Chapter 688: Who is it?

"Look at what they are doing!"

"Are they trying to make trouble!"

"Who gave them the courage!"

Li Huai De was furious at Li Xuewu, and even the teacup by his hand was smashed.

Li Haiyang heard the sound of the cup smashing, but he didn't dare to go in because he knew Deputy Factory Director Li was talking to Deputy Li Kezhang Li.

Neither of the two people in the office was someone he could manage. Even if the two were dismantling the house to play inside, he had to stand at the door and listen. He absolutely could not go in if the leader didn't call him.

Especially at this time, the leader smashing the cup was not a signal for him to carry an axe inside to hack people; he didn't even dare to think about hacking Li Xuewu.

Smashing the cup meant the leader was angry. If he went in, he would only let the leader vent his anger on him. He wouldn't touch this bad luck.

Li Xuewu didn't want to face Li Huai De's anger either, but he was called over by a phone call and had nowhere to hide, so he could only puff on his cigarette, puff after puff, like a chimney.

Li Huai De scolded for a while, glanced at the direction of the door, and then said to Li Xuewu, "There must be a way for this matter; if it goes on like this, won't it be a mess!"

Li Xuewu put down the cigarette butt in his hand, picked up the document on the table to look at it, and then threw it on the table.

"It is a bit abnormal."

What he said was abnormal was based on what the document said. The document was issued by the higher-ups regarding the decision to deeply investigate various problems in the Steel Mill.

And in the circular, it was stated that there had always been an opposing force in the Steel Mill hindering the development of the Steel Mill and affecting the overall situation of the Steel Mill's normal operations, especially in the "Big Learning, Big Discussion" activities, responding passively, and having an unserious attitude, etc.

Li Xuewu looked at this document; although Li Huai De's name was not on it, it was almost as if his ID number was written on it.

Furthermore, who did this opposing force include?

Li Xuewu felt as if he had been included, and also frowned in thought.

"I think it's a bit exaggerated, as if they are afraid that our factory has no problems, so they have to make up some problems."

"I think that's exactly what it means!"

Li Huai De said with a face full of anger, "You know, right? Someone has started investigating me, checking my materials. What do they want to do!"

Li Xuewu tilted his head, frowned and flicked the ash in the ashtray, then took a puff and said, "This matter seems to be aimed at you, but in reality, it's aimed at everyone."

After speaking, he pointed at the document with the finger holding the cigarette, letting the ash fall on it, forming several black dots.

"A force, so big, Factory Director Yang didn't discover it? That's poor management. Secretary Yang didn't notice it? That's the main responsibility."

Li Xuewu raised his head to look at Li Huai De and asked, "If there is an earthquake, who can run away? I think everyone will be buried underneath."

"Hmph! Asking for trouble!"

Li Huai De snorted. Li Xuewu naturally knew who he was talking about, but now was not the time for complaints.

"Still have to look at the attitude of the Factory Director and the Secretary. I think they don't want the Steel Mill to be in chaos."

If you think about it, who is the root of these things? Who was the one who wanted to take advantage of the situation at the beginning?

Now that the fish hasn't been caught, a big man-eating shark has entered the water. Not only does it eat people, but it even eats the fish in the water. This pond of water is even more chaotic.

Li Huai De also knew that he hadn't handled it well and had made things chaotic, but he didn't want to reflect on anything or regret anything now. That was useless; walking down the dark path was his only way out.

Originally, Yang Fengshan was an opponent, but now a working group has been added. Li Huai De's pressure can be imagined.

Now he also understood the meaning of Li Xuewu's words, which was to seek the possibility of uniting with Yang Fengshan to squeeze out the working group, intensifying the contradiction between the working group and Yang Fengshan and others in the Steel Mill, while at the same time easing the dispute between the two sides.

But he didn't want to cooperate with Yang Fengshan, and he didn't want to bow to Yang Fengshan. He had already walked this far; could he still eat the grass he had already turned back from?

Besides, as long as he bows his head, all his previous efforts will turn into ashes and bubbles. If he wants to achieve something, he has to start from scratch. One step slow, every step slow.

