Chapter 746: What fault could an old physician possibly have!

What exactly was the reason Li Xuewu did not attend the dinner party, and used the same excuse to reject Yu De?

Could it be that Li Xuewu did not want to leverage Yu De's transfer to influence the Service Division?

Could it be that Li Xuewu did not want to catch the olive branch extended by the newly appointed Service Division Chief?

Could it be that Li Xuewu did not want to expand his influence and circle of connections?

He wanted to, but he could not do so—especially not at this time.

What Li Xuewu needed right now was not influence, but low-profile, forbearance, and patience.

Was he lacking in influence?

How could that be? Once today's meeting concluded, he would have both the manpower and the authority; who would dare to challenge him?

Yet, precisely because of this, his Security Division was filled with talent, his operational personnel were elite and fierce, and he now held the power of supervision and investigation—did he still need influence?

Did the Service Division need him to deliberately exert influence?

And to suggest meeting up later—what for? What was there to gather for?

Had the grand meeting during the day not been enough? Did they want to hold a small, private caucus?

Countless eyes were fixed on him right now, fixed on everyone; someone would surely take note of such gatherings and contacts during these extraordinary times.

Li Xuewu did not lack the time to interact with them, nor did he care whether they wanted to express some attitude or stance.

Because in the face of absolute strength, any posturing or stance was merely a joke.

Li Xuewu did not want to hear anyone's stance or attitude right now; he had his own. If they could play along, they would; if not, they could leave.

Yu De should not have come back to invite Li Xuewu today, nor should he have come to relay this message, because he did not yet have the qualifications.

Having just joined the game, it was inevitable that he would be a bit excited. Li Xuewu understood this well, which was why he had encouraged him and seen him out the door.

Today, Li Xuewu had seen him out; tomorrow, if he wanted to enter this door again, he would no longer have the qualifications.

Only the heads of departments had the qualifications to come to Li Xuewu's office to discuss matters; Yu De truly did not.

As for what Yu De would do after he figured it out, Li Xuewu did not care. It was the same old saying: he had his own stance and attitude, and they would not change because of a Yu De.

Why did Xu Si not dare to go find Li Xuewu himself, but instead arranged for a little secretary?

Because he knew Li Xuewu would not go; arranging for someone to notify Li Xuewu was merely a formality.

If one were to talk about being cunning, who could be more cunning than Xu Si? This fellow lived entirely by his ability to read the room.

With Sha Qizhi having reported the situation regarding the Public Security Brigade, how could Li Xuewu possibly waste any more time?

Therefore, after getting into the car, when Han Jiankun looked over, Sha Qizhi said he was taking the Chief home, and he did not voice any objection.

It was Sha Qizhi who, as soon as the car left the office area, turned back to look at Li Xuewu and reported: "The captain of the factory office's small motorcade just called, saying he wanted to report to you about changing cars."

"Changing cars?"

Li Xuewu was frowning, deep in thought, when he suddenly heard Sha Qizhi bring this up. He paused for a moment and replied: "Change to what car?"

Sha Qizhi heard it very clearly: Li Xuewu's first half-sentence was a question, and the second half was a statement.

The meaning was very clear: the leader did not want to change cars.

"He said there are two more Volgas available, one black and one gray."

After answering, Sha Qizhi looked at Li Xuewu and added: "Perhaps Captain Chen wants to get ahead of the work."

Li Xuewu glanced outside the car, then closed his eyes. The chaos was dizzying; it was annoying.

The matter was not that simple.

Official vehicles had requirements based on rank. In this compound, only cadres at the level of Deputy Factory Director and above could be assigned a car individually.

Or, like the Security Division, one had to have their own vehicle management squad and their own cars.

Based on Li Xuewu's previous rank, he was not entitled to a car, but the Security Division had its own duty vehicles, and Li Xuewu was the person in charge; how they were used was entirely up to his arrangements.

Dong Wenxue had his own assigned car at the Steel Mill, but due to the needs of his work location and position, the factory office and the Security Division had not prepared a vehicle for him.

This time, the factory office's small motorcade had taken the initiative to call Li Xuewu to ask him to choose a car because Li Xuewu had entered the Factory Party Committee after the mid-year meeting concluded, and held a position there.

In other words, Li Xuewu could now be called a factory leader and was entitled to the formal treatment of an assigned vehicle.

However, this call had come too early.

Why were there two cars for Li Xuewu to choose from?

