dognovel Chapter 1320 Lady Image
Chapter 1320 Lady Image
Chapter 1320 Lady Image
"Is this your first time here?"
The car turned into the street of the Haiyuncang residential area, and Xiaoxiao looked at the buildings outside the window carefully.
Li Xuewu introduced with a smile: "Actually, the location is very easy to find. Just go straight into the alley opposite the Military General Hospital we just passed by."
He pointed forward, pointed to the corner and said, "The third street, this courtyard on the side of the road is it."
"I've never been here before." Xiaoxiao smiled a little embarrassedly, "Although I was born and raised in Beijing."
"It's all the same, haha..." Li Xuewu chuckled and nodded, saying, "When I was a kid, I was quite naughty. I can't say I've been around all over the city and know everything."
"The yard over here seems..." Xiaoxiao followed Li Xuewu's gesture and looked around the surrounding yards. When the car stopped in front of the gate of the yard that the leader had just pointed to, she hadn't finished her words.
"The wall is very high, isn't it?" Li Xuewu got out of the car, looked at Xiaoxiao who got out of the car from the other side, and nodded, saying, "This is the old courtyard that existed before the takeover, a building from the Japanese occupation period."
"Oh, so that's how it is—"
Xiaoxiao nodded as if she understood, and glanced into the yard through the half-open door, but was afraid that Li Xuewu would notice, so she looked away.
Most people in the organization don’t know where the leaders of the Red Star Factory live, except for the secretaries in the duty room or the commission office.
Why can't the experts assigned collectively to the factory live in the building, while these leaders have other places to live?
The reason is very simple. Some leaders had already been allocated houses or had old houses before coming to Red Star Factory.
Or like Li Xuewu, who was allocated housing in the city after getting a job, but was unwilling to move into a collective building.
Li Huaide came to Red Star Factory relatively early. When the Third Steel Rolling Mill was merged into it, the expert building where he worked was allocated to him.
Therefore, in the entire Red Star Factory, only leaders like Li Huaide who had been in the Red Star Factory for a long time would live together.
The housing policy of this era is quite special. The property rights of houses do not belong to individuals. The characteristic of collective ownership is that if you are a leader, you can live in the house, but if you are not a leader, you have to give up the house.
Generally speaking, housing follows the leader until retirement.
Some factories will take care of old leaders or retired comrades and retain their benefits when housing is not so tight.
Only after the leader dies will the children be notified to move out of the housing and reallocate it.
Someone asked, when will the housing shortage be resolved?
It is indeed true. When a leader retires, his successor is his own person, or someone above him who has a strong personality and great influence. Most people will not touch his housing.
If one is unpopular while in office and has no successor, he will inevitably be criticized and harassed when he retires.
Some leaders had anticipated this and, more concerned with their own face, had already purchased their own housing before retirement.
He moved away before he even retired. He was very decisive and didn't give the logistics department any chance to look down on him.
If someone like Li Xuewu owns his own house, the factory will give him a certain housing subsidy if it fails to fulfill the housing benefits for leaders.
There is not much, that’s what I mean.
So at this time, most leaders will still choose to live in the housing allocated by the factory because it is more worthwhile.
Why do some people say that the most attractive thing about a company is not the salary, but the benefits? Both leaders and employees have welfare benefits.
Li Xuewu is only the last-ranked factory leader in the team, but the welfare benefits he enjoys are beyond the imagination of ordinary people.
On the surface, we can see official cars, office secretaries, housing allowances, food allowances, hospitality allowances, and clothing allowances...
That’s right, in fact, Li Xuewu doesn’t have to spend his own money to customize his work clothes and executive suits, as he receives reimbursement every quarter.
This is not a benefit that only appears after becoming a factory leader. Ordinary employees also receive work clothes on a quarterly basis.
Factory leaders no longer need to collect work clothes; they can just order them directly, and the reimbursement process is the same as that for employees’ work clothes.
Of course, if you say that what factory leaders wear is different from what factory workers wear, there is really no way to refute or emphasize this.
It can only be said that the revolutionary division of labor and positions are different, and the dress requirements are also different.
Now the group and branch offices have basically achieved mass customization of executive suits, and everyone wears the same.
