Chapter 751

"Heh!"

Seeing Sha Zhu sat opposite Li Xuewu wearing a floral apron and said with a wicked smile: "If you say that, it's right, but it's also not right."

After speaking, he leaned his big face forward and said: "If Deputy Factory Director Jing invited guests, you naturally wouldn't have connections, but today it's Deputy Factory Director Li inviting guests; don't tell me you're teasing me."

"Hehe, the ones invited are all leaders."

Li Xuewu blinked and said: "I'm not at that level yet."

"Nonsense!"

Seeing Sha Zhu stiffened his neck, raised his eyebrows, and said: "If the head of the Security Division and the Deputy Secretary of the Discipline Inspection Commission aren't at that level..."

Seeing Li Xuewu about to throw the teacup at him, Seeing Sha Zhu immediately stopped, blinked, and smiled: "I'm just praising you; look at you, I don't know who went?!"

After speaking, seeing Li Xuewu put down the teacup, he leaned over, smiled, raised his eyebrows, and asked: "What's the gathering tonight? I saw Deputy Factory Director Cheng was there too."

"Anyway, it's not a Hongmen Feast."

Li Xuewu chuckled, waved at Yushui who was coming out of the kitchen, and said: "Sister, bring a pot of tea."

"Who are you calling sister!"

Yushui rolled her eyes and scolded: "I'm older than you; you have to call me sister, understand!"

Li Xuewu nodded and, following the trend, said once again: "Okay, big sister, bring a pot of tea."

At this time, it was Yushui's turn to frown; her mouth moved, and she turned and went to the West Room.

Seeing Sha Zhu shook his head, looked at the two for a few times, and felt uncomfortable in his heart again.

First called sister, then called sister, finally called...

"What are you staring at!"

Li Xuewu turned his head and saw Seeing Sha Zhu staring at him with big eyes, looking suspicious, like a cock-eyed chicken.

Seeing Sha Zhu curled his lips and didn't have the heart to tease Li Xuewu with those things in the factory anymore; his tooth started aching again.

"You're crazy~!"

Li Xuewu raised his eyebrows, reached out to lift the teacup on the table, and waited for Yushui's pot of tea.

Seeing Sha Zhu crossed his arms and leaned on the table, retorting: "You're the one who's crazy."

As he spoke, he looked at his sister in the West Room and asked Li Xuewu: "Why do you think Yushui doesn't find a partner?"

"You're asking me?!"

Li Xuewu looked at Seeing Sha Zhu and said: "Are you and your sister enemies? Or are you ten thousand miles apart? Can't you ask her yourself? Why ask me?"

After speaking, he turned his head to look at Yushui in the West Room and shouted loudly: "Yushui! Um~...".

Yushui heard Li Xuewu's shout, turned her head, and only saw her brother covering Li Xuewu's mouth, struggling not to let him speak.

"What are you doing?"

"Nothing, urging you to hurry~"

Seeing Sha Zhu forcefully pried Li Xuewu's head, waited for Yushui's reply, and seeing his sister turn her head and mutter "sick," he let go of the hand covering Li Xuewu's mouth.

"Do you want to kill me!"

"Do you want to kill me!"

After Seeing Sha Zhu said this, Li Xuewu also said it; he gasped for breath, glared at Seeing Sha Zhu, and said: "You saved your life; if I had made a move just now, you would have saved the money for the hospital today."

"Stop bragging!"

Seeing Sha Zhu glared, then nudged Li Xuewu and said: "Don't ask; whenever I ask, she gets anxious and throws a tantrum."

At this time, seeing Yushui coming over with a teapot, Seeing Sha Zhu didn't dare to say more, sat properly, and blinked at Li Xuewu, signaling him not to cause trouble for himself.

Li Xuewu rolled his eyes and couldn't be bothered to pay attention to him; seeing Yushui pour tea into his cup, he smiled and thanked her.

Yushui put down the teapot, thought for a moment, looked at Li Xuewu, and said: "Let you take advantage; don't call me sister in the future; just call me sister."

"Okay, big sister."

"You!"

Yushui saw Li Xuewu still teasing her, couldn't help but glare, looked at Li Xuewu's attire, and scolded: "Look at you dressed like an old man, and you call me big sister; you don't mind, but I do!"

"Hehe, do I look like an old man?"

