Chapter 699: High places are cold

Li Xue pursed her lips and smiled. Once they were out of the Huahua University gate, she spoke up: "Let's just forget about the 'Li' surname. If Mom finds out you're randomly claiming 'Liu' surnames again, she'll definitely get angry with you."

"Hehehe, if I find Mom an older brother or a younger brother, Grandpa will have to beat me up."

Li Xuewu also followed his younger sister's lead and joked.

After laughing for a while, Li Xue looked at the road ahead and asked, "Where are we going now?"

"Hehe."

Li Xuewu turned his head to smile at his sister and said, "We have two distant uncles. One is surnamed Li, and the other—guess what? He's also surnamed Li!"

"Hahahahaha~"

At Li Zhengfeng's home, Li Xuewu thanked the old aunt for the tea she had brought, smiled, and glanced at Li Zhengfeng, asking, "Haven't you been out for a stroll? When I arrived, I saw people playing chess in the courtyard."

"Hi, your old uncle isn't into that."

The old aunt was a rather kind person, eyeing Li Xuewu and his sister with a curious expression.

This was her first time seeing this young man. Since he brought his sister on his first visit, she wondered if something was up.

But after sitting for a while, seeing Li Xuewu just chatting idly with her husband while his sister sat quietly to the side listening, she felt that wasn't the case.

Li Xuewu and Li Zhengfeng only exchanged a few pleasantries before Li Zhengfeng took the initiative to steer the topic toward the project they were researching.

Of course, they were at home, but confidentiality was still necessary.

After asking his wife to prepare fruit for Li Xue, Li Zhengfeng took Li Xuewu to the study.

Li Zhengfeng also lived in a small courtyard, and the west room of the main house had been converted into a study; it was quite spacious.

However, the spacious room was blocked tightly by layers of bookshelves. Li Xuewu had to move some books himself just to find a place to sit.

"Your old aunt made a pact with me. The last rule is that the things in this study must be limited to this room and cannot step out even half a step. Otherwise, it's 'kill on sight' wherever they are found."

Li Zhengfeng, wearing glasses, saw Li Xuewu's look of disdain and couldn't help but smile bitterly: "I'm not the leader at home; your old aunt is."

"It's the same for me."

Li Xuewu smiled and said, "My status at home isn't even as high as yours. Whatever my wife says, I have to listen. If she says go east, I can't go west."

Li Zhengfeng sized Li Xuewu up and let out a deep sigh, expressing his sympathy for Li Xuewu suffering such hardships at such a young age.

However, as the saying goes, happiness comes from comparison. After hearing Li Xuewu's "hardships," he looked at the books piled up in the room and felt much better.

"The material inspection for the alloy is beyond doubt. We also have an idea of what the specific alloy material is."

Li Zhengfeng sat behind the desk and explained to Li Xuewu: "The specific proportions still require experimentation. This is very time-consuming; after all, we don't have the research and development data."

Li Xuewu nodded in understanding and said, "I understand that. If you need help from materials science personnel, our Rolling Mill has a steel plant in Steel City. We are currently preparing to build an alloy material smelting process, which might be helpful for your work."

"Hmm, that really is good news."

Li Zhengfeng pointed at Li Xuewu and then continued: "Actually, it doesn't matter if the relevant materials can't be researched. We can use our existing materials for production trials to set the process first."

"Can the production process be set directly?"

Li Xuewu really didn't know much about machinery. From design drawings to process design, and then to the setup of processing technology, there was a lot of knowledge involved. It required a complete process system to support it; it wasn't just a matter of wanting to make a hammer and taking a piece of iron to beat it.

He couldn't help with such things and could only ask superficial questions, asking directly if they could reach the production stage, or when they could produce, what equipment support was needed, and so on.

"Don't be anxious, take it one step at a time."

Li Zhengfeng stroked the mustache on his lip and said, "Haste makes waste. Your factory is a steel plant, and the industrial foundation is very good, but finalizing the design and finalizing production are two different things."

Speaking of this, Li Zhengfeng also scratched his head and said, "It's no problem for me to manually file a gun like this for you. One month, two months—as long as the materials are sufficient, it's absolutely no problem."

