Chapter 653: The A-Plan

The idle chatter at noon didn't amount to much; everyone was probing each other, all putting on a show of being profound.

Li Xuewu wasn't in a hurry. The number of toads in this pond was limited; he'd know who could croak and who couldn't when the time came.

Back at the office, Li Xuewu received a call from the archives. He had no idea how this Director Zhang had found his number, but the voice on the line said they needed to talk.

Li Xuewu didn't take the bait, saying he was busy and didn't have time to go over, and that they should ask Political Commissar Wang Xiaoqin to talk to him instead—it was all the same.

Director Zhang was also having a hard time; Li Xuewu was impervious to reason, and Wang Xiaoqin wouldn't yield an inch. This work was impossible to do.

When they arrived at work this morning, they discovered some comrades were entering and exiting through the windows because the entire building entrance was blocked by a pile of sand.

What was even more infuriating was that the passageway the security team had shoveled out with iron shovels yesterday had been restored, and the sand pile was piled high.

If this continued, they wouldn't need to use the windows; they could just climb the sand pile, get onto the second-floor rain awning, and use it directly as steps.

Good grief, the first floor had become a basement; only in a mountain city could things be left like this.

He had indeed appealed to those above, but those above were also in a difficult position now and had no time to deal with this matter; their "Great Learning" and "Great Discussion" campaigns weren't going well enough, and they needed to keep working on them.

Good grief, the newly formed working group had gone all out, focusing their efforts on fields related to culture and art.

The archives were the same; such units had many branch organizations, where people were idle, staff was bloated, and they held the mouthpiece of public opinion.

Just within Li Xuewu's knowledge, there were three newspaper offices operating in that building.

At this time, the management of newspapers and periodicals was also very vague; every unit had its own newspaper organization.

When the cultural level of various social strata presented a top-tier advantage, it was inevitable that situations involving the control of public opinion would arise.

Li Xuewu very much did not want to see this point; he wouldn't interfere with other places, nor did he have the ability to.

But within his scope of management, such dangerous signs could not be allowed to appear.

At this time, Li Xuewu's insistence on clearing out the east courtyard building also had reasons others didn't know.

In other words, no matter who Director Zhang found, Li Xuewu's attitude would not change.

The dormitory building was urgent, but not *that* urgent, because the newly selected security brigade members all had to be sent to the mountains for unified collective training.

Could they take shape in less than three months?

Never mind three months; as long as this first gust of wind didn't stop, he wouldn't let these people come down from the mountain.

As future seeds, they should just honestly practice on the mountain.

The building here was mainly to be reclaimed for the existing team members to live in, while simultaneously relieving some of the residential pressure on the 816th Regiment here.

The two units were getting along very harmoniously now; they ate together, trained together, worked in the same compound, and had unified security management.

If they all lived together, the relationship between them would surely be even more harmonious.

He didn't know if the people from the 816th Regiment had seen through Li Xuewu's intentions, but the last time Qi Yaowu had talked to Li Xuewu, there had been a hint of that meaning.

Li Xuewu was the type to calculate ten steps for every one he took; he wouldn't make a move lightly, and every move he made had a purpose.

Rejecting Director Zhang's call, Li Xuewu stayed busy until past five in the afternoon, set a time, and left work early.

Today's schedule was truly chaotic, and there were many things to do; Li Xuewu really didn't want to go out for social engagements in the evening, but since Lou's father had invited him, he couldn't refuse.

When the command vehicle arrived home, the gate was half-open, and Qin Jingru was holding a bundle of tree branches, just about to enter the courtyard.

Seeing Li Xuewu get out of the car, Qin Jingru glanced into the courtyard with some alarm.

"Old lady, is it already past six?"

"Not yet~"

The old lady also saw Li Xuewu get out of the car and said, "I just came out of the room; it's only past five, isn't it? Why did you get off work so early?"

"I have something to do tonight, so I left early."

Li Xuewu greeted Sha Qizhi, picked up his bag, and entered the courtyard.

At this moment, Gu Ning also walked out of the room, raised an eyebrow, and looked at Li Xuewu; she seemed to have heard Li Xuewu say he was going out just now.

"Oh, who is this little flower cat?"

Seeing Li Shu's face and clothes covered in dirt, Li Xuewu smiled and teased his daughter.

