Chapter 788: Hugging Wen San'er and crying

The Guard Third Regiment cafeteria had prepared lunch, but Li Li Xuewu didn't eat; he was truly sick of it.

It wasn't that the taste of the cafeteria food had changed, but that his heart had changed.

After eating it for a month straight, his heart couldn't help but change.

It had been agreed that he would go home for the weekend, but it turned into wanting to go home for the weekend.

Having finally completed the final finishing work, Li Li Xuewu even got into the car Han Han Jiankun had brought to pick him up with a feeling of escape.

"Director."

"Mm."

Li Li Xuewu closed the car door, pointed at the parking lot gate, and said, "Drive fast, there might be something else in a while."

Han Han Jiankun couldn't help but twitch the corners of his mouth, stepped on the gas, and drove out, his mouth still looking very tight-lipped.

Once they were out of the alley, Li Li Xuewu turned his head to glance at the Guard Third Regiment station, let out a long breath, and said, "It's finally over."

Han Han Jiankun pursed his lips tightly, not letting himself laugh out loud; he didn't even have a hint of a smile.

Li Li Xuewu, however, patted his shoulder and asked with a smile, "Do you have to maintain this silent state all the time when you're working?"

"..."

Han Han Jiankun didn't know why the leader would say that, but he still said embarrassedly, "Leader, just say what you need to say."

"Hehe~"

Li Li Xuewu had heard Qin Qin Jingru complain about him; this person was truly strange. When he was at work, his mouth was like it had a lock on it, yet when he was with her, he seemed to want to make up for all the words he hadn't said.

But it was precisely because of this persistence that Li Li Xuewu felt he was still a very qualified driver.

Han Han Jiankun drove the car directly to drop Li Li Xuewu off at home, and when he got out of the car, he even took the initiative to help Li Li Xuewu carry his luggage.

Perhaps she knew Li Li Xuewu was coming back today, or perhaps she heard the sound of the car, but before Han Han Jiankun could press the doorbell, Qin Qin Jingru had already opened the main gate.

"Brother Li~"

"Hehe, don't you recognize me anymore?"

Li Li Xuewu looked at the somewhat surprised Qin Qin Jingru and said with a smile, "Or do you think it's better for Han Jiankun to come find you alone?"

"Oh my~"

She was embarrassed, not daring to look at Han Han Jiankun, and lowered her head to go to the car to carry the other things.

Han Han Jiankun also blushed with embarrassment, carrying Li Li Xuewu's two large bags of luggage into the courtyard.

Seeing Han Han Jiankun enter the courtyard, the old lady walked out holding Li Shu.

Seeing that her father was back, Li Shu excitedly waved her little hands, wanting to be held.

The old lady smiled and placed Li Shu on the step below, letting her wobble her little body as she ran toward Li Li Xuewu.

Not having seen her for a month, the little one had grown fast, especially since her walking was much steadier.

Li Li Xuewu watched her take steps toward him, took the initiative to meet her halfway, but seeing she was walking well, he slowly retreated, trying to let her walk a few more steps.

Li Shu wasn't stupid; seeing she was about to hug her father, she discovered her father was retreating, so she immediately stood still, stomped her feet as if throwing a tantrum, and shouted loudly, "Ya~! Father~!"

"Hahahaha~"

Li Li Xuewu laughed loudly, took two steps forward, scooped his daughter into his arms, and kissed her hard twice.

Li Shu used her little hands to push her father hard, not letting him mess with her, but she was kissed again by her father on her little hand.

Looking at her own clean little hand, Li Shu frowned slightly and sniffed it, then stretched her little hand as far away as possible, crying out, "Don't want it~!"

"Hehehe~"

Li Li Xuewu's teeth itched with affection; he smiled and coaxed his daughter, who was shouting in his arms, "You don't want your own hand anymore?"

"Wuwu~ Don't want~"

Li Shu closed her eyes and acted up, her little mouth making sounds, her whole face showing disgust.

Qin Qin Jingru, who was passing by, poked her little hand and teased her with a smile, "Didn't you just say you missed your father? Why are you acting disgusted now~"

"Missed~"

Li Shu's mouth was nimble, and she enunciated her words clearly, but she was still acting up; just after saying she really missed her father, she looked at her little hand again and cried, "Stinky~!"

"Hahahaha~"

The few people standing in the courtyard couldn't stop laughing; children of this age were at the stage where their innocent words were the most amusing, especially after they learned to talk, they were even more entertaining.

