Chapter 434: The Matter of Having Children

Li Xuewu stood in the duty room, warming himself by the fire, squinting his eyes to calm his mood.

After watching snowflakes begin to drift down from the sky, Li Xuewu went outside, circled the warehouse, and checked the surrounding high ground.

This area was on the edge of the city; there was no high ground to speak of.

Taking advantage of the gloomy sky, Li Xuewu began the work of collecting the goods.

Meat, medicinal herbs, hides, textiles, and local products—Li Xuewu had to come out and move around every hour to take a break and smoke a cigarette.

This work was not easy; just looking at the tons of goods in the courtyard was enough to know it wasn't easy.

But Li Xuewu was tired yet happy; finishing this job would truly complete his initial accumulation.

With the resources and opportunities brought by the rising wind, he was waiting to use this initial accumulation to achieve a qualitative leap.

The snow was getting heavier. By the time Li Xuewu extinguished the stove in the duty room and walked out of the warehouse courtyard, the snow on the ground was already deep enough to cover his feet.

The snow-clearing work from the previous days had been in vain; it looked like another snow disaster was brewing.

The road to the station guesthouse was already lit by streetlamps, and the dim yellow light against the darkening sky made it feel incredibly oppressive.

Passing by a few workers in black sheepskin coats, listening to their laughter and chatter about taking over the warehouse and duty shifts, Li Xuewu smiled slightly.

The excitement and agitation he had felt were calmed by this unique environment.

But when he entered the guesthouse courtyard and knocked on the door of the room Palzer had told him about, the person sitting on the *kang* gave Li Xuewu a start.

"Why are you here!"

The person sitting in the room was none other than the giant Li Xuewu had met at the Erken market.

Xilin held the doorknob, looking at the shocked Li Xuewu, and said, "I was also very surprised."

"You were also surprised?"

Li Xuewu turned his head to look at Xilin and said, "I remember telling you that if there were any special circumstances, you should tell me over the phone."

"Yes!"

Xilin nodded, helplessly shrugging her shoulders, and said, "But when we went to make the call, there was no one answering."

Li Xuewu reached out and rubbed his chin, frowning as he asked Xilin, "So, why is he here? Did Old Baduo come?"

"No."

Xilin said somewhat sadly, "Gelin came with others. They said Old Baduo is gone."

"Gone? Passed away?"

Li Xuewu tried to express his question with appropriate vocabulary.

"Yes."

Xilin nodded and said, "Gelin said that after you left, the merchants all withdrew to prepare the goods for trading with you."

Xilin explained while leading Li Xuewu into the room, letting him sit on a stool under the gaze of several people.

This wasn't the standard room Li Xuewu stayed in, but a large *kang* shared by ten people.

Fearing danger, Palzer had booked the whole room for them to rest temporarily.

"Old Baduo made quite a bit from trading with you, so he stayed until the end, with Azai and Momo."

"Gelin doesn't eat for free; Gelin works."

As Xilin was explaining, the big man sitting on the *kang* murmured in a muffled voice with his head down: "Gelin works."

Zhao Yajun sat on the edge of the *kang*, comparing his height with Gelin's, and found the gap was truly huge.

Xilin glanced at Gelin and continued, "Old Baduo was playing late at Azai's place that night, and the next day, before dawn, he was gone."

"Dying under the peony flower—still a romantic old ghost."

Li Xuewu nodded, indicating he understood everything.

"Maybe."

Xilin turned to look at Gelin and said, "Old Baduo was a good person. Before he left, he took out his money, asked Azai to arrange his funeral, and told Azai to send Gelin here."

"Wow~ oh~~"

Li Xuewu looked at Xilin and said with a smile, "I don't seem to have any friendship with him, so why did he send someone to me?"

"I don't know either."

Xilin smiled helplessly under her sad expression and said, "Before Azai could confirm this decision, he was already gone."

"He really knew how to enjoy life."

Li Xuewu nodded with a mocking smile and looked at the big man sitting on the *kang*.

"Old Dad gave me the reward for taking me away and told me to come find you."

"Gelin!"

Xilin stood up, surprised, and looked at the big man, asking, "When you came, I asked you, why didn't you say so?"

Gelin raised his head, secretly glanced at Xilin, then lowered his head again and said nothing.

