Chapter 962: It

"Yo! When did you get back?"

"Rare to see you~"

"Hello, Deputy Director Li~"

From the moment Li Xuewu got out of the car, all the way from the alley to the courtyard, the greetings never stopped.

There were even those who were eager to curry favor, specifically coming out in the freezing cold just to greet him.

They say people in this era are simple and honest, and that the status of workers and leading cadres is the same, with no high or low.

That's what they say, but in reality, leading cadres have resources that workers cannot compare to.

Of course, wages are transparent, and what level you are at determines what kind of treatment you enjoy, and what status you have determines what kind of rights you possess.

But cadres are different from cadres. Qin Huairu is also a cadre, a proper deputy section-level cadre, but can you compare her to Li Xuewu?

How old was Li Xuewu when he was deputy section-level, and how old was he when he was deputy division-level?

Now that there's something in the courtyard, you can ask Ji Yuxiu, the director of the Jiaodaokou station, for local matters, and you can ask Qin Huairu for plant matters.

But there are some things that even if you ask them, they can't solve, so you really have to be polite to Li Xuewu.

"Oh my, Deputy Director Li, I've finally been waiting for you!"

"Huo~ rare to see you!"

Li Xuewu raised an eyebrow, sized up Liu Guangqi who was standing in the Chuihua Gate, and asked, "What wind blew you back?"

"You criticize me!"

Liu Guangqi smiled very sincerely and said, "I, in the past, was negligent in my concern for my parents; it really wasn't right!"

"I admit my mistake, I repent, I mend the fold after the sheep is lost, I will atone for my crimes..."

"Doo~ wait~!"

Li Xuewu glanced at him suspiciously and asked, "What are you saying? Are you okay?"

"I..."

"Ahem~"

Before Liu Guangqi could explain, Yan Fugui, who had been eavesdropping at the door crack, walked out of the room wrapped in a cotton coat.

"Heh, Xuewu, you're back?"

"Huo! What's going on in the courtyard today? The sun came out from the west, hey!"

Li Xuewu sized him up again, the corners of his mouth lifting slightly, and asked, "The wanderer has returned home, the fishing enthusiast has come ashore for the weekend—what happened?"

"Heh~ I don't count as rare~"

Yan Fugui narrowed his small eyes, glanced at the somewhat embarrassed Liu Guangqi, crossed his arms, and said, "It's too cold to chisel the ice, and it's not worth the effort to catch fish, so I might as well do something else."

After saying this, he looked at Liu Guangqi with a meaningful smile and said, "Guangqi is back; it must be about the house, right?"

"Third Uncle, do you know why the blood vessels in your head exploded?"

Liu Guangqi pouted and said, "If you ask me, it's because you meddle too much and worry about too many idle things!"

"You! How are you talking!"

Yan Fugui's playful expression froze instantly, and he pointed at Liu Guangqi and said, "With your attitude, you still expect to get a house from our courtyard?!"

"You, just take care of yourself!"

Liu Guangqi glanced at him, then changed his expression to a smile and said to Li Xuewu, "Well, it's not a good time today, and it's not convenient to talk. You see if it's convenient tonight; I want to invite you to dinner."

"Hmm~ I have something to do today."

Li Xuewu rejected his invitation first, then looked at him and asked, "What is this about the house you two are talking about?"

"You don't know?"

"Impossible!"

Liu Guangqi widened his eyes and said, "Didn't the Steel Mill say it was going to build collective buildings, and also said it was going to concentrate workers for placement and management?"

"Not right~"

After he finished explaining, he looked at Li Xuewu in confusion and said, "You are a plant leader; it's impossible that this didn't pass through you."

"Yeah, it's spread with nose and eyes; I even went to inquire, and they all said so!"

Yan Fugui, standing on the side, also joined in the fun, his small eyes staring at Li Xuewu, very afraid that he would say the news was fake.

Li Xuewu glanced at the two of them, gestured with his fingers, and asked, "Dare to say you are all waiting for a house division now?"

"That!..."

Yan Fugui wanted to speak, but cautiously glanced at Liu Guangqi, who also wanted to speak, and both held back their words.

Li Xuewu looked at the two of them amusingly, swept a glance at the other neighbors in the courtyard who were paying attention to this side, pursed his lips, nodded, and said, "It is indeed true."

"Master Yang Er! I said it was true!"

