sinovels Chapter 1705 Authentic
Chapter 1705 Authentic
Chapter 1705 Authentic
Before leaving Li Xuewu's office, Xu Sinian asked a very meaningful question:
Just as Li Xuewu predicted, what if the Bretton Woods system collapses?
Xu Sinian has already understood the logic behind America's actions, and now he wants to know what to do next.
"What can we do? What else can we do?"
Li Xuewu picked up his teacup and said casually, "When crude oil prices rise, the price of fuel produced by refineries also rises."
"Since the price of raw materials has gone up, the price of products will also go up. It's okay, everyone will go up together."
"Well—" Xu Sinian's brain was completely overwhelmed; his explanation almost caused him to crash.
"Then all that increase in crude oil prices was for nothing, wasn't it?"
He raised an eyebrow and said, "If the oil is sold at a high price, unless they stop buying foreign goods, the money will still be the same."
"This is knowledge from the field of economics; I, a psychology teacher, am not qualified to explain it to you."
Li Xuewu waved his hand and said, "You've got eyes now, go find the information and learn it yourself."
In short, Xu Sinian ran out of power. Seeing Li Xuewu's impatience, he could only twitch his lips and leave.
Ma Baosen stood at the door with a smile, and saw him off when he came out, explaining, "The Secretary-General has been so busy these past few days that he's lost all his patience."
"Why is the boss so busy?" Xu Sinian glanced at him with feigned seriousness and asked, "Have you been slacking off?"
"..." Ma Baosen stopped laughing; he wanted to curse.
The leaders at headquarters are all very nice. General Manager Xu has a mild temper and rarely glares at people or yells.
Mr. Kwong used to have a bad temper, but in the years he's been at the steel rolling mill, we've rarely seen him lose his temper.
Especially now that they've reached this position, sometimes even Ma Baosen dares to joke around with them.
"Secretary Ma, someone is looking for you."
Hearing someone call him from inside the office, Ma Baosen waved his hand and slipped away as if granted a pardon. It seemed that General Manager Xu was quite resentful today!
"Whose call is this?" he asked as he entered the main office. The clerk pointed to the address book on the wall, and he answered the call.
"Hello, this is the general manager's office."
He habitually responded with a reply, and after listening to the explanation from the other end, he nodded repeatedly, making a series of humming and groaning sounds before finally hanging up the phone.
"Secretary Ma, where did this phone call come from?"
The clerk who had just delivered the message on the phone asked with a smile, "Your voice sounds so sweet."
"You think you're so good at hearing—"
Ma Baosen chuckled and then casually explained, "The group's cultural propaganda team is coming down to perform for the troops. Just wait and see what happens."
"A good show? Is it a real good show, or just that kind of show?"
The clerk raised an eyebrow and asked expectantly, "Is the dance troupe coming?"
"All you know is the dance troupe—"
Ma Baosen nodded irritably, then laughed and scolded, "You want to see a dance? I don't even want to talk to you about it!"
"Who said that! I just love watching dance!"
The clerk was a few years younger than him and had only been with the company for a short time. She was at a lively age, and everyone joked around very casually.
"Isn't watching dance just watching the performers, and watching performers just watching dance?"
"You think you're so clever? Ha!"
As Ma Baosen walked out, he said, "Don't dream about it. This time, it's not a dance troupe, but a traditional opera troupe."
"Traditional opera? What kind of traditional opera?" The clerk was taken aback and asked, "Our group's troupe? They even perform model operas?"
"I'll tell you!" Ma Baosen turned around, raised his eyebrows, and said, "Whoever tells me, tell me! Hahaha—"
***
On July 4th, Li Xuewu met Jin Jiaojiao, the head of the Dongfeng Art Troupe, who had led the troupe to perform for the troops in Ganggang, in his office.
The Dongfeng Art Troupe is the opera troupe of the Dongfeng No. 1 Club. It has always been affiliated with the Hongxing Art Troupe and participated in theater performances.
Over the years, under the protection of the club, the Dongfeng Art Troupe has united and protected a group of outstanding young talents in the opera world, as well as future seeds.
