Chapter 384: The Greenhorn and the Pie in the Sky

"Oh, give it a rest."

Han Shu smiled and said to Li Xuewu, "Do you really think an honest kid could goad your teacher into running off to Steel City?"

"Look, isn't this just a misunderstanding!"

Li Xuewu smiled and made a face at Gu Ning, then followed the two of them into the kitchen, rolling up his sleeves to help.

"My teacher went to Steel City because the organization needed him; it wasn't something I could goad him into."

As he spoke, he had already crouched down and started picking up the fish soaking in the basin.

This was the fish he had sent over last time; clearly, the teacher's wife hadn't been able to bring herself to eat it, and only now that they had come over was she willing to thaw it out.

"You don't need to clean it, I'll do it."

Han Shu smiled at Li Xuewu, who was crouching by the basin, and said, "You two have been at work all day, go and rest."

"It's fine, you've been busy all day too."

Li Xuewu waved his hand, signaling Gu Ning to stand to the side so she wouldn't get fish scales on her.

Then he said to Han Shu, "We're already embarrassed enough to be here for a free meal; how could we let you do all the work alone?"

Li Xuewu scraped the fish scales with the scissors rather clumsily, but his force wasn't quite right, and the scales went flying everywhere.

"Help him tie his apron."

Seeing Gu Ning standing to the side, Han Shu gave a reminder.

"Oh, right."

Gu Ning then took the apron down from the wall and signaled for Li Xuewu to stand up so she could help him tie it.

Li Xuewu turned his head to look at Gu Ning, a clean smile appearing on his face.

Perhaps feeling Li Xuewu's smile, Gu Ning also raised her head, her face slightly flushed, and glanced at him.

"Heh heh."

The two smiled at each other; it was just tying an apron, yet they made it look like an idol drama.

It made Han Shu, who was eating "dog food" on the side, chuckle to herself.

Neither of these two spent much time in the kitchen; one look at Li Xuewu's movements showed he was a novice.

And that was still the better of the two; Gu Ning, standing to the side, was the type who had never lifted a finger in her life.

Just standing there watching, she didn't even know what she should do to help.

"What are you two going to do after you get married?"

Watching the two who couldn't cook and didn't seem worried about it, Han Shu couldn't help but ask with a smile.

"How many meals will we even eat at home?"

Li Xuewu finished scraping the scales, slit the fish's belly open, and scooped out the insides.

He hadn't done this kind of work much either, but having watched it many times, he knew how to handle it.

While working with his hands, he chatted with Han Shu.

"After we're married, we'll just eat at our unit's cafeteria; in the morning, we'll just make do with something on the street."

"Look at that, is that any way to talk about living a life?"

Han Shu smiled as she looked at the two of them and said, "It's not too late to learn now; at the very least, you should know how to make something simple, right?"

Li Xuewu looked at Gu Ning, who was feeling a bit embarrassed, and asked with a smile, "Can you learn it?"

Gu Ning looked at Li Xuewu, her fingers pinching together, feeling at a loss.

If it were asking her to perform surgery or something, that would be no problem, but asking her to cook...

"Heh heh heh heh."

Li Xuewu smiled as he looked at Gu Ning, who was in a bit of a bind, and said, "It doesn't matter if you don't learn."

Gu Ning thought Li Xuewu was going to say she didn't need to learn because he would learn instead.

But she didn't expect Li Xuewu to turn around and say, while rinsing the fish body with water, "It's just that no matter how I try to learn, I can't."

"Hahahaha!"

Han Shu was cutting tofu, and hearing Li Xuewu's words, she couldn't help but burst into laughter.

This was truly a case of a big lazy meeting a small lazy; they were lazy as a pair.

Especially seeing Gu Ning pouting her little mouth in annoyance at Li Xuewu, Han Shu laughed so hard she couldn't straighten her back.

"Heh heh heh."

