Chapter 980: Happy New Year

"The Yingcheng Shipyard can consider upgrading."

Li Xuewu walked out with his hands in his coat pockets, saying this as he walked.

After returning from seeing them off at night, he found that light snow was falling in the sky, and it was very quiet.

Suddenly, he found an extra cigarette in front of him; he looked up and saw it was Xu Si Nian.

"What? Want to bribe me?"

"Hehe~"

Xu Si Nian laughed, his face flushed, and he raised the cigarette in his hand, saying: "If I want to bribe someone, it should be to curry favor with Director Li."

"I agree with that!"

Li Xuewu smiled and looked at Li Huai De, taking the cigarette Xu Si Nian handed over.

"Hmm~ I'll do it myself~"

He waved his hand, refusing the other party's action to help light the cigarette, and lit it himself with a lighter.

Li Huai De tightened the woolen coat on his body, looked back at the two of them, and muttered with full disgust: "Can't you endure it for a bit?"

"Hehe, don't be proud either!"

Li Xuewu smiled and raised the cigarette in his hand, saying: "I don't believe I can't corrupt you!"

"Hahaha~"

Xu Si Nian smiled and said to Li Huai De: "This guy is rotten to the core; he is determined to pull you back into the ranks of smokers."

"When Heaven is about to place a great burden on a person, it must first suffer his heart and will, labor his muscles and bones, starve his body and skin, empty his body, and disrupt his actions."

"With the two of you like this~"

He raised his hand and pointed at the two, saying: "Even when you get old, you might not be able to match me!"

"Still getting old?!"

Xu Si Nian took a hard drag on his cigarette and smiled bitterly: "Now, as long as work exceeds eight o'clock in the evening, this spine is sure to ache."

"It's sedentary; walk more."

Li Huai De stepped forward, his feet crunching on the accumulated snow.

"Still need to pay attention to your health; otherwise, how can you work for thirty years?"

"I hope so~"

Xu Si Nian shook his head helplessly and said: "Wait until this busy period is over, and the shipyard gets on the right track."

Saying this, he pointed at Li Xuewu and complained: "With Vice Director Li's ten calls a day and a report every half month, I'm just like a donkey on a production team!"

"Be content~"

Li Huai De looked back at him and said in a sympathetic tone: "The work plan for this month wasn't completed, and the commission has already sent me a reminder notice."

He scanned Li Xuewu helplessly and asked Xu Si Nian: "Guess who made them send it?"

"Hey~ hey~ that's truly heartless~"

Xu Si Nian took a drag of his cigarette and sighed: "If the group goal progress is late by a day because of the shipyard, I can imagine his face!"

"Hmm~"

Li Xuewu drooped his eyelids, glanced at the two, and said to Xu Si Nian: "If you want to flatter, flatter—don't step on me~"

After speaking, he stomped his feet and said with some regret: "If I had known, I should have taken a car, sigh!"

"See that?!"

Li Huai De pointed at Li Xuewu and said to the people following behind: "This is what you call eloquence; he said everything!"

"You guys!"

He stopped and pointed at Secretary Secretary Li Haiyang, Peng Xiaoli, Sha Sha Qizhi, and others following behind, saying: "Learn from him; it will be useful in the future!"

"Yes! Leader!"

Secretary Secretary Li Haiyang and the others saw that the leader was happy today, so they all laughed and agreed.

Li Xuewu, however, glanced at them carelessly and said with disgust: "You didn't shout in unison~".

"Hahaha~"

Returning from the train station, the banquet at the Trade Management Center had also dispersed, and those who drank too much were sent back to the guesthouse.

Li Huai De and the others naturally had their limits and wouldn't get themselves drunk, and they were waiting for Li Xuewu.

Seeing their flushed faces and how comfortable they were in the room, how could Li Xuewu's heart be balanced?

He refused Secretary Secretary Li Haiyang's offer to call a car and shouted for Li Huai De and the others to walk home.

He specially called Xu Si Nian, who was on a business trip to Jinmen, saying that tomorrow was the New Year, so everyone should get together.

Of course, it was the solar New Year, and most families didn't pay much attention to it; Li Xuewu just found an excuse to gather.

Xu Si Nian still had some estrangement from Old Li, after all, he had been the factory office director for Yang Fengshan for so many years.

