Chapter 940: A Free Lunch

"Hey, Li Xuewu, what brings you here?"

At the factory gate, Wei Zaike first ordered the driver to stop the car.

Then he glanced toward the duty room entrance; seeing it was indeed Li Li Xuewu, he hopped out of the vehicle and greeted him.

Li Li Xuewu turned to look, smiled, waved, and asked, "Group Leader Wei, are you on duty?"

"Yes, I was just wondering, thinking I'd remembered my duty date wrong."

Wei Zaike smiled as he sized up Li Li Xuewu, who wore a woolen overcoat and a black otter-fur hat, standing tall and imposing with an air of distinction, and said, "Thinking you were on duty, I was about to head back."

"Dream on!"

Li Li Xuewu smiled, took out a cigarette, handed one over, and after they had lit up, explained, "Deputy Director Wang is returning today; I'm here to meet her train."

"Who?!"

"Oh~ oh~ Deputy Director Wang~"

Wei Zaike froze for a moment, then finally realized whom he was talking about.

He glanced at Li Li Xuewu again and whispered, "Arranged by the leadership?"

"Where would that be~"

Li Li Xuewu took a drag of his cigarette and said, "Isn't it just that Deputy Director Wang has been transferred to the training grounds? One must at least show some attitude, right?"

"Huh? What attitude?"

Wei Zaike shot Li Li Xuewu a glance, scolding in a low voice, "You're just full from having nothing to do! You're spoiling her!"

After saying this, he looked left and right, waved He Yuan, who was on duty, to stand farther away, and then continued, "It's not your fault anyway; why bother with her!"

"Don't tell me you're afraid of that person behind her!"

Wei Zaike pointed at Li Li Xuewu with the finger holding his cigarette and said, "That old leader of hers counts for nothing in front of your father-in-law; tell her to cut that out!"

"Forget it; we're colleagues, and besides, we're now in the Security Group's territory."

Li Li Xuewu had heard something about Wang Wang Zongli's situation; there was no fear involved, nor any dread of "embers reigniting."

"Putting other things aside, for a female comrade who went with us to the frontier to have no arrangement from the General Office upon return is not good."

"Tsk tsk~"

"You just know how to be a useless do-gooder!"

Wei Zaike spoke up in his defense, saying, "Just think about yourself! If positions were reversed, would she come to meet you?"

"Heh, then I'd be scared to death!"

Li Li Xuewu chuckled lightly, then pointed at Wei Zaike's GAZ jeep and asked, "Want to swap cars? Director Li still has a sedan quota reserved for me."

"I don't have the face for that!"

Wei Zaike pursed his lips, blinked his eyes, and asked, "Someone already asked you for it, right?"

"Old Ding~! Isn't that right!"

"I guessed it was him!"

Wei Zaike rolled his eyes and said irritably, "That shameless bastard; don't bother with him!"

"Heh, it's not that serious."

Li Li Xuewu smiled and gestured toward his own vehicle, saying, "I'm used to this one; it's convenient for going up and down the mountains. I don't like sitting in sedans."

"Bullshit!"

Wei Zaike crooked his mouth, pointed at Li Li Xuewu, and said, "But you're right to handle it this way; don't rush to change cars. Wait until you can get it all in one go, straight to a Red Flag!"

"Alright~ I'll borrow your auspicious words!"

Li Li Xuewu smiled, clasped his hands in salute, and said, "If I can't get one later, I'll hitch a ride in your Red Flag!"

"Hahaha!"

Wei Zaike waved his hand, walking toward his car while laughing, "Good, good, good; just you wait for that day!"

Watching the GAZ jeep honk and drive away, He Yuan then returned to Li Li Xuewu's side.

Glancing at the departing jeep, he chuckled and said, "There's a rift between Group Leader Wei's family and Director Ding's family; I heard they even became in-laws at one point, but somehow it fell through. Their spouses work in the same unit and often fight."

"Is that so~"

Li Li Xuewu smiled and nodded, looking at He Yuan as he asked, "How do you know that?"

"I..."

He Yuan was about to answer, but seeing the leader's unfavorable expression, he quickly shut his mouth.

Li Li Xuewu pointed at his mouth and reminded him, "Remember: illness enters by the mouth, disaster exits by the mouth!"

"Have you remembered!?"

Sha Sha Qizhi smiled as he walked out of the duty room, teased He Yuan with a remark, then gestured toward outside the gate to Li Li Xuewu, saying, "Well, today's little guests have arrived!"

Li Li Xuewu turned to look; sure enough, it was a bunch of brats riding bicycles and loitering around.

According to the plan formulated earlier, the Foreign Affairs Office would take the lead in organizing progressive teachers and students to visit the Rolling Steel Factory for study and exchange.

