Chapter 186

Han Yating knew what the two were talking about, and asked with some doubt, "Li Kezhang, we didn't use the police dogs today, so why..."

Li Xuewu had Xu Ning arrange for personnel to use gloves covered in dog urine to touch Hu Zhengquan's clothes or bag when he passed through the inspection.

"We don't need them today, but there's no telling when we might need them. When that time comes, where would we find the time to arrange it?"

Li Xuewu had Xu Ning go to check Hu Zhengquan's office after work that evening, but he came back empty-handed. This person was extremely cautious; all personal items were never left in the office. The desk was clean and tidy, containing only work supplies. Moreover, people from the service department said that Engineer Hu Zhengquan was exceptionally clean, often holding a rag and wiping things down constantly.

Some people called this a clean-freak habit, but Li Xuewu didn't think so. Could someone who fishes have a clean-freak habit?

Just the layer of slime on a fish would be enough to disgust a clean-freak to death.

Unable to catch any dirt on Hu Zhengquan, Li Xuewu and the others felt even more that Hu Zhengquan had issues. This likely wasn't the first time he had been discovered, yet he was still living perfectly well.

Seeing that Zhao Yajun and the other two had already mounted their bicycles and left, Li Xuewu and his two companions also pushed their bikes out the door and followed.

Watching from afar as Zhao Yajun rode in front with Gao Fengkun and the other following behind, they were likely preparing to take turns following Zhao Yajun.

Li Xuewu didn't believe that this Hu Zhengquan, having lurked here for decades, could maintain anti-surveillance measures day after day for decades. Even with anti-surveillance measures, with three people, they should always be able to keep up with one.

If they really lost all three of them, then there was no need to follow anymore; they must have been discovered.

The process went quite smoothly. Hu Zhengquan just got off his bike to buy a bag of salt, and after coming out of the supply and marketing cooperative, he didn't look left or right before riding his bike home.

Zhao Yajun was still quite clever. Seeing Hu Zhengquan stop in front of the supply and marketing cooperative, he didn't stop, but continued riding forward and found an alley to turn into.

Gao Fengkun was bold and meticulous. He smiled and said something to Liu Zhaolun, and the two stopped by the public toilet diagonally across from the supply and marketing cooperative. They took turns using the toilet, and only followed again after seeing Hu Zhengquan come out.

By the time Li Xuewu followed to the edge of the alley, Zhao Yajun had come out.

Li Xuewu looked at the somewhat dejected Zhao Yajun and said, "It's alright, you completed it quite well. Follow behind Li Kezhang Xu for now."

After saying this, he followed the two people in front again.

This time, Hu Zhengquan didn't pull any more tricks and rode his bike directly back to the expert residential area. Li Xuewu and the others couldn't follow, because it was very easy to see outside when standing in the residential building.

Li Xuewu pulled his hat down, pulled the earflaps down and tied them, and then put on a white cotton mask, which temporarily served as a disguise.

By now, the few people who had finished disguising themselves were hiding behind the building opposite Hu Zhengquan's home. Xu Ning walked over and handed Li Xuewu a pair of binoculars, pointing to a room on the far edge of the third floor, saying, "His home is right on the far edge of the third floor."

Li Xuewu took the binoculars and pressed against the corner of the wall to look over there. The curtains were drawn, and nothing could be seen.

"Li Kezhang, do you want me to conduct a close-range reconnaissance?" Han Yating was quite brave.

Li Xuewu shook his head and said, "No, we cannot alert the enemy. We don't know if he is observing."

After saying this, he pointed to the three-story building across the road from Hu Zhengquan's home and asked, "What unit is that?"

Xu Ning looked and said, "That is the club I told you about."

Li Xuewu looked at the third floor of the club, which actually had no windows facing this side.

Hu Zhengquan's home did have windows facing the club, but the curtains were drawn.

This was also Li Xuewu's habit. He pointed to the club building again and asked, "Can one go up to the roof?"

Xu Ning said hesitantly, "This... I didn't ask about this, but who goes up to the roof for no reason? The roofs nowadays are all..."

Before he could finish, he was stopped by Li Xuewu's gaze. Li Xuewu pointed at Xu Ning and said, "Be more meticulous. You said who runs up there for no reason?"

Han Yating said, "Someone with something to hide, of course."

Xu Ning looked at Han Yating and said, "I will come back to conduct an investigation tomorrow."