Li Xuewu gestured at Gu Ning with the fish in his hand, scaring her into taking a step back, after which she glared at him with her big eyes.

"Don't be flirting in front of me!"

Han Shu reminded them with a smile, "Don't bully this left-behind woman!"

"Sister Han~"

Gu Ning naturally knew Han Shu was teasing her; she called out embarrassedly and then dodged Li Xuewu to go help at the side of the counter.

Li Xuewu placed the fish on the edge of the sink, and seeing there was no more major work, he washed his hands.

"Come here, let me tie it for you."

After washing his hands, Li Xuewu saw Gu Ning helping to wash vegetables, so he smiled and took off his own apron, intending to put it on her.

"No, it's all covered in fish scales."

Gu Ning dodged him, and Li Xuewu deliberately teased her with the side covered in scales.

The two were laughing and talking in the kitchen, making Han Shu laugh in exasperation as she snatched the apron from Li Xuewu's hand and chased him into the living room.

"Senior Brother!"

"Yeah!"

Li Xuewu smelled his hands; there was still a faint fishy odor. Seeing Dong Mengyuan sitting on the sofa reading a comic book, he sat down next to him.

"Smell this."

"What?"

Dong Mengyuan saw his senior brother asking him to smell something, so he curiously stretched his little nose over and sniffed.

"Oh my, that smells awful~"

"Heh heh heh heh."

Li Xuewu chuckled, "I thought I smelled it wrong just now, but now I'm sure."

Dong Mengyuan looked at Li Xuewu with a face full of question marks; were there bad guys nearby?

"What are you reading?"

Li Xuewu lay down sideways next to his junior brother and flipped through the comic book on Dong Mengyuan's lap.

"It's 'Journey to the West'."

Dong Mengyuan saw his senior brother wanted to read with him, so he slid the book toward Li Xuewu.

"Thanks~"

It was meant to be a polite gesture, but Dong Mengyuan didn't expect his senior brother to take the whole book away after saying thanks.

"Senior Brother~"

"Hahahaha!"

Li Xuewu was just teasing him; seeing the little guy's aggrieved look, he couldn't help but smile and return the book.

"Did you miss Dad?"

Putting the comic book aside, Li Xuewu picked up his little junior brother and held him in his arms.

"I did."

Dong Mengyuan sat in Li Xuewu's arms, reached out and took the comic book, pointed at the text in the dialogue box, and said to Li Xuewu, "Senior Brother, read it to me."

"Even your dad doesn't get this treatment, heh heh heh."

Li Xuewu smiled and rubbed his little junior brother's face, then began reading the comic book.

Somehow, despite Li Xuewu looking so fierce, children weren't afraid of him.

Not to mention Dong Mengyuan in his arms, there was also Li Shu at home, Wen San'er's son Zhang Xinmin, and Fu Zhidong in Steel City.

None of these children had burst into tears or shown fear the first time they saw Li Xuewu.

Yet this man was clearly the one whom adults called the "Tiger of the Security Division."

"Maybe children see him from a different angle."

Seeing her son sitting in Li Xuewu's arms listening to the story, Han Shu also felt very surprised and inexplicably amused.

Gu Ning, however, understood Li Xuewu better; perhaps it was because Li Xuewu had told her many things from his heart.

Gu Ning looked at the back of the person sitting on the sofa in the living room reading seriously, and said with a smile, "He really is a very kind person."

"Tsk tsk tsk, they say beauty is in the eye of the beholder, what is this?"

Han Shu glanced at Gu Ning and then asked, "Did he feed you some kind of love potion? Haha."

"Sister Han~"

Gu Ning pouted, "What love potion could there be~"

"Tsk tsk tsk."

Han Shu looked at the fish in the pot and then at Gu Ning, saying, "And you say there isn't one; you're almost becoming the fish in his pot."

"No way~"

Gu Ning said with a slightly flushed face, "I'm just telling the truth."

