Chapter 300 Choice
After leaving the "Public Security Bureau", Liu Zhiye asked Xiao Yuxian to drive Zheng Chaoyang home to rest.

At the entrance of Lishi Hutong, Zheng Chaoyang jumped out of the car and said goodbye to Liu Zhiye. The jeep went farther and farther away and disappeared from sight. He stretched his waist slightly and prepared to turn around and go home.

"Hey! Leader Zheng, you're back?"

At this moment, a familiar voice came from behind Zheng Chaoyang, which made his relaxed body and mind tense up again in an instant.

There was a sharp flash in Zheng Chaoyang's eyes, then he put on a warm smile and slowly turned around.

"Oh! Lord Wang Ba, it's you!"

"Today, didn't you go to Tianqiao to listen to the opera?"

Mr. Wang Ba was hunching over, with a hint of helplessness in his tone, "Hey, can I go there every day? I have to make a living. Things are different now than before!" Although his words were concise, they revealed a sense of the changes of the times and a spirit of reformation.

Then, he took out the big pipe and motioned to Zheng Chaoyang, "Would you like a puff?"

Zheng Chaoyang gently waved his hand and refused the pipe that was handed to him, "No, I can't smoke this, it irritates my throat." He smiled casually and said, "It's good now. In this new society, everyone has to participate in labor."

"Workers are the most glorious! Don't you agree?"

Mr. Wang Ba smiled and complimented, "Yes... yes, you are really conscious! Otherwise, you can be a leader!"

Zheng Chaoyang laughed and asked, "By the way, what do you do now?"

Mr. Ba sighed, his voice full of helplessness: "What use is there for my old bones? Now I can only sweep the streets in the sanitation bureau to make a living. Oh, I am so thankful for the new society. If it were in the past, people like me would have starved to death on the streets and no one would care about me."

"The Communist Party is still the best..."

Zheng Chaoyang was holding back his laughter as he watched this old man perform so hard. If you didn't know, you would be really moved by his performance of a changed heart.

"Hey, that's right, Master Ba, you guys are now very conscious, hahahaha..."

Upon hearing this, Mr. Wang Ba couldn't help but feel proud, and his anxious heart relaxed a little.

He looked at Zheng Chaoyang, only to see him carrying luggage, looking exhausted, having obviously just gone through a long journey.

His heart moved, so he asked tentatively: "Hey, are you in trouble?"

Zheng Chaoyang sneered in his heart. Everything was just as he expected. The other party really wanted to take the opportunity to spy on the information.

He responded calmly, "Oh, yes, I just went on a long trip." While speaking, he pretended to be defenseless, with no emotion in his eyes.

Mr. Wang Ba followed up with, "Where have you been?" As soon as he said this, he felt something was wrong, as if his intentions were too straightforward, so he quickly added, "Nothing, I'm just curious, just asking around, you don't have to mind it." He tried to use a relaxed tone to conceal his true thoughts, for fear of arousing Zheng Chaoyang's vigilance.

Zheng Chaoyang sneered inwardly. He thought to himself, "If I hadn't known your true colors, I would have been fooled by your sweet words."

He had a relaxed smile on his face, as if he didn't care and said, "It's no big deal. It's not a secret."

Zheng Chaoyang spoke in a relaxed and natural tone, as if the matter was really insignificant. However, only he knew how important the gains from this mission were, enough to change everything.

"It's like this..." Then, he suddenly had an idea, made up an excuse, and started to fool Mr. Wang Ba.

Mr. Wang Ba learned that Zheng Chaoyang had not appeared for many days and it turned out that he was going to Shanghai to attend a training meeting.

Zheng Chaoyang has disappeared for several days, and his whereabouts remain a mystery, which makes Wang Baye feel uneasy. He is suspicious all day long, wondering if it is related to him.

Now that Zheng Chaoyang has returned, Wang Baye is filled with an inexplicable emotion. He couldn't help but test Zheng Chaoyang, but found that his attitude remained the same, without any change.

This made him feel relieved, as if a heavy stone had finally fallen to the ground.

After feeling that his own safety was not a problem, he tried to extract useful information from Zheng Chaoyang.

