dognovel Chapter 1567: Playing with the Grandson
Chapter 1567: Playing with the Grandson
Chapter 1567: Playing with the Grandson
"Grandma! I miss you!"
"Grandma! I miss you too!"
"Grandma! Grandma!..."
……
What is the trouble of happiness? Ding Fengxia was standing by the gangway, not yet deciding which one to hug first, when she suddenly felt as if a hundred little ducks were quacking in her ears.
"Okay, okay, okay! Got it."
She smiled, looked at Li Shu, then at Li Ning, and asked her son-in-law, "Have you had lunch yet?"
"They didn't stop talking on the plane."
Li Xuewu smiled and gestured to Gu Weijie and Gao Yaqin, then introduced them to her.
Of course, his introduction was very simple.
When introducing the two, he used the term "colleagues," and referred to Ding Fengxia as his mother-in-law, which was quite personal.
Gao Yaqin had never met Ding Fengxia, but Gu Weijie had, and both of them knew that Li Xuewu was his father-in-law.
They had just been wondering how to greet him, but now that Li Xuewu had introduced them, they were spared the trouble.
"Hello, you must have had a long journey."
Ding Fengxia greeted them with a warm smile, "The children are playing and causing you trouble."
"It's more lively with them around." Gao Yaqin touched Li Ning's little face and said with a smile, "They chatted with me."
"My younger brother might have said—"
Li Shu complained like a little adult, "I can't control him at all."
"Really? He's so talkative."
Seeing her helpless expression, Ding Fengxia was overjoyed and wished she could kiss her a few more times right now.
"If you don't have any other plans, come over for dinner. I've prepared everything."
Since he wasn't her colleague, Ding Fengxia wanted to consult her son-in-law first.
Li Xuewu pointed to the convoy of vehicles and officials who had come to pick them up at the airport and explained, "I have other plans after I get off here, so I might have to come see you and Dad a little later."
"Oh." Ding Fengxia nodded knowingly, then asked, "Stay a few more days?"
"Hehe, it depends on our leader." Li Xuewu chuckled and jokingly gestured to Gu Weijie, who was standing to the side, saying, "Deputy Director Gu is leading the team this time."
"Sure, as long as the Secretary-General arranges, we can stay for as many days as we like." Gu Weijie knew he was deliberately giving her a chance to talk, and said jokingly, "Why not enjoy yourself while someone's hosting you?"
"If possible, then stay a few more days." Seeing their casual attitude, Ding Fengxia knew her son-in-law's status at work, so she politely invited them, "If you need anything, please feel free to ask Tong Wu."
"You all keep busy with your martial arts training, I'll take the child back first." Knowing that her son-in-law was busy with work, she didn't linger and ended the greeting in just a few words.
Zhou Xiaoling, who came down to deliver the luggage, thoughtfully helped Li Shu up, while the driver who came along had already picked up Li Ning.
"Thank you." Ding Fengxia was not an arrogant person and was friendly to everyone, even service staff she had never met before.
Li Ning, who was being held by the driver, anxiously reached out her little hand and called for her father when she saw that he hadn't come over.
Ding Fengxia didn't bother with formalities anymore and chased after her grandson, coaxing him and saying that his father would be following soon.
Goodbye, Daddy!
Li Shu is much more adventurous than her younger brother. She waved goodbye to her father and even knew to say goodbye.
"Deputy Director Gu, General Manager Gao, Secretary-General."
It wasn't until Ding Fengxia coaxed the children onto the big red flag that Zhuang Cangshu, the general manager of the sales company who had been standing by, came over and greeted them.
He had no idea that there were other people who came to pick him up today, nor did he know that there were other important passengers on the Red Star No. 1.
He led his convoy to the parking spot first, and the big red flag suddenly drove up just before the plane landed.
Neither the middle-aged woman who got off the big red flag nor the accompanying driver greeted them or explained anything.
That's a bit funny. Zhuang Cangshu isn't drunk. He knows his own level perfectly well. Does he need someone to explain it to him?