As Li Xuewu's voice fell, a burst of excited exclamations came from the courtyard, only because they were separated by windows, it sounded slightly suppressed.

Yan Fugui, standing in the courtyard, was truly overjoyed at this moment, almost jumping up to give an "Oh yeah."

What others said didn't count; it could only be hearsay.

But when Li Xuewu said it, it was truly like a red-headed document issued by the plant.

He was in high spirits, stretched his cotton coat, and ignoring his bickering with Liu Guangqi, he looked at Li Xuewu and asked, "How are these houses divided? I heard they are all big houses, and the smallest is forty square meters!"

"Hmm, ordinary staff buildings are divided into three grades: forty, sixty, and eighty square meters."

Li Xuewu waved his hand, refusing Liu Guangqi's attempt to light a cigarette, and introduced, "Unlike the welfare improvement residential buildings currently being built, this counts as self-raised and self-built by the factory, requiring replacement and compensation."

"What does that mean?"

Not only were Liu Guangqi and Yan Fugui stunned, but the other neighbors in the courtyard who had stopped to listen also froze.

Liu Guangqi asked anxiously, "Doesn't it mean directly dividing houses to the staff?"

"What kind of beautiful dream are you having?"

Li Xuewu glanced at him and said, "Go inquire all over the four cities; which factory directly divides houses to staff?"

"Even if there is, it's a case of many monks and little gruel; just wait in line according to size."

"The Steel Mill is going to build a large residential area this time. Have you heard of the Workers' New Village?"

Seeing that some knew and some didn't, Li Xuewu took out a cigarette case and lit one for himself, then explained: "It means married families don't have to wait in line and can directly apply for residential buildings, and single workers can apply for apartment buildings."

"No~ no~"

Yan Fugui raised his hand and grabbed Li Xuewu's wrist, asking urgently, "Does it mean whether it's an old worker or a new worker, they can all apply?"

"Theoretically, yes. As long as they are workers of the Steel Mill, they can apply for replacement and compensation procedures."

Li Xuewu shook off his hand, took a puff of the cigarette, and said, "For example, your family—Comrade Ge Shuqin has entered the plant, right? She can use the current housing to apply for replacement with the plant. If it meets the forty-square-meter requirement, she can live in the forty-grade..."

"What if it doesn't meet it?"

Yan Fugui looked at the small room his daughter-in-law lived in; no matter how he calculated it, it wouldn't reach forty square meters.

"Then compensate for the construction price difference."

Li Xuewu took a puff of the cigarette, looked at him, and said, "The plant is organizing the formulation of relevant calculation formulas; I don't know the specifics."

"Then what's the point!"

Yan Fugui didn't wait for others to complain and said it himself: "Doesn't this mean buying a house with your own money!"

"Hey!"

Li Xuewu pointed at him, and without waiting for others to react, asked first: "You have money now; can you buy a house?"

"And!"

He looked at the others and reminded them: "The Workers' New Village residential buildings have centralized free heating, guaranteed power supply, are convenient for commuting, and the residential area is managed in a closed manner, with comprehensive life services without leaving the residential area..."

"This..."

Hearing him say this, the others began to mutter in their hearts, calculating their own small accounts.

And Yan Fugui's abacus beads were flying in his stomach, clattering as he calculated whether the cost of living here was higher or the replacement building was higher.

First is heating; the coal money for the whole winter is saved, and there's no need to burn the stove or buy firewood yourself.

Secondly, transportation costs; the plant area is next to the residential area, so you can walk to work, and bicycle and bus fares are saved.

Then there is the living environment; forty square meters in a building is more spacious and bright than forty square meters in a Sihe Academy, and it's comfortable to live in.

Finally, food costs; the plant has a canteen, and you can cook at home...

"Hey! Hey! Xuewu!"

Yan Fugui blocked the others who wanted to ask questions, grabbed the chance to ask Li Xuewu: "If! I'm saying if!"

He tried hard to emphasize: "If this house is replaced, can it be lived in by family members?"

As soon as this question was asked, the surroundings went silent instantly, and everyone was looking at him with strange eyes.

Especially those standing close to him, they unconsciously moved to the side, as if afraid of getting shit on them.

"This word is said as an 'if,' so I won't say anything."

Li Xuewu looked at him with a slight smile and said, "If you see 'if,' tell him for me: when being a person, you still have to have a conscience."