Li Xuewu looked at his attire; when did the black-and-white suit become old man's clothes.

"Your temperament looks like one!"

Yushui curled her lips, then pointed at Li Xuewu with her finger, her threatening look very obvious; she glared and went back to the kitchen.

Li Xuewu turned to look at Seeing Sha Zhu, raised his eyebrows, and said: "I know some physical education teachers, the kind who are particularly good at fighting; I think they are particularly suitable for Yushui."

"What do you mean?!"

Seeing Sha Zhu was still thinking about his sister saying Li Xuewu could take advantage, but hearing Li Xuewu say this, he wasn't willing now.

Seeing Sha Zhu looked at Li Xuewu speechlessly, then sighed helplessly and asked: "Do you have any connections in the police? Teachers now... cough cough, I think the police are okay."

Li Xuewu drank tea and said with a bitter face: "You also know I work in the branch bureau."

Seeing Sha Zhu nodded and said: "I just know you're in the branch bureau, so I'm begging you."

Li Xuewu put down the teacup, looked at Seeing Sha Zhu, and said: "It's precisely because I work in the branch bureau that I particularly understand the hardship of the police; let's not cause trouble for them."

"..."

Seeing Sha Zhu was speechless; he actually thought Li Xuewu was making things difficult for his sister, but he didn't expect it was for the police.

Is his sister that unbearable?

And causing trouble for the police?!

Dinner was eaten in the inverted house; when they returned, it was almost seven o'clock, and Zhao Yafang didn't light the fire because of Diliya's instructions.

It was hot, and she suffered from the summer heat, so it was better to be cooler in the room.

In the past, the mother-in-law cooked using the stove in the South Room, and she went to sleep in the mother-in-law's room, leaving the South Room kang empty.

Only these few women were left in the family, and there was even empty space on one kang.

Because of her work and rest habits, Ji Yuxiu had always slept in the East Courtyard; no matter if she came back or not, Liu Yin would go to heat the kang every two or three days, to avoid dampness.

New houses are like this; the ground, kang surface, and walls have more dampness.

The backyard didn't need Liu Yin to worry; from time to time, Yu Li would go over, and Li Xue would also go over to work at night sometimes.

The only ones left living at home were Liu Yin, Zhao Yafang, and Li Xue; the three women had clear divisions of labor: one went to work, one was pregnant, and one managed the household chores.

At night, Liu Yin was the only one preparing rings and small clothes for her grandsons.

Calculating that the eldest daughter-in-law should give birth in the twelfth lunar month, and the second daughter-in-law should give birth after the first lunar month, the two were about three months apart.

It was precisely because Zhao Yafang and Gu Ning were both pregnant that Li Xuewu told his mother to take advantage of the fact that she wasn't busy to go up the mountain to see them, so she could be at ease.

Otherwise, managing the household all day and not having seen the father and son on the mountain was a concern after all.

Actually, to talk about going up the mountain, Old Biaozi went up the mountain every week, but the mother couldn't bear to leave the house and couldn't let go of the eldest daughter-in-law.

The mountain was the eldest daughter-in-law's maternal home; if she went up the mountain, and the in-laws asked, leaving the daughter-in-law alone at home wouldn't be right either.

It was old people's thinking after all; if it were the young people of Li Xuewu and Zhao Yafang's generation, there would really be nothing to complain about.

Worry about food?

Which day doesn't the inverted house have to light a fire; it's the same for eating; the food on the inverted house side might not be as refined as at home, but in this era, how many meals of refined food can one have.

Zhao Yafang also benefited from Li Shu; Li Shu wasn't at home, and more than half of the eggs sent by Banggeng were eaten by her.

Li Xuewu was thinking that there was no need to leave them for the family; Old Biaozi also pulled eggs down from the mountain, and Li Shu and Gu Ning had enough to eat.

It might be that Zhao Yafang was a bit embarrassed, and the eggs she ate weren't even one a day.

After dinner, Li Xue took her bag as usual and went to the backyard; Gu Ning and the old lady held Li Shu and went home with Zhao Yafang.

The dinner table just mentioned supplementing the bodies of Zhao Yafang and Gu Ning, so when they returned, the old lady urged Zhao Yafang to pay attention to her diet.

After all, it was a family of traditional Chinese medicine, and there was inheritance and theoretical support in terms of health preservation, maintenance, and pregnancy care.

