Chapter 842: What is the purpose of preserving one's health?

Breakfast was flatbread and rice porridge, with half a bowl of salted vegetables—as simple as it could possibly be.

Li Xuewu hadn't heard from Ding Wanqiu about what happened last night, so he ate with great appetite.

Ding Wanqiu had experienced much and eaten plenty; he even went down to the jar to pick out a piece of fermented bean curd.

Seeing Gelin glanced at him, thinking only that this man had a truly heavy palate, shoving that bright red stuff into his mouth with a crunch.

He didn't want to think about last night anymore; just the thought of it made him feel terrified.

You are standing in the shadow of a wall, and suddenly someone comes out of the house, muttering to themselves—would you be afraid?

You are standing behind the house, and suddenly someone flies out of a window—tell me, would you be afraid?

……

And then there's this person right in front of you, holding a "candle" while standing in the room, smiling and asking you to blow it out—would you be afraid?

He hadn't even grown up yet, he was still just a child; how could someone scare people like that!

This morning, he had griddled a few extra flatbreads just to calm his nerves.

Da Qiangzi had been squatting by the wall near the door the whole time; no one called him to eat, and he couldn't eat anyway.

His gaze was unfocused, his body limp, just like a walking corpse that had lost its soul.

Li Xuewu ignored him; once full, he went to feed Xilin.

Seeing Gelin had specially cooked meat porridge, very thick; Xilin was in a good mood and drank an extra bowl.

After the meal was finished, Li Xuewu got off the kang, washed his face on his own, wiped Xilin's face, and only then took a stool and sat down in front of Da Qiangzi.

"Since you've done the job, I must keep my word."

Li Xuewu looked at Da Qiangzi and said in a very direct tone: "I'll give you until the end of the morning to organize the connections in Jicheng, handle them, and hand them over to me."

"Before noon, I want to know how many people in Jicheng are eating my food, wearing my clothes, and making a living following me."

"How you handle these relationships, how you consolidate the personnel, how you weed out unstable factors, and who you choose to be in charge—that's all up to you. I only want the results."

"Of course, quality over quantity; there's no need to keep those who just loaf around and eat for free."

Li Xuewu said it was all up to Da Qiangzi, but he still set requirements; his team had always only wanted those who worked earnestly.

When he first took over the Jicheng team, Li Xuewu gave Zhang Wanhe plenty of face and didn't mention anything about downsizing.

He had been supporting the good and the bad alike, but who told them to bite the hand that fed them after they were full?

This was the perfect opportunity for him to take the knife to them and eliminate those parasites.

In the future, Jicheng would be doing legitimate business, and having unprofessional people on the team would lower his standards.

Right now, he only needed a channel for receiving and distributing goods; otherwise, would he have tolerated Zhang Wanhe?

Since he wasn't going to be the proprietor, he might as well be the lackey.

Li Xuewu saw that Da Qiangzi didn't react, frowned, and said: "Tell the people on the mountain to cut off the supplies to these families."

Da Qiangzi suddenly raised his head, looking at Li Xuewu, his face full of unwillingness.

Deep in the mountains, the young people were all down the mountain; what would happen if the supplies to the families of the old and weak were cut off?

Li Xuewu ignored Da Qiangzi's expression and continued: "You will work in Jicheng for the time being; I will hand over the work in Gangcheng to someone else."

He didn't care about that; Zhou Ziqiang had long known that the Gangcheng trade operation couldn't be kept under wraps. He knew it from the moment Li Xuewu said he was bringing him to Jicheng.

The accounts and the people the proprietor had arranged couldn't stand up to scrutiny; as soon as someone else took over, something was bound to go wrong.

It could be said that the reason he was still alive today was entirely due to his service as a guide; it had nothing to do with the Gangcheng trade.

Li Xuewu was still keeping him because of loyalty, promises, and the fact that he had blood on his hands.

"The mountain" was just a general term; different peaks had different villages.

But they all had one thing in common: they all needed supplies from down the mountain to survive.

The barren land couldn't grow crops; they either worked in forestry or relied on their own efforts—farming, forestry, animal husbandry, or fishing.

No matter which one, as long as you were on the mountain, it was a life-and-death struggle.

And Li Xuewu's demand to cut off the supplies to these nine families would implicate even more families in the future; this was literally taking the lives of their family members.

