fictionpage Chapter 1408 Is it a blessing or a curse?
Chapter 1408 Is it a blessing or a curse?
Chapter 1408 Is it a blessing or a curse?
Are you almost done with things at home?
Li Huaide received Li Xuewu in the lounge next to his office; it wasn't intentional, nor was it particularly deliberate.
Zhu Xiaolin, the director of the Beijing Chemical Plant, and Bai Changmin, the deputy director of the plant, had just left from here when Li Xuewu met them downstairs and exchanged pleasantries for a while.
Speaking of which, Beijing Chemical was among the first to cooperate with Hongxing Factory in the three industries, and the cooperation was extensive in the field of auto parts, especially in plastics and other chemical fields.
In subsequent development and cooperation, Hongxing Factory achieved rapid progress, realizing a double take-off in both industrial and economic work.
Originally the most powerful chemical plant in North China, Jingcheng Chemical inevitably paled in comparison to Hongxing Plant in terms of development speed.
Of course, these are all subjective assumptions, or even illusions. The scale of Beijing Chemical Industry is definitely not something that Hongxing Plant can catch up with in three to five years. This has nothing to do with the level of effort, but is determined by the development history and industry characteristics.
Tell me, in the chemical industry, who in North China can compete with Beijing Chemical Industry in terms of resources? Conversely, looking at Hongxing Plant, neither its metallurgical nor steel rolling industries are the strongest in North China.
The country already had a more extensive accumulation in the steel industry than in the chemical industry, and the resources of the chemical industry in the north were more concentrated, so the chemical industry in Beijing was quite strong.
As the head of Beijing Chemical Industry, Zhu Xiaolin had already surpassed the ceiling compared to Li Huaide, and even started using a Hongqi car a few months earlier than Li.
But he wasn't as lucky as Lao Li. Logically speaking, Beijing Chemical Industry was more qualified and capable of forming a group company than Hongxing Factory, but Zhu Xiaolin had never thought about this before.
Perhaps he secretly considered it, but later gave up on this seemingly impossible idea. So when he saw that Hongxing Factory was about to become a group enterprise after overcoming all obstacles, he felt envious and regretful, and eagerly came to Lao Li for advice.
Damn it, if he had known that it was so easy to apply for a group company status, he wouldn't have wasted so many years.
Putting aside the freedom the factory gained in management, economics, personnel, and other aspects after its transformation into a group enterprise, just considering the title, he felt he had been wronged for the past few years.
Listen to this: Zhu Xiaolin from the Beijing Chemical Plant and Li Huaide from the Hongxing Steel Group... If they were to attend a meeting together, he would feel that he was not as sophisticated as Old Li.
"Yes, thank you." Li Xuewu didn't rush to answer Old Li's question. Instead, at his prompting, he sat down on the sofa next to him and thanked the secretary who served him tea.
The secretary nervously said "I dare not," glanced at Li Huaide, and then stepped back and left.
"Haiyang is more useful." Seeing Li Xuewu's gaze follow the secretary away, Li Huaide picked up the teacup on the coffee table, took a sip, and said, "You've taken away my pillar of support."
"It's time to give Deputy Factory Director Li some opportunities to train and develop. If he stays under your supervision, he'll be wasted."
To put it simply, there are very few people in the entire group who dare to speak to Li Huaide like that, and Li Xuewu is the boldest one.
The key point is that no matter what Li Xuewu said, Old Li didn't get angry; he just smiled helplessly.
"I was just about to tell you, my brother-in-law, young people are completely different before and after marriage."
Li Xuewu put his notebook aside and said with a smile, "That's why young people need to experience things and be tempered more in order to broaden their horizons and learn new knowledge."
"I think Comrade Liu Bin is quite good."
He gestured towards the door and said, "The young man looks very energetic. If he studies and trains with you for another two years, he will be a good prospect."
“I’m not as good at training young people as you are,” Li Huaide said with a smile. “I asked Haiyang where he wanted to train, and he said he wanted to go to Liaodong without even thinking.”
