Chapter 839: Shout

Why make a move against Zhang Zhang Wanhe?

This was a question Wen San'er understood clearly.

But then, why spare his life?

And even send Zhang Zhang Wanhe to Gangcheng?

In Wen San'er's view, once Li Li Xuewu made a move, it meant faces were torn off; it was either them dead or him alive.

The evening wind on the embankment tangled his thoughts, and accompanied by the chill from the river channel, his body began to tremble slightly.

What exactly was Li Li Xuewu up to!

At the dinner table, Li Li Xuewu had said he invited Zhang Zhang Wanhe to Jingcheng, but since Zhang was unwilling, he had arranged for him to come to Gangcheng instead.

He had interrogated Da Da Qiangzi, forcing the other party to bow his head; so who was the raised plank ultimately going to fall upon?

Was it Zhang Zhang Wanhe, an old steelyard horse still ambitious in his stall, or Da Da Qiangzi, who had developed second thoughts but lacked the guts to act on them?

Li Li Xuewu's methods of manipulating human hearts were truly beyond Wen San'er's ability to learn or comprehend.

Tonight's dinner party reeked of strangeness from every corner; seeing how composed Li Li Xuewu was when he left made it clear the matter was already settled.

But at exactly which step had it been settled?

The more Wen San'er thought, the more confused he became; the alcohol surged to his head, and habitually, he squatted down again.

"Third Uncle?"

"Oh, oh, Zhou Changli."

Zhou Zhou Changli's voice came from below the embankment, startling Wen San'er.

He answered with a grunt, watching as the other man switched on a flashlight, and dazedly raised a hand to shield his eyes.

"How did you come up here?"

"Third Auntie was worried something might happen to you."

Because Zhou Zhou Changli followed his martial uncle in calling Li Li Xuewu "Brother," he played the clever card here too, following Li Li Xuewu's lead and calling Wen San'er "Uncle."

That title of "Uncle" was well earned; seeing Zhou Zhou Changli was so adept, Wen San'er directly appointed him as a minor cadre in charge of personnel under his command.

No need to stand in the wind at the docks, no need to suffer the sun on the boats; he could sit in the office, smoke cigarettes, and earn his money.

He climbed up the embankment, switched off the flashlight in his hand, looked at Wen San'er squatting on the dam crest, and asked hesitantly, "What's wrong with you?"

"Nothing, just thinking about some things."

Wen San'er still had that cigarette dangling from his lips, making his speech sound slurred and indistinct.

Zhou Zhou Changli tugged at his jacket, glanced into the distance, and noted that the wind up on the dam crest was quite strong.

"Don't catch a cold from the blowing wind, Third Auntie is waiting for you; how about we go down?"

"Mm, let's go down, go home."

Wen San'er pushed himself up with his hands on his knees, glanced down below the embankment, and asked, "Have they all rested?"

"Who are you asking about?"

Zhou Zhou Changli asked first, then realized, glanced at Wen San'er, and said, "Zhou Zhou Ziqiang is in the office smoking, and Manager Zhang has lain down."

"Oh, oh."

Wen San'er responded casually as if just acknowledging the sound, took a step downward, and asked again, "What do you think of the work at the docks right now?"

"Not much to speak of."

Zhou Zhou Changli curled his lip and said, "Exhaustingly damn tiring, and utterly meaningless; I haven't seen a single Miss in ten days or half a month."

"Third Uncle, you have no idea; right now, even looking at Pig Seven from that village over there who comes to herd pigs, I think she rivals Diao Chan!"

Even as he said this, his hand knew to support Wen San'er a little, yet the nonsense pouring from his mouth showed no mercy.

"If it weren't for my whole heart being devoted to my career, wanting to rise above others and repay Brother Wu's kindness in recognizing my talent, I would have long ago entered the city to find a Miss!"

"Tsk~~~ Your mouth really can talk."

Wen San rubbed his forehead; the cold wind up there had already affected him, and now, with all this chatter, he suddenly felt a headache coming on.

"You few aren't any good either, giving those Misses nicknames; if the production team finds out, they'll definitely come over and beat you up."

These bad boys from Jingcheng had all rushed over to join Zhou Zhou Changli, and since he was the one in charge, a small clique naturally formed.

These lads, suddenly transferred from Jingcheng to this poor, remote backwater, had nearly wreaked havoc across all the villages within ten li and eight hamlets.

What was wicked was that none of them intended to find a partner; instead, they ranked the village girls by appearance and assigned them nicknames.

The one who often came to the riverside to herd pigs ranked seventh, so they called her Pig Seven, making fun of people for their own amusement.

"It would be somewhat interesting if someone came to pick a fight; I'm just afraid no one will come."

