MMB Chapter 1694 I wet my pants
Chapter 1694 I wet my pants
Chapter 1694 I wet my pants
"Secretary-General, you're back."
Peng Xiaoli had just come out of the headquarters building when he saw him getting out of the car, so he stopped and greeted him.
Li Xuewu glanced at him, nodded, and asked with a smile, "What brings you here? For a meeting?"
"Yes, the second quarter work safety meeting."
Peng Xiaoli smiled and explained, "It was chaired by General Manager Dong, and it just ended. I'm on my way back to the factory."
"Go on, and get back to work."
As Li Xuewu walked into the hall, he patted his arm and gently gave him a word of advice.
Peng Xiaoli stood ramrod straight, listened attentively, responded verbally, and watched him enter the hall before turning to leave.
As former secretaries, their relationship naturally had an extra layer compared to other colleagues, but it was nothing special.
Others may say you have connections, a background, or that you were once someone's secretary or a close confidant, but you can't say those things yourself.
Not only can you not say it yourself, you can't even believe it.
That's the good thing about being a secretary, and it's also the bad thing.
It's good because being around a leader gives you a broader perspective and allows you to meet people at higher levels, as well as get to know most of the staff in your unit.
It's hard to say, but when you're training and learning alongside a leader, you inevitably leave behind the leader's influence, including your behavior and speech.
The branding that people describe is mostly like this.
This brand can be useful at times, but it can also be a shackle, and a secretary can only achieve success when he breaks free from these shackles.
But for the secretary herself, the more opportunities for training and learning she enjoyed, the heavier the shackles became.
However, Peng Xiaoli did a good job. At least compared to Gu Cheng, he did learn a lot from Li Xuewu.
During his time as Wang Xiaoqin's secretary, he gained practical experience and training in management.
Why did Li Xuewu not recommend Gu Cheng to be the head of the production department when he went down to the countryside, but instead sent him to the organization department?
The reason is simple: Gu Cheng has little experience with business operations. If he were to actually get started, let alone the time needed to learn and adapt, just getting started would be a huge challenge for him.
Peng Xiaoli started as the deputy head of the production management department of a food factory, and this year marks his third year in the industry. He is about to face another hurdle in his life.
If the section chief is to be moved, then he has the opportunity to advance further. If the section chief is not to be moved, then he is qualified to be moved, but he can only move in a different direction.
But no matter how he moves or in which direction he moves, he must complete this series of arrangements himself.
At least until he reached the deputy director level, he could forget about getting help from Li Xuewu, because without meeting that standard, he wouldn't be considered to have entered the group's leadership's field of vision.
Ma Baosen, who got out of the car behind him, met him. The two were not very familiar with each other, but they had the same clientele, which made them naturally close.
Ma Baosen, being younger, took the initiative to greet them, while Peng Xiaoli, being more senior, was humble and polite. The two shook hands, and to others, it seemed like a harmonious scene.
"Secretary Ma, the leader's luggage."
Xiao Sun, the clerk in charge of services at the government office, greeted Ma Baosen and pointed to the direction of the trunk.
Ma Baosen waved his hand, walked to the passenger seat, and said to Qi Yan in the driver's seat, "The boss said to send the luggage home first. Do you need me to go with you?"
"It's alright, I'll go to the small convoy first."
Qi Yan said to him through the car window, "If I can get through on the phone, I'll go over. If I can't, I'll wait a bit longer."
“Okay, the boss probably won’t need the car this morning,” Ma Baosen patted the window frame of the car door, which had been lowered, and said, “Let me know when you get back.”
"No problem, just like that." Qi Yan made a gesture and then steadily drove the car off the platform.
After the car drove away, Ma Baosen explained to Xiao Sun, "The Secretary-General's luggage can be given to Comrade Qi Yan, thank you."
"It's alright, I was just asking." Xiao Sun smiled and said, "I'm relieved that you have made arrangements."
"Don't be so polite, we're colleagues." Ma Baosen politely offered Xiao Sun a cigarette, then gestured upstairs and explained, "I have something to do, let's talk later."
"You go about your business." Xiao Sun squeezed the cigarette in his hand, and only glanced at it after he entered. It was Daqianmen.
"She really is the leader's secretary."