Therefore, after confirming that the other party was also there to pick him up, especially after the secretary-general, who had just stepped off the plane, called out "Mom" to the other party, he wisely waited to the side.
If he confirmed the other party's identity from the secretary-general's address of "Mom," then the initiative of Deputy Director Gu and General Manager Gao also proved this point from another angle.
The other party was clearly there to pick up the children, and the important person he had just imagined was the secretary-general's two children.
As for Deputy Director Gu and General Manager Gao, this had nothing to do with them. They could have simply asked him to come and pick them up, but instead they started exchanging pleasantries with him.
The employees or cadres who have joined the factory in recent years may not be very clear about the secretary-general's background and connections, but he did attend the secretary-general's wedding.
He couldn't quite remember what the parents of both sides looked like at the wedding banquet that day, but he remembered their backgrounds very clearly.
Especially after Li Xuewu's skills improved steadily, this became a basic skill.
"I'm sorry, the old man misses his children," Li Xuewu explained with a smile as he shook hands with him. "I've kept you waiting."
"I understand, I understand," Zhuang Cangshu replied with a smile. "What old person doesn't miss their children?"
After the three men shook hands and exchanged pleasantries with the management team from the sales headquarters who had come to pick them up at the airport, he raised his hand to indicate the car parked not far away and said, "Well then, the three leaders, let's get in the car first. I will give a detailed report on the preparations on the way."
It perfectly met the reception standards of Honggang Group. The Jinling area company prepared two Hongtu No. 1 cars for them, which were almost identical to the one used by the group.
This is also the preferred mode of transportation for the leadership of Honggang Group when participating in activities or going out for research. On one side of the two Hongtu No. 1 vehicles, there was a second-generation Antelope and two Hongyun minivans.
The second-generation Antelope was undoubtedly the guide vehicle and security vehicle, while the two Hongyun minivans were prepared for the publicity officers and staff who came to pick them up.
Li Xuewu and his two companions, along with their secretary, boarded the first Hongtu bus, while the other sales company executives who had come with Zhuang Cangshu to pick them up boarded the second Hongtu bus.
Zhuang Cangshu and Vice President Yang Xiaofen boarded the first bus, the one where Li Xuewu and the others were.
In the new round of organizational restructuring, at the suggestion of Gu Weijie, Yang Xiaofen was to be appointed as the first deputy director of the sales company.
In fact, it's not just Honggang Group that's undergoing this organizational restructuring; similar structures have emerged across the country.
The deputy who leads the first position is usually responsible for organizational, personnel, and ideological management work, which is the original position of the secretary, as required by the superiors and the organization.
Since the launch of the university-wide learning campaign, similar job postings have changed very frequently, representing a process of exploring and transforming the management structure.
Currently, the organizational structures of various organizations in China are extremely complex, making it difficult to determine which is superior and which is inferior.
Only after the great waves have washed away the sand will we know which form is more suitable.
In the process of natural selection, such exploratory job positions have emerged, which are generally not too outrageous, especially in larger organizations.
Honggang Group has moved beyond the period of reckless development. Its latest three-year plan clearly stipulates that both economic construction and industrial development must achieve steady progress.
The meaning couldn't be clearer: the framework of Honggang Group has been established, and all that's left is to develop steadily; there's no need to court disaster.
Thus, the first deputy director, whose position was equivalent to that of the head office secretary, was created.
Of course, the "first" in the deputies' titles is not only used for secretary positions; it also applies to supervisors or other full-time leaders.
However, this is the current situation at Honggang Group, because it is another round of organizational restructuring and reform led by Gu Weijie, which is a minor adjustment to the one led by Li Huaide.
Don't overcomplicate these things. The organizational structure of any organization is not static. If you're unsure about a position, look at the job level.
Based on Zhuang Cangshu's introduction and Gu Weijie's comments on her in the car, Li Xuewu already knew that Yang Xiaofen's rank would be the same as Zhuang Cangshu's.
Just as Beijing Industrial Group arranged for Zhou Wanquan to come to Honggang Group, Honggang Group also needs to supervise and manage its subordinate branches.
Who will conduct the oversight?