"Heh~"

"Hahahaha!"

First someone snickered, then someone laughed out loud regardless, ignoring Yan Fugui who was embarrassed there.

Liu Guangqi laughed the loudest, pointed at Yan Fugui and said, "Third Uncle, your abacus beads have popped onto my face. I advise you, accumulate virtue and do good!"

"What are you laughing at!"

Yan Fugui said in shame and anger, "I didn't say it was an 'if'! What's wrong with me asking!"

After saying this, he turned and walked toward his house, looking back at it reluctantly after walking two steps; he had a particularly deep obsession with houses.

Liu Guangqi laughed at Yan Fugui, but then asked proactively: "Deputy Director Li, look at our family; can my dad apply?"

"It's not like you're applying now."

Li Xuewu glanced at him, knowing what he meant; Liu Haizhong was still carrying a disciplinary probation, and he couldn't be cleared and have his status as a steel mill worker restored until next year if there were no problems.

"The plan is just finalized now, and the project department has been established. Even if construction starts at the beginning of the year, it will be the second half of the year before we see the building."

"Oh~ oh~ oh! I understand!"

Liu Guangqi nodded with a smile and said, "I was just talking about this with my mom and dad. If we can live in a building, it will be more convenient for me to take care of them."

"Are you playing for real?"

Li Xuewu sized him up suspiciously and asked, "Is your wife willing to live with your parents?"

"Hey~ who wouldn't want to live in a building if they could."

Liu Guangqi was frank in front of Li Xuewu: "It's not that there are kindergartens and primary schools in the residential area; having my mom take care of the children saves us trouble."

Seeing the strange looks from the neighbors, he gave a dry laugh and said, "Every family has its own difficult scripture to read. In the past, my brother was at home; if I didn't go out to strive, we would have fought long ago."

Others nodded understandingly when they heard him say this and didn't say anything to mock him.

Liu Guangqi was very unpopular in the courtyard before; he belonged to the wolf cub type.

No matter how good Liu Haizhong and his wife were to their eldest son, they couldn't get a word of concern or care in return.

Having found a job, he moved out of the house early to avoid paying his share of the money to the family.

But thinking in another direction, if he hadn't left, even if the three men in the family all earned money, they couldn't expand the living area, and they would have fought sooner or later.

Liu Guangqi's words, although realistic, were also the truth. Which family with three sons doesn't have their own little schemes?

As long as they are grown up and have their own thoughts, they all want to scrape things into their own pockets.

Now the issue of supporting Liu Haizhong has suddenly become simple: the youngest son is eating "public rice," the second son has been transferred to Steel City, and only the eldest son is by his side.

Liu Guangqi is such a smart person; instead of moving things from the house bowl by bowl, it's better to move himself home and take everything directly.

His direction of thinking is not wrong, and no one can say it's wrong; this is his life.

Then, don't the other families in the courtyard have their own troublesome matters?

Just now everyone was laughing at Yan Fugui, but thinking of themselves, they might not be as good as him.

For a time, everyone had no more questions and dispersed to find rulers to measure how much area they had at home, estimating how big a house they could exchange for.

Qin Huairu and Sha Zhu stood outside the Chuihua Gate, and only after the people had dispersed did they enter the courtyard.

"Good guy~ you blocked the courtyard gate as soon as you came back; your shelf is so big~"

"Deputy Director Li's arrival makes our courtyard shine!"

Sha Zhu and Qin Huairu teased Li Xuewu in unison, their faces full of smiles.

Li Xuewu took a puff of the cigarette, looked at the two of them, and asked, "Don't you want to go home and measure the size quickly? Don't you want to live in a building?"

"Don't want to live~"

Sha Zhu shook his head and said very earnestly: "Even if you say it until flowers bloom, I won't go live in that building!"

"That's because you're stupid~"

Li Xuewu exhaled a puff of smoke and said with a smile: "Others are thinking about living in a building, but you are reluctant to part with this one-acre-three-fen of land."

"Hey! That's just how it is!"

Sha Zhu raised his eyebrows, leaned in, and whispered: "Just looking at the way you were talking just now, I know there's no good thing in here!"

"Get lost~"

Li Xuewu glanced at him speechlessly and said, "You need to take medicine!"

"Don't need you to remind me!"

Sha Zhu raised his head and smiled evilly: "Do you know what expression you have when you're lying to people?"