He shook his head, saying with a touch of melancholy, "Even the cigarettes they distribute are of this standard, tsk tsk—"
"What do you think it is?" Xiao Wang, who was directing the convoy to leave one by one, came over, took a look, and said with a smile, "It must be Daqianmen."
He raised his chin and said, "The secretary-general used to smoke this kind of cigarette; it's a family tradition."
"But you don't need to overthink it. Secretary Ma probably smokes this himself." Xiao Wang tapped the cigarette in his hand and said, "The Secretary-General would never say one thing to your face and another behind your back, and neither would his secretary."
"Are you so sure?" Xiao Sun wasn't disbelieving, he was just teasing her, and asked with a smile and raised eyebrows, "He smoked with you before?"
"No, not at all," Xiao Wang said calmly as Xiao Sun laughed upon hearing this. "I've had the chance to smoke with the Secretary-General before."
"Yes, it's the Daqianmen you have."
He reached out and tapped the cigarette in Xiao Sun's hand, saying, "It's a pity that after the Secretary-General quit smoking, we'll never have the chance to smoke from him again."
Xiao Sun understood the hidden meaning in those words, and a smirk appeared on his lips, knowing that he was deliberately showing off.
That old Wang is really something. He just smoked a few cigarettes from the secretary-general, what's the big deal? Are the leaders' cigarettes so much better?
"What's this? Cigarettes?" Zhang Jingsong stared blankly at the package in his hand, then looked up and asked, "Brought back from Japan?"
"Otherwise what?" Li Xuewu said with amusement, "Don't you recognize Japanese characters?"
He sat down on the sofa, pointed to the cigarette pack in Zhang Jingsong's hand, and said, "Don't smoke yourself blind, this stuff costs 100 yen a pack."
“Well…” Li Xuewu deliberately thought about it seriously for a moment before nodding and saying, “About 1.4 yuan a pack.”
"So expensive?!" Zhang Jingsong asked in surprise, "More expensive than Hua Zi?"
“The filter tip is special.” Li Xuewu sniffed and explained, “They say it has activated carbon added to the filter tip, which has good adsorption properties.”
"Heh—" Zhang Jingsong was touched, but also amused as he looked at him and asked, "You traveled all this way just to bring me a pack of cigarettes?"
"What else do you want?" Li Xuewu glared at him and said, "This is the best I've picked for you. If you were to buy Heineken, it would only cost seven cents a pack."
"Well, thank you so much then." Zhang Jingsong placed the cigarette on the small table and joked, "What if I get used to smoking it?"
He joked, "I'll come to you when I get addicted."
"Never heard of that—" Li Xuewu said with amusement, "Could a gift really have a follow-up?"
"Hahahaha—" Zhang Jingsong laughed heartily, feeling that he had received this token of appreciation.
"These past seven days have been so busy that I haven't had time to pick out gifts for my family and friends, let alone go out."
Li Xuewu picked up his teacup, took a sip, and explained with a smile, "After thinking it over, this is the most practical option. In any case, I can't send the wrong thing."
"I heard about it. I've heard you've been very busy at home," Zhang Jingsong said with a smile. "After General Manager Gao came back, he even bragged about you, saying you're incredibly awesome."
“She should be in charge of publicity.” Li Xuewu smiled, sat up straight, and looked at him, asking, “When is Deputy Director Gu leaving?”
"You don't know?" Zhang Jingsong looked at him with surprise, and seeing that he really didn't know, he explained, "The day after tomorrow."
"They notified you to come back, but didn't mention this?"
"No, I didn't ask for the specifics."
Li Xuewu nodded slowly and said, "I heard that another person has been added to the team. It seems that we can be fully assembled before the end of the year."
"I don't know about that."
Zhang Jingsong picked up the small teapot and refilled Li Xuewu's teacup with hot tea. "I've never had a say in personnel matters."
"What do you mean by that?" Li Xuewu asked with a smile. "Is Director Li really that domineering?"
"Hehehe—" Zhang Jingsong raised his head and explained, "It's my own fault. I should be more careful with my words and actions."
“You’re still too concerned.” Li Xuewu pursed his lips and said, “So much time has passed, why haven’t you learned to look forward?”
"Yes, I need to learn from you in this regard."
Zhang Jingsong took a sip of hot tea and said, "There are a lot of things going on at the group, and I'm finding it a bit overwhelming."