The Baijiahei combination started by Li Xuewu has finally become popular.
In order to keep up with the times, the Logistics Department specially customized badges and emblems unique to the Red Star Steel Group.
The badges and insignias are about the size of an adult's thumb, and they look unique when worn on the chest without affecting work.
What Li Xuewu is wearing now is a custom-made version of an executive suit, but Xiaoxiao is not qualified to wear an executive suit.
She wore a white short-sleeved shirt, a light yellow long skirt, and white leather sandals, and looked like an ethereal being.
Just as she was looking at this elegant-looking western-style house, she heard laughter and greetings from the courtyard.
"Boss, I said I won't come."
A man with a slightly dark complexion, who looked honest and thin in the sunset, greeted the Secretary-General awkwardly in a northeastern accent.
The young man standing next to him, who was wearing a summer executive suit and did not look like an official, patted his arm.
"You can't blame me." Shen Guodong pretended to be dissatisfied and said, "Brother Wu asked me to bring you here to get acquainted with the family."
"I don't have anything important to do. I just came to see someone off."
The dark and thin man who appeared to Xiaoxiao was actually Zhou Ziqiang who had returned and had just left the capital a few days ago.
Li Xuewu was also a little surprised when he received the call from Shen Guodong. He thought he had something important to tell him, so he asked them to pick up Li Ning and go to the shipping warehouse to talk about it.
"Come, Xiaoxiao."
The doorway was not the place to talk, so Li Xuewu first raised his hand to signal them to enter the yard, then called Xiaoxiao who was standing behind him.
Nie Xiaoguang knew that he couldn't leave today, so he parked his car in the garage and strolled into the yard to help.
Li Xuewu treated him very kindly, and he was also very outgoing and did not feel at all that he should be restrained in the leader's home.
Deep down, he never felt that Li Xuewu was his leader. He treated Li Xuewu like a gangster boss and a god.
So it was him who led the horse and dropped the stool, and it was also him who drove the car and coaxed the baby. He did the same thing as Han Jiankun, but his attitude was more loyal.
He is a man of the underworld, and his temperament is reflected in his behavior, and he has a bit of the consciousness of a "henchman".
Han Jiankun works hard for Li Xuewu, to a certain extent, for his future, but more importantly for his own future.
What future does Nie Xiaoguang want from working so hard here? What he wants is Li Huaide's life. However, he cannot do so for the time being because of Li Xuewu's loyalty.
Therefore, he felt helpless and had always regarded Li Xuewu as his elder brother, so he did not feel restrained in doing anything in this family.
Do you think that brat, who dared to call Gu Ning "sister-in-law" on his first day at the house, has the consciousness of a driver?
Shen Guodong saw that Nie Xiaoguang did not treat him as an outsider, but Li Xuewu did not say anything, so he could not say anything.
Although Li Xuewu pointed to the courtyard and asked them to go in first, just like Zhou Ziqiang, they waited until Li Xuewu and the unfamiliar girl came in before they followed him in, one on the left and one on the right.
"This is Xiaoxiao, a talented girl from our company's art troupe." Li Xuewu did not neglect Xiaoxiao when entertaining them, and simply introduced her to them calmly, "She is the tutor hired for Li Shu."
"This is my friend from Jicheng, Zhou Ziqiang." He patted Daqiangzi's arm, pointed at Shen Guodong and introduced him, "Shen Guodong, my childhood friend, works in Jiaodaokou Subdistrict."
"Hello, my name is Xiaoxiao."
Xiaoxiao behaved very confidently and was not at all stage-frightened. Even though she didn't know the two people, she took the initiative to greet them with a smile.
The dark and thin man who can be called a friend by the Secretary-General and invited to his home as a guest must be no ordinary person.
Needless to say, the Secretary-General’s childhood friend has never met Shen Guodong in person, but she has heard of this name.
Coincidentally, he is the person in charge of the factory's main distribution channels, and he provides some functional products that are not produced by the factory.
From this we can see that Xiaoxiao is very smart. Being a professional dancer doesn’t mean she has no brains.
She is not as daring and reckless as Zhou Miaomiao, nor is she as outspoken and unrestrained as Han Lu.
The last time I chatted with Zhou Xiaoling, she wanted to leave the dance team, but she couldn't bear to leave.
