Chapter 737: Something bad has happened

"Hey, don't even mention it. It's just about the meeting~"

Li Xuewu entered the room and tossed the bag in his hand aside. He first bent over to listen near Gu Ning's belly, only to be shyly pushed away by her.

After being pushed by his wife, Li Xuewu laughed as he walked further into the room and caught his daughter, who had run over from the kang.

"Oh my~ if you keep eating more, your daddy won't be able to catch you anymore!"

"Yo!"

Li Shu pursed her little lips, imitating what she had just seen her daddy say outside through the window. Her little manner was quite amusing.

Seeing his daughter imitating him, Li Xuewu laughed as well. He explained to his mother, who was picking up things from the table, "I saw that Third Uncle Yan was in good spirits, so I chatted with him for a bit."

This was in response to his mother's question when he first entered the door; he knew his mother didn't want the family to have any entanglements with the people next door.

And rightly so. Ever since the last incident, the way people in the courtyard looked at the Yan family hadn't been quite right.

The children of various families no longer wandered around the Yan family's door, as if they had been instructed by their own parents, fearing they might become the second Banggeng.

They were overthinking it; did their children have as much mischief in them as Banggeng?

That kid was someone who dared to go to Tuanjie Lake to bomb fish!

Now, because Banggeng had violated the "heavenly laws," his mother kept him confined at home and wouldn't let him run around. With Banggeng gone from the courtyard, the overall danger coefficient had dropped by three levels.

Liu Yin glared at her son with dissatisfaction. She hadn't even said anything about him returning late, and he had already brushed it off.

However, her son was grown up now, married with children. What could she say in front of her daughter-in-law? If she said too much, it might cause friction between the young couple.

There were many things to understand after becoming a mother-in-law; one had to be careful with one's words. If she really acted like the people next door, there would be no peace in this house.

Come to think of it, Liu Yin really had to thank the family next door. They had done everything one shouldn't do in life and made every mistake one shouldn't make in getting along as a family, providing a perfect negative example for her own children.

Her eldest daughter-in-law had been a bit sharp when she first arrived, and she had been a bit narrow-minded, having lived through the bitter days in the countryside. All of that was normal.

There had been two incidents when Xuewu returned home, but seeing the family next door causing trouble, and with Xuewu being sensible, the eldest daughter-in-law had also come to her senses.

What does it mean to be a family? Living separately but not being divided in heart, and living one's own small life well so that the big family can be well—that is what a family is.

When Li Shun first suggested living separately, she hadn't understood at all. She felt that the children weren't going far away, they were all living in the same courtyard, so why separate?

The old lady was from the Northeast and understood this thoroughly, so she didn't speak. She was from the outskirts of the city, where families only separated after the elders had passed away.

However, Li Shun had the final say in the family, and with the old lady not speaking, the family really did separate.

The second son, Xuewu, had moved out to live on his own before he was even married. The third son's household registration had moved out even earlier; it was registered at the university when he went to college, so he was effectively separated upon graduation.

Plus, now that he had a partner, a house, and was going up the mountain to help his father, he had an even stronger desire for independence, which had caused Liu Yin a great deal of distress.

Her daughter couldn't be kept either; she was sixteen and had started working, so she would eventually get married. Who would be left in this house?

When Xuewu moved out, he was talked about quite a bit by people in the courtyard, who were waiting to see the Li family make a fool of themselves.

But after the separation, life went on as usual, and it didn't turn out to be two separate families as they had expected.

Li Xuewu's children were still cared for by their grandparents, the relationship between the Li brothers remained as good as ever, and the siblings looked out for each other, getting along even more comfortably than before.

Whether it was Xuewu lending coupons to his eldest brother, giving pocket money to Li Xue every month, buying a house for the third son Xuecai, or arranging a job for the eldest daughter-in-law's younger brother, it all made the people in the courtyard green with envy.

Looking at the eldest son's side, the eldest daughter-in-law had also become sensible. She truly treated the second and third younger brothers as her own, and she sincerely protected Li Shu and the two younger sisters-in-law.

Liu Yin herself hadn't expected that after the separation, the children would actually become more harmonious and united, which had "disappointed" the neighbors and people in the courtyard.

There had never been a family in this courtyard that lived separately; even if the children were married and earning wages, they were still counted as one household.