Many opera actors who are unable to perform on stage, or who no longer have the opportunity to mentor younger generations, or who are unable to take care of their children and nephews and still make a living from this profession, have entrusted their children and nephews to this place.
Originally, Tong Huimei and Jin Jiaojiao respected Mai Xiaotian and his wife as their teachers and invited Mai Xiaotian to serve as the head of the cultural troupe.
Mai Xiaotian declined, citing health and family reasons, leaving the burden to fall on the two of them.
At this time, everyone thought it was good to take shelter under the big tree, and no one dared to step forward and compete for the position.
Besides, you can't be obligated to someone who feeds you. How many people are struggling to make ends meet? They eat all three meals a day in the troupe. Whose food are they eating?
They knew perfectly well who paid for the meal; the two mainstays, or rather, the already famous Tong Huimei and Jin Jiaojiao, rarely received performance fees.
Where did all the performance fees go?
Whether it's offering condolences to senior figures in the opera world or taking care of orphaned colleagues, this act of kindness and righteousness has completely won over the opera community.
Despite their young age, the two are quite senior in the Peking Opera world, and many famous performers regard them as junior apprentices.
You should know that these famous figures are at least forty years old, but that's because these two are studying under that master.
This is not a nominal appointment, nor is it a continuation of a master's legacy after death; it is a genuine closed-door disciple who invited witnesses and kowtowed to offer tea.
The world of traditional opera is also full of amusement; there are quite a few people who kowtow to tombstones and become apprentices. I really don't know what they're after.
With their high seniority, strong abilities, powerful backgrounds, and kind hearts, these two are figures of great respect, regardless of who they are.
Tong Huimei disliked these mundane affairs and devoted herself entirely to her performing arts skills, spending her days practicing in addition to a simple life.
Jin Jiaojiao has a lively personality. Although her skills have improved thanks to the guidance and teaching of her senior sister and the training of Teacher Mai Xiaotian, she is now considered one of the best in her age group.
However, compared to Tong Huimei, who is obsessed with acting, she is far inferior, especially after she took on a management position in the past two years, the gap has become more and more obvious.
So she stopped forcing it and only went on stage when needed, spending most of her time on the management of the folk art troupe.
Honggang Group has five theaters in Beijing. Apart from the group's own performing arts troupe, they are the only ones specializing in traditional opera.
Regarding traditional opera performances, they were naturally not allowed to sing them in the past. At first, they tried to sing model operas, but later they asked playwrights to write new plays.
New plays can only be in line with model plays, or focus on major historical events in the development of Honggang Group, or outstanding role models among the employees.
In an era of entertainment scarcity, it's hard for audiences not to get used to a team that puts so much effort into their work.
From small stages to full-length plays, from theaters to radio stations, now United Radio has a program that broadcasts their operas every day.
Only a minority of people go to the theater to watch plays. They are either people who enjoy listening to and watching plays, or people from wealthy families who need entertainment to enrich their lives.
Few people know them through the theater, but many more know about the Dongfeng Quyi Art Troupe and these opera actors through the radio.
Over time, the Dongfeng Quyi Art Troupe, under the Honggang Group Art Troupe, gained fame.
The most direct result is that tickets for the Red Star Theater on Saturday nights are basically sold out, as they are all bought up by idle people queuing up.
This time, in response to the group's call to extend greetings and appreciation to grassroots employees, Red Star Literature and Art Publishing House specially organized a cultural outreach activity to the grassroots.
Jin Jiaojiao wore a white short-sleeved shirt, black high-waisted pencil pants, and white Warrior sneakers, looking so youthful and beautiful.
What others didn't know was that Ma Baosen was a little nervous; his face was flushed when he led her into the house.
"Greetings, leader! The Dongfeng Quyi Art Troupe reporting for duty!"
Jin Jiaojiao's voice was filled with laughter, and her gaze towards him was so intense, more dazzling than the blazing sun outside the window.
