Life in siheyuan era

The breeze in early October carried a hint of chill. Old Nie lightly shivered and stepped out of the gate.

Zhou Zhiyuan, who was behind him, closed the gate, turned, and stood beside him. The two watched as Qiu Jun led several travelers into the hotel.

Seeing this, Old Nie shook his head slightly and whispered to Zhou Zhiyuan, "Qiu Jun is just like a shopkeeper."

Zhou Zhiyuan smiled and said, "That's called 'serving the people.' Every guest is a member of the masses, so we must greet them with smiles and enthusiasm. Old Nie, you're being a bit bureaucratic."

Hearing him say he was bureaucratic, Old Nie heavily 'hmmphed' and said in a deep voice, "Comrade Zhou Zhiyuan, you need to be clear, I am the secretary, I am the top leader."

"Yes, please give instructions, leader."

"Instructions my ass. I don't even want to manage these thirty-odd people. Do whatever you want."

"This is the leader delegating authority. I understand, and I will definitely obey the leader."

"Heh..." Old Nie chuckled, then looked at a figure walking over and whispered, "I can feel a longing gaze. You've probably been busy lately, otherwise you would have come running over already. Let me remind you, young man, pay attention to your lifestyle."

"Dare I?" Zhou Zhiyuan replied, then turned to the figure and smiled, "Hello, Deputy Section Chief Han."

However, Han Xue ignored him and stood still, facing Old Nie solemnly, and said, "Hello, Section Chief Nie."

Then she asked with concern, "Are you feeling better?"

Old Nie sighed and replied, "I was feeling better, but this kid made me angry again. Old Zhang only pretends to lecture him a couple of times; Lanbo just tries to comfort me, even saying that the best thing about being with him is understanding the principle of 'tolerance is greatness.' Alright, you two chat. I'm going to give Rolling Stone a lesson in political ideology."

Old Nie left, and Zhou Zhiyuan continued to greet her, "You must have been very busy lately."

Han Xue still ignored him and asked coldly, "Are you going to marry Shen Lanyin?"

"Yes..." Zhou Zhiyuan smiled and said, "Next Sunday at nine o'clock, I formally invite you to attend my wedding."

"I will definitely attend in Beijing."

"Always being away from home isn't good for family harmony."

"Knowing that someone will tell you, do you think there's still a need for harmony?"

"For the child."

"I was just thinking about that. I'll get a divorce, and you can help me take care of the child."

"Can I take care of a child who's only eight months old?"

"It's precisely for the child that I haven't divorced and haven't made a big deal out of it. I let Li Bo be the head of the logistics section to stay home and take care of the child. As for whether he and Zheng Hong are still hooking up, I don't care."

Hearing her speak sadly, Zhou Zhiyuan whispered, "The child will be closer to whoever they spend more time with."

"I know..." Han Xue replied seriously, "After I finish the case at hand, I'll apply to work at the police station for a while."

"No way." Zhou Zhiyuan said decisively, "You must stay in the First Division. This department is under dual management. Some people's words don't count. You can get full protection under the political commissar."

"On the child issue, let your parents take care of it more. Being close to the maternal grandparents is the same as being close to the mother. I heard from Teacher Luo that although your parents have stepped aside, they haven't been greatly affected. They have time to help you take care of the child."

Hearing Zhou Zhiyuan mention her parents, Han Xue's face showed a smile, and she said softly, "Thanks to your reminder, my parents have been very close to Chief Engineer Zhang and Teacher Luo in the past two years."

"My parents were originally low-key people. Influenced by them, they usually pay attention to relationships with neighbors, friends, and colleagues. This time, they actively reviewed and took the initiative to admit that they had made bureaucratic mistakes. After being criticized a few times, no one paid attention to them anymore."

"Now, one is in charge of the agency cafeteria, and the other is performing meritorious service to atone for their sins, working diligently without complaint. They're just not as busy as before. You reminded me, let them take care of Xiaojing."

Saying this, Han Xue looked at Zhou Zhiyuan and continued, "Teacher Luo is a master. During this movement, it's amazing that Chief Engineer Zhang and she weren't affected."