Li Li Xuewu didn't have much luggage from the training, mostly dirty clothes. After taking them into the room, he invited Han Han Jiankun to sit, but he refused with a smile, saying he was going to the factory to return the car.

Qin Qin Jingru waved her hand, signaling Li Li Xuewu not to keep him, and even took the initiative to see Han Han Jiankun out.

When Li Li Xuewu carried Li Shu into the living room and spoke a few words with Gu Ning, who had come downstairs, he then asked Qin Qin Jingru, who had just entered the room, "What's wrong? Did you have a falling out?"

"No~"

Qin Qin Jingru explained while tidying up the clothes Li Li Xuewu had brought back, "Why would he cause trouble here? He should just go home after work and do whatever he needs to do~."

The old lady smiled at her and explained to Li Li Xuewu, "They've met the parents; they're preparing to get married."

"Old lady~"

Qin Qin Jingru said coquettishly, avoiding Li Li Xuewu's gaze, and carried the clothes to the bathroom.

The old lady smiled and replied, "What's there to be embarrassed about? Men should marry when they grow up, and women should marry when they grow up; it's a good match."

Li Li Xuewu smiled and bounced his daughter. The old lady took a handkerchief and wiped her hands, which finally made her change her mind and accept her little hand again.

Li Shu was still very happy when her daddy came home; she kept pulling on his face, insisting that he only talk to her.

One moment she was making him look at the new toy her uncle bought her, and the next she was making him look at the drawing she had made. When she couldn't pull on his face anymore, she noticed he kept looking at her mommy, so she reached out with her little hand to make him take her to see the fish.

The old lady watched her causing trouble and reached out with a smile to tease her, saying, "Come, let Grandma hold you, come here to Grandma."

"Hmm~~~"

Li Shu twisted her body, turned her little face away directly, and even waved her little hand in refusal.

The old lady laughed and patted her bottom, chiding, "So now Daddy is the best, and Grandma isn't good anymore, right?"

Li Shu's excitement hadn't worn off yet; she felt that Daddy was simply the best, and she whispered into his ear while hugging his neck with her little hands.

Li Li Xuewu couldn't make out what she was saying and didn't know what she was talking about, so he just nodded and agreed, which was the right thing to do.

Gu Ning was four months pregnant, and her belly was already showing. She was careful herself, and she had been walking quite steadily when she came downstairs just now.

She was naturally a person who liked peace and quiet, so Li Li Xuewu wasn't worried about her life, but he hadn't paid much attention to her work for a month and was afraid something might have happened.

Gu Ning smiled and said everything was fine; after all, her unit's nature was different from a local hospital, and nothing had happened.

She added that her colleagues at the hospital were very caring toward her, and she was no longer going into the operating room, only doing work within her capabilities.

Li Li Xuewu didn't tell her to come home to recuperate; this wasn't a difficult problem, and no matter who handled it, it wouldn't be an issue at the hospital.

But he still wanted to respect Gu Ning's wishes. As long as her physical condition allowed it, whether she went to work or stayed home to recuperate was up to her.

With the family reunited, everyone was very happy. The old lady told Qin Qin Jingru not to be in a hurry to tidy up clothes and to prepare lunch first.

Li Shu was being coaxed by her daddy, and the old lady also went to help; the two of them were used to it anyway.

In the living room, only Li Li Xuewu, Gu Ning, and Li Shu—who didn't want Daddy and Mommy to be too close—remained.

Looking at her lover's warm gaze, Gu Ning smiled slightly and reached out a bit shyly to pull at Li Li Xuewu's face, not wanting him to look at her like that.

Like a wolf~

Li Shu, however, misunderstood the situation, thinking Mommy was hitting Daddy, and stared with wide eyes in surprise.

It wasn't until she realized that both Daddy and Mommy were laughing that she knew it wasn't what she had thought.

"Mommy~"

Li Shu kicked her little legs, jumped from Li Li Xuewu's arms onto the sofa, grabbed Mommy's hand, and gestured toward Daddy, saying, "Hit!"

"Hehe~ you little rascal~"

Li Li Xuewu tickled his daughter and teased, "You want Mommy to hit Daddy?"

"Hmm!"

Li Shu nodded very seriously, as if that were exactly the case.