Today marked the first phase of implementing the plan; Li Li Xuewu had only spotted Sha Sha Qizhi in the car earlier, which was why he got off at the main gate to chat for a while.

It was just a casual inspection; since he rarely had time, he wanted to check the gate guards' duty performance and also inquire about the mindset and ideological trends of the grassroots security personnel.

When Sha Sha Qizhi arrived this morning, snow had gotten into his cotton shoes, so he had been inside drying his insoles on the radiator.

Everyone knows that sour, refreshing feeling; one couldn't stay in the duty room, so he was standing outside instead.

He had just gone back in to tidy up a bit, never expecting to have work immediately upon coming out.

After speaking with Li Li Xuewu, he waved to several Foreign Affairs Office clerks chatting in the opposite duty room, signaling that it was time for them to come out and receive guests.

There was still some time before the train arrived; Li Li Xuewu stood at the duty room entrance, wanting to see what kind of damn characters these little guests were.

In the distance, bicycles were heading this way in twos and threes along the street; it seemed they had all timed their arrival precisely.

Zhong Zhong Yuemin raised his hand to adjust the cap inverted on his forehead, blinked his eyes stinging from the wind, and shouted loudly, "Comrades! Victory is beckoning us! Charge!"

"Charge!"

"Chaaarge—cough, cough!"

"Hahaha!"

Zheng Tong's physique wasn't that strong, and after riding hard all the way, shouting against the wind, he inevitably inhaled a mouthful of cold air, drawing laughter from the other young travelers along the roadside.

"... What an idiot~"

Only a mocking voice was heard coming from behind, carrying a few insulting words.

His glasses were completely fogged from the coughing just now, moisture produced by his tear ducts; right now he was blinking hard, trying to see which grandson was mocking him.

"What are you staring at in a panic!"

Unexpectedly, the person mocking him was a tough customer; seeing him turn around to look, not only did he not restrain himself, but he glared and cursed a sentence!

Hey, isn't this just inviting trouble!

Zheng Tong memorized his appearance, pedaled hard a few times, caught up with Zhong Zhong Yuemin and the other two ahead, and began reporting the incident in broken sentences.

"Don't pay them any attention for now."

Zhong Zhong Yuemin glanced back while pedaling his bicycle and said to Zheng Tong, "We'll be there in no time; we'll deal with him then."

Yuan Jun shook his chin, pulled the white cotton mask down from his mouth, spat, and said, "Let's split that bastard open!"

"We'll see how the situation develops."

Zhong Zhong Yuemin glanced at the gate of their destination; there were armed guards standing post over there. If they really used kitchen knives, they would likely suffer for it.

Everyone who came today was young and full of stamina, the kind of idlers who played in Dongcheng in the morning, ate in Nancheng in the afternoon, and slept in Xicheng at night.

Having received policies and news from above, these guys, who were already bored out of their minds, naturally went all out in making trouble.

Youth, after all, is all about stirring up trouble!

Of course, coming to visit and exchange at the Rolling Steel Factory today was not a spur-of-the-moment decision; a spontaneous visit wouldn't even get you through the main gate.

Yuan Jun had a distant cousin working here; the two families were quite close. He happened to hear from his cousin's mouth about "restricted-level" tour projects, so here they were.

These bad boys were restless all day long; some factories invited them, but they weren't willing to go. Only places ordinary people couldn't access could highlight their status.

It was unclear about other areas, but this was how things were called in Beijing.

When Yuan Jun described it to Zhong Zhong Yuemin and the others, he said that visiting and exchanging here required an appointment and the provision of identity documents.

In other words, if you weren't a progressive student in school, you couldn't come; individuals weren't allowed either—you had to come as a group.

No reception on weekdays, but during Sunday reception hours, there were "special" experience projects and various "student-worker" fun activities.

The most important reason, and the key factor that made Zhong Zhong Yuemin determined to sign up, was that members of the song-and-dance troupe's dance team would participate in the exchange program.

Whatever projects or experiences Yuan Jun mentioned didn't stir any feeling in him; only this single point aroused his strong interest.

Coincidentally, he was interested in this project, and the others were interested too.

Therefore, the quota of five hundred people for the first session, once circulated, was quickly fully booked.

Just take a look: on this big Sunday, a huge crowd of young people gathered at the Rolling Steel Factory gate, chattering away, making for a lively scene.

Five hundred people, plus onlookers, some still pushing bicycles, were blocking the main gate.

Comrade Sha Sha Qizhi, leading the reception staff, used a megaphone to shout the requirements for the visit and exchange over and over again.

After shouting once, he would let a batch of people in to park their bicycles, then assemble into teams, with dedicated personnel leading the tour.