"Stop talking nonsense; do you think I would lie to my own neighbors?"

Li Xuewu gestured toward the courtyard and said: "What kind of person do you take me for!"

"Anyway, not a good person."

Sha Zhu shook his head slightly and said: "I can't see what's wrong with it now, and you don't get fame or profit, but I just feel something is wrong."

"Hmm!"

Li Xuewu pursed his lips and nodded, saying to Sha Zhu: "You need to increase the dosage; now you're starting to have persecutory delusions."

"Stop it~"

Sha Zhu waved his hand and asked Qin Huairu: "Qin Jie, you say, you say if there's a problem here."

"Heh~ I think you have a problem."

Qin Huairu looked at him with a smile and said: "People already said it's a replacement application, not forcing you to change; what problem could there be."

"Bullying me because I'm sick, right?!"

Sha Zhu shook his head, looked at Qin Huairu and asked: "Then Qin Jie, do you change?"

After saying this, he emphasized: "This residential building is out; are you willing to use your house to exchange for the plant's building?"

"Change, why not change?"

Qin Huairu looked at him and said: "Haven't you smelled enough of the coal smoke, and haven't you poured enough of the urine bucket?"

"When someone coughs at the gate, the back courtyard hears it clearly!"

"I don't know about you, anyway I don't care for this place."

She twitched the corners of her mouth and said earnestly: "Houses are for living; why not choose better living conditions?"

"Is there a gold mine under your house?"

"..."

Sha Zhu was speechless by her retort, turned his head to look at Li Xuewu, who was full of smiles, and asked: "Is there really nothing wrong here?"

"There is, there is a big thing."

Li Xuewu put away his smile, feigned seriousness, leaned in close to him, and whispered: "It is said that there is a gold mine under your house..."

"Go, go, go away!"

Sha Zhu was so angry that his mouth stuttered; he pushed Li Xuewu hard, and felt even more embarrassed by Qin Huairu's laughter.

Liu Yin had seen her son enter the courtyard, but she was held back by people in the courtyard, so she didn't come out.

Now that the people had dispersed, she walked out of the room wearing a cotton coat and greeted with a smile: "Huairu, why don't you come in and talk? It's cold outside."

After saying this, she looked at Li Xuewu and asked: "Son, why did you come? Are you not busy today?"

In the past, when Gu Ning's physical condition allowed, they would come home to stay for a night on Saturday night, or go back on Sunday night or Monday morning.

That's not possible now; Liu Yin can only find time to go to the Haiyuncang side, or Li Xuewu rushes home on Sunday.

Even if he comes home, it's basically in the afternoon or evening; he rarely comes home in the morning.

Li Xuewu put his arm around his mother's shoulder and walked toward the house, saying while walking: "I came home this time to get scriptures; I have an important task on my shoulders."

"What are you saying~"

Liu Yin saw her son joking and knew he was fine, so she also said with a smile: "How old are you, and still no proper shape."

"No matter how old I am, I'm still a child in front of you, right, Grandma?"

"Hahahaha~"

"What were you talking about in the front courtyard? So lively."

Diliya had a big belly; now she didn't go to the store to help, and she liked lying on the warm kang even more in the cold weather.

Seeing Sha Zhu enter the room, she pushed the tea jar beside her hand to signal him to help her refill the water.

"Li Xuewu is back, and Third Uncle and the others stopped him to ask about the house building in the plant."

While explaining, he took off his clothes, picked up the teacup on the edge of the kang, and went to the tea cabinet to refill it with hot water.

"Liu Guangqi came back to discuss retirement with his parents because he wanted to live in a building, while Third Uncle is calculating how to use Comrade Ge Shuqin's house to exchange for a building."

"Why like this?"

Diliya turned on her side and asked: "Can houses be exchanged like this?"

"Who knows; you still don't know Third Uncle?"

Sha Zhu placed the teacup beside his wife's hand, took off his shoes, sat on the kang with his legs crossed, and said: "He is the best at calculating; he is such a smart person."

"What does it mean?"

Diliya looked at him in confusion and asked: "If you exchange Comrade Ge Shuqin's house, where will the orphans and widows live if they don't live in the building?"

"The building will probably be given to whichever son; it can't run away, it's Yan Jiefang, he's a big boy now, it's time to arrange marriage."

