Chapter 446: Who Is the Bad Guy

The call first inquired about the public security matter, then discussed the preparations on this end.

Upon hearing that Li Li Xuewu had truly devised a method that saved money and worked well, Zheng Zheng Fuhua could not help but be delighted.

Today's haze finally revealed a sliver of sunlight.

Li Li Xuewu's request was also very simple: do not have the sub-bureau spend money to buy; instead, exchange scrapped vehicles.

As long as the engine, transmission system, and such were functional, that was fine; specifically, they wanted the Willys models that no one was currently driving.

Zheng Zheng Fuhua also understood Li Li Xuewu's intent; these Willys vehicles had existed in the country for nearly thirty years and were becoming scrap iron, so exchanging four for one was certainly appropriate.

Li Li Xuewu had ways to turn waste into treasure, but the sub-bureau did not possess those capabilities.

Other factories and units did not have them either, so Zheng Zheng Fuhua agreed to send all the Willys vehicles from the entire sub-bureau to the Rolling Steel Factory.

Surprisingly, the inventory of this item within the public security system was indeed quite substantial.

After hanging up the phone, Li Li Xuewu began contacting the heads of the security departments at all the factories he knew to reclaim old, scrapped automobiles.

This was truly novel; when had the Rolling Steel Factory started a business reclaiming scrapped cars, and why was it the head of the Security Department organizing it?

Which factory did not have such scrapped vehicles? Some had more than ten, others only one or two, all left abandoned in obscure corners.

Now that someone was buying, naturally someone was willing to sell.

Li Li Xuewu instructed the accountants and clerks from the General Section of the Security Department to take money and go to each factory to haul away the old vehicles.

These items were light; for smaller quantities, they used tow vehicles to bring them back, while larger quantities were hauled directly by trucks.

The Security Department had a slush fund, allowing them to act freely in whatever they did.

Besides, those broken-down cars were no longer valuable; they were all being reclaimed as scrap.

Even though they were wrecked cars, if you went to collect them as an individual, they wouldn't give them to you even if they had rotted into mud.

But if you said it was the Rolling Steel Factory collecting them, then there were convenient conditions available.

What excuse could there be for not accepting them!

After Li Li Xuewu finished making his round of calls, on paper, he had already prepared nearly a hundred Willys vehicles for Xia Xia Zhongquan.

Of course, not all of these were Willys; there were also later imitated models, but the engines were all good.

Li Li Xuewu did not intend to keep the shells and parts, instructing Xia Xia Zhongquan to assemble them directly on site.

Unified specifications, unified style, unified operation, letting Jingcheng be filled with Red Star brand patrol cars.

"Director, it's mealtime."

Comrade Sha Sha Qizhi walked in to remind him; just now, Li Li Xuewu had been on the phone continuously, so he hadn't dared to interrupt.

"Good, you go ahead first."

Li Li Xuewu held the phone, thought for a moment, and then dialed the hospital.

"Hello?"

When Gu Ning heard there was a call for her, she knew it was Li Li Xuewu.

Picking up the phone at this moment, it was indeed that person.

"I'm sorry; you must have been frightened last night, right?"

"No..."

Gu Ning held the phone, glanced at the few people in the room, and then said, "Let's talk tonight."

"Okay."

Li Li Xuewu understood Gu Ning's meaning, nodded, and said, "Then I'll come to Haiyuncang tonight."

"Mm."

Gu Ning gave a response and then hung up the phone.

"Oh, Doctor Gu, is that your partner?"

"Doctor Hu."

Gu Ning smiled and offered a greeting, then went out the door.

She still felt a bit unable to openly speak about Li Li Xuewu in front of her colleagues, even though everyone knew who her partner was.

That phone call from Li Li Xuewu last night had indeed given her a scare; only after returning home and hearing her mother's explanation did she understand the full story.

Several people had spent the night trembling with fear, and being startled again this morning, they finally understood Li Li Xuewu's intentions.

Especially after her mother explained Li Li Xuewu's concerns, she harbored no resentment in her heart that Li Li Xuewu hadn't told her directly.

The reason she didn't say much to Li Li Xuewu on the phone just now was because there were too many people around at the moment.

This could also be considered Gu Ning's first time actively arranging to meet Li Li Xuewu, albeit implicitly.

On Li Li Xuewu's side, he made this call precisely because he feared Gu Ning might overthink things.

After putting down the phone, he got up and headed to Xiaoshitang to eat.

Upon entering the cafeteria, Li Li Xuewu also checked the damage to the guesthouse; it was fine, this building was truly sturdy.

The architecture of this era all had a Soviet style; it was incredibly solid.

At the very least, Li Li Xuewu could not see any problems with the building structure from the surface.

After entering the cafeteria, he learned from Qin Qin Huairu that the leaders had not yet returned; only Li Li Huai De was in the private room.

