Chapter 733: Dancing

On Saturday morning, when Li Xuewu went out, he specifically told Gu Ning that there was a gathering in the evening, and after she got off work, she should drive the old lady and the children back to the Sihe courtyard herself.

Gu Ning didn't pay much attention to Li Xuewu's words; she knew he had things to do, as he had told her what he was going to do recently, and Li Xuewu had even stayed up half the night before.

And this public holiday, Qin Jingru still didn't go back; she had a date.

Mentioning this, when she sent Li Xuewu out this morning, she even stole a shy glance at the command car.

And Han Jiankun, who came to pick up Li Xuewu every day, had recently been getting out of the car to wipe the car and windows, which made Sha Qizhi, sitting in the car, laugh secretly.

After arriving at the factory Security Office, Li Xuewu glanced at the content on the bulletin board at the entrance and went upstairs.

With the in-depth development of the university study and discussion activity, and because of the "Notice" on the 2nd, the Rolling Mill's activities were carried out in an orderly manner.

Even if there was some messy commotion, it was harmless; compared to before, it couldn't be looked at, but compared to the outside, it was still within a comprehensible range.

Saying that the Rolling Mill had all kinds of small groups making trouble, saying that the Rolling Mill had big-character posters today and whistleblowing letters tomorrow—go look at the outside; without comparison, there is no gap.

Sometimes people are like this, especially the Chinese, who are accustomed to the middle way.

Houses are being torn down outside; tearing down windows in the Rolling Mill counts for nothing!

Li Xuewu could see it now; it used to be noisy and unruly, doing everything in a swarm, whoever said what was what, and whoever led had followers.

Now the university study and discussion had entered the second stage, which was the development of the big pot of rice into small groups.

With hundreds of people at most and a dozen at least, each had their own thoughts and maintenance goals.

Whether it was called letting a hundred schools of thought contend or letting a hundred flowers bloom, in Li Xuewu's view, who carried the flag wasn't important; what was important was what goal the above wanted to achieve.

The big pot of rice was dangerous, but were small groups not dangerous?

Of course they were. The big pot of rice was sparks, and small groups were small flames; the next stage would be small flames gathering into a big fire, burning what should be burned and extinguishing what should be extinguished, and only then would it turn back into sparks and dissipate.

As long as one could judge this dangerous rhythm, any problem was controllable.

Fire is dangerous, but it can cook food; electricity is dangerous, but it can provide light; gasoline is dangerous, but it can run cars.

Can you say that because these things are dangerous, you don't use them?

The reality is here; if you don't use them, what do you use!

In this job, the theoretical articles issued every day must be studied; even if you know this article is waste paper, you have to play the game at this time.

If you can't play it now, you won't be able to play with future things either.

Li Xuewu was a "clear person"; he understood this period of history very well, and experiencing it himself gave him a sense of watching a fire from the other side of the river.

He didn't dare to integrate too much; he was afraid of losing himself in the torrent of the era.

Don't underestimate the inertia and ability of time; it can shatter sea-deep alliances and make daydreams come true—it's mysterious.

Sometimes Sha Qizhi would also feel that Li Xuewu had a kind of transcendental wisdom, seeing everything clearly.

But Li Xuewu felt that knowing the result of everything was a kind of pain.

Looking at the answer to do math problems, can you still enjoy the joy of thinking?

Looking at the strategy guide to play video games, can you still experience the fun of exploration?

So sometimes Li Xuewu would also arrange some high-difficulty life experiences for himself, such as listening to opera.

"Director, people from the Personnel Office notified me to have a talk."

Li Xuewu was busy in his office. Sha Qizhi, who had just been called out, returned with some nervousness. When reporting, he looked at Li Xuewu's face, wanting to see something.

"A talk is just a talk; what are you nervous about~"

Li Xuewu glanced at Sha Qizhi and continued to work on his hands, saying, "The superior wanting to talk to you is a test for you and a judgment of your thinking. Perform well; it's not a bad thing."

Hearing the director say it wasn't a bad thing, he had two judgments in his heart: one was that for this matter, it wasn't necessarily a bad thing; the other judgment was that this matter wasn't arranged by Li Xuewu.

If it were to arrange for his progress or work adjustment, someone would have been found to do the handover with him in advance; otherwise, it wouldn't just be him who was passive, but Li Xuewu too.