It was a slow death, done deliberately for others to see.

The fate of a traitor was for the whole family to suffer.

Wasn't he a traitor?

He was, too, so he wouldn't have a good end either.

Others would be intimidated by Li Xuewu and, fearing his power, wouldn't dare to make any move to resist.

But for him, the families of these nine people would hate him, their relatives would hate him, and even the villagers who had nothing to do with it would loathe him.

If the nine families starved to death, people would only come to him to claim their lives.

Li Xuewu was pinning him in Jicheng, demanding he clear out the unstable factors in the organization and weed out those who were just making up the numbers; he was going to offend a lot of people.

These people would all come to cause him trouble; the mountain people did things simply—whoever smashed their rice bowl, they would take their life.

Da Qiangzi looked at Li Xuewu, his breathing gradually becoming heavier, veins bulging on his tense face.

In Jicheng, he either had to kill everyone loyal to the proprietor, or be killed by them.

He knew Li Xuewu wanted to use him to break the proprietor's spine, one bone at a time, so he could never stand straight again and could only kneel.

From then on, there would be no more of the proprietor's people in Jicheng, and certainly no more of the proprietor's influence.

So, was Li Xuewu going to support him to be the new proprietor?

No. If that were the case, he wouldn't have made him do it himself.

Whoever didn't do it would be the proprietor.

Li Xuewu had left him a way out in Jicheng: clear out all of Zhang Wanhe's remaining forces and help Xilin establish absolute authority.

Otherwise, Xilin would take the knife to him, and she could establish absolute authority just the same.

He didn't know when it started, but he had ended up standing on the opposite side of the proprietor, and on the opposite side of his old home on the mountain.

He had never felt it, or rather, never known it; it had just drifted and changed, everything had changed.

He had become a traitor, and had dealt with the traitor who betrayed the traitor.

At this moment, he suddenly remembered what Ding Wanqiu had told him: keep moving forward, don't look back.

He no longer had a way back; he could only move forward. Whatever Li Xuewu told him to do, he had to do.

Clearing obstacles, eliminating dissent, dealing with those stubborn elements—he could still be himself, yet he would no longer be himself.

He had heard very clearly on the train why Li Xuewu was bringing people to Jicheng.

In the future, Jicheng's channels would also have to stand in the sunlight and conduct trade with the office.

He had thought about the key to this; before, Li Xuewu had used his second uncle to keep the mountain in check.

Now, he was using his second uncle as a fuse to connect with the forestry department. With cooperation between large units, driven by interests, crushing them would be as simple as stepping on an ant.

The lifeline of the mountain had been pinched by Li Xuewu using the connection between the forestry department and Xilin; whoever he let live could live, and whoever he let die couldn't survive.

Those who were loyal to the Jicheng recycling station and worked for it could live, their whole families could live, and they could live a good life.

Those who submit prosper, those who resist perish.

Da Qiangzi's face was pale; he was afraid. He wasn't afraid of physical force—he would dare to fight Li Xuewu to the death.

But he couldn't fight Li Xuewu's ability, his scheming, and his influence.

This was a man who stood in the sunlight, forever glorious and correct, just as he had always yearned to be.

He had become Li Xuewu's black glove.

"Whatever you want, I will give."

Li Xuewu stood up, looked down at Da Qiangzi, and said: "Work hard, I will definitely handle Nurse Yu's matter properly."

Having given his promise, Li Xuewu extended his hand, signaling that it was time for Da Qiangzi to state his position.

Da Qiangzi swallowed his saliva; his parched throat was so painful he couldn't speak.

He hesitated and raised his own hand, trembling, as if he were on the verge of death.

Li Xuewu took the initiative to grasp his hand, wanting to pull him up, but Da Qiangzi asked: "Proprietor... Proprietor, can..."

"Whether you want to play at 'nurturing a tiger leads to trouble' or 'benevolence and morality,' I don't care, but the recycling station doesn't keep idlers."

As he spoke, Li Xuewu pulled him up, looked at his complexion, and said: "Benevolence is for friends. You're at this age; you should know who is a friend and who isn't."

After finishing, he patted his shoulder, waved at Ding Wanqiu, and said: "Get some money for him to use for his work."

Ding Wanqiu got up, walked to the corner of the wall, and threw a sack onto the kang. When he untied the bag, all sorts of bills spilled out.