Her colleagues in the dance team had already found several options for her, but she didn't want to take any of them.
God must have blessed her. She had always been a quiet and natural person who didn't fight or compete with others. She loved reading, and suddenly Wang Yajuan found her.
Wang Yajuan went straight to the point and told her about the Secretary-General's family affairs and asked her if she had time to tutor the Secretary-General's daughter.
How could Xiaoxiao miss such an opportunity? Although she didn't agree immediately, she just asked a few questions and then nodded.
She had no idea why Wang Yajuan talked to her, what was the relationship between Wang Yajuan and the Secretary-General, whether Wang Yajuan took the initiative to help the Secretary-General share his worries, or whether the Secretary-General took a liking to her and asked Wang Yajuan to talk to him.
In fact, she didn't want to know so clearly, she just needed to know that this was an opportunity.
She didn't need to negotiate with the secretary, let alone what she wanted. As long as she did her job as a tutor, everything would fall into place.
If he can't even see through her thoughts, then he's not the Secretary General.
"Come in and sit down. There are no special rules in our house. Please feel free to do as you please."
Li Xuewu greeted them with a smile, and said politely: "I may not be able to entertain you well today. There was originally a relative taking care of the family..."
He had only said half of his polite words when he saw a little girl standing between the hallway and the living room with her head lowered.
Li Shu stood beside her and looked at her mischievously. Li Ning, who came in first, also followed her sister's example and stood on the other side with his head raised.
"This is--" He looked at Shen Guodong with some confusion, then looked at Zhou Ziqiang with some understanding.
"This is my cousin, Zhou Erya." Zhou Ziqiang took the initiative to introduce Li Xuewu when he saw her asking, "I'm here to send her off."
"I mentioned it to you on the phone."
Shen Guodong explained softly, "I just happened to talk to Daqiangzi about family matters, and he sent someone over."
"Oh, that's what happened." Li Xuewu didn't express his opinion immediately. He looked at the little girl standing timidly at the door and nodded, then asked, "Are you from the same village? How old is the girl?"
Zhou Erya kept her head down and didn't say anything. She looked at the new cloth shoes her mother had made for her when she left home, and she seemed reluctant to part with them.
"She's a village girl who hasn't seen much of the world." Zhou Ziqiang introduced her a little embarrassedly, "This is my second uncle's daughter, she's sixteen years old, I've watched her grow up since she was a child, I trust her."
This last sentence is the key point, but I don’t know who he is referring to as trustworthy.
"You're only sixteen, you're not studying anymore?"
Li Xuewu did not care about the little girl's timidity, nor did he care about Zhou Ziqiang's initiative. He pointed to the living room and invited them to sit over.
As soon as Xiaoxiao entered the room, her eyes fell on the doll standing in the hallway. She guessed that this must be the secretary-general's daughter, the student who needed her tutoring.
Regarding Li Shu, the Secretary-General had already made some introductions about her personality and living habits in the car on the way here.
The Secretary-General said it very frankly, he does not want his daughter to have great achievements and development in art, she just wants her to grow up happily.
To be honest, Xiaoxiao is a little envious of this little girl named Li Shu. She has such a family environment, has been influenced by art since childhood, and does not have to rely on art to survive. She is like a little princess.
"You must be Li Shu." She responded to the secretary general's greeting, squatted in front of Li Shu, and took the initiative to greet her: "My name is Xiaoxiao, can we be friends?"
Li Shu was looking at the older sister who suddenly appeared at home. Now another one appeared, and her eyes were full of curiosity.
Li Ning didn't know what to do. He just followed whatever his sister did. Seeing that his sister was looking at the new sister, he also walked over and looked at her carefully.
"Secretary General, please go ahead and do your work. Li Shu and I already know each other."
Xiaoxiao didn't get a response from Li Shu, but she didn't care. She turned to the secretary-general who asked her to sit in the living room and said, "It's fine if she entertains me. Let's go and see the piano."
The second half of her sentence was addressed to Li Shu, her tone filled with sunshine-like tenderness.
But in Li Shu's eyes, this seemed a bit deliberate. In the comic book stories, the bad guys who deceived children seemed to be like this.