"But this is military work; it needs to be mass-produced, and it needs to have production standards and processing requirements. You have to give me time."

Li Zhengfeng finally took out a report and handed it to Li Xuewu, saying, "The Third Institute is also researching this, and it's supported by the higher-ups, but the research is a mess. This gun still has some substance to it."

Li Xuewu took the report, glanced at it, and put it down. It wasn't that he couldn't read the words, but he couldn't understand the content; it was completely different from administrative management documents.

"Has there been any trouble at the Light Industry Institute?"

Li Xuewu raised his hand to signal and explained: "I mean, have there been any stress behaviors during the 'Great Learning' and 'Great Discussion' process? Will it affect this kind of research?"

"This is exactly what I wanted to tell you."

Li Zhengfeng frowned and tapped the table lightly, saying, "There are quite a few young people in our institute, and they are all intellectuals. The 'Great Learning' and 'Great Discussion' aren't that intense, but there are some unstable factors."

"The impact is definitely there. At the very least, much of my work time has been occupied."

The Light Industry Institute was affiliated with the General Logistics Department. The situation here was okay, and since it was outside the city, the environment in the courtyard was relatively closed. It was only from document study that a certain degree of instability had appeared.

Li Xuewu nodded and asked, "Can it be solved? If it really doesn't work, I can find a place for you at the steel plant. We can send personnel over to conduct research; it would be convenient."

The word "convenient" at the end of his sentence represented that the place he could arrange would definitely be safe, without so many things to trouble and affect them.

Li Zhengfeng frowned and nodded, saying, "I have also thought about this, but we must be cautious. Let's see how things develop."

Li Xuewu's questioning still tended toward keeping the research at the Light Industry Institute. He also wanted to confirm with him his level of control over this matter and whether he could suppress the problems at the Light Industry Institute.

As for confidence, he didn't dare to say. So many units were in chaos now, and he was also struggling to support it. If he wanted to stabilize, he still had to look at the higher-ups and the surrounding situation.

"In my opinion, there shouldn't be much of a problem."

Li Zhengfeng thought for a while and said, "After all, many research projects are being urged, and the higher-ups don't have any intention of sending a team to the institute. Let's wait a bit longer."

After saying "wait," he looked at Li Xuewu again and said, "However, we must prepare what we should prepare. Is Steel City okay?"

"You can rest assured about this."

Li Xuewu nodded and said very confidently, "I can ensure the safety and work environment of all researchers in Steel City."

"Hmm, that's good."

Li Zhengfeng nodded. With someone helping to solve the worries in his heart, he felt relieved and started talking to Li Xuewu about the problems of this project.

Li Xue sat in the living room for a long time and was asked many questions by this newly met old aunt. She answered selectively.

On the way here, the second brother said this was the home of an engineer from the Light Weapons Industry Research Institute. She didn't know why the people her second brother associated with were so... varied?

Describing it like that didn't seem appropriate, but today, following her second brother around, there was no one related to her second brother's business, nor anyone related to the Rolling Mill's business.

A young lady visiting someone else's home was always a bit shy and restrained, especially when being asked personal questions by the host, an aunt much older than her.

When Li Xuewu came out of the study, Li Xue breathed a sigh of relief, glad that her second brother had finally come out.

Li Xuewu also saw the meaning in his sister's eyes. He smiled, said goodbye to Li Zhengfeng and the old aunt, and politely took his sister out the door.

Watching the brother and sister leave, Li Zhengfeng's wife asked if there was anything they were asking for help with.

Li Zhengfeng knew his wife was worried about him, so he waved his hand and said, "It's work-related. He's a very good person, no problem. Don't let your imagination run wild."

"I'm not letting my imagination run wild, but he..."

Li Zhengfeng's wife hesitated and asked softly, "He brought his younger sister here. Does he have any ideas? The third one is..."

"Forget it!"

Li Zhengfeng smiled and waved his hand, saying, "That girl looks grown up, but she's actually only sixteen, just graduated from high school, and is working at the Rolling Mill with Li Xuewu. Coming today is just because the festival is coming up, so he brought his sister out to gain some experience."