From ten-yuan notes to one-yuan, two-yuan, one-jiao, two-jiao, one-fen, and five-fen notes—every kind was there, as if they were about to hold a mass meeting, all gathered in the bag.

Ding Wanqiu, with a wicked sense of humor, counted out five hundred yuan from inside and handed it over, his face full of the joy of a harvest.

Li Xuewu ignored his playfulness, handed the money to Da Qiangzi, and said: "Eat first, then work. If you don't have some savings in your pocket, your words won't carry any weight."

"What I said to you is the same as what I said to Xilin: spend money where it should be spent, and save where it should be saved."

"I will never constrain you, and I will never indulge you. As long as you work with heart, you won't need to ask me for anything; what should be given, I will never be stingy with."

He placed his hand on Da Qiangzi's shoulder, squeezed it, and pushed him toward the edge of the kang, signaling him to eat.

At the same time, he instructed Ding Wanqiu, who was greeting Xilin to help count the money: "After today, let Qiangzi set the time. You go ask my second uncle for a vehicle and go into the mountains to pick up Qiangzi's parents."

"How can you propose marriage without the parents' consent?"

Li Xuewu tidied his clothes and said jokingly: "We'll hold one ceremony in Jicheng and another in Gangcheng. Our team has grown, so Qiangzi deserves to receive these gifts."

Da Qiangzi clutched the rolled-up flatbread in his hand, stuffing it into his mouth ravenously; only in this way could he keep from thinking about what happened last night and what Li Xuewu had just said.

The one who did the work last night was a demon; the Li Xuewu speaking today was a devil.

The morning's itinerary was simple and smooth; Li Xuewu took Ding Wanqiu to see his second uncle, and through his second uncle's introduction, met the deputy director of the logistics department who had been drinking with them last night.

With the groundwork and communication from last night's dinner, talking about work and cooperation today was much simpler.

The dried goods and dried fruits for this year were being organized for purchase; timber work couldn't start until the weather turned cold; the Chinese herbal medicines had already been coordinated, so there was nothing to prepare.

Li Xuewu didn't regret not personally completing an actual trade this time, but as long as the connection was made, it wouldn't delay future communication.

This kind of trade was too simple; it wasn't on the same level as the cooperation with the Jincheng Seafood Corporation.

It didn't involve regional cooperation, nor did it involve joint investment; the form was simple, the cooperation was loose, and it was just barter—it was very easy to talk about.

Leaving the forestry department, his second uncle urged Li Xuewu to come to his house at noon and not to bring anything.

Li Xuewu sent Ding Wanqiu back to the compound and took Xilin to the Jicheng Hospital.

The wound had already been stitched up; this was just for a check-up and a dressing change.

For the past few days, Seeing Gelin had been taking her on a tricycle; this time, since Li Xuewu happened to have a car here, it was convenient to bring her.

When changing the dressing, the doctor didn't treat him as an outsider, and he didn't treat himself as one either, so he just watched.

The incision wasn't long, but it was right on the stomach—full of warning, otherwise it wouldn't have been aimed at that spot.

But even if it wasn't long, this knife had caused Xilin great suffering.

Walking, sitting, and lying down were all difficult, and she couldn't work—this was clearly the kind of threat and warning used by the Hu Zi.

Crafty, seasoned, direct, and the technique was precise—it had passed through the intestines, definitely not piercing the liver.

Da Qiangzi would give Li Xuewu an account of where Hei Zi had gone; those scumbags had all been wiped out, so how could this one have escaped?

Xilin pursed her lips tightly while the medicine was being applied, turning her head away, not daring to look at the wound.

Li Xuewu grasped her hand, giving her something to hold onto.

"How could you be so careless?"

The nurse changing the dressing said irritably: "A married couple living together, and you can still play with a knife on your stomach? Unbelievable!"

Li Xuewu looked at Xilin blankly, but Xilin blushed.

"Alright, pay attention to hygiene, don't strain yourself, don't let it get windy, don't let it get wet, don't let it get infected."

Hospitals at this time didn't have such strong safety protection awareness; this kind of knife wound hadn't reached the point of notifying the police station.

Clearly, Xilin had lied during her treatment, describing this terrifying knife wound as a domestic dispute.

Why is it that in later generations, there are always men or women who say, "I have a marriage certificate, so it's fine if I beat my wife or my husband"?

