Chapter 534: Qingming

Huang Gan had tried his best to imagine the club Li Xuewu spoke of.

Based on Li Xuewu's style of doing things, he imagined the club's venue size would be about the same as the Fulai Teahouse.

However, he never expected that Li Xuewu would actually manage to get such a large residential compound to serve as a club.

Wang Zheng crossed her arms, looked at the deep, sprawling compound, turned her head, and asked Li Xuewu, "Don't you feel a pang of guilt for mocking my ancestors just now?"

"No."

Li Xuewu said very earnestly, "Because this isn't my ancestral home."

"I can tell."

Wang Xiaoqin looked at the building currently undergoing renovations, turned her head, and said to Li Xuewu, "If it were your ancestral home, your ancestors wouldn't forgive you."

"Hehe, then let's hope the original owner of this residence has everything go their way."

Li Xuewu chuckled, led the group further inside, and introduced the future functional areas as they walked.

Wang Zheng pointed at the two-story building being renovated and asked, "Are you saying this place will be used to show movies in the future?"

Li Xuewu followed Wang Zheng's finger, looked, curled his lip, and corrected her, "I prefer to call it a multi-functional hall."

After speaking, he led the group further on, adding, "Because its function isn't just for showing movies; it could also be for plays or dance parties."

"Oh~~~"

Wang Zheng looked at the original two-story building and couldn't help but exclaim.

When she turned back, she discovered that her brother and Li Xuewu's group had already walked far ahead.

"And you still say you aren't a big shot."

Wang Zheng caught up to the group and asked Li Xuewu, "Don't tell me you set up such a huge scene just counting on the club's future little restaurant and such to recoup your capital."

"Of course not."

Li Xuewu smiled confidently and said, "This is just a necessary investment."

After speaking, he pointed to the row of rooms at the very back and said, "However, the club I've planned doesn't just have a restaurant; it also has a guesthouse, a teahouse, an art gallery, and so on."

Wang Xiaoqin shook her head in surprise; she didn't dare imagine how luxurious this club would be once it was built.

"You scared me."

"Me too."

As Wang Xiaoqin's voice trailed off, Wang Zheng followed up, "With you doing it this way, we're all feeling the pressure."

As she spoke, she looked at her cousin and said, "Didn't you make a capital plan for the club? Do you still think your plan is realistic now?"

"It's time to re-examine our friendship."

Huang Gan looked at Li Xuewu very formally and asked, "Tell me, what else have you been hiding from your good friend?"

"If these things are what's giving you pressure..."

Li Xuewu tilted his head nonchalantly and replied, "Then are you not planning to join this club?"

"Heh~ don't even think about it!"

Huang Gan, looking as if he had him figured out, excitedly took the lead and started wandering around the courtyard.

"Do you take me for a fool? I don't feel any pressure at all taking advantage of you; only a fool wouldn't join."

Wang Xiaoqin made a helpless expression at Li Xuewu and said, "You win. You won at the starting line. Now you basically don't need to consider whether classmates will join; you need to consider how to control the number of members."

Wang Zheng also nodded in agreement, saying, "Just as the big fool ahead said, no one will consider themselves a fool."

"Wang Zheng~!"

Hearing his younger sister say this, Huang Gan, who was walking in front, suddenly turned his head to look at Wang Zheng and said, "Calling your brother a fool, you aren't much smarter yourself."

"Smarter than you."

Wang Zheng was clearly still holding a grudge, especially after hearing Li Xuewu's defense in the office; she now firmly believed that it was her brother who had voluntarily given Li Xuewu the performance tickets.

Huang Gan raised an eyebrow. Arguing with his sister at a time like this would only lower his own IQ, and it certainly wasn't what a mature man should do.

So, silence is golden; he turned his head and continued touring.

Actually, the courtyard was quite messy at this time; the breath of spring dotted the courtyard with emerald green, but the dim yellow of winter still lingered.

The two colors created a strong conflict, making the unrenovated residence look even more dilapidated.

"Was it like this when you acquired it?"

Huang Gan turned his head and asked Li Xuewu, "Or did you acquire it and leave it for a long time?"

Li Xuewu pursed his lips and said, "Actually, it's only been in my hands for ten days or so."

"Eww~~~"

Wang Zheng said with disdain, "How lazy must the previous owner of this house have been."