Although he had also served Li Huai De before, there was a difference in work attributes.

Li Huai De's heart was actually not small; at least it wasn't smaller than Li Xuewu's.

Being able to reach this step today was not just because the times created heroes; more importantly, he truly possessed the potential for success.

Old Li was somewhat unwilling to use Xu Si Nian as the commission director, but seeing him achieve results in the branch factory, Li Huai De was still able to accept him.

Public is public, private is private; leading cadres must never consider problems based on simple personal wishes.

If one really did whatever one wanted, the Rolling Mill would have been in chaos long ago.

Facts proved that his ability to cultivate talent was a bit lacking.

Look at Shi Comrade Shi Ruoweng, then look at Jin Yaohui—both were people he had promoted, but when facing the test of their positions, they were truly lagging behind.

Especially when compared to the particularly capable Li Xuewu, there was even less to see.

If it were an ordinary factory without a monster like Li Xuewu, actually, taking out Shi Comrade Shi Ruoweng or Jin Yaohui, both could be used.

But now Old Li's mouth was picky; for one thing, Li Xuewu could give several ways to handle it, and could also help him analyze the pros and cons to choose the most suitable one.

Especially when making work plans, he could deeply feel Li Xuewu's ability to take one step and see ten.

If you want to talk about scheming, Li Xuewu's brain was definitely one of the best in the Rolling Mill, but this person was very upright in doing things.

Shi Comrade Shi Ruoweng was unconvinced, Jin Yaohui was unconvinced, but if they were really placed in front of Li Xuewu, they couldn't even pass three moves.

If they were still unconvinced, go ask Zhang Guoqi; he had mixed himself into that state, and although he had complaints about Li Huai De, he had never said a single word against Li Xuewu.

This is personality charm.

He didn't care if others were convinced or not; anyway, Li Huai De appreciated him, so he had to reuse Li Xuewu.

He liked Li Xuewu's way of getting along even more—no pressure, and no annoyance.

There was no flattery at work, and he even dared to instigate the commission to send him a notice urging work plans—tell me, is he awesome or not?

In life, there was even less of a generation gap; the one who coaxed him to quit smoking was him, and the one who hooked him into smoking was also him!

He never gave him gifts, and even scraped cigarettes from him—tell me, is that reasonable or not!

Hey! That's just his personality, and he just attracts people; he just likes to get along with Li Xuewu like this.

Sometimes Li Huai De also scolded himself for being cheap, but there was no way around it.

"What's the idea for Yingcheng?"

Li Huai De kicked a pebble by the roadside, looking at the passing ships in the Haihe River; under the lights, it looked like a galaxy of stars, which had some artistic conception.

Xu Si Nian didn't dare to speak rashly; although he was asking about Yingcheng, he didn't have the qualifications to point out the country in front of Li Huai De, so he could only walk to the side and listen.

"Raise it by half a level, at least that's it."

Li Xuewu hesitated, frowned slightly, and the snowflakes hitting his face were wet, but they were refreshing.

"Counting from now, until the river mouth thaws, and then until the keel of the first ship is laid, it will take at least four more?"

"Yes, the situation is a bit tight."

Facing Li Xuewu's inquiry, Xu Si Nian answered proactively: "We are researching and striving to carry out the construction work of the first ship as soon as possible."

"Don't rush!"

Li Huai De waved his hand and said with a serious expression: "Everything is difficult at the beginning; the first step must be taken steadily—what's the use of being fast?!"

Saying this, he pointed at Li Xuewu and reminded: "Don't urge him; Si Nian is more anxious than you."

"Hmm, got it."

Li Xuewu smoked and nodded, waving his hand at Xu Si Nian: "Since Gili Star has settled in the shipyard and Andrew has taken the initiative to come to the door, don't spoil him."

"Is it regarding engineering machinery... or human technology?"

Xu Si Nian tried to ask, answering in his mouth: "I see that Andrew isn't a good thing either; he might have some small tricks."

"Too normal; he's an old-school capitalist."

Li Xuewu earnestly instructed: "Of course, you should pay attention to unity at the beginning, but don't be soft-hearted when it comes to engineering construction."

Saying this, he gave a wicked laugh and said: "Daring to engage in OEM production in the mainland, his guts and money should be directly proportional."

"Pay attention to the scale."

