Chapter 657: Clever Women (Bonus chapter for Alliance Leader Fo Shen Mo Shen)

To tell the truth, Li Xuewu felt no pressure when getting along with Gu Ning, but he also had no thoughts of any surprises.

Because Gu Ning was too calm and too simple; she was not the type to live her life based on others' opinions, and consequently, she rarely cared about people.

Getting along with her felt cold, but in reality, it wasn't.

However, Li Xuewu didn't dare to dream of Gu Ning serving or taking care of him.

Seeing Li Xuewu's expression, Gu Ning felt a bit shy and annoyed. She glared at him and asked, "Do you want it or not?"

"I want it! I want it!"

How could Li Xuewu let this opportunity slip? He immediately flipped over and lay on the pillow, waiting for his wife's service.

Seeing Li Xuewu flip over so nimbly, the corners of Gu Ning's mouth couldn't help but twitch. Was he tired or not?!

"Here?"

"Mm."

"Here?"

"Mm."

Every time Gu Ning pressed an acupoint on Li Xuewu, he would respond with a sound. Regardless of whether he was tired or not, he was going to enjoy it all first.

Seeing Li Xuewu's behavior, Gu Ning pinched the flesh on his waist and asked again, "Here?"

"No!"

Gu Ning's technique was very rough; it was entirely the amateur skill she had learned from reading about Traditional Chinese Medicine therapy, and she was using Li Xuewu as a test subject.

And Li Xuewu was a man who believed in repaying a drop of kindness with a fountain. After Gu Ning finished, he turned around and said, "Now it's my turn, you lie down."

Gu Ning: "..."

"Papa~"

"Mm."

"Papa."

"Mm."

Li Shu sat on her father's chest, watching him laze in bed.

She called out, and her father would answer, but he kept pretending to sleep without opening his eyes.

Li Shu couldn't sleep anymore. She wanted to go out and play, but she didn't dare call her mother, so she could only pester her father.

By now, her mother was also awake, just lying on her side watching her pester her father without making a sound.

Li Shu didn't understand what her mother meant, so she could only sway her little body to see if her father had woken up.

This week, Li Xuewu and Gu Ning were well-prepared; Li Shu was sleeping on the side, and she had her own little quilt spread out.

Even if she wet the bed, it wouldn't reach them, and it was easy to clean up—just hang it out to dry.

When Li Shu woke up in the morning and saw her father snoring while her mother was still asleep, she crawled around the edge of the kang.

As usual, she would look for a place to sit. She plopped her bottom onto her father's chest, and if he still didn't wake up, she would have to bounce hard.

Seeing his daughter making such a fuss, Li Xuewu could only open his eyes, look at the little demon, and ask, "Want to go out and play?"

"Play~"

Li Shu imitated her father's words and widened her big eyes. Her little finger pointed at the back window, as that was where the light was brightest at the moment.

But after looking around with her big eyes, she pointed toward the door; that was the direction to go out and play.

"Lu-o-na-na-ah~"

Her little mouth babbled to her father for quite a while before she widened her big eyes again, waiting for her father's reaction.

Li Xuewu twitched the corner of his mouth, looked at his daughter, and asked, "Still want to go to the edge of the lake?"

Li Shu didn't understand this sentence; she just tilted her little head and looked at her father, wondering why he was only talking and not moving.

Li Xuewu felt helpless. He turned to look at Gu Ning and asked, "How about Mom takes you out to play this week? Let the hardworking Papa stay home and take a nap?"

Gu Ning's gaze instantly turned from listless to sharp. She looked at Li Xuewu, signaling him to say that again.

Who exactly was the one who worked hard?!

Li Xuewu had no choice. He sat up, caught his daughter as she slid off his chest, and smiled bitterly: "Jia Banggeng has already let the chickens out. Seeing that everyone else has gone to the lake, we can't go anymore."

He wasn't thinking that he couldn't go to the lake without Jia Banggeng; it was that he couldn't go without Uncle Yan.

There was quite a distance from here to the lake. Otherwise, his father wouldn't go for a stroll there every day; it was precisely because the road was long that he could exercise his body.

Last time, Uncle Yan had been exhausted from the trip. This time, he hadn't heard of Uncle Yan catching any more red carp; chances were they weren't easy to trick anymore.

If they couldn't take a vehicle, Li Xuewu didn't want to think about the lake. No matter how much his daughter pestered him, it wouldn't work.