As she spoke, she looked at Han Shu, who was busy working, and said, "I've seen it; he has a real affinity with children. He can talk to children of any age, and the children are all willing to talk to him."

"He's a social bandit."

Han Shu smiled and said, "There's no one he can't strike up a conversation with. His teacher says that if he wants to, he can sit here and talk to you for three days and three nights without stopping."

"Giggle."

Hearing Han Shu say this, Gu Ning felt the same way; she just wondered how Li Xuewu could be so talkative.

It was the same at her house; he could talk to her father and mother at the same time without letting the conversation drop.

There was no one he couldn't talk to, and he wasn't annoying about it either.

Gu Ning stood to the side, fiddling with the apron in her hands, and said with her head down, "I was quite surprised when I first heard he had adopted a child."

"Who wouldn't be?"

Han Shu looked at Gu Ning and then whispered, "At the time, I even thought the child was foolish."

"Pfft~ Hahaha."

Gu Ning covered her mouth and laughed, then glanced at the living room and said with her head down, "I didn't think it was wrong for him to do that, it's just... I just thought it was very surprising for him to do such a thing."

"Heh, you mean you thought someone with that kind of personality wouldn't do it, right?"

Han Shu smiled as she took the fish out of the pot and pointed to the steamer, saying, "The steamed buns are ready, take them out."

"Okay."

Gu Ning helped Han Shu take the buns out of the steamer, following Han Shu's instructions to dip her fingers in a little cold water before grabbing a bun.

Han Shu was busy with her work and said to Gu Ning, "He is a broad-minded person, and also someone who can get things done. That's why your Brother Dong and I introduced him to you."

"Mm."

Gu Ning nodded, placed the buns on a plate, and then pinched out the steamer cloth from inside.

"It's just that the contrast is quite big. He was so fierce when we were in the South; I never expected him to have such a delicate and gentle side."

"That's probably what they call a thousand faces for a thousand people."

Han Shu smiled as she brought the fish to the table and shouted toward the living room, "You two, come wash your hands and eat."

"Yeah!"

Li Xuewu answered, then closed the book in his hands, looked at his little junior brother in his arms, and asked, "Are you going to get up yourself, or should I give you a somersault cloud?"

"I'd better get up myself~"

Thinking of his senior brother's mischief, Dong Mengyuan didn't dare to take the risk and try out what that "somersault cloud" was.

"Heh heh heh."

Li Xuewu smiled and followed his little junior brother toward the kitchen. Seeing Gu Ning had already prepared the water, he joined in the fun, competing with his junior brother to wash his hands.

"Giggle~"

Dong Mengyuan was happy because there were guests at home, and also because Li Xuewu was playing with him; his laughter never stopped.

"Alright, sit down nicely, no more messing around."

Han Shu called out to her son and then said to Li Xuewu, "There are only three dishes today. You're a man, so eat more; otherwise, the two of us won't be able to finish what's left."

As she spoke, she brought a plate of stewed tofu to the table.

Li Xuewu took the bowl Gu Ning handed him and placed it in front of his little junior brother.

"Teacher's wife, don't be so polite; I don't know how to pretend."

As he spoke, he took the chopsticks Gu Ning handed him and distributed them to everyone.

After everyone was seated, Han Shu asked again, "Do you want to drink? There's still wine in your teacher's cabinet."

"Forget it, I don't usually drink."

Li Xuewu waved his hand, signaled to Gu Ning, and said, "I have to take Xiao Ning home later; it's not safe to drive on the road."

"Then we won't drink, just eat more dishes."

Han Shu didn't really approve of young people drinking either, especially on occasions like a family dinner; it was better not to drink if possible.

"It really made my son happy that you two could come today."

Hearing his mother mention him, Dong Mengyuan smiled at Gu Ning and Li Xuewu, saying, "It's better when the house is lively."

"Is that so~"

Han Shu touched her son's little head, put a piece of fish meat into his bowl, and reminded him to be careful of fish bones.