Li Xuewu gave a grunt of acknowledgement and said nothing more, waving his hand at Gao Fengkun and the other who had turned back, signaling them to enter the alley.

These two had taken a very long detour and arrived separately.

Li Xuewu pointed at the two and said, "Take off your clothes and swap with Li Kezhang Xu and me. If the target comes out again in a while, follow him again."

Xu Ning had followed for a day that day and said that Hu Zhengquan had the habit of going to the club. Li Xuewu thought he would try his luck today to see if Hu Zhengquan would still go, and if he did, who he was meeting.

These people stood separately in the alley. If anyone came in, they would just assume they were street loafers; they all looked sideways and dodged past.

These people were freezing outside. Xu Ning hissed and gasped while holding the binoculars, squatting at the corner of the wall to look over there, while Li Xuewu was smoking with a few young men.

Han Yating couldn't take it anymore, so Li Xuewu let her go to the club to wait first.

The club at this time was open to everyone, unless it was the kind inside the steel mill where it was inconvenient for guards to enter and outsiders couldn't get in; otherwise, one could just go in and play.

Li Xuewu smoked a cigarette, and seeing that the sky had darkened, he walked to Xu Ning's side to take over the watch.

"Any discoveries?"

"No, the lights have been on the whole time. It's hard to see if there's anyone in the room. A few people in trench coats have entered the club, as well as a few foreigners."

Li Xuewu took the binoculars and looked; there were a few cars parked at the entrance of the club.

There were still many foreigners in the country at this time—experts, professors, embassy staff—there were plenty. This was an expert residential area, or a professor residential area, so it was normal to have some foreigners.

Li Xuewu looked at the cars; they were all Volgas and the like, so he didn't pay much attention, still staring at Hu Zhengquan's home.

This guy was also a high-level intellectual, so it was normal to go to the club to play.

Playing cards, drinking tea, playing billiards, chatting—this was the daily routine for high-level intellectuals after work.

These people were all high-income individuals who didn't care about the small expenses at the club. There were high-priced shops in the club, and they bought whatever they wanted.

Li Xuewu's hands holding the binoculars were a bit cold, but he didn't dare to put them down, taking turns tucking his left and right hands into his bosom to warm them up.

After waiting for about twenty minutes, Hu Zhengquan came out of the entrance wearing a jacket, looked left and right, crossed the road, and entered the club.

"Damn it," Li Xuewu cursed at the third floor where the lights were still on.

He turned to Gao Fengkun and Liu Zhaolun and said, "Take off your masks. In a while, go in as if you are looking for an acquaintance. Go find Li Kezhang Han, and call her 'sister' when you meet her, as if you had arranged to meet. Don't try anything if you aren't familiar, just take turns monitoring the target. If anything happens, listen to Li Kezhang Han inside."

"Understood." The two listened to Li Xuewu's detailed instructions, agreed, took off the masks they had been wearing, tucked them into their bosoms, and crossed the road to walk toward the club.

Seeing that the two had safely entered the club, Li Xuewu handed the binoculars to Xu Ning, while he himself ran into the alley to relieve himself, then came back and started jumping around.

His legs had gone a bit numb from the cold while squatting at the alley entrance just now.

This kind of tailing and staking out was really not an easy job; in the dead of winter, it could really freeze a person to death.

Zhao Yajun saw that Li Xuewu was cold and said, "If we had known, we should have brought a thermos."

Li Xuewu said while jumping, "You can encounter any situation when working in the field; you can't prepare for everything. Remember, the target is the most important thing; we'll just have to endure it."

Li Xuewu jumped for more than ten minutes before stopping. Damn it, his body was warm, but his stomach was hungry.

Li Xuewu walked to the alley entrance and looked. Seeing that Xu Ning and Zhao Yajun's mouths were a bit pale from the cold, he said to Zhao Yajun, "There's a steamed bun shop on the street we came from. It looked like it was still open when we came over. Go see if you can still buy some steamed buns."

Zhao Yajun took 2 yuan and food stamps from Li Xuewu's hand, mounted his bike, and rushed out.

"This kid is really hungry; he's riding his bike steadier than when he was learning," Xu Ning said teasingly as he watched Zhao Yajun rush out.

Xu Ning had learned about the relationship between Zhao Yajun and Li Xuewu from the guards, so he was also very concerned about Zhao Yajun, his words carrying a sense of closeness.

Li Xuewu laughed and scolded, "He's a growing boy, at the age where he can really eat."

