Chapter 696: Mental Derangement

This was nothing in the line of service work, but now that it had been brought up, now that they were talking about human relationships, with Li Xuewu sitting here arranging things for her, the cigarette she lit was naturally no longer a simple service; it was lighting the path to her future.

Past events were naturally obstacles on her life's path, and even on her career path; others didn't say it, but she herself was clear on it.

Now that Li Xuewu had stood up for her in front of so many people and set the stage, it could be considered as having steadied her and helped her stand firm again, so she could continue walking well on the path of life.

Watching the fervent and envious gazes of the people around the swimming pool, Fu Linfang opened her lighter and steadily lit cigarettes for the group of leaders.

When she reached the Department Director of the Party Committee, Wei Zai, she heard Director Wei signal her and say: "Doing work is just like lighting a cigarette; choose the right direction, choose the right person, and only then can the fire keep burning."

"Yes."

Fu Linfang accepted Wei Zai's guidance with a serious expression, held the lighter steady, and lit his cigarette.

After she finished lighting the cigarettes and sent the lighter over, Li Xuewu asked: "How are the comrades from the working group staying at the guesthouse? Did they have any opinions on the evening meals and entertainment?"

"This..."

Fu Linfang glanced at Li Xuewu, placed the lighter in her hand in front of him, and replied: "These days, the leaders of the working group have been holding meetings in the evenings, and they have also come down for late-night snacks, but..."

"But what?"

Li Xuewu squinted his eyes as he looked at her and asked: "Can't you say? Or did the working group demand confidentiality?"

"No~"

Fu Linfang hesitated and said: "It's just that when I was on duty yesterday, it was already late at night, and the leaders of the working group still came down to buy cigarettes, saying they were staying up late or something."

"Yesterday?!"

Xu Sinian, sitting beside Li Xuewu, lost his relaxed expression. He squinted his eyes as he looked at Fu Linfang and asked: "Still working late last night? What were they staying up late for?"

How would Fu Linfang know what the working group was busy with? She glanced at Li Xuewu and said bluntly: "I'm not too clear on that. It was just on the fourth floor. Little Liu was on night duty last night and even brought them hot water, but could only deliver it to the door."

"Damn it! The fourth floor!"

Xu Sinian slapped the armrest of his rattan chair in anger, raised his eyebrows, and said: "The working group's office wasn't arranged on the second floor? Wasn't it close to the small conference room!"

The second half of this sentence was a statement, and he also looked at Fu Linfang with a questioning tone.

Fu Linfang didn't understand the meaning behind Director Xu's words and just stood silently to the side without speaking.

Her not speaking to refute meant that what Xu Sinian said was correct. The working group had been busy on the fourth floor all night; it couldn't be that they were accompanying Vice Factory Director Li in his room playing mahjong!

"How can this be allowed!"

Wei Zai frowned and said: "What has this become? Cadre issues should be handled by the Party Committee. Vice Factory Director Li's issues haven't been investigated clearly yet, and now they're conducting interrogations? This is reckless!"

With Wei Zai speaking up, other cadres either nodded or frowned in silence, all expressing concern about this situation.

If they could treat Li Huai De like this today, then tomorrow they would dare to treat everyone present the same way.

Therefore, the heads of various departments were also frowning tightly, starting to curse inwardly.

Never mind what their relationship with Li Huai De was like; at this moment, although the issues considered by the mid-level cadres were different from the direction Yang Fengshan was considering, the goal was the same.

That was that they could not let the working group continue like this; sooner or later, something big would happen.

What Yang Fengshan thought about was that the steel mill's leadership team could not be thrown into chaos. If there were problems, they could be investigated and asked about, but it could not be at the expense of the overall stability of the steel mill.

These mid-level cadres were thinking about the rabbit dying and the fox grieving. If it was like this for the Vice Factory Director today, would they be affected if the working group leaders' "Great Study, Great Discussion" activities continued?

Standing in a high position naturally meant one could see far and see the big picture; standing in a low position naturally meant one had to look after oneself and ensure one's own small plot of land didn't suffer a disaster.

"Worrying about the monarch when high in the temple, worrying about the people when far in the wilderness"—that was the principle.