It was a bad habit passed down from before the liberation, and such thinking remained even in later generations, let alone in this era.

Li Xuewu was firmly against hitting his wife, and firmly against women hitting men, especially in the Northeast, where women were too ruthless when they fought.

Since Xilin had already made up the excuse, he didn't need to explain so much, which would only cause trouble.

Silently enduring the nurse's eye-rolling, Li Xuewu also had the hospital prescribe anti-inflammatory medicine, disinfectant, and gauze for Xilin.

With these things, Xilin could change her own dressing at home.

He had already persuaded Xilin and told Seeing Gelin—they were all fellow villagers, so they should help each other.

Li Xuewu didn't dare to mention marriage again, fearing Xilin would get red-eyed and want to grab someone.

On the way back, Xilin was silent for a long while before asking: "Are you leaving soon?"

"Don't be like that, it's not a life-and-death parting."

Li Xuewu smiled and said: "These two years are inconvenient, but once the situation stabilizes, I won't stop you if you want to return to Beijing."

"What would be the point of going back? Beijing isn't my hometown either."

Xilin looked out the car window, her voice drifting; she was a rootless person, so where was home?

Li Xuewu glanced at her and said: "Finish the work in Jicheng first. When the time comes, tell me where you want to go, and I'll follow your wishes."

"What about you? Are you staying in Beijing?"

Xilin didn't talk about herself, but instead asked Li Xuewu: "They all say that cadres in factories will also go to the local areas. Aren't you going?"

"No, I don't have that ability, nor do I have that level."

Li Xuewu answered Xilin's question very formally. He had a very clear life plan: he only wanted to live for himself in this life, and didn't want to serve the people anymore.

"But it's not certain that I'll stay in Beijing either."

He turned his head, looked at Xilin again, and said with a smile: "The Rolling Mill has established a trade management center in Jincheng, and that's also a business I'm responsible for."

"Also,"

Li Xuewu turned his head to look ahead, driving while saying: "The Rolling Mill acquired a shipyard in Yingcheng and built an industrial production base in Gangcheng."

"In other words, I could be in Beijing, or I could be in various places."

"You're getting more and more successful; even your tone is getting bigger~"

Xilin looked at Li Xuewu, wanting to keep more of him in her memory during this last bit of time he had in Jicheng.

"If I stay in Jicheng, will you come to Jicheng?"

"Not very likely."

Li Xuewu smiled and said: "To be honest, Jicheng doesn't have any projects worth the Rolling Mill developing, because there is already a behemoth here, even more massive than the Rolling Mill."

"The 17th Factory?"

Xilin nodded knowingly. According to what Li Xuewu just said, the Rolling Mill's development direction and model were also aimed at becoming a comprehensive factory.

Although the 17th Factory was called an automobile manufacturing plant, it possessed all the industries related to automobiles; it was a factory that produced all its own vehicle parts.

Even for a small screw, there was a specific workshop. This kind of production task carried certain colors and was more important than operation and high profits.

Otherwise, why would people say they were the eldest son? Their status was right there.

The Rolling Mill could only say it was taking the current 17th Factory as a goal to develop and strive for; if Li Huai De were to drink a few catties, he wouldn't even dare to think about surpassing them.

"Don't worry about having no soulmates on the road ahead; who in the world doesn't know you?"

Li Xuewu comforted Xilin: "Don't be sentimental. Just like what I told the third uncle and Biaozi back then, first be a blade of grass, and plant your roots deep into the soil."

"You must learn to endure loneliness, enjoy solitude, and accept the sunshine and rain. Sooner or later, you will grow into a towering tree and see the scenery further away."

Yu Li was a professional at stewing chicken soup, but Li Xuewu didn't yield to anyone when it came to feeding it. He prided himself on being the Rolling Mill's number one master of success studies, and his ability to bluff was something he was quite proud of.

However, Xilin didn't buy his act: "You just lie to me. Grass is grass; it will never grow into a big tree. At most, it can grow a bit taller, but the tallest one is always the first to break."

"Then let's be a small sapling first, alright?"

Li Xuewu said helplessly: "I promise, within three to five years, I will definitely let you return to Beijing, okay?"

"Heh~ men are all liars~"

Xilin snorted: "Just a moment ago you said two years, and now you're saying three to five years. If you really want peace, don't tell me it'll be ten-plus years later."