Seeing Li Shu smiling with her little teeth showing, he raised his head and said to the old lady and the others, "Don't prepare my meal tonight; there's a gathering at the club."

After saying this, he stood up, smiled at Gu Ning, and went into the room.

Gu Ning looked back at Li Xuewu, wondering what kind of gathering this was again.

The old lady gestured toward the upstairs and said to Gu Ning, "Go find some clothes; you've been wearing those all day."

"Oh."

Gu Ning also knew the old lady was giving her an out to let her go upstairs, so she responded and went into the room.

Upstairs, Li Xuewu picked up his handbag, intending to go to the study to find the proposal he had discussed with Lou's father last time; he had also written an opinion on the Hong Kong matter himself, and this was a perfect time to show it to Lou's father.

But just as he was about to enter the study, he saw a jewelry box sitting on the bookshelf; this box looked a bit like the one he had taken off the car this morning.

Wait! It's a trap!

Li Xuewu's steps turned, he placed his handbag on the small living room tea table, and entered the master bedroom.

After Gu Ning went upstairs, she looked at the handbag on the tea table and glanced at the study, but heard movement in the master bedroom.

"Xiao Ning?"

"Hmm."

Gu Ning heard Li Xuewu's voice coming from the inner room and stepped into the bedroom.

At this moment, Li Xuewu was shirtless, poking half his body out of the walk-in closet to look; seeing it was only Gu Ning, he walked out.

"Perfect, help me find a more formal outfit, or just work clothes will do."

After saying this, he didn't wait for Gu Ning to speak and had already gone to the bathroom.

Gu Ning curled her lip and found a black-and-white outfit for Li Xuewu from the closet.

When she came out, she heard Li Xuewu say to her from the bathroom, "Help me find a document marked 'Plan A' in the drawer under the desk; I'll need it in a moment."

"Got it."

Gu Ning responded, not knowing if Li Xuewu could hear her voice; in any case, his voice just now had been intermittent.

With the splashing sound of the shower and the soundproofing in the bathroom, Gu Ning barely heard him clearly.

Walking out of the master bedroom and into the study, she searched the desk drawer and couldn't help but twitch the corner of her mouth when she saw the "Plan A" label.

What a lousy name~

She had no interest in opening it to look; sometimes after dinner, he would sit in the study writing this stuff in a daze.

Li Xuewu was a security cadre, also a public security cadre, and had started a recycling station with his childhood friends at home, and now he had started a club without anyone knowing when.

Gu Ning knew a little about Li Xuewu's affairs, but only very superficial things.

The recycling station was right in the Sihe Academy, but Gu Ning had never once asked about it, nor had she shown any concern.

She only guessed that Li Xuewu probably had a stake in the recycling station based on the attitudes of the people in the Sihe Academy and the fact that Li Xuewu often went there to discuss matters.

As for the rest, she knew very little, and was even somewhat indifferent.

She was a doctor and only cared about her work; once home, she only wanted to be with her family.

Whether Li Xuewu had many friends or a lot of money had no meaning to Gu Ning.

Gu Ning's salary was kept in the study drawer; Li Xuewu's wasn't, and she didn't ask where his money went.

Daily grocery shopping, electricity bills, water bills, etc., were all handled by Li Xuewu; when the time came, Li Xuewu would bring back rice and flour, and it had nothing to do with her.

Although the two had only been married for a month, they seemed to have a tacit understanding about money that had lasted for decades.

Looking at the "Plan A" in her hand, Gu Ning unconsciously looked at the red box on the bookshelf again.

She had glanced at it on her way just now; the box hadn't been moved, and Li Xuewu hadn't had time to come to the study.

Gu Ning thought for a moment, stuffed the document back in, and casually pushed the drawer shut.

The sound of water in the bathroom continued; Gu Ning stood at the door, knocked, raised her volume, and said, "I couldn't find the document. Someone is calling me downstairs; you'll have to find it yourself."

"Huh? Got it~"

Li Xuewu's shower was quick; it was just a rinse, and when he came out, clothes were already prepared on the bed.

He glanced toward the study—no one there—and poked his head out to look outside the door—no one there either.

Faintly hearing Gu Ning's voice downstairs, Li Xuewu twitched the corner of his mouth, his eyes squinting like a little fox.

After drying off and changing into clean clothes, Li Xuewu licked his lips and entered the study with a mischievous smile.

