Chapter 655

"Wu Ge, I need a word with you."

Shen Guodong stood at the doorway and beckoned to Li Xuewu, who was inside the room, while smiling at Li Shun.

Li Shun merely nodded; he didn't think Shen Guodong could have any urgent business with his second son.

They all lived in the same courtyard; it wasn't like when they were kids, where they might climb walls and cause trouble.

Li Xuewu stepped out of the room, and Shen Guodong leaned in close to whisper, "Ye Ye Erye is looking for you. It's about the old items."

"Where is he?"

"In the Bai Bai Xiyuan."

Shen Guodong gestured, then walked with Li Xuewu toward the Bai Bai Xiyuan. As they walked, he explained, "Before you got back, an old man came by, holding an incense burner, and found Ye Ye Erye. I don't know what was said, but Ye Ye Erye has been waiting for you."

"Hmm."

Li Xuewu nodded. The seeds planted at the beginning of the month should be sprouting by now.

It wasn't time for them to bloom and bear fruit yet, but perhaps some clever little devils were popping up here and there.

Sure enough, when they reached the Bai Bai Xiyuan, the lights in the storefront were still on, though the door panels had already been put up.

The room selling furniture was locked, and only the scrap recycling side had people talking inside.

Ye Ye Erye, Grandfather, and Yang Erhai were there.

Once Li Xuewu entered, Shen Guodong leaned against the doorway and didn't go inside.

Ye Ye Erye didn't speak first; he took an incense burner from under the cement counter and placed it gently on the surface.

Li Xuewu glanced at Ye Ye Erye, then turned his gaze to the object on the counter.

After just one look, Li Xuewu stopped staring and nodded, asking Ye Ye Erye, "Forget about now; even in the Republican era, or even the Qing Dynasty, they made tons of these damn things. It's not worth looking at."

After saying this, he took a cigarette from his pocket to light for Ye Ye Erye and Grandfather. After lighting his own, he tossed the pack to Shen Guodong at the door.

Once everyone had taken a puff, Li Xuewu continued, "I won't even mention the later ones; even going back further, the late Ming Dynasty produced plenty of imitations, still bearing the Xuande mark."

"You recognize it?"

Ye Ye Erye looked at Grandfather with some surprise, but Grandfather remained silent, his expression unchanged.

Grandfather was certain he had taught Li Xuewu carpentry, but the only thing Li Xuewu used well now was a hammer.

Forget about craftsmanship; Li Xuewu couldn't even judge wood correctly. He was a complete amateur, not even as good as Ge Lin.

And Grandfather only knew carpentry; he knew nothing about bronze ware or antiques.

Li Xuewu held the cigarette in his mouth, reached out, grabbed the burner from the counter, and checked the bottom. Sure enough, it was the famous Xuande burner.

Then he looked inside the furnace...

Hmm~

It even had traces of incense ash; they had really made it look the part.

But that didn't prove anything. In later generations, people who got swindled by these things were almost blinded by them.

There were more burners calling themselves "Xuande" than there were burners actually made at the time.

Inherited, found by luck, or from the antique market—the peddlers could tell a dozen versions of a story for free, all of which would make you listen and say it was good.

Even if Li Xuewu looked at it now, he wouldn't dare to verify it, because everyone knew it was a good item, and people had been making pirated versions since early on.

And it was the official government making them openly at the time, because the person who loved this burner was Kangxi.

Of course, there's no need to introduce this person; one can't introduce him like Kobe—surname Ke, given name Bi—right?

This old gentleman not only had the Imperial Workshop imitate them but also added design elements from the time, so people who didn't know better would see that the object was old and assume it was from the Ming Dynasty.

Actually, they didn't know that many, many were also imitated in the late Ming Dynasty.

Because as long as it wasn't one of those 18,000 burners, they were all called imitations.

They were being imitated as soon as they were made, so regardless of whether it was valuable, let's not make a fool of ourselves.

Li Xuewu naturally knew Ye Ye Erye wasn't teasing him, so he put down the burner, raised his hand to pinch the cigarette by his lips, and asked, "Which period is this from?"

Ye Ye Erye saw that Li Xuewu knew a little, but not much.