The latest instructions on organizational work, especially the organizational work restoration methods and plans recently announced by Liu Xiangqian, clearly state that the organization is the only institution of the leadership group.
In fact, since the beginning of last year, Honggang Group has been carrying out organizational member surveys and registrations at the grassroots level in accordance with the instructions and requirements of its superiors, and rebuilding grassroots party organizations.
Gu Weijie is the person in charge of this work, and she briefly introduced the organization's development and recovery achievements over the past year in the car.
Just as Liu Xiangqian perfectly timed her dissemination of the relevant work guidelines, she firmly stated in her introduction that the group's grassroots organizations had all completed their organizational construction work.
In other words, in the fifth year of the study campaign, the group will also make the development of its middle and senior management organizations one of its key tasks this year.
The establishment of the core leadership group announced by Li Huaide shows that the main artery of organizational development has been restored and is now ready to be rebuilt.
However, how the restructured organization and group management structure should overlap, or how to coordinate the division of labor, still depends on further instructions and requirements from above.
This kind of step-by-step organizational restructuring and directional experimentation is what is known as change.
Why was Su Weide so aggressive before and after the New Year? He was stirring up trouble for Li Xuewu in the steel city, relentlessly pursuing Dong Wenxue in Beijing, and even stabbing Li in the back.
His purpose in doing this was this so-called reform, and the so-called core leadership group established during the reform process.
One day ago, during the period before the group was established, all the group's work was decided by the group's management committee according to the organizational procedures, which means eleven people and eleven votes.
Let's not talk about Old Li's one-man rule, nor about who has more influence. In fact, on a certain matter, each of the eleven members of the management committee has a vote.
Now, you still have the right to vote, but the content of the meeting is controlled by the core leadership group. What's the use of having the right to vote if you can't cast your vote?
Of course, does that mean that related proposals were just casually submitted to meetings in the past? No.
According to the work implementation plan after the establishment of the management committee of the group, the director of the management committee shall decide the agenda of the office meeting.
In other words, all eleven people have the right to propose motions, and Li Huaide will decide the content of the discussion at this meeting.
After the establishment of the core leadership group, it was actually Li Huaide who was hampered. Although the mechanism seemed to be sound, the power of the two people who were hindering Li Huaide was concentrated.
There is no such thing as a superior system; there is no absolutely superior system in the world, nor is there a perfect way to resolve conflicts.
In the latest management team list of the group, Li Huaide will serve as the director of the management committee and the general manager of the group, and will also serve as the leader of the core leadership group within the organization.
Like Zhou Wanquan, Gu Weijie is also the deputy director of the management committee and a member of the core leadership group. One is responsible for organizational development and publicity, while the other is responsible for discipline inspection.
The three formed a triangular relationship, creating the first tier of the group's management.
What about the next one?
Su Weide was appointed as the safety director, Xue Zhifu as the chief engineer, Jing Yunong as the chief accountant, and Gao Yaqin as the chief economist.
All four are deputy directors of the management committee, but their actual positions are business supervision and management.
Under the triangular structure, the four individuals formed a stable second sequence of supervision and management.
What happens next?
Dong Wenxue, Zhang Jingsong, and Cheng Kaiyuan are all appointed as deputy general managers and deputy directors of the management committee.
These three individuals are actually key business management personnel in the group, directly assisting General Manager Li Huaide in managing all of the group's businesses.
The three of them then formed the third sequence of business management positions under the supervisory and management positions.
What happens next?
Next, only Li Xuewu is left, not counting Xiong Bencheng.
It's not that Kumamoto Shigeaki has little say in the group because he spends most of his time in the hospital. The reason he's not in the management structure is because the labor union isn't considered part of the management team.
That's right. Trade unions are neither part of the company's management, nor do they belong to any organization or institution. They are a relatively independent mass organization.
How independent is it?
To put it simply, the independence of trade unions is reflected in their legal status and organizational structure. They are mass organizations of the working class formed voluntarily by workers, and they represent and safeguard the legitimate rights and interests of workers in accordance with the law.