He glanced at the jewelry box on the bookshelf and walked over to the desk.

Opening the drawer, Li Xuewu rummaged around; the document was right there.

Hmph hmph~

So you like playing this game, huh~

Li Xuewu rummaged through his hand with a mischievous smile; there had been many good things confiscated in Steel City, so he picked out a phoenix hairpin and found a gift box to put it in.

He walked to the front of the bookshelf, chuckled mischievously, and placed the gift box next to the jewelry box.

As for the position, he found a corner of the wood grain and shifted it slightly diagonally.

After moving it like this, when putting it back, people usually aligned it with the front corner and ignored the back one.

After setting it down, Li Xuewu took a step back, looked at it, smiled, turned, and left the study.

Downstairs, Gu Ning was sitting on the sofa chatting with the old lady, as if she were deliberately waiting for Li Xuewu.

Seeing Li Xuewu come downstairs, she rarely stood up and took the initiative to greet him: "Did you find the document?"

"Yeah, it was pressed underneath."

Li Xuewu smiled, gestured to the document in his hand, and then smiled and made a face at his daughter.

Gu Ning watched Li Xuewu walk to the foyer to change his shoes, raised an eyebrow, and couldn't help but glance upstairs.

The old lady also felt that Gu Ning was somewhat unusual today; she had rarely chatted with her just now and had said a lot.

Could it be because Gu Ning's mother had just left, and she was feeling somewhat unadjusted?

This unusual behavior continued; when Li Xuewu drove the car away and the sound of the car faded, Gu Ning, who had just been chatting with her, said she wanted to go upstairs to take a look.

"The clothes he changed out of are still upstairs, and the bathroom must not be cleaned up yet."

Gu Ning also noticed the old lady's surprised look and explained somewhat embarrassedly.

Seeing the old lady nod, she slowed her pace and climbed the stairs as normally as possible.

After turning the corner, she hurried upstairs.

She had calculated that Li Xuewu would move that box and try on that watch, and perhaps he would have swapped out the pair they bought together, after all, the one in the box looked better.

Or perhaps Li Xuewu had seen it and hadn't moved it, but the probability of that was very low.

The reason he hadn't moved it could be that he hadn't seen it, or he had been in a hurry to leave and had overlooked it.

When Gu Ning saw that Li Xuewu hadn't touched the box after going upstairs just now, she had calculated various possibilities in her heart.

Walking to the second floor with a nervous heart, compared to her earlier urgency, her footsteps were slower now.

One step, two steps...

When Gu Ning walked into the small living room, turned past the moon gate, and looked toward the bookshelf...

"Mmm~~~~~"

Gu Ning was so surprised she almost bit her own tongue!

What had she seen!

There had clearly been only one box there, how had another one appeared!

Did it have babies?

Of course not, it must have been Li Xuewu who put it there.

But why did he put another one there, when he had clearly seen this box.

Gu Ning stepped into the study, went to the front of the bookshelf, and carefully looked at the jewelry box she had placed there; there were no traces of it having been moved.

She went to look at the one Li Xuewu had placed; it seemed to have been placed casually, unlike her careful placement, and the edge of the box wasn't aligned with the wood grain either.

Gu Ning frowned slightly, looking at this box, and began to struggle.

What did he mean by this?

Did he know what she meant?

Was the one he put there a gift for her?

What if there was a trap or something else in the box?

If she moved the box, would it...

"Forget it~"

Gu Ning couldn't suppress the curiosity in her heart and reached out to grab the box.

But just as her hand was about to touch the box, she stopped, because she seemed to have seen something.

Tilting her head, slightly turning her face, she saw the corner of the box seemed to align with the fold of a wood grain.

"Heh~ Childish~"

Gu Ning's mouth curled slightly, her eyes unconsciously squinting like Li Xuewu's, as if she had caught Li Xuewu.

Standing in front of the bookshelf, she smiled secretly to herself, thinking that since Li Xuewu had made one, based on his personality, there would definitely be more than just this one.

Gu Ning turned around, moved the armchair from in front of the desk, placed it in front of the bookshelf, then stood on the armchair holding the bookshelf, poked her head out, and observed the box from all angles.

"Good, this guy has so many tricks up his sleeve~"

Gu Ning muttered softly; although her words were full of reproach, the triumph at the corner of her mouth still overflowed.