Still, it was rare among young people at this time; at least he didn't ask if it was real or fake.

Antiques, after all, have no real or fake; if you say it's fake, it's still truly an incense burner.

Asking about the period was the right approach. Ye Ye Erye smiled and asked back, "What do you guess?"

"Heh."

Li Xuewu grinned and said, "I guess it's Ming."

"Why?"

Ye Ye Erye asked with great interest, as if he were interested in whatever Li Xuewu guessed.

Li Xuewu smiled and looked at the others in the room. Yang Erhai and Shen Guodong looked at them, confused—what was there to guess about a broken incense burner?

Grandfather, not knowing and not pretending to know, just watched the two of them like he was watching a show.

Li Xuewu turned back to Ye Ye Erye and said, "If it were from the Republic or a modern imitation, you wouldn't have needed to call me over."

After saying this, he gestured toward the room and added, "Waiting until everyone left to talk about it—that must mean it's valuable."

"And at a time like this."

Li Xuewu looked at Ye Ye Erye with a smile and asked, "Don't tell me this thing is really from the earliest batch."

"Hehehe~"

Ye Ye Erye chuckled, reached out to straighten the burner on the counter, looked at it for a moment, then looked up at Li Xuewu and said, "No one dares to say for sure, but it is indeed a good item."

He was playing coy, moved the incense burner in his hand, rested his elbows on the counter, and said to Li Xuewu, "An old customer has come twice already, and this is the third time."

After saying this, he gestured to the incense burner beside him and added, "He told me he has plenty of other valuable items he wants to sell, but the price at our door won't do—it's like trying to fool a ghost—so he wants to talk to me."

Li Xuewu narrowed his eyes and nodded, smoking his cigarette, signaling Ye Ye Erye to continue.

Since the person had come to the door, it meant they had some goods, at least judging by Ye Ye Erye saying the burner was a good item.

Ye Ye Erye continued, "The first thing he showed me was this burner. I didn't give him a definite answer, so he left it here and said he'd come back tomorrow."

"Heh, he's quite the showman."

Li Xuewu chuckled and said, "Selling this thing outside for a thousand or eight hundred yuan shouldn't be a problem, right?"

Ye Ye Ye Erye smiled and didn't answer the question, knowing Li Xuewu was probing him to determine the situation of the burner.

"So, Proprietor, make a decision. Should we do this business or not?"

"It doesn't matter."

Li Xuewu curled his lip, looked at Ye Ye Ye Erye, and said, "Regardless of whether they really have as many valuable items as they claim, if you go now, I guarantee you won't get your money back no matter how much you pay."

Ye Ye Ye Erye tilted his head slightly, looking at Li Xuewu, waiting for him to continue.

Li Xuewu looked at the incense burner and asked Ye Ye Ye Erye, "How can you be sure he isn't testing the waters? Maybe someone wants to see if our brand is real or fake~"

"This..."

Ye Ye Ye Erye frowned, thought about it, and asked, "Are you saying someone wants to drag us into deep water?"

"I don't know."

Li Xuewu shrugged and said, "At least they are in the dark, and we are in the light. They are the ones roaming the streets, and we are the ones sitting in a shop. Who can outplay whom?"

After saying this, he looked at Yang Erhai and said, "The wind is strong lately; be careful, especially with rich people."

Ye Ye Erye ignored what Li Xuewu said to Yang Erhai and was still thinking about what Li Xuewu had told him.

"In that case, this person really needs to be investigated."

"Forget about him."

Li Xuewu said indifferently, "If he dares to come fishing with a broken burner, he must have some tricks up his sleeve. Just handle the transaction as usual; tell him it's at the price of scrap metal, not a penny more."

After saying this, he glanced disdainfully at the incense burner and muttered, "What kind of damn antique is this?"

It wasn't that he was arrogant; at a time like this, everyone was panicking. If you wait until next month, people will be jumping off buildings.

By the month after that, people will be sending things over voluntarily.

Antiques?

This is a recycling station; talking about history and artistic value is useless.

We only talk about materials, by weight, at scrap prices.

Li Xuewu didn't dare to open that door. Antiques, my ass!