Sha Zhu took a sip of his tea jar and said: "Forty square meters, it's enough to find a golden branch and jade leaf, heh."

After a cold laugh, he pouted again: "Comrade Ge Shuqin will just live with them; anyway, they won't let her move out easily."

"Why?"

Diliya's personality, although a bit introverted, was also an open-minded person; she had few crooked thoughts, so she didn't react to the problem here for a while.

"Why? For money~"

Sha Zhu looked at his wife and said: "Third Uncle didn't succeed in letting Yan Jiefang take over his job, but Comrade Ge Shuqin entered the plant, so she started receiving a salary."

"You just think about it; such a young widow, even if she has a child, a salary of nearly thirty yuan a month—can it be found back after being scattered!"

"Ya~!"

Diliya frowned slightly: "Why think so much!"

"Hey! Is it me thinking too much?"

Sha Zhu lowered his eyelids and said: "That's how he thinks; otherwise, why do you think he asked if the replacement house could be lived in by family members?"

Just as they were talking, the door of the east room clicked, and then the sound of slippers shuffling was heard.

He looked up and saw his sister Yuyu, with her hair bundled, wearing only tight-fitting thermal underwear, walking over from her own room.

"Just got up?"

"Got up early."

Yuyu sniffed, looking sleepy, leaned to the edge of the kang, touched the temperature under her sister-in-law, and said: "Be careful, don't sleep on a kang that's too hot."

"Your brother knows; he doesn't burn it too much."

Diliya pulled Yuyu onto the kang, lifted the quilt to cover her legs, and asked: "Hungry? Let your brother fix you something to eat."

"Hungry, just endure it!"

"Just think about it; such a young little widow, even with a child, has a monthly salary of nearly thirty yuan. Once it's spent, can you ever get it back!"

"I'm willing~"

Yuyu gave him a look of impatience, then explained to her sister-in-law: "Not hungry, still a bit sleepy; I was writing materials last night."

"Hmm, diligent to the end."

Sha Zhu got off the kang and shuffled toward the kitchen, muttering words of disgust.

Yuyu knew her brother couldn't let her go hungry, so she emphasized with a smile: "Keep it simple; don't steam buns."

"You're beautiful, your snot bubbles are coming out! Eat snot bubbles!"

Sha Zhu's voice came from the kitchen, making Yuyu giggle.

Diliya also looked at the bickering siblings with amusement, reached out and held her sister-in-law's hand, and advised: "Why be so tired? If it's too hard, go back to the textile factory; it's the same job."

"Sigh~ can't go back~"

Yuyu twisted her body and burrowed into the kang like a maggot, looking at the ceiling tiredly and saying: "One radish, one pit; if I leave, naturally someone will fill the pit."

After saying this, she turned on her side, looked at her sister-in-law, and said: "Actually, I don't want to go back either. Sometimes I complain that work is hard, but if I think about it carefully, this kind of busy life seems fulfilling."

"I'm worried about you."

Diliya raised her hand and touched Yuyu's head, saying: "In this state, where do you have time to consider personal problems."

"... Is that so~"

Yuyu let out a long sigh, her tone indescribably melancholy, and said: "It seems like it's been a year."

Thinking of herself a year ago, was she busy with wedding matters, decorating the new house, buying daily necessities, and building her own little home?

In the blink of an eye, it was like a dream; the past had vanished like smoke, and there was no wedding matter at all—she was still alone.

Diliya and Yuyu, this pair of sisters-in-law, got along very well; there were things Sha Zhu couldn't say, but she could say to Yuyu.

Especially Yuyu's personal emotional problems; as long as Sha Zhu mentioned it, Yuyu would get anxious. The siblings had argued more than once because of this.

Diliya had told Sha Zhu more than once to pay attention to his tone and method, not to talk about things that shouldn't be talked about, especially not to mention Li Xuewu every time—as long as that name was mentioned, Yuyu would get anxious.

"You also have to look forward; you can't live in the past."

She wasn't even as old as Yuyu, but her words sounded mature and had the demeanor of a sister-in-law.

"We don't talk about finding a man to pass on the family line, or counting on him to support you, but living alone is always unsatisfactory, right?"

"Hmm."

Yuyu leaned toward her

Diliya didn't understand textile production, but she could roughly understand her sister-in-law's hardship; she smiled, squeezed her hand, and said: "If it's really too hard, go back to the textile mill; it's the same work."