Just now, everyone was worried that the volatility triggered by Vice Factory Director Li's incident, coupled with the wind blowing from the newspapers these past few days, would form a larger storm that would affect them. That was why they kept probing Li Xuewu's attitude.

Li Huai De was at the guesthouse, and the guesthouse was Li Xuewu's territory. They didn't believe Li Xuewu didn't know Li Huai De's situation.

Now that Li Xuewu had used Fu Linfang's mouth to state Li Huai De's predicament, it made these mid-level cadres feel a sense of crisis and further solidified their attitude toward handling this matter next.

Since he was small, his father had taught Li Xuewu that one should convince people with reason and virtue, and Li Xuewu had always followed his father's words, always acting this way in how he conducted himself and handled matters.

Unless he encountered someone who didn't understand, only then would he convince them with "physical" force.

When Li Xuewu learned of Li Huai De's situation, he knew what he should do.

Although he knew Li Huai De wouldn't have any major issues, and even knew that Li Huai De suffering more "hardship" at this time would be more beneficial to him, the steel mill was a large collective that valued unity, and it was time to show this excellent quality.

The noon swimming gathering ended in this atmosphere of tacit understanding and under the concerned gazes of the steel mill's swimming crowd.

Li Xuewu and the others wore bathrobes and walked back to the guesthouse with calm expressions, each returning to their rooms to change clothes.

Some cadres left in a hurry after changing clothes; they had to coordinate and communicate with others. Others stayed in their rooms, pondering the content of the conversation just now.

Eating together, going swimming together, and coming back together—if they were to go downstairs together and return to the office area together, who knew what kind of topics would be stirred up in the subsequent actions.

Therefore, everyone dispersed with tacit understanding, as if their conversation at noon was just a chance encounter.

Li Xuewu returned to his room wearing his bathrobe, only to find Zhang Songying in the room. The air conditioner was already on, blowing cool air.

"Sometimes I come up at noon to rest for a while; it's too hot downstairs."

Seeing Li Xuewu return, Zhang Songying sat up from the bed, shuffled in her slippers, and took the bathrobe Li Xuewu had taken off and the bath towel in his hand, explaining simply.

Li Xuewu didn't come here often; the room was always tidied by Zhang Songying and Qin Huairu.

Ever since the air conditioner was installed, more guests came to stay at the guesthouse. Those without work permits all used connections within the steel mill to open rooms and stay here.

It was precisely because of the air conditioner that the accommodation fees at the steel mill guesthouse had risen significantly, but even with the price hike, there were still many people coming to stay.

They were all on business trips to the capital, or specifically on business trips to the steel mill, and staying here was very convenient.

It was only a twenty-minute drive from here to the city, and the guesthouse even had cars for pick-up and drop-off.

As for those from other brother factories coming to visit and learn, because of the "Dual Contingency Plan," the guesthouse rooms were nearly full.

It was precisely because there were many guests that the profitability of both the service department and the catering department was quite impressive.

Coupled with the emergence of the late-night snack economy, the guesthouse's accounts even showed a surplus of funds.

With money, while fully guaranteeing the subsidies for the guesthouse staff, they even upgraded and replaced various facilities.

The air conditioner was a big item. The cost of installing it was allocated by the factory, but the electricity and maintenance costs were borne by the guesthouse itself.

With more guests, the requirements for the quantity and quality of service personnel also increased.

The guesthouse increased from the initial dozen or so service personnel to over forty, and it was still increasing; the entire guesthouse staff was about to reach one hundred people.

While serving Li Xuewu as he went to the bathroom to wash up, Zhang Songying introduced the recent work of the guesthouse to him.

Li Xuewu listened while washing; the water in the swimming pool wasn't clean, so one had to rinse off after swimming.

The quantity of service personnel was satisfied, and the requirements for service quality became even stricter and more standardized; Li Xuewu even felt the service standards of later generations.

Qin Huairu and Zhang Songying were also wholeheartedly expanding and learning based on the principles Li Xuewu had customized for them, implementing the refinement and standardization of work very strictly.

This could be seen from the details of the guesthouse service: the curtains, bed sheets, quilt covers, pillowcases, bath towels, etc., in the rooms all had specialized cleaning teams and laundry facilities.

Clean, tidy, polite, and standard—this was the impression every guest who had stayed at the steel mill guesthouse would inevitably leave with.