Since they had put up the sign, they had put themselves in the spotlight.

In the future, if anyone bites, the recycling station won't be able to handle the trouble.

As long as they insist that everything was recycled at scrap prices, who could say they violated regulations?

Who could say the recycling station hoarded good items?

The broken porcelain shards at the door could testify to that.

The scrap metal had long been sent back to the furnace; if you don't believe it, go find it in the steel furnace.

As for the calligraphy and paintings of famous masters, they had been turned into paper pulp; go find them at the First Prison.

Li Xuewu wanted to take advantage of this opportunity to make a big haul; anything above scrap price would be an insult to this great opportunity.

"Don't feel bad about returning this thing to them."

Li Xuewu flicked the Xuande burner and looked at Grandfather, saying, "You'll have to work hard; the sign at the door can't be written with a brush anymore. It's best to carve one out of wood."

There, that was because he felt the brush wasn't deep enough; he had to deepen the impression and show their stance.

Grandfather nodded; he had never refused a request from his grandson.

Shen Guodong understood by now: Wu Ge was going to play the rogue, refusing to recognize the rules set by these people and wanting to set his own.

"We still have half a bucket of paint. When Grandfather finishes carving, I'll paint it with black background and white letters."

"Heh."

Ye Ye Ye Erye also understood. He looked down at the Xuande burner on the counter, feeling that these young men didn't understand it, but saw things more clearly.

It couldn't be said that Ye Ye Ye Erye lacked schemes, nor could it be said that he lacked the brain to see through such conspiracies; it was just that their perspectives were different.

Li Xuewu looked at things from the essence of the problem, delving deeper into the matter itself and its purpose.

Ye Ye Ye Erye looked at things from the essence of doing business, looking at the quality and nature of the items.

Plus, he felt confident that the Proprietor could handle things in this area, never thinking these old scoundrels would dare to act tough here.

Perhaps it was because since the shop opened, no one had come to cause trouble.

Last time someone came to ask what kind of department this was, they looked at the certificates on the wall and left. Plus, after Director Wang made a call, no one had come to ask since.

No one from the "white" side, and even less likely from the "black" side.

Who among the punks mixing around here didn't know this shop was under Brother Biao's protection? The old Biaozi.

Of course, no one dared to call him "Old Biaozi" anymore; they all had to call him "Brother Biao."

When the recycling station first started, Old Biaozi and the others were pedaling tricycles to collect scrap, and the little punks laughed at them.

The Biaozi who once dominated Jiaodaokou had fallen on hard times, becoming the "Old Biaozi" everyone looked down on.

Collecting scrap, heh, how pathetic.

Forget about others; even Wang Yamei, who used to hang out with him, didn't dare to talk to him much, as if it would lower her standards as a punk.

But look at him now: Old Biaozi was driving a big truck, had a car, a huge courtyard, and had hired several women to watch the shop.

Although the sign clearly said "Collective Store," everyone knew this place was under Brother Biao's protection.

Because he was the person in charge on the certificates, and he was the one managing the business.

How could these punks on the street have imagined that in just over half a year, this pig-like Old Biaozi would make a comeback?

He didn't ride a bicycle anymore; it was all four-wheeled vehicles, with a bunch of little punks under his command.

Although he was still collecting scrap, if one could reach Brother Biao's level, it was enough to make them envious.

After all, they were all alley-dwellers; their horizons were only so high. Even if they tried their best to look, they wouldn't leave this city.

To be more specific, many punks hadn't even figured out the Dongcheng; they were just little troublemakers.

But look at who Li Wenbiao was associating with now: the punks had seen him with the head of the supply and marketing cooperative, the police station, the security brigade, and the prison administration.

Old Biaozi was used to walking in these places and inevitably had to deal with the office staff, all of whom knew whose connection he was, so they were quite polite to him.

Someone even begged Old Biaozi to help smooth things over for a brother in the prison administration, but Old Biaozi didn't take the bait.

Because it really wasn't worth the face!

He was straightforward, stating clearly that the people he knew and associated with were the heads of the various stations and the prison administration.

He could speak up for big matters, but it wasn't necessary for small ones.