Aiming for the diagonal position, Gu Ning reached out and picked up the gift box.

Stepping off the armchair, she walked back to the desk, gently opened the lid, and her eyes were immediately fixed on the phoenix hairpin inside.

The lighting in the second-floor study was very good, otherwise, it couldn't have served as a study.

The sunset shone in, spilling onto the gift box, and the golden hairpin inside was even more dazzling.

"This... why would this person send something like this~"

Gu Ning wasn't a person who craved money, nor was she a vain person who liked to compare; she just liked the unique, elegant, and beautiful design of this phoenix hairpin, with the phoenix eyes on the hairpin head looking like they were studded with gems.

In the sunset, the red light shone in, and this phoenix hairpin seemed to come alive.

Gu Ning pursed her lips, her eyes full of joy but not dazed; this person knew her preferences.

She had a head of beautiful hair, and this hairpin would definitely look very pretty on her, but it was a bit too conspicuous.

At this time, who would go out on the street wearing gold and silver jewelry so brightly? Never mind that she was a doctor; even for a normal housewife, the most would be a gold ring or silver bracelet.

Gu Ning felt both happy that Li Xuewu knew and understood her, and blamed him for spending money recklessly on such a valuable item.

She blamed him even more for deliberately teasing her and placing a box next to that box—what did that mean anyway~

Gu Ning pouted, huffed, put the phoenix hairpin back, and prepared to put the box back on the bookshelf.

But after thinking about it, she smirked, took the hairpin out again, sealed the empty box, stood on the armchair, and restored the box to its original position.

After putting it back, Gu Ning pursed her lips and giggled, took one more look, hummed, and moved the armchair back in front of the desk.

But when she went to take that hairpin, she discovered a hair on the desk, right where she had been looking at the gift box just now.

How could there be a hair here?

And it was clearly not hers; judging by the length, it was Li Xuewu's.

Qin Jingru usually cleaned this study, and the desk was wiped every day, so there would absolutely not be any hair left here.

And Li Xuewu hadn't read here since he returned; he had only passed by to find the document in the drawer opposite, so how could he have dropped a hair here.

He had just finished showering!

It must have been inside the gift box, but she had been too busy looking at the hairpin just now; where had the hair been placed?

Gu Ning stared at the hair on the table, dumbfounded, then felt somewhat ashamed and annoyed, reaching out to sweep the hair onto the floor, as if she were dealing with Li Xuewu himself.

Glaring hard at the hair on the floor, Gu Ning took the hairpin and walked toward the bookshelf angrily.

"Hmph~ I'm not playing anymore!"

This was just too bullying~

She had only set one trap, and he had not only put one in front and one behind, but also put a hair in the box!

Who are you guarding against! Who are you bullying!

How can this guy have so many tricks!

Gu Ning took both boxes off the bookshelf and stuffed them all into the cabinet under the bookshelf.

Looking at the hairpin in her hand again, she still couldn't bear to put it away with the others, turned, and walked toward the master bedroom, stomping her foot hard as she passed the hair.

"Sss~~~"

Li Xuewu couldn't help but be surprised when he heard Lou's father's words.

"I don't have any definite news, but are you sure they did this?"

Lou's father looked at Li Xuewu, didn't answer the question, but lowered his head and drank another glass of wine.

Li Xuewu spread his right hand, paused, saw Lou's sister's resentful look, and explained: "I was just somewhat surprised, I didn't mean to doubt you."

"I understand, I felt somewhat helpless when I heard it too."

Lou's father picked up the wine bottle to pour himself a drink, but it was snatched away by Lou's sister, who also glared at her father.

"If you want to drink, you have to wait until we've finished talking about the matter."

Lou's sister put the wine bottle down and advised: "Everyone has their own choices, and it has nothing to do with you, so why bother?"

"Sigh~"

Lou's father looked at the empty wine glass and sighed, then said: "They are all old friends of many years, how can you say it has nothing to do with me?"

"Ah, they chose this path themselves, so if the boat capsizes, they'll still blame you, won't they?"

Lou's sister angrily took the wine bottle, poured half a glass for her father, and seeing Li Xuewu looking at her, she also filled a glass for Li Xuewu.

"What kind of logic is that? When they came to you before, didn't you advise them and talk to them? They didn't listen, so can you tie them up with a rope?"