So after Li Xuewu finished speaking, Li Huai De thought for a moment and said seriously, "Hope cannot be placed on others, and the steering wheel cannot be controlled by others. Whether the Steel Mill is chaotic or not, whether they want it or not, I won't care. I just want the Steel Mill not to be chaotic."

"The Steel Mill has more than 10,000 workers, is a major taxpayer in Beijing, is a pillar of Beijing's steel industry, and is a key factory of the Ministry of Steel. How can it be allowed to be messed with?"

"Hmm..."

Li Xuewu pursed his lips and nodded, "This matter needs to be considered comprehensively from several aspects."

As he spoke, he took a puff of his cigarette and narrowed his eyes, listening to Li Huai De nagging about his big principles.

Although the things he did weren't great, he had to say pretty words. He wanted to control the Steel Mill, but he didn't say his own selfish desires; he said he wanted to think for the more than 10,000 workers in the Steel Mill.

He wanted to achieve a posture of "one word carries the weight of nine tripods" in the Steel Mill, but he said he wanted to speak for the workers of the Steel Mill.

Leaders, Li Xuewu knows very clearly; when they speak solemnly, it should all be taken as farting.

"The Steel Mill values unity, and also values rules and order."

Li Xuewu said with narrowed eyes, "The procedures that should be there must be there, and the response methods that should be there must also be within the overall framework. It must be compliant, legal, reasonable, and fair."

"Continue."

Li Huai De was perhaps tired of talking, lit a cigarette for himself, gestured to Li Xuewu with his lighter, and threw it aside.

Li Xuewu flicked the ash and said, "I think those who should talk to the Factory Director and the Secretary should still talk. You can't bear this kind of responsibility alone. Everyone is one body. I think they should be able to understand."

"Whether they do it or not is their business, but whether you say it or not is your business, right~"

"Hmm."

Li Huai De narrowed his eyes and exhaled a puff of smoke, nodding, "Makes sense. Doing things still requires attention to methods, and also requires walking the right path to seek the right result."

"That's exactly what I mean."

Li Xuewu extinguished the cigarette butt in the ashtray, looked at Li Huai De, and said, "The working group is here to investigate problems. Can you not let them investigate? Can you stop them from investigating?"

"Can't!"

Li Xuewu tapped Li Huai De's table lightly and said, "You have to cooperate, you have to take the initiative to confess, and you have to take the initiative to talk to the working group."

Li Huai De raised his eyebrows at Li Xuewu, thinking: This kid isn't trying to harm me, is he! Whose side are you on!

Li Xuewu said, "What you talk about and what they want you to say can be the same thing?"

"I think this matter is problematic for anyone. Everyone has it. If you take the initiative to confess the problem, then do others need to be investigated?"

Li Xuewu patted the table heavily, startling Li Huai De, but just as he jumped, Li Xuewu spoke, "I have something, I take the initiative to confess, then he has something, what do you do?"

Li Huai De tilted his head to look at Li Xuewu and asked, "What do I have? What does he have? What else is there?"

"Do you have something to say!"

Li Xuewu frowned and said, "Let's not even talk about the Logistics Department; don't you have a Security Department? Is the concern not in place, is the inspection work not meticulous, and have the follow-ups on the problems found during visits not been carried through to the end?"

"Is the Dispatch Department the same? Is the assessment of relevant cadres not thorough, the management of specific operations not meticulous, and have there been no diligent interviews with specific personnel?"

"What about the Sales Department?"

Li Xuewu looked at Li Huai De seriously and said, "Just because it's a department under your temporary management, can you relax? Are there specific tasks that haven't been done, and is there management of certain people that hasn't been carried out?"

Li Huai De squinted at Li Xuewu, and after a long while, he nodded seriously and said, "Your criticism is very timely. I do have a lot of work that hasn't been done well, and I am responsible for the issues in cadre management."

"That's why I'm saying, there are bound to be problems now."

Li Xuewu wore an 'I told you so' expression, looked at Li Huai De, and said, "Since you manage so many cadres and so many departments, if something goes wrong, shouldn't you humbly conduct a self-review?"

"Yes, yes, yes, it should be reviewed."

