Chapter 516: Ice Cream

"That's good."

Aunt Yi offered Li Li Xuewu a seat, but Li Li Xuewu didn't sit. Instead, he stood smiling before Uncle Yi's bed and said, "Set your mind at ease and recuperate well. The workshop can do without a director, but it can't do without an eighth-grade technician, haha."

Uncle Yi understood that Li Li Xuewu was comforting him and smiled, waving his hand.

He wasn't a talkative person on ordinary days, and seeing Li Li Xuewu's slightly teasing words, he just nodded to show he understood.

Li Li Xuewu turned to Aunt Yi, who was about to pour him tea, and said politely, "Don't trouble yourself, Aunt Yi. There's good food in the front courtyard; I just came to take a look so I could rest easy."

"Eat here, Auntie will make you dumplings."

Aunt Yi was genuinely wanting to thank Li Li Xuewu. Whether in public or private, Li Li Xuewu had been a benefactor to their family.

Back when the old man had his accident, it was Li Li Xuewu who organized the arrangements, and later he entrusted Qin Qin Huairu to bring over ten yuan.

Although this kind of gift-giving was a bit informal, one could still see how much he cared by the fact that he could send ten yuan.

"Please, don't trouble yourself. I'm not just being polite."

Li Li Xuewu smiled and pointed toward the front courtyard, explaining, "I'm taking advantage of having some free time today to discuss marriage matters with my family."

"Oh my, that's a happy event."

Aunt Yi smiled and said, "Then Auntie must congratulate you first."

"Thank you, Auntie."

Li Li Xuewu smiled and waved at Aunt Yi. As he walked out, he signaled to Uncle Yi as well, saying, "And thank you for the cigarettes you sent."

"This child."

Aunt Yi walked him all the way to the door and only turned back after seeing Li Li Xuewu's figure pass the second gate.

"Earlier, I was thinking of asking Liu Yin when Li Xuewu was getting married. Liu Yin told me she didn't know either; I was afraid we were overthinking it."

Aunt Yi walked to the old man's bedside to feed him some warm water, then continued, "We must keep it in mind and return the favor."

"Mm, the gift money."

Uncle Yi nodded, swallowed, and continued, "Give a bit more."

"How can that be?"

Aunt Yi shook her head in disagreement, saying, "We live in the same courtyard; if we give too much, what will others think? It'll invite gossip."

As she spoke, she stood up, walked to the cabinet, found the box where they kept their money, and flipped through the receipts inside.

"I've inquired about the girl. She's from a proper high-ranking cadre family; she won't care for three or five yuan. I'm thinking of giving the gift money and sending some extra presents."

"Mm."

Uncle Yi was a man after all, and there were things he hadn't thought of. At this moment, he nodded, agreeing with his wife's opinion.

Everyone knew Li Li Xuewu had a partner, but few knew when he planned to get married.

At this time, people didn't date for three or five years before marrying; generally, if it went over a year, people would start gossiping.

Basically, they would marry in three to five months; otherwise, the bride's family would think your intentions weren't serious.

Of course, there were exceptions for special circumstances; this wasn't an absolute rule.

Li Li Xuewu and Gu Ning's relationship was progressing smoothly. The housing was settled, and both families had made initial contact with no objections.

Counting the days, relatives were inquiring, and neighbors were asking around too.

It wasn't for any other reason; just considering Li Li Xuewu's status, many people were eager to maintain a good relationship with him.

Relatives who hadn't been in touch for a long time were all sending messages to ask, which made Li Shun feel somewhat irritated about his second son's situation.

Especially after he understood Li Li Xuewu's situation, and hindered by the fact that his son was truly busy and the in-laws were busy too, these delays left him unable to give the relatives a definite answer.

Part of the reason he looked at his son with displeasure a few days ago was because of this; he felt his son didn't seem to be in any hurry.

Now, just as it was time to eat, seeing his second son enter the house from the back courtyard, he squinted his eyes and ignored him.

Li Li Xuewu also ignored his father, because in their family, only major matters were decided by his father; minor matters were usually decided by his mother and the old lady.

Of course, there hadn't been any major matters in the family for many years, and Li Li Xuewu didn't have much to say to his old man.

"Old Aunt, you've come."

Li Li Xuewu entered the room and first greeted his eldest sister-in-law's mother, then smiled at Zhao Zhao Ya Ping, who had climbed down from the kang and was standing on the floor watching him.

"Second Brother."