Ma Baosen stood by the tea cabinet with his head down, his hands trembling slightly. He had no idea that the group's cultural troupe had such a beautiful girl.
Just a few days ago he was making fun of Xiao Liu, but today it's his turn to embarrass himself.
He didn't want people to find out, but looking back, the feeling of being ignored was even worse.
"Please...please have some tea."
When the secretary-general invited Head of Delegation Jin to sit down across from him at the desk, he brought over tea and stammered a polite greeting.
Li Xuewu looked at him with some surprise. What's wrong with this kid?
Ma Baosen didn't dare let the girl see through his thoughts, so he certainly didn't dare let his superiors laugh at him.
The tea had just been set out when the person turned and left, even walking faster and faster.
Li Xuewu glanced at the doorway and thought to himself, "He's just a young man in his twenties, and he doesn't even have this much self-control?"
"You boarded the train last night?"
Li Xuewu smiled slightly, looked at the girl he hadn't seen in a long time, and asked, "Are you tired?"
"It's alright, not too tiring."
Jin Jiaojiao smiled brightly, looking at the man in front of her. In fact, she didn't need to say anything; her burning gaze conveyed everything.
"Hehe—" Li Xuewu chuckled as he looked at her lively demeanor and said, "I'll treat you to dinner tonight. You can have whatever you like."
"I'm a glutton now, but I need to protect my voice, sister." Jin Jiaojiao winked mischievously and said, "How about we have dumplings?"
She pursed her lips and said, "My sister loves zucchini dumplings the most, just put less lamb in them."
"That's putting me in a difficult position," Li Xuewu shook his head and said, "If you want braised pork knuckle, I can take you there; as for dumplings—"
He thought for a moment and said, "Okay, we'll have dumplings for dinner."
"I hope I didn't cause you any trouble?"
Jin Jiaojiao said shyly, "I was just saying, it's okay if it's inconvenient."
"It's okay, I've said everything."
Li Xuewu looked her over and said, "Tonight we'll have mutton and zucchini dumplings."
He gestured with his chin, indicating that she should ask, "You mentioned what your sister likes to eat. What about you? What do you like to eat?"
"How about another fish?"
Jin Jiaojiao stuck out her tongue like a little glutton and said, "I want to eat braised carp, preferably a big one so the bones are easy to remove."
"No problem, that's easy."
As Li Xuewu said this, he reached for the phone on his desk, dialed a few times, and said, "Get me the Dongfeng Wharf in Gangcheng. My surname is Li."
Seeing that he was really going to make arrangements, Jin Jiaojiao felt that she had gone too far, but she didn't dare to interrupt him. She could only look around nervously.
She had never seen him in his office, nor in his office in Beijing, and she had never even been to Gangcheng.
The moment she entered, all she could see was him; she couldn't see anything else. That's why she found it so novel now.
On the wall were several maps framed in wooden frames, as well as charts with incomprehensible content. Near the door, all the way to behind his desk, were filing cabinets and a bookcase.
He has so many books and so many work documents that the filing cabinets are overflowing and piled up on a large conference table, with some even piled up under the table.
It looks a bit crowded, but it's not messy at all. Behind the three-seater sofa is a large square table with some blueprints on it.
However, there weren't many piles of documents on his desk; at most, they were about a stack high and arranged very neatly.
There was even a newspaper with a folded corner on the other side, which, combined with the calligraphy and painting behind him, made him look somewhat serious and dignified.
"Okay, pick the biggest ones and clean them for me, then deliver them to Guanshan Road. If there are any green vegetables or anything, prepare some as well."
After the call connected, Li Xuewu gave some instructions, then said, "Okay, that's settled."
"You're really going to cook fish for me?"
With tears of emotion in her eyes, Jin Jiaojiao said, "I can't eat much; my eyes are big, but my stomach is small."
"It's okay, the big fish tastes better."
Li Xuewu nodded and looked at her, saying, "This activity was applied for by the group. It's mid-year, and we wanted to liven up the lives of our employees."
"Yes, we have received the request from the regiment."