It wasn't that Li Xuewu didn't have a bicycle; it was parked in the Bai Bai Xiyuan, and no one rode it.

But did Li Xuewu not want to go to the lake because he thought it was far, or because he didn't have a vehicle?

He was just purely lazy. He was too lazy to even ride it himself; it would be best if someone else rode and took them.

There was another trick: drive there. No need to pedal. But Li Xuewu was afraid of being scolded.

Driving out for a stroll—wasn't that just showing off?

Li Xuewu was also too lazy to change his clothes. He stayed in his undershirt and shorts, picked up his daughter, and walked out of the room.

As long as she was going out to play and not cooped up in the room, Li Shu was happy, waving her little hands.

When he went out, Li Xuewu glanced at the chicken coop. One rooster and two hens were circling inside.

Li Xuewu felt that the rooster had crowed when he was half-asleep. No need to guess, it must have been Jia Banggeng's doing.

Confirming that Jia Banggeng had already left, Li Xuewu also gave up the idea of going to the lake.

Turning around, he saw the Second Aunt from across the way coming out of her room, intending to go to the door to pick up firewood for breakfast.

Seeing Li Xuewu holding a child in the courtyard, the Second Aunt glanced at him and went into her room without saying a word.

Li Xuewu saw her behavior but didn't pay it any mind. It wasn't because of him, nor was it because of Liu Haizhong's business.

If his mother, Liu Yin, hadn't lent a hand on the day the Second Aunt had her incident, she might have been paralyzed.

Avoiding people and not daring to show her face wasn't just toward Li Xuewu; it was the same toward the courtyard and the neighbors.

Li Xuewu could see clearly that one side of the Second Aunt's face was still drooping; it probably hadn't recovered well after her last stroke.

Furthermore, when she was picking up firewood just now, Li Xuewu noticed that one side of her body was clearly not very agile.

These were all sequelae of the stroke. The fact that she could walk and do housework was already a stroke of luck.

If it had been truly severe, she might be lying in bed right now, waiting to die.

It must be said that the Liu family used to be well-off. Liu Haizhong was a seventh-grade worker and earned a lot of money.

The eldest son didn't need to be worried about, the second son had started working, and only the youngest son was still in school.

Calculating it this way, the family's expenses weren't high, and they could easily save money.

It was just that people lived carefully during this time; otherwise, they would have been the type to eat well and live well.

The Second Aunt used to be so impressive in this courtyard. In terms of earning money, although their Old Liu couldn't compare to the First Uncle, she had three sons.

Even the First Aunt couldn't compare to her, so who could?

Unless it was the Li family, but the Li family had elders and a daughter, so their expenses were also quite high.

Whether it was the old lady of the Li family or Liu Yin running the household, the Li family didn't participate in idle gossip in this courtyard, and few people compared their family to others.

If it were in the past, when people were cooling off in the courtyard, the Second Aunt would have had the most people around her—those currying favor, flattering, and saying nice things.

But fortunes change; her family was now spinning around in confusion.

The head of the household had collapsed, she was now mouth-crooked and eye-slanted, half her body was not agile, and her three sons were more unfilial than the last. What face did she have to sit in a crowd of people?

Especially now, with the outside world in an uproar, her youngest son was going crazy all day with his classmates, never coming home, and never to be seen.

Without the suppression of the head of the household, the second son was now playing cards in the gatehouse all night long, no longer handing over his food expenses, and just sitting at the table to eat when it was time.

Life had become chaotic, and people had lost their spirit for living.

Li Xuewu just glanced at it and didn't look much. He did, however, hear the Liu Guangtian brothers arguing about something in the room.

By now, Gu Ning had also gotten up. After washing up and coming out, she saw Li Xuewu still wandering around the courtyard holding the child.

Hearing the commotion across the way, she also knew that Li Xuewu was guarding the courtyard because he was afraid she would be scared.

By the time she got up, the sky was already bright. The Deaf Old Lady from the back room came out leaning on her cane and saw Li Xuewu standing at the door holding the child, while Li Xuewu's wife was wiping the child's face with a towel.

"This naughty boy has also become an adult."

"Hehe, I have a daughter now, how could I not grow up?"

Seeing the Deaf Old Lady talking about him, Li Xuewu replied with a smile, his eyes looking at his daughter, full of tenderness.