After saying this, she glared at Li Xuewu again and said: "Drink less, you still have to drive home later."

"Hmm."

Li Xuewu was obedient; since Lou's sister said not to drink, he drank the wine already poured in one gulp, then set it aside, indicating he wouldn't drink anymore.

Lou's father drank the wine in his glass, ate the dish his daughter had picked for him, nodded, and said: "It's all fate, you can't force it."

"Did the whole family get on the boat?"

Li Xuewu asked with his eyes drooping, and seeing Lou's father nod, he didn't say anything else.

Even inland rivers aren't necessarily calm, so how can one say there's peace on the ocean?

He didn't know where they had hired some amateur, but they dared to go out to sea in a fishing boat with so much family wealth; it would be a wonder if the boat didn't capsize.

Even if the boat didn't capsize, they wouldn't survive; those who dare to go to Hong Kong aren't exactly honest people.

This was the first thing Lou's father had told Li Xuewu tonight: an old friend had decided to move the whole family, and the destination was Hong Kong.

They didn't dare to take such a long railway line, and they couldn't move their belongings, so they chose to set off from Tianjin and follow the coast to Hong Kong.

If this journey went fast, they could arrive in less than a month; going to Hong Kong was better than living in constant fear in Beijing.

Listening to this, Li Xuewu thought this person was also someone who dared to fight; he was truly gambling the lives of his whole family for wealth.

If they survived and established themselves in Hong Kong, they would have glory and wealth; if they didn't survive, the whole family would be on the road together.

Perhaps he saw the situation clearly: if he was gone, his family wouldn't survive either, and they might even suffer.

The whole family had truly managed to be "neat and tidy" together.

This first topic didn't go smoothly, so they didn't actually drink much wine; it was just that Lou's father was somewhat emotional and sad, so it seemed like he had drunk more.

All three were somewhat silent, ate a few bites of food, and then Lou's sister explained: "It was also because of this matter that Uncle Ma and the others were somewhat panicked and came to my father to bring up the matter of money."

"Qian Cai?"

Li Xuewu raised his eyebrows, didn't say anything, used his chopsticks to pick up food, but his eyes looked at Lou's father.

Lou's father took over the conversation: "Just birds startled by the mere twang of a bow; they want to transfer their assets and came to me to discuss how to eliminate the influence while preserving themselves."

"Heh heh."

After saying this, Lou's father himself gave a bitter laugh, shook his head slightly, and said: "This isn't exactly asking the blind for directions, but it's still overestimating me."

Lou's sister looked at her father and said: "Uncle Ma and the others aren't very sincere; you can't be soft-hearted about this matter, just let them make a fuss."

After saying this, she explained to Li Xuewu: "My father had told them before that if their funds were convenient, they could pool them together, but they hid and dodged, very afraid that my father would cheat them."

"And they call themselves old friends~"

After finishing with Li Xuewu, she scolded her father again, then continued to explain to Li Xuewu: "On the contrary, the former business partners—the Zhao family, the Qi family, the Jin family, and the Hu family—sat down and talked and agreed."

Li Xuewu nodded knowingly; he knew, Lou's sister was talking about the fundraising from last time.

The families that pooled funds to build the bank didn't include the old friends that Lou's sister had followed to learn business.

These matters were all handled by Lou's father; Li Xuewu hadn't come forward, nor had he asked Lou's father.

Hearing this today, it seemed Lou's father had asked for their opinions before, but they hadn't agreed.

Bringing this matter up again today, it was no wonder Lou's sister was resentful, and Li Xuewu also understood Lou's father's concerns.

"You know about this."

Lou's father ignored his daughter's words and looked at Li Xuewu, saying: "They are now like headless flies buzzing around, still unable to find their way, but the situation is changing too fast."

Li Xuewu also understood and nodded, but didn't commit to anything.

Lou's father knew Li Xuewu's meaning and said: "Fundraising is naturally better with more money, and stability is the top priority; eggs can dance, but you can't smash them."

"They won't be smashed."

Li Xuewu put down his chopsticks, thought for a moment, and said: "This matter still needs to be looked at; without the determination to stake everything, there is no confidence to see the clouds part and see the moon; this matter cannot be rushed."

After saying this, he gestured toward Lou's sister and said: "Don't delay your studies; this matter has nothing to do with your studies."