Gu Ning reached out to straighten the little clothes on her body and explained with a smile, "She thinks that when I hit you, you're happy and I'm happy too, and she wants us to be happy."

Li Li Xuewu finally understood and laughed, wanting to hug his daughter and kiss her, but Li Shu dodged him vigorously.

Now the child was quick-tongued and quick-legged, running fast along the sofa.

Watching her run to the other end of the sofa to hide, Li Li Xuewu looked at Gu Ning with a smile and reached out to take her hand.

Gu Ning shook it, but couldn't shake him off, so she let Li Li Xuewu hold it.

The couple was reunited after a long separation, and their sweetness was no less than that of Qin Qin Jingru and Han Han Jiankun.

Not to mention that the two of them were a proper newlywed couple.

"Where's Gu Yan?"

Having not seen Gu Yan for a long time, Li Li Xuewu finally remembered to ask.

Gu Ning pursed her lips and said, "He went back to school, saying he had to go down to the grassroots to train and study. Dad has already been asked."

Li Li Xuewu raised an eyebrow and said, "That's really a coincidence. If I had known, I would have come back to see him off."

Gu Ning shook her head slightly and said, "He was the one who didn't let me tell you, saying he'd come back here next time he's on break."

"Hehe~"

Li Li Xuewu laughed and said, "You're welcome anytime."

Gu Ning pouted at him and said, "You two are fine, but I asked you to keep an eye on him before he came, and you didn't do it at all."

"Hey~ brother-in-law and brother-in-law, how can I be strict with him?"

He caught Li Shu who had run over, hugged her for a while, and then let her run off again.

The little one only dared to run while holding onto the coffee table or the back of the sofa, and sometimes she would fall.

But she was very tough; she didn't need anyone to help her, she would climb up by herself and start running again. She just couldn't keep those little legs still and always wanted to run.

Gu Ning and he watched Li Shu together, the warmth of family affection as cozy as the sunshine outside.

It was September, and even though it was summer, it wasn't as hot as before. Autumn was coming soon, and there was a cool breeze in the scorching sun.

There was a draft in the house, which was very cool. Li Shu didn't even dare to wear a little vest; it was a short-sleeved shirt made by Yu Li.

She brought back an iron airplane and handed it to Li Li Xuewu. With one hand on the sofa, she pointed at the iron airplane in Daddy's hand with the other, her little feet stepping restlessly on the other foot, her little mouth mumbling as she explained to Daddy that this was her favorite toy.

Li Li Xuewu shook the iron airplane in his hand and asked with a smile, "Who gave it to you?"

"Uncle~!"

Li Shu tilted her little face, pouted her little mouth, and said a word, then snatched the airplane from his hand and rolled it on the ground, demonstrating to him how the toy should be played with.

The wheels under the iron airplane had a spring; you wind it up, and when you let go, it runs forward.

Li Shu still didn't quite understand how to play with it; she didn't wind it up enough, so it only ran forward for less than two steps.

But this made Li Shu incredibly proud, as if she had demonstrated something amazing to Daddy.

Li Li Xuewu cooperated by giving his daughter a surprised expression, which made Li Shu laugh even more happily.

Gu Ning rested her chin on her hand, watched the interaction between father and daughter, and said with a smile, "She finally won her uncle over. When he was leaving, he carried her to Wangfujing and bought her whatever she wanted."

Li Li Xuewu laughed, knowing his brother-in-law loved her because of him, but Li Shu was also truly lovable.

He thought this, but he didn't say it out loud; he just smiled and complained, "Never mind at home, you don't know how many tabs he ran up at the club. It's only right for him to bleed a little for his niece."

As he spoke, at Li Shu's gesture, he shifted his bottom from the sofa to the floor, leaning against Gu Ning's leg, coaxing his daughter to play with the iron airplane.

Li Shu clumsily dragged the iron airplane backward, then raised her head to look at the distance from Daddy, then let go, watching the little airplane run toward Daddy.

But she really didn't have the strength, and after a lot of effort, the airplane only ran halfway.

It didn't matter; Li Shu raised her little foot and kicked it in front of Daddy with one kick.

Li Li Xuewu picked up the iron airplane speechlessly, looking at the scars and marks on it, and knew these were all Li Shu's masterpieces.

This daughter had been a toy killer since she was little. Li Li Xuewu had tried to discipline her, and Gu Ning had too, but it was no use. When they weren't home, she still played however she wanted.