Gu Ning sat sideways on the kang, watched Li Shu wearing small cloth shoes and having fun on the kang, and said to Zhao Yafang, who was sitting opposite at the head of the kang: "There are eggs at home; he often brings them home; you tell Mom to boil them and eat them."

Zhao Yafang smiled and said: "There are enough; how much can I eat? Let Mom pickle some and wait to eat during the New Year."

"Forget it."

Gu Ning took Li Shu, who had run over to whisper to her, and replied: "There will be some for the New Year; if you lose your health, it will affect the child."

As she spoke, she helped Li Shu tidy up her twisted open-crotch pants, took her little car, and rolled it toward the kang to tease the child.

The old lady saw the two sisters-in-law getting along well and was also happy, sitting in the kang, looking after Li Shu while listening to the two talking.

Gu Ning spoke little when at home; she basically only talked to Li Xuewu, and only said those few daily sentences to her.

Coming back here, she only spoke more when she encountered something or had a topic; otherwise, she was like a muffled gourd, only listening to others talk.

Zhao Yafang was articulate; both had knowledge, status, and could talk about common topics, unlike her old lady, whose mouth only muttered about the little things in the courtyard.

Gu Ning didn't say much to Zhao Yafang either, chatting one sentence after another, watching that both were university students, both had proper work and status, but their family backgrounds and life concepts were different.

Others didn't feel it now, but Liu Yin could feel that Li Shun choosing the eldest to provide for the aged was right, which had to do with the eldest's temperament and the eldest daughter-in-law's family background.

There was no need to talk about the second one; even if she chose, she wouldn't choose the second one; although he lived the best and had the best work, that temperament and personality weren't those of someone who listened to the old people, nor were they steady and easygoing, so they couldn't live together.

Don't look at how filial the second one is now; he listens to what you say, but whether he does it or not isn't him; are you angry or not?

The second daughter-in-law is the same; she is indeed a good daughter-in-law, but not very suitable for living together.

Aloofness isn't a temper, but a temperament formed over a long time; Gu Ning had lived in that state since she was a child, not targeting them.

But in their view, the second daughter-in-law was the standard child of a high-ranking cadre family in the city; maybe the young couple were both cadres and lived comfortably together, but it was different when living with the old people.

Even the old lady couldn't stand it when living on that side, let alone several generations under the same roof.

In terms of living habits, daily consumption, clothing, food, housing, and transportation, there were differences in ideological concepts.

The second one's family was like this, and the third one's family was even more so; Ji Yuxiu was spoiled by her parents and loved by her brothers.

Maybe because she was young and easy to fool, when she grew older, let alone Ji Yuxiu being dissatisfied, even the third son Xuecai couldn't stand their family's traditional life concepts.

With the change of the external environment, the concepts and thoughts of traditional families were also undergoing changes.

Young people were more likely to accept new ideas, new concepts, and new lives, corresponding to those who were older and accepted them more slowly, or whose defenses were relatively strong.

Old people had experienced a lot, and had defenses and a heart of being content with whatever comes for the pits and bumps of life, naturally not having the concepts of progress and adventure that young people had.

The two clashed, and naturally, neither lived comfortably.

Why choose the eldest to provide for the aged at this time? The reason was that when they were old, the eldest was basically middle-aged and could feel the crises and defenses they had once felt.

Easier to communicate, easier to understand; Liu Yin said the second reason Li Shun chose the eldest was the eldest daughter-in-law.

Of the three daughters-in-law, two were of high-ranking cadre backgrounds, and only Zhao Yafang was from the countryside; even if she had received higher education, her roots and bones were still those of a country person, and her life was still a rural way of thinking.

Diligence, thrift, honesty, and filial piety were all engraved in her bones, and she bore the responsibility of the eldest daughter-in-law, so naturally, she was more compliant toward the old people than the other two daughters-in-law.

The old lady had come through this way, so she understood Liu Yin's thoughts very well, and her attitude toward Zhao Yafang was different from that toward the other granddaughters-in-law.

There was respect for the eldest daughter-in-law, and also reliance on the future manager of the family.

The family is a very warm place, but it also has a realistic side; since it was decided that the eldest would provide for the aged and manage the family, the eldest daughter-in-law was naturally designated as the future manager of the Li family.

