Chapter 965: Choosing is More Important Than Working Hard

"Exactly!"

Peng Peng Xiaoli held his teacup and stared, "If there were no ghosts in his heart, why be so careful?!"

"I think so too!"

Gu Cheng drank a sip of hot tea, looked at Li Li Xuewu, and asked, "Leader, shall we...?"

"Hmm, drink tea."

Li Li Xuewu smiled slightly, looked at him, nodded, and asked, "Did you and Peng Xiaoli start working in the same year?"

"Uh... no."

Gu Cheng was stunned by his sudden question, then looked at Peng Peng Xiaoli and replied, "I was a year earlier than him."

"Yes, he's a year older than me."

Peng Peng Xiaoli also didn't understand what the leader meant, so he opened his mouth to explain, "But we both... after graduation..."

"It doesn't matter, I was just asking."

Li Li Xuewu could hear the hesitation in their words, waved his hand, and said, "I've seen Peng Xiaoli's personnel file, but not Gu Cheng's yet."

"I..."

"Leader!"

Gu Cheng was about to explain when he was interrupted by Peng Peng Xiaoli's sudden exclamation.

He looked at Peng Peng Xiaoli in confusion. What was wrong with this person? The leader said he didn't know him, so why didn't he hurry to explain?

Peng Peng Xiaoli, however, didn't care about him, but stared at Li Li Xuewu and asked, "Are you saying... the next step is to start from the personnel file?"

"???"

Gu Cheng looked at Peng Peng Xiaoli in a daze, then turned to look at Li Li Xuewu.

Seeing the leader narrow his eyes slightly, he felt that the conversation just now seemed to have a rhythm he hadn't kept up with.

"It's the Labor Bureau!"

Peng Peng Xiaoli suddenly squatted up, the teacup in his hand shook, and the tea leaves spilled out.

He didn't have time to wipe the tea off his body, put down the teacup, and said, "He's aiming for..."

"Check it out first, it's not certain."

Li Li Xuewu interrupted Peng Peng Xiaoli's speculation. Just by relying on the other party's movements to have such wild thoughts, the result would be ten thousand miles away.

Peng Peng Xiaoli frowned, nodded, and said repeatedly, "Yes~ yes~ yes~ yes, we have to check clearly before drawing conclusions."

"However, what about Director Li...?"

He raised his head and asked Li Li Xuewu tentatively, "Should we inform him in advance? Otherwise, I'm afraid there will be a later one, and it won't be easy for you to explain."

"???"

Gu Cheng was completely confused. What the hell, weren't they talking about him just now! How did it get to the Labor Bureau again?!

He hadn't figured out the Labor Bureau yet, how did Peng Peng Xiaoli talk to the leader about Director Li again? What did this matter have to do with Director Li?

Also, who was Peng Peng Xiaoli talking about when he said he was aiming for? Who exactly were they going to check?!

At this moment, seeing Peng Peng Xiaoli talking to the leader about things he couldn't understand at all, his eyes were straight.

It was like a teacher lecturing in class, a good student responding, and even starting to ask questions, while he, the academic scumbag, was still reviewing the question.

"Put it aside for now, wait until there's a certain result, after all... right?"

Li Li Xuewu sat cross-legged on the edge of the kang, his eyelids drooping slightly, and answered Peng Peng Xiaoli's reminder vaguely.

Peng Peng Xiaoli also nodded knowingly, indicating that he understood the leader's concerns.

Seeing him nod, Gu Cheng nodded blankly, as if he understood too.

In fact, he was still thinking, could it be that Peng Peng Xiaoli was smarter than him?

Or had he been with the leader for a long time and understood how the leader thought about problems?

This feeling of three people sitting together talking, clearly talking about things done together, but two people understood, and only he didn't understand and had to pretend to understand, was extremely uncomfortable.

"Gu Cheng can't follow anymore, I'll find someone else to do it."

Peng Peng Xiaoli picked up the teacup and drank, looked at the leader, and said, "This matter will eventually have to be handled by Zhang Zhang Shicheng. Just keep an eye on him."

"Don't worry, take it slow."

Li Li Xuewu glanced at the two of them and said, "If you have time, talk more about the past with old colleagues in the office. No matter when, you need to have many friends."

"Understood, leader."

Peng Peng Xiaoli nodded very seriously. He had carefully studied the progress of this young leader before he became Li Li Xuewu's secretary.