Just like this airplane, the first half was technology, and the second half was sports. Li Li Xuewu just assumed his daughter still had a talent for soccer.

At least this accuracy was much better than the national soccer team of later generations!

Lunch was very sumptuous. The old lady doted on her grandson and prepared several things he liked to eat.

Li Li Xuewu also gave her face and ate two big bowls of rice, which made the old lady laugh.

"I'm going back to the Sihe Academy this afternoon. Are you going back?"

"Staying there tonight?"

The old lady looked at her grandson with slight surprise and asked, "Aren't you going to work tomorrow?"

"I am, but I haven't been back for a month, so I'll check on the house."

Li Li Xuewu explained with a smile, "Otherwise, I'll have to wait until next weekend to go back."

The old lady hesitated, wiped Li Shu's little mouth, and said to Li Li Xuewu, "It's already afternoon, so don't bother. It'll tire you out, and it'll tire Xiao Ning out too."

As she spoke, she explained, "Your mother came over last month. Let's go back together next week."

"That's fine, I'll tell my mother, and we'll go back next week."

Li Li Xuewu teased his daughter with a smile and asked, "Are you full?"

Li Shu looked at her little belly, reached out to touch it, and then nodded seriously.

Qin Qin Jingru looked at her with a smile and explained, "She ate too much last time and her stomach felt uncomfortable. The old lady told her that if her stomach bulges, it means she's full."

As she spoke, she looked at Gu Ning again and said, "Sometimes she also mimics her mother, touching her belly to show she's full~"

"Hehe~ this little smarty-pants~"

Li Li Xuewu didn't stand up until Gu Ning and the others had finished eating. He looked at his watch, wondering where to go first.

Gu Ning looked at him and said, "Sleep upstairs before going out. It's scorching right now."

Li Li Xuewu smiled slightly and said, "Okay."

Knowing she missed him, he helped her out of the living room and walked upstairs.

"Are Mom and Dad okay?"

"Hmm."

Gu Ning's belly wasn't very big, so walking wasn't difficult, but she was careful going up the stairs, holding onto the handrail.

"Dad was in the hospital for more than ten days. After he went back, he received a transfer order and went to Jin Ling, saying he was going to prepare for a new military academy."

Li Li Xuewu frowned slightly. He knew a little about this. The military academy in Jin Ling stopped teaching this year, but it wasn't until three years later that it was rebuilt.

This was about right; after all, the size of the steel mill was insignificant compared to the whole society.

Li Li Xuewu saw that the wind in the steel mill had passed, but he forgot that the wind outside was still blowing hard.

It was indeed three years later that the Military and Political University was established on the basis of the Higher Military Academy, Jin Ling Military Academy, Political Academy, and Logistics Academy that had stopped teaching.

"That's good too. Dad's health isn't good, so it's just right for him to recuperate for a while."

Li Li Xuewu followed Gu Ning into the bedroom, watched her lie down, went to the bathroom to take a shower, and then lay down shirtless.

Gu Ning sighed slightly and said, "It's not stable in the school now, and I'm afraid Dad won't be able to rest well again."

"It's okay, there are differences between schools."

Li Li Xuewu took a palm-leaf fan and fanned her, comforting her, "Isn't Mom still there? She'll take good care of him."

Gu Ning nodded, muttered about the situation in Jin Ling, talked about her eldest brother, and finally mentioned Gu Yan again.

Don't look at how she disliked Gu Yan when he was here; after all, he was her own brother, so she was always concerned about him.

Li Li Xuewu listened to her, but in his heart, he was thinking about the steel mill and the young people of the era he lived in.

Strictly speaking, at his age, he should be participating in the progress of the era, but instead, he stood behind the era, watching coldly from the sidelines.

Some people in later generations wrote about this era, piling up words into a state of depression, telling one by one how unfortunate they were, living in this era, suffering unspeakably.

Like Liang Xiaosheng, A Cheng, Zhang Kangkang, Shi Tiesheng... they were all famous people.

However, in their writing, they only wrote about how they suffered, but not a single one honestly wrote about the things they did when they were sixteen or seventeen.

Nor did they write about how their thoughts turned into opposing everything, hating culture, and taking pride in destruction, or how a generation of young people voluntarily became ignorant.

They only complained about the era and the influence of the environment on them. They really should let Uncle Benshan tell them about the environment.

It was already past three in the afternoon when Li Li Xuewu drove to the Sihe Academy, picked up Lao Lao Biaozi, and went to the club again.