Li Huai De's mouth twitched, clearly with a smile, as he flicked the ash into the ashtray and nodded, saying, "You're right, continue."

Li Haiyang, standing at the doorway, pricked up his ears. He listened carefully inside; he must have misheard just now—was Deputy Director Li lecturing the Deputy Factory Director?

Damn! Did I get up too fast during the lunch break!

So what if a director lectures a factory director?

Look at whether the Deputy Factory Director is willing to be lectured—doesn't he look very happy?

As the saying goes: the humble bamboo has bowing leaves, while the proud plum blossom has no upward-facing flowers!

Li Xuewu pulled a cigarette from the pack, lit it, tapped the table with his lighter, and asked Li Huai De, "If even someone like you is bound to make mistakes, then tell me, will other leading cadres make mistakes?!"

"Hmm, it's inevitable, isn't it?"

Li Huai De nodded and said, "No one is perfect; who dares to say their work won't have errors?"

"Exactly!"

Li Xuewu smoked and said to Li Huai De, "Factory directors, deputy factory directors, directors, deputy directors, section chiefs, deputy section chiefs—which manager won't make mistakes? If they can't see them themselves, don't they need someone to remind them and wake them up?"

"Then who should do this work?"

Li Xuewu said very seriously, "I have always felt that the Steel Mill belongs to all the workers, and all cadres should be supervised by the workers. What do you think?"

"I highly agree with this point."

Li Huai De nodded solemnly and said, "The working class leads all work; they are the advanced representatives of social productivity, and they have the right to do so, and should do so."

Now Li Xuewu didn't need to continue; he understood everything. No one understood Li Xuewu better than he did.

When it came to schemes and strategy, if Li Huai De used to say he was second, no one dared to say they were first.

Now, he dared to say he was third, and no one dared to say they were first. Out of modesty, he kept the second position for Li Xuewu, and in his heart, he had to admit that in some areas, Li Xuewu really did see further than he did.

He did not agree with Li Xuewu's strategy of uniting with Yang Fengshan to intensify the relationship between Yang Fengshan and the working group to squeeze the working group out.

Now Li Xuewu had backhanded him with another strategy: since he couldn't unite with Yang Fengshan, then do the opposite.

First, prove one's own innocence, put oneself ahead of everyone else, create an isolated situation, and then fill the working group's desks with whistleblower letters. Don't let a single one escape; everyone in the factory with a title is involved.

The source of these whistleblower letters would naturally be the workers, and this news should be leaked inadvertently so the workers know there is such a channel to report problems.

Then this matter would be done. He only needed to prepare the first batch of whistleblower letters, and the subsequent ones would naturally be written by the workers themselves.

Truth and falsehood, reality and illusion—what was needed was chaos. You want to investigate, right? This time I'll let you investigate to your heart's content.

Yang Fengshan, you were hesitating whether to stop the working group or condone them, right? Now you have no choice.

The whole factory is in chaos, and Yang Fengshan will have to stand up. As long as he stands up, he will be in opposition to the working group or in opposition to the workers. Either way, he won't get anything good out of it.

When the working group encounters this situation, they will either have to abandon the previous investigation and finish it hastily, or investigate to the end.

But if they investigate, and those problems are really found and punished, the Steel Mill will be finished. If no one comes to work, won't it be finished?

But if they don't investigate, the working group will stand in opposition to the workers. Li Huai De would be responsible for intensifying this contradiction and making the fire bigger. Anyway, he had already jumped out first, so no matter who it burned, it wouldn't burn him.

The final outcome must be the workers' victory, because it's impossible for the higher-ups to fire all the workers.

It's even more impossible to fire all the cadres. This is the final result of this matter.

Li Huai De calculated in his heart that Li Xuewu had probably already calculated what they would eat on the day the working group was kicked out.

They would eat meat! They would drink alcohol!

Li Huai De thought that just for this move by Li Xuewu, he should treat Li Xuewu to meat and alcohol.

Not only did he get rid of the working group, but he also made Yang Fengshan stand in the middle, pleasing no one, while simultaneously gaining a mass base. Three birds with one stone—truly impressive.

Heh heh, the more impressive part is yet to come.