"I asked him why he wanted to go to Liaodong, and guess what he said?" Before Li Xuewu could answer, Old Li said with a hint of jealousy, "He told me he wanted to go to Liaodong to study with you for a few more years."
"Hehe, Deputy Factory Director Li is probably worried that you won't agree, so he used me as a cover."
Li Xuewu smiled modestly and said, "There are no more opportunities to learn from me than from you."
"Fine, let him go if he wants to."
Old Li nodded with a sigh and said, "At his age and with his experience, it's time for him to go down and gain some experience."
"Just like you said, if we don't go down now, we won't be able to go down now, and we'll be too old."
He picked up his teacup and took another sip before looking at Li Xuewu and saying, "But I must remind you, Comrade Haiyang is quite talented, but his thinking is somewhat naive."
In particular, as if he was very worried about his secretary, Li Huaide emphasized, "You have to teach him properly."
"Whether it's the Liaodong Industrial Management Group of the Group or the Metallurgical Plant, they all strictly adhere to your work approach and management policies, and uphold the organizational philosophy of unity and progress." Li Xuewu replied earnestly, "I believe Comrade Li Haiyang will quickly integrate into the Metallurgical Plant team."
How eloquently you put it! Old Li's true intentions are as clear as day.
He said he asked Li Haiyang where he wanted to go, but who knows if he actually asked? Besides, even if he did ask, does Li Haiyang's answer count? What if he hinted at something?
Don't believe everything you hear. Just listen to one-third of what Old Li says, and treat the rest as nonsense.
Of course, Li Xuewu knew his own character. He had no intention of mocking or ridiculing Lao Li. He couldn't believe a single punctuation mark in his own words, so he had no reason to laugh at Lao Li.
Whatever Li Haiyang's purpose was in going to Liaodong and the steel city metallurgical plant, Li Xuewu had to pretend he didn't know and just be positive and proactive.
With such a large operation, if it were all handed over to Li Xuewu to do as he pleases, do you think Old Li could feel at ease?
Actually, it's good that Li Haiyang went to the metallurgical plant; at least he's capable and acts very maturely.
Old Li said his secretary was naive. Don't worry about whether this is just modesty or true; if you want to make a judgment, you have to rely on your own experience.
He's already a deputy director at a metallurgical plant. From Lao Li's perspective, he might be considered naive, but from other people's perspectives, it's definitely not the right way to think about it.
In fact, Li Xuewu didn't really want to play along with Lao Li; it was something they both understood implicitly.
After quickly circumventing the topic, Li Xuewu first asked Old Li, "Director Zhu and the others came... for the group's restructuring?"
"Hmm." Old Li nodded meaningfully, crossed his right leg, and said, "Beijing Chemical has already begun organizing asset restructuring."
"That's fast!"
Li Xuewu expressed slight surprise and said, "If we consider the size and efficiency of Beijing Chemical Industry, then the second half of this year..."
"Not necessarily. They are large, but heavy too." Old Li curled his lip and shook his head slightly, saying, "It's hard to say."
"What does Director Zhu mean?"
Li Xuewu keenly observed something on Old Li's face and asked meaningfully, "You wouldn't be here just to ask about your work experience, would you?"
Li Huaide gave him a deep look before putting down his right leg, sitting up straight, and after a moment of contemplation, said, "He wants to establish a joint-stock company system."
"Taking such a big step?" Li Xuewu was genuinely surprised this time, looking at Old Li and saying, "Aren't they afraid of messing things up?"
"Yes, the situation here is a bit special." Old Li nodded and said, "There are precedents for joint-stock companies. Sino-foreign joint ventures are not the only ones, you know that."
"But companies like Zhongbo Company are quite unique in nature, and they are definitely not something that Beijing Chemical should be referring to or comparing itself to right now." Li Xuewu frowned slightly and emphasized, "Are they trying to achieve a shortcut to success?"
“Your analogy is quite interesting.” Li Huaide looked at him with surprise and nodded, saying, “Zhu Xiaolin is getting a little anxious.”