After Xu Ning relieved himself, the two no longer held the binoculars to stare, but stood in the shadows at the corner of the wall, smoking and looking toward the club entrance.

At this moment, there were few places illuminated by streetlights, and it was still dim. The cold wind swirled at the alley entrance, blowing the snow on the ground around.

Before Li Xuewu and the other could finish their cigarettes, Zhao Yajun returned, rode directly into the alley, parked his bike, and walked over holding the things in his arms.

"Li Kezhang, there were no steamed buns left. There was someone secretly selling roasted sweet potatoes on the road, so I bought ten."

This kid was really hungry. He had bought ten of these large sweet potatoes. Hey, they were still hot.

"Where would there be sweet potatoes at this time?" Li Xuewu asked Xu Ning, who was gnawing on a sweet potato.

"You don't know, this street is often frequented by wealthy people. The residents all around have an economic foundation. If they play late at the club and happen to get hungry, it's just right to buy a sweet potato or something to tide them over."

"Where there's demand, there's supply. People from the surrounding villages push a cart over; who's going to check in the middle of the night?"

It really was like this. Just in this short while, a car drove past and stopped at the club entrance. A few people wearing long coats got out of the car and entered the club.

Li Xuewu peeled off the charred skin of a sweet potato and took a gentle bite. It was really sweet, and it felt warm when swallowed into his stomach. The three no longer stood on ceremony and wolfed down the roasted sweet potatoes.

They waited until the three were burping from fullness before the club finally showed some movement. First, a group of foreigners came out, and Han Yating followed them out, signaling toward this side.

Li Xuewu used a notebook to record the license plate of that car and had Xu Ning take Zhao Yajun to follow that car.

Next, a few people wearing trench coats and glasses walked out with a group of people. Han Yating stood in the parking lot at the entrance and signaled, then took Gao Fengkun, who had followed them out, and followed them.

These people had all come by car and left by car. Han Yating hurriedly gestured to Li Xuewu and then went over, while Gao Fengkun pedaled hard twice to follow behind Han Yating.

Now only Liu Zhaolun was left inside. After waiting for about ten minutes, Hu Zhengquan finally came out from inside, didn't look around, entered the courtyard opposite, and went upstairs.

About seven or eight minutes later, the lights on the third floor went out.

Li Xuewu looked at Liu Zhaolun, who hadn't come out yet, and felt a bit anxious, not knowing what had happened to this kid.

After another ten minutes, Liu Zhaolun walked out, strolled into the alley, and only when he felt he couldn't be seen by others did he suddenly say to Li Xuewu, "Li Kezhang, I have a discovery. After I waited for the target to go out and was just about to follow, I saw the person who had talked to the target go upstairs. I followed him up too. After reaching the third floor, I saw the ladder leading to the top floor was open, and this person was dragging a large wooden board up."

"A wooden board?"

"Yes, a wooden board. Just as I went up, I saw the tail end of the board. By the time I looked carefully, it had already been dragged up. I was afraid of being discovered, so I hid in the bathroom and only came out after I heard footsteps going downstairs outside."

"Did you see where that person went?"

"No, that person was wearing a mask the whole time, and by the time he came out, he had already vanished."

Li Xuewu had been staring at Hu Zhengquan just now and hadn't noticed who had come out of the club.

"It's alright, he shouldn't have discovered you. Hungry? I saved a sweet potato for you."

Li Xuewu comforted Liu Zhaolun, who was shivering a bit, and handed him a sweet potato.

Liu Zhaolun took the sweet potato, squatted on the ground to rest for a while, and then started to eat.

Li Xuewu looked at the third floor of the club and Hu Zhengquan's home, lost in thought, not knowing what kind of tricks this group of people was up to.

It was really too cold today, and it was already past 10 o'clock, with the moon hanging high.

The warmth from the sweet potato he had just eaten was gone again.

Watching the lights go out in Hu Zhengquan's home and the club also turning off its lights and closing its doors, Li Xuewu took Liu Zhaolun and pushed their bikes to head back. They had only walked a few steps when they heard a "Thump!" sound from behind.

Li Xuewu turned around instantly and looked toward the direction of the sound, but saw nothing.

But that sound had definitely appeared behind them, crisp and loud in the silent night.

Seeing that Liu Zhaolun also had a puzzled look on his face, Li Xuewu knew he hadn't been hearing things. It seemed this fox had already taken action.

