Chapter 525: [Chapter 525]

"How could I possibly not know?"

Zhao Yafang sighed, then whispered an explanation: "Teacher Sun and the others have been talking about this for the past few days; they even wanted to find you."

"When did this happen?"

In Li Xuewen's memory, there was no such thing as Teacher Sun coming to find him. Ever since his younger brother explained the pros and cons to him, he hadn't held any private discussion meetings with those teachers at school.

"Last week. I replied on your behalf, saying you were busy."

Zhao Yafang frowned slightly and said, "Their ideas are very naive and not practical at all."

After commenting on a few colleagues at school, Zhao Yafang asked her husband, "The second brother said to let me rest. What do you think?"

"I am also considering it."

Li Xuewen said with some hesitation, "The two of us have a somewhat high profile at school, and since we live on campus, it's easy to be targeted."

"Did the second brother suggest we move back?"

This reminded Zhao Yafang, and she asked, "Did we offend anyone when we were allocated housing?"

"I don't know."

Li Xuewen usually only focused on teaching. After receiving his second brother's warning, he rarely even interacted with students.

Except for appearing in class, he would run off as soon as class ended, making his school colleagues think something had happened.

Later, when they learned Zhao Yafang was pregnant, everyone felt relieved.

"Then let's ask for leave and rest."

Zhao Yafang was more decisive than Li Xuewen and understood trade-offs better. Before Li Xuewen could come to a decision, she agreed to her second brother-in-law's suggestion first.

Li Xuewen looked into his wife's eyes and said, "How about I take the leave? You go teach."

He could see his wife's reluctance to leave her job, and thinking of his second brother's words, he wanted to keep one position for the time being and give this opportunity to his wife.

"What are you thinking!"

Zhao Yafang rolled her eyes and said, "I have a reason to ask for leave because I'm pregnant. What excuse do you have to ask for leave?"

As she spoke, she poked Li Xuewen's belly and said, "If only I could transfer the pregnancy to you. Why don't you try being pregnant?"

"I'm doing this for you."

Li Xuewen smiled, then explained, "I don't really like the current atmosphere at school, unlike you, who are so in your element."

"I knew you'd be like this."

Zhao Yafang tapped her husband's forehead and said, "Are you trying to use this opportunity to be lazy and read books?"

Li Xuewen knew he couldn't keep talking to his wife, otherwise, he didn't know what else she would dig up.

"Then how do we ask for leave? Without a hospital certificate, the school won't grant it."

"You don't need to worry about that."

Zhao Yafang sat in a chair, and seeing her younger sister enter the room, she smiled, waved, and asked, "Yaping, is the city fun?"

"It's fun."

Zhao Yaping was a bit afraid of her brother-in-law who wore glasses, so she looked at Li Xuewen and huddled next to her older sister.

Zhao Yafang hugged her sister and asked with a smile, "Then is it good to live in the city with your older sister?"

Zhao Yaping looked up at her older sister, then hesitated and shook her head, saying, "I have to go back to school."

"What if you could also go to school in the city?"

"But I miss Mom and Dad."

Zhao Yafang looked at her sister, smiled, and touched her red hair tie, asking, "Did your Sister Xue buy this for you?"

"Yes."

Zhao Yaping nodded and replied, "The red hair tie is pretty; they don't have them in the village."

Perhaps because she had been reserved at the Li family's house for these days, she felt more comfortable now that her older sister was back, and she chattered away about what she had seen in the city.

"What did Xuewu just say to you?"

Liu Yin had just seen her eldest and second sons whispering at the door and thought they were talking about the wedding, so she came into the room to ask.

Li Xuewen had already received Li Xuewu's instructions that these things could not be told to his father and mother, so he replied, "We were talking about the wedding."

"Did he ask you for help?"

Liu Yin's mind was currently full of her second son's wedding, so she was quite concerned about Li Xuewu.

"No, he was just chatting with me."

Li Xuewen explained briefly and then picked up his book.

He had known this trick since he was a child; as long as he was reading, his mother would definitely not nag him anymore.

Zhao Yafang knew Li Xuewen couldn't answer, but this cover-up was too stiff, so she took over the conversation: "Mom, Xuewen and I discussed it, and we want to ask for leave to stay home and nurture the pregnancy."

"Really?"