“I don’t think they have much of a chance of realizing their wish.” Although Li Xuewu’s words left room for doubt, the certainty in his tone was unquestionable.
He crossed his right leg and spread his hands, saying, "He saw the convenience and advantages of our group's cooperation with foreign capital on several key projects."
"That's what he thinks," Old Li added, then picked up his teacup, shook his head, and said with a smile, "That's why I said he's in a hurry."
“That shouldn’t be the case. Even if he’s anxious, without policy support, all his anxiety is just wishful thinking.” Li Xuewu looked at Old Li and asked, “Is there some wind blowing down from above that I don’t know about?”
"Hehehe—" Li Huaide chuckled and looked at him, saying, "Everyone says you have a keen eye, and it's true."
He stood up, holding onto the sofa armrest, and walked around the lounge twice before turning to Li Xuewu and saying, "You should know that the ninth meeting will be held in April, right?"
Without waiting for Li Xuewu's reply, he continued, "The main content to be discussed at this meeting has been determined: the theory and practice of the large-scale learning activities will be further systematized and formalized."
Li Huaide walked to the sofa and sat down again. Looking at Li Xuewu, he said earnestly, "Since the second half of last year, the domestic situation has become relatively stable. The higher-ups intend to seize the opportunity to resume the work of major industrial sectors and other comprehensive economic sectors, and strengthen the planned management of the economy."
Li Xuewu could understand what Lao Li meant; he himself could clearly feel that the national economy had rebounded since the beginning of this year.
This is a good thing, and it also reflects the self-correcting nature of economic development.
Seeing that Li Xuewu did not nod, Li Huaide knew that he had understood and thought it through, so he continued to speak without stopping.
"There is already clear information from above that after the meeting, the three teams of representatives from each unit and department will gradually return to their original units."
He leaned back on the sofa, gripping the armrest, and said, "In particular, the powers and responsibilities of the management committees of various units and departments must be standardized and constrained."
Old Li didn't say the second half of his sentence, which he dared not say or was unwilling to say: judging from the current situation, the management structure of the management committees of various units and departments will eventually come to an end.
As the director of the management committee, it is time for him to begin arranging for the group's management committee to transition to a more formalized management organizational structure.
In fact, the relevant work has been underway all along. Li Xuewu had reminded him long ago, and he had anticipated it. The reason why there has been no action at the group level is because he was afraid that taking too big a step would cause a series of unnecessary troubles.
Now that the signals from above have been sent, he can follow the trend and, based on the changes in the organizational structure of each branch, further develop the organizational ecosystem at the group level.
The organizational restructuring of Hongxing Factory was carried out as follows: first, based on organizational and personnel changes at the group level, the group's management level and departmental structure were rebuilt.
When extending this system downwards, all branch factories and companies, such as management committees, will be restructured and abolished, and the factory director responsibility system will be restored, with the group management committee organizing and managing them in a unified manner.
Now that the signals from above are being sent and the organizational restructuring below is becoming increasingly mature, the time is ripe for the group to carry out organizational restructuring.
Li Huaide told Li Xuewu these things because Li Xuewu was in charge of the management and planning of the entire Liaodong industry. The industrial enterprises should complete the integrated management structure of the factory director responsibility system as soon as possible, which would also help the group to complete the transformation quickly.
The organizational restructuring mentioned here is not as simple as just changing a sign or a name; there's a lot more work involved.
"I don't know if you've heard or sensed this," Li Huaide said calmly to Li Xuewu, his earlier excitement replaced by a composed expression. "Some regions that established management committees earlier, along with their relevant departments, have begun to gradually resume organizational activities and have established core groups within the management committees to decide on major issues concerning the development of enterprises and departments."
"There may be related proposals and discussions at this meeting." Li Huaide hesitated for a moment and did not continue.
Li Xuewu understood half of what he said, but he remained silent for a moment before asking, "What do you mean?"
"The times are irresistible."
Li Huaide scratched his head, where almost no hair remained, and sighed, "What else can we do besides let nature take its course?"