Organizationally, trade unions are led by higher-level trade unions. The superior of an enterprise's trade union may be the trade union of the competent authority or the local trade union where it is located.
However, this kind of leadership is business guidance within the system, rather than administrative subordination within the company.
Take Honggang Group for example. All its subordinate branches that include the name of the head office have established relevant trade union organizations, which are under the unified leadership of the group's trade union.
The Honggang Group's labor union has always been under the leadership of the Beijing Municipal Labor Union, and its organizational affiliation has never changed, even when the group was established.
As can be seen from the nature of the trade union, in any formal occasion, especially at the workers' representative meeting, Xiong Bencheng was always seated to Li Huaide's left.
If we simply use a horizontal comparison, Kumamoto Sei is the only person in the entire group who can have a direct conversation with Lao Li.
Unfortunately, he didn't have that ability.
Of course, the organization would not allow him to have this ability unless under special circumstances.
The specific contradictory relationships are difficult to explain, and cannot be clearly explained.
So the question is, does Kumamoto Naru have voting rights at the management committee meetings?
Of course not, he's not in management, so what voting rights does he have?
However, he has the absolute right to make suggestions and offer opinions, and as the person in charge of management, Li Huaide must provide a positive explanation and response to his opinions and suggestions.
It is precisely because of this connection that Kumamoto Masaru is often arranged to attend many business meetings, which is both his right and obligation.
The management committee had to respect his opinions, which is why he used to frequently participate in the management committee meetings.
Putting aside Kumamoto Sei, what is Li Xuewu? Fourth in rank?
It's clear from the organizational structure, job levels, and job descriptions that he's not the only one in his line of work.
What is the core leadership group that Li Huaide and the other two members serve in?
These are internal positions within an organization, representing the management level formed based on a centralized leadership system that guides the organization's leadership within the enterprise.
Those who lead an organization are the management level within the organization; they are the level responsible for management, development, and supervision—that is, the absolute management level.
What about the management committee?
The management committee is a temporary management body of the enterprise established in accordance with the instructions of higher authorities after the launch of the large-scale study campaign.
Whether it's the director of the management committee, the deputy director, or even Li Xuewu's secretary-general, these are all identities involved in the group's management, not management positions.
What is a management position?
Li Huaide's position as general manager, Su Weide's three supervisors and one manager, Dong Wenxue's position as deputy general manager, and Li Xuewu's position as head of the Liaodong Industrial Leading Group and his position as director of the metallurgical plant were all management positions, the difference being whether they were business management positions or supervisory management positions.
It's clear from this that Li Xuewu can attend the management committee meetings but not the core leadership group office meetings.
If one day the management committee is no longer the only management body of the group, then he will not be able to attend other management meetings.
He serves as a buffer zone between management and execution, as can be seen from the nature of his work and the departments he manages; his role is to bridge the gap between the two levels.
To use an inappropriate example, are non-commissioned officers considered soldiers or officers?
In essence, he was a soldier, but in reality, he was also a manager; Li Xuewu was in this awkward, middle-of-the-road position.
Therefore, he was considered a colleague of Gu Weijie and Gao Yaqin in the management committee, but in the group's management hierarchy, both of them were considered his superiors.
The respect he received from other members of the management committee and the obedience from other branch managers were largely based on his position as secretary-general and his influence.
Take Zhuang Cangshu for example. When he received Li Xuewu and the other two, would he dare to treat them differently?
If Li Xuewu is merely the secretary-general, then he must be different from the other two. In the documents for this trip, it is always Li Xuewu who accompanies Gu Weijie and Gao Yaqin to participate in the activities.
In practice, Zhuang Cangshu showed him even more respect and caution than Gao Yaqin and Gu Weijie.
There's no other reason than that Gu Weijie was the supervisor in charge of organizational development and publicity, not his direct supervisor. On the contrary, Gao Yaqin, the chief economist in charge of the marketing management department, was his direct supervisor.
Why did he show more respect for Li Xuewu than for Gao Yaqin?
Li Xuewu is not only the secretary-general; he is also the person in charge of all the group's heavy and light mixed industries, and the helmsman who formulates the group's development plans.