Zhou Zhou Changli looked at Wen San'er and said, "Third Uncle, is something the matter? If there is, just say the word; we are all here for you."

"What matter?"

Wen San'er twitched the corner of his mouth and said, "No matter at all; just quietly get on with your work."

"Don't try to fool me!"

Zhou Zhou Changli tugged Wen San'er's arm and said, "Just now at the dinner table, I nearly thought we'd have to draw guns and shoot at each other, and you still say nothing's wrong!"

"Go on! Don't talk nonsense; there's no such thing."

Wen San'er waved his hand and said, "We are a united team, a friendly family, we are..."

"Say it! Keep saying it!"

Zhou Zhou Changli curled the corner of his mouth and said, "Can't make it up anymore, right? After saying that, even you feel it's ridiculously fake, don't you!"

Seeing Wen San'er fall silent, he leaned closer and asked in a low voice, "Is it about making a move against Chen Jicheng?"

"Do you want to go?"

Wen San'er had drunk quite a lot tonight, but at this moment, his mind was perfectly clear.

Since Zhou Zhou Changli had asked, he simply went along with the topic.

"I'd like to go, but can Wu Ge take me?"

Zhou Zhou Changli said helplessly, "In his eyes, I'm only slightly better than Zhao Zhao Lao Si."

"Don't be too confident."

Wen San'er sighed and said, "If he thought you were stronger than Zhao Zhao Lao Si, the one staying in Jingcheng should be you."

After speaking, he looked at the shocked Zhou Zhou Changli and said with a smile, "Who do you think he values more: the person he personally trained, or the one he let me train?"

"On what grounds!"

Only now did Zhou Zhou Changli react, saying indignantly, "In what way is that Zhao Zhao Lao Si better than me!"

"In Jingcheng, he's just one of my subord—"

"Say it, go on~"

Wen San'er mimicked his tone from just now, saying with a smile, "Finally getting the flavor, aren't you? You know what's going on yourself, don't you?"

"But don't be discouraged; following Third Uncle will still lead to a bright future!"

As he said this, he solemnly patted the other's shoulder, adding, "Following him, you'll only become more domineering; it may be glorious, but behind that glory lies hardship."

"Following Third Uncle is different! Third Uncle will teach you strategy, teach you scheming, teach you to plan within the command tent and decide victory a thousand li away..."

"Third Uncle."

Zhou Zhou Changli raised his hand to scratch his chin and said, "Actually, glory is pretty good too; I wouldn't mind being a bit more domineering..."

Hearing this, Wen San'er gestured dissatisfiedly toward the river and said, "The crabs in the river are domineering; go learn from them."

"Hey, hey, hey, don't get angry."

Seeing Wen San'er wave his arm and walk away, Zhou Zhou Changli hurriedly chased after him, asking softly, "You haven't said yet—is Wu Ge going to deal with that Jicheng crowd?"

"If you need anyone, my fist and foot skills are still quite decent."

He volunteered, saying, "I wouldn't dare claim ten or eight, nor even three or five, but one or two is manageable."

"Foolish boy, the times have changed."

Wen San'i stopped in his tracks, patted his shoulder, and said, "Do you really think that since he personally went to Jicheng, he still needs fist and foot skills?"

Zhou Zhou Changli froze instantly; reminded by Wen San'er, he suddenly remembered what methods Li Li Xuewu always used in Jingcheng.

"It doesn't matter; as I said, following Third Uncle also offers prospects."

Wen San'er said in a seemingly comforting tone, "Following him, you won't learn anything useful; you'll just think 'bang bang bang' can solve every problem!"

"Great skill appears clumsy; we must focus on strategy and play with scheming..."

"Just say 'conspiracy and trickery'."

Zhou Zhou Changli sighed and asked, "You're leaving, aren't you? Where to? Will you take me?"

"Ai~~~ Now that sounds a bit clever."

Wen San'er smiled and said, "Rest assured; if you're willing to follow Third Uncle when the time comes, I'll take you to play something big."

"How big?"

Zhou Zhou Changli caught up with Wen San'er's pace and pressed, "Bigger than Zhu Qi's? Is it true!"

"Hers didn't look small to me; when chasing pigs, they bounced up and down; they must be at least..."

"Uncle is back!"

Just as Li Li Xuewu entered the courtyard, Fu Fu Zhidong's voice came from the second-floor window.

By the time he entered the door, Fu Fu Zhidong was already standing at the entrance to welcome him.

"Uncle!"

"What time is it? Why aren't you asleep yet!"

Li Li Xuewu put down the two bags in his hands, smiled warmly, and lifted Fu Fu Zhidong, who was standing on the stairs, into his arms.

Fu Fu Zhidong laughed "giggle giggle"; although so sleepy his eyes could barely stay open, he stubbornly insisted, "If Uncle doesn't sleep, I won't sleep!"