This question stumped Li Xuewu; he didn't know how to answer. This wasn't like two monks sitting together exchanging witty remarks and chatting idly. What he said could very well influence Old Li's decision, and if it had the opposite effect, it would be a loss.
“I will unconditionally support whatever decision you make.” Li Xuewu’s answer gradually became more firm. He nodded and said, “I also believe that your decision must have been made after careful consideration.”
"Hehehe—" Li Huaide rarely saw Li Xuewu supporting him like this, and he felt quite unaccustomed to it. In the past, he was the one who gave opinions and Li Xuewu gave certain judgments. He didn't know who was the leader and who was the subordinate.
He had barely mentioned it when Li Xuewu cut off the conversation, as if he had no interest in the topic.
Yes, no matter how the core management team selects candidates, this spot will not fall into the hands of Li Xuewu, the leader, so it's understandable that he's not interested, but it's definitely not a good thing.
Can something that even Li Xuewu doesn't care about be a good thing? Perhaps, like the management committee, this kind of organizational structure is too fragile to withstand any changes and will have to be replaced sooner or later?
After a light laugh, Old Li changed the subject and looked at Li Xuewu, saying, "The higher-ups have put forward a requirement regarding the construction plan for the reserve force of integrated industrial enterprises organized and built by our factory."
He thought for a moment and said, "The ministry proposed that Hongxing Steel Group take the lead in organizing the establishment of the 721 Department based on the vocational and technical college. The construction of this department will be supported by Tsinghua University and the Iron and Steel Institute. Teachers will train teachers for the college, formulate teaching plans, compile interdisciplinary materials, and so on."
At this point, Li Huaide's expression turned serious. He continued, "The main purpose of establishing this academy is to enrich the personnel structure at the technical and management levels of Hongxing Steel Group and actively improve the current shortage of technical talent..."
There was no need to listen to his nonsense anymore; Li Xuewu already understood what he meant, so he asked in return, "From which channels are the students recruited?"
"Some of the positions should also be allocated to employees of our factory and some joint ventures."
As expected, Lao Li's answer was exactly what Li Xuewu had anticipated. It seemed that the ministry was using the resources of Hongxing Steel Group to dilute and correct some of the group's recent actions, and it looked like they were giving the group face.
What has the group been doing lately that the department wanted to intervene but didn't, using this kind of soft intervention?
The ministry had already noticed this situation two years ago when Hongxing Steel Group began to aggressively recruit university graduates.
At the beginning, Hongxing Factory had no reputation and no ability to absorb and place so many college graduates, so the ministry did not react much.
However, in the past two years, in the process of realizing the group, Hongxing Factory first established a scientific research institute to support the development and construction of various industrial enterprises, and then last year integrated the resources of these research institutes to establish a research institute.
This is one aspect. On the other hand, the group attaches great importance to and respects the working environment and development space of cultural and technological workers, and actively strives to recruit scientific and technological workers from all over the country who are related to the business of Hongxing Factory.
Initially, the efforts were not significant, but as the group continued to generate profits and invest funds in expanding its human resources work, screening and recruiting outstanding talents nationwide, this move has been noticed and reported by many parties.
The ministry began to take this issue seriously and investigated it indirectly. They found that the Hongxing Factory had no problems with talent recruitment and utilization, and that the management committee chaired by Li Huaide had no errors in proposing the concept of scientific development.
However, the influx of so many technical talents and scientific and technological workers into Hongxing Steel Group has greatly increased the number of university graduates entering the group, raising the average educational level of the group's management and technical staff by more than one level.
To make a more direct comparison, Hongxing Factory has already taken the lead over its sister factories in terms of the number of employees with a college degree or above.
This is not necessarily a bad thing, but we need to be wary of the qualitative changes that may result from certain quantitative changes. The ministry did not want to say anything, so it proposed this plan.
Your Hongxing Steel Group has proposed prioritizing science and technology, developing industry and technology, and you have an independent education and training system, so what's the point of constantly recruiting new people instead of training your own workers?
Workers are always advanced, and it's wrong for Hongxing Factory to say that its workers lack potential for development and value.
