MMB Chapter 1493 Xu Damao is here
Chapter 1493 Xu Damao is here
Chapter 1493 Xu Damao is back
"Brother—I miss you so much!"
As soon as Li Xuewu entered the room, Wang Yamei started acting all cute and coquettish, her voice so sweet it could kill.
Those who know her would assume she's his former sister-in-law, but those who don't might think there's some kind of past between them.
"You've arrived." Wang Yamei's parents were also there. They looked surprised to see him enter the house with Wang Yajuan, but they spoke very politely.
They won't talk about what happened between Li Xuewu and his eldest daughter back then. Later, when his eldest daughter was bullied at work, it was Li Xuewu who stepped in to resolve the issue.
To be honest, it's hard to say who owes whom, since the little girl is here.
What kind of person Wang Yamei used to be? Even if others don't say it, her parents certainly know it in their hearts.
If Li Xuewu hadn't arranged a job for me, I don't know who I would have run off with long ago.
Now that they can find a good partner like Pazil, even if they don't say it, they still think Li Xuewu is better.
Every time I think about it, I feel a little regretful. Who would have thought...
Yes, who could have foreseen that such a scoundrel would become so successful and become a group leader?
Wang's father (Wang Yajuan's father, referred to as Wang's father) worked in a textile factory. In the same Dongcheng District, which enterprise didn't know about Hongxing Factory?
Now, if you ask anyone, who doesn't know about Hongxing Steel Group? Which organization wouldn't want to cooperate with Hongxing Steel Group and obtain the title of affiliated unit?
With the affiliated unit's nameplate, one can open an account at the United Savings Bank, and be registered at the Tianjin Trade Management Center under the Steel Group's Sales Corporation, thus gaining access to centralized procurement projects for supply chain sales and export trade.
There are many textile factories in Beijing, and now every single one of them is fully staffed and has excess capacity.
In recent years, the government's regulatory efforts have been decreasing, which Wang's father was aware of. As far as the textile industry is concerned, solving the national supply and demand problem is just around the corner.
In other words, it is very likely that cloth coupons will no longer be needed when buying cloth from supply and marketing cooperatives.
How can we address the spillover effect caused by such overcapacity?
Open-the-gate processing will inevitably lead to product backlog and price reductions. Exporting is of course the most suitable option, and textiles have always been a major export item.
Since textiles are a major export item, why do textile factories still try so hard to get on board with the trade management center?
It's very simple. If a textile factory exports its products through conventional channels, the exporting company can only handle the matter. The factory has no bargaining power or signing authority.
The export headquarters was responsible for deciding on the style and quantity to be produced.
How much money they make has little to do with textile factories, because they receive production plans and tasks, not purchase contracts.
The funds allocated by the superior unit for production and operation will not include any additional welfare benefits.
Now, spurred by the Hongxing Steel Group, many companies in Beijing are looking for ways to solve and improve the welfare benefits for their workers.
In those days, workers had such a high status; if you didn't serve them well, they could go to the factory leader's office and start cursing.
Textile factories certainly want better benefits and compensation; who wouldn't want to live a more affluent life?
They don't get much money by going through the export headquarters' channels; at most, it's a bonus, but that's a drop in the ocean compared to the huge demand for welfare benefits.
However, the centralized procurement system of the trade management center is different. Although they still do not have direct contact with foreign businesses, they receive procurement contracts.
In other words, as long as you are within the affiliated unit system, you have the opportunity to bid for centralized procurement projects.
These bidding events happen almost every year, every quarter, every month, and even every week.
As long as your factory's products are qualified and meet the production standards, you are eligible to participate in price negotiations and obtain the most suitable bid.
Centralized procurement projects are all large-scale projects, mostly export projects; winning them is a guaranteed profit.
The bidding process at the Trade Management Center follows certain standards: each time, more than three companies must win a bid, and the total number of orders must exceed the number of bids.
If these orders were actually given to a single company, it might be impossible to complete them while ensuring its own production schedule, and it could even cause delays on both fronts.
Using excess capacity for bidding is a suitable way to solve companies' flexible funding problems.
The textile factory where Wang's father worked naturally became an affiliated unit of the Hongxing Steel Group.
However, it wasn't approved by him. The factory leaders actually asked him who had connections with Honggang.