"Sigh~ I can't go back~"

Yushui twisted her body and burrowed into the kang like a maggot; she looked at the ceiling wearily and said: "One radish for one hole; if I leave, naturally someone will fill the hole."

After finishing, she turned to the side, looked at her sister-in-law, and said: "Besides, I don't want to go back. Sometimes I complain that work is hard, but if I think about it carefully, this busy life actually feels fulfilling."

"I'm worried about you."

Diliya raised her hand to touch Yushui's head and said: "In your state, when would you have time to consider personal issues?"

As soon as she entered, she saw her second brother with his legs crossed, holding a teacup and still talking about work; it sounded like the matter of stopping the trade train from the Confidentiality Department.

"It's winter now, so frozen cargo is fine, but what about when spring comes?"

Jing Yunong looked at Li Xuewu, pursed her slightly swollen lips, and said, "I don't care if you're targeting the Confidentiality Department or have some other layout; the Steel Mill is currently in economic difficulty, and you cannot add frost to the snow."

"Hmm, I will solve this matter."

Li Xuewu thought for a moment and asked, "How about coordinating another frozen train?"

"Good, I agree."

Jing Yunong nodded quite decisively and said, "You figure out the manufacturing costs; the finance department can't take out a single cent."

Saying this, she stood up, walked back to sit behind her desk, rummaged through a pile of documents, found one, and gestured for Li Xuewu to look, saying, "The plant's overall budget plan has already been audited. If you can conjure up the money, I agree to whatever you spend it on."

Li Xue watched Deputy Director Jing arguing with her second brother about financial work; she didn't dare to interrupt, just refilled Deputy Director Jing's tea.

Listening to their conversation, it was like a married couple: the man wanted to buy something new, and the woman said there was no money at home, so if you can conjure up the money, buy whatever you want.

And the second brother's answer was also like most men facing a housekeeper wife: "The most common sentence you finance people say is that there isn't a cent in the account, right?"

Li Xuewu stood up, tidied the documents on the coffee table, waved at Deputy Director Jing with a smile, and said, "I'm going to conjure up some money for you."

Jing Yunong glanced at him with a face full of annoyance, twisted her lips, and lowered her head to look at the documents.

Li Xue watched her second brother leave, feeling at a loss; she secretly peeked at Deputy Director Jing's expression—how were they talking so well, and then suddenly she got angry?

She had, of course, known for a long time that the relationship between her second brother and Deputy Director Jing wasn't good, but it had been such a long time, and it wasn't as if they didn't have work contact; why were they still like this?

Just now when her second brother came, he was still joking with the leader, but in the blink of an eye, they fell out over money. This...

Who knew how painful it was to be caught between a leader and one's own brother? Family, who understands?

"Leader, have some tea."

Li Xue carefully placed the teacup at Jing Yunong's hand and reminded her softly.

Jing Yunong first said "Hmm," and after a while, realizing Li Xue was still standing by the desk, she looked up and asked, "What's wrong?"

"That..."

Li Xue looked at the leader's slightly swollen lips, thinking to herself that her second brother was really something; look at how he angered the leader, even biting her own lips to vent her anger.

"Have some tea; or should I change it for you?"

She watched the father and daughter laughing lazily for a good while before saying, "There's a child at home; how can we raise one?"

Doctors always see the dangerous side of things and always prioritize prevention.

Actually, Li Xuewu wanted to say that they also raised cats in the Sihe Academy, and they didn't need to be fed anything; they would catch mice to eat themselves.

But considering that Li Shu had reached the age of being naughty and Gu Ning was about to give birth, raising a cat really wasn't a good choice.

Cats are raised to catch mice, so they must be active in the house; bacteria carried by mice could very likely be transmitted to the child.

Not to mention whether Li Shu would catch the cat to play with, and then get bitten or scratched by the cat—it really wasn't worth it.

It wasn't that Li Xuewu was raising the child delicately; there were indeed a few cats in the Sihe Academy.

Whoever's kang was warm, that big yellow cat would go to sleep at their house—a total scumbag.

In the early days, who cared whether cats carried bacteria? I'm afraid that before they got sick from the cat, they would have starved to death first.

These children were also tough; they didn't care if they were scratched by a cat. The antibodies brought by the living environment were already there.