Therefore, the Ministry's statements and arrangements, especially the requirement for the 721 Academy to allocate some places to joint enterprises, demonstrate the Ministry's care and concern in every aspect.
What else could Li Huaide say? He could only suffer in silence.
However, the teaching methods of 721 College are very modern, combining theory and practice. Theoretical learning takes place in the vocational college, while practical learning is carried out in various enterprises.
These workers selected for the training program must possess basic cultural and organizational skills, and after training and development, they will definitely be able to strengthen the grassroots management force.
It's nothing more than investing a lot of energy and money, a point Li Xuewu largely agrees with; no amount of investment in education is too much.
"That's a good thing; it's also a step forward for our vocational and technical college."
Li Xuewu looked at Li Huaide and said, "If the 721 College can be successfully established, then in the future our group's vocational and technical college may be further developed into a university."
"You really dare to dream!"
Li Huaide shook his head and said with a wry smile, "Which university in China doesn't have a profound history? It's already a laughing stock that we're trying to run a school."
“I don’t think so,” Li Xuewu said with a smile. “A tall building starts from the ground up. Which century-old enterprise didn’t start from scratch?”
He tapped the sofa armrest with his finger, raised an eyebrow and said, "Director Hu Ke of Liaodong Industrial and I discussed whether we could bring together Liaodong Industrial University to cooperate with our industrial enterprises, and further develop teaching exchanges and cooperation with our group's vocational and technical college."
Li Xuewu spread his palms and said, "Broaden our knowledge base, open up channels for cooperation, and achieve win-win results in industry, technology, and education."
"Well, there's no need to hesitate about that." Li Huaide thought for a moment, then looked at Li Xuewu and asked, "Have you seen Deputy Director Lu?"
"Yes, we had a meal together."
Li Xuewu smiled and introduced, "He still remembers you and said he would like you to visit him sometime."
"Hehehe—" Li Huaide chuckled and shook his head, saying, "He's setting up a trap, I wouldn't dare go."
As if he had thought of something, he looked at Li Xuewu and asked, "Will the cooperation with Liaodong Industry begin with academic or technological cooperation?"
"Director Hu Ke has this in mind." Seeing that Old Li had understood, Li Xuewu nodded and explained, "What he meant to me was to proceed step by step, since our Hongxing Steel Group is, after all, an outsider."
"Is this xenophobia?" Li Huaide smiled in surprise, tilted his head and said, "What kind of time is this?"
"Sigh, it's always like this. When it comes to their own interests, change means taking away the cake they have in their hands."
Li Xuewu replied with a smile, "I told Director Hu Ke that we have no problem making the cake together, but we're not going to be the knives for cutting it."
"Hahaha—" Li Huaide laughed with great satisfaction. He had no doubt that Li Xuewu would be eaten to death by the other party in Liaodong after a meal.
Given Li Xuewu's insatiable desire for personal gain and his unwillingness to suffer any loss, how could he possibly stumble in business operations and management?
If he truly lacked the ability, he wouldn't have made things difficult for Li Xuewu in the first place; he could have simply used the excuse of insufficient ability to stop Li Xuewu from going to Liaodong so early.
It now appears that Li Xuewu's work in Liaodong is going very well; internally, a complete handover and stability have been achieved, and externally, a smooth opening up of opportunities has been made.
The key point is that Li Xuewu did not kill a single soldier when he arrived in Liaodong, which shows his ability to handle difficult situations with ease.
“I’ve heard some feedback about the audit work.” Li Huaide thought for a moment and said, “Don’t worry about the group. We will definitely support you where we can. Just go ahead and do it.”
He thought for a moment and then said, "Whether it's a secondment or a temporary assignment, we need to summarize our experience. Your asset audit of the group's various industrial enterprises in Liaodong was a pioneering effort in cross-auditing."
"This requires the support and assistance of the group and the management committee." Li Xuewu said very seriously, "I have asked the leading group office to take the lead in organizing the work. Next, relevant departments of the group, together with other personnel transferred here, will go to various industrial enterprises to carry out a comprehensive asset inventory."