If this big sister hadn't been brought back by her father, she would have run back to find her machine gun.
Bad guy, I shot you——
"Come on, sit down first." Seeing Xiaoxiao talking to Li Shu, Li Xuewu let them do as they pleased.
He invited Zhou Ziqiang and Shen Guodong to sit in the living room, took the teacup on the table and said, "I don't know if the water in the thermos is hot enough. After Jingru left, the house is a mess."
"Haha, I heard from my godmother."
Shen Guodong did not sit down immediately. He took the thermos and made hot tea for the three of them. "I boiled the hot water when I came."
"Well, if I had known earlier, I would have asked you to take care of the family." Li Xuewu said jokingly, "Why is there such a turmoil?"
"Hahaha, I'm willing to do so." Shen Guodong also laughed and said, "But I'm afraid Xiaoyan won't want to. She orders me around all the time."
"You get a good deal and still act nice."
Li Xuewu nodded at him, looked at Zhou Ziqiang and asked, "How is life after marriage different from before?"
Zhou Ziqiang didn't expect his boss to ask such a difficult question, and he really couldn't think of an accurate answer for a while.
"The clothes are clean?" He said hesitantly, then smiled and said, "The quilt is clean, and I am clean too."
"Hahahaha——" Li Xuewu laughed loudly, obviously agreeing with Zhou Ziqiang's answer and finding it very interesting.
After marriage, it’s not just the clothes and quilts that are clean, but also the soul.
"Your name is Zhou Erya, right?" He turned his head and looked at the little girl who was still standing at the entrance hall, and asked with a smile: "Come and sit for a while. I'm afraid your elder brother didn't bring you here to stand here as a punishment, did he?"
"This girl, I clearly told her everything when she came out."
Zhou Ziqiang stood up somewhat awkwardly, walked over, pulled his sister over, and sat her down on the sofa, pressing her shoulders.
"Don't mind. She grew up in the village and has never even been to the county town. This is her first time traveling far away."
"I don't mind. She seems quite introverted." Li Xuewu understood Zhou Ziqiang's intention. He looked at the girl with a smile and asked, "Did you want to come to the city, or did your elder brother force you to do so?"
When Zhou Ziqiang was asked this question, he wanted to answer, but Shen Guodong stared at him and he was speechless.
Three pairs of eyes in the living room were focused on the little girl. From the side, one could see that her cheek was very red and her head was lowered even lower.
After a long silence, Li Xuewu finally heard a mosquito-like sound. It was her who said, "I...I am happy to do so."
Northeastern dialect is more profound than Chinese. This sentence has different meanings when spoken in different tones.
Saying "I'm happy to" in a rude way means that I just like to do it and you don't have to interfere. Saying this in a gentle way means that she is willing.
Li Xuewu was proficient in Northeastern dialect, so he could naturally understand the little girl's answer. He could also see that Zhou Ziqiang was relieved.
Since she is his cousin, it doesn't necessarily mean she was forced to come. It is possible that she gave money, which is normal.
He was really afraid that his sister would get confused and say "I miss home", and Li Xuewu would send her to the execution ground.
"My second uncle was putting up a beam for a neighbor's house and accidentally fell down and broke his waist. Although he survived, he can no longer do heavy work."
Zhou Ziqiang got the chance to speak, and then he explained: "It's really too hard for my second aunt to take care of the whole family alone."
"You know the situation in our village. The land on the mountain doesn't produce crops. Usually we rely on the harvest from the forest to make a living."
He sighed at this point and continued, "She has three sisters and five brothers. My second aunt had no choice but to force her to marry someone else. I really couldn't bear to let her go."
"If you say that I have the ability to not take care of my family, God will punish me, but as the old saying goes, we should help people in emergencies but not in poverty..."
"My dad..." After hearing what her eldest brother said, Zhou Erya, who had just lowered her head, suddenly became bold and stammered, "My dad went to the hospital - it was my brother who paid for it -"
I have some courage, but not much.
Zhou Erya was about to raise her head to speak, but when she saw the magnificence of the room and the soft sofa under her butt, the confidence she had picked up was completely gone. Her voice became lower and lower, and finally fell silent.