"Wu Ge, after this training is over, you won't be in such closed training again, right?"

Looking at Lao Lao Biaozi's helpless eyes, Li Li Xuewu also gave a bitter smile. He held the steering wheel with one hand and patted his shoulder with the other, saying, "Hard to say, depends on the situation."

Lao Lao Biaozi wiped his face and said with a bitter face, "I kind of understand what you said to me before."

"What did I say?"

Li Li Xuewu had said a lot to him; who knew which sentence he was referring to.

"That sentence about grass and big trees."

Lao Lao Biaozi leaned back in the passenger seat, kicked the front, and said with emotion, "You don't know what happened in the Si Jiu City this month~"

"No!"

After sighing, Lao Lao Biaozi turned to look at Li Li Xuewu and said, "Even if you were in closed training, you should have known!"

The smile on Li Li Xuewu's face disappeared, and he nodded heavily.

Just looking at the lack of hustle and bustle on the street compared to a month ago, he knew what had happened this month.

Lao Lao Biaozi said with lingering fear, "Shen Shen Guodong said that if he hadn't jumped into the car in time, he might have been driven to the countryside."

"What about you?"

Li Li Xuewu knew he hadn't been back long and should have caught the tail end of it.

Lao Lao Biaozi waved his hand, looking like he couldn't bear to look back at the past, and said, "Don't mention it, it's all upsetting."

Li Li Xuewu pursed his lips, very understanding of his brother's frustration.

"Really not planning to host anymore?"

"No, it's noisy and meaningless."

Lao Lao Biaozi looked out of the car and said, "She doesn't want this excitement either. This is quite good."

Li Li Xuewu turned the steering wheel, looked at the shop on the side of the road, and said, "What about your uncle and aunt? Did you take her back to see them?"

"I did, and I was furious."

Lao Lao Biaozi said angrily, "In their eyes, there's only their second son, not me anymore."

Without waiting for Li Li Xuewu to ask, he rambled on about how his mother didn't like this daughter-in-law and how his mother wanted the house he had.

It was the one at the entrance of the Central Academy of Drama. She also said that his third uncle wasn't coming back, and they were living at his third uncle's place, so the house at the entrance of the Central Academy of Drama was empty anyway, so it might as well be given to his younger brother's family to live in.

Lao Lao Biaozi didn't continue to say how he handled it, only mentioning Mai Mai Qinglan's kindness, how she understood his predicament, and didn't get angry at their family's indifference and neglect.

Li Li Xuewu didn't say anything to him. He was a grown man and married, so he was an adult. He didn't need to be taught what to do and what not to do.

He turned the steering wheel to the club, looked at the closed big iron gate, and honked the horn. Zhao Liu Lao Wu poked his head out of the small window in the gatehouse, took a look, and then shrank back.

Soon, the big gate was pushed open by him from the inside.

Li Li Xuewu stepped on the gas and entered the courtyard, found a shady spot to park the car, and smiled at Zhao Lao Si, who was running over from the gatehouse in a hurry, asking, "Locking the big gate in broad daylight?"

"Phew~ Comrade Li Chu, it's not that I'm timid~"

Zhao Lao Si didn't know if it was true or just an act. He caught his breath when he reached Li Li Xuewu before answering.

"You don't know that it's not peaceful on the street lately. Last time, I was almost targeted by those little brats. If I hadn't moved that old musket, something might have really happened."

Li Li Xuewu looked at Zhao Lao Si, who was sweating down his neck, and knew what he was talking about. He reached out and patted his shoulder, saying, "Thank you for your hard work."

"Hey, it's not hard work, it's what I should do."

Zhao Lao Si responded with a smile. It wasn't until he saw Li Li Xuewu take out ten yuan that he waved his hand repeatedly and said, "Comrade Li Chu, this won't do. Director Yu has already given us a bonus."

"What Director Yu gave is separate; this is what I'm giving."

Li Li Xuewu raised his hand to signal him and said, "The security section training on the mountain will end tomorrow. You guys will be relaxed. Find a time to take them out for a good meal."

"Hey! Thank you, Comrade Li Chu!"

Zhao Lao Si agreed very readily. Although he was thinking about the security section coming back tomorrow, he was very happy on the surface and kept thanking him.