"That's not right, is it?"

Li Xuewu raised his eyebrows and asked, "Our transaction doesn't seem to have any unfair or other content, right?"

As he spoke, Li Xuewu looked at Xilin, because Xilin was also present at the time.

"Gelin, you have to make it clear."

Xilin was also confused by Gelin's words. Seeing Li Xuewu looking over, she pressed Gelin for an answer.

Gelin was clearly still sad about Old Dad Baduo's death. Seeing Xilin ask, he said, "That's what Old Dad said."

"Alright."

Li Xuewu nodded and said, "I don't remember having any other transaction with him, but I can't go down there to ask him, right? So, what can you do?"

"What?"

Gelin knew Old Dad had told him to find the person beside Xilin, so he had to listen to this person's words.

"Heh."

Li Xuewu looked at the somewhat silly big man and asked, "I don't know what the reward is for now, but I can take you in temporarily."

"Gelin thanks you!"

"Why does that sound like an insult?"

Li Xuewu frowned and smiled bitterly at the people in the room, and they were also amused by Li Xuewu's expression.

"Hahahaha~"

Palzer and Zhao Yajun clearly had a good impression of this big man. The big man had come early last night and had been helping out.

But when everyone else had left, he stayed behind to help, which was how Xilin noticed something was wrong.

After learning the situation, everyone felt even more sympathetic toward this man who had lost his home and father.

Because everyone in this room, except for Zhao Yajun, was a person who had suffered.

"I don't keep idlers here. You have to work to earn money to support yourself."

"I can move goods."

Before Li Xuewu could finish his sentence, Gelin looked at Li Xuewu and said, "I can drive, set up tents, raise dogs, herd sheep, herd cattle, and I also..."

The big man reported everything he could do to Li Xuewu as if he were reciting a menu.

When he finished, he blinked, thought for a moment, and continued, "I can also fight, and I can find women!"

"Hahahaha!"

"Gelin!"

After the big man finished speaking, it caused a burst of laughter from the people in the room, and Xilin glared at him.

The big man seemed a bit afraid of Xilin, lowering his head and arguing, "I really can. I found them for Old Dad before..."

"Hahaha, hahaha!"

Looking at the big man's stubborn expression, Li Xuewu and the others laughed even harder; Palzer was laughing so hard he was lying on the *kang*.

"Good, very good!"

Li Xuewu said to the big man with a smile, "Just for that last ability of yours, I have to take you with me. Follow me from now on."

"... Gelin is a bit simple, you..."

Xilin didn't know Li Xuewu's real name; Lin Xi couldn't be his name, so she didn't know how to address him.

"My name is Li Xuewu."

Li Xuewu introduced himself formally and smiled at Xilin and the big man.

Then he looked at Gelin and asked, "Do you have any identification?"

"No."

Gelin shook his head, lowering his head, and said, "Gelin doesn't know where he came from."

"Xu... Xuewu."

This was the first time Xilin knew Li Xuewu's name, and the first time she said it out loud.

"Gelin is a bit young, so he doesn't understand many things..."

"Wait!"

Li Xuewu waved his hand to stop Xilin's explanation, raising his eyebrows as he looked at her, "You said he's young? What do you mean?"

Hearing Xilin's words, everyone in the room looked at Gelin.

How could this silly big man with a rugged face full of ferocity and toughness be described by Xilin as young?

Gelin was embarrassed by everyone's gaze and lowered his head again.

Xilin hesitated for a moment as she looked at Li Xuewu and explained, "Gelin should only be sixteen."

"What the hell!"

Li Xuewu's eyes widened like copper bells, looking at Gelin, who looked older than him, in disbelief.

"You said he's sixteen?"

Seeing Li Xuewu pointing at Gelin as if he had seen a ghost, Xilin also smiled helplessly.

"We don't know where Old Baduo picked him up, but I heard Azai say that Gelin lived in a caravan for a while."

Li Xuewu looked at the big man sitting there silently and shyly, not knowing what to say.

What could he say?

Ask what kind of feed he was raised on?

And then try it himself?

Xilin looked at Li Xuewu earnestly and said, "Gelin works very hard and is very sensible. He will be useful to you."

"Of course, I like Gelin's personality."

