Li Mingxue took out some grapes from the refrigerator, washed a bunch, and then took a few oranges and came to the living room to greet Fang Zhicheng. Fang Zhicheng peeled the oranges and chatted with Li Mingxue. He got to know him a little. Li Mingxue was a traditional scholar who taught Chinese in high school and wrote some current affairs commentaries, which were often published in Yinzhou Daily. Fang Zhicheng read a few of them. Although his words were very sharp, he felt that his views and vision were a bit narrow.
Fang Zhicheng had an excellent memory and he could recite the passage that Li Mingxue had published in the newspaper fluently and word for word. Li Mingxue was immediately delighted and regarded Fang Zhicheng as his close friend.
At the dinner table, Li Mingxue, who never drank alcohol, opened a bottle of red wine and said to Tong Siqing with a smile, "The secretary of the municipal party secretary is naturally extraordinary. Secretary Fang can even easily quote my article in the newspaper. This kind of memory is really admirable."
Tong Siqing glanced at Li Mingxue unhappily and said with a wry smile, "I look at you because someone finally reads the crap article you wrote, so I look at others differently."
Fang Zhicheng immediately helped Li Mingxue and explained to Tong Siqing: "Teacher Li has a strong foundation in writing. He publishes at least five reviews in newspapers every month. He is a famous commentator in Yinzhou. Secretary Song also often comments on his articles."
Fang Zhicheng's words were half true and half false, flattering Li Mingxue in disguise. Li Mingxue always liked to study literature, and after hearing Fang Zhicheng's words, he felt very proud and reached out to toast with Fang Zhicheng.
Tong Siqing thought to herself that Fang Zhicheng was really amazing. Although her husband had a kind and gentle personality, he was extremely cynical at heart, so he had almost no friends around him.
Less than thirty minutes after they met, Li Mingxue regarded Fang Zhicheng as a friend regardless of age difference, which made Tong Siqing look at him with admiration.
Tong Siqing's cooking skills are good, especially the sweet and sour carp, which is crispy on the outside and tender on the inside. Fang Zhicheng praised it highly after eating it and said with a smile: "I didn't expect that sweet and sour fish could taste this good. I can apply for a patent."
Li Mingxue gave Fang Zhicheng a thumbs up. He spoke a little unsteadily because he had drunk a few glasses of wine. He smiled innocently and said, "Secretary Fang, you have a powerful tongue. The process of making my wife's sweet and sour fish is complicated. I'm not bragging. There is no other semicolon in Yinzhou."
Tong Siqing saw her husband talking more and more nonsense, and she felt very embarrassed. She remembered that there was still soup in the kitchen, so she got up to serve it to the table. The tofu and crucian carp soup was creamy in color, just like fresh milk, and exuded an enticing aroma.
Fang Zhicheng drank a bowl and praised it highly. Li Mingxue blushed and burped, saying, "Come to the house often when you have time. Your sister-in-law's cooking skills are very good."
Fang Zhicheng waved his hands quickly and said with a smile: "It's okay to disturb you once in a while, but wouldn't it be annoying if you come here frequently?"
Li Mingxue waved his hands and raised his eyebrows, "How can you say that? Although I just met you, I think we are destined to be together. Why do you have to say it in such a distant way? It's not pleasant to hear!"
After he finished speaking, he reached for the red wine bottle and found that one bottle was finished, so he went to the kitchen and got out two bottles of beer.
Tong Siqing knew that she couldn't stop Li Mingxue, so she let him go. After all, they were at home, and even if he was drunk, nothing serious would happen. However, she still reminded Li Mingxue: "Xiao Fang drove over here. If he drinks too much, it will be dangerous."
Li Mingxue frowned and said, "If you are really drunk, just stay at our house for a night. The rooms of my son and my parents are empty."
Tong Siqing subconsciously felt that it was inappropriate, but she still gave Li Mingxue enough face in front of outsiders. She curled her lips and went into the kitchen to rewarm the cold hot dishes.
Fang Zhicheng was originally just dealing with Li Mingxue, but after communicating for a long time, he came to admire Li Mingxue very much. Li Mingxue was a man with a wide range of knowledge and had read many books, so he was very knowledgeable about many things.
For some reason, when talking about urban construction, Li Mingxue showed a distressed expression and said angrily: "The whole country is engaged in urban construction. In my opinion, it is messing around and destroying the city. Take our Nanyuan for example. Such a place with such a rich heritage will be replaced by reinforced concrete in the blink of an eye. It makes people sad. In a few decades, what can we leave for our descendants?"
Although Li Mingxue's words sounded pedantic, they did make sense. Nanyuan Old Street was the most prosperous area in Yinzhou during the Ming and Qing Dynasties. As time went by, it gradually lost its prosperity and fell into mediocrity. The Yinzhou Municipal Government promoted the "Old City Reconstruction Plan", and the first thing to be renovated was Nanyuan Old Street. Because Nanyuan Old Street is a certain distance away from the city center, it is less difficult to demolish it. At the same time, the living standards of the people in Nanyuan Old Street are generally low. After the old city renovation, some commercial facilities and economic projects will inevitably be introduced. From a long-term perspective, it will be able to improve the living standards of the people.