Li Shu let her mother wipe her face, and she grabbed a corner of the towel, imitating her mother to wipe her father's face.

It was just that Gu Ning wiped her face carefully, while the way she wiped her father's face had a hint of intentional revenge—either poking his eyes or picking his nose.

"Hehe, a good wife is a blessing."

The Deaf Old Lady didn't know if she had heard Li Xuewu's reply. She smiled, found a stool at the door, and sat down. She usually sat here to bask in the sun.

Leaning on her cane, she looked at Li Xuewu's family of three. Not knowing what she was thinking of, she said that.

Gu Ning looked at the Deaf Old Lady, then looked at Li Xuewu.

Li Xuewu smiled and explained to her: "The old lady's hearing isn't very good; it works sometimes and doesn't others. She's a good person."

Gu Ning nodded and didn't say anything. She just smiled and nodded at the Deaf Old Lady before returning to the room.

Li Xuewu walked toward the Deaf Old Lady holding his daughter and asked with a smile: "Are you feeling quite well?"

"Good, very good."

The Deaf Old Lady heard this sentence clearly. She nodded with a smile and said to Li Xuewu: "I said you, your wife is good."

"Good, very good~"

Li Xuewu was also unusually lazy. He returned the Deaf Old Lady's words to him exactly as they were.

He was too lazy to even think about how to reply properly. Talking to this old lady, you never knew which sentence she wouldn't hear, making it a waste of breath.

The Deaf Old Lady also knew this was a bad boy, so she pursed her lips and smiled.

Seeing the doll in Li Xuewu's arms staring at her with big eyes, she also nodded at Li Shu with a smile and teased her.

Li Shu wasn't shy. Seeing the Deaf Old Lady greeting her, she also smiled, her little teeth looking beautiful.

"Hehe~ You are blessed!"

The Deaf Old Lady reached out and gestured toward Li Xuewu, saying with a smile: "I've seen you were a naughty kid since you were little, a person who couldn't stay idle, and you still are."

After finishing, she pointed at Li Shu again and said to Li Xuewu: "You, you have your grandfather's temper, and you look like him too. You are also someone who knows how to accumulate blessings."

"Is that so? I've never even seen what my grandfather looked like."

Li Xuewu squatted down, let Li Shu stand on the ground to play, and looked at Li Shu, saying: "Our family doesn't have a photo of my grandfather, and my father never mentioned him either."

"How long ago was that?"

The Deaf Old Lady put her hand back on her cane, her head lowered, looking at Li Shu with a smile on her face.

"That was very early. When your grandfather was your age, Sun Dapao hadn't died yet."

After thinking for a while, she said: "It seems like when Zhang the Bearded entered the city, your grandfather was also as naughty as you. He followed people to watch the Northeast bearded soldiers and played around. Not two years later, he got married and had your father."

Recalling the past, the Deaf Old Lady remembered it clearly. The older the events, the clearer she remembered them; she couldn't remember yesterday's events, though.

Li Shu didn't know what this old lady was talking about. Seeing her father listening, she also squatted on the ground to watch the little ants play.

The Deaf Old Lady spoke intermittently, and Li Shu also babbled. This morning was quite interesting.

"Sigh~ How many years has it been~"

The Deaf Old Lady raised her head, looked at the bright white sky, and rambled: "Guangxu is gone, the Great Qing is gone, Yuan Datou is gone, Zhang the Bearded is gone, Wu the Big Head is gone, Puyi is gone..."

"Yo~!"

Hearing this, Li Xuewu smiled and interrupted: "Old lady, Puyi is still alive."

"Hehe~"

The old lady just chuckled, nodded, and didn't speak again.

These people she was muttering about were all gone. What was gone wasn't just their lives; it also represented their power and a period of time.

These periods were all things she had experienced, and they were her life. These people who had come to the Four Nine City and were now gone all represented the withering of a period in her life.

When people get old, they love to reminisce about these things—some things that happened, some that didn't—they could all chatter about them.

If you heard it, it was passed down; if you didn't hear it, and she didn't chatter about it, it would be taken into the coffin.

Gu Ning had long since finished tidying up and gone to the front courtyard. Li Xuewu also saw that there were more people in the courtyard, so he bid farewell to the old lady and walked toward the front courtyard holding his daughter.

"Morning~"

"Morning to you, hehe."