Li Li Xuewu patted his shoulder and said, "When they come back tomorrow, hand over the gatehouse chores to your brother, and then bring the security section out for me. Later, take the waiters and improve the service quality."

"Yes, understood, understood!"

Zhao Lao Si was truly happy from the bottom of his heart this time. Li Li Xuewu's words meant he was going to be promoted.

Don't ask about the salary yet; if this job is done and the position is promoted, he can't just be called a gatekeeper anymore.

He was so happy being a gatekeeper before; if he became a manager, he would truly be an old-timer in this club.

"Work hard, the club will definitely be better when it officially opens next year!"

"Hey!"

Zhao Lao Si watched Li Li Xuewu and Brother Biao go to the management office with a smile. When he returned to the gatehouse, he couldn't help but tell his brother the news.

Zhao Liu Lao Wu looked at his brother, who was grinning from ear to ear, and asked, "What's the promotion from gatekeeper?"

"Don't know."

Zhao Lao Si shook his head, pursed his lips, thought for a moment, and said, "If I'm in charge of all the waiters, that must be a section chief~".

"Then this official position is really not small."

Zhao Liu Lao Wu nodded with envy and asked, "Then brother, what's your salary?"

"Hiss~~~ looking for trouble, right!"

Zhao Lao Si slapped his brother and said with a wink, "You only know how to say unpleasant things when I'm happy!"

After speaking, he raised his eyebrows and said, "Think about it, I'm a section chief now, can the salary be low in the future!"

"And!"

He gestured toward the management office outside the door and said, "Didn't Comrade Li Chu just say it? Let us work hard, the club will be better!"

"If we work hard, the club will naturally be better."

Zhao Liu Lao Wu spread his hands and said, "But what does it have to do with us? Comrade Li Chu didn't say anything about your salary~"

"Get out, get out, get out of here!"

Zhao Lao Si was very angry at his brother's salt-rubbing behavior. How could he not understand? Was he working here for the salary!

That was for the cause!

"Everything is for our common cause~"

Li Li Xuewu put down the teacup in his hand, looked at Following Lou Jie, who was full of complaints, and smiled, saying, "You've all worked hard."

Following Lou Jie shook her chin, twisted the fountain pen in her hand, and said, "It seems like we've all been working for your cause~"

"That... Wu Ge, how about I go to the bathroom first?"

Lao Lao Biaozi was quite observant. Hearing that Following Lou Jie's tone wasn't right, he hurried to run away.

Li Li Xuewu glared at him, then turned to Following Lou Jie and said with a smile, "How can you say that? Everyone for me, and I for everyone. Who dares to say this isn't your cause?"

Following Lou Jie twitched the corners of her mouth, drooped her eyelids, and said, "Then why do I only see us busy, but not you? You promised to contact us once a week, where are you?"

"I can't be blamed for that."

Li Li Xuewu said with a bitter smile, "The security brigade is being reorganized, everyone is busy, even Wang Wang Xiaoqin can't get out. How could I have the nerve to go home for the weekend?"

As he spoke, he hurriedly waved his hand to signal Lao Lao Biaozi to sit down, and at the same time asked, "Tell me about the trip to the Northeast."

Following Lou Jie's resentment was obviously very strong, and she didn't want to talk about this, so she could only let Lao Lao Biaozi speak.

Bringing him here today was also because he thought that in the future, Following Lou Jie would go to Hong Kong, and Lao Lao Biaozi would be in the mainland, so there would be more contact and cooperation between the two of them, and they should get used to each other as soon as possible.

Lao Lao Biaozi looked at Following Lou Jie, then coughed and said, "Let's talk about the steel city first..."

The steel city matter was mainly divided into two parts: the public business of the steel mill and the public business of the recycling station.

The steel mill side was Li Li Xuewu letting them represent him to contact Dong Wenxue. On one hand, it was to let Dong Wenxue know he had sent someone over, and on the other hand, he couldn't go himself and needed someone to bring back first-hand information.

Taking the materials from Lao Lao Biaozi's hand and listening to Lao Lao Biaozi's introduction, he realized that the steel city's movements were not small.

First was the steel mill. Under Dong Wenxue's chairmanship, more than half of the steel furnaces were converted to smelt special steel and alloy steel. The scope of steel usage was small, but the demand was particularly large.

On the premise of satisfying their own use, they had already begun to provide raw materials to other steel rolling mills and production enterprises.

This was a great improvement, proving that the steel mill had the ability to complete the production of special materials.