Li Xuewu nodded, then turned to look at Palzer and said, "Congratulations, you have a new cousin."

"Heh."

Palzer smiled slightly, continuing to chat with Zhao Yajun without caring.

He was no longer surprised by Li Xuewu's casual control over their household registration.

A few days ago, there was a cousin Xilin, and today there was a cousin Gelin; who knows when another cousin might appear.

Li Xuewu tapped out his cigarette, put it in his mouth, and lit it.

"When we get back to Beijing, I'll help you handle the household registration."

He had plans for Palzer; he would temporarily assign him to the branch bureau to train with the special police, and if possible, have him help support the branch bureau.

"You can stay in our courtyard for now; I'll find a place for you."

Li Xuewu took a puff of his cigarette and looked at Xilin.

"Your and Gelin's household registration will be attached to Palzer's. Have you thought about what you want to do?"

At this time, the household registration system was not perfect; everything was handwritten, and the records were mountains of paper ledgers.

It was easy for Li Xuewu to help Palzer re-register in Beijing.

Compared to others, it was simple for Palzer because he had military discharge records that Li Xuewu could directly access.

It was more troublesome for Xilin and Gelin, so they could only be attached to Palzer's registration.

Li Xuewu had transferred Palzer to Beijing, so they could follow him in.

"I don't know."

Xilin shook her head at Li Xuewu, her eyes full of confusion.

"I don't know what I can do, or what I should do."

Compared to Gelin's directness, Xilin couldn't drive, couldn't move goods, and certainly couldn't help Li Xuewu find women.

The condition for Li Xuewu to take her away had been met, and he had said he would take her to Beijing.

But she was like a little bird that had just flown out of a cage; the world was vast, and she didn't know where to fly.

"It's okay, think about it slowly."

Li Xuewu understood Xilin's mood and nodded, indicating there was no rush.

"I can drive for you."

Seeing that Li Xuewu had finished asking Xilin but hadn't asked him, Gelin rushed to offer to drive for Li Xuewu, fearing he would become a burden.

"Hahaha."

Li Xuewu waved his hand with a smile and said, "I have a driver; I don't have any plans to replace him for now."

"Then I'll move things for you."

"But I don't have anything for you to move."

Li Xuewu was just teasing Gelin, and everyone in the room was watching the fun.

"Fighting is wrong, and it's not good either."

Gelin shook his head, raised his head, and looked at Li Xuewu, "I'll go find women for you!"

"Hahahaha!"

Seeing everyone in the room laughing, Li Xuewu smiled at Gelin.

"I have a partner."

Li Xuewu said this for Xilin to hear.

"The kind I'm about to marry. I don't need you to help me find women, and I don't like finding women."

Oh my, hearing Li Xuewu's words, Gelin was really worried.

"Should I just go back then?"

"Hahaha~"

"You know he's simple, yet you still tease him!"

Xilin walked over and patted Gelin's arm, saying, "He's teasing you; he'll take you with him."

"Oh~"

Hearing Xilin's words, Gelin gave Li Xuewu a hurried smile.

"Heh."

Li Xuewu said with a smile, "Don't worry, I'll find you work to earn your keep."

"Thank you."

"Mm-hmm."

This big man wasn't stupid, just a bit silly and simple, likely because of his isolated upbringing and lack of education.

After chatting with them for a while, Li Xuewu felt the *kang* was warm, so he lay down for a while.

Because of the train tonight, no one slept, chatting on and off.

Only Zhao Yajun in this room was from Beijing; Palzer sat on the *kang* asking Zhao Yajun about things in Beijing.

The somewhat introverted Diliya sat to one side, listening to her brother's conversation.

When no one was talking to the big man, he just lowered his head, wondering what he was thinking.

Xilin, lying beside Li Xuewu, would occasionally ask Zhao Yajun a question, but later, seeing Li Xuewu was asleep, she stopped asking.

Perhaps it was from sitting on the train for half a day and being busy collecting goods for half a day, but Li Xuewu began to snore while listening to their voices.

Looking at Li Xuewu's profile, Xilin didn't know what her future path would be like.

However, she didn't regret following Li Xuewu out; if she hadn't come out this time, she might have stayed in the caravan until she died.