Li Xuewu saw Li Huai De laughing, and he laughed too. Li Huai De laughed very cunningly, and he laughed even more cunningly.

Li Huai De felt that Li Xuewu was happy for him, and Li Xuewu was happy that Li Huai De felt that way.

If the working group were really that easy to fool, it would be great, but the harder they are to fool, the more interesting it is.

Li Haiyang felt a chill when he heard the laughter in the office; he felt inexplicably cold in his heart.

Only when he heard Li Huai De call him did he open the door and walk in.

By this time, Li Xuewu had already stood up, cigarette in hand, smiled at him, and headed out the door.

Li Haiyang also smiled, saw Li Xuewu out, picked up the broom and dustpan by the door, and cleaned up the broken teacup on the floor.

"Ask the Factory Office how Director Li's younger sister is being arranged. You are usually in the Factory Office, so take care of her more."

"Yes."

Li Haiyang didn't know why the Deputy Factory Director suddenly gave such instructions. He was clearly looking at documents, yet the words coming out of his mouth were about unimportant matters.

No! That's not right. Li Xuewu's sister might be unimportant, but Li Xuewu is not.

He was probably the only one who could leave a leader's office while smoking so nonchalantly.

Li Haiyang had seen Li Xuewu's sister in the Factory Office; it could be said she was quite pretty, but he didn't dare to provoke her, and no one else dared to either.

The leader's words were just a reminder, telling him that Li Xuewu's sister was there, and if there was anything, he should come to the leader.

This little girl had a huge favor; even the Deputy Factory Director had instructed to look after her. Well, who would dare to give her a hard time in the future?

Li Huai De saying this didn't just represent the intention to look after Li Xuewu's sister; it also represented Li Xuewu's position with him.

He was truly afraid of this move by the working group. If they really pulled the rug out from under him and dug up his roots, he would be finished at the Steel Mill.

When the working group came, they came with a purpose, and that purpose was him. Zhang Guoqi was completely just a bystander who got hit by a stray bullet for him.

Three years without promotion was the first warning to Zhang Guoqi. If he dared to "help the tyrant do evil" again, it wouldn't just be a matter of three years.

Why is Zhang Guoqi feeling so relieved when talking to Li Xuewu now? The punishment has been handed down, his position won't change, and Li Huai De doesn't dare to use him anymore. How could he not be relieved?

Without Zhang Guoqi shielding him, he naturally had other scapegoats.

What scared him most was the mid-year meeting. With the working group stuck in the middle, it was possible that they would strip him bare at this year's general meeting, or even adjust his work.

Deputy factory-level positions include deputy factory directors, deputy secretaries, and the head of the labor union.

If they really caught something on him, a round of 'clack-clack' and using this set of tactics to move him to the labor union would be quite lively.

Don't say there's no such possibility. Like Li Xuewu, who directly caught Deng Zhiwang and found solid evidence to overturn a deputy factory director—that was a special situation, an unconventional method.

And the conventional method of dealing with a deputy factory director is what he fears: using a bunch of 'this and that' to question him, investigate him, lower his prestige, then isolate him in his work, and finally transfer him at some point.

As long as there is a problem, and the problem is confirmed, he definitely won't be able to stand firm at this year's mid-year meeting. It wouldn't be a matter of adjusting his division of labor, but direct marginalization.

The result of marginalization isn't just that you're finished as the head of the labor union; this kind of transfer has no end.

First, you go to the labor union to be idled, then endless investigations, then demotion, demotion after demotion, until your influence is insufficient, and then they directly arrest you.

This is a conventional means of handling someone without affecting the overall situation.

What Yang Fengshan hopes to see is this kind of method. He already had the heart to overturn Yang Fengshan, so Yang Fengshan had the intention to cut him down.

Saying he wasn't willing to cooperate with Yang Fengshan was because both had already drawn their swords; it was time to start fighting. At this time, talking about cooperation was hypocritical, and no one would believe it.

Li Huai De's goal was very clear: to be the Executive Deputy. If the Executive Deputy position wasn't given, then kill Yang Fengshan and set up his own shop.