This was also what Li Xuewu told him in the study just now, which served as an explanation for bringing his sister to visit today.

"Besides, there's nothing wrong with bringing his sister. It's just getting to know the place. Calling me 'old uncle'—there's no reason to let your imagination run wild."

"Am I letting my imagination run wild~"

Li Zhengfeng's wife smiled and said, "I think that girl is really good—quiet, sensible, and her speech is generous and appropriate. You can tell she's well-bred. The key is that her education isn't low either."

"You really know how to think."

Li Zhengfeng also smiled and said, "In four years, who knows what it will be like? They're young; who can be sure? Stop playing matchmaker."

"Hey! Tell me, what's his family situation?"

His wife was relentless. It was clear she really liked Li Xue. Ignoring Li Zhengfeng's explanation, she chased after him to ask about Li Xuewu's family background.

"What situation? Hmm~"

Li Zhengfeng scratched his head and said, "His father is a traditional Chinese medicine doctor..."

The morning time was limited. Li Xuewu took Li Xue around a large circle, visiting every family, and also let Li Xue see her second brother's circle of connections.

They went to the home of the Deputy Director of the Public Security Department, the home of the Deputy Minister, and the home of the Sports Commission Director. It was dazzling.

Saying it was dazzling didn't mean how luxurious their homes were, nor how many people there were, but that the people she met and talked to today were so many that it gave her a sense of powerlessness, exhausted from dealing with them.

At noon, after Li Xuewu took his sister out of Liu Zheng's house, Li Xue wanted to go on strike, saying she didn't want to go around anymore and was hungry.

Li Xuewu smiled and looked at his sister, taking her back while driving, saying, "I'll take you to eat something good today."

"Are we going to a restaurant?"

Li Xue turned her head, looking at her second brother and asking hopefully, "Which one are we going to?"

"The first part is wrong, the second part is right."

Li Xuewu tapped his sister and said with a smile, "We don't have a chance to go to a restaurant today. We're going to eat at Godmother's house."

"Is it Director Wang from the neighborhood office?"

Li Xue knew who her second brother's godmother was. Her second brother called her godmother, but she didn't.

Because from the beginning, only Li Xuewu recognized her as a godmother. It was only later that Director Wang came to the house to visit, and they interacted more frequently, which was how this title was settled.

Previously, because her father helped their family, the relationship had always been very good, but it was only a sentiment between adults and did not extend to the next generation.

Only her second brother was naughty when he was young and had more contact with Director Wang. After he came back, he didn't know how he ended up recognizing her as a godmother.

Seeing his sister ask like this, Li Xuewu smiled and said, "If she asks you to call her godmother later, will you call her that?"

"I!..."

Li Xue just wanted to open her mouth to answer, but she only said one word before stopping.

Because the relationship between Director Wang's family and her own family had always been very good, and Director Wang naturally cared for these children.

Usually, calling her "aunt" was very natural. Now that she was following her second brother, if the other party asked, how should she refuse, and how should she handle it?

Seeing his sister in a dilemma, Li Xuewu had no intention of giving advice, leaving it entirely to Li Xue to think about.

When the car arrived at Director Wang's door, Li Xuewu took the gifts from the back seat and took his sister directly into the courtyard.

"You've finally come. I've been waiting for a long time."

Wang Shuhua came out of the kitchen and gave Li Xuewu a coquettish look. Then, seeing Li Xue following behind, she smiled and greeted: "Li Xue is here. Come into the house quickly. Wash your hands, and we'll eat."

After greeting Li Xue, Wang Shuhua said to Li Xuewu: "I waited for you and you didn't come, I waited again and you still didn't come. I thought you had eaten at someone else's house. Did you starve Li Xue?"

Li Xuewu looked at the time on his hand; it was indeed twelve o'clock.

"We visited a few more families today, taking her to get to know people. It can be considered gaining experience."

Li Xuewu explained with a smile. He washed his hands in the washbasin at the door and was about to go to the kitchen to help, but was blocked by Wang Shuhua, who signaled him to go into the room.

Just as they were talking, Zheng Xicai walked out of the room and greeted Li Xuewu with a smile.

Li Xuewu also smiled and called him "Big Brother," and Li Xue followed suit.

