After dinner, Gu Xingdong continued working on the fence. It wasn't until all three children were asleep that he finally finished and went upstairs.
He first checked on the three children. Rui Rui slept soundly, his blanket neatly tucked under his arm.
"Da Wang," curled at the foot of the bed, twitched its pointed ears at the sound of the door opening. Seeing it was Gu Xingdong, it arched its back, stretched leisurely, and then slowly lay back down.
In the other room, Gu Xingdong almost couldn't find the children without a closer look.
Xiao Bai, wrapped in his blanket, had rolled all the way to the edge of the enclosure. On the other side, Xiao Chengzi was curled up with his hands and feet tucked in, his little bottom sticking out, his chubby face almost contorted.
Gu Xingdong chuckled, shaking his head. He gently repositioned the two little ones, tucked them in again, and then returned to his own room.
Chen Lishu was leaning against the headboard, reading a book. Seeing him come in, she asked, "Did you check on the kids?"
"Mhm." Thinking of the two children's sleeping postures, he couldn't help but laugh, "Children are truly amazing, even their sleeping positions are so varied."
"How's the progress on the West City planning project?" Chen Lishu closed her book and habitually snuggled into his arms.
"The required materials are ready and will be sent over tomorrow. This is a large project, so there will be a preliminary qualification review first."
As Gu Xingdong spoke, he turned his head to look at her and asked pointedly, "The exhibition is over. Can I stop waking up so early tomorrow?"
Meeting his deep gaze, Chen Lishu yawned, then turned away from him and mumbled, "I'm a bit tired after being busy all day. I'll just..."
Before she could finish the word "sleep," a pair of arms unceremoniously encircled her waist. Gu Xingdong turned her around forcefully and said with a smile, "Two choices: you can choose to sleep late or wake up late."
"No, no. After thirty, one has to pay attention to health. Sleeping and waking early is essential for a healthy body."
This...
Was she implying he was old?
Gu Xingdong felt a lump in his throat, finding it a bit difficult to breathe.
Chen Lishu observed his expression, speaking a little guiltily, "Actually, I wasn't talking about age, it's just that..."
Gu Xingdong stared at her blankly.
Chen Lishu couldn't help but make a swallowing motion. "Men in their thirties are in their prime, you know. I was focusing on health, yes, health!"
As soon as she finished speaking, she felt a shadow fall over her. Before she could react, someone bit her neck fiercely.
"Gu Xingdong, are you a dog?"
Gu Xingdong said hatefully, "Let me show you what they mean by 'old but vigorous'."
...
The next day, when Chen Lishu opened her eyes, the spot beside her was already empty. She glanced at the wristwatch on the bedside table and saw it was already past seven o'clock.
It was already this late.
Chen Lishu hurriedly got up. As the blanket fell away, her disheveled state was a testament to the night's wildness.
"He really is a vengeful guy," she muttered unhappily, starting to get dressed.
When she went downstairs, neither Rui Rui nor Gu Xingdong were there. Only Li Xiulan and Zhao Qiuyue were playing with the two children.
"Xingdong said there was something at the company. He took the kids to school after breakfast and went straight to the office," Li Xiulan said when she saw her coming down. "Breakfast is still warm in the pot. Xiaoyue steamed some buns and made millet porridge."
"Got it, Mom," Chen Lishu replied. She went to the kitchen, ate breakfast, then hugged the two little ones before saying goodbye to Li Xiulan and heading to the shop.
Meanwhile, after dropping off Rui Rui, Gu Xingdong first returned to the company to pick up some documents.
Unlike previous direct bidding, the West City planning project was a major undertaking, and several companies were participating in the bidding, including three from out of province in addition to local firms.
Due to the large number of participating companies, there would be a preliminary qualification review, and only eligible enterprises would proceed to the second round of bidding.
"Third Brother, I heard that not only the reputable companies in the city but also those three out-of-province firms are quite large. Do we really stand a chance of winning?" Gu Xingye looked at the pile of documents in his hand, feeling a little uncertain.
"As long as we prepare everything that needs to be provided, don't put too much pressure on yourself regardless of the outcome."
Although Gu Xingdong said this, he was actually very confident about this bid.
Back when he took on the Jiangpan Garden project with almost zero profit when other construction companies were unwilling to, it was precisely to get closer to the government and lay a solid foundation for the company's future development.
The West City planning project was divided into four phases. Given the current development of Hongyuan Construction Company, as long as nothing unexpected happened, the government would definitely assign one phase to the company.
Therefore, even if this bid didn't succeed, Gu Xingdong wouldn't be too disappointed.
Soon, the brothers drove to the development office.
Before the Third Plenary Session of the Eleventh Central Committee, China implemented a highly centralized planned economic system. Under this system, the infrastructure and procurement tasks of government departments, state-owned enterprises, and related departments were dictated and arranged by the responsible authorities, making bidding unnecessary.
After the reform and opening-up policy was implemented, international bidding practices were introduced to China. For some adaptable construction and operational projects, bidding methods were appropriately piloted.
However, due to a lack of experience and effective regulations at the time, bidding was only in a pilot phase. It wasn't until 1984 that bidding management agencies began to be established.
Consequently, there was no fixed venue for bidding activities, which led to many drawbacks, and private contract awards were not uncommon.
Yu Guofeng had just returned from handling some business outside and happened to run into Gu Xingdong, who was there to submit documents.
Gu Xingdong went up the steps in a few strides and spoke first, "Greetings, sir."
Yu Guofeng's gaze fell on the documents in his hand. "Here to submit documents?"
Seeing him nod, he smiled and said, "Let's go to my office. It's been a while since I've seen you. A few days ago, I was at a provincial meeting, and someone there mentioned you. You're truly a capable young man, having settled a large number of demobilized personnel. Our city should have more outstanding entrepreneurs like you."
Gu Xingdong replied humbly, "Not at all, it's just what we should be doing..."
Watching the two walk ahead, Gu Xingye was stunned.
Although he hadn't met Yu Guofeng in person, he sometimes saw him reported on television. He was certain that the man in front was the mayor himself.
And his Third Brother was currently chatting and laughing with the mayor!
"I'm Mayor Yu's secretary, my surname is Li." Secretary Li glanced at the face in front of him, which bore a four or five tenths resemblance to Gu Xingdong, and smiled.
Gu Xingye regained his senses and quickly said, "Hello, Secretary Li. My name is Gu Xingye, director of the office at Hongyuan Construction Company. You can just call me by my name."
Gao Mingyuan and 'Mei Qiu' also arrived to submit documents at that moment. They watched Yu Guofeng and his party enter the office, their eyes flickering.