Chapter 200 Visiting the Liu Family
"Captain, don't worry! I, Old Ge, assure you that under your wise command, we will be absolutely unambiguous and will attack wherever you point us." Ge Shuping answered him with a sharp gaze and a firm expression. His serious eyes revealed his determination for future security work and his loyalty and trust in Liu Zhiye.

Liu Zhiye raised the corner of his mouth slightly, patted the other person's shoulder, and said cheerfully: "It's getting late, come on, come home with me, and I'll show you around."

"Okay!" Ge Shuping responded readily, and then turned around, "But please wait a moment, I'll go to the guesthouse to get something and come back."

Liu Zhiye waved his hand and said generously: "Oh, come if you want to, why bring a gift? You don't have to be so polite when you come to my house, it's fine to come empty-handed."

"That won't do!" Ge Shuping said firmly, "This is my first time visiting your home, how can I go empty-handed? That would be too rude." He was not an ignorant person, and he also knew that people in the capital had strict rules.

People in Beijing cannot go to visit relatives and friends empty-handed. They must bring some fruit. This is etiquette. People in Beijing are very particular about etiquette. The more gifts, the less blame!

Whether it is during festivals or when visiting relatives and friends on weekdays, people should bring snack boxes or fruit baskets, and the types should be even, four, six or eight. If they send wine, they should bring two bottles to a basket or four bottles to a basket.

The people of Beijing also have taboos when giving gifts, and they must pay attention to the homophones of the gifts. For example, when giving fruits, you cannot give pears or mulberries, because pears and "li" have the same pronunciation, meaning separation, which is unlucky; nor can you give clocks, because "giving a clock" has the same pronunciation as "giving away the dead", which is unlucky.

When arriving at the host's house, if someone offers you wine or tea, a polite person will tap the table three times with his index and middle fingers to show his gratitude.

When you are a guest, you cannot enter an empty room. If you enter an empty room and find something missing, you will not be able to explain it.

You must not rummage through the host's belongings. Rummaging through someone else's belongings is a sign of being uncultured and annoying.

Hi! This topic has gone a bit off topic, let's get back to the point.

After a while, Lao Ge walked out of the guesthouse carrying two large net bags full of things.

Liu Zhiye quickly opened the car door for Ge Lao, with a teasing smile on his face: "Old Ge, you're spending too much money. Why did you buy so many things?"

"I came to visit you. If I don't bring enough things, what can I give you?" Old Ge said with a proud smile.

“That’s right, you didn’t take enough, so you weren’t allowed in, hahaha…” Liu Zhiye responded.

"Hahaha……"

The two wanted to look at each other and smile.

The two drove, laughing and chatting all the way, and soon arrived at the courtyard house at No. 95 Nanluoguxiang.

As soon as Lao Ge got off the car, he was attracted by the magnificent courtyard. He opened his eyes wide and exclaimed: "My goodness, this courtyard is really big! When I think back to the days when the so-called big landlords in my hometown lived in houses that were nothing compared to this." His words were full of admiration and surprise for this courtyard.

"This courtyard is extraordinary. It was once the residence of a high-ranking military commander in the Qing Dynasty. Its high standards are naturally self-evident," Liu Zhiye responded.

The two of them carried gifts and walked straight to the east courtyard. When there are guests at home, according to the rules, they must first greet the elders at home.

"Mom! Mom! Please come out for a moment, there are guests at home!" Liu Zhiye shouted as he entered the house.

Deng Ru was tidying up the house and preparing to cook. She came out curiously when she heard the news. Why did they have guests so late in the evening?

As soon as she stepped out of the house, she looked at Ge Shuping.

"Who is this?"

Liu Zhiye introduced to his mother: "Mom, this is my old comrade Ge Shuping. He came to see me today."

Ge Shuping immediately smiled warmly and said kindly, "Auntie, hello, I am Ge Shuping."

When Deng Ru heard that this was her son's old comrade-in-arms, she knew that this was more than just an ordinary friendship. A warm light flashed in her eyes, the corners of her mouth turned up, and her voice was full of kindness: "I'll call you Xiao Ge. Xiao Ge, it's great that you can come to our house as a guest.

Come in and sit inside. I'll make you a pot of good tea and we can chat while we drink."

Ge Shuping's face was filled with a warm smile, and he handed over the gift respectfully with both hands: "Aunt, this is my first time to see you, and I don't know what you like, so I brought some specialties from our hometown without authorization. Here are, "Zhaoxian Snow Pear", "Zanhuang Jujube", "Xingtang Jujube Wine", and "Jinfeng Braised Chicken. They are all worthless things, I hope you don't dislike them."