"I know."

Lou's sister pursed her lips; she knew he cared about this and was afraid she wouldn't understand the business when she went out.

Lou's father didn't get Li Xuewu's answer and knew this matter could only be passively waited for until they came to him themselves; he couldn't even bring himself to remind them, because Li Xuewu wouldn't let people get on the boat randomly.

The reason he had brought up the capsized boat first was to gain some of Li Xuewu's sympathy.

He wasn't being overly sentimental, he just felt that within his ability, he should help where he could.

Li Xuewu was more rational than he was; although he hadn't directly denied it at the table, he hadn't given him any face either.

This wasn't a question of face; more money does more things, less money does less things.

This matter itself had a lot to do with trust; so much money was being handed over to him, then transferred to Hong Kong, to be managed by Lou's daughter.

Although they could offer advice from Beijing, they were ultimately separated by mountains and rivers.

Never mind whether it would make money, could they really recover this money in the future?

This matter was one-way; Lou's father only talked to people he could confirm, and even the Ma family only knew that he helped others manage the club.

And as for the money, Lou's father also spoke vaguely; people in the business world understood what they understood.

In his younger years, Lou's father was also a decisive person; in the business world, there were no fathers and sons, and there were countless people he had competed into bankruptcy.

Now that he was older, the people around him had also left or scattered, and even his family had scattered halfway.

The situation of his old friends was about the same as his; they had all been idle at home for more than a decade after the public-private partnership, and their fighting spirit had long since been worn away.

With one foot in the grave, the fact that they had the heart to toss and turn with Li Xuewu was all due to his unwillingness to accept the second half of his life.

By the end of the meal, Lou's father basically stopped talking, and let Lou's sister introduce the situation of these families to Li Xuewu.

Li Xuewu just listened without saying anything, and at the end, Lou's sister turned the topic to the club, and he didn't say much on that topic either.

As for these people, Li Xuewu would rather not have their money than let them ruin his affairs.

Even if these people had a friendship with Lou's father, Li Xuewu and Lou's father had long agreed that he would be the one in charge of the Hong Kong matter.

After the meal, Li Xuewu and Lou's sister saw Lou's father off, then drove Lou's sister home.

He only drove her to the alley entrance; Lou's sister didn't let him stay long because he had drunk alcohol, and she urged Li Xuewu to drive slowly.

Li Xuewu watched Lou's sister enter the courtyard and turn on the lights in the room before he drove away.

Because he hadn't drunk much and the matter had been discussed quickly, it was only nine o'clock when he got home.

Li Xuewu parked the car, entered the courtyard from the garage door, gestured to Qin Jingru who was standing in the foyer, and walked into the house.

Every time he came back late, Qin Jingru was the one waiting to open the door.

It was like she was guarding against thieves; she turned on the foyer light, held the door, and stood at the entrance looking out.

Li Xuewu had told her once: if there's something, turn on the light, and if you need to come out and look, just come out and look; don't worry about safety.

This girl seemed naturally timid and afraid of the dark; Li Xuewu's words hadn't worked.

The stick standing at the entrance was probably Qin Jingru's final line of defense; Li Xuewu was also afraid that if he came back without saying anything, she might give him a whack.

Therefore, every time he came out from the garage or entered from the main gate, he would cough or greet her as she stood at the entrance.

Don't say, if he really didn't say anything and walked into the house, this little rabbit would really dare to give him a whack.

"Have you eaten?"

Qin Jingru put her hands behind her back, placed the stick in her hand against the wall, and said to Li Xuewu: "If you haven't eaten, I'll go heat up some food for you."

"Don't bother, I've eaten."

Li Xuewu changed his shoes, shuffled in his slippers to look into the old lady's room, and seeing that his daughter and the old lady were both asleep, he didn't go in to disturb them.

Qin Jingru waited for Li Xuewu to go upstairs so she could turn off the light and return to her room, but she saw Li Xuewu turn to look at her.

"Tomorrow is Saturday."

"Huh?"

Qin Jingru was somewhat stunned; it was Saturday, so what?

Li Xuewu twitched the corner of his mouth, looked at this confused girl, and asked: "Aren't you going back with us?"

"Uh... do you need me to go?"

The muscles on Qin Jingru's face moved; the meaning in his words seemed to be that he wasn't very willing for her to go back.