This didn't need to be fought for, nor did it need to be snatched; there were benefits of having the right to speak, and there were responsibilities of being the manager.

Zhao Yafang now actually already bore part of the decision-making power of the family, and Liu Yin also intended to let go of the family affairs and let the eldest daughter-in-law make the decisions.

Actually, this was just the meaning that the eldest daughter-in-law should have after getting married, but Zhao Yafang was determined to live separately and not be involved with the old people.

After marriage, she didn't take the account book and keys from her mother-in-law, thinking that the younger brother-in-law was still in university, the second younger brother-in-law was still a soldier outside, and the father-in-law and mother-in-law weren't old, so she would wait.

She thought that if either the second younger brother-in-law or the younger brother-in-law wanted to inherit the family business or proposed to provide for the father-in-law and mother-in-law, she and Li Xuewen would move out.

Even if it meant living in a dormitory at school, she didn't want to squeeze at home.

But who could have thought that plans couldn't keep up with changes; originally, she expected the family to be very crowded, crowded like the opposite door, but in less than half a year, they had four or five properties in this courtyard.

At this time, they couldn't even live in them; the second younger brother-in-law moved out after getting married, leaving three properties empty in this courtyard.

Now it's good; spinning around, the people living at home couldn't even fill a kang in a room.

She and Li Xuewen had a housing unit assigned to them at school, but they couldn't move there now; the housing problem she worried about before had become a burden.

The change of environment naturally determined the change of concepts; Zhao Yafang gradually no longer resisted or declined the matter of providing for the aged and managing the family; she took the keys and account book given by her mother-in-law and was officially the managing daughter-in-law.

Speaking of which, this was just a traditional custom and sense of ritual; how much money could the Li family have, and how much mobile assets could they have—didn't Li Xuewu know?

Don't ask, their family didn't have the kind of heirloom jade bracelets of the Lou family, and there were no gold, silver, or antiques; it was just daily wages and tickets.

There had to be an account book; whether it was a big family or a small family in Beijing, whether it was poor or rich, whether there were many people or few people, basically every family had a book.

Recording how much wages were received this month, how much surplus was left last month, how much debt was owed, and daily expenses this month would all be registered in this book for reflection and verification.

Buying pens, ordering magazines, repairing shoes, buying vegetables—all had to be registered; one out, one in, the common people's days were all in the account book.

The daughter-in-law who manages the family manages the accounts and money; she says this can be bought, then it can be bought; she says the living expenses for this month aren't enough, can't buy, then it can't be bought.

The men and others in the family only care about earning money and making requests; as for spending money and buying things, it all has to pass through the hands of the managing daughter-in-law.

Early on, this authority was also given to the daughter-in-law of the main family who had just married; it was managed until her own daughter was thirteen or fourteen, sensible, and then she would take her daughter to learn how to manage the family.

Regardless of whether the daughter was married or not, as soon as the eldest daughter-in-law entered the door, the keys to the money treasury and the account book had to be handed from the mother-in-law to the new daughter-in-law.

There was no time for easing; generally, it was when the new daughter-in-law kowtowed to her parents-in-law on the second day of marriage, served tea, and received the keys and account book.

Normally, the new daughter-in-law had already learned the experience of managing the family from her mother for many years at home, so she wouldn't be panicked or helpless.

This is also why people in the early days paid attention to being well-matched in social status; a girl without a mother is hard to find a husband's family, saying she has no upbringing.

Of course, this upbringing doesn't just refer to quality and character, but also includes the ability to manage life and family trifles.

By this era, the traditions of the older generation were preserved; no family had an easy life, and a life of frugality and diligence was the main theme of all families.

There is a book in the box, and no one feels at a loss; the old and young also have a spectrum in their hearts.

The Li family is naturally good; everyone is capable, everyone can earn money, so there is a lot of money in the box, and there is little calculation.

When the eldest daughter-in-law got married and didn't take the account book, her wages were collected by herself, until she took the mother-in-law's keys and account book this year, and then she returned her own and Li Xuewen's wages to the public account.

Li Shun's wages go without saying; he has always been the pillar of the family, always supporting the family, and he is the most selfless person and the person with the highest right to speak in the family.

Traditional families formed a strange power structure during this period; in major matters, it became a situation where the father-in-law and the managing daughter-in-law discussed things.