Generally speaking, the person responsible for arranging vehicles for factory leaders should be the Deputy Director of the Factory Office; the motorcade captain was only responsible for managing vehicles and drivers.

Furthermore, even if a car was assigned, when reporting, they would only mention one; only if the leader was dissatisfied would they offer another choice.

Were they treating Li Xuewu like a rookie?

Or were they treating Sha Qizhi like a rookie?

Sha Qizhi was no rookie, which was why he had pointed out the person who made the call after reporting to Li Xuewu.

This time, there were two people in the factory needing assigned vehicles: one was the newly arrived Deputy Factory Director, and the other was Li Xuewu, the newly promoted Deputy Secretary of Discipline Inspection.

If this call had come tomorrow, or if it had been made by the newly appointed Deputy Director of the Factory Office, Sha Qizhi would not have reported it this way.

Throughout the journey, Li Xuewu did not speak until the command vehicle stopped in front of No. 1 Haiyuncang.

Handing the bag to Li Xuewu, Sha Qizhi watched the leader enter the gate before getting back in the car and leaving.

Since he hadn't said which car he wanted, it meant he wasn't changing cars.

That call before getting off work wasn't to ask which car Li Xuewu needed, but to probe Li Xuewu's attitude.

Why did Li Xuewu frown? Because the situation in the Steel Mill, already a mess, had added new variables.

Qin Jingru watched the command vehicle pass the street corner before closing the gate. When she turned around, Li Xuewu had already entered the foyer.

"Where are the old lady and the others?"

"Upstairs."

Qin Jingru entered cautiously. Seeing Li Xuewu's exhausted expression, her heart drummed a bit, and she was careful when answering his questions.

"The old lady said to pick out some of Li Shu's small clothes to have ready; perhaps they'll be useful later."

"Too early."

Li Xuewu changed into his slippers, stretched his shoulders, reached out to take the briefcase he had just placed on the door cabinet, turned his head to look at Qin Jingru, and asked: "I haven't asked you yet, how was your Sunday?"

"It was... it was quite good."

Qin Jingru pursed her lips. She wasn't afraid of Li Xuewu, but she felt a bit embarrassed by his questioning.

That was how things were at this time; dating was a matter that was both open and private.

It was called open because at this time, most partners were introduced by matchmakers or the organization.

It was called private because once people were dating, until the day they talked about marriage, neither felt comfortable sharing such feelings with others.

Li Xuewu naturally didn't have the perverted psychology of prying into other people's dating lives; it was just that he had arranged for the two to meet for the first time, so naturally, he had to ask.

"He is a rather taciturn person, not very fond of talking, you... what's wrong?"

Li Xuewu was just about to pick up his bag and go upstairs. Following up on what he had just asked Qin Jingru, he casually gave a few words of advice.

Having been a leader for so long, he had developed a sense of control, always wanting things to develop in the direction he had predetermined.

But he had barely said two sentences when he saw Qin Jingru staring at him with wide, surprised eyes. He raised an eyebrow and asked.

"He is taciturn...?... Never mind."

Qin Jingru hurriedly shook her head, pursed her lips, gestured toward the kitchen, and said: "Dinner is ready. You're back, so the dishes can go into the pot. I'm going to get busy."

Having said that, she didn't wait for Li Xuewu to say anything more and had already entered the dining room.

Li Xuewu looked at her reaction, not knowing what had happened. He stared at the dining room for a moment, then shook his head with a chuckle and walked upstairs.

It wasn't his first time acting as a matchmaker, but the time he did it for Ji Wang Weidong, he had just made a phone call and arranged for Han Yating to pick up some weapons and equipment at the Investigation Department; he hadn't done anything else.

This time, he had wanted to be serious and ensure a 100% success rate, but he hadn't expected to encounter two such unique characters on his second attempt.

One was silent and reticent, the other was wild and unrestrained. He had thought that when the two met on Sunday, it would just be one talking and one listening.

One-way output was the easiest way to cause aesthetic fatigue, and this Qin Laoliu was a flighty character, which was why he had wanted to give that advice earlier.

His original intention was to say that Han Jiankun didn't like to talk and wasn't good at expressing himself, but that he was a good person. But now, looking at Qin Jingru's surprised expression, it seemed things weren't like that at all.

Could it be that I got the wrong person?

Second floor.

The old lady was sitting at the foot of the bed, folding clothes in her hands, while Li Shu was standing to the side, causing trouble.