From the initial blue work uniforms to the later open-collar cadre outfits, the attire of the guesthouse service personnel was also changing.

At this time, there were many skirt-style uniforms, including the police from the security brigade and the branch bureau; the women's uniforms in summer were skirts, and Ji Yuxiu also wore a skirt.

Therefore, Qin Huairu and the others also drew inspiration from the skirt uniforms, as well as the clothing of old-brand service standards like the Beijing Hotel, and after seeking Li Xuewu's opinion, they designed the standard uniforms for the steel mill guesthouse attendants.

The female attendants wore full blue skirt suits with aprons, while the management cadres wore blue shirts with black knee-length skirts, uniformly wearing black high heels.

When it was colder, they would add a knit cardigan, wearing a portrait badge on their chests to express their faith.

The guesthouse had money, and Li Xuewu knew about the matter of changing work uniforms for employees; he also saw the matter of equipping all employees with leather shoes.

Including the change in attire he saw that day when Fu Linfang wore a blue skirt suit and later changed into a shirt and short skirt, he also knew.

But looking at Zhang Songying in his room, he always felt something was not quite right.

Never mind that the heels were high, the skirt was short; the management personnel below all wore mid-heels, and the skirts were all below the knee, but looking at Zhang Songying in the room...

"How come I've never seen you wear this... this outfit?"

Li Xuewu walked out of the bathroom, sized up Zhang Songying, and asked with a smile.

Zhang Songying laughed and scolded: "Go on~ I wouldn't dare wear this out; I only wear it in the room."

After speaking, she turned around in front of Li Xuewu and asked with a smile: "Does it look good?"

"Hmm~"

Li Xuewu pursed his lips and nodded, and "Little Li Xuewu" also nodded along, expressing his praise for Zhang Songying.

Zhang Songying naturally discovered the praise from Li Xuewu and "Li Xuewu," and with a slightly reddened face, she scolded him.

"Aren't you ashamed~"

"Hehe~"

Li Xuewu shook his chin, ignored this woman, adjusted the air conditioner temperature, lifted the quilt, and lay on the bed.

Zhang Songying knew that Li Xuewu didn't dare to catch a cold. This man was clearly a big, strong young man, a powerhouse with a rock-hard body, yet he was someone who didn't eat spicy food, didn't eat greasy food, didn't eat cold food, and didn't eat hot food; he was even better at health preservation than an old man.

Picking up the bath towel from the rack, Zhang Songying walked to the bedside and helped Li Xuewu wipe his body again.

Li Xuewu had just wiped himself casually when he came out and threw the bath towel aside; now that he was lying down, he felt a bit uncomfortable.

Zhang Songying wiped him down, and he felt much more comfortable, closing his eyes slightly, looking as if he were about to rest.

"Paying so much attention to health preservation, are you hoping to live to be a hundred?"

"Who doesn't want to?"

Li Xuewu's voice was a bit tired; perhaps it was because he had just returned from outside, the weather was hot, and the swimming and bathing had consumed his energy, so his tone was a bit languid.

"Go out and ask, is there anyone who says they don't want to live to be ninety-nine? If they can live one more year, they have to hope to live to be a hundred."

"Then there's no need to work so hard~"

Zhang Songying covered Li Xuewu's stomach and upper body with the quilt and said: "Life has a hundred flavors; if you don't taste them all, how will you know the joy of living?"

While speaking, her hands had already grabbed the "dragon bone," and looking at Li Xuewu, she said with a smile: "Isn't there a saying, 'Hear the Dao in the morning, and one can die in the evening'? I don't want to live that long; when I'm old, I'll just be useless~"

With the dragon bone grabbed, Li Xuewu glanced at Zhang Songying and said: "How do you know I haven't tasted the hundred flavors of life? My dad is a traditional Chinese medicine practitioner; he's almost made me taste a hundred herbs. What haven't I eaten?"

"I don't believe it~"

Zhang Songying shook the dragon bone in her hand and said with confident, teasing laughter: "What I've eaten, you might not necessarily have eaten~"

Li Xuewu: "...!" (Gritting teeth!)

Damn it!

He really didn't know what to say to this woman!

He talked to her about health preservation, and she talked to him about life!

He talked to her about life, and she talked to him about "driving"!

He talked to her about life being like a play, and she insisted on forcing him to use force!