Liu Yin naturally hoped her eldest daughter-in-law wouldn't be so tired; according to tradition, one shouldn't be tired while pregnant.

But as long as one is teaching, how could one not be tired?

Though she felt sorry for her, young people nowadays had their own ideas, and it wasn't easy for her to stop them.

She didn't know what had happened, but her usually strong-willed daughter-in-law had taken the initiative to ask for rest.

"Did Xuewen ask for this?"

Liu Yin asked again, then said to Li Xuewen and his wife, "The baby is still small; just don't get tired if you want to teach the students."

"No, Mom, I'm the one who initiated the rest."

Zhao Yafang stood up, walked to her mother-in-law's side, and whispered, "How can teaching not be tiring? I'm afraid of hurting the baby, so I want to ask for leave."

"Good, good."

Liu Yin grabbed Zhao Yafang's hand and said with a smile, "Actually, I've been worried too. Taking leave is the best thing."

"But Mom..."

Zhao Yafang hesitated and said, "The school won't grant leave without a hospital examination certificate. Do you think you could talk to Dad about it?"

"I'll talk to him."

Liu Yin patted Zhao Yafang's hand confidently and said, "If he can't even handle this little thing, he'd really be a fool."

"No, that's not it."

Seeing her mother-in-law say this, Zhao Yafang felt embarrassed, as if she were forcing her father-in-law to commit fraud.

Liu Yin understood clearly, comforted Zhao Yafang with a few words, and then went to the north room to talk to the old lady.

This matter concerned the Li family's first third-generation baby, so they couldn't be anything but cautious.

As long as the old lady agreed, even if Li Shun had objections, he would have to reserve them and comply.

Just after dinner, Liu Yin and the others came to the inverted room.

Li Xuewu had already told Xilin and the others about the luggage he wanted to make. Now that they had cleared the table and wiped the kang, they started measuring the fabric and cutting the sizes.

The old lady was holding Li Shu, Liu Yin and Zhao Yafang were there as mother-in-law and daughter-in-law, plus Zhao Gen's wife, Xilin, Yu Li, and Diliya—the room was full of women.

Li Xuewu hadn't brought back so much cotton and fabric just for himself; some of it was for Seeing Sha Zhu, who had begged him to buy it on his behalf.

Seeing Sha Zhu knew Li Xuewu had connections, so he didn't want to spend more coupons and gave the money directly to Li Xuewu.

Because the quilt covers hadn't been bought yet, they were only fluffing the cotton today.

With so many women, everyone saying a word, it was impossible to stay in this room.

Li Xuewu didn't come to this room at all; after finishing his meal in the east room, he went to the backyard.

Just as he pulled the curtains, his father and eldest brother entered the room.

Li Xuewu guessed why his father had come.

"Did you tell Dad?"

"No."

Seeing his second brother ask him, Li Xuewen shook his head and said, "It was your sister-in-law who told Mom she wanted to take leave, and Mom and Grandma told Dad."

Having received his eldest brother's explanation, Li Xuewu brought over the thermos and tea leaves to brew tea for his father and brother.

Scenes with the three men were relatively rare; his father and eldest brother were not the talkative type, and it wouldn't be appropriate for Li Xuewu to chatter away himself.

After the tea was brewed, Li Shun frowned and asked, "How did you think of letting your sister-in-law take leave?"

"Yes, I suggested it."

Li Xuewu nodded, sat on the sofa with a hunched back, thought for a moment, and said to his father and brother, "I've heard some rumors; the situation isn't very good."

"Will it reach the schools?"

Li Shun wasn't a young man, and it wasn't that Li Xuewen didn't care about current events; he listened to the news and knew there was some trouble at the top.

But he hadn't thought it had anything to do with ordinary folks like his family, let alone that educational institutions like schools could be involved.

Li Xuewu nodded and said, "I'm afraid they will be affected."

He didn't dare tell his father too much; don't underestimate the situation, and don't treat people of this time as fools.

If he said too much or went too far, he was afraid of inviting disaster.

"The higher-ups are discussing cultural matters; how could schools be spared?"

Li Xuewu frowned, took a sip of tea, and continued: "Furthermore, one can see from the end of the Qing Dynasty that students are the most sensitive group and are more easily swayed in their thinking."

Li Shun frowned as he looked at his son; he didn't dare ask further, fearing that if his son said too much, it would affect him.