Li Li Xuewu took his bowl into the room and joined Li Li Huai De to eat and chat.

Factory Director Yang Yang Fengshan and his group, responsible for the route outside the city, resolved their lunch at a small restaurant.

But the atmosphere at the table was not good; everyone barely restrained their emotions as they finished their meal.

The reason was that Lu Lu Zhengzhong's entire family had not been saved; the house collapsed and directly crushed them to death.

Along this route, more than just this one family had perished, but the only household where the entire family was lost was this one.

Everyone sitting at the table felt extremely heavy-hearted; looking at the food before them, they could not swallow.

Especially Gu Gu Weijie; she had been stationed at the rescue site the whole time and had watched Han Zhan lead people to carry Lu Lu Zhengzhong's family out from the ruins.

Six people, sigh~~~

During the morning's visits, there were no fewer than a dozen instances of collapsed houses alone, not to mention collapsed courtyard walls and furniture crushing and injuring people.

They also encountered earthquake rumors and misinformation; although they explained everything and gained the trust of the workers and their families, it was still impossible to prevent impacts on production and daily life.

What they did not know was that what happened to the Steel Rolling Plant was also happening elsewhere.

In the short time following the quake, earthquake rumors and misinformation incidents spread rapidly.

This caused widespread panic among the masses in the disaster zone and neighboring areas, leading to a temporary loss of focus on labor, a decline in industrial output, and a drop in agricultural attendance rates; the indirect losses were enormous.

Among all parties involved in this rumor incident, Dongcheng handled it the best.

Zheng Zheng Fuhua was a leader with both resolve and capability.

After hearing Li Li Xuewu's suggestions, he contacted the sub-district offices to organize propaganda teams and mobile propaganda trucks broadcasting popular science knowledge about earthquakes.

Although some false information still existed in the DC District, after the branch bureau, sub-district offices, and social forces joined the rescue efforts, this phenomenon was brought under strong control.

Secretary Yang Yang Yuansong and his group encountered one of these propaganda vehicles and also saw the Steel Rolling Plant's Security Department rescue team.

Although these leaders did not speak of Li Li Xuewu openly, in their hearts they all labeled him as someone capable of getting things done.

Especially Yang Yang Yuansong, who particularly appreciated Li Li Xuewu yet found his style of action most headache-inducing.

It could be said that Li Li Xuewu would stop at nothing to get things done.

This style, straddling both righteousness and cunning, made it very difficult for him, as the Party Organization Secretary, to gauge Li Li Xuewu's true intentions.

Of course, he also knew that without such a style of action, Li Li Xuewu would not be Li Li Xuewu, nor would he have accomplished so many things.

The Steel Rolling Plant would never see a situation like Li Li Xuewu's again; there would never be another twenty-year-old deputy division chief.

With a cadre like Li Li Xuewu, the factory leadership would simply not allow such a situation to occur again.

Part of the reason everyone was so polite at Li Li Xuewu's home was due to the merit Li Li Xuewu had earned during this earthquake.

If one calculated it, Li Li Xuewu had actually been preparing for this earthquake long ago.

The previous earthquake drill conducted by the Security Department was one they had watched on-site; seeing today's events, a sense of admiration arose spontaneously within them.

At Xiaoshitang, Li Li Xuewu reported to Li Li Huai De on the cooperation between the Security Department and the Design Department, and also discussed the rescue arrangements made in response to the earthquake.

Li Li Huai De was quite satisfied with Li Li Xuewu's ability to handle affairs, especially his flexibility.

The two walked out of Xiaoshitang and circled Tuanjie Lake once, just to help digest their food.

"The support mission from above has been assigned."

Li Li Huai De strolled along the brick-paved path, looking at Tuanjie Lake on his left and the ducks diving into the water to hunt for fish.

Li Li Xuewu followed half a step behind, neither of them walking quickly.

Today was March 8th, a date for annual celebration activities, which the factory had also prepared for this year.

But today's earthquake had shaken those plans away.

Not only was the trade union uninterested in organizing activities, but the female workers and female comrades in the administrative offices had no mood to celebrate the holiday either.

Every family had suffered varying degrees of harm, with casualties occurring; where was the heart to celebrate?

Thus, this year's International Women's Day appeared exceptionally cold and quiet, with the area around Tuanjie Lake equally silent.

From time to time, a few sparrows flew out from the grass, circling over the lake toward the opposite shore.

Li Li Huai De looked at those few sparrows, then turned his head to say to Li Li Xuewu, "I am preparing to go to the disaster zone."

"I will accompany you!"

Li Li Xuewu had not expected Li Li Huai De to have such resolve, daring to go to the disaster zone right now.

It was not that the earthquake had ended and the area was safe; on the contrary.

"No need."

Li Li Huai De walked slowly forward with his hands behind his back, saying as he walked, "The joint enterprise matters still require you to handle them; furthermore..."