“Yes, we can proceed as planned.” Li Huaide nodded and said, “I will emphasize this matter at this week’s office meeting.”
He thought for a moment, then looked at Li Xuewu and said, "If things in the capital are almost settled, you should go back as soon as possible, and don't let anything go wrong at this time."
"I understand, the train is booked for tomorrow morning."
Li Xuewu nodded and said, "The construction progress of Gangfei's production line will be reported on time every week. You've seen Gangqi's new project, right?"
Seeing that Lao Li nodded, he continued, "Next, the Liaodong Industrial Management Group will launch the established construction plan when the project period arrives, and comprehensively promote the overall planning and construction of the Hongxing Steel City Industrial Zone."
"No problem, the hospital and exhibition hall plans can proceed." Li Huaide nodded in confirmation. "When do you plan to start construction on the school and office building? Is there a lot of financial pressure?"
“It’s big, but we can still think of a way.” Li Xuewu said with a smile, “As long as I have a penny left, I won’t go looking for trouble with Deputy Director Jing.”
"Hehe—" Li Huaide smiled and glanced at him, saying, "Comrade Yu Nong's serious and responsible attitude towards work is something we should all learn from."
He picked up his teacup, took a sip, and then said, "We don't need to be too harsh on the issue of funds. This year we need to tighten our belts, but not to the point of strangling ourselves."
Setting down his teacup, Old Li raised his chin again and said, "We still need you to talk to Comrade Wang Xiaoqin. Try to be as prepared as possible."
“No problem.” Li Xuewu nodded and said, “I will take care of her work, and you can provide more support for the work in Liaodong.”
He smiled and handed a document to Old Li, saying, "These are some of my recent ideas. Time is tight this time, so please take a look first. We can discuss it again when I come back next time. If it's suitable, I think we can do it this year."
"Oh—" Li Huaide took the document that Li Xuewu pulled out from under the notebook and looked at it. The text was handwritten, in Li Xuewu's handwriting.
"The Four Constructions?" He looked at Li Xuewu with some surprise, then opened the cover of the document. He already understood what the Four Constructions were.
There's no need to read any further; the summary on the homepage alone clearly demonstrates the considerable effort Li Xuewu put into preparing for this.
With Li Xuewu's involvement, the availability of scrap materials is sure to be a crucial guiding document for Hongxing Steel Group this year.
If you were to say that Director Li is in such a predicament that he still needs Li Xuewu to provide work plans, isn't that a bit shameful?
Don't say that. You have to think of it this way: it's not that he can't make guiding documents, but his documents and ideas would be inferior to Li Xuewu's. So he simply didn't do it in the first place. That way, no matter how talented Li Xuewu is, he can't compare to him. That's the right way to think!
I didn't do anything, what are you comparing me to! How can you even compare?
What a load of rubbish! This is called governing by doing nothing. Learn from it!
-
"Did Gu Yan borrow money from you?"
That evening, Gu Ning checked on the children and found they were asleep before returning to the master bedroom. Seeing Li Xuewu reading a book, she asked him this question.
Li Xuewu abruptly looked up from the book, glanced at her, and asked, "How did you know? Did he tell you?"
Do you think he would say that to me?
Gu Ning walked to the bedside and sat down, saying calmly, "I saw him buy a car for Zhou Yao, so I said his allowance wasn't enough."
"Hey, brother-in-law, it's no big deal," Li Xuewu said with a smile, taking her hand and asking, "You, as the older sister, aren't worried about the money, are you?"
“Why would I feel sorry for him? I’m just worried he’ll get used to it.” Gu Ning frowned slightly, looking at Li Xuewu seriously, and said, “He really needs the money, and I don’t care if you lend it to him, but just to buy a motorcycle…”
"Yes, I didn't know what he wanted to do, I just asked to borrow some money."
Li Xuewu actually knew, but he couldn't say it too clearly at the moment; there was no need for him to take the blame for his brother-in-law.
“Then this will not happen again. I will not lend him this amount of money again. If he asks, I will tell him that all the money in the house is under your control.”