Li Xuewu nodded in agreement and said nothing; he no longer had the energy to complain about Ding Wanqiu.

After all, the person was gone; what else could he say?

"This side is actually not bad."

Huang Gan turned into a courtyard, looked at the clean ground and trimmed tree branches in the yard, turned his head, and asked Li Xuewu, "Is someone living here?"

Just as he finished asking, he saw the door of the main room in the yard open; the creaking of the door leaf attracted everyone's gaze.

They saw a young woman wearing a fine cloth shirt with rolled-up sleeves, a pipa-lapel vest over it, a blue gauze skirt with lotus patterns, and embroidered goldfish shoes standing at the doorway, staring at the group in a daze.

The group was also stunned looking at this woman dressed in a somewhat Republican-era style; it was as if people from two different eras had suddenly met, and the rift in time caused expressions of astonishment on both sides.

Li Xuewu was walking at the back; when he entered the yard, he had already noticed Tong Huimei at the doorway.

Of course, he was also somewhat surprised to see Tong Huimei dressed like this, but he didn't have the same sudden shock as Huang Gan and the others.

"Xuewu, this is..."

Huang Gan turned his head and raised an eyebrow at Li Xuewu, because he saw the girl in the yard glance at Li Xuewu's side before walking out of the room and standing in the yard.

What surprised him even more was that this girl wasn't the only one, because shortly after, another girl dressed similarly walked out of the room and stood beside the first girl.

Wang Zheng looked at the two girls, then at Li Xuewu, and very wisely chose to remain silent.

Wang Xiaoqin was the same; although she believed Li Xuewu wasn't that kind of person, it was more appropriate to wait for an introduction at this time.

Huang Gan's relationship as a "bad friend" with Li Xuewu made it more appropriate for him to ask this question.

Li Xuewu didn't mind their surprised expressions; he walked past them and took the lead walking into the yard.

Huang Gan and the others exchanged glances and followed.

"Did you tidy up the yard?"

Li Xuewu walked up to the two sisters and asked. Seeing them standing cautiously by the side of the path as if they had done something wrong, he couldn't help but feel a bit helpless.

"Yes."

Tong Huimei was, after all, a year older, so she took the initiative to answer Li Xuewu's question.

Li Xuewu nodded and said, "Thank you for your hard work."

Before Tong Huimei and the other could answer, he gestured to the group that had followed behind and introduced, "These are my friends."

Without introducing their names specifically, Li Xuewu then introduced to Huang Gan and the others, "This is Tong Huimei and Jin Jiaojiao; they live here."

Tong Huimei and the other naturally wouldn't feel that Li Xuewu not introducing his friends' names was impolite.

Based on Li Xuewu's status, his friends must also have status, and it wouldn't be low.

The two bowed slightly to greet them, which made Wang Xiaoqin and the others somewhat curious.

But knowing that Li Xuewu had his reasons for introducing them this way, they also nodded slightly, and the two sides had met just like that.

Li Xuewu led Huang Gan and the others to look at the environment in the yard, but he didn't go into the main room; after all, it was the sisters' boudoir now.

Even for a Peking Opera performer like Tong Huimei, Li Xuewu didn't treat her differently.

Not introducing Huang Gan and the others' names was because it wasn't necessary, and also to keep the two from overthinking.

But the minimum respect was mandatory; this was Li Xuewu's standard for being a person.

Huang Gan and the others weren't children either; coming into the yard was just a casual walk, and they didn't keep staring at the two sisters.

After walking a circle, they walked out of the courtyard gate and headed toward the flower hall at the entrance.

Li Xuewu walked at the back and didn't greet the two sisters, as if he were accustomed to them being there.

Tong Huimei looked at the figure leaving at the courtyard gate, feeling a bit strange inside. They hadn't seen each other for many days, yet this person suddenly appeared, but only asked a question and gave a compliment before leaving.

When she first arrived, she had wondered if she should give herself to him; hesitation and unwillingness lingered in her heart.

But this self-indulgent fantasy made her feel a sense of frustration and shame every time she saw Li Xuewu.

Because this man had absolutely no interest in her and Jin Jiaojiao.

Learning opera scripts and the stormy history of opera troupes had long since made them understand the affairs between men and women.