He seemed serious, saying to Li Xuewu, "That's it for this year. I'll have to give up my position as director of the industrial park management committee next year."
"Is this the truth?" Li Xuewu teased him. "It sounds like you're getting emotional."
"Heh—" Zhang Jingsong chuckled and said, "What emotions could I possibly have? I'm just simply tired."
"Don't take on a job you can't handle."
He raised his chin and said, "Now I understand what that means."
"This isn't like the you I know."
Li Xuewu put down his teacup, looked at him and asked, "Is something wrong at home? Or is there something on your mind?"
He nodded slowly and said, "Is it your old man? I haven't seen him in the last six months. Is he in good health or something?"
“He’s in better health than me,” Zhang Jingsong smiled and explained, “You didn’t see him because he went to Sichuan Province.”
"It's at my sister's house; she said it's to help her relax."
He thought for a moment and asked, "You should know that old monk at Ciyun Temple, right?"
"Yeah, I know, but I've never seen it." Li Xuewu raised an eyebrow and asked, "What? Gone?"
“Yes, he has passed away.” Zhang Jingsong used a rather appropriate adjective to explain: “My father arranged his funeral.”
"Haven't you been bedridden for many years?"
Li Xuewu recalled for a moment and said, "When I first met your grandfather a few years ago, he said that the big monk was bedridden."
“Yes, if it weren’t for my father taking care of me these past few years, I might have already—” Zhang Jingsong stopped there, pursed his lips, and said, “Well, the great monk said he wanted to return to his hometown and asked my father to see him off to the afterlife.”
“Where does a monk come from?” Li Xuewu said with a smile, “It seems that what your father said is true, the great monk is not yet free from worldly desires.”
"If you ask me, monks are also human beings, and human beings have desires."
Zhang Jingsong said with deep emotion, "The idea of returning to one's roots has been around for thousands of years. It just so happens that my sister lives in Sichuan Province, so he just thought of it as a way to relax."
"Actually, it's good; Sichuan province is good for people."
Li Xuewu nodded slowly and said, "The capital is too dry and too cold, not suitable for retirement."
He said with a smile, "Yunnan and Sichuan provinces are very fertile, with many centenarians, living much longer than people in the north."
"What? You've already thought about retirement?"
Zhang Jinsong retorted, teasing him, "You're thinking too far ahead. In thirty years, who knows what the world will be like?"
He picked up his teacup, took a sip, and said, "Who would have thought that we would be on the verge of normalizing diplomatic relations with Japan, and that trade cooperation would be so easy to open up?"
"This was foreshadowed, so it's not entirely unexpected." Li Xuewu raised an eyebrow slightly and looked at him, asking, "Have you heard any news in the capital?"
"What news?" Zhang Jingsong opened his eyes and asked, "From above?"
"Yes, it's related to the diplomatic sector." Li Xuewu sipped his tea and said cryptically, "There are going to be a lot of big things happening this year and next."
"Where did you hear that from?" Zhang Jingsong frowned and thought for a moment, then said softly, "It sounds like someone came from the west?"
He said cautiously, "I only overheard it, but I don't really know where it came from or why it came."
"That's normal; it's a top-level secret."
Li Xuewu nodded and said, "I estimate it won't take too long; we'll have the results soon."
Do you know how I felt?
Zhang Jingsong raised his eyebrows and explained softly, "A platoon from the security brigade was temporarily transferred away and hasn't been released yet."
"Yes, don't let this get out."
Li Xuewu nodded slowly and reminded him, "Don't mention it to anyone. Be careful, walls have ears, or you might ruin everything."
"I know, I won't tell you unless you ask."
Zhang Jingsong let out a long sigh and said leisurely, "I never expected that the situation would change so drastically every day since last year."
So take it easy and don't take it too seriously.
Li Xuewu reminded him meaningfully, "You don't need to worry about many things; things will come to a conclusion eventually."
"Yes, listen to advice and you'll eat your fill."
Zhang Jingsong understood and asked him with a smile, "Tonight is not possible, how about tomorrow or the day after? I'd love to talk to you sometime."
"Hehehe—" Li Xuewu chuckled and said, "That's hard to say, it depends on the leader's arrangements."
He patted the armrest of the sofa, stood up and said, "Alright, the gift has been delivered. Just don't say I didn't think of you while I was away."