"Lie down!"

Facts proved that short skirts and high heels really did affect driving.

At the very least, the speed was hard to control, heavy one moment and light the next.

If the chassis hadn't been stable, the suspension soft, the car body long, and the headlights bright, this car would have been driven to pieces by Li Xuewu.

The road conditions were okay, but the speed was fast, and the wind noise and tire noise were too loud, roaring fiercely.

With the accelerator floored, the engine was also prone to making "pi-pa" abnormal sounds.

Li Xuewu slept for a little while, and when he got up, Zhang Songying had already cleaned up the situation.

Looking at Zhang Songying, who had changed back into a long skirt and low-heeled leather shoes, Li Xuewu said with a smile: "You were prettier just now."

"Go on~ Aren't you ashamed~"

Zhang Songying scolded Li Xuewu, but she herself was fanning her slightly reddened face with her hand; the air conditioner temperature couldn't lower the heat on her face.

She said Li Xuewu was ashamed, but she was even more ashamed than him.

She had taken a good while to calm down before getting up to tidy the room, washing the clothes she had just worn and hanging them in the room.

Because usually only she and Qin Huairu came here, she wasn't afraid of others seeing.

There were two wardrobes; one side had Li Xuewu's clothes, and the other side had Qin Huairu's and hers, with hers being the most numerous.

She spent less and less time at home and more and more time here, so her belongings here had also increased.

It was the best age for a woman; Zhang Songying's salary now wasn't low, and she dared to spend money on herself.

She was generous to Li Xuewu and generous to herself; the things she used for her face, hands, and body were all bought as expensive as possible.

Others bought a tin of "Wan Zi Qian Hong" and considered it a treasure, but her toiletry bag looked like a meeting of cosmetics.

Friendship vanishing cream, osmanthus-scented Ya Shuang vanishing cream, Pechoin Phoenix glycerin, Wan Zi Qian Hong hand cream, Maxam toothpaste, Gong Deng almond honey body lotion, Xie Fu Chun duck egg powder, ice musk hair oil...

A whole mess of things. Li Xuewu watched her busy at the dressing table and asked, leaning against the pillow: "Can you use all of that?"

"What? This?"

Seeing Li Xuewu ask, Zhang Songying turned her head to look at him, then realized Li Xuewu was asking about her toiletry bag, asked with a smile, and then turned back to continue her work.

"A woman cannot be without cosmetics, just as a man cannot be without money and power."

"A woman uses cosmetics not to cover up her flaws, nor to make herself more charming."

"But~"

Zhang Songying looked at Li Xuewu in the mirror and said: "A woman dresses up for the one she loves; when facing the person you like, you must reveal your most sincere side from the inside out."

Li Xuewu shrugged his shoulders, not quite understanding what kind of theory this was.

However, he wouldn't argue with a woman about this; as long as it existed, it must be reasonable.

"A 80-gram bottle of Ya Shuang vanishing cream sells for over 40 cents."

Zhang Songying took a small bottle, opened it, rubbed a little on her hand, walked toward Li Xuewu, and covered Li Xuewu's face with both hands to wipe it.

"The advertising slogan, 'A good companion for the dressing table of beautiful ladies,' from the sweet smile of the Shanghai superstar Bai Yang back then—who could refuse it~"

Li Xuewu lay on the bed, letting Zhang Songying mess around with him; his face was deliberately distorted by her.

"And men?"

"What?"

Zhang Songying had finished wiping Li Xuewu's face and was sizing up her "effort" just now, as if her effort could help Li Xuewu become more handsome.

She was startled by Li Xuewu's sudden question and asked: "What men?"

Li Xuewu lifted his left hand, placed it on Zhang Songying, who was sitting sideways beside him, squinted his eyes, and repeated Zhang Songying's words just now with a languid expression: "A woman cannot be without cosmetics, just as a man cannot be without money and power."

"You explained the first half; how do you explain the second half?"

"Pfft~ You actually care about this~"

Zhang Songying suddenly laughed out loud, propped herself up, leaned close to Li Xuewu, and said: "I just like your power and money!"

"A man without power cannot stand straight; a man without money cannot stand firm."

Zhang Songying looked at Li Xuewu calmly and explained: "Power represents a man's bearing and character; money represents a man's ambition and self-confidence."