Previously, he was still wary of Yang Yuansong's interference, but now that the working group had entered the fray, he also saw through Yang Yuansong's 'silver-plated pewter spearhead'—the style of a fence-sitter who valued him on the surface but didn't actually take him seriously.

Because of Li Xuewu's existence, he had Gu Weijie's support in the Party Committee, which meant he had a vote in the Party Committee.

And in his cooperation with Gu Weijie, he was also very generous. The transfer of the residential area project was pushed by him and Li Xuewu.

Even though he clearly knew Li Xuewu gave Gu Weijie ideas, and the residential area project had its current excellent situation, Li Huai De didn't say he was jealous, nor did he say Li Xuewu didn't help at the beginning.

Even if this project were given to him, he couldn't reach the level Gu Weijie had, because their work focus and directions were different.

Gu Weijie focused more on practical work, and grasped spiritual construction and Party affairs work more.

Li Huai De wanted to play it safe, was unwilling to take risks, and wanted to do more 'empty' work, grasping the grassroots mass base.

The two took what they needed, helped each other, and under Li Xuewu's mediation, they had a good understanding.

Now what he had to do was act—act in a big play for which Li Xuewu had written the script. The play was titled "Something Out of Nothing, Crossing the Sea by a Trick, Imagining Out of Thin Air..."

Coming out of Li Huai De's office, Li Xuewu glanced at the Factory Office across the stairs, didn't pay too much attention, and turned to go downstairs.

Li Xue didn't know that while she was looking at materials and studying in the office, her second brother was also on the third floor.

When Xu Sinian received Li Xue's report, he did say that Li Xue could come tomorrow or the day after, but Li Xue refused, saying she could get familiar with things first.

Li Xue was also afraid of letting her imagination run wild when she got home, and even more afraid that if she rested too much, she would think about school again.

Actually, high school students taking the college entrance exam don't just graduate and take the test; there is a complex set of procedures.

Before participating in the college entrance exam, one has to work in a factory for a month, then return to school to review lessons for a week, and then take the exam a week later.

Li Xue's situation was quite special. Now their school had stopped classes quite early, and there were arrangements to work in factories, but Li Xue didn't go.

After finishing her graduation exams, she was arranged by Li Xuewu to visit and intern. Because the college entrance exam recruitment was delayed, she didn't go to work in a factory, and naturally, there was no preparation for the college entrance exam.

The only thing she did at school these past few days was to collect the graduation group photo and listen to classmates saying goodbye to each other.

What she could hear was either male classmates making noise and shouting slogans, or female classmates crying and talking about their confusion after graduation.

Many classmates had confidence in the college entrance exam recruitment, and were secretly encouraging themselves, encouraging each other to continue studying and prepare for the college entrance exam before the end of the year.

Li Xue, as always, didn't say anything. She looked at the photo in her hand at home for a long time, then stuck it in the mirror, and never looked at it again.

Today, she completed the entry procedures at the Steel Mill. She knew she no longer had the qualifications to consider college. Her second brother had already secretly helped her handle all the procedures, just waiting for her nod.

What could she do? What her second brother said was always right, always for their consideration, and even more, it respected her own wishes.

So when Director Xu asked her, Li Xue also stubbornly decided to start her internship work from today.

Xu Sinian also understood this little girl's stubbornness and arranged for Peng Xiaoli, a secretary from the Security Department, to be Li Xue's mentor.

Peng Xiaoli knew who Li Xue was. Although the pressure was great, he still had to teach her.

He expressed to Director Xu that his ability was average and his level was limited, but helplessly, Director Xu seemed to believe that young people always had common topics, and believed he could teach Li Xue well.

Especially since he was the liaison secretary for the Security Department, this seemed even more convenient.

Peng Xiaoli was also cautious and terrified when teaching Li Xue.

This was a quiet girl, and she looked good, so doing even a little bit more seemed like having ulterior motives.

Another thing was Li Xue's identity, which made him really want to teach Li Xue well and have her graduate quickly.

Last time he provoked Li Xuewu once and was almost scared to death. Now, going to Li Xuewu's office to report work made him nervous.

Looking at this girl right in front of him, she was probably synonymous with 'having your legs broken'.