And after following Li Li Xuewu to do things, he had a deeper understanding and feeling about interpersonal communication.

Everyone said Li Li Xuewu was so ruthless that he had no friends, but the more ruthless this young leader was, the more gentle the social relations he showed were.

Whether it was the steel factory or other departments the leader had experienced, not to mention friends everywhere, the relations he could take out were really useful.

You say I have friends here and friends there, none of them are as useful as Li Li Xuewu, who doesn't contact them on weekdays, but when you use them, any point is an opportunity.

The longer Peng Peng Xiaoli stayed by his side, the more he understood and discovered, and the deeper his feelings were.

The social attributes of people are also divided into internal and external, and the recognition in the broad and narrow sense is not consistent, but for interpersonal communication, in any sense, it requires personalized construction.

A unit is a Jianghu. Someone might show side A on weekdays, which filters out people who are close to side B.

But when his side A personality is too obvious, reaching individuality, and even showing his unique style of doing things, people with side B personality will also passively try to communicate with him.

Passive factors may include flattery, fear, appreciation, or even interest-driven.

Therefore, there is no absolute insulator of interpersonal relationships. Peng Peng Xiaoli understood it later. He didn't have many friends before, not because his temper wasn't good enough, but because he wasn't bad enough and didn't have enough personality.

Either be so good that everyone likes you, be good for a lifetime, never be able to do things that offend people, and bear the pressure of reputation for a lifetime.

Or be bad enough, bad enough that people fear you, dread you, dare not offend you, or even flatter you and stand with you to protect themselves.

Peng Peng Xiaoli didn't dare to say Li Li Xuewu was bad directly. Bad is personality, not character. If the character is bad, this person will never have friends.

How is Li Li Xuewu's character?

Need to say? At this age, he has this status and identity. He is the model of progress for young people.

He is the same as Li Li Xuewu; neither wants to be a good person. That is too tiring, has no room for maneuver, and is easier to be bullied.

So if he wants to progress, he must listen to Li Li Xuewu, not only to increase the depth of his personal ability but also to expand the width of his personal charm.

This sounds a bit mysterious, but as long as you are an old oil in the workplace, you will understand it with one point. You don't need to say it too clearly, everyone understands this truth.

Look at Li Li Xuewu's relationship with a group of factory leaders.

Back then, the dispute with Deputy Director Jing over the control of the three industries reached such a point, yet aren't we still working together now?

His own sister, Li Xue, was pointed out by Deputy Director Jing to be a secretary. This is another complicated relationship.

Now Deputy Director Li and Deputy Director Cheng have inconsistent positions, but they can still sit at a table to eat and talk and laugh.

But think about it, laughing on the face, cursing behind the back. Deputy Director Cheng wants to stab Deputy Director Li in the back, what does Deputy Director Li want to do?

Everyone says the relationship between Deputy Director Li and Director Li is iron, they are people on the same line, and they are iron allies.

But if you look closely, isn't the knife Deputy Director Cheng stabbed at Director Li handed over by Deputy Director Li!

You want to say Deputy Director Li is not a human?

This matter depends on how you look at it. As the secretary of Deputy Director Li, Peng Peng Xiaoli can only look at the problem from the leader's perspective.

Don't say that the leader wants to hand over the knife through him; even if he wants to hand over the gun or cannon, he has to do it.

A scholar dies for his confidant. He used to be a small secretary in the factory office, and it was Li Li Xuewu who pointed him to leap over the dragon gate to today.

Like Deputy Director Shi, the deputy director of the office who wants to find trouble for Deputy Director Li, they are all secretaries, each serving their own master. This is the choice of fate.

Peng Peng Xiaoli dares to participate in this matter, not only to actively do things for the leader and show loyalty, but he also wants to learn this skill of using four taels to move a thousand catties.

One sentence, one layout, one person can leverage multiple departments to spontaneously take major actions through a case, and even directly affect the political trend of the Dongcheng.

When he was organizing materials about this case for Li Li Xuewu, he was shocked by the complex relationships and layout context, so much so that he couldn't sleep at night.

From beginning to end, Li Li Xuewu never excessively contacted this case or intervened in this case through other means.

It was the branch bureau that took the initiative to contact, and even used relationships to coordinate with the ministry, inviting him to provide interrogation support.

In the process of handling the case, Li Li Xuewu strictly abided by his duties, strictly enforced discipline and regulations, did not grab credit, did not stick his head out, and even hid once halfway.