Hearing him talk about serious work, Jin Jiaojiao also became serious and reported, "As requested by Deputy Director Zhang, we have selected four programs."
"The total duration is estimated to be around two and a half hours. Do you have any requirements?"
"I don't have any specific requirements, I'll just do my best."
Li Xuewu smiled and said, "I didn't expect the publishing house to arrange for you to come, but it's good. Opera has more storytelling, and the comrades all like it."
"Guaranteed to complete the mission!"
Jin Jiaojiao stood up and gave him a spirited salute.
Seeing Li Xuewu's amused expression, she laughed too.
-
"Oh dear, you didn't even call me before you arrived."
Yu Li looked at the two of them with a slightly reproachful tone, and said with a smile, "What? You're not planning to come see me?"
"No way—" Tong Huimei was a little embarrassed, but Jin Jiaojiao had long since honed her smooth talk, and jokingly pulled Yu Li's arm, saying, "I just wanted to give you a surprise—"
"I think it's a fake surprise—"
Yu Li tapped her forehead and said, "You seem afraid to come see me. If your brother Li hadn't called me, I would have been completely in the dark."
"If I find out that you came and went quietly, I will definitely not let you off when I return to the capital."
"It's all my sister's fault!" Jin Jiaojiao immediately betrayed Tong Huimei, her tone full of resentment as she said, "She insisted that you were busy and that she was sorry to bother you, but now that she's not saying anything, it's all my fault."
"You little brat—" Once inside the living room, surrounded by family, Tong Huimei was no longer reserved and reached out to pinch Jin Jiaojiao, both amused and annoyed.
The two were making a scene, which made Yu Li laugh.
"Is dinner ready?"
Seeing the two playing around, Li Xuewu nodded and smiled, then said to Yu Li, "If the food is ready, let's eat it early."
"Who knows when you'll be back? We're only going to start cooking when you get back."
Yu Li got up and went to the kitchen, saying, "Go take a shower first, I've prepared all your clothes."
"Didn't they say there were also Bang Geng and Lao Si?"
As Li Xuewu passed by the kitchen, he asked, "Why haven't they arrived yet?"
“Bang Geng drove himself here, then went out again, saying he was going to buy beer,” Yu Li explained, then complained, “I don’t know who he learned to drink from, he’s actually learned to drink.”
"Beer isn't considered alcohol, and it doesn't make you drunk."
Li Xuewu said one sentence and then went to the bathroom to take a shower, not even hearing the second half of Yu Li's discussion about beer.
After arguing for a while, Jin Jiaojiao and Tong Huimei got up to help in the kitchen, but were chased out by Yu Li.
"Go out and rest, you've been on the train all day."
Yu Li waved her hand and said, "The dishes are all prepared, they'll be ready soon, we don't need your help."
"My sister knows me; she'll only make things worse by trying to help," Jin Jiaojiao said with a smile. "The more she tries to help, the more trouble she causes."
Who cooks at home between you two?
There are two stoves in the house, and Yu Li can use both hands to cook two dishes with ease, chatting with her sisters.
This is all thanks to Sha Zhu. Many people in the Daozuofang (a type of traditional Chinese house) learned these basic skills from him, which were more than enough for their daily use.
“If I’m cooking, my sister won’t go into the kitchen. If she does go into the kitchen, she will definitely refuse to let me go in.”
Jin Jiaojiao chuckled and explained, "She said that we could have dinner in half an hour, but when I helped, I ended up working until the wee hours of the morning."
"It's not that exaggerated—" Tong Huimei retorted, "When did I say that?"
When have you ever not said that?
Jin Jiaojiao leaned against the windowsill outside the kitchen, talking to Yu Li through the window, while Tong Huimei looked at the furniture and decorations.
On the way here, when Jiaojiao asked him about it, he explained that this was Sister Zhou's house and that he was temporarily staying here.
Although it wasn't mentioned why Sister Yu was also living here, they both understood that Sister Yu was doing it to take care of him.
The spacious living room, the large study, and the room next to the stairs—she had just finished looking out at the courtyard when she heard the sound of a car at the door.
