In the 1970s, it started with contracting out communal dining.

Shen Weiping stood up and left, but Old Master Li was still not satisfied.

He said in a deep voice, "Your sister was given away when she was a child. Don't you remember why you gave your sister away?"

"I remember, Dad, I dare not forget." Li Yannian, a bureau chief, was scolded like a grandson by his own father at the dinner table at home, and quickly lowered his head to agree.

"It was because my family was poor and I had to go to school that we had to give my sister away. I'll never forget that!"

"You still know?!" The old man sneered. "What did you promise me when your sister got married? You said you'd protect her for life and never let her suffer the slightest grievance! Even if you got divorced, you'd support her for life!"

"That's right, and I dare to say that now!" Li Yannian replied in a deep voice.

Unexpectedly, Old Master Li immediately followed up with, "Don't you know why your sister and brother-in-law are arguing this time? If you ask me, it's just a quality issue. You're a new official; you can't expect results by sabotaging your own family!"

The old man's words clearly indicated a misunderstanding.

Li Yannian immediately frowned and was about to retort.

But if Li Yannian were to refute him, the father and son would immediately get into a heated argument at the dinner table.

To be honest, the punishment has already been issued, and the steel mill is planning to reform because of this incident. In fact, from Zhao Hongfei's perspective, this is a good thing.

Without this disciplinary action spurring reform, and without technological innovation, the steel mill would have been quickly left behind by the tide of the times.

Then the reputation of Tianjin No. 1 Steel will be ruined sooner or later.

Therefore, Chen Wei felt that Li Yannian was helping the steel mill and Zhao Hongfei.

So at the crucial moment, Chen Wei spoke up directly, steer the conversation in another direction.

"Sir, I wonder if the dishes I made today suit your taste?"

With Chen Wei, an outsider, speaking up, Old Master Li naturally couldn't question his own son anymore. He could only smile awkwardly and nod.

"Good! Xiao Chen, this dish is quite good! To be honest, Xiao Chen, the moment I tasted it, it reminded me of my late mother. Sigh... It's been so many years since I've had a bite of this. Don't let his claim of not recognizing the dish fool you; actually, when he was a child, there was a period when I was injured and confined to my home, and I made this dish all the time that summer! You little rascal, you've forgotten your roots!"

While speaking, Old Master Li couldn't help but vent his anger, because it turned out that Li Yannian had eaten this dish when he was a child.

Upon hearing this, Li Yannian, sitting across the table, immediately lowered his head, feeling somewhat sorry for his elderly father.

It seemed as if the deep bond between father and son from back then had resurfaced before Li Yannian lowered his head and remained silent for a long time before suddenly speaking.

"Dad... I handled this matter poorly. But I genuinely wanted Xiu'e and Hongfei to do better, which is why I did it. The steel mill in the neighboring city has already innovated its technology, and the quality of its steel is much better than ours. If Hongfei's factory keeps relying on its old customers and doesn't expand and develop, it's just courting disaster! Dad, times have changed..."

It must be said that Li Yannian had a very good eye for talent.

In this age of limited information, it is truly remarkable to be able to see that the times are developing rapidly and that technology will innovate at an astonishing pace.

"Yes, sir, the bureau chief meant well. And I don't think the factory manager was affected much. It's probably because he's too mild-mannered at home. Actually, he's very decisive and efficient in our factory, and he's not afraid of setbacks at all!"

Seeing that the father and son had finally spoken their minds, Chen Wei quickly stepped in to help, serving the old man a bowl of soup before slowly saying...

"You don't know, when I came here today, our factory manager had already sent people to a steel mill in a neighboring city to learn the technology!"

"Has Hongfei already sent people to learn the technology?"

Even Li Yannian was somewhat surprised by these words, because in their impression, his brother-in-law Zhao Hongfei did not have such courage, otherwise he would not have allowed the steel mill's technology to lag behind and stubbornly clung to those outdated products and old customers.

However, Li Yannian quickly realized what was happening and looked at Chen Wei with gratitude.

In reality, Zhao Hongfei had already sent people out to learn the technology; it was just that Chen Wei brought it up at the Li family's dinner table to ease his father's mind.

As for learning technical skills...

Chen Wei smiled and nodded silently to Li Yannian. He thought to himself that he could just have Chen Jianguo talk to the factory director about learning the technology. The factory director was already sighing with worry because of the steel mill's substandard finished products.

"Has Hongfei really come up with a solution? Is he planning to reform the technology?" Upon hearing Chen Wei's words, Old Master Li immediately perked up and quickly inquired about his son-in-law's recent situation.

Chen Wei told the old man half the truth, but deliberately omitted the part about Zhao Hongfei being so worried that he couldn't eat.

"Old man, you have to trust the director! The director's judgment is sound. If the steel plant doesn't reform, the director alone won't be able to help our Director Zhao."

In conclusion, Chen Wei simply summarized the matter.

He spoke from the bottom of his heart. There was no other way. If the people in front of him knew that state-owned enterprises would soon be restructured and a large number of state-owned enterprises that could not keep up with the times would go bankrupt, they would definitely agree with Li Yannian's current approach.

After listening to Chen Wei's detailed explanation, the old man's gaze towards his son was no longer so resentful.

"Hmph, at least you have some conscience! When your sister comes out later, you can tell her yourself! Anyway, your sister has suffered a lot because of you."

No sooner had she finished speaking than the curtain outside was lifted, and Shen Weiping pulled Li Xiue inside.

Li Xiu'e's eyes were red, clearly indicating that she had overheard most of what was happening outside the door.

The moment she entered the room, she looked at her brother, Li Yannian. Seeing the graying temples of Li Yannian, Li Xiue felt a pang of sadness.

They were both middle-aged, past the halfway point of their lives, and she hadn't argued with her brother for many years. This time, however, she was truly indignant because of her husband Zhao Hongfei's situation. Although her husband didn't say anything, Li Xiu'e saw Zhao Hongfei's sighing and complaining appearance and was anxious. That's why she went back to her parents' home to ask her brother for an explanation.

After hearing her brother's explanation, she finally understood that Li Yannian was thinking about the future of his and his wife.

"Third Brother, I...I misunderstood you...I didn't know you were doing this for Hongfei's own good..."

"Xiu'e..." Having not heard his younger sister's heartfelt words for many years, Li Yannian was also somewhat moved. However, with Chen Wei, an outsider, present, he quickly composed himself and pulled Li Xiu'e over.

"Alright, alright, we're all family, no need for formalities. We owe Xiao Chen a lot for today! Come on, let's have a drink together! Consider it a thank you to Xiao Chen!"