Zhao Zhao Ya Ping certainly remembered Li Li Xuewu. This relative of her eldest sister's often entrusted people to bring her books and stationery, and he was the one who had led her eldest brother out of the mountains.

"Hey, you've returned."

Zhao Gen's wife also stood up somewhat unnaturally to reply to Li Li Xuewu. She was a rural woman and rarely had the chance to come to the city.

The last time she came here was to send her daughter off to get married. This time, it was because Li Li Xuewu had called Yin Yin Mancang and arranged for the training ground's commuter vehicle, which made it convenient for them to make the trip.

Because she lacked experience and was afraid of getting lost, Yin Yin Mancang had entrusted the commuter driver to send them to the courtyard after they arrived in the city and transferred to the bus.

She didn't understand what kind of official Li Li Xuewu was, but she knew clearly who Li Li Xuewu was.

He was her eldest daughter's second uncle-in-law, and also the capable person in the mouth of her daughter's father-in-law. He was good to their family, and he was a kind person.

Li Li Xuewu could see her restraint, so he wasn't overly enthusiastic. He just smiled and said a few words to Zhao Zhao Ya Ping, asked about the situation at home, and didn't say much more.

"Mom, after we eat, I'll come back with Grandpa to discuss something."

Seeing that the family was about to eat, Li Li Xuewu greeted them and turned to walk out. It was mealtime, and there were guests at home, so it wasn't a good time to discuss things.

Besides, there were elders above him; Grandpa and Grandma had to be present. That was the proper way.

Liu Yin had stir-fried four dishes and was just thinking of calling her son to eat at home, but seeing her son about to leave, she followed him out and asked, "What's the matter that's so formal?"

Li Li Xuewu smiled, put his arm around his mother's shoulder, and whispered in her ear, "Marriage matters."

"This child!"

Seeing her son's joking manner, Liu Yin happily slapped him.

"How old are you, still acting like a child. Go call your Grandpa to eat at home."

"No, the front courtyard has already cooked; it would be a waste."

Li Li Xuewu smiled and said a word to his mother before heading toward the hanging flower gate.

When Liu Yin smilingly entered the room, Li Shun also wanted to know what his son had just said, but he was too embarrassed to ask; he just kept scanning his wife with his eyes.

Liu Yin also saw Li Shun's gaze, but she pretended not to see it. Letting Li Shun fret and fume was the only interesting part.

Perhaps her son's joking manner had infected Liu Yin; she was acting a bit childish herself now.

Or perhaps it was because she heard her son's good news was near, and her mood was excellent, so she had no time to deal with her husband, who was constantly maintaining his stern father facade.

"Sit down, you don't need to busy yourself."

Smiling and being polite to the in-law who had walked out, Liu Yin and Li Xue began picking up bowls to prepare for the meal.

"It's not like we're outsiders, let me lend a hand."

Zhao Gen's wife was an honest person and inevitably felt a bit restrained here. Her daughter wasn't at home, and it was inevitable to be polite when getting along with the in-laws.

"So, is Cadre Li not eating at home?"

"Haha, don't call him Cadre."

Seeing her in-law use that term for her son, Liu Yin quickly corrected her with a smile, saying, "He calls you Old Aunt, you call him Nephew, or call him Li Xuewu, either is fine. Don't be polite with him."

"Okay."

Zhao Gen's wife responded, but she still didn't have a firm idea in her heart. However, since they didn't have many chances to meet, what she called him didn't really matter.

Li Li Xuewu had left quickly precisely because he made the guests feel uncomfortable at home. When he entered the screen gate, the meal in the inverted house wasn't ready yet.

"Collecting vehicles early today?"

"There's work tonight, I told them to collect the vehicles early."

Old Lao Biaozi was bent over at the doorway washing his face. Seeing Li Li Xuewu enter, he replied.

Actually, this time was normal; it was just about an hour earlier than the usual vehicle collection time.

He picked up the towel from the windowsill and, while wiping his face, said to Li Li Xuewu, "Grandpa and Seeing Gelin have made another batch of stools. We have to clear some space tonight to assemble them. These were ordered by the training ground, so we have to send them over quickly."

"Training ground?"

Li Li Xuewu didn't know about this. The training ground was a branch organization, and because it was far away, it had an independent financial department. He didn't know about this procurement matter.

Generally, Yu Yu Decai would handle specific business, and what was reported to Li Li Xuewu were just work reports; they wouldn't involve specific projects.

