Chapter 777: Melancholy

Sister Lou was crazy, and Li Xuewu had suffered a huge loss, conservatively estimated at over a billion.

By the time Li Xue found them, the two were already able to sit down calmly and talk about serious matters.

"Second Brother."

"Come in."

Li Xuewu waved his hand, signaling Li Xue, who was standing at the door, to come in. When she walked over with an irrepressible look of surprise, he introduced her, "Sister Lou, remember her?"

"Sister... Lou."

Li Xue was also a bit dazed. She hadn't seen this former sister-in-law who had lived in the courtyard when she came last time.

She didn't know she would see her second brother sitting with her in the management office.

But since her second brother told her to call her Sister Lou, she had to call her that. She was still in school at the time and seemed to have heard that the other party had divorced Xu Damao.

Lou Xiaoe didn't know how to face Li Xuewu's sister last time, so she hid.

This time she couldn't hide. Seeing Li Xuewu had formally introduced her, she smiled, stood up, took Li Xue's hand, and greeted her, "Don't recognize me anymore?"

Indeed, Li Xue really wanted to say she didn't quite recognize who this was.

She clearly knew who she was, but from her hairstyle to her clothing, and then to her overall temperament now, if her second brother hadn't said so, she really wouldn't have dared to recognize this as the person from the courtyard before.

Sister Lou, however, faced Li Xue's gaze very openly, greeting her to sit while pouring hot water for her.

Li Xue looked at her second brother, then looked at this... Sister Lou who was busy. She felt something was going on here.

Li Xuewu didn't explain to her and continued talking to Sister Lou about work.

A portion of the business in Steel City was managed by Sister Lou, so that she could get in touch with the people there and be more convenient for managing this business in Hong Kong in the future.

At the same time, the club's business, overall finances, and the trade project Old Biaozi was responsible for, etc., were all known to Sister Lou. She not only had to manage from the accounts but could also command Old Biaozi.

Everyone knew who they were working for, but not everyone knew that Li Xuewu also had a Sister Lou standing behind him, remotely commanding through Old Biaozi.

Li Xuewu let her practice with the business here, practicing managing people and managing business.

She couldn't do everything herself after going to Hong Kong; she would eventually have to learn enterprise management. Rather than wasting opportunities there, it was better to practice her skills well at home.

Learning and training were one aspect, and the other was giving trust.

Five families sat in the office upstairs. Lou Yu's temporary departure didn't mean he wouldn't come back. Li Xuewu had given them too much hope and reliance here, and it didn't seem like he had any concerns as he had said.

The link and bond between the five families and Li Xuewu was Sister Lou. Since they had handed over their family property and lives to him, Li Xuewu also had to show something.

Of course, he wouldn't show them all his cards, but through the things on the table, letting them help him handle economic business invisibly gave them the confidence and motivation to work.

Li Xuewu wasn't afraid of them turning against him, nor was he afraid of them talking nonsense. If there was any movement, he would physically eliminate the evidence.

If they were willing to abandon their families, their ancestral property, and their own lives, then so be it.

Li Xuewu couldn't think of any reason that would make these people abandon these conditions and betray him.

"Li Ge~"

A greeting came from the door while they were talking. Li Xuewu turned his head and saw Ou Xin walk in from outside.

Sister Lou glanced at Li Xuewu and said, "You're quite busy~"

Li Xue had been sitting on the side listening. Seeing Lou Xiaoe speak, she was even more certain of her guess just now.

Ou Xin entered and first smiled and nodded at Sister Lou, then said to Li Xuewu, "Brother Huang and the others are in the billiards room. They heard you were here and asked me to come call you."

Li Xue's hand holding the teacup paused abruptly. She looked at the girl who had just entered. She felt her brother had fallen into a spider cave.

A white silk shirt, a black straight-cut skirt, black leather sandals—no matter how she looked at it, it felt wrong.

It wasn't that she felt it was similar to the work uniform she wore to work, but that the way she looked at her second brother while wearing it always had a sense of covetousness.

Li Xuewu didn't mind this. He waved his hand and said, "I have some things to discuss, I'll go over in a while."

As he spoke, he also glanced at Ou Xin and asked with a smile, "Are you doing well working here?"