Zhong Zhong Yuemin and the others paid no attention to what the Rolling Steel Factory cadres at the front were shouting; instead, they curved around to block the person who had just cursed at Yuan Jun.

"Fuck your mother! Was it you making all that noise just now!"

Yuan Jun grabbed the collar of that person's neck and thrust the fork in his hand directly against the other's stomach.

Even through the cotton-padded jacket, one could feel the sharpness of the weapon; it looked as though speaking one more word would cause it to pierce right in.

This person was indeed a hooligan; he craned his neck, raised his eyelids, and said to Yuan Jun, "If you have the guts, stab me! If you don't stab me, you're my grandson!"

"Fuck your mother!"

Yuan Jun widened his eyes, about to exert force, and cursed aloud, "You think I'm a pushover, don't you!"

"Hey!"

Zhong Zhong Yuemin grabbed Yuan Jun and pulled him back, then pushed toward the opposing group that had just rushed up.

"You were the one spewing filth first, provoking us, weren't you!"

"So what if we provoked you!"

The group that arrived was even more arrogant; grabbing Zhong Zhong Yuemin by the collar, they shouted and cursed, "You little bastard, if you don't have the guts, don't bring it out to scare people!"

"Do you think Grandpa was born yesterday?!?"

"Fuck your mother!"

Yuan Jun got anxious, pressed his lips tight, raised his hand to stab, but suddenly saw the surrounding crowd instantly part; Zheng Tong even bumped into him.

It turned out that the armed guards at the gate post had aimed their rifle muzzles over here.

These little brats weren't stupid; they knew to dodge the gun muzzles. Seeing the guards were serious, none of them stayed to watch the spectacle; they retreated like a receding tide.

"Mmm~~~ Continue~"

Li Li Xuewu stood at the main gate with his hands behind his back, his eyelids drooping as he looked over here; he licked his lips, the sound seeming to emanate from his nose.

Seeing the little brats stop making trouble, he then said, "Fight then? Why aren't you fighting anymore? Is that fork in your hand just for play?"

"Stab him then!"

Seeing him, Yuan Jun also recognized who this was; the hand grabbing the other's collar involuntarily loosened.

Zhong Zhong Yuemin, as well as the opposing group, reacted basically the same as Yuan Jun; they all quietly released their grips on each other and subtly increased the distance between them.

Li Li Xuewu just stood there squinting and watching; the scene became extremely quiet for a moment.

"Go ahead, stab, fight. Our factory's Security Section hasn't had a chance to earn merit and receive awards for a long time; today counts as a delivery to our doorstep."

After saying this, Li Li Xuewu waved his hand at He Yuan and said, "Search them upon entry; anyone carrying weapons gets arrested directly for interrogation. They might just be here to deliver merit to us."

"Yes!"

He Yuan stood at attention and saluted, then fixed a tiger-like glare on the few people outside the gate, looking as if he were ready to act at any moment.

Yuan Jun's face changed; he hastily pulled the fork back into his sleeve, but then felt this was merely deceiving oneself, so he looked at Zhong Zhong Yuemin, unsure what to do.

Zhong Zhong Yuemin, however, was clever; he took the weapon from Yuan Jun's hand, walked proactively to He Yuan, and said with a smile: "Comrade from the Security Section, we just picked up a fork from the ground and don't know who dropped it."

"Do you take me for an idiot?"

He Yuan mimicked Li Li Xuewu's manner by narrowing his eyes, but at this moment Li Li Xuewu had already gotten into a car and left, so his imposing manner still fell short.

No sooner had he finished speaking than three clanging sounds rang out behind Zhong Zhong Yuemin; upon looking again, good heavens, several more forks had been "dropped" on the ground by who knows whom.

Zhong Zhong Yuemin looked at He Yuan with amusement, his expression utterly comical, as if gazing at an idiot.

He Yuan couldn't be bothered to engage him; he took the forks and waved to the group over there.

That bunch was sensible enough; they quickly picked up the forks from the ground and voluntarily handed them over.

In truth, they had reacted quickly; hearing that Zhong Zhong Yuemin had avoided punishment with this excuse, they immediately copied his example and discarded their weapons.

What they hadn't expected was that the Security Section personnel would question them, and by the time they thought to pick the forks up again, it was too late.

The scene became exceedingly awkward; when this group reached He Yuan, they wore expressions of utter speechlessness.

"Um... actually, I know that leader you were just speaking to."

"So what?"

He Yuan looked at him with a poker face, rolled his eyes, and said: "Plenty of people know our leaders; am I supposed to smile at every single one?"

"I mean we know each other!"

The man grew anxious, gesturing as he explained: "This time last year we were watching a movie together at the cinema; he was with a young lady sitting right in front of us..."

"You must be mistaken!"