"Yes, both tables and stools. They need them urgently."

Old Lao Biaozi draped the towel he had used to wipe his face over his shoulder and took the cigarette Li Li Xuewu handed him.

"That day, Grandpa and I went up the mountain to look at timber. It just so happened that Old Uncle-in-law made the connection. The training ground wants a batch, and the military side wants a batch too."

As he spoke, he gestured toward the direction of the north warehouse in the back courtyard and said, "For the past few days, Grandpa and Seeing Gelin have been busy with these things."

"I hadn't noticed this."

Li Li Xuewu raised an eyebrow and walked with Old Lao Biaozi toward the west courtyard. He saw that in the corner from the north warehouse entrance to the east warehouse, many "parts" had been stacked separately according to legs and tops.

"Are they all painted?"

These parts weren't finished after assembly; they still needed to be painted. This was a laborious task.

"No way!"

Old Lao Biaozi lit the cigarette in his mouth and continued to explain, "Grandpa has been watching the weather these past few days. It's been clear skies, so he's prepared to spend two and a half nights to finish this batch of work."

Li Li Xuewu nodded and said, "Tell the boys and everyone else, once it's finished, let Brother Zhuzi treat everyone to a good meal."

"Haha, I got a deer from the mountain, given by Old Uncle-in-law."

Old Lao Biaozi smiled and said, "I've already agreed with Grandpa to make a bit more and send a few sets to the village for office use."

"Mm, I trust you with business."

Li Li Xuewu nodded and didn't go toward the north warehouse, because Grandpa and Seeing Gelin were also finishing work and walking back.

The few of them stood at the doorway chatting and talking about the furniture business.

After the time it took to smoke a cigarette, Yu Li stood at the doorway of the inverted house calling them to eat.

"What's the food tonight?"

Following everyone into the house, Li Li Xuewu asked Xilin, who was at the kitchen door, casually.

Xilin raised an eyebrow and said, "The food is good today: cold mixed dishes, stewed dishes, and stir-fried dishes."

"What's the occasion? Not living frugally anymore!"

Li Li Xuewu joked exaggeratedly as he entered the house. Actually, eating this well in the inverted house wasn't a big deal; it was just adding a bit more lard; meat was rare.

But once they were at the table, Li Li Xuewu discovered something was wrong; these were all meat dishes.

The cold dish was scallion-mixed pork liver, the stir-fry was pork heart with chives, and the stew was a hodgepodge. Looking at it, it all had the color of braised goods.

"Hey, turns out it's leftovers."

Li Li Xuewu smiled and sat next to Old Lao Biaozi. As Seeing Sha Zhu was pouring wine for everyone, Li Li Xuewu waved his hand to refuse.

He had things to do today. If he went home smelling of alcohol to talk to his family, it wouldn't be good; it would look like he didn't care.

Yu Li was placing dishes on the kang table. When she passed by Li Li Xuewu, she smiled and explained, "These are all leftovers from the past few days. Chen Xiaoyan and I didn't want to sell them, and the neighbors didn't want them either. If we don't eat them ourselves, it would be a real waste."

"It's fine, just right to fill our stomachs, no matter if it's good or bad."

Li Li Xuewu waved his hand, signaling everyone to pick up their chopsticks, and set the tone for the matter.

Perhaps she was afraid Li Li Xuewu and Old Lao Biaozi would mind, which was why Yu Li mentioned it in front of everyone.

Second Uncle picked up a piece of broken pork liver, tasted it, and said, "Actually, it's all the same. It's just that we give the customers the good-looking ones so they can eat comfortably."

"That's true."

Seeing Sha Zhu poured a cup for everyone and then said, "In our line of work, these are considered treasures. In the past, we were afraid of having too little left over, so we'd cut them up, and if the host didn't want them, they'd be rewarded to us."

"Haha."

Grandpa didn't pay attention to what everyone was saying. He held his wine glass, clinked it with Second Uncle's, and pointed at Seeing Gelin, who was eating with his head down, saying, "These days have really tired out Seeing Gelin, the lad."

Because Seeing Gelin was young, he could only be called "lad" in front of Grandpa.

But this lad wasn't small at all; he was over 1.9 meters tall, broad-shouldered and thick-waisted. No one knew what Old Old Baduo had fed him to make him grow like that.

Hearing Grandpa's praise, Seeing Gelin just raised his eyebrows, glanced at Grandpa's side, and continued eating with his head down.