Li Xuewu had just walked out of the moon gate holding his daughter when he saw the First Uncle standing at his door, his eyes fixed on the boys from the courtyard washing up by the pool.

Li Xuewu saw that the atmosphere wasn't quite right, so he turned his gaze to the First Aunt, who was pulling the First Uncle home.

The First Aunt nodded at Li Xuewu with a smile, then persuaded her husband: "Young people always have their own way of living. How old are you? Can you understand this?"

The First Uncle didn't speak, just frowned slightly, his gaze fixed on Li Xuewu.

Li Xuewu understood what was going on by now, because the boys squatting by the faucet with their heads down brushing their teeth were all fond of playing cards.

It must be that the card game in the gatehouse had reached the limit of the First Uncle's patience. The First Uncle couldn't help but say a few words just now, and was probably retorted by them.

Li Xuewu didn't hear the reason, and he wasn't these boys' father or mother, so he didn't want to meddle in this idle business.

But since the First Uncle was standing here, and the gatehouse was adjacent to the East Courtyard, Li Xuewu raised his head slightly and asked the First Uncle: "Something the matter?"

The First Uncle didn't speak, just sighed and shook his head slightly.

Li Xuewu nodded and said: "If there's something, just say it. The Third Uncle's wife is in the East Courtyard. Call the station, and people will be here in three to five minutes."

Goodness, he hadn't even said what was going on, and Li Xuewu was already starting to call for backup.

Who was the Third Uncle Li Xuewu was talking about?

It must be their family's Li Xuecai.

And who was the Third Uncle's wife?

Don't ask, it must be the director of the Jiaodaokou station. Didn't he just say he'd call people?

"Hey~ Hey~ Hey! Li Chu! Li Chu!"

Liu Guangtian, who had been playing dead just now, stood up with a start. Ignoring the toothbrush in his hand, he turned to Li Xuewu and apologized with a smile: "Nothing, nothing, really nothing!"

Seeing the toothpaste foam flying from his mouth, Li Xuewu took a step back to avoid it.

Liu Guangtian also saw Li Xuewu's disgust. He looked at the toothbrush in his hand in embarrassment and kicked his companion beside him.

The boys from the courtyard who were squatting and looking around all stood up.

Those who knew how to speak quickly apologized to the First Uncle, promising they wouldn't play so late in the future. Those who didn't know how to speak shut their mouths, not daring to say anything else.

Liu Guangtian spat out the toothpaste foam and quickly rinsed his mouth with cold water from the faucet.

After cleaning up, he walked a few steps toward Li Xuewu and said with a cheeky smile: "We were just playing around with the First Uncle. We really didn't mean it. It was hot last night, couldn't sleep, so we played a little longer."

Seeing Li Xuewu didn't let it go, he promised: "We really didn't play for much. Just one or two cents won or lost, just to kill time."

Li Xuewu looked Liu Guangtian up and down and asked, "Really?"

"Absolutely true. I swear to the ***, everything I said is true!"

Liu Guangtian wanted to raise three fingers, but he was still holding the toothbrush, so his promise looked sloppy.

Li Xuewu frowned and gestured toward the First Uncle: "You're so old, even older than your father. Do you also talk back to your father at home?"

That wasn't necessarily true; Liu Guangtian now dared to talk back to his father at home.

Because his salary was now the same as his father's, and his status was higher than his father's—his father wasn't considered a formal worker anymore.

In this era, it was truly a time when how much you earned determined your family status.

If you couldn't earn enough to feed the family, how could you still call yourself the head of the household?

However, since Li Xuewu had asked, Liu Guangtian naturally didn't dare to act like a hooligan with him.

Furthermore, people wanted face when they were young. He wasn't married yet; if word got out that he beat his father and scolded his mother, he could forget about finding a partner.

So he had to listen to the logic Li Xuewu spoke; he didn't dare to refute a single word.

Others might not know, but didn't he know Li Xuewu's explosive temper?

If you annoyed him, he'd drag you to the station for a "vacation."

"Look at you all, what do you look like?"

Li Xuewu only said that one sentence to Liu Guangtian; after all, he wasn't his father, and saying more would be a mistake.

However, there was no problem with speaking on the surface. Li Xuewu either didn't speak in this courtyard, but when he did, it was always effective.

"Is the First Uncle a relative of yours? Or does the neighborhood committee pay your salary? You don't know what's good for you."

