Chapter 382 The Golden Age is about to end

As soon as Liu Zhiye returned home, the house became extremely lively. The phone rang one after another, and visitors came in droves, and the door was almost trampled down.

In just a few days, he showed how wide his social network was, making people astonished. He had close friends in politics, business, the military, enterprises, and academia.

This makes people sigh that Liu Zhiye's network of contacts has quietly become so solid and huge.

Some people came to visit Liu Zhiye specially, and he also needed to visit others. He decided to take advantage of this precious free time before the New Year to visit his old friends and former leaders one by one.

He plans to visit Aunt Wang's family, Director Jiang, Uncle Gao, Mother Lin, the Huo family, the He family, the Zheng family, Director Guo, Director Yu and other close friends and relatives one by one to show his concern and deepen their feelings.

He took Gan Ning and first went to Aunt Wang's house. Aunt Wang was the first noble person he met since his rebirth, and also the matchmaker for the couple.

Over the years, his relationship with Aunt Wang's family has become increasingly close, and they can be said to be a family.

Since Aunt Wang started working at the Municipal Women's Federation, her workload has been significantly reduced.

During this period, the Municipal Women's Federation had not yet been burdened with numerous responsibilities. Its main work was to focus on restoring and rebuilding the Women's Federation organization, implementing the Party's lines, principles, and policies to the women masses, and promoting gender equality.

According to the characteristics of women, we organize women to actively carry out healthy and beneficial activities. We represent women in participating in the management and supervision of the people's government and social affairs, and serve women and children.

And by convening women's congresses to elect district and county women's committees, establish district and county women's federations, and equip them with full-time women cadres.

In addition to convening meetings regularly, Aunt Wang's main work focus is on mediating disputes and safeguarding the legitimate rights and interests of women and children.

Although the responsibility is heavy, she uses her extraordinary patience and wisdom to make it seem relatively calm and easy.

Uncle Li's life is not so leisurely anymore. His career has ushered in new changes and he has now been transferred to the judicial department as director.

He is usually busy with work and affairs, and it is almost impossible to see him without a prior appointment.

Before leaving, Liu Zhiye thought of his mother's advice, smiled, and whispered to Director Wang: "My mother always misses you. I hope you can come to our home to chat when you are free."

"Auntie Wang, if you are not busy after the New Year, you can go to Liujiazhuang to play for a few days. The village has changed a lot this year..."

Director Wang smiled and said, "That's perfect. I was originally planning to visit them after the New Year, and now we want to go together. Your uncle Li is often not at home, and your brother is serving in the army under you. It does seem a bit lonely for me to be alone at home..."

Liu Zhiye's face was filled with smiles. He said cheerfully, "Let's make it a deal. My mother will be so happy when she hears that you are coming. She is a nostalgic person. Since she returned to the village, she has always been thinking about those old friends and those familiar neighbors."

…………

After declining Aunt Wang's enthusiastic invitation, Liu Zhiye and his wife did not stay for long and hurriedly set off for the next house.

The original plan was to visit Mother Lin's home first, but things did not go as planned. The Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology at Union Hospital was extremely busy at the end of the year, and Mother Lin, as a pillar of the hospital, had to stick to her post.

Liu Zhiye and his wife had to make other plans and went to Director Jiang's home first.

Director Jiang has retired due to illness for two or three years. Although he retired at the prime of his life, he still believes that misfortune may turn out to be a blessing in disguise.

At the beginning, Director Jiang's condition was already critical. He was even secretly in despair, thinking that this difficulty was insurmountable.

However, fortunately, Liu Zhiye provided great help. He devoted all his energy and care to Director Jiang's condition.

The connections of the old man and Uncle He were fully mobilized, and after many twists and turns, Director Jiang was finally pulled back from the brink of life and death. At present, he has recovered and regained vitality.

Director Jiang was overjoyed at the arrival of Liu Zhiye and his wife, and his family paid unprecedented attention to them. After all, this was the arrival of their family's lifesaver.

Therefore, no matter how busy the family members were, they all tried to take time off and rush back home as much as possible just to welcome this deep kindness.

At noon, Liu Zhiye and his wife gladly accepted the invitation of the Chiang family and stayed to share lunch. Faced with such warm hospitality, they found it difficult to refuse.