"Hehe~"

Li Li Xuewu glanced at Zhou Wang Yamei coming down the stairs and said, "If you don't sleep, how can Mom sleep? If Mom doesn't sleep, how can Uncle sleep?"

Zhou Wang Yamei shot him a glare, took the child from Li Li Xuewu's arms, set him on the ground, and said, "Uncle is back; go to sleep."

"I still want to play a little longer."

Fu Fu Zhidong hugged Li Li Xuewu's thigh and wouldn't let go, trying to hold on a bit longer.

Li Li Xuewu smiled, rubbed the boy's head, and said, "Let's go upstairs together; Uncle will watch you fall asleep."

"Okay!"

Not daring to meet his mother's gaze, Fu Fu Zhidong turned and ran up the stairs first.

Li Li Xuewu gestured toward the two bags at the door and said, "My rations."

Having said that, he changed into slippers and headed upstairs.

Zhou Wang Yamei paid no attention to Li Li Xuewu's words; watching the two most important men in her life go upstairs, she then went to tidy up the "rations" at the door.

One bag of white flour, one bag of rice; both were hundred-jin bags; she had no idea how this person had carried them in.

He claimed these were rations for eating while staying here, yet he brought so much but would only stay two or three days!

Too much to eat, not staying long—isn't this...

She couldn't move them herself; she could only wait for Li Li Xuewu to come back down.

Smelling the alcohol on him, she turned and went to the kitchen.

By the time Li Li Xuewu came downstairs, the hot noodle soup was just ready, with an egg added to the bowl.

"It's too much; today I pickled half and sent some to my mother's place."

While explaining, Zhou Wang Yamei took the Mao Jin from Li Li Xuewu's hand, quickly wiped his hair, and gestured for him to eat while it was still hot.

Li Li Xuewu paid no heed to her explanation, picking at the noodles in his bowl as he asked, "Where has the old lady moved to?"

"Back to her old home; there's still a house there."

Zhou Wang Yamei explained casually, "I didn't agree to them coming into the city back then; he was the one insisting on saving face."

Having said that, she cut off the topic; she didn't want to bring up past matters again.

Li Li Xuewu had truly drunk two cups tonight, and with nothing substantial in his stomach, that first mouthful of noodles sliding down really did feel warm.

By the end of September in the Northeast, the weather turns cool—truly cool—and by nightfall, it becomes cold.

On the way back, he even saw members of a production team burning fires at the field edges, fearing the sorghum in the fields would be damaged by the settling cold air.

Following the old lady's instructions, Qin Qin Jingru had a leather jacket in his luggage, the very one Gu Ning had given him last year.

Standing on the river embankment talking with Wen San'er at night, Li Li Xuewu could feel the cold air drilling into his clothes.

At this moment, Zhou Wang Yamei had closed all the windows; as the room's temperature rose, he felt his nose itching—he hoped he wasn't catching a cold.

"Since you're close to home, visit more often; are you still working at the hospital?"

"No, I stopped going long ago."

Zhou Wang Yamei wiped her hands, looked at Li Li Xuewu, and said, "The family next door moved away last month; some young people arrived and caused quite a ruckus."

"Did anything happen to you here?"

Li Li Xuewu glanced at her and asked, "You must have been frightened, right?"

"I was fine, but Fu Zhidong got a scare; he was playing in the courtyard."

Zhou Wang Yamei sighed helplessly, saying, "They claimed to be chasing someone from Fengcheng and slapped on the label of 'capitalist roader'."

"If anyone asks about this place, just say it was allocated by the factory and that everyone in the family is a worker."

Li Li Xuewu drank the noodle broth from his bowl and said, "Things are very chaotic lately; if there's no urgent business, don't wander outside. Do you still have money and ration coupons?"

"Yes, I do."

Seeing Li Li Xuewu speaking seriously, Zhou Wang Yamei nodded and said, "Every month, Third Uncle sends someone to deliver supplies; it's enough for me and the child."

"That's good."

Li Li Xuewu nodded, gesturing toward his bowl, and asked, "Is there any more broth? Give me a little."

"Drink less; it's already evening, and it won't digest well."

Though she said this, she still ladled some more noodle broth from the pot for him.

While eating, Li Li Xuewu said, "The wine tonight didn't sit well; my chest feels blocked with qi, so I didn't dare eat, fearing it would hurt my stomach."

"If you know it hurts your stomach, why did you get angry?"

Zhou Wang Yamei chided him lightly, walked over, reached out to touch his abdomen, and found it still cold.

"It's fine now; the warmth is rising."

Li Li Xuewu smiled at her and said, "These noodles warm the stomach."

Zhou Wang Yamei's mouth twitched slightly, and she sat down on the chair beside him.