Zheng Xicai was still the same, only his belly was bigger, and his attitude was better; he didn't have the petty look from the last time they met.

He handed Li Xuewu a cigarette, and the two lit them for each other at the door before walking into the room.

Li Xue came here less often and rarely had contact with the Zheng family's children. Li Xuewu told her to call him "Big Brother," so she followed suit.

But after entering the room and seeing Zheng Shusen, she still recognized him and took the initiative to call him "Uncle Zheng."

Zheng Shusen nodded with a smile and greeted Li Xue to the table to start the meal.

After finishing with Li Xue, he smiled and asked Li Xuewu: "Did your mother scold you? Who told you to be late? What time did you say on the phone?"

"Hehe~ I almost stepped the accelerator into the fuel tank."

Li Xuewu smiled and offered his godfather a cigarette, explaining with a smile: "I was delayed for a while at Engineer Li's house at the Light Industry Institute, which delayed the time."

"You spent the whole morning running around~"

Wang Shuhua walked in with dishes from outside the door. Hearing Li Xuewu's words, she gave a coquettish look and said: "Why are you so busy?"

"I actually envy Xuewu for having so many connections."

Zheng Xicai smiled and looked at Li Xuewu, asking: "Which connections did you visit? It's been a whole morning; it looks like you didn't visit few."

"Hehe, relatives and elders."

Li Xuewu smiled and responded casually, taking the wine bottle on the table to pour a glass for his godfather.

Zheng Shusen smiled and let Li Xuewu pour the wine. As Li Xuewu poured wine for Zheng Xicai, Li Xue saw that this Uncle Zheng's eyes looking at his son were terrifyingly sharp.

Zheng Xicai noticed it; otherwise, he wouldn't have smiled so awkwardly when Li Xuewu poured the wine.

He didn't know what was wrong, but every time he came back, he would find that his father and mother's attitude toward him had changed a bit.

He didn't know if expectations had increased or satisfaction had decreased.

"Big Brother must be very focused on socializing at work~"

Li Xuewu poured wine for Zheng Xicai and then poured a small half-glass for his godmother's position, saying with a smile: "Actually, I envy Big Brother's social ability."

After pouring the wine, he placed the bottle on his left hand and said to his godfather with a smile: "I was naughty when I was young and didn't think about what to do when I grew up. Now when I go out to meet people, I'm learning, but I've also bumped into a wall."

Zheng Shusen nodded without speaking, which was considered an acknowledgment of Li Xuewu's words. He didn't look at Zheng Xicai again but patted Li Xuewu on the shoulder lightly.

Zheng Xicai was Zheng Shusen's son, his only son. What father wouldn't hope for his son to be good?

Even if his son did something wrong and lost face, he was still his son.

Li Xuewu naturally wouldn't fail to distinguish between distance and importance. If the host and guest didn't distinguish, what business would they be doing?

This sentence completed his answer to Zheng Xicai's question just now and also covered Zheng Shusen's face, which was considered to have brought the atmosphere back.

If Zheng Xicai lost face, then Zheng Shusen lost face. Where Zheng Xicai lost face had nothing to do with him; it was just that he couldn't let Zheng Shusen's relationship with him become awkward while he was a guest.

Being a person, one must consider clearly. Like Zheng Xicai, a man of nearly thirty who was still so childish, I'm afraid he would just be spinning in this position. Progress would only harm him.

Both father and son were cadres in the capital. Did Zheng Xicai need to envy his connections?

If Li Xuewu had such a father, he wouldn't go out to maintain connections either; he would have his father.

Besides, he was already a person who attracted attention. Both father and son in the family were cadres, so naturally, the father would preside over the connections, and when it was time to take over, he would naturally arrange it for you.

If Zheng Xicai really socialized like Li Xuewu, people would inevitably say Zheng Shusen was "ambitious."

Zheng Shusen also saw the meaning in Li Xuewu's words, so he patted Li Xuewu this time.

He was also helpless. Both were young people; why couldn't his son understand this truth?

Monday was the Dragon Boat Festival. Because they had to work, Zheng Xicai rushed home on Sunday to see his parents.