"……"

Li Xuewu was speechless; she was right. One word hit the mark, and she guessed it accurately. How should he answer?

Xilin wasn't complaining about Li Xuewu; she just wanted to talk to him.

The two of them bickered in the car—one wanted to feed chicken soup, talk about ideals, and teach success studies.

The other wanted more attention and comfort, but just wouldn't buy his act, twisting everything he said.

When the jeep was about to arrive home, Xilin suddenly fell silent; she knew the moment of parting was coming again.

Li Xuewu really had no way to deal with this girl he had brought back from the Tianshan grasslands, especially after she had taken this knife wound—women were all tormentors.

After carrying her down from the car, Xilin leaned against his shoulder, and when he put her on the kang, she started crying again.

Seeing Gelin stood in the room, scratched his head, and said honestly: "It hurts when you carry her like that."

"Then how should I carry her?"

Li Xuewu looked at him and said: "Why didn't you remind me?"

Before Seeing Gelin could speak, Xilin sobbed: "Don't listen to him. It hurts when he carries me. Don't worry about me, go do your work."

Li Xuewu glanced at Seeing Gelin, then looked at Xilin, who had covered her head with a quilt, not knowing what to say.

Seeing Gelin also tilted his head, not knowing what was wrong with Xilin.

"Where is Master Ding?"

Li Xuewu checked the time and asked Seeing Gelin, just to have something to say.

Seeing Gelin sat on the stool by the fire wall and replied: "He went out again, saying he wanted to go over the places he visited last night one more time."

After finishing, he scratched his face again, pointed to the box on the kang, and said: "The money is counted. Master Ding said to show it to Xilin."

Li Xuewu didn't care about the money in the cabinet, but looked at Seeing Gelin and asked: "How are you living here? Do you want to go back to Beijing?"

"Oh, I don't know."

Seeing Gelin thought for a moment and said: "It's the same everywhere."

After finishing, he looked at Xilin on the kang and said: "Xilin wants to go back to Beijing."

"I don't want to, don't talk nonsense."

At this moment, Xilin, lying on the kang, interrupted Seeing Gelin, her voice coming from under the quilt, muffled.

And because she was sobbing, it was hoarse.

Seeing Gelin was stunned when he heard her say that, then looked at Li Xuewu, not knowing why Xilin had changed her mind.

Li Xuewu raised his eyebrows and explained: "You'll understand when you grow up. A woman's heart is like a needle at the bottom of the sea; they are the most fickle."

"Oh~"

Seeing Gelin answered noncommittally and lowered his head to stare blankly; perhaps for most of his life, he spent his time in a daze.

Li Xuewu could understand many people, but he couldn't understand Seeing Gelin.

This child was definitely not stupid, nor was he illiterate, let alone dull. Perhaps it had to do with his childhood environment—it seemed like the kind of detached, indifferent-to-the-world, great-freedom mindset found in Taoism.

If a person lived to this extent, perhaps even if the sky fell, he would only say the word "Oh."

There is no banquet in the world that doesn't end. Even though he knew Xilin was reluctant to let him go, and knew she wanted to return to Beijing to live a life where she could see him often.

However, Jicheng needed someone to help him work. If he could, he wouldn't have thought about sending Wen Saner and Erhaier to Gangcheng, or Biaozi to Gangcheng.

They were reluctant to part with him, reluctant to part with this small group. As the head of the family, Li Xuewu sending the people around him away one by one was also a kind of pain.

It is said that a mother worries when her child travels a thousand miles. Although he wasn't a mother and they weren't his children, the relationship and concern between them couldn't be explained in a word or two.

Perhaps the best arrangement for them was to help them succeed. Li Xuewu didn't want to lose touch with each other in the future due to disparities in status or living environments.

If it really came to that, parting would be a spiritual farewell. Li Xuewu didn't want to live a lonely life.

Walking out of the room, Li Xuewu didn't look back; even though he heard Xilin's crying, he still stepped firmly into the jeep.

Seeing Gelin stood in the courtyard to see Li Xuewu off, watched him get in the car, and said hesitantly: "Xilin isn't even twenty yet."

"Oh."

Li Xuewu smiled, answered in his tone, and then looked at Seeing Gelin and said: "But you aren't twenty yet either. Are you saying I shouldn't have sent a little girl and a little boy so far away to suffer?"