They had seen what their seniors were like in private, and even their master was like that, let alone others.

Although they felt much more relaxed because Li Xuewu didn't bother with them, that attitude of his also made them lose confidence in their own conditions.

People are sometimes just this contradictory and strange.

"Tell me, did you hide a beauty in a golden house?!"

As soon as Huang Gan left the courtyard, he asked Li Xuewu with a mischievous smile.

Actually, asking this meant he no longer suspected Li Xuewu of doing such a thing; if Li Xuewu were really hiding a beauty, he should have pretended not to see it rather than teasing him like this now.

Wang Zheng also joined in the fun, looking at Li Xuewu with a face full of disdain, "I didn't expect you to be this kind of person."

Wang Xiaoqin was older, so naturally, she wouldn't mess around like Huang Gan and his sister, but she was also looking at Li Xuewu with a teasing smile at this moment.

Li Xuewu spread his hands and said, "Alright, you caught me."

After speaking, he turned around and shouted at Zhou Changli, who was peeking over here from the gatehouse, "What are you looking at? Close the door! Copy the house, kill to silence the witnesses, do you understand?!"

Zhou Changli's legs trembled as he took a step back; he didn't believe a word Li Xuewu said.

Liar!

Big liar!

Trying to trick him again!

How many times has it been!

Bullshit "kill to silence the witnesses"!

Damn it, does he take him for a fool!

He didn't recognize the young woman, but that older woman was a cadre from the Public Security Brigade.

During the patrols on the street a few days ago, he clearly saw this woman standing by the command vehicle pointing fingers.

He recognized the man even better; the top dog of the Pao Bureau.

Anyone who hangs out in their circle knows the management of relevant departments like the back of their hand; it's a required course.

You might not be able to get him to tell you which alleys are in the East City, but if you ask a veteran street tough who the bosses of the Pao Bureau are, he can recite them like a menu from top to bottom, without even getting the ranking wrong—clearer than the HR department.

This is called professionalism!

What kind of place is the Pao Bureau?

That's their pilgrimage site; anyone who comes out of there is like you reporting to a factory with a university diploma.

Seeing the "principal," he didn't hide in the room, which already counted as having made a name for himself on the street.

"Li Chu... hehe... stop joking."

Zhou Changli curled his lips and said with a fake smile, "I know Section Chief Huang."

"Oh?"

Huang Gan initially didn't pay attention to this little hoodlum-like person, thinking he was just like those workers, opening the door at the entrance.

Hearing the other party say they knew him, he became a bit serious.

Because people he doesn't know who know him only fall into two categories.

One is those currently locked up in the station, and the other is those who have stayed in the station but have already been released.

Huang Gan has a very clear understanding of himself; he hasn't done any good deeds without leaving his name, so he's not worth anyone missing him.

"When were you released?"

Seeing Section Chief Huang ask this, especially with that familiar look, Zhou Changli only felt the muscles on his face twitching.

Just like the twitching he felt when he heard Zhao Lao Si say this Section Chief Huang used an electric baton to shock people.

"Not... not released."

Zhou Changli looked at Li Xuewu, his tongue tripping over his words; don't look at him not being that afraid of Li Xuewu, but he was truly afraid of Section Chief Huang.

Because Li Xuewu at most slapped him in the face, but his good brother Zhao Lao Si had his pee shocked out of him.

"Not released?"

Huang Gan knew this person was scared by him; if Li Xuewu used him, there must be no problem.

However, he deliberately put on a serious expression and asked, "Did you sneak out?"

"No~!"

Zhou Changli said very firmly, "I've never been in; it was Lao Si, Zhao Lao Si. I saw you when I went to pick up Zhao Lao Si."

Huang Gan looked at Zhou Changli very suspiciously, with an expression of "I don't believe you."

Zhou Changli looked at Li Xuewu with a bitter face and said, "Li Chu, I'm a decent person."

"Heh, what a waste."

Li Xuewu chuckled, gave him a look of "I'm disappointed in you," and then led the group out of the gate.

As Huang Gan walked out, he exchanged a glance with Zhou Changli and threatened, "Don't let me see you in the station."

Only after the jeep left did Zhou Changli finally breathe a sigh of relief; his heart had almost jumped out just now.

Li Xuewu's ability to scare people was only based on his track record, including becoming famous in one battle at the Jiaodaokou station.