The father-in-law manages the main affairs, has a big picture view, and has life experience; the daughter-in-law manages the wealth, can calculate in small places, and can manage the family diligently; this structure allowed the right to speak of the older generation and the younger generation to reach a balance.

The father-in-law can beat and scold his son, but he cannot beat and scold his daughter-in-law; the daughter-in-law can fight and argue with her mother-in-law, but she cannot open her teeth to scold the father-in-law.

Both respect each other, so things are easy to discuss and easy to make decisions.

Why else would it be said that traditional things aren't necessarily dross; sometimes there are some big principles in them.

Except for Li Xuewen, who hasn't started working and earning wages, only Liu Yin and the old lady don't earn money in the Li family now.

But Liu Yin has to do housework, and the old lady has to take care of children and grandchildren; both have the responsibilities they should do at their age.

There should have been a share of Li Xue's wages in the money box, but Zhao Yafang was allowed by her mother-in-law to manage her own wages after marriage; now how could she ask for living expenses from her sister-in-law?

Without waiting for her mother-in-law to speak, Zhao Yafang had already told her mother-in-law after Li Xue started working that the sister-in-law would find a husband's family in the future; the dowry that the parents-in-law should give didn't count, and the dowry given by the brother and sister-in-law was separate; her own wages were collected by herself, which was considered pocket money.

In ordinary families, this pocket money isn't calculated this way; girls who start working also have to pay living expenses to the family, which is the same as boys; eat a meal, pay for a meal.

After paying living expenses, the girl decides for herself whether to give some pension money to her parents, or what is called filial money, and the rest is called pocket money.

It's rare to see the Li family like this, letting the girl eat at home, use the family's things, and collect all her wages herself.

Perhaps it's the mother-in-law who is fierce, holding the money box and account book tightly, who can do this.

But the result of doing this is that the daughter-in-law is alienated, and the son also has complaints, so don't think about having harmony in the family.

Actually, Zhao Yafang thought more; she got along well with her sister-in-law, and the age difference was there, so treating her as a younger sister was true.

The parents-in-law's family was truly not thin to her, sending rice and flour; the in-laws got along truly well; if she lost her heart, she would still have to be slapped by her father.

Another point was that the father-in-law could earn wages to support the family very easily now; although he was still supporting a younger brother-in-law, this younger brother-in-law wasn't a good-for-nothing, and in the future, he would have good work and a good life, and wouldn't add a burden to her.

Getting along well now, in the future, it would all be help and guidance.

Before, she felt that she and Xuewen had good work and earned a lot, and living a small life away from everyone would definitely be comfortable.

But after experiencing that scene with the second younger brother-in-law Xuewu, the second younger brother-in-law gave tickets to buy a bicycle, and thought of ways to find houses for them.

Li Xuewen had an accident, and it was still necessary to ask the second younger brother-in-law to come forward to pick him up.

How could she not ask what happened that day? Li Xuewen told her that the second younger brother-in-law was holding a gun, saved him from a pile of people, one was lying at the door, and when he reached the gate, he chased and beat another one.

Zhao Yafang felt heartbroken listening, but she was also at ease, asking about the encounters of those colleagues in school, and wasn't she grateful that there was such a pillar at home who dared to take risks for his brothers.

Putting herself in his shoes, the slap her father gave wasn't in vain; it completely woke her up.

Her own younger brother was working under the second younger brother-in-law, making progress every half year, and seeing his lively spirit coming back, she also had a book in her heart.

How many meals can the sister-in-law eat at home, and the clothes are all bought by the second younger brother-in-law; how much cloth can she use from home, and she didn't think about spending more of the family's money in her life.

The father-in-law can still earn money now, the mother-in-law can still take care of the family, and the old lady can still look after the children; can she do such a stupid thing?

Taking the initiative to propose taking care of the sister-in-law and not entering Li Xue's work into the account not only fulfilled the mother-in-law's heart of loving her daughter but also let everyone in the family see her generosity.

Even if she collected the ten or twenty yuan of living expenses from Li Xue, how much more could be in her box; it wouldn't be worth the things the second younger brother-in-law brought home.

Aren't the eggs sent from the backyard money? This isn't a public chicken; this was raised by the second younger brother-in-law himself before he got married and separated; the eggs laid were also for Li Shu to eat.