Someone mentioned him, saying that his eldest daughter is from Honggang, and perhaps they could find a connection.
But Wang's father knew very well whose connections his eldest daughter had to get her job at the Red Star Factory.
Some things are really hard to say. Back then, the Beijing Railway Art Troupe was facing the crisis of disbanding, and their eldest daughter was about to lose her job. The couple were so worried that they couldn't sleep for two nights.
The results of it?
The eldest daughter, along with the entire performing arts troupe, was transferred to the Red Star Factory and even became a cadre.
Wang Yajuan didn't explain, but as her father, how could he not know? Without an absolute connection or the existence of his eldest daughter, why would the Red Star Factory take their entire performing arts troupe?
Therefore, the name Li Xuewu evokes complex and conflicted feelings in his heart.
When the factory leaders asked him if he had any connections, what could he say? He could only say that his daughter had no connections.
He still remembers the disappointed look in his leader's eyes back then, which has prevented him from getting a chance to advance in his career.
Of course, at his age, he no longer thinks about career advancement; family harmony is what he pursues.
Wang Yamei has a stable relationship with her boyfriend, who is working in the garrison area, and now they even have a child.
His only worry was his eldest daughter, especially after the incident in the middle of the year.
He also lost his temper with his eldest daughter, broke off the engagement without getting engaged, isn't that just demeaning himself?
But his eldest daughter is no longer under his control. She says she doesn't want to get married and that's it. She says she wants to be transferred from the group to the steel city and that's it.
Now things are really messed up; he can't control it even if he wants to.
You're saying you can just transfer to any company you want? Do you own the company?
And you know what? His daughter really does have that ability, which really makes him speechless.
But then, his daughter really proved to be capable and made progress in her career, and he became worried again.
What on earth is this?
I learned from my little girl that Li Xuewu was already married and had children. What's the point of the two of them getting back together now?
You say the two of them are innocent, so why is Li Xuewu taking such good care of his eldest daughter?
Is it really that easy to get promoted to a cadre position?
He received two promotions in three years and was transferred from the group to a local position, but he didn't dare say he had the ability to do so.
Without Li Xuewu, this kind of thing simply cannot be explained.
But if there really is some special relationship between them, what are they really thinking?
He couldn't accept this abnormal relationship. It wasn't that he was old-fashioned or concerned about family traditions; he simply felt sorry for his daughter being someone's concubine.
He came from the old society, so how could he not know what kind of status and life a concubine in a grand mansion was?
Although she was called a concubine, she was essentially a mistress, without even the most basic protections.
He had a million things he wanted to say to his daughter, but the father and daughter had a very tense argument.
Now that his eldest daughter has appeared at home with Li Xuewu, he can't say anything.
Wang Yamei acted like a child, jumping and skipping around when she saw the other person, not at all like someone in postpartum confinement.
Before Li Xuewu could even speak, he nervously called out, then immediately regretted it.
"Uncle Wang, you're doing well."
Li Xuewu noticed the awkwardness of Wang's father, greeted him with a smile, and offered him a cigarette.
Mr. Wang reached out and took it, nodding and saying, "Okay, okay, please sit down."
"Auntie, you're doing well too."
Li Xuewu endured Wang Yamei's chatter and greeted Wang's mother with a smile.
"Brother! I'm not afraid of you—"
Wang Yamei called out to him, "Do you want to see the child?"
What are you saying? The child isn't his, why are you in such a hurry to see it?
"It's never quiet, it's never still."
The mother couldn't take it anymore. She glared at her daughter, then turned to Li Xuewu and said somewhat apologetically, "It's fine. Sit down and let's talk."
"Dad, mom."
The room was bustling with activity, but Wang Yajuan spoke very little, only offering a brief greeting.
The father looked at his daughter with a touch of sadness, but the mother took her daughter's hand directly.
"You just left without a word, and a whole year has passed." The Queen Mother said with a hint of reproach, "You really don't miss home, or your father and me?"
"Mom—" The mother and daughter were on the verge of tears as they spoke, while the father kept smoking.
Li Xuewu looked at Wang Yamei, whose expression was quite animated, and asked with amusement, "Where's the child?"
"He's in the inner room, do you want to see him?"
Wang Yamei finally got her chance to shine, and beckoned to him, saying, "Come on—"
"Hehe—" Li Xuewu gave Wang Yajuan and her daughter time to talk. After nodding to Wang's father, he went to the inner room.