However, the new construction project in the old city was strongly resisted by the people. Even with Xia Xiang's courage when he was in office, he had to focus on the Yuhu Ecological Zone project. Urban planning is an important indicator to measure whether a city is progressing or not. After Song Wendi gained a firm foothold, he has begun to shift his focus to this aspect.
In a few months, the current Nanyuan Old Street will most likely become a ruin.
Fang Zhicheng couldn't help but frown as he listened to Li Mingxue's chattering, thinking that perhaps he should change his thinking about the new construction project in the old city. Otherwise, if he insisted on pushing forward a project that was unpopular with the people, there would definitely be sequelae.
Chapter 0106: That Glance Back at the Night Alley
After dinner, Fang Zhicheng sat for a while and said goodbye. Li Mingxue was drunk and only sent him to the door. Tong Siqing came out with a flashlight. Fang Zhicheng shook his hand and said with a smile: "Sister Siqing, I'm a grown man, so you don't need to send me off. You should go home and take care of Brother Li. He drank a lot today."
Tong Siqing turned on the flashlight and chuckled, "There's an alley ahead, and the street lights are often broken. You've drunk quite a bit, so if you fall, I'll be responsible for you."
Fang Zhicheng smiled and said, "It would be best if we just fall and let Sister Siqing take responsibility." After he finished speaking, he felt that his words were frivolous, and he pursed his lips subconsciously. He looked up at Tong Siqing, only to see two pretty blushes on her cheeks, which made people think of something impolite.
Fang Zhicheng felt his mind was wandering, so he quickly pulled the noose in his heart to stop himself from thinking too much.
Men are naturally attracted to beautiful women. From the first time Fang Zhicheng saw Tong Siqing, he felt that this woman was very charming. Even though she had a husband and a child, she was still a flower that had never withered.
Of course, this kind of affection is purely appreciation.
"Watch your mouth!" Tong Siqing stood on tiptoe and slapped Fang Zhicheng on the forehead. If it was someone else, she might feel disgusted, but she had a special feeling for Fang Zhicheng. He was like her younger brother, and he was just trying to get some advantage with his words, which didn't make her feel dirty.
Fang Zhicheng touched his forehead and felt the soft warmth of Tong Siqing's palm still lingering. He smiled awkwardly and said, "I drank too much and talked nonsense. Please forgive me, Sister Siqing."
Tong Siqing snorted twice, rolled her bright eyes, and whispered, "Don't learn dirty words from those old-timers in the agency. They're actually very annoying."
Fang Zhicheng nodded repeatedly, thinking that if you keep company with vermilion, you will be red; if you keep company with ink, you will be black. In such a big dye vat, it would be more difficult to learn than not to learn.
Although Fang Zhicheng learned some sophisticated ways of dealing with people, he was inevitably infected with many bad habits of officialdom, such as the obscene and ambiguous words he made up.
The key point is that Fang Zhicheng didn't think there was anything wrong with it. Being serious all the time is too tiring. Sometimes being a little frivolous can relieve the pressure in your heart.
Walking into a deep alley about twenty meters long, the street lights were indeed broken. Tong Siqing and Fang Zhicheng walked side by side, which was a little crowded, so she took a quick step, and then the dim flashlight light in front fell behind her. Fang Zhicheng saw Tong Siqing with a slender figure and a graceful figure. She turned around from time to time and smiled, which reminded Fang Zhicheng of a hazy poem that he had read somewhere.
"In the endless alleys, the lights cast a trace of sorrow and illuminate the stars. Walking by, leaving behind a trace of darkness and taking away a few fantasies. A dream that comes once every thousand years brings you and me closer, just for that one look back."
Just as Fang Zhicheng was immersed in that empty fantasy, he heard Tong Siqing snort, and her body paused and bent down.
"Sister Siqing, are you okay?" Fang Zhicheng quickly squatted down, moved closer to Tong Siqing, and asked.
Tong Siqing was not careful when she was walking just now, and her heel got stuck in the gap of the floor tiles. Although the heel was not high, she twisted it and hurt her bones. Under the dim light, Tong Siqing's fair face seemed to be covered with a layer of powder, rosy, and her eyes were not as calm as before. Fang Zhicheng subconsciously pinched Tong Siqing's ankle, and Tong Siqing screamed in pain.
"Oh no, I must have sprained a bone." Fang Zhicheng frowned, wondering what to do.
Tong Siqing was very strong and tried to stand up with her other foot. However, she stood up for a moment and her injured foot was stressed, and her body softened again. Fang Zhicheng hurriedly supported Tong Siqing and hugged her waist. He thought that although she was already 28 or 29 years old, her body was as soft and plump as that of a young girl, and even more voluptuous than Lu Wanyu.
Fang Zhicheng did not take advantage of Tong Siqing for too long. After helping her up, he let go of her hand.