When she left, the people in the caravan didn't come to see her off, partly out of envy and partly because they didn't want to feel sentimental about themselves.

Knowing Li Xuewu wouldn't want her, Xilin didn't dare to have such unrealistic fantasies, only hoping to live like a real person with Li Xuewu's help.

"Woo~~~"

"Shhh~~~"

The special train back to Beijing made a brief stop at Hami Station at 1:00 AM.

Li Xuewu and his group had long been waiting on the platform, and when the train stopped steadily, they boarded through the passenger car doors.

As soon as Li Xuewu and his group boarded, the train restarted under the direction of the station attendant.

The carriage in the early morning was very quiet, with only Ji Wang Weidong sitting in the hard seat, smoking a cigarette and waiting for them.

The duty team members were playing cards on the other side, and when they saw Li Xuewu and his group enter, they just stood up and greeted them.

There were no goods to escort on the way back, so they were more relaxed, but out of habit and discipline, they consciously arranged duty shifts.

Li Xuewu didn't mind them playing cards; he told Palzer to take his younger brother and sister to rest, while he sat opposite Ji Wang Weidong.

"Why is there another one?"

Ji Wang Weidong also saw the big man Gelin, and was startled by his fierce face and physique.

"Picked him up."

Li Xuewu took a teacup and borrowed some of Ji Wang Weidong's tea leaves to brew himself a cup.

Li Xuewu had his own arrangements for Gelin and the others and didn't want to say much to Ji Wang Weidong.

Ji Wang Weidong knew what Li Xuewu meant, so he didn't ask.

"Did it go smoothly?"

"What do you think?"

Ji Wang Weidong was now a creditor, so naturally, he didn't have to give Li Xuewu a good look.

But Li Xuewu wouldn't fall for that, saying with a smile, "That's good. I'm going back to rest; I'm tired after a day."

"Wait!"

Ji Wang Weidong pressed down on Li Xuewu, squinting his eyes as he asked, "Don't you have anything you want to say?"

"No!"

Li Xuewu put on an "I don't understand" expression, saying, "Haven't all the things that needed to be done been done~"

As he spoke, he counted on his fingers, "I bought the gifts that needed to be bought for everyone, I gave the benefits to your colleagues, I gave the hard-earned money to the drivers, what else?"

Ji Wang Weidong gritted his teeth and looked at Li Xuewu, saying, "You're doing this on purpose, aren't you!"

"That's truly an injustice!"

Li Xuewu said pitifully, "My good brother, you tell me, my good brother who is like family, tell me what I haven't done."

"I..."

Ji Wang Weidong felt like his teeth were about to shatter; he didn't know what to say to Li Xuewu.

Since they were brothers like family, wouldn't it be a bit unkind to bring up money again?

"Oh, oh, I remember!"

Li Xuewu slapped his forehead and said with a sudden realization, under Ji Wang Weidong's expectant gaze, "It's the money you owe me from being fancy at the market, right?"

"I'm going to strangle you!"

I didn't bring up money to you, but you brought up money to me!

"Hahaha!"

Li Xuewu waved his arms, wrestling with Ji Wang Weidong while laughing, "I don't want it, I don't want it~ Hahaha~"

The happy time passed amidst Ji Wang Weidong's angry shouts as he was constantly teased by Li Xuewu.

The special train entered the steel mill's loading and unloading workshop on the afternoon of March 6th.

They had passed through Zhengcheng, so naturally, they could feel the warmth of spring returning to the earth.

Just looking at the ice water dripping from the carriages, one could tell the weather was truly warming up.

When Li Xuewu left, he was wearing a leather jacket over a cotton-padded coat, but when he returned, he had taken off the sweater inside, wearing only a shirt with a greasy black collar and an open leather jacket.

It was supposed to be an escort mission, but Li Huai De and Li Xuewu had turned it into a support mission.

Leaders like Yang Fengshan and Yang Yuansong, who were at home, gave them face and came to the station to meet the train.

Also coming to meet the train was the Red Star Training Ground's large motorcade.

Most of these vehicles belonged to that support group, all for the two carriages of cattle and sheep.

The canteen had already eaten the beef and mutton sent back by Li Huai De and Li Xuewu, so the staff at the station also expressed a warm welcome to the group.

Because the meat products needed to be frozen, the station staff began unloading work after the train stopped steadily.