The food here was quite to his taste, and he had no taboos; he ate whatever he could get his hands on.

Diliya and Pazile had some taboos, but since they had arrived here, Pazile told his sister that they should follow local customs, as they were likely to put down roots in Beijing in the future.

Of course, in terms of dietary habits, Yu Li also took care of Diliya when arranging meals, letting her make some of her own palatable food.

Xilin, on the other hand, wasn't as concerned as Diliya; she was just like an ordinary Han person here.

She had just been joking with Li Li Xuewu on purpose, and now, before getting on the kang to eat, she came over to say a few words to Li Li Xuewu about the food.

Actually, it wasn't anything special; it was all pork offal. It was Old Lao Biaozi maintaining face with Director Liu, getting one set from the supply and marketing cooperative every day.

This wasn't all the supply and marketing cooperative had; it was just one set, which was enough for them to digest here.

Besides what was sold, Li Li Xuewu had told Old Lao Biaozi at the dinner table that the rest would be used for everyone's meals.

It was summer, and many foods didn't store well; if they stayed too long, they would spoil, and it would be a pity to throw them away.

The best way was to buy a refrigerator, but Li Li Xuewu didn't want to invite that trouble, so he urged Old Lao Biaozi to discuss it with Chen Xiaoyan and the others later.

Old Lao Biaozi also wanted to discuss the sales channels with Li Li Xuewu today. This stuff really wasn't easy to handle, and he was thinking of finding a few units to send some to.

"With such a small amount, there isn't much left when we close the stall every day."

Li Li Xuewu tapped the table and said, "No need. If you try to do too much, not only will you not earn much, but the female comrades will also be exhausted."

He didn't want Old Lao Biaozi to expand on this trivial matter and dismissed his suggestion of sending braised goods to other units.

This stuff was fine for exchanging for scrap or eating themselves, but if Director Liu found out they were selling braised goods outside, it wouldn't look good.

After eating, waiting for Grandpa and the others to finish their wine, Li Li Xuewu whispered a word to Grandpa, and the two of them went out and returned home.

Liu Yin was also waiting for Li Li Xuewu and the others after cleaning up the table and bowls.

During the meal, Liu Yin had told the old lady about this matter, and Li Shun was still a bit dazed after hearing it.

He had hoped for his son to grow up, hoped for his son to marry and start a family, but when such a day suddenly arrived, he was a bit stunned.

When Li Li Xuewu followed Grandpa into the house, the family was drinking water on the kang in the north room.

"It's quite spacious after tidying up."

Grandpa had only taken a look the day they finished tidying up and hadn't been over these past few days. Now, entering the room, it felt much brighter than before.

The lightbulb was the same, but the brightness in the room was much better than before.

Li Xuecai stood up from the edge of the kang and gave up his seat to Grandpa, letting Grandpa get on the kang.

At this time, those sitting on the kang were Grandpa, the old lady, Li Shun, plus Li Xue holding Li Shu, while Liu Yin was sitting on the edge of the kang.

Zhao Gen's wife sensed that they were going to discuss business, so after helping her in-law clean up after the meal, she went to the south room to rest.

Li Li Xuewu pulled up a stool and sat at the edge of the kang, letting his third brother Xuecai pour him a cup of tea.

"You sit and listen too; sooner or later you'll have to go through this once."

Smiling and saying this to Xuecai, Li Li Xuewu took the prepared plan and sat at the edge of the kang, telling his family about his preparations for the wedding.

"I've discussed it with the Gu family. Gu Ning's parents have no objections; they just mentioned the approximate number of relatives."

Just as Li Li Xuewu was speaking, Li Shu saw her father talking and ran over on her short legs, trying to grab the paper in Li Li Xuewu's hand.

She thought this thing was something she hadn't seen before and was fun, and since everyone in the family was looking at it, she thought it was a treasure.

Seeing his daughter pounce, Li Li Xuewu first moved his teacup, then hurriedly scooped his daughter into his arms.

"Haha, this little demon."

Liu Yin smiled and was about to come over to take the child, but Li Li Xuewu signaled that it wasn't necessary.

Li Li Xuewu held his daughter like this, unfolded the paper in his hand, and continued, "Gu Ning tidied up the housing earlier, and I added some furniture. It's enough for her to live in now. We'll just prepare a few sets of bedding later."

"Is the bride's family preparing it?"

Liu Yin asked specifically. It wasn't that she was demanding anything, but according to custom, the newlyweds' bedding should be prepared by the bride's family.