Speaking, he turned to look at Li Li Xuewu and said, "I hope to give you sufficient space and freedom of action during this period to complete the transition of work."

"Yes."

Li Li Xuewu glanced at Li Li Huai De, who had turned back to continue walking, and verbally responded with a "Yes."

He knew Li Li Huai De was right; his own work had indeed not yet completed its transition.

Since returning from his training and taking over the Security Department, all his work had been in a state of transition.

At the very least, with Dong Wenxue's influence still present in the Security Department, it could not be said that Li Li Xuewu had truly mastered the department.

Today marked the first time Li Li Huai De, having just returned from the frontier with Li Li Xuewu, discussed the issue of departmental control.

This indicated three things: First, Li Li Huai De was beginning to take Li Li Xuewu seriously, resulting in his heavy utilization.

Second, Li Li Xuewu's ability and character had gained his approval.

Third, Li Li Huai De's competition for the position of Executive Deputy Director had reached a critical moment.

This competition was invisible; not being within the bureau, no one could feel it.

Even Li Li Xuewu, as a participant in this situation, did not know Li Li Huai De's next move.

Just like suddenly granting him authority today, or suddenly deciding to lead a team to support the earthquake zone today.

Saying he was giving him space and freedom of action did not mean merely sorting out the internal affairs of the Security Department, but also external relations.

This included relations with various factory departments, with various factory leaders, and with external factories and units, and so on.

With Li Li Xuewu's extensive connections and sufficient capability, Li Li Huai De did not feel the sky would fall if he were absent.

Truth be told, Li Li Huai De was truly a ruthless person.

He had his own calculations for both superiors and subordinates; this ruthlessness was undoubtedly the reason he could still thrive after later leaving the Steel Rolling Plant.

Current work in the Security Department included the construction and business expansion of the Hongxing Training Ground, the Fire Section and Fire Brigade, the Inspection Section and Inspection Team, the Guard Team, and the training and reinforcement of security personnel.

It also covered the merger with the Armed Forces Department, the promotion and sales of fire equipment and gear, the training of security and armed personnel along with the promotion and sales of their equipment, and the rollout of the dual emergency contingency plans.

Additionally, there was the organization of a public security brigade with multiple departments, factories, and units; the security construction for the Gangcheng Steel Plant; the wrap-up of the Fu Bin case; and the preparation and construction of the office and joint enterprise established during the trip to the frontier.

Work related to other departments in the factory district: the Design Department, concerning projects for fire-fighting equipment and vehicle modifications.

The Personnel Department, regarding cadre adjustments and the establishment of relevant departments, including the Fire Protection Section, the Inspection Section, and the Training Section.

The Armed Forces Department and the Propaganda Department; these two departments need to discuss matters with Gu Gu Weijie.

Outside the factory, apart from his own work at the sub-bureau, the units related to the Rolling Steel Factory include the Security Department of Huaqing University and the Support Regiment.

Whether it was the Rolling Steel Factory or the sub-bureau, Li Li Xuewu's shadow was present in the joint actions with surrounding enterprises this time.

The Public Security Brigade was facilitated entirely by him; the subsequent training, equipment, vehicles, and so on all required maintenance.

Calculating it this way, Li Li Xuewu truly had a lot of work to keep him busy recently, yet his mother-in-law was still waiting for his reply on when they would get married.

By the time all this damn business was finished, wouldn't it be time to have children?

"I will arrange for members of the Guard Squad to accompany you."

"Good."

Li Li Huai De still valued his personal safety quite highly; despite his willingness to risk his life in the disaster zone, he did not wish to die.

It was certainly acceptable to bring along the elite troops cultivated by Li Li Xuewu.

"I plan to take some frozen beef and mutton with me."

Watching the sun rise over Tuanjie Lake after the rain had cleared, Li Li Huai De said, "The tree desires stillness, but the wind will not cease."

Li Li Xuewu did not pick up on this remark; sometimes, it was better not to understand certain words too clearly.

The Rolling Steel Factory could not consume all this beef and mutton itself, nor could it possibly digest it all.

Donating some to the disaster zone now was still better than giving it to...

"I would actually suggest exchanging with other factories for cornmeal."

Li Li Xuewu raised his eyebrows and, without looking at Li Li Huai De who had turned his head, said casually, "Sometimes, a sheng of rice given in kindness can become a dou of rice that breeds enmity."

"Hmm, that is a good suggestion."

Li Li Huai De turned and spoke a few words to the secretary behind him, then continued walking forward with Li Li Xuewu, saying as they walked, "Having a full stomach is more important than anything else."

"You certainly see things accurately."

"Hahaha!"

Li Li Huai De had not arranged for Li Li Xuewu to follow, and Li Li Xuewu had no intention of actually following.

The game had already begun here; everyone who needed to be at the table was already seated.