Am I as you describe?
Zhang Jingsong got up to see him off, jokingly saying, "But to be honest, it doesn't matter if others don't care about me, but if you really didn't bring anything, then I'll really be disappointed."
"Hahahaha—" Li Xuewu patted his arm and went out.
Zhang Jingsong stood at the door and watched him walk away before returning to his office. He was proud, and Li Xuewu's gentlemanly and detached attitude was what made him feel most comfortable and what made him feel the most goodwill.
It's not because Li Xuewu is the Secretary-General that he's so adept at navigating social situations; rather, it's because he's so adept at navigating social situations that he became the Secretary-General he is today.
Zhang Jingsong knew why he had come. Since returning from the Battle of Tuoben, Li Xuewu had been busy in Liaodong for quite some time, so it was impossible for him not to know about his situation.
Today, when he mentioned feeling emotionally exhausted, I didn't offer any words of comfort, but I touched on the subject subtly, truly deserving the title of a gentleman.
-
Li Xuewu only went upstairs once, gave Zhang Jingsong and Xue Zhifu each a pack of cigarettes, and then went downstairs to go home during lunch.
"The secretary-general is here to hand out cigarettes."
At noon, several leaders of the group gathered for lunch. Cheng Kaiyuan joked, "He said he wouldn't be coming this afternoon, tossed me a pack of cigarettes, and left."
“He’s just used to being free,” Gao Yaqin said with a smile. “He’s probably living a very carefree life in Liaodong.”
Jing Yunong hadn't originally planned to eat with everyone, but since Gu Weijie was leaving, Li Huaide urged them to eat together for the last few days if possible.
He said that all good things must come to an end, and once the final farewell dinner is over, it will be difficult to sit together again.
As the main character, Gu Weijie has already felt Lao Li's kindness, and she eats with him twice a day, morning and evening.
All the team members who were home came over, and things were quite harmonious. Even Zhou Wanquan toned down his sharp edge, knowing that now was not the time.
“He was just trying to save himself the trouble,” Li Huaide explained while eating sorghum rice. “I even told them to give them time to go shopping.”
"But everyone has time, only he is constantly busy."
This explains why Li Xuewu only brought cigarettes for the male comrades and neglected the female comrades.
There are three women in the team: Gu Weijie, Gao Yaqin, and Jing Yunong.
Gao Yaqin went to Japan and brought gifts for everyone, but Li Xuewu seemed to have forgotten about the other two female colleagues.
Li Huaide's explanation of being busy is somewhat plausible; otherwise, who at the dinner table could possibly find fault with Li Xuewu?
Just based on this trip to Japan, Li Xuewu and Gao Yaqin worked together to secure so many contracts. Even if they had something to say, they had to keep it to themselves.
"He asked Liu Bin to buy these cigarettes."
Despite her jokes, Gao Yaqin still had to explain things to Li Xuewu, and she briefly recounted two interesting anecdotes about shopping in Japan.
Gu Weijie was in a good mood as she was about to leave, and didn't pay any attention to Li Xuewu's gift. On the contrary, Jing Yunong's expression was indifferent.
Everyone knew that the two of them had a conflict, so when the matter was brought up, no one deliberately mentioned who was with whom.
Even without mentioning it, Li Xuewu's "treating everyone equally" is a bit too obvious.
In order to avoid giving gifts to Jing Yunong, he didn't even give one to Gu Weijie. This has really created a huge grudge.
Of course, this is what others see and think; Jing Yunong's expression is feigned.
His gift had already been delivered to his home, not by hand, but by mail; it was a huge box, clearly made with great care.
According to Li Huaide and Gao Yaqin, Li Xuewu was very busy in Japan, yet he still had time to help her choose a gift.
As she listened to everyone chatting, her expression grew increasingly cold, but her heart was warm.
"Is Tokyo more prosperous than Beijing?"
Xue Zhifu asked with some curiosity, "Is it because there are more people or more shopping malls, or is there anywhere better than here?"
“That’s a lot, definitely a lot.” Gao Yaqin looked at Li Huaide and asked, “Mr. Li, is it more than double?”
“Well, there are over 1700 million people in Tokyo.” Li Huaide picked up his hot soup, took a sip, and said, “Our capital city has less than 800 million people.”