"Hey, Master Ba, let's stop chatting. It's so hot, I need to go home and wash up."

"See you later!"

"Okay! See you later!"

Mr. Wang Ba watched Zheng Chaoyang carrying the package into the yard, his hands proudly behind his back.

"I was standing on the city wall looking at the mountain scenery when I heard the commotion outside the city.

The banners fluttered and turned, but it turned out to be a soldier sent by Sima.

I also sent people to inquire, and learned that Sima led his troops westward.

Firstly, Ma Su is unwise and lacks talent, and secondly…” He hummed as he walked away slowly, with his hands behind his back.

Wang Ba Ye walked further and further away, disappearing into the depths of the alley. However, he did not notice that Zheng Chaoyang had quietly walked out of the door, his face expressionless, but his eyes flashing with a cold light. In this quiet alley, it seemed as if an invisible storm was about to erupt.

Soon after, a middle-aged man dressed as a peddler appeared in the depths of the alley. He walked into the alley with steady steps, carrying a heavy long bench on his shoulders and a sturdy wooden tool box on his back.

The man was walking and shouting, "Sharpening scissors, sharpening kitchen knives..." His voice was long and drawn out. It turned out that he was a knife sharpener.

"A pair of thick palms with calluses, an oilstone with years of grinding, sharpening scissors and kitchen knives, shouting for decades, walking in the alleys and streets, carrying the livelihood of the whole family on his shoulders."

The scene in this limerick can be often seen these days. It has become a symbol of this era and is unforgettable.

Because, these days, people only have one or two kitchen knives and scissors at home, which are quite expensive.

After a long time of use, the knife will become blunt, and people will ask knife sharpeners to make the knife sharp again. However, with the changing times, the craft of knife sharpening has become less and less common.

…………

The knife sharpener slowly approached and met Zheng Chaoyang's eyes. Zheng Chaoyang then shouted, "Master, wait a moment, my kitchen knife is also blunt, can you help me sharpen it?"

Upon hearing this, the knife sharpener gently put down the bench on his shoulders and wiped the sweat off his forehead with the towel hanging around his neck. He stood up straight, and said in a simple and enthusiastic tone: "Okay, comrade, you can go home and get it!"

After a while, Zheng Chaoyang really took out a kitchen knife and handed it to the knife sharpener. Then, he squatted beside the knife sharpener and watched him sharpen the knife.

Listening to the swishing sound of the kitchen knife rubbing against the whetstone, Zheng Chaoyang suddenly whispered, "How is he doing recently? Has he made any moves?"

The knife sharpener shouted, "Sharpening scissors, sharpening kitchen knives..." Then, he whispered, "Team leader, everything is normal. Since you left, he has not gone anywhere except sweeping the streets."

Zheng Chaoyang asked again: "Did you come into contact with anyone during this period?"

The knife sharpener nodded: "They are basically all acquaintances, but they are all recorded. Please rest assured..."

"Well, don't let down your guard."

"By the way, you are dressed quite professionally..." Zheng Chaoyang nodded, praised the knife sharpener a few words, and said no more.

"Okay, I'll give you two cents!"

Zheng Chaoyang took out the money from his pocket and handed it to the other party without hesitation. Then he turned around and walked back to his home with firm steps.

The knife sharpener packed up his tools and continued shouting, "Sharpening scissors, sharpening kitchen knives..." before gradually walking away.

Zheng Chaoyang returned home, tidied up everything with ease, then sat on the sofa and fell into deep thought, pondering over Mr. Wang's puzzling behavior.

"This old fellow obviously didn't run into me by chance. Maybe he was waiting here on purpose?"

"Hush! No, I have to get all his recent movements immediately." He could no longer hold back, jumped up, quickly got on his bicycle, and headed straight for the Public Security Brigade.

Two flowers bloom, one branch each.

Liu Zhiye glanced out the window and found that it was almost noon. He immediately told Xiao Yu to drive to Jiaodaokou Subdistrict Office to pick up Gan Ning and go home together.