Li Li Huai De temporarily leaving the table now was to move to a better position, not to truly leave the card table.

If Li Li Xuewu went to the disaster zone now, he might truly leave the card table.

This was also the reason Li Li Xuewu had asked Li Li Huai De that question.

Both men understood clearly; having just told Li Li Xuewu in the morning to find Gu Gu Weijie for a discussion, how could they possibly take him away in the afternoon?

However, after returning to his office, Li Li Xuewu personally arranged the personnel to accompany Li Li Huai De to Bai Xingcheng.

Liu Liu Zhaolun would lead the team this time; if he performed well, his hat as the person in charge would be swapped for that of Captain of the Guard Squad.

The itinerary prepared last night by Comrade Sha Sha Qizhi was completely messed up, but Li Li Xuewu was now busy with whatever needed doing.

He could not leave now; three teams were respectively led by Han Zhan, Han Han Yating, and Wei Tong to carry out rescue operations, and he had to remain stationed to command.

Documents that had not been processed last night were now concentrated for handling today.

The Fire Protection Section was split into two; Li Li Xuewu retained the authority for fire inspections and the fire brigade within the Fire Protection Section, while assigning safety inspections and emergency management to the Inspection Section.

Now he was considering personnel issues for the Inspection Section, as well as whether to place the authority of the various inspection offices under the Inspection Section.

Discussing with Gu Gu Weijie could not be done empty-handed.

The Inspection Office, which had long been prepared to push onto Gu Gu Weijie, had now become the Inspection Section; if one claimed there was no arrangement by Gu Gu Weijie behind this, he would not believe it even if beaten to death.

Good heavens, the Armed Forces Department had been torn apart by himself, with most of its personnel assigned to logistics at the training grounds.

Yet here, Gu Gu Weijie had played a move of removing the firewood from under the pot against him.

Many people in the Inspection Office had been seconded from the Armed Forces Department; now that it was upgraded to a section, the number of people and matters to be arranged was even greater.

Looking at the documents on his desk, Li Li Xuewu smiled; the game had only just begun.

Nie Nie Chenglin, who was speaking at the meeting, probably did not intend to eat the dividends of the joint enterprises; he wanted to eat the dividends after people had left.

Deng Deng Zhiwang had the desire to go to the joint enterprises, but it was unknown whether he had managed to contact Yang Yang Fengshan or Yang Yang Yuansong.

Xiang Xiang Jingyu had her own little schemes; she did not plan to transfer away from the Rolling Steel Factory, but like Li Li Huai De, she likely wanted to advance one step further.

As for the remaining Gu Gu Weijie, she was quite arrogant, standing in the Party Committee watching the factory administration side, truly eating from her own bowl while eyeing what was in someone else's pot.

Only the newcomer, Xue Xue Zhifu, was relatively reserved, seeming determined to delve deeply into disciplinary and supervisory work.

Originally, the power structure of the Rolling Steel Factory was very stable, after all, there were few leaders.

Now, however, all nine were present.

Yang Yang Fengshan was already constrained by Yang Yang Yuansong, with only Nie Nie Chenglin being his own man.

Yang Yang Yuansong's situation was not much better either; originally dominating the Party Committee side alone, now two deputy secretaries had directly divided the power.

These newly arrived leaders were each governing independently; for now, they could not even piss into the same pot.

Li Li Huai De was rather lucky; going to the borderlands, he took Li Li Xuewu with him and solidified his foundation.

Not only did he secure a good reputation for himself, but he also secured benefits for the workers and cadres of the factory.

Now, seizing the right moment to risk his life was done to show those above.

Once he had ingratiated himself with those above and those below, and then settled these few in the middle, Li Li Huai De would truly ascend to power.

Everything had to make way for Li Li Huai De's position as Executive Deputy Director; even Li Li Xuewu could not stand in the way.

Therefore, Li Li Xuewu was definitely handing over this Inspection Section.

The situation for the heads of other sections was not much better than Li Li Xuewu's; as long as the supervising leaders had intentions, they all had to exert effort.

Just as Li Li Xuewu was processing documents, the secretary, Seeing Sha Qi, walked in.

"Leader, the draft submitted by the clerks from the Comprehensive Section who joined the rescue team with the support unit."

Li Li Xuewu lifted his head and glanced out the window; the sun had already begun to slant westward.

"How is the rescue progressing?"

Sha Sha Qizhi handed the manuscript to Li Li Xuewu and reported orally: "All factory employees have been screened, including those who reported family losses and those who didn't report for work; everyone who could be transported has been sent to the factory hospital."

"Have Wei Tong and Han Zhan returned?"

"Not yet."

While answering Li Li Xuewu's question, Sha Sha Qizhi tidied the documents on the desk for him.

With quitting time approaching, clearing more now would make the later work simpler and easier.