Seeing Gelin knew Wu Ge understood that wasn't what he meant, and he also knew Wu Ge was teasing him.

He was a bit clumsy with words and didn't know how to express his feelings.

Li Xuewu nodded, indicating he understood everything and didn't need to say it.

"Take good care of Xilin, don't let her get hurt again."

Stepping on the gas, Li Xuewu suddenly let go, pointed at the surprised Seeing Gelin from the car window, and said: "By the way, you should be careful too. They say women are tigers; before you're eighteen, don't ever do 'tiger things'."

After finishing, without waiting to see if Seeing Gelin understood, he drove off toward his second uncle's house.

He had an appointment to eat with his second uncle's family at noon. He knew the whole family was busy, but he really couldn't get away last night, so he had to rush over at noon.

He brought some gifts for his second uncle in the car—nothing valuable, just a gesture.

His second aunt complained that Li Xuewu didn't come to stay at their house when he arrived; the room was all cleaned up.

Li Xuewu smiled and didn't explain anything, chatting with his eldest sister, Li Juan, and his younger brother, Li Xueli.

Last time he came, he didn't feel Li Xuewu had any great ability; he was just bold and dared to do things.

But after going to Beijing to attend Li Xuewu's wedding and hearing his father mention Li Xuewu as the person in charge, coming to talk about cooperation with the deputy director of the forestry department, the sister and brother's impression of Li Xuewu had changed.

People are actually like this: a high mountain far from one's life doesn't look big, even if one knows there is a high mountain there.

But when the high mountain comes before one's eyes and is compared with the high mountain in one's own horizon, only then does one know the height of the mountain.

Especially since this change happened in a short time, as if in an instant, the second son of the eldest uncle's family had become a figure they could hardly look up to.

Li Xuewu didn't consider himself a big figure when he came to his second uncle's house. Not to mention that he didn't view himself that way outside, but at his second uncle's house, if he were to brag with his mouth wide open, he would only lower his own status.

When he first entered the door, Li Juan was still a bit reserved, but seeing him playing and laughing as usual, she regained her confidence as an older sister.

Li Xueli didn't care about these things; he just felt that having such a second brother was pretty awesome.

He was in the forestry department and could truly feel his second brother's influence.

Director Ma personally received him, accompanied by several leaders with real power—that already explained a lot of problems.

His father had been mixing for so many years and had never been valued so much by the leaders above.

Li Xueli was young and a bit jumpy. Although his father only talked about his second brother's growth and ability when he got home, he heard a lot of news in his unit.

The Rolling Mill far away in Beijing was a large unit. His second brother was visiting as the deputy secretary of the Rolling Mill's Discipline Inspection Commission, and he was talking about major trade matters.

The most critical thing was that there were rumors below that Director Ma intended to transfer his father to the forestry administration.

As long as it was a transfer, it wouldn't be a lateral transfer, because his father wasn't young anymore, and it had nothing to do with training.

How great was the power of the forestry administration? Others might not know, but he had grown up here, so how could he not know?

His eldest sister, Li Juan, was a woman and had no interest in matters in government units, but he did.

So while chatting with his second brother, Li Xueli tried to ask his second brother how to make progress in a roundabout way.

Li Xuewu didn't dare to teach him this at his second uncle's house, and he didn't want to talk about work in his personal life.

It wasn't because he was aloof, arrogant, or stingy with his knowledge, but because of habit.

If a person is accustomed to mixing life and work, then his work will inevitably be mixed with private matters.

Conversely, his life will inevitably be mixed with public affairs.

Perhaps some people can control this balance well, but most people can't hold on.

The former situation will lead to a loss of self-restraint, and seeking personal gain through power is inevitable.

The latter situation is even more serious; if a person loses their life and only has work left, what is the meaning of their existence?

Therefore, when Li Xuewu chatted, he avoided the important and dwelt on the trivial regarding work matters, saying as little as possible.

His second uncle also disliked talking about this at home. Seeing Li Xueli still pestering Li Xuewu with questions, he slapped him aside.

Li Gan was quite concerned about the old lady at home. Hearing that she was living with Li Xuewu and helping to look after the children, he felt relieved.

Having been busy for a lifetime, if the old lady were really left idle, she would get sick.

The children were also grown up, Li Xuewu's family life was good, he was filial, and there was a nanny—what did he have to worry about?