Now that Li Xuewu said this, it meant there was absolutely no such possibility, which meant this talk might have other matters or other factors.

It wasn't for Li Xuewu, so it was for himself; the future was unpredictable.

After reporting to Li Xuewu, Sha Qizhi walked out with a trembling heart and went to the main office building opposite.

And Li Xuewu, sitting in the office, also frowned and looked at the building opposite; he was also confused—what was the meaning of moving his secretary at this time?

This trick couldn't be used by others; it must be Yang Fengshan. All cadre adjustments and appointments must respect his opinion.

And the assessment and appointment of cadres in various departments would also respect the opinion of the department head.

Li Xuewu didn't have Sha Qizhi's name on the list he reported to the Personnel Office and the Party Group Department at all; how could he be in a hurry to let go of the secretary he had only used for half a year?

What kind of medicine was being sold in this gourd?!

Confusion medicine!

Sha Qizhi was quite confused after participating in the talk with the Personnel Office—unclear, dizzy, and muddled.

What judgment on the current situation, what opinion on the current organizational work, what experience in promoting and improving the office system...

He wasn't a policy secretary of the Factory Office; why ask these things!

However, he was also worried that the factory would really transfer him to the Factory Office; serving as a policy secretary or some other post wouldn't be as good as now.

He was promoted to deputy section chief this year; transferring elsewhere would be a loss.

According to normal thinking, he should follow Li Xuewu for a few years, be promoted to section chief, and then go directly to take over as section chief.

If he went down or was transferred now, even if the position of deputy section chief was resolved, it would still be a deputy.

A deputy section chief grinding to become a section chief isn't as fast as grinding to become a regular one while being Li Xuewu's secretary from a deputy section chief.

There were other contents in the difference here; otherwise, why would he say that if he really moved, he would lose out?

He was trembling with fear during the talk just now, deeply afraid of problems; now that he was out, thinking about it, it was really a forehead full of sweat.

But when he walked out wiping the sweat from his forehead, he ran into someone doing the same action in the courtyard.

"Director Yu?!"

Sha Qizhi's eyes widened in surprise. Before he could call out, he was pulled into the Security Building by Yu Decai.

Once they entered the Security Building lobby, Sha Qizhi asked hurriedly: "Could it be... could it be... could it be that the Personnel Office also talked to you?"

"Wrong!"

Sha Qizhi remembered that Director Yu came from the Party Committee building; according to Director Yu's level, the Party Group Department should be the one to talk to him.

And Yu Decai also nodded in default, agreeing with the content after "Wrong!" in Sha Qizhi's words.

"What's the situation!"

Sha Qizhi followed Yu Decai upstairs, couldn't help but glance at the direction of the main office building behind him, and asked softly: "Are they going to wipe us all out?"

Yu Decai glanced at Sha Qizhi and didn't say anything, just sighed.

He had worked a few years longer than Sha Qizhi and had experienced more and understood more.

The talk the Party Group Department had with him just now was clearer than Sha Qizhi's talk; at least it didn't leave him muddled.

However, regarding the prediction of the result, he and Sha Qizhi were both holding a negative attitude.

Once they reached the third floor, both had a tacit understanding not to go to Li Xuewu to report this situation.

The talk was over, so what was there to say? Just wait.

The factory office area was only so big; what could happen that Li Xuewu didn't know?

Besides, before Sha Qizhi went, he had already reported to Li Xuewu, which meant Li Xuewu understood this situation.

Saying more was useless; take care of yourself.

At noon in the guesthouse, Xu Sinian announced with a smile to the Rolling Mill cadres dining there that the small canteen would be put into use next Thursday.

What could be done in less than two weeks?

There were many things that could be done; the two-story small canteen could complete heavy renovation, the kitchen could complete heavy construction, and the dining tables and chairs could all be configured in place—it was just waiting for people.

And the chefs for the small canteen were also transferred from the factory: Sha Zhu from the big canteen and Chef Qian from the guesthouse.

Such an arrangement was naturally requested and reported by the Logistics Office to Deputy Factory Director Li. In other aspects, they could be sloppy, but Li Huai didn't want to settle in terms of eating.

Sha Zhu's skills were still very good, and Chef Qian's skills were unique.

What could the Rolling Mill do if it couldn't find suitable chefs for a while?

