, Li Xuewu trusted Qi Yan quite a bit; there was nothing to guard against him for, not even at his residence in Steel City.

Although Qi Yan came from the Gu family, he had self-awareness and knew he was here to work, not to act as a spy.

Besides, even if he wanted to go to the Gu family to stir up trouble, the Gu family wouldn't tolerate him saying such things.

If they wanted to know Li Xuewu's movements, would they really need such a spy? The son-in-law had never deliberately hidden anything from them either.

Furthermore, the Gu family had long been prepared; neither Ding Fengxia nor Gu Haitao would ever resort to such tactics.

It was too petty.

To put it bluntly, if they were truly dissatisfied with their son-in-law, would they really need to arrange someone to supervise him so closely?

Li Xuewu believed in not using those he doubted and not doubting those he used. Gu Ning had said that Xiao Qi's time was up and he was facing the predicament of demobilization.

What else was there to say? If he had any suspicion, he could have arranged for Xiao Qi to go to the Security Division or any other unit—that would have been easy enough; why arrange for him to be by his side?

Therefore, he might avoid Ma Baosen when he had matters to attend to, but he rarely paid attention to the taciturn Qi Yan.

"What is this?" Er Ya asked with some curiosity. "Is it that heavy?"

Qi Yan placed the boxes at the entrance of the foyer and explained softly, "They are some ornaments, a gift from the leader's comrade-in-arms."

"Oh, oh—" Er Ya knew Li Ge had a social engagement tonight and had also heard some details from Sister Xiao Ning.

"Do you need me to help you carry them in?"

Qi Yan hesitated for a moment. He hadn't intended to go inside, so he asked Er Ya.

Li Xuewu worked in Steel City year-round, and Qi Yan had gone straight to Steel City after demobilization, so he didn't see Er Ya very often.

Er Ya looked up at him and smiled, saying, "No need. If I can't move them, I'll just unpack them and move them a little at a time."

"Alright, just be careful not to bump them."

Qi Yan glanced into the foyer. The leader had just changed into his slippers and gone to the living room, so he didn't say anything further.

"Tell the leader for me, I'm leaving."

"I'll see you out." Er Ya straightened up, followed him down the steps, and only closed the gate after seeing Qi Yan out.

Li Xuewu didn't notice the interaction between the two outside; he drank a glass of warm water in the living room and went upstairs.

The two had deliberately lowered their voices, fearing they would disturb those in the house who had already rested.

In fact, Gu Ning hadn't rested yet, though Li Shu and Li Ning had already fallen asleep early.

Children are like that; once it's past eight o'clock, they get sleepy.

In this era, there were no mobile phones or televisions, so even adults didn't have any nightlife entertainment.

After finishing dinner, people would save on electricity, even smoking and drinking tea in the dark; if there was moonlight, that was naturally the best.

People who had lived in rural areas or large courtyards in the city all had such life experiences; the nights of the past were black.

Not the kind of pitch-black, but as long as there were moon and stars, what was in front of you was bright.

You could even see pebbles while walking on the road.

If there were close neighbors or friends who visited often, three or five people would sit on wooden stumps at the entrance and chat until very late.

But "very late" here meant not even ten o'clock; those who could hold out until then were already considered night owls.

What? One or two in the morning?

That didn't happen, because during the busy farming season, everyone went to the fields to work at three or four in the morning.

Didn't Tao Yuanming have a poem, "Rising at dawn to clear the weeds, carrying a hoe home under the moon"? That's what it meant.

Of course, don't listen to his poetry writing as if he were very hardworking; in fact, he was just talking nonsense.

If Tao Yuanming were in this era, he would at least have the status of Huang Gan. Do you think Huang Gan would personally go to the fields to weed?

Leaving home at three o'clock, arriving at the fields to start working, and continuing until nine or ten in the morning—once the sun came out, people couldn't bear it in the fields and could only go home to rest.

Waiting until three in the afternoon when the sun wasn't so fierce, they would come out to work again, busy until seven or eight in the evening.

That's why people in ancient times only died of exhaustion or hunger; they definitely never died from being overfed.

Nor did they have dry eye syndrome or other illnesses from playing on mobile phones until late at night.