A loud voice was chattering away, seemingly very excited. There was a noise at the door; they had come in.
"lead--"
"Uncle—"
The two addressed each other in completely different ways, but their pace was similar, and both were very proactive.
Li Xuewu had just come out of the bathroom when he glanced at the two of them and said, "Why are you drinking beer on such a hot day?"
"It's so refreshing! I especially love this."
Old Zhao weighed the thermos in his hand and said, "One thermos is just right. After drinking it, I can sleep comfortably all night."
"Besides, with such hearty dishes today, how can we do without alcohol?"
As he said this, he glanced at Yu Li, who was putting dumplings into the pot, and called out, "Director Yu, you've worked hard!"
"Get lost—" Yu Li retorted irritably, "I told you to come and help earlier, but what you did was better than me."
Without turning her head, she laughed and scolded, "You sent Bang Geng here, what were you doing?"
"Fourth Uncle went to see the elephants—"
Banggeng has been a lovable kid since he was little, so lovable that people want to beat him up.
He chuckled and teased Zhao Laosi, "I saw Aunt Si in town the other day. I offered her a ride, but she was embarrassed."
"Go away, you unlucky kid!"
Zhao Laosi blushed for once and coaxed Banggeng, saying, "Don't cause me any trouble. I'm keeping an eye out for bad guys like you."
"Fourth Uncle is too stingy. He doesn't know how to share even though he has Fourth Aunt."
Banggeng dodged Zhao Laosi's kick, but still couldn't avoid a slap on the head, and ran into the kitchen laughing.
He was used to assisting Yu Li, and he was more familiar with the things in the kitchen than Li Xuewu was.
Li Xuewu was so hungry that he didn't even think to go to the kitchen to get something to eat. On the contrary, Bang Geng had nowhere to go, so he came here to have a meal.
He has a key to this place, and sometimes when Yu Li is away on business, he brings his girlfriend over to fool around.
These days, most parents are busy with work and not at home, neglecting their children's education, which has led to the emergence of many street urchins.
However, there aren't many street hustlers as rich and stylish as Bang Geng. Since he started earning a salary, he hasn't thought about saving any money for his family.
After ending a two-year relationship with his first love, his girlfriend got married first because her family was urging them to get married and he wasn't old enough to be.
After his first love left, Bang Geng became a playboy, changing girls one after another and living a very successful life.
Anyway, he's much better than those rough guys at the recycling station, and they even asked him to learn a couple of tricks.
You said that a bad boy like Bang Geng could go out with Zhao Laosi and get a stranger's contact information in less than ten sentences.
Zhao Laosi naturally didn't believe it, but when Banggeng went over and chatted with her for a bit, he came back with the note the girl had written, and he was dumbfounded.
You said the pheasant-shaped one looks good?
This is partly true, after all, his mother, Qin Huairu, was very beautiful, and none of the three children in the Jia family were ugly.
But as for how good-looking she is, that's debatable.
According to Zhao Laosi, Bang Geng has countless girlfriends, and that Antelope deserves half the credit.
They're all drawn to him because of his status. A young man driving around the city in a car—how could fashionable and image-conscious girls resist?
No one thought about forever; they only cared about the moment. The passionate era was never short of unrestrained youth.
In front of Jin Jiaojiao and the other girl, Zhao Laosi didn't want to talk to this bad boy any more, otherwise he would be exposed.
He chatted with Jin Jiaojiao and Tong Huimei for a few moments with a smile, then got up and went to the restaurant to clear the tables.
Seeing that they were all like this, Jin Jiaojiao and the other woman felt even more embarrassed and went to the kitchen as well.
Yu Li's cooking skills are really good. In just a short while, the vegetables were served one after another.
She didn't rush to eat, but instead urged everyone to start eating. Banggeng even poured wine for everyone.
Why use a thermos to store beer? Because this keeps the beer warm and keeps it cool when you bring it back.
Li Xuewu also took a bite, and it tasted a bit bitter. He wondered if it was because the malt hadn't fermented properly.