The secretary-general serves the management committee and is the primary person responsible for overseeing and constraining the committee's daily work.
If Gu Weijie is dissatisfied with his work, she might bring it up indirectly at a management committee meeting or reject his work in a vote, but she will not directly negate his work.
Gao Yaqin does have the right to directly manage and veto him, but as a supervisor, she generally won't break off relations and take drastic measures directly, otherwise who would obey her in the future?
On the contrary, Li Xuewu not only has the right to directly report to the management committee during the supervision and implementation process, but also the right to directly communicate with the leaders in charge, and even the director of the management committee.
Considering Li Xuewu's influence, he could absolutely negate Li Xuewu's existence at a management committee meeting. How could Li Xuewu not be cautious and respectful?
The convoy arrived at its base in the Jinling area at exactly 4:30 p.m.
"These buildings are not old, less than thirty years old."
Before even getting out of the car, Zhuang Cangshu introduced himself to the three leaders sitting in the front row.
"It has a quadrilateral structure, with three floors above ground and two floors below ground, for a total of five floors."
At this moment, the convoy passed through the gate guarded by security personnel and entered the compound of the regional company, where a welcoming team was already looking over.
"The buildings facing the street and on both sides are used for trade management, while the building in front is used for office and financial management."
As he introduced them, Gu Weijie and the other two disembarked from Hongtu No. 1 one by one, where cadres and a welcoming team came to greet them.
"This is Comrade Sha Qizhi, the vice president of our sales headquarters in charge of international business."
After Zhuang Cangshu introduced them, Sha Qizhi took the initiative to greet them: "Deputy Director Gu, General Manager Gao, Secretary-General."
Previously, the way to address the group's leaders was rather vague; they were generally called deputy directors. Now, there is a clear distinction.
From Su Weide down, everyone was addressed as "General Manager," while Zhou Wanquan and Gu Weijie were both called "Deputy Directors." Only Li Xuewu was addressed as "Secretary-General," but without his surname, because only deputy positions are addressed with surnames.
As for Li Huaide, those in the business department call him General Manager, and those in the organizational department call him Director Li.
Sha Qizhi only has a junior high school education, but he has achieved what he has today after training and learning from Li Xuewu for just over a year.
Knowing his background, Gu Weijie carefully examined him as she shook hands with him. She hadn't noticed before, but now he did look quite composed.
Li Xuewu is very young, and although he has a significant influence in the group, he rarely gets involved in personnel matters.
According to what Gu Weijie and Gao Yaqin knew, he only promoted some young cadres during his time in charge of security work, and these young cadres were indeed very capable and competent.
The most direct evidence is that Li Xuewu promoted them, and Li Huaide appointed them.
Does it make a difference?
The difference is huge. How high could Li Xuewu promote them to when he was the deputy director of the security department?
At most, they were just section chiefs, but now it seems that neither Sha Qizhi, Xu Ning, nor Han Yating and others are section chiefs anymore.
Li Xuewu rarely cultivated his own people in his subsequent work, at least that's what Gao Yaqin and Gu Weijie thought.
One of the main reasons is that Jing Yunong is now in charge of the group's personnel work.
It seems that it was from that time that Li Xuewu gradually distanced himself from personnel work, and many people felt that he was forced to do so.
Of course, Gu Weijie and Gao Yaqin subconsciously thought so too.
If even the two of them have this understanding, then the progress of Sha Qizhi and others in the group will no longer be associated with Li Xuewu.
Aside from occasions like today, when Sha Qizhi meets Li Xuewu directly, some people will remember that he was once Li Xuewu's secretary.
Some people envy this relationship, but few complain or criticize Li Xuewu's intention to cultivate his own people.
I've never heard of a few individuals affecting an entire group before, let alone the few individuals he cultivated and promoted who are no longer under his jurisdiction.
Sha Qi is in the sales department, Han Yating is in the publicity department, and Xu Ning is in United Energy. Just tell me who he can manage and take care of.
Even now at Liaodong Industrial, personnel appointment applications he signs are sometimes blocked by Jing Yunong, which shows how difficult it is for him in personnel work.