But those were all rumors, not comparable to what he felt from his own brother.

Back then, when Zhao Lao Si was fighting on the ice, he was temporarily detained at the Pao Bureau; that was the iron-willed Zhao Lao Si, and he was turned into a blacksmith.

However, after sending the group away, he began to slowly doubt himself in his heart.

Was his persistence in the street tough career really right?

If he hadn't seen Li Xuewu's majesty, hadn't seen this kind of life of taking down a granduncle's residence through hard work, and hadn't seen this kind of life where everyone he interacted with was a big shot, he wouldn't have "changed his heart."

But having witnessed these things, his so-called persistence with his childhood friends and brothers seemed like a joke.

What the hell is being carefree and indulgent? Is it as carefree as buying a big house, keeping women, and riding in a jeep?

A big house!

Women, two of them! Young ones!!!

This is what's called being carefree; this is what's called being indulgent!

"Hehe, don't say, I was really stunned when I first saw them."

Huang Gan sat in the front with Li Xuewu and looked at Li Xuewu, who was driving, with a mischievous smile, "Where did those beautiful girls come from? You, Li Xuewu, are something else; you have quite the luck with women."

"Hehe."

Li Xuewu glanced at him with disdain and said, "Only people with unhealthy thoughts would think that way."

"Normal people all think that way."

Before Huang Gan could deny it, Wang Zheng, sitting in the back, wasn't having it and said dissatisfiedly, "Who knew you bought a luxury mansion; who knows if you'll keep two more concubines."

"Look, look, look at our sister's awareness."

Li Xuewu said very disappointedly, "Don't ask, it must be that you, the brother, didn't set a good example for our sister."

Huang Gan didn't take Li Xuewu's bait and said with disdain, "Forget it, you've always had a petty style, scolding both Wang Zheng and me at once."

"Exactly!"

Wang Zheng fiddled with the radio in the car and said indignantly, "I've finally seen you for who you are; you're the same mold as my brother, a bad guy."

"Hey, you've wounded friendly forces!"

Huang Gan said dissatisfiedly to the back, then turned to Li Xuewu and asked, "Where are we arranging lunch? There aren't many opportunities to slaughter you."

Li Xuewu turned his head to look at the back seat and said, "There are two ladies in the car; we have to listen to the opinions of the female comrades."

"I don't care."

Wang Xiaoqin said with a smile, "The leader is treating; wherever he says is where we go."

Li Xuewu privately called Wang Xiaoqin "Big Sister," while Wang Xiaoqin called Li Xuewu "Leader"; this was also a manifestation of their relationship.

Mutual respect is the necessary condition for maintaining a relationship.

Wang Zheng figured out the radio, held the headset to her ear to listen, and said casually, "I don't care either, as long as there's meat."

"Hey, what a 'don't care'."

Li Xuewu turned to look at Huang Gan and said, "I remember you've been eating vegetarian lately, right?"

"I'm not a monk; what kind of vegetarian am I eating?"

Huang Gan wouldn't fall for Li Xuewu's trap and pointed to the Kaorouji (Roast Meat Season) ahead, saying, "There, there, there, let's go eat roast meat."

"I knew you'd eat back the ticket price."

Li Xuewu turned the steering wheel and drove onto the curb in front of the roast meat shop, ignoring the waiter gesturing at the entrance, and braked to a stop in the open space at the door.

"Bullshit, he's eating my ticket price!"

Wang Zheng, who pushed open the car door and got out, emphasized the significance of this roast meat meal, while Li Xuewu was already gesturing with the waiter.

"Comrade, we can't park here."

"Leaving right away."

Li Xuewu replied casually, looked into the shop, and asked, "Is your manager here? He told me to come."

The waiter looked at Li Xuewu suspiciously and asked, "Do you know what our manager's name is?"

This waiter was also a bit short; Li Xuewu looked down and chuckled, "You're new? You're asking me what your manager's name is?"

After speaking, he didn't wait for the waiter to answer and slipped inside.

The waiter took two quick steps and blocked Li Xuewu again, stiffening his neck, "Of course I know; I want to ask if you know."

Li Xuewu tilted his mouth amusedly and said, "Not only do I know your manager's name, I even know yours."

The waiter looked at Li Xuewu, who was walking inside, in a daze, "I don't seem to know you; how do you know me?"