Li Xuewen said at this moment, "Your sister-in-law can just take the opportunity of her pregnancy to rest, and I'll ride my bike to work and come home to live at night."

"That's for the best."

Li Xuewu nodded and said, "Be careful with your words at school; some students' thoughts are very radical, and they are also very contradictory and emotional."

After saying this, he looked at his eldest brother and asked, "Have you thought about changing units or changing positions?"

"Is it that serious?"

Li Xuewen thought that if things got bad, his wife's health would be affected, for instance, if things became chaotic.

But he hadn't thought that no one could stay, that everyone would have to leave their posts?

Li Shun also saw his son's meaning and frowned, waiting for his second son's explanation.

Li Xuewu didn't know how to tell them, so he deliberated and said, "No one can predict the development of the situation; no one can calculate it accurately. My suggestion is to hide for a while. If it really doesn't work, you can return to the teaching post when the situation becomes clear."

Li Xuewen hesitated and said, "Let's wait and see. Once your sister-in-law rests, I won't have any worries. If it doesn't work, I'll transfer positions then."

"Hmm, that works too."

Li Xuewu nodded. He wasn't worried about this now; if it really came to it, he could ask Wu Youqing to send his eldest brother to a prison to supervise printing.

If anyone wanted to cause trouble then, they could go find him in the prison.

Li Shun waited until Li Xuewen's matter was discussed before asking, "Will the third one be affected?"

Li Xuewu pursed his lips, thought for a moment, shook his head, and said, "It's hard to say; it's all schools."

Li Shun's brow furrowed quite deeply; he was very confused about the unknown danger.

Without knowing the degree of danger, the duration, or the extent of the impact, there was no way to defend against it.

Furthermore, his son was still in school; how could he arrange things? He would only be a sophomore in the second half of the year; he was currently just a freshman.

"I'll take care of the third one."

Li Xuewu squinted his eyes, thought for a moment, and said, "Don't tell him yet; I'll handle it when the time comes."

Li Shun didn't doubt his second son's ability, just felt a bit worried.

"And you?"

Li Shun looked at his second son and said, "Between the rolling mill and the branch bureau, will you be affected?"

"Heh, I don't know."

Li Xuewu gave a bitter smile, shook his head, and said, "I'm your son; you know my ability. These are all things friends have said; we can only defend passively."

Li Shun looked at his son, then said to his eldest son, "Go back and read; don't stay up too late, and tell Yafang to rest early."

"Understood."

Li Xuewen knew his father and second brother still had things to say; he had the brains and the ability to contribute to the family.

But one brain was enough for a family, and his second brother's vision and courage far exceeded his own.

He simply decided to be the one who didn't cause trouble and just do whatever his second brother said.

After Li Xuewen left, Li Shun squinted at his son for a while, then sighed and said, "You're getting married; you should grow up and stop causing trouble."

Li Xuewu widened his eyes and instantly understood what his father was referring to.

"Heh, I'm already twenty; how could I cause trouble?"

"..."

Li Shun wanted to hit him, not because he was angry about what Li Xuewu had done before, but because he couldn't stand the way his son was talking now.

Seeing his father squinting, Li Xuewu laughed dryly and said again, "Really, I haven't."

Li Shun stared at his son for a while and said, "Can't you just properly date someone, get married, have kids, and live your life?"

"..."

Li Xuewu wanted to answer his father, but he was afraid the old man would hit him, so he didn't dare talk back.

He said from the bottom of his heart that he really was dating properly.

When he was with Lin Tingting, he definitely didn't have feelings for Gu Ning, and when he decided to date Gu Ning, he had already broken up.

He guaranteed his feelings were clean, but he couldn't explain it to his father.

Because Li Shun didn't want to hear his explanation.

"A man must take responsibility when he comes of age."

Li Shun earnestly advised his son, "You must always consider yourself and your family. Tell me, are you willing to marry Gu Ning?"

"Of course."

Seeing his father suppressing his emotions to advise him, Li Xuewu replied seriously, "You know my personality; what I don't like, I don't like. No one forced me; I want to marry Gu Ning."

"That's good."

Li Shun nodded and said, "Since you plan to marry, handle things before the wedding. You can't make me worry about you after you're married."

Li Xuewu gave a bitter smile, nodded, and didn't explain anything to his father.