Ou Xin wanted to say she could work anywhere, as long as he liked it, but she was afraid the tigress in the room would flare up.

She didn't know clearly about coming here to play before, but after working for a long time, how could she not see Sister Lou's status?

With such a large industry, Sister Lou was the only one coming forward to manage it, and Sister Lou bore all the club's operating expenses, yet the club was still counted as Li Xuewu's.

What did this count as?

It counted as Li Ge having great ability~

A man's most important thing isn't necessarily having ability; there are many men with ability.

She didn't want to provoke Sister Lou here. The salary and treatment here were average, but it was the entertainment life they wanted.

Compared to the spiritual shackles outside, this place was more like a utopia of thought.

If you added a bit of mystery and superiority, this job was extremely suitable for them.

"It's quite good~"

Ou Xin's eyes were particularly like a fox's when she smiled, charming and clingy, and her words were also like a fox's: "The environment is comfortable, the work is easy, and the important thing is that Sister Lou treats us well; everything is comfortable."

Li Xuewu smiled and looked at Sister Lou, who was sitting beside him, and she was also smiling.

How could Sister Lou not know the intention of these little foxes? From the day Huang Gan and the others led them to play here, she had seen what kind of personality these girls had.

If you wanted to say they were climbing the social ladder, they hadn't reached it, but if you wanted to say they were greedy for money and lustful, there was a bit of that. In short, they were characters who could let go.

She also knew Li Xuewu had nothing to do with them; otherwise, he wouldn't have let them in and let them practice management.

But this kind of charm gave her a deep sense of crisis. She could still manage things at home now, but if she went to Hong Kong in the future, what would this place become?

Glancing at Ou Xin, who was leaving, Sister Lou issued a subtle warning to Li Xuewu again.

Li Xuewu just smiled and didn't take it to heart.

He wasn't stupid; he knew better than anyone what kind of girlfriend he could have and what kind he couldn't.

Besides, was he short of girlfriends?

The two talked for a while about the matters upstairs. Li Xuewu indicated he would find time to go up the mountain to take a look, and the relevant work plans were also advancing rapidly.

The liaison station on the mountain could receive signals from Hong Kong, and special personnel had already been arranged to monitor it.

Sister Lou was worried about her father, while Li Xuewu was more worried about whether the first step of the future would go smoothly.

After a cup of tea was finished, Li Xuewu didn't let Sister Lou refill it. He stood up, greeted his sister, and left the office.

After passing the screen door of the management office, Li Xue couldn't help but ask, "Why is she here?"

"That's a good question."

Li Xuewu had long known his sister would ask this, and he had also prepared the answer in his heart.

"I bought that house from her family, so there was some contact, and later there was some cooperation, so this is how it is now."

"Just that?"

Li Xue clearly felt her second brother was fooling her. Was the contact and cooperation he spoke of really just that?

Li Xuewu looked at his sister with amusement and asked back, "What else could it be?"

After speaking, he patted her shoulder and said as they walked, "Her family has money, I have ideas, mutual support, win-win cooperation—you'll understand these when you grow up."

Li Xue shook off her second brother's big hand impatiently. She felt she was still a child when he said that.

Clearly, she was already working, yet he still said "wait until you grow up." She understood many things now.

Especially her second brother's affairs—very complicated!

"What you're doing is very dangerous~"

Li Xue stepped forward, looked back at her second brother, and said, "And it's also very wrong."

"Yes, it's very dangerous."

Li Xuewu shook his head helplessly and said, "Your second brother has to face this dangerous situation every day. If I'm not careful, I'll be bitten, so I'm very vigilant."

Li Xue curled her lip and said angrily, "Vigilance isn't enough; you have to be self-aware!"

Li Xuewu raised his eyebrows and asked, "Am I not self-aware enough now? I even brought you to protect me when I came out to socialize~"

"Hopeless~"

Li Xue shook her head, hummed, and walked forward, saying, "You just like having them revolve around you. It's been like this since you were little; you're just deliberately provoking those women."

"Haha~"

Li Xuewu chuckled, feeling his sister had also grown up and understood more, not as easy to fool as when she was little.

He greeted Li Xue, who had already walked past in anger, and they entered the billiards room. He glanced downstairs and didn't see Huang Gan and the others, so he went to the second floor.