Starting from the most basic application writing, then to the classification and filing of office materials, the names and divisions of labor of leaders at all levels in the Steel Mill, the functions and responsibilities of each unit...

Li Xue had a lot to learn. This had nothing to do with effort or basic cultural knowledge. In work, these were just a person's most basic professional qualities; what was important was also spiritual insight.

Peng Xiaoli had the same view as Director Xu: Deputy Director Li's sister, wouldn't she be just as smart?

Of course, Peng Xiaoli didn't dare to say that Li Xuewu was a monkey just by sticking on some fur.

Li Xue's position was right next to Peng Xiaoli. Both sat against the wall, one teaching softly, one learning seriously. The big ceiling fan in the office hummed, and eyes often swept over here, bringing infinite pressure to Peng Xiaoli.

He had pressure for being chosen to teach Li Xue, but those who weren't chosen also had their own thoughts.

It's hard to say 'one step to the sky', but it was a powerful relationship after all. Anyone could see that Li Xue's future would definitely be stronger than the average person.

If there was a friendship of 'leading into the door' at this time, whether it was Li Xue herself or Li Xuewu, they probably wouldn't be stingy about helping out.

There were those who looked at Li Xue with this utilitarian heart, and those who looked at Peng Xiaoli, which was why Peng Xiaoli had both pressure and motivation.

Li Xue had a steady personality. When Peng Xiaoli spoke, she took a pen and made records, very seriously, just like listening to a teacher in a classroom.

If there was something she didn't understand, she would take the initiative to ask after Peng Xiaoli finished speaking. This earnestness in learning also infected Peng Xiaoli, making him relax a little.

He had thought that with such a high "starting point" and so many leaders paying attention, Li Xue would be a proud and difficult personality. Now it seemed he had wronged her.

In the afternoon, Xu Sinian came to see them once. Seeing one teaching seriously and one learning seriously, he didn't disturb them again.

People in the office saw Director Xu come to see them, and they all knew Li Xue's status in this office and in the factory.

In the future, not to mention currying favor, but they had to have a good relationship, and even more, they had to be on guard, because such 'relationship households' often told leaders and superiors what was said in the office.

No matter how they treated her, Li Xue was still a young person who had just started working, knowing nothing and being able to do nothing. Everyone wasn't too nervous, just treating her as an object of attention in the office.

Actually, it was true—a sixteen-year-old girl, looking grown up, but actually how old was she? It was the same as when they started working.

Recalling their own appearance when they started working, weren't they just as green and ignorant, bumping around in the office like headless flies, and only after being bruised and battered did they have today's insights and status?

Compared to their helplessness, this "younger sister" wasn't a college student, just an ordinary high school student, and she had plenty of training to go.

"A few people, go to the Dispatch Workshop, take a camera."

The section chief of the first section of the Factory Office walked in, waved at the room, indicating there was work.

The young people in the section stood up quickly, ready to follow the section chief out.

The section chief waved his hand at the room and pointed at Peng Xiaoli, saying, "Xiaoli, you don't need to go, just teach the newcomer well. The others, hurry up."

The young people in the room smiled and looked at Peng Xiaoli, each with their own thoughts as they followed the section chief out.

Everyone knew that the freight train was coming back today. This was the first trade train in June, and also the first train after Deputy Factory Director Li presided over trade work, so naturally, it had to be recorded and reported.

The section chief telling them to bring a camera just now meant exactly that.

As for why it was young people following, not old comrades, this was the rule in the office.

There were three levels: one was that old comrades had heavy bottoms, held onto their status, had been in the section for many years, were important, and were respected, so they couldn't get up.

Another was that many old comrades were clerks or secretaries for relevant leaders, or were full-time writers of materials for various leaders. The section chief couldn't order them to do this kind of field work.

The last was young people, who needed opportunities to train and also needed to take on the responsibilities of young people. This kind of field work and reporting material was exactly the opportunity for them to show themselves.

So as long as the section chief said the relevant work content, the people in the office knew what was their business and what wasn't.

Peng Xiaoli was naturally a young person. When the section chief finished speaking, he stood up.