Hearing her mention Chief Engineer Zhang and Teacher Luo, Zhou Zhiyuan smiled and said, "Chief Engineer Zhang's mind is filled with Ohm's law. Occasionally, he'll talk to you about 'Investiture of the Gods.' If you talk to him about politics, he's completely clueless. He doesn't want to talk about it either, so who wouldn't want to use someone like that? Why make trouble for him?"

"And your unit is a key point, so it will be greatly impacted. At this time, you need to rely on a big tree."

"The political commissar's nickname is 'Gazi.' He's a famous HXG, with the right position and strong ability. He's a mischievous person, but the higher-ups trust him. Having him stand on the periphery as a shield is the best choice. This concept will become a consensus. With him protecting you, no one will touch you."

Zhou Zhiyuan was frank, and Han Xue said without hesitation, "I'll listen to you."

Then, after thinking about it, she said, "You want to tell Bureau Chief Zhang not to let me go out?"

Zhou Zhiyuan smiled and said, "I don't have that much influence. The political commissar always cares about his subordinates. If he lets you go, it must be necessary, otherwise he wouldn't have arranged it."

He explained, but Han Xue had other ideas and said in a low voice, "Afraid Shen Lanyin will be jealous?"

"Heh..." Zhou Zhiyuan smiled a little awkwardly.

Han Xue smiled and said, "I won't make things difficult for you. I'm going to pick up Xiaojing and go home. Goodbye."

Han Xue turned and took a few steps, then stopped and turned to look at him, asking, "Aren't you going to see me off?"

"I was just about to." Zhou Zhiyuan hurriedly replied and walked over.

The two walked side by side out of the alley. Han Xue whispered, "Section Chief Nie was originally a brave general. A bullet hit his heart. If it hadn't been for timely rescue, he would have sacrificed himself."

"I don't know when I might also get hit by a bullet. If I sacrifice myself, treat Xiaojing as your own daughter."

"Don't talk, listen to me. Shen Lanyin isn't just wary of me; she's wary of all the beautiful women around you. If I sacrifice myself, she won't make things difficult for you. She just loves you too much. Cherish this relationship."

Saying this, Han Xue stopped and turned to look at him, saying in a low voice, "In this life, let's just be siblings."

After saying this, Han Xue quickly left without looking back, leaving Zhou Zhiyuan standing there with a wry smile on his face.

Han Xue's words sounded like a will, but he didn't feel that they would be separated forever. Instead, he felt that they might be entangled for life.

Zhang Yong had told him that his son was his apprentice.

Yu Li had also looked for him, and Yan Xiaocheng was his apprentice.

Qin Huairu didn't dare to tell him, but she encouraged Zhou Zhiyuan to speak up. Bang Geng was his own nephew, so it was right to teach him some skills.

Now that Han Xue had said this to him, it made him think about starting a kindergarten. He had a ready-made place.

However, this issue could be put aside for the time being. First, he had to consider a serious question: "Should I tell Lanyin about meeting Han Xue today?"

This question was very serious. Shen Lanyin had established a "daily reporting" system for him, requiring him to truthfully report every woman he came into contact with.

Han Xue was right. Shen Lanyin was very wary, but she was too broad in her description. Shen Lanyin wasn't wary of all the beautiful women around him, but focused on Prince Rui. And Han Xue was ranked second. Shen Lanyin was wary of only those two.

This was the most puzzling thing for Zhou Zhiyuan. Shen Lanyin had interrogated him several times, but he really didn't know what Prince Rui looked like? In his memory, Prince Rui was wearing a helmet.

But Shen Lanyin just didn't believe him, and he was helpless. Sometimes he couldn't help but wonder, "Is Lanyin's sixth sense more sensitive than my Niwan Monarch?"

He didn't know, he only knew that Shen Lanyin's interrogation made him even suspect that there was something going on between him and Prince Rui.

But when he raised this question, Shen Lanyin decisively ended the interrogation and never mentioned Prince Rui again.

But he could still feel Shen Lanyin's vigilance, as if Prince Rui could transform into some beautiful woman and suddenly appear.

Shen Lanyin's vigilance puzzled him. In his memory, he had only met Prince Rui once. The two of them were fighting each other, scheming against each other. It was already giving him face that Prince Rui didn't cut him down with a lightsaber.

Thinking of this, Zhou Zhiyuan suddenly froze. How could he think of the word lightsaber?

"I've seen science fiction movies." After thinking carefully, he gave himself this explanation.