In the subsequent interrogation and arrest process, he did whatever the superiors required, took care of all relationships, and gave everyone face.

And he, chose to retreat when the case was not yet fully clear, which was truly admirable.

It was this atmospheric, calm, patient, and responsible attitude, and the ability to obey orders at critical moments and strike accurately, that made everyone dare not ignore his achievements.

He didn't want anything, but he had everything. No one dared to treat him badly.

And quietly, Li Li Xuewu had already started the layout. Branch bureau, Discipline Inspection, Secrecy, Credit Union, etc., multiple departments all fell into the trap.

To resist foreign aggression, one must first settle the internal affairs. While laying out the future of the Dongcheng, just in one night, Director Li was hooked into the water, and in another meal, Deputy Director Cheng jumped down himself.

The incident caused by Deputy Director Shi of the office seemed like a fuse, igniting the struggle situation in the factory in the next stage.

Director Li felt that he was invincible in the world, and the relationship between Deputy Director Li and him was so good, so naturally, he couldn't let him be empty and lonely.

So things came, the leader didn't say it clearly, but Peng Peng Xiaoli knew what he was doing.

He didn't think that leading Deputy Director Cheng, this big fish, into this pot of soup was a good thing for Director Li.

And the leader's meaning was also like this. If he jumped, it was because Deputy Director Cheng smelled the fishy smell and jumped down himself.

To fight, it was also because Deputy Director Cheng investigated the clues himself and took the initiative to fight and struggle with Director Li.

What did Deputy Director Li do?

Peng Peng Xiaoli was sure that the leader did nothing. Deputy Director Li was a good person; he was even helping Director Li be vigilant about Deputy Director Cheng's special situation.

If this pot of soup was chaotic to the end, Director Li still needed Deputy Director Li's support and help, and Deputy Director Li would still stand by Director Li's side to assist.

Thinking that the leader didn't need to do anything, all things would move according to his layout, and the harvest would naturally come to his side, Peng Peng Xiaoli couldn't hide his excitement, and even his heart was trembling.

He wanted to learn, and he was very sure that he wanted to learn this means of doing things. Even if he couldn't lay out so many people and so many departments in the palm of his hand, even if he learned a little bit of fur, it would be enough for him to use infinitely.

Coming out of the gatehouse, Gu Cheng was still frowning, looking back with regret, thinking about what he had missed just now.

And Peng Peng Xiaoli clenched his fists tightly, and while taking Gu Cheng out of the gate, he swore secretly in his heart.

One day when power is in hand, I will learn from the leader to play with fighting dogs!

"Are you awake? Do you want to drink water?"

"What time is it?"

Li Li Xuewu pulled open his cuffs and looked at his watch with sleepy eyes, using the dim light outside the window.

Zhou Zhou Xiaobai answered in advance, "A little past four. I was afraid you had something to do at night, so Yu Jie asked me to call you."

"Hmm, thank you, almost overslept."

Li Li Xuewu said this, still lying on the kang, feeling comfortable underneath, and even swayed his body.

He hadn't slept on a heated kang for a long time, especially in this cold winter. Everything in Haiyuncang was good, except there was no heated kang.

It wasn't that he didn't think about building a heated kang when he didn't have it at the beginning. There were radiators in the whole house in the building, plus the house was tight. If he really built a heated kang, not to mention the difficulty of burning the kang, just the heat would be unbearable.

The solid wood bed on the second floor of the villa wasn't cold, but no matter how thick it was, it wasn't as warm and nourishing as the heated kang.

"Do you want to drink water?"

Seeing that he didn't move, Zhou Zhou Xiaobai walked to the edge of the kang, leaned closer to look at Li Li Xuewu's eyes, and said with a brilliant smile, "Your snoring is really even~"

"Hmm, tired."

Li Li Xuewu smiled and said, "The body gets sleepy as soon as it touches the heated kang, especially after eating full at noon."

"I heard, you guys were drunk as mud!"

Zhou Zhou Xiaobai wrinkled her nose cutely and said, "Who told you to drink so much wine? They said a whole box of empty wine bottles was cleaned up."

"Exaggerated, I didn't drink much."

Li Li Xuewu shook his head, sat up, opened the clothes covering him, and looked for a cigarette to smoke.

Zhou Zhou Xiaobai suddenly reached out and snatched his cigarette case and lighter, frowned, and said, "Smoke less, it's already dry in winter."