The Liu family and Yang family in the back courtyard, the Han family in the middle courtyard, and the Yan family in the front courtyard—they were all big families, but they all lived huddled together.

One would think they should be harmonious and united, but one never saw how harmonious or united they were.

In the old Liu family in the back courtyard, the eldest son ate the best, but when his parents had trouble, he hid far away.

In the Yan family next door in the front courtyard, the eldest son separated and then came back, cheating for money and causing trouble, leaving the family in constant turmoil.

Other families were the same: scheming against each other, arguing over who got more or less; they didn't say it outside, but they quarreled at home. Who was the real joke?

Life is sometimes like wearing shoes; if you don't put your foot into the shoe, you really don't know if it fits.

Watching the second son, Xuewu, coaxing the child with a grin, and seeing that the second daughter-in-law didn't mind, Liu Yin glared at him and let it pass, busy organizing the whole family for breakfast.

Ji Yuxiu entered from the hanging flower gate in her uniform, having just finished tidying up the east courtyard. Upon entering, she saw Li Xuewu holding the child and teasing her, so she smiled and greeted her second brother.

Li Xuewu nodded with a smile, signaling her to sit down and eat.

Ji Yuxiu knew it wasn't convenient to talk about work matters at the moment. Although she was anxious about yesterday's events, since her second brother had already spoken, she didn't press him with questions.

Sometimes she felt that her second brother was much more reliable than her own brother. Although her brother was capable, his cynical attitude made him seem unreliable.

This matter was within the system, and it was always inconvenient for her brother to cross systems to handle it.

Besides, this work was also related to her second brother. She was here relying on his face and influence; not telling him would be a slight to his dignity.

Therefore, she kept her cool; whatever her second brother said to do, she would do.

The family didn't know about the situation at Ji Yuxiu's station. With Li Xuecai not at home, no one ran to the station anymore, so no one noticed that Ji Yuxiu had any problems.

These days, Ji Yuxiu had been creating opportunities for her brother and sister-in-law, staying over here all the time, hoping that her sister-in-law would be pregnant before her brother left.

Last night, because of the news of Gu Ning's pregnancy, the house had been quite lively. Although the second brother wasn't there, it didn't hinder them from teasing Gu Ning.

Seeing the second brother again today, Ji Yuxiu and the eldest sister-in-law, Zhao Yafang, both teased Li Xuewu a bit.

Li Shu had started to learn adult speech and actions. At home, she imitated Gu Ning's mannerisms. Just now, seeing Li Xuewu speak, she imitated her daddy. When she saw her daddy go to listen to her mommy's belly, she kept looking at Gu Ning's belly while sitting down to eat.

"Is the baby in Mommy's belly a little brother or a little sister?"

Zhao Yafang sat beside her mother-in-law, holding a rice bowl and feeding Li Shu milk, teasing her with a smile.

Gu Ning had originally wanted to feed her, but seeing Li Xuewu bring the child to the table, she sat beside him.

But after Li Shu sat down, she looked for her grandmother, causing her mother-in-law, Liu Yin, to proudly and affectionately take Li Shu over.

This little demon was now very good at flattering people. When she arrived home last night, she opened her arms to be held as soon as she saw her grandmother. Once her grandmother took her, she gave her a kiss.

When the eldest sister-in-law and Yuxiu held her, she would also give them a kiss if they asked; her main strategy was to be adorable.

Being teased by her eldest aunt, Li Shu didn't know if she understood or not. She rolled her big eyes to look at Gu Ning's belly, then looked at Zhao Yafang, gesturing with her little hands and saying, "Yo!"

Most of what she said was "yo," but everyone knew what she meant because she was gesturing with her little hands.

As soon as she arrived home yesterday, she introduced to her grandmother everything she had at home; what she liked most was the "yo" in the goldfish pond.

Now that everyone saw her gesturing at the dinner table, they all burst into laughter.

Zhao Yafang smiled and tapped Li Shu's nose with her finger, teasing, "You can't just have your mommy give birth to whatever you like~ haha~"

Li Shu didn't know what her eldest aunt was saying to her, but since everyone was laughing, she just laughed along.

Seeing her little manner, the women at the table all laughed again.

Li Xue was the first to finish eating. She took Li Shu from her mother's arms and doted on her with all her might, which made Li Shu anxious.