"The commuter vehicles for the steel mill are quite frequent. I'll keep an eye on it later, and when there's a vehicle, I'll let you know."

Li Xuewu looked at his little junior brother; for a married couple, living apart wasn't a long-term solution.

Han Shu looked at her son and said to Li Xuewu, "I don't want to go through the trouble anymore; with only a few days of vacation, it's all wasted on the road."

"Then just ask for more leave."

Li Xuewu picked up a piece of fish meat that had been deboned and placed it in his little junior brother's bowl, saying to the teacher's wife, "Teacher misses you all over there too."

"Sigh~"

Han Shu also knew that Dong Wenxue had gone to Steel City of his own volition, and it wasn't something Li Xuewu could have goaded him into.

Isn't that how men are? Their minds are always set on grand goals, at least when it comes to their loved ones.

Dong Wenxue in Steel City was also just preparing to eat dinner; today had been another busy day.

Before coming to Steel City, Dong Wenxue had been mentally prepared to clean up a mess, but he hadn't expected the steel mill to be in such a state.

Today, Yang Zongfang reported to him that if they continued to deepen the investigation, a third of the cadres might need to be moved.

Dong Wenxue didn't want that either, but if they didn't clear out the toxic influence, this atmosphere would just revive, and the backlash would be even more severe.

But what was troubling Dong Wenxue and Yang Zongfang now was that they had no one they could use.

It wasn't that the steel mill had no people, or that there were no cadres who could be promoted; it was that they lacked people they could trust.

As the window for cadre adjustments at the rolling mill closed, it had become increasingly difficult to continuously import and swap cadres from the rolling mill.

No one wanted their own useful people to be transferred away; cultivating someone new was always a lot of effort, after all.

Another thing was that Dong Wenxue had his own assessment of the steel mill; he didn't want to make a wedding dress for someone else.

So, the opinion he communicated with Yang Zongfang today was to slow down the pace, at least to let the steel mill's work proceed steadily and give him time to vet the cadres.

It wasn't that they weren't investigating anymore, but rather to proceed steadily and make the high-pressure system a routine.

Yang Zongfang supported his work and didn't express any opposition, but she had her own persistence regarding the upcoming "Great Study" campaign.

After all, as a Party Committee cadre, Yang Zongfang had her own set of working methods.

As long as there is work, there will be opinions, and where there are opinions, there will be differences.

Dong Wenxue wasn't afraid of differences; a "one-voice" chamber was actually the most dangerous thing.

After communicating his opinions with Yang Zongfang, he returned to the guesthouse.

Because Dong Wenxue wasn't a local of Steel City and hadn't brought his family to take up the post here.

So, according to Dong Wenxue's own opinion, his dormitory was arranged at the guesthouse.

Actually, it was quite good here; there were always people coming to clean the room, and it was convenient for eating and going to work.

At this moment, the attendant had already brought his meal into the room and placed it on the dining table.

The room arranged for Dong Wenxue was definitely the best one; the living room, dining room, and bathroom were all there.

And the attendant arranged by the guesthouse was also young and pretty, to make the leader feel pleased and facilitate work, right?

"Thank you, Xiao Wang, just put it there."

Dong Wenxue put down the documents in his hand and signaled to the attendant who was about to set the table for him.

The attendant was a girl, bright-eyed and white-toothed, and her figure was tall and slender.

"Leader, I'll get you some water to wash your face."

As she spoke, she had already efficiently set the meal on the table and went to the door to get wash water for Dong Wenxue.

Dong Wenxue hadn't enjoyed such attentive service before; now that he was enjoying it, he felt quite unaccustomed to it.

This morning, he had already spoken to the director of the guesthouse about this issue, but looking at it now, the standards here hadn't been lowered.

"Alright, alright, I'll do it myself."

Dong Wenxue waved his hand, took off his coat, placed it on the sofa, and walked to the door, signaling that he would wash up himself.