Rationally allocate resources; Sha Zhu and Chef Qian would pair up, and two assistants would be assigned—cooking for two or three hundred people wasn't hard.

Yes, there were forty or fifty cadres above the deputy section level, but this time the Factory Office was going to arrange for all cadres above the deputy section level to dine at the small canteen.

First, the dining environment of the small canteen was better, which was convenient for cadres to save time and put more time into work.

Second, the cadres' dining time was unstable, and some people were busy with work and couldn't catch the normal meal time, so it was more convenient at the small canteen.

Third, cadres would sometimes discuss problems and exchange work opinions at the dining table, which was the so-called "pre-meal meeting." The efficiency of this kind of meeting was extremely high and easiest to solve problems.

Some people said that the food in the small canteen was better than the big canteen, and the materials were better; was this a kind of collective degeneration?

This had to be viewed dialectically. Even if the small canteen's chefs went to the big canteen to cook, the taste would be the same; it would definitely be better than the big canteen—this was a quantitative problem, not a qualitative one.

The big canteen's chefs going to the small canteen would be the same; their skills would definitely improve because mastering the heat was much easier than in the big canteen.

But according to the current standards, could they assign chefs to everyone in the factory?

Impossible. The treatment standards were written in the factory office documents, and it was the same from top to bottom.

You now dislike the food in the big canteen; what about the food in the rural big canteen? It's not as good as here; what do the farmers in the countryside say?

Looking at it from the other side, problems all have two sides; it depends on how you do the work and how you coordinate.

In coordinating work, Xu Sinian was absolutely an old fox. Why transfer Chef Qian from the guesthouse and borrow Sha Zhu from the big canteen?

Don't be greedy; the one cooking for the leaders is the big canteen's chef!

Hey! Leaders, don't worry that the taste of the food in the small canteen will be different from before, because the chef cooking for the leaders is the chef from the guesthouse before.

Look how it is?

Up, down, left, right—mixing mud; Xu Sinian was a good mud-layer.

Let's talk about the relationship between cadres and the masses. Some people said leaders went to eat in the small room, leaving workers to squeeze in the big canteen.

Don't be afraid; now that all cadres above the deputy section, workshop director, and full-time deputy secretary are arranged to eat in the small canteen, the big canteen can free up a lot of space, right?

And the leaders above don't have to worry about the relationship between cadres and the masses; all grassroots cadres in the Rolling Mill eat with them, which to the greatest extent eases this psychological contradiction.

Doing this can also improve the grassroots cadres' enthusiasm for participating in work; at least sitting with factory leaders to eat means they are also in a certain psychological circle.

At the dining table at noon, after Xu Sinian finished speaking about the decision, Li Xuewu couldn't help but glance at Zhang Songying standing at the door.

He always felt something was not quite right; how could the people around him all be moving?

In this mid-year meeting, Qin Huairu and Zhang Songying were going to end their status as workers instead of cadres and directly transfer to cadre status based on the results of the guesthouse's half-year resumption of business.

But this was also something Li Xuewu had arranged for them long ago; what ghost was it to suddenly transfer Zhang Songying to concurrently manage the small canteen?

A small canteen director isn't just concurrently held by anyone!

If it were a workshop setting up a small canteen, being a director would just be a sesame official, considered a manager.

But the government small canteen isn't calculated like that; the director before the small canteen went yellow was a proper section-level official.

Although there was no official document yet, defining the level and establishment of this small canteen, the director was part-time, the chef was part-time, and the remaining assistants and service staff were all temporarily transferred.

But once defined, how would it be calculated?

The meaning of concurrent holding represents management and also represents direct influence on this unit.

If the work has results, when this unit completes formalization, one has to consider the definition after this concurrent holding.

Either directly transfer to a formal appointment, or complete the concurrent holding and transfer back to the original unit to be promoted by half a level.

There was no such thing as a cadre concurrently holding work across levels, completing the construction and preparation of the basic organization, and then being sent back intact.

A proper unit wouldn't do this; this isn't hitting a cadre, but weakening the leader's prestige.

Then Li Xuewu had to think: even if Zhang Songying made achievements in the guesthouse with Qin Huairu, she wouldn't go from the section level of a worker instead of a cadre to a proper section level.

Even if she transferred to a cadre now, even if she was promoted by half a level this time in the guesthouse, she would only be a deputy section level; what did it mean to do the work of a proper section level?