It was precisely because of this situation that Sha Qizhi and others were not implicated in their work; their performance was judged more on their abilities.
Does sandware have the ability to function?
"He single-handedly built the group's window for foreign trade and supported the international business division."
This is Gao Yaqin's evaluation of him. She could see his management ability during her several business trips to the port city, when she contacted and conducted research with the employees of the International Industrial Department.
"Not everyone can go to the airport."
Zhuang Cangshu explained with a smile, "Comrade Qizhi has the relevant organizational skills, so I left him behind to oversee things from the rear."
Gu Weijie and the other two shook hands with him one after another, and while Zhuang Cangshu was explaining, they also asked a few questions about the sand artifacts with a smile.
The welcoming crowd was large and lively, reflecting the excitement of celebrating the establishment of the Jinling area.
Instead of going directly to the office building, Gu Weijie and the other two stood in the center of the courtyard and gave a short speech.
The content and core of the speech were, of course, encouragement and support, as well as encouragement and expectations.
Li Xuewu's speech was relatively short, but it was based on reality, discussing the main direction of the work and the Group Management Committee's requirements for the Jinling area.
The applause continued throughout the event, all the way to the cafeteria.
When Gu Weijie was the first to enter the cafeteria, everyone, whether they were eating or queuing, applauded enthusiastically and greeted them as they approached.
The smiles on Gu Weijie and others' faces never faded. Just as she mentioned in her speech, the establishment of the Jinling area was not a split of the Tianjin Trade Management Center, but an inevitable choice under the background of business development and institutional expansion.
The official full name of the Jinling area company is: Jinling United Trade Management Center Branch of Hongxing Steel Group Sales Corporation.
Within the group, the names are distinct from Jinmen. Currently, after dividing the area into two regions, north and south, with the Yangtze River as the boundary, they are referred to as the Jinling area and the Jinmen area.
Correspondingly, a very simple handover ceremony was also held in Tianjin. The Tianjin United Trade Management Center, which was originally the sole trade management and service agency of the sales headquarters, was officially withdrawn and ceased its business south of the Yangtze River, and was placed under the management and service of the Jinling area.
The sign will also be changed to "Tianjin United Trade Management Center Branch of Hongxing Steel Group Sales Corporation".
"Secretary-General, let me sit with you."
Sha Qizhi, carrying a plate, took the initiative to sit down next to Li Xuewu and greeted him with a smile.
Regardless of the arrangement or purpose, Li Xuewu and the others did not eat special meals, but ate dinner in the canteen.
Having learned his lesson, Zhuang Cangshu dared not arbitrarily arrange lavish meals, nor did he dare allow the leaders to "detach themselves from the masses." Therefore, after communicating and confirming with the Group's Comprehensive Management Department, he arranged for them to dine in the canteen.
"The food standards here are quite high."
Li Xuewu pointed to the braised pork on the plate and said, "Even industrial enterprises in Liaodong can only eat this once a month."
"The food standards are the same for the whole group, do you think we would dare to make exceptions?" Sha Qizhi knew that his question was a trap, and if he didn't answer it well, he would easily get in trouble.
Having served Li Xuewu for so long, how could he not know the "badness" of his old leader? He turned away with a smile.
"You're not even in charge of the Jinling area, how do you know this?"
Li Xuewu didn't let him off so easily. Instead, he glanced at him and asked, "How many days have you been in Jinling?"
“To be honest, I arrived only one day earlier than you,” Sha Qizhi explained frankly. “I just flew from Tianjin to Gangcheng, dealt with the work there, and then flew to Nanjing.”
"Alright, you've become a flying man."
Gao Yaqin, his supervisor, jokingly remarked, "Your flight volume alone is almost equal to all of ours combined."
"Boss, business trips are hard work."
Sha Qizhi explained with a wry smile, "The journey is so long that there's no time to rest. Only those who have experienced this kind of constant running around know what it's like."
He then looked at Li Xuewu and complained, "Now even my wife has to wait in line to see me, let alone the children."