At the stairs on the second floor, he met Ou Xin, whom he had just seen. Following the direction she pointed, Li Xuewu found Huang Gan and the others.

He nodded with a smile, teased Ou Xin, and took Li Xue, who was pouting, inside.

Huang Gan had seen Li Xue, but didn't have much of an impression, so he teased her when he walked over.

Li Xuewu took the opportunity to formally introduce his sister to the few of them, which counted as Li Xue formally contacting society after starting work.

Huang Gan and the others also greeted Li Xue with serious smiles, making Li Xue not feel that her second brother's side was full of fox friends and dog companions.

Especially when her second brother introduced their respective identities, combined with their serious smiling expressions, she could better understand the significance of this club's existence.

When Li Xuewu introduced the few of them, he also discovered the few girls standing by the sofa and nodded with a smile.

Seeing Li Xuewu look over, Huang Gan took the initiative to introduce them with a smile: "Seen them before, Xiaobai, Xiaoyun..."

Hmm, they are quite "white"...

After a long string of introductions, Li Xuewu was smiling and nodding, very kind, as if he remembered them, and also as if he didn't care, his performance completely met Li Xue's psychological requirements.

These girls naturally could feel the atmosphere at the scene; the introduction of them was completely different in level and tone from the introduction of Li Xue.

However, most of them agreed with this difference; after all, it was an interaction between two circles, and there was always closeness and distance.

And after everyone sat down to talk, they didn't feel how difficult this mysterious Li Chuzhang was to contact.

He joked and teased just like Brother Huang and the others, but he rarely placed his gaze on them, mostly laughing and playing with Ma Jun and the others.

Ao Zhongliang patted Luo Yun's butt, signaling her to take Li Xue to play billiards, while he sat on the single sofa.

Li Xue was invited by Luo Yun with a smile. She glanced at her second brother, who was talking, and stood up to go to the table.

She didn't know how to play this, nor had she been in contact with it, but watching people play at other positions didn't seem difficult.

Luo Yun didn't deliberately curry favor with Li Xue either. They were about the same age and had their own pride. She and Xiaobai were both outstanding in the circle.

Coming here to play today was also because she felt the atmosphere here was good, more high-class than running around and making a fuss with those silly children in the courtyard.

They had been to other places, turned around the sports field and shooting range, but just felt the billiards room was more fun.

The sofa side corresponded to the table, and there were bookshelf-style partitions between the rest areas, so speaking loudly still had a sense of privacy.

Of course, as long as you wanted to look, you couldn't do any secret actions here; at most, you could huddle together and whisper.

Li Xue was learning billiards while scanning her second brother's side. A girl had already sat beside him, but her second brother had no movements, nor did he talk to her.

"How old are you?"

"Sixteen."

Li Xue looked at this girl named Luo Yun, let her teach her, and hit a ball, but it had no accuracy.

Luo Yun said with a smile, "I'm a year older than you."

As she spoke, she also hit a shot, but the technique was just so-so. She hadn't played for long either. She had been dragging Zhou Xiaobai to soak here these days, but she had only learned the appearance.

Li Xue nodded, didn't speak, glanced at her second brother's side, and played with the cue again.

Luo Yun noticed Li Xue's gaze, leaned closer, and asked with a smile, "Here to supervise your brother?"

"No."

Li Xue looked at Luo Yun while bracing the cue, but the cue she poked out didn't touch the ball at all.

Luo Yun smiled and said, "The one sitting beside him is my classmate, named Zhou Xiaobai. We grew up together."

Li Xue glanced at the other party; she was indeed very white and very water-spirited, just not fond of talking. Maybe she was nervous, sitting beside her second brother, looking silly.

"It's nothing, your brother wouldn't look down on us~"

Luo Yun also had an older brother, so she naturally understood this kind of emotion between sister and brother, especially when the age gap was a bit large, as if they were competing.

"We've been here to play for many days, and haven't seen your brother many times. There haven't been many opportunities to talk properly, and we don't have the thoughts you think."

This could be considered speaking plainly. It gave a proud annotation to their status and also dispelled Li Xue's hostility toward them.