Seeing Li Xuewu come upstairs, the old lady turned around to look at her second grandson, smiled, and asked, "You must be tired, hurry and rest."

As she spoke, she pressed down on the clothes she had already folded, gave Li Shu two light slaps on the bottom for trying to kick them into a mess, then glanced at the wall clock and sighed, "Oh my, look at the time."

Li Shu didn't care about being hit by the old lady; she stubbornly insisted on kicking the small clothes that had already been folded.

Seeing how mischievous she was, the old lady picked her up, stood up, and said to Gu Ning, who was coming out of the walk-in closet, "Hurry and tidy up, let's eat early and rest early; you've been exhausted these past few days."

The one who was exhausted wasn't Gu Ning, nor was it herself, but Li Xuewu.

The old lady saw with her own eyes that her grandson had to stay up late every day, and when he returned, his face was full of fatigue; even while eating, he was thinking about things.

She had inquired and was told that the factory was holding important meetings and was quite busy.

She didn't understand why meetings would make one busy and tired, but she knew she had to feel for her grandson.

So, knowing that the meeting had ended today, she hurried to clear a space for Li Xuewu, letting her grandson wash up and change clothes so he could go down early to eat and rest.

Li Shu didn't know that her father was tired; these past few days, her father hadn't had time to pay attention to her, so seeing him now, she reached out to be held.

The old lady didn't give her the chance; she carried her out. Originally, she wanted to cry out, but her father smiled and kissed her little hand, which satisfied her.

After the old lady went downstairs, Li Xuewu put his bag on the cabinet, watched Gu Ning go to tidy up the clothes on the bed, and asked, "Isn't it a bit early to prepare these clothes now?"

"These are all the ones Li Shu has outgrown."

Gu Ning went back into the walk-in closet, her voice sounding muffled as it came out.

"They were originally in the old lady's room downstairs, but she has too many clothes and it's hard to tell them apart, so I washed them and put them upstairs."

Li Xuewu, while taking off his clothes, followed Gu Ning and looked into the walk-in closet. He didn't go in, but stood at the entrance and said, "Just put them in the small storage room; we won't need them for a while."

Gu Ning turned her head to glance at him, found his underwear and pajamas, handed them to Li Xuewu, and said, "Wouldn't that mean having to move them all over again?"

Li Xuewu took the clothes and replied with a smile, "What? Are you tired of it?"

Gu Ning twitched the corner of her mouth and ignored him, turned sideways to exit the walk-in closet, and headed outside.

Li Xuewu didn't pay attention to Gu Ning's annoyed expression; he took his clothes and went to the bathroom.

To say she was annoyed was better described as irritable; Gu Ning was very irritable right now because, being pregnant, many things were no longer convenient for her to do.

Especially the attitude of the family members; although the old lady hadn't said anything, she was already restricting her diet.

Then there were all these preparations for the baby, which seemed to remind her at every moment that she was a pregnant woman.

Just now, when Li Xuewu entered the room, she hadn't spoken, and when answering his question, she had unconsciously let her inner attitude show.

She wasn't a person particularly skilled at hiding her inner thoughts; the pressure was already written on her face.

It wasn't that she was tired of it; that was just Li Xuewu's joke and inquiry.

Li Xuewu was joking about finding clothes, but in reality, he was asking about her mood.

Regarding finding clothes for Li Xuewu and taking care of his daily life, the two of them had had clashes before.

On the first day of their marriage, Gu Ning sternly rejected the unreasonable request to take care of Li Xuewu, and explained the necessity of doing one's own things oneself.

And the result?

She was completely defeated~

Li Xuewu only used one trick—going back to her parents' home—to make her lose completely.

So now, she had become accustomed to arranging Li Xuewu's life and taking care of Li Xuewu's life.

It wasn't that Li Xuewu lacked the ability to take care of himself, or that he needed her for everything, but that Li Xuewu didn't need to worry about household chores anymore.

Li Xuewu didn't need to worry about how the clothes he took off were washed, nor did he need to worry about who would polish the shoes he changed out of; upon returning home, he only needed to focus on living and resting.

Facing Li Xuewu "interfering" in household chores and asking about the child's clothes, Gu Ning only felt that it would be good if he didn't add to her troubles.

It would be best if he didn't increase her pressure.

When Li Xuewu came out after changing into his pajamas, he saw Gu Ning sitting in the small living room in a daze. The hand holding the towel paused, and then, while wiping his hair, he walked over and sat down beside Gu Ning.

"Are you angry?"