"You're busier than me?" Li Xuewu glanced at him amusedly, then looked at Gao Yaqin across from him and said, "Your assessment of him is accurate, isn't it?"
"I saw it with my own eyes." Gao Yaqin smiled and glanced at Sha Qizhi before asking Li Xuewu, "How do you handle the conflict between family and work?"
She gestured to the cadres and employees sitting around the table and suggested, "Why don't you share some of your best methods with us? Many of you work in different places, right?"
"Hahaha—" Laughter and applause erupted from all around, as everyone turned to look.
Li Xuewu glanced at her and said with amusement, "Can a meal really cause so much trouble?"
Seeing Gao Yaqin smile, he turned and stared at Sha Qizhi, saying, "You did this on purpose, didn't you?"
"How could I dare?" Sha Qizhi said with a smile, "but I really want to hear your opinion."
“I have no objection. It was my wife who made the sacrifice.” Li Xuewu put down his chopsticks, looked around at the people sitting around him, and then looked at the cadres and staff on his side. He said earnestly, “Just like everyone’s spouse and family, she took the initiative to shoulder the heavy responsibility of taking care of the family.”
"I don't know if any of you here are married or not, have children or are planning to have children. Raising children is a tough job."
His sentiments resonated with the married and parenting comrades, and applause erupted instantly.
Now things are really messed up. Li Xuewu can't eat anymore, and under Gao Yaqin's instigation, they're doing some ideological work.
"There's an old saying that goes, 'You don't know the gratitude you owe your parents until you raise your own children,' which shows how hard that gratitude is." He nodded and looked around as he said, "But I haven't experienced much of that hardship myself. It's because my wife fully supports my work that I have no worries about my family."
"I also know that many of you here are in the same situation as me, with a loving partner who supports and loves you."
After a few seconds of silence, he nodded and said, "Today I will not represent the Group Management Committee, after all, Deputy Director Gu and General Manager Gao are here."
"Hehehe—" A burst of light laughter rippled through the room because of his joke.
"I'll speak for myself." Li Xuewu smiled, stood up, and looked at everyone, saying, "I want to say thank you to all the comrades who are working hard far from home, and also thank you to your families, loved ones, and children."
After he finished speaking, he bowed to the cadres and staff in four directions. After a moment of silence, even more enthusiastic applause broke out.
One has to admire his eloquence and wit. Gu Weijie and Gao Yaqin are also applauding. Their meal in the cafeteria has already become meaningful.
-
"Have you been drinking?" When the car stopped downstairs, Ding Fengxia knew it was her son-in-law, so she came downstairs to greet him. Her first words to him were, "Would you like me to make you some hangover soup?"
"Mom, I didn't drink alcohol. I just ate my work meal in the cafeteria."
Li Xuewu didn't bring any gifts when he visited his father-in-law's house, because his mother-in-law had taken the gifts he brought with him and brought them back with his luggage.
"Come in quickly, has the meeting been going on until now?"
Ding Fengxia was extremely satisfied with this son-in-law, and she treated him with even more affection than she did her sons.
Of course, her son-in-law was closer to her than her sons; in Gu Yan's words, his brother-in-law was good at flattering his mother-in-law.
The results of it?
Ding Fengxia could only lament that her pig had eaten someone else's cabbage, and before she could even figure out how to compensate them, the pig was gone.
Li Xuewu certainly wouldn't mock his brother-in-law for being even worse at flattering his mother-in-law than he was; he would only try his best to impress his mother-in-law.
The better I behave, the more it reveals how heartless my brother-in-law is.
You can tell now, he's a ruthless person.
"The schedule was just too rushed." Li Xuewu took off his coat in the entryway, glanced at the living room, and asked, "Hasn't my dad gotten off work yet?"
"I'm back. I've been back for a while."
Ding Fengxia glanced upstairs and said with a smile, "Playing with the children."
"Did I bother you?" Li Xuewu said apologetically, "I originally planned to only bring Li Shu, but Li Ning kept saying she missed her grandparents."
"Of course we should bring both!"