"Li Kezhang Han and Li Kezhang Wei reported they'll arrive a bit later; the office clerks returned first."

"Mm."

Li Li Xuewu picked out the drafts suitable for publicity.

"Tell Director Yu to issue a bathing ticket to every person who participated in the rescue, and contact the cafeteria to add dishes!"

Li Li Xuewu raised his head, looked at Sha Sha Qizhi, and said: "Potatoes braised with beef and mutton!"

"Yes!"

After speaking, Li Li Xuewu tossed the manuscripts in his hand back onto the desk and said: "Tell these people to rewrite them overnight tonight and submit them tomorrow morning; hand the rest over to the Publicity Department."

"Yes!"

Li Li Xuewu stood up, walked to the window, and gazed at the afterglow of the setting sun.

"The sunset is infinitely lovely, only it is near dusk."

Sha Sha Qizhi did not know what Li Li Xuewu's words meant, but it had nothing to do with him; he gathered the two batches of manuscripts from the desk, took Li Li Xuewu's orders, and went out to execute them.

"Ring-ring-ring~"

Li Li Xuewu's enjoyment of the beautiful sunset was cut short as the telephone bell startled him awake.

It was a call from the Dispatch Office; several large crates had been unloaded from today's arriving commuter train, said to be for Deputy Director Li, sent from Steel City.

Li Li Xuewu put down the phone and made another call to the Small Vehicle Squad, asking Han Han Jiankun to collect them for him.

With heavy snow followed by light rain this morning, Li Li Xuewu had come wearing only a sweater and a raincoat.

Of course, he couldn't wear them back now; that would make him look like a fool.

There were uniforms in the office rest room, but Li Li Xuewu couldn't bear to wear them.

These things were mostly for show; once dirtied, he really didn't want to wash them.

He checked the time, stood up, left the room, told Sha Sha Qizhi to pick him up at the guesthouse shortly, and then went downstairs.

Upon reaching the first floor, he happened to see Han Han Yating entering, while a burst of clamor came from the corridor in the distance.

"Director."

"Mm."

Li Li Xuewu glanced toward the depths of the corridor, then turned his gaze to Han Han Yating.

Han Han Yating understood Li Li Xuewu's meaning and reported softly: "Several rumors have been traced; the relevant personnel have been taken into custody."

"Increase efforts; aim to release the notice by tomorrow morning."

Li Li Xuewu nodded at Han Han Yating and said: "Matters like this must be resolved swiftly and decisively; don't drag them out!"

"Understood!"

Han Han Yating saluted, then headed toward the Security Section on the first floor.

Li Li Xuewu continued walking out, went around the auxiliary building, passed through the entrance of the small auditorium, and went straight to the guesthouse.

This was the route various leaders from the administrative departments took to eat at Xiaoshitang.

However, the leaders returning this afternoon were all in the conference room, and no one planned to eat here tonight either.

When Li Li Xuewu entered the guesthouse, he happened to see Qin Qin Huairu at the front desk, with Xiao Dang, whose head was wrapped in gauze, standing beside her.

Xiao Dang had been injured this morning; Li Shun had urgently stitched the wound and applied medicine.

But the necessary anti-inflammatory treatment and rest still had to be provided.

Since Qin Qin Huairu had to work today, she had simply brought the child along; the IV drip was administered directly at the factory hospital, and rest was taken on the duty bed in the office.

Today, while busy with work, Qin Qin Huairu also had to take care of her daughter.

Seeing Li Li Xuewu enter, before Qin Qin Huairu could speak, Xiao Dang weakly called out, "Wu Shu."

"Feeling any better?"

Li Li Xuewu smiled and said to Qin Qin Huairu: "I came wearing a raincoat this morning; I'm going upstairs to change clothes."

"Shall I go up and open the door for you?"

"No need, take care of the child; I'll do it myself."

Li Li Xuewu declined, intending to ask Qin Qin Huairu for the key.

But Qin Qin Huairu turned around, pushed open the office door, and called inside: "Zhang Songying, go upstairs and open the door for Director Li."

Sitting in the office, Zhang Zhang Songying initially thought Qin Qin Huairu was joking, but when she turned and saw Li Li Xuewu actually standing at the front desk, she quickly stood up, smiling, and walked out.

She also had a key to the upstairs rooms; at this moment, she exchanged a glance with Qin Qin Huairu, smiled, and greeted Li Li Xuewu.

Li Li Xuewu could only helplessly respond with a "Thank you for your trouble."

Zhang Zhang Songying walked ahead, with Li Li Xuewu following behind.

As if intentional, Zhang Zhang Songying's trousers had been tailored, and since it was warm inside the guesthouse, she wasn't wearing much under her outer pants.

So at this moment...

Li Li Xuewu slowed his pace, letting Zhang Zhang Songying walk a step further ahead, to avoid seeing any marks.