But he came back alone, saying his wife took the child back to her mother's side.

Zheng Shusen wanted to talk to his son, but his son was also grown up and didn't want to listen to his preaching, so now he would rather not talk about him if he could, so as not to strain the relationship between father and son.

But even if he didn't talk about it now, his son had other views on him, always feeling that he was suppressing him and blocking his path to progress.

So Zheng Shusen had been closing his doors to guests all these years, rarely going out to meet guests or visit friends, just to make room for his son.

But the more he did so, the more stable his position was, and he made progress from time to time, slowly reaching today's position.

Turning back to look at his son, from the beginning of work, he had been focused on managing connections, meeting this person today and that person tomorrow, and often taking his wife to attend youth dances, all to add bricks and tiles to his path of progress.

He didn't know if he hadn't managed it right. After so many years, he was still spinning in place. He hadn't even figured out the reason himself, but he came to envy Li Xuewu.

It wasn't that Zheng Shusen was cold-hearted, favoring his godson and not recognizing his biological son. How could that be possible? He wished he could give all of Li Xuewu's advantages to his son.

But that was even more impossible. Li Xuewu's growth was something he had witnessed time and time again. Li Xuewu's path to success was even more difficult than his son's.

Now it was better; the one taught by his side since childhood had become a frog in a well, while the one who had rolled out of the dirt had become a pillar.

After Wang Shuhua sat at the table, Zheng Shusen took the initiative to clink glasses with Li Xuewu. Today's good mood went into his stomach with a glass of wine.

Li Xuewu looked at Zheng Shusen with a wine glass, clinked glasses with Zheng Xicai, who was awkwardly holding his glass to clink with his father, smiled, raised his glass, and drank it in one gulp.

Wang Shuhua seemed to see something. During the time she went to serve the dishes, perhaps her son had made her husband unhappy again.

However, she didn't say anything about her son. With Li Xuewu there, she just focused on talking to Li Xue.

The main topic was still Li Xue's work. Wang Shuhua asked, Li Xue answered, and from time to time Li Xuewu was also asked a question. Everyone ate lunch while talking and laughing.

Zheng Shusen was willing to drink with Li Xuewu, not only because Li Xuewu had a good capacity for liquor and wouldn't get drunk after a thousand cups, but also because Li Xuewu could chat, could speak, and had a common language with him.

After the meal, the two still went to sit by the small stone table at the door. Wang Shuhua brewed a pot of tea and handed it to her son Zheng Xicai, giving him a wink.

Zheng Xicai smiled awkwardly, was hit by his mother, and then carried the teapot and teacup to his father's side.

Wang Shuhua looked at her son's back, shook her head helplessly, turned around, and cleaned up the table.

Li Xue didn't sit still and reached out to help, which earned her a lot of praise from Wang Shuhua. No matter how she looked at it, she felt Li Xue was good.

She knew the old lady of the Li family; she was a particular person who wouldn't make a single mistake, and even more so, wouldn't let herself suffer a single loss.

The children she taught were also top-notch. The naughty ones like Li Xuewu were hard to handle, but their character was no problem.

The two cleaned up quickly. Wang Shuhua cared about Li Xue, telling her not to be afraid if she had anything, and if she needed the connections here, it was fine to find her second brother, or find her directly.

Li Xue promised with a smile, both polite and serious.

On the way, her second brother teased her about how to deal with it if Aunt Wang really asked her to call her godmother. Now, a big stone in her heart had finally fallen.

From the moment she entered the courtyard, Aunt Wang called her Li Xue. It was intimate, but there was no intention of recognizing a god-relative relationship following Li Xuewu's connection.

This made Li Xue feel much more relaxed, but she also thought in her heart that Director Wang valued her second brother more. This could be seen from Uncle Zheng's performance during the meal.

Now that she had eaten lunch, Uncle Zheng pulled her second brother to talk and didn't mean to pay attention to his son, which also made Li Xue feel that Uncle Zheng was still a very upright person.

Drinking afternoon tea was also to relieve fatigue. If it were up to Li Xuewu, on such a hot day, wouldn't it be better to just take a nap?

Zheng Shusen hadn't had the habit of taking a nap for many years, so he just relied on a pot of tea to relieve fatigue.