Li Xue, however, looked curiously at Luo Yun, who seemed a bit social, and asked, "Then why do you come here? Why..."

"Why play with your brother and the others?"

Luo Yun looked at Li Xue with amusement, knowing she was a greenhouse flower protected by Li Chuzhang, who hadn't been in contact with society.

"Haha, are girls who come here to play bad people?"

She first asked with a light smile. Li Xue was here herself, so the answer to the question was obviously self-evident.

"We follow Brother Huang. He has good places to play, and we love to play. As long as it's not excessive, isn't it good for everyone to be friends?"

After speaking, she also glanced at Ou Xin at the entrance. Those big girls were the templates for their future. Honestly, she also wanted to work here; it was profitable and fun, how good.

When Li Xue was playing, she shrugged her shoulders and asked softly, "Have you made friends?"

"What?"

Li Xue frowned slightly and looked at Luo Yun. Luo Yun smiled gossipy and explained, "I mean boyfriend and girlfriend. You're already working and an adult, so of course you can have normal interactions."

"No."

Li Xue still couldn't accept this kind of too-reckless interaction, but she had seen the world and didn't exclude such people. Of course, she wouldn't try it herself.

Luo Yun smiled and said, "Your thinking should be more open. What era is this? Still talking about men and women not touching? Everyone is friends, and we aren't doing that, so what's there to be afraid of."

Li Xue didn't agree with Luo Yun's statement, but she wouldn't refute it. This was what she learned after starting work—rules that made it easier to integrate into society.

Setting up the balls, while bracing the cue, she asked, "Are you friends with my second brother?"

Clearly, the "friend" she wanted to ask about was deeper than the one Luo Yun explained in her words, and it also tore open the cover-up in Luo Yun's words more directly, pointing to her inner heart.

Do you really think I'm young and ignorant? I don't believe you don't want to be that kind of special boyfriend and girlfriend with my second brother.

I've seen plenty of people like you since I was little!

Luo Yun's face was a bit stiff, but looking at Li Xue, who didn't seem to care, she thought she was asking about the "friend" on the surface of her words.

"How could that be~ We don't have that ability~"

As she spoke, she curled her lip and gestured to Ou Xin, who was walking over from the entrance, and said, "They can't, let alone us."

Li Xue braced the cue, her eyes staring at the ball turning slightly. She glanced at Ou Xin, who was carrying a fruit platter, and then curled her lip, muttering in her heart: A crow standing on a pig...

"Li Ge, it's your treat~"

Ou Xin smiled and put down the fruit platter, saying this to Li Xuewu, interrupting the two who were talking.

Ma Jun looked at Li Xuewu with a smile, holding his teacup without speaking. Li Xuewu, however, waved his hand and said, "Huang Suozhang is making a fortune today; put it on his account."

As he spoke, he pointed at Huang Gan, who was sitting opposite, causing the girl beside Huang Gan to also look at him.

The word "fortune" was really a special vocabulary at this time; even during the New Year, people wouldn't say it.

In the past, people would say "Happy New Year" and "Congratulations on making a fortune," but now it wouldn't work; you had to say "progress together."

But it was precisely because they were here that saying such words made them feel a sense of youthful wantonness that broke through shackles.

The more you aren't allowed to do something, the more young people want to do it; the more you aren't allowed to say something, the more you have this youthful wantonness when you say it.

Ou Xin was already used to this. She put her hand on Huang Gan's shoulder and said with a light smile, "Then I have to congratulate Brother Huang first. When will you take us to see a movie? Pei Pei has been nagging about it for a long time."

Huang Gan smacked his lips, looked at Li Xuewu opposite, turned his head, and asked Ou Xin, "Do you have time when you're at work? There are movies in this courtyard; watch whatever you want~"

Ou Xin retorted with dissatisfaction, "You're the one who doesn't have time. There are only a few movies in this courtyard; I can recite the lines by heart after watching them over and over."

After speaking, her gaze swept over the few girls sitting on the sofa—they were younger and more tender than them, so the sense of crisis was there, wasn't it.

Zhou Xiaobai sat beside Li Xuewu, listening to him talk and feeling his aura. Watched by the waiter opposite, she unconsciously straightened her waist, making her not-so-big youth look bigger.