Li Shun had also spoken his mind to his son; whether he listened or not was up to him.

He stood up and went out.

This second son of his had never been easy to worry about since he was a child; whether it was him taking the initiative or other girls taking the initiative, he couldn't stand his son's slacker appearance.

If this were in the past, he would definitely be a playboy.

Their family wasn't a wealthy one and couldn't afford a spendthrift.

If things really came to that, he might have to split the eldest and third sons off and keep him by his side.

They were all his sons, and he could only take care of whichever one was the waste.

But fortunately, the decision back then was right; sending this kid out and having him come back meant he looked like a human being again.

With his hands behind his back, he walked out and saw Yi Zhonghai's wife helping the deaf old lady walk back in the middle courtyard.

"Are you back from eating?"

"Li Shun."

The deaf old lady greeted him with a smile, "Double happiness is coming."

Li Shun nodded with a smile and said, "You should walk more, especially during the day; don't just stay in the room."

"Understood."

The deaf old lady, supported by Yi Zhonghai's wife, watched Li Shun pass through the moon gate before walking toward her own room.

"That's just his personality."

"Heh."

Yi Zhonghai's wife knew what the old lady meant and replied with a smile, "They say a doctor has a benevolent heart; there's a reason for the old saying."

"Indeed."

The deaf old lady's legs were average, and she walked slowly. As she passed Li Xuewu's door, she whispered to Yi Zhonghai's wife with a smile, "There are also times when he's furious."

Yi Zhonghai's wife smiled; she knew who the old lady was talking about.

She had seen Li Xuewu being chased and beaten by Li Shun all over the courtyard when he was a child for being mischievous. Now that she thought about it, life really didn't last long; in a blink, Li Xuewu was getting married, and they were all old.

Ten thousand miles of sorrowful autumn, often a guest; a hundred years of illness, alone I climb the terrace.

The most precious thing in this world is time, but the thing most often ignored is also time.

Li Xuewu sat on the kang, looking at the light filtering through the curtain gap, feeling as if it were still last week.

How did the days pass so quickly?

The events of last Sunday were still vivid in his mind, and this Sunday had arrived again.

But thinking that tomorrow was Monday, he felt Sunday's time was too short.

"When did you wake up?"

When Yu Li entered the room, she was afraid of startling Li Xuewu, but when she opened the inner room door, she was the one who was almost startled.

At this moment, Li Xuewu was wrapped in a large quilt, leaning on the kang, his eyes staring blankly toward the back window.

Hearing Yu Li's voice, Li Xuewu turned his head, yawned, and then said, "A while ago."

"Did you sleep early yesterday?"

Seeing Li Xuewu was awake, Yu Li also got on the kang and started folding the quilt.

Li Xuewu blinked his eyes and asked with low spirits, "What time did you finish working last night?"

"After nine."

Yu Li replied while busy, "Aunt Liu said there's still time, so we should work slowly."

She glanced at Li Xuewu, not knowing what was wrong with him again, and said, "Aunt Liu also said she's going to the street today to buy quilt covers for you."

"Hmm, my mom told me."

Li Xuewu handed over the quilt and started putting on the clothes Yu Li had found for him by the side of the kang.

After folding the quilt, Yu Li pulled open the back curtain and looked carefully, wanting to see what Li Xuewu had been looking at just now.

But the back window faced the west courtyard wall, and there was a gap, with nothing to see.

"What's wrong with you?"

While Li Xuewu was washing his face and brushing his teeth, Yu Li saw him staring blankly at the mirror again and asked.

Li Xuewu turned his head, stared straight at Yu Li, and asked, "Today is Sunday, right? Why did I have to wake up so early?"

"Hehehe~"

Yu Li couldn't help but laugh, glared at Li Xuewu, and said, "Who are you asking? I certainly didn't wake you up."

Li Xuewu sighed and continued brushing his teeth.

Since he was already up, could he just lie back down?

"Are you going out today?"

"Hmm."

Li Xuewu responded and said, "Morning, afternoon, and evening."

"You're really busy."

Yu Li said casually and started preparing Li Xuewu's coat and leather shoes for going out.

"Seeing Sha Zhu's house is being built these days; don't open this window, or the room will be full of dust."

"Understood."

Li Xuewu finished washing and came out. Seeing Yu Li holding his gun and signaling to ask if he wanted to bring it, he said, "Give it to me."