Now Li Shu is raising them at home, and the second younger brother-in-law is capable, so there's no worry about eggs, and she is pregnant, so the mother-in-law boiled them for her to eat.

But eating these eggs, she also has to think that Li Shu really doesn't eat them anymore? It was the second younger brother-in-law who mentioned it to sister-in-law Gu Ning, giving these eggs to her to supplement her body, and Li Shu's eggs were dug out separately.

As long as everyone in this family earns money, has a spirit of progress, one person takes the initiative to contribute, two people think for the family, and the old people are impartial, this family won't have any fights, and it will definitely be a harmonious family.

No need to fight, no need to compare; no family is living poorly; it's normal for parents-in-law to care about children who have separated, and it's also appropriate to greet children who are still young; she doesn't lose out now, and in the future, these younger brothers-in-law and sisters-in-law won't let her lose out, right?

Just like this trip up the mountain, it was said that the third daughter-in-law and the mother-in-law went to see the father-in-law and the third son, and also thought of bringing a gift to her maternal home.

Considering each other, the mother-in-law might be a bit fierce sometimes, but she also wants them to be well; Zhao Yafang had been at home for a long time, and thought more.

Sitting on the kang, watching the old lady smile, she also smiled and teased the mischievous Li Shu.

Li Shu was happy today; she was happy all the way back, happy eating, and happy playing tonight.

The little person already knew the taste of longing, knowing that she missed her relatives in her belly.

On the side of the inverted house, after eating, Li Xuewu and others gave up the place to the boys; the big dining table was waiting for them to study.

Maybe the atmosphere here was good, maybe she liked to be a teacher, He Yu Shui also got used to reading in the East Room at night.

Sometimes when the boys had places they didn't understand, they asked Yushui and asked for advice; she actually enjoyed being a teacher.

Actually, Zhao Yafang was the one who taught more and had better knowledge; because she was idle at home, sometimes she also came here to sit for a while after dinner, mainly to talk to Yu Li and Diliya.

It was really boring; there were only so many people in this courtyard; since the "Banggeng Explosion Case" happened in the front courtyard, because the third grandfather was pretending to be crazy and stupid, no one came here to sit, and they all went to the middle courtyard.

The Li family was also happy to be quiet; Zhao Yafang mostly came here to sit and chat, and by the way, explained knowledge to the boys.

Teachers all have some habits and addictions; if there are those who are eager to learn and ask, she also has the interest in teaching.

The boys were taught daily by Yushui, and often had lessons from Zhao Yafang; their knowledge grew quickly.

Li Xuewu and the others set up a kang table in the West Room, Yu Li prepared tea, and each held a cup to hold a small meeting here.

Old Biaozi wasn't there; the second grandfather said he hadn't seen the boy since the afternoon, and the car hadn't moved, so he didn't go up the mountain.

According to Li Xuewu's thinking, the big brother had already said he would handle it as soon as possible, so tonight it was either reconnaissance or action.

Since he had handed it over to him to handle, Li Xuewu didn't worry and just waited for news at home.

Everyone except Old Biaozi was there; Li Xuewu rarely had time, and was ready to listen to how to work in the next stage.

On the recycling station side, the grandfather was still responsible for furniture and accounts, the second grandfather was responsible for the counter and antiques, and Guodong was responsible for all scrap business, including the business of sending goods to the scrap company.

Erhai was also training to learn public-to-public trading business with Old Biaozi, mainly because a large batch of stable customers was gradually developing, and supplying these families was enough for all the expenses of the recycling station, so he couldn't let go.

Another point was that the public-to-public business could have a surplus to supply these customers; the VIP business goods now were much richer than before.

As the wind blew harder and harder, the market became more and more tense; according to what Old Biaozi heard, the pigeon market wasn't convenient either, and from time to time, people went to inquire about inside information, which wasn't a good thing.

So the VIP customers were developing stably; Erhai was busy with these things every day, and also helped Old Biaozi, contacting the business on that side.

The sales department still had the original layout; Xiaoyan and the second grandfather stood at the counter, responsible for marinated goods and scrap recycling and second-hand goods exchange and sales.

Yu Li led Diliya and Wang Yamei to manage the business of the second-hand store here, and also supported Xiaoyan and the second grandfather.

Arranging three people was thinking of having more manpower, having time to rest, and also because there were many things on the recycling station side, and without enough people, logistics couldn't be guaranteed.