Ding Fengxia said firmly, "I don't see my children even once a year. Now that there's a convenient way, why wouldn't I bring them?"
She beckoned Li Xuewu into the house, and at the same time called upstairs, "Li Shu, Li Ning, your father is back."
"Dad!" "Dad!"
Before Li Xuewu could even warm his hands, the two little ones had already flown down the stairs and pounced on him with smiles.
Judging from the children's sweaty faces and hair sticking to their hair, it seemed like there was quite a lively scene upstairs.
"Dad." Li Xuewu patted his daughter and son's heads, and seeing his father-in-law coming down the stairs, he greeted him with a smile, "Are you getting used to it? Is it too noisy?"
"It's better for children to be a little more lively."
Gu Haitao gestured towards the sofa and said, "Sit down first. Have you finished dinner? Your mom saved some for you."
"We've already eaten, with my colleagues." Li Xuewu led the children by the hand to the sofa, and only sat down next to his father-in-law after his father-in-law had sat down.
"Don't worry about your dad, he'd love for the kids to make a ruckus." Ding Fengxia brought them some hot tea, and Li Xuewu quickly got up to take it.
“It’s just the two of us at home, it’s kind of lonely.” She smiled and looked at the two little ones, saying, “It only feels warm in the house when they’re here.”
"Grandma, you've worked so hard—" Li Shu was quite the troublemaker. Seeing that her grandma had made tea, she pulled her grandma's finger to make her sit down and went to get her grandma's water cup.
"Grandma, let me massage your back!" Seeing her older sister go to get tea, Li Ning didn't want to be left behind. She quickly climbed onto the back of the sofa and sat behind her grandma's shoulders, making funny faces as she punched her grandma's shoulders and back with her little fists.
Li Xuewu felt a little embarrassed, glanced at his son, and reminded him, "You can't do that, Grandma isn't feeling well."
"It's alright! It feels good, my grandson is so good—" Ding Fengxia couldn't stand any criticism of her grandson. Even if Li Ning's little fists pounded her ten times and none of them hit the right spot, she was still overjoyed.
When Li Shu came over with a water glass, he took it with both hands and praised his eldest granddaughter to the skies with a smile.
Li Shu's smile is absolutely radiant, like a blooming flower.
Gu Haitao was no longer as serious as before; his gaze towards his two grandsons was full of kindness and gentleness.
"Why didn't Xiao Ning come?" Ding Fengxia wasn't complaining about her son-in-law, but rather about her daughter. "If you can leave us behind, how can you leave the child behind?"
"Don't be picky about her, I wouldn't even recommend her to come with me." Li Xuewu smiled and coaxed his mother-in-law, "Her unit is indeed short-staffed, especially for key doctors like her."
He first praised his wife, then explained, "I've been working in Liaodong for over a year, and the entire burden of the family has fallen on her shoulders. Taking care of two children is truly hard work for her."
“Even if we didn’t have this opportunity, I would have liked to take the two children to Liaodong for a few days so that she could relax and rest.”
He smiled at his father-in-law and said, "I have a clear conscience about my work, but I feel somewhat guilty towards my family and Xiaoning. I can only try my best to make it up to her."
Hearing him say that, Ding Fengxia, who had never really blamed her daughter, was even less willing to say another word about her son-in-law.
"You just spoil her, don't you—"
She smiled and pointed at Li Shu and Li Ning, saying, "Don't I know who's taking care of these two children? You're just picking the best stories to tell."
This may sound like a rebuke, but the praise and appreciation should not be too strong.
The son-in-law is good to his daughter, as always, and is very attentive. He not only performs well at work, but also devotes himself to his family. What more could they ask for?
"You're planning to open a branch office in Nanjing?"
After giving her grandmother a back massage, Li Ning still felt she hadn't received as much praise as her sister, so she jumped off the sofa and ran to her grandfather's side, once again riding on his neck and starting to massage his shoulders.
I've never seen anyone massage shoulders like this before, but Gu Haitao didn't scold him at all. He even cooperated with his grandson's actions, his face full of a gratified smile.
Li Xuewu's lips twitched as he watched.