Li Xuewu gave Liu Zhaolun a look, and the two continued to walk back. Since there was no way to investigate today, they could only wait until tomorrow.

Li Xuewu was just like this; since there was no way to investigate, he would give up immediately to avoid getting into trouble without catching the fox.

The two rode their bikes back to the steel mill and went to the guard dormitory to wait for Xu Ning and the others.

About two hours later, Xu Ning, Han Yating, and the other two returned.

Li Xuewu led the five to the annex office for a meeting.

As soon as they sat down, Xu Ning said, "The people I followed entered the foreign affairs department residential area, and I waited for a long time without seeing them come out."

After hearing Xu Ning finish, Han Yating continued, "The people Xu Ning followed all chatted with a few foreigners. Although Hu Zhengquan wasn't approached by them directly, there was some intersection."

Li Xuewu nodded, signaling Han Yating to continue.

"The few people I followed are all professors from Huaqing University. The two who talked the most with the target are old professors around 50 years old, and they live in the residential area over here."

Li Xuewu threw cigarettes to Xu Ning and the others, and only asked after they were all lit, "That old?"

Han Yating said with certainty, "Two younger ones got off the car first, and I recorded the house number. The two older ones live further away. I also looked carefully; that car seemed to be a private vehicle, and it stopped downstairs. I focused on these two people."

"Mm-hmm." Li Xuewu knew what Han Yating meant. Seeing the trench coats and wool coats these people wore, he knew what it meant.

Han Yating said, "These two had a long exchange with Hu Zhengquan at the club, and the investigation we conducted also shows that Hu Zhengquan has professor friends at Huaqing. I suspect they have some purpose for meeting here."

Li Xuewu flicked the ash from his cigarette, his mind constantly thinking. It seemed he had gotten involved in some terrifying circle.

How did it get so big? An engineer could have such complex social relationships, yet withstand constant scrutiny.

But it felt wrong. How could it be such a coincidence that they had to meet on the very day he was tailing them? If he were to say he was the proud son of heaven, the son of destiny, Li Xuewu wouldn't believe it.

Seeing Li Xuewu thinking, the others stopped talking and just watched him quietly.

After a moment of contemplation, Li Xuewu said, "It's very late, and we have to work tomorrow. Let's not think about it anymore. Let's rest first. Tomorrow, Xu Ning, go see if there's a room nearby that can be rented to observe the target. It's too cold like tonight; it's inconvenient and we can't sustain long-term surveillance."

Xu Ning agreed. Seeing that Li Xuewu had no other instructions, the few said their goodbyes and left the conference room to go downstairs.

Only Li Xuewu remained in the conference room, smoking and thinking about something.

Foreign affairs building, university professors, engineers—what the hell was this? Academic exchange?

Damn! There must be a problem. How did these unrelated people get together? Why?

He extinguished the cigarette butt in the ashtray, turned off the lights, and went downstairs in the cold moonlight to the guard dormitory to rest.

When Li Xuewu got up the next day, his nose was a bit congested. It seemed he had caught a cold from the freezing weather last night.

He went for morning exercises with the guards, ran a lap around the steel mill, drank a large bowl of porridge in the canteen, and broke into a sweat, which made him feel a bit better.

Li Xuewu went to the steel mill archives to find some materials and also went to the kennel. When he returned to the office and saw that neither Han Yating nor Xu Ning were there, he went back to his own office.

He took out the reference materials he had found on his eldest brother's bookshelf, followed the format of the materials found in the archives, put on gloves, and wrote a document. He even used a ruler to compare and draw lines, then put it in a damp file bag and went to Dong Wenxue's office in the main building.

Dong Wenxue was on the phone at this moment. Seeing Li Xuewu enter, he waved his hand, signaling him to sit.

After Li Xuewu sat down, Dong Wenxue chatted for a few more sentences before hanging up the phone and asking, "What's wrong? Carrying a file bag again."

Every time Li Xuewu had a major move, he would bring files over. This was a habit Li Xuewu had developed. Having data and information to support his work when reporting was the best way to let leaders intuitively feel his work attitude.

"I started a rat-extermination operation with my team last night. The rat is very cunning and cautious. I couldn't sleep thinking about it last night. It's almost dawn, and I've come up with a rotten idea. Please take a look for me."

Li Xuewu had indeed thought a lot. He couldn't sleep the more he thought about it last night, always wanting to find a way to drag this person out, but he felt discouraged when he saw the person not moving.