Gu Ning only glanced at Li Xuewu and didn't answer his question, but she still took the towel from his hand and helped him wipe his hair.

Li Xuewu tilted his head slightly, letting her help him, while complaining, "I can't start this precedent; no matter how much work there is in the future, no matter how busy I am, I can't bring it home. Principles must be upheld."

Gu Ning still didn't pay him any mind, one hand pressing on Li Xuewu's head, the other using the towel to wipe his hair.

"Work time belongs to the unit, off-duty time belongs to life; if you can't distinguish this, you won't be able to do your work well."

Li Xuewu looked up at Gu Ning and said, "In the future, I'll spend more time with you during off-duty hours, okay?"

Gu Ning looked into Li Xuewu's eyes, the corners of her mouth moved slightly, the hand pressing on his head exerted force, and she made Li Xuewu lower his head again to continue wiping his hair.

Seeing that Gu Ning wasn't speaking, Li Xuewu spoke for himself, chattering on about accompanying her to the movies on the weekend, and saying that the Summer Palace in July was different from how it was in March or April.

Gu Ning became annoyed by his talking; she pressed down hard on Li Xuewu, and the hand wiping his hair also exerted force.

However, her expression gradually softened, the corners of her mouth couldn't help but curl up slightly, and looking at his messy hair, she couldn't help but laugh out loud.

"You laughed?"

Li Xuewu looked up at Gu Ning, saw the fading smile at the corners of her mouth, and took the opportunity to lean forward, using actual action to taste the final sweetness of that smile.

Gu Ning wanted to push him away, but as soon as she raised her hands, she felt them lose their strength, and the towel fell to the floor.

Dinner was eaten a bit late; it wasn't that Li Xuewu and Gu Ning had delayed things, but that Lao Biaozi had come.

The meal time at the recycling station was a bit late, and Lao Biaozi was worried it wouldn't be convenient to come after eating, so he came here to join the meal.

When he arrived, Li Xuewu and Gu Ning hadn't come downstairs yet. The old lady asked Qin Jingru to go upstairs to call the two of them to eat, but Qin Jingru, having learned her lesson once, didn't dare to go up anymore.

It wasn't until Lao Biaozi arrived that the old lady, holding Li Shu, stood at the foot of the stairs and called out, saying that Biaozi had come, and only then did Li Xuewu come downstairs.

Lao Biaozi was no stranger to this Haiyuncang villa; sometimes he even sent some vegetables here.

He was even less of a stranger to the old lady and Qin Jingru. Needless to say, the old lady had called him "grandson" since he was small, and since Qin Jingru came here to work, the two had had more contact and understood each other well.

It was just that he felt a bit reserved in front of Gu Ning; it wasn't that he was afraid of Gu Ning, he just didn't know how to get along with her.

This sister-in-law had a good background, was well-educated, and was particularly cultured; he didn't know how to express his respect.

Once at the table, the old lady waved her hand to signal that since he had come to the house, he shouldn't be fake; if he didn't eat his fill, no one would care about him.

Lao Biaozi smiled, held his rice bowl, and said without ceremony, "I don't know how to be fake anywhere I go."

Li Xuewu sat in the main seat and smiled; he knew he had come because he had something to say, but he hadn't been in a hurry when he came down from upstairs just now, instead following the old lady's lead to arrange the meal.

At this moment, the old lady and Gu Ning were sitting on his right, with Li Shu in the middle; the two of them had to feed Li Shu while eating. On his left were Lao Biaozi and Qin Jingru.

"Is the soda cold?"

Li Xuewu looked at Qin Jingru and said, "Take two bottles, one for you and one for your Brother Biao."

"They're in the cabinet in the shade."

Hearing Li Xuewu say this, Qin Jingru couldn't help but smile; she dared to drink it herself during the day, but in the evening, in front of Li Xuewu, she wouldn't dare.

Lao Biaozi smiled as he glanced at Qin Jingru, who was happily going to get the soda, and when he looked back at Li Xuewu, he couldn't help but raise his eyebrows.

Li Xuewu knew what he meant and ignored him, scolding Li Shu, who was trying to grab the old lady's chopsticks and cause a scene.

Lao Biaozi naturally knew what Qin Jingru's situation was, and also knew her "furry rabbit" personality; how she was doing in Li Xuewu's house could be seen from Li Xuewu's attitude toward her.

He naturally wasn't lacking soda to drink, nor had he never drunk soda before; the main thing was the implication in Li Xuewu's words when he told her to call him "Brother Biao."