Do you think he'll believe you if you say that?
Now it was Gu Ning's turn to doubt him. She shook off his hand, turned around, got into bed, and said, "When have I ever managed our family's money?"
"Look at you, if you want to manage the money, don't use my brother-in-law as an excuse. He's only married once, he just loves his wife."
Li Xuewu smiled and put his arm around Gu Ning, saying, "Just tell me how much you want to manage, and I'll have someone organize it tomorrow and hand it all over to you."
"Are you doing this on purpose?" Gu Ning lay on his arm, glancing at him sideways as she asked, "You know perfectly well that I'm not used to handling money."
"Alright, you're the boss here, whatever you say goes." Li Xuewu didn't dare argue with Gu Ning anymore; she had a potential for mutation.
What's wrong with my wife? She's changed so much. She never used to gossip so much, but now she's arguing with me.
Especially her eyes, which are much more expressive and nuanced than before, sometimes even switching between anger and coquettishness.
"How about we get another one?"
Li Xuewu was the kind of person who would take advantage of someone's kindness. Seeing that Gu Ning was willing to chat with him, he started causing trouble.
"Look, Li Shu is already 5 years old, and Li Ning is almost 3. Wouldn't it be perfect to have another one?"
He leaned on his arm and counted on his fingers for Gu Ning, saying, "By the time you give birth to the third child, the eldest will be starting elementary school, and the second child can be taken care of by Grandma or Mom. You'll have an easier time then, won't you?"
"Why am I so relieved?"
Gu Ning frowned slightly and reminded him, "Don't forget, your sister-in-law is due to give birth this fall. Who will take care of the third son then? You?"
"Of course I can't take care of her. How about I bring my mother-in-law back?"
Li Xuewu offered a random suggestion: "Let her stay at our house. Grandma takes care of the same kind of child, it's all the same."
"Hmm, that's a beautiful idea."
Gu Ning curled her lip and said, "My mother doesn't even take care of the eldest grandson, how could she come to our house to take care of the younger ones?"
"Hey, you mentioned it, I was just about to ask that." Li Xuewu raised his eyebrows and asked, "Does Mom not like children?"
"What are you trying to say?" Gu Ning narrowed her eyes and glared at him. "How about I ask around for you tomorrow?"
"Tsk—we're just chatting, why are you getting all worked up?"
Li Xuewu smiled and put his arm around her, saying, "Then tell me, do we still want our third son? You decide on this matter in our family."
He raised an eyebrow and said, "I advise you to be prepared. If those two next door become successful, you won't have the days of being surrounded by your children and grandchildren."
There's a saying that goes, "Good children are raised by the country, only naughty children are raised by themselves."
Li Xuewu touched her belly and said, "If you think it's too noisy, then we can just do what Li Shu and Li Ning do, and we'll be just as close."
"Then let's leave it to fate—" Gu Ning seemed to have some concerns, but didn't intend to say them out loud, and just agreed.
Seeing that she had said that, Li Xuewu nodded in affirmation and said, "Then let it be. If we get them, we'll take them; if not, we'll keep these two."
When are you leaving tomorrow?
Gu Ning glanced at him and asked, "Why didn't you go see Guodong and the others this time you came back?"
“Hmm, I don’t plan to see them.” Li Xuewu hugged her and lay down on the pillow together, letting out a long sigh and saying, “Sometimes if you hold on too tightly, they won’t run away on their own; sometimes if you loosen your grip for too long, they might go astray.”
"Have you thought carefully about what you will do in the future, and what they will do?" Gu Ning suddenly asked such a profound question, catching Li Xuewu off guard.
He looked up at Gu Ning and asked, "Did you hear something, or think of something?"
"No, I saw Guodong and Xiaoyan that day." Gu Ning also sighed and said lightly, "Xiaoyan said that Guodong is busy, so busy that he is sometimes not at home, and he talks about business matters every day."
"They want a child, don't they?"
Li Xuewu thought for a moment and said, "I'll find some time to talk to them later. This matter of the child can't be delayed. We should handle it as it should be."