Li Xuewu glanced at her, then looked at Zhou Ziqiang and asked, "Why didn't you think of arranging a job for her in Jicheng? It's too far from home to come to Beijing. She's only sixteen years old, she must be homesick."
"I would like to arrange it, but it's not easy." Zhou Ziqiang looked at his sister distressedly and explained, "She has been a good student since she was young, but how many people can pass the exam to get out of that mountain?"
"There are three sisters in my family, and she is the most sensible. I can arrange a job for her in Jicheng, but she has to endure hardships. I can't bear to let her go."
"You will have to endure hardships in the capital as well." Li Xuewu said calmly, "You saw it yourself, you don't want to stay any longer."
"I am who I am. I am just a bumpkin." Zhou Ziqiang looked at Li Xuewu seriously and said, "My second sister is different. She has a clever mind, but she has never seen the world."
"I sent her to you to be used and educated." He said sincerely, "I told my second aunt that I don't want anything else, I just want her to live a few more years and gain some experience."
"If she learns a little bit from you, it will be enough for her to benefit from for the rest of her life when she returns."
"Da Qiangzi, you slipped." Li Xuewu glanced at him with amusement, turned to look at Shen Guodong and asked, "Did I learn this from you?"
"I can't teach such a disciple."
Shen Guodong smiled, motioned to Zhou Erya who was lowering her head, and said, "I chatted with the second sister. We were quite good friends when we were in the compound. I'm sorry that you may be a little strange to me."
"I look a little scary." Li Xuewu said with a smile, then looked at Zhou Erya seriously and said, "Your elder brother and I are good friends. Are you scared to live in my house? Do you miss home?"
Perhaps Zhou Erya had received instructions and emphasis from her elder brother when she left home, so she was naturally prepared at this moment.
She first shook her head, and then nodded slightly. Li Xuewu didn't guess what she meant, but he understood her feelings.
Leaving the village, I first went to Jicheng, and then took a train from Jicheng to Beijing. The whole journey was dazzling enough.
Not to mention the children who grew up in the village, even the young people from Jicheng would feel uncomfortable when they come to the capital.
She didn't say anything, and Li Xuewu had no way to test her character, but he could trust Zhou Ziqiang and also trusted Shen Guodong's guarantee.
What Shen Guodong said just now was to explain why he brought people directly to his house. If he hadn't passed that test, there would be no arrangement for today.
Zhou Ziqiang only listened to it once, and then took his sister back to the capital without permission, which was considered as his self-recommendation.
Shen Guodong understood his feelings. On the one hand, he was taking care of his sister, and on the other hand, he was protecting himself.
If Li Xuewu really had a younger sister who took care of the family, he would gain a lot of trust and benefits.
Of course, people should not be too straightforward or too utilitarian when interacting with each other. It is enough to just say what is said and do what is done.
"Guodong may have told you about my family's situation." Li Xuewu had some difficulty communicating with Zhou Erya, so he told Zhou Ziqiang, "There are four of us in this family. Your sister-in-law and I both have to go to work. We have one child, one big and one small. The older one is in the kindergarten near our home, and the younger one just spoke."
"Housework is simple. For three meals a day, your sister-in-law and I only eat breakfast and dinner at home. Lunch is for her and the children."
"I just wash and rinse the floor on a daily basis. Not to mention the hygiene upstairs and downstairs, there are also several vegetable gardens in the yard."
When Li Xuewu was saying these words, Zhou Erya knew he was talking to her, so she raised her head unconsciously.
Seeing that she listened, Li Xuewu slowed down his speech and his tone became more casual.
"If you want to ask me about these household chores, I don't know." He smiled and spread his hands, saying, "I didn't care about anything before."
“But I can ask my sister who used to help out at home to come back and take care of you for a few days so you can get familiar with the world.
He looked at Zhou Erya and said, "If you feel you are too busy to take care of the vegetable garden, you don't have to work on it. Just leave it alone."
In fact, the vegetable gardens and orchards in the front and back yards were all taken care of by Qin Jingru on her own initiative. According to Gu Ning's idea, she wanted to plant flowers and plants there.
She has a literary girl's heart, but Qin Jingru, who is so rustic and naive, did not give her this opportunity.