After finishing, she walked to the tea cabinet, poured the warm water that had been prepared long ago, handed it to him, and said, "Sleeping on a heated kang, aren't you afraid of getting angry and having a sore throat? Moisten your throat."

"Is it that serious~"

Li Li Xuewu looked at her bitterly and asked. Although he said so, he still took the teacup and drank a sip.

Zhou Zhou Xiaobai pursed her lips, sat on the edge of the kang, looked at Li Li Xuewu, and said, "My dad is like this too, he also likes to sleep on a heated kang, smokes a lot, and often has a sore throat."

"Okay, okay, listen to you."

Li Li Xuewu saw that she even brought out her dad as an example to "teach" him, so he had to admit defeat.

It was just smoking, not that he couldn't do without it. He had been smoking for so many years and didn't feel any addiction.

"Did Yu Jie ask you to come?"

Looking at Zhou Zhou Xiaobai's serious appearance, Li Li Xuewu curled his lips and asked, looking for something to say, "What is she doing? Not finished yet?"

"Manager Lou is back. She sent Aunt Tan and the child to the mountain, and entered the courtyard after two o'clock in the afternoon."

Zhou Zhou Xiaobai looked at Li Li Xuewu while introducing, "Yu Jie is talking about work with Manager Lou, and it seems she has to deal with her brother later, saying there's something."

"Who? Yu Zhe?"

Li Li Xuewu knew that Yu Li had such a younger brother here, so the first one he thought of was him.

Zhou Zhou Xiaobai pursed her lips and nodded, but her expression was a bit playful, as if she felt disgusted by something.

Looking at Li Li Xuewu's inquiring eyes, she pouted and said, "I can't say, I can't discuss other people's rights and wrongs behind their backs."

"Hehe~"

Li Li Xuewu laughed lightly and said, "He even caused right and wrong?"

As he spoke, while getting off the kang and putting on his shoes, he teased Zhou Zhou Xiaobai, "He wouldn't have taken a fancy to you, right? Wanting to date you?"

"Not me~"

Zhou Zhou Xiaobai first scolded him coquettishly, denied Li Li Xuewu's words, and then glared at him angrily.

Li Li Xuewu glanced at her amusedly and said, "Angry? Isn't this just teasing you~"

After finishing, he reached out and scraped her nose, stood up, and asked, "Then I guessed right just now? It's not you, then who is it?"

"I won't tell you~"

Zhou Zhou Xiaobai pouted. She was a bit dissatisfied with Li Li Xuewu's tone of coaxing a child, but what she said was like a child.

Li Li Xuewu just treated her as a child. She was still so young.

Pair of A, don't want~

"If you don't tell me, forget it. I'll go out later and tell others that you told me."

"I didn't!"

Zhou Zhou Xiaobai didn't expect this person to be so bad and so shameless. She widened her eyes, full of surprise.

Li Li Xuewu put on his coat, put on his coat, gave her a wink with a bad smile, and said, "There are only two of us in the room, who will they believe?"

"Ah! You're so bad~"

Zhou Zhou Xiaobai stood up, hit Li Li Xuewu hard, and said, "I didn't say anything, you guessed it randomly."

"Haha~ Then I don't care~"

Li Li Xuewu deliberately teased her, not caring that she was hitting his back behind him, and walked out with a smile.

This residence was taken by Dou Dou Yaozu as teaching material to practice for those young apprentices.

He gave a long project deadline, so Dou Dou Yaozu wasn't in a hurry, slow work produces fine work.

External construction stopped in winter, but the renovation inside the house was still going on.

Li Li Xuewu hadn't paid attention to the progress of the back courtyard recently, but the renovation effect of the front courtyard was obvious.

Changing from the previous dilapidated and pitch-black state, at this moment the sun was setting, a few remnants of the afterglow remained, and the courtyard was already lit.

But it wasn't the simple cover lamp in the courtyard, nor the old European-style street lamp left before liberation, but a unique Chinese classical palace lantern-style landscape lamp.

If it weren't for the palace lantern style being made into a square shape, being in this large mansion, Li Li Xuewu would inevitably think of "Raise the Red Lantern High."

Whose lantern is hung, and who will serve in bed at night, the ancients really played fancy.

Taking Zhou Zhou Xiaobai, who was muttering behind him, to the parking lot, and almost getting to the car, he turned around and asked the "little" girl who almost bumped into him, "Are you going home with me?"

"Ah?"