Large trucks waited on the side to transport the meat to the steel mill's cold storage or directly to the supply and marketing cooperative's cold storage.

Later, another train would come to the steel mill to hook up four carriages and leave; these were the goods for Shopkeeper Zhang from Jicheng.

Li Xuewu was a man of integrity; he never deceived others, nor would he do anything that would damage his reputation.

Moreover, Shopkeeper Zhang must be fighting fiercely with Yu Min in Jicheng right now; it was very hard work!

He instructed the cadres unloading the goods to take care of the live animals and temporarily pull the horses bought for the steel mill to the Red Star Training Ground.

Whether it was the horses or the people, they all needed time to adapt to the environment.

It would be better to bring them down after they had trained on the mountain for a while, so they could perform their tasks normally.

Another reason was that it wasn't great for the leaders to see these horses directly, as they were bought with the steel mill's money for Li Huai De to show off and play with.

After a period of cooling down, and after the work of the joint enterprise was finished, bringing them back would be a different story.

Isn't that how oversized vehicles in units are handled later on?

With such high displacement, they are first left idle in a frontline unit below for a period of time, and then transferred back for their own use in the name of replacement and allocation.

Li Xuewu understood the bureaucracy.

Leaders like Yang Fengshan only met the train and didn't drag Li Huai De and Li Xuewu into a deep conversation.

Everyone was back, so what was the rush for one day?

Seeing the dusty and tired appearance of Li Huai De and Li Xuewu, they let them go home to rest.

Li Xuewu didn't have time to talk much with Yin Mancang and Deputy Political Commissar Zhao, who were there to pick up the animals, only shaking hands and expressing his appreciation for their hard work.

After agreeing to meet tomorrow for a detailed discussion, the groups went their separate ways to attend to their own business.

Ji Wang Weidong made a gesture of rubbing his fingers at Li Xuewu, then took his people and left in the jeep sent by the Investigation Department.

The leaders were resting, but the security team was not, or at least not all of them.

According to the business trip subsidy regulations, only one person could rest per day.

Today was Thursday, and the eldest brother and sister-in-law weren't going home, so Zhao Yajun didn't follow Li Xuewu home.

However, he gave the fabric he had obtained to Li Xuewu, asking him to take it back to his home in Red Star Village.

Li Xuewu took the fabric and handed it to Sha Qizhi, smiling and patting Zhao Yajun on the shoulder, signaling him to return to the security team.

Wei Tong knew Li Xuewu was going to discipline him, so he had slipped away with the team early on.

Was Zhao Yajun, a rural kid, not understanding things?

He had already guessed that Li Xuewu was back and would definitely go to Red Star Village tomorrow.

Watching Zhao Yajun run away, Li Xuewu said to Sha Qizhi, "Find another car; there are a lot of people."

Sha Qizhi also saw the four people waiting for Li Xuewu on the side.

These four didn't look like they were from the interior; they looked very much like people from the place where the section chief had been on a business trip.

"I've already notified the small motorcade."

Sha Qizhi and Han Jiankun worked together to put Li Xuewu's luggage into the trunk.

After another GAZ jeep arrived, he took Palzer and Gelin and arranged their luggage into the GAZ jeep.

"Get in the car."

Li Xuewu waved his hand, signaling them to get in.

Palzer let his sister sit in the back row of the GAZ with Xilin, and let the big man sit in the passenger seat.

After arranging everything, he trotted over and jumped into the back seat of Li Xuewu's command car, signaling that they could drive off.

Sha Qizhi looked at the rugged-faced Palzer and gave Han Jiankun a wink.

Han Jiankun understood what he meant, stepped on the gas, and drove toward the city.

"Section Chief, do you need me to report on the work between the factory and the branch bureau?"

"Is there anything urgent?"

Li Xuewu lay back in his seat, asking with his eyes closed.

"Not for now; it can be handled tomorrow."

"Mm."

Li Xuewu replied, "I've been away for ten days; let me handle some family matters. Anything else can be resolved tomorrow."

"Then are we going to the Red Star Training Ground tomorrow?"

Sha Qizhi reported, "The Security Brigade also called to say they have work they need to ask for your instructions on."