It was obvious that the temperature in the inner room was higher, and a chubby little baby was sleeping soundly on the bed. He looked like he had grown up and didn't have the wrinkles of a newborn baby.
The baby is less than a month old, yet he has grown so big, which shows that he has a very strong foundation.
"His name is Xiri Ahong, which means lion. It was given to him by Pazil."
Wang Yamei remained an optimist, showing off her child to Li Xuewu.
Li Xuewu reached out and touched the child's little hand, then took out a red envelope from his pocket and stuffed it under the child's pillow.
“Brother—” Wang Yamei said coquettishly.
"Don't be shy, it's for the child." Li Xuewu smiled and said, "May he live a long and healthy life."
"Who's being polite with you—"
Wang Yamei reached out and squeezed the thick red envelope, smiling with satisfaction as she playfully scolded, "You're my brother, I'm just reminding you that you can't give too little."
This is only because she's at home, with her parents around; otherwise, she really would dare call him "brother-in-law."
In her heart, Li Xuewu was her eldest sister's husband. When her eldest sister went on a blind date and got engaged, she saw that the man hadn't even called her by the name, so she knew it wouldn't work out.
It has to be my brother-in-law; he can always make people happy with his generosity, and the red envelopes are always bulging.
"You kid——"
The Queen Mother, who had just entered, playfully slapped her and said, "Why are you talking like that?"
"That's clearly it—"
Wang Yamei put away the red envelope and said to Li Xuewu with a smile, "Thank you, brother. I won't stand on ceremony. From now on, I'll have my son call you godfather."
"hehe--"
Li Xuewu was also amused by her. Before anything had even happened, he had already given out red envelopes and acted as a father figure.
Wang Yajuan walked behind with red eyes, listened to their conversation, and then sat on the bed.
Looking at the sleeping child, her eyes were filled with tenderness and affection.
Seeing her like this, the Queen Mother couldn't stop crying again, even though she had just managed to wipe away her tears.
"Alright, I just came to see you."
Li Xuewu smiled and said to Wang Yamei, "Take good care of your health and don't cause trouble, or you'll suffer when you're old."
He gestured towards the door and said, "I didn't buy you anything when I just got back, but I brought some dried fruit from Steel City. You can eat it after you finish your postpartum period."
"Brother, are you leaving already?"
Wang Yamei said somewhat reluctantly, "Why don't you have lunch before you leave?"
"We're not home yet. I have a meeting this afternoon. Let's get together again after you finish your postpartum confinement."
Li Xuewu gently patted her arm and then said to Wang's mother, "Auntie, I'm going back now. Pazile is busy with work, you must be very tired."
This was said from the perspective of an elder brother, and in Pazilina, he truly was the elder brother.
It's hard to say whether the two families are close or distant, just like the complicated feelings Wang's parents have for him. He feels somewhat awkward and uncomfortable here.
As he came out of the inner room, Wang's father stood up upon hearing his words.
"You're leaving already?"
"Uncle Wang, I still have work to do this afternoon."
For the first time, Li Xuewu took the initiative to extend his hand and shake hands with his former rival.
Mr. Wang was both surprised and moved, and he couldn't quite describe his feelings when he shook hands with him.
Wang Yajuan was admiring the child in the inner room, and when Wang Yamei tried to send him out, her mother scolded her and sent her back.
It was his father and mother who saw him off.
I ran into a neighbor from work at the door. The two families seemed to know each other well and even greeted each other.
Li Xuewu ignored the other person's probing gaze, said goodbye once more, and went downstairs.
The neighbor, looking at the young man dressed in a clearly high-end woolen overcoat, with a white shirt peeking out from the collar and black leather shoes that gave him the air of a cadre, smiled and asked Wang's father, "Is this a relative?"
"No, Xiaojuan's friend."
The Queen Mother was more adept at handling situations than the Queen Father. Fearing that her beloved would be put in a difficult position, she took the initiative to offer an explanation.
They've been neighbors for so many years, and my partner's colleague too, how could I not answer?
If we don't say anything, who knows what rumors might spread.
Even so, the other person still asked with a gossipy look, "Is this Xiaojuan's boyfriend?"
Before the couple could explain, the man pursed his lips and nodded, saying, "He looks quite intimidating, but he has an upright air about him."