The attendant looked at Dong Wenxue, her face looking a bit aggrieved as she asked, "Secretary Dong, are you dissatisfied with my work?"

"How can you say that?"

Dong Wenxue washed his face, picked up the towel from the rack, looked at the attendant, and said, "Your service is very good."

"But..."

The attendant hesitated for a moment, then said to Dong Wenxue, "But our leader said you don't need me to serve you anymore, saying... saying I...".

"Hi~"

Dong Wenxue knew as soon as he saw the girl's expression that what he had said this morning had been conveyed, but it had been misinterpreted.

"Listen to me, that's not what I meant."

Signaling the attendant not to close the room door, Dong Wenxue explained, "I'm going to be staying here for a long time. We're all brothers and sisters from the same factory. If you're all so polite, aren't you treating me like an outsider?"

Dong Wenxue meant that he treated this place as a dormitory, so there was no need to serve him like a guest; simple was fine.

But the attendant smiled brightly and said, "Then Secretary Dong, don't be polite with me. It's only right for me to help you clean and bring you meals."

As she spoke, she had already gone to tidy up the clothes Dong Wenxue had taken off today on the sofa.

"This..."

Dong Wenxue looked at this straightforward girl and didn't know what to say; he couldn't just kick her out, could he?

Just as Dong Wenxue was helplessly enjoying the "red sleeves adding fragrance," Li Xuewu put down his chopsticks.

"Full?"

"Yes, I told you I don't know how to pretend."

Li Xuewu went to the water basin to wash his hands; he had inevitably gotten his hands dirty while picking out fish bones.

Watching Gu Ning and the teacher's wife cleaning up the table, Li Xuewu returned to the living room first.

Very familiarly, he rummaged through the tea cabinet for a while and took out a box of jasmine tea.

This was to brew for the two female comrades who were busy in the kitchen; he wasn't picky about tea.

But he wasn't used to this sweet, cloying taste, so he brewed the green tea that was sitting in the tea cabinet.

Dong Wenxue had given him quite a bit of tea leaves when he left, but they were all kept in the office, and he rarely drank them anyway.

He never brewed tea in his own cup; it was either Sha Qizhi or Yu Decai who brewed it for him.

"Do you want to have a cup?"

Seeing his little junior brother climb down from the sofa, Li Xuewu asked with a smile.

"No, it's bitter, doesn't taste good."

Dong Mengyuan was wearing little slippers, pattering past Li Xuewu, still holding his comic book in his hands.

"Where are you going?"

"It's time, I have to go to sleep."

Li Xuewu looked at the wall clock; it wasn't even eight o'clock yet.

But it was a common phenomenon for children to go to bed early and wake up early. The children in Dong Wenxue's family usually went to their rooms to sleep by themselves without needing the adults to coax them.

Li Xuewu thought that when Li Shu grew up a bit, he would let her sleep by herself too; she couldn't keep staying by the old lady's side, or she would develop a sense of dependency.

Thinking of his daughter, he thought about the problems of future schooling and dating.

Sigh~ I hope she doesn't meet someone like me.

"What are you thinking about?"

Han Shu wiped her hands and walked into the living room with Gu Ning. Seeing Li Xuewu standing in front of the tea cabinet in a daze, she asked.

"Oh, I was just thinking about Mengyuan going to sleep, and then I thought of Li Shu."

Li Xuewu answered Han Shu, carried two cups of jasmine tea to the sofa, and placed them on the coffee table in front of them.

"The child is doing well, right? I haven't seen her even once~"

Han Shu took the tea from Li Xuewu and turned to ask Gu Ning, "Have you seen Li Shu? I heard she's extremely cute."

"Yes."

Gu Ning thought of that well-behaved and sensible doll and couldn't help but smile as she answered, "Not only does she look good, she's very well-behaved."

"That's because you haven't seen her when she's being a handful."

Li Xuewu smiled, picked up his own teacup, and sat on the single-seat sofa.