Li Xuewu raised an eyebrow, and taking advantage of the waiter's daze, he had already pulled open the door and led the group inside.

The waiter was still waiting for Li Xuewu's answer, but a voice came from inside the door: "I know you're called 'Dead-End'."

"Hey!"

Hearing this, the waiter was about to open the door and chase inside, but saw that the group had already been led upstairs by a waiter.

"Pfft~"

Unable to find anyone to vent his anger on, the waiter had to spit at the jeep.

But looking at the unit name on the car door and the security sign on the back, he had to stop his muttering mouth.

One look at this car and he knew it wasn't a simple character; the person driving didn't look like a driver.

Don't doubt his eyes; in their line of work, their eyes are never bad.

This line of work is okay now, with no life-threatening danger, but in the early years, one wrong move and you'd get a slap in the face; two wrong moves and you'd lose your life.

Actually, Li Xuewu didn't want to come here either; he had a big argument with the manager here last time, and he was afraid the other party would settle scores later.

But it was a coincidence today; he asked when he went upstairs, and the manager wasn't there; he had gone out.

"Comrade, everything in our shop is 'civilized eating'; you just need to order meat and vegetables."

The waiter's attitude was also okay; he pointed to the grill in the middle of the tables and introduced the way of roasting meat to Li Xuewu and the others.

In the capital, there are many poor pretenses; eating roast meat is also divided into "civilized" and "martial."

Having the waiter roast it on the grill with side dishes and eggs and then serving it is called "civilized eating."

And having a grill on the table and roasting it yourself blindly is called "martial eating."

Why is it called that? You can tell from the introduction.

This thing still requires a bit of professionalism and proficiency; the waiter roasting it is, after all, more elegant.

And if you don't know how to roast it and just mess around, the meat is either undercooked or burnt.

Some people don't pay attention and burn the meat, set the grill on fire, almost commit self-immolation, and are all flustered and noisy—that's called "martial eating."

Huang Gan wasn't vague about wanting to slaughter Li Xuewu; he opened his mouth and ordered four jin of meat, and specifically instructed the waiter to give more fatty parts.

"Don't feel bad."

Huang Gan smiled and poked Li Xuewu, winking, "This meal isn't for nothing; we'll definitely keep your secret."

"I thank your ancestors for eight generations."

Li Xuewu curled his lips and poured wine for Big Sister Wang and Wang Zheng with fruit wine.

"You can't even keep the secret of the ticket price, and I'm supposed to count on you to keep my secret?"

After speaking, he ignored Huang Gan and said to Wang Zheng, "Little sister, isn't it just wanting to see ballet? I'll go find you some tickets later."

"Is it also the Central Ballet Troupe?"

It's no wonder Wang Zheng specifically asked about this troupe; ballet at this time isn't danced every day, nor is it performed all year round.

Like the rules of the drama troupe, if there are no accidents, a play is performed thirty or forty times a year; if it were danced every day, they'd be exhausted.

"Hehe, don't look for this 'Four-Eyes' Qi."

Li Xuewu smiled and said, "Is the Railway Art Troupe okay?"

"Alright, something is better than nothing."

Wang Zheng nodded in disappointment, but still raised her head and added, "Then I want two."

"Yo!"

Li Xuewu glanced at Wang Zheng, then looked at Huang Gan and said softly, "There's a situation!"

"No!"

Before Li Xuewu could successfully spread rumors, Wang Zheng explained herself, "I'm planning to go with my sister-in-law."

"I knew it!"

Huang Gan looked at his cousin dissatisfiedly and said, "So that's how you're corrupting your sister-in-law."

Li Xuewu smiled and patted Huang Gan's shoulder, saying, "Ms. Su's revolutionary stance isn't firm!"

The group laughed and ate the roast meat, and when they came out, they didn't see the waiter from the entrance earlier; they got in the car and rushed to the Public Security Brigade.

It was fine to come out a little early in the morning, but it wouldn't look good if they were late in the afternoon.

Li Xuewu dropped the people off at the Public Security Brigade, disbanded the group, handed the car to Han Jiankun, and took Sha Qizhi to Red Star Village.

According to the plan, he had to go to the Red Star Village training ground today to inspect the work.