Li Huai De glanced at Li Xuewu and gave Xu Si Nian a special instruction.

If he really put Li Xuewu in the shipyard's position, he wouldn't say another word.

But he was afraid Xu Si Nian wouldn't learn Li Xuewu's kind of badness—being able to retract and release freely, and knowing when to advance and retreat.

Talking about cooperation, really handing over one's heart to the other party and handing over one's foundation—he was afraid of being treated as a sucker.

Li Xuewu asked Xu Si Nian to play bad; Li Huai De naturally understood that this kind of private communication wasn't something to be said in the open.

"The four-month construction period, including the fiberglass factory, engines, generators, etc., is still very tight."

Li Xuewu calculated in his mouth and suggested to Li Huai De: "At least before submitting the group application, solve the shipyard's level problem."

"What about the steel mill?"

Li Huai De adjusted the hat on his head, his tone a bit low: "Raising two in a row, our pressure is very high."

"No matter how big or difficult, it must be solved; otherwise, it will be even more difficult later."

Li Xuewu explained: "Not only for the sake of the future, but raising the level is also a guarantee for the group."

"Group..."

Xu Si Nian asked hesitantly: "When should we start submitting the application?"

"At the earliest, it will be next May."

Li Huai De sighed and said: "Independent project establishment, group projects developing from the inside—it seems we are the first, right?"

"Pretty much."

Li Xuewu smoked and explained: "At least there is no such precedent in the North China region; merger-style groups have too many sequelae. The Jingcheng Automobile Factory hasn't sorted out its threads yet—a warning from the past."

"Yes!"

Li Huai De nodded and affirmed: "Our factory must take the path of independent development toward a group; we must show strength and results."

What is strength?

Strength is that the branches are awesome enough, and the main body is even more awesome.

Results are that there are enough workers, the scale is big enough, and the economic strength is strong enough.

Why did Li Huai De say that the group application would start at the earliest in May?

The reason is simple: many of the Rolling Mill's projects won't show results until after May.

Application is application; when it will be reviewed and when it will be approved still takes time.

Starting in May, it would be quite good if it could be determined by October or December.

Do you think this is dividing the family? You take a shovel, he takes a pickaxe, and it's divided.

An important reason why Li Huai De insists on independent development toward a group goal is that he doesn't want to lose control of the Red Star Rolling Mill.

Once the merger route is taken, all kinds of personnel relationships will flood into the enterprise, and it's hard to say if the number one person will even be him.

So either don't do it, or if you do it, do it yourself; absolutely don't make wedding clothes for others.

"The cooperation opportunity provided by Andrew is very good and very clever; it echoes the electronic and electrical industry in the steel city."

Li Xuewu finished the last puff of his cigarette, flicked the cigarette butt away, and said: "At least it saved us two million."

"Hehe~"

Li Huai De gave a light laugh, then nodded with some emotion, affirming this point of view.

Li Xuewu added: "The group definition is temporarily based on thirteen branches: Yingcheng Shipbuilding Manufacturing, Steel City Metallurgical Industry, New Rolling Industry, Hardware Industry, Electronic and Electrical Industry, Automobile Manufacturing Industry, Motorcycle Manufacturing Industry, Military Industry, Jingcheng Tertiary Industry, Special Vehicle Preparation Industry, Rolling Industry, Research Institute, and Jinmen Trade Management Center."

"Thirteen...!"

Xu Si Nian looked at Li Xuewu with slight surprise, then asked: "Are all of them going to apply for level raising?"

"Not very realistic; count as many as you can."

Li Xuewu rubbed his hands, put them into his coat pockets, and explained: "Reporting too many will lose its meaning and scatter our strength."

"Hmm, still need to be cautious."

Li Huai De hesitated and said: "The Jingcheng Rolling Mill's level doesn't need to be reported; the newly built Rolling Mill in the steel city will be managed and constructed according to the division level standard for now."

"Yes, I agree."

Li Xuewu nodded and said: "Ensure that Yingcheng Shipbuilding, Steel City Metallurgy, Automobile Manufacturing, and Electronic and Electrical succeed in their level-raising applications."

"And"

He continued: "Hardware Industry, Tertiary Industry, and Jinmen Trade Management Center—if there is an opportunity, count as many as we can."