Seeing his son sit down while delivering tea, he didn't say anything and continued to talk to Li Xuewu about the current situation.

Li Xuewu said little and was mostly listening to him, only occasionally adding some news he had heard to Zheng Shusen as a supplement.

Zheng Shusen was also a bit confused; otherwise, he wouldn't have pulled Li Xuewu outside to talk.

Starting from the recent changes in the city, he talked all the way to the changes in the district, especially the cadres being replaced batch after batch, while only he remained firmly in that position, which gave him a sense of being cold in high places.

Last week, during a work talk, Zheng Shusen had the intention of moving to the second line to make room for young people and those transferred from above.

But whether it was the district or the city, they didn't agree to his request, and even sent him a message to let him work well and work steadily.

This worried Zheng Shusen. Being in this position for one day meant he had the danger of falling down one day.

He wasn't a person who just drifted along. Being in this position meant doing the things of this position. Not to mention the hardship, the environmental pressure was also great. No wonder Wang Shuhua didn't stop him from drinking today.

Li Xuewu didn't know how to persuade Zheng Shusen. Now Zheng Shusen wanted to give up his position to others, but they wouldn't let him go. Should he persuade Zheng Shusen to climb up actively!

Sometimes life is just like this: what you seek, you cannot get; what you get, you do not seek.

If Li Xuewu didn't know what the general environment was like, he would have thought Zheng Shusen was showing off to him.

But the current situation was just like this. It looked very good, but in fact, Zheng Shusen's situation was also very subtle.

It wouldn't be an exaggeration to say it was like walking on thin ice, trembling with fear.

The conversation between the two didn't last long. Zheng Shusen had drunk a bit too much, and finally, Wang Shuhua and his son helped him into the house.

Li Xuewu sat with Zheng Xicai for the time of another cigarette before saying goodbye, leading the sleepy Li Xue to a place to refresh herself.

"Second Brother."

Li Xue sat in the car, looked at her second brother's side profile, and asked, "Are you tired?"

"Hmm?"

Li Xuewu looked at his sister and asked with a smile, "Why do you ask?"

"I just feel you're tired."

Li Xue pursed her lips and then said, "Even on Sunday, you have to maintain so many connections, and it's the same during the festival."

Li Xuewu nodded, indicating he understood his sister's meaning. After Li Xue finished speaking, he smiled bitterly and said, "In the adult world, there is no such thing as being tired or not. You have to keep all the bitterness and fatigue in your heart, because this is the only thing you can keep for yourself."

After saying this, Li Xuewu looked at Li Xue again and asked, "Tired? Do you think connections are very troublesome?"

Li Xue wanted to shake her head, but when she thought that her second brother was by her side, she nodded, agreeing with her second brother's statement.

Li Xuewu smiled and said, "It's not like I have to maintain so many connections every day. Besides, there are others helping me. It's just appropriate communication."

After speaking, he explained: "I brought you to meet so many people today, letting you know their identities, letting you know my relationship with them, not so that you can beg them when you have something."

Li Xue turned to look at her second brother and tilted her head in confusion. The wind blowing past disturbed her hair and also disturbed her cognition.

Could it be that she had started working, and her second brother introduced his connections to her to take care of her and train her?

If it wasn't this, then what was it?

Li Xuewu waited for his sister to think for a while before explaining: "It's confidence!"

"Confidence?"

"Yes, it's confidence."

Li Xuewu held the steering wheel and explained: "You and I are brother and sister. The things our family can bring us are already rich enough, enough for us to walk on the path of life with confidence, just like when I went to work at the Rolling Mill."

"And now you have more convenient conditions than I did. I let you see them today to let you know that even children from families like ours can gain their respect and can even stand on equal footing with them."

"Even..."

Li Xuewu said firmly, "We must do better than their children and have more potential."

"I have thousands of strengths and ten thousand connections, but these are all mine. I can let you use them, but they will never be yours. You also need to establish your own connections and have your own cognition of this world, work, life, and values."

Li Xuewu was like a swallow, teaching his brothers and sisters who were still in the nest and afraid to try flying, chattering about his life experience.