Before he could even leave, the section chief pointed him out again, saying he didn't need to go.

The old comrades looked at him with amusement, and the young comrades looked at him with schadenfreude—one less competitor.

Peng Xiaoli was also helpless and could only sit down and continue to guide Li Xue.

Li Xue looked at this young teacher and asked softly, "Is there something important? If you need to go out, I can wait a while before learning."

"It's nothing, it's just that the trade train is coming back with goods."

Peng Xiaoli used this matter to tell Li Xue about the rules in the office, and also explained why this train needed camera recording and reporting, where the focus of the report was, and which leader's business it was related to.

Li Xue also listened to the excitement, swallowing it whole. She was still understanding the business managed by each leader, and didn't know who the Deputy Factory Director Li and relevant leaders mentioned in the report were, or what their relationships were.

Actually, while telling Li Xue, Peng Xiaoli was thinking that this matter, strictly speaking, had a relationship with Li Xue's brother, Li Xuewu.

This wasn't the first freight train. The previous freight shipments were related to the frontier. Those who knew understood that these goods were the relationship Li Xuewu opened up in the frontier with Li Huai De.

Now Li Huai De re-established the project, specifically taking out the freight train—the fruit train—to establish a trade project, specifically docking with the residential area project, which could be considered doing a great good deed for the workers in the factory.

So today, Deputy Factory Director Li Huai De and Deputy Secretary Gu Weijie would both be present, and people from the Factory Office would naturally go to do work.

Peng Xiaoli knew the contradictions and relationships between the several leaders, and even more knew the role Li Xuewu played in it. It could be said that although Li Xuewu wasn't a factory leader, in the eyes of the factory leaders, he was more threatening than ordinary factory leaders.

It sounded like a tongue twister, but this was the fact.

Ordinary factory leaders wouldn't grab another factory leader by the collar downstairs and throw them into a car for investigation, or even put them to death.

The talk in the office went back and forth and became absurd, and there was even a direction of making Li Xuewu dangerous. Peng Xiaoli had a lot of contact with Li Xuewu and saw him every day, but he didn't see how severe Li Xuewu was.

In his eyes, Li Xuewu was an extremely earnest and responsible leader, and an even more wise and approachable leader.

But the things Li Xuewu did and the people he handled weren't just rumors; they existed.

This formed a sharp contrast with the Li Xuewu in his eyes, which was also the reason why Peng Xiaoli feared Li Xuewu.

Precisely because of the mystery, and precisely because of the impermanence, there was fear.

Red Star Elementary School.

There was a sanitation area in the school office area, which was originally the responsibility of students in each class, but now it wasn't. There were full-time cleaning staff in the school.

The students didn't have to sweep the floor or manage sanitation, so they were naturally happy, but seeing the teachers who used to teach them cleaning, and being called 'teaching staff', they were also stunned.

Some students said this was rectification, some said this was punishment, and some said this was reform.

The sayings were different, but the work was the same. Some teachers swept the floor, some cleaned up garbage, and some cleared weeds. All kinds of dirty and tiring work were handed to them to do.

Some older students knew a little, and had heard some vocabulary from the working group teachers, such as 'petty bourgeois', 'family background', etc.

Banggeng's former head teacher, Ran Qiuye, was one of the teachers in this batch being reformed, and also one of the most severely targeted by the working group.

For no other reason than that Ran Qiuye usually dressed the most stylishly, and she had the most 'petty bourgeois' atmosphere. Her clothes, things she used, and her words and deeds were all different from other teachers.

If you want to talk about it, being different is correct; it would be strange if she were the same. Ran Qiuye's parents were returning overseas Chinese, and Ran Qiuye herself grew up abroad since she was little.

This personality and behavior were bound to carry a bit of foreign style, and she was like this in her daily performance.

Actually, letting her sweep the floor wasn't what made her most sad. What Ran Qiuye couldn't stand was the attitude and gaze of the people around her, looking at her as if she were a criminal.

Isolating her was one thing, but the students she had taught, the students she had disciplined strictly, were all taking revenge on her at this time.