Deng Ru was pleasantly surprised and said, "Xiao Ge, do you think people in Beijing don't understand this? To be honest, my ancestors were also from Shishi. These are not ordinary things, they are all famous local specialties." "For example, this [Zhaoxian Snow Pear] has a history of more than 1000 years and has been a tribute in every dynasty. [As big as a fist, sweet as honey, and crisp as a water chestnut].

There is also this [Zanhuang jujube], also known as Zanhuang long jujube, golden thread jujube, and big red jujube, which is also the tribute jujube of the royal family in successive dynasties, [seven per foot, ten per pound]."

"Besides, this [Golden Phoenix Braised Chicken] has been around since the late Qing Dynasty. It uses a unique production process, with the chicken colored with honey and deep-fried, and then stewed for more than ten hours in aged soup with 18 precious Chinese herbs. It not only looks attractive, but also has crispy skin and tender meat. It's very delicious."

Ge Shuping didn't expect that Deng Ru knew the origins of these things and could tell them all about them.

"Aunt, what you said is absolutely right. Even for a local like me, this is the first time I've heard of many of them."

Liu Zhiye's eyes flashed with surprise, and he said with a bit of admiration in his tone: "Mom, you know a lot! But, isn't my grandpa's family in Mentougou? How come I suddenly became a person from Shishi?"

Deng Ru glanced at Liu Zhiye and said, "Hey! Those are all trivial matters!" Then, she didn't say anything else.

After a while, Deng Ru looked at the time and said with a smile, "It's getting late. I'll go to the kitchen and show off my cooking skills. Xiao Ge, you two should have a good drink tonight and taste my cooking!"

"Hey! Auntie, don't be so polite." Ge Shuping waved his hands hurriedly and said sincerely, "We are all family, we can just eat whatever we have, please don't bother me."

Deng Ru smiled and scolded, "What nonsense are you talking about! This is your first time at my house, how can I let you eat steamed bread and cabbage? Just sit there and wait to taste my delicious food. Today, I promise to make sure you eat to your heart's content and drink to your heart's content!"

……

In the evening, the last rays of sunlight shine through the sky.

Liu Zhiye hurried off to pick up Gan Ning, who was about to give birth. She was already ten months pregnant, and now she seemed a little clumsy and laborious when walking.

He carefully supported Gan Ning, and the two of them slowly got out of the car. Against the backdrop of the setting sun, they formed a warm and beautiful picture.

He bluntly suggested, "In my opinion, you should take a leave. After all, the baby is about to be born. We don't need a few days off. I will talk to Aunt Wang for you."

Gan Ning pondered for a moment. The street office was not very busy recently. Besides, it was really difficult for her to work in her current situation. She needed someone to accompany her even when she went to the toilet.

So, she subconsciously touched her belly and said, "Hmm! Okay! Then I'll ask for leave tomorrow!"

"Zhitai has already informed the Union Hospital in advance. When the time is right, we will check in early. This will make it much easier to deal with any problems..." Liu Zhiye said gently.

When Gan Ning heard that she had to stay in the hospital, she felt unhappy. She frowned and said, "Oh, Zhiye, it's too much for me to stay in the hospital so early. Whose childbirth is as outrageous as mine?" There was a bit of dissatisfaction and complaint in her words.

Her words made sense. People in this era were not as overly delicate as those in later generations. In later generations, having a child seemed to be a huge project, requiring various tedious examinations and taking various supplements.

However, women in this era have shown a different kind of tenacity. Some women were still working hard in the fields the day before giving birth, and some even gave birth to their children naturally while doing farm work.

There are people like Liu Zhiye who responds cautiously, but they are definitely rare.

The two of them walked into the east courtyard together.

"Mom!" Gan Ning's voice was clear and kind, and she greeted Deng Ru.

"Hey, Xiao Ning!" Deng Ru responded, her eyes full of kindness, "You must be tired from the journey. Go sit down for a while and rest your feet." The kitchen was full of smoke, and she didn't want Gan Ning to stay here and suffer from the smoke, so she urged her to go to the east room to rest.

Lao Ge's ears moved, he caught the sound, and then he stood up quickly.

"Xiao Ning, come here quickly!" Liu Zhiye called out in a loud voice, "This is the old comrade I often mentioned to you, Comrade Ge Shuping."

Then, he turned to Ge Shuping, his face full of pride and intimacy: "Old Ge, look, this is my wife, Gan Ning. What, beautiful, right? Isn't she like a fairy..."

Gan Ning patted Liu Zhiye shyly and said, "What nonsense are you talking about!" Then, she reached out to shake hands with Lao Ge and said warmly, "Welcome, Comrade Lao Ge!"

(End of this chapter)