Seeing Li Xuewu's slightly tired expression, Sha Qizhi didn't want to disturb his leader.

But arranging the itinerary was his job; he had to be responsible to Li Xuewu and responsible to the work.

"Director Xu just said there's a meeting tomorrow morning, and the leader specifically named you to attend. I'm afraid the schedule won't work out."

"Sigh~"

Li Xuewu opened his eyes and sighed, looking at Palzer, who was staring at him, and smiled bitterly.

"You asked me what I do now."

As he spoke, he pointed at Sha Qizhi, "Listen to his instructions; whatever he tells me to do, I do."

Palzer grinned, "You'll be fine wherever you go."

"Are you being sincere?"

Li Xuewu raised his eyebrows and joked with Palzer, then said to Sha Qizhi, who was observing Palzer, "Let's finish everything in one go; arrange all the major work for tomorrow."

Seeing Li Xuewu making itinerary arrangements, Sha Qizhi hurriedly picked up his notebook to take notes.

"Hold the morning meeting at 8:30. Tell everyone in the section who has work to come to the conference room for a centralized report and centralized resolution."

As he spoke, Li Xuewu took a stack of documents out of his bag and handed them to Sha Qizhi.

"These are the documents and reports I wrote during my business trip. Help me organize them. These documents and reports will be used in tomorrow morning's meeting. Help me send out the two news-style reports."

"Yes."

Sha Qizhi knew Li Xuewu had the habit of writing articles, and Li Xuewu's signed articles could often be seen in newspapers, which was one of the things Sha Qizhi admired about him.

Sha Qizhi had helped Li Xuewu handle his writing fees no less than four or five times.

Each time it wasn't much—three, five, ten, or eight yuan—and sometimes when they were reprinted by other newspapers, there would be cases of ten or twenty yuan.

Li Xuewu wasn't a prolific writer, and the content of his articles was mostly about positive work experience and the spirit of workers on the front line.

So, although there were many articles, they were all words that didn't cause trouble but still maintained a presence.

"After the meeting in the morning, go to the Security Brigade's construction site. Help me make an appointment with Master Dou and Staff Officer Zhang."

"If we can make it for lunch, we'll eat at the branch bureau; if not, I'll treat you all to a restaurant, heh."

"Heh heh~"

Seeing Li Xuewu joking, Sha Qizhi also laughed, teasing, "I guess we won't make it."

"Hahahaha!"

Han Jiankun, who was driving in front, also rarely showed a smile.

The food at the branch bureau was truly... something to remember.

"Whatever time we finish handling the branch bureau's affairs, that's when we'll go to the training ground."

"Section Chief, we might be rushing in the dark."

Sha Qizhi reminded him, "The branch bureau should be discussing the organizational structure of the Security Brigade with you. I attended the seminar last Friday on your behalf, and that's what was discussed."

"Mm, I know."

Li Xuewu nodded, looking at the plum blossom tree blooming outside the window, and said with a smile, "Spring is really here. Let's go up the mountain and see if the flowers on the mountain are blooming beautifully."

"I don't know if the flowers on the mountain are beautiful, but I know that Section Chief Han, who just came back from the mountain, isn't beautiful, heh."

"Hahahaha."

Li Xuewu had a hidden meaning in his words, and Sha Qizhi also gave an answer that didn't match the question.

After being with Li Xuewu for a long time, Sha Qizhi had also gotten used to Li Xuewu's rhythm of doing things.

He could also be more relaxed when responding and answering questions.

The two cars arrived at the courtyard amidst laughter.

"Wu Ge! You're back!"

Seeing Li Xuewu's command car drive into the *hutong*, Chen Xiaoyan ran out of the door.

Seeing that it was indeed Li Xuewu sitting in the car, she ran back to open the main gate.

"Wearing so little, aren't you cold?"

Li Xuewu asked Chen Xiaoyan, who was greeting him with a smile.

At this time, Chen Xiaoyan was already wearing a floral long-sleeved shirt.

"Our storefront gets plenty of sun, and it's hot inside."

While chatting and laughing with Li Xuewu, Grandpa and Second Grandpa walked out from the storefront, while Yu Li stood smiling at the back door of the shop, watching them.

Because the shop couldn't be left unattended, even though she saw Li Xuewu return, she didn't come over.