When the man saw the young man who had just come downstairs get into a luxury car through the corridor window, his eyes widened in astonishment.
She talks too much.
He recognized the rather distinctive license plate.
When I tried to get confirmation from the Wang couple, they had already closed the door and gone back inside.
The Wang couple breathed a sigh of relief upon entering the house, but also felt incredibly sad.
They exchanged a glance, both seeing a hint of regret in each other's eyes.
Listening to the conversation between the two sisters in the inner room, they felt even more choked up.
"Why did you come back so quickly?"
Wang Yamei asked curiously, "Did you come back with him? Did you come back by plane?"
"Ah."
Wang Yajuan was a woman of few words; when answering her sister's questions, she would only reply with "um" or "no."
You came straight here after getting off the plane?
Wang Yamei was talkative and seemed curious about everything. "Did he come here specifically to deliver it to you?"
"No," Wang Yajuan said casually, knowing what her sister wanted to ask. "He came here specifically to see you."
"whee--"
Wang Yamei took out a red envelope from her pocket, opened it, counted the money, and said, "It's enough that the person came. You even gave such a big red envelope."
"You should be more careful—"
Wang Yajuan turned around and glared at her sister, reminding her, "You dare to make any kind of joke, and you even dare to call his office."
"Is this how he uses his phone? What if someone overhears it?"
"He didn't stop me, which means there was no one else around—" Wang Yamei said happily, shaking the red envelope in her hand without paying much attention. "Fifty yuan, brother-in-law... he's so generous—"
She knew she had said the wrong thing, but the word "husband" had already been uttered and couldn't be taken back, so she could only try to speak softly, afraid that her parents would hear.
But these words already earned her a glare from her sister.
"Just don't grow up!"
Wang Yajuan scolded her irritably, "You're a mother now, and you're still like this. See how your child will laugh at you later."
"He wouldn't—"
Wang Yamei casually put the red envelope on the bedside table. She was not the kind of person who was greedy for money. What pleased her was not the red envelope, nor how much money Li Xuewu gave her, but the sentiment behind it.
She knew Li Xuewu was not short of money, and the reason he gave so much could only be because he valued their relationship.
Pazil's salary isn't small, and there's also her parents' salary.
Besides, she has saved up quite a bit over the years of working, and she has never really lacked money in her life.
However, this was the first time she had ever received a 50-yuan red envelope, and she couldn't hide her joy.
Are you feeling sorry for him?
Wang Yamei teased her sister, leaning closer and whispering, "Does he give you pocket money too?"
Are you being too tight-lipped?
Wang Yajuan glared at her younger sister and said, "You think I won't discipline you just because I'm in postpartum confinement?"
"I didn't ask anything else—"
Wang Yamei looked at her sister with a wronged expression and said, "You chased after him to Gangcheng, and he even took you home. You two are still completely innocent, aren't you?"
"none of your business--"
Wang Yajuan retorted irritably, then stood up and said, "Be more careful with the child."
"What are you doing?"
Seeing her sister get up to leave, Wang Yamei followed her out of the room and asked, "Not staying at home?"
At this moment, her parents also looked over and were surprised to see her carrying the luggage on the ground.
"Xiao Juan, what are you doing—"
"This is an official business trip, so I have to report to the guesthouse. They provide free accommodation."
Wang Yajuan explained to her mother, "I'll come back after I've put my luggage away."
"I'll just stay at home then—"
The Queen Mother caught up with them and said with concern, "I've already cleaned up your room."
"The group has a rule that accommodation must be arranged in accordance with policy when traveling on business."
Wang Yajuan comforted her mother, then glanced at her father, afraid he might overthink things.
"Let's go, I'll take you there."
Wang's father seemed to have come to terms with it. He took off his cotton-padded coat and hat from the clothes rack and said to his wife, "Prepare lunch. Come back and eat."
Wang Yajuan acquiesced to her father's opinion, carrying her luggage and waiting at the door. Watching her father change his shoes and listening to her mother's nagging and instructions, she felt that Li Xuewu was right.
She's grown up, but she still needs her family.
-
"Hey hey hey——"
He Yuzhu thought he was seeing things, but when he saw that it really was him, he quickly waved his hand.
Li Xuewu turned around from the hanging flower gate and smiled when he saw that it was him coming out of the back room to greet him.