"Too greedy~"

Li Huai De took off his hat, scratched his head, and said: "The Rolling Mill itself is a bureau level; applying for four deputy bureau levels is already strenuous. If we are greedy again, the people above will also be embarrassed."

"Then let's go all out for these four."

Li Xuewu nodded and said: "After going back, we must establish a group preparation working group; this matter cannot be delayed."

"Should be, do it as soon as possible."

Li Huai De looked back at Xu Si Nian and instructed: "Find a way to stabilize Andrew and continue to create influence, but pay attention to the heat; don't stew yourself."

"Understood!"

Xu Si Nian responded earnestly, then said: "I will keep a close eye on the shipyard side and cooperate with the factory to complete the level-raising work as soon as possible."

"Hmm, I trust you with your work."

Li Huai De said this sentence of trust again; Secretary Secretary Li Haiyang was familiar with this, as he said it most to Vice Director Li.

"After the branch factory is established, hurry up and organize the management team; don't wait until the last minute."

"I will communicate this work with Deputy Secretary Gu next."

Li Xuewu reminded: "You also need to pay attention to unity upward; the pool is big, don't be afraid of fish making trouble—just sort them out slowly."

"Easier said than done!"

Li Huai De sighed, but nodded helplessly, saying: "Let's slow down; we'll talk after the plan comes out."

After speaking, he glanced at Li Xuewu and explained with exhaustion: "I'm really too lazy to deal with them."

"Who told you to be the head of the family?"

Li Xuewu complimented him with a smile, just propping up this shield again; he couldn't let it fall.

The three of them, along with their accompanying secretaries, strolled from the Trade Management Center, stepping on the snow, bypassed the Haihe Bridge, and returned to the villa.

It was already past nine o'clock, and Li Huai De didn't have the nerve to disturb them anymore.

He just stood at the door and said a few more words before returning to the small courtyard.

Xu Si Nian and Sha Sha Qizhi were originally prepared to return to the Trade Management Center to rest, but were stopped by Li Xuewu and entered the courtyard together.

He also didn't expect that Li Xuewu would call him out and really want to entertain him at home.

He originally thought he was creating an opportunity for him to report work to Li Huai De; now that he had entered the room, he was truly moved.

The living room was lively; Zhou Xiaobai and Luo Yun were chattering away, sharing their Yingcheng travel experiences with Wu Shuping.

I don't know how they got along all night, but the three of them were harmonious.

There was no unfamiliarity or embarrassment from the first night, perhaps because they understood the relationship between Li Xuewu and Wu Shuping—friends more than lovers.

Zhou Xiaobai saw them enter, took the initiative to stand up with Luo Yun to greet them, and even playfully told Li Xuewu about the gifts prepared for Wu Shuping's child.

Wu Shuping smiled and greeted them to sit in the living room, and Lu Jie served tea to everyone.

Xu Si Nian didn't know what the situation was here; Sha Sha Qizhi knew, but not very clearly.

When Wu Shuping first came here, he and Han Jiankun came to send her.

At that time, he suspected this woman's identity and even more suspected the purpose of Vice Director Li sending her here.

It wasn't until he saw Director Li appear next door that he understood everything.

Especially Zhou Miaomiao from the dance troupe who came with her and also lived over there.

Li Xuewu took the initiative to introduce Xu Si Nian's identity to Wu Shuping; when introducing Xu Si Nian, he only said Wu Shuping was his friend.

Xu Si Nian looked at the woman with the posture of a hostess, and a pregnant woman at that; his heart had already started beating drums.

Li Huai De lived next door to Li Xuewu, and Li Xuewu was raising a pregnant woman here—this matter was interesting.

However, if you say Xu Si Nian guessed what relationship this woman had with Li Xuewu, he wouldn't believe it.

Even the friend relationship Li Xuewu introduced, he wouldn't believe.

Why?

Because when Li Xuewu speaks, don't believe a single word, including the punctuation marks!

You believe him?

Look at those three ministry cadres who were played by him in Yingcheng—the state they were in.

Yesterday at the shipyard wharf, these few people got off the yacht, and Xu Si Nian saw at a glance that their mental state was not right.

Looking at the wicked smile on Li Xuewu's face that he couldn't hide in time, he knew these three had fallen into this kid's maze.

He was familiar with this kind of trick; too damn familiar, because he had been tricked before!