At first, everyone thought he was bragging, but those who were released from the prison administration all said they really saw him smoking and chatting with the head of the prison administration.

Once the news spread, the people on the street knew there was a "Master" sitting in Jiaodaokou.

The Biaozi of the past had become Brother Biao, and a Brother Biao who had "come ashore."

He had nothing to do with street affairs anymore; those who could meet him and talk were all old veterans, and newcomers couldn't even get close.

Even the old veterans had to be polite to Brother Biao, because they all knew that the person Li Wenbiao followed back then was now the toughest fighter in the Dongcheng, Li Erbala.

If you asked these punks who the head or deputy head of the Dongcheng branch was, they might not know.

If you asked who the head of security was, they might know a bit more.

But if you asked who was in charge of security in the Dongcheng and who was the most ruthless and the one they feared the most, they would spit in your face.

What "most ruthless"!

What "feared the most"!

That's a Guardian of the People!

Look closely; when they say this, their hands are always tucked away, as if they're afraid of being smashed.

Only the old veterans knew who was ruthless and who was black-hearted, and only they knew who couldn't be offended.

For example, the recycling station in Jiaodaokou, the people in the recycling station, and the family living in the front courtyard of the quadrangle.

Some punks were once taken to the roadside by their boss, who pointed at Li Xuecai and Li Xue and told them these two must never be touched.

Because some people had touched these two before, and the consequences were very, very miserable.

As for how miserable, just listen to the story of Li Erbala smashing a hand with a rifle.

So, whether it was the people in the quadrangle or the recycling station, they felt that although the streets were getting more chaotic by the day, the alleys were still fine, with no little punks running around.

The recycling station was the same; if some punk brought something of unknown origin to sell, and they said they wouldn't take it, the punk would turn and leave, never daring to make a scene.

Having lived a peaceful life for too long, Ye Ye Ye Erye naturally felt the world was at peace, so his caution had relaxed a bit.

It was only after Li Xuewu talked about this matter today that he understood what Li Xuewu meant by his words to Yang Erhai.

One must never let their guard down, because there are bad people among the masses.

They talked about the shop for a while, and Li Xuewu saw the shelves Grandfather had built.

Perhaps it was Xiao Yan and the others who had arranged them; the shelves were covered with velvet cloth, and valuable items like radios were displayed inside.

You have to say, even though they were all secondhand, once they were cleaned up and displayed, they were quite eye-catching.

Ye Ye Erye smiled and gestured to the counters, saying, "It's a proper thing. They look better inside than on the counter, especially after adding fluorescent tubes; they look even more beautiful."

Li Xuewu bent down to look carefully; it was true—short light tubes, not big.

Ye Ye Ye Erye saw Li Xuewu looking, so he turned on the switch inside the counter.

Well, they didn't look conspicuous just now, but now that it was dark, even though the light bulbs in the room were bright, the fluorescent lights inside the counter were turned on, and they were truly beautiful.

It wasn't just the display case in front of the bar; other display cases in the room had also been fitted with this kind of lighting.

Looking at it now, the effect was really good; the backlight shone down, making the goods on the shelves look very beautiful.

"Grandfather's idea?"

"It was Brother Biao."

Yang Erhai grinned and said, "Brother Biao said the big shopping malls he went to were all like this. He specifically went to the supply and marketing cooperative to find these light tubes and had to add a small gadget to make them work."

Li Xuewu knew the small gadget Yang Erhai was talking about—the iron-cased fluorescent ballast.

The sticker on this little thing even had the words "Serve the People," and he didn't know where Old Biaozi had dug it up.

"Your Brother Biao went to a big shopping mall?"

Li Xuewu asked casually while examining the items on the shelves.

Yang Erhai saw Shen Guodong winking at him and didn't know how to answer.

Li Xuewu didn't hear him speak, so he glanced at Yang Erhai, then turned to Shen Guodong and said, "Looks like you know some inside information. Tell us and let's have a laugh."

"Hehe~ If Brother Biao finds out, he'll beat me to death."

Shen Guodong laughed and stood at the door. Ye Ye Erye turned off the lights, and they all followed Li Xuewu out of the room.