"Dressed like a groom, is it a wedding? So elaborate."
It was because Sha Zhu was dressed in a clean and tidy Zhongshan suit that he looked more like a cadre than a cadre himself.
"Hey! You were right!"
Silly Zhu chuckled and walked over to explain, "But I'm not the groom, it's my apprentice Ma Hua. Today is his special day."
"Oh—" Li Xuewu raised an eyebrow and asked, "Did you just get that back?"
"A master should always be a little reserved."
Sha Zhu grinned and said, "I'm his witness, so I can't get drunk and stay there. It would be embarrassing."
"Hehe, good job, you've grown up now."
Li Xuewu deliberately glanced at him and said jokingly, "You're better than before."
"Hehehe—" Sha Zhu didn't seem to mind, and asked him, "You just got back?"
"I came back this morning. I went to a meeting at the company and just finished."
Li Xuewu gestured towards his home and said, "Check on the old lady, you go ahead with your work."
"Alright, come over here later."
Seeing that Li Xuewu's mother came out of the house to greet him, Sha Zhu didn't want to disturb him any further, so he greeted Liu Yin and gave Li Xuewu a word of advice.
He gestured towards the back room behind him, blinked his eyes, and then turned back.
This house is clearly registered under Li Xuewu's name, but now it looks like it belongs to him.
"Why did you suddenly come back?"
Liu Yin picked up her son, looked him over, and asked a question with some surprise.
Li Xuewu smiled at his mother and explained, "I'm back for a meeting, and I'm going abroad in a few days."
"You're going abroad already?"
Liu Yin was still worried, feeling that nothing was better than home, and there was no pride on her face about her son being able to go abroad on official business.
The mother and son chatted as they entered the house. That's how courtyard houses are in winter: warm when the sun shines, and cold and damp when it's not.
Even with the earthen heating system burning inside, the room still felt somewhat cold and damp.
This chill isn't the temperature inside the house, but rather the feeling, the sensation of the setting sun.
From the south room came the elder sister-in-law's greeting, and as she spoke, she came out from the inner room.
"Why didn't you let me know you were coming back?" Zhao Yafang asked with a smile. "How long did it take you to get home?"
"I arrived in the morning and went home first."
Li Xuewu smiled and went into the north room with them. He also explained to the old lady, who was equally concerned about him, "I had a meeting this afternoon."
"You're already too busy."
Zhao Yafang was wearing thick pajamas, and even though the room was warm enough, she kept her hands clenched.
This is the price of having children; cold limbs in winter are a sign that your body is weakened.
"It's good to be busy, it's good to be busy."
The old lady put down her pipe and gestured for him to sit closer to talk.
Li Xuewu sat down by the kang (a heated brick bed) and asked his mother and sister-in-law, "Is Li Yue asleep?"
"Oh, don't even mention it—"
Liu Yin turned around in distress and explained, "The older one falls asleep while the younger one is still pacing. Then, after we get the younger one to sleep, the older one wakes up again. It's so noisy."
"Hehehe—" Li Xuewu chuckled and looked at his sister-in-law, asking, "You look thinner?"
"How can you not lose weight if you don't sleep well?"
Zhao Yafang rubbed her face and said, "I feel like I've aged ten years."
“This one is different from the two.”
Liu Yin let out a long sigh and said, "It's at times like these that I think even more about how good my eldest granddaughter is."
"When we asked for Li Ning, I was worried that you wouldn't be able to take care of him, but it turns out that Li Shu is the most well-behaved and hasn't caused you any trouble at all."
"That kid's really mischievous!"
She rubbed her head and said, "They don't even greet you. They just turn their heads and start rummaging through your drawers and cabinets, or they go out for a walk."
“Now your dad has begged for mercy. If this continues, we’ll have to sleep in separate rooms. He’s going to the front yard.”
"Hehehe——"
Listening to the commotion, Li Xuewu looked at his mother and asked, "Isn't Li Xue coming back to sleep?"
She was also afraid of not sleeping well—
Liu Yin sighed and explained, "Well, as soon as autumn arrived, we lit the stove in your backyard and you moved there to live."
"I've thought it through. This can't go on forever."
She told Zhao Yafang, "If it doesn't work out, I'll sleep in this room with the eldest son, and your dad can go to the front yard."