No wonder he had a wicked smile, especially that foreign affairs cadre—even with a bump on his head, he had to work hard for Li Xuewu.

Tell me, is Li Xuewu's word credible or not?

If you ask Xu Si Nian, when Li Xuewu speaks, you cover your ears, close your eyes, and guess—you'd have a fifty percent chance of guessing correctly.

But if you open your eyes and watch him talk nonsense, you'll fall into a pit, and you'll be one hundred percent wrong.

What?

You don't believe it?

Hmm, many people have said this before.

Anyway, Li Xuewu said this pregnant woman was a friend; he didn't believe it. This pregnant woman showed the posture of a hostess; he didn't believe that either.

As long as he didn't believe anything, Li Xuewu couldn't fool him.

Everyone didn't say much in the living room; after easing the cold air on their bodies, they arranged for everyone to return to their rooms to rest under Lu Jie's arrangement.

The rooms were limited; Sha Sha Qizhi squeezed into a room with Peng Xiaoli, and Zhou Xiaobai and Luo Yun were still in the same quilt.

Originally, Li Xuewu should have had a room, but now he could only let it go; he couldn't let him sleep on the sofa.

Under Zhou Xiaobai's gaze, and under Xu Si Nian's playful teasing gaze, Li Xuewu pursed his lips and helped Wu Shuping into the room.

"Can you calculate which day it will be born?"

Li Xuewu looked at Wu Shuping, who was struggling to move her butt onto the bed, and asked.

Wu Shuping laughed and replied: "Even an immortal can't say for sure."

"What about your lover?"

She asked with a smile: "Do you know when your lover will give birth?"

"She won't let me ask."

Li Xuewu spread his hands helplessly and said: "Everything about pregnancy is decided by her; I can only watch from the sidelines."

"Why?"

Wu Shuping looked at Li Xuewu with some confusion and asked with a smile: "Is there anything a husband and wife can't say?"

"Maybe it's because of her personality~"

Li Xuewu shrugged and said: "She is more willing to share happiness and warmth with me."

Wu Shuping nodded and said: "So you love her, and she loves you."

"Hehe, this can't be said either~"

Li Xuewu smiled, took off his coat, pointed at the shirt he was wearing, and asked: "Is it okay to wear this?"

"Lu Jie prepared pajamas and a quilt for you; they will be sent up in a while."

Wu Shuping stroked her belly and said with a smile: "I told my child that the only person Mom can trust now is Uncle."

"Apologize to the child in advance."

Li Xuewu sat on the edge of the bed, took off his pants, and joked: "Still have to work hard to let me be your dad for a few years."

"Hehe~"

Wu Shuping smiled, looked down at her belly, and thought thoughtfully: "I don't know what his future will be like."

"Must be a good child."

Li Xuewu nodded and confirmed: "At least I, this dad, will give him an excellent and happy childhood."

"As for the other dad"

He turned his head and looked at Wu Shuping with a smile, saying: "He can become someone he admires."

"Mr. Li"

Lu Jie's voice came from the door, and Li Xuewu stood up to open the door.

Lu Jie nodded, holding a quilt and a set of pajamas, and walked in.

"The quilt was prepared when I came, and the pajamas were made a few days ago; please try them on."

"Thank you, Lu Jie; you've worked hard."

Li Xuewu thanked her with a smile, glanced outside the door, and said softly: "Thank you for coming so far to help me; I am truly grateful."

"You are too polite."

Lu Jie was very polite, helped Li Xuewu tidy up the bed, and helped Wu Shuping tuck in the quilt before nodding and going out.

After Li Xuewu turned off the light and got into bed, Wu Shuping asked again: "Is she your...?"

"Who? Lu Jie?"

Li Xuewu raised his eyebrows, looked at Wu Shuping, paused, and nodded: "A very close relationship, but not with her."

The bedside lamp on the other side hadn't been turned off yet; Li Xuewu could see Wu Shuping's questioning gaze and knew she was worried.

"You also know that after liberation, servants, maids, and nannies were not allowed."

Li Xuewu changed his position, rested on the pillow, and explained: "Lu Jie used to be a nanny for a wealthy family; although she was properly resettled later, there is still contact."

"I understand."

Wu Shuping nodded and said: "You have a relationship with the master of that wealthy family, right?"