"Tell us, he's not here."

"If I tell you, you can't tell him!"

Shen Guodong really regretted winking at Yang Erhai; he shouldn't have brought the fire upon himself.

"Brother Biao went to the mall with a girl a few days ago. I don't know what happened, but he came back with a slap mark on his face."

"Hahaha~"

Shen Guodong laughed as he told it, looking at Li Xuewu and saying, "He said he pressed it while sleeping. He even asked me if I believed him. Of course, I had to say I believed him."

"I believe it too."

Yang Erhai chimed in, "Brother Biao said if I didn't believe him, he'd help me press one too."

"Heh~"

Li Xuewu chuckled and said, "He asked me how to date a girl last week. I guess he didn't learn it well."

"If you ask me, you should stop teaching others your tricks."

Shen Guodong gestured toward Seeing Sha Zhu, who was standing in the outer courtyard, and said, "Think about how you taught him to date. They don't have your twists and turns; if they learn, it's just the surface."

"What are you saying! Are you talking behind my back!"

Seeing Sha Zhu, who was standing in the outer courtyard holding a big ladle, gestured toward them and said, "Guodong, you're not eating tonight!"

"You're really good at being self-indulgent!"

Shen Guodong curled his lip and said, "Who cares about talking about you? We're talking about Brother Biao here; don't make yourself look important!"

"Hey!"

Seeing Sha Zhu saw them coming in from the Bai Bai Xiyuan and tilted his chin, saying, "If you weren't talking about me, why are you looking over here?"

After saying this, he looked at Li Xuewu and asked, "What are you saying about Biaozi? Tell me, let me have a laugh too."

"Damn, is your entertainment so scarce!"

Li Xuewu laughed, "We were just saying your cooking is fragrant and delicious."

"Fart, I don't believe a word you say!"

Seeing Sha Zhu asked with a mischievous smile, "You're not talking about the slap mark on Old Biaozi's face, are you?"

Shen Guodong widened his eyes and asked, "You know about that too?"

"How fresh!"

Seeing Sha Zhu shook his head and said, "You really took me for a blind man! That bright little palm print on his big fat face, and you really believe he pressed it while sleeping!"

After saying this, he gestured with his own hand toward his face and said, "With his big paws, if he pressed it on his own face while sleeping, he couldn't press out a woman's small handprint."

"You guys just talk; if he gets embarrassed and angry later, he'll definitely play dirty with you."

He Yu Shui, who was standing in the room, reminded them from the window, "Have you forgotten how bad he is?"

This sentence was about her brother, and Seeing Sha Zhu could never forget the time Old Biaozi brought Banggeng and the others to eavesdrop on his wedding night.

"Don't worry, he's about to start dating. There will be a day when he gets married!"

Seeing Sha Zhu was still thinking about the "thirty years east of the river, thirty years west of the river" thing.

He Yu Shui curled her lip and asked Li Xuewu, "What's going on in your factory? They said they were going to set up a third-party industry, so why does the construction site keep stopping?"

"You ask me, who do I ask?"

Li Xuewu raised an eyebrow and asked He Yu Shui, "What? Are you in charge of the third-party industry?"

"Not directly, but there's a connection."

He Yu Shui crossed her arms and said, "Our factory has a lot of female workers, so naturally, the third-party industry has a lot of female workers too. Our office has work with the third-party side."

After explaining, she rolled her eyes and said, "Do you really not know what's going on? A big department head, are you trying to fool me?!"

She didn't believe Li Xuewu's words at all. A security department head didn't know about the construction site stopping?

This was a mid-level cadre; there were basically no secrets in the steel mill for them. She didn't believe he didn't know.

Li Xuewu curled his lip and looked at Seeing Sha Zhu, asking, "Do you know?"

"I only know what we're eating in the cafeteria on Monday. You're asking me this?"

Seeing Sha Zhu turned his head and said, "I'm too lazy to ask about those idle matters; it's better to be confused."

He Yu Shui saw her brother pointing at her and curled her lip, saying, "I didn't ask anything strange; it's just delaying our work, so I wanted to have an idea."