Li Xuewu turned to look at the First Uncle and said: "Don't worry about them in the future. Let them make trouble. If they cause trouble, I'll handle it. I don't lack space there, just people."

After finishing, he looked at the group and said: "The Paoju has some new projects, and they're short of people to work. If you guys are bored at home, I'll find you something to do."

"No~ No~"

These boys quickly waved their hands, their faces full of embarrassment and flattering smiles. They were truly afraid Li Xuewu would send them to the Paoju.

It used to be said that those mixing on the streets hadn't lived if they hadn't been to the Paoju.

But ask around now—who mixing on the streets still wants to go to the Paoju for "advanced studies"?

That place was already rolling with smoke!

Those old-timers with long sentences wanted to pedal the sewing machines until they smoked, wishing the paper mills and printing plants weren't 24-hour operations, just hoping to improve their environment and eat a little better.

That kid Huang Gan was also a truly vicious person. He divided these inmates into several percentages; there had to be those doing hard labor, and there had to be those in relatively better cells.

Because without comparison, there is no harm. You always have to suffer and pay the price.

The financial budget for the First Detention Center also had standards. If they couldn't raise the standards, they would lower the standards for the hard labor cells.

Those who were only there for a short time due to minor matters had no chance to work, and thus could only become the comparison group for those doing hard labor.

The more miserable the comparison group lived, the more the old inmates going to work every day would cherish their current conditions.

The Paoju wasn't what it used to be. The Liu brothers, the Yan brothers, and the other boys in the courtyard all knew Li Xuewu was in charge of this, and their faces turned pale standing there.

Li Xuewu looked them over again and said: "Be on duty when you're supposed to be on duty. Once the gate is bolted, disperse quickly. Stop talking nonsense. Did you hear me?"

"Yes, yes, understood, understood~"

Seeing Li Xuewu let it go, Liu Guangtian took the lead in answering. Seeing Li Xuewu's look of disgust, he quickly packed up his washing utensils and ran home.

Watching the boys scatter, the First Uncle sighed helplessly again.

"If the day really comes when it's handed over to you to manage, I'm afraid there won't even be a chance for regret."

How could the First Uncle not know that with Li Xuewu's current rank, if Li Xuewu really took action, these boys wouldn't die, but they'd be locked up for a lifetime.

By that time, the parents in the courtyard who didn't care would sooner or later reap what they sowed.

He didn't want to manage them either, but these boys were the future of the courtyard and would sooner or later become its masters. He couldn't bear to see the courtyard become a mess.

"You're really something. With your own health, you're still worrying about other people's families."

Li Xuewu bounced his daughter to keep her from making a fuss and said to the First Uncle: "If you ask me, you're not ruthless enough. Catch them once, send them all to the station, say they were gambling, and let them run."

"Forget it, forget it~"

The First Uncle heard the meaning in Li Xuewu's words—he clearly didn't want to manage these messy affairs. He also felt a bit disheartened.

Just now, he had spoken to these boys, and not only did he not get any thanks, he got a mouthful of attitude.

The boys were angry at him, and his wife had persuaded him to go home. It was truly unnecessary to manage them.

They all had families and parents. If their parents didn't manage them, why was he struggling so hard here?

They were all not young anymore; what they became in the future was their own business.

"Sigh~~~"

The First Uncle sighed again, nodded at Li Xuewu, and went into the room.

The First Aunt nodded helplessly at Li Xuewu, reached out to touch Li Shu's little hand, and said: "Don't worry about him. I'll persuade him later."

After finishing, she teased Li Shu: "Let Grandma hold you?"

Li Shu looked at the First Aunt, then pointed her little finger outside the Third Gate, her little mouth babbling a long string of words.

Li Xuewu smiled at the First Aunt and said: "She wanted me to take her out to play this morning, and she's still thinking about it."

"How well she's grown."

The First Aunt looked at Li Shu with a smile and said: "This little doll will be something else when she grows up. Last night, your wife brought her back, and I said I'd give her a candy ball. She took it and gave it to her mother first."

"She's just afraid of her mother, not me."

Li Xuewu looked at his daughter with a smile. Seeing He Yu Shui coming out of the room, he nodded.

He Yu Shui first greeted the First Aunt, then walked over and snatched Li Shu from Li Xuewu's arms.

Li Shu had seen He Yu Shui before, so she didn't get angry, just kept pointing at the Third Gate, babbling.