Li Shu knew that her little aunt was the worst; not only did she snatch her toys, but she also kept teasing her and didn't coax her properly. It was hateful!

By the time Li Xuewu left the table, Li Shu had already been teased to the point of anxiety by Li Xue, looking like she was about to bite someone in a fit of rage.

"Hehe~ Little Aunt is bad~"

Seeing his daughter run over, Li Xuewu quickly caught her and walked toward Li Xue while teasing her, which gave Li Shu a sense of having a backer.

But shouldn't a backer stand up for her? Why did he come toward her little aunt again? She couldn't hide fast enough!

Look!

Li Shu pointed at her little aunt, who was pinching her face, to show her daddy that the other party was pinching her and bullying her!

Why are you just watching and laughing!

Do something, Daddy!

Hit her!

"Hit!"

"Hit who?!"

Li Xue let go of her hand, which was lightly pinching Li Shu, and gave her eldest niece's bottom a light pat.

"Hit!"

Li Shu gritted her teeth and pointed at her little aunt, shouting at her daddy again.

But seeing her daddy remain indifferent, she was truly dumbfounded.

Daddy! Are your eyes failing you now!

"Mome~!"

Li Shu gave up, knowing that this daddy was too unreliable. She was being bullied, and he was still laughing there. She quickly turned to find her grandmother.

Once Liu Yin took her, she wrapped her little arms around her grandmother's neck, muttering about her grievances, looking as if she were about to cry.

Liu Yin coaxed her eldest granddaughter with a mix of heartache and laughter. She walked in front of Li Xue and gestured at her with feigned force, which made Li Shu laugh again.

"This is a little one who won't suffer any grievances; she doesn't wait until dawn to take revenge~"

Liu Yin laughed as she coaxed Li Shu and said to the old lady, "Just like her dad when he was little, she tries to find a way to get back at anyone who wrongs her."

The old lady had finished eating by now and was tidying up the table with the granddaughters-in-law. She replied, "I haven't seen it at home; when her dad teases her, she thinks about getting revenge."

Li Xue secretly pinched Li Shu again from behind and said, "Just wait until no one is around, and see how I deal with you!"

Li Shu turned around to look at her little aunt, then gestured to her grandmother that her little aunt was bullying her, shouting "hit, hit," as if to say, "Just wait until I grow up!"

The house was only lively on Saturdays and Sundays, and Liu Yin was happiest at these times, coaxing her eldest granddaughter and watching her children.

Li Xuewu called Ji Yuxiu to the south room to talk for a while, understanding the situation from yesterday and giving her some instructions.

Ji Yuxiu had to be on duty today and had to leave after breakfast. As she was leaving, Li Xuewu saw his mother looking over with concern, so he said to Ji Yuxiu, "If you're not on duty next week, take Mom up the mountain to see Dad, and also see Third Brother."

"Ah? This..."

Ji Yuxiu missed Li Xuecai, but at this moment, she really hadn't thought of this. Looking at her mother-in-law, she saw a worried expression on her face as well.

Zhao Yafang knew that her mother-in-law was worried about her, so she chimed in, "Mom goes to see Dad, Yuxiu goes to see Third Brother, then I can only go to see Xuewen~".

"Hahaha~"

Everyone in the room laughed at the eldest sister-in-law's joke and Li Xuewu's suggestion.

The old lady sat on the kang and waved her hand, laughing, "Go, go, so you don't keep worrying. Go see them."

Liu Yin also knew that her eldest daughter-in-law was finding an excuse for her, wanting her to go up the mountain.

She really wanted to go up the mountain to see; she had been missing Li Shun and the third son for a long time, and she didn't know how they were living on the mountain.

Two grown men living in a collective dormitory—how good could it be?

Xuewu had returned saying everything was fine, but she knew her son reported the good news and not the bad; how could he let her worry?

Seeing her son speak, she hesitated, but seeing the look in the third son's partner's eyes and hearing the old lady, she nodded.

"That's settled, I'll make arrangements when the time comes."

Ji Yuxiu smiled, looked at her mother-in-law and the others, waved her hand, and said, "I'm going to work first, leaving~"

Watching Ji Yuxiu leave, Liu Yin walked out of the room holding Li Shu and asked Li Xuewu, "Is there anything lacking on the mountain? It's just a week away, so I can prepare."

"Everything is there, what's to prepare?"