After saying this to her brother, she said to Li Xuewu, "If you're really in a difficult position and can't say, then don't. It's no big deal."

"Then I won't say."

Li Xuewu also took the hint and turned to Grandfather, saying, "Let's go, it's time to go home for dinner."

"You!"

Yushui was so angry; this person was so bad. She was just being polite, and he really didn't say anything!

Seeing Li Xuewu and his grandfather enter the hanging flower gate, He Yu Shui had no choice but to glare at her brother and turn to help in the kitchen.

Seeing Sha Zhu also glanced at her, not regretting his interference at all.

He knew Li Xuewu's habit of not talking about work at home.

Furthermore, work matters should be discussed in a work setting. It was better not to involve anything else when talking at home, especially between his sister and Li Xuewu.

He could still keep an eye on family life, but if they started talking about work at home, he wouldn't have any space to intervene.

It wasn't that he didn't trust Li Xuewu or his sister, but when talking about work, one could always find a quiet environment, and it wouldn't be good if something inexplicable happened.

Don't talk about men and women not existing when discussing official business; as long as a man and a woman are alone together, there will always be inexplicable things happening.

Unless one party is ugly—like him, he's quite safe; being alone with anyone wouldn't make people think crookedly.

Seeing Sha Zhu was very proud and arrogant about this point: being ugly didn't hinder him from finding a wife.

Look at the wife he found; how capable, how considerate...

"Hey! Hey! That's vinegar! Not soy sauce!"

The dumplings in the Li family were wrapped very quickly. With so many women working, it could have been even faster if Li Shu hadn't been making a mess.

When Li Xuewu entered the room, he saw his daughter, who looked like she was performing in an opera, covered in white flour and meat filling.

"What have you done to us!"

Li Xuewu laughed, picked up his daughter, and teased, "Look at this! Are you trying to wrap us in dumpling skins! Why did you add meat filling!"

"She was making a mess herself~"

Li Xue laughed and said, "She saw us wrapping dumplings and wanted to join. We gave her a dough skin, and she scooped the filling directly onto her face."

"Hahaha~"

Everyone saw Li Shu looking like a little flower cat, with an expression of not knowing what she had done, and they all laughed softly.

Li Xuewu quickly found a piece of paper, wiped the little crumbs off his daughter's face, and then went to the main room to wash her face.

At first, Li Shu didn't want to; she could only tolerate the torture of washing her face twice a day at most. Now that she had washed it, would she have to wash it again after dinner!

But after being held by her father and looking in the mirror, seeing the little flower cat inside, she knew the child in the mirror looked ugly.

When Li Xuewu held her to wash her face again, she didn't struggle, but after washing her face, she still wanted to go back and wrap dumplings.

"Alright, this kind of work is not suitable for children under six."

Li Xuewu held his daughter and walked around the room, teasing her and trying to keep her from looking into the room.

The women in the room were very nimble; they were basically finished by now.

A pot had been steamed before Li Xuewu came back. Li Xuecai couldn't help, so he squatted by the stove door watching the fire.

Big brother Xuewen saw Grandfather enter the room, so he came out of the south room, but he didn't go into the inner room to help. He took the thermos to pour hot water for Grandfather and refilled his father's cup.

Li Xuewu held Li Shu and walked around the room, coaxing her to find something fresh, while asking his big brother a question.

"School is about to be on break. How is your school?"

"Not very good, it's chaotic."

Big brother looked at Li Xuewu, then walked over to take Li Shu, saying, "The teachers are restless, and the students are all engaged in various activities. I'm trying to avoid it as much as I can."

Li Shu was willing to be held by her big uncle because he was easy to bully.

Being held by her big uncle, Li Shu started to get restless, pointing her little finger at the wall clock, wanting her big uncle to take her to see it.

She had long been curious about this thing: a big box, bright glass, with a ball swinging back and forth inside, ticking and ticking. If she dropped it, it would definitely make a loud sound.

Li Xuewu knew his big niece's violent tendencies; his fountain pen and glasses hadn't escaped her destruction, so he didn't dare take her to touch the clock.

"Colleagues in the teaching and research group are all saying that the students are making trouble, and this time even the principal can't suppress it."