Ultimately, he had to consider Gu Ning's feelings. Cats were out, but rat poison could exist, provided he ensured Li Shu couldn't get it and couldn't touch it.

Mouse traps were the same; this little girl was curious about everything, which was very dangerous.

Han Jiankun had just taken off his clothes when he was ordered by Qin Jingru to arrange these things, specifically emphasizing not to let Li Shu see them, and even more so not to let Li Shu touch them.

Li Xuewu heard her arrangements, his face looking a bit awkward; he held Li Shu and sat beside Gu Ning, looking at her apologetically.

He had really been too busy recently and had neglected his concern for the family.

Gu Ning understood his look and rarely took the initiative to reach out and hold his large hand.

Li Xuewu smiled, held Li Shu, pointed to Gu Ning's belly, and asked, "Daughter, do you think it's a little brother or a little sister?"

Li Shu first looked at Mom's belly, then looked at Dad, and then said earnestly: "Cat~ Cat cat!"

"..."

"Pfft~"

Gu Ning really couldn't help it; looking at Li Xuewu's speechless expression made her laugh out loud.

Li Xuewu also felt that his daughter's childhood was missing something—it was missing a heavy spanking from her father!

"Dad is asking you again, do you want a little brother or a little sister?"

"Yi Yi?"

Li Shu looked at Dad in confusion, not knowing what he was saying.

Li Xuewu, however, teased his daughter tirelessly: "Brother, sister."

"Brother~"

"Right, brother, sister."

"Sister~"

"Brother, sister."

"Brother~ sister."

"..."

Li Xuewu looked at his daughter speechlessly and said with a bitter smile: "It won't do to want a sister-in-law first!"

"Ya! ~"

Li Shu was tortured by Dad until she had no patience left, using her little hands to push him away, not wanting to talk anymore.

Annoying! I'm not playing anymore!

Li Xuewu coaxed his daughter, picked up the scattered toy dolls on the floor, separated them by gender, placed them on the sofa armrest, and asked his daughter: "Which one?"

Li Shu first looked at him, then used her little finger to point at the doll wearing a small skirt.

"Ah, it's a little sister..."

Li Xuewu smiled and gave it to her, just about to ask if she liked little sisters, when he saw Li Shu raise her hand happily, acting skillfully as if throwing a grenade, and threw the doll in her hand to the other side of the sofa.

"Ya! Giggle giggle~"

Li Shu didn't care about the frozen smile on her old father's face; looking at her masterpiece, she clapped her hands and giggled.

Gu Ning saw Li Xuewu looking at her and shrugged helplessly, meaning it was your own fault; the family was originally harmonious, but you insisted on playing this game.

Li Xuewu was stimulated by her secret laughter; not believing it, he took an apple from the fruit plate, pointed to it, and said: "Brother."

Then he took a pear, pointed to it for his daughter, and said: "Sister."

Finally, he asked his daughter: "Do you like brother or sister?"

Li Shu held her little hands, looked at Dad in confusion, then suddenly understood, widened her eyes, nodded earnestly and said: "Good eat! All good eat~"

"Heh~ Hahahaha~"

Gu Ning couldn't hold it anymore, covered her mouth, and lowered her head to laugh. She really didn't dare to look at Li Xuewu's expression now, afraid that she would laugh too loudly and affect the child in her belly.

Li Shu looked at Mom laughing and was a bit dazed, not knowing what had happened.

Looking at Dad's expression of wanting to cry but having no tears, he was still emphasizing with a thick-tongued pronunciation: "Good eat (delicious), all good eat."

At the dinner table, Gu Ning still didn't dare to look at Li Xuewu; as long as she looked at him, she couldn't help but laugh.

The more she laughed, the more Li Xuewu felt like a failure, and the expression on his face made Gu Ning want to laugh even more.

Qin Jingru saw the interaction between the two and couldn't help but purse her lips, stealing a glance at Han Jiankun, and explained: "Li Shu learned to talk quite early, but she hasn't fully understood adult words yet."

"It's still the influence of the environment."

Li Xuewu habitually did some self-reflection and said: "There are only so many people in our family, and we don't see small children on weekdays, so of course she can't understand little brother and little sister."

After saying this, he gestured toward Han Jiankun and said to Li Shu: "You say uncle, she will definitely know."

Li Shu really gave her dad face; hearing Dad say uncle, she pointed her little hand at Han Jiankun, giggled, and shouted: "Pig! Piggy!"

"..."

Han Jiankun held his rice bowl and looked at Li Shu speechlessly; he hadn't said anything or done anything!

It can truly be said that one sits at home, and the scolding comes from the sky; how wronged!

"Hahahaha~"

Qin Jingru smiled and said to Han Jiankun: "The child can't pronounce clearly yet. You teach her to call uncle, call aunt, and she calls everyone 'dudu'."

"Piggy~"

Li Shu held a small spoon, watching the adults laughing because of what she said; now she was acting crazy again, laughing and shouting.

Actually, Li Shu's pronunciation was just "dudu," but the child's mouth was also laughing, so what came out was the impolite "piggy."

Han Jiankun shook his head with a smile and said: "If she calls me piggy, then piggy it is; at least I don't have to be treated like a grenade and thrown away."

"Hahahaha~"

Han Jiankun, who didn't joke on weekdays, suddenly made a joke, and the effect was even more obvious.

Gu Ning had already covered her mouth and turned away; she was afraid the rice in her mouth would spray out.

Li Shu was grabbing her small spoon and knocking on the small dining table while laughing; she didn't know what the adults were laughing at, but she just followed along.

Participation is what matters!

After dinner, Han Jiankun went to the courtyard to chop firewood; it was for the fireplace.

Shen Guodong used a truck to pull a load of dry wood segments from the mountain, all cut by a chainsaw.

Coal can be used for cooking and heating boilers, but fireplaces are not convenient for coal, for fear of carbon monoxide poisoning.

The houses here are relatively tight; if carbon monoxide is produced, it definitely won't dissipate.

There is a phrase in the West: "Each for all, all for each."

Li Xuewu didn't know the source, but he understood it thoroughly.

Precisely because he thought more and did more for others, others would also think of him and help him.

Not to mention work relationships, just talking about life, the few families he cared about were also silently caring about him.

How many people knew he had a fireplace at home and needed dry firewood?

Even if they knew, how many could help him prepare it in advance?

Sometimes friends or relatives don't need to say anything; as long as they do it, both sides can feel that care and protection.

Qin Jingru tidied up the kitchen, walked out to tease Li Shu, and then said to Li Xuewu: "Brother Li, Sister Ning's due date is getting closer and closer; we must make preparations."

"Hmm, hmm?"

Li Xuewu was coaxing Li Shu; he didn't pay attention when she spoke at first, then reacted and looked at her in confusion, then looked at Gu Ning.

Gu Ning lifted her gaze from the book in her hand and also looked at Qin Jingru in confusion.

"In our hometown, it's simple for women to give birth; the family prepares a pair of scissors and boils a pot of water, and that's it. But Sister Ning has the conditions here, so we still have to prepare."

Qin Jingru saw that they were both stunned and knew they hadn't prepared anything at all.

"It's cold. Although the hospital is close, we still have to consider how to go. Either leave someone at home or leave someone at the hospital."

"Also, the clothes, sanitary supplies, documents, and the baby's swaddling clothes, milk powder, baby bottles... needed for Sister Ning's production..."

"Wait!"

Li Xuewu suddenly realized that Gu Ning was actually going to give birth very soon. Ten months of pregnancy doesn't necessarily mean waiting until ten months to give birth.

Counting the days on his fingers, it was actually seven months now; it was time to make preparations.

"I'll go get a pen and notebook; let's hold a family meeting!" ===== CHAPTER 962 =====

"Heh~ heh~ heh~"

Li Xuewu held the pencil in his hand and gestured toward his sister-in-law who was strolling in the room, reminding her: "It's fine if you frame me, but saying Sister-in-law doesn't support Mom is not right; how can you say that!"

"That's enough! You're the one framing me!"

Zhao Yafang hugged Li Xue's other arm and said to Li Xuewu: "We have a great relationship; you don't need to sow discord between us."

"Master Yang Er at that! It's hard to be a good person~"

Li Xuewu spread his hands and said to the old lady sitting by the kang watching the fun: "I said that even if a daughter-in-law is good, she's not as good as a biological daughter. Master Yang Er, my sister-in-law is hugging Li Xue instead of my mom!"

"Go~ go~ go~"

Liu Yin smiled, patted her son, and shooed him away: "Everything is written down; hurry up and take it home. If you stay any longer, our family will have to perform 'The Three Kingdoms'!"