"Grandpa, Second Grandpa."

Li Xuewu smiled and cupped his hands to the two of them, greeting them.

Grandpa and Second Grandpa both stood with their hands behind their backs, smiling at Li Xuewu, because several people had jumped out of the car, and for a moment, no one had time to speak.

"This is Palzer, my comrade-in-arms; this is his sister Diliya, Xilin, and this is his younger brother Gelin."

"Whoa~"

Second Grandpa smiled and looked at the big man Gelin, saying to Palzer, "Your brother is tall enough."

At this time, a man over 1.8 meters tall was considered tall, and Gelin, at over 1.9 meters, was considered very tall.

Seeing Second Grandpa joking, Li Xuewu introduced the four to them, "This is my Grandpa, this is Second Grandpa from our shop; you can just call them that."

"Grandpa."

"Hey, good."

"Second Grandpa."

"Hey, good."

The four didn't have a standard, but seeing Li Xuewu introduce them, they called out together.

The babble of voices made everyone laugh.

Li Xuewu signaled to Palzer and Gelin, letting them take their luggage into the inverted room with the driver.

Chen Xiaoyan understood the situation and ran back to switch shifts with Yu Li, letting Yu Li go to the backyard to help Li Xuewu pack his luggage.

The group bustled into the inverted room, causing the old ladies on duty at the gatehouse to look over.

Seeing it was Li Xuewu bringing people back, they all retracted their heads.

After entering the inverted room, Li Xuewu let Palzer take Gelin to live in the west room; there were fewer people there, as the Thirteen Taibao had already filled the *kang* in the east room.

Signaling Sha Qizhi to hand the luggage to Yu Li, Li Xuewu gave a brief instruction to Sha Qizhi and the two drivers and let them go.

"Are you and Yushui still living in the upper room?"

"Yes."

Yu Li glanced at Xilin and Diliya, knowing what Li Xuewu meant by his question.

"Then take them to live in Yushui's room; I'll tell Zhuzi tonight."

"Mm, good."

Yu Li looked at Li Xuewu's clothes and asked, "Go back, take a bath, and change your clothes."

"I should wash up."

Li Xuewu smiled at Palzer and Xilin, who were a bit reserved, and said, "Just treat this place as home; this is my home, and it's your home too."

"Section Chief, just arrange it; we're fine with anything."

"Don't call me Section Chief anymore."

Li Xuewu patted Palzer on the arm and said, "Calling me Li Xuewu is fine, calling me Xuewu is fine, heh."

"Let's call you Wu Ge."

Palzer looked at Yu Li, not knowing who she was.

Yu Li was also a bit uncomfortable being looked at by them, so she took Li Xuewu's luggage and said, "I'll help you put your luggage back first, then go clean up Yushui's room."

"We can clean it up ourselves."

Xilin took Diliya's hand very actively, each took their luggage, and followed Yu Li out the door.

Li Xuewu smiled at Grandpa and asked, "Everything okay at home?"

"Everything's good."

Grandpa said with a smile, but his eyes couldn't help but look at the big man.

Gelin looked at the environment in the room as soon as he entered, clearly not used to the strange environment.

"You'll live here for now."

Li Xuewu said to Palzer, "You and Gelin tidy up your luggage first and prepare a set of thin clothes. I'll go see my mother first, and I'll take you to take a bath in a while."

"Good."

Palzer replied to Li Xuewu, then went to help Gelin unpack his luggage first.

Old Baduo was a particular man and had packed Gelin's things very neatly.

When the large luggage bag was opened, there were many clothes inside.

Fortunately, Gelin had brought his own clothes, otherwise, it would have been hard to find clothes for him.

They had come from a cold place, and arriving in Beijing in the third month of spring, they were already sweating profusely.

Li Xuewu wanted everyone to relax, so he didn't restrain them too much, letting them tidy up, which was also a way to adapt to the environment.

After greeting Grandpa, Li Xuewu stepped out of the inverted room door, crossed the hanging flower gate, and walked toward his home.

"Yo! Man, you're back from your business trip?"

"Whoa~ I wonder who that is!"

Li Xuewu had already seen Third Grandpa sitting in the sun, and he hadn't intended to pay attention to him, but he didn't expect Third Grandpa to take the initiative to speak.