This was still a method that wasn't really a method, thought up after half a night.

"Oh? You already called it a rotten idea, then it must have really stifled you." Dong Wenxue took the folder Li Xuewu handed over and looked at it.

One look and he broke into a cold sweat, asking urgently, "Where did you get this?"

Dong Wenxue pointed at the title on the folder and glared at Li Xuewu.

It was no wonder Dong Wenxue was anxious. The title on the folder read "Argumentation Report on Carrier Fin Materials for Project 639-405." Inside was a document Li Xuewu had fabricated using "Martian script" familiar to later generations, written in a stack of over a dozen pages following the format of the archive materials.

What made Dong Wenxue most anxious was that he couldn't understand it. All he could understand was the code "639-405." Those design drawings looked messy, but to the naked eye, they looked like a mushroom cloud, and quite sci-fi, seemingly still under revision.

Li Xuewu pointed at the two characters "Blackie" and asked, "Familiar?"

Dong Wenxue looked and asked, "That dog?"

Seeing Li Xuewu nod, he asked again, "What does this mean? These characters seem to be Chinese characters, but they aren't."

Li Xuewu chuckled, "It's a mushroom cloud design article from the UK translated by the archives. I encrypted it and wrote a police dog training syllabus following the numbers and format. This kind of text is meant to give that ambiguous feeling. I exaggerated and messed up the drawings; I didn't draw the precise ones. This is just a preliminary plan, used to fish for the rat, and it also has tracking and sensing processing."

Dong Wenxue threw the document on the desk and said, "You aren't afraid of causing a big mess? If something goes wrong, aren't you afraid of being disciplined? And where is there any tracking and sensing?"

Li Xuewu saw his teacher still flipping through the document, got up, went to the door, dampened a towel, handed it to Dong Wenxue, and only after Dong Wenxue took the towel in confusion did he explain what "tracking and sensing" meant.

Before Dong Wenxue could finish listening, he smeared the towel onto Li Xuewu's face. Li Xuewu reached out to catch it, grinning as he handed it back.

Dong Wenxue pushed the document away in disgust and said, "Hurry up and pack it away. Why didn't you tell me in advance?" After saying this, he used the towel Li Xuewu handed him to wipe his hands.

Li Xuewu grinned, took out gloves from his pocket, put them on, packed up the document, and according to Dong Wenxue's instructions, sealed the file bag and stamped it with the security department's official seal.

"Alright, get lost. I'll find someone to handle the rest."

Seeing Li Xuewu finish, Dong Wenxue threw the towel into the basin, walked back, and scolded Li Xuewu.

Li Xuewu didn't mind, walking out while saying, "You know who to give it to, right?"

Dong Wenxue made a move to kick Li Xuewu. Seeing Li Xuewu dodge, he scolded, "Do I need you to teach me? Get lost!"

Seeing Li Xuewu about to leave, he looked at the document on the table and called out to stop Li Xuewu, "Leave the gloves."

Li Xuewu strolled toward his office. Yesterday counted as a night shift, so he only needed to work the morning shift today. After handling the matter and eating lunch, he could go home to rest.

Just as he was getting off work in the morning, Xu Ning came to report that he had found a surveillance location. It was the second floor of a bookstore. The bookstore closed at 6:30 PM, and Li Xuewu and the others could use it until 8:00 AM the next day when it opened.

Of course, they could only borrow the room and couldn't touch anything inside. Xu Ning had also managed this through his own connections.

"Be more fully prepared this time. Bring binoculars with high magnification, hot water, food, notebooks, and bring a few more people. From tonight on, keep a close eye on him. I don't believe he won't come out for activities. Get identities for Gao Fengkun and Liu Zhaolun, and have them go in and look around every night."

Li Xuewu knew that for this kind of case, you couldn't find anything without putting in the effort to follow. Especially for this kind of old fox who had been wandering in the underworld for a long time and had his own set of defense systems, you had to peel the cocoon to remove the cover on the outside before you could see through to his essence.

"Understood. I'll go to the canteen to prepare more food tonight, and then go to the warehouse downstairs to collect high-magnification binoculars."

Xu Ning was just about to leave when Li Xuewu called him back: "Wait, don't go to the canteen. Buy it outside. We'll reimburse it later. Same for the binoculars. I'll write you a note, and you go borrow them from the police station on our side."