"If we only consider the city proper, Tokyo should have 900 million people, while Kyoto should have just over 400 million?"
He glanced at the group and said, "That's roughly the situation. I overheard Director Han and the others talking about it."
“The styles of urban construction are also different.”
Gao Yaqin explained, "They have more high-rise buildings, the colors of their buildings are more vibrant, and their traditional culture has been preserved better."
"I heard there's also a flowery world?"
Cheng Kaiyuan joked, "Does that side not care? Or is it allowed?"
"Is that all you care about?" Gao Yaqin looked at him with amusement and teased, "I should have let you go, so you could broaden your horizons."
She raised an eyebrow at Old Li and said meaningfully, "I haven't seen it, but I heard it exists and is quite fun."
Whether Cheng Kaiyuan did it on purpose or not, he just had to bring up the very thing he didn't want to talk about, aiming straight for Lao Li's lungs and stabbing hard.
Old Li was quite upright; hearing their jokes and noticing their gazes glancing at him almost imperceptibly, he spoke up as well.
"The world is dazzling and alluring, but all that's left is a skeleton amidst the beauty."
He started by throwing out a phrase that he didn't know how it was put together, before continuing, "So what if we see it or not? It doesn't stop us from knowing that it's low-level entertainment and a negative aspect of society."
Gao Yaqin couldn't say anything more at this point. Old Li had already started to escalate the issue, so how could she continue?
Gu Weijie watched the battle of wits with a smile, finding it quite amusing, and even feeling a bit resentful and nostalgic.
She was unwilling to leave like this. She was only one step away from reaching the summit, but that one step felt like an eternity to her.
She didn't have the courage to continue, so she chose another path, which wasn't exactly a shortcut, but it was much easier.
The phrase "old but still vigorous" perfectly describes Li Huaide. He should know exactly what these people are thinking.
Gu Weijie is now just watching the show and will never get involved. She has to save face for herself and at least not let everyone wish she would leave sooner.
"Liu Bin didn't understand karmic obstacles, so he went to study them."
Gao Yaqin is truly outspoken. Even though Lao Li has reached this conclusion, and no one else dares to say anything, she just bluntly points it out.
However, these words didn't sound harsh; on the contrary, they echoed Old Li's sentiments, laying the issue bare and making it less sharp.
"The secretary-general was also there at the time. Matsushita, that executive director, had no good intentions. He gave the necessary warnings, but he was too stubborn to see the truth."
"Theoretical learning and disciplinary learning should never be interrupted."
Li Huaide also said with emotion, "Everyone was on tenterhooks this time, afraid that something might happen to their team."
"It's relatively worry-free for me and my partner, since there are many of us and we can take care of each other. Overall, it's a pretty good outcome."
Whether it's a satisfactory conclusion or not is up to him. Now that the matter is settled, the purpose is to remind everyone that they have done what they should do and to stop dwelling on it.
That makes sense. Liu Bin has already been relegated to the training ground. Even if he were to reprimand him, what could he possibly say about not managing his subordinates properly?
On the contrary, Lao Li's performance this time amazed everyone; he neither meddled in other people's business nor caused trouble for himself.
You know, when people heard that Liu Bin had gotten into trouble, the first thing that came to mind was: if the upper beam is crooked, the lower beam will be crooked too.
With Lao Li as a shining example, what good things can Liu Bin, as a secretary, possibly learn?
Just when everyone suspected that something had happened to Lao Li and that Liu Bin was being made to take the blame, another piece of news came.
Everyone had a physical examination on the first day of this exchange meeting, and it was too late to cover up the examination reports.
Needless to say, the good ones are naturally the ones who would pay attention to someone as strong and healthy as Li Xuewu. On the contrary, the old men who urinate even when they go to the toilet are quite the focus of attention.
Li Xuewu hadn't encountered them, but Li Huaide and the others, who were of similar age, had already clashed once in the meeting room, each holding their medical examination reports.
One person compares sleep quality, another claims to be as vigorous as ever, and yet another compares who gets up less at night.
Old Li was the only one who looked embarrassed, because his medical report clearly stated that he was impotent.
There were physical reasons and psychological reasons. The hospital did not provide a specific treatment plan, but only suggested that he take medication.
Old Li wouldn't dare take medicine indiscriminately. He doesn't lack medical resources; if anything happens, he can be taken to the hospital by helicopter.