Li Xuewu was looking at her, but thinking of Yu Decai and Sha Qizhi who were talked to this morning.

Assessing cadres and organizational talks before the mid-year meeting—what was it for?

These two were working well and hadn't made any mistakes; if it wasn't this, what could it be!

But the more Li Xuewu thought about it, the more wrong it felt; he hadn't thought about expanding his influence at this mid-year meeting—who was "helping" him?

Gu Weijie, Dong Wenxue, Li Huai—Li Xuewu thought of these three first, but he also denied these three first.

Impossible. These three "doing good deeds" wouldn't leave no name, nor would they promote Security Office people without passing through him.

Besides these three people, the scope that could be determined was reduced a lot.

Jing Yunong absolutely wouldn't; this lady... this leader wouldn't have such a kind heart, and even if she did, she wouldn't be so quiet.

Nie Chenglin was even more impossible; he had pulled the firewood from under his own pot, and now he wished he could pull his own tendons; how could he "help" him with this favor?

Xue Zhifu didn't have the conditions, so that left Yang Shuji Yuansong and Factory Director Yang Fengshan.

The secretary's side wasn't very likely; he had "pitted" him a few days ago. Li Xuewu didn't dare to think about returning evil with good, returning evil with "pit"—he wasn't a fool.

This time at the mid-year meeting, Dong Wenxue entering the Party Group and himself entering the Party Committee had already occupied a lot of resources; Li Xuewu didn't dare to think about expanding his influence at all.

Now he should be taking one step at a time, stabilizing his current position, completing his basic layout, and not moving for three years—he couldn't move, and it wasn't convenient to move.

But now someone was pushing the people around him to move; who was this person?

Ke said that after excluding everything impossible, the remaining, no matter how unbelievable, is the truth.

Then there is only one truth!

What does he want to do?!

Zhang Songying felt a bit hairy from Li Xuewu's look; why was this person staring at her without moving while eating?

Could it be...?

Um...

"Hey! I'm talking to you!"

Xu Sinian knocked on the table in front of Li Xuewu and said, "Are you in a trance!"

"Um?"

Li Xuewu suddenly turned his head and asked Xu Sinian, "What?"

Xu Sinian curled his lips and said, "I'm telling you, go to the small canteen with me after eating and give us some suggestions."

Li Xuewu raised an eyebrow and asked back, "Us?"

"Yes~"

Xu Sinian said with a smile, "The small canteen is 'properly' managed by the Factory Office, not 'us'; do you still think it's 'you'?"

"Hahaha~"

Everyone at the dining table laughed; they naturally understood the meaning of Xu Sinian's words.

This guesthouse was originally transferred from the Factory Office to the Security Office by Factory Director Yang Fengshan to appease Li Xuewu.

At that time, a cadre from the Security Office also came here to be the director for a period of time, and later jumped to the Steel City to be the Security Office director.

If they couldn't give progress, they gave influence; they all knew that at the time.

But who the hell could have thought that a stinky basin could be turned into a cornucopia by Li Xuewu? They wanted to be envious but couldn't.

In the preparatory meeting before this year's mid-year meeting, there was a voice to promote the guesthouse to a proper section level, improve the establishment, and improve management.

And this kind of voice had become even more widespread and popular after the working group inspected the guesthouse a few days ago.

Promoting to a proper section level meant that the guesthouse's management attribute had moved up a step. Not to mention internal personnel configuration, just talking about the influence scope, it had to increase by multiples.

At the same time, it would also bring more convenience and benefits to the Rolling Mill.

Could the financial management attribution of a deputy section be the same as a proper section?

It was all money causing trouble.

Now the Factory Office wanted to tear a piece of meat off the guesthouse to form this small canteen; the purpose couldn't be more obvious.

Li Xuewu's people had progressed, but it also meant his influence scope was about to suffer a challenge.

This sentence of Xu Sinian's contained the humiliation of the past and was also full of the joy of revenge; hearing it made Li Xuewu just want to give him a punch.

"It's not 'ours' anymore, so why should I go see it? It has nothing to do with me~"

Li Xuewu rolled his eyes, and the chopsticks in his hand flew.

Eat!

Anger can't stop hunger!

Xu Sinian saw Li Xuewu's appearance and smiled, then persuaded: "You, Director Li, have the skill of turning stones into gold; who doesn't know, who doesn't know? Give some suggestions so we can correct them."