"Zhiye, you're really amazing! Looking back six or seven years ago, you were just a battalion-level officer who had just retired from civilian work. In the blink of an eye, you have been promoted to a full-division-level general, which is really impressive." Director Jiang was full of emotion, and his words revealed sincere admiration.

Since his recovery, he indulged himself for once today, and after a few glasses of wine, he seemed even more heroic.

Liu Zhiye talked to Director Jiang about his current situation, and made the old leader happy as well.

Director Jiang was the second benefactor since his rebirth. He was the most critical person at the beginning of his career and was of great help to Liu Zhiye.

The relationship between them is a model of a teacher-friend relationship. Liu Zhiye's rapid rise is primarily due to his extraordinary personal ability, and secondly to Director Jiang's selfless heart and dedication to his cultivation.

Just imagine, there are many talented people in the world, but how many of them can stand out? If it weren't for Director Jiang's insight and careful guidance, Liu Zhiye's achievements might not be so dazzling.

Director Jiang is nearly 50 years old and has two sons. The eldest son, Jiang Weiguo, is now in his thirties and is already a section-level cadre in the municipal government. He has a bright career and a promising future.

The second son, Jiang Jianguo, had a close relationship with Liu Zhiye. After graduating from high school, he resolutely gave up the path of further studies and had a special interest in the public security career.

Under Liu Zhiye's care, he successfully joined the Municipal Bureau's Security Detachment and became a public security soldier.

Later, the Public Security Corps went through changes and many colleagues changed jobs, but he stayed true to his original aspiration and chose to stay in the public security system. Today, he has become the head of the public security department of a large state-owned factory.

After three rounds of drinks, everyone gradually started talking more and more, and the atmosphere became more lively.

The brothers Jiang Weiguo and Jiang Jianguo also put aside their previous restraint and spoke more freely.

Although they had known Liu Zhiye for a long time, Liu Zhiye at this moment, as a full division-level cadre, had a status equivalent to that of a bureau-level cadre in the local area, which was one level higher than their father's previous level, and naturally made people feel awe.

"Brother Liu! I always feel recently... it seems that the wind direction is quietly changing, something is wrong! Have you heard any signs of trouble over there?" Jiang Weiguo frowned and lowered his voice, appearing extremely cautious.

Liu Zhiye's expression changed slightly when he heard this. He kept his eyes on Jiang Weiguo for a few seconds, and was secretly surprised. This kid actually had such a keen political sense, which was really impressive.

"Oh? What do you mean?" He asked concisely and clearly, with a hint of curiosity and inquiry in his tone.

Jiang Weiguo glanced at his father and Liu Zhiye, then whispered, "Have you heard of the article 'Comment on the New Historical Drama Hai Rui Dismissed from Office'?"

"This November, in Shanghai..."

Sure enough, there are many smart people these days. However, they understand the situation, but they can't predict how serious the situation will be.

Upon hearing this, Liu Zhiye's eyes moved slightly, and he cast a deep look at Jiang Weiguo, saying concisely and forcefully: "In the future, you must be careful in what you say and do, and don't easily get involved in disputes over positions. I feel that the matter is unusually complicated, and in the future..."

Jiang's father and son were both shrewd people. When they heard this, their faces suddenly became solemn. The topic came to an abrupt end, but the hearts of the three people were already in turmoil.

They knew Liu Zhiye very well. He never made false statements lightly, and was not good at exaggerating. The deep meaning of his words was self-evident...

After leaving Jiang's house, the sky suddenly changed. The sky was gray and dark, and a sharp northwest wind whistled. In a flash, snowflakes danced with the wind and fell gently, covering the streets and alleys of the capital.

The heavy snow arrived as expected, and the land of Beijing was covered in silver.

Inside and outside the Great Wall, there is the spectacular sight of "mountains dancing with silver snakes"; at the foot of the White Pagoda, there are innocent smiling faces; in front of the Hall of Prayer for Good Harvests, there are memories full of joy... The flying snow is all over Beijing, and every step brings a new scene, showing the magnificent and diverse scenery of the north.

After the heavy snow, the ancient buildings with red walls and golden tiles, the cozy and peaceful alleys, and the quiet and leisurely parks were all covered in silver.