Hearing Li Xuewu's explanation, the stone that had been hanging in her heart also fell.

"No wonder Lu Jie does things with rules; whether it's housework or needlework, she has a deep foundation."

Saying this, she teased Li Xuewu again and asked: "Is it a relationship with the master or the mistress?"

"Hehe~"

Li Xuewu covered his face with amusement and said with dissatisfaction: "Of course it's the master; what kind of person do you take me for!"

"I don't believe it~"

Wu Shuping shook her head slightly and said with a smile: "Based on my intuition, you are lying."

"Oh!"

Li Xuewu turned his head in surprise, looked at her, and asked: "Did you study psychology?"

"Learned and talented, with some involvement."

Wu Shuping patted the quilt between the two and urged: "Tell me about the mistress; is your relationship extraordinary?"

"Are all women so fond of gossip?"

Li Xuewu raised his eyebrows slightly and said very seriously: "This time you really guessed wrong; I am good friends with the daughter of this master."

"And!"

Just as Wu Shuping was about to refute, he said meaningfully: "You have a certain relationship with her too."

"Me?"

Now it was Wu Shuping's turn to be surprised; she sized up Li Xuewu and asked: "It has a relationship with me?"

"Hmm, because she is in Hong Kong."

Li Xuewu didn't keep her hanging and gave the answer directly; otherwise, she wouldn't be able to sleep tonight.

He knew how terrible a woman's curiosity was.

Wu Shuping widened her eyes, pointed at the door, and asked in surprise: "Lu Jie is... Lou... Lou lady's...?"

"Nanny, just a nanny."

Li Xuewu nodded and confirmed: "If it wasn't a safe relationship, could I put someone by your side?"

"So that's it."

Wu Shuping let out a long sigh of relief and nodded, saying: "You are indeed cautious enough."

After speaking, she felt it was absurd and shook her head, saying: "What do you call this? Exchanging hostages?"

"Hmm? Hahaha~"

Li Xuewu was stunned for a moment before he understood the other party's joke, covered his face, and said: "If Mr. Lai knew where I was lying now, he would definitely hack me to death."

"I don't think so."

Wu Shuping denied: "Every time Jia Sheng writes, he mentions his gratitude to you and even mentions your trust in him..."

"Please don't do that again~"

Li Xuewu waved his hand and said: "I take care of you, you help me; he works for the company—it's all part of the job; don't say thank you."

Emphasizing this, he pointed at Wu Shuping and himself and said: "We can be friends, but don't keep the word 'thank you' on your lips; I'll be under pressure."

"You are a good person."

Wu Shuping looked at Li Xuewu with some emotion and said: "I never worried about how you would sleep when you came here, and I never discussed such an absurd opinion with Jia Sheng."

She said very earnestly: "The moment you saved me from the office, I knew that such a kind person couldn't do anything annoying."

"That's not necessarily true."

Li Xuewu stretched the quilt and said: "Look at my gentle-as-jade, humble-gentleman appearance; in fact, I am a complete bastard."

"Hahaha~"

Wu Shuping was amused by his words and laughed, and even teased: "You said it backward~"

Laughing like this, she pointed toward the door and asked: "May I ask, that girl named Xiao Bai, what is she to you...?"

"What?"

Li Xuewu raised his eyebrows and asked back: "Are you asking if she and I have that kind of relationship?"

"Hmm-hmm~"

Wu Shuping raised her eyebrows half-seriously and said: "I saw that she came out of your room early yesterday morning, right?"

"So I said I'm a bastard~!"

Li Xuewu narrowed his eyes with a wicked smile and said: "Scared now!"

"Hehe~ Scared of what?"

She asked with amusement: "Scared of a young man who slept with a little girl for a night but did nothing?"

Wu Shuping pursed her lips, looked at Li Xuewu, let out a long sigh of relief, and shook her head slightly, saying: "Your personality already has lethality for women; if you show gentleness and consideration, be careful not to let the other party get obsessed."

"Especially a little girl."

She pointed at Li Xuewu and reminded: "For you, it might be a game; for her, it might be her whole life."

"Are you saying..."

Li Xuewu pointed toward the door and looked at Wu Shuping suspiciously, asking: "Can you tell if I did anything to her?"

"Otherwise?"