Zhou Zhou Xiaobai only then realized that she had followed Li Li Xuewu to the parking lot.

"Are, are you going home?"

She looked at Li Li Xuewu at a loss, her eyes full of panic and loneliness.

She heard Wu Ge came in the morning, but she had to be on duty at the service department and had goods to organize.

Luo Yun delayed for a while, went back and chattered for a long time.

She originally planned to meet him by chance at noon to eat together, but heard that Huang Gan and the others opened a private room to talk about things.

She waited until the service department had nothing to do, and after hearing Director Yu's notification, she came here to find him, just wanting to have dinner together.

She hadn't been with him for a long time to talk, and she didn't see him come for a week, and didn't know why he was so busy.

Li Li Xuewu looked at her pitiful expression, touched her face with a smile, teased her and asked, "Do you want to go home with me? I happen to be missing a fat girl."

"You're the fat girl~"

Zhou Zhou Xiaobai pouted at his teasing, raised her hand to block his big hand, and said angrily, "You're just teasing me~"

"Hehe, why tease you? If you want to follow me."

Zhao Lao Si ran over at this time, handed him the key, glanced at Zhou Zhou Xiaobai who was acting like a spoiled child, and reminded Li Li Xuewu in a low voice that the water in the car had been heated.

Li Li Xuewu thanked him, asked about Zhao Lao Wu's situation, and Zhao Lao Si said a few words with a smile.

Zhou Zhou Xiaobai stood aside stubbornly, clearly knowing that Li Li Xuewu was talking to Zhao Zhao Dezhu on purpose, which was to let her go back.

But she just wouldn't leave, just wanted to stay here, just wanted to stay with him for a while longer.

Zhao Lao Si was a very clever person, a master with great vision.

After chatting with Li Li Xuewu for a few sentences, he saw Zhou Zhou Xiaobai's mind, signaled to Li Li Xuewu in the direction of the gate, and said that he would help open the gate at any time when his car came out.

Watching Zhao Zhao Dezhu leave, Zhou Zhou Xiaobai leaned against the driver's side door, pouted and looked at Li Li Xuewu stubbornly.

She didn't know what was wrong with her this time, she was so bold, maybe she was wronged, maybe she missed him.

She didn't react when Director Yu asked her to wake him up. Only then did she know that Yu Jie knew he was leaving and let her see him after waiting for so many days.

But she was young, just a bit greedy. Seeing him once wasn't enough.

Li Li Xuewu looked at the girl acting like a spoiled child and playing rogue, pointed to the opposite side, and said, "If you want to go home with me, you have to sit in the passenger seat, otherwise are you driving?"

Zhou Zhou Xiaobai also knew that she was being unreasonable today, so she didn't pay attention to his teasing, just glanced at him and lowered her head to look at her feet.

Seeing her playing rogue, Li Li Xuewu squeezed the key in his hand, looked at the darkening sky, and asked, "Or should I send you home?"

Zhou Zhou Xiaobai shook her head slightly, stood up straight, raised her head to look at him, and asked, "Then will you come next week?"

"Not necessarily~"

Li Li Xuewu said truthfully, "If I'm not busy, I'll come. If I'm busy, I have to do things, and I might have to go on a business trip."

Zhou Zhou Xiaobai didn't expect him to come every week anyway. Hearing him say this, not even willing to lie to her, not even willing to coax her, tears fell down with a splash.

"Sorry Wu Ge~"

She pouted and apologized, moved away, and said, "I just... just..."

"Hey~ Hey~"

Li Li Xuewu hated seeing girls cry the most, smiled bitterly, reached out to lift her chin, and didn't let her cry out.

But this was like touching Zhou Zhou Xiaobai's tear switch. She pouted and tried hard to hold it back, but the more she held it back, the more tears fell.

It was cold now, and crying with a face full of flowers would definitely crack her skin. She just stood there crying pitifully. How could he have the heart to get in the car and leave?

"Just want to play with me, right?"

Li Li Xuewu took off his gloves helplessly, pulled her over, took out his handkerchief, and helped her wipe her tears.

Zhou Zhou Xiaobai didn't dare to cry out, pouted and tried hard to hold it back, but the tears fell more and more.

Seeing her tears falling uncontrollably, Li Li Xuewu had no choice but to pat her back and ask, "I'm going on a business trip to Tianjin tomorrow, want to go?"

"Go... business trip?"