"Did Steel City encounter some difficulty that required your personal presence?"

She asked, then added comfortingly, "I don't understand what you're doing, but your health is more important; you must pay attention to safety."

"Mm, I understand."

Li Li Xuewu finished the noodles in a few bites, didn't drink more broth, but wiped his mouth and said, "I won't be back tomorrow night; I need to go to Chen Jicheng to handle some matters."

Seeing her worried expression, he smiled and explained further, "It's official business; the Rolling Steel Factory needs to establish an office in Chen Jicheng, so I must go over and inspect."

"Don't worry."

Li Li Xuewu took her hand and said, "There is nothing in this world that can stump me; just set your mind at ease and don't worry about me."

Zhou Wang Yamei was no longer a young girl who could be fooled by a few words; she saw the murderous intent between Li Li Xuewu's brows clearly.

As a psychiatrist, how could she fail to see the sharp edge in his words and the surging murderous aura?

This person carried too heavy a burden; he hid everything in his heart, his speech lacked seriousness, yet the pressure within him seemed to grow ever greater.

But what could she do? If Li Li Xuewu would listen to advice or accept her treatment, there would surely come a day when this pressure dissipated.

The reality was that Li Li Xuewu kept a gun ready even while sleeping; his vigilance had never weakened.

Exactly how many people had he offended!

She wanted to help Li Li Xuewu; since forceful methods wouldn't work, she could only try soft ones.

Mm, the real kind.

They say tenderness is like water that tempers steel; here with Zhou Wang Yamei, Li Li Xuewu deeply experienced this truth.

He also rather favored this form of psychological treatment; after all, any way of relaxing is still relaxing.

Moreover, she was a psychiatrist; he had to follow the doctor's orders.

It was just that this psychiatrist had rather many requirements; sometimes she told him to go faster, other times she said to go slower.

"Leader, a call from Jingcheng; the situation has changed."

While Li Li Xuewu was leading a team to inspect the industrial development plans for the steel mill and shipyard, Sha Sha Qizhi approached him and whispered this reminder.

"Understood."

First nodding, he finished reading the document in his hand, then Li Li Xuewu stood up and walked out.

Once they reached the corridor, Sha Sha Qizhi began reporting, "News from Jingcheng says the upper levels have expressed dissatisfaction with the Party Committee's interference in the progress of the Great Study Campaign."

"The specific situation is defined as: the Temporary Party Committee has constrained and limited the development of the Great Study Campaign, fundamentally..."

Standing by the window, Li Li Xuewu listened while pondering his words.

The current situation was definitely not an isolated phenomenon; it was clearly a signal, and further developments and actions would surely follow.

Judging by Li Li Huai De's conduct while in the capital, it wasn't hard for him to guess that the crux of the issue lay with this Temporary Party Committee.

Yang Yang Yuansong had borrowed momentum from outside to temporarily seize the initiative, but such momentum comes quickly and goes just as fast.

It was obvious that Li Li Huai De had seen through this; his previous trip to Jinmen was to hide away, and this time coming to Gangcheng was no different.

He did not want to catch this wind, nor did he want to get entangled in this karma; if Yang Yang Yuansong wanted to jump, then he would let him jump, treating it all as watching a monkey show.

As for those people in the factory, counting them one by one, there was not a single one whom Li Li Huai De trusted completely.

Xiang Xiang Jingyu, who was most likely to cause problems, was in Gangcheng, and Li Li Xuewu, for whom any problem would be a major issue, was also in Gangcheng, so what did he have to fear!

Now this turmoil was within his control, perfectly suited to expose the bottom line and see who had problems.

Yang Yang Yuansong would not be able to stir up much of a wave this time; when he returned to clean up the mess, it would not take much effort to sweep away his greatest obstacle at the Rolling Steel Factory.

With neither the hearts of the people nor support from above, this move by Yang Yang Yuansong was truly vile and tasteless, a complete disgrace.

At this moment, Li Li Huai De probably could not help but laugh out loud; was this not Heaven itself helping him?

The last stumbling block was moving itself out of the way through its own self-destruction; those who did not know better might truly think there was something wrong with Yang Yang Yuansong's brain.

But this judgment relied on knowing key information in advance; Li Li Huai De had created an information gap.

If Yang Yang Yuansong had known this matter could not succeed, he would not have been so reckless.

The hardest thing to buy in this world is regret medicine; compared to regret medicine, what is more terrifying is stubborn persistence in the midst of despair.

Yang Yang Yuansong was now in exactly this state of mind; seeing that he was about to fall into a ditch, he still could not help but step on the accelerator.

News from Gangcheng naturally did not travel as fast as from Jingcheng; Yang Yang Yuansong had received this wind long ago, blowing until he felt chilled to the bone, icy and piercing, with his limbs going numb.