"I'm not saying a man must have money or power, but a true man must have the bearing of being proud without being arrogant, and even more so, the ambition of a dragon lying in shallow water without being self-abased."

Zhang Songying reached out and touched the scar on Li Xuewu's face, saying bluntly: "Seeing you, I know what kind of man can be called a true man."

Li Xuewu felt a bit itchy from Zhang Songying's touch, twitched the corner of his mouth, and asked: "So, when was I ever proud? It's true that I was a dragon in shallow water just now~"

"Go to hell! ~"

Zhang Songying was annoyed by Li Xuewu's words, lightly punched Li Xuewu's chest, and scolded: "I'm talking to you seriously~ and you say these things again!"

Li Xuewu squinted his eyes at her, a wicked smile at the corner of his mouth, and said: "You're talking seriously now, huh~"

"Hmph~"

Zhang Songying hummed with a scold, stood up, and said: "Time for work, otherwise Qin Huairu will come up to kill us in a while."

Li Xuewu touched his face and sniffed it near his nose.

It was so fragrant; how would he explain this at work?

He got out of bed, let Zhang Songying serve him as he put on his clothes, and returned to his capable "white-plus-black" look.

Zhang Songying skillfully helped Li Xuewu tidy his clothes, muttering that she still wanted to make a set of clothes for him.

"The wardrobe is about to be full, and you're still making more?"

"Then what's the point of earning money?"

Zhang Songying said as a matter of course: "An eighteenth-grade salary, eighty-seven yuan and five cents; if I don't save a penny, it counts as me not having lived clearly."

After speaking, she raised her head to look at Li Xuewu and said: "Back when I was an apprentice, I had enough of the days without money. Thirty-two yuan was the goal I fought for my whole life; now I earn more than a seventh-grade worker, so why shouldn't I live well~"

She also had a bit of resentment in her heart—resenting her family, resenting herself, resenting life—so she didn't treat herself poorly in life.

Nowadays, entering the factory as a worker didn't mean you could take up a post and become a formal worker as soon as you entered; you had to be an apprentice first.

Some people had strong connections and handled the regularization procedures first before becoming apprentices, but the vast majority started as temporary workers or apprentices.

According to the old rules, apprentices were assessed for grading and post assignment after three years.

Apprentices also received wages: seventeen yuan and five cents per month for the first year, nineteen yuan and five cents for the second year, and twenty-one yuan and five cents for the third year.

After three years of apprenticeship and grading, wages were set according to the grade, mostly as a first-grade worker, thirty-two yuan; those who failed would be set as temporary workers, worse than first-grade workers, with twenty-three yuan to continue training and learning.

However, regardless of whether they were temporary workers or first-grade workers, as long as they were in a worker post after apprenticeship, they would have a bonus of five yuan, similar to a perfect attendance bonus, but not quite the same.

When Qin Huairu entered using her husband's quota, the last thing she got was a temporary worker's wage, which was about that much including the bonus.

And first-grade worker was the end point for most people; some people studied hard, and with enough age, became second-grade workers, with a wage of thirty-two yuan and fifty cents.

In the capital, as long as one could become a second-grade worker, the wage could support a family, and having three or four children was no problem.

Zhang Songying naturally had to upgrade according to this path when she entered the factory; three years of apprenticeship, and after finishing, she entered the workshop and worked for several years before being promoted to a second-grade worker, which was considered quite impressive.

It was precisely because she had suffered so much bitterness and poverty that she now spent money as if she had a grudge against it.

Li Xuewu looked at Zhang Songying, who had stood up, and asked with a smile: "If you don't save money, what will you do if something happens? What if you get sick? What will you do when you're old?"

Li Xuewu's "mother-style" three questions didn't stump Zhang Songying; she just said very seriously: "What could happen to me alone?"

"If something happens, I'll borrow from colleagues; if I get sick, there's the factory hospital."

"When I'm old, if you don't want me anymore, I'll find a place where no one is and bury myself, and that will be the end of it."

Zhang Songying pursed her lips and smiled calmly: "I haven't lived clearly yet, so where would I have the energy to think about the future~"

Li Xuewu looked at Zhang Songying and nodded: "You live more clearly than I do."

After speaking, he pursed his lips, turned around with a smile, left the room, and went downstairs to work.