He Yuan, his face gloomy, looked at the other man and said: "Our leader is so busy; how could he possibly have time to watch movies?"

"Furthermore, what are each of your names? Come with me to register; don't think this matter is settled."

"Over there, come here!"

After reprimanding the few before him, he waved to Yuan Jun and the others, saying: "If you dare run, I dare shoot you!"

Yuan Jun and the others looked at each other, then helplessly stepped out from the crowd.

"Surely this isn't necessary."

Seeing that trouble was about to erupt, Zhong Zhong Yuemin smiled and called out to the man: "Hey, brother, where do you hang out? No harm, no foul; let's just let this go, it was all in fun."

That bunch was also sharp; they knew that if things continued like this, they would truly become sitting ducks today.

"My name is Zhang Wang Jianguo, from Dongcheng Beigouyan Middle School; let's end it here for today, and if you're not convinced, we'll settle it one-on-one tomorrow."

Zhang Wang Jianguo was the one who had just told He Yuan that he knew Li Li Xuewu; Li Li Xuewu hadn't looked closely just now, otherwise he would have recognized who these lads were.

It was back when he was dating Lin Lin Tingting; after returning from the Northeast, he took her to see a movie, and while pretending to eat nuts he got handsy, earning these fellows behind him as his sworn enemies.

Zhang Wang Jianguo, Li Li Heping, Yan Yan Shengli—their names were particularly distinctive.

Children raised in the hutongs, unlike courtyard children like Zhong Zhong Yuemin who had seen the world and thus had reservations, carried a particularly primal, wild aura about them.

To put it nicely, they feared neither heaven nor earth; to put it bluntly, they were reckless and ignorant.

When Yuan Jun had pressed a fork against them just now, most courtyard children would have spoken a few soft words to yield and let it go, calling this the ability of a true man to bend and stretch.

But for Zhang Wang Jianguo and the others, it was different; they had nothing left but the skin on their faces.

If they were to discard even their dignity, there would be no room left for them to survive in this society.

Thus, even in their response to Zhong Zhong Yuemin, one could hear the stubbornness of Jinyu Hutong children toward courtyard children.

Children from the courtyards generally called themselves "Old Soldiers," while children from the hutongs generally called themselves "Hooligans"; the two groups were clearly divided, like well water not mixing with river water, and there was even conflict between them.

Of course, the term "Hooligan" possessed universality; later, more and more people adopted it, encompassing all sorts of individuals.

The popular colors of the era possessed both extensive inclusivity and fluidity.

At least for the present, neither side regarded the other as one of their own; this belonged to internal class contradictions among the youth.

Although He Yuan was also young, he was already employed, had never participated in such things, and furthermore, due to his work, felt rather disgusted by these little brats.

So, seeing Zhang Wang Jianguo posturing like a fighting cock, he raised an eyebrow and asked: "How about we have a fight here first?"

"How could that be? We are all progressive youths."

Zhong Zhong Yuemin, who could bend and stretch, was a slick operator, the kind unwilling to suffer even the slightest loss.

Although he possessed the hot blood of youth, there wasn't much of it; what dominated instead were the impulses of adolescence and a sense of participation in the times.

He slung his arms around Yuan Jun and Zheng Tong's shoulders, spoke a few nice words to He Yuan with a smile, then generously exchanged a few remarks with Zhang Wang Jianguo and the others, and that settled the matter.

He Yuan naturally would not make things difficult for them; although he disapproved, such incidents would become all too common in the future, and he couldn't possibly arrest everyone.

However, he did record the names of both parties, warning them to behave themselves during their visit to the factory.

These little brats had all come under the banner of the Highest Directive; who would dare stop them from viewing, who would dare stop them from exchanging ideas?

The torrent of the times forged the characteristics of the era; to truly understand what happened in this era, one must explore and observe with the vision belonging to this era.

The train, trailing a long plume of white steam, slowly pulled into the dispatching platform.

Given Wang Wang Zongli's current status, she naturally could not ride on a special passenger train; the reason her train could reach the Rolling Steel Factory was entirely because this was a special freight train.

Xu Ning, in Steel City with Han Zhan, expected to complete the handover work this week and would be able to report for duty at the Rolling Steel Factory around next Wednesday.

Since he was going to the border region to take up his post, he naturally needed to report to Li Li Xuewu here and listen to the leader's instructions.

Furthermore, he needed to meet with his family to make some arrangements.

To actually take up his post in the border region would take until at least the end of next week.

According to normal work procedures, Wang Wang Zongli should have waited until after Xu Ning arrived in the border region before returning.

But was the current situation normal?

After the sudden reform activities last Saturday finally settled, what Wang Wang Zongli received was not news of victory.