Xu Ning was stunned and asked in confusion, "Li Kezhang, you mean...?"

Li Xuewu shook his head and said, "I didn't say anything. Without evidence, everything is just speculation, but this kind of speculation cannot be guarded against."

Xu Ning asked, "You mean the previous failed investigations had internal reasons?"

Li Xuewu nodded and said, "I don't believe the people who investigated him were all useless, and I don't believe he has three heads and six arms to guard against everyone. So there must be someone we can't guard against who is tipping him off."

Xu Ning nodded and said, "I understand. Then Gao Fengkun and the others..."

Li Xuewu waved his hand and said, "Don't worry about that. These people are all from the Hongxin Commune and won't have any problems. Also, they don't have many contacts and have been living in the guard dormitory. As for Zhao Yajun and my relationship, if others want to think, they'll just think he went to my house."

Xu Ning went out with the note Li Xuewu had written. Li Xuewu stood up, walked to the window behind him, and looked toward the experimental building. One of the windows there was Hu Zhengquan's office.

This kind of case was one Li Xuewu was urgently wanting to handle now. The more credit he had, the more protective talismans he had on him. The more important events he was involved in, the greater the power he could mobilize.

The storm was coming. His power had to be something that made people wary, yet also something that made people convinced and willing to exchange interests.

At noon, the electric bell for the workshop shift change rang again. Li Xuewu ate lunch in the canteen, tidied up, gave instructions to the section, and headed home.

Today was the day he had set with Master Dou to hand over the house. He had been busy these past two days and hadn't had time to check the progress of the house in the backyard, and he hadn't had time to deal with the project in the west courtyard either.

Fortunately, his parents and family were all in the courtyard, his group of brothers were all at home, and with the Great Aunt sitting in charge, he didn't need to worry about the family.

He rode his bike into the west courtyard, parked it, and saw Master Dou leading workers to build a wall for the north warehouse. The north warehouse was visibly rising, and the foundations for the other houses had also been laid; they just needed to build the houses. The simple warehouse side was even simpler. It seemed the project was progressing very smoothly.

Seeing Li Xuewu enter the courtyard, Master Dou greeted the workers and came over to Li Xuewu.

"Li Kezhang Li, the backyard has been tidied up. Shall we go take a look?"

Li Xuewu offered Master Dou a cigarette and said, "Work has been busy lately, and I haven't had time to look after the family. You've worked hard."

Master Dou took the cigarette and also helped Li Xuewu light his, saying, "Hey, if you let me stay this busy, I'd be happy instead."

Li Xuewu led Master Dou toward the backyard and said, "Don't worry, as long as I have any projects in the future, I'll look for you."

"That would be great. I can tell you're a capable person. I'll have to trouble you to look after my bricklayer team, which doesn't have a unit."

Li Xuewu hadn't expected Master Dou to say this, so he replied, "You're too polite. As long as it's something I can do, just say the word. Once this job is done, we'll be friends."

Master Dou was very happy and said, "Then I won't be polite."

The two chatted and laughed as they entered the backyard. On the way, they saw Jia Zhangshi tidying up Chinese cabbage at the door. Seeing Li Xuewu enter, Jia Zhangshi turned her head away in a panic.

Li Xuewu didn't pay attention. After entering the backyard and seeing his new house, it had changed a bit.

The steps at the entrance had been repaired and replaced, the veranda pillars and windows had been repainted, and there were no door curtains hanging on the door, so the double-door entrance looked very new.

"Some of the wood wasn't good anymore, and some window frames were rotten, so I remade the whole set of window frames and door frames. I used an eight-part pattern. Although the glass panes in the windows are smaller, the style is better-looking and the lighting is more sufficient."

Hearing Master Dou's introduction, Li Xuewu looked at his own windows and saw they were indeed slightly different from others—the style was more novel, and the glass was all new and very bright.

"The exterior walls have all been repointed, ensuring no drafts," Master Dou said, patting the wall of the house.

Li Xuewu hadn't noticed. Houses nowadays were all brick-and-mud structures. Some places might not be built tightly and could leak air, so they needed to be pointed with cement, but most were pointed with mud mixed with rice straw.

Li Xuewu pushed open the door and saw a foyer facing him. On the left, a shoe cabinet chest-high had been made, and in front was a vertical coat cabinet, with a hollow platform designed in the middle for sundries.

On the right was a Z-shaped entrance. Because the foyer had a window facing east, the light was very sufficient.