Zhou Zhou Xiaobai heard him say this, didn't care about being wronged or crying, raised her head to look at him and asked, "Go to Tianjin?"

"Hmm, might take several days."

Li Li Xuewu saw that she wasn't crying, used the handkerchief to help her wipe her face, and said, "It's hard work coming and going, you have to ask for leave yourself."

"Then I'll go! I'll go with you!"

She didn't even hesitate. Just hearing Li Li Xuewu say two sentences, she broke into a smile, nodded, and wanted to go out and play with him.

And only then did she remember what he said just now, and asked with some hesitation, "Will I disturb your work?"

"Hmm, if you say so..."

Li Li Xuewu deliberately teased her, pretending to be thinking, nodded, and said, "Then I won't take you?"

"No!"

Zhou Zhou Xiaobai pouted and scolded, "You just said it! You're going to take me!"

"Go! Go! Take you!"

Li Li Xuewu saw her expression of "if you play rogue, I'll cry," pressed the handkerchief in his hand on her face, teased her, and said, "You cry too ugly. When we get to Tianjin, I'll sell you for money."

"I don't believe it~"

Zhou Zhou Xiaobai was happy in her heart, pouted and acted like a spoiled child, "Wu Ge, you are the best!"

"Hmm, hmm, I'm a good person again now."

Li Li Xuewu opened the car door and was about to get in, but was pulled by Zhou Zhou Xiaobai.

"What? You really want to go home with me?"

"No~"

Zhou Zhou Xiaobai puffed her mouth, her eyes full of joy, looking at him shyly and expectantly, and asked coquettishly, "Do I need to prepare anything?"

"You need to wash your face first, it's too shabby~"

Li Li Xuewu smiled, opened the car window, started the car, and explained, "Just ask for leave here. Bring your daily change of clothes and toiletries, bring a toothbrush, nothing else."

"Oh, right!"

Just as he stepped on the gas and was about to drive away, he reminded Zhou Zhou Xiaobai again, "Call Luo Yun too, ask her if she wants to go."

"Why call her? She will definitely say no!"

Zhou Zhou Xiaobai had just been happy, thinking about how happy she would be going to Jinmen, but upon hearing Wu Ge's words, she was stunned for a moment.

Li Li Xuewu tapped her nose through the car window and said: "You're really loyal! Isn't she your good sister? Don't eat alone~"

"Good sisters don't necessarily have to go out and play together~"

Zhou Zhou Xiaobai clearly wanted to eat alone; at this moment, she wouldn't talk about loyalty, and she didn't want to share her travel time with Li Li Xuewu with her good sister.

Seeing Li Li Xuewu say this, she asked mischievously: "Do I still need to call Zuo Yan Jie? He is Luo Yun's good brother!"

"There is no place for good brothers here."

Li Li Xuewu ruffled her hair and said: "It's settled then. I still have things to do tonight, so I'm leaving first. Someone will come to pick you up by car tomorrow."

"Hmph~!"

Zhou Zhou Xiaobai stood where she was, watching the jeep leave, pouted, and said: "There's no place for good sisters here either!"

"Whoa~ whoa~ gee~!"

In the Bai Bai Xiyuan, the old man held a whip in one hand and the reins in the other, whistling to direct the big green horse to park the cart loaded with a high stack of firewood at the woodshed.

"Sha~ steady! Sha~ steady! Gee~"

Seeing the headlights flash into the Bai Bai Xiyuan gate, the old man knew it was a car from his own courtyard.

He had also just returned and didn't know if it was the Willys or the GAZ-69.

Only when he saw the jeep enter the courtyard and the headlights stopped dazzling his eyes did he know his grandson had returned.

It was too cold, and Li Li Xuewu had to eat dinner before leaving, so he parked the car directly in the garage.

Fearing this situation in winter, the garage converted from the storage room had been specially equipped with a stove and a fire wall this year.

Usually, the Willys and the GAZ-69 were parked inside; the stove wasn't lit when not in use, and hot water was just added when the car was needed.

Knowing Li Li Xuewu was coming back for dinner today, Seeing Sha Zhu had long ago told Chen Xiaoyan and the others to light the stove.

As he came out of the garage, the boys who were recording the vehicle accounts greeted him one after another.

Shen Shen Guodong stood in front of the large scale and waved at him, signaling him to go inside quickly, as he didn't need help here.

Of the Thirteen Guardians, the eldest and second went to Hong Kong, the third and sixth went to Jicheng, and the fourth and fifth went to Steel City.