The Red Star training ground didn't know when Li Xuewu would come; from the initial caution to the current habit, it was also a manifestation of progress and confidence.

The work at the training ground was indeed led well by Wei Tong; why else would they say "put people to their best use"?

Just based on Wei Tong's temperament, he would sooner or later cause trouble for Li Xuewu in the Security Department.

But putting him in the training ground was a different story; when it came to training, no amount of strictness or responsibility was too much.

Li Xuewu stood in the courtyard of the training ground, watching several teams conduct joint drills.

Especially the fresh blood of the Security Department that Li Xuewu was particularly concerned about; Xu Ning had picked out dozens of people, and there were still over three hundred left.

There were also thirty female comrades here, all eighteen or nineteen years old, training together with the young men.

"Let's see the horsemanship."

Li Xuewu was already satisfied with the tactical training of these teams, so he gave an instruction to Wei Tong beside him.

Wei Tong leaned over and reported, "Section Chief, the forty-plus horses sent the first time, including the ones brought from the frontier later, we only have less than eighty."

"You haven't been training?"

Li Xuewu had nothing to doubt about this number; it was what he had been striving for and operating, so how could he not know?

Wei Tong straightened his body and said, "We've been practicing all along, ready at any time."

Li Xuewu looked at Wei Tong and said, "Then what are you wasting words for?"

After speaking, he walked toward the canteen, giving Wei Tong time to prepare, and took the opportunity to check the food for the training personnel.

Compared to the city or the steel mill, the food on the mountain wasn't bad; including meat, the food here didn't lack much oil.

The 816 Regiment's canteen had always been run jointly with the training ground, and the training personnel shared the benefits of the army's food.

Of course, the meat and food produced on the mountain were also supplied to the canteen here first.

The intensity of the training was high; if the nutrition couldn't keep up, the progress of the training couldn't keep up.

It could be said that the five thousand yuan from Huaqing didn't earn much, only sixty or seventy percent profit.

And the most critical thing was that the firefighting he had always insisted on didn't generate any benefits; it just kept costing money.

But fortunately, the business of modifying cars made a lot of money, filling this big hole; otherwise, the Security Department's small treasury would have been running out of money.

When Li Xuewu came out of the canteen satisfied, the horse team had already been prepared at the training ground.

Li Xuewu knew how to ride a horse himself; he was an expert at inspecting this.

He walked to the side of the horse team, looked at the waists, backs, and legs of the training personnel, raised an eyebrow, and signaled Wei Tong to start the drill.

Actually, it was simple: four people in a team, performing drills in the large training ground according to assessment items such as training, jumping obstacles, emergency stops, and turning.

Li Xuewu watched very seriously; this was an important means for him to improve the image and mobile power of the Security Department.

Actually, Li Haide didn't care for Li Xuewu playing these flashy tricks, nor was he fooled by Li Xuewu introducing horsemanship training to the guesthouse.

He was just too lazy to argue with Li Xuewu; after all, Li Xuewu was responsible for these horses and the training ground.

And Li Xuewu was really good at writing; the reports he submitted were written so beautifully that there was no excuse to refute him.

"Section Chief."

Wei Tong walked to Li Xuewu's side and, seeing Li Xuewu watching the horsemanship training, couldn't help but ask, "We've been training for some days, and this batch will graduate this month."

"What's wrong?"

Li Xuewu looked at Wei Tong with slanted eyes and said, "Had enough of staying here?"

"No."

Wei Tong was now the person in charge of the training ground and was having a great time here; how could he think of going back?

However, he hesitated and asked, "Is the horse team currently training just this batch, or will there be more in the future?"

Li Xuewu took the binoculars and watched the movements of the training personnel in the distance, replying, "I'll leave you thirty horses for this batch; the next batch coming for training will also include this project."

After speaking, he put down the binoculars and said to Wei Tong, "I'll give you a task: I don't care about these thirty horses, but you have to prepare forage for the fifty-plus horses that were moved down the mountain."

"Understood."

Wei Tong obeyed Li Xuewu's orders unconditionally; this forage wasn't difficult in Red Star Village; just organize people to cut dry grass before autumn on the mountain.

This big wild mountain had nothing else, but there was plenty of wild grass.

And the village also had corn stalks and such that could be made into silage; with the support of the mountain and the village, raising livestock wasn't difficult.