He was going out to discuss things today, and there was no danger, but he was still prepared to bring it.

This thing could solve many problems and troubles.

Inserting it into the holster, Li Xuewu took his coat and put it on.

"Eat first, then read for a while before you go."

Although Li Xuewu hadn't been to class, he still took time to read the books for the month.

At the same time, he would complete the assignments given by Han's wife, regardless of whether he could finish this university or not.

Because it was Sunday, the courtyard was much livelier than usual, especially when there were things going on.

Seeing Sha Zhu's house had been torn down, but they had to clear the construction waste before they could continue building.

It was spring now, the sun came out early, and the workers arrived early; they were already busy.

When Li Xuewu passed by, he saw people in the courtyard standing at their respective doors watching the excitement.

Entertainment at this time was really scarce, and even watching someone else's house being built was something they could watch with relish.

He chatted with Seeing Sha Zhu and Lao Biaozi while eating, and after they finished, everyone went about their business.

Li Xuewu went back to the backyard to read for a while before driving out.

First, he went to his godmother's house to sit for a while; Zheng Shusen wasn't home, having gone to Jinmen.

Li Xuewu had originally wanted to chat with Zheng Shusen, but since he missed him, he just talked about recent events with his godmother.

Wang Shuhua was very gratified to see Li Xuewu's growth.

"You've really grown up this year; in a blink, you're getting married and taking a wife."

"Heh, that's inseparable from your help."

Li Xuewu deliberately joked with his godmother using official jargon, which earned him a tap from her.

"When are you getting the certificate?"

"Probably next week."

Li Xuewu took a sip of tea and explained, "My application has been approved, and her background check has been completed."

"That's fast."

Wang Shuhua nodded, looked Li Xuewu over, and said with a smile, "Your father-in-law and mother-in-law must be extremely satisfied with you, right?"

"I wouldn't dare think that."

Li Xuewu explained with a smile, "My father-in-law is in Yangcheng, and my mother-in-law's opinion of me is okay."

"I think they're satisfied."

Wang Shuhua nodded and said, "Where else could they find such a handsome son-in-law? When are you bringing Gu Ning over?"

"Next week."

Li Xuewu explained apologetically, "I have an appointment today to discuss something, and tonight I'm taking her to see a ballet with friends."

"It's not easy to get a Sunday."

Wang Shuhua nodded understandingly and said, "Bring her over for a meal once you've gotten the certificate."

"I know."

Li Xuewu said with a smile, "You'll have to prepare a gift for our first meeting."

"Are you afraid your mom is stingy~"

Wang Shuhua naturally wouldn't be stingy with Li Xuewu; she was very satisfied with this godson she had watched grow up.

Mischievous children could also have a future when they grew up. Li Xuewu hadn't been easy to worry about when he was a child, but didn't he have a great future now?

She was also happy for Li Shun and his wife in her heart; those two must be very happy.

Indeed, Li Xuewu had chatted "happily" with his father in a "friendly" atmosphere for a "very long" time last night.

After leaving his godmother's house, Li Xuewu headed to the Fulai Teahouse at Beixinqiao.

He was too familiar with this place; when he was a child, he had seen two large stoves placed at the entrance of the teahouse, with large copper kettles boiling water one after another.

It was actually the same principle as a steamed bun shop putting their steamers at the door; they were all used as advertisements.

Why use copper kettles instead of iron ones?

It was because the teahouse used to serve all walks of life, and even peddlers and porters could come for a bowl of cheap tea.

This tea wasn't brewed with tea leaves but was boiled with tea dust in the kettle before being poured for the guests.

This iron kettle would have a chemical reaction with the tea leaves; Li Xuewu didn't know what the specific reaction was, but that was the old saying, so he just listened.

There were many teahouses in the four cities, all left over from earlier times.

There used to be many idlers, all sorts of people, who would come to the teahouse to soak when they had time.

There were Eight Banners descendants with thumb rings, carrying birdcages; businessmen who had traveled north and south, full of polite phrases; and rickshaw pullers squatting at the gate for a bowl of cheap tea to moisten their throats.

Like Western coffee shops, most people didn't come just to drink tea; they came for socializing and to get things done.

There was a line from an opera: Build a seven-star stove, copper kettles boil the three rivers.