As if she knew Li Li Xuewu's reaction, Zhang Zhang Songying's face turned red even as she walked ahead.

He unconsciously quickened his pace, as if the gaze from behind carried heat, burning his buttocks.

Only after reaching the third floor did their expressions return to normal.

"Click-clack."

Zhang Zhang Songying, her face flushed red, opened the door and let Li Li Xuewu enter first.

Li Li Xuewu had thought that once he entered, she would leave, but he hadn't expected her to follow him in.

"I'll help you find some clothes; you go take a shower first."

Zhang Zhang Songying didn't dare look at Li Li Xuewu; she slipped past him into the room.

Li Li Xuewu tilted his head to watch the woman's back, then pushed open the bathroom door to take a shower.

It was quite a coincidence; just as Li Li Xuewu had shed his clothes to become free, Zhang Zhang Songying, who had just pulled the door open and walked in, was also free.

Wasn't she supposed to be finding clothes for him!

How had her own clothes gotten mixed up and lost too!

"I... I'll help you scrub your back..."

Such a perfectly normal reason; how could Li Li Xuewu refuse?

After a particularly proper back-scrubbing, Li Li Xuewu walked out wrapped in a bath towel.

"Isn't this my sweater?"

"It is... yours."

Zhang Zhang Songying came out and said cautiously, "I knitted it for you before the New Year; it's been in the wardrobe all along."

Li Li Xuewu raised an eyebrow; even he was now unclear about which sweater should be stored in which wardrobe.

Sister Lou had one wardrobe, there was one at home, and here was another.

Aiya, it's fine for now, but how the hell will this be managed in the future?

For some reason, when speaking those words to Qin Qin Huairu, she had been bold enough.

But here with Li Li Xuewu, she felt an inexplicable fear.

Right now, she didn't know whether she could knit sweaters for Li Li Xuewu, nor whether he would wear this one.

"It's very nice."

Li Li Xuewu looked at Zhang Zhang Songying, who seemed like she was awaiting judgment, and offered a word of praise.

This sweater was indeed good-looking; it was a patterned sweater, something quite rare at this time.

The pattern wasn't dyed on; rather, during the knitting, threads of other colors were used to weave it using a special technique.

Li Li Xuewu put on the shirt and long underwear stored here, then donned the sweater Zhang Zhang Songying had knitted.

Seeing Li Li Xuewu's praise, Zhang Zhang Songying smiled as if she had won an award and reached out to help Li Li Xuewu adjust his clothes.

Li Li Xuewu had grown accustomed to laziness, spoiled by Yu Li; now seeing Zhang Zhang Songying helping, he simply stood still and waited.

Seeing Li Li Xuewu act this way, Zhang Zhang Songying became even more enthusiastic.

Looking at the young man before her wearing black slim-fit trousers and a color-blocked V-neck thin sweater, Zhang Zhang Songying's eyes were practically glued to Li Li Xuewu.

She helped Li Li Xuewu straighten the collar of his white shirt, then helped him put on his gray jacket, only then smiling with satisfaction.

Li Li Xuewu glanced at himself in the mirror by the door; damn, he looked quite handsome.

He had never owned this outfit before; he could guarantee that this wardrobe here hadn't contained it previously either.

No need to ask; since the sweater was given, what could be lacking in the rest of this outfit?

Li Li Xuewu looked at his trousers in the mirror; at a glance, they were clearly crafted with the same skill as the pair Zhang Zhang Songying wore.

They accentuated his two long legs, making them appear very long, while the color-blocked sweater under the jacket made him look younger and more vigorous.

In the past, Li Li Xuewu's clothes were mostly old-fashioned; now he finally looked like a young man in his twenties.

Seeing Li Li Xuewu studying himself carefully in the mirror, Zhang Zhang Songying knew he was satisfied.

If Li Li Xuewu was satisfied, then she was content.

At this moment, she took out the leather shoes previously stored in the cabinet and placed them by Li Li Xuewu's feet.

"Let me help you..."

"I'll do it myself."

Li Li Xuewu pulled Zhang Zhang Songying slightly; he didn't say the words "no need," but instead steadied her and used a shoe horn to put on his shoes.

"Is everyone at home alright?"

Already delighted by Li Li Xuewu's earlier action, upon seeing him ask about her family, she smiled, picked up a wooden comb, and helped Li Li Xuewu comb his hair.

"They're fine; our house was newly built."

"That's good; be careful."

Li Li Xuewu allowed Zhang Zhang Songying to style his hair into the currently most popular "lightning-split" hairstyle.

Before leaving, looking at Zhang Zhang Songying who was still not dressed, he asked, "Aren't you coming down together?"

"I need to tidy up the room."

Zhang Zhang Songying said with a slightly flushed face, "You go ahead and attend to your matters first."

Li Li Xuewu smiled and said, "No need to be so polite; did you like the gift?"