"You suddenly know how to talk; that surprises me!"

"Go! You brat."

Yan Fugui's expression was still a bit unnatural, and he waved his hand at Li Xuewu, saying with a dry laugh, "You're a big cadre now; you're not allowed to tease Third Grandpa!"

Li Xuewu smiled and pointed at Li Shu, who was looking at him through the window glass, and said, "Alright, you keep sunning yourself; I'm going home to take a look."

"This brat!"

Third Grandpa naturally heard that Li Xuewu was scolding him, and he chuckled and muttered.

Watching Li Xuewu walk into his house with long strides and hearing the laughter from the Li family, Yan Fugui looked back at his own house and felt a sense of loneliness.

The happiest person about Li Xuewu's return was Li Shu, who had been jumping on her feet and watching Li Xuewu come from the window.

Seeing her father enter the house, she ran from the *kang* toward the edge of the *kang*.

Li Xuewu entered the house, picked up his daughter, and gave her a kiss.

"Giggle~"

Holding his giggling daughter, Li Xuewu asked his mother, who had her eyes fixed on him, "Mom, is everything okay at home~"

"Good."

Liu Yin pushed away Li Shu's toys on the edge of the *kang* and sat on the edge, looking at her son and asking, "Was the trip smooth?"

In fact, both mother and son were asking nonsense; people were already home, so they knew whether it was good or smooth.

But both mother and son just wanted to express their concern.

"Very smooth."

Li Xuewu held Li Shu and walked around the room, doting on her, teasing her, and answering his mother's words.

"The factory established an office in the frontier, so I was delayed for a few days."

As he spoke, he smiled at the old lady sitting on the *kang*, "I brought you some frontier tobacco; try it in a while."

"Hahahaha~"

The old lady pinched the tobacco pipe Li Xuewu had bought for her, waved her hand with a smile, and said, "Why bring that from so far away? It's too much trouble."

As she spoke, she carefully looked at Li Xuewu and blamed him, "I told you to pay attention to keeping warm; your face is frozen, isn't it?"

"No."

Li Xuewu smiled and said, "It snowed several times, and the sun was shining; it'll be fine in a few days."

As he spoke, he bounced his daughter in his arms and asked, "Did you miss Dad?"

"Hee hee~"

Li Shu had grown up, with big eyes, a pink and tender face, and two small front teeth, looking very clever.

Seeing Li Xuewu ask her, she put her small hands on Li Xuewu's neck and turned her head away.

"Little Shu has sharp ears; she heard your car and was waiting for you at the window."

The old lady took a puff of her tobacco pipe and said with a smile, "Your mother and I were talking, and we didn't even hear you enter the courtyard."

Liu Yin felt heartache no matter how she looked at her son. Although the old lady had already said so, she couldn't help but stand up, walk to Li Xuewu, and touch his face.

"Wait for your father to come back and have him apply some ointment for you."

"Heh heh~"

Li Xuewu smiled and asked his mother, "Dad isn't angry, is he?"

"This brat!"

Liu Yin hit Li Xuewu, then glanced at the old lady and said, "He's your father; he only cares about you, he wouldn't really be angry with you."

Li Shu saw her grandmother hit her father and reached out her small hand to pull at her.

In fact, Liu Yin wasn't really hitting him, and she had already finished speaking, but Li Shu still waved her small hand.

Seeing Li Shu's bright eyes looking at her, Liu Yin laughed, "Ah, you're just feeling sorry for your father, and I can't even hit him?"

Seeing her grandmother teasing her, Li Shu laughed again, then hugged her father's neck with both hands and hid her small face behind Li Xuewu's shoulder.

"You little heartless thing!"

Liu Yin laughed and pointed at Li Shu's small feet, "Grandma loves you in vain; all the care I give you doesn't compare to this father of yours who is never home."

Li Xuewu enjoyed the time with his family, but sometimes the busyness of life made it hard for him to experience this happiness, or even cherish it.

"I met my comrade-in-arms in the frontier."

Li Xuewu briefly told the story of Palzer, then handed Li Shu to his mother and said, "I'll take them to take a bath, and we'll have dinner when I get back."

"Go, wash up well."

Liu Yin said, and then instructed, "Ning and her sister-in-law came a few days ago to see your father."