Of course, there were those who couldn't sleep at night and were busy making babies, so men in ancient times had poor kidney health; after all, there wasn't much fun to be had.

"Still not asleep?"

Li Xuewu went up to the second floor and, seeing the study light still on, tilted his head to look at Gu Ning.

Gu Ning knew he was back and nodded, saying, "Waiting for you."

"It's too late, aren't you tired?"

Li Xuewu leaned against the doorframe of the study, smiling as he sized up Gu Ning behind the desk.

She was by no means the gentle and virtuous type, but she possessed a charm that made one have to respect and like her.

A bit stubborn, a bit indifferent, yet she spent every day doing the work of saving lives and healing the wounded.

"Why are you looking at me like that?"

Gu Ning felt uncomfortable under his gaze, lowered her head to tidy the hair by her ear, and chided him lightly.

The smile on Li Xuewu's face grew even wider; he loved this temperament of Gu Ning's—well-read, sensible, and intelligent.

"Ahem—" Gu Ning felt increasingly embarrassed under his gaze, so she stopped reading and stood up, saying, "Time to sleep."

"Alright, sleep is good," Li Xuewu said, following Gu Ning's footsteps toward the bedroom with his clothes in his arms, adding, "I love sleeping."

"Go take a shower—"

Gu Ning was hugged from behind by him; she struggled with a bit of shame and whispered, "You smell like alcohol."

"I didn't drink much, just a little."

Li Xuewu held his hand in front of Gu Ning and gestured, "Just a little. It wouldn't have been appropriate not to drink today, right?"

"I didn't say anything about you—"

Gu Ning gently broke free from him, walked to the bedside, and reminded him, "I put your underwear and pajamas in the bathroom."

"Alright, don't fall asleep, wait for me."

Li Xuewu put the clothes in his hand into the laundry basket and emphasized with a smile before walking into the bathroom.

The weather in late March was already filled with deep warmth. If you walked by the river, you could even see large clusters of blooming flowers on the treetops and in the bushes.

Red, white, pink... vying for beauty, showing off the warm colors of spring and the power of life.

But even in this season, the family didn't dare to open the windows, even though both of them were covered in sweat.

Li Xuewu had been prepared; he hadn't worn underwear or pajamas when he returned, only a bathrobe.

It was only after they were intimate that he went to wash up and changed into dry underwear and pajamas, but Gu Ning no longer had the strength to shower.

"What are you shy about? We're an old married couple."

Li Xuewu saw her glare at him and said with amusement, "I said I'd carry you to wash, but you insisted on not doing it."

Gu Ning didn't want to bother with him and turned her back to him.

He, however, pushed his luck, pressed tightly against her, hugged her body, and whispered, "Did you miss me?"

Gu Ning didn't want to answer his question, because saying she didn't would clearly be a lie, and it would give him another reason to be smug.

If she said she did, she felt unwilling to indulge him.

So she said nothing, remaining silent to express her dissatisfaction and protest.

Li Xuewu chuckled, propped himself up, looked at her profile, and asked, "Not speaking means you did."

"Sleep. Don't you have work to do?"

Gu Ning closed her eyes, enduring the breath he blew by her ear, knowing he was trying to provoke her again.

"How did you consider the matter I mentioned last time?" Li Xuewu lay back on the pillow, reached out to stroke her hair, and said, "If you're unhappy, change your environment."

"It just so happens, didn't Sister-in-law say she was returning to the capital?"

His hand paused, and he said, "You and Sister-in-law should both come to the United Hospital; I'll arrange it."

"No need." Gu Ning sighed lightly and said, "Deputy Dean Zhang has already talked to me."

"What did he say?" Li Xuewu knew his wife was reluctant to leave her current unit, which was why he asked.

Rather than saying Gu Ning was reluctant to leave her current unit, it would be better to say she was reluctant to part with that military uniform, as well as that sense of honor and heritage.

She had been in this unit since graduation and had long been accustomed to life here; how could she easily make a change?

"He didn't say anything, just talked to me to ease my mind." Gu Ning explained simply, "Told me not to have any burdens."

"Heh—" Li Xuewu chuckled, "What burdens could you have? The ones who should have burdens are them."

"You can tell him clearly: if you don't receive the treatment you deserve in the unit, then we'll just part ways."

He hugged his wife's body gently and said, "With me behind you, you can state your position boldly and confidently."

"If he dares to let you go, you can handle your resignation in the morning, and I can have you handle your entry procedures in the afternoon."

"Mm—" Gu Ning knew he could do what he said, and she responded with a moved heart.

Li Xuewu propped himself up again, looked at her, and said, "Wasn't your paper rejected by them?"

"Give it to me; I'll find someone to verify it for you. We won't publish it through your channel; let's change direction."

"Better not." Gu Ning wasn't quite used to Li Xuewu's domineering and tough style.

It wasn't that she was weak, but that she didn't like being too aggressive, or rather, she didn't like causing trouble for others.

She could imagine that if Li Xuewu were in their unit and a paper was blocked, he would have overturned the dean.

She had been very disappointed at the time, but later, with Li Xuewu's comfort and guidance, and his occasional asking if she wanted to leave, she didn't feel as miserable anymore.

Especially her indifference in the unit had made the leaders and colleagues nervous, as if she were about to do something.

Deputy Dean Zhang talking to her wasn't as simple as she had told Li Xuewu.

She could tell that the leader had come to comfort her, or rather, to appease her.

The leader even explained that there were disagreements regarding some of the arguments and viewpoints in that paper, and it wasn't aimed at her personally.

In fact, this was like taking off one's pants to fart; anyone could raise objections to her paper and viewpoints, and the Gu family wouldn't say anything.

But if someone were targeting her, let alone her family, even Li Xuewu would be the first to refuse.

Gu Ning dared to guarantee that she had never said in front of the hospital leaders and colleagues that she was going to the Red Star United Hospital.

She had never even expressed this intention or meaning, but the hospital all thought so.

Some news had already reached her ears, and it sounded quite convincing.

Some said she had already seen the environment of the Red Star United Hospital, and that she could serve as an attending physician and take on teaching and research tasks, receive research funding, etc., once she went there.

Others said she had long had the intention to demobilize because the Red Star United Hospital had better equipment and facilities, and more capable people.

When these rumors came out, even her mentor looked at her with a trace of suspicion and inquiry.

Gu Ning really couldn't defend herself; she truly had never said anything. Who on earth was spreading these words?

She might not have realized it before, but thinking about it now, it must be Li Xuewu; it couldn't be anyone else.

Don't think that because he had worked in Steel City for more than two years, he had no connections or ties to their hospital.

At least in her view, Li Xuewu had better popularity in their unit and their department than she did.

Li Xuewu handled all the social niceties; sometimes she didn't even know if a colleague had a wedding or funeral in their family, but Li Xuewu always knew from thousands of miles away and would send a gift.

If he wanted to create a smokescreen, why would he need to do it himself? He just needed to make a phone call to a certain older sister.

No wonder the director looked at her that way, no wonder Deputy Dean Zhang came to talk to her personally—it was all because of this bad guy!

"When are you returning to Steel City?"

Gu Ning turned her head to look at him and asked, "Is the meeting over?"

"What's wrong? Want to go to Steel City with me for a few days?"

Li Xuewu smiled and said, "I'll be leaving in these two days. There's one more meeting; once it's over tomorrow, there won't be anything else."

"Mm, I still have a week of vacation left to take."

Gu Ning just said that, and before she could finish, she was hugged back into Li Xuewu's arms.

"Let me think, where shall we go to play?"

Li Xuewu coaxed her like a child, smiling, "Shall we go to the mountains for a spring outing? Fly a kite? Or go fishing?"

"How about we go to Yingcheng and take a boat to play on the sea for a few days?" He patted Gu Ning's hand and said, "The Jilixing yacht is in Jinmen; it just so happens we can set off from Jinmen."

"I don't like taking boats; I get seasick."

Gu Ning shrank into his arms and said, "I get dizzy if it takes too long."

"Then we'll fly back; that way we can play in Steel City for one more day." Li Xuewu's tone was filled with joy, "I am very happy that you can put down your work."

"It's not that I insist on you coming to Steel City to see me or accompany me, but I don't want to see you working too hard."

He gently comforted her, "Life is only a few decades long; you have to give yourself some time to perceive and enjoy life."

"Work and career are not your everything; this applies to me as well."

"Mm," Gu Ning looked up and asked him, "When are you returning to the capital to work?"

"End of the year, at the latest early next year, I promise."

Li Xuewu said very seriously, "I miss you all very much, and I miss home, especially every time I leave home."

He stroked Gu Ning's arm and said, "Looking at you, looking at the children, nowhere is as good as home."

"Mm—" Gu Ning also felt a bit moved, turned around, and hugged him actively, saying, "I..."

"Next year, shall we have another child?"

Li Xuewu seemed to know what she was going to say, looked at her in his arms with a smile, and said, "No need to force it."

He patted Gu Ning's back and said, "Let nature take its course; we already have Li Shu and Li Ning."

"Mm." Gu Ning's voice was soft and sweet; lying in his arms, she could avoid all the wind and rain, and she slept more peacefully than ever before.

Li Xuewu patted her back gently, thinking about this year's work and life arrangements, and slowly fell asleep as well.

Life, after all, will have someone to accompany you as you slowly grow old. Perhaps she is not your only one, and you are not her only one.

In the seemingly short yet long years, who can really stop and wait for whom?

"What is this? A green stone?"

Li Shu struggled to grab a stone, flipped it over, and examined the new gadget that had appeared in the house with her younger brother.

Er Ya glanced over from the dining room, scared, and hurriedly walked out to take the ornament from their hands.

"Oh my—" she said helplessly, "How can you two dig up everything? Even hiding it in a mouse hole wouldn't escape you."

These were things Li Ge had brought back last night; she hadn't had time to tidy them up yet, fearing the two little ones would be curious and break them.

She had been prepared; both boxes were hidden under the stairs and even covered with a broken bedsheet.

And yet?

The siblings, who were playing hide-and-seek at home, had actually dug this thing out of the big box and were rolling it on the floor like a ball.

Li Xuewu came down from upstairs, felt the fresh air downstairs, and greeted the two children with a smile, "Good morning, Li Shu, Li Ning."

"Good morning, Daddy—"

Li Shu and her younger brother turned their heads in unison to look at their father, then both crowded over, each grabbing one of his sides, saying, "Daddy, Second Aunt moved the stone into the house, the green one!"

Children seem to be born liking to tattle; in fact, it is a psychological state of worshiping and obeying adults.

Li Xuewu knew what they were talking about, squatted down, and asked, "Why?"

"Don't know—" Li Ning shook his head slightly and asked suspiciously, "Is it for pressing pickled vegetables?"

He did remember that at Grandma's house, once late autumn arrived, Grandma and Great-Grandma would always pickle vegetables.

The kind of stone Second Aunt picked up looked just like the one used for pressing pickled vegetables; that was the only thing he could think of.

Li Shu, however, looked at her father and asked, "Could it be some good stone? Is it very valuable?"

"Daddy doesn't know either." Li Xuewu explained with a smile, "It's a gift from Uncle Qi to Daddy."

"Uncle Qi?" Li Shu asked curiously, "Is it Uncle Xiao Qi?"

"No, not Uncle Xiao Qi."

Li Xuewu touched his daughter's little braids and explained, "It's Daddy's comrade-in-arms, Uncle Qi Yaowu."

"Do you remember the shell casing gun he gave you?"

"I remember!" Li Shu suddenly remembered, but she looked at her younger brother and said, "It's the one you broke."

Seeing that he was about to get a beating, Li Ning hurriedly slipped away, trotted to the dining room, and hid under the dining table.

It was all Daddy's fault for bringing up such old, stale news; luckily he ran fast, otherwise he would have received another beating for nothing.

"Your brother is afraid of you." Li Xuewu teased Li Shu deliberately, "Do you like him being like this?"

"He's not like that—"

Li Shu pursed her little lips and hummed, "He's just feeling guilty; otherwise, why would he run?"

Li Ning heard what his sister said in the dining room; he wasn't feeling guilty, he was feeling cowardly.

And saying "why would he run"—when had his sister ever been reasonable? Did she expect him to wait until his sister beat him before he felt aggrieved?

Besides, he was the one who broke the shell casing gun; he wouldn't dare feel aggrieved even if he were beaten, because he wouldn't be wronged at all.

"I'm going to the courtyard to play with Daddy," Li Shu held her father's hand and walked out, saying to the dining room as she walked, "If you don't come out now, we won't take you with us."

"I want to go!" Li Ning quickly crawled out from under the dining table and trotted to follow his father and sister.

Li Shu truly had the temperament of a big girl; she had her father's craftiness and her mother's pride.

She didn't feel it was difficult at all to handle her younger brother—he was just a little brat.

"Out for a stroll."

It was that same neighbor from next door; he hadn't seen him for a few months, and his belly had grown another circle—it seemed he was living very well.

Seeing him go out with a son and a daughter, dressed very casually, the other party took the initiative to greet him with a smile.

Li Xuewu nodded with a smile and asked, "You're out so early?"

"Hi, the old lady insists on having soy milk." The other party smiled, waved the thermos in his hand, and explained, "That's right, she mentioned it last night, so I went to the morning market early today to buy a pot."

"You really have to use a thermos, otherwise it would be cold by the time you get home." Li Xuewu nodded, "Where did you buy it?"

"Just the third shop after turning the corner at the street entrance."

The neighbor introduced quite seriously, "In our neighborhood, only that one opens early; other restaurants don't do this."

People in the Northeast don't have the habit of eating breakfast out, but in the capital and surrounding areas, and even in Hebei Province, they have this habit.

If you don't believe it, look closely; even in later generations, it's like this. There are few breakfast stalls in the Northeast; even if there are, they are either at the morning market or on the way to work or school.

If you come to the capital and walk around, breakfast stalls in later generations are one after another, and the good ones even have queues.

And there are many ways to eat, at least more than in the Northeast.

The street where Li Xuewu lives now is very special; although there are no walls, because of the terrain and surrounding buildings, few idlers wander here.

And walking out from the street entrance, it's a bustling road where you can see the hospital where Gu Ning works, and there's also a morning market.

This belongs to the urban area, with a dense population, and any form of commerce can take root and sprout here.

Just think, even something as hard to drink as douzhi has been passed down for so many years and can still attract young people to try it; what else can't take root and sprout here?

Of course, the "soy milk" the neighbor said the old lady likes to drink isn't douzhi, it's soy milk.

Even the old natives of the capital don't like that taste; the gap in human taste isn't that big.

Douzhi was something poor people drank back then; it was a protein drink for poor laborers, not some traditional beverage.

Li Shu and Li Ning were both little curious ones; seeing their father chatting with the neighbor uncle, they both looked at the thermos in the other party's hand.

"Hey! Let me tell you, their family, hey! It's really this!" The neighbor spoke with a full Beijing accent, with many filler words; don't listen closely, listening closely, it's all nonsense.

The other party spoke highly of the soy milk he had brought back, even gesturing with his thumb in praise.

"I've walked through all the shops in this circle, and none are as careful as them; if you don't believe me, smell it."

He was quite casual, pulled out the thermos stopper, and gestured for Li Xuewu to smell it.

Actually, there was no need to smell it; Li Xuewu had smelled the faint bean fragrance when the thermos stopper hadn't been opened, and now the fragrance was even more pungent, making Li Ning want to drool.

"Our old lady just loves this."

The neighbor smiled at the two children, re-plugged the thermos stopper, and explained, "If you scoop a spoonful of white sugar into the bottom of the bowl, oh my! In our old lady's words, it's just pure bliss!"

"Daddy—" Li Shu caught a glimpse of a glimmer at her younger brother's mouth and turned her head away, feeling a bit ashamed.

She didn't dare let the neighbor uncle continue, otherwise she wouldn't be able to recover the face Li Ning lost later.

Li Xuewu had actually wanted to leave long ago, but the other party was too enthusiastic and kept pulling him to talk.

Hearing his daughter's call, he nodded to the neighbor with a smile and said, "Alright, we'll go take a look in a while."

"Look, I bought just enough; if I had known, I would have brought your share out."

This guy was really something; who knew how much was in the thermos, but the politeness was genuine.

Li Xuewu waved his hands repeatedly and said, "Not many in our family like to drink this; you're too polite."

"Alright, you go early, so you don't have to queue."

The neighbor smiled and waved his hand, saying, "I have to hurry back; the family is waiting for me to eat."

"You go ahead, we'll chat later."

Li Xuewu finally got rid of the other party and walked toward the big lake, holding Li Shu and Li Ning's hands.

Li Ning walked a few steps and still turned his head to look at the neighbor and the thermos in the neighbor's hand.

"You're not even ashamed—"

Li Shu scraped her own face and chided her younger brother, "It's not like you haven't eaten it before; is it worth being that greedy!"

"I'm not!" Li Ning argued, "I just heard 'white sugar' and couldn't help drooling."

"It's just greed! No ambition!"

Li Shu hummed and looked at her father, asking, "Do you and Mommy like drinking soy milk?"

"Not really, I think it's too sweet."

Li Xuewu smiled and said, "Our family rarely drinks that stuff; your Great-Grandma often soaks bean sprouts, though."

"Why is it sweet?" Li Ning was about to drool again and asked curiously, "Is it because sugar was added?"

"No, it's the natural sweetness of the soy milk." Li Xuewu looked at his son and asked, "Do you want to drink soy milk?"

"Want—" Li Ning wasn't afraid of him; he could clearly feel that his father loved him, so he said whatever he wanted.

"Then what about the milk this morning?"

Li Xuewu looked at him with a smile and asked, "If you drink soy milk, do you still have room for milk?"

"Then what should I do?" Li Ning hesitated for a moment and asked, "Then I won't eat breakfast?"

"Silly—" Li Shu really couldn't bear to look at her younger brother's silly look and turned her head to look at the green willows by the big lake.

For the whole winter, she hadn't been able to see Grandpa Zhang's figure; even though the big lake had ripples again, she still didn't see the old man fishing by the lake.

Li Xuewu wasn't very familiar with Old Man Zhang either, and he hadn't heard Zhang Jinsong mention his family affairs.

The three of them walked around the lake, exited the street from the other end, and strolled to the restaurant the neighbor mentioned.

"Oh no, didn't bring the thermos!"

They had already walked to the entrance of the restaurant when Li Xuewu deliberately teased his son, "Shall we go home and get the thermos?"

"What time is it now—"

Li Shu checked the time on his wrist and said to her younger brother, "Mommy is still waiting for us to eat breakfast together; Daddy still has to go to work, and we have to hurry to school!"

"Ah—" Li Ning was stunned; he hadn't expected that even after walking to the place, he wouldn't be able to drink this bowl of soy milk.

Li Xuewu patted his little head and led the two into the restaurant; this was a state-run restaurant converted from a street-facing shop.

A room had been partitioned off from the original dining area, facing the street and also facing the inside of the restaurant.

Li Xuewu took a rice bowl with a small chip from the table against the wall, walked to the window, and greeted, "Comrade, please give me a bowl of soy milk."

"A bowl?"

The server, who was busy with her head down, looked up in surprise, but was startled by his appearance.

"Yes, a bowl of soy milk."

Li Xuewu pointed to the small blackboard hanging on the wall and said, "Three cents, right?"

As he said this, he pulled three cents from his wallet and placed it on the counter, then asked, "How are food coupons calculated?"

The server also wanted to ask how food coupons were calculated; she had never seen anyone buy like this. Were the three of them just drinking soy milk for breakfast? Drinking one bowl?

"Just give two more cents."

An older sister next door greeted, but didn't pay much attention to his special request.

The young server was nudged by the older sister, and only then did she react, collected five cents, and poured a bowl of soy milk.

Li Xuewu didn't explain either; he carried the soy milk to a square table and placed the bowl in front of Li Ning.

"No choice, you can only drink it here."

He smiled and said, "Taste it and see what it's like; compare it with the taste at Grandma's house and see which one is better."

"Daddy, you drink first." Li Ning was sensible and pushed the rice bowl to his father's side first, "You drink the first sip."

The young server who had been watching the strange trio all along almost popped her eyes out.

Were they really three people drinking one bowl of soy milk?

They didn't look like a family in need, either. Was it necessary!

Look at what that fierce-looking man was saying, "Daddy doesn't like to drink it, you drink it"—this fatherly love was thicker than the soy milk in the bowl.

"What are you staring at?" The older sister next door saw her craning her neck to look outside and reminded her, "Get to work."

"Older sister, look—" the server reminded the older sister, "The three of them are actually letting each other have it."

"Stop talking nonsense, he's wearing leather shoes."

The older sister had a sharp eye; she knew it wasn't an ordinary person with just one glance, "Don't look around, be careful or you'll be disciplined."

"I..." The server really felt wronged; what had she done to be disciplined?

Li Ning looked at the bowl pushed back to him, then looked at his sister, and remembered the story of Kong Rong giving away pears.

"Sister, do you want to drink?"

"I don't want to drink, you hurry up and drink." Li Shu glanced at him and reminded him, "If you dare delay my school, I guarantee you won't have a good time later!"

"Sigh, having soy milk is enough; what do I need fruit for."

Li Ning was as annoying as a little adult. Li Xuewu reminded him with amusement, "Just drink a bowl of soy milk to taste it; do you really want to finish it here before going back."

What fruit? It was fried dough sticks brought over by someone; this stuff was a rarity in this era and wasn't cheap.

Why?

It wasn't that flour was expensive, but that oil was expensive.

No wonder the neighbor praised this place; it turned out the breakfast here was really substantial.

Li Ning held the rice bowl, took a few small sips, but his eyebrows twitched, saying, "It's not sweet at all."

"It's not sweet because no sugar was added."

Li Shu almost stood up to pour it into her younger brother's stomach; seeing him now, she reminded him, "You have three minutes left."

"It doesn't taste good; I want to take it home and add sugar before drinking."

Li Ning looked at the bowl in his hand, then looked at the door; he didn't know how to solve this difficult problem.

"Two minutes." Li Shu was still counting down.

"Sigh!" Li Ning sighed, almost saying "you can't have your cake and eat it too," and like he was taking medicine, he picked up the rice bowl and finished it in a few big gulps.

*Hiccup~*

They were out the door. Li Ning held his little belly and let out a satisfied hiccup. Li Xuewu smiled and reminded him, "Save some room; there's still a big glass of milk when we get home."

"Do you like drinking soy milk that much?"

Wang Shuhua wouldn't let go as soon as she saw Li Ning, even if she was sitting on the sofa, she had to hold him in her arms and dote on him.

Li Shu sat beside her father like a little adult, very ladylike; today, Daddy had brought them out to visit.

Li Xuewu returned from the unit, having left work early, and came to his godmother's house with gifts he had prepared long ago.

During the New Year, both sides were busy, so he had let Guodong come; this time he brought the children to make up for it.

Wang Shuhua had originally wanted to complain that he was reluctant to visit, but the moment she saw the two children, she couldn't say a word of complaint.

She had grandsons and grandsons-in-law of her own, but the children were all grown up and didn't come home easily, so who was she to dote on?

Li Shu and Li Ning were naturally good-looking and were doted on wherever they went.

Listening to Li Xuewu recount the embarrassing incident where he drank too much soy milk in the morning, then tried to show off by drinking milk when he got home, only to vomit at school, Wang Shuhua laughed and teased Li Ning, who was already feeling shy, asking, "Do you still want to drink like that next time?"

"I don't like drinking soy milk anymore."

Li Ning changed the subject and said childishly, "Soy milk isn't sweet at all."

"You were just going for the sweetness—"

Wang Shuhua took the sugar balls she had searched for long ago from the coffee table, gave one to Li Shu, and then gave one to Li Ning.

Li Shu looked at her father, but didn't rush to open the sugar ball; it was only after seeing her father nod with a smile that she unwrapped the packaging.

"This is Grandpa and Grandma's house, don't be restrained."

Wang Shuhua looked at Li Shu and taught her with a smile, "Just like at your Grandpa and Grandma's house."

"Alright—" Li Shu nodded seriously, as if she had promised something.

Wang Shuhua was amused by her and looked at Li Xuewu, asking, "Why didn't her mother come?"

"Xiao Ning hadn't finished work when we left."

Li Xuewu explained, "When they heard I was coming to visit, they couldn't stay put and insisted on coming along."

"Coming is the right thing to do; Grandma will find sugar for you to eat when you come."

Wang Shuhua smiled and patted Li Ning's little leg in her arms, asking, "Can you come to Grandma's house next time?"

"Come!" Li Ning bit the sugar in his hand, not even paying attention, and said whatever Grandma asked.

This little look made the couple unable to help but laugh.

"Then tell Grandma, is it okay if you don't leave today?" Wang Shuhua asked him again, "Is it okay to stay at Grandma's house? Grandma will buy you sugar to eat every day."

Li Shu, who was eating the sugar ball, suddenly raised her head, stopped her hand, and looked at Grandma Wang vigilantly.

And Li Ning also seemed to react; he looked at his sister, then at his father, and then said seriously to Grandma, "No, if I eat too much sugar, my teeth will grow little bugs!"

"Hahaha—" Wang Shuhua couldn't stop laughing, and Zheng Shusen, who was leaning on the sofa with his legs crossed, was also full of smiles.

"This little thing is too cute."

Wang Shuhua pointed to Zheng Shusen and asked Li Ning, "Who is that?"

"Grandpa, Grandpa Zheng." Li Ning leaned in her arms and raised his head again, saying, "You are Grandma."

"Hahaha—" Wang Shuhua tapped his little nose and said, "Why are you so smart! Who do you take after!"

Li Shu knew the adults were joking, so she felt relieved and started eating the sugar ball; it was a bit sweet.

"I heard you're going to take on the heavy responsibility?"

Li Xuewu watched the children making a fuss for a while, then turned to ask his godfather, "Is the news confirmed?"

"Almost." There wasn't a hint of the heroic spirit of someone about to reach the pinnacle of life on Zheng Shusen's face; those who didn't know might have thought Li Xuewu was asking if he was retiring early.

If it really were early retirement, perhaps he would have laughed out loud.

"Your pressure is going to be great."

Li Xuewu didn't feel excited or ecstatic that his godfather was about to take the helm in the capital.

"Still need to pay attention to your health and rest more."

"It's not that easy—"

Wang Shuhua couldn't help but sigh at this moment, saying, "At this step, it's already beyond one's control."

She coaxed Li Ning in her arms and said, "Just this, they already notified us in advance to prepare to move; said we must move there to live."

Zheng Shusen didn't say anything while listening to his beloved's complaints; he wanted to smoke a cigarette but looked at Li Xuewu and the children.

"My father has mountains and rivers in his chest, so naturally, his future is boundless."

Li Xuewu looked at his godmother and then said to his godfather, "You must have a detailed work plan. Godmother and I aren't worried about anything else, just your health."

"Mm, I know." Zheng Shusen didn't brush him off by saying it didn't matter or laughing it off.

He had seen countless people in his life; he could tell if it was sincere just by listening with his ears.

Actually, recognizing Li Xuewu as a godson was his beloved's idea; he had never refused, nor had he acknowledged it.

Unlike his beloved's idea, he had seen Li Xuewu's mature side, which was why he had responded to this "Godfather."

Perhaps Li Xuewu had never thought about getting anything from him, but he had another preparation.

Just because of the feelings Li Xuewu had shown them over the years, even if this godson made any requests, as long as it didn't violate principles, he was willing to help.

It was just that up until now, Li Xuewu had only called him once, and that was just to ask the railway for a cultural troupe that was about to be disbanded.

The more Li Xuewu was like this, the more he felt it was thoughtful; moved, he couldn't help but pat his godson's hand, looking like he had it all figured out.

Few people knew about this relationship. The group all said Zhou Wanquan was coming aggressively, all said the wolf was coming.

But thinking about it carefully, was Li Xuewu afraid of him?

Perhaps for Zhou Wanquan, Li Xuewu, who was about to return to the capital, was the wolf that was coming. ===== CHAPTER 1671 =====