He asked about the old lady, then asked about his eldest brother, Li Shun, and the situation at home.

He worried about his family. Before, he used to send letters, but now that there were phones, it was convenient, and he would call once a month to ask.

Li Xuewu introduced the situation of his father and eldest brother, and also talked about the situation of the third brother and Ji Yuxiu.

The last time he went back to Beijing was in May. Li Gan knew that Li Xuecai had set a target, and it was the kind where they had already met the parents.

Li Gan was a bit worried about the situation in Beijing. The wind blowing from above had already changed several flavors by the time it reached Jicheng.

There was a commotion in the unit, and the city was also very chaotic now.

He didn't worry about anything else; he was just afraid that his eldest brother was too honest in the unit, and if his background wasn't good, it would cost him his life.

He understood and agreed with Li Xuewu's arrangements, and at the same time, he was moved by Li Xuewu's connections and ability.

Who could have thought of sending Li Xuewen, who was most prone to problems, to the detention center?

His second aunt served the dishes on the table and greeted everyone to eat. At the dinner table, she asked about the women in the family.

Because Zhao Yafang and Gu Ning were both pregnant, and this was known here, his second aunt asked an extra question.

She also cared about Li Xuewu's work here and his life on business trips.

Perhaps it was because the two families had always gotten along well, or perhaps because Li Shun didn't cause trouble for his second brother, or perhaps because the eldest branch of the family had all made something of themselves.

So everything Li Xuewu felt at his second uncle's house was warmth.

Of course, one shouldn't simply analyze and decompose family affection from various angles; that is wrong.

If feelings are measured by a scale, it only shows that there are no feelings left.

After lunch, Li Xuewu didn't stay long. This wasn't a day off, and all four members of his second uncle's family had to go to work.

When leaving, Li Xuewu smiled and urged his eldest sister that if there was any happy news, she must notify him in advance.

Li Juan smiled and agreed readily, saying he must come when the time came.

Li Xuewu was driven to the train station by his second uncle, who took the car back on the way.

Fearing to delay his afternoon work, Li Xuewu didn't even let him get out of the car. He walked to the station entrance to meet up with the Rolling Mill group.

After giving a few instructions to Sha Qizhi, Li Xuewu went outside the station to see Da Qiangzi and Ding Wanqiu.

Da Qiangzi had recovered some of his spirit, but still looked a bit down, with a cigarette in his mouth, acting all melancholic.

Ding Wanqiu was still that old bastard, not feeling any fatigue at all from not sleeping all night.

Li Xuewu suspected he was excited from counting money; there were still abacus beads shaking in his eyes.

He didn't know who taught him, but Da Qiangzi actually gave Li Xuewu a document.

Li Xuewu looked at him amusedly—was he really trying to formalize things with him?

He opened the document and looked at it; it was a list, as well as a contact map of various channels and relationships.

Li Xuewu didn't recognize any of the names on it, but it didn't matter; not recognizing them didn't stop these people from working for him.

He just looked at the channels and relationships above; the biggest relationship here was just a small pawn in the grain department.

Of course, Li Xuewu absolutely didn't mean to look down on a small pawn in the grain department, and he didn't dare to be that arrogant.

Because in the grain department, even a small pawn was a fat pawn.

He quite agreed with Zhang Wanhe's development context; since there were no channels above, he spread the network out.

Instead of befriending those big figures, he associated with those who had some ability but weren't conspicuous—quantitative change leading to qualitative change was also change.

This kind of thinking was quite similar to Li Xuewu's layout of the club.

Grain department, industrial and commercial department, supply and marketing department, transportation department... this was really a rat digging a hole, a flat layout.

If Zhang Wanhe really hit the jackpot and met a rocket like himself who was so motivated and promising, wouldn't he take off with him?

No wonder this old guy had the intention to cooperate after meeting him, and even ran thousands of miles to Beijing to see him.

It turned out his layout was already in place, and he was just missing an opportunity to take off.

His original intention was to be a local tyrant, and with Li Xuewu's wind, take off from Jicheng.

But he never expected that Li Xuewu's suspicion was so heavy, directly forcing him to become a dragon crossing the river, tearing a hole in Jicheng's big net.

He lost his foundation, so naturally he couldn't fly. No matter how big Li Xuewu's influence was, it was useless to him.