Li Xue also listened carefully to her second brother's words, thinking in her heart that she had already embarked on this path and had to be prepared to face the difficulties on the road.

Her second brother's path was ultimately his path. Not to mention whether it was suitable for her, it wouldn't be able to produce any new tricks.

Li Xue had pride. Although she was a girl, she was not much worse than her brothers.

Now encouraged by her second brother, she also had the courage to face life positively, secretly encouraging herself in her heart, wanting to walk her own path on the road of life.

Li Xuewu could do many things for his sister, including giving her a big house, a car, and a life without worry about food and clothing, but he couldn't give her spiritual richness or a complete life.

So just like teaching her to ride a bicycle when she was young, he could support her from behind and let her try to pedal.

But when she could really pedal by herself, Li Xuewu would definitely let go.

Even if his sister confirmed with him again and again not to let go, he would promise with his mouth, but his hands would not show mercy.

Even if he watched his sister fall, get scratched, or get injured, he had to let her learn to walk on her own.

No matter how close a brother is, he will eventually become two families and two worlds with his younger brother and sister.

Now Li Xuewen felt like he was a person from two worlds with his younger brother.

When he saw his second brother bringing his younger sister to see him, he couldn't help but be stunned, and then he laughed.

Li Xue smiled at her big brother and then entered her big brother's dormitory to look around.

Li Xuewu stood at the door, looking at the beard his big brother had grown, and couldn't help but laugh: "You don't really want to learn from Mr. Lu Xun and grow a beard, do you?"

This was a joke from when the brothers were in school. At that time, the classmates admired Mr. Lu Xun in the textbook. Seeing Mr. Lu Xun in the illustration, Big Brother Xuewen wanted to grow such a beard, saying he wanted to be like Mr. Lu Xun.

Li Xuewu had a sharp mind. He took the pot ash and immediately gave his big brother a makeover. When his mother came back and saw the brothers with black faces like Zhong Kui, she gave each of them a slap.

Li Xuewen touched his beard, smiled, and said: "No need to care about being a teacher. Too lazy to shave, it's a waste of time."

Li Xuewu curled his lips, looked at the pile of radio parts piled up in his big brother's room, and asked: "Is this also a waste of time?"

"This?"

Li Xuewen looked around the room, then looked at his younger brother and sighed. After thinking about it, he still said: "No, people have to live after all. Without money, where would books come from?"

"Hehe~ anyway, you just don't want to repair them, right?"

Li Xuewu smiled softly and glanced at the office side. Huang Gan had just welcomed him in, and by now he had already returned upstairs.

Li Xuewen shrugged his shoulders. He had nothing to hide from his second brother. Not wanting to repair them was just not wanting to repair them. Now repairing these radios and televisions was entirely to earn money to live.

Old Biaozi was too mean, asking him to bring books, making excuses, and saying that only by repairing more could he have more books.

He was quite righteous; as long as the electrical appliances were repaired, he would cover the money for buying books.

Li Xuewen almost wanted to learn from Confucius and use physical force to convince him, letting him know what the effect of a scholar using force was.

Later, considering that this was after all a matter of insulting the scholar, he let the mean Old Biaozi go.

He originally didn't take care of his family at home, and now he had come here, and his salary had no guarantee. If he was in a situation of mixing food and waiting for death, and asked his wife for money to buy books, what kind of person would he be?

So now, even if it was a last resort, he had to find time to work for Old Biaozi.

Wu Laoshi had the same treatment as him.

Old Biaozi was very polite, didn't use threatening words, and only said he asked Wu Laoshi for help and would give her wages.

After all, she had returned from abroad, and it was easy to accept this kind of thinking. After negotiating the price with Old Biaozi, she started to rely on herself.

Wu Laoshi was more diligent than Big Brother Xuewen, and what Old Biaozi gave was also practical. Soon she also had money in her hands.

But here, money was useless. There was no supply and marketing cooperative here, so she still had to entrust Old Biaozi to help her buy nutritional supplements and things she used herself.

Her luggage at school was packed by Zhao Yafang last time, but it had already been messed up by the students, and many of her things were lost, so she had to buy them again.

Now the money she earned could not only satisfy her nutrition but also buy the things she used.