White snow inlaid red walls, scattered and fragrant. After the snow, Liu Zhiye and his wife did not rush to the next house. They simply strolled in the alleys of Beijing, or stood in the streets. The snow scenes they saw were unique and rich in "Beijing flavor". The white snow fell on the blue bricks and gray tiles, which was a different atmosphere of life from the towering palaces. Here, the capital in the snow is particularly quiet and peaceful.

Hutongs are one of the characteristics of Beijing. They are crisscrossed and have a long history. Hutongs in the snow show a different kind of scenery.

Snow covered every inch of land and every building, turning the entire alley into a vast expanse of white. The ancient brick walls, tiles and stone roads were cleverly painted into exquisite ink paintings by the snow.

In the alley covered with snow, despite the sudden drop in temperature, people's enthusiasm did not diminish at all. Children were laughing and playing snowball fights and throwing snowballs in the snow, and their laughter spread throughout the alley.

The elderly sat at their doorsteps, admiring this rare beauty, their faces filled with satisfaction and happiness.

Pedestrians hurried along the road, and the snow under their feet made a "crunching" sound, which was the sound of snow and winter. The street vendors were hawking steaming snacks, and the aroma filled the air, making people want to taste them.

Gan Ning snuggled up to Liu Zhiye, and the two simply abandoned the car and walked leisurely into the deep alley. After completing the visit to Director Guo's home, today's trip would be over.

Gan Ning looked at the snowflakes flying all over the sky and suggested, "It's snowing so hard, why don't we stay in Nanluoguxiang tonight and spend the night there. This will save us the trouble of walking through the snow again tomorrow."

Liu Zhiye nodded and agreed: "Okay, let's call home and tell mom that we won't be going back tonight. But it's freezing cold, and I think it's very cold at home. We have to go back as soon as possible to warm up the house."

"Yeah, okay!" Gan Ning was delighted. Thinking that she could finally spend some time with Liu Zhiye today, her mood instantly brightened.

………………

It was just getting dark.

Liu Zhiye drove back with a roar and parked steadily in front of No. 95 Nanluoguxiang.

A group of children who were playing with snow and having snowball fights at the gate saw his jeep, their eyes sparkling with excitement, and they gathered around him.

Since Liu Zhiye's family moved, these lively little guys haven't had the chance to see a car in person for a long time.

At this moment, their laughter and joy added a bit of warmth and vitality to this cold winter afternoon.

"The car, beep, beep, beep, beep as it goes. It goes east, west, south, north, and everywhere, beeping at pedestrians.

Cars, beep, beep, red, orange, yellow, green, blue, and purple. Colorful like pearls, the city is so beautiful. Cars, beep, beep, running on the road is so majestic. Row after row is so neat, no one rushes, no one overtakes, and always follows the order..."

"Uncle Liu, Aunt Gan, you're back?" When Yi Yuanchao saw Liu Zhiye and his wife returning, he politely stepped forward with a sensible smile on his face.

This way of addressing is quite interesting. You know, Liu Zhiye usually respectfully calls Yi Yuanchao's parents "Uncle" and "Auntie". According to common sense, Yi Yuanchao should call Liu Zhiye and his wife "Big Brother" and "Sister-in-law".

However, Yi Yuanchao always remembered that it was the kindness of Liu Zhiye and his wife that allowed him to have a warm home and two parents who loved him. In his heart, they were like his closest relatives and elders, so he insisted on calling them "uncle" and "aunt".

Liu Zhiye just let it go, and they talked about their own things, which brought a special kind of warmth and tacit understanding.

"Haha, Yuanchao, you've grown so big! Come, come, let Uncle Liu take a closer look at you!" Liu Zhiye smiled and waved enthusiastically to Yi Yuanchao, his tone full of kindness and emotion.

"How did you do in the final exam?" Liu asked Yi Yuanchao with a smile.

Yi Yuanchao smiled confidently. Before he could speak, Yan Zhaodi at the side answered first: "Brother Liu, Yi Yuanchao is incredible. He is the top student in our grade. I heard that he also took the top spot in the city's joint entrance examination!"

Liu Zhiye was also slightly surprised when he heard this and said, "Wow! Good boy, you really make Uncle Liu proud!"