Li Xuewu looked at the ceiling. Master Dou followed behind and introduced, "According to your requirements, I used wooden strips to make the support, scraped the putty, and brushed on the paint."

Li Xuewu saw the snow-white ceiling. He had originally thought that this house didn't face south, so the light would be insufficient in the morning and afternoon, so painting the ceiling white would make it brighter.

Li Xuewu entered the interior and saw it was empty. On the right was the dining room, north of the dining room was the kitchen, and west of the dining room was the bathroom.

He walked into the bathroom and took a look. The whole bathroom was tiled. At the very back, a bathtub had been built with cement, also tiled. Beside it were a urinal and a washbasin, also built with cement and tiled.

Because there were no finished ceramic products, they could only be built with cement and then tiled. These tiles were also obtained by Lao Biaozi from Director Ma.

Li Xuewu tested the flushing switch above the urinal; it was actually just a modified tap water pipe.

After going out to the kitchen to take a look, facing due north was a continuous counter. Under the east window was a counter with a vegetable washing basin. To the west were two stoves built separately from the counter. The stove furthest to the west was a heating stove, supplying hot water for heating and hot water for the bathtub.

Returning to the living room, he saw a fireplace built against the wall of the south room. The flue went through the heated brick bed (kang) of the south room.

Li Xuewu went to the south room to take a look. It was also empty. On the east was a large window. The kang had already been burned dry. He compared it and found that it wouldn't be a problem for four people to live there.

"You said you'd get the furniture yourself, so I didn't make any for you," Master Dou explained after seeing Li Xuewu finish looking.

This was what Li Xuewu had instructed earlier. He wanted to go look for furniture, see if there was any suitable good wood. New furniture had the smell of paint and wasn't comfortable to live with.

"It's quite good, especially these floor tiles. They're really nice. Where did you get them?"

Master Dou smiled and said, "Your brothers helped get them. I don't know where, but they look like the floor tiles used in the palace in the past."

"These little rascals..." Li Xuewu looked and they did indeed look a bit like them, and he was a bit afraid of trouble.

Master Dou didn't care and said, "It's alright. The palaces outside were all dismantled long ago. It's just that the ones preserved in the city are better. There are palace beams and pillars on the market. What are these floor tiles of yours?"

Li Xuewu looked at the smooth and neat floor tiles, which were dark gold, not too eye-catching, and they were the good intentions of his brothers, so he didn't say anything more and chatted with Master Dou for a while before going out.

If you say this house is good, the tiles, bathtub, stove, windows, and fireplace used in the house are all good. But if you ask what's good about it, looking at it, it's still a house with old bricks and tiles, the same white walls with paint, incandescent lamps with lampshades, earthen kang, and earthen stoves.

This was exactly what Li Xuewu wanted. Everything on the surface was the same; the important thing was that it was comfortable to live in.

He still had to buy furniture and do soft furnishings. There were no dining tables or anything, no quilts or kang mats. He had to go to the market to see and buy what should be bought.

As soon as Li Xuewu went out, he saw that the chickens at his door were gone. Seeing Li Xuewu glare, Master Dou said, "Looking for the chickens? They're at the north room mountain. Your grandfather said he built a chicken coop next to the chimney."

Li Xuewu walked to the north side and saw a chicken coop built with bricks next to the chimney. Two chickens were locked inside, and they "clucked" when they saw Li Xuewu coming over.

He went to the back with Master Dou to get a ruler, measured the dimensions in the house, had a rough idea, hitched the horse cart, and went out.

He had gotten the tickets from Wen Saner. When he arrived at the supply and marketing cooperative, he didn't see Lin Tingting. Li Xuewu queued up at the fabric counter and asked for 20 feet of cyan cotton cloth and 15 jin of cotton. This was for making new quilts and modifying the kang quilts.

He went to the daily sundries counter and asked for a pile of pots, bowls, ladles, and basins, a set of oil, salt, sauce, vinegar, and seasonings. He had firewood, rice, and flour himself. He also asked for 3 thermos bottles, 1 enamel washbasin, two enamel mugs, four pairs of foam shoe soles, 1 broom, 1 iron shovel, 1 set of kang mats, 1 set of ceramic teacups and a teapot, and a flashlight.

The old saying goes that a broken home is worth ten thousand strings of cash. Just buying this pile of things cost more than 30 yuan, which was equal to Li Xuewu's monthly salary.