Zhang Songying stood in the room, looking at the closed door, and pursed her lips into a smile.

At first she was still reserved, but as she laughed, she thought of something; her smile bloomed even more, her tense nerves relaxed, and tears couldn't help but fall.

She said she liked Li Xuewu's power and money, but so far, she had only done things for Li Xuewu and spent money on him.

Li Xuewu's clothes filled the wardrobe, as if this could bring her satisfaction and a sense of security.

Yu Li couldn't reach Li Xuewu now, but she had started preparing seasonal clothes for Li Xuewu.

She said if something happened, she would ask Li Xuewu for money, and she wouldn't make things difficult for Li Xuewu if she had no money for old age, but because she hadn't received a clear refusal from Li Xuewu, she felt as sweet as if she had eaten sugar.

A young girl in love is blind, but Zhang Songying in love was not blind; she loved very sincerely and very clearly.

She felt the woman who came to the canteen last time wasn't an ordinary person, but seeing Li Xuewu easily send her away without making things difficult for them, she knew Li Xuewu cared about her.

At the very least, she wasn't the kind to be discarded at will.

Therefore, starting from that moment, she seemed to have gained confidence, and whenever she saw Li Xuewu or was with him, she became proactive.

Having tidied the room and herself, Zhang Songying walked out of the room with confident steps, looking as if she were fully charged, spirited, and charming.

Security Building, third floor, office.

Li Xuewu, who served others and dedicated himself, welcomed the report card for the second final exam of his university career.

"Director, these grades are quite good."

Seeing the Director staring at the report card for a long time, Sha Qizhi stepped forward, glanced at it, and offered a word of comfort to Li Xuewu.

Li Xuewu raised his head, looked at him, and said: "These grades are called good? They're probably at the bottom."

One learns to achieve; if one doesn't learn, what grades can one have~

Li Xuewu had very little time to read and study, which was reflected in the report card.

Although his subjective question scores were very good, his objective question scores were really just average. In this era of such excellence, these grades must be at the bottom.

Sha Qizhi smiled and said: "I haven't been to university, and I don't know how universities look at grades, but these scores still look okay."

Li Xuewu smiled, put the report card aside, and said: "Alright, no need to comfort me. The past cannot be chased, and I don't even know when the next semester starts."

Sha Qizhi also had children in school, so he naturally knew the current school policies and situation. As soon as Li Xuewu finished speaking, he took up the thread: "You'll have to wait for that; you'd better study how to spend your manuscript fees first."

As he spoke, he placed two letters in front of Li Xuewu. One was the manuscript fee for the publication of the "Dual Contingency Plan" after the first edition was issued, over four thousand yuan.

The reason it was so much more than "Criminal Psychology" was that the "Dual Contingency Plan" was a policy strongly promoted from above, and all units and departments across the country ordered it, so sales were guaranteed.

With an initial print run of 300,000 copies, it really did make Li Xuewu famous.

This reputation was worth having: protecting worker safety, protecting factory safety, defending collective interests, protecting everyone's interests—doing good deeds.

The other was the reprint manuscript fee for "Criminal Psychology," over 1,500 yuan, which was double the first edition.

Li Xuewu looked at the two manuscript fee receipts in his hand and felt a bit worried; how should this money be spent?

Sha Qizhi also saw that Li Xuewu intended to donate it again and said with a bitter smile: "You'd better be careful. You caused quite a stir with the publicity last time. If you donate like this again, I'm afraid it will attract even more reporters."

Li Xuewu raised his eyebrows, looked at the five thousand-plus yuan in his hand, sighed, and said: "I'm really worried about spending money for the first time."

"I'm also seeing it for the first time."

Sha Qizhi gave a bitter laugh for a while, then began to organize the documents on the table.

Li Xuewu came to work late in the afternoon; some things here had already been processed and needed to be filed and recorded.

Seeing Li Xuewu put down the manuscript fee receipts, he took the documents awaiting approval and handed them to Li Xuewu one by one.

"Help me contact the Huaxin Bookstore and the Jiaodaokou Supply and Marketing Cooperative."

Li Xuewu took the fountain pen Sha Qizhi had unscrewed and said while looking at the documents: "I want to order a batch of primary school reading materials, hero and model readers, as well as stationery like pencils and exercise books."