If Li Xuewu hadn't taken the initiative to discuss it, the garden under the big tree in the west courtyard would not have been left to her.
In Qin Jingru's words, although that place is not suitable for growing vegetables, growing some sunflowers is much better than growing those flowers that can only be viewed.
Now that autumn has arrived, wouldn’t it be nice to eat some melon seeds?
Gu Ning was naturally angry, but he couldn't win over the straightforward Qin Jingru.
After spending the past two years together, perhaps because he had matured or perhaps because he was busy with work, Gu Ning no longer had the heart to pick flowers and plants.
Qin Jingru and her husband were left to take care of the front and back yards. They could plant whatever they wanted. She was a little uncomfortable with the idea of planting all flowers and plants.
To be honest, Qin Jingru's departure due to pregnancy gave Gu Ning a break, and she least wanted a sudden change in her living environment.
No matter how nagging Qin Jingru is, how straightforward she is, or how many shortcomings she has, she has already gotten used to it after more than two years.
But there is no way. Gu Ning can't stop her from having children. She has to do it even if she is reluctant.
When she came back from get off work, she found the house bustling with activity. The first thing she saw when she entered the living room was Li Shu sitting on the piano stool. A girl was teaching her and Li Ning to recognize the structure of the piano.
While changing her slippers, Li Shu had already seen her mother coming back, so she jumped off the piano stool and ran over.
"Sister-in-law——" Shen Guodong stood up from the living room and greeted her.
This was probably the first time Zhou Ziqiang met Gu Ning. He stood up a little stiffly, not knowing what to address him.
Looking at him standing there awkwardly and a little girl standing aside with her head down, Gu Ning just nodded, said something to Li Shu, and went upstairs.
Feeling her cold attitude, the temperature in the living room suddenly dropped a few degrees, and Zhou Ziqiang and Xiaoxiao were a little nervous.
Zhou Ziqiang was worried that Li Xuewu's lover didn't like his sister, while Xiaoxiao was worried that the secretary-general's lover didn't like her.
Both of them were feeling somewhat uneasy, and Li Xuewu could see it.
"It's okay, your sister-in-law is just like that." Li Xuewu smiled and waved his hand, motioning them to sit down, and said, "You'll understand after spending more time with her. She doesn't have a bad temper."
Although hearing what Li Xuewu said, Zhou Ziqiang couldn't help but feel nervous, and Zhou Erya was even more so.
The male owner of this house has a fierce face, but speaks in a gentle and polite manner. The female owner of this house has a kind face, but has a cold personality. This combination is a bit strange.
Shen Guodong was no longer surprised. After listening to Li Xuewu's explanation, he smiled and comforted her, "Sister-in-law is a very good person, don't worry."
"Well, I have no reason to worry about Erya staying with the Dong family." Zhou Ziqiang smiled and said, "It is our blessing to be taken in by the Dong family."
"It's over, Qiangzi." Li Xuewu gave him a funny look, then asked Shen Guodong, "I asked you to bring food, did you? I don't have a cook at home."
"Yes, but not for ourselves."
Shen Guodong smiled and pointed at Zhou Ziqiang, saying, "We agreed that we will go to the club tonight. Since you are busy, I won't disturb you."
"I have already agreed on this." Li Xuewu patted his arm in amusement, looked at Zhou Ziqiang and said, "You are also an outsider."
"No, I'm of the same mind as you." Zhou Ziqiang smiled, stood up and said, "Erya, I'll stay here. If there's anything you need me to do, just tell me. I won't say no."
"I should thank you for helping me solve a big problem." Li Xuewu saw that he was leaving, so he stood up and shook hands with him without being polite. He said, "I will arrange when you go back."
"Don't do that. I have a train tomorrow morning." Zhou Ziqiang waved his hand and said, "It is precisely because I am in a hurry that I cannot disturb you today."
"I'll arrange for him." Shen Guodong smiled and took Zhou Ziqiang's arm and said, "It's more comfortable for us to eat out."
He pointed to himself and said, "They are all rough people, shouting and yelling, which is not decent."
"You're being too polite to me." Li Xuewu smiled and saw them off. He turned around and glanced at Zhou Erya who was standing in the hallway and asked, "Aren't you going to say a few words to your eldest brother?"