There was no point thinking about a way out; from the moment he decided to personally enter the arena and gamble, he had cut off that path himself.

And when he pinned his hopes on Zhang Zhang Guoqi, that piece of material nearly scared him to death.

The few shouts he made at the hospital were like the excited cries of gamblers before revealing the dice; he could already see the shadow of the dice.

At that time, he was thinking, if a triple came up, would it not be a clean sweep?

Everyone in Li Li Huai De's faction would be cleared away, returning a bright and clear universe to the Rolling Steel Factory.

By then, having controlled the Management Committee, maintained the integrity of the organization, and ensured the Rolling Steel Factory settled smoothly, he would be the factory's greatest contributor.

Who does not want to grasp all power in one hand, who does not want to point at Jiangshan and wield influence with vigor? If the Management Committee was to be ruled by one person, he felt he was more suitable to sit in that position.

In his view, he was the most selfless and also the most valuable person for the Rolling Steel Factory.

Now a wind blew over, and all these thoughts became like dreams, illusions, bubbles, and shadows, wavering as if about to burst.

He had never thought that at over forty years old, he would still have to use his political life to interpret an idiom—a trapped beast still fights.

On the third day after Li Li Huai De's departure, he finally saw through the arrangements and attitude the other party had displayed at Monday's meeting.

To learn that what defeated him was not an opponent but his own ignorance was, for a cadre with rich experience in struggle, more unbearable than being shot.

Li Li Huai De had fully adopted the posture of retreating to advance; if he waited for the other party to return, or let the situation develop in a more deteriorating direction, he would have an even worse outcome.

Therefore, now he could only follow the path the other party had given him, walking down one road until it turned completely black.

It was too ruthless; Yang Yang Yuansong felt a slight pain in his chest, forced himself to pick up the phone, and called Xue Xue Zhifu.

There was no pouring out of helplessness, nor any pretense of pity; there was only him, in his capacity as a high-ranking official, exerting the maximum pressure he could on the discipline and supervision work.

"Investigate, we must investigate this until the water clears and the bottom is revealed!"

He spoke harsh words and showed his attitude, intending to fight until either the fish dies or the net breaks, placing himself in a position of certain death to find a way to live.

Li Li Huai De did not want to kill him, nor would he target him within the Rolling Steel Factory; there was only the torment and manipulation similar to what was done to Yang Yang Fengshan.

Only when the halos around them gradually faded would that be the time for Li Li Huai De to relax his vigilance against them and leave them alone.

Therefore, to break this deadlock, he had no choice but to harden his skin and actively scatter this halo around himself.

Since Xue Xue Zhifu had already made his choice, he would fulfill the other party's wish.

Knowing he was not a petty person who curried favor with the powerful, Yang Yang Yuansong also needed to preserve strength and sparks for the organization.

Therefore, at this moment, the break with Xue Xue Zhifu appeared especially necessary.

Not only toward Xue Xue Zhifu, but toward everyone inside the Rolling Steel Factory, he had to tear off his face and act crazily.

Only then would Li Li Huai De not fear him or dread the influence he possessed.

They were all old comrades; he could guess what the other party was thinking, so he gritted his teeth and did it.

The Discipline and Supervision office of the Rolling Steel Factory received pressure from the Secretary, demanding they increase the intensity of interrogating Zhang Zhang Guoqi and strengthen the search for those assets and suspicious locations he had mentioned.

This request was nearly explicitly telling them to investigate Director Li, or plainly saying to go to Director Li's home and see if there were any Ke Yi Wu Pin.

What could Xue Xue Zhifu do?

He could only withstand the pressure, giving the people of Discipline and Supervision the time and space to handle this case well.

The hint Li Li Xuewu gave him was already very clear; those twenty-four characters were the bottom line Li Li Huai De had set for him.

Doing work without anyone managing it is fine, but it must be reasonable and evidence-based; if one truly crosses the line, then it is no longer doing work, but working against others.

Gu Gu Weijie was another person who received pressure from Secretary Yang, just like him.

Yang Yang Yuansong demanded she complete the reconstruction and restoration of grassroots Party organizations as soon as possible, restoring the organization's leadership and management status in as short a time as possible.

This demand could not be said to be wrong; it could only be said that the timing demanded was wrong.

With the Great Study Campaign happening outside, were you asking the interior of the Rolling Steel Factory to oppose the Great Study Campaign?

Was this not stimulating the nerves of the grassroots, which had just regained calm yet were particularly sensitive?

Who would dare to commit such an act against the will of the world? You may be the Secretary, but I cannot listen to you either.

Gu Gu Weijie's reply to him was not very sharp; she understood the Secretary's current predicament very well, so she only said the timing was not ripe and that she would handle this matter as soon as possible.