Three meals a day had to be cooked by someone, and someone had to clean the room and organize the courtyard.

These were the people sitting in the room; Wang Yamei wasn't there; Yu Li said she asked for leave to rest today; Seeing Sha Zhu joked about whether the two went out on a date, which earned a glare from Diliya.

These were the people at home; several were away in different directions; the third uncle Wen San'er took his wife and children to Steel City, with the first three of the Thirteen Taibao by his side.

Little Bastard Zhou Changli led two batches of about a hundred people to do things there, and Zhang Wanhe, who came down from the mountain, led Da Qiangzi and more than forty people to work together in Steel City.

Xilin and Gelin, along with Ding Wanqiu, were in Jicheng, operating a small collection station connecting the mountain and Steel City; it was inconspicuous, but very important.

Finally, there was the No. 1 Prison; that was the production base of the recycling station: papermaking, printing, carving, tailoring, leather, electronics, and providing carpentry and printing business to the No. 3 Prison in the Xicheng and other places.

Eldest brother Xuewen was managing electronic training there, and Teacher Wu had already agreed to manage these businesses, as well as supervise financial work.

Next, eldest sister-in-law Zhao Yafang would also take care of the finance here, as well as the financial business of the No. 1 Prison, forming a complete closed loop for all businesses.

Li Xuewu took a puff of a cigarette, sat by the kang table, and listened to Shen Guodong reporting the business and work of the recycling station with a notebook, as if holding an office meeting in the unit.

Actually, it was the same thing, listening to Shen Guodong say how much scrap was collected this month, how much scrap was sold, analyzing how the current market situation was, what the environmental influence factors were, how to judge the situation, how to avoid risks, and what the next work focus was.

These were all things Li Xuewu asked him to do, which could be considered laying a foundation for future development.

Shen Guodong didn't have much knowledge, but writing and arithmetic weren't a problem, and managing the scrap business was more than enough.

But that was all his pursuit; he just thought about being content with a little wealth, having food to eat, and being full.

Li Xuewu disciplined him twice, telling him that if he didn't want to do it, he could withdraw his shares, and he would find him a job when the house was ready, and he could live a stable life with Xiaoyan.

Don't say, Li Xuewu disciplined him like this, and he really wanted to do it, but when he went back and mentioned it to Xiaoyan, Xiaoyan wouldn't do it.

How could going to work compare to earning money now, and how could it be as fulfilling and comfortable as now? Working for a unit, there are leaders staring from above, and colleagues squeezing from below; who knows how one can live.

Following Wu Ge to do business, not to mention anything else, there was no loss in money, and the sales department was like her own home; she was in a good mood, earned more, and had more income; she wasn't willing to go outside and be bullied.

Xiaoyan saw that he didn't have an ideal, and also said that she didn't expect to have Wu Ge's pomp when they got married, but there had to be something that made a sound at home.

This made Shen Guodong embarrassed; something that makes a sound—he actually wanted to prepare a box of firecrackers for Xiaoyan, but he was afraid Xiaoyan wouldn't let him go home.

What is something that makes a sound? A car, of course; it couldn't be a broken bicycle that makes a clattering sound.

At this time, who would dare to think about buying a car when getting married; even cadre families wouldn't dare to think about it, and he knew Xiaoyan was making things difficult for him.

But Xiaoyan said, you don't dare to think about it, but Wu Ge did it; did the recycling station have a car before?

Now there's still a GAZ 69 small truck, a big truck, and Wu Ge's family even has a Willys.

Shen Guodong wanted to say he couldn't compare with Wu Ge, but he asked Wu Ge, and that Willys was also being sold by the steel mill, and the cost price was less than a thousand yuan; he could buy it after saving for a few years.

Xiaoyan was still young, and it would be three or four years before they got married, so this thing that makes a sound really wasn't a problem.

Dividends?

None; Wu Ge said, don't think about dividends for a short time, there's still investment in the future, and there's no shortage of money for the time being, just enough to live on with wages.

So he could only rely on wages to live now; fortunately, there was a big house, and food, clothing, housing, and transportation were all considered here, so he just had to work.

With an ideal, there was a goal, and he never dared to mention finding a job to wait for retirement to Wu Ge again.

With a spirit of progress, he became attentive in business management and took over all the scrap business, which made it much easier for Old Biaozi.

