He Daqing, do you know how I've lived these past years?

"Sir, I'm here. Just give me any tasks you need, and see how well I handle them."

Jia Gui bent over and laughed.

Le You looked at Jia Gui in front of him and laughed.

"Jia Gui, has anyone ever told you that your face is funny?"

Seeing Le You take out a cigarette, Jia Gui hurriedly took out a box of matches from his pocket, lit the cigarette, and said:

"We all depend on our superiors for a living; I am their knife, I go wherever they point."

Leyou nodded, exhaled a puff of smoke, and said:

"You and the cavalry battalion will go into the city to recruit 1 soldiers. We need men from respectable families; we don't want bandits or hooligans. Kill any bandits we find, and we can send away any hooligans who have reformed."

Upon hearing this, Jia Gui immediately knelt on the ground and kowtowed, saying:

"Thank you for your kind words, sir. I, Lao Jia, will definitely ensure that every step is carefully checked."

After saying that, he left, and Mulan happened to walk in, covering her mouth as she said:

"Senior brother, what happened? The telegram from Lao Liu said that Zhang Qishan is targeting and suppressing the Seven Sects. Apart from Qi Tiezui, the others' influence has shrunk considerably."

"Oh, I see. But that's an internal matter for them. As long as Lao Liu is alright, that's all that matters."

"Hmph, if it weren't for that so-called fairy maiden, I would have been able to go to the Yuan Kingdom in a few days. But Sixth Brother said that Chen Yulou and Partridge Whistle are with him, and he can have them accompany me."

Le You nodded after listening. Although these two weren't as ruthless as Lao Liu, they were still good generals.

"Okay, that's settled then. Take care of things at the manor these next few days, and we'll set off as soon as they arrive. Now, go prepare the car; we'll take a drive around the city."

"Okay, senior brother."

……

"Senior brother, that's the Lou's Steel Plant."

Leyou's face darkened as he looked at the factory gate in front of him.

The entrance was piled high with earth and stone bags, topped with a heavy machine gun and five light machine guns. Behind them, a mortar could be vaguely seen, protected by barbed wire and stag antlers. A dozen or so men carrying rifles were patrolling.

"Let's go check out the other cotton mills and meat processing plants."

The engineer driving the car also quickly turned the steering wheel and drove away into the distance.

We visited several factories along the way. Each factory gate had machine guns, and there were people patrolling with guns. The Lou's factory was the largest, and it even had medium-sized artillery.

Leyou suddenly remembered what her master had said before, and that Jingxian had mentioned going over for dinner.

So he had the engineer drive back to the mansion, and when he went upstairs to find Jingxian, she found that she had already taken Jianguo and Huangying out for a stroll.

After thinking for a moment, he went to his master's room and told him that he wanted to have dinner together. His master hesitated for a moment and said:

"My disciple, some things aren't about fighting and killing, but about human relationships and social interactions. But every situation has its advantages and disadvantages; as long as you don't act against your conscience, that's fine."

Afterwards, Leyou bid farewell to his meditating master and went downstairs to continue handling his affairs.

As evening fell, Huang Ying entered the mansion carrying large and small bags. Upon seeing Le You sitting on the sofa in the lobby, she exclaimed:

"Senior brother, do you think my hair looks good? This hair is fake."

Looking at Huang Ying in front of her, dressed in high heels, black stockings, and a dark green cheongsam, Le You sighed in admiration.

"My daughter has come of age."

"Beautiful, the little oriole has grown up."

Nianmin, who was outside the door, quickly ran in and said:

"Father, Father, we're back!"

Leyou scooped up Nianmin, who had run over, and playfully pinched his nose, saying:

"Have you been behaving well in school? What has the instructor been teaching you?"

Nianmin scratched the back of his head and said:

"I've been very well-behaved. Today, the instructor assigned us seats."

I was tall, so I sat in the last row. Some of the shorter people sat in the first row, but later, after the instructor asked us what our fathers did, I moved to the first row.”

Leyou, who had just been all smiles, suddenly turned gloomy.

Seeing this, Nianmin, who was in his arms, immediately lowered his head, tears welling up in his eyes.

Just then, Jingxian, who was carrying Jianguo, quickly walked over from behind and tapped Leyou on the shoulder, saying:

What are you doing? You've scared the child!

Leyou also said awkwardly:

"Alright, Nianmin, tell your father what happened."

Nianmin also lowered his head and said:

"Everything was ready, but then the instructor asked each of us what our fathers did. Some were compradors, some worked at clinics, some were patrolmen, some were important officials in the city, and some were farmers. I told him my father was a garrison commander."

"Then I and those classmates whose families were important figures in the city sat in the first row, while everyone else remained seated. Only a few classmates whose families were farmers sat in the last row."

But they were very short, and one student asked the instructor, "He's sitting at the very back and can't see the blackboard."

"As a result, the instructor scolded him, asking him what he had been doing these past few years, whether he had been eating properly, and whether he had tried to grow taller."

After hearing this, Le You's veins bulged, and he turned to Mulan beside him and said:

"Go to the education bureau tomorrow to find out what happened. Punish them if they deserve it. From now on, student seating arrangements will be based on height. You are not allowed to inquire about students' families. Anyone found doing so will be dismissed."

Leyou looked at everyone and continued:

"Go and call Master down; we're going to the Lou family's for dinner."

Huang Ying also abandoned what she had bought.

"dong dong dong"

She ran upstairs to call her master, while Jingxian hugged Jianguo and said:

"Brother, when you went out this afternoon, a telegram came from Meixian. The joint college entrance exam is in a few days, and you need to take it at the Youmei Vocational School in Beijing. If you pass, you can get your graduation certificate. They don't know what will happen next year."

Leyou nodded, and seeing his master come downstairs, they walked together toward the jeep outside.

……

"Quickly, arrange all these flowers and lay out the carpet."

Tanya kept directing the servants, while a little girl of about five years old bit her finger and asked:

"Mom, these flowers are so pretty! It's not New Year's Day, why are you doing this?"

Tanya squatted down and stroked the girl's head, saying:

"Xiao'e, a grandfather is coming to our house for dinner later. Only after tonight can my daughter and I truly gain a foothold in the Lou family, and the other two branches won't dare to treat us badly. Remember, make sure that grandfather hugs you later, or get the uncle in the military uniform to hug you. Be sure to be sweet-talking."

Lou Xiao'e nodded.

At this moment, Lou Zhenhua, dressed in a suit and yellow and white leather shoes, walked out, sweating profusely, and said:

"Yali, everything is almost ready. The chefs for the Tan Family Cuisine restaurant are also ready today."

Tan Yali nodded, stood up, walked to Lou Zhenhua, and reached out to help straighten his collar, saying:

"Are my eldest and second eldest sisters really not coming?"

Lou Zhenhua also shook his head and said:

"Xiao Kang's health wasn't good, and his condition hadn't improved after so long in China. Instead, the hospitals and clinics were making such a fuss, so I asked my second aunt to take the child to the United States. It just so happens that she has some businesses there, so my eldest aunt can take the child along to take a look."

A flicker of excitement crossed Tanya Li's eyes as she said:

"Grandpa Pingdaozi is also skilled in medicine; otherwise, he could help take a look at Erlang's condition,"

Lou Zhenhua nodded and urged:

"Alright, that's enough. Let's go outside and wait. It's Commander Yue's first time here; we can't be impolite."

Just then, the sound of a horn beeping came from afar.

Lou Zhenhua hurriedly pulled Tan Yali out of the courtyard and smiled as he looked at the two jeeps driving towards them in the distance, and the soldiers running after them.

……