Li Xuewu comforted her with a smile, "There are supply trucks on the mountain; whatever is lacking, they bring it. The hospital leaders also go up the mountain to visit often."

This was true; the leaders of the Traditional Chinese Medicine Hospital were indeed very attentive to this workstation. Being able to build a rear base in the mountains and settle some "problematic" personnel without delaying work—how could they not value it?

The hospital wasn't wealthy at this time, but the funds that should be supported to the mountain were not lacking at all. Building houses, adding equipment, and building observation stations and laboratories—they were thinking of opening up a new direction.

Since the city couldn't accommodate those "problematic" medical personnel, they were all "exiled" to the mountains for "labor and study," which counted as a form of reform.

There are good people in this hospital, and there are bad ones; it all depends on how the hospital leadership weighs things. Whether to protect those going up the mountain or to truly seize this opportunity to drive them away, there is a choice to be made.

As far as Li Xuewu knows, the medical service station on the mountain is not short of people; they were all settled there from down the mountain.

Does the Traditional Chinese Medicine Hospital think it's the only one that knows how to arrange a way out?

I've heard that those few families from the Lou household have already settled on the houses and courtyards on the mountain, and they have already gone up to take a look; they should be moving things up the mountain recently.

Their families all have vehicles, so they don't need Li Xuewu to think of ways to help. As long as there is a place to settle and a place to live, they are satisfied.

The wind is strong on the mountain, but as long as the house is warm and safe, that's enough. After all, no matter how strong the wind on the mountain is, it isn't as strong as it is down the mountain.

Liu Yin, however, was not satisfied with what her son said, and replied: "Can a leader's visit be the same as a family member's visit? What kind of things can they bring?"

After saying this, she also glanced at her son, disliking that he wasn't attentive and wasn't thinking about what exactly was lacking on the mountain.

Li Xuewu said nonchalantly: "Then you can just make a phone call to the mountain; it's convenient. Ask my father and the third brother what they are lacking, so they can be prepared."

"That's a fair point~"

Liu Yin smiled and handed the eldest granddaughter into Li Xuewu's arms, then went out and headed to the backyard.

Li Xuewu could tell that his mother had wanted to go for a long time, but she just hadn't been able to bring it up.

How could she bring it up? The eldest daughter-in-law is pregnant, the third daughter-in-law and the daughter still have to come back for dinner in the evening, and there is a pile of things at home; she couldn't just drop everything.

She had the heart to suggest going on the weekend, but she was afraid of troubling Li Xuewu. Her son had been busy all week, and it was hard enough for him to catch a break on the weekend, so she was too embarrassed to ask.

Besides, the old lady only comes home on the weekend to stay for two days; if she isn't there to serve her, what would that look like?

Now that she had the support of the whole family, and the third daughter-in-law could drive, and there were people at home to take care of things, her heart was at ease.

At this moment, she couldn't wait to pack up and go to the mountain, so since her son had spoken, she went to make the call to ask if they were lacking anything on the mountain.

A spouse is a companion; in old age, they are a partner. How could Liu Yin not think of Li Shun?

Li Shu was too busy this morning, spinning around in the arms of the family members. Now that she was in her father's arms again and saw her grandmother go out, she wanted to go out too.

"Ah~!"

"What? You want to go out?"

Seeing his daughter pointing her little finger outside the door, Li Xuewu smiled and carried her toward the door, coaxing her: "Call me 'Tell Baba', call me 'Tell Baba' and I'll take you out for a stroll~"

Li Shu looked at her father and felt that her father was treating her like a fool. They were already at the door, and he was still asking her to call him...

Hey! Why are you turning back!

"Tell Baba!"

"Hehe~"

Hearing his daughter call him, Li Xuewu turned back and continued walking toward the moon gate, completely ignoring his daughter's helpless expression.

She's still small now; if he doesn't discipline her, is he supposed to wait until she grows up and he can't catch her to discipline her?!

The courtyard was lively at this moment. It was hot, and everyone wanted to go out early to avoid being roasted like a fool in the midday sun.

Li Xuewu is busy every Sunday, but the people in the courtyard aren't relaxed either; they can't afford to sleep in today.

If school is in session, the children are organized by teachers to clean the streets; the young people have to help their families with chores; and the women go to the streets together to buy household necessities for the week.

Everyone was busy, but Li Xuewu was strolling around holding his child.