Huang Gan stood up, put his arm around Ou Xin's shoulder, and walked out while whispering, clearly coaxing something.

Li Xue didn't care. Her gaze was still on her second brother's side.

Li Xuewu didn't notice his sister's gaze either, but talked to Ma Jun again about the Xicheng Procuratorate.

He wanted to introduce the Xicheng Procuratorate to put the training and education of the judicial police at the Hongxing Training Ground.

Of course, it wasn't for the three melons and two dates of training fees; he wanted to formally invite the powerful departments in Xicheng to join the Hongxing Joint Unit.

That is, hanging the sign of the Xicheng Procuratorate on the wall at the entrance of the training ground. Why he was doing this, of course, he couldn't tell Ma Jun now.

Of course, he also invited Ao Zhongliang when he invited Ma Jun. Judicial police training had always been done by themselves, which was just a show. The combat effectiveness of the current powerful departments wasn't low, as they were all old foundations left over from the past.

But if you wanted to say it was high, it wasn't that high either, at least not that professional. They didn't have a special training ground for training.

"You can go up the mountain to take a look when you have time."

Li Xuewu blinked and said with a smile, "By the way, eat some farmhouse dishes and experience rural life."

Ao Zhongliang asked with a smile, "Can we hunt? I haven't played with a hunting rifle for a long time."

"What do you want to hunt?"

Li Xuewu grinned and said, "Last time I saw a flower cat that snatched a yellow sheep from us. Not only was it not afraid of us chasing it, but it even stared at us on the mountain."

Ao Zhongliang waved his hands repeatedly and said, "I can't hit that thing. Pheasants, wild rabbits, and the like are fine. What you see as not much is actually life-threatening in practice; it's not worth it."

Li Xuewu saw he cherished his life, so he relaxed and said, "It's August now, and it's the fattest time. If you want to go, make an appointment anytime, and I'll have someone lead the way for you."

"You're not going?"

Ma Jun was stunned holding his teacup, and Ao Zhongliang also looked at Li Xuewu suspiciously.

Huang Gan took over and said, "He can't leave. The personnel of the Security Brigade are frozen, and he has to preside over the work at any time."

As he spoke, he took a piece of watermelon from the table and ate it. He took the paper handed to him by the girl beside him, wiped his mouth, and continued, "There are many people on the mountain. There are arrangements for whatever you want to play. It doesn't matter if he goes or not."

After eating a piece of watermelon and seeing Ma Jun and the two exchanging glances, he didn't care much and signaled to Li Xuewu opposite, asking, "Is Biaozi still going up the mountain?"

"About three or four times a week."

Li Xuewu didn't take the cigarette, also took a piece of watermelon to eat, and talked about Old Biaozi's recent itinerary.

Huang Gan had more contact with Old Biaozi. Although Shen Guodong was now responsible for pulling goods from the First Prison, the surface matters and account work were all done by Old Biaozi.

Zhou Xiaobai glanced at Li Xuewu and thought of the paper Yueyue had handed to Huang Gan just now, hesitating whether she should also prepare a piece of paper for Li Xuewu.

Li Xuewu, however, didn't wait for her to act; he had already taken paper to wipe his hands and called Li Xue and Luo Yun, who were playing ball, to come eat fruit.

The fruit platter wasn't big. Although these girls were greedy, they all knew their limits and didn't move their hands.

Li Xuewu greeted them at this moment and handed the platter to them, so these girls all took it with a smile.

"If you have time, you can go with them to take a look at the training ground."

Li Xuewu gestured at Huang Gan and leaned back on the sofa, casually throwing away the paper he used to wipe his hands.

Huang Gan curled his lip and said, "I'm not going. I don't have a gun, and I don't want to hunt. It's bumpy, so I'd rather stay at home."

After speaking, he looked at the girl beside him and said with a smile, "Flower cats and yellow sheep aren't as good-looking as Yueyue."

The girl named Yueyue knew clearly that Brother Huang was just teasing her on purpose; he wouldn't even touch her, just talk nonsense.

But these jokes still made her heart itch when she heard them. In her ears, the things these brothers talked about were all with codes. In her view, things like mountains and hunting were all nonsense.

If it were really hunting, there would be no need to talk about it here, and even less need to talk about it specially.