This had to be credited to the system of this era. God knows how many furnaces of steel the steel mill had smelted before reaching today's results.

It was precisely because of the current foundation of alloy steel materials that Li Li Xuewu dared to engage in industrial production bases here.

With the financial resources and size of the steel rolling mill, factories could be built at will. Looking at the factories prepared by the joint enterprise, it wasn't very difficult to build a factory.

But what Li Li Xuewu wanted to build was a production base, a supporting industry that covered most target factories.

Simply put, in the production base, there were engine production plants, transmission production plants, automotive steel frame production plants... The products of these production plants were then supplied to the automobile manufacturing plant to be assembled into finished automobiles.

This was a production base. Although Li Li Xuewu told Xia Xia Zhongquan that he wanted to hand over most of the parts to other factories for production, the parts that had to be processed and produced by himself had to be placed in the steel city.

For example, engines and transmissions were core technologies and the soul of automobiles.

Some factories currently produced parts that didn't reach the average level, and the defect rate was relatively high. Quality could be controlled when used in other parts of the automobile, but there was no way to control the quality when assembling key parts such as engines and transmissions.

Li Li Xuewu was very ambitious. The automobile he wanted to build now was only the first generation, intended to build the foundation and get the automobile factory running.

He had more than ten years to develop the automobile industry, and he had confidence in standing firm in the future.

The transformation of the steel rolling mill had to be supported by core industries. Automobiles were a very excellent track. At least compared to other enterprises, the steel rolling mill had to take fewer detours.

After the steel mill completed the smelting upgrade of special steel and alloy steel, it began the design work for industrial production according to the design drawings provided by Li Li Xuewu.

When Dong Wenxue received the drawings, he was also surprised. Weren't these things produced by the tool factory? What was so strange about them?

However, after calling the engineers transferred from the steel mill and steel rolling mill to study them, they discovered that this was a complete set of maintenance tools.

Take screwdrivers, for example. Different types, sizes, and usage environments would require Phillips, flat-head, and various models.

Then there were wrenches, not to mention various models, flat-head wrenches, torque wrenches... A whole set couldn't be underestimated.

The drawings provided by Li Li Xuewu were divided into two types: industrial integrated boxes and household integrated boxes.

The industrial ones were particularly complete, while the household ones were only suitable for daily hardware tools for home maintenance.

On the design drawings, all the soul drawings he gave Xia Xia Zhongquan were modified into standardized industrial drawings.

Of course, he also insisted on retaining the original exquisite and beautiful characteristics under Li Li Xuewu's repeated requests, changing the "silly, big, black, and rough" style learned from the old Russians, striving for beauty and practicality.

In particular, the industrial integrated boxes and household integrated boxes were carefully designed, striving for convenience, practicality, beauty, and generosity.

When Lao Lao Biaozi talked about these projects, he also mentioned that he was surprised by the toolboxes that could be pushed and the toolboxes that looked particularly beautiful when carried during his study tour.

He had never seen such a highly integrated tool set in his life.

Hardware tools were the sharp weapon Li Li Xuewu wanted to use to open the "international market." The things didn't have much technological content, mainly focusing on being sturdy, durable, beautiful, and novel.

He didn't ask how much money this thing could earn him; he just wanted to ensure that it could open the market for the steel city's trade projects.

Household sets must sell well, but the profit is thin, so they can attack the foreign market.

Industrial sets have limited usage environments, but the profit is high, so they can attack domestic factory procurement, and they can also make money.

Lao Lao Biaozi also mentioned something Li Li Xuewu cared about most, and that was nail clippers.

This thing was really small, but it wasn't easy to make, and the steel requirements were high. Currently, only a small workshop in the south did it well.

Li Li Xuewu wanted to industrialize the production of this thing and take the first pot of gold.

Don't look at this thing as a daily necessity; it sells cheaply, but the cost is low. The one made by the small workshop sells for a few cents.

The one produced by the steel mill also sells for a few cents, and the cost can be reduced to a few cents.

Selling nail clippers might not earn less than selling hardware tools and automobiles, because some people can't afford toolboxes or automobiles, but they can definitely afford nail clippers.

The key is that people who can afford toolboxes and automobiles might not buy these things again in their lifetime, but people who buy nail clippers might buy many in their lifetime.

Just like the military factory Li Li Xuewu wanted to engage in, he would start by picking the ones that were particularly needed now, earn money first, and then come back to develop the main products.