"I love it~"

Only this time did Zhang Zhang Songying truly have contact with Li Li Xuewu; before, it had been like viewing flowers through the mist.

"It's good that you like it."

Li Li Xuewu checked the time on his wrist and said, "Today is Saturday; we can't delay the secretary and the driver from getting off work. You should get off work early too."

"Okay."

Zhang Zhang Songying, her eyes smiling like flowers, saw Li Li Xuewu out the door, then quickly closed it, leaned her back against it, and happily waved her small fist.

How can someone be so good at speaking!

Being so kind to me, even the words about leaving are spoken so beautifully!

A person who is so good to both the driver and the secretary, truly wonderful!

By the time Li Li Xuewu went downstairs, it was already quitting time, and Sha Sha Qizhi was waiting in the lobby.

"Director."

Sha Sha Qizhi walked over, greeted Li Li Xuewu, and said, "The luggage has already been placed in the trunk."

"Good."

Li Li Xuewu nodded and was just about to head out when he spotted Qin Qin Huairu leading Xiao Dang out of the service department.

At this moment, Xiao Dang was holding candy in her hand, obviously bought from the service department.

"How are you getting back?"

"Ah, I'll ride my bike."

Seeing that Li Li Xuewu had changed his clothes, washed his face, and tidied his hair, Qin Qin Huairu knew he had taken a bath.

"Let Xiao Dang ride back in the car with me."

Li Li Xuewu looked at the gauze on Xiao Dang's forehead and said, "The wound shouldn't be exposed to the wind; bring a hat for her tomorrow."

"Understood, she was wearing a hat when we came too."

Qin Qin Huairu smiled, tugged her daughter's small hand, and asked, "Is it okay to ride back in the car with Wu Shu?"

"Yes, I want to ride in a car."

Xiao Dang was not afraid of Li Li Xuewu; the younger the child, the less they were afraid.

Because in a child's innocent eyes, they could most clearly distinguish who was a good person and who was a bad person.

"Hahaha, I'll sell you on the way!"

Laughing, Li Li Xuewu walked out of the lobby, opened the car door, and gestured for Qin Qin Huairu to put the child in the car.

Qin Qin Huairu smiled as she placed her daughter in the back seat, then stepped back.

Li Li Xuewu closed the car door, got in from the other side, and as Xiao Dang smiled and waved to her mother, the car slowly started up and drove toward home.

Sister Lou had once complained to Li Li Xuewu that he was always busy whenever he took leave.

Indeed, he was busy; the closer it got to Saturday and Sunday, the busier he became.

Perhaps this was the helplessness of a public figure.

Upon returning home, he let Xiao Dang run inside by herself, while he, along with Han Han Jiankun and Sha Sha Qizhi, loaded several boxes of luggage onto the Willys.

He had an appointment with Gu Ning tonight, and on the way, he would conveniently deliver this luggage to Zhou Wang Yamei.

At this moment, Bai Bai Xiyuan was bustling with activity; Lao Lao Biaozi smiled as he brought Pazile over to help.

"What did you get, to be this happy?"

"Talking about today's events."

Lao Lao Biaozi grinned and said to Li Li Xuewu, "Didn't we go out for rescue operations today? Someone recognized Pazile, so this afternoon I'll take him to handle his household registration procedures, and everyone will make way for him."

"Is that so!"

Li Li Xuewu smiled and patted Pazile's arm, asking, "How does it feel to do a good deed?"

"Hehe, truly wonderful!"

"Hahahaha!"

Perhaps it was the relief after surviving a great disaster; at this moment, the neighbors had all become more open-minded.

After seeing Sha Sha Qizhi and Han Han Jiankun off in their car, Li Li Xuewu smiled and exchanged a few playful remarks with Lao Lao Biaozi and the others.

At this moment, more than twenty people in Bai Bai Xiyuan stood chatting and laughing, tidying up the mess trampled out the night before, creating a unique sense of unity and joy.

After saying a few words to them, Li Li Xuewu returned to the courtyard.

First, he spoke briefly with Yu Li, then headed home.

Perhaps frightened, the old lady said Li Shu had started running a high fever at noon; it was Lao Lao Biaozi who found out when he returned home and drove to pick up Li Shun to come back and check.

When Li Li Xuewu entered the room, Li Shu was asleep, so he didn't dare speak loudly.

He softly comforted his mother and the old lady, then gently kissed his daughter's small hand.

After stepping out of the room, he said to his mother, who had walked him out, "Mom, I'm going to check on Godmother; both she and her husband were on duty at their units last night."

"Go ahead."

Seeing that her son seemed fine, Liu Yin agreed, adding casually, "Come back early."

"Mom, I might be a bit late."

Li Li Xuewu smiled and said, "After dinner, I have an appointment to meet Gu Ning at the new house."

"You are not allowed to act recklessly!"