Zhou Erya finally raised her head, but her eyes were slightly red and she looked like she was about to cry.
"Hold it back, you're useless—" Zhou Ziqiang acted like a big boss and threatened the girl. Then he came over to wipe her tears and gently reminded her, "Be good, okay?"
"Hmm..." Zhou Erya nodded, and tears finally fell from her eyes. Li Xuewu also saw her face clearly.
Her face is small, just like her other face. Perhaps it is due to malnutrition since childhood, and it has not fully grown even at the age of sixteen.
Her skin was a little dark, but not too dark. She said wheat color was healthy, but Li Xuewu knew that she might have really grown wheat.
"Okay, I'll take care of the family." It was not convenient for Zhou Ziqiang to talk much to the girl here, so he said a few words of comfort and turned away.
He had already discussed with Shen Guodong that he would not stay here for dinner, and would not disturb Li Xuewu too much.
Zhou Ziqiang knew his own limitations very well. He had no right to stay here and eat.
Even if Li Xuewu really wanted to keep him, he had to save some face for himself and be tolerant to the girl.
Besides, even if he stayed, he wouldn't be able to eat well. His sister thought the place was magnificent, but he thought it was majestic everywhere and full of pressure that was inconsistent with his status.
So it’s more convenient to go out to eat with Shen Guodong, and I can eat my fill.
"Would you like to look at it a little longer?"
Li Xuewu saw Shen Guodong and the others off, turned around and was about to close the door, but saw Zhou Erya still standing in the yard wiping her tears.
But seeing her second brother leave, Zhou Erya seemed to have lost her backbone. She looked a little cold and lost.
Hearing the teasing words of the man of the house, she seemed even more at a loss and panicked.
"Do you understand the principle of making the best of a bad situation?"
Li Xuewu still closed the door, and as he walked past her, he said in a gentle voice: "I forgot to ask your brother, how many years did you study?"
"Primary...primary school." Zhou Erya answered in a forced voice.
Li Xuewu nodded and said, "Then you should be considered an intellectual. A few years ago, you could have been a primary school teacher."
This is not a joke, nor a ridicule. In rural areas, a primary school graduate can become a primary school teacher, and a junior high school graduate can teach in junior high school.
If you graduate from high school, then you can be a principal.
Li Xuewu’s elementary school principal in his previous life graduated from high school.
Zhou Erya didn't understand what he meant for a moment, and looked up at him in surprise.
Li Xuewu had already passed by and went to the hallway.
"Your brother was in a hurry to leave, and I didn't ask him, did he teach you how to address me?"
It was as if he had eyes on his back. Just when Zhou Erya raised her head to look at him secretly, he suddenly turned back.
"Don't worry about what your brother teaches you. Just call me brother. You can also call the one you just met sister or sister-in-law."
This is not Li Xuewu being polite, this is the way people in rural Northeast China call each other. If you walk from the east end of the street to the west end, you can call more than a dozen brothers and sisters-in-law.
Zhou Erya was very familiar with these two names, but she stammered and didn't call them out loud. This man didn't look like the big brother of the village.
Li Xuewu ignored her and walked into the hallway to see his daughter and son who were learning piano.
When Li Shu saw her father coming back, she turned her head and smiled brightly. It was because the teacher had just praised her.
Xiaoxiao is quite capable as she was able to make Li Shu realize that she is a teacher so quickly. At least she can coax children.
Li Ning rarely made trouble and instead lay down beside the piano stool, watching her sister learn the piano with curiosity.
"Li Shu is learning very well. Has she learned this before?"
Seeing that the secretary general had finished his work and was standing aside with his arms folded, watching them, Xiaoxiao asked with a smile: "She is so well-behaved and beautiful."
"Hehe——" Before Li Xuewu could answer, Li Shu couldn't help laughing.
She tried her best to maintain her ladylike image and even covered her mouth with her little hands, but she just couldn't help it.
"Of course Li Shu is well behaved." Li Xuewu is also good at educating children. Praising is always better than blaming. "Li Ning is also well behaved."
"Hehe——" Perhaps because he heard his own name, or because he understood what his father said, Li Ning also laughed.
At this moment, Gu Ning came down from upstairs, changed his clothes, combed his hair, and it seemed that he had taken a shower.