The difference between what he sought and what he thought was so great that he lost interest and ambition in continuing to work for Li Xuewu, or rather, developing overseas.

Li Xuewu certainly wouldn't let him continue to operate in Jicheng, and wouldn't lend his influence to him for free to stir up trouble in Jicheng.

At this time, he himself was just a small shrimp; how could he dare to go to someone else's territory to cause trouble?

Gangcheng was a gift from his good brother Yu Min, and also something old iron Guandong forced into his hands.

Even so, it was only because the Rolling Mill was in Gangcheng that he dared to privately bluff Comrade Comrade Ji Weidong to lead the charge and go to Gangcheng to start a business.

It wasn't until Comrade Comrade Ji Weidong had almost finished the Gangcheng matter that he stood out to clean up the mess.

Don't say he was cowardly; there were too many dragons in this era, and none of the figures who survived the grassroots era were simple characters.

Li Xuewu was very sure that he wasn't any chosen one, let alone some awesome descendant; he was just an ordinary cheater.

After reading the document in his hand, Li Xuewu raised his head to look at Da Qiangzi and asked: "Is it going smoothly?"

"If the money isn't enough, go get it from Xilin. Work is important; don't chill the hearts of the brothers."

"It's alright."

Da Qiangzi took a hard drag of his cigarette, looked at Li Xuewu, and said nothing.

Chill their hearts? It was heart-piercing, old iron!

A sweeping wind last night had made all the managers disappear. Today, he was holding the list in one hand and money in the other—who would dare to be chilled!

Taking action against those managers yesterday was like Qin Wang sweeping away the six states; the emphasis was on speed.

There was no need for that with those who were working today; they were also just trying to make a living, and it was the same for whoever they worked for.

As for loyalty, no matter how united they were, could they be more united than the "Great Unity" (money)?

His appearance in front of these people with the list was a threat in itself; what they had done was all recorded in the accounts, wasn't it?

Those with ulterior motives were handed directly to the forestry department—to be interrogated and sentenced as they should be.

The day had dawned; doing things required being open and aboveboard.

This was also the reason Li Xuewu only gave him until the end of the morning to clean up these people.

If they didn't want the money and insisted on playing at "blind loyalty," without the brains to assess the situation, then there was no need for them to work for him.

He only demanded loyalty from the managers; as for those who did the work, he only spoke in terms of wages.

It was like those big enterprises in later generations playing at "corporate culture," asking people who earned three or five thousand to be loyal—wasn't this just being a hooligan!

Have some shame!

Conversely, for executives or management earning high wages, you had to give me a certain degree of loyalty; otherwise, why should I trust you to lead a team and manage business?

"Don't worry about Gangcheng; just work in Jicheng with peace of mind."

Li Xuewu lit a cigarette, looked at Da Qiangzi, and said: "You are still young; there are plenty of opportunities and time."

"The world outside is very big, big to the point you can't imagine, and the girls outside are also very big, big to the point of suffocating you."

"Don't let floating clouds block your view; you should look at the scenery from a long-term perspective."

Li Xuewu patted his shoulder and said: "I am optimistic about your future."

"I actually think that those who are content are always happy."

Ding Wanqiu smiled and looked at Da Qiangzi, saying: "When you reach my age, you won't think the vast world is hope; instead, it's fear."

"Of course, seeing the world as so big is fear, and seeing girls as so big now is also fear; the bigger they are, the more flustered I get."

He said to Li Xuewu somewhat improperly: "You are young now, so you must learn to preserve your health; be careful of being powerless like me."

"I have always been preserving my health."

Li Xuewu smiled, shook the hand he had pressed on Da Qiangzi's shoulder, and said: "Don't listen to him. He is already old and wants to find a place to bury himself, so he has no ambition. We are different."

"The years are just right, the era is just right, the girls are just right—everything is just right!"

"I just like to see a broader world, like to associate with more beautiful girls; otherwise, what is the meaning of preserving health?!"

"Don't you think so?"

"Mm, the proprietor is indeed cultured."

Da Qiangzi threw away the cigarette butt in his hand and nodded: "I will learn more from you."

"Fuck!"

Li Xuewu knew Da Qiangzi understood what he meant, so he smiled and lightly slapped his face.

This is called: Those who know the times are heroes!

(Special Congratulations: This book won first place on the annual combat power list and fifth place on the annual explosion update list.) ===== CHAPTER 843 =====