Deliberately throwing paper scraps on the ground was light. There was that bad kid who picked up feces from the toilet and threw it into her sanitation area, just wanting to see her humiliated.

The people from the working group didn't care when they saw it, only letting her clean up the sanitation, supervising her sweeping, and lecturing her as if treating a class enemy.

Her parents were both middle school teachers, and now their situation was the same as hers, or even worse than her current situation.

Also worried about her parents, Ran Qiuye's mental pressure was still very great.

Going home these past few days, seeing her parents' worried faces, she didn't dare to mention the unfair treatment she received at school.

"Teacher Ran, Teacher Ran."

"Ah?"

Ran Qiuye was thinking about her worries when she was called from behind. She reacted and looked at the working group personnel walking over, feeling a bit unaccustomed.

This working group member wasn't from their school, but sent from other units in the education system. Previously, his attitude toward her was particularly bad, and he was the one who defined her as an intellectual and a representative of the petty bourgeoisie.

These past few days, this person was the fiercest and most vicious toward her. Seeing the other party smiling and calling her now, she also had an illusion, not knowing what had happened.

"Teacher Ran, the team leader wants you to go over."

"Oh, oh, I see."

Ran Qiuye looked at the other party suspiciously, then put the broom in her hand aside and followed this person to the office.

In the office, the working group leader, along with the principal of Red Star Elementary School, were there.

When Ran Qiuye entered, both were smiling.

"Heh heh, Teacher Ran has worked hard these past few days."

"Yes, you have set an example for the comrades undergoing labor reform~"

Ran Qiuye didn't know what had happened. She had just been sweeping the floor at the door for a few days; how did she become an object of praise, and at the same time an excellent representative of these personnel needing reform?

Walking out of the working group's office blankly, she didn't know what had happened, but she knew she had resumed work and didn't have to sweep the floor anymore.

Looking at the working group personnel smiling at her, and the principal coming out with her, Ran Qiuye only felt it was a bit magical.

What was even more magical was that the principal took her to the school office. On the way, the principal said in a reproachful tone: "There's no need to make a fuss until the end to pull strings for some things. If you had said so earlier, it would have been easy for everyone to handle, right?"

"You have also been a teacher at our school for several years. Haven't I cared enough about you on weekdays?"

The principal's expression was a bit aggrieved and a bit complaining. The grievance was that Ran Qiuye didn't take the initiative to reveal this connection, and didn't take the initiative to report to him when something happened, but spoke directly to that person, making him seem like he wasn't a person now.

The complaint was that Ran Qiuye, you say if you really had the heart, you would have gone to sweep the floor and do odd jobs, so why wait until so many days later to say it, making it difficult for him and the working group.

This was still after discussing for a while, finding a reason for 'excellent performance', and making a fake report to muddle through this matter.

"I..."

Ran Qiuye didn't know how to answer the principal's words. She understood a bit—the working group's attitude changed, and their stance toward her changed. This was someone taking action to help her.

But she really didn't have this connection, and didn't know who helped her. There was no such person around her.

The principal saw her hesitation and thought she was embarrassed, so he nodded and said, "Alright, fortunately, the matter has a good result. You should teach well."

"But pay attention to your words and measures, and pay more attention to your behavior. You must learn the spirit of hard work and plain living."

The principal pointed at Ran Qiuye, then looked at her and said casually: "Tell that person. I, Old Gao, have used all my strength."

After speaking, without waiting for Ran Qiuye to say anything else, he turned and went to the office.

"Hey! Teacher Ran, I heard that you..."

Yan Fugui heard the conversation between the two and walked out of the office. He looked at the principal who had gone far away, and then said to Ran Qiuye: "Are you back in our ranks of people's teachers?"

"Oh, oh, yes."

Ran Qiuye twitched the corners of her mouth, nodded to Teacher Yan, and walked to the sanitation area with a face full of confusion.

The cleaning tools over there hadn't been packed up yet; she was going to finish the work.

She was thinking about who the principal was talking about, and who had the ability to move the principal with one sentence.

The principal's meaning just now was to let her tell that person, which was considered responding to that person's request.

It couldn't be returned by phone, and it was a matter handed down that had to be accomplished. Who exactly was this person?