"What about the others?" Gu Ning asked, looking at him. "Are you going to keep managing them like this, taking responsibility for everything they do?"
“This isn’t something that can be explained by a single person.” Li Xuewu thought for a moment and said, “It’s a two-way street, just like you and me.”
"You and me? And them?" Gu Ning raised an eyebrow and asked, "Is this how you define friendship?"
"What are you thinking?" Li Xuewu smiled and looked at her, saying, "Our friendship is purely revolutionary, it has stood the test of time, it is..."
-
When do you and Xiaoyan plan to have children?
At the train station, Li Xuewu asked Shen Guodong, who had come to see him off, "I heard you're so busy these days that you don't even go home anymore?"
He looked his brother up and down and asked, "Do you want me to give you a break so you can go back and spend some time with Xiaoyan?"
"No, please don't—" Shen Guodong said, his face flushed, "If you give me leave, I won't be able to face them again."
"She's just venting, don't take it to heart. I'm not having an affair, I'm just really busy lately."
Shen Guodong explained, "If this street wants to expand its business and achieve economies of scale, it would be best to form a linkage with several neighboring streets."
"I was in charge of part of this job, and after Xiaobai left, I still have to be in charge of the distribution business." He said with a wry smile, "I never realized how big the business was before, but now that we're short-handed, it's really getting busy."
“If you’re too busy, just cut some business. What’s there to be reluctant about?” Li Xuewu said, looking at him. “If no one else is doing it, are you going to work yourself to death? Can’t you train people?”
"We don't have enough people to go around, so how can we train more people now?"
Shen Guodong shook his head slightly and said, "I've discussed it with my third uncle and the others. The boys are not suitable for the time being. They can be helpers, but we can't entrust them with important tasks. Otherwise, their potential will be misguided, which would be a pity."
“It’s not suitable to hire people from outside for every project.” He thought for a moment, then looked at Li Xuewu and asked, “I was thinking, could we take this opportunity to get rid of these projects that we’re doing in the same neighborhood? We’re not making much money anyway.”
“What’s there to hesitate about? Leave it to the neighborhood committee and go talk to your godmother.” Li Xuewu nodded decisively and said, “Don’t be reluctant. You have to give up something to gain something. Just pick up the distribution business from now on.”
"That's what I'm thinking too. We can't afford to lose out on distribution. My third uncle has been helping me with that recently."
Shen Guodong nodded and said, "He's doing research and making plans, trying to reorganize our distribution system and form a complete system."
"Is he just bored? Why is he building a system at this time?"
Li Xuewu said, amused and annoyed, "Tell him to stop doing useless things, get well soon and go to Steel City to hand over the reins."
"Speaking of which, I wanted to mention something else to you," Shen Guodong said with a smile. "My third uncle actually didn't want to go back to Dongfeng Shipping; he felt it was beneath him."
"Where does he want to go back to? Hong Kong?" Li Xuewu smirked and said, "He doesn't want to go back to Hong Kong, he misses his dozen or so girlfriends, doesn't he?"
"Hehehe, I don't know, I just figured it out." Shen Guodong raised an eyebrow and said, "He didn't catch you when you came back this time, but if he really saw you, he might bring it up."
“Tell him there’s no possibility.”
Li Xuewu snorted and said, "Biaozi is still working hard in Hong Kong. He'll never be able to clean up the mess there."
"So complicated?" Shen Guodong frowned and said, "I even said I would go there to resolve things over there as soon as possible."
"Haven't you noticed that we're getting fewer and fewer messages from Hong Kong?" Li Xuewu said casually. "I'm worried about them too."
"Brother Wu—" Shen Guodong asked, his eyes wide, "What if Brother Biao…?"
"Don't worry, he's not like my third uncle. He can do what my third uncle couldn't, and he doesn't even have the heart to be ruthless like my third uncle did."
Li Xuewu curled his lip and said, "Whether Biaozi going to Hong Kong is a blessing or a curse, we'll see how it goes in the end."
Is the port city in turmoil? Is Sister Wang returning?
(End of this chapter)