And this Monday, the factory organized an office meeting that dismissed her from her position again, so Suoyiwang Sect Li's return at this time was entirely appropriate.

What was somewhat sorrowful was that the order for her appointment to the training ground had been communicated to her via telegram by Sun Ji Jian of the Security Group's General Office.

Regarding when she was to assume office, when her personnel relations were to be processed, and how she was to return from the frontier—none of it mattered to anyone; no one cared, no one asked.

Coincidentally, a special frontier train was returning after delivering goods, so she boarded that very train; dreaming of an official carriage was out of the question, and finding a spot in the crew carriage was already considered fortunate.

After the train came to a halt with a screech, Suoyiwang Sect Li stood at the carriage door and also saw Li Li Xuewu on the platform.

This train carried no passengers from the Rolling Steel Factory, so Li Li Xuewu standing here could only be waiting for her; there was no one else it could be for.

"Deputy Director Li."

"You've worked hard."

Li Li Xuewu smiled slightly, took the luggage from her hands and passed it to Peng Peng Xiaoli, then extended his own hand to help her disembark.

Suoyiwang Sect Li glanced at the boarding ladder beneath her feet; the door of the crew carriage near the locomotive sat very high above the ground.

Thus, she had no choice but to take the hand he offered and step down, one step at a time.

"Thank you; it's rare that anyone would still leave me some dignity."

Once Suoyiwang Sect Li had firmly planted her feet, she swept her gaze across the empty platform; apart from Li Li Xuewu, his secretary, and that command vehicle, there was no one else connected to her.

Over in the dispatch workshop, things were bustling with activity; a new round of trade activities had begun, and this year, the rice bowls of the Rolling Steel Factory workers should contain an extra piece or two of meat.

Li Li Xuewu raised his hand, gesturing toward the command vehicle, and said, "Let's get in the car; it's the weekend today, and no one else is working."

"So Deputy Director Li is working?"

Suoyiwang Sect Li looked at Li Li Xuewu, raised an eyebrow, and said, "No need to comfort me; the victor becomes king, the vanquished becomes bandit, and one must accept the consequences of one's gamble."

Speaking thus, she gestured to Peng Peng Xiaoli, who was standing by the car, and said, "Give me the luggage; I can go back on my own."

"I didn't come today just to watch your spectacle."

Li Li Xuewu's face still bore that faint smile, and he spoke with genuine sincerity: "At least I am here, aren't I?"

"True!"

Suoyiwang Sect Li looked deeply at Li Li Xuewu, thought for a moment, then nodded and said, "You're right; at least you are still here."

"Let's go."

She turned around and, while walking toward the jeep, said, "If it's convenient, please give me a ride home; riding this train was truly exhausting."

Peng Peng Xiaoli, carrying the luggage in his hand, stood by the car and looked at Li Li Xuewu; seeing that his leader had no further instructions, he opened the car door for her.

Li Li Xuewu watched Suoyiwang Sect Li's retreating figure with amusement and strode toward the car.

What nonsense about the victor becoming king and the vanquished becoming bandit, about accepting the consequences of one's gamble; if she truly accepted defeat, how could she be so tsundere?

Those who knew understood she had colluded with Cheng Kaiyuan to stir up trouble; those who didn't might think Li Li Xuewu and Li Li Huai De had bullied her.

Wei Zaike, head of the Political Group, had said Li Li Xuewu was simply idle, simply a pushover, and simply indulging people like Suoyiwang Sect Li.

Actually, that was both right and wrong; judging by Li Li Xuewu's character, even in Suoyiwang Sect Li's opinion, his coming to meet her train today surely meant he was up to no good.

Of course, the idea of him coming just to watch her spectacle was absolutely impossible; Li Li Xuewu was not that shallow in her heart, nor that childish.

Among the notable figures of the Rolling Steel Factory, Li Li Xuewu was the number one dangerous person in Suoyiwang Sect Li's estimation.

She had mentioned this point to Cheng Kaiyuan more than once, and furthermore, in letters to Yang Yang Yuansong and others, she had written about her cautious attitude toward their current actions.

However, although Cheng Kaiyuan had treated this issue very seriously and had indeed formulated a plan specifically targeting Li Li Xuewu, it still ended in failure at the last moment.

The fact that neither the Deputy Head of the Security Group nor the Director of the General Office could restrain the Security Department in Li Li Xuewu's absence demonstrated just how dangerous this man was to the Security Department, and to the Rolling Steel Factory.

Suoyiwang Sect Li was unconvinced by this failure; at least regarding the part she played in this operation, no factors that could have led to failure had arisen.

As the saying goes, success always has its reasons, and failure always has its causes.

Throughout the journey back, Suoyiwang Sect Li had been pondering what exactly had caused this reform to fail.