But it was precisely because of this secret topic that it was interesting to listen to. Although they didn't understand, they participated, which meant they were different from those silly girls in the circle.

Li Xue stood by the tea table and glanced at Huang Gan. The one who gave her a gift at the First Prison last time was this friend of her second brother, but he didn't look as unreliable as this time.

Could it be that men become unreliable after entering here?

"That's it, I'll go up the mountain with Zhongliang next weekend."

Ma Jun glanced at Li Xuewu and asked, "Do you mind if I bring a few friends and colleagues?"

"Of course."

Li Xuewu nodded indifferently and said, "It's not as rich as you think. You'll know when you go. It's safer with more people, but be careful that it's not enough to share."

Ma Jun glanced at Ao Zhongliang again, nodded silently, and didn't bring up this topic again, but calculated in his heart who he should bring and who didn't need to go.

"Are Li Ge and the others here?"

Pei Pei came up the stairs and asked Ou Xin, while also looking around inside.

Ou Xin pointed inside and said, "They are talking about things inside."

Pei Pei nodded, greeted the few who were playing ball at the table, "Brothers, the restaurant is serving food; it won't wait if you're late."

The few who were playing ball greeted Pei Pei and Ou Xin and went downstairs.

Li Xuewu and the others heard the movement and all stood up, walking out together.

Yueyue seemed to do it on purpose. Seeing Pei Pei come over, she huddled beside Huang Gan and walked together.

Li Xue thought it was fun and glanced at her second brother.

There were no girls by her second brother's side at this moment. As long as she was there, she wouldn't let her second brother make mistakes.

"Are you still here this afternoon?"

Huang Gan didn't notice Pei Pei, turned his head to talk to Li Xuewu, and didn't notice Yueyue beside him.

Li Xuewu pointed in front of him, signaling him to be careful not to bump into Pei Pei, who was about to touch porcelain, but said, "No, I'm resting this afternoon and going to visit relatives in the evening."

Pei Pei glared at Huang Gan, who was deliberately pretending not to see her. She ignored the little Yueyue and turned to go outside.

Huang Gan spread his hands at Li Xuewu, as if to say women are troublesome.

"I still wanted to make an appointment with a few people to play in the evening. Sister Wang and the others didn't come either."

"Take Ma Jun and the others to play. Sister Wang is leading training on the mountain."

Li Xuewu followed the crowd downstairs and greeted the girls to go eat together. It was mealtime, so there was no reason for everyone to eat their own.

A large group of people went to the restaurant, didn't ask for a private room, and sat at a table in the lobby.

It seems that normally at this time, the restaurant here is the same as the Rolling Mill's guesthouse, with meals prepared in advance, and whoever wants to eat what buys what.

Because of the closed operation, there was no need for coupons here, and members could all put it on their accounts.

Huang Gan treated them to tea and fruit, so there was no reason not to treat them to lunch. Li Xuewu took a group of people and counted as hitting his local tyrant.

This was nothing. In the past, Li Xuewu also had times when he treated guests; the atmosphere was what mattered.

Zhou Xiaobai habitually sat beside Li Xuewu, and on the other side was Li Xue. The two looked at each other and looked away.

Not many people ate here at noon. Even if the restaurant's food was cheap, they were used to going home to eat.

It was very simple. Those who came to exercise in the morning wouldn't come in the afternoon; at most, they would bring their families to watch a movie in the evening and chat by the way.

The situation had entered a period of stable development, and everyone had an understanding of the environment they were in, with less confusion.

They were all old cadres, so they naturally wouldn't be confused in dealing with these problems.

Including Li Xuewu, who wasn't clear in his heart and shouting confusion in his mouth?

Listening to the organization and following the party—this wasn't just something said casually. You thought the organization took the wrong path? The organization also thought you were unreliable.

Li Xuewu had already learned to look at problems with the thinking of this era, and had learned to lower his perspective and not be too smart.

People who are too smart in history don't have good endings, like Einstein, whose brain was lost.

"Second Brother, don't take me out to play next time."

Li Xue tidied her hair by her ear and said to Li Xuewu, who was driving back, "I have my own friends."

"Those friends from before?"