Or perhaps the raw materials used for brewing were of poor quality, and in any case, it didn't taste as good as the ones in later generations.
"Hiss—ah—that feels so good!"
Bang Geng gulped down a big mouthful of beer, and his demeanor was unmistakable. Just look at Zhao Laosi; he was exactly the same.
Zhao Laosi glanced at the brat, too lazy to pay him any attention, and turned to Jin Jiaojiao and the others, asking them about the purpose of their visit to Gangcheng.
Jin Jiaojiao explained the cultural troupe's project, which made Zhao Laosi's eyes light up with excitement.
Where is the ceremony held? Are there tickets?
Hearing his initiative, Jin Jiaojiao asked with amusement, "What's wrong, Fourth Brother? Just say the word."
"That's so embarrassing..."
"Uncle wants to take Auntie to see a play!"
Before Zhao Laosi could offer a tactful explanation, Banggeng had already exposed his secret.
He was so embarrassed that he turned around and glared at Bang Geng, reminding him that if he kept talking nonsense, he would sew his mouth shut.
Banggeng wasn't afraid of him at all. He looked at Jin Jiaojiao and asked, "Sister, if you have any tickets, give me two. I want to take a girl to see a play."
Ignoring Zhao Laosi's eager gaze, he pointed to the person beside him and emphasized, "There's no need to give it to Fourth Uncle; he doesn't like listening to opera."
"Who said that!" Zhao Laosi emphasized righteously, "Then it would be great if Guan Yu fought Qin Qiong!"
-
After eating dumplings and braised carp, Jin Jiaojiao and Tong Huimei returned home laden with their food. Li Xuewu didn't let Bang Geng take them home.
Although they only drank a few beers, given Bang Geng and Zhao Laosi's drinking capacity, he trusted the two of them to drive back on their own, but he didn't trust them to take care of others.
So Li Xuewu drove Banggeng's car and took Jin Jiaojiao and Tong Huimei back to the guesthouse.
With the performance just around the corner, the troupe leader and the main performers can go out for social events in the evening, but staying out all night is out of the question.
They have to be managers and role models, so they can only finish their meals and have a cup of tea before heading back.
These days, people go to bed early, wishing they could lie down as soon as it gets dark and get up to go for a walk before dawn.
Li Xuewu parked his car in front of the guesthouse, said nothing more, turned the car around, and drove back.
The reason for this is that I don't want to cause trouble for the two of them. There will be plenty of time and opportunities to reunite, so why would I let so many people see it?
Seeing it is fine, but it must be done properly. He personally entertained the two of them, and sending them back at this time shows how much face he has to give!
This serves as a reminder to some people not to have any unrealistic ideas, as these two individuals also have connections and backgrounds.
You should know that poverty breeds daring, and being poor makes one reckless; this is what they mean by being poor and reckless.
If someone were to have a mental breakdown during the performance, it would be a disaster for the performing arts troupe and for the entire performance.
As soon as Li Xuewu appeared, all those scoundrels hid and disappeared, just like snow that dared not see the sun.
Even if you say the steel city has a high safety factor, it's not as high as Beijing. With the club backing them up, who would dare to mess with them?
He's just on Li Xuewu's turf now; if he makes a fool of himself, everyone will laugh at him.
Therefore, before the performance, the security department conducted a thorough cleanup, and some of the young rascals were warned.
Anyone who dares to cause trouble at this time is definitely asking for trouble.
It was in this atmosphere and environment that the delegation presented a perfect performance to the group's employees in the steel city.
Peking Opera was in a precarious situation in this era, with many local troupes disbanding. It was a relief to hear such high-standard opera again, and even new programs were enjoyed by everyone.
As the head of Northeast Industry, Li Xuewu naturally sat in the core position of the first row below, watching the performance with a smile.
The day after the performance, just as the Quyi Art Troupe was about to head north to Fengcheng to visit and comfort the group's employees, Li Xuewu invited two people to his place.
The authentic Northeastern cuisine and the hot spring therapy made the two of them exclaim with pleasure.