No matter how many sets, it was just the gesture. The newlyweds could add more if they felt it wasn't enough.

"Don't force it."

Li Li Xuewu rubbed his daughter's little face with his stubble, making her dodge the hand that was trying to grab the paper, and protected his face.

He explained to his mother and the old lady, "When I went to the frontier last time, I had already thought of this. I bought the fabric and cotton early, just waiting to have the quilts made."

"Why do you need to prepare anything?"

Liu Yin said with dissatisfaction, "You're my son. Can't I afford to prepare the bedding for your wedding?"

Li Li Xuewu knew his mother's meaning and explained with a smile, "I already thought of this when I went to the frontier last time. I bought the fabric and cotton early, just waiting to have the quilts made."

"This child."

The old lady smiled and said a word to Li Li Xuewu, then said to Liu Yin, "Then we'll go to the supply and marketing cooperative to pick out good quilt covers, and cut a few sets of pillowcases and bedsheets from red cloth. It's even better if they're embroidered."

"This silk fabric with embroidered dragons and phoenixes isn't easy to find. I'll go look around tomorrow."

Liu Yin also responded, then discussed with the old lady, "What about the mandarin ducks on the pillowcases? They aren't easy to buy."

Seeing the old lady and his mother discussing the details, Li Li Xuewu couldn't help but smile bitterly.

This was just the beginning, and there were already so many things to pay attention to.

Li Li Xuewu took a fountain pen and wrote down what his mother and the old lady were discussing. He was also thinking about whether he could use his connections to solve this problem.

Elders were particular about these things. Actually, he didn't care much about whether there were those two fat ducks on the pillowcases, but since the elders cared, he had to care too.

After all, the new house had to be open for relatives and friends to visit during the wedding days. This was a way of recognizing the door, and also a courtesy of hospitality.

Of course, if one were to look into it, whether it was the dragons and phoenixes on the quilt covers or those two fat ducks, or the embroidery on the bride's robe, they should all be embroidered by the bride before she left her maiden home.

But now they couldn't follow the old customs. It was fine to let Gu Ning sew leather with a needle, but it was probably impossible to sew quilts or embroider patterns.

Fortunately, Liu Yin and the old lady weren't the type to be stubborn and look for perfection. At this time, who still cared about so much?

After the two of them agreed, Li Li Xuewu continued.

"I'll leave the bedding and luggage to you. I'll find a tailor to make our clothes; it's more convenient."

Seeing his mother wanting to speak, Li Li Xuewu added, "There are still many things to do. Our family still needs to meet with Gu Ning's family, and then there's sending messages to relatives and so on. We won't have time."

Hearing her son's words, Liu Yin had no choice but to nod. She wanted to do her best to give her son the best, but her strength was limited, so she could only follow her son's arrangements.

Seeing her father sharing the paper with her, Li Shu looked at it as if she understood, imitating her father earnestly, muttering to herself.

After finishing talking about the housing, clothes, and luggage, Li Li Xuewu talked about the location and time of the wedding.

Hearing that it wasn't being organized by the steel mill or the branch bureau, Li Shun frowned slightly and asked, "Is it really okay to hold it in the west courtyard? That place is full of warehouses and such."

Li Li Xuewu put down the manuscript in his hand and explained to his father and Grandpa, "It's not good to hold it separately from the neighbors, but if we hold it at the factory or the branch bureau with colleagues, it's too limited."

Seeing Li Shu causing trouble by his second brother's side, Li Xuecai took a toy to coax Li Shu, then took the child from Li Li Xuewu's arms and went to play.

However, he still wanted to hear how his second brother was arranging the wedding so he could learn from it later.

So, holding Li Shu, he didn't go to the living room but wandered around the room.

Li Li Xuewu took a sip of tea and continued, "There will probably be quite a few people coming. I'm thinking of clearing out the north warehouse and the west warehouse. We'll set up the banquet in the north warehouse, and use the west warehouse as a temporary storage room."

The north warehouse was easy to talk about. The wine and food used for the wedding ultimately needed a place to be managed specifically, to prevent mistakes.

Li Li Xuewu had thought about it; the west courtyard had a large yard, making it convenient for guests to store their vehicles, and it had space.

Another thing was that the courtyard didn't count the houses in the back courtyard, but the family's, the inverted house's, and the room for Li Xuecai that was about to be built were convenient for entertaining the bride's family and distinguished guests.