Li Xuewu glanced at his sister and said with a smile, "You're already working; can you still have anything to say to them?"

After speaking, he smiled indifferently and said, "Huang Gan was just teasing you. You wouldn't really believe I would take those girls out to play, would you?"

Li Xue shook her head slightly at her second brother's question, but what she was thinking about was what Huang Gan said to her when they came out after lunch.

"You can't keep clinging to your brother; it's delaying your brother from making friends."

Of course, she didn't believe this. If her second brother wanted to make friends, could she delay him?

Just looking at the momentum of those girls leaning on him today, she could know how dangerous the outside world Li Xuewu spoke of really was.

Although she also knew these girls were active, and although she also knew her second brother was upright and reliable, this kind of complicated interpersonal relationship really wasn't very good.

Wandering on the edge of taboos can naturally feel the pleasure of breaking free from shackles at any time, but this is also a dangerous game.

If you walk by the river often, how can you not get your shoes wet?

If her second brother often contacts such people, or is in such an environment for a long time, he will inevitably make mistakes.

Think about her second brother's position, think about their family, think about such a good sister-in-law—her second brother should continue to maintain an upright and reliable image.

Li Xuewu understood his sister's worry. In Li Xue's heart, he was a good person, a pure person, a noble person who had broken away from low-level interests.

Indeed, he was indeed such a person, so he didn't stay at the club for long. Didn't he hurry to send Li Xue home and find a place to sleep himself?

Li Xue really didn't want to play at the club all day because she had a lot of materials to read. When she got home, she told Li Xuewu and went to the room of her third sister-in-law in the east courtyard to read.

It was precisely because of her work attitude, which was the same as when she was in school, that she was reminded by her mother and taken out to play.

Li Xuewu looked helplessly at his sister, who had failed to be reformed. Could this little girl be a workaholic?

Their family didn't lack this focused gene. His father focused on traditional Chinese medicine, his eldest brother focused on physics, and he, Li Xuewu, focused especially on beautiful girls.

Everyone in the family was sleeping at noon, and the people in the courtyard were also quiet, so he didn't walk into the courtyard, went straight out the door, and drove back.

In the scorching summer, opera and ice cream are both slippery, fragrant, and sweet, relieving heat and reducing fire...

"Why so many?"

"Cheap, just eat~"

Old Biaozi signaled the boys to continue moving down, wiped the sweat with the towel around his neck, and explained to Li Xuewu, who had just entered the courtyard: "This truck is even cheaper than the last one. I thought it didn't cost much money anyway, so everyone can taste something fresh."

As he spoke, he plucked a handful of grapes from the truck and gestured to Li Xuewu. Seeing he didn't eat, he stuffed them all into his mouth.

Li Xuewu didn't eat because he had just finished eating small grapes, and he disliked that the grapes on the truck hadn't been washed, so how could he put them in his mouth?

He took a simple shower at Tong Huimei's place and slept for more than an hour. He was very energetic now.

"Are they all distributed?"

"Distributed, such a simple matter."

Old Biaozi gave Li Xuewu a simple report on the distribution of goods on the trade train.

Less than 70% of what he contracted here was taken away by the Rolling Mill and related factories.

Even this 70% wasn't all given to the supply and marketing cooperative; there were clients like the Procuratorate and the Judicial Court to share, which would be used to offset accounts.

Including some fruit damaged in transport, a large part would be sent to the mountain to make canned food; that side had long been prepared to be busy.

Only about 50% of the remainder would be distributed to the supply and marketing cooperative to complete city-wide distribution, including seafood and fruit. Basically, it was just this afternoon's work, and it could all be sold out.

Yellow wine wouldn't be, and yellow wine wasn't sold like this. More than half would be stored to be sold slowly, because even though the price wasn't high, it was priceless.

The market price was naturally cheap, but white wine could be seen on the shelves of the supply and marketing cooperative, while yellow wine was rarely seen.

Old Biaozi and Section Chief Ma prepared to use these yellow wines to match the scattered goods from the First Prison, including small items like chess and playing cards. Some supply and marketing cooperatives weren't willing to sell on commission or purchase, so they could only use rare items like yellow wine to make do.

Of course, it couldn't always be yellow wine. Autumn was coming, and dry goods would come down from the Northeast, which would be fine then.