Looking at it this way, this "furry rabbit" was doing quite well here.

Li Shu had become familiar with Gu Ning; seeing a guest come to the house made her excited, and she wanted to show off.

The old lady used a spoon to feed her, and the chopsticks were placed on the table; she also wanted to learn to use chopsticks like an adult.

Li Xuewu said something that didn't work, but when Gu Ning snatched the chopsticks from her hand, she looked at Gu Ning and obediently went to eat her food.

"You're going to get hit~"

Lao Biaozi smiled wickedly as he looked at Li Shu, teased her, and then took the soda Qin Jingru handed him and thanked her.

Qin Jingru was quite happy when she heard Li Xuewu tell her to get the soda, but when she went to open the bottle cap, she realized that Li Xuewu also had the intention of taking care of her.

Especially when Lao Biaozi took the soda without paying much attention, she knew that she considered this a "good thing," but others didn't care about it at all.

It was Lao Biaozi's politeness that made her feel that sitting here was different from meeting him in the courtyard.

In the courtyard, she only felt inferior; the people in that courtyard all had city household registrations. Because of her affair with Sha Zhu, and because her father had come to cause a scene once, she felt she was always a notch below the people in the courtyard.

During the time she was recovering from her injuries, the people in the courtyard didn't talk to her, and she didn't talk to them, as if she were a stranger.

Perhaps because of Sha Zhu, the people on the side of the inverted house had the same attitude toward her, with an indescribable, meaningful nuance; anyway, it was different from Lao Biaozi's current attitude toward her.

Just as Lao Biaozi himself said, he didn't know how to be fake anywhere, and he was even more relaxed here at Li Xuewu's.

After the meal, the old lady helped Qin Jingru clear the table and wanted Li Xuewu to carry Li Shu to the living room, but Lao Biaozi took the first step and carried Li Shu out.

Li Shu was no stranger to Uncle Biao; she often saw him at home in the courtyard, and he often teased her—the kind that was very annoying.

However, she was magnanimous; although he annoyed her every time, since he had come to her house, she would give him some face.

So Li Shu didn't get angry when Uncle Biao carried her out of the living room; she pointed her little finger toward the foyer to give a hint.

Lao Biaozi didn't know what Li Shu wanted to do; he smiled, bounced her, and asked, "Want to see the little fish?"

Li Shu could now distinguish what the fish the adults were talking about was, but that wasn't what she meant. Seeing that Uncle Biao had guessed wrong, she leaned her body outward, her little hand curving to remind him it was outside the door.

Lao Biaozi understood this time; he carried her, stood at the entrance of the dining room, turned in a circle, and asked, "Do you want to go out for a stroll?"

Seeing that he understood, Li Shu nodded quickly, indicating that was exactly what she meant.

Seeing her little appearance, Lao Biaozi smiled, carried her toward the sofa, and said, "There's a big bad wolf outside; it hurts a lot when it bites people~"

Li Shu instantly became unhappy; this was cheating a child, where would there be a big bad wolf!

As soon as Uncle Biao sat on the sofa, she broke free from his hand, held onto the back of the sofa, and dodged away.

She didn't want Uncle Biao to hold her anymore; she had only let him hold her because she wanted to go out and play.

You didn't make use of the opportunity when I gave it to you!

It's gone!

No more opportunity!

Li Xuewu smiled and sat on the sofa to the side, reaching out to pinch his daughter's cheeks, but was pushed away by Li Shu's little hand as she puffed up in anger.

Li Shu was angry, and the consequences were very serious.

Lao Biaozi didn't have the slightest worry about having caused trouble, nor did he feel he had provoked someone he shouldn't have; he reached out and pinched Li Shu's little feet, watched Li Shu angrily kick his hand away, only felt it was fun, and laughed.

Seeing that his daughter was about to be teased to tears by Lao Biaozi again, Li Xuewu quickly picked her up and coaxed her with her toys on the coffee table.

Gu Ning had helped the two of them make tea before going upstairs. Lao Biaozi also knew her personality, smiled as he took the tea and thanked her, not minding Gu Ning's "lack of hospitality."

"There's news."

After Gu Ning's figure disappeared around the corner of the stairs, Lao Biaozi put down the teacup in his hand, leaned toward Li Xuewu, and said seriously, "I had to beat around the bush for several days to figure it out."

Seeing "Bad Uncle Biao" lean over, Li Shu quickly wanted to push him away with her little hands, but was held by her father.