He teased his daughter and then said to Han Shu, "Teacher's wife, I need to learn from you how to raise children; Mengyuan is raised very well."

"They're all like that."

No parent is unhappy when others praise their children, but Li Xuewu wasn't an outsider.

Han Shu smiled and said, "There are times when he's naughty too; when he makes me angry, I give him a couple of slaps."

"Heh heh heh."

Li Xuewu smiled and looked toward the direction of his little junior brother's room on the first floor, saying, "I can't bear to hit my daughter, but she's quite naughty now too."

As he spoke, he looked at Gu Ning, who was sitting to the side, and said to the teacher's wife, "The little wooden dolls I saw when I visited last time have all been wiped out; they're either missing arms or legs."

Gu Ning's impression of Li Shu was still good; every time she visited, the child would look at her with wide eyes.

Even when Gu Ning held her, she was well-behaved, just clutching her little hands tightly.

Gu Ning didn't have any particular thoughts about Li Xuewu's daughter, perhaps because she had never been a mother herself.

She didn't feel close to Li Shu, nor did she feel repulsed or distant; sometimes she even thought the tender little child was quite fun.

So when Li Xuewu mentioned Li Shu just now, Gu Ning also thought of that doll and couldn't help but smile along.

Han Shu held her teacup and watched Li Xuewu and Gu Ning both smiling as they talked about the child; she knew there was no conflict between them.

She couldn't help but feel happy and pleased for Li Xuewu and Gu Ning.

There was no need to mention the relationship with Gu Ning's family; Dong Wenxue wasn't born to Gu Haitao, but he was raised by him.

Dong Wenxue treated Gu Ning like his own younger sister, and after getting married, he would take his wife and children to visit the Gu family during festivals.

Han Shu knew Dong Wenxue's feelings for the Gu family, so she was also sincere in her treatment of Gu Ning.

There was even less need to mention Li Xuewu; they only had one child, and they both had the same opinion on cultivating Li Xuewu as an assistant.

Looking at it now, Li Xuewu was also worthy of their care and cultivation as a couple.

The gifts sent from time to time didn't prove how good Li Xuewu's character was, but at least they showed that Li Xuewu was a person who knew how to be grateful.

Dong Wenxue had also heard some rumors about Li Xuewu; not everyone in the rolling mill spoke well of him.

But regarding these rumors, Dong Wenxue chose to view them dialectically.

Sometimes he would also remind and nudge Li Xuewu, telling him to pay attention to his influence and his methods of doing things.

Overall, Dong Wenxue and Han Shu were satisfied with Li Xuewu, especially in his attitude toward work and conduct.

"Pulling together in the same boat" was what Dong Wenxue and Li Xuewu had agreed upon, and Li Xuewu had also been silently supporting Dong Wenxue all along.

It could be said that Dong Wenxue's ability to go to Steel City also had Li Xuewu's contribution and influence behind it.

The two complemented each other, sharing the same goals, which was why the leadership of the rolling mill, including those newly arrived, didn't dare to underestimate the two of them, or underestimate the Security Division.

Now, looking at Li Xuewu talking to the two of them with such a gentle breeze and mild rain, Han Shu's face was also filled with a satisfied smile.

"Have you thought about when you're getting married?"

Just as Li Xuewu was talking to Gu Ning about the child, Han Shu, who was sitting to the side, suddenly asked this question.

"I have, how could I not?"

Li Xuewu was quite open about it; he looked at Gu Ning, who had lowered her head with a flushed face, and smiled, "I want to right now, it would be great if we could get married tomorrow."

"Stop it~"

Gu Ning pouted at Li Xuewu, then picked up the jasmine tea on the coffee table and took a sip to hide the blush on her face.

"What's wrong with that? You're not going to marry him?"

Han Shu looked at Gu Ning and smiled, "If you don't marry him soon, Aunt Ding is going to worry until her hair turns white."