"Yes."

Hearing Li Xuewu's instructions, Sha Qizhi knew that the leader had already chosen the direction for these two manuscript fees.

He really admired Li Xuewu; facing so many manuscript fees, he just donated them away.

With so much money, one could live carefree in the capital for a lifetime without worries.

Li Xuewu donated the first manuscript fee without hesitation, donating it to the library of the Iron and Steel Institute where the first book was issued.

The last manuscript fee wasn't much, and being able to bear donating it to his own university made sense.

But now?

The Director was donating to a primary school; the Director wouldn't be attending primary school, and the Director's child wasn't even a year old yet, so primary school was still far off.

Over five thousand yuan! How much stationery and books could that buy!

"Director."

Sha Qizhi asked in a low voice, suppressing his inner excitement and admiration: "What about the order ratio? Books are easy, but stationery might be a bit difficult."

Books in the Huaxin Bookstore didn't require coupons, and books in the Supply and Marketing Cooperative didn't require coupons either, but stationery in the Supply and Marketing Cooperative required coupons.

"Just order according to the ratio of one set per person."

Li Xuewu frowned slightly as he looked at the documents in his hand and signed his opinion on them.

While busy, he also instructed Sha Qizhi: "Go tell the Jiaodaokou Supply and Marketing Cooperative; Director Ma there has some friendship with me, so it'll be easier to talk."

"Yes, I'll go handle it right away."

Sha Qizhi responded and placed the documents in his hand on Li Xuewu's right side, making it convenient for Li Xuewu to pick them up later.

Ordering books and stationery was a troublesome matter, especially books, which required selecting titles and calculating the ratio between prices and stationery.

When Sha Qizhi called the Huaxin Bookstore, he explained his identity, as well as Li Xuewu's identity and what he wanted to do.

The bookstore also found this matter strange upon hearing it. After clarifying the unit and address, they made an appointment with Sha Qizhi to come to the steel mill next Monday to discuss this matter.

The Supply and Marketing Cooperative was more convenient. As soon as they heard it was a call from the steel mill, especially about Director Li's business, the call was transferred to Director Ma.

Director Ma was also very surprised to hear Sha Qizhi explain what Li Xuewu wanted to do, but more than that, he was full of admiration and awe.

Upon hearing the amount Sha Qizhi reported, he even stated directly that he would communicate with the General Supply and Marketing Cooperative and would definitely try his best to meet the purchasing needs here.

Stationery production at this time had actually reached a certain level; the need for coupons was just due to the inertia of the planned economy, and shortages didn't actually exist.

Even the Jiaodaokou neighborhood had its own stationery factory; there was still a lot of handicraft industry.

After coordinating, Sha Qizhi found that everyone in the large office was staring at him, thinking he was crazy to buy so many books and stationery.

"Director Sha, this is...?"

"Hey~ it's the Director."

Sha Qizhi knew they had misunderstood and explained with a smile: "It's not that; the publishing house sent a letter saying the Director's two books have been published and reprinted, and there's over five thousand yuan in manuscript fees. The Director wants to donate it just like last time."

"Whoa! ~~"

Everyone in the large office was stunned upon hearing the number Sha Qizhi "casually" mentioned. Some thought they had misheard and confirmed with those around them whether it was really over five thousand.

Seeing the amazement and admiration in the room, Sha Qizhi also felt a sense of honor.

"This isn't the first time; last time he donated books to the library."

Sha Qizhi continued to explain: "This time the Director wants to donate some readers and stationery to primary school students, so I'm contacting them right now."

"The Director is really... really admirable!"

"Indeed, donating so much money~"

Sha Qizhi felt a sense of heartache listening to everyone's discussion; whoever received so much money and donated it all at once would feel heartache.

There were no secrets in government units. As soon as Li Xuewu made the decision, by the time they got off work in the afternoon, the news that Deputy Director Li of the Security Department had over five thousand in manuscript fees and had donated it all had spread throughout the office.

No one came to ask Li Xuewu personally about the authenticity of the news; after all, Li Xuewu had indeed published books, and the previous manuscript fee had indeed been donated.

This time, they hadn't seen newspaper reports, nor had they heard Li Xuewu admit it personally, so everyone just took it as a bit of fun.