After finishing, he glanced at everyone at the table and said, "You, Director Li, will also go there to eat in the future, so consider it serving everyone."

"Heh~"

Li Xuewu didn't answer Xu Sinian's words, gestured to everyone with his chin, and said, "Then just ask everyone's opinion; why ask me alone? Not going!"

"Hey! You really are a..."

Xu Sinian saw Li Xuewu's sharp look toward him and swallowed the words in his mouth.

He really didn't dare to be serious with Li Xuewu; this grandson played without any sense of weight, and being fixed by him was enough to buffer for half a year.

However, Xu Sinian knew how to deal with Li Xuewu. As soon as Li Xuewu finished eating, this guy followed him and whispered in Li Xuewu's ear: "If you don't go today, they'll say you're stingy."

Waiting until he saw Li Xuewu's threatening look, Xu Sinian persuaded again: "I can't control the mouths of those people in the government office!"

After finishing, he gestured to Zhang Songying who followed behind and said, "This is a cadre of the guesthouse; if you don't help, who will?"

"I f*** your grandfather~"

Li Xuewu gritted his teeth and said this to Xu Sinian.

Xu Sinian nodded indifferently, giving the people watching around the appearance that Li Xuewu was bowing his head to him, and he was magnanimous.

Being scolded is nothing; some people have even been beaten!

After much persuasion, he dragged Li Xuewu to the small canteen and gestured to the small two-story building under construction: "Hurry up and give some guidance; we urgently need your visionary opinions."

At this time, only he and Zhang Songying were by Li Xuewu's side, so he wasn't afraid of others laughing at him, and he was even more afraid of Li Xuewu coming at him, so he spoke as politely as possible.

Li Xuewu grabbed his shoulder and squeezed hard. Xu Director's face instantly wrinkled, which made Zhang Songying feel pain.

She knew the gripping power of those big hands of his? It was painful~

Um, spanking is also painful!

Li Xuewu was just playing with him; could he really squeeze Xu Sinian to death? Even if he had this heart, the law protected him.

"It's being renovated; why ask me?"

Li Xuewu looked into the room, curled his lips at Xu Sinian, and said, "You didn't think about it before renovation; now I say change it, and you still have time to change it!"

"Yes! Construction period is left!"

Xu Sinian gestured to the room and said, "Renovation is almost done, just the last bit; but I always feel something is wrong, so hurry up and help me consult."

Li Xuewu looked at his watch, pointed at Xu Sinian, and indicated: "Secretary Wenxue's train is this afternoon; if you delay things, you explain it for me!"

"Don't worry! It won't take long!"

Xu Sinian waved his hand and said, "If it's really too late, I'll have a car send you to the platform."

After finishing, he invited Li Xuewu to walk into the room, dodging the construction personnel who were moving the ladder.

Several people entered the room, and Li Xuewu heard "click-click" sounds behind him; it was the sound of Zhang Songying's heels.

"Yo! Floor tiles!"

Li Xuewu looked down; wasn't it? The specification of this small canteen really wasn't small; they even laid floor tiles.

Xu Sinian didn't care at all and said, "There is a ceramic factory in the joint enterprise; this thing is a kind of supplement to commodities."

After finishing, he knocked on the floor tiles with his heels and said, "Laying them in the small canteen is also for hygiene and convenience in cleaning."

Indeed, ceramic tiles—as long as you wipe them with a mop, the oil stains in the canteen are all cleaned up.

Li Xuewu patted Xu Sinian's arm and said, "You only thought about hygiene and convenience, but didn't think about what would happen if soup and water fell on the floor tiles."

Xu Sinian frowned and said, "This is really true, then... pry them up again?"

"Taking off your pants to fart, right?"

Li Xuewu glanced at him and then said, "The work is all done, and you want to tear down the east wall—isn't it a bit late?"

After finishing, he gestured to the window where food was served and said, "Lay carpets in the nearby positions; wash them diligently."

"Hiss~~~"

Xu Sinian took a breath, frowned, and said, "This is really troublesome."

"Hehe."

Li Xuewu smiled and didn't answer him.

His idea was good, but at this time, the understanding of ceramic floor tiles wasn't that comprehensive. If someone walked in a hurry and fell, whoever used them would be responsible.