"Hey! What do you want~"

He Yu Shui teased her: "Speak up, do you want to go home or go out for a stroll~"

"Yo~"

Seeing her ask, Li Shu answered very seriously, but the answer didn't match the question.

He Yu Shui had patience, smiled, and teased: "Do you want to go for a stroll?"

When Li Shu nodded, she asked: "Do you want to go home? Then Little Aunt will take you home."

"Mm~~~"

Seeing she didn't understand her meaning, Li Shu quickly shook her head, indicating no.

But by now, Yushui changed the question: "Go out for a stroll?"

Li Shu's little brows furrowed. Her reaction wasn't as fast as Yushui's, and she was always being cut off by Yushui, so she was about to get angry.

Bullying me because I can't talk, right!

"Ya!"

Li Shu shouted with all her might, clearly anxious.

Her little appearance made everyone in the courtyard laugh, and even the three children from Qin Huairu's family ran out to watch the fun.

Li Xuewu quickly gestured to He Yu Shui: "Quick, give her to me. My daughter is being teased to tears by you."

"Your daughter can cry?"

Yushui bounced Li Shu and said with a smile: "She only gets angry and grabs people; she won't cry."

After finishing, she said to Li Shu: "Do you want to grab Little Aunt?"

Li Shu stared at He Yu Shui with big eyes, thinking: You wait until I grow up!

After looking at He Yu Shui, Li Shu knew she still had to find Papa, so she twisted her body and opened her little hands toward Papa.

Li Xuewu took this opportunity to quickly take his daughter, patted her gently, and said: "Let's go, Little Aunt is bad, we won't play with her."

Li Shu was held in her father's arms, glared hard at He Yu Shui behind her, and then turned to look ahead.

He Yu Shui also liked her, chased after her, and grabbed her little hand: "You come back, was it you who glared at me just now!"

Seeing the bad person chasing after her, Li Shu quickly shook her little hand and blew hard at her father, meaning to go faster.

She had learned this trick when playing with a pinwheel at home; as long as she blew, the pinwheel would run fast.

But she didn't know that her father wasn't a pinwheel; blowing wouldn't make him go.

Being pestered by Yushui, Li Shu was truly helpless. She would never let her hold her again; she was bad!

The one behind was bad, but her father was even worse, because he didn't walk out of the gate at all; he stopped again when they reached their own door.

"Ya!"

Li Shu pointed toward the gate, signaling her father to keep going.

Li Xuewu turned his head and signaled for his daughter to look at who was at the door.

Li Shu knew things weren't good from her father's expression. She grabbed her father tightly and carefully turned her head, but there was nothing there.

When she turned her head and looked at her father with eyes full of "no love, no trust," her father had already carried her to their door.

"Ah~~~~"

Li Shu let out a sigh of helplessness. This morning was truly boring. Now that they were at the door, how could she not see Mom?

She had already seen her; Mom was helping inside and had just glanced at her.

The old lady sat on the kang in the inner room. Seeing Li Shu outside the window, she teased with a smile: "Who is this? Isn't this little Li Shu~"

Li Shu picked at her little hands. Seeing the old lady talking to her, she pointed at the room to her father and said: "Tai~"

"Tai, huh~"

Li Xuewu said with a smile: "Want to go to the old lady's?"

"Mm~"

Seeing her father playing tricks again, Li Shu twisted her body hard, changed direction directly, and pointed outside the door, signaling she wanted to go out to play.

Seeing the father and daughter struggling at the door, Liu Yin said: "Your father isn't back yet. Take her out for a stroll, and cook milk when your father gets back."

Li Xuewu looked at his daughter and knew she had a heart that couldn't be contained by the house.

Slipping on his plastic slippers, he carried Li Shu and walked toward the hanging flower gate again.

It wasn't early anymore, and it was the weekend, so there were quite a few people coming in and out of the gate.

Li Shu also stared with big eyes, liking this liveliness.

Li Xuewu had originally intended to carry her to the gate, but Li Shu saw the liveliness in the Bai Bai Xiyuan and grabbed his face, signaling him to go that way.

All morning, Li Shu had boundless energy. Not only did she finish visiting every room in the Bai Bai Xiyuan, but when she saw the store open, she had Li Xuewu carry her around the store as well.