"What does the school say?"

Li Xuewu found the big carp toy that Li Shu had broken from the cabinet and handed it to his daughter, whose little hands had nowhere to rest.

Li Shu didn't like it much, but having it was better than nothing, so she took it and wanted to throw it.

But seeing her father glaring at her, she hesitated and looked toward her mother in the inner room.

Looking that way, she was almost startled—her mother was looking at her!

She quickly grabbed the big carp tightly, just in case she dropped it and they thought she did it on purpose.

Seeing his daughter stopped making trouble, Li Xuewu continued, "If the trouble is really serious, then transfer away early."

"Wait a little longer."

Li Xuewen hesitated for a moment before saying, "There aren't many days left in this semester. I want to finish the lessons; otherwise, the students won't have any lessons to attend."

It was almost the end of the term. If the teachers left, even if the school arranged new ones, they wouldn't be able to teach anything.

For the students, it would definitely be a loss, and for Li Xuewen, he felt responsible for his professional ethics.

Li Xuewu knew, however, that there weren't many days left until the universities were shut down.

He understood his big brother's character and his sense of responsibility as a teacher, so he only said one sentence and didn't try to persuade him further.

The relevant procedures were all prepared. As long as Li Xuewen had an idea, Li Congyun wouldn't stop him and would definitely sign his approval.

This was all something Li Xuewu had already arranged with his old uncle Li Congyun over the phone; otherwise, Li Xuewen wouldn't have been able to stay at Huaqing so smoothly.

The condition for Li Xuewen to stay comfortably and be able to transfer away to avoid risks at a critical moment was that Li Xuewu had to help Li Congyun.

There were many specific details; it wasn't just Li Xuewen going to the First Prison. Knowing there was a safe harbor here, Huaqing naturally had to make use of it.

Another thing was the security brigade and the steel mill. Li Xuewu promised that as long as Li Congyun spoke up, the students and teachers he wanted to arrange could come to these two places to take shelter.

Li Congyun trusted Li Xuewu's ability, especially in these two places.

One was a public industrial factory. For some students or teachers whose identities weren't suitable, what could be more appropriate than sending them to the steel mill for "labor reform"?

Everyone would think that doing this kind of physical labor and working for the steel industry was definitely reform.

With Li Xuewu there, these teachers and students could have some protection; at least they wouldn't be bullied, and they would have enough to eat.

The other place went without saying—it was a proper powerful department, professional armed force. People who wanted to make trouble probably wouldn't even be able to see anyone.

Actually, the First Prison was the most suitable, but not many people could be arranged there. There were only a few small factories, and the only one with a direct relationship to Huaqing was the printing house.

The job Li Xuewen was preparing to do was as a book warehouse manager at the printing house, with the task of watching over the books.

Of course, while watching the books, he could also read them—two birds with one stone.

This was a job Li Xuewu had arranged for his big brother according to his preferences and dreams.

Fearing that trivial matters would delay his reading and studying, he chose the most leisurely position possible.

Li Xuewen was extremely satisfied with this position. If it weren't for the fact that his teaching tasks here weren't finished, he would have wanted to go to work right now.

At home, there were always this or that matter causing trouble, and at school, he was even busier.

But this time, he could read and study under the guise of going to work, and not delay receiving his salary. Was there such a good thing in the world?

Of course, if you say Li Xuewu felt a bit guilty for promising Li Congyun so many conditions for his big brother, that's not quite right either.

After all, whether it was the steel mill or the security brigade, they weren't his; he was just using his connections and the resources in his hands to make an exchange with Li Congyun.

If you say this exchange wasn't appropriate, you can't really say that either. Who told Li Xuewu to be such a warm-hearted, helpful young man?

These teachers and university students were all top-tier talents; wouldn't it be a waste to send them to the countryside for training?

They still had to come to the steel mill, go to the R&D center.

Li Xuewu had long prepared places for these people, providing food and housing. As long as they could get the automotive industry going, their knowledge and skills would have a place to be used.

There were others, like the steel mill, various new material processes, including the joint enterprise in the future, and so on.

Where else could you find such a good place to teach, do research, and engage in scientific work?

What? You're asking about salary?