Regarding treatment methods, he still tends to trust traditional Chinese medicine, and even the little devil's methods have elements of traditional Chinese medicine.
People didn't pay attention to the medical treatment; they only focused on the fact that Lao Li had lost his murder weapon, which became a topic of casual jokes.
Of course, this also proves Lao Li's innocence, and Liu Bin truly deserves his fate.
However, the benevolence and morality that Lao Li talked about were definitely a joke to everyone. If he could still commit crimes, then Lao Li would definitely be the one who got into trouble.
-
"Gu Yan, your stinky socks—"
As soon as Li Xuewu entered the courtyard, he heard his daughter's loud voice coming from the open living room door. It seemed she was scolding her uncle.
Then Gu Yan's voice was heard: "How dare you talk to your uncle like that? When your mother comes back, I'll tell her!"
"Then I'll tell your mom too—"
Li Shu snorted, "See if Grandma will scold you. You're such a big person, and you still leave your stinky socks everywhere!"
As Li Xuewu entered the courtyard, he saw his daughter with one hand on her hip and the other pointing towards the living room, saying, "Even Li Ning knows to wash his own socks, but you don't!"
"Aren't you ashamed? So ashamed, so ashamed—"
"dad--"
Li Ning was the first to spot him. She saw him enter the yard through the octagonal window of the kitchen and ran out as fast as if her legs were on fire.
Why aren't you wearing shoes?
Li Xuewu laughed and caught his son as he "flew" down the steps, patted his bottom and asked, "Is the ground cold?"
"I wet my pants again, and I have nothing to wear."
Li Ning explained with confidence, showing no shame or embarrassment whatsoever, as if he were complaining about the fact that he didn't have enough shoes.
Li Xuewu chuckled and said, "Then why wet your pants? If you need to pee, go to the bathroom or tell your aunt."
"Hey, I couldn't hold it in any longer when I finally wanted to say it—"
Having been born and raised in Beijing, Li Xuewu didn't think he had an accent, but he found his son's Beijing accent quite amusing.
The generation that moved to the city later still spoke their respective hometown dialects, but the next generation, especially Li Xuewu's generation, spoke fewer dialects.
The main reason is that the school teachers all teach Mandarin, and when students get together to play, if there's a local from the alley, everyone will have an accent.
The core of Beijing dialect is not that it is difficult to pronounce or unpleasant to hear, but that it is too fragmented; half of the ten characters in a sentence are useless.
Don't bother greeting people in Beijing; you can chat for ages and still not even know what you ate today—it's all just nonsense.
Li Ning seems to be thinking the same thing right now; before he even said anything, he started with a "Hi."
"My little brother played in the water and wet his pants."
When Li Shu saw that it was her father, she ran out as well, and complained, "I told him not to play, but he wouldn't listen."
“Then you’re in the wrong.” Li Xuewu squatted down and said with a smile, “Why don’t you beat your brother when he’s disobedient? You’ve gone too far!”
"It was all because my uncle stopped me—"
As she said this, she remembered something that made her angry. Li Shu turned her head and glared at the foyer, then snorted and said, "I'll call my aunt in a bit!"
"Your little firecracker is too nosy," Gu Yan said with a smile, wearing a tank top and crossing his arms. "She even meddles with me."
"Then you should be secretly thrilled," Li Xuewu said with a laugh. "When you get old, if you still have a niece to take care of you, wouldn't you be laughing your head off?"
"Ha—" Gu Yan curled his lips and said, "Do I still need to grow old? She already despises me and wants to throw me out onto the main road."
"Who told you not to wash your socks and leave them everywhere—" Li Shu tilted her head back, put her hands on her hips, and looked fiercely cute, just like a little chili pepper.
Li Xuewu patted her arm and instructed her, "Next time you see your uncle, don't wash your socks. Just leave them by his pillow when he's asleep."
"Hahahaha—" Li Shu had become naughty, and just thinking about it made her feel relieved. She couldn't help but burst out laughing.
"Then I might as well just throw it in my mouth," Li Ning casually remarked, then happily ran into the house.
Gu Yan was both amused and annoyed. Looking at the two of them, he said, "Can't you teach the child something good? Are you going to torture me?"
"I only gave them some pointers; the children were free to do their own thing."