After looking at the floor tiles, Li Xuewu gestured upstairs and asked, "Private rooms?"

"Of course!"

Xu Sinian introduced, "But they are divided into large and small; seven private rooms have been arranged, so it's appropriate however you sit."

"You're really sneaky."

Li Xuewu curled his lips and then said, "Don't install doors; just hang a curtain."

Xu Sinian raised an eyebrow, looked at Li Xuewu, thought for a moment, then reacted, and hurriedly pointed at the person in charge of construction here and said, "Hurry up and write it down; don't install doors for the private rooms upstairs."

Li Xuewu looked at the person in charge and said with a smile, "Use square tables in the small private rooms, and round tables in the large private rooms."

"Hey, got it."

This person in charge couldn't understand the meaning of what Deputy Director Li said, but Director Xu nodded, so he just had to remember it.

And Li Xuewu followed Xu Sinian to look at the kitchen, gestured to the side of the food delivery window, and said, "Install a delivery channel here, directly connecting to the second floor; the kitchen food can be hoisted up directly with pulleys."

After finishing, he gestured to the outside of the kitchen and explained, "You wouldn't think about letting the leaders serve their own food and carry it upstairs to eat, right?"

Xu Sinian looked at the ceiling, then looked at the person in charge, and seeing him nod, he also nodded.

"It's good that you came; otherwise, I wouldn't have seen these."

"It's okay; it's fine if you go to the canteen to be the director for a few days."

Li Xuewu patted Xu Sinian's shoulder with sarcasm in his words, then walked toward the lobby.

Xu Sinian didn't care about Li Xuewu's words at all; he was using this grandson now, so he would just endure it and it would pass.

Li Xuewu walked to the middle of the lobby and stood still, looked around, and finally looked at Xu Sinian and asked, "Hanging paintings?"

"Hanging paintings! I know!"

Xu Sinian clapped his hands and said to Li Xuewu with a smile, "I said what the hell was missing!"

Li Xuewu nodded and said, "You're also missing a brain."

After finishing, he followed him around the canteen, gave a few suggestions, and then had to leave; it was really almost time for Dong Wenxue's train.

Xu Sinian didn't dare to keep him long, thanked him with a smile, and said he would invite Li Xuewu to dinner when he had a chance.

Li Xuewu, while walking out, pointed at his watch and said to Xu Sinian, "Better to choose a day than to meet today; tonight at the guesthouse, you treat, understand!"

After finishing, the person was already out the door, and Zhang Songying followed quickly in high heels.

Xu Sinian understood; he understood too damn well—this was Dong! Understand!

Li Xuewu had just said Dong Wenxue was coming back, so he must be coming back to attend the mid-year meeting on Monday; then he must be welcomed tonight.

And just now he was too excited, wanting to shake off Li Xuewu after using him, to avenge the revenge of this grandson mocking him just now.

He now also hated his own mouth for being lazy; why did he have to offer to treat? Wasn't this taking the initiative to bump into him?

Still understand! He understood Dong very well!

Xu Sinian felt heartache for the money in the small canteen, and Zhang Songying felt heartache for Li Xuewu at the door of the small canteen.

"Should I not have taken this job?"

Zhang Songying chased after Li Xuewu and hurriedly asked about the worry in her heart; she had been looking for a chance to ask Li Xuewu these past few days, but never had the chance.

Li Xuewu stood still, looked at Zhang Songying, and said with a smile, "Don't let your imagination run wild; work hard."

After finishing, he looked at Zhang Songying's professional attire and said with a smile, "Don't talk about this small canteen director; I'd be happy if you were the Factory Office director."

Zhang Songying saw Li Xuewu smile, so she put down the burden in her heart and said with a smile, "What director? Director Xu said it's concurrent; I don't know what's going on."

After finishing, she explained to Li Xuewu, "I'm just concurrently holding the work here; I actually still have to be responsible for the guesthouse's work, which is considered doing an extra job."

"Mm."

Li Xuewu nodded and said, "It's an opportunity; you'll know slowly. Be more attentive, be more careful, and don't make mistakes."

After finishing, he looked at his watch and said, "I have to go pick up Dong Shuji; there's a gathering at the guesthouse in the evening. Think about arranging it in advance."

"Yes, that..."

Zhang Songying saw Li Xuewu take a step and asked again: "Do I need to arrange accommodation in the evening?"