First, factors of personnel influence could be ruled out; with support from upper-level leadership, advocacy from mid-level cadres, and response from grassroots cadres, these were innate conditions that even Li Li Huai De's initial reform had lacked.

Secondly, there were factors of environmental influence; the reason for launching the reform at this time was, first, that the external macro-environment was improving, the expanded meeting above presented a golden opportunity, and furthermore, both Li Li Huai De and Li Li Xuewu were away from the factory, far off on the frontier.

Cheng Kaiyuan advocated acting at this juncture; he had not failed to consider that Li Li Huai De might have made preparations in advance, but he was convinced the timing was ripe and immediate execution was necessary.

Looking back on this operation now, the final factor—timing influence—was the greatest cause of its failure.

Regarding the selection of preparation time and implementation time, Cheng Kaiyuan's judgment was problematic.

Especially after the operation began, there was hesitation in controlling the factory, and even instances of betrayal occurred.

Sitting in the car, Suoyiwang Sect Li watched the factory scenery flashing past outside the window and couldn't help but sigh deeply in her heart.

They spoke of the victor becoming king and the vanquished becoming bandit, of accepting the consequences of one's gamble, but truly achieving that was incredibly difficult.

At least in her view, from the moment Yang Yang Yuansong found her and persuaded her to participate in this operation, even going so far as to invite her former superior to intercede on their behalf, the affair itself was an erroneous beginning, so ending it in an erroneous form was not so unacceptable.

This matter was itself a mistaken beginning; for it to end in a mistaken form was not so unacceptable.

"Hmm?"

"Oh~"

Li Li Xuewu was momentarily stunned by her question, then turned to look at her, raised an eyebrow, and countered, "Why couldn't Director Sun help me?"

Before Suoyiwang Sect Li could react, he asked again, "Was Director Sun helping me? And why was it Director Sun?"

Before Wang Wang Zongli could react, he asked again, "Did Director Sun help me? Why was it Director Sun?"

Suoyiwang Sect Li was bewildered by his three consecutive questions and stared at him blankly.

Li Li Xuewu, however, broke into a smile and said, "Perhaps I am a good leader, or perhaps he wanted to stand on the side of justice, or perhaps you simply misjudged the person."

Three questions, three answers; asking and answering himself, he had effectively responded to Suoyiwang Sect Li's query.

Suoyiwang Sect Li, however, thought seriously for a moment, then looked at Li Li Xuewu, nodded, and said, "I am more inclined to accept the point that you are a good leader."

Wang Wang Zongli, however, thought seriously for a moment, then looked at Li Li Xuewu, nodded, and said, "I am more willing to accept that you are a good leader."

Li Li Xuewu nodded very politely and said, "You are the same in my heart, which is why I welcome you to work in the Security Group."

Li Li Xuewu nodded very politely and said, "You are the same in my heart, so I welcome you to work in the Security Section."

"Heh heh, sincere?"

Wang Wang Zongli smiled as she studied the expression on Li Li Xuewu's face; seeing he was not feigning, her smile gradually turned serious: "I am very grateful for your recognition; this is the best and most honorable evaluation I can imagine after working at the Rolling Steel Factory for so many years."

"Thank you."

She thanked Li Li Xuewu with great sincerity, and the burdens she had carried since returning from the frontier, which she had been unable to resolve, were all laid down in this moment, as if she had found liberation.

And until he had escorted the other party home, Li Li Xuewu did not speak another word to her.

Perhaps this is the pride a cadre ought to possess.

What?

You ask about Cheng Kaiyuan?

Naturally, what Cheng Kaiyuan possesses should be the ruthlessness and shamelessness a cadre ought to have.

Just as Li Li Xuewu's command vehicle left the Rolling Steel Factory, someone in the office building happened to be watching this side.

Even on weekends, there were always people working in the factory.

This included production departments such as the Boiler Workshop, the Metallurgy Workshop, and the Equipment Workshop.

It also included functional departments like Maintenance, Fire Protection, and Security.

Various offices and sections within the administrative units would also have dedicated duty personnel stationed to ensure that key work during rest days would not be interrupted.

Of course, every office had a need for duty staff, and the factory leadership also had duty requirements.

Shi Shi Ruoweng, the newly appointed Deputy Director of the Management Committee Office, was participating in duty as an office cadre for the first time today.

By coincidence, Wei Zaike was also working on the third floor, so the two, having nothing else to do, sat together drinking tea and chatting.

It was merely a flow of conversation; when Wei Zaike saw that familiar command vehicle pass through his line of sight, he mentioned having met Li Li Xuewu at the main gate and added that Li Li Xuewu had gone to pick up Wang Wang Zongli.