Li Xuewu stuffed the toy into Li Shu's hand to coax her, while also signaling Lao Biaozi to continue.

"He really is an old fox."

Lao Biaozi first curled his lips, then said, "I squatted and watched him for several days myself and didn't see any movement, but in the end, the breakthrough really came from his son."

Seeing Li Xuewu raise his eyebrows, Lao Biaozi smiled wickedly and guaranteed, "I didn't show my face, and I didn't have any direct contact with him; I got to know the person in charge of the small organization his son is in."

After explaining this, he said, "His wife is fine; she just does the housework at home every day, plays mahjong, and goes shopping. He went out to socialize twice after work, but both times he took a car, so I estimate nothing will be found there either."

"But his son is playing quite wildly in that small organization~"

"Is Biaozi still living outside?"

Just as Lao Biaozi was speaking, the old lady came out with a plate of muskmelon, and while speaking, she placed the muskmelon on the coffee table.

Lao Biaozi stopped the topic, smiled, and replied to the old lady, "Yes, it's to be closer to my partner. I leave early and return late, so it's not a good thing if we never see each other."

Li Xuewu listened to Lao Biaozi's nonsense and handed Li Shu, who was in his arms, to the old lady who had come to take the child.

The old lady actually believed it, smiled, and asked, "You really found a partner? Where is her family from?"

"From Jinmen."

Lao Biaozi smiled, and seeing the old lady's surprise, he explained, "She's studying at the school in our neighborhood."

"Oh~"

The old lady finally understood; otherwise, why would he say he wanted to live closer, and then drag it all the way to Jinmen.

"You two brothers chat, I'm going to give the child a bath."

She didn't know why Lao Biaozi had found a partner from Jinmen, nor did she know how he had found a female student; she only knew that this child had never said anything reliable since he was small.

So, she consciously didn't ask any further, only feeling that if she kept asking, it would all be nonsense; if Lao Biaozi couldn't answer or couldn't keep making things up, it would just be awkward.

After the old lady carried the child away, Lao Biaozi didn't stand on ceremony; he took half a muskmelon from the plate, broke it open, and put it in his mouth.

He didn't know how to write "ceremony" or "shame," and didn't pay the slightest attention to Li Xuewu's suspicious gaze.

"I really have a partner, she really is from Jinmen, I was talking about the Central Academy of Drama..."

"Talk about business."

Li Xuewu couldn't be bothered to care about his romantic affairs; he waved his hand to signal him to pick up the rag on the coffee table so he wouldn't get it everywhere.

Lao Biaozi ate the muskmelon with his bloody mouth wide open and explained the content he had found out.

"Those little brats are playing high; they've even formed a hierarchy of contempt—comparing schools, comparing backgrounds; whoever sounds tough, whoever can fight, that's who's awesome."

Lao Biaozi finished the half melon in two or three bites and didn't go to get more; he just wiped his hands with the rag and continued, "What are they doing this for? What do they understand? Isn't it all just for that little bit of stuff."

"I used my old connections to get in touch with a small organization. The little brats in there are all from the Dongcheng side, and the most are from your unit."

"The first day, their leader tried to get information out of me, asking if I knew any connections in Dongcheng. I mentioned the branch bureau, and he said himself that his son was in it."

"That day he wanted liquor from me, and also training shirts and arm strengtheners; I promised him all of them, but I didn't give them all at once."

Lao Biaozi explained chattering on, and seeing Qin Jingru come out of the dining room, he lowered his voice a bit.

"He wanted liquor, so I gave him the liquor first, but I kept a guard up; I went to deliver the liquor at night."

"Guess what I saw?"

"Girls?"

Li Xuewu raised his eyebrows and cooperated with Lao Biaozi by stating his guess.

"How did you know?"

This time it was Lao Biaozi's turn to be surprised, as if Li Xuewu could divine the future.

Li Xuewu curled his lips, took a sip from his teacup, and then said, "Because your eyes light up whenever you mention girls."

"Really?"

Lao Biaozi blinked his eyes and looked at Li Xuewu with some doubt, as if blinking could cover up that lecherous light.

"Now that you mention it, I have to be careful; is it that obvious?"

"Talk about business."

Li Xuewu reminded him again after putting down the teacup; the big brother had this one flaw—it was very easy for him to get off-topic.

This time, Lao Biaozi didn't dare to look at Li Xuewu directly; he blinked while talking, wishing there were a mirror in front of him right now so he could see if there was really that kind of light in his eyes.