Li Xuewu patted his daughter's head and said, "Remember? Next time, remind your uncle like this, but don't call your uncle by his name anymore, it's impolite."
"I understand—" Li Shuzhen understood. She could be a child who did bad things, but she couldn't be a bad child who didn't know manners.
This little girl has become increasingly intelligent since starting school. She understands everything immediately and grasps concepts instantly. She's clearly more shrewd than Li Ning, who loves to play and cause trouble.
"Thank goodness I didn't stay at your place any longer. If I had stayed for ten days or half a month, I would have been tortured to death!"
Gu Yan followed his brother-in-law into the hall, stretched, and said, "Alright, let's do it ourselves, we'll have plenty to eat and wear."
He picked up the socks that Li Shu had left at the door, then went inside and rummaged around, finding a lot of dirty clothes.
Li Xuewu saw this from the living room and asked with amusement, "Did you two have another fight? Why are you sleeping here?"
"We haven't seen each other for several months, who would bear to quarrel?"
Gu Yan didn't care what was in the pile of clothes, and went to the bathroom to stuff them all into the washing machine.
He explained to his brother-in-law across the corridor, "She's used to eating in the cafeteria, and I'm too lazy to cook, so we've both moved here."
"So you guys think this is a hotel?"
Li Xuewu pointed at Er Ya, who came out of the kitchen, and said, "Remember to calculate the food expenses and ask him for the money."
“I wouldn’t dare—” Er Ya knew that Brother Li was joking, so she smiled and said, “This used to be Uncle.”
"That's for sure!" Gu Yan filled the washing machine with water, turned around and walked out of the bathroom. Standing in the hallway, he said to Li Shu and Li Ning, who were unpacking toys, "Remember, your uncle will always be your uncle!"
"He was your maternal uncle in the past, and he was also the closest person to you who could help you seize the throne!"
"Well, it's a good thing our family doesn't have a throne," Li Xuewu said with a laugh. "Otherwise, whose throne would you be trying to usurp?"
"Hahahaha—" Gu Yancai realized what was happening and laughed as he went back to the bathroom.
Li Shu and Li Ning hadn't noticed what was happening yet. The siblings had agreed that they would wait until their father came back to open the gifts.
Li Xuewu did not leave the things he brought back from Japan in Fengcheng, but had Liu Bin arrange for them to be sent home.
It's been more than half a month already, and the two little ones are really good at enduring it, especially Li Ning. How many beatings must he have endured to resist unpacking all this stuff?
Li Xuewu knew they were getting impatient, so he didn't even go upstairs to change his clothes, but just sat in the living room watching them unpack.
He had wanted this kind of happiness when he was a child, but unfortunately his family couldn't afford it, and he didn't have the right environment, so he envied Li Shu and Li Ning.
How do you say that?
I long to buy osmanthus blossoms and share wine, but it will never be the same carefree days of my youth.
The older I get, the less I want to hear my parents say things like, "When you grow up, you'll do this or that." Life is too short to wait.
Therefore, he did his best to ensure his daughter and son had a happy childhood and to leave as few regrets as possible.
"Let's eat first, then we can play."
Er Ya went to the yard to pick some vegetables and came back to remind Gu Yan, who was washing clothes, as well as the three men in the living room.
"Okay, coming right now." Li Xuewu tapped Li Shu and Li Ning's little hands and said, "Go wash your hands with your uncle, and we'll play again after we finish eating."
"Then I want to take a shower with Dad."
Li Ning snuggled into his arms and reached out to hug his neck. It had been a long time since she had seen him, and she really missed him.
Seeing that Li Shu also looked on expectantly, Li Xuewu said with a smile, "Then go wash your hands with Dad, and stay by his side."
"Hehe—" Li Shu laughed as she got up and ran to the bathroom first, followed by Gu Yan's laughter.
"If you say your uncle is good, I'll help you!"
"My uncle is bad! My very, very uncle is bad!"
"Ha ha ha ha--"
-
After lunch, Li Xuewu went upstairs to take a shower and change his clothes. He then came downstairs and played with Li Shu and Li Ning for a while.
Gu Yan had a day off, but he showed no intention of going out to meet friends. After hanging up the clothes, he went back to his room and lay down on the bed for a long nap.