Shi Shi Ruoweng was an old hand at administration; with his years of seniority and capability in the factory office, plus having written materials for Li Li Huai De for several good years, this time he could finally be said to have achieved his wish.

His impression of Wang Wang Zongli was not very good; perhaps it was a common failing of pen-pushers to look down on those who rose to power through nepotism.

Especially for someone like him who had languished for many years, frustrated and unfulfilled, he held an even deeper hatred for those who had snatched opportunities away from him.

Looking down on nepotism naturally meant looking down on young upstarts as well; young people should be like them, grinding their way up step by step.

Therefore, Shi Shi Ruoweng disliked both individuals mentioned by Wei Zaike, especially given the current clear-cut political stance.

"What does Deputy Director Li mean by this?"

Shi Shi Ruoweng asked with a sneering smile: "Is he afraid the wind is too strong, so he's trying to stand with one foot on each boat?"

"It's not that serious."

Wei Zaike had only spoken off the cuff and did not expect Shi Shi Ruoweng to react so strongly, so he spoke to soothe him: "This person, Deputy Director Li, looks fierce, but is actually a good man."

"When it comes to political issues, is there a distinction between good and bad?"

After asking that question, Shi Shi Ruoweng curled his lip and said: "I'd say he's too young to be reliable, with too many schemes in his head."

Hearing the tone was off, Wei Zaike raised his eyebrows and asked: "Deputy Director Shi, what exactly do you mean?"

"No! I don't mean anything!"

Having sat on the cold bench for so long, Shi Shi Ruoweng's heart was already like solid rock; he would not fall for Wei Zaike's probing.

"I'm just speaking from my own perspective; Deputy Director Li, heh heh, is after all at the same rank as me~"

Having said this, he picked up his teacup, stood up, and walked out, shaking his head as he went, projecting an air of aloof independence.

Wei Zaike sat there watching, finding it amusing, thinking to himself that this old bastard, if his state of mind were truly perfected, wouldn't be talking about being at the same rank or not, right?

Really thinking himself so important, believing that his Deputy Director of the Management Committee Office is the same thing as Li Li Xuewu's Deputy Director of the Management Committee Office?

The biggest joke in this world is overestimating one's own capabilities, making a fool of oneself before experts!

What does it mean to make a fool of oneself before experts?

It means being mocked by those with broad knowledge or mastery of the subject.

Zhong Zhong Yuemin and the others who had come to the Rolling Steel Factory for observation, study, and exchange felt that they were currently making fools of themselves before experts.

What was said when they arrived?

That they would bring the sparks of reform to the worker comrades, bring the enthusiasm of youth into the steel workshops, and bring the sweat of labor to the construction sites.

That progressive youth and reforming workers would join hands and hearts to stir up an even greater wave of enterprise and learning within the factory.

But as a result, the first stop for these little guests welcomed by the Rolling Steel Factory was the Boiler Workshop.

Just imagine, workers in the workshop wearing thin cotton work clothes still felt it was too hot; what effect would it have on these progressive students, who had come wearing cotton-padded jackets and trousers, to walk around inside for twenty minutes?

Anyway, by the time they came out, every single one of them was sneezing, shivering, hugging their arms and shrinking their necks, looking just like little quails.

Drenched in sweat inside their cotton-padded jackets and trousers, suddenly stepping outdoors into temperatures below minus twenty degrees, even the highest flames and enthusiasm had cooled down considerably by this point.

You say progressive youth have enthusiasm and hot blood, but can they be hotter than a boiler?

Want to cause trouble? First, give them a warning blow!

After leaving the high-heat workshop, the second stop was the Rolling Steel Factory's Founding History Museum and Hall of Honor.

This area was prepared for leadership inspections, visits from sister units, and ideological education for new employees.

Of course, these little guests visiting also had to go through this procedure, to let them know how the veteran workers shed blood and sweat.

After understanding the history, they would look at the honors and achievements attained by the Rolling Steel Factory, and see which advanced individuals and deeds the factory had produced.

Finally, they would listen to the personal experiences recounted by retired model workers, the living maps of the Rolling Steel Factory workers' struggle and construction history.

You say progressive youth have things to say, have thoughts, and have experience, but could they possess more ideological awareness or life experience than our elder model workers?

Want to speak? First, take a punch from the workers' iron fist!

After suffering the warning blow and taking a hit from the iron fist, it was time to give them a sweet date.

Therefore, after the little guests finished listening to the lecture by the model workers, they watched one of the most popular films of the time in the Hall of Honor.

You said you came bringing sparks of fire; by this step, they were mostly extinguished, and even if there was still some hot blood left, after watching the movie, they would first indulge in pleasures and lose their ambition.

This is what is called having one's hands shortened by accepting gifts!

And eating someone's food makes one's mouth soft!