Li Xuewu looked back at Zhang Songying, thought for a moment, and said, "Listen to the opera."

"It should be unnecessary; Dong Shuji definitely wants to go home, and the cadres from the Steel Factory also have homes in the capital."

After finishing, he nodded to Zhang Songying and walked toward the factory office area.

The small canteen was behind the main office building, reachable from the back door of the main office building, separated from the guesthouse by a large auditorium and a radio station—not far or near, all

After finishing, he nodded to Zhang Songying and walked toward the factory office area.

The small canteen was right behind the main office building and could be reached from the back door; it was separated from the guesthouse by a large auditorium and the broadcasting station, neither far nor near, all within the same zone.

Li Xuewu passed through the lobby of the main office building and went straight to the entrance of the Security Building, where Han Jiankun was already waiting for him in the car.

The other cars sent to pick people up had already left; Han Jiankun was waiting specifically for Li Xuewu.

After Li Xuewu got into the car, the command vehicle started up and drove toward the platform at the dispatch workshop.

The factory office area was located inside to the left of the main factory gate, at the southern end of the factory, while the dispatch workshop was at the northernmost end of the main factory thoroughfare because the railway tracks were over there.

By this time, after the workshops had started work, there were no idle pedestrians on the main thoroughfare, so Han Jiankun dared to drive quickly, rushing to arrive just before the train pulled into the station.

Li Xuewu stepped onto the platform just as the train pulled in.

The only people here to meet the train were reception staff from the factory office, personnel from the Steel Mill's coordination office here, and staff from the Security Division.

Li Xuewu hadn't made a big fuss by having everyone come to meet them; what would that have looked like?

Only Yu Decai brought a few people from the office to help, and they brought quite a few cars, mainly to be responsible for hauling luggage.

These cadres from the Steel Mill were all Beijing locals; today, they were all thinking of going home first before coming to the factory for a meal.

Therefore, Li Xuewu didn't plan to arrange for them to stay at the guesthouse and directly prepared cars for them.

As for coming to the main factory for a meeting, these branch factory cadres were quite self-aware and did not bring any clerks.

Including Dong Wenxuan, they intended to use the Steel Mill's office staff stationed here directly, which was more convenient.

Thinking this way and acting accordingly was likely Dong Wenxuan's suggestion; the message Li Xuewu sent to his teacher was also that keeping a low profile was best.

Returning to Beijing this time, Dong Wenxuan was here for a promotion, so there could be no mistakes.

Seeing the train come to a steady stop, Dong Wenxuan led the group off the train, and Li Xuewu was the first to walk up to shake hands and exchange pleasantries with his teacher.

Dong Wenxuan hadn't seen Li Xuewu for two months either; he laughed heartily and spoke a few words before letting him go to shake hands and greet the other cadres from the Steel Mill.

The Steel Mill cadres who returned with Dong Wenxuan this time included the Steel Mill's Vice Factory Director and Deputy Secretary of the Discipline Inspection Commission, Yang Zongfang, Vice Factory Director Yang Shuxing, and Deputy Secretary Mei Housheng.

Remaining at the factory to preside over work were Vice Factory Director Yin Zhongyao and the person in charge of the Labor Union, Dou Changfang.

Li Xuewu knew all the people who got off the train; they had even gone up the mountain to play together last time in Steel City.

So, meeting in Beijing this time, they were all very enthusiastic toward one another.

Li Xuewu also knew the Vice Factory Director who didn't come, and he was even more familiar with the person in charge of the Labor Union, Dou Changfang, whom Dong Wenxuan definitely wouldn't have brought.

Yang Shuxing was formerly the Deputy Director of the Production Management Division and an old partner of Kuang Yusheng; Mei Housheng was from the Party Committee side; the Yin Zhongyao who remained behind was formerly the Deputy Director of the Personnel Division—he knew him before but wasn't close, but now that they were familiar, they were even more enthusiastic.

Seeing that Li Xuewu had prepared a car for each of the four, Yang Shuxing was very happy to shake hands with Li Xuewu and thank him.

Yang Zongfang smiled and gave Li Xuewu a hug.

The two could be considered to have become friends through conflict, and because Li Xuewu had spoken up to help him at the Steel Mill, helping him obtain this opportunity for an external assignment, their relationship in private had always been very good.