"It wasn't just one girl; it was more than a dozen girls, hugging and cuddling with those little brats, wandering around the room."

"Dancing, right?"

Li Xuewu lowered his eyelids and explained, "This doesn't count as anything; it's a kind of proper social activity. Clubs all dance this; it was passed down from the Russians."

"Proper?"

Lao Biaozi smiled wickedly at Li Xuewu, then raised his eyebrows and asked, "Wu Ge, does the 'proper' dancing you do also require putting your hands into the girls' pants?"

"Hmm?"

Li Xuewu's lowered eyelids suddenly flipped up; he flicked his finger on his forehead in amusement, then said, "This isn't proper; tell me in detail."

"Hehe, what else is there to say? You've already danced it yourself, haven't you?"

Lao Biaozi smiled and teased, then seeing Li Xuewu's gaze toward the stairs, he didn't dare to mess around anymore and explained softly, "It's just like that—drinking, listening to the gramophone, hugging and dancing, and then in the room, well~"

"You saw it?"

Li Xuewu narrowed his eyes and looked at Lao Biaozi. Dancing was fine at this time, but who knew if it was improper to put hands into pants—could they pull out a hand grenade?

It could indeed be used to do things; small organizations could hold activities, but they couldn't touch the bottom line. The bottom line was the things currently explicitly prohibited, including gathering to do "that."

You shouldn't say that; young people at this time weren't conservative at all. They were in the most contradictory and craziest period, and what couldn't they do?

The clubs were no longer open at night, saying it was the "decadent music of the petty bourgeoisie"—this was a saying those little brats themselves came up with.

And then?

No one had anything to play with, so they started playing this themselves.

A crazy time at the Old Moscow at night, finding a safe and hidden place, inviting a few women, listening to the gramophone and dancing in the living room, adding some liquor to help the mood—the rooms were all ready-made; what couldn't they do?

Young men and women without the constraints of parents, without the constraints of school, and without the constraints of morality—the more rogue and rowdy the young man was, the more the girls liked him. Since the girls liked it, what did the young men have to worry about?

But these had to be done behind people's backs, playing privately; if they were caught, it would be a big deal.

Li Xuewu asked Lao Biaozi if he had really seen it, just to confirm whether what he saw was real or just his speculation.

Lao Biaozi said seriously, "I saw them hugging and touching with my own eyes; I saw one pair come out of the room and another pair go in. No..."

After finishing, he curled his lips and said, "I haven't eaten pork, but I've seen pigs run. I actually wanted to follow them in to see how they played, but they wouldn't let me."

Lao Biaozi spread his hands and smiled, "I guessed they were going to play this, so I went to deliver the liquor at night, but those little brats were too stingy and didn't ask me to stay, so I came out."

"How often?"

Li Xuewu narrowed his eyes and thought for a moment, then said to Lao Biaozi, "Find a way to take photos; it's best if they are photos of the scene, and they need to be front-facing."

"Hiss~~~"

Lao Biaozi thought for a moment and said, "They play quite frequently, because I didn't give them that much liquor at once, and they asked me to deliver more, but if I were to go in, they would definitely be on guard..."

Li Xuewu watched Lao Biaozi thinking and didn't speak; he drank from his teacup.

Li Xuewu didn't know much about the situation of those little brats, nor had he been to the scene, so he waited for Lao Biaozi to come up with an idea to act as a consultant.

Lao Biaozi thought for a while, looked at Li Xuewu, hesitated, and then said, "If I arrange for a girl to go in, it might work. If she takes the photos, I can pick her up, and there won't be any problem."

"It's just the choice of person..."

"Must be reliable."

Li Xuewu narrowed his eyes and looked at Lao Biaozi, admonishing, "You can be flexible in handling things, but you must have principles. I don't care who you find, but you must not leak the bottom line, and they must be sharp and capable."

"As for the pickup,"

Li Xuewu put down the teacup and instructed, "If you use a car, pay attention to hidden markings; if you use a person, remember not to let them show their face. You also have to think about the follow-up placement of the person you arrange."

"I know, don't worry about this, Wu Ge."

Lao Biaozi promised seriously, knowing that Li Xuewu avoided such matters and was unwilling to let him use crooked paths.

His original intention was to find a woman and use some money to handle the photo matter, but since Wu Ge said it had to be safe and he had to be able to control the person taking the photos, then he really had to find someone reliable to handle this.