He wasn't prepared to collect gift money, but when he discussed it with his family, he was talked out of it by Grandpa and the others.

"You thinking like that is wrong."

Grandpa smoked a cigarette and pointed his finger at the kang mat, saying, "I know what you mean, but there's no need to be unconventional."

Li Shun also frowned slightly, and after Grandpa finished speaking, he followed up, "When neighbors have events, our family gives gifts. If you don't accept them, who will dare to accept yours later?"

"Besides, you are a cadre yourself, and you're young. Doing this will make people gossip, and it won't be good for you to be discussed for no reason."

Li Li Xuewu thought about it; he had been too arbitrary. He had only estimated the upcoming trend but hadn't thought about the local customs.

Seeing that Li Li Xuewu understood, the old lady didn't go into depth, just exhorted Li Li Xuewu, "You must send invitations where they should be sent, and pass messages where they should be passed. Whether people come or not, you must do your part."

"I understand, Grandma."

Li Li Xuewu responded and recorded the discussion results on the manuscript.

"The wine and food will be arranged by Brother Zhuzi and Lao Biaozi. I'll borrow a few cooks from the factory; that will be enough. The rest of the busy work will be handled by those in the inverted house."

After talking to his family about the banquet, Li Li Xuewu looked at it and raised his head to say to his father, "You'll have to help me think about entertaining the guests. I'm prepared to ask the comrades in our office to help for the steel mill side, and I'll let Shen Fang handle the branch bureau side. What do you think about Uncle Ye for the family side?"

Li Shun thought about it and asked, "The neighbors are easy to talk about. We need someone familiar to arrange the relatives from both sides. I'll go talk to Uncle Ye."

"Then I'll do it."

Grandpa sat to one side and took over the conversation, "I'll entertain the relatives and neighbors together with Old Er; that will be easier to take care of."

"Mm, then I'll arrange the bride's family side as Li Li Xuewu introduces."

Li Shun thought about it; this arrangement was indeed appropriate.

Li Li Xuewu recorded it on the manuscript and then said, "We have to meet with the Gu family anyway. I'll arrange it so our whole family and their family can sit down together, so we can get to know each other."

"Follow their lead."

Li Shun waved his hand and exhorted Li Li Xuewu, "Your father-in-law is busy. Follow their time; our family is easy to talk to."

"Haha, thank you, Dad."

Li Li Xuewu smiled and thanked his father, but what he got in return was his father's glare.

Liu Yin also smiled and slapped Li Li Xuewu, saying, "Teasing your father, be careful he hits you."

Li Li Xuewu smiled and poured tea for his father, saying, "How could that be? I'm about to be a married man; how could my father bring himself to hit me?"

Hearing Li Li Xuewu say this, everyone in the room smiled. Li Shun just glared and stopped paying attention to him.

Li Li Xuewu took the manuscript and discussed it with his family item by item, recording their opinions item by item.

For those who needed manpower, Li Li Xuewu marked the first choice in the back.

After Li Li Xuewu finished speaking, he tightened the cap of his fountain pen, and Liu Yin asked, "What about the matchmaker? And the witness?"

Hearing this, Li Shun also looked at his son and said, "If you're inviting your leaders, be careful to balance the two units."

Li Li Xuewu smiled and shook his head, saying, "The matchmaker I invited is the wife of Director Li from the Sports Commission, Aunt Zhang Xiao Shuting."

Before his parents and family could figure out where Li Li Xuewu had connected with this Sports Commission unit, Li Li Xuewu continued, "The witness I invited is the leader of our system, Vice Minister Yu."

The family hadn't understood the rank of the first Director Li, but they understood the second one with "Minister" in the title. Even those not in the system understood this wasn't a small cadre.

Li Li Xuewu waited for his family to react for a while before explaining the relationship between the two.

He had to explain; otherwise, if Director Li's wife came and his mother asked, "Which school does your husband manage sports at?" it would be troublesome.

He also had to tell Vice Minister Yu in advance, because if the family was scared and didn't dare to speak, the meaning of the wedding would change.

Li Li Xuewu wanted to introduce their identities as low-key as possible, not letting the neighbors know too much about their status.

Just let them show their faces at the wedding, and then set up two tables in the inverted house for them.

Li Shun was silent for a long time after hearing his son's explanation.

He knew his son had a good mouth; that little mouth had been able to talk since he was a child, and he knew how to talk.