Li Xuewu threw the binoculars in his hand to Wei Tong, and while walking back, said, "I'll give you another half a month; these people will go down the mountain, so you prepare for the next phase of training."

"Yes, guarantee to complete the task."

Wei Tong promised, and seeing Li Xuewu get into the command vehicle, asked, "Section Chief, are you not watching anymore?"

"Not watching anymore; I have things to do back there."

Li Xuewu looked at his watch; he had inspected for over two hours, which was enough, and he had also held a small meeting with Yin Mancang and the person in charge of the 816 Regiment stationed here.

Because several mine shafts had been developed and utilized purposefully, they were now starting to generate benefits.

Whether it was mushrooms or lightless vegetables, they didn't take long to cultivate.

Animal husbandry in the mountains was proceeding in an orderly manner; because this year was the first year, except for pigs being fattened and slaughtered, other cattle and sheep were mainly for breeding.

Before Xu Ning transferred the fire brigade and firefighting facilities down the mountain, he had already helped the 816 Regiment open fish ponds behind the mountain and cleared the access channels.

It had to be said, the combination of bulldozers and excavators with large trucks, supplemented by manpower, was highly efficient.

The fish ponds connected to the mountain stream didn't need to be stocked with fry; at this time, it was believed that where there was water, there were fish.

When Li Xuewu was inspecting, he was thinking that he could let go and plan a big game this year.

Fruit trees had already been planted on the slopes of the fish ponds, but it was a waste this year; it would be good to see benefits in two or three years.

When going down the mountain, Sha Qizhi praised the effect of the road repairs, but only praised half of it, because most of the roads were still very difficult to walk.

It was already past five o'clock when they arrived at the steel mill, and they were about to get off work, but they received a document from the factory office.

Li Xuewu looked at it, and it was indeed something Li Haide had instructed: respond to the organization's call, deeply study the spirit of the current documents, launch a great study, great discussion activity, and so on.

"Is this the leader's nth time issuing a document?"

"Maybe Vice Factory Director Li attaches great importance to it."

Regarding Li Xuewu's question, Sha Qizhi found it hard to answer, so he used a less firm tone to reply.

Li Xuewu put the document in his hand on the table, took a puff of his cigarette, narrowed his eyes, and said, "If I keep blocking it, will the leader come to my door and pull my ears?"

Sha Qizhi smiled but still didn't answer this life-or-death question.

The Section Chief had a good relationship with Vice Factory Director Li, so it didn't matter how they joked, but he was just a clerk and didn't dare to joke about the Vice Factory Director, even if the Section Chief started it.

"Forget it."

Li Xuewu took the document in his hand, found a fountain pen, unscrewed it, and signed it.

"Tell Section Chief De Cai to start with their section first, and give me a detailed propaganda and study plan, combined with the Party Committee's study documents; don't mess it up for me."

"Yes."

Sha Qizhi took the document and prompted, "Should you give Vice Factory Director Li a call, or meet him to report on the work?"

He was also doing this out of kindness; the Logistics Department had already launched propaganda and discussions vigorously, and the Dispatch Department was also passively executing this work.

Only the Security Department, after the previous two documents came down, Li Xuewu sat firmly on the fishing platform and didn't sign at all.

Today, the third study order was received; Li Xuewu couldn't block it anymore even if he wanted to.

Sha Qizhi also knew that these empty things occupied too much working time and also brought trouble to the organization work of the section.

But the leader's orders couldn't be ignored; some things were better said openly.

Li Xuewu took a puff of his cigarette, waved his hand, and said, "No need to say this; get busy with your work."

"Yes."

Seeing that Li Xuewu had thought it through, Sha Qizhi turned and walked out of the office.

Li Xuewu sat back in his chair and looked toward the main office building; he was intentionally blocking Li Haide.

It wasn't that he wanted to oppose Li Haide, nor was he against Li Haide's work, but doing this would definitely trigger more serious consequences.

Now Yang Yuansong supported Li Haide, and the suppression of the dominant Yang Fengshan was obvious.

But organization work had always been the responsibility of the Party Committee; for a Vice Factory Director to raise a big flag and engage in organization study work, wasn't that like putting the saddle on the wrong horse?

It was already bad enough; why look for trouble and offend all the leaders?