Xiao Yan, who was tidying up here in the morning, saw the father and daughter playing around and teased: "Yo~ bringing the young master out for an inspection~"

"See if you all are working properly~"

Li Xuewu also joked, carried Li Shu through the store, and went into the alley.

By the time the father and daughter were tired and returned, everyone at home had finished breakfast.

Li Shu was fed milk by the old lady, Grandma, and Mom together, while Li Xuewu took care of himself.

Perhaps it was because they were tired from playing in the morning, but the father and daughter both started to doze off after eating.

The old lady and Liu Yin sat on the kang chatting, while Zhao Yafang and the others sat on the edge of the kang listening.

Li Xuewu carried his daughter and lay on the edge of the kang, falling asleep in the warm morning sun.

The father and daughter had identical sleeping postures; the only difference was that one snored, and the other hiccuped milk~

Watching the two take a nap, the women lowered their voices. Gu Ning was even teased by her sister-in-law, who signaled her to look at Li Xuewu's sleeping posture.

After spending more time with Gu Ning, Li Xue wasn't afraid of her anymore; instead, she felt somewhat close to this sister-in-law who didn't talk much but was a very good person.

Ji Yuxiu also saw her second brother's childlike sleeping posture and asked Gu Ning with a smile: "Does Second Brother snore every day?"

Seeing Gu Ning nod, she asked with a smile: "Then how can you sleep?"

Gu Ning was a bit embarrassed by her question and whispered: "I just got sleepy."

Zhao Yafang sat on the side. Hearing the topic of their conversation, she leaned over and whispered with a smile: "You'll fall asleep once you're exhausted."

"Ya~ Sister-in-law~"

Gu Ning didn't mind, just felt a bit embarrassed. But Ji Yuxiu was still a young girl, so she shyly scolded Zhao Yafang.

Zhao Yafang teased her: "You can't listen to this? I don't believe the Third Brother is an honest one!"

"Not at all!"

How could Ji Yuxiu not know what her eldest sister-in-law was talking about? She scolded: "We don't have anything like that."

"Yo yo yo~"

Zhao Yafang had been married for a long time, so she naturally dared to speak. She pursed her lips and teased: "I saw you two hugging and kissing the other day, and you say you have nothing?"

"Stop talking~"

Ji Yuxiu blushed, covered her mouth, gently hit Zhao Yafang's arm, and scolded: "I didn't, you made that up."

Zhao Yafang continued to purse her lips: "If I made it up, why are you blushing?"

The three sisters-in-law sat there laughing softly, which naturally attracted the attention of the old lady and Liu Yin, but it was only attention; they smiled and looked at them without listening to what they were saying.

It was already past ten in the morning when Li Xuewu woke up. He got up, looked around the room, and saw no one. Li Shu wasn't by his side either, so he knew everyone had gone out.

He got up, washed his face, and walked around the back courtyard. Seeing no one, he walked out of the hanging flower gate and came to the Bai Bai Xiyuan.

He asked Yu Li, who was busy in the store, and only then did he know that the women of the family had taken the child to the supply and marketing cooperative at the entrance, saying Liu Yin wanted to make a "dress" for each of the three daughters-in-law.

Li Xuewu didn't know what the women in the family had been chatting about to make them think of making clothes.

It must have been his mother or the old lady who insisted on making them for all three daughters-in-law.

It must be said that wearing skirts and dresses was very normal at this time, but none of the three daughters-in-law in the family were very suitable.

Eldest sister-in-law Zhao Yafang was about to have a big belly; how could she wear a skirt?

Gu Ning wore a white coat six out of seven days a week.

Ji Yuxiu could wear a skirt, but it had to be a uniform. The current summer uniform for women at the station was a skirt.

Perhaps his mother had seen other people's daughters-in-law looking good and felt envious; she couldn't let others compare to them.

One was the eldest daughter-in-law who had been married for more than half a year and was pregnant, one was the second daughter-in-law who had just been married for a month, and one was the third daughter-in-law who was waiting for her son to graduate and get married. How could she not love them?

If Li Xuewu had to guess, it was more likely his mother was taking her daughters-in-law out to show off.

There were supply and marketing cooperatives in the neighborhood and in the alley, but they were all managed by the large supply and marketing cooperative of the neighborhood committee.

Liu Yin and the others went to the one that the neighbors in the alley often frequented.

Precisely because it was where the neighbors often went, Li Xuewu said his mother was going to show off.