Qin Huairu came out of the courtyard with Xiaodang and, seeing Li Xuewu standing inside the outer courtyard screen gate holding the child, walked over and asked: "Aren't you busy today?"

"Busy, how could I not be busy?"

Li Xuewu smiled and bounced his daughter, saying: "Isn't this busy taking care of the child~"

He Yu Shui, standing at the door, sneered: "How many times do you take care of the child? It's just today that you've brought her out, you really hit the nail on the head."

The people in the inverted rooms eat early; by now, they had finished cleaning the kitchen, and everyone had gone to work.

Seeing Sha Zhu didn't have any outside errands today and was sitting on a small stool at the base of the wall, sizing up his sister and Li Xuewu. The doubts in his heart had not yet been put to rest.

Qin Huairu smiled at Li Xuewu, reached out to touch Li Shu's little hand, and seeing this chubby baby, couldn't help but ask: "Is your wife pregnant? Banggeng's grandmother was saying so yesterday."

"Hehe, I only found out this week too."

Li Xuewu chuckled, then looked at the daughter in his arms. She wasn't afraid of people, and let the nosy Xiaodang come over to touch her little feet, even shaking them a bit.

Seeing Sha Zhu sat to the side and raised his eyebrows, his gaze falling on his sister's face again. Since Li Xuewu had said so, he wanted to see how his sister would react.

But at this moment, Yushui was talking to Yu Li and didn't seem to notice this side, which made Seeing Sha Zhu frown.

"Where are you two going?"

"To the street, to buy some household necessities."

Qin Huairu replied with a smile, then asked curiously: "I heard you got a raise?"

"That was last month's business."

Yu Li finished talking to Yushui in the room, walked out, and took Li Shu from Li Xuewu's arms to dote on her.

Li Xuewu replied with a smile: "My salary went up one grade, with a 30-yuan allowance every month."

"That's great~"

Qin Huairu said enviously: "So that's a promotion from grade 14 to 13? One hundred fifty-five point five! Plus a thirty-yuan subsidy, my goodness, that's almost as much as a deputy bureau chief!"

Salaries at this time were very transparent. Li Xuewu was originally a deputy division chief, and because he was responsible for major work, his salary grade was 14.

Beijing is different from the lower levels; there are no provinces, only municipalities. A factory model worker gets a 10-yuan monthly allowance, and a municipal model worker gets 20, so factory and municipal model workers are valuable.

Li Xuewu's national model worker status is even more valuable; the 30-yuan allowance is as much as an ordinary person's monthly salary.

"Your salary here has gone up, does the one at the branch bureau go up too?"

"What kind of good thing are you dreaming of!"

Li Xuewu said with a smile: "This work I'm doing is in the factory, it's not an award I got at the branch bureau. If I want to get this at the branch bureau, I'd have to be a national-level advanced worker."

After saying this, he added: "Our factory has quotas every year; you should work hard too, maybe this year's advanced worker will be you."

Li Xuewu is not considered a main person in charge at the branch bureau, but because of his work with the public security brigade, he isn't at the lowest level either, so his salary grade isn't as high as it is at the rolling mill, only grade 15, at 124 yuan.

Currently, Li Xuewu's salary is 155.5 plus 124, plus a 30-yuan allowance, totaling 309.5 yuan.

In reality, he doesn't get that much in his hand because there are items like bonds that need to be "purchased."

Bonds issued by the bank must be purchased by government personnel, and there are also various donations and newspaper subscriptions every month.

Based on Li Xuewu's current salary level, he might spend nearly a dozen yuan on this every month.

Of course, donations are appropriate; building bridges and repairing roads, planting flowers and trees, are all good things.

Buying bonds isn't a bad thing either; money in the bank doesn't have as high an interest rate as bonds.

It's just that nowadays, whether it's workers or government employees, salary levels aren't high enough, so people are very frugal with their spending.

Those with large families don't even think about saving money; those who are a bit more free-handed and live a bit better basically spend everything they earn every month.

People like Li Xuewu, high-salary cadres, are still rare; after all, it's not common for one person to do two jobs.

If Li Xuewu earns 155.5 yuan a month, after deducting daily expenses and the money to support his family, there isn't much left.

It's mainly because although prices are cheap at this time, that's relative to later generations.

Based on current salary levels, the money in hand is still not enough.