Liu Zhiye has become one of his own, and the security guard is quite familiar with him. Now, every time he visits, he can drive directly into the courtyard without saying anything. As soon as he stepped out of the car, he couldn't wait to walk quickly towards Gan Ning's office. However, Aunt Wang called from behind: "Zhiye!"

Upon hearing the call, Liu Zhiye immediately turned around, with a smile on his face, and walked towards Director Wang. "Auntie Wang, are you going to get off work?" he asked briefly and kindly.

Director Wang had a friendly smile on her face and said, "Well, I just got off work and was thinking about buying a fresh fish for Uncle Li to make lunch." Then, she changed her expression and said, "Huh, you've been acting a bit too arrogant recently. You're not going to Aunt Wang's house anymore, are you?"

Upon hearing this, Liu Zhiye immediately pretended to be wronged and said, "Oh my! My dear aunt, what are you talking about!"

"I just came back from a business trip and haven't even been home yet! If you don't believe me, go ask Gan Ning..."

"Hey, calm down, I'll go to your house to visit you in the next two days."

Director Wang just mentioned it casually. She actually knew Liu Zhiye's family situation very well. So she said, "Well, let's cook fish for you at noon today. What do you think?"

Liu Zhiye was a little embarrassed when he heard this: "Ah, this afternoon?" In fact, he wanted to go home early to visit his precious daughter. He hadn't seen her for eight or nine days, and he missed her very much.

Director Wang raised his eyebrows when he saw this, and said angrily: "What's the matter? Are you still not happy? Well, if you don't want to go, then forget it. I won't serve you anymore!"

Seeing this, Liu Zhiye was really angry, and hurriedly put on a smile and said, "How could I not be willing? How about this, you don't have to go buy fish, I'll prepare it."

Director Wang's face turned from gloomy to bright, and she said decisively: "Okay, then you go quickly and come back quickly!" She did not exchange too many pleasantries with Liu Zhiye, because she knew that Liu Zhiye was a big dog owner and did not care about this at all.

Half an hour later, Liu Zhiye drove back to Jiaodaokou Sub-district Office, successfully picked up Aunt Wang and Gan Ning, and then drove towards Dongsi Liutiao.

When we arrived at Aunt Wang's house, we found that Uncle Li had returned early and was busy in the kitchen wearing an apron, preparing lunch.

He caught a glimpse of Aunt Wang and shouted without disguising, "Hey! Hey! Why did you come back just now? If you were any later, I would have to make a bowl of gada soup for myself."

Aunt Wang rolled her eyes at him and said, "What are you yelling about? You yell! Didn't you see that there were guests at home?"

"Humph! You have no tact!"

Li Jingqi heard the sound and poked his head out of the kitchen. He saw Zhiye and Xiaoning at a glance, "Oh, it's you two."

"Hey! Uncle Li!"

"Since you are coming, why don't you tell me in advance so that I can be prepared?" Li Jingqi said with a smile, his tone revealing a hint of helplessness and expectation.

Liu Zhiye smiled and said, "You don't have to worry about preparing it. I have already prepared everything." He picked up a net bag of fresh fish and seafood and showed it to Li Jingqi.

Li Jingqi is obsessed with seafood, and whenever he sees them, his eyes sparkle. He quickly walks out of the kitchen and takes the fresh seafood from Liu Zhiye, his face filled with satisfaction and anticipation.

"Wow! Is this a grouper?" Li Jingqi's eyes widened as he looked at the big fish in Liu Zhiye's hand, his heart filled with surprise. The fish was huge, weighing at least 40 to 50 kilograms. He had never seen such a huge grouper before.

He moved closer out of curiosity, wanting to take a closer look at this grouper he had never seen before.

Liu Zhiye smiled and said, "Well, this is not an ordinary grouper. Its scientific name is [rat grouper]."

The fish's body was milky white with black spots all over, and it looked very bright and beautiful.

It can be used as both a high-end ornamental fish species and a high-end edible fish species.

The mouse grouper belongs to the genus Serranidae, also known as croaker and humpback perch. The mouse grouper is ferocious by nature and is a carnivorous fish. It will eat any fish that it can swallow in one bite.

This fish was caught by Hao Shun and others at great risk in the open sea. Liu Zhiye didn't have much fish in his space, so he couldn't bear to sell it and kept it for his own people to eat.