Look, the eldest daughter-in-law is a university teacher and is pregnant, the second daughter-in-law is a military doctor who just married into the family, and the third daughter-in-law, although not yet married, has already called her Mom and is the director of the neighborhood station.

If Li Xuewu didn't believe his father Li Shun had this desire to show off, he wouldn't believe it, because his father didn't walk through this alley when he went for a stroll before, but now he insisted on taking a detour to hear the envious words of the neighbors.

His father, a man so low-key, had this thought, let alone his mother.

The Li family was already low-key enough. The old lady wasn't someone who went out to gossip, and Liu Yin wasn't someone who went out to gossip either.

The women of the family moved out collectively, and it was the weekend, so it was lively.

Li Xuewu didn't wait for them. He fixed the car, drove it out of the gate.

He was used to walking, couldn't stay idle, and always wanted to find something to do.

And the places he could go on the weekend were limited, but limited or not, they were places he had to go.

First, he went to his teacher's wife's house. She was taking the child to do homework. He sent beef and mutton, was asked about his studies by his teacher's wife, and talked about school matters.

Han Shu wanted Li Xuewu to stay for lunch, but Li Xuewu declined, saying he had to go to his godmother's house.

He did indeed have to eat at his godmother's house, but he couldn't stay at his teacher's wife's house.

When he went out, Han Shu saw him off and asked about the situation in Steel City. Li Xuewu didn't say much, just picked a few things about work to say.

When the car left the neighborhood, Li Xuewu wiped the cold sweat from his forehead. Why did he feel his teacher's wife's gaze was a bit scary?

No! It definitely wasn't aimed at him.

If she wanted to ask him something, couldn't she just ask in the room? Why wait until the door to ask?

Was she hiding from the child?

Why ask about Steel City?

Li Xuewu's heart skipped a beat. He knew his teacher's wife had seen something, or had heard something from Steel City.

His teacher's wife had been there once before, but he didn't know if there were any arrangements. Anyway, Li Xuewu hadn't let anything slip, and if something happened, it had nothing to do with him.

Letting Yu Decai keep an eye on that side was to prevent extreme situations. Li Xuewu wouldn't meddle in such matters.

If it had to be managed, it would have to be managed by his teacher's wife. How could a student manage a teacher's private affairs? That would be overstepping.

Now that his teacher's wife had asked, it wasn't a casual question. She must have known something.

But Li Xuewu also admired his teacher's wife. When a woman is intelligent to the extreme, she is already in an invincible position.

Even if she knew, what could she do? Could she make Dong Wenxue resign and come back?

If there wasn't that heart, even Lin Daiyu couldn't take him away; if there was that heart, even if she followed him, she couldn't stop him.

Han Shu wouldn't go. She was now a cadre in the school, her rank didn't lose to Dong Wenxue's, and she had her own career. Why should she accommodate her lover?

The result of accommodation was giving up her own future and betting that her lover wouldn't change his heart.

This bet was too big and not worth it. As long as her career was still there, she wouldn't lose.

Because even a fool knew that she could live well on her own. Choosing a waitress or choosing a university professor—was this question difficult?

Why didn't Li Xuewu meddle in this? One reason was his teacher Dong Wenxue, and the other was his teacher's wife Han Shu. He knew both sides and couldn't be this middleman.

Matters of the heart could only be discussed by two people; outsiders would only have the opposite effect.

Han Shu was an extremely intelligent woman who knew Dong Wenxue wouldn't abandon his family, let alone do something stupid.

Men, after all, get used to home-cooked meals and always want to taste wild game, even if wild game has risks.

She wasn't afraid, and she hadn't lost anything. The one who lost was that waitress.

She couldn't take a single cent of what was invested in Dong Wenxue; it was just sleeping with him for nothing.

At the very least, Dong Wenxue didn't dare let her have a piece of "stinking meat" in her belly, let alone let her see the light of day.

What did this count as?

Han Shu sat at home, just taking good care of the children, handling her own affairs well, and dealing with her career. When Dong Wenxue was transferred back, she would still be her, and he would still be him.

But any display of unreasonable trouble would be an insult to Han Shu's high emotional intelligence and high IQ.

Making a scene? Finding the door? Calling to question him? Finding relatives and friends to lecture him?

These were all useless. Still, that sentence: matters of the heart are between two people; don't complicate the problem.

This family used to be under her control, and it would be even more so in the future.