How fast is "as soon as possible" when spoken in the offices?

It is the kind of fast meant by "surely next time"!

After Sha Sha Qizhi finished reporting, Li Li Xuewu went to find Li Li Huai De.

The two of them discussed matters regarding the Jinmen Office, from which news had also arrived.

Due to the large capital investment and proximity to Jingcheng, the development of the Jinmen Office had surpassed later arrivals, completing its tasks even faster than Yuezhou.

Zhuang Zhuang Cangshu, stationed in Jinmen, knew Li Li Xuewu's style of handling affairs very clearly, so he acted entirely according to reality.

Li Li Huai De's visit was crystal clear to him; the leadership had also stated explicitly that Tianmen would henceforth be managed and operated as a trade center.

As the first director, his attitude and views toward Li Li Xuewu were of paramount importance.

Simply put, he was required to report his work to Li Li Xuewu.

What Li Li Xuewu intended to discuss with Li Li Huai De was not limited to the work of the Tianmen office; it also included the already operational Yuezhou office, the Wucheng office which had been running for over half a year, and the Jicheng office which had not yet commenced operations.

Establishing offices in several key cities initially focused on resource exchange and geographical advantages.

This also provided experience and guiding direction for the future establishment of other offices.

Li Li Xuewu was currently summarizing and consolidating this work content into a guiding plan to facilitate trade expansion next year.

Li Li Huai De greatly admired Li Li Xuewu's method of thinking ten steps ahead while taking one, understanding and supporting this approach even more.

Regarding the development and construction plan proposed by Li Li Xuewu, he also summoned Xiang Xiang Jingyu, who was inspecting work here, and Dong Wenxue, the top leader of the Steel Plant.

The four of them conducted a comprehensive discussion and study of this plan from their respective perspectives.

Finally, they instructed the office to implement and summarize the matters as soon as possible to form a report for submission to the Management Committee for deliberation.

Li Li Xuewu emerged from the small conference room, saw Sha Sha Qizhi waiting for him, exchanged a word with Dong Wenxue who had come out together with him, and then walked outward.

Steel Plant Guesthouse.

The room prepared for Li Li Xuewu here had never been used by him, yet it had to be kept open; otherwise, how could one explain where the deputy secretary of the factory was staying while in Steel City?

Returning to the room on the third floor, Lao Lao Biaozi and Mai Mai Qinglan were already waiting inside.

Seeing Li Li Xuewu enter the room, both stood up; Lao Lao Biaozi offered greetings, and Mai Mai Qinglan followed suit, calling out "Wu Ge."

Li Li Xuewu reached back to close the door, then walked in, waving his hand to signal them to sit down.

"Was the journey smooth? Is this Mai Qinglan's first time in the Northeast?"

"Quite smooth; we slept once and arrived."

Lao Lao Biaozi nodded with a smile, accepted the cigarette Li Li Xuewu handed him, and even lit it for Li Li Xuewu.

Mai Mai Qinglan felt somewhat restrained; she did not fully understand what Li Li Xuewu's identity actually was—one moment a factory cadre, the next a sub-bureau cadre, and then a garrison area cadre.

Furthermore, his workplace was uncertain; not to mention Jingcheng, but now he had suddenly appeared in Steel City.

Li Li Wenbiao had not told her much either, only instructing her to prepare a few sets of clothes and winter cotton trousers.

She had barely managed to glance at her parents before urgently following Li Li Wenbiao to Steel City.

As soon as they disembarked from the train, Li Li Wenbiao, bold and daring as ever, walked out of the station, approached a jeep, directly revealed his identity, and stated he was there to find Li Li Xuewu.

The jeep drove them straight to the guesthouse here; just as she had been dazed throughout the journey, she remained dazed even after entering this room.

What exactly were they supposed to be doing? Did building a career really require traveling thousands of miles?

Hadn't Li Li Wenbiao said he was in the waste recycling business? Just how large was the scale of this waste recycling station that it could collect waste from Jingcheng all the way to Steel City, a thousand miles away?

They had not even been familiar with the Sihe Academy side for a few days yet; the changes were happening far too quickly.

In response to Li Li Xuewu's polite remarks, she could only smile helplessly, truly not knowing what to say.

Does the fact that I've never been to the Northeast mean I must come here now?

There are so many places I haven't been; surely they won't make us run all over the country, will they?

"Let's make this brief; I have another work meeting shortly."

Li Li Xuewu walked behind the desk and sat down, looking at his big-chested brother as he said, "Yesterday I spoke with Third Uncle; the situation in Steel City isn't very good, having just stabilized."

"The issues in Jicheng haven't been determined yet; I will go over there this afternoon."