"No, my grandma can't take it either."
Zhao Yafang said with a wry smile, "Li Tang keeps getting up to play in the middle of the night, and we can't coax him back to sleep."
"Let the old lady go to the backyard."
Liu Yin breathed a sigh of relief and said, "Go keep Li Xue company. I'm always worried about her living alone in the backyard."
The old lady didn't care where she slept. She tapped her pipe and asked her second grandson, "Are you back this time to go abroad? When are you leaving?"
They must have overheard the conversation between the mother and daughter in the yard to ask that question.
He's over sixty years old, but he's never been without his pipe in his life. He's still sharp of hearing and sight, and speaks with a strong, resonant voice.
"We'll depart on the 23rd, heading to the port city first."
Li Xuewu didn't find the old lady's questions annoying and carefully explained the relevant itinerary.
I don't know if the old lady understood or not, but she nodded anyway.
"Oh dear, you've been gone for so many days."
Liu Yin asked reluctantly, "Will we have to take a detour on the way back? It will take a lot of time, won't it?"
"It depends on the arrangements. We went with the group, and we'll do the same on the way back."
Li Xuewu tried his best to comfort his mother and also tried to steer the conversation towards his family.
Father Li Shun has returned from the research institute in the mountains, but he is still serving as the deputy director.
This was the position I was given after I returned; previously, the Traditional Chinese Medicine Hospital had not officially recognized the research institution sent from the mountains.
Starting this year, the cultivation of Chinese medicinal herbs on the mountain has generated revenue and has become a treasure for the Traditional Chinese Medicine Hospital.
In the past, this was mostly done to preserve resources, sending medical personnel with special circumstances up the mountain to avoid any unexpected situations.
It turns out that the leaders of the Traditional Chinese Medicine Hospital were farsighted; among all the hospitals in Beijing, only the Traditional Chinese Medicine Hospital truly preserved its strength after the initial wave of competition.
Li Shun goes up the mountain several times a month, and holds regular clinics at other times.
The old saying goes that fathers and sons go to war together, and now Li Shuntong and his son Li Xuecai have truly become colleagues.
This has become an interesting topic of conversation in the TCM hospital. Even though people in this era value the idea of sons following in their fathers' footsteps, it is still rare to see fathers and sons working together in the hospital.
It's not that no one has thought about training their own children to take over their jobs, but the winds of change in recent years have been too strong, extinguishing the hopes of countless people.
Especially this year's job allocation situation, it doesn't matter where you're from, everyone is assigned to work in distant places.
People like Li Xuecai, who intern and work at a traditional Chinese medicine hospital, are the envy of countless families.
Everyone knows the Li family is powerful now. They have three sons, and two of their in-laws are capable. It's all thanks to their sons' success and connections that they were able to stay in the capital.
"Your older brother is still the same."
When Li Xuewu asked, Zhao Yafang smiled and explained, "Now I don't even go to school anymore. I either go to the lab or the library."
"Your bicycle is a good thing for him; he can go wherever he wants now."
"Don't forget to pay the rent."
Li Xuewu joked, "My car even has lights on; it cost me an extra five yuan."
"Haha, go ask your older brother for it."
Zhao Yafang said with a smile, "When we find him, we'll tell him that he has a wife and children too."
"What happened? Did he run away from home too?"
Li Xuewu asked with amusement, "The father isn't home taking care of the child? Instead, he's hiding out?"
"Ask him when you see him."
Zhao Yafang twitched the corner of her mouth and said, "They said they've cleaned up the school's house, and they eat in the cafeteria. They're living the life of the fittest. All they're missing is a girlfriend."
"Then you're in the wrong."
Li Xuewu joked, "Given my older brother's personality, he wouldn't even bother dating someone unless you took the initiative to introduce him to someone."
"Hahaha--"
-
"You didn't know, did you? Xu Damao is back. It happened a while ago."
Sha Zhu raised an eyebrow and said, "He even came to the compound, saying his father died."
"To escort the coffin back to the capital for burial?"
Li Xuewu took a sip of hot tea and asked, "Are their ancestral graves in the capital?"
"You local, you don't know."
Sha Zhu nodded and explained, "I didn't see it myself; I only heard it from him."
"He looked pretty smug, bringing his mother, wife, and kids back with him."
"Wife and children?" Li Xuewu looked up and asked, "He has children?"