Li Xuewu tilted his head and said: "It's been two weeks; your sister even asked me last week if I had sold you."

"That's impossible~"

Qin Jingru smiled brightly, waved her hand, and said: "You aren't that kind of person..."

She said this as a joke, but seeing that Li Xuewu wasn't smiling at all and was squinting at her, she stopped.

"It's the end of the month, go back and take a look."

Li Xuewu glanced at Qin Jingru, opened his handbag, took out three five-yuan bills, and handed them to Qin Jingru.

Qin Jingru widened her eyes, looking at Li Xuewu, full of confusion.

Why give so much? Didn't he usually give pocket money in small change?

"Salary."

"Oh, oh!"

Qin Jingru saw Li Xuewu's impatient glare and finally realized that she had a salary for working here.

She hurriedly reached out to take the money Li Xuewu handed over and smiled somewhat embarrassedly.

This was money she had earned through her own efforts!

Look!

A five-yuan bill!

Her family rarely came into contact with banknotes of this denomination, and this was the first time she had money of her own.

Li Xuewu looked at the happy Qin Jingru, took another one-yuan bill from his bag, handed it over, and said: "Remember to bring the chicken tomorrow."

"You don't need to give me that; that chicken was what I gave to Banggeng."

Qin Jingru saw Li Xuewu giving her money again, waved her hand, and said: "Isn't it only right for me to want two?"

Li Xuewu glanced at her, put the money in her hand, and said: "It was you who gave it to him, but he also raised the chicken for a month."

After saying this, he gestured to the one-yuan bill in her hand and said: "Tomorrow during the day, go buy something for your sister's family—candy, food, whatever—anyway, don't take things from people for nothing."

"I... I have my own money too."

Qin Jingru gestured to the money Li Xuewu had just given her and said: "I'll use my own for the gifts."

Li Xuewu didn't argue with her about this, and seeing her mention her own money, he raised an eyebrow and said: "Don't forget the share you owe your sister, and the share your sister lent to your father."

Qin Jingru's joy at receiving her first salary vanished; this money had just reached her hand, hadn't even warmed up yet, and it was already going to become someone else's.

She also knew that when her father and brother came to find her, her sister had taken money to give to her father.

She knew best what kind of life her sister's family had; they had taken her in, helped her stay in the city, and she had caused that trouble in the city.

Qin Jingru knew it all; she knew she owed her cousin, her father owed it, and her family owed it, and this money was something she should pay back.

Li Xuewu looked at her disappointed expression, pointed to the money in her hand, and said: "If you want to live easily and freely, you should truly put down your burdens and move forward without owing anyone anything."

"I..."

Qin Jingru just wanted to raise her head to say something, but saw that Li Xuewu had already walked upstairs.

These ten-plus yuan didn't mean much to Li Xuewu; Qin Jingru knew that Li Xuewu and Gu Ning both made money.

But she had never coveted this money; even when she was cleaning, she knew Gu Ning had the habit of keeping money in the desk drawer, but she had never touched it.

Qin Jingru knew that this wasn't Gu Ning testing her, but that Gu Ning simply had no defenses against her.

Li Xuewu didn't either; when he arranged for something delicious to eat, he didn't hide it from her.

Whatever dishes were on the table, everyone ate together; there was no letting her eat or not letting her eat.

Especially before going out every Saturday, Li Xuewu would give her pocket money; today's salary was not counted in that.

Qin Jingru was afraid of Li Xuewu, but at this moment, when Li Xuewu said these words to her, she respected Li Xuewu.

Having lived for so many years, tonight was the first time she had received a salary, and also the first time she had felt responsibility and burden.

Without responsibility and burden, there would be no growth, let alone ideals and a future.

Standing in the living room, Qin Jingru felt a clarity and excitement she had never felt before; at this moment, she felt she had grown up a lot.

Today she suddenly felt that she was integrating into this family, and that she was being cared for and paid attention to.

Although Li Xuewu still looked scary, he had never scolded her, severely reprimanded her, or treated her unfairly.

Just as her sister had said, if she wanted to stay in the city and didn't want to get married, the only person she could beg was Li Xuewu.

This person looked fierce, but was the kindest at heart; when getting along with him, don't play tricks, and don't talk nonsense.