Spread out the eight-immortal tables, entertain guests from sixteen directions.

All who come are guests, relying entirely on one's mouth.

Meet with a smile, don't think about it afterward.

When people leave, the tea cools.

What is there to be meticulous about?

This was what A-Qing said to Diao Deyi, and it was the meaning of the teahouse.

Teahouses used to be office spaces, where some officials were willing to handle matters reported by subordinates while drinking tea.

That didn't exist anymore, and the meaning of the teahouse was slowly changing.

Public-private partnership teahouses became places for workers and laborers to relax and entertain.

Playing cards, smoking, chatting—it was more like a traditional club.

When Li Xuewu entered, he saw the waiter greet him, without the earlier "How many, sir?"

Now, they asked: "How many, comrade?"

Actually, the address didn't matter; it was just a whip. What you see is what you have; what you don't see is what you don't have.

"I have an appointment with a friend."

Li Xuewu said with a smile, "It should be a position booked by a comrade surnamed Huang."

"Xuewu, second floor!"

Before Li Xuewu could finish asking the waiter, he heard Huang Gan's shout from above.

Actually, this kind of noise didn't attract white eyes in a teahouse. If you did this in a restaurant, someone would definitely call you a grandson.

In a teahouse, there had to be this kind of worldly atmosphere; even if you didn't shout, there would be others making noise in the shop.

For example, what Li Xuewu saw now was a large radio placed on a spot that should have been a small stage.

It was playing Peking opera, squeaking and squawking, not very clear, but it didn't hinder everyone from drinking tea and chatting.

No one had any intention of listening to the opera; it was just to prevent the atmosphere from suddenly becoming quiet, which would be too awkward.

The waiter already knew which table Li Xuewu was going to, smiled, led Li Xuewu to the stairs, asked what tea Li Xuewu wanted, pointed to the direction of the stairs, and went to prepare.

Li Xuewu stepped onto the stairs; this teahouse retained a very primitive flavor, as if he were in that era.

Stepping on the stairs would cause a slight creaking sound; this was the sound of wood, but it wasn't noisy.

There were many people in the hall, each table chatting away, either excitedly, loudly, calling friends, or arguing fiercely.

All states of life were rising in the steam of the teacups.

"Xuewu, come quickly, we've been waiting for you."

Huang Gan stood at the door of the private room, waving at Li Xuewu who was facing the stairs.

Li Xuewu said with a smile, "How did you find this place? I only turned around at the door when I was a child; I didn't expect it to be like this inside."

"Haha!"

Huang Gan was perhaps excited to see his classmates today, so he said with a smile, "I can't compare to you in work, but if I can't even manage eating and drinking, wouldn't I really be a waste?"

Li Xuewu was walking forward, just about to reply to Huang Gan, when he saw Lou's father open the door and come out of the private room next to him.

"Uncle Lou, you're here."

Lou's father wasn't surprised, looked at Huang Gan with a smile, and said to Li Xuewu, "I heard someone call your name, so I came out to take a look; I didn't expect it to really be you."

Li Xuewu waved at Huang Gan. Seeing this, Huang Gan knew Li Xuewu had met an acquaintance, so he waved with a smile and entered the private room.

This meant it wasn't convenient to introduce; both Lou's father and Huang Gan understood.

Li Xuewu stood by the side of the corridor without looking into Lou's father's private room, and explained with a smile, "They are classmates from the training class when I went to Jinmen for training; we're gathering today since it's a day off."

"Good thing."

Lou's father nodded with a smile and said, "You need ability, but you also need friends, and even more, you need the ability to make friends."

After speaking, he signaled to Li Xuewu and said, "Go do your business first; if you finish first, come find me, and if I finish first, I'll wait for you."

"Okay, Uncle Lou, I'll go over first."

Li Xuewu greeted him with a smile and went to the private room where Huang Gan had just stood.

Why say Li Xuewu was curious? A teahouse with private rooms was top-tier in the four cities.

Moreover, this private room wasn't small; seeing several classmates sitting in the room didn't make it look crowded.

"Xuewu."

"Jinjin."

"Weiqing."

"Zhengquan."

"Wang Zheng."

Except for Huang Gan and Wang Xiaoqin, everyone who had been close to Li Xuewu or was a class cadre had come.

Li Xuewu shook hands with everyone one by one and greeted them with a smile.