When Director Wang sent him home when he was a child, he didn't say anything bad, and he didn't refuse to call her Aunt.

Calling her Aunt here and there, he really made Director Wang unable to say anything at first, though she later recognized the nature of this rascal and had hit him.

However, Li Li Xuewu still had a good relationship with his godmother; he didn't hold grudges.

Li Shun thought about how his son was capable now, but he hadn't expected him to be this capable, with his social circle extending so far.

If it were all relying on the in-laws' name, that wouldn't be capability. The key was that his son's work was outstanding and he had gained the appreciation of leaders, which left Li Shun speechless even if he wanted to say a few words.

He didn't have much capability himself; the biggest leaders he met in his work were probably those in the district and city.

But they were all doing service work, and the people he truly interacted with were probably the comrades in the courtyard.

Look at the list of invitations his son had made. Not to mention the Vice President of Huaqing, since they were relatives.

Not to mention other colleagues and comrades, since it was normal to make connections due to work.

Look at this long list of heads of various units, with dozens of deputy division-level officials. Goodness, if they didn't set up tables in the north warehouse, it really wouldn't be enough.

But Li Shun squinted his eyes and looked at the engineer from the Light Weapons Research Institute on the list. How did he connect with him?

A security cadre, a branch bureau public security cadre, what did he have to do with weapons research?

Li Li Xuewu didn't intend to let his family guess. He went through the list and explained the relationships behind these names to his family one by one.

He ultimately had to introduce these relationships to his family that day. Rather than being impolite later, it was better to give his family a heads-up now, so they could entertain them well.

Why say that marriage is a particularly troublesome thing? Others didn't find it troublesome, but Li Li Xuewu found it troublesome himself.

After explaining these, his family stopped asking Li Li Xuewu these questions because there were a bit too many, and they couldn't remember or think them through.

Finally, Liu Yin took a stack of money and coupons and placed them in front of Li Li Xuewu.

"I know you have plenty of money, but this is a parent's responsibility."

Liu Yin saw her son about to speak and knew he wanted to refuse, so she explained first.

"Gu Ning has hers, but our family must give."

"I really don't lack anything."

Li Li Xuewu smiled and said, "We've already finished buying what we need to buy. Only these things we discussed today are left. I've already prepared most of them; I really don't need money."

As he spoke, he pushed the money toward his mother and said, "Xuecai will be handling his affairs soon. Keep this money for Xuecai."

"Take it if I tell you to."

Li Shun said with dissatisfaction, "How can there be no gift money for a wedding?"

Liu Yin didn't have Li Shun's tough attitude but pushed the money back, saying, "We've already prepared for Xuecai's. You don't need to worry about that. I won't mention the sewing machine since you have one, but you should hurry up and buy the watch and bicycle for Gu Ning."

Li Li Xuewu looked at the money and coupons in front of him and said helplessly, "You don't know, that courtyard in Haiyuncang is only a ten-minute walk from their unit. By the time you get the bicycle, you could have walked home."

Before his mother could speak, Li Li Xuewu continued, "We both have watches; having so many is useless."

"Then give these to Gu Ning."

Liu Yin saw her son was still stalling and threatened him, saying, "Give them to Gu Ning. Let her buy whatever she wants, or use them to subsidize the household; it's all up to you. This is the last support your father and I can give you."

As she spoke, she moved and sat beside Li Li Xuewu, stroked her son's head, and said, "A son grown up is no longer under his mother's control. Finally, I see my son grown up. Live your life well from now on, and don't be mischievous anymore."

Li Li Xuewu held his mother's hand and smiled in response.

Seeing her second brother's expression, Li Xue's eyes shone. She was also a big girl now, and although she was still ignorant about marriage, she knew her second sister-in-law was about to enter the family.

She was also a girl and would ultimately have a day to marry, so she thought of her own marriage because of her second brother's.

Unlike her confusion, Li Xuecai, holding his eldest niece, stood in the room, thinking about where he should set up tables, who to invite, and what the process should be when he got married.

It wasn't realistic to follow his second brother's style; after all, he didn't have a job yet and didn't have such a wide social circle.

However, he could invite his classmates after graduation, and the wedding banquet didn't need to be as grand as his second brother's...

Li Li Xuewu left home with Grandpa and headed toward the outer courtyard, but not to talk to Lao Biaozi and the others about the wedding.

Because this was just the family's preliminary opinion, he was thinking of going to Gu Ning's place tomorrow, then going to his father-in-law's place tomorrow night, and then organizing it after the plan was finalized.