"Zhiye, how do you eat such a big fish? I have never cooked this fish before..." Li Jingqi looked at the spotted fish and asked in amazement.

"Or, let's make boiled fish!" Liu Zhiye suggested.

Li Jingqi thought about it for a while and said, "Okay, let's make boiled fish!"

So the two of them divided the work, one killed the fish, the other washed the seafood. Their movements were swift and orderly, as if they had cooperated tacitly countless times.

Before long, a table of delicious dishes appeared in front of everyone, making them salivate.

Li Jingqi took out a jar of Jin Province Fenjiu Factory original liquor from the storage room. The unique taste of this liquor has always been his favorite.

After learning about his preference, Liu Zhiye generously gave him more than a dozen jars. Li Jingqi felt this friendship was very precious.

"Come on, Zhiye, let's drink this."

Aunt Wang glanced at him, then left him alone and turned to Gan Ning and greeted her warmly: "Gan Ning, ignore them. Come, let's eat together."

Aunt Wang rolled her eyes at him, then ignored him and called Gan Ning, "Come on, Xiao Ning, let them drink their food, and we can eat the food."

Gan Ning picked up the fish and took a bite, saying, "Hmm, it's delicious." In fact, she had eaten this fish before. Before Liu Zhiye, he brought it home every few days.

As a result, whenever she cooked fish, the whole courtyard would be filled with the aroma, and the children in the courtyard would go to the east cross courtyard for a stroll, all of which were so greedy.

Whenever her family cooked fish, the whole courtyard was filled with an alluring aroma that made people salivate. The children in the courtyard could not help but be attracted by the aroma and ran to the east courtyard to find out what was going on.

Grandma Deng Ru is kind-hearted. Whenever she meets these little greedy kids, she will generously take out a few pieces of fresh fish from the pot, carefully put them in a bowl, and let them take it home to enjoy.

Deng Ru stared at Gan Ning and suddenly said, "Xiao Ning, there is something I want to say, but I don't know whether I should say it or not."

Gan Ning smiled and said, "It's okay, Aunt Wang, you can go ahead and tell me what you want."

Aunt Wang said, "Well, I'll tell you!"

"Xiao Ning, look, your daughter is almost two years old. You are still young, don't you plan to have more children?"

Gan Ning and Liu Zhiye smiled at each other, their eyes showing their deep love for their daughter. She replied gently: "We really like children and we appreciate Aunt Wang's concern for us. But at present, we hope to focus our energy on nurturing Xiaoxian."

"We hope to give her a warm and happy environment to grow up in, so that she can thrive in love and care."

"Let's wait until the child is older before we consider having a second child.

Aunt Wang nodded slightly after hearing Gan Ning's words. There was no excessive expression on her face, but she just listened quietly. She knew that everyone had their own unique thoughts and opinions, which could not be changed.

On the other side of the table, Li Jingqi and Liu Zhiye sat face to face, and their topic naturally turned to work.

Li Jingqi has always admired Liu Zhiye's talent and hard work, so when Liu Zhiye revealed his intention to apply for a master's degree, he was very happy.

Therefore, he expressed his support without hesitation and promised that if Liu Zhiye needed any help, he could just ask.

To be honest, he had never mentioned such words to anyone close to him. He was a man of great principle, and he had never said such words even to his own son and daughter, let alone given them any special care.

Only Liu Zhiye made him say such words for the first time. Because he also firmly believed that Liu Zhiye would not do such a thing.

----

After leaving Aunt Wang's house, Liu Zhiye and his wife drove back home first.

On the way, Gan Ning suddenly broke the silence. Her voice was calm but with a hint of inquiry that was barely noticeable: "Zhiye, did you ask Aunt Wang to tell me what she said just now?"

Liu Zhiye asked in confusion: "What are you talking about?"

Gan Ning said frankly: "Don't play dumb, Aunt Wang just asked me if I want to have a second child."

Liu Zhiye turned his head slightly and glanced at Gan Ning. His eyes were full of sincerity as he said, "

No, if I had this idea, would I not have discussed it with you in advance?"

(End of this chapter)