"Help me pack a few bags; I'm going to visit relatives in a while."

Li Xuewu looked at the things in the basket. Seafood was naturally rare; this thing was valuable, so Old Biaozi didn't dare to take much back, just enough to taste.

Old Biaozi asked specially: "Do you want seafood?"

"Haha, what good stuff is it?"

Li Xuewu glanced at Old Biaozi and said, "No seafood, it's watery and hard to carry. Just fruit, and take a few bottles of yellow wine; I'm going to Godmother's house."

Old Biaozi laughed, feeling embarrassed, and said, "I really didn't take much; it's dead expensive."

Li Xuewu pointed at the basket, signaling him to prepare quickly, but didn't say anything more to him.

He had made an appointment with Gu Ning to take advantage of the cool afternoon to go around to Godmother's house and Master's house.

Without Gu Ning following, he wouldn't easily go to Master's house. Godmother's side had also arranged several times, wanting him to take Gu Ning to sit for a while.

Liu Yin also meant this; since Gu Ning's body allowed it, they had to go around to visit relatives.

Including the relationships of the Gu family here, Li Xuewu was prepared to go around.

Because of Gu Ning's personality and her lack of understanding of Li Xuewu, those people were embarrassed to take the initiative to come to the door.

They were all elders, so it was Li Xuewu and Gu Ning's duty to take the initiative to visit, which counted as maintaining the Gu family's relationship network here.

Except for Sun Wukong, no one jumped out of a crack in a stone. Everyone has relatives and friends, and if there is coming and going, there must be movement.

When Li Xuewu and Gu Ning arrived at Godmother's house with a bag of fruit and yellow wine, they received a warm reception from Zheng Shusen and Wang Shuhua.

They were still a bit unfamiliar with Gu Ning, as they hadn't met many times, but their relationship with Li Xuewu was casual, and they were truly warm to Gu Ning.

Gu Ning had been with Li Xuewu for a long time, and her social skills were no longer as she pleased—not wanting to talk and not talking—and she knew how to greet people.

Godmother Wang Shuhua smiled, took Gu Ning's hand, and asked about her family while asking about her situation.

When Li Xuewu came last time, he had already said that Gu Ning was pregnant, and Zheng Shusen and Wang Shuhua were also happy about it.

Their relationship with Li Xuewu and the Li family was becoming closer day by day, and their concern for the next generation was naturally sincere.

It was cooler in the courtyard this afternoon, so no one went into the room. Zheng Shusen smiled, looked at his wife who was complaining that his godson had brought things again, and greeted her to hurry to the kitchen to prepare dinner.

"Just right, we two men will drink a little tonight."

As he spoke, he pointed at the yellow wine Li Xuewu sent and said, "Just with your wine, hahahaha."

Li Xuewu also knew Godmother was strict and wouldn't let him drink too much, so he nodded with a smile at this moment.

First he went to Master's house, then to Sister Xie's house, and finally came to Godmother's house just to have dinner here.

Gu Ning wanted to stand up to help, but was stopped by Zheng Shusen with a wave of his hand, who said with a smile, "I knew you were coming, your Godmother has long been prepared; it's all ready, just put it in the pot."

Li Xuewu smiled, introduced the situation of Godmother's family to Gu Ning, and also talked about the origins of his childhood.

These were all things Li Xuewu had told her in advance, and now that they were mentioned again, it was just chatting about topics all three could talk about.

Zheng Shusen smiled and pointed at Li Xuewu, mentioning the past events of his childhood mischief.

Until the dinner table, this topic hadn't been finished, as his childhood was truly too extraordinary.

After dinner, Godmother pulled Gu Ning to talk, while Zheng Shusen, who had drunk a bit too much, pulled Li Xuewu to tell him about his melancholy.

"I'm really troubled, too troubled."

Zheng Shusen frowned and waved his hand, saying to Li Xuewu in a low voice, "The more I hide from them, the more they come to find me. The more I don't want to get involved in these things, the more they want me to get involved. It makes no sense~"

Li Xuewu listened to his godfather's "humblebrag" with a smile, knowing he was troubled about being transferred to the city to take on an important position. ===== CHAPTER 778 =====