In the military, I was supported by discipline and inertia, and also by a sense of responsibility. When I got home, I had nothing left, and all I wanted to do was sleep soundly and do nothing.
Listening to the snoring from the guest room, the two children, who were playing with their toys, chuckled to themselves and whispered to their father what their uncle had been doing during his stay.
Actually, I didn't do anything. I just woke up, ate, and slept every day.
Li Xuewu coaxed his daughter and son, not wanting to disturb his uncle's sleep, and took them upstairs for a midday nap.
Taking a nap at noon is the most comfortable thing to do, even though it's already June and it's scorching hot outside, it's very cool inside.
When he woke up, Li Shu and Li Ning were still asleep. The children were growing and, like Gu Yan downstairs, were always sleep-deprived.
Therefore, it's a bit unreasonable for elementary school students to get up at six in the morning to prepare for school; they should be at least 7:30 or 8:00.
You need to get enough sleep to have the energy to study. Li Xuewu isn't the principal. If he were, he would definitely set the class time to 9 to 5.
The children were still asleep. He went downstairs for a walk, not wanting to disturb Er Ya's rest, and found a book to read in the living room.
Around 3 a.m., Li Shu came downstairs with her younger brother. Still sleepy, they smiled when they saw their father in the living room, then quickly came down and rushed into his arms.
Li Ning seemed to have not slept enough. He climbed onto the sofa, rested his head on his father's lap, and closed his eyes again. Li Shu also followed her brother's example and snuggled up on her father's other side.
She didn't feel like sleeping anymore, but her afternoon nap was a bit long, and she had a blank expression, as if she was thinking about something.
After Li Xuewu had been reading for a while longer, Li Shu finally asked, "Dad, can I have some ice cream?"
As soon as she finished asking the question, Li Ning, on the other side, sat up abruptly as if sleepwalking, rubbing her eyes and looking at her father and sister.
"But don't leave you out—"
Li Shu glanced at her younger brother and said something to him in the same tone as her grandmother.
Li Xuewu smiled and tapped her little nose, asking, "Do you have ice cream at home?"
"Yes, my aunt brought them back, and they're frozen in the refrigerator."
Li Shu jumped off the sofa, and was about to go find it when she remembered that her father hadn't agreed yet, so she turned around and asked, "Is it okay? I'll just have one skewer."
"Get me one too," Li Xuewu said with a smile, hugging his son. "My brother and I will share one."
"Okay!" Li Shu smiled and ran to the kitchen, skillfully opened the refrigerator door, and took out two skewers of ice cream.
"Mung bean flavor, it's so sweet."
Li Shu handed a skewer to her father, then peeled off the paper wrapper for herself, and said with a smile, "Mom only allows me to eat one skewer a week, saying it's too cold."
"Mom is right."
Li Xuewu peeled off the outer paper wrapping of the string of pearls in his hand and handed it to Li Ning. Li Ning took a small bite, and the coolness made him shrink back.
Is it cold?
He smiled and asked his son, "Don't eat it if it's cold."
"It's not cold, it's not cold—" Li Ning was afraid that her father wouldn't let her eat ice cream, so she hurriedly waved her hand and said, "I'll eat it in small bites, it's not cold."
"You need to tell me that eating too much will cause a stomachache, right?"
Li Xuewu felt that his two children were easy to coax, understood everything he said, and wouldn't pester him.
Li Shu looked at the ice cream in her hand and said to her father, "Then I'll eat half of it, and I'll eat the rest tomorrow."
"Since your sister is so well-behaved, how much will Li Ning eat?"
Li Xuewu turned to look at his son and asked, "Is it less than your sister's?"
“But—” Li Ning said anxiously, “Dad ate too.”
“Then Dad will only eat half a piece,” Li Xuewu said with a smile. “You can have three bites, okay?”
Li Ning didn't know how to answer, so he just kept licking the ice cream, reluctant to take a bite, because taking a bite would mean taking a bite of ice cream.
Go get a string of them for your uncle.
Li Xuewu raised his chin, indicating the direction of the guest room, and said something to Li Shu.
Li Shu first glanced at her snoring uncle, then looked at her father and said, "Uncle is still sleeping, how can we eat?"
“If you put the ice cream in his hand, he’ll eat it,” Li Xuewu said with a laugh. “If he keeps sleeping like this, he’ll really turn into a pig.”