"Yes, the little boy is quite handsome."
Sha Zhu laughed and said, "His wife is beautiful, Yang Hua, she's famous."
"Hehe—" Of course, Li Xuewu remembered Yang Hua, and he also remembered Xu Damao's father coming to beg him.
If it weren't for his intervention, Xu Damao would have been executed for his crimes.
To date, no one at the Red Star Factory has played a more elaborate game than them; they're nothing compared to them.
Those few who were executed were not unjustly killed. After all, Xu Damao had a little more conscience than them; he knew to pay money.
The women who were called in for the investigation said other things about him, but none of them said he didn't pay.
Those who don't pay are called "forced," while those who pay are called "piao"—the nature of the crime is different, and the way it's handled is also different, so he managed to escape a disaster.
But no one expected that his father would not escape the calamity of fleeing thousands of miles away and would die in a foreign land.
"He was even reminiscing."
Sipping his hot tea, Sha Zhu explained, "As soon as they entered the courtyard, they greeted me with 'Things have changed,' and then asked almost all the neighbors."
"Only you—"
He glared at Li Xuewu and said, "He didn't ask about your situation at all."
"Hehe, we're not friends."
Li Xuewu chuckled and said, "It was the right thing not to ask me."
"Hehehe—" Sha Zhu said with a wicked grin, "Don't worry, I'm such a kind-hearted person, I told him even if he didn't ask, hahaha!"
"You know what, he's doing pretty well now. I heard he's even become a cadre."
After a sly laugh, Sha Zhu raised an eyebrow and said, "Our neighbor, Aunt Sun, really knows how to talk. She kept praising how good-looking her child is."
"He only said that after he left, he didn't look like a member of the Xu family."
"Oh? What do you mean by that?"
Li Xuewu also learned from Lou Xiao'e that Xu Damao might not be allowed to have a son.
But he never told anyone about this; how embarrassing.
Sha Zhu, unconcerned about being embarrassed, explained with a wicked grin, "I don't think so either. The key is that I know Yang Hua well; she's not an honest person."
"Hehe, you're a customer too?"
Li Xuewu understood the implication in his words and raised an eyebrow, asking, "I didn't expect that."
"Go away—how could I possibly be?"
Sha Zhu waved his hand, proving his innocence by saying, "I only heard it from someone else."
Li Xuewu certainly knew what Yang Hua used to do; Xu Damao's father had introduced her to him.
In such an emergency, where could they find a good girl to marry? They had no choice but to resort to a shady match to save the day.
But these poplar catkins are not easy to fool; once you're caught in them, it's for life.
"Family members know their own affairs."
Sha Zhu winked and asked, "How do you think I knew that child wasn't his?"
"You even know about medicine?"
Li Xuewu asked with amusement, "Just look, listen, ask, and feel the pulse; that's how you find out who isn't whose son."
"Hey, I really do have that ability."
Sha Zhu tilted his head and explained with a smile, "When Aunt Sun praised their child, Xu Damao's mother's expression was obviously off. She looked very embarrassed and wasn't very close to the child."
"Even if I'm wrong about this, I should at least have a basic understanding of poplar catkins, right?"
He said with certainty, "You didn't see it. When Guodong came back, Yanghua's eyes were practically glued to him."
"He drove back?"
Li Xuewu immediately realized what was going on and asked with a smile, "Guodong is quite ordinary-looking."
"Guodong went to a meeting in the district."
Sha Zhu raised an eyebrow and explained, "Wearing that white shirt makes you look incredibly cool."
"And with him driving a car, Yang Hua couldn't wait to rush over and get to know him."
He tilted his head and gestured towards the courtyard gate, saying, "It's right here. I'll introduce Xu Damao and Yang Hua to each other. Yang Hua is practically glued to Guo Dong, her eyes are practically gleaming with greed!"
"I never expected this woman to take the initiative so aggressively, especially in front of her lover."
"Guodong came back on his own?"
Li Xuewu put down his teacup and asked, "Isn't Xiaoyan here?"
"Xiao Yan came over after hearing the voices."
Sha Zhu chuckled and said, "It was only after they all left that Xiao Yan said that the stench of poplar flowers could be smelled from two miles away."
"This is for Shen Guodong to hear."
He really loved making things worse, chuckling as he said, "He got jealous just because Yang Hua said a few words to Shen Guodong."