"No way~"

Gu Ning held the teacup and leaned back on the sofa, answering Han Shu's words while secretly glancing at Li Xuewu.

"Anyway, I've thought about it, heh."

Li Xuewu saw Gu Ning looking over and smiled, "Last time I went to her house, my mother was urging me, and when I went to her house, Aunt Ding was urging me too."

"Isn't that great!"

Han Shu looked at Li Xuewu and said, "Neither side of the parents has any objections; think of how much trouble you're saving."

"Yes."

Li Xuewu sat up straight on the sofa, looked at Han Shu, and said, "It's just that I'm really too busy right now. I've already agreed with Aunt Ding that once my work is cleared up, I'll put the marriage on the agenda."

"Sigh!"

Han Shu sighed and said, "When you weren't busy, you two couldn't get together; now that you've gotten together, you've become busy again."

"Heh."

Li Xuewu picked up his teacup, took a sip, and smiled, "Take it slow, we're already making preparations."

"Is that so?"

Han Shu looked at Gu Ning and then said to Li Xuewu, "Prepare early; marriage is a major life event, you can't be careless."

"Mm, I know."

Li Xuewu smiled and glanced at Gu Ning, then said to Han Shu, "Teacher's wife, there's something I'd like to ask your advice on."

"Why are you being so polite with me? Go ahead."

Han Shu knew that Li Xuewu's visit today wasn't as simple as just coming for a free meal; it wasn't Sunday, and Li Xuewu wouldn't come to bother her without a reason.

But seeing that Li Xuewu hadn't rushed to bring it up earlier, she knew the matter wasn't that urgent.

Seeing Li Xuewu speak now, she knew it was related to her.

The relationship between Li Xuewu and the Dong family naturally didn't need to be hidden.

So, looking at Han Shu, Li Xuewu said directly, "A new leader has arrived at our unit..."

"It's Gu Weijie, right?"

Before Li Xuewu could finish, Han Shu interrupted and asked, "Transferred from the Steel City Academy? Are you having conflicts with her?"

Facing the teacher's wife's three consecutive questions, Li Xuewu smiled and replied, "It's her; she's now the Executive Deputy Secretary of our rolling mill. There are no conflicts."

Hearing Li Xuewu say there were no conflicts, that meant there were conflicts.

Han Shu put down the teacup in her hand, leaned back on the sofa, thought for a moment, and said, "She isn't a very difficult person to get along with."

First, she gave a definitive judgment on Gu Weijie, and then Han Shu continued, "You could say she's a woman with a lot of poise and cultivation. She was previously an organization member in the Pingjin region, and after liberation, she participated in the study and construction of the Iron and Steel Academy."

"Mm."

Li Xuewu listened to Han Shu's introduction while walking to the tea cabinet to get the thermos and refilling the water in the teacher's wife's and Gu Ning's teacups.

Gu Ning heard Li Xuewu and Han Shu start talking about serious business, so she sat to the side and listened without saying a word.

Hearing Li Xuewu asking Han Shu about a female cadre, she also widened her eyes and pricked up her ears.

Han Shu continued the introduction, "Her husband used to work at the Ministry, but later they said he was transferred to the South, probably to a steel plant. I don't know the specific situation."

"What's her work style like?"

Li Xuewu added some water to his own teacup, then placed the thermos on the coffee table, sat upright on the sofa, and listened to Han Shu's introduction.

"She's quite firm."

Han Shu nodded and said, "Especially in organizational construction. She has knowledge, resilience, can talk theory, and can also do mass work."

As she spoke, she glanced at Li Xuewu and asked, "What kind of conflict? If it's not a matter of principle, I still suggest you coordinate well with her."

"Mm."

Li Xuewu first agreed, then gave a brief introduction to the conflict between the rolling mill and Gu Weijie.

At the end, Li Xuewu smiled and said, "No other meaning, just wanted to see what kind of leader this is; after all, there are convenient conditions here, right?"