Li Li Xuewu pointed with the hand holding his cigarette at his big-chested brother, instructing, "I will take Zhou Zhou Ziqiang with me; you will take over his post this afternoon."

"As for the specific methods and who to reconcile accounts with, Third Uncle will tell you."

"Understood."

Lao Lao Biaozi rarely adopted such a serious expression, saying earnestly, "I actually want to see what these people have to be so arrogant about."

"Don't put too much pressure on yourself; just proceed according to your own rhythm."

Li Li Xuewu paid no heed to his fierce words, tapped off some ash, and said, "I will return tomorrow afternoon and depart the day after, so you have less than three days."

"Three days is enough."

Lao Lao Biaozi nodded solemnly in agreement, saying, "I will definitely take over Steel City completely and intact; just rest assured."

"With you handling things, I am at ease."

Li Li Xuewu took a deep drag on his cigarette, exhaled a cloud of smoke, and said, "Third Uncle will arrange personnel for you; whether to use them and how to use them is entirely up to you."

Glancing at his big-chested brother, whose face was covered in horizontal flesh, Li Li Xuewu well understood his lack of security upon arriving in a strange environment, which had also stirred up his ferocity.

This was a good thing, yet it was also the root cause of his worry that his big-chested brother might act impulsively.

"I won't reiterate my requirements to you; I'll just say one thing: you must prioritize safety above all."

Now that he was an adult and had started a family, it was time to establish his career; training beside him in Jingcheng wouldn't develop his abilities, as the smooth sailing environment there had already fostered an arrogant style of working.

Coming to Steel City to temper himself was necessary, as his future enterprises would still need this man's support.

Seeing him agree readily and with a serious attitude, Li Li Xuewu felt reassured.

Standing up, he smiled at Mai Mai Qinglan and said, "I sincerely apologize, sister-in-law, for asking you to endure staying here with Lao Biaozi to build a career; live your life well, and if he does anything wrong, you can call me."

Saying this, he paid no attention to Mai Mai Qinglan's surprise and bewilderment.

They had spoken very quickly just now; there were things Mai Mai Qinglan did not know about and did not understand the meaning of.

But judging by Li Li Wenbiao's attitude, didn't it seem as though he was going to fight?

They were all grown adults; how could they still do such things?

Especially Li Li Xuewu, such a high-ranking cadre; although young, surely he wouldn't have called Li Li Wenbiao all the way from Jingcheng just to fight?

While she was still confused, Li Li Xuewu was already walking out, instructing Li Li Wenbiao as he went, "The room is mine, but I've never stayed in it; let Mai Qinglan stay here for now, and only go to the dock side once matters are settled."

Following Li Li Wenbiao to see Li Li Xuewu out the door, she spotted the secretary who had picked them up at the train station standing at the entrance.

After watching Li Li Xuewu and the other two descend the stairs, she returned to the room with Li Li Wenbiao and finally asked, "Explain this clearly to me; what exactly are we supposed to be doing?"

"Building a career, of course."

Lao Lao Biaozi merely smiled indifferently and said, "Wu Ge was just teasing me, deliberately trying to scare you."

He walked over to the desk, extinguished the cigarette butt in his hand, and said, "I've just opened a recycling station here; some accounts are a bit unclear, so I'll go tidy them up first, then take over the management work here."

"Don't try to fool me!"

Mai Mai Qinglan walked to the opposite side of Li Li Wenbiao, looked into his eyes, and said, "Are you going to get into a fight?"

"What fight? Hehe."

Lao Lao Biaozi smiled, spread his hands, and said, "Just look at me; do I look like someone coming to fight? I haven't wielded knives or spears in years; I washed my hands of it long ago and retired from the martial world."

Mai Mai Qinglan could not argue him down; as long as Li Li Wenbiao deliberately avoided her, she could not pry out the truth.

"So you brought me here just to wait on your daily life, is that it?"

"Did you marry me to find a wife or to find a head maid? You don't tell me anything, you just know how to lie to me!..."

"Shh~~~ Keep your voice down!"

Seeing his wife flare up, Lao Lao Biaozi quickly signaled her to be quiet, while also reminding her, "Do you think this is just anywhere? The people living all around here are leaders."

While speaking, he even tapped his own foot and said, "This is Wu Ge's room; it would be very bad if gossip started."

After saying this, he took her hand, pressed her down onto a stool, and said, "It really is just as I said; you also know, would someone willingly hand over accounts they deliberately cooked?"

"So you're going to fight, going to snatch it back, is that it!"

Mai Mai Qinglan understood; he was still going to get into a fight.

"What kind of talk is this?"

Lao Lao Biaozi feigned dissatisfaction and glanced at her, then immediately smiled and explained, "They took our things; I'm just taking them back. There might be a tiny misunderstanding in between, but once it's cleared up, it'll be fine."