"Didn't your wife say you were meddling?" Li Xuewu glanced at him and said, "Have you been having a lot of free time lately?"
"Hey, just watching the fun—"
Sha Zhu smiled and picked up his teacup, explaining, "I just happened to have bought some preserved vegetables that day and didn't have anything else to do. We've known each other for half our lives, after all."
"You two seem to appreciate each other."
Li Xuewu chuckled and said, "Didn't you ask him to stay longer?"
"Even if I let him stay, he would still dare to do it."
Sha Zhu chuckled and said, "You didn't see the expressions on Xu Damao's and his mother's faces when Yang Hua was flirting with Guo Dong. I bet he was green with envy."
"After he left, everyone said that the child wasn't his because he didn't look like him at all."
He said jokingly, "Xu Damao even asked Lou Xiao'e indirectly where she went after she moved away from here, but no one knows. It seems he went to the Lou family to look for her."
Speaking of Xu Damao and Lou Xiao'e, it seems like it was something that happened many years ago. Sha Zhu was quite emotional, feeling as if he had reunited with an old friend.
"He looks really old; he must have suffered a lot these past few years."
"How could that be? Sichuan Province is a great place to raise people." Li Xuewu shook his head slightly and said, "The girls from there all have plump, juicy faces."
"I didn't see the plump and chubby Xu Damao, but I did see the skinny and wiry Xu Damao."
Sha Zhu sighed, "I heard there wasn't much of a harvest, and many people are going hungry."
"I don't know how this family survived in Sichuan Province, but they seem to be doing quite well now."
He smiled and explained, "It feels like returning home in glory, but the departure was rather shabby."
"They must have secretly inquired about your current situation to confirm my description."
When Sha Zhu saw him looking over, he laughed and explained, "You scared him to death. I think he was still vengeful, but you scared him half to death."
"It's a real shame. I also wanted to see him." Li Xuewu said with a smile, "How many times in a lifetime can one see an old friend again? It's so difficult to see him again."
"What's so difficult about it—"
Sha Zhu's words are really sarcastic: "You'll see him again once his mother dies."
-
On December 21, the Hongxing Steel Group held a working conference on high-quality development in Northeast China in the small conference room on the 9th floor of the Group's Twin Towers office building.
Members of the Group's Management Committee attended the meeting, and Li Xuewu delivered a work report to the Management Committee.
In his report, he listed in detail the changes he experienced before and after working in Liaodong.
First, the difficulty of insufficient production resources was fully resolved, and reserve capacity was greatly improved. Industrial sectors such as coal, steel, and electricity made rapid progress in this year.
Secondly, there was the reform of the office and management systems. After Li Xuewu came to work in Liaodong, he basically changed the original situation, and the enthusiasm and mindset of the employees were greatly improved.
Third, the discipline inspection and supervision work has achieved outstanding results, effectively resolving contradictions in organizational work and boosting the work enthusiasm of all employees.
Fourth, personnel issues have been fully resolved, the group's influence over industrial enterprises has been greatly enhanced, and the group's integration goals have been realized.
Fifth, environmental sanitation issues. Since the introduction of the renewable energy processing plant, the sanitation environment in Hongxing Steel City Industrial Park has been greatly improved. It is now rare to see mountains of garbage and waste materials in the factory area.
Sixth, the implementation of medical security policies has yielded significant results. The joint industrial hospital and sanatorium have been established in Gangcheng, and the Gangcheng branch of the joint industrial hospital and the Qianshan sanatorium have been set up and constructed, providing full medical and health protection for the group's employees.
seventh……
Li Xuewu's report was detailed and compelling, presenting genuine work achievements to everyone and delivering an excellent report to the management committee.
In fact, every member of the team knew his work ability. They were not surprised by his work achievements, but by the fact that he could create such brilliant results in such a short period of time.
The group's industrial resources in Liaodong were integrated this year, during Li Xuewu's term, and formed a fighting force.
They could feel the vigorous momentum of development coming from Liaodong even sitting in the group's office without having to go down to conduct research.
This truly proves the saying, "It's easy to invite a god, but hard to send him away."
Li Xuewu did the work of two years in one year; they should start thinking about how to proceed.
At the very least, Lao Li should think about how to arrange Li Xuewu's next move and help him advance.