Exactly!

After watching the movie, just as the young guests had relaxed their nerves, exhausted the enthusiasm they'd replenished that morning, and were clutching stomachs rumbling loudly, they were led to the Dashitang.

Free lunch—such a thing really exists in this world!

All progressive youths coming to visit and study could dine for free at the Rolling Steel Factory, limited to this one meal at noon.

Of course, the food offered nothing special; whatever the workers ate, they ate.

These progressive youths naturally would not pick and choose, remembering all too well what they had come here to do.

So, each holding an iron tray provided by the cafeteria, they queued up with great novelty, waiting to be served.

Standing inside the window, Seeing Sha Zhu watched these foolish two-hundred-and-fifty youths, whose eyes shone with a clear, stupid light, and grinned broadly.

It wasn't that he meant to mock these silly kids, but for a noon meal on a non-working day, what decent dish could one expect?

Unless one went to the Xiaoshitang, where meals were cooked hot in individual woks, unlike here where everything was stir-fried then dumped into big basins and mixed like pig slop.

Yet seeing the hopeful looks in these children's eyes, especially their anticipation of tasting the food of the worker big brothers, he really couldn't help but suppress a laugh.

"How is it?"

Zhong Zhong Yuemin carried his tray over, sat down next to Yuan Jun and the other, and casually asked, "Tasty?"

"Sigh~!"

Zheng Tong heaved a deep sigh, looked at the food before him, and said, "The worker big brothers really have it hard~"

"Is it really that bad~"

Zhong Zhong Yuemin picked up some stir-fried cabbage with his chopsticks and shoved it into his mouth, but after chewing a few bites, he turned to Zheng Tong and the other to ask, "What's this taste?"

"A rank smell!"

Yuan Jun, dipping his steamed bun into the cabbage soup, pursed his lips and said, "Either the damn thing is undercooked, or there's something wrong with the cabbage."

"Damn! Are the cooks here crazy!"

Zhong Zhong Yuemin said indignantly, "They dare to fool the workers?"

"Sit down~ Sit down!"

Zheng Tong pulled Zhong Zhong Yuemin back, hinting as he spoke, "Who's fooling whom is still unknown; where do you think this cabbage came from? For all we know, the locals might be the ones fooling the factory!"

"Damn your grandpa! What kind of era is this!"

Zhong Zhong Yuemin said discontentedly, "I think the locals need reform even more; we must go to the countryside to thoroughly solve the root problem."

"You go then! I'm not going!"

Yuan Jun lifted his head and said, "Face to the yellow earth, back to the blue sky—it'll kill you!"

"Hahaha~"

The three of them ate while laughing and joking; although the cabbage tasted a bit rank, the potatoes were passable, enough to fill their bellies.

Of course, there was no afternoon nap after eating; did they think this place was the Fuli Academy!

The staff at the reception station fully understood and acted according to the leaders' instructions, firmly satisfying the progressive youths' eager attitude toward learning from the workers.

So, immediately after finishing lunch, once everyone had regained their strength, they proceeded to the construction site to move bricks and stones alongside the construction workers laboring there.

The reception cadre had explained that this was called combining progressive youths with laboring workers, jointly working to summarize experiences of reform and development.

Zhong Zhong Yuemin, Zhang Wang Jianguo, and the others were all dumbfounded; what the hell was this!

They had come to visit, exchange ideas, and learn, so why the hell did they have to do manual labor!

Seeing the youths standing there with troubled expressions, refusing to move, the reception cadre had a trick up his sleeve; pointing to the bespectacled cadre standing nearby holding a camera, he said, "Today's labor mobilization will be reported in media outlets such as the 'Workers' Daily' and the 'Steel Daily'."

It was all over; they were going to be photographed and appear in the newspapers!

The youths exchanged glances, realizing they were now backed into a corner with no way out, so they rolled up their sleeves and got to work!

Watching the young people spring into action, the reception cadre thought to himself: Young people after all; they care about their reputation.

As the bespectacled cadre held his camera to capture scenes of their labor, these progressive youths worked even harder.

Those who could carry five bricks now carried six; stones that required two people to lift were carried by one person sprinting away—this was the power of propaganda!

Especially the construction workers on the site, who were also damn cunning!

Seeing fresh reinforcements arrive to help, those guys praised these young people to the skies, saying "So fierce!" with every sentence and "Young people are truly amazing!" with every breath.

Young people could least withstand praise; shaking their shoulders and exerting all their strength, they truly worked as if their lives depended on it.

Well, just look; these five hundred people matched the labor output of a thousand, both enthusiastic and swift.

Only the cunning Zhong Zhong Yuemin, hiding from the camera lens, secretly complained, "What free lunch? This damn well costs more than eating at Old Mo!"