Without realizing it, she had been here for a month; Qin Jingru looked at the moonlight outside the window, feeling that time passed quickly, yet it was fulfilling.

On the second floor, Li Xuewu entered the small living room on tiptoe, only to find the study light still on.

He thought Gu Ning was inside, but found only the light on and no one there.

Just like last time, she had turned on the study light to wait for him because she was afraid of the dark.

Li Xuewu pursed his lips and nodded, glanced at the dark master bedroom, and saw Gu Ning seemed to be sleeping on the bed.

Turning his head to look at the bookshelf, he found both boxes were gone and couldn't help but find it funny.

A little kid couldn't handle the game~

Li Xuewu put down his handbag with a mischievous smile, took off his clothes in the small living room, turned off the study light, and crept into the master bedroom.

He glanced at Gu Ning on the bed, got into bed in the dark, listened carefully to Gu Ning's breathing, and pounced on her with a mischievous smile.

"Ah! Mmm~"

"Heh heh, still pretending to be asleep with me~"

Li Xuewu hugged Gu Ning with a mischievous smile, looking at Gu Ning's black eyes in the dark.

Gu Ning pursed her lips, glared at him without saying a word, but held the quilt tightly, not letting Li Xuewu move.

How could Li Xuewu let her have her way? He smiled, leaned over, looked down at Gu Ning, and asked: "Did you learn to be bad?"

"You"

Gu Ning glared at Li Xuewu and said: "You're the one who learned to be bad."

"Nonsense!"

Li Xuewu raised an eyebrow and said: "Do I need to learn?"

"You! ~"

Gu Ning pushed Li Xuewu hard and scolded: "You're bullying me!"

"That's a wrongful accusation."

Li Xuewu stopped his hand, looked at Gu Ning, and asked: "Tell me, how have I been bullying you?"

"You're just bullying me."

Because it was dark and they were in the bedroom, Gu Ning seemed to have gained the courage to resist.

She had heard Li Xuewu's car enter the street, so she hurriedly put away her books and ran to the bed to lie down.

But she never expected Li Xuewu to eavesdrop on her breathing frequency; wasn't this playing dirty!

"I'm going to tell Mom."

Gu Ning glared at Li Xuewu and said: "Tell her you're bullying me."

"Sure, has my mother-in-law arrived?"

Li Xuewu grabbed Gu Ning's hand, hugged her, and rolled over onto the bed.

This time it was Gu Ning on top and Li Xuewu on the bottom.

Gu Ning knew she couldn't resist, so she gave up, looked at Li Xuewu, and said: "I meant Mother-in-law."

After emphasizing this, she thought of something, pursed her lips, and smiled: "Mom called and said Dad saw the letter we wrote, and Li Shu's painting."

"Oh?"

Li Xuewu looked at Gu Ning in surprise and asked: "Does Dad have this artistic talent too? Can he understand our daughter's painting?"

"Hmph~"

Gu Ning huffed, then smiled and said: "Dad said it was painted very well, very pretty, and had his secretary find a frame for it and put it on his desk."

"Heh heh, so Dad is an art connoisseur after all."

Li Xuewu chuckled: "I saw it long ago; our daughter definitely has Picasso's talent, and will definitely be a representative of abstract art in the future."

Gu Ning wrinkled her nose at Li Xuewu and said: "She can't learn from that madman; a painter isn't as good as a doctor, healing the wounded and rescuing the dying..."

"Stop! ~"

Hearing that his wife actually hoped Li Shu would study medicine, Li Xuewu couldn't help but call a halt: "As for being a doctor, I still don't suggest our daughter study it; healing the wounded and rescuing the dying... is it possible that these are all things she caused to others..."

Gu Ning also remembered Li Shu smashing things and liking to shout "Hit!", and couldn't help but smile and hit Li Xuewu.

"She's still young, she'll grow up."

"She's like this when she's small, won't she be even more ruthless when she's big?"

Li Xuewu raised an eyebrow, looked at his wife, and said: "How about letting her study orthopedics? I heard that you orthopedic doctors use adzes, chisels, axes, and saws, and swing big hammers and such."

"No~"

Hearing Li Xuewu describe it so cruelly, Gu Ning couldn't help but explain for the orthopedic doctors: "Where would there be big hammers!"

"Then it's small hammers! And adzes, chisels, axes, and saws!"