Last time Yang Zongfang returned to report on his work, Li Xuewu had even treated him at the guesthouse and had detailed communication and exchange with him, so they could be considered good friends.

After the group exchanged pleasantries, they let Li Xuewu arrange for them to get into the cars, loaded the luggage, and drove into the factory area.

They wouldn't stay in the factory; they wanted to find the factory leadership to report on their work, but the leadership didn't have time to receive them either, as everyone was busy at this time.

Therefore, the motorcade drove straight through the factory area; Li Xuewu's command vehicle stayed in the factory and drove toward the office area, while the remaining four cars all exited the main factory gate, sending them each back to their own homes to find their own mothers.

The evening banquet had already been mentioned to the group; Yang Shuji would be there, and Vice Factory Director Li would be there; these people could be considered to have understood the implication and knew how things were arranged for tonight.

Returning to the office area, Li Xuewu went straight up to the Security Building to continue with his own work.

If it weren't for Dong Wenxuan returning, these people wouldn't have been worth his time to pick up.

Cadres from the main factory and branch factories might seem to be of the same rank, but there was a hierarchy of contempt, which was very strange.

Deputy division-level cadres at the main factory all thought about external assignments, yet deputy division-level cadres at branch factories just couldn't compare to the sense of superiority of those at the main factory.

However, in actual work, those at the branch factories were more at ease and found it easier to produce results.

But psychologically, they just weren't as good as the deputy division-level cadres at the main factory; the strangeness lay right there.

Sometimes when cadres face adjustments, their mindset is unstable; part of the concern is whether there will be such a gap if they are transferred or assigned externally, and whether they can accept it.

This is definitely something that will be focused on during organizational talks before appointments, and it is even more of a test of a cadre's standard of detail.

Why the Rolling Mill's evaluation of Dong Wenxuan was so high, and why the opinion on requesting him to serve as Vice Factory Director was passed unanimously at this mid-year meeting, was because Dong Wenxuan overcame various difficulties after the Steel Mill's organization collapsed and realized the work of organizational reconstruction and development.

And looking at it now, Dong Wenxuan had accomplishments at the Steel Mill, had adapted to this environmental change, and had also brought out a team with fighting strength.

This was the reason why the leaders of the Rolling Mill recognized him.

A full division-level position relies on time, while a vice-factory position relies on results; without solid results, don't even think about being promoted to vice-factory director.

Because a full division-level position can be passed within the Rolling Mill, while a vice-factory position requires approval from above.

If you can't produce solid results, who would dare to recommend you? If the whip falls, who would be willing to take the beating for you?

This was also the reason why Zhang Guoqi and Wang Jingzhang had been unable to progress, and it was the main reason they fought desperately for that one opportunity at the Steel Mill.

If there's no way out in this position, you have to think about an external assignment, and it has to be the kind with a good opportunity.

Otherwise, like Li Huai De, you have to carve out an opportunity yourself and use trade to open a breakthrough.

But ordinary cadres all take the former path; the latter is too heaven-defying and cannot be easily realized.

The higher the level, the more nervous one becomes, stuck in the middle; just look at the attitude of these branch factory vice-directors who got off the train toward Li Xuewu, and you'll know.

As the actual head of the main factory's Security Division, and with news that he would directly enter the Party Committee this time, how would they dare to offend him?

Li Xuewu was an unconventional cadre; others either carved out new paths or were transferred externally to fight for results, while he jumped left and right within the main factory, handling various interest relationships and using leverage to rise to the top.

Who could learn that? Who could compare?

What difference does this have from dancing on the tip of a knife!

And looking at it now, Li Xuewu being able to represent Vice Factory Director Li and Yang Shuji in inviting them to a banquet, and making these arrangements so casually, just shows that he is dancing very well right now.

What they saw was the tip of the knife, while what Li Xuewu saw was flat ground.

It's not difficult for those who know how; it's difficult for those who don't. What is being tested is not just mindset, but also ability.

Daring to stay in Beijing to shoulder the heavy burden, letting Dong Wenxuan go to Steel City to occupy a position—who else had more courage than Li Xuewu, or more of this ruthless drive and ability?

The key is that he really stood his ground at the Rolling Mill and also helped Dong Wenxuan stand his ground in Steel City.

The risky behavior from back then now looks like a wise choice, and next Monday's mid-year meeting is also the time for this pair of master and apprentice to reap the rewards.