Why does Qin Huairu envy Li Xuewu's high salary? It's mainly because her three children are in school: Huaihua in kindergarten costs three yuan, and Xiaodang and Banggeng in elementary school cost four yuan; that's eleven yuan gone in one semester.

This doesn't even include book fees, miscellaneous fees, and so on. If you add all the messy stuff, isn't that just a money-eating child?

It can be seen that no matter the era, raising children is a burden.

But you have to give birth if you have to, and you have to raise them if you have to. If the child just doesn't study well, that's fine; middle school is per semester.

"I won't think about it; as long as I can do my current job well, that's enough."

Qin Huairu smiled, her hand touching her daughter's head, but she was still envious in her heart.

After chatting for a bit, Qin Huairu asked again: "Why isn't Jingru coming back again? She said she went home last week, and she hasn't said anything about coming to visit this week."

Li Xuewu blinked and said: "I introduced a partner to her; they're out playing today."

"What?"

When Qin Huairu heard Li Xuewu say this, she was startled at first, and then overjoyed.

If Li Xuewu said he introduced a partner to Qin Jingru, did she still need to worry?

Qin Huairu was truly happy. Her sister had been working for Li Xuewu for more than two months, and she had finally found her way.

She was thinking at the time that her sister would ultimately have to be managed by Li Xuewu; otherwise, the idea of her staying in the city would be really hard to handle.

She didn't have the ability, and Li Xuewu was the type who would eat soft but not hard; who could talk to him?

Now it's good; Qin Jingru has hope, and she has done right by her second uncle.

"Where is he from? From our factory?"

"Driver Xiao Han."

Li Xuewu explained: "He's the youngest son of Han Gong from the Technical Division."

"I know, I know."

Qin Huairu nodded quickly to show she knew when she heard Li Xuewu's explanation, but then asked softly: "This... Han Gong passed away before the new year, this..."

Li Xuewu knew what she was thinking and raised his eyebrows: "Who cares about that now? I'm afraid Han Gong himself would want his son to settle down and start a career early."

"That's true~"

Qin Huairu sighed and nodded: "You have to look forward, think about the good things."

She was talking about others, but wasn't she the same herself?

The second year after Jia Dongxu passed away, she wanted to find someone. She was about to starve to death; if she relied solely on herself to earn money, not to mention others, her stomach couldn't take it either.

Qin Huairu is Qin Jingru's sister, and Li Xuewu is a matchmaker, but he couldn't go to Qin Jingru's home to talk about this; he could only introduce a few words to her sister.

"Han Jiankun only has his mother at home, and she's still quite healthy. His older brothers and sisters have all settled in other places and are all working in the factory, so there's no burden."

"He said it himself, there's a house at home, he's taking care of his mother, so everything in the house was given to him. Han Gong's salary level wasn't low, there are some savings at home, plus his own salary..."

"Stop, stop, I'm not worried about that!"

Qin Huairu was also happy for her sister, and said with a smile: "Even if I'm ignorant, could the conditions in an engineer's home be bad?"

After saying this, she said enviously: "Even without mentioning Han Gong, the young man drives for you; these conditions are rare. When I go back to the village, I'll talk to my second uncle and aunt properly."

Li Xuewu nodded: "Xiao Han picked her up when she went back to the village last week. This is their first time going out alone; let them get to know each other, there has to be a process."

Qin Huairu smiled: "I'm not worried, I have you. She's under your management now; whatever you say, that's how it is."

"You're good at shirking responsibility!"

Li Xuewu said this, and seeing her wave her hand with a smile and lead her daughter out the door, he didn't look at her again.

Yu Li and Yushui were standing to the side listening, and they were quite surprised that Qin Laoliu could find a driver as a partner.

They were mainly surprised that Li Xuewu could help introduce his own driver to her; they had all been able to tell in the courtyard that Li Xuewu found that "fur rabbit" extremely annoying.

However, Yu Li knew a bit more. From the few times Qin Jingru came back to take care of Li Shu, she could see that this Qin Laoliu had a nimble side, but she was just heartless and looked like she would cause a ruckus.

She now knew why Li Xuewu had asked her to prepare; it turned out that Qin Jingru was getting married and couldn't help out over there, so he wanted her to do things at home.

Yu Li teased Li Shu in her arms and felt that this was not bad; at least she could see him, and she could see Li Shu in her arms.