Wang Zheng was the youngest, so he was ranked last.

At this moment, he looked at Li Xuewu and asked, "I heard from my brother that you're getting married?"

"Heh, yes."

Li Xuewu asked everyone to sit down with a light smile and asked Wang Zheng, "But what's with that expression?"

Wang Zheng rolled his eyes and teased, "Can't I care about you?"

"No."

Li Xuewu said with a firm smile, "You're too late; I'm a man who's getting married, so stop caring about me."

"You're something else."

Wang Zheng fought a few rounds of words with Li Xuewu, and they had already regained the naturalness they had during training.

Weiqing asked curiously, "Isn't it said that you're only twenty?"

"What kind of talk is that!"

Li Xuewu took the teacup handed over by the waiter, signaled his thanks, and replied to Weiqing's words.

Weiqing rubbed his chin and said, "It's just novel; getting married as soon as you reach the marriage age."

"Otherwise?"

Li Xuewu raised his eyebrows and then said, "That's not how you put it; it should be that I can only get married once I reach the age."

As he spoke, he joked with the curious ones: "What limits me isn't the partner, but the age."

"Eww~~~"

Wang Zheng pursed his lips and said, "You were so mysterious during training; you really had a partner."

Don't look at this girl as being quirky, but she was extremely measured in her speech; she wouldn't ask a single word about Li Xuewu's partner's situation if she didn't know it.

Every word was about Li Xuewu and had nothing to do with Li Xuewu's partner.

If Li Xuewu wanted to talk, he could introduce the partner's situation; if he didn't want to talk, then not talking wouldn't lead to any awkward conversation.

This was chatting that made people comfortable.

"Not getting married when you reach the marriage age is just finding trouble for the organization."

Li Xuewu knew Wang Zheng had reached the age, so he was deliberately teasing her.

Wang Zheng shook her head indifferently and said, "Why get married so early? I haven't had enough fun yet, and I'm not like my brother..."

If this were in later generations, she would be a standard "bad girl."

But it was different now; Wang Zheng's "fun" was truly innocent fun.

Huang Gan pursed his lips while holding his teacup and said, "When I get home, I'll tell my aunt to introduce you to someone."

As they chatted and laughed, the atmosphere had slowly warmed up.

Taking advantage of the Huang siblings bickering, Li Xuewu nodded at Zhou Zhengquan again with a smile.

"Busy lately?"

"It's okay."

Zhou Zhengquan had a deep impression of Li Xuewu; the ability of this little brother in the same class still made him remember it vividly.

Whether it was learning, training, or professional ability, he was affirmed by teachers and leaders.

He didn't know what reward Li Xuewu finally got, but it must have been something that made him envious.

However, it couldn't be seen yet; after all, they were too young and low-ranking in the eyes of teachers and those leaders at the time.

Yes, deputy section chief—in the four cities, the position was really low and couldn't be considered a serious cadre at all.

For example, Wang Zheng, a serious section chief at such a young age—what would he be in the future?

"And you?"

Zhou Zhengquan decided to come after receiving Wang Xiaoqin's call; this was a rare opportunity.

Regardless of what contradictions or arguments appeared when they were together initially, they were classmates now.

The suggestion of this club proposed by Li Xuewu was absolutely the external force most needed by them, who had just stepped into the threshold of serious cadres.

A deputy section level didn't count for much, but what if there were dozens of them?

Unity is strength; this sentence wasn't said for nothing.

If the club could be organized well, it would cause a siphon phenomenon, and more and more people would join.

Now they were still deputy section level, but what about five years later? Ten years later?

No one dared to underestimate them, and no one dared to look down on them.

"The agency is just like that, busy with nothing every day."

After asking Li Xuewu, Zhou Zhengquan said with a smile, "I heard you've made new contributions and slapped the face of the Confidentiality Department."

"Not really, heh."

Li Xuewu waved his hand with a smile and said, "It was just a coincidence; there's no such thing as slapping faces. We're all in the same system; slapping them is like slapping myself."

"Hehehe!"

Huang Gan pointed at the two and called out: "I say, you two, we're in a teahouse now, not an office or a reception room; can you not flatter each other like this?"