"Fine, go fight."

Mai Mai Qinglan said through gritted teeth, "If you get yourself killed, I'll remarry!"

"Wouldn't that be exactly what you want~"

Lao Lao Biaozi smiled and said, "Then find someone handsome, educated..."

"Li Li Wenbiao, you bastard!"

Before he could finish his sentence, Mai Mai Qinglan pointed at him and cursed, tears streaming down instantly.

"Hey! How can you be so unable to take a joke! Can't you even tell when someone is joking!"

This time Lao Lao Biaozi had gone too far; seeing Mai Mai Qinglan lying there crying, he scratched his eyebrows, wondering if it was still too late to run away.

Having rushed over from home in a panic, Mai Mai Qinglan already felt uncertain in her heart; arriving here where she knew no one and nothing, she was even more terrified.

After Li Li Xuewu finished saying those words to Li Li Wenbiao, she felt as if her heart had been grabbed by someone, truly afraid that something was about to happen.

Just as she was frightened, Li Li Wenbiao went and said such things, making her so angry that she could not hold back, venting all the negative emotions in her heart.

Seeing that she was truly crying, Li Li Wenbiao was also at a loss; he hurriedly went to coax her, to persuade her, and made a promise that he absolutely would not resort to violence.

Li Li Xuewu did not know what had happened at the guesthouse; he was currently receiving a group from the Light Arms Institute who had come from Jingcheng to provide guidance on military processing work.

Li Li Zhengfeng led the team, along with several firearm design engineers, to inspect the manufacturing craftsmanship at the military factory.

Due to confidentiality and security requirements, the number of people allowed entry here was not large.

With Li Li Xuewu and Uncle Yang Xing present, Yang Xing provided the briefing for Li Li Zhengfeng and his group.

He had not entered to view the industrial inspection the day before yesterday; knowing Li Li Zhengfeng would come, he had been waiting to meet him.

The two stood together, listening, watching, and discussing, while a secretary behind them took notes.

The machinery at the military factory had already been installed in place, debugging work was complete, and even trial production had been finished long ago under the guidance of the designers.

What Li Li Zhengfeng and the others saw here was a processing workshop that had already begun formal production, with workers being the core workforce of old, middle-aged, and young generations selected from the Steel Plant and the Rolling Mill.

For steel enterprises, especially rolling mills, possessing a complete reserve of metal processing technology, making guns was really not a high-difficulty task.

Back when this was being set up, Xia Xia Zhongquan had seen the project proposal, but he did not even have the willingness to flip it open and take a look.

Having a specialized field was one aspect; another was that he was unwilling to get involved in this.

Most importantly, even if he designed it, the Rolling Mill could not manufacture it; he did not have the "R&D" qualification, and the guns produced would have no license.

Speaking of making weapons, Xia Xia Zhongquan claimed he could also make mortars and howitzers, but what use was that? It simply wasn't the same thing.

It didn't require Xia Xia Zhongquan; even a young worker in the workshop, given a lathe, could manufacture one for you.

Therefore, the military factory here was assembled most smoothly and was the fastest to achieve production.

The factories and workers of this era were simply so abundant in martial virtue and so skilled in their craft.

In the fifties, which steel enterprise in the entire country had not done this kind of work? It was just that the current processing requirements were more precise and the standards stricter.

Precision rifles focus precisely on precision; every part must be processed strictly according to the drawings, which is far more intricate than making cannons.

Li Li Zhengfeng held a vernier caliper and inspected several parts that had just been processed.

When he nodded to express approval of the workers' skills, the young man operating the lathe did not show the slightest trace of a proud smile.

What the hell was there to be proud of? If he foolishly went to shake hands with the other party or grinned to accept their praise, wouldn't his colleagues in the workshop laugh him to death later?

This thing looks very complex, but the difficult parts are actually the design and the material craftsmanship; processing only requires hands.

Li Li Zhengfeng coming over was merely to feel reassured after seeing it; what he needed to do was inspect the hardware processing factory here.

This was because products like daggers, steel helmets, and mess kits were also produced and processed here.

He was engaged in design, but he was also engaged in management, and he was extremely shrewd.

Precision rifles were very valuable, and the profit from selling them was very high, but the sales volume determined that their profit would not exceed that of other individual equipment.

A squad might be equipped with one Type 66-6, but items like mess kits had to be one per person.

He had thought it over: once this project made money, he would first treat the institute's employees to a meal of braised pork.

With big chunks!

The kind where each person could get four or five pieces!

In recent years, the station's funding has been tight; it really has been a hardship on the stomach. Just thinking about it makes him want to cry—if only he had met Li Li Xuewu sooner.

If he had met his cheap great-nephew earlier, he would have been eating meat sooner!