Perhaps because she didn't have children, and she was the one who took care of Li Shu the most, she loved the house and its crow, and was truly good to Li Shu.

Yushui glanced at Li Xuewu; her train of thought was a bit unusual.

Because she knew the relationship between Qin Huairu, Yu Li, and Li Xuewu, seeing them standing there talking so naturally, she also frequently sized up Li Xuewu, wanting to see if he had any flaws.

But she didn't see anything; this person hid too deeply, acting like nothing had happened, chatting with Qin Huairu about his wife's pregnancy in front of Yu Li, and also chatting about Qin Jingru finding a partner—scumbag!

She had originally thought that Li Xuewu arranged for Qin Huairu's sister to stay at home to take care of the child because of Qin Huairu, and the other because of Qin Jingru.

Although that Qin Laoliu had a flighty personality, her appearance and figure were still good, just like her sister.

Yushui felt that Li Xuewu liked that type, and if he got her into the house, wouldn't he secretly take care of her?

The key was that Qin Huairu was here; she knew Qin Huairu wasn't a simple person. She was older than Li Xuewu, so it wouldn't be strange for her to send her sister over.

In this day and age, how many years has it been since liberation? What strange things haven't been seen?

Why had He Yu Shui been watching Li Xuewu for the past two months? She just wanted to see if Li Xuewu had taken that Qin Laoliu.

Hey! It's really strange; he didn't take her, and even introduced a partner to her!

Thinking of the figures of the Qin sisters, she couldn't help but think of her own; so what if she's small!

While she was watching Li Xuewu, Seeing Sha Zhu over there was frowning. He just said it wasn't right; why was Yushui always staring at Li Xuewu!

Seeing Li Xuewu finish talking to Qin Huairu, he said: "You really have nothing better to do; how old are you, and you're already acting as a matchmaker."

"Yo! Where's that vinegar smell coming from!"

Li Xuewu looked at him with his eyes narrowed and said: "You think I'm too young to be a matchmaker now? Why didn't you say that when I introduced Diliya to you!"

"Ha! That... that... that what~"

Seeing Sha Zhu had just finished mocking Li Xuewu, and now he was so stunned by Li Xuewu that he couldn't say a word.

Isn't that right? His wife was introduced by Li Xuewu; if he wanted to say he was young, he shouldn't have used him then.

Seeing her brother get stunned, Yushui curled her lips and said: "So what if he's young? My brother even wanted Banggeng to introduce Teacher Ran to him, but it didn't work out!"

After saying this, she glanced at her brother and said: "If it had worked out, my brother's matchmaker would be even younger~"

"Hahaha~"

Others squatting there didn't dare to laugh at Seeing Sha Zhu, but Old Biaozi didn't care; he was sitting on the small stool laughing the loudest.

Seeing Sha Zhu glanced at him, knowing this bastard was waiting to see him make a fool of himself. He rolled his eyes and ignored him; he was now even more suspicious that his sister had something going on with Li Xuewu.

Why?

Because he had just said one thing to Li Xuewu, and she had helped him out; why were they all targeting him!

Especially with Yu Li holding the child, Li Xuewu standing there, and not far from his sister, it looked even more like something bad had happened.

Height, appearance, figure, job... they seemed like a good match!

Seeing Sha Zhu shook his head; the more he thought about it, the more wrong it felt. Li Xuewu was already married, no, no, absolutely not.

He was stuck in a dead end again, and others didn't notice him after laughing and joking for a while. Li Xuewu started talking about business with Old Biaozi and the others.

"How's the thing I asked you to handle going?"

"A bit of trouble."

Old Biaozi straightened his expression, raised his eyebrows at Li Xuewu, and said: "But it's within expectations. We're checking it, and we have a bit of a lead. Give me a few more days."

Li Xuewu nodded. This matter couldn't be rushed. Old Biaozi might not be reliable in his speech, but he was reliable in his actions; he would definitely handle the things given to him with care.

"What about the West City side?"

"Division Chief Ao and Division Chief Zhong made an appointment with me on Tuesday, and the project is basically set."

Old Biaozi reported: "Guodong can drive now. After he delivered the scrap today, he went straight to the Xuanwu Division courtyard. I have an appointment with Division Chief Zhong next Monday, and I'll accompany the Big Old to see the site."

"Is he driving well?"