Especially now that the boys were all learning to drive, there were many drivers in the courtyard, and using cars was much more convenient.

After Shen Guodong finished reporting, the grandfather started reporting; he also used a notebook, talking about the recycling and sales of furniture, and the focus of recent work was still on the furniture production at the No. 3 Prison in the Xicheng.

Wooden racks, glass flowers—this kind of coffee table sold the best and was also the most popular commodity for newlywed families.

Imitations hadn't appeared on the market yet, which allowed the recycling station to make a big profit.

Li Xuewu listened to the grandfather say that a large batch of old furniture had been cleared, so he interjected and asked: "Have those collected by the third uncle been processed?"

"Almost."

The grandfather wore reading glasses, flipped through the account book, looked up, and said to Li Xuewu: "Quite a few were sent away by Biaozi, and the remaining ones were simple in style, so they were modified and sold."

Li Xuewu knew about those sent away by Old Biaozi; they were given to the club, and the club also transferred money over, so the accounts weren't wrong.

Naturally, it wasn't good to use those gorgeous furniture outside, but the club didn't have this danger; the world inside the gate was a collective unit after all, as long as the people were fine, then it was really fine.

The regular employees in the club were reliable, the temporary employees had no right to speak, and the identities of the members were all connected by lines; who dared to say that something would happen there.

"Have those goods collected at the beginning of the year been processed cleanly?"

Li Xuewu looked at the second grandfather Ye; he was asking about the goods confiscated from the theft activity at the beginning of the year, which amounted to twenty or thirty thousand yuan in bits and pieces.

The second grandfather didn't even need to flip through the account book and nodded, saying: "Some bits and pieces were left; Biaozi said they were done in the acquisition accounts; the accounts were settled with the street side last month, and the street office was also asked to provide proof."

As he spoke, the second grandfather opened his notebook and introduced: "Some things are messy; they are needed when used, and can't be sold when not used; if they are stretched, it will take several years to settle."

"It doesn't matter."

Li Xuewu nodded and said: "It's good to settle them; save the worry; when collecting things from the street or the warehouse of the Division Office, it's cash on delivery; don't make it difficult for others."

The second grandfather looked at the grandfather, and seeing him nod to indicate there was nothing to introduce, he started reporting the business of the sales department here with his notebook.

It was mainly radios; second-hand goods were very scarce and also very popular; those getting married or separating all wanted to get one as a decoration.

Second-hand didn't mean it couldn't be used; Li Xuewen from the No. 1 Prison tinkered with it, and it could be used for a long time.

Because fewer second-hand parts were used, and there was support from the Jicheng Electronics Factory to buy new parts, there was no need to dig for old ones.

Like Wen San'er, who used old ones to deal with it, wanting to earn another repair fee, that business wasn't done either; there was no manpower, and no energy.

Besides talking about things on the counter, the second grandfather also talked about sending old books, paper, and fiber materials to the No. 1 Prison for papermaking, and also talked about the current sales of books.

Very unexpectedly, comic books sold as well as the red books; red books were bought more by young people and those who went to work, while comic books were bought more by children.

The main reason was that this batch of comic books produced by the No. 1 Prison and the Huaqing Painting Academy was of high quality, the content was edited concisely, the stories were interesting, and they had educational significance.

The supply and marketing cooperative side was very tough; no one checked their goods, and no one checked the point of the public security brigade either.

Because the sales department here hung the sign of the supply and marketing cooperative, it was very safe.

In this era, cultural supplies, especially books, selling well was very rare.

Li Xuewu thought about the main reason; it had to do with the main ideology in the comic books, because all the stories, as well as the characters promoted, were labeled that their core ideology was toward the above.

Secondly, the core values in the comic books were all positive, the kind that were both professional and red, which was very in line with the current propaganda needs.

Furthermore, these points were selling red books at the same time as selling comic books.

Not only these, but also red notebooks, pens, erasers, and pencils printed with slogans.

Like the shop on the side of the public security brigade, it also included "cultural shirts," vests or T-shirts of a single color printed with slogans and propaganda slogans.

Finally, there was Director Ma's care; with the endorsement of the supply and marketing cooperative, no one really came to find trouble at this time.

Old Biaozi went to Director Ma's house to eat every month, which also had an effect; at least Li Xuewu could see that the recycling station was very stable.