"Well, I have to reward you..." However, he then searched through his pockets and trouser pockets, but couldn't find anything decent.

The words were out, and it was hard to take them back. How could he lose face in front of a child? Liu Zhiye gritted his teeth and generously gave Yi Yuanchao his most treasured gold Parker fountain pen, the one that was always in his shirt pocket.

Although Yi Yuanchao is young, he is not ignorant. The pen in his hand is obviously not an ordinary thing, with delicate craftsmanship and inlaid with golden hollow patterns, revealing its extraordinary value.

"Uncle Liu, this gift is too valuable. I can hardly accept it. Please take it back!" he said firmly.

"What's wrong? Don't you like this gift?" Liu Zhiye did not take back his hand, still with a gentle smile on his lips, and asked again.

Yi Yuanchao's eyes were as clear as water, without any trace of greed, and he answered frankly: "I like it, but I can't have it..."

"Since you like it, then accept it. There's an old saying, 'One should not refuse a gift from an elder'!" Liu Zhiye said firmly and stuffed the pen into Yi Yuanchao's hand without further ado.

"This... Uncle Liu, thank you!" Yi Yuanchao's eyes were red, and he bowed deeply to Liu Zhiye sincerely. Then, he turned to Gan Ning and said with gratitude: "Aunt Gan, I am also very grateful for your kindness to me, thank you!"

Gan Ning gently reached out her hand and stroked the top of Yi Yuanchao's head, with a bit of pity in her tone: "Child, why do you have to be so formal with Aunt Gan..."

Yan Zhaodi, who was standing by, was envious and couldn't help but say, "Brother Liu, you are too partial. Yi Yuanchao has a gift, but what about mine?"

Liu Zhiye said calmly: "So how did you perform in this exam?"

"Well, I don't expect you to be as outstanding as Yi Yuanchao, just average in the class will be enough. If you can do that, I'll give you one too, how about that?"

Upon hearing this, Yan Zhaodi fell silent. She was a poor student, nothing like her brothers. She got a headache when she saw a book.

"Oh, I actually forgot to get some soy sauce!" She exclaimed, and then hurriedly said goodbye to Liu Zhiye and Gan Ning, "Brother Liu, Sister Gan Ning, I'm leaving first!" Before she finished speaking, she lowered her head and hurriedly fled the scene.

“Hahaha…” Liu Zhiye and Gan Ning smiled at each other and shook their heads slightly. How could he not understand Yan Zhaodi’s level? He asked this on purpose just now.

Pushing open the main door of the east wing, the room seemed a little empty and cold, but it was very clean, without any smell of mold or moisture. Obviously, someone had been taking care of it carefully. No need to ask, it must have been the hardworking auntie next door.

"Hey! When did you two come back quietly?" The third aunt in the opposite house heard the sound and looked out. It turned out to be Liu Zhiye and his wife returning home. A happy smile immediately broke out on her face and she asked hurriedly.

Gan Ning responded with a smile: "Third Auntie, we just stepped into the house. Are you feeling well recently?"

The third aunt's face was full of joy, and she quickly said, "You are very strong. It's cold today. Come to my house and sit down to warm yourself up..."

Liu Zhiye bared his teeth and said, "Okay! I'll just go over and get some coal so I can start a fire when I come back..."

When you walk into Yan Bugui’s house opposite, the scene before you is refreshing.

Their home has changed a lot. The first thing that strikes Liu Zhiye is the sudden openness of the space. Clutter is no longer piled up, and it looks neat and tidy.

The layout of the house is still three rooms, with a spacious and bright living room in the middle, which also serves as the kitchen, with clear functions.

The room on the left is Yan Jiekuang's private territory, which is both a bedroom and a study, revealing the owner's elegance. The room on the right is the resting place of Yan Bugui and his wife.

As for Yan Jiecheng, Ran Qiuye and Yan Zhaodi, they lived in the three rooms at the back and were all doing well.

The second son of the family, Yan Jiefang, moved into a new house assigned by his unit due to his work. His living conditions are quite superior and enviable.

In fact, the living conditions of Yan Bugui's family are now far beyond the living standards of most families.

It's no wonder that Yu Li, who is outstanding in appearance, would fall in love with Yan Jiefang, who is only average in appearance, at first sight.

(End of this chapter)