Hearing that Shen Guodong was driving to deliver goods, Li Xuewu couldn't help but frown. They had only arranged for them to learn to drive for a few days, and they were already on the road; wouldn't something go wrong?

Old Biaozi, however, said dismissively: "It's not hard. They learned from me before. Guodong learned at the rolling mill; the steering wheel is like a millstone—as long as you have strength, even a donkey can drive."

Li Xuewu looked at him; this analogy was extremely inappropriate. However, thinking of his education, not even graduating from primary school, this brother's quality was basically at this level.

But as he said himself, he had two college student partners, so he hoped for the best; the next generation could improve their genes and quality.

"Where did you order the wood from?"

Li Xuewu knew that Zhong Jingxue wanted to start a furniture factory and a printing factory. The printing factory's equipment was phased out from Huang Gan's side, and the furniture factory's equipment was waiting for the Big Old to arrange.

The most important thing was the timber. They discussed it with a few people last week; if the timber was tight, they would prioritize buying wood from the timber factory, treating it as learning and practice.

But looking at the situation now, were they planning to start full-scale production?

Old Biaozi scratched his chin and explained: "We won't make a full set of furniture first; we'll start with coffee tables, the glass style we have."

As he spoke, he raised his eyebrows and said: "It's mainly because this thing sells too well; demand exceeds supply. We sell as many as we have. It's better to leave it to the Third Detention Center to build."

After saying this, he pointed to the West Courtyard and said: "From now on, the Big Old will decide the styles, or do simple repairs, and the rest will be handed over to the Third Detention Center for production."

"The coffee table style is simple, with a solid wood base. You just need to teach them a couple of times, and they'll get it. The main thing is the glass carving."

Old Biaozi said with a smile: "Don't even mention it, there are talented people in the detention center. We can even find painters and carvers. Once you explain it simply, they all understand. There's no problem with bringing apprentices."

Li Xuewu looked at Old Biaozi amusedly and asked: "Are there identical goods on the market?"

This glass coffee table was an idea he gave his family in early spring, mainly to sell together with the old, broken sofas they collected; it was considered a novelty.

Sometimes when the Big Old made sofa furniture, or chairs, he would also make a glass coffee table and dining table to match.

Old Biaozi shook his head and said: "I haven't seen any. I even had them watch carefully, but the goods we saw were all from our side; no one else is making this."

Seeing Sha Zhu, squatting to the side, interjected: "It's glass, it's not sturdy. It's heartbreaking if it breaks. The real deal has to be wood."

Old Biaozi also nodded and said: "That's basically the idea. I estimate that the furniture factory doesn't dare to produce this easily either."

"The reason ours sells well isn't because this thing is good, but because there aren't many customers. We're the only ones who can make this, so it seems like a lot."

Actually, if you think about it, factories at this time are not comparable to later generations. Compared to a few years later, there is no production pressure. Everything produced can be sold, so why change?

A few years later, there might be production surpluses, or by the 1980s, people's lives will be better, they will have higher pursuits, and they will have requirements for products produced by factories, which will force them to make changes.

Now?

Now commodities are in short supply. It's not bad if you can buy them; what are you picking and choosing for?

If factories don't change and don't take the initiative to imitate this, the glass coffee table made by the recycling station is a unique item.

However, talking about being heartbroken over money or it not being sturdy, there are still people who buy it. After all, after the economic tension of the 1960s and the debt repayment period of 1965, people have money in their hands, they have choices when selecting goods, and they want a better life.

The carved coffee table glass is thick; as long as you don't deliberately smash it or push it over, it won't break easily.

Who would jump on a coffee table every day? As long as there are ready-made goods for them to see, they are still willing to buy.

This is also the reason why Old Biaozi dared to let the Third Detention Center start with this.

The timber problem will come slowly, and the woodworking skills will also take time to learn. It's just right to use this to give Zhong Jingxue and the others some confidence and motivation.

The difficulty of this thing lies in the drawing and carving. Carving is done with the small electric drills used by dentists. If you have painters and carvers, this is like using an anti-aircraft gun to shoot a mosquito.

People called painters and carvers in this era are not the amateur enthusiasts of later generations; they are people who eat with their skills. If you don't have a few tricks up your sleeve, you can't be called a master.

But it's a detention center, after all; it's a place where talent gathers, and capable people emerge in large numbers.