Li Xuewu didn't say the reason, but he could guess it—the partner of Li's third son, Director Ji who lived in the East Courtyard, must have talked to Wu Ge about this matter last week.

If you talk about "Wan Zhu" (tough guys) in Jiaodaokou, Lao Biaozi doesn't count; if you talk about "Xiao Wan Nao" (little troublemakers), he doesn't count either; at best, he's an "Old Pao'er" (veteran street tough).

But this "Old Pao'er" doesn't refer to the particularly pure kind, as they haven't "advanced their studies" at the Pao Bureau, only had "short-term training" at the police station.

He doesn't necessarily know all the big and small things on the street, but he can definitely know what he wants to know—this is the advantage of being a local.

Before, when he had no ability, it was as hard as ascending to heaven to handle such things, and he wouldn't dare to provoke such an existence, not even if he borrowed three guts.

But it's different now; the things Li Xuewu asks him to do are things that must be done. Handling the aftermath well is one aspect, and even if something really goes wrong, Li Xuewu is there to protect him.

The most important thing is to handle the matter well, do it cleanly and neatly, and let the other party know it was handled by Li Xuewu, but not let them know who exactly executed it.

Li Xuewu has the intention of cultivating and training him; Lao Biaozi himself knows this. Li Xuewu only gives him pointers on many things, and has slowly let go, letting him do things himself and stand on his own.

Among the sworn brothers, Li Xuewu is the oldest, he is the second, Dazhuang is the third, Guodong is the fourth, and Erhai is the fifth.

If Li Xuewu stops managing things, the first one to take the baton is him.

Actually, he should have taken the baton long ago. His third uncle ran the first leg for him, leaving the familiar territory of Beijing to him, and also leaving time for Li Xuewu to teach him.

Don't look at Lao Biaozi as being unreliable usually; he has his own ideas and does things step by step. Over the past few months, he has been taught by Li Xuewu one thing after another, and the burden on his shoulders has increased bit by bit; he is handling it very well now.

He wants to show Li Xuewu, so he also told Li Xuewu that he would handle this matter entirely and Li Xuewu wouldn't need to worry about it.

After Li Xuewu explained clearly, he stood up and went upstairs to get the camera, and after coming down, he carefully taught Lao Biaozi how to use it.

The film was all new and unused, and he took two spare rolls. The person using it would practice with the roll in the camera, and when the time came, he only needed to bring back the roll that had captured the photos.

Lao Biaozi looked at the size of the camera, shook his head, and smiled bitterly, "If I want to bring such a big thing in and take photos openly, I'll have to put some 'seasoning' in their liquor."

After saying this, he looked at Li Xuewu with a difficult expression and said, "I heard Uncle Li has that kind of special... um..."

"Who did you hear that from?!"

Li Xuewu didn't know who was ruining his father's reputation; an old Chinese medicine doctor, how could he have such bad intentions.

At most, he just soaks some medicinal liquor, and the medicinal liquor is just a bit stronger—how could it make Lao Biaozi blush and be unable to speak?

Lao Biaozi curled his lips and said embarrassedly, "Didn't you say it yourself? You took the medicinal liquor and gave it to Yan Jiecheng across the street to drink, and that thing was all..."

"I said it?!"

Li Xuewu pursed his lips hard, stared at Lao Biaozi, and asked suspiciously, "I did that kind of thing? How is that possible! How could my dad have that kind of stuff! How could I give someone that kind of... to drink?"

Lao Biaozi spread his hands helplessly, and seeing Li Xuewu's words trail off halfway, he knew Wu Ge must have remembered.

Remembered my ass!

Li Xuewu couldn't remember when he had given Yan Jiecheng that kind of liquor; he only remembered giving the undiluted medicinal liquor to Li Huai De and Ji Wang Weidong, and the effect... it was unforgettable to this day!

It wasn't that he had forgotten the past, but there were too many mischievous things he had done when he was thirteen, fourteen, fifteen, or sixteen; he had played tricks on too many people, and there were too many interesting things—how could he remember them all?

According to what Lao Biaozi said, if he had really given Yan Jiecheng that kind of liquor...

No way, right?

The situation Yu Li described about Yan Jiecheng wasn't caused by drinking that kind of liquor, was it...

It shouldn't be, it's the ultimate tonic liquor, how could it be~

In the instant he was talking to Lao Biaozi, Li Xuewu's mind was already spinning a thousand times.

"Wait a moment, I'll go get it for you."