Startled by her son, Liu Yin thought he intended to do something wicked and swatted him.

Li Li Xuewu replied with a smile, "Where did your mind go? There are other people there too; we're just meeting up."

"That's acceptable then, but you must be careful, and come back early."

Liu Yin looked at her son and said, "Xiao Ning is a well-behaved child; you must not hurt her."

"Is your son a big bad wolf?"

Laughing, Li Li Xuewu dodged his mother's slap and grinned as he walked out the door.

Liu Yin glanced at her son's retreating figure, blinking her eyes.

When was this set of clothes bought? How come I've never seen it before?

Not to mention she had never seen it; even Li Li Xuewu was seeing it for the first time today.

After saying goodbye to his mother, Li Li Xuewu went to Bai Bai Xiyuan to get the car, exchanged a smile with Seeing Gelin, who was opening the gate for him, and then left.

On the way, he first swapped the box in the back for a side of mutton and a bag.

When he arrived at his godmother's doorstep, he saw his godfather, Zheng Zheng Shusen, unlocking the main gate.

"Dad, you're just back?"

"Li Xuewu!"

Zheng Zheng Shusen turned around and saw his godson jumping down from the car.

"Your mom said you were coming and went to buy groceries."

"My mom dotes on me."

Li Li Xuewu, grinning, lifted the frozen mutton and the bag from the trunk.

Seeing what Li Li Xuewu was carrying, Zheng Zheng Shusen smiled helplessly.

Just as his old lady had said, this kid never came without bringing something.

Li Li Xuewu carried the items and followed Zheng Zheng Shusen through the main gate.

"Let's have hot pot."

Li Li Xuewu handed the bag in his hand to Zheng Zheng Shusen, saying, "This is for my mom; there's no share for you!"

"This kid!"

Seeing Li Li Xuewu cheerfully carrying the mutton to the kitchen, Zheng Zheng Shusen also smiled, picked up the bag, and went inside first.

The bag was neither light nor heavy; since his godson had already said it wasn't for him, he didn't look inside, simply placing it on the sofa before going into the inner room to change clothes.

After putting away the mutton, Li Li Xuewu also returned to the room, took off his jacket, and remained in just his sweater.

"Dad, are you lighting the charcoal fire?"

Standing at the doorway, Li Li Xuewu shouted into the inner room, "I'll slice the mutton; wait for Mom to come back and wash some vegetables, then we'll eat."

"Got it."

Zheng Zheng Shusen answered from the inner room; having changed into his house clothes, he now walked out.

The kitchen in his godmother's home was a wing room; the space was quite large and used jointly with the storage room.

He took an apron hanging on the wall and tied it on, reached out to grab a large cleaver from the shelf, lifted the side of mutton, chopped off a piece, and began cutting it into small mahjong-tile-sized cubes.

If one were to say Li Li Xuewu was lazy, at home he wouldn't lift a finger in the kitchen.

Either he ate ready-made meals in the front house, or he ate the chicken soup Yu Li made for him in the rear courtyard.

Think about it: even getting dressed was attended to by a woman, so how could he possibly stretch out his hand to cook!

But if one were to say he couldn't do it, well, just look at him slicing the mutton now; he was doing just fine.

Zheng Zheng Shusen opened the kitchen door, looked at Li Li Xuewu's knife skills, and smiled, saying, "Not bad!"

"Of course!"

Li Li Xuewu replied with a smile, "But don't expect too much from me, Dad; I can only cut vegetables. Wielding the ladle is beyond me; for the soup base, you'll have to rely on my mom."

"Haha, we father and son are exactly the same!"

"Hahaha!"

Actually, this mutton hot pot is very easy to make; with good mutton, you truly don't need any base ingredients.

When it comes to eating, the men of Four-Nine City have all grown mouths but no hands.

Zheng Zheng Shusen found the family's red-copper hot pot and scrubbed it clean with clear water.

Then, complying with Li Li Xuewu's request, he soaked some wood ear mushrooms and vermicelli, lit the kitchen stove, and prepared to burn charcoal.

Burning charcoal requires wood, not coal.

At this moment, once the stove was lit, it needed to roar for a while before adding logs as thick as a child's wrist.

Some particular households in the past used pre-burned charcoal—smokeless, silver-colored charcoal.

The Old Charcoal Seller made his living doing exactly this.

However, it's rare nowadays; restaurants serving hot pot still burn charcoal, but none sell it.

This is all about atmosphere; hot pot, hot pot, red and fiery, after all.

Li Li Xuewu directly arranged the sliced mutton pieces onto a plate, layer upon layer, though not as particular as when eating at a restaurant.

Moreover, these weren't thin slices for quick-blanching, but the chunkier pieces meant for stewing in the pot.

Just as they finished tidying up, his godmother entered the room.

"Li Xuewu, why have you come so early!"

There will be another update shortly.