He liked to do work in an orderly manner, and he thought it would be better to be organized in organizing this matter.

As for why he didn't ask the organization to handle it, the reason was that his work and status were special, and with two units, it couldn't be handled.

Another thing was Gu Ning's side; he didn't want her to be affected by him.

This special status issue made Li Li Xuewu give up following the conventions of this time.

Having the organization handle it ultimately meant it was official business; how could it be as appropriate as having one's own family handle it?

As long as the plan was well-made, the rest could be handled by his family and Lao Biaozi and the others. Li Li Xuewu just needed to be the "leader."

It was already moonlit now. Li Li Xuewu didn't want to use Grandpa and then ignore him; he thought of helping Grandpa feed the horse before going back.

Grandpa hadn't thought of letting Li Li Xuewu help, but Li Li Xuewu came over smiling and talking to him, so he had no choice.

When Grandpa first moved over to live at his son-in-law's house, he wasn't used to it. Not long after, his grandson Li Li Xuewu returned.

Taking advantage of his grandson's fuss, he moved to the inverted house, thinking of not adding trouble to his son-in-law and daughter.

At first, he said half-jokingly and half-seriously that Li Li Xuewu would support him in his old age. He thought of giving all his horses and carts to his grandson, which could be considered the money for his grandson to support him and send him off.

He hadn't expected that he didn't look like he was being supported now; it was about the same as when he worked at the furniture factory before.

He was busy every day and didn't feel tired, and he no longer felt the discomfort he had when he first retired.

This grandson didn't mean to let him rest every day. They didn't spend much time together, but he could feel his grandson's affection.

Li Li Xuewu reached out and touched the big blue horse's head, making the big blue horse dodge impatiently.

After Li Li Xuewu withdrew his hand, it continued to eat grass.

"Haha, if you don't want to manage it later, just sell it."

Grandpa looked at the big blue horse shaking its head while eating grass and said to Li Li Xuewu with a smile.

People ultimately have to leave; no matter how much they linger, they are ultimately passersby. This is true for the big blue horse, and it is true for him.

In his grandson's hands, he didn't want everything he had to become a burden to his grandson.

Li Li Xuewu didn't feel it was a burden. He looked at Grandpa, reached out and touched the big blue horse's long face, and then said, "Just keep it. When you're free, drive the carriage out for a turn; don't always be busy in the warehouse."

The big blue horse was a good horse. In Grandpa's and Li Li Xuewu's eyes, this kind of horse that understood human nature was a treasure horse.

But now, most of his travel was by that command vehicle. As a "weapon" of the security office, it was ultimately more flexible than a horse.

After all, a treasure horse isn't as flexible as a weapon~

"Wait until Seeing Gelin finishes his apprenticeship."

Grandpa always had a kind face. He raked the grass in the trough into a pile and then looked at the big blue horse, saying, "It's good to get married. Once married, you'll be sensible, start a family, and establish a career, and have descendants."

"How old am I? You still treat me like a child."

Li Li Xuewu heard the most "blessings" like Grandpa's nagging today, as if he had really caused so much trouble that his family was looking forward to him growing up.

Li Li Xuewu, who was about to "grow up," rarely slept in on Wednesday. When he was woken up by Yu Li, he found that he had indeed "grown up," but only locally.

Seeing Li Li Xuewu's awkward situation, Yu Li couldn't help but smile, thinking that this bad person was still young.

Li Li Xuewu was also a bit unnatural and started to dress with the clothes by the pillow.

But with Yu Li swaying in front of his eyes, he couldn't stop the fire. He slapped Yu Li's butt as she was about to get on the kang to fold the quilt, making Yu Li pout and slap him back.

Li Li Xuewu went to the washroom and washed his face with cold water, then tidied himself up.

When he returned to the room, he saw Yu Li shifting her gaze away from the table, pretending that nothing had happened as she went to close the curtains.

Li Li Xuewu didn't say anything. He had organized it once last night and it was too late, so he went to sleep; he hadn't done it on purpose for Yu Li to see.

He wasn't that kind of person who dared to do it but didn't dare to admit it. When Yu Li helped him wrap an apron and used scissors to trim his hair, he talked about the manuscript.

"I know."

Yu Li's hand paused, but she still maintained her capable air, carefully helping Li Li Xuewu trim his hair.

"You aren't thinking of stabbing me with the scissors, are you?" ===== CHAPTER 517 =====