Wu Shuping moved her body and lay down, closed her eyes, and said: "Just told you, learned and talented, with some involvement."

"..."

Li Xuewu sized her up suspiciously—did she really have fiery eyes, or was she playing tricks on him?

"Happy New Year!"

"Happy New Year! Progress together!"

"Happy New Year! Work smoothly!"

A little past seven in the morning, there were footsteps in the corridor; it looked like they were up early.

After tossing and turning all night, Li Xuewu was still a bit lacking in spirit.

Don't misunderstand; it was Wu Shuping tossing, and he was affected.

Pregnant women are like this; the frequency of getting up at night is particularly high—no wonder they say being a mother is hard.

If a person is not filial, they cannot be called a person.

Ten months of pregnancy, a little life in the mother's belly—this is having a concern.

Can't jump when walking, can't shout when talking, can't cry when wronged, can't laugh when happy—it's just that difficult.

The bigger the belly, the more of a burden it is on the body, especially in daily life.

Li Xuewu sleeps very soundly, but in a new environment, especially with someone lying beside him, his nerves have never relaxed.

As long as Wu Shuping gets up at night, he will wake up, watching her struggle, and still have to help her get on and off the bed.

In the morning, Wu Shuping was still sleeping, but Li Xuewu put on his clothes and went downstairs.

Downstairs, everyone was wishing each other a Happy New Year.

In this era, they didn't say "congratulations on getting rich" or "good luck"; mostly they said "Happy New Year" and then said some auspicious words that fit their status.

But they had to stick to the theme; before, they had to say things like the "Three Red Flags," but now they don't say that, but they have to talk about "Great Learning."

But in this villa, they were all their own people, and there was no guard against each other, so the words of congratulation were more sincere.

Peng Xiaoli wished Zhou Xiaobai and the others auspicious words, saying "academic success," which made the two laugh until they couldn't stand straight.

After saying this, Peng Xiaoli also laughed awkwardly; he forgot that the two schools were already lost.

On the kitchen table, there were covers, and large basins of dumpling filling; Lu Jie was wrapping dumplings.

Zhou Xiaobai and the others were also helping; seeing Li Xuewu come downstairs, they all said Happy New Year.

Li Xuewu also smiled and replied to them one by one, watching them busy, and walked over to ask what the filling was.

Zhou Xiaobai pouted, still complaining that Li Xuewu didn't sleep in their room last night, which made Luo Yun, standing opposite, twitch her mouth.

She knew Zhou Xiaobai too well; she knew what she was thinking without speaking.

She had already punished her last night; to get close to Li Xuewu, she sacrificed her!

If people knew she slept with Li Xuewu for a night, how would she face people in the future?

Zhou Xiaobai was different; she was crazy, willing to break the law, and just didn't believe Li Xuewu would eat her.

Or rather, she wished Li Xuewu would eat her.

Li Huai De brought Zhou Miaomiao and Secretary Secretary Li Haiyang early too.

They agreed last night to eat dumplings together this morning; Zhou Miaomiao came in, rolled up her sleeves, and went to the kitchen to help.

Li Xuewu greeted Li Huai De and Xu Si Nian to the living room to drink tea.

The snow had been falling all night, and this morning the outside was covered in silver, white and snowy.

They say a timely snow promises a good harvest; who doesn't hope this year is a good year?

However, the Shanghai matter had been intensifying these past few days; the news passed back from Jingcheng was not very ideal.

Li Huai De knew very well that the "Great Learning" activity had progressed to the next stage.

If you want to talk about worry, it wasn't that tense; the Rolling Mill's reform process was always going to be one step ahead.

The changes appearing now were actually stages the Rolling Mill had already experienced; the management committee had already appeared—tell me, who was one step faster?

The few people sitting in the living room were not discussing Shanghai, but Jingcheng—the Jingcheng where the Rolling Mill was located.

After going back last night, Li Huai De also thought for half the night, carefully reviewing what happened yesterday.

He was very sure that there must be an unspeakable conspiracy behind the problems encountered by the Rolling Mill.

Li Xuewu's reminder, asking him to guard against someone taking advantage of the situation to drag the Rolling Mill into the game to test the attitude above, was very likely true.

So early in the morning, he told Li Xuewu the concerns in his heart.