However, Li Xuewu felt that what he could think of, Li Haide could also think of, and Yang Yuansong and Yang Fengshan could think of even more.

Blocking it these two times was enough to show his attitude; next, let the Comprehensive Office take the lead and carry out this work bit by bit, which could be considered giving an explanation.

Don't look at Li Haide as the supervisor of the Security Department, but no matter how they fight or compete, the Security Department cannot be chaotic, and the stance cannot be crooked.

Li Xuewu had always emphasized that the Security Department Section Chief could have a political stance, but the Security Department must not have "thoughts" and must strictly exercise power and obligations in accordance with relevant laws and regulations.

The song "Unity is Strength" came from the radio again, but in the face of the tense upper-level relations in the steel mill, it seemed a bit ironic.

Li Xuewu even suspected that the station master of the radio station had eaten a bear's heart and leopard's gall, playing hints here.

However, not hearing Yu Haitang read the news draft today, especially not reading the Security Department's news draft, Li Xuewu felt inexplicably relaxed.

Sigh~ being handsome and talented is also a burden.

Smoking a small cigarette, leaning back in his chair, listening to the bell for getting off work, Li Xuewu felt inexplicably at ease.

When Sha Qizhi came back and packed up the documents, Li Xuewu finally ended this state of wandering outside the world.

"Did I not collect my salary last month?"

When Li Xuewu stood up, he suddenly remembered that he didn't seem to have collected his salary this month, so he couldn't help but turn to look at Sha Qizhi.

Sha Qizhi smiled bitterly and said, "You were in a meeting that day; after the meeting, we went to the branch bureau, and then we were busy for two days, so I didn't collect it either."

"No problem."

Li Xuewu smiled, patted Sha Qizhi's arm, and said, "Tomorrow morning, we'll come to the factory first, and you go to the Finance Department to collect mine as well."

As he spoke, he touched his pocket and said, "Having no money in my pocket always makes me feel like something is missing."

Sha Qizhi smiled and curled his lips behind him; he didn't believe the Section Chief was living on his salary.

Having been with Li Xuewu for so many days, he also knew Li Xuewu's status in the row-house rooms; others might not know, but he could see the food in the row-house rooms every morning.

With so many people, not to mention anything else, just the grain alone—how much must they consume?

When Li Xuewu walked out of the office with Sha Qizhi, it was already a long time past the time to get off work.

Passing by the large office, he found the door was still open, so Li Xuewu couldn't help but glance inside.

With this glance, he discovered a head buried in work at a desk in the corner.

Sha Qizhi followed Li Xuewu and glanced into the room, whispering to Li Xuewu, "It's the newcomer, Zhou Yao."

Li Xuewu nodded, turned, and walked out; once they were far from the office, he said, "She's been here for so long, so stop calling her the newcomer."

"Yes."

Sha Qizhi replied, the corners of his mouth slightly raised, also happy for this little girl who was assigned to the Security Department, insisted on being herself, and was diligent and willing to work.

He was often not in the large office and had no understanding of the three new university students.

At first, Zhou Yao gave him the feeling of not being able to speak and being relatively introverted.

But after this recent incident, in the few times he had contact with her, he discovered the resilient side of this little girl.

Being able to get a word of emphasis from Li Xuewu, Zhou Yao's hard work these days wasn't in vain.

The facts were indeed so; in the following days, Li Xuewu would observe the situation in the office whenever he passed by the large office.

The leader's attention is more important than achieving results in work.

"Qingming doesn't have a holiday either; there are only those two days of rest all year round."

Saturday morning is the busiest time for the agency, because the next day is a rest day, and everyone is thinking about finishing the work on hand quickly so they can slack off in the afternoon.

Except for important duty departments, attendance management on Saturday afternoon isn't that strict.

However, today is Qingming Festival, so there are always people who have to nag a few words.

Someone smiled and said: "Qingming Festival, a festival for the dead; the living always have to work, right?"

Yu Haitang was on her way to the Propaganda Department to submit documents and curled her lips when she heard the discussion in the office.

She wasn't interested in the discussion topics of these middle-aged and elderly women; she was a progressive youth.

However, a voice that followed made her stop in her tracks, and her face began to turn ugly.

"Hey, have you heard? The broadcaster from the radio station is rushing to..." ===== CHAPTER 535 =====