The fear and anxiety when she first came here also became sparse as time passed. She got used to it.

Except for not being able to communicate and contact her husband, everything in her life here was very good.

She was also reading in the room. Hearing the conversation outside the window, she came out to see, only to find Li Xuewu standing at the door of Li Laoshi's room.

"Wu Laoshi."

"Hello, Director Li."

Wu Shufang smiled and greeted Li Xuewu, then said: "Last time was in a hurry, and I haven't thanked you yet. It's all thanks to your care here. I'm really grateful."

"Don't be like this."

Seeing Wu Shufang bowing slightly, Li Xuewu supported her and said politely: "You are my big brother's colleague. How could I watch you without saving you? It's a matter of righteousness, not worth mentioning."

After Wu Shufang bowed slightly, she didn't be too polite with Li Xuewu anymore. This was considered a life-saving grace; just saying thank you would seem a bit hypocritical.

"Are you here to see Li Laoshi?"

"Yes, I came with my sister."

Li Xuewu signaled Li Xue and introduced her to Wu Shufang: "You met her last time, my sister Li Xue."

"Hello, Wu Laoshi."

"Hello."

Wu Shufang smiled and asked: "Do you want to come to my room to sit and have a cup of hot tea?"

"Thank you, Wu Laoshi, just chatting."

Li Xue smiled, stood beside Wu Shufang, learned the words of the aunts this morning, and cared about Wu Shufang and the child in her belly.

Li Xuewu had also agreed with his big brother to pick him and Wu Shufang up tomorrow night to go home for dinner.

Wu Laoshi originally wanted to refuse, but Li Xuewu said that his sister-in-law specifically instructed to invite her to have dinner together.

Wu Shufang was moved in her heart, knowing that it was not easy for her to come in, and it was even more difficult to go out. Enduring the fluctuation in her heart, she smiled at Li Xuewu and agreed.

Fortunately, it was at night, and fortunately, it was family, so she wasn't afraid of anything happening.

Huang Gan stood upstairs, watching Li Xuewu and the others still talking downstairs, and greeted Li Xuewu.

Li Xuewu looked up at him, didn't speak, just waved his hand to signal him to come down.

Huang Gan didn't know why, and walked down from upstairs again.

When he arrived here, he looked at Li Xuewen and Wu Shufang who were living here, thinking they were dissatisfied with this and had said something to Li Xuewu.

Before he could speak, Li Xuewu signaled his big brother and Wu Laoshi and said: "My big brother and Wu Laoshi are bothering you here. Have they added trouble to you?"

Huang Gan heard that these words were not right. Why were they being polite? Could it be that these two were really living uncomfortably here, or had someone said something?

Looking at the expressions of Li Xuewen and Wu Shufang, they were also confused. Only then did he know that he had been played by Li Xuewu.

Huang Gan just said, their dormitory was their duty dormitory, and they were both found single rooms, which were warm in winter and cool in summer.

Eating, they ate with their canteen. Living, there was security training here every day. How could they be dissatisfied?

"What do you mean?"

"No, don't misunderstand, I'm not being polite with you."

Li Xuewu raised his eyebrows and said: "I just want to say, my big brother and Wu Laoshi still need to trouble you."

Li Xuewen and Wu Shufang didn't know what Li Xuewu was talking about, staring at him blankly. They really wanted to wave their hands at Huang Gan to show they didn't want to say it, and even more wanted to point at Li Xuewu to show that he was the one saying it himself.

Huang Gan knew that Li Xuewu was playing tricks, narrowed his eyes and said: "Can't you speak properly? Why do you always play this kind of sharp turn!"

Li Xuewu shrugged his shoulders and said: "It's your understanding that's problematic, my words are no problem."

After speaking, he signaled the pile of broken radios and electronic accessories in his big brother's room and raised his eyebrows at Huang Gan.

"What's wrong? Don't want them? Want to take them away?"

Huang Gan didn't know what Li Xuewu meant, guessed twice, and was about to move to give Li Xuewu a hit.

Li Xuewu smiled and said: "Project, can't you understand? Radio, do you understand? The kind that can listen to sound when connected to electricity."