Combined with the group progress discussed last night, plus the merger work of the automobile manufacturing factory to be carried out after returning, and the meeting with the commercial travel group, etc.

He was worried that if these few things were mixed together, and if someone was pushing from behind, would the Rolling Mill be squeezed into the center of the storm?

Even though Li Huai De spoke vaguely enough, those listening still broke out in a cold sweat.

Li Xuewu naturally understood the future direction of this matter; while analyzing the pros and cons and dismantling the situation, he proposed three suggestions to Li Huai De:

Argue on the basis of facts, defend and counterattack, and strike in the dark while in chaos!

Especially when talking about the internal safety and stability of the Rolling Mill, Li Xuewu's attitude was particularly firm.

Any organization or activity constructed by other means or channels, with a clear purpose of violating regulations and disturbing the Rolling Mill's normal production and living order, would be treated as anti-reform personnel.

The dumplings were out of the pot; at the dinner table, everyone restrained their topics and only talked about the new atmosphere of the New Year and the wishes of the New Year.

It's lively to eat with many people, but they ate a lot of dumplings; they wrapped them for more than half an hour, and they finished them all.

Everyone packed their luggage and prepared to go out; gathering just after the New Year and then separating brought some sadness.

But being in the officialdom, men had long since practiced an iron heart.

They couldn't bear the scene of women saying goodbye, and they didn't want to participate in this sadness of parting.

So the men put on their clothes and walked toward the car.

At the courtyard gate, Li Huai De called Li Xuewu aside to talk, mentioning that Cheng Kai Yuan was very likely involved in this incident.

Li Xuewu also agreed with this point of view; otherwise, the other party couldn't be so familiar with the factory's foreign-related projects.

It was possible to understand the general situation of the project, but if even the details were known so clearly, and they could go to Yingcheng in advance to make preparations, that would be a joke.

It wasn't that these contents were confidential, but if no one had checked them, ordinary people wouldn't be able to see them.

Li Huai De meant that this matter was definitely not over, and he would start investigating as soon as he returned to Jingcheng today.

Li Xuewu nodded and agreed, not saying that he had provoked this disaster, and even less saying that he had pulled Zhou Gancheng and others into the trap he set.

The two were talking when Zhou Xiaobai called them over to take photos.

The two little girls cherished this Jinmen trip very much, and the camera Li Xuewu equipped them with had been in use all along.

Now that they were about to separate, they wanted a group photo in front of this house.

Li Xuewu and Li Huai De looked at each other, both a bit dumbfounded.

In the end, even Li Huai De couldn't resist the girls' request and could only be pulled by them to stand in the middle of the team.

Wu Shuping, wearing thick clothes, stood beside Li Xuewu; seeing Zhou Xiaobai's eager eyes, she gave up her position to her.

Getting a white eye from Luo Yun, Zhou Xiaobai stood beside Li Xuewu with a grin.

Peng Xiaoli helped everyone take a group photo; when handing the camera to Zhou Xiaobai, he specifically instructed that this photo could not be leaked.

Zhou Xiaobai agreed earnestly, only then getting the film that had been used up.

This group photo could be considered a full stop to their wonderful journey.

It was truly unexpected; they said they were coming to Jinmen to play, but they went to Yingcheng in a muddle.

These four days and three nights passed so long, so fulfilling, and so interesting.

When waving goodbye to Wu Shuping and Lu Jie, Zhou Xiaobai's tears fell.

She didn't know why she was crying; clearly, she had nothing to do with this house or the people here. How much affection could there be in such a short time?

But she was just reluctant, just missing them; perhaps she was reluctant about her lost youth.

January 1st, "People's Daily" and "Red Flag" magazine published an editorial approved by the above, titled "Carry the Great Learning Activity to the End."

Among them, it announced that "1967 will be a year of comprehensive and active reform nationwide," calling on..."

Looking at the newspaper in his hand, Li Xuewu frowned and flipped through it again and again, looking at it again and again, only feeling that his mood was incomparably heavy.

Li Huai De's expression was the same; if it weren't for Li Xuewu always leading him astray, he might have laughed out loud when seeing this news at this time.

But now, a clearer cognition was the practical thinking about factory and workers, development and thought, management and progress.

The two were silent, each folding the newspaper in their hands, looking out the window at the vast white expanse.

"The wind is rising~" ===== CHAPTER 981 =====