Don't be silly; this is labor reform. Don't talk about salary; at most, talk about subsidies.

Li Xuewu was just such a kind-hearted person, happy to help others, good at discovering others' strengths, and happy to let these strengths flourish and be utilized.

As for those going to the security brigade, Li Xuewu was more inclined to arrange for liberal arts and law students and teachers, which would undoubtedly greatly improve the cultural quality and training foundation of the security brigade and the training ground on the mountain.

What is a joint unit? It means your people can be arranged to come here for internships or work; this is called secondment.

Are you asking if Huaqing University and the steel mill are joint units?

Don't be silly, isn't the training ground on the mountain part of the steel mill?

The big sign at the entrance of the training ground has Huaqing University's name on it, along with other units.

Li Xuewu wasn't afraid of Li Congyun arranging too many people; no matter how many there were, he could handle them.

Because the steel mill and Huaqing were joint units, and this joint unit included all kinds of other units.

Li Xuewu had once thought, if these years passed, would Huaqing University open a major in scrap collecting in the future?

Pfft! Renewable Energy Utilization and Recycling major!

Even if there wasn't such a major, there would be such a laboratory. Li Xuewu knew how high the profit of this thing was.

Just look at that Brother Youbiao who was doing charity and throwing money everywhere. Although he had the appearance of showing off, this old brother was really throwing money.

Looking closely behind him, he was a big shot in the renewable energy industry.

Li Xuewu had a relatively clear plan for the future. Since he was doing it now, he was prepared to develop in the direction of specialization and scientific technology.

After the city opened up, there was a "scrap-picking tribe" in Beijing, referring to those who came to the city to pick up scrap.

The official statistics at the time were nearly four billion in profit annually. That was just statistics for the whole city of Beijing, and that was in the first year the city opened up.

Li Xuewu didn't dare to say how much share this small recycling station could occupy if it developed from now on, but at the very least, it could let these brothers have enough to eat.

But looking at the industries Li Xuewu was preparing and controlling, which unit didn't need high-end talent?

University students, professors at this time—if it weren't for Li Xuewu catching a good time, forget about it.

The words have to be said the other way around: precisely because he caught a rare opportunity, Li Xuewu had to seize it.

As long as they were willing to work hard, staying in Beijing was no problem!

As long as they achieved results, did well in scientific research and management, or even did a good job in related industries, Li Xuewu would give them opportunities.

Li Xuewu had many opportunities in his hands—some for the rough-and-tumble people around him, like Zhou Changli; some for those who dared to fight, Li Kezhang Wanhe.

But a competitive enterprise with development is inseparable from technology and scientific development.

Forget about the recycling station; even the club, with Sister Lou managing it, had to be learned while doing, and most of the affairs were managed by Father Lou.

But what if Huaqing University students were arranged to go there?

And let Father Lou teach them for a few months; this club would definitely be the most high-end and cultured collective club in Beijing.

Big brother Xuewen was just an introduction for Li Xuewu to intervene in the conversation with Li Congyun. Did Li Congyun not know what Li Xuewu was planning?

Not necessarily. Li Congyun's knowledge level was there, and he was a big cadre in the school. How could he not know this?

But engaging in deep exchange and cooperation with Li Xuewu was also to preserve the teachers and students and to leave seeds for the school.

Looking at the chaos now, in reality, Li Congyun and these people had long seen the crisis.

They were some of the smartest people in this country and were also able to contact the figures above, so how could they not understand this?

The conditions Li Xuewu promised—if you talk about them as conditions, weren't they just guarantees Li Xuewu made for Li Congyun?

The two of them had a tacit understanding. How many of these people Li Xuewu could keep was Li Xuewu's ability; those he couldn't keep were just not meant to be.

Even if Li Xuewu kept them, it was a cooperative relationship; people had fixed units, but academics didn't.

Li Congyun didn't know what the future would be like, but Li Xuewu did.

Naturally, he couldn't tell his big brother what he said to Li Congyun; he had to say how much he had paid for his big brother.

This also made Li Xuewen moved beyond measure—his second brother had paid so many resources, all to protect him. ===== CHAPTER 656 =====