"Exactly~"

Hu Jinbu pursed his lips and said: "Everyone knows you two are the future stars of our system, but can't you give us a chance to make friends and admire you? ~"

"Hahaha~"

Wang Xiaoqin laughed while holding her teacup: "It's been over a month, Hu Jinbu, you've become glib~"

"Hahaha~"

Initially, Hu Jinbu had a bad opinion of Zhou Zhengquan; although he didn't say it, everyone could see it.

Because Zhou Zhengquan was borrowing his father-in-law's light, and Hu Jinbu was borrowing his father's light, neither of them looked down on the other.

"I say, classmates."

Wang Xiaoqin put down her teacup and started getting to the point: "I didn't invite everyone here today just for fun, nor just to reminisce."

As she spoke, she signaled in Li Xuewu's direction and explained: "I'm in the same unit as Xuewu, and my unit isn't far from Huang Gan's. Xuewu misses the days we spent together, so he proposed founding a club to maintain our relationship."

"This is a good suggestion."

Weiqing nodded and said: "Since graduation, it hasn't been easy to see everyone. In over a month, I haven't seen a single person. No matter how busy we are, we can't lose our classmate friendship."

"Yes, I agree too."

Wang Zheng stood up, walked to the window, pushed it open, and said: "Classmates in school used to go their separate ways, and everyone is in different units. If we want to help each other, it's in life."

Wang Zheng, who walked back with the spring breeze, continued: "Only we classmates are in the same system. If we help each other, that's in study and work."

"Heh, I quite agree with Xuewu's proposal."

Zhou Zhengquan said with a smile: "When we were training, the coach said that you can't practice a good skill in a few days. I thought to myself, I must practice well when I get home."

While speaking, he pinched his belly and said with a bitter smile: "But when I got home, I couldn't persist for a single day. The excuse was either no place or inconvenient, or work was busy. Anyway, the little bit I learned and practiced has been returned to the coach in full."

"Hahaha~"

Everyone had this experience; no one should laugh at anyone else. This laughter was for themselves.

After laughing, Wang Xiaoqin summarized: "Since everyone could come today, it means you all have ideas and agree with Li Xuewu's opinion. Then let's invite classmate Li Xuewu to tell us about his ideas."

"Let's applaud and welcome him!"

"Hahahaha~"

Li Xuewu smiled, stood up, bowed to everyone, and then sat down to say: "Classmate friendship is really a very precious friendship. Today, everyone has no seriousness or earnestness from the unit, no burdens or responsibilities, and the laughter has been constant. I think this is the meaning of establishing a club."

Hearing this, everyone couldn't help but show approving smiles.

Leading cadres are also human; if they are human, they will have pressure, and if they have pressure, they will produce emotions.

If it's light, it's fine; it will be neutralized when getting along with family.

But if the emotional accumulation is serious, there is nowhere to speak one's heart, and their status dictates that they are lonely in the unit.

"I think the club shouldn't just be a place for us to exercise; it can also be a place for us to eat, watch movies, play cards, chat, etc., together. As long as it is conducive to our relaxation, communication, and learning, that is the meaning of us gathering together."

Li Xuewu stood up, walked to the window, turned around, looked at the few people in the room, and said: "I met an elder at the door just now, and he told me that a person must have ability, but also friends, and even more, the ability to make friends. I think that's what he meant by socializing."

Huang Gan saw Li Xuewu talking to that person; only now did he know they were talking about this.

Sure enough, you learn from whom you associate with. This room has fulfilled the saying: "In the conversation, there are great scholars; in the coming and going, there are no commoners."

If the club is successfully established, this club of theirs must also be like this, because commoners simply cannot enter this circle.

"I have no intention of asking everyone to pay for me, or for someone else, or for this club."

Li Xuewu looked at the few people seriously and said: "I will try to provide a venue, service personnel, and all equipment and facilities for everyone. I just hope that when everyone encounters difficulties, there is a place where they can speak out, and perhaps find a way to solve the problem from others."

Hearing what Li Xuewu said, everyone was a bit surprised, and the private room fell silent for a while.

After all, the organization and expenses of a club were not a small amount, nor could they be maintained by a deputy section chief's salary.

Li Xuewu raised his hands, raised his eyebrows, tilted his head slightly, and said: "I think that when I have the ability, I will do a little insignificant thing for everyone, the kind that doesn't ask for a return."

"But did I say something wrong to make everyone so surprised? You don't even want to call me 'Big Brother'."