They were having fun, but Li Xuewu didn't notice this because Sha Qizhi was telling him about the office affairs in the afternoon.

While he was busy, the heads of several departments in the steel mill factory office had all gone to report work to Yang Fengshan and Yang Yuansong.

There was a clear sense of tension in the office; these directors all had serious expressions, as if they had made some major decision.

Until it was time to get off work in the afternoon, the factory director's and secretary's offices were never empty.

Li Xuewu wouldn't delay getting off work, and he certainly wouldn't work overtime.

So, while many departments in the factory office were working overtime, or individual leaders were still talking, he had already gone downstairs, taken Sha Qizhi, got in the car, and left.

Today was Saturday, and he still had to take his family back to the courtyard; he had to prepare early.

Li Xuewu didn't need to take Li Xue; she had ridden her own bike today, a ten-minute journey, convenient to go back and forth.

Following him home would have been a detour, so except for the first day when she rode in Li Xuewu's car, Li Xue hadn't thought about riding in her second brother's car again.

Li Xuewu also agreed with his sister's decision. This car belonged to the steel mill; it was fine for him to ride in it, but if Li Xue followed, he was afraid people would gossip.

Going to work required a professional appearance; although they didn't avoid this kind of kinship, they had to be mindful of the influence of such behavior.

When Li Xuewu drove the car and brought his family back to the courtyard, Li Xue had already rested at home and was helping her mother prepare dinner.

"Yo! Master, just got back~"

"Hey, Third Master, you are...?"

Li Xuewu let Old Lady and Gu Ning go into the courtyard first, while he responded to the greeting from Third Master Yan Fugui, who was standing at the outer courtyard gate.

After the farce when he returned on Thursday night, Li Xuewu hadn't asked about the courtyard again. Seeing Third Master standing at the outer courtyard gate today, acting as if nothing had happened.

Li Xuewu said he looked as if nothing had happened, which had two meanings: one was that he had seen him fall to the ground with a thud on Thursday, and he had vascular disease, so he hadn't expected him to recover so quickly.

Although he saw that the back of his head was still wrapped in gauze, his mental state looked okay now, and there was even a smile on his face.

This was also Li Xuewu's second meaning: never mind how much face he had lost, it ultimately wasn't a good sight.

But looking at Third Master's mental state now, it seemed he hadn't taken Thursday's incident to heart; he didn't know if he was thick-skinned or if he had let it go.

Yan Fugui held a palm-leaf fan, smiled, and gestured toward the gate, saying: "I'm waiting for my son, my eldest son."

While talking to Li Xuewu, he even explained: "Said he was coming back today, so I'm waiting for him."

"Oh~ then you go ahead~!"

Seeing Third Master say this, Li Xuewu raised his eyebrows and gestured toward the hanging flower gate, saying: "I'm going home to take a look."

"Go ahead, go ahead."

Yan Fugui seemed to be in a good mood; he waved his palm-leaf fan and smiled as he looked toward the gate again.

Just as Li Xuewu stepped into the hanging flower gate, feeling that today's Third Master was a bit strange, and looked back, he saw Qin Huairu entering from the gate hall.

"Huairu is back~"

"Hey, Third Master, you're enjoying the cool air~"

Yan Fugui greeted Qin Huairu with a smile, and Qin Huairu also replied to him with a smile.

Li Xuewu squinted his eyes, looking at Qin Huairu, who also didn't seem quite right. What the hell was going on?

Was he mentally deranged?

Was the memory of Thursday night an illusion? A dream?

Just as Li Xuewu was muttering to himself, Qin Huairu, carrying a basket of vegetables, stepped into the hanging flower gate. Seeing Li Xuewu standing there, she blinked her eyes hard.

Seeing her blinking, Li Xuewu confirmed that his memory of Thursday wasn't deranged; it was Third Master who was deranged.

Qin Huairu didn't say anything to Li Xuewu at the gate. She greeted him, signaled toward the Yan family, said with a smile that she would go sit in the inverted room tonight, and walked into the courtyard with her vegetable basket.

Li Xuewu also glanced at the Yan family and returned home with a frown.

As soon as he entered the room, he heard his mother talking to Old Lady about the Yan family, while also warning Li Xue and Gu Ning not to get involved in the affairs of the opposite door.

"Looking at his mental state, it's not quite right."