Xiaoxiao stood up a little stiffly and greeted her again.
"You're welcome." Gu Ning's expression remained the same, but his words were very kind, "The piano hasn't been used for a long time."
"Li Shu has learned piano from her mother." Seeing Xiao Xiao's surprised look, Li Xuewu explained with a smile, "But she didn't learn it systematically. Her mother is busy. I'll have to trouble you from now on."
"You're too polite, Secretary General." Xiao Xiao was relieved to see that the Secretary General's lover only had a cold face and didn't say anything harsh, "You paid me a lot."
“Hehehe——” Li Xuewu could see that she was a little nervous, so he smiled and waved his hand, indicating the direction of the restaurant, and said, “This is your first time at my home, I’m sorry for not hosting you well, just have a simple meal, please don’t be polite.”
"This - I'm so sorry." Xiaoxiao could guess that she would be invited to dinner if she followed the secretary-general to his house after get off work, but judging from the situation just now, the secretary-general's family had just changed their nanny.
It would be a bit inappropriate to leave some food for later.
Li Xuewu was very polite. After greeting her, he looked at Zhou Erya who was standing stiffly at the door.
"We have to do it ourselves and have enough food and clothing."
He smiled and said, "You should slowly get familiar with the environment in the next few days. The important responsibilities of the family will be handed over to you from now on."
"I--" Zhou Erya wanted to say something, but she was too tongue-tied to speak, so she just followed silently into the restaurant.
This is Xiaoxiao's first time here. Although the decoration in the secretary-general's house is old-fashioned, it is not old at all.
One can vaguely tell from the decorative style that it is a feature of the Republic of China era, with a bit of luxury yet still being restrained and low-key.
I don’t know what kind of wood the dining table is made of, but it looks very heavy, and the dining chairs are also very sturdy to move.
Only the dining chairs used by Li Ning and Li Shu can be seen to be new; other items such as the wine cabinet, cupboard, sofa, etc. are all in the style of the Republic of China.
This... Xiaoxiao had never heard that the secretary-general's family was a big shot during the Republic of China period. She was surprised in her heart, but her face looked calm.
At Li Xuewu's invitation, she took the initiative to sit next to Li Shu, while the little girl named Zhou Erya sat at the farthest point.
Li Xuewu smiled and glanced at her, then asked, "The dining table is so big, how can you eat if you sit so far away?"
The food Shen Guodong brought was Qinyuanchun's "take-out", which was packed in insulated food boxes and opened into boxes.
It was the first time for Li Xuewu to eat such a luxurious takeaway. It was obvious that Qin Huairu was determined to succeed in this catering business and even considered the details of the takeaway so carefully.
Of course, this thoughtfulness should be shown to people like him. Ordinary people would not be able to take away such a good food box.
With six dishes and plenty of fruit-filled steamed buns, Xiaoxiao didn't seem to be feeling poorly entertained at all.
Qin Huairu knew that Li Xuewu had two children at home, so she specially prepared steamed eggs and rice porridge.
Li Shu's eating style has become the same as Li Xuewu's. She is not picky about anything and dares to stuff anything given by her family into her mouth.
Li Ning is a little special. He has only eaten pasta since he was a child. Vegetable pancakes, steamed buns, and flower rolls are all fine, as long as they are not rice or noodles.
"This is our little reunion."
Li Xuewu handed the plate of steamed buns to Zhou Erya and motioned for her to take it herself.
"From now on, we will eat this dinner together. If you have any dietary restrictions, please let us know in advance so that we can be more tolerant of each other."
Gu Ning looked at Xiaoxiao and Zhou Erya without saying anything, but it was obvious that she was also taking the initiative to get to know them.
"You eat vegetables, but it's not enough to just eat steamed buns."
Seeing Zhou Erya eating the steamed bun in small bites, she took the initiative to greet her and moved the plate towards her.
Xiaoxiao, who was sitting next to Zhou Erya, saw that the little girl was crying and didn't know what had happened.
Gu Ning was also a little surprised and asked softly, "What's wrong with you?"
"No, no..." Zhou Erya lowered her head, wiped her tears with the back of her hand, and said in a tearful voice: "The steamed buns are delicious."