There was no factory in the country specializing in the production of special vehicles or light jeeps. They all aimed for high load and high technology, but Li Li Xuewu insisted on engaging in low-end ones.

The 212 sells for 30,000, so the Red Star Jeep sells for 7,000!

The 212 dares to sell for 20,000, so the Red Star Jeep dares to sell for 5,000!

The Red Star Jeep can sell for as low as 3,000. Li Li Xuewu didn't believe the 212 could sell for 3,000. It was a price war.

The appearance was more beautiful, and it could satisfy most daily uses. Li Li Xuewu didn't believe the cars wouldn't sell.

Lao Lao Biaozi talked about the automobile production plant. The steel mill had already left a spot for it, just waiting for the industrial production plan from here.

Li Li Xuewu was also anxious, but anxiety was useless. He couldn't point a gun at Xia Xia Zhongquan to do research.

"Talk about the shipyard."

"Shipyard..."

Lao Lao Biaozi saw that Wu Ge didn't want to hear the report on car manufacturing anymore, turned the page, and began to talk about shipbuilding.

Shipbuilding was much smoother than car manufacturing. The key was that the steel mill picked up a big bargain.

The factory had problems, funds began to freeze, and the economy began to decline. It wasn't just one factory's business, and it wasn't just the Beijing steel rolling mill that encountered it; the steel city was also affected.

Everyone was engaged in big studies this year. It was said that the northern provinces had already reached the autumn harvest season, but the crops in the fields were ignored and left there.

The people above were anxious, but some people felt the fire wasn't big enough and hurriedly added firewood.

The Yingcheng Shipyard was on the edge of the estuary of the steel city's inland river. Every time a cargo ship from the Dongfeng Shipping Company passed through the estuary, they could see the shipyard over there.

Speaking of the Yingcheng Shipyard, it had to start from the news of the 10,000-ton giant ship launching from the Bincheng Shipyard in the 1950s. This event shocked the whole country.

Yingcheng said, we can't fall behind either. We are both by the sea; if they can build ships, we can too.

So they chose the shipyard left over from the era of the great powers for merger and transformation.

How should I put it? The ideal was good, but reality was a blow to the head.

The technical level and ability of the early shipyard were acceptable, but the old Russians had scraped the ground here, and the important machinery was gone. Cement piers alone were useless.

Many shipyards were abandoned, overgrown with reeds, and formed ponds.

Finally, they cleared the wasteland, dug mud, rebuilt factory buildings, reopened ship docks, and mobilized various machines to start building this big project.

If they had really persisted, it would have been built. The key was that they caught up with this year, and the shipyard was paralyzed directly.

Misfortunes never come singly.

The design department gritted their teeth and wanted to persist, but there was no steel. Whether it was the workshop or other machinery, a clever woman couldn't cook without rice!

Because the steel mill produced steel, they knew about this news and took the initiative to communicate and negotiate with the Yingcheng side.

Originally, Yingcheng didn't intend to give up. After all, this was a big project that had been going on for nearly ten years. They had invested too much, and it was almost finished.

It was just this last bit. If they really said they would give up, no one dared to say it.

But they didn't agree, and the steel mill wasn't in a hurry. Without steel, the shipyard had to stop work. They were too busy with activities to care about this.

In the middle of last month, the shipyard couldn't persist anymore. The Yingcheng side didn't want to carry this big burden anymore and took the initiative to find the steel mill to talk about cooperation and wanted to build ships with joint shares.

How could Dong Wenxue do wedding clothes for others? He insisted on acquisition, full equity acquisition, including the shipyard's workers and machinery, because of the steel rolling mill's management requirements.

Yingcheng dragged it out for a few days, but there was really no way, so they could only sell the Yingcheng Shipyard to the steel mill for 1.5 million.

Li Li Xuewu looked at the materials in his hand, which listed the funds and steel quantity required to complete the shipyard.

As long as Li Huai De supported it, this matter would definitely succeed. 1.5 million, a big bargain picked up for nothing.

The important thing was that with a shipyard, it was equivalent to having a port in Yingcheng.

The steel city was an inland city. Although there was a big river connecting to the sea, Li Li Xuewu didn't dare to bet on when that big river would dry up.

By then, if a 1,000-ton cargo ship ran aground on the river beach, Li Li Xuewu would cry with Wen San'er and wouldn't be able to find the tune.