There were seven left at home now, starting with the seventh, She She Yongwen, as the eldest.

After a year of training and adaptation, these boys had long since gotten used to life at the recycling station.

Now, each of them wandered around Beijing on a tricycle, no longer afraid of those little punks or local ruffians; they had all become familiar with them.

The recycling station still followed Li Li Xuewu's requirements: vehicles must be returned before dark; they could start early, but were not allowed to stay out late.

When his car entered the courtyard, She She Yongwen and the others had already turned in their vehicles and scrap, and were waiting to help the old man unload the cart.

They went out to work today, and the old man hadn't been idle either; he left the second master to support the shop, while he drove the horse cart to pick up firewood outside the city.

Actually, picking up firewood didn't take much time; it was the long time spent on the road back and forth. Beijing was too big, and there was no firewood to pick up in the urban-rural fringe; one had to go into the woods.

Li Li Xuewu threw away the cigarette butt in his hand, took off his leather gloves, took off his overcoat, and was about to help.

"Where did you pick up the firewood? Why is there so much?"

"You don't need to!"

The old man waved his hand and said to Li Li Xuewu: "Don't ruin your good clothes here; we have enough hands."

As he spoke, he pushed him aside and smiled: "It just happened that the landscaping department was cutting down trees, so we loaded a cart with the ones they didn't want. It really wasn't far, but it took some effort to wait for them to load the cart."

The old man explained while loosening the ropes on the cart, telling She She Yongwen and the others where to start unloading.

They were all branches and twigs; the landscaping department only wanted the logs, so these branches were discarded, which was perfect for kindling.

The old man was meticulous; the branches were all in bundles, clearly tied up and loaded at the scene.

This not only allowed for more to be loaded, but it also wouldn't be wasted on the way back, and it would be easy to stack and air-dry when they got home.

"Didn't the mountain prepare firewood? If it's not enough, just have Shen Guodong pull a cart back. It's freezing cold, so it's not worth the trouble."

"Hey~ it's not that bad. How cold can it be?"

The old man knew his grandson cared about him, smiled and waved his hand, saying: "There aren't many people today, and there's nothing to do. I finished the work while out walking the horse."

The big green horse snorted and shook its head; its body didn't move, but the cart shook a few times, and the tenth one on top of the cart didn't stand steady and almost fell off.

These boys were also tough and didn't take danger seriously at all; they were laughing and joking, but their hands didn't stop working.

A whole cart of firewood would be difficult for the old man to load alone, but here, with six or seven boys working together, they finished in no time.

They didn't even call for the old man to help, just letting him talk to Li Li Xuewu.

The old man looked at Li Li Xuewu, smiled and asked about Gu Ning's situation, and then asked about the little girl, Li Shu.

After the weather cooled down, Gu Ning and Li Shu didn't come here again, and the old man had been busy with the recycling station's work, so they hadn't seen each other for almost two months.

Li Li Xuewu said a few words, and when Shen Shen Guodong came over after finishing the ledger, he was urged by the old man to go inside, complaining that he was wearing too little and would be cold.

The sales department was still busy; it was just past five o'clock, which was the busiest time.

Shen Shen Guodong accompanied him to the door, introducing as they walked: "It has to be at least six-thirty, especially on Sundays, when there are more people."

"You're in charge, you have the final say."

Li Li Xuewu glanced at him, raised his chin to signal the sales department, and asked: "Diliya is resting, do you have enough manpower?"

"It's enough; we help each other."

Shen Shen Guodong took his cigarette and lit it for himself, explaining: "Everyone is skilled now; the busy time is just for a while, and we've all come back."

"If it doesn't work, recruit more, or coordinate with Yu Li."

Li Li Xuewu patted his arm and entered the recycling store from the back door.

At this moment, the second master and Chen Xiaoyan were standing behind the counter, their hands moving quickly, dealing with customers who came to sell scrap or exchange for daily necessities.

Because it was not within the supply and marketing system, they could not sell the goods from the supply and marketing cooperative here.

But when Old Biao was there, he coordinated with Director Ma to get some daily necessities like matches and candles as goods for exchanging scrap.

The shop also added some hardware products produced by the Steel Mill, as well as those small commodities made by the First Prison.

Scattered around, seeing the counter already full of goods, especially second-hand radios or other second-hand flashlights, this small shop really had the feel of a supply and marketing cooperative.