Although he had a sewing machine at home, he would need to use one here sooner or later, so he went directly to the large items counter and asked for a sewing machine, Phoenix brand, 150 yuan, and also bought a set of needles and thread.

Li Xuewu had come back this afternoon in a hurry. He had to get some sleep because there was something to do at night. He bought whatever came to mind, and he would slowly add things to the new house.

Just as Li Xuewu was begging the master at the door to help lift the sewing machine onto the cart, Lin Tingting came out from the backyard. Seeing Li Xuewu outside, she walked out amidst the teasing of several big sisters.

"What are you buying a sewing machine for?"

Seeing Lin Tingting come out, Li Xuewu smiled and said, "Preparing it for you to use."

While speaking, he continued to bundle the sewing machine with the rope in his hand. Seeing the pile of pots, bowls, ladles, and basins stacked by Li Xuewu's horse cart, Lin Tingting walked over to help load the cart.

"Are you moving out to live by yourself?"

Perhaps seeing that everything Li Xuewu bought was for daily use, Lin Tingting asked.

Li Xuewu took the kang mat from Lin Tingting's hand, placed it on the cart board, and responded, "I bought another house in the backyard of the big courtyard where my home is. It's just been renovated. I'm just purchasing daily necessities."

Hearing that Li Xuewu was moving out to live alone, although Lin Tingting's expression didn't change much, she was still a bit happy in her heart and kept helping Li Xuewu load the cart.

"Is there anything else you need to buy? I'll help you find it."

Seeing the proactive Lin Tingting, Li Xuewu smiled and said, "The basics are all here. I'll buy the rest whenever I need them. The only other thing is to wait until we get married to purchase everything together."

Hearing Li Xuewu mention marriage, Lin Tingting blushed, hammered Li Xuewu with her fist, and asked for Li Xuewu's address.

Seeing Lin Tingting ask for the address, Li Xuewu invited her, "I usually get off work at 6 o'clock and get home around 6:30. I usually don't go out on Sundays. If you have time, come to my house to find me. The gatehouse and the west courtyard are all mine. I'll take you to see the new house then."

Lin Tingting wasn't shy this time. She blinked, tucked the hair behind her ear, and said, "We'll see. I don't have time here either."

After loading the last piece of equipment, Li Xuewu looked at Lin Tingting, who wasn't wearing much, and said, "Hurry and go inside. I need to rush to send these things home to tidy up. I still have to go back to the factory for night duty."

Lin Tingting said to Li Xuewu, who was leading the horse to turn around, "Be careful on the road. Don't ride your bike if you're sleep-deprived."

Li Xuewu agreed, cracked a whip, and the big green horse started walking toward home.

Lin Tingting didn't go inside until Li Xuewu had walked far away.

"What? Is it settled? Preparing to purchase things for marriage?"

"Nothing of the sort. It's just for his home use," Lin Tingting replied with a smile when teased by the big sister at the cashier's desk.

That big sister didn't believe it and said, "Don't fool me. Kang mats and the like, plus pots, bowls, ladles, and basins, and even bought a sewing machine. I don't believe that young man bought them for himself."

Lin Tingting couldn't handle the teasing from the big sister at the cashier's desk and couldn't help but smile.

The big sister at the counter said again, "What kind of family does that young man have? Bicycle, watch, sewing machine—buying three things in one month. Tingting, you've found a good family."

At first, the big sisters were just teasing them for fun, never expecting them to really get together.

Although Lin Tingting was shy, she said proudly, "It's not a particularly well-off family. It's just that his father is a doctor, his brother and sister-in-law are university teachers, and he is currently a small section chief."

Lin Tingting had an indifferent expression, but her words were full of pride.

The big sister at the counter clicked her tongue and said, "And you call that not a good family? A few days ago, I saw him bringing a few young men to purchase things for a new house. How come he's here again?"

That big sister was talking about Li Xuewu bringing Lao Biaozi and the others here to recognize the door and purchase daily necessities for them.

Hehehe~

The extra update promised last month is scheduled for tomorrow, ha~

It's the beginning of the month,

Still asking for monthly tickets and recommendation tickets from the big guys.

What was promised last month,

As long as the monthly tickets go up,

I will update more,

I calculated,

I started updating 10,000 words a day on the 13th,

So after the update on the 12th of this month,

I can get the explosion update badge,

At that time, the chapter word count and daily update word count will be changed,

The specific change plan will depend on the data at that time.