The only difference from the supply and marketing cooperative was that although money transactions could be made here, it was mainly based on collecting scrap.

You could buy with money, but you could only buy those second-hand goods.

There were many people in the room, so Shen Shen Guodong said something to Li Li Xuewu and went to help, leaving him standing at the door watching.

Familiar neighbors saw him and waved to greet him, and he responded with a smile.

The second master looked back at him, smiled, said a few words, and went back to his work.

Li Li Xuewu didn't go in to disturb them, turned around and went to the next-door store, which sold furniture; there weren't as many people there as on the other side.

Wang Wang Yamei saw him enter the room, smiled and greeted him, saying it had been a long time.

Li Li Xuewu teased her a few times and then started talking to Fei Fei Shanying, who was sitting behind the counter.

Fei Fei Shanying's belly wasn't small either; it wasn't obvious when she came back from Steel City, but now it was clearly protruding.

"Why do you have time to come back for dinner today?"

She glanced at the backyard and asked: "Did Xiao Ning and the child come too?"

"How could I dare to put them through that?"

Li Li Xuewu watched Wang Wang Yamei skillfully greeting customers and replied: "It's too cold; it wouldn't be good if they caught a cold. I just happened to be nearby."

"How about you? Have you been to the hospital for a check-up? Is everything okay?"

"I went; your mother accompanied me last week."

Fei Fei Shanying smiled and said: "It's not the first time; there's actually no need to go to the hospital for a check-up; it's a waste of money."

"Well, this money isn't wasted."

Li Li Xuewu smiled and said: "Isn't my third uncle earning money outside just for you and the children to spend? Don't save it for him."

"How can you say that~"

Fei Fei Shanying heard him mention Wen San'er, and a satisfied smile appeared on her face. She didn't expect that finding someone so unreliable would actually lead to enjoying such blessings.

When she was a widow, she thought that either she wouldn't remarry, or if she did, she would find someone who was good to her children, even if he had no home or job.

Her husband left her a house and savings, and also left a job opportunity for their son, so she couldn't just think about herself and let the child suffer.

At that time, Wen San'er looked ragged, wore ragged clothes, and collected rags; he was a complete mess.

But such a person, who looked like he could barely survive himself, could still laugh and tease her son Zhang Limin, and the son was willing to play with him, which inevitably moved her.

After observing for a period of time, plus Wen San'er's initiative, the two of them got together.

The day before they got married, she complained that Wen San'er was messing around and insisted on holding this wedding.

Given their situation, with her having a child and him being a vagrant, they could just get a certificate and live together; why insist on a ceremony?

Even when they were about to get married, she didn't know how Wen San'er had arranged it. Until the day of the wedding, seeing the scene of her wedding, Fei Fei Shanying was completely stunned.

They said he was a vagrant, but he actually managed to turn himself into a "rag capitalist."

Since she came here to help after they got married, the longer she stayed, the more surprised she was by this place.

Until Wen San'er said he was going to take her to live in Steel City, and later even said they were going to live in Hong Kong.

She felt like she was living in a dream; she had never thought in her eight lifetimes that she would enjoy such a comfortable life with this man.

Not to mention Hong Kong, even when he said they were going to Steel City, she felt surprised, fearing this bastard would sell her and her child.

Before Wen San'er went to Hong Kong, when he sent them back, he gave her a bag that night, which contained his savings from this period.

It really wasn't much, just two thousand yuan. It wasn't that Wen San'er didn't have money or didn't want to give it, but he was afraid that giving too much would cause trouble.

Now that the days are passing one by one, and her belly is getting bigger day by day, sometimes she receives letters brought back by Shen Shen Guodong, and her heart is filled with a rare peace and tranquility.

She didn't do anything, yet she lived a life she used to envy and dare not imagine.

If you ask her how she did it, she can only tell you that sometimes choice is more important than effort.

Wen San'er told her this, and it was also her answer when she asked him how he earned so much money and how he built such a big career.

She still remembers the expression and attitude Wen San'er had when he said this.

A poor child who lost his parents, had no job, and no relatives to rely on, he relied on those shady businesses in the hutongs to make a living.

He didn't know if he would have the next meal, didn't know when he would be arrested, and might even have to eat a bullet.

But God doesn't starve the blind sparrow; he really gave him a chance to rise to the top.

Wasn't he hardworking enough before?

He almost knelt on the ground begging